For now, we finished breakfast.
We changed clothes and head to the courtyard from yesterday.
Agnes, Misuzu, Ruriko, Haiji, and Torii-san’s with me.
「 There they are 」
Edie and Michi are already starting their training in the courtyard.
Yomi, Luna, Koyomi-chan, and Mao-chan’s with them.
「 Geez, you’re late Papa! 」
Mao-chan comes running to me and hugs me.
「 Yes, good morning, Mao-chan 」
「 Ehehe, Good Morning Papa 」
I also hug Mao-chan back.
I can’t spoil her too much but this much intimacy is okay.
Minaho-neesan taught me that.
「 Danna-sama, Ruriko and I will head to Grandfather’s place 」
Misuzu looks up at the second-floor terrace facing the courtyard.
Yeah, that’s where Jii-chan and I talked before we entered the party.
I looked up and then Jii-chan, Katsuko-nee, and Yoshiko-san are looking at us.
The three are talking friendly as they watch us.
Miko power has no effect on that distance.
「 We will be talking with Yoshiko-oneesama 」
Huh, Misuzu?
「 It’s okay, I’ll be joining too, Onii-sama 」
The two get up the stairs leading to the second-floor terrace.
「 Ah, me too 」
Torii-san tries to come with Misuzu, but…
「 Mariko-san, how about you partic.i.p.ate in the exercise with everyone? 」
Misuzu turns back halfway from the stairway and said.
「 B-But 」
Torii-san looks confused.
「 Sure, I’ll teach her. Mariko should learn self-defense too 」
Edie calls Torii-san.
「 Haiji’s here too 」
Torii-san looked at Haiji.
Meanwhile, Misuzu and Ruriko are gone from the stairs.
It’s too late for her to follow them.
「 Although, Haiji will take the professional course. Mariko will be doing the same beginner course as Mao and Agnes 」
「 Yes, desuno! Let’s do it together 」
Agnes pulls Torii-san’s hand.
「 Eh, ah, yes? 」
Torii-san’s my pace reputation is no match against Agnes.
「 Mao-chan, Koyomi-chan, this is Mariko-chan 」
She introduces to the two.
Luna was at the party and so she knows about Torii-san.
「 Eh, Agnes-chan, she’s… 」
Mao-chan stares at Torii-san.
She’s taught to be cautious with people who aren’t family
「 Hmm, well, it’s a bit complicated 」
「 Complicated? 」
「 In one way or another, it’s complicated 」
What Agnes wants to say is that it’s unknown yet whether she’ll enter the family or not.
But, the word “complicated” is what stuck in Mao-chan’s mind
「 Complicated? 」
「 Yes, complicated 」
「 Complicated. Okay 」
She looked up at Torii-san.
「 Oh, so it’s complicated! 」
Mao-chan speaks loudly.
「 Yes, that, it’s complicated. Hehe. She’s complicated 」
「 Eeeeeh? Why am I complicated? 」
Torii-san’s confused.
It’s her first time to receive that kind of appraisal.
「 Yes. She’s complicated! Agnes certifies that 」
What’s with that?
「 But, complicated means complicated. She’s just as complicated as Koyomi-chan, who has high possibility 」
Agnes’ way of speaking is much more complicated.
「 Got it! Onee-chan is complicated! Just like Koyomi-chan 」
「 O-Okay, I get it 」
Torii-san is feeling down as the younger girls call her complicated.
「 Putting that aside, Haiji-chan is our new Onee-chan! She’s become Papa’s family! 」
Luna knows that I had s.e.x with Haiji last night, but…
Mao-chan is cheering together with Koyomi-chan!
「 Yay! Yay! 」
Mao-chan is making a lot of noise, but…
「 H-h.e.l.lo. I’m Adelheid Katori. Call me Haiji 」
Haiji gives her greeting.
「 Eh, really?! Are you really-really Mao’s Onee-chan?! You’re my Onee-chan too?! Hey, hey, hey? 」
Mao-chan’s excited.
「 Uhm 」
Haiji looks at me.
Right…
Agnes, who’s 12, calls me, who’s 16, Papa only as a t.i.tle but…
She thinks that Mao-chan might actually be my child as she’s still in kindergarten.
She’s wondering how to deal with her.
By that, it means does she deal with her as an elder sister or as a mother?
「 Mao-chan is the daughter of Nagisa, another member of our family. Therefore, she’s my daughter 」
I made a quick explanation.
「 That’s right! That’s why Papa is Mao’s Papa! 」
Mao-chan clings to my arms.
「 In other words, he’s also Agnes’ Papa! And Koyomi-chan’s Papa 」
I don’t get how Agnes’ reasoning makes that kind of leaps.
But, Haiji’s smart, and so she can guess the relationship.
The fact that one of my women already has a child.
「 Let’s get along, okay? 」
She deals with Mao-chan with the middle of “Mother,” and “Elder sister,” something like a female cousin.
「 Yes, let’s get along! I’m Mao-chan! Ehehe 」
Mao-chan smiles.
「 Koyomi. Pleased to meet you 」
Koyomi-chan’s docile and polite as usual
「 Yes, Haiji-oneechan’s cute! As expected of Papa. 」
H-Hey, Mao-chan.
「 That’s right, that’s right! And that’s why Mariko-chan should become like Haiji-chan too! 」
Eeeeeh.
「 You can’t stay in that complicated state. It’s complicated after all. Ehehe 」
Yeah, you can’t win against Agnes and Mao-chan’s duo.
「 Hey, hey, Koyomi-chan, say something too 」
「 Err, well, I’ll do my best to grow up as soon as possible 」
Koyomi-chan feels sorry that she hasn’t done it with me yet.
「 Girls, come, we’re going to start stretching 」
Edie calls out everyone.
「 Okay, Edie-chan 」
「 Now, let’s go! Let’s do this 」
Michi and Edie’s method of teaching starts with stretching.
Making your body flexible is more important than anything.
After that, the training for young and professionals are different.
According to Edie, it’s not good to forge muscles while the body is young.
Muscles clamp your body and it’ll hinder the growth of your muscles.
Therefore, Mao-chan, Agnes, and Luna are practicing on accurately moving out as they come up with their thought, their kinetic vision, quick-wits and agility, and momentary thinking.
Also, they train to be cautious of their surroundings while keeping their concentration.
That kind of training is helpful to them.
Also.
「 Okay, everyone warmed up? Then we’ll start our training course. Michi, take care of them 」
「 Got it 」
The group is split into two.
Edie trains Haiji and Yomi with cla.s.sic martial arts.
Yomi should actually be in the beginner course too, but…
We want Haiji and Yomi to get along.
Edie will teach Haiji, and Haiji will convey it to Yomi, the one receiving lessons will have to teach someone else too. It’s better.
As for the young girls + Torii-san and me, we’re receiving Michi’s guidance.
「 Then, everyone, hold your hammers 」
Hammer. It’s the hammer Michi used, she calls it victory hammer.
It’s a weapon that has a rubber ball tied in chains, you swing it around and hit the enemy with it.
Everyone’s training with that.
「 Let’s go! Papa! Watch me! 」
Mao-chan swings it around.
Mao-chan’s hammer is the only one light compared to ours.
Although, Agnes and my hammer aren’t like the one Michi’s using.
「 Err, uhm 」
Michi hands over a hammer to the confused Torii-san.
「 The children are using soft rubber and so there’s no danger even if it hits. This is training for your focus and hitting a target accurately. Furthermore, it’s fun 」
Michi speaks with a serious face.
「 After all this time, I’m now thankful that Grandfather taught me all this 」
Michi used only this weapon when she was starting.
「 If you can master this, you can grasp the distance between yourself, the enemy, and their weapon reach in one moment. Furthermore, it has a rotating counterweight overhead and so it will be hard to hit the enemy accurately. This becomes training to hit your enemy with Qi 」
Michi said.
「 Swinging the counterweight overhead lets you knead Qi in your body and acc.u.mulate it. And that’ll hit your opponent reliably. Once you improve, you can sense the opponent’s Qi from the point below the navel and you can shoot it with your Qi 」
In short, the victory hammer is;
It’s linked to training Kudou arts’ Qi skills.
Everyone seems to be enjoying throwing away the hammer on a tree with an X mark from packing tape, but…
Mao-chan’s the only one who’s in a shorter distance and throwing her hammer on the pet bottle on the tree.
「 Someday, when I begin to train other n.o.bility, this hammer will be the first they have to master 」
Michi’s promised to teach Kudou style to a bodyguard of n.o.bility, and a young lady who loves martial arts.
However.
Yesterday, the cute girls who came here yesterday feel somewhat surreal with the spectacle of hammers swung around.
「 With that said, please try it 」
Michi tells Torii-san to take aim.
「 Ah, right. Yes 」
Torii-san seem to have stopped thinking
「 Toryaaa!! 」
Torii-san copied Agnes and the girls and fling her hammer.
However.
「 Complicated-chan, your hips aren’t fixed 」
Agnes lowers her hips as she says that.
「 Like this? 」
Torii-san sticks out her a.s.s.
That’s not stable at all.
「 Then, you do it like this! 」
Luna swings the counterweight ball.
The rubber ball hits the target on the tree and bounces back.
「 Ah, okay. Soryaa! 」
Torii-san’s counterweight flies off flimsy 」
「 Haaa, that’s not it 」
Mao-chan says after she knocks out the pet bottle of hers.
「 You really are complicated 」
「 Kuuuuu 」
Torii-san hates to lose and so she’s irritated.
「 Hey, teach me properly! 」
She glares at Michi.
「 Okay. Then first, you have to grasp the distance between you and the target and the center of gravity 」
Michi guides her thoroughly.
Yes, this looks good.
Earlier, during breakfast, Misuzu and Ruriko, the two daughters of Kouzuki denied Torii-san, but…
But if the young girls get along with her.
I also swing my hammer and throw it off.
It hits the center of the cross mark.
「 Kuromori-sama, you’re surprisingly skilled, aren’t you? 」
Torii-san’s surprised.
「 I want to keep everyone safe too you know 」
I said.
「 We may look like we’re playing around but this is an actual martial arts training 」
Once you can hit with the hammer with accuracy, you can also hit with your shuriken.
Although.
I’m still far from reaching Michi or Edie’s high-speed skill and accuracy where you can hit an enemy who changes location every time.
The target doesn’t move and so I can hit it.
I heard that Michi can hit blind spots with her whip, even if the enemy is hiding on a shield.
「 Uuuugh, I won’t lose! 」
Torii-san seems to be heating up.
But, she’s the type who lends an ear to advise.
She’s listening not just to Michi, but Agnes, Luna, and even Mao-chan.
It’s not like she has a bad personality.
We had fun throwing hammers for a while.
On the other hand, Edie, Yomi, and Haiji are getting sweaty now.
「 Haiji, you need to must up your courage and try to break into it! 」
「 Yes! 」
Haiji learned the basics from the Academy but she has no Master, and so she couldn’t train with anything other than the basics.
That’s why Edie’s guiding her.
「 Yomi, your legs are reversed 」
「 Huh? 」
Yomi who can read thoughts can’t understand the know-how with martial arts right away.
The thoughts jump from logic or speech.
「 Oh, don’t focus on the feet but instead focus on your center of gravity to your back 」
But, Haiji took some reasonable training from the Academy.
She made it easy to understand for Yomi.
「 Ah, I get it. The center of gravity comes from here and so I reverse my legs 」
「 That’s right 」
Yeah, they look good too.
Then.
「 Haaaaa!!! 」
Michi suddenly faced the thicket and threw a shuriken!
「 Disgraceful! I missed that one on purpose! Get out now! 」
Huh?
The only people who would do that in the mansion right now are…
「 Well done seeing through that! As expected of Kudou Michi! 」
「 As expected! 」
They take off the camouflage cloth that looks like some trees and shrubs. They look like manga ninjas.
Anjou Mitama and Kinuka appear.
「 I already saw you two long ago. I left you alone since you’re not here to kill 」
Edie looks like she’s fed up.
However, the Anjou sisters.
「 We’ve seen the secret techniques of Kudou arts now 」
「 Kudou arts! 」
No, secret technique?
It’s just the beginner course where we use the victory hammer though.
「 They’re more impatient than expected 」
Michi looks at the sisters and said.
Oh, I see.
They’re also from martial arts group and so they want to move their body in the morning.
「 What is it, Anjou-san wants to train with us? 」
I asked.
「 Training?! What are you talking about?! Anjou arts is a secret technique that doesn’t accept outsiders! If we want to train, we will not leave our hands open 」
「 Open! 」
Open? I’ve seen a lot yesterday though.
Like that street performance and survival hurricane mixer.
「 Stop the tedious talk 」
Edie said.
「 You girls showed up like that to show off your strength, right? 」
I look up at the terrace on the second floor.
Jii-chan and Misuzu are watching us while drinking tea.
They’re trying to show off their strength to the head of Kouzuki house.
「 Us sisters have thought that we have no other ways to save the young ladies of Kurama house other than our way of martial arts 」
「 Martial arts 」
So, your target is Michi?
They’ll take down Michi and have Jii-chan recognize them.
They want the Kurama sisters released in exchange for their labor.
Or maybe, they want to decrease the debts of Kurama house, even just a little.
「 Kudou Michi-dono, I have no grudge towards you, but this is for the sake of the family. Duel us 」
「 A match right now! 」
The sisters take a stance.
「 Match, duel. You speak a lot of impudent words 」
Michi speaks calmly.
「 Ah, by the way, the fight will be me against Michi, one-on-one. Ah, she’s out of this 」
「 Please don’t let the dark-skinned join 」
Oh, they saw the fight yesterday.
They’re thinking that they’re no match against Michi and Edie’s combination.
「 This is a battle between representatives of both Kudou and Anjou arts 」
「 I have one thing to say 」
Michi;
「 You’re looking down on me. Do you think that the two of us are equal? The two of you should fight. I am not Kudou Michi if I can’t deal with the two of you 」
Huh?
Michi seems like she’s speaking from a drama.
Is Michi going along with the ride with the Anjou sisters because she knows it?
「 Bwahahaha, Kudou Michi’s broken 」
「 Broken! 」
As I thought, the Anjou sisters point at Michi in high spirits.
「 Kudou Michi-dono, I thought that you would reply like that 」
「 Like that 」
「 However, you seem to not know our actual skills 」
「 You’ll lose 」
Err.
「 Let’s do it over there. You’ll hurt the small girls if we do it here 」
Michi moves to an area where there are no people.
Then.
「 Chance!!! 」
「 Ready yourself! 」
Anjou sisters rushed in.
「 Darling, Haiji 」
Edie said. Then we protect the girls.
Haiji goes to Torii-san.
I head to Mao-chan and Agnes.
Edie protects Luna and Koyomi.
Yomi also rushed towards us.
「 We already foresaw that! 」
「 And your blind spot is here! 」
Anjou sisters cut across us and jump at Michi.
「 Let’s go! Kinuka! 」
「 Let’s go! Ane-sama! 」
「 Anjou arts secret technique!! 」
「 Merlion flying slice!!! 」
The sisters jump at Michi at the same time!!!