Chapter 230
Sayaka who got home from her after school date with Oliver, was once again greeted by a blade from her father . She was able to smoothly evade and hid herself in the darken hall of her house . This was how she was greeted ever since she agreed to train in the ways of the Shadow . The moment Sayaka returns home it basically becomes a game of hide and seek . She would hide while her father will seek her .
The only way to win was to evade her father's sight, and be able to steal the coin hidden in her father's breast pocket . The purpose of this game was to enhance Sayaka's ability to blend into the shadows . Once she is able to fully blend making it harder for her father to spot her, she would be able to snatch the coin from his breast pocket, which incidentally was at the same height as his heart .
This was a test, a test of Sayaka's patience . Since the only time an assassin should strike is when she is sure that she would be able to kill her target in one strike . Failing the first strike and dealing with it with a second is the way of second rate assassins, but not the Mutsu's . The Mutsu's have been assassins since the beginning of Berdonia, and they were a first rate assassin family . The only time you would spot a mutsu in a job means you were about to die .
The mutsu's had a secret technique that could make them blend into the surrounding area without anyone noticing them . They are quiet and deadly and the moment they strike you are sure to die . This family has operated for a hundred years, and none of their targets ever live to tell the tale . The best and the strongest of the family gets to inherit the name Shadow .
Currently Sayaka was in the middle of training to become the next Shadow . She had been improving greatly in the past days, and was now able to somehow hide her presence from her father . The only problem was her father was also hiding making it difficult for her as well . Still there was a handicap placed on Sayaka's father . Every ten minutes he would show himself for about five seconds and in that seven seconds Sayaka has the opportunity to strike .
Yet every time Sayaka's father shows up he shows a deliberate opening, making Sayaka think it's a trap . Of course if she doesn't do anything she won't be able to win as well . Yet no matter how long she thought about it, she couldn't think of a way to steal the coin from her father . The moment she fails once the game will be over, and she would get an appropriate punishment for her failure .
She only had one shot at this, and it needs to be done with extreme speed and precision . Another problem was her father was faster than her, so she needed to strike in a closer range . Yet she wasn't able to get within ten feet from her father, since she wasn't that adept on blending in the shadows .
Still to get the coin she must at least be five feet from her father for it to have even the minimum chance to be successful .
'Wait a minute, that old man Ken didn't he have that footwork that let's you travel short distances instantly . If I do that move coupled with my basic speed, I might be able to pull this off . '
Now that Sayaka had a plan for attack she calmed herself and waited for the next ten minutes to pass . Sayaka who now had an actual plan for winning was having trouble containing her excitement . There was now a real chance for victory, but if she doesn't calm down the moment of her victory will be easily snatched away .
When she tried to calm herself down, Sayaka actually remembered Alex . Wasn't that boy who was always calm no matter the situation suitable to become an assassin? Even his nickname as a merc was silent flash . Meaning he dealt with his enemies in the shadows and attacked silently . He was the complete opposite of Lyner who beats everything upfront with overwhelming power .
Now that she remembered about him, wasn't Lyner about to marry the Saintess of the Southern Union? Was that already happening, actually where are they going to get married? Also once they were married where will they live? Will Lyner quit being their adviser and live with Anita in the Southern Union? or will Anita stop being the Saintess of the Southern Union and live here in Berdonia .
Sayaka then started wondering why someone like the nice Saintess would want to marry the battle hungry Lyner . After short while of thinking Sayaka decided that she would never get the answer, so she stopped thinking about it .
Still thinking about Alex and Lyner, actually help Sayaka calm herself down . Now the moment of truth was approaching . Her father was about to appear from where he was hiding . Exactly after ten minutes Sayaka's father once again appeared from the shadows, and once again he showed an opening to exploit, but Sayaka didn't bother with that .
She closed in on her father, and stood the nearest she could without him noticing her . The moment Sayaka got eleven feet near her father, she used the wind step she learned from Ken . Her version wasn't as good but it got the job done . Sayaka was able to move six feet almost instantaneously .
Now that she was five feet away from her father, she dashed forward with only one thought in mind to snatch the coin from his breast pocket . Sayaka moved the fastest she could with her arm extending forward trying to grab the target right in front of her eyes .
Yet the moment she got an inch close, her father was able to evade, and caught her . Sayaka not wanting to lose, extended her left hand that was free and tried to steal the coin, but she was once again evaded by her father . Sayaka knew at this point there was no more chances and even if she did somehow get the coin with her left hand, she would still be graded with a fail .
The first strike was the only strike that should have mattered, the moment she failed on the first strike was the moment she lost .
"That was really close my daughter, but as a Mutsu you should've resolved yourself for death, the moment you missed the first strike . . . Still that unwillingness to lose, how uncharacteristic for an assassin, but I guess that's fine as well . . . For now do your homework, once you're done come meet me in the training hall . We will continue practicing your stealth . You have improved Sayaka, as expected of my daughter . "
When Sayaka heard her father actually praise her, she was about to make a guts pose, but was able to hold herself back . Still she couldn't help but smile . This was the first time her father ever praised her during training .
With that nice feeling, Sayaka happily went to her room to do her homework .
. . .
While that was happening Oliver was in the middle of a weird conversation with his parents .