Chapter 6: The Sword.
Haruki held out a small wooden plaque. It was very beautiful, engraved with the image of a woman with long hair.
"But that place is very dangerous. It is a place for slave trading and has many red-light districts, and many dangerous people. You must be careful."
"Then what is your master doing there? Is he selling slaves or does he like the red-light district?"
Haruki's eye twitched repeatedly.
— Is this brat genuinely stupid or pretending? How can he ask that?
Haruki maintained a calm face.
"Of course not! He is old and doesn't want to travel anywhere. Besides, that is his hometown, so he doesn't want to leave."
Walking and talking, the two arrived at an old shop located in a corner of an alley.
"Here it is! We're here!"
The building was very old. Even the signboard could no longer be read. Cobwebs covered the walls, and moss grew everywhere.
"Huh? It's so old! Are you sure this is a sword shop, Brother?"
"Of course! My sword is also from here."
Haruki pushed the door open. The inside was very old. Swords lay scattered all over the ground. There was no one inside.
Haruki said nothing and walked deeper inside. A door was ahead. Haruki pushed it open, and a creaking sound echoed. The room inside was very cluttered. In the corner of the room was a bed with someone sleeping on it.
"Hey, are you going to serve customers or not?"
Haruki kicked the bed hard. The man lying on it woke up with a start, one hand clutching his head.
The man was about 40 years old, his hair was messy, and his beard was sparse on his chin. He looked at Haruki with a bored expression.
"Hey kid, are you trying to ruin my shop again?"
Haruki angrily kicked the bed where he was sitting.
"Huh? This is a shop? This is a pigsty! Are you going to sell anything, or should I go somewhere else?"
The man's face immediately turned cheerful.
"Ah, don't, don't go! I'll sell! So, what are you buying a sword for?"
"Of course, I'm buying it for this boy."
He tilted his head to the side, looking at Kazuka.
"Huh? Is he your son?"
Haruki's face grew even angrier.
"My son, my foot! I'm only 19! You bastard didn't even bother to attend my wedding! Do you want to die?"
"What the heck? I told you I was busy! I even sent you a wedding gift! What more do you want?"
"What the heck were you busy with?"
"I have a lot of things to do! What do you know?"
The two continued to argue. After arguing for a while, a loud sound rang out—the sound of a sword dropping. It was Kazuka. Seeing the two arguing, he went to look at the goods himself.
The two immediately stopped arguing and ran out of the room, seeing Kazuka rummaging through the shop's pile of weapons, continuously muttering.
"This won't do."
"This one is too ugly."
"This one is too light."
"Ah... Why isn't there a single one that works?"
The man pointed at Kazuka and said, "So, this is the brat who is buying a sword?"
"Yes, that's him."
The man walked over to Kazuka, who was still rummaging through the messy pile of swords.
"Hey kid, my name is Kanemaru. What kind of weapon do you want? I'll help you find one."
Kazuka immediately stopped and stood up. He tilted his head to the side in thought, his hand resting on his chin.
"Hmm, let's see. I want it to be really cool and strong."
Kanemaru's expression immediately changed, showing clear irritation.
"Huh? Are you kidding me? If you describe it like that, even my father wouldn't know which sword suits you!"
"Well, alright, let me see which sword you like."
He picked up a sword from the ground and threw it to Kazuka. The boy caught it with one hand, his face still confused.
The man immediately asked.
"What do you think of that sword?"
"Too short."
He threw another sword.
"How about this one?"
"Too light."
Another sword was thrown.
"How about this one?"
"Too ugly."
Another sword.
"How about this one?"
"Doesn't look very sharp."
"Alright, I have a general idea now. Leave the deposit here, and come back in 10 days. You will have your sword."
Haruki's lip curled up.
"Huh? You only asked those things? How do you know what sword suits the boy? Are you trying to just get it over with?"
"Get it over with, my foot! I've been alive longer than you!"
"You've been alive longer, but living in this rat hole is no different from a frog at the bottom of a well!"
Kanemaru's face turned red, and he shouted even louder.
"You should learn to respect your elders, kid!"
Haruki was just as loud, shouting back.
"Old? Old, my foot!"
The two continued to argue, their voices echoing everywhere.
Scene shift.
Kazuka and Haruki were sparring when Aiko called out from a distance.
"Hey, it's getting dark, you two. Go take a bath, then come in for dinner."
At the mention of dinner, Kazuka's eyes lit up. He threw his sword on the ground and ran off.
"Dinner time is dinner time!"
"Let's eat!"
Haruki stood there with a bewildered expression.
"Hey, wait a minute! Wait for me!"
At the dinner table, Kazuka continuously stuffed food into his mouth. He spoke while eating.
"Hey, Sister Aiko, how did you live before you met Brother Haruki? Didn't you feel lonely living alone like this?"
Aiko's face showed surprise, then a soft smile. Haruki voluntarily stopped eating. Although Haruki knew Aiko's past, he sat still and listened.
"My family was quite wealthy back then. My father and mother were dungeon explorers. But during one dungeon exploration, my mother and father died inside."
"I was desperate when my parents passed away. But I had Haruki by my side."
Aiko said, looking at Haruki and giving a warm smile.
Kazuka was still eating and listening.
"At that time, I thought that with the money my parents left me, I could hire a sword master to teach me and become stronger."
Aiko's face darkened.
"But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't learn. I couldn't awaken the ability to control energy at all. The energy I emitted was so minimal."
"I was extremely disappointed in myself back then. But fortunately, Haruki was still there for me."
Kazuka immediately spoke up, pointing his chopsticks at the two.
"Come on, Sister. I only asked because I was curious."
"Don't tell sad stories during dinner! You should tell something happy!"
Aiko froze, looking at Kazuka for a moment, then her expression became happier than before. Aiko continued.
"Haruki stayed with me for a long time, then he joined the army. Before he left, he proposed to me, hehe!"
Aiko smiled as she spoke. Next to her, Haruki blushed with embarrassment. Aiko then spoke up.
"But I haven't heard you tell anything about your family yet."
Kazuka spoke while eating, replying innocently.
"My village was attacked by a group of people leading a pack of monsters as big as a building, so everyone in the village ran everywhere in chaos."
"In the past, my grandfather and father protected the village. They were very strong. Especially my grandfather. Many times, when robber bands came to the village, he just sat on a tree and snapped his fingers, and they all ran away."
"But after my grandfather passed away, no one protected the village anymore. My father left the village because he had some business to attend to."
Aiko and Haruki looked at Kazuka with sympathetic eyes. They understood that it was a great misfortune for a 13-year-old boy to endure such things, yet he could still smile. They truly admired him.
Aiko then asked Kazuka, "So, aren't you going to look for your family and your father?"
"Huh? Why look for them? My father can take care of himself. And the people in the village ran in small groups, so they can take care of themselves too."
"My siblings can also take care of themselves. I believe they will be fine. I am only worried about my mother."
"I was the only one who got separated while running, so I jumped down the cliff. Because it was the place I lived, I knew there was a river there."
"But at that time, I was always afraid of being discovered, so I floated along with the current. When I reached the bank, I didn't know where I was anymore."
"I intended to trace the river I floated down, but after going a distance, I saw that the river had four different paths, so I gave up searching."
Haruki leaned closer and asked Kazuka.
"How old were you then?"
"I was probably 12 then, because I met Sister Aiko not long after that."
The two looked at each other, then turned to look at Kazuka. Their faces clearly showed sympathy.
"Don't be sad, Kazuka."
"Huh? I'm not sad!"
That night, Kazuka was lying on a treetop again. The figures of many people appeared in his mind.
— I wonder how everyone is doing.
— Sigh, it's boring. Brother Haruki doesn't know how to teach me how to use energy. I guess when the sword is finished, I'll set off to find Haruki's master.
— Well, I should go to sleep. Sigh, I suddenly want to eat something new. But I don't have any money.
Kazuka drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, a loud commotion occurred. It was Aiko. She was chasing a chicken with a knife, covered in blood.
"Aah... Stop, you chicken! Why are you so stubborn to die?"
Aiko stopped and shouted loudly.
"Kazuka, help me! Catch the chicken for me!"
Kazuka, who was sleeping, immediately woke up with a start, jumped to the ground, his face confused and startled.
"What's going on here, Sister? Was there a war? Why does it look like a battlefield?"
Aiko pouted, pointing at the running chicken. Blood was still flowing from its neck.
"The chicken... The chicken!"
"I wanted to make braised chicken. When I cut its throat, I thought it was lying still. I thought it was dead. Who knew it suddenly jumped up and ran all over the kitchen, then rushed out here!"
A moment later, Haruki walked out after hearing the strange noises, clutching his head and asking.
"What are you two doing that is so noisy?"
Haruki's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Aiko and Kazuka cornering a chicken. The whole yard was covered in chicken blood. Haruki clutched his head in panic.
"Oh my god! What are you two doing?"
A while later. The three were sitting and eating Aiko's braised chicken. Kazuka smiled widely and said.
"Haha, Sister Aiko, the chicken meat is unique! Letting the chicken exercise before eating! No wonder the meat is so firm!"
Haruki, who was eating, heard Kazuka speak. He immediately spat out his food and burst into laughter.
"Haha... Haha!"
"You really have a sense of humor, Kazuka."
Aiko glanced at the two, her expression annoyed, her voice also very displeased.
"Are you two planning to gang up and tease me?"
Then Aiko shouted loudly.
"Is that right?! Huh?"
Sensing trouble, Kazuka, still holding the spoon in his mouth, picked up the pot of chicken and ran outside. Haruki did the same, running right behind him with a scared look on his face.
"Wait for me, Kazuka! Don't leave me alone here!"
Aiko's face was furious. She yelled loudly. The sound of her knuckles cracking was heard.
"You two want to run? Don't even think about escaping!"