Steam curled gently from two porcelain cups.
They floated dozens of meters above the open sea, seated across from one another at a low lacquered table that hovered as naturally as if it rested on stone. Below them, waves rolled and shattered against the coastal cliffs of Odani, white foam spreading and dissolving in endless rhythm. Farther along the shore, the battlefield had already ended and camps were being set up.
Master Iaiashin took a slow sip of her tea.
"You did well today," she said. "With this victory, we've reclaimed nearly half of the smaller territories."
Hideyoshi exhaled softly, almost amused. "You make it sound grander than it was."
"It was grand," she replied. "You routed fortified positions on your own."
He leaned back slightly. "It really was not that grand. The Mizunori Clan doesn't have the most powerful of Squires."
Then, more pointedly, he added, "And as long as the clan needs me in these wars, I can remain a squire."
Iaiashin's gaze sharpened.
"You speak as though ascension is optional."
"For me," Hideyoshi said calmly, "it is."
Silence settled between them for a breath, filled only by the distant roar of surf far below.
"I don't think I necessarily need to step into the realm of Martial Senior to go find my mother... plus, It would remove me from these battlefields," he continued. "From the front lines where the clan bleeds and expands. Kinzoku needs me more a Squire than a Senior."
Iaiashin smiled faintly. "You always did enjoy standing just below the summit."
Hideyoshi set his cup down a little too carefully.
"Master, may I ask you something," he said. "What do you think of my brother-in-law?"
Iaiashin did not look up from her tea. Instead, she sighed.
"So," she said, "you're still determined to marry that peasant girl."
Hideyoshi smiled faintly. "I didn't deny it."
"You never do," she replied. "You simply change the subject and hope it will be accepted."
He spread his hands. "You do know me well, Master."
Her gaze finally lifted to him. Sharp. Measuring.
"And yet," she continued, "you didn't ask what I think of her."
"No," Hideyoshi said. "...I know what you think of her."
A pause.
"What I want to know," he went on, "is what you think of him."
The wind shifted, carrying the scent of salt. Far below, the ocean churned where wreckage and ash drifted toward the shore.
Iaiashin studied him for a long moment, then set her cup aside.
"Your future brother-in-law," She said with a hint of sarcasm, "Merun?"
Hideyoshi inclined his head. Just slightly.
"He's a… troublesome brat," she admitted. "And not in the way geniuses usually are."
Hideyoshi's brow creased. "How so?"
"He has no martial path," she said flatly.
The words struck like a blade.
Hideyoshi's composure cracked for the first time. "That's impossible."
"It is impossible," Iaiashin replied. "However, at my realm... such things are much more transparent. I watched him closely. His movements. His decisions. His instincts. He fights to survive, not to temper his martial arts."
She folded her hands. "He is not a Martial Squire."
Hideyoshi stared at her, tea forgotten.
"But his body—"
"Seems to be innate," she cut in. "His body has sheer, raw, excessive strength, durability and monstrous vitality..."
Her eyes narrowed in thought.
"It resembles descriptions of the fabled Tyrant Strength Body from old texts. A physique that produces power without training or cultivation. Without refinement."
Hideyoshi swallowed. "That's just a myth."
"So was the Divine Arsenal," she said calmly.
His jaw tightened.
"You're saying—"
"I'm saying," Iaiashin continued, "that your brother-in-law is walking the battlefield with power he does not fully understand, guided by nothing but instinct and pain tolerance."
She glanced at him sidelong.
"And that makes him far more dangerous to himself than to his enemies."
Hideyoshi exhaled slowly, fingers curling at his side.
"…That boy," he murmured. "He could have just told me—"
It struck him.
HE DID TELL ME.
"There's something else," Iaiashin said casually, as if mentioning the weather. "Did you know he can use the Divine Arsenal technique?"
Hideyoshi stiffened.
"…Yes," he replied after a beat. His fingers tightened slightly around his cup. "But I chose not to press the matter."
"Oh?"
He exhaled. "I knew his father... the man named Budo Furutsu. He was taught the technique at the martial apprentice realm. He was a very promising fighter—too promising. He was made an example by some nobles. Cast out to show a lesson as to what disobedience to a noble would cost."
Iaiashin listened without interrupting.
"I put it together," Hideyoshi continued. "Somehow, he managed to pass the technique on to his youngest. Not the others though. Just him."
"And yet you stayed silent," she said.
Hideyoshi looked away as he scratched his cheek.
For a moment, there was only the sound of wind rushing freely over open water.
Then Iaiashin spoke again, slower this time.
"…Budo Furutsu," she said thoughtfully. "I knew him."
Hideyoshi glanced up. "You recognize him?"
She tilted her head slightly. "Did he have an eldest daughter? Named Ichigo, perhaps?"
Hideyoshi paused. Mikan's face surfaced in his mind, the way she spoke of home. "Mikan did mention an older sister."
A soft smile curved Iaiashin's lips. "Then that explains it."
"Explains what?" Hideyoshi asked.
"She is my daughter's first friend," Iaiashin said. "And her first rival."
Hideyoshi blinked.
"With the arrival of that brat Tokugawa," she continued lightly, "my daughter—and many others—were humbled... no, the closest word would be destroyed. It's one thing to be called talented. Another entirely to witness what a true genius looks like."
Her smile deepened, proud but measured. "It was good for her. Ichigo was there when it happened. Now they train together daily. Each pushes the other higher."
Hideyoshi let out a quiet breath and smiled. "I see. Greatness really does run through that family's blood... Did she join the battle?"
Iaiashin smiled. "She is still under recovery after the previous war, so I asked her to skip this one... She's much like a daughter to me now, you know?"
He felt the affection she had in her words, maybe their marriage would go through after all?
Her eyes widened in shock. "Scary... It's almost like it's destiny. I'm sure Merun will make a name for himself and rise through the ranks, even as a peasant... and when the time comes, I offer him Inyen's hand in marriage, knowing that my daughter is his sister's dearest bestfriend and rival, there's no doubt he'd agree to join my family. Yes..."
"Fate works in such mysterious ways..." She said with a eerie smile.
Seeing his master plotting with a smile gave him the shivers.
He changed the topic. "Where is Tokugawa now?"
Iaiashin's expression scrunched slightly. "Transferred. The higher-ups are moving him through different clan cities. They want to push his name up the rankings, force his ascension to the next realm."
She sighed, irritation bleeding through her composure. "Idiots. They should just let him ascend already. He's stronger than most noble brats who sit above him just because of their family name."
Her gaze hardened. "Those who cling to noble pride and borrowed prestige should be trampled into the sand by the truly powerful. Even if that power comes from a peasant."
The words hung heavy, carried out over the endless sea.
Hideyoshi coughed softly. "Ehem… at any case—"
He steadied himself, returning to the matter at hand.
"He promised," Hideyoshi replied quietly. "Promised never to reveal it. To never activate it openly. Because if word spread that an outsider possessed a Divine Arsenal…" He shook his head. "Oof, there's no telling what kind of trouble that would invite."
For a moment, there was only the sound of wind and waves colliding far below.
Then Master Iaiashin laughed.
Soft. Amused.
"Really?" she said.
Hideyoshi frowned. "What is it?"
She lifted her hand and pointed toward the horizon, where sea and night sky blurred together.
"It seems," she said lightly, "that he just used it."
The world tilted.
"…What?"
Hideyoshi followed her gaze.
His jaw dropped.
No. He wouldn't.
He wouldn't break his promise, right?