In this world, parties bring the most joy to people.
After the barbecue party, Kuina guided the three girls in basic swordsmanship. They didn't need to learn too much during this trip to Shimotsuki Village, just the basics.
Only Nojiko learned properly, as she had been training with Ryuen for the past six months. Although Ryuen's teaching wasn't formal, he knew some theory, so Nojiko had a good foundation.
But Nami and Daisy's moves didn't look like swordsmanship, more like self-defense techniques. But that was fine, as long as they could protect themselves in the future.
"Nojiko, your basic swordsmanship is really good. We don't have real swords now, but I'll find one for you tomorrow. Then I'll spar with you, and you'll improve even more," Kuina said after guiding them.
"A real sword? I have one! Nami, bring out the Sandai Kitetsu!" Nojiko thought of the Sandai Kitetsu that Ryuen brought back. Although it wasn't as good as Kuina's Wado Ichimonji, it was still a top-grade sword!
"Sandai Kitetsu?!" Kuina and Zoro, who was training nearby, were both attracted by Nojiko's words.
Nami just opened the space door and let Nojiko get it herself, as she always felt the Sandai Kitetsu was strange.
"Here it is, the Sandai Kitetsu, one of the fifty fine swords. Ryuen said it's a cursed sword," Nojiko took out the Sandai Kitetsu and showed it to her curious friends.
Kuina and Zoro both had top-level swordsmanship talent, and their sensitivity to swords was naturally terrifying. They immediately sensed something unusual about the Sandai Kitetsu.
"Wow... it's really a cursed sword..." Kuina said in surprise as she touched the blade of the Sandai Kitetsu.
Her father and grandfather had told her about cursed swords, but she had never seen one until now. Zoro looked envious and secretly vowed to have not one, but three good swords of his own in the future!
"Hehe, this sword originally belonged to Ryuen, but I took it from him!" Nojiko said proudly.
What Ryuen didn't know was that the Sandai Kitetsu didn't want to follow him because the fiery aura on him made it uncomfortable. That's why Nojiko could handle the Sandai Kitetsu without being harmed.
"Let's start!" Kuina said, satisfied, as she handed the Sandai Kitetsu back to Nojiko.
The two girls then began sparring with real swords. Sparring with real swords was indeed different; their attacks were much fiercer. Kuina's superior swordsmanship gave her an edge, but she couldn't suppress Nojiko's momentum because Nojiko had already fought many pirates!
They sparred until late at night, and Nami and Daisy were also forced to train until then.
"Nojiko, you made great progress tonight. Let's continue tomorrow," Kuina said to Nojiko. She was very satisfied today, as sparring with Nojiko gave her a feeling she had never experienced before, thanks to Nojiko's combat experience.
"Thank you, Kuina!" Nojiko sincerely thanked Kuina for sparring with her and guiding her, which helped her improve so quickly.
The four girls chatted and laughed as they walked back to the Isshin Dojo, with Ryuen and Zoro following behind.
"Hey! Zoro, I heard you used nine swords when you first challenged Kuina?" Ryuen asked Zoro, who was walking with his head down.
"Idiot! No, I didn't!" Zoro blushed with embarrassment. He didn't know why he foolishly used nine bamboo swords to challenge Kuina back then, and he was defeated in one move.
Seeing Zoro's shy look, Ryuen found it very amusing and easy to tease...
Back at the Isshin Dojo, everyone was exhausted from a day of training. They washed up and quickly fell asleep.
At midnight, with the moon high above the mountain, Ryuen heard some noise. His nose bubble popped, and he opened his sleepy eyes, seeing a figure flash past the door.
"Kuina... why is she up..." Ryuen recognized the small figure but didn't think much of it and went back to sleep.
The next second, Ryuen jumped up.
He suddenly remembered that Kuina went to the warehouse in the middle of the night to find her beloved whetstone and fell from the upper level, hitting the Grand Staircase!
Realizing this, Ryuen instantly woke up and quickly chased after Kuina. Google seaʀᴄh NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt
Ryuen ran to the warehouse door and saw Kuina rummaging through the upper level.
"Kuina, what are you doing up in the middle of the night?" Ryuen asked, his tone a bit harsh. He couldn't understand why Kuina needed to sharpen her sword at this hour.
"Ryuen, why are you here? I'm looking for my beloved whetstone... found it!" Kuina's eyes lit up as she picked up a dark whetstone.
Just as she was about to climb down, she suddenly slipped...
Kuina's scream sounded like the death knell to Ryuen!
He immediately used Soru, rushing to the Grand Staircase and catching Kuina just before she hit it!
In that moment, both kids broke out in a cold sweat.
Kuina felt like she had just seen death waving at her, while Ryuen saw that Kuina's head was just inches away from hitting a sharp, protruding part of the Grand Staircase!
"Kuina, what happened?" This voice was Koushirou's. He rushed over as soon as he heard Kuina's scream.
Ryuen put Kuina down.
"Kuina, Ryuen, what happened?" Koushirou asked again, seeing that both of them were still in shock.
"Dad, I almost died just now..." Kuina came to her senses and immediately hugged Koushirou, crying.
Ryuen then explained what had happened to Koushirou. When Koushirou saw the sharp part of the staircase, he also broke out in a cold sweat.
"It's okay, Kuina..." Koushirou comforted Kuina and was very grateful to Ryuen. If it weren't for Ryuen, his daughter would have died young.
After crying for a while, Kuina left her father's embrace and came to Ryuen: "Ryuen, thank you for saving my life!"
"No need to thank me, Kuina. We're partners, and I'm just glad you're okay," Ryuen said softly.
Koushirou then looked at the Grand Staircase and walked over to dismantle it!
"This staircase is broken. I'll use it for firewood. Kuina, Ryuen, go back to rest," Koushirou said gently.
But his determination to burn the staircase was unshakable!
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