Chapter 60The Secret of Strength
Tomorrow is the first day of my summer vacation... I'm going to forget all about studying and have fun... I'm going to the beach, festivals, fireworks attractions, and traveling too! I wonder which one I should start first.~♪♪♪♪
"But wait a minute, why am I here?"
"What do you think about my house?"
"Your house or... ...your mansion? No, so this is your house, huh...?"
If you ask me what your house looks like, I'd say it's similar to Isono-san's house. If you ask me which Isono-san, I can only say Isono-san's house. It's the beginning of a new era, but there will most likely be Showa-era-styled warehouses. Hey! Say! JUMP*.
(TL Note: Hey! Say! JUMP is a Japanese male idol group.).
Visiting a high school girl's house, even if she's my senpai, should be more exciting, right? This is exactly the opposite of how I felt when I visited Natsukawa's house before. What's with this weakness? I can feel the heat coming from a certain direction.
"It's a house, but the grounds are amazing. Look, there's a dojo over there."
"Really? There's a dojo over there?"
"Didn't I just tell you?"
Don't expect me to understand you on the first try. I could barely mimic it back and understand the dojo's existence. Oh my. There are a lot of very loud noises coming from that building, aren't there? Senpai, your house is inhabited by your extended family, right?
"Wait a minute, why am I in the dojo before summer vacation like this?"
"No, it's not that hard. You might think of it as some kind of martial art, but it's not. So, just think of it as a little trial experience."
"..."
What is it then? I've never done martial arts, so what good is a dojo if I don't know anything about it? What are you trying to teach me? Wait, you can't suddenly open the door like that—.
"Sorry to interrupt!"
"Uh, sorry to interrupt, eh, eh!?"
I think you should teach me first, like how to greet people when I come in. What surprised me was that Senpai opened the side door in front of me, not the door in front of her. Do you have to be that hard? Thanks to that, an old man who looked like a very old instructor and a group of strong guys were looking at me at once, right?
"Hahaha, Sajou. Hahaha."
"Senpai. I'm going to raise my hand to a girl for the first time."
"Sorry about that. It's just a little joke I prepared for the friends I invited to visit for the first time! Yuyu and Ayano also have funny facial expressions. Especially Yuyu."
Who is Ayano? ...Oh, this is about Mita-senpai who used to be with them, huh. What is this person doing? Look, that instructor-like old man is also looking at me with dumbfounded eyes — He's also glaring at me, hey, why are you doing this? I'll just go home, then.
Please just let me go home.
"That Senpai? You're talking about something else, aren't you? Some people look like karate or judo experts practicing together!"
"Don't talk in such a vulgar manner. There are indeed assistant martial arts instructors, but they are outsiders. Only those who are willing to do so receive special training from them."
"I-I can't believe it...!"
"Just believe it."
How can someone choose such a difficult path of their own accord? ...Who would choose martial arts other than children forced by their parents? ...What's the point of going and getting hurt when you're old enough? I've heard Olympic athletes say that they weren't interested in martial arts at first, but they couldn't back out, so they did it until they reached their peak!
"We don't teach martial arts, but we teach spirituality."
"'Spirituality'?"
"It's similar to martial arts, but people's moods change depending on the time and situation, right? Whether they can be strong or weak, it depends on the reality, right?"
"Oh, yes, I got it."
"Spirituality is about trying to find the solution that best suits your situation. It's more of a lesson than a sport."
"So it's more like a lesson, huh? I hate that."
"Kaede told me, you know? I heard from Kaede that all you do at home is just play games. You won't get stronger if you just play in front of a screen."
"No, no... - Hey, don't hold me like that! Shinomiya-senpai? What the hell are you planning to do to me?!"
"The game should make you stronger too!"
"You just thought of that, didn't you!?!?"
Instead of trying to escape, I tried to go home. And then there was the President of the Disciplinary Committee, who gripped my sleeve tightly and tried to keep me from breaking free. Why are you smiling so defiantly? This is spirituality, isn't it? First of all, you don't look well-trained in front of Inatomi-senpai!
"Let go of me, please!"
The sound of the shinai being struck suddenly echoed. We were startled and fell silent. I was sure that I could have gotten out of there right then, but I was too scared to move. When I turned around and checked, that shy-looking senior instructor-like old man had been glaring at me with his shinai swung at the floor.
"You two over there, come closer to me."
"Alright!"
I'm sure I must have given the best response in the world right now. The foot that stepped to move away from Shinomiya-senpai produced a sound equivalent to that of a shinai being swung at the floor.
"I'll never go near her again!"
"Hey, Sajou."
Hey, that head of yours is too high, Shinomiya-senpai, lower your head or you'll get killed. Look at that spirit, it seems it can easily kill a sparrow and me with just that shinai. Eh, I'm not dead yet...? Am I already dead...? *Survival.
"Rin, who is this boy?"
"This is my kouhai, Sajou. I'm trying to get him to join the Disciplinary Committee."
I expected you to have that kind of mindset, didn't I? I thought it was strange that you invited me here so suddenly! I wonder why I had to train my mind. Isn't it too soon? How many months have we been talking to each other!?
"Huh...? I thought my grandson brought a boyfriend here, but it turns out he's just your kouhai."
"Wait, don't get me wrong, okay! I just brought him here to train his weak soul!"
"!?"
Eh! What's with the somewhat normal high school girl's tone right now? Shinomiya-senpai can talk like that too! Encouragement! You're right, Senpai! It's good that you can go back to being a normal girl again in front of your grandpa! And if possible, keep it up from now on—.
"You, brat."
"Eekk!?"
I'm a sparrow! I'm in front of her scary grandpa! For some reason, he was staring at me with his piercing eyes, making me feel depressed! It's still Wednesday, the middle day of the week, and I'm an office worker! My office is the Devil's Castle!
"Boy... ...Is your name Sajou?"
"No, my name is Yamazaki..."
"Hngh?"
"Yes, I'm Sajou."
I misspoke. I'm going to be cut out of my life. Oh, no, this is serious.
As the grandpa looked at me, his eyes slowly changed as if he was looking at a bug. The first time I met him, I was curious as to why he was looking at me like that, but when I considered that he was born in a different world in the name of a martial arts expert, I was completely convinced that he was a champion who had reached his golden age in the past. The only part of that grandpa is from the neck up. If you only look at the muscles on his arms, he's older than you.
"You're so weak."
"That's why I'm trying to train him."
"Do you think this boy can get stronger?"
"Then I'll just go home."
Then, there was an argument between Senpai and me. I hope this grandpa hates me to the end. Somehow, I feel that I've gone beyond that and I'm starting to smell something dangerous. I'm not sure what I should say here, but where is this grandpa looking—? Is this grandpa looking at the part where Senpai gripped my arm?
Ummm... well, don't let yourself grip my arm too tightly, Senpai. I can see the sparkle and light coming out of his eyes and directed at me. Contact, first of all, let's stop contact first. What about you being the President of the Disciplinary Committee? This is an impure heterosexual connection.
"Boy, what kind of relationship do you have with Rin?"
"My Big Sis is her gal friend."
"No, that's not it!"
...Uh, that's not it, huh?
♦
When I told him that Senpai's best friend was my Big Sis and I was her little bro (after a long argument), he changed his attitude, saying that "I must show respect to my granddaughter's best friend's relatives whose only has a few friends.". I was told that "I don't think you're strong enough to attack my granddaughter in any way", which made me strengthen my mind because my heart was already trained to be hurt.
"Spirituality can be used in this modern age to your advantage in all situations. When you are in front of people, when you are having a discussion, when you are giving a presentation, when you are facing an unreasonable and annoying boss, most people's minds go blank, but you can keep your mind calm there."
This grandpa locked himself in a cage. What happened to you when you were young? He must have been a late bloomer.
But, from what I heard, it sounds good. That's the best thing to do when I'm losing my temper. If you ask me, this is the mentality that can be used in the worst situations even for people with low morale. I'm starting to get interested.
"How long have you been practicing, Shinomiya-senpai?"
"I can only say that I've been doing this since I was little, I can't remember."
"Even so, in front of Inatomi-senpai, you're overwhelmed--."
"That's another story, Sajou. You must admire what you must admire. It would be boring to look at a small bird or a flower with a face that remains serious but emotionless, wouldn't it?"
A little bird, a flower, and Inatomi-senpai. I felt like I could write a poem. When I asked Inatomi-senpai to recite a poem in my head, her voice slowly turned slurred. Is that strange? Why is her childish voice so thick, even though her appearance hasn't changed?
Author's Note: Inatomi Yuyu (VA: Inatomi Yuyu)
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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