Chapter 34: Tendou

Southern Helia,

East,

Tendou Household. Dojo.

Inside a traditional house—spacious, with well-polished wooden floors. A modestly sized yet classic family home.

This was evident from how well-decorated the rooms were, in addition to the paper drawings and antiques positioned in several corners.

At the back of the house lay a more aesthetically pleasing sight—a small pond with clear, reflective water, edged with carefully placed stones.

A little further to the side stood another structure. At a glance, anyone could tell this building belonged to someone from a wealthy, traditional family.

"Hmmm."

Inside the dojo-like building, a young platinum-haired female sat in seiza on the wooden floor, facing a platinum-haired male with a gruff expression, who also sat before her.

Both had wooden swords positioned beside them.

Even as they sat together, both had their eyes closed. A little further away stood a woman who appeared youthful, yet unlike her husband and daughter, her hair was pure white.

She watched them, her expression subtly strained as she let out a sigh.

"...Well then, let's begin. I want to see how much you've learned over the past few months. If you fail to show me progress, you shall be punished for disregarding the Tendou clan's teachings."

Tendou Murasame spoke with a stern expression. That wasn't all—his mere gaze carried enough pressure to make his daughter swallow hard.

However—

"I was told... that the Tendou swordsmanship doesn't suit me too well. Father's autonomy is different from my own, that's why I've had difficulties with the sword before."

The Tendou family's swordsmanship was designed for men, from its stance to its movements. The way a man executed it differed from how a woman would.

Or so Damian had told her when she trained under him.

Her body had been conditioned to wield a sword differently. Because of this, whenever Damian trained her, he always told her to go back to the basics and corrected her form.

But her father had already caught on to this. And now, she found herself in this situation.

"Are you saying the Tendou school of swordsmanship is wrong? That the ability passed down from our ancestors is flawed?"

The pressure in the room seemed to intensify. Ayaka lowered her head slightly, unable to fully withstand the weight of her father's presence.

"That's not what I'm saying, Father. Your foundation is different from mine. I am grateful for the abilities passed down to me, but if I don't improve, then the Tendou family will be known as a clan that refuses to evolve or accept corrections."

"Ayaka…?"

Her mother covered her mouth at her daughter's words. Even her father seemed taken aback for a moment—only for his expression to darken.

Slowly, he stood up, the wooden floor creaking beneath his weight as he rose.

"I see you've changed. Then let me bear witness. Additionally, if you lose, that person who is feeding you this nonsense, you'll stop seeing them."

"...."

Ayaka didn't reply; she simply stood up under his gaze, brandishing her wooden sword as she did, pointing her sword at her father.

"I won't lose."

Having fought someone like Damian and having experienced what she had experienced at the training camp, she had come to grow less scared of her father.

Of course, she could still feel how strong he was. In retrospect, if she were to compare, he should be as strong as someone like Celeste Blackwood, her instructor who is capable of taking down a horde of Enlightened-class and above monsters with a single strike.

Such a person who could compare too is who she was facing.

However, oddly, she had a feeling she wasn't going to lose.

Her father adopted his stance, gripping his wooden sword with both hands, the blade held upright near his right side, close to his face.

But for her, it was the reverse. Unlike the 'Tendou', whose sword techniques face the 'sky', hers was facing the 'ground'.

"What?"

Murasame's eyes widened as he took in her stance. Ten in the Tendou style referred to the sky—every technique was built upon that fundamental principle.

Yet now, his daughter's sword pointed toward the ground—chijou—instead.

"You dare defile the Tendou style!? Ayaka!"

In a flash, he moved.

It took only a single step.

Originally a few paces away, Murasame closed the distance in an instant, appearing before Ayaka in the blink of an eye.

However,

'I expected this. That he'd be furious with me. But, Father… do you realize? I'm more comfortable like this. I'm not saying you or our ancestors are wrong, however, this is the only way for me to keep up with you all, my great seniors.'

"Tendou-Ryu: Arashi!"

The moment he stepped in, Ayaka's blade moved.

Murasame's sword was still aligned with the sky as he struck at her, but for Ayaka, whose stance was its direct opposite, the moment of impact worked in her favor. 

It made countering him easier.

Storm.

It was a technique that unleashed an aggressive shockwave to its surroundings. And it worked, as it created a wave with her as its center, rippling outward.

For the normal Arashi, the pointed upward sword would be swung in a sideward diagonal then another diagonal to the ground before raising the sword upwards.

But with Ayaka's stance, there was no need for such movement.

All she had to do was raise her blade from the ground.

"Kuh—"

Murasame grunted as he was forced back, his feet skidding across the polished floor. Regaining his footing, he broke his fall, his sharp gaze fixed on Ayaka.

She had already shifted into another stance.

Her legs crouched slightly, right foot forward, left foot bracing behind. Her hands gripped the wooden sword near her face, ready for the next exchange.

"There's nothing that says the ground cannot reach the sky. After all, the closest thing to the sky… is a mountain."

"Tendou-Ryuu: Tenretsu (Sky Rend)."

A sword technique meant to tear the sky apart, opposite to Jiretsu, which was meant to tear the land apart.

"So you plan on going against the teachings of the Tendou Clan? Ayaka!"

Murasame had gotten up easily, preparing his sword as he dashed at her. Like her, Murasame also possessed the physique to absorb mana and strengthen his body.

They could also channel it to unleash other techniques. However, even from their approach, Tenretsu against Jiretsu, the ground was already cracking.

No, throughout the entire dojo, cracks were beginning to spread, creeping along the walls and reaching the ceiling.

However, Ayaka's mother, noticing how this so-called spar was veering into dangerous territory, raised her hand and spoke firmly.

"Ayaka! Darling! That's enough!"

With a simple gesture, she stopped them in place using magic, freezing them just inches apart.

Even though Ayaka's technique was strong, Murasame's was even stronger.

"And you, do you really want to kill your dearest daughter?"

She approached him, twisting his ear as the man winced.

"Y-Yukizuki, but still—"

"Hm? What if you had injured her? She has a competition coming up in a few days. Shouldn't you be preparing her for that instead?"

The woman sighed, glancing at her daughter with a light smile.

"I understand that you're worried about the Tendou family's image. However, you can't deny that this style suits your daughter best, can you?"

Releasing his ear, she finally lifted the binding spell she had placed on them. The man grunted, turning his back to his daughter.

"Hmph. Fine. As long as she doesn't embarrass the Tendou name."

"Heh. You're still not direct with your feelings, huh?"

Yukizuki said this, placing her hand elegantly over her lips as she spoke. The man twitched before leaving the dojo.

Seeing him trail off, the woman spread her hands and shook her head.

"For goodness' sake, you haven't changed one bit."

Saying that, she turned to her daughter, who had her head lowered.

"As for you, young miss. The reason for this sudden change… whatever could it be?"

Ayaka froze for a moment, avoiding her mother's gaze, but the woman could almost tell. After all, her mother's intuition was off the charts with these kinds of things.

The woman already had her hand on her chin, scrutinizing her daughter with narrowed eyes.

"I-It's nothing."

Crap. Perhaps she shouldn't have spoken at all. Then, slowly, her mother's eyes widened, perhaps in surprise.

"Our little Aya, my little Aya, has grown up! Kyaaaa~"

Calling it intuition was perhaps wrong. This was her supernatural ability.

"M-Mom, please."

"Nooo~ Who is it~? Just who is this lucky boy~? To think my daughter has grown~"

Dramatically, she placed her hand over her chest, wiping away the tears that fell from her eyes. At this moment, she truly felt happy for her daughter.

Honestly, with how her daughter was in the past, she had thought it would be hard for her to find a man—much like her husband.

And she knew very well just who her daughter was, so she had no problem with her daughter's choice.

"By the way, tell me who it is~~~"

While she could read minds and memories to a certain extent, unless she intended to force her way through, she wouldn't.

And she definitely wouldn't use it on her family. In fact, sometimes, she just happened to know due to interference.

That is, if a person's emotions were too strong, then, even if she didn't want to, she could see them.

And obviously, her daughter had been thinking about a man just a few moments ago.

"Uhm… well… you know the family that took the top spot during the entrance examination…? Well, it's the second one…."

Ayaka said, fiddling with her thumbs, a sign of a maiden in love, making her mother nod proudly. But upon hearing her words, Yukizuki froze, her smile stiffening.

".....Really? Wow. What a person to fall for. I mean, with so many eyes on their back, you decided to stay by his side?"

Her thoughts about whoever it was suddenly grew stronger, to the point where she didn't even need to activate her ability to read her daughter's memories.

Yukizuki said that but relented with a sigh.

Of course, what did she expect?

"But regardless, if that is your choice, then I'll naturally support you as your mother. After all, this is the first time my Aya has ever taken an interest in anyone."

Naturally, as she said that, she glanced toward the door leading out of the dojo.

'As expected, you really are a tsundere. Worried about your daughter so much that you'll even listen in on her conversation. Seriously, what a worrisome man.'