"Impressive , Kiseki-chan!!"

Mitsuri's cheerings from the terrace put a fighting back smile on her face, her brown eyes pierced to the tree while her now calloused palms smacked the tree 6 times harder than the first time Akao introduced the first stage method to her.

Several scratches proudly peaks under her sleeves , the girl declined Akao's offer to cover them up because they became her reminder to work harder.

She continued to hit the tree with her hands , mouth opened slightly , air circulating faster than usual but improving do much than her first time.

Recalling , that the point of this training is stamina and breathing management.

As usual, it's cold in Winter Estate.Even in summer , wind blew pretty much there , and mostly anyone who visits the estate had a scarf or double haori on them , just like Mitsuri right now.

She's still fangirling over the "cute" hardworking tsuguko of Akao , yeeting praises at the girl.

She wears what Obanai would call 'cute' silently with lovestruck gaze-- a pink and young green knitted scarf , perfectly wrapping her neck and lies in match with her triple braided hair.

Meanwhile , the Ice Pillar Akao Masayuki ?

She's sitting inside , drinking her berry tea with a resting bitch face , glancing at her senior pillar and tsuguko being noisy outside.Or rather , only her senior.

Well but that's quite brightening the place up.This place is just as dark as my soul.

Her mind roamed around in boredom , thoughts starting slide out of the rail.

And to think about it , males seemed to prefer cheerful and cute girls like Mitsuri and Shinobu-san , at least ones that smiles often..

Not that i care about it.

Boys are just opposite sex creature.

There's nothing special.They are just like me but with crazier minds and shorter lifespan.

And with a dic--

"YOU GO , KISEKI-CHA--!!!! Oh , Obanai-san , what are you doing here? Are you looking for Masa-chan??" Mitsuri suddenly stopped her constant cheering , making the young blue haired fellow snap out of her daydreaming before the readers could conclude that she is a one dirty minded but mentally exhausted character.

Her young blue and red hues eyes changed target , shifting in a blink to a certain short black mop haired male with an eye damaging haori which anyone could think as a zebra in one second glance.

"No.I'm going to give this to you." Obanai straight up pulled a pair of striped green stockings from where she assumed , under his haori.

His turquoise and yellow eyes shifted somewhere else , to prevent any blush spreading on his face , and being Akao's blackmailing material again for another 5 months.

Akao shook her head.

His eyes literally screamed "STOP BEING CUTE OR I'LL MARRY YOU."

It's obvious.

Akao rolled her eyes , remembering that one moment in the past when she confronted the male , asking about his type to fish out some hints about his crush.

Flashback:

"I don't have high standards for girls...I only want someone whose name begins with "M" and maybe finished with "itsuri Kanroji".Is it too much to ask?"

--

Akao glanced back at the pair , chatting again as if the world is theirs.

"Yep.He fell hard."

"Who fell??"

Akao turned and immediately met face to face with her tsuguko , who inches back in reflex.

"Why did you stop?"

Akao sipped her berry tea again , glancing at the brunette's arms and legs , aware of any injuries.

"Um , no.It's just , that i got some fruits out of that tree.I'm going for the next tr--" Kiseki laid down her today's results on her basket next to Akao , but stopped when she was about to go outside again.

"No. Enough," Akao decided and put down her cup , before standing up and taking her haori and swords with her.

She noticed that Kiseki already put her sword on the side of her kendogi.

"Okay.Follow me," Akao walked past Kiseki , closing the door before leading her towards the field outside the Estate.

As far as she had explored the area , Kiseki had never saw this bare field laying there.

Like a field surrounded by woods , with several destroyed tree trunks on a side and new ones on the other side.

Kiseki's legs brought her to the pile of destroyed ones , eyes concernedly observing the cleanly cut tree trunks , so cleanly straight but cut so thin , and in random directions.

Like someone mutilated them with a very sharp blade.

"That's not something you should look upon.You should focus on the basics I'm going to teach you," Akao's voice emanated in the middle of the field , suprisingly still audible to the brunette who peered over her shoulders.

She turned on her heels and hesitantly still glanced on the tree trunks.

"Masayuki-san , what are those tree trunks for?" She fidgeted, fingers brushing over her scratches in silence , not like first time , when she hissed in pain everytime she moved a muscle on her scratched palm.

Akao spared a second glance , before rolling her sleeves up and carried a quarter chop of the whole tree trunk , straightening them on the grass before taking a rope which hung freely on a tree branch.

Kiseki wide eyed looked around , spotting the same old ropes hanging from other tree branches.

"W-W-What are they for?!" She stepped back in confusion , her pillar master took the rope and tied them around the tree trunk , carefreely shoving her way in a short bushes , taking the other side of the rope and pulled the tree trunk up in a pulley system.

"Don't think of such out of topic things.There's nothing more frightening than demons and human's ego.These ropes re for training , not for free suicide exhibition," Akao clapped her hands to brush off dusts , eyes checking on the tree trunk to make sure everything's going alright.

Meanwhile , Kiseki's brown orbs focused on something else.

Akao's arms and palms.

Full of scratches and stitches, and burn marks.Her palms are a bit better and seemingly softer , but she's pretty sure she saw some old fading away brutal scratches on it.

"Now , Kiseki.I'm going teach you swordsmanship basics," Akao started her small lecture."First of all , i know saying some theory bullshits won't make you great in a blink , so i'd rather to give you an example,"

Akao pulled her sleeves back down again , before unsheathing her young blue sword with flowery diamond shaping sword handle safer (idk what its called im so sorry-).

In one swift motion , she inhaled shortly before swinging her right arm to the side , stopping for a second as an example before clashing her sword at the hanging tree trunk around 5 times in a second, stopping a second later , spinning her opposite directed sword to sheath it back.

The tree drunk fall down entirely in small clean cut pieces , making the brunette's had fell down, eyes wide.

Her stiff body turned in a robotic manner, finger directed to the destroyed tree trunks she saw earlier.

"So that's...."

"Hm."

"..o-oh."

"But you're not in the level to do that.You have never held a sword before-- aside from knives , Kiseki.I know you used knives multiple times , but this is different , so I'm going to teach you now," Akao sighed and interrupted her tsuguko as she was going to raise her hand , knowing that the girl might probably say :'But i've held knives before.' or something like that.

"Before you can use tree trunks as your target , you"ll need to learn how to hold sword correctly and how to swing them. Now , unsheath your sword ," Akao demanded , earning an excited silent squeal from the brunette , who stumbled to pull off her bamboo sword from the sheath.

It's suprisingly light.

"Because it's bamboo.After you have mastered the very very basic techniques , i'll hand you a real one , and it'll be much heavier , you hear me?" Akao bluntly spoke up answering her indirect questions in her mind , knowing from how her eyes roamed on the sword.

"H-Hai!!" Kiseki bowed slightly , straightening up almost immediately in excitement.

Your excitement and your buried passion to avenge your father is another something to fear of than ghosts.

"Now. Follow my instructions, "

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

Caw..Caw...

Akao's Karasu landed calmly on her shoulder , seeking for attentions.

Akao fullfilled her will, stroking her head and gave her some snacks.

She's on the way to the Estate , after whole day spent to teach Kiseki basics of sword holding and swinging.

There's a lot more to teach her , but it's enough for today , considering how new Kiseki was to swordsmanship.She's not like Mitsuri , who holds the power of 10 men.So , she left her practicing on the field , alone , mastering the basic she taught her.

Just when she turned on a corner , she spotted the girl whose name just passed on her mind.

"Mitsuri-san? You were here all day long?" Her pace quickened as she approached the girl on the terrace , drinking a cup of berry tea.

"No , i visited again just now.Sorry , i was a bit cold , so i took the berry teapot on the kotatsu," she bowed her head slightly in an apologetic manner , i shook my head in guilt.

"Sorry for leaving you alone here before , i had to taught Kiseki the sword basics.I'll go gt more tea for you," Akao took off her boots and walked inside , but stopped by a soft grab on her leg.

"No need , Masa-chan..! How about we just sit here enjoying the sunset??" Mitsuri swung her dangling feet , giving her a closed eyes smile.

Akao stared at the older girl for a second.

"Okay,"

"So , Masa-chan , what are your plans for the future...?" Mitsuri closed her eyes , enjoying the rare occasion of cold sunset in Winter Estate.

Akao glanced at her with a confused look.

"What do you mean...?"

Mitsuri let out a small laugh.

"You know , things you wanna do on the future , aside from slaying demons and training people,"

Akao looked at her elegantly closed legs , stiffly dangling from the ground.

"No...i couldn't think of a thing.I might just give all my loyalty to Oyakata-san and slain demons forever," Akao looked up to the sunset , wind breezes on her face."But one thing for sure..My goal now is to train Kiseki to become strong willed and good enough to protect herself and the people around her."

Mitsuri giggled.

"Awww , what a doting parent...!!"

"Mitsuri-san , we're literally one year apart , what are you implying," Akao facepalmed.

"Ehehe , but you didn't deny that you're really doting for her riggghttt???"

"....hm." Akao just hummed in response for a few seconds."She's improving pretty quick if i said it myself..She has a quite strong goal for it."

"Oh really..??" It piqued Mitsuri's interest.

"Hmm...but don't ask her directly.It's pretty triggering," Akao uneasily added.

"Ooh...Ne , Masa-chan , how about you?"

"Moving from one crisis to another as elegantly as i can,"

"Masa-chan...you're starting to sound like Tomioka-san.."

"I'm similar to Giyuu-san since i was born.It's just that i have friends.And i just don't have a dick,"

••••••••○○○••••••••

Akao is me rn.

3 days before i receive my black belt and got my Shihan put them on for me on live streaming for other members online..

And

7 days before the end term exam :")

My brain was like...

ROTTING AND RUSTING TO THE CORE---

And my friends were like...smartass bitches who won't share answers with me.

And tbh im not comfy with sharing answers too :")

Gotta work hard..

Still going to update like usual..

But just slower ~~

☆Kuu☆
*carpe diem , carpe noctem , carpe colem :)*