As usual, Mariko woke up the same time as before. The very first thing that got into her mind was the training, She raised herself up to look over the two who is still asleep. "I"ll wake them up later.." She thought to herself as she stood up from the bed. Then She went downstairs to see that Suzuka isn"t on her usual spot. She walked further and saw that Suzuka was sitting on the bar with Haruki on the station. "Good morning" Mariko catches their attention by greeting them. "Oh! Hey there, champ! "Morning!" The two looked at her in surprise and Haruki greeted back first. "My, Good morning, Mariko-san.. Still early, huh?" Suzuka also did the same. "Yeah, We have a training to do.. I"m actually giving them a few minutes before i wake them up... By the way, Why are you calling me champ? What does that mean?" Mariko was bothered by how is she being called. "It"s like, Champion! Well.. You like fighting, so..." Haruki tried to explain but was lead to an awkward silence. "B-By the way! Why don"t you sit with Suzu? You"re not going to stand there the whole time, right?" She broke the silence by offering her a seat. "Thanks..." Mariko thanked them as She sit beside Suzuka. "It still bothers me about how you call each other.. Not that i"m being whiny, though.. You"re one word away to complete your names, Why bother cutting the last two letters?" She asked them. "Even if it"s just two letters, It still makes it shorter" Haruki laughingly answered. Mariko turned to Suzuka, Who nodded with a smile. "Ugh.." Their sense just made Mariko sighed."What would you like for breakfast?" Haruki asked Mariko with a wink. "Huh? "Thought you only serve drinks?" Mariko looked over Suzuka to see that She has a plate of half-eaten omelette in front of her. Haruki playfully giggled. "Starting this morning, We are going to serve foods! The kitchen is on the Left of Suzuka"s station!" She pointed to a door to the left of Suzuka"s area. Mariko looked where she pointed and was surprised. "T-There was a door there?!" She asked. "Yeah! We covered it with the same wallpaper to hide it, We still didn"t know the purpose of that room yet before, so.." Haruki scratched her head. "But now! It"s a kitchen! I moved some cooking equipment there!" She continued. "And She made me an omelette rice!" Suzuka touched her plate with her hands. "Omelette..rice? huh.." Mariko saw that there was rice poured out of the egg. "d.a.m.n, looks good.. Can i get the same then?" She asked Haruki. "Omelette rice too, huh? Alright!" Haruki moved out of the bar and went inside the kitchen. "W-Wait.. Is she going to handle both the kitchen and the bar?" Mariko asked to Suzuka. "Nope. Later, We"ll get a new recruit! She"ll be handling the Kitchen!" She answered. "Oh? She? Why don"t you get a male worker here?" Mariko noticed that there were no males on their staff. "Most men in our village are willing to work on much harsher jobs, So we only get female to ask for hire.." Suzuka explained. "Is that so.." After that, They talked for a few minutes while waiting for Haruki to cook Mariko"s omelette rice. Suzuka already finished her dish on the process.
The two reached the topic of their training and Suzuka was asking Mariko some question about it. "Believe it or not, Our Ayumi also wants to swing a weapon.." Mariko told her about Ayumi. "Ayumi-chan? Isn"t that too dangerous for her age?!" Suzuka was visibly worried about it. "Yeah, It is.. But That"s what she wanted... It"s crazy, But i have no choice, Can"t force her against her wishes, you know?" Mariko answered, Suzuka didn"t know how to respond to that. "Her mother would be so worried.." She just mentioned her mother. "There are some time when that Ayumi talks like no other child at all... She doesn"t even act like one.." Mariko thought of Ayumi. "What do you mean?" Suzuka curiously asked. "You know.. When you meet a kid like her, They"re going to be all playful towards you, like, Ask your name or Ask if you can play games with them? Ask something about you and some s.h.i.t... Running around with their friends, Laughing with them.. But When i see Ayumi.." Mariko chuckled. "h.e.l.l, She doesn"t fit the image anymore.. She might look all child to you, but When you walk with her for a day, you"ll know.. Plus her interests on how the world works isn"t something a normal child would bother have..I think it"s probably because of the attack from their village, That s.h.i.t completely snapped her.." Mariko mentioned the attack on Tsuchiya. "Now come to think of it.. Do you hear any words from your leader about helping the Tsuchiya? Are you just going let those idiots take Tsuchiya away?" Mariko asked. "We are waiting for the great leader to communicate with us.. If we didn"t get anything, He"ll be taking in charge of the alliance.. also, There was a soldier who also went there in search of Commander Yagano, I guess Gentaro-sama will make a confirmation with him.." Suzuka answered. "Ho..." "There was a soldier who went into that village?" Mariko thought to herself. "Omelette"s done!" Haruki came out of the kitchen and they looked at her, She was carrying a plate of smoking hot Omelette rice. "Here you go!" Haruki placed the plate in front of Mariko and went inside the bar. There are already wooden spoon and fork on the plate, Mariko took the spoon and used it to take almost half of the omelette, She used her thumb to support the portion from falling from the spoon since it was larger than the scoop. The two silently watch as she stuff it to her mouth and chew.
"Wow..." Haruki looked at the other half of the omelette. "Impressive.. To think you can eat half of it that easy.. I would be choking if i were the one to do that.." She continued. Once Mariko gulped down the food, She looked at the remaining omelette. "It"s delicious! Way tastier than it looks!" This time, She took small portions to enjoy the remains. "T-That"s your way of tasting the food? You northern really amaze me.." Haruki said as she watch Mariko eat. "Is everything i do is always what a northern does?" Mariko looked up to her. "Well.. You said you carry their blood, right? That means you"re one of them, and you"re no different than them.. for example, your violent side you showed before.. All women on this region are all.. girly and things.. While on the North, They"re all scary and also partic.i.p.ates on wars.. Now, You were born there and grew up here, So you get used to being a good girl.. but that violent side of yours will never disappear because you were born there!" Haruki explained. "Uh.." Mariko couldn"t process it well. "B-Basically, You"re still one of them even if you grow up here" Haruki smiled. "Well.. I don"t know what to say.." Mariko instead, focused on eating. The two let her finish her omelette while they talk to each other, Mariko would just listen to them while she eats. Later, Haruki quickly noticed that she"s done eating and took her plate to the kitchen. "That was good, holy s.h.i.t.." Mariko rubbed her stomach, showing that She"s satisfied. "Haru"s foods is the best, right?" Suzuka smiled at her. "Yeah.. Really filled me up.." Mariko answered. "Thanks for the meal, I"ll go wake those two up.. Ain"t forgetting the training!" Mariko stood up from the chair. "Training, huh? Please take care of Ayumi.." Suzuka mentioned Ayumi. "Ah, yeah.. If that hero from the stories became a soldier on his seventeen, This kid will become one way younger!" Mariko grinned. "Ahaha... By the way, How old is Ayumi-chan?" Suzuka asked. "Oh.. I don"t know, maybe she"s twelve? or ten.." Mariko puts Ayumi"s image on her mind. "Yeah, She doesn"t look older than twelve.." She guessed. "I see.." Suzuka still looked worried. "It"s a rare sight for a child like her to be willing to take up weapons, most of the kids here wouldn"t even look at them" She said. "Oh? Maybe Ayumi"s also from the north?" Mariko grinned.
"Nope! Doesn"t dress up like you and she don"t have the northern aura like yours!" Haruki came out of the kitchen. "What"s with your "aura"?" Mariko asked. "The magical power you emit!" Haruki laughed. "Huh..?" Mariko was a bit annoyed. "B-By the way, Are you going now?" Suzuka asked. "Ah.. Yeah, Then.." Mariko raised her hand and walked away. On the stairway, She saw Ayumi there. The two stared at each other for a second before snapping back. "Ayumi? Wow.. You"re awake! Thought i"m going to get a hard time again!" Mariko proceeded to walk up and pats Ayumi. "I..I was excited! I even woke up at the middle of the night!" Ayumi said to her as She walks with her to the room. "I guess you"re way more excited than Chiho.." Mariko said as soon as she saw Chiho"s still asleep upon opening the door. "Let"s wake her up!" Ayumi ran towards Chiho"s bed. "Onee-chan! Wake up!" She shook Chiho. Unlike before, Chiho was quickly awoken and raised herself up. "Whoa.. Talk about willing to wake up at these early hours.." Mariko smug at the sleepy Chiho. "Well.. You said we have a training early, right?" She talked with a yawn and scratched her eyes. "Oh! So we"re all excited, huh?" Mariko grinned. "Yeah, I will admit that.." Chiho moved to the side of the bed to rest her feet on the ground. "What time is it?" She asked. "My usual waking time is four, So i guess it"s four right now" Mariko answered, Hearing the current time, Chiho was led to another yawn. "Alright, Let"s go.." Chiho stood up and changed into her usual dress, the two also did the same and took their weapons with them. Then they went downstairs. Haruki and Suzuka wasn"t on the first floor when they got there, so they went out in silence.
Upon closing the door behind them, Mariko took a deep breath. "Haa.. Waking up still dark outside is the best.." She stretched her arms up. "Why is it the best?" Ayumi asked. "Well... I guess it"s calming... It"s already the next day yet it"s still dark and quiet, and the chilling cold of the early winds.. Something like that.." Mariko said as they go to their R37. "Hey, Can i drive? There"s no people right now.." Mariko stopped on the side to ask. "Fine, Just drive slow, alright?" Chiho gave her a chance. "Thanks.." Not what the two was expecting, Mariko thanked her without a bit of energy. "Mariko-san? Are you still sleepy?" Ayumi asked as She rides the sidecar and placed her chained sickle on the ground. "Nah, I really feel calm on these times so i don"t want to get all hyped up and break that.." Mariko sat on the driver"s seat and Chiho sat behind her, carrying her long axe. Then She started the engine. "By the way, I have been noticing.. There"s something in front of this thing.. It looks like a light.." Mariko stepped out to see the headlights. "Oh? That"s handy" Chiho stayed on her seat and just looked at her. "How do you turn it on? Do you know how?" Mariko sat on the driver"s seat again. "I don"t know, How about you press all you can see there?" Chiho suggested. "Well.." Mariko looked under the gauge. There is a small red b.u.t.ton on each corner, The left b.u.t.ton has a clear english word "Boost" below it while the right one also has an english word "Lights". "The f.u.c.k are these words?" Hearing Mariko complains, The two took a peek on front of her. "These!" Mariko pointed at both words. "Isn"t this some Western letters?!" Ayumi asked excitedly. "Western? Yeah, it looks like it.." Chiho agreed. "But i don"t know what it means.. The letters" are just familiar.." Ayumi sat back to the sidecar. "Alright, Let"s try it.." Hearing Mariko, Chiho sat back. "Alright.." Mariko readies herself and pressed the left b.u.t.ton. The R37 jolted forward with a loud roar, They screamed in surprise. "s.h.i.t!" Mariko quickly moved her hands away from the b.u.t.ton. "Ow! My brain got shook!" Ayumi held her head with her two hands. "What was that...?" Chiho rests her right hand on her forehead.
"G.o.dd.a.m.n!" Mariko looked at the left b.u.t.ton with an angry look, Then to the right b.u.t.ton. She greeted her teeth and closed her eyes then pressed the right b.u.t.ton, The headlights went on. "It works!" Ayumi stood up. "It"s so bright!" She continued. Mariko opened her eyes. "Y-Yeah! You"re right! It"s this one!" She pointed at the b.u.t.ton with a label "Lights". Chiho peeked over her shoulder and rested her chin on it. "See, Chiho?! It works!" Mariko looked at her. "That"s nice!" Chiho leaned back. "Then! Training!" Mariko accelerates the R37, But was jolted forward once again, which led them to scream again. "What the..?!" Mariko quickly held the brakes, Ayumi started to groan. "D-d.a.m.n, Do i have to press it again?" Mariko pressed the boost again and tried to accelerate, This time it went smooth. "Ah.. So i have to press it again... Does that mean if we are moving, it would give-!?" "No!" Mariko excitingly asked her but Chiho quickly scolded her upon looking back. "Hehe.." Mariko smiled at her. "Mariko!" Chiho whined. "Don"t worry~! I"m not going to do it!" Mariko said as they move on. Mariko stopped near the gates. "Alright, I want us to practice outside, Since there are trees and s.h.i.t, We can make some wooden targets there.." Mariko then moved in front of the gate. "Hey, Let us out.." Mariko told the guards. The guard on the right saw Chiho. "Hey, Chiho-san.. Does Gentaro-sama know about this?" He asked. "Yeah, We asked him to lend us these weapons so he knows we"re going for a training!" Chiho raised her axe for him to see. He took a few seconds before speaking again. "Alright... Open the gates!" He looked up and shouted an order. The gate made a noise and started opening slowly. "Be careful outside, Mariko-san, Chiho-san" The guard on the left spoke. "Yeah!" "We will!" The two answered on him and they waited for the gate to open, They moved outside as soon as the gates opened enough for them to fit.
"Don"t hang out there for too long!" The left guard waved at them, Chiho waved back. "Alright! Where to start?" Mariko stopped and looked around, It"s starting to bright up since the sun"s rising. "There!" She saw an open field with a lone tree, They moved over there and got out of the R37 with their weapons. "Alright! Let"s start.." Mariko brought out her axe. "... Now what?" She stared at the two. "I thought you"re going to create some targets with this?" Ayumi asked while looking at the tree. "Well... Do you know how?" Mariko asked but they just stared in silence. "Alright, Fine.. I will try make something you can chop.." Mariko scratched her head. "I hope leader-san is fine with this.." Mariko said as She prepares herself to cut down the tree. They were still inside the borders of the Saiju, So It is considered Saijun"s resources. "Here goes!" Mariko raised her arms behind her to gather force. "Ha!" She swung the axe with full strength, It cuts through the tree with a loud noise. "Haah!" Mariko shouts with each swing as she cuts the tree further. Then, She switched on the other side to cut from there. It took her a little bit of time because the tree was a little bit thick. Until to the last swing, She stopped. "Alright, Chiho.. I want you to finish it" She stepped aside for Chiho to finish the job. "Eh?! I will do it?!" She got surprised. "Yeah, This is the start!" Mariko smiled. "Alright.." Chiho imitated Mariko"s pose. "You might want to fix yourself, Your axe is longer than mine" Mariko noticed that she"s closer to the tree like she"s using a shorter axe. "Alright.." Chiho placed the blade near the cut and moves where she is comfortable to swing the axe. Then She readies by also raising it behind her. She grips her axe tightly and closed her eyes. "Wait,wait,wait!" Chiho was about to swing her axe but Mariko held her shoulder to stop her. "What?" Chiho opened her eyes. "Why are you closing your eyes?" Mariko asked, holding a laugh. "W-Well.." Chiho couldn"t answer. "I thought you beheaded someone? Why are you scared of cutting a tree now?" Mariko asked. "J-Just let me do it.." Chiho brushed off her hands, Then Mariko stepped away.
This time, She made sure her eyes are open the whole time, She did everything again. Once ready, She swung her arms with the best of her strength. "Haaaa....!". Though, She only managed to cut a little bit. "d.a.m.n, Chiho.. I don"t know if you"ve put everything you got with that swing, That"s supposed to be one last cut!" Mariko observed the tree. "It"s so heavy!" Chiho whined. "Of course it is! Now finish that tree!" She sounded like she was giving orders. Then Chiho readies again. "Haa!" She cuts the tree enough to get falling. Chiho noticed it moving and stepped away. "Nice.." Mariko compliments her as they watch the tree. The noises of the leaves filled the silence around them as it slowly fall to the ground. "Mariko-san.. You"re so strong.." Ayumi looked at the fallen tree. "What? Even you can cut down the tree, though it will take some more time... Also don"t forgot about Chiho-san.." Mariko looked at Chiho. "W-What? You"re already out of breath?" She saw Chiho panting hard. "I.. Never got to swing an axe before.." Chiho smiled along with her panting. "You need to learn how to last longer.. Otherwise, You will just be out of breath the whole time and you"ll be on a huge disadvantage" Mariko advised. "Hueeh!" Chiho loudly exhaled. "Goodness! You sound pathetic!" Mariko gave her a disappointed look. "Sh-Shut up.. I"ll get even way better than you someday!" Chiho looked away. "Yeah, You better be.. Also learn to avoid that shameful noise" Mariko moved near the fallen tree. "Alright, Let me handle this" Then, Mariko starts doing the tree. The two just watched her, but later Chiho helped her once she gets used to what she"s doing.
Until the heat of the sun greets them, They finally finished. "S-So.." Ayumi stared at the piles of small cut logs. "What are we going to do with these?" She asked. Mariko took one log and made it stand on the stump. "Chiho should chop this down into half!" Mariko slaps the top of the log. "If you"re not able to make it half with one swing, You"ll have to keep practicing!" She continued. "Wait! Isn"t that too much?! How can you cut it with one time only?!" Chiho complained. "With your strength!" Mariko flexes her right arm and placed her hand on her arm and winked. "... Can you?" Chiho teasingly asked. "Yeah!" Mariko sweetly smiled and took her axe. "Ei~!" She lightly hits the log. "Why did you become playful just now?!" Ayumi shouted in disappointment. Mariko looked at her. "Well.." She quickly took the long axe from Chiho. "HRAH..!" Mariko"s smile quickly turned into a violent look and let out a loud shout as she swing the axe down the log. The log got completely cut into half and was thrown away from the stump by the incredible force, The axe even got stuck on the stump. Mariko let go of the axe stuck on the stump and looked back at them. She saw Ayumi hiding behind Chiho, And Chiho herself was terrified. "There! You asked for it!" Mariko smiled and hands over axe. "You....You really have to shout like that?" Chiho asked as she took the axe. "Yeah, It boosts your spirit, thus, lending you some more burning strength!" Mariko placed her hands on her hips and grinned. Seeing Ayumi moved away from Chiho, She looked at the chained sickle she was holding the whole time. "Can"t wait to see you throw that thing!" She said to her. "Alright! It"s your turn!" Mariko took a log and let it stand on the stump. "Alright.. You don"t really have to scream.. You can be, like, Be mad and think that, that wood is a pro or something else you"re mad with.. fill yourself with anger" Mariko stepped aside. "But of course, In real battles, Don"t let your anger completely takes over you, or you"ll end up being a mindless killing machine and the enemies will just quickly find an opening. You need to be aware at all times!" She instructed. "Have you lost your mind on battles, Mariko-san?" Ayumi asked, her question made Mariko scratch her head. "Well.." She sat on the ground.
"You remember when i told you my horrible experience on the Soma Village? I hated people ever since then" Knowing that Mariko"s about to tell a story, Chiho placed the blade of the axe on the log. The two looked at her. "Haa..!" Chiho then gathered strength and swings her axe down to the log, It penetrated down to the middle. Then She held the axe below the head and also held the log so she can remove the axe away. "Go finish that Prohorovkan motherf.u.c.ker!" Mariko cheerfully shouted at her. Hearing the name, Chiho got mad a little bit. "d.a.m.n Prohorovkans!" She shouted loudly as she completely cuts the log into half, The parts fell off the stump. Then She sat there. "Huh? You really have to cut that down to sit there?" Mariko asked. "It was a warm up, By the way, What were you saying before?" Chiho asked. "Let"s make this quick... I"ve gone completely out of control when my first slaughter happened, Of course it"s those bandits.." Mariko looked far away as to recall the scene. "It was after i left the Soma Village. I was on my way back to Jima, When i got engaged by bandits, there are five of them to be exact.." The two looked very worried. "They took out their machetes and daggers to threaten me.. Of course, I was scared as f.u.c.k. But i remembered i have a trusty axe with me.. I even remember that i was very happy to get the axe because it"ll be useful on cutting trees when i make a camp outside.. So, Of course i wanted to defend myself, So i took out my axe and i told them to stay away from me. Not taking me seriously, One of them charged towards me with his dagger pointed at my stomach. As he closes distance with me, I felt like my body moved on its own, I avoided the dagger pointed to stab through my stomach.. Seeing the real intention of killing me, There i am, finally snapped. I quickly took the opportunity and use my axe to cut the extended arm of the bandit. He screamed in agony as blood continuously gushes out of the wound, His scream brought me back to my senses.. "I"m sorry!" i shouted at him and i took the axe away from his arm and moved away. The way his friends shouts his name is very sad, There were Sadness and Panic on their voices, Those voices and the wounded man already had me pressured and my mind is racing fast.. But, I realized that somewhere within the seconds when i snapped, There was a slight satisfaction i felt beside the fear of hurting somebody.. Then..Then..!" Mariko suddenly was panting hard, She was little bit smiling. The two were really surprised at her. "M-Mariko?!" Chiho shouted. "T-That must have been happiness.. It was happiness i felt.. The happiness i was craving for.. I wanted to feel it! Again! I never felt such happiness! I wanted to do it again!" Mariko stopped panting and giggled. She clenched her fists and moved them in front of her face.
"Feeling like doing it again, I looked at my blood-dripping axe! Ahh! I wanted to do it again!" Mariko moaned, The two didn"t know what to do. "So then...!" She looked straight at Ayumi, This upsets her and became uncomfortable. "I looked at the not-so-bandits now! Their intention of f.u.c.king with me has completely gone and was focusing on covering their friend"s wound! Seeing them ignoring me standing there, I slowly walked towards them! One of them noticed me, "Hey!" He shouted.. Then They all looked at me, their fear on their faces made me so happy! They took out their weapon, This time they looks like they are the one defending! Hilarious!" Mariko laughed. "Then i charged towards them! The f.u.c.ker i targeted has a poor experience! He used his arms to protect his head! So i f.u.c.ked his arms! The f.u.c.ker cried i pierced his skin and to his bone! Then i quickly moved my axe to swing behind me! Surprisingly enough, The f.u.c.ker there didn"t even moved and i sliced his throat!" Mariko jumped up a little bit, noticing this. "Ahem..." Mariko cleared her throat and sat properly. "Well, That took long! So basically, Even if their intention of harming me are gone, i still killed them because it made me happy, I stared at their dead body afterwards, Then i looked for any bodies of water to clean myself.. I think nothing but killing someone on the way home, Heck i didn"t even regret killing them, i was happy and i can excuse it as a self-defense.." Seeing Mariko back to her normal self, The two calmed down. "Jeez, Mariko-san! You looked so scary!" Ayumi pouted. "Did i?! I can let that violent side of mine conquer me, but i can control it now unlike before, So it"s very handy when i wanted to scary off someone!" Mariko grinned. "I was also scared, Mariko.. You were smiling the whole time when you reached the messy part! You terrified me!" Chiho sighed.
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Mariko giggled. "I"m somehow proud of myself!" She said as she stood up. "Ever since then, I go out from my village to look for bandits and kill them without mercy. I let my inner desires run wild and kill everyone on my sight without any second thoughts, until i can"t see someone, i would relax and fall into my knees. Then return home and do the same.. Until i finally got used to it and managed to control myself.. I stopped going outside, Even though i still had the urge to kill, I knew that what i was doing the whole time was inhumane... And now here i am!" Mariko raised her hands up. "Oooh.." Ayumi looked at her. "Was it close to the point where we met you?!" She asked. "Y-Yeah, It was only a month ago since i got to hold myself.." Mariko answered. "Alright! We wasted enough time! Let"s get going!" Mariko picked up a log, Chiho stood up from the stump for Mariko to place the log. "Alright, Chiho! You keep chopping these, I will handle Ayumi" Hearing Mariko, Ayumi jumped up. "Yay! It"s my turn!" She shouted. "Be careful, alright, Ayumi-chan?" Chiho warned her. "I will!" Ayumi nodded. Then Chiho smiled and continued to chop down the logs. "Alright.." Mariko picked up a log. "Uh...." Mariko noticed that it was too short, Then she took another log for another log to stand on, But she didn"t like it. "U-Uh, Chiho?" She called. "What?" Chiho chopped down a log into half and looked behind her. "I thought it would work, But we also need that stump.." Mariko scratched her head. "Oh.. Okay, It"s fine.." Chiho moved away. "Great!" Ayumi cheered as Mariko placed a log on the stump. "Alright, You ready?" Mariko looked at her and moved away. "Yes!" Ayumi answered, She looked at the chained sickle at her hands. "This looks heavier than i thought!" She whispered to herself. "How about you move a little far? Use that chain to attack from safe distance!" Mariko instructed her. "Okay!" Ayumi nodded and moved back. "Is this fine?!" She asked. "Y-Yeah, But You"re the one wielding that weapon! Learn to measure your distance then!" Mariko said. "Alright!" Ayumi nodded. "Alright, Spin the sickle above you and as you feel spinning, Slightly lessen your grip so you can slide your hand down to the chains!" Mariko instructed. "H-How about the ball?!" Ayumi looked at the spiked ball. "Oh, yeah.. Use your other hand to hold the chain near it. I want you to use the sickle for now!" Mariko answered. "Okay!" Ayumi held the other chain with her left hand. "Alright, You can spin it now!"
Hearing Mariko"s signal, Ayumi grinned mischievously. Instead of starting from the sickle, She held on the chain to spin the sickle above her. "H-Hey.. That was dangerous you know?" Mariko saw it right away. "Ayumi?" Chiho couldn"t get Ayumi"s look. "Here it goes!" Ayumi shouted, She waited for the perfect time to throw the sickle, Then she stopped the spin and pulled the chain to her left, causing the sickle to follow it, The sickle hits the log as it flies left, sending the log away from the stump. Then Ayumi spun the chain again to regain control of the sickle, The sickle effectively went back to spinning above her, Then She made the chains short by circling the chain to her left hand. Once enough, She pulled it with her left hand, making her right hand slides back up to the sickle. She grips the sickle. "W-What the..." The two were completely stunned. "Wait.." Chiho looked at the log that was thrown. Then back to Ayumi. "It was heavy, But i can handle it!" Ayumi dropped the chained sickle down in front of her to place her hands on her hips and puff out her chest. "f.u.c.king h.e.l.l..." Mariko stared at her, while Chiho ran towards her, dropping her axe on the way. "T-That was amazing, Ayumi-chan! I thought you"ll not be able to do it!" She hugged Ayumi. "Hehe..." Ayumi giggled, Chiho looked at her. "Let"s get strong together and beat those guys!" Ayumi smiled. "J-Jeez... I will not be bested!" Chiho smiled and move away, She took her axe and picked up a log and placed it to stump. She looked at the log. "I will get stronger.." She whispered to herself. "B-By the way! Ayumi! Why didn"t you say you can throw that s.h.i.t?!" Mariko ran to Ayumi, While Chiho concentrates on her strength to her arms to swing the axe down to the log. They continued to train then. The two would do an alternate, Once Chiho had enough, It"s Ayumi"s turn. Once the two got used to it, They switched to a two-target. Chiho had to quickly chop down both logs while Ayumi gets to bring them down.
They trained for an hour, until they grew tired. They sat on the ground. "That"s enough of chopping wood s.h.i.t! Time for a spar!" Mariko shouted. "S-Sparring?.. Oh no.." Chiho became worried, Ayumi was also the same. "Come on, It"s not like we"re actually going to fight!" Mariko tried to calm them down. "Y-Yeah, But i"m still nervous.. I only got to train with my father by hands, no weapon at all.. And i was taught to disarm a person with smaller weapons than these.." Chiho said. "Then It"s time for a rise! Improve those skills you got from your father!" Mariko excitedly encouraged her. "O-Okay.." Chiho nodded. After taking a brake and few talks, Mariko stood up and went away from the stump, into a way more open area, The two nervously followed her. "Alright, We"ll be doing some sparring here!" Mariko raised her hands. "I want to take you on first, Chiho!" She pointed at Chiho. "Alright.." Chiho readies her axe. Ayumi moved away. "Onee-chan! Do your best!" She cheered Chiho. Chiho nodded on her and faced back Mariko. "I don"t actually know how sparring is actually properly done, But what i only know..." Mariko pulled out her axe and made a stance. "It"s a friendly fight! A kind of training done by facing a person instead of a dummy!" She continued. "Y-Yeah.. Go easy on me.." Chiho spoke with a low voice as she watch Mariko carefully. "You ready? Here i come! Haa..!" Upon asking, She charges towards Chiho. "Here she comes!" Chiho thought to herself as she grips her axe. "Hrah..!" Mariko jumped. "W-Whoa!" Chiho didn"t expect her to jump. "Haa..!" Mariko swings her axe down to Chiho. "d.a.m.n..!" Chiho held her axe up horizontally. She managed to block her attack but her fall made her attack strong. Chiho couldn"t withstand the force and stepped back. She was also forced to lose her grip on the axe, it fell to the ground. As Mariko dropped along with her axe, She quickly looked up and points the head of the axe to Chiho"s neck, Making Chiho put her hands up. "Heh, Got you.." Mariko chuckled.
"That"s what you think.." Chiho smiled, surprising Mariko. "Huh..?" She wondered why. Chiho quickly grabbed her pointed arm with both of her hands and moved it away from her neck, she moved it to the right. "Hya..!" As she pull Mariko, She kicked the back of her shoulder with her left leg. "Ow!" Mariko shouted as She completely fall to the ground. Chiho, still holding her arm, took the axe away from her hand and pulled her arm ahead this time. She used the axe"s beard to catch her by her nape, Then They stared at each other. "Ah, d.a.m.n.." Mariko stared at Chiho. "Do you often do that to your enemies? That"s dangerous, you know?" Chiho used the cheek of the axe to tap Mariko"s head lightly and let go of her. "Ow! jeez, my arm.." Mariko rubbed her arm. "That was amazing, Onee-chan!" Ayumi ran towards them. "Well, I was supposed to lose but Mariko did something stupid.. so.." Chiho stood up the axe from the ground. "What do i need to do then? Hit you for real?" Mariko asked as she stands up. "You could have moved away quickly and tell me that i lost.." Chiho shrugged. "Ah, Is that so.. Then i"ll get you next time!" Mariko raised her hands to Chiho, Then Chiho gave her axe back and hid it back to her hips. "I need your long axe, Chiho.. I want to teach Ayumi something.." Mariko said, Chiho picked it up and handed it over to Mariko. "What are you going to teach me?!" Ayumi excitedly asked. "Heh.. It is how you use the chains to pull your foe"s weapon, either to disarm them or pull them closer to you if they really have sticky hands.." Mariko held the long axe by its b.u.t.t and moved it away from her, to point it to Ayumi. "Now, Try using the ball. But you use its chain to tie it on my axe and pull it as hard as you can!" Mariko instructed. "Okay! But how if i hit you?!" Ayumi asked. "Don"t worry! I know when it"s going to hit me!" Mariko said it"s fine. "Okay..." Ayumi held the sickle with her left hand while the right with the chains. As Usual, She spun it above her. "Okay! I"m going to throw now!" Ayumi warned. "Hya..!" She shouted as she throws ball to the axe. The ball just hits the axe and fell into the ground, Ayumi pulled the chain to get it back to her.
"Make it longer! That way, The ball will go spinning on the axe and that"s when it will be tied enough for you to pull!" Mariko instructed. "Okay! But i"m scared that i might hit you!" Ayumi grips the chains tightly. "The axe is far from me! You won"t get me unless you really wants to hit me or my hand! Just focus on under the head!" Mariko shook the axe, indicating that she should do it again. "It"s heavy too! I might lose control of it when i throw that long!" Ayumi complained more. "Just do it! I will move out if it reaches me!" Mariko shouted. "Okay!" Ayumi spun up the ball again, This time her hands are further down the chains, making the spin looks bigger. "Here i go! Hya.!" Ayumi focused on the head of the axe as she throws the ball. "Got it!" Ayumi cheered as the chains successfully tied on the axe. "Now, Pull it!" Mariko shouted. "Haa..!" Ayumi pulled the chain, The axe slides away from Mariko"s hands and fell to the ground. "Oof.. Nice!" Mariko walked towards the axe, which Ayumi and Chiho also did. "You got the axe real good!" Mariko unties the chain and placed it near Ayumi"s feet. "Are we going to do some sparring?!" Ayumi excitedly asked. "f.u.c.k no..." Mariko moved away. "Why?!" Ayumi whined. "I..I don"t stand a chance against that weapon! And you might hit me!" Mariko held the axe the same way as before. "Alright. This time, I will act like i really love my weapon! You will have to pull me in by my axe!" Mariko used both of her hands this time. "Okay!" Ayumi prepares herself as Chiho moved away. She spun it up again and focused on the axe. "Here i go! Haa..!" Ayumi throws it again and it tied to the axe, This time without Mariko"s shout, She pulled it as hard as she can. "W-Whoa!" Mariko was taken by the force and stumbled forward. "Did i get it done?!" Ayumi looked at Mariko. "Yeah! You got some quite strength on you, huh?" She answered. "Now, If you only managed to drag your foe this far, Remember to use your sickle quickly. But if you got them closer to you, You"ll have to pay attention on both defending yourself and attacking them.." Mariko instructed as she untied the chains. "Yay! I already know how to do it!" Ayumi jumped and walked near Mariko. "Don"t get your hopes up, You need more training, That technique will always not work and you might end up getting pulled instead.." Mariko throws the ball to the ground.
"Why i"m going to be the one that"ll be pulled?" Ayumi asked. "Well, Don"t forget that your enemy can read your movements, If they know you"re going to pull out that trick, They"ll just prepare to pull you instead.. So you do that technique when they least expect it.. You understand?" Mariko pats Ayumi"s head. "Okay!" Ayumi nodded. "Also don"t forget that your foe can catch your chains when you throw them, they"ll use it to pull you closer to them.. So you make sure you change your way of throwing them so your foe will have a hard time catching up with your style.." Mariko advised. "Yes!" Ayumi nodded. "Good, Now let"s do this again, Chiho!" Mariko throws the long axe to Chiho. "H-Hey!" Chiho caught the axe with a twitch. "That"s dangerous!" Chiho complained. "Come on.." Mariko moved away and pulled out her axe. "You ready?" Mariko made a stance. "Alright.." Chiho also made a stance. "Here i go!" Mariko charges towards her. But on a split second, She saw carriage moving for the gates of Saiju. "Don"t get distracted!" Mariko shouted as Chiho quickly looked back to her. "Haa..!" Mariko swung down the axe to Chiho. "Wait!" Chiho moved the axe slightly to the right and lowered it, Then She swings it up to catch Mariko"s axe, making a loud clang. "Guh..!" Mariko couldn"t believed at her move. "Wait!" Chiho shouted at her. "W-What?" Mariko moved her axe away from Chiho. "Father!" Chiho drops the long axe and ran away. "H-Hey!" Mariko shouted. "S-She said Father! Let"s follow her!" Ayumi panicked on her. "G-Got it! Let"s use that vehicle to catch her!" Mariko picked up the long axe and they ran to the R37. She quickly started the engine and accelerates towards Chiho"s direction.
"Chiho! Get in!" Mariko shouted as she stopped near her. "Hurry! That carriage! I swear that"s father on the pa.s.senger!" Chiho pointed at the carriage. "Y-You"re right! That"s your father!" Ayumi shouted. "W-Wait.. Your father?!" Mariko looked at them. "Go!" Chiho shouted. "Alright! Here goes!" Mentioning Chiho"s father, Mariko became excited and accelerates the R37 to the fullest. "Time to use this!" Mariko pressed the boost and they got faster. Until they reached the carriage, Mariko stopped the boost and drifts in front of the carriage. "Whoa!" The driver of the carriage pulled the horses hard to stop, Chiho quickly dropped out of the R37. "This is a raid! Bring out your stuff!" Mariko took off her axe and pointed at soldier. "W-Wait!" Seeing Chiho runs beside them and Mariko threatening him, The soldier panicked. "Mariko-san!" Ayumi shouted at her. "Hehe.." Mariko giggled and stepped out of the R37. Now knowing that she was pretending, The soldier gave them an annoyed look. While on the other hand, Chiho stared at the person on the pa.s.senger seat. "Onee-chan!" Ayumi ran beside her. "F-Father..?" Chiho started to tears. "Chiho..? Ayumi?" Inside the carriage, Yagano, along with the Saijun soldiers, was there. He couldn"t believe at what he"s seeing as he called out their names. "Father!" Chiho cried and ran inside to hug him. "Chiho!" Yagano also cried and hugged her back. "Hey.." Mariko walked near Ayumi. "Uu.. Wueeeh!" Ayumi cried and ran inside to join them. "W-Whoa..." Mariko stared at them, Then She focused on Yagano. "Ayumi! I"m glad you two are safe!" Yagano looked at Ayumi and pats her head. "This is... Her father?" Mariko walks to see him clearly. Yagano saw her and smiled. "Ah.." Mariko blushed as they looked at each other, Then Yagano shook Chiho. "Chiho, Chiho!" He called her. "Huh..?" Chiho moved back to look at him. "Is that your friend?" He asked. "Hm.." Chiho nodded and looked at Mariko. Mariko shyly scratched her cheeks. "I see.. Thanks for looking out for my daughter" Yagano thanked her. "I-It"s a pleasure to befriend your daughter, Sir.. My name is Mariko Sakitama" Mariko bowed. "No need to be formal, If you"re friends with Chiho, It"s alright!" He smiled at her. "I.. I see.." Mariko scratched her head.
Then on the back seat, a familiar voice has spoke. "I told you Commander Yagano"s alive!" It was Hiro, who volunteered to go back to Tsuchiya. "Yes, Thank you..." Chiho thanked him. "Hehe.." Hiro blushed and laughed. "Right now, I"m going to meet Gentaro inside his village. Will you come with me?" Yagano asked Chiho. "Of course!" She instantly agreed. "Then.." He looked at Mariko. "How about you, Mariko-san? Will you come with us?" He asked. "U-Uh.. Yeah, if that"s fine with you.. But i guess i will be driving the-" "No, I"ll drive it, You stay here" Mariko was interrupted by the soldier going out. "But..!" "Stay there with them, I"ll drive it" The soldier insisted and Mariko was forced to get in the carriage. The soldier moved the R37 behind them. "Guro! Let"s go!" Hiro shouted at the driver and they started to get moving towards the gate of the Saiju.