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Chapter 30 — Whispers of the Box
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Scene 1 — Near a Small House, Evening
The sun was slowly setting, draping its orange threads over the forest and reflecting off a small wooden house. The house looked simple, surrounded by a modest backyard where white and yellow flowers bloomed, their edges painted by the evening breeze. A simple wooden fence enclosed the place, as if the house was telling its visitors: "I am peaceful… but I am not ordinary."
Kyura, Reinion, and Zokimushi stood before it, their new battle garments adding a clear aura of prestige to their appearance.
Kyura looked at the paper and said:
Kyura: (We've arrived at the address.)
Reinion stared at the house from top to bottom:
Reinion: (It looks like an ordinary house.)
Kyura smiled lightly:
Kyura: (Don't judge a book by its cover.)
Just as they were about to knock on the door… a man in a brown robe approached from beside them—it was the man who had saved them. He grabbed the door handle and opened it.
Kyura's eyes widened:
Kyura: (He's the one who saved us… Could it be that he's the trainer?)
The man turned to them, his voice calm and confident:
The Man: (Welcome. What are you doing here?)
Kyura stepped forward:
Kyura: (Well… we want to train. Can you train us?)
The man gave them a scrutinizing look, then smiled:
The Man: (You seem quite ready… you've even put on the best battle garments. Good, that's excellent. Please, come in.)
They entered the house with him.
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Scene 2 — Inside the House
The inside of the house was simple, but its beauty lay in its order. A shiny wooden floor reflected the light from small lamps, brown wooden tables, and a small, neatly arranged sofa. The windows were small, with flower pots hanging from them, adding life to the place.
And in a corner near the wall… sat a small table with an old wooden box on top. Directly above it hung a sword that radiated a strange presence.
The Man: (Welcome to my humble home.)
Kyura thought as he observed the place:
Kyura's thought: (This is a modest house… but before, this was similar to a king's palace!)
Suddenly… a woman in her thirties came out of the kitchen. Her hair was a bright blonde, and her light blue eyes overflowed with warmth.
The Woman: (Welcome back, dear.)
Then two children came out…
The boy hid behind his mother's feet, clinging to her shyly, with black hair and black eyes.
As for the little girl—about four years old—she ran towards the man with innocence, wearing a pink skirt and small grey pants, her dark black hair flying with her quick steps.
The man bent down, reaching his hands out towards her…
But at the last moment, her expression changed to a small anger, and she jumped, kicking him in the face with her foot, causing him to fall to the side!
Kyura and Reinion shouted together:
Both: (Is this supposed to be our trainer?! He was just hit by a little girl!)
The man got up, holding his face:
The Man: (Why did you do that?)
Her mother raised an eyebrow:
The Mother: (He's your father.)
The girl put her hands on her hips:
The Girl: (He didn't bring me candy.)
And the traditional argument between a father and his daughter began…
Then the scene cut before the situation could develop further.
When the scene returned…
Everyone was sitting in the living room.
Kyura, Reinion, and Zokimushi were on one sofa… the man, his wife, and his two children were on the other side. On the table in front of them were cups of green tea emitting a gentle steam.
Kyura: (I'll say it again… I want you to train us.)
The Man: (First, let's get to know each other and take a breather. We'll start training tomorrow.)
Then they began introducing themselves:
Kyura: (My name is Haruki Kyura, I'm 17 years old… and I'm eager for your training.)
Reinion: (And I'm Misaki Reinion… Pleased to meet you, and there's no way I'm revealing my age.)
Zokimushi: (Zokimushi Kumara… I want to fight you, and I am 37 years old.)
The man looked at them thoughtfully, then thought to himself.
The Man's Thought:
His age is older than that, but why does he say he's 17 and that one says he's 37? This is strange.
Then he smiled.
The Man, provocatively:
(It seems you're an old hag, probably hundreds of years old, but you're disguised as a young girl.)
Reinion looked at him:
(Did you say something?)
The Man, quickly:
(No... no, no.)
Then he thought:
Women are scary when they're angry.
Then the man smiled proudly:
The Man: (My name is Rayota Kazuma, call me Kazu… and this is my wife Miro, this boy is Hovi, and the girl is Nero—similar to her mother's name, isn't it?)
Kyura: (Yes.)
Then Kazu said:
Kazu: (Bring us the food.)
But…
Miro: (Sorry, I prepared food but didn't know they were coming… so go get some more.)
Kazu: (Alright.)
Kazu left…
And while they were waiting… Kyura felt something calling out to him.
His gaze was drawn towards the wooden box on the table.
It was as if it was emitting a faint breath… a familiar feeling, like a tremor inside his chest.
Kyura: (This is strange…)
Kazu returned quickly with hot bread, grilled meat, and vegetables, and gave them to Miro.
Miro went into the kitchen, and Reinion followed to help.
Kyura:
You came back quickly.
Kazu:
I used a skill.
Kyura approached the shy child:
Kyura: (Hello, Hovi.)
But Hovi screamed and ran to hide behind his father.
Kyura: (Why is he running?)
Kazu chuckled softly:
Kazu: (He's very shy… unlike Nero, who isn't shy about anything. Speaking of her… I forgot to bring sweets; she loves them a lot.)
A cold voice came from behind:
Nero: (Daddy… did you bring candy?)
Kazu slowly turned around, as if staring into the eyes of a legendary monster:
Kazu: (I couldn't find any… because it was all sold out.)
Nero squinted:
Nero: (Are you telling the truth?)
Kazu pulled Kyura in front of him as a human shield:
Kazu: (Yes! Even ask him!)
Nero stared at Kyura:
Nero: (Is he telling the truth?)
Kazu squeezed Kyura's shoulder until his face went stiff:
Kyura: (Y… yes.)
Nero's features suddenly changed to feigned innocence:
Nero: (Alright… I'll go to mommy.)
Both of them let out a long sigh:
Kyura: (We got rid of her…)
Kazu: (I owe you one…)
Miro came out of the kitchen with Reinion, having brought the food.
Everyone sat down and ate. After dinner, Kazu brought pillows and blankets and prepared the living room for them to sleep.
Kazu: (Alright... sweet dreams, everyone.)
Reinion: (You too.)
The lights were turned off…
Silence prevailed…
Then the narrator's voice resounded:
The Narrator: (Tomorrow is training day… I wonder, what kind of training will it be?)
To be continued…
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