The afternoon sun filtered through the tall trees surrounding the small clearing we used for training in the woods. Leaves rustled softly in the breeze, and the distant sound of bamboo knocking together echoed somewhere deeper in the forest.
It had become our place. Far from the training halls of the Zenin estate. Far from the watching eyes of generational wife beaters.
Unfortunately, peace had its own problems.
"Hey, what are you going to teach us today?" Maki asked from the top of my shoulder.
She was leaning over me from behind, her chin practically resting on my head like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Meanwhile, Mai had decided my lap was apparently a throne.
She sat there comfortably, legs crossed, as if this arrangement had been officially approved by the universe.
"Maki and Mai," I sighed.
"There are a lot of places on the ground."
I gestured vaguely around the clearing.
"Why are you sitting on one?"
Neither of them moved.
Mai looked up at me with complete confidence.
"Because this one is comfortable."
Maki nodded from behind my shoulder.
"Yeah."
I stared at the trees for a moment.
It had been months since the fight with Ogi Zenin.
Their wounds had healed and strength had slowly returned. And somehow, during that time, the twins had become… attached.
They trained with me. They ate with me when they could sneak away and apparently, whenever I sat down, they treated me like a piece of furniture.
"I am not a chair," I said flatly.
"You're warm," Mai replied immediately.
Maki smirked slightly. "And chairs don't complain this much."
I rubbed my temples.
This was my life now. Still… it wasn't unpleasant. I can say with pride now that I became close to them. Of course, the future can change anytime.
Their laughter sounded far better than the silence of that warehouse. Eventually I gave up arguing.
"Fine," I muttered. "Just don't fall off."
Mai leaned back slightly against my chest, clearly satisfied with her victory.
"So what are we learning today?"
"Yeah," Maki added from behind. "Last time you said we'd start something new."
Right. Training.
I looked toward the open patch of ground in front of us.
"First lesson today," I said. As I took a naginata. The signature one, which I saw in the JJK anime. "Here, Maki, this is your weapon. Train with it and work with it like how you use your arms and legs."
"Oh, this is my weapon. I thought you would give me a sword. But it's cool." Maki took the naginata from my hand and gave it a swing. "It's good."
"Wait, there is one more," I said as I took out a glass. "Wear it. Let's see if it fits you."
The glass is an artifact that helps her see curses can't use Toji's old artifact.
Mai tugged on my arm sleeve and asked. "Where is my gift?"
To which I tilted my head sideways. "You have your gun, right? What more do you need, and can you also perform the construction technique?"
After the fight, Mai finally achieved her own technique, which is a construction technique. Just like the canon, the first thing she made with that technique was a flower, a metal one to be exact, which was gifted to me. Mai said it was a red carnation flower. I don't understand why that's important. Since it was Mai's first gift to me, I placed it in my bedroom.
"You are an idiot," Maki said, looking at me. "If you only bring a gift to me, of course you also need to bring one to her."
Mai didn't say anything, but she was looking at grounding, but her cheeks were puffed up.
I patted Mai's head. "I will give you something, Mai. Cheer up."
"Now then, there is something I want to ask you." Hearing my serious tone, both of them looked up to me. "What are your dreams?"
"Dreams?"
"Yes. Like what you intend to become in the future."
For a moment after I asked the question, the clearing became unusually quiet.
The wind still rustled through the leaves above us. Somewhere deeper in the woods a bird chirped before flying away, but neither of the twins answered immediately.
They were thinking, which alone told me the question wasn't something they had been asked often.
Mai still sat beside me, her fingers lightly gripping the edge of my sleeve. Maki, meanwhile, rested the naginata against her shoulder, the blade glinting faintly in the filtered sunlight.
"Dreams…" Maki repeated slowly.
She spun the naginata once, testing its balance again. The weapon was taller than she was, yet she handled it surprisingly naturally for someone who had only just picked it up.
"…I want to become strong."
~~~
Bonus Ch for 100 power stone.
I like the idea of people who reading my novel leaving their make on my book so Give me lot of comments and Power stones. Give me inspection. Give me reviews.
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100 POWER STONE FOR BONUS CHAPTER
Posted some extra 30 chapter in patron, if you are interested check it out, link is the synopsis.