I didn't expect someone to approach me so suddenly.
Right in front of me was a large man who had been looking down at me while asking for my name. From his radiant face, there was a curiosity hidden beneath. I knew that people like this, if they didn't get what they wanted, would keep bothering you until they did. And that was one of the things I disliked in life!
"Hah…" My shoulders slumped slightly. I returned his gaze.
… No other choice.
I took two steps back, creating distance between us. Then I bowed slightly, my hands hanging in front of my chest.
"...Good afternoon, sir. My name is Touji."
Seeing me act like that caused his eyes to widen. His mouth opened slightly, then a thin grin greeted it.
"Ha… Ha…. Ha…"
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was now tilting his head back.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" He smiled broadly. "TCHAHAHA! HAHAHA!"
As his laughter grew, he began hitting my shoulder repeatedly as before. The pats he gave were extraordinary, almost matching Uncle El's punches.
He laughed for a moment, then stopped, wiping the corner of his eye.
"Hah… Hey, Little Brother. You're really an interesting person! I never thought there would be someone as polite as you while I've lived here." He held his chin, his gaze rising to the upper left. "Well, except for that one person, though."
My eyebrow rose. A feeling of confusion began to engulf me, because it was impossible for someone like this to be disrespected? And… who is the 'that' person he's referring to?
I didn't understand.
I took a long breath, trying to embolden myself.
"...What do you m—"
"Speaking of which, you have a really good body!"
Both his hands suddenly landed on my shoulders, sliding down from my shoulder to my arm.
"Eh?"
For some reason, he kept touching me. What started from my arm gradually moved to my back. The impatience and excitement in his expression made me want to step away. But the gazes from the people behind him forced me to stay still.
He continued his inspection until he finally stopped, having checked almost every part of my body—except the vital areas. After doing a thorough check, his face looked satisfied while wiping the sweat on his forehead.
"Hufth…!"
And out of the many people in this world, I don't think I'll like him.
…Disgusting.
A few moments after he wiped his sweat, he looked back at me. The eyes he showed this time were not as oppressive as before, but on the contrary, he began to soften.
"...Ah, sorry. I get too excited if it's related to muscles. But, your muscles are really cool, Little Brother!" He raised both his arms, showing his muscles by flexing both arms. "So much so that my beloved muscles—can't stand holding back their passion, mwah!"
I saw him ending the sentence by sticking his lips to his arm muscles, making me want to run away from here even more. But how? That was the problem. If I ran away from here just like that, I would risk getting beaten up by the people behind me. Especially seeing the murderous eyes.
"...Alright, I've made a decision," I muttered.
That I will stand still here, until the strange person in front of me releases me.
Strangely, I felt that this decision I made was solid, unchangeable.
The person in front of me seemed startled in the middle of giving his love to those muscles. His gaze, which was initially fixed on those big muscles, began to return to me.
"...Oh, yeah. I just remembered something."
He held my shoulder again, but this time with very little force.
"Hey, Little Brother—or should I say, Touji—But it's a little strange to call you by your name directly." He smiled broadly. "Oh well. I'll just call you, 'Little Brother Touji'!"
…Huh? What's wrong with him?
He cleared his throat, three times after saying that. The gaze I saw from him now seemed sharper and steadier than before.
"...Little Brother Touji. Actually… I already got the news from the Duke before you came to this residence, to train you in 'Swordsmanship'."
… What?
"And… oh, yeah. Let me introduce myself. My name is Fukuro Komainu. I hate being called 'Master', so you can just call me 'Big Brother Fukuro'. That's enough."
"And because I will be your 'Sword Teacher'…"
He slowly lowered his hand from my shoulder and extended it for a handshake.
"So, from now on, please work with me!"
That's what I heard from him. Right in front of me now, there was a hand trying to shake hands with me. There have been many things in this world that have surprised me so far. So, something like this should be normal for me, right?
"…"
Alright.
I took his hand. A wide smile adorned my face.
"...Please work with me too, Big Brother Fukuro!"
As long as I can survive in this world, I will do it.
What should have been a calm handshake turned chaotic when he shook it vigorously while laughing. My hand swayed wildly, my vision spinning in the process. What the… He finally stopped after a few minutes.
"TCHAHAHA! You're always interesting, Little Brother Touji!"
He took a long breath afterwards. His body slumped slightly at the same time.
"...Alright, my Little Brother Touji! Before I can teach you 'Swordsmanship' completely… I want you to duel with the people behind me first."
Hearing that, I immediately widened my eyes. I shifted my gaze to the back. There, I saw ten people who had been trying to finish me off with the wooden weapons they were holding. Their murderous aura could still be felt from here. I swallowed my saliva, changing my gaze back to Big Brother Fukuro.
"...I-is that really necessary, Big Brother Fukuro? Can't we just go straight to the teaching stage?"
He shook his head slowly. "No, my Little Brother Touji. You have to do it. So I can determine your caliber and what technique would suit you best."
I fell silent. No words came out of my mouth for a moment. I knew that there was nothing I could do to get through this stage. And I knew that this stage was important. But the problem was, I've never held a sword before! What I often use during my life is just a keyboard and a computer. Hah… So unlucky.
But since I've come this far, I might as well continue. Actually, even if I wanted to stop, I probably couldn't do it. I smiled broadly at him, trying to cover up my feelings now.
"...Alright, Big Brother Fukuro. I understand!"
He who saw that expression of mine couldn't help but grin. He turned his gaze, looking at one of the people far away—his eyes and hair were brown, with a slight uniqueness in his bangs that slanted to the left. Then Big Brother Fukuro moved his head, pointing towards the arena. The person he looked at pointed to himself, as if confirming that he was the first one chosen. Big Brother Fukuro responded with a nod, answering the question held in his mind. After he knew, that he was the first one chosen.—his murderous smile immediately radiated from him. He headed to the arena, climbing five steps, and was now up there.
I watched him from afar. Big Brother Fukuro had also signaled for me to go up like the person up there. I swallowed my saliva, it felt heavy—but I could still do it. My steps began to move, the concrete floor sounded according to my steps, and I was now standing right where various kinds of weapons were placed. Slowly I traced them one by one; two-bladed greatswords, spears, until my eyes stopped at one of the unique swords.
A wide smile formed on my face. I knew that my chances of winning were almost close to zero percent. But, if I use this sword—Katana! my chances of winning might increase to fifty percent!
I held the wooden sword in my left hand, inserting it near the gap in my fabric belt. My steps moved again. I climbed the stairs slowly. I passed a few steps, and right in front of me—there was someone who was ready to attack me. I took a short breath, my eyes closed at the same time. Why can I be so calm like this. My eyes opened, looking at the opponent in front with a smile. My right hand held the hilt of the sword, my body preparing—making a steady stance.
…Maybe it's all thanks to the sword I'm holding—
"Hey, you! You seem pretty happy after chatting for so long with the 'Sword Master'," he said irritably, while tightening his grip on his large, double-bladed wooden sword.
…'Sword Master'? Who—Oh, yeah. I looked at Big Brother Fukuro. …Is it him.
I was no longer surprised by things like this.
My gaze returned to the person in front, back to serious. He kept rambling about the 'Sword Master' but I didn't care. I just wanted to focus on the fight.
For some reason, the wind from the only air vent began to blow my hair a little harder. The dust in the room began to be seen from the sunlight falling obliquely into the room. Big Brother Fukuro, who was watching from afar, only smiled thinly, then he began to step. He climbed the stairs, the sound of iron shoes—loud—could be heard from him. He passed a few steps, and stopped right in the middle of the arena. His hand stretched forward, and he began to count down.
"Three…!"
My stance began to be strengthened. The person in front of me corrected his stance, back to serious.
"Two…!"
Our eyes stared sharply at each other.
"One…!"
His hand rose.
Our feet pressed against the ground as both our bodies lunged forward. I drew the katana from my side. He swung his Great sword. The clash rang loudly through the arena. Splinters of wood scattered for a brief moment.
We pulled back from the first exchange, wide smiles forming amidst the fight.