The miserly twilight that came in diagonally from outside the door of the dojo only illuminated half of Yuichi's side face, and the other half was still stuck in the dimness of the dojo.

After placing the bamboo swords in order, one by one the apprentices passed by You Yiyi, who was sitting on the ground with their hands on the floor behind them.

Although they were all amazed by the perseverance, talent and growth of this young man, because the old man at the door who did not have much flesh and was as thin as an old osprey, did not dare to stop and talk.

Sweat continued to slide down from his forehead and cheeks with the sound of rapid breathing, the arms supported behind him trembled slightly, and the protruding Adam's apple moved from time to time due to the action of swallowing saliva.

Suddenly, You Yi opened his eyes, picked up the bamboo sword beside his hand, and stood up with his other hand on his knee.

"How about another practice with me?" You Yi asked the girl who happened to pass by him and abused him all day.

The girl with the mask stopped.

Although the fluctuations are not large, the area under the breastplate does rise and fall at a frequency that is not too slow, and the wheezing sound is a little rapid.

It could be seen that she was just as tired.

Because of Yuyi's words, standing outside the door of the dojo, Kyogoku, who had just started and was about to leave, also stopped.

At this moment, the girl nodded slightly.

……

Yuichi changed his posture again and again, his feet slightly spread a distance almost equal to the width of his shoulders, and he stood straight.

The straightened right hand in front of the abdomen held the bamboo sword tightly in a straight line with the downward sloping arm, and the tip of the sword rested steadily in the air of five centimeters on the floor.

About half a minute later, the original drooping tip of the sword was against the girl's throat, but the girl's sword tip was still in midair.

At this moment, both Kyogoku and the girl who were standing at the door were stunned for a moment.

Even if the girl's reaction just now was a moment late because of the girl's physical exhaustion, there is no doubt that he won!

Not to mention, physical exhaustion is the same on both sides!

The joy in the boy's eyes was illuminated by the redness of the twilight of the mountain stream, and the cloudy sweat dripping from the drenched ends of his hair shone with the same brilliance as his eyes.

The teenager at this moment is reflected in the girl's eyes, reflected in the girl's mind, and illuminates the girl's heart.

"Tomorrow, I'll win you with dignity."

You Yi said as he put away the bamboo sword, and then the whole person fell on the floor with a thud.

Gasping for breath and soaking in the bottom of my heart, I was not satisfied with the sound of the task being accomplished.

The corners of my mouth can't help but rise and be satisfied because:

Both body and mind have just seen a new view.

Looking at Yuichi with his eyes closed and the corners of his mouth raised, Yuuki Sakura felt that her heartbeat was faster than when she was hilarious before.

I also feel that something is constantly tugging at the heartstrings, and there is a slight difference between the sweetness of the heart and the past.

"Ahem!"

The sound of a woman coughing from the doorway brought back Yuki Sakura, who had unconsciously pulled out ropes, collars, and stun guns from nowhere.

That is, You Yi was closing his eyes at this time, otherwise he would have guessed the girl's identity because of the girl's behavior.

Looking at Yuuki Sakura, who put away the rope and stun gun again, Yuuki Kazuka, who was standing at the door, did not show any surprise on his face.

While waiting for Yuki Sakura to come, he smiled and said to Kyogoku on the side, "I hope you can forget what happened just now." ”

With that, he took Yuki Sakura and walked along the corridor under the eaves to the corner in front of him.

At that moment, Kyogoku suddenly discovered something, it was half a clog peeping out of the corner.

Master......

Kyogoku, who thought of something, smiled softly, and then entered the dojo and helped Yuichi, who no longer had half of his strength, up.

At the same time, I had some doubts, where did the little junior sister's stun gun, rope and collar come from?

By the way, how could she move so fast at that time?

……

On New Year's Day, the Zuowu Academy's dojo.

Beads of sweat shining with the golden light of the sun broke into Yuuki Sakura's eyes, as did the raised corners of the young man's mouth, the confident face with a few band-aids and cable ties, and the bright eyes.

"The winner is decided!"

It wasn't until Kyogoku's voice sounded that Sakura Yuuki came back to her senses from the gentle gasps of the young man in front of her and the dry and abnormal breath, and realized the fact that she had been defeated.

Today's competition adopts the rules of Zuo Wuli's best-of-three system that has been inherited from the Warring States period with a flow of swordsmanship.

Neither side had any reservations, and in the end Yuichi picked up the victory with two wins and one loss.

After the final salute, You Yi carried the bamboo sword and walked towards the other apprentices Zuo Wuyuan Isaburo who was standing not far away, but was stopped by Kyogoku Instant before he could get to him.

At the same time, Isaburo of Zuowuyuan also turned around and left the dojo.

"Come with me."

Kyogoku instantly took Yuichi to the private hot spring pool located in the side room of the Samuin house.

After bathing and changing clothes, while explaining the unique worship ritual of the Zuowu family, he took it to the huge ancestral hall.

Looking at the ancestral hall enshrined in the densely packed ancestral shrines of the ancestors of the Zuowu Academy, You Yi pursed the corners of his mouth.

"Wouldn't it be the end of bringing me here earlier?"

Kyogoku smiled instantly, and instead of saying the phrase "as long as the master doesn't agree, no one can come in", he stepped out lightly and closed the door.

Probably at dusk, You Yi opened the door and walked out, and the reason why he stayed in the ancestral hall alone for so long was that he sacrificed in accordance with the sacrificial etiquette of the Zuowuyuan family instead of the original owner's mother.

After sitting for hours in front of the shrine dedicated to the altar of the original owner's grandmother's ashes, You Yi felt that his calf was about to be destroyed.

And that's far from over, because according to the rules, tonight will have to be watched for a whole night before it is completely over.

I didn't feel troublesome, after all, I occupied someone's son's body and gave away a set of real estate, not to mention keeping a night vigil, three nights!

In the previous life, if someone gave themselves a suite for nothing, let alone let themselves sit on the vigil, they would let themselves kneel down and lick ... Ahem, phew!

In short, only when you have information can you have peace of mind.

"It's hard work, come here with me."

Kyogoku, who was waiting at the door, instantly led Yuichi to a very quiet and rustic Japanese-style room with only a small table.

The vegetarian dishes on the small table are similar to the soup and tofu dishes served at the inn, but the amount is smaller and the look is more simple. In addition, there are two more small plates of pickled vegetables.

The taste is more like traditional Kyoto cuisine, and it is lighter.

By the way, although Kyoto people try their best to protect Kyoto's traditional culture, few Kyoto people actually like traditional Kyoto cuisine, and most of them have a heavier taste.

It's just that only outsiders who try it out will order traditional Kyoto food in the store, and then the Kyoto people on the side will tease them with a hillbilly or something.

According to the process, after eating this meal, you should bathe and change your clothes again, and then stay in the ancestral hall until the next morning.

At twelve o'clock in the middle of the night, You Yi, who was sitting alone in front of the Buddhist shrine dedicated to the shrine of Yuzi and the columbarium of Zuowuyuan, silently counted in his heart, trying to escape the discomfort of his calves in this way.

Just as You Yi was about to change his posture and rest, a person gently pushed open the door of the ancestral hall......