Chapter 24: Ririko’s Practical Lesson, Tennen Rishin-ryu, Initiation!

"Tennen Rishin-ryū?"

The blacksmith repeated the name, staring at the small figure shrouded in a hood beside him, and fell silent.

Uesugi Toru nodded, though he secretly wondered if there was something special about the sword style one practiced in this world.

"Fine."

After a silence lasting over ten seconds, the blacksmith, lost in his own thoughts, said, "Come back in a few hours to pick up your weapon."

...

After finishing the task at the blacksmith's, Uesugi Toru went straight to the kendo hall to meet Ririko.

It was afternoon class time, so naturally, the massive kendo hall was occupied by only one person: Ririko, practicing in silence.

The privileged could do as they pleased within the school.

Arriving at the entrance, Uesugi Toru looked down at her feet—the wooden floorboards had turned a deep, dark brown, soaked through by the girl's sweat.

Silent strikes, lonely climbs. Uesugi Toru thought that perhaps this was the secret to how Ririko stood out among her peers.

But the longer he watched, the more something felt off.

He rubbed his eyes—why was Ririko glowing?

Was it an illusion?

*Whoosh—*

As the final sound of the bamboo sword cutting through the air faded, Ririko exhaled softly and walked toward him.

The contact between her bare feet and the floorboards made a rhythmic *pat-pat* sound, like a duck waddling.

She took a sip of mineral water and greeted him, "You're here? Go change and let's start."

"Wait." Uesugi Toru pulled her sleeve, leaned in closer, and asked with confusion, "Ririko, you’re actually glowing. Didn't you notice?"

A ripple of delight stirred within Ririko, but on the surface, she feigned indifference. "It’s a sign of having just broken through to the 'Clear Sword Heart.' If you could achieve a state of mind like still water, you’d be able to see it too, of course."

Uesugi Toru was puzzled. "What is a 'Clear Sword Heart'?"

*Finally, you asked.*

Ririko replied coolly, "It’s the second level of swordsmanship after 'Mind Like Still Water.' It’s not much of an achievement."

"Oh, I see."

*Uesugi Toru, half-understanding, chose to believe her.*

*And then, Uesugi Toru fell into deep contemplation.*

"The gist of Kiai is like this. Let me demonstrate again..."

"No need."

Uesugi Toru was slightly stunned.

"I’ve already understood it all." Ririko curled the corners of her lips, revealing a wild, arrogant smile that Uesugi Toru had never seen before. "Uesugi-kun, your breathing technique is quite refined!"

With that, she took a deep breath, puffing out her chest, and swung her sword with a thunderous shout: "HA!"

Uesugi Toru saw it clearly.

Without a doubt, this was basic Kiai, far inferior to his current proficiency level.

*But the problem was, he had only spent a few minutes explaining it to her once.*

*Are you kidding me?*

*How does someone without a cheat look more impressive than me, the one with the cheat?*

*Ririko mastering it in one go must have something to do with that 'Clear Sword Heart' thing—and she calls that 'not much of an achievement'?*

*What kind of new humble-brag is this?*

"Hey!"

A brand-new set of armor was tossed into Uesugi Toru’s arms. He caught it and saw Ririko resting her bamboo sword on her shoulder.

"Since I’ve already learned your breathing technique, Uesugi-kun, it’s time to switch roles."

Even though Ririko was a head shorter than him, at this moment, Uesugi Toru had the illusion that the girl before him was looking down on him from above.

"Uesugi-kun, you are a genius." Ririko watched as Uesugi Toru put on his armor, her lips curving upward uncontrollably. "Being a genius, you can't just progress step-by-step like an ordinary person."

Uesugi Toru sensed something ominous.

He said, "By the way, I wanted to learn how to identify positions by sound..."

"Hold it." Ririko retracted her sword. "You will learn all of that one by one in the upcoming combat training."

*Combat training?*

Uesugi Toru finally understood why Ririko had given him the armor.

But he had only been practicing kendo for a day!

"Uesugi-kun!"

Ririko let out a sharp, practiced Kiai shout, snapping Uesugi Toru back to reality.

She held her sword with both hands, her eyes burning with intense, earnest fervor:

"—Don't let me leave you behind!"

Gripping his bamboo sword, Uesugi Toru met her gaze.

Since Ririko had gone this far, he felt he had no more excuses to decline.

*[You have used Soul-Calming Incense Ash x1]*

In a world where every detail was rendered with microscopic precision, Uesugi Toru took a deep breath:

"Come."

Then, the bamboo sword turned into a phantom, crashing down like a lightning strike.

That was no metaphor.

Uesugi Toru blocked a single *Karate* strike and felt half his body go numb. It wasn't because Ririko was freakishly strong, but because the force traveled through the contact point of the swords and into his very marrow.

Under the influence of the Soul-Calming Incense Ash, Uesugi Toru could clearly feel how Ririko was doing it.

But there was a world of difference between knowing the theory and practicing it.

Before Uesugi Toru could regain his footing, another strike came.

This one hit his back, and a searing pain followed.

Uesugi Toru stumbled, and Ririko’s light chuckle came from behind him: "Hey, hey, is that all you've got?"

*When did she get there!?*

Uesugi Toru exerted force instantly, swinging his sword behind him, but hit nothing.

The next moment, he felt a heavy strike on the top of his head.

Ririko’s instruction followed: "Don't rely on your first instinct. Use your brain to think. Didn't you say you wanted to practice identifying positions by sound?"

He paused for a moment, focusing his attention on his hearing, and only then did he hear the incredibly distinct *pat-pat* sounds.

*—That was the sound of Ririko’s feet touching the floor.*

Sometimes light, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, sometimes heavy... it stopped!

The moment the footsteps ceased, Uesugi Toru swung a *Kesa-giri* in that direction.

But there was no sensation of hitting anything solid.

*Whack!*

Uesugi Toru was knocked to the floor by the heavy blow.

As he hit the ground, he couldn't help but wonder how that Fox-Dog-Tanuki had ever managed to corner Ririko in the first place?

*—Perhaps, even without me, Ririko could have soloed that thing?*

"Don't think of your enemy as an idiot; try to put yourself in their shoes." Ririko looked down at him, gently resting her bare foot on his helmet. "Also, combat isn't about discovering and then acting; it's a unified, fluid chain of actions."

"Get your foot off."

A muffled voice came from inside the helmet.

Hearing the change in his voice, Ririko complied gracefully, her eyes growing increasingly excited.

*—Force transmission, identifying positions by sound, putting yourself in the enemy's shoes, combat as a unified whole.*

These vague concepts gradually became clear in Uesugi Toru’s senses. As Ririko swung her sword again and again, it brought more than just pain.

It brought enlightenment!

Being beaten mercilessly, Uesugi Toru didn't mind the pain; instead, he grew increasingly excited.

Uesugi Toru even felt like Ririko was holding an experience stick, and every time she hit him, a "Experience +1" would appear above his head.

*But it’s still missing something.*

He consumed a second dose of Soul-Calming Incense Ash. As his body pushed toward its limit, Uesugi Toru wondered in his mind.

He could clearly hear Ririko’s footsteps, and he could slowly block her sword...

But there was one problem—Ririko’s sword was always a fraction faster than his.

It wasn't much faster, just that perfect, precise fraction.

Uesugi Toru was thinking, thinking about the shifts in Ririko’s position, thinking about where her sword would strike next.

As his body grew more exhausted, his thoughts were forced to slow down, to the point where it was difficult to think at all.

*Wait.*

*Difficult to think? No-mind, no-thought?*

Uesugi Toru’s movements stalled for a moment, and he took another heavy hit, stumbling backward.

Ririko’s roar came: "Is that all! Uesugi Toru, is this the extent of your ability!"

*Damn woman, you're noisy!*

Uesugi Toru felt he had grasped the key—since it’s hard to think, why not just give up thinking entirely!

Not by returning to the old way of relying on instinct, but by letting someone else take over the thinking!

Whether it was his body or his subconscious, it didn't matter, as long as it could replace his brain, which was a beat too slow.

After taking another hit, Uesugi Toru consciously stopped thinking, letting his brain shut out all external information.

Yet, the more he sank into this state, the more vividly Uesugi Toru could sense Ririko and the sword in her hand. Closer, closer, as if it were within reach...

So Uesugi Toru reached out, and gripped!

Under Ririko’s shocked gaze, the sword Uesugi Toru swung seemed to transform into intangible flowing water, or perhaps an elusive bolt of lightning, dismantling her defense in a flash.

He struck her bamboo sword, sending it flying!

Just like that, the tip of his sword, wrapped in protective leather, hovered steadily before Ririko’s throat.

The fleeting, crystalline glint of the blade illuminated her pupils, leaving an indelible mark on Tokugawa Ririko’s clear sword heart.

The next moment, Uesugi Toru’s consciousness faded, and he collapsed heavily onto the floor.

Ririko just watched.

She froze for a long while before she realized what had happened.

The girl hurriedly crouched down, removed Uesugi Toru’s mask, and after confirming there were no serious injuries, let him rest his head on her lap.

In the pale, late-spring sunlight, Tokugawa Ririko looked down, gazing at his exhausted face as sweat slowly trickled down, and she revealed a heartfelt, joyful smile.

"Uesugi-kun."

She closed her eyes gently, and said, earnestly and with immense delight:

"I have never felt it so clearly as I do in this moment—how wonderful it is to be living in the same era as you."

...

*[Your skill, Kiai (Fragment), proficiency +75!]*

*[You have had an epiphany in combat, Tennen Rishin-ryū proficiency +300!]*

*[Your skill, Swordsmanship: Tennen Rishin-ryū, has been upgraded to Beginner Level!]*