Chapter 190: Hmm, Spirit (Long Chapter)
Miyamoto Musashi was a master swordsman, military strategist, and artist from the late Sengoku period to the early Edo period. He became famous after his duel with Sasaki Kojiro, and in his later years, he served the Hosokawa family.
His works included books on military strategy theory such as Hyōdōkyō (Mirror of the Way of Strategy), Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings), Gohō-no-taichi-dō-josetsu, and Hyōhō Sanjūgo-ka-jō (35 Articles on Strategy). Later generations recognized him as a Sword Saint.
He exerted a profound influence on Japanese Kendo and frequently appeared in novels, animation, games, and television dramas. His popularity was immense.
Miyamoto Musashi became famous specifically because of his duel with Sasaki Kojiro. At the time, Kojiro's name was at its peak, and he was dubbed invincible, while Musashi was just an unknown youth.
The duel was held at Ganryujima at high noon.
Sasaki Kojiro arrived early, but Miyamoto Musashi was nowhere to be seen. As the sun began to tilt toward the west, Musashi finally appeared in everyone's sight, casually riding a small boat.
Kojiro, who had lost his patience and didn't even have time to criticize Musashi's tardiness, immediately drew his sword, threw away his scabbard, and ran to the shore.
Miyamoto Musashi stood up without haste and said: "Kojiro is sure to lose!" He then leaped onto the land. The result was as expected—Musashi, who had rested enough, won the fight with stability...
That was the rumor, but in reality, there is no solid evidence as to whether Miyamoto was actually late.
Records show that four years after Musashi's death, in the Kokura Hibun established by his adopted son, Miyamoto Iori, there were no facts regarding Musashi's tardiness. Forty-five years later, in the records of a witness to the Ganryujima duel belonging to the Numata family, Numata-ke Ki, there was also no mention of any delay.
Sixty-nine years later, in the Bugei Shōden recorded from the accounts of Musashi's third-generation disciple, there were still no records of him being late...
So, when did Musashi start being considered late?
Actually, it was only in the Nitenki, written one hundred and ten years after his death, that Musashi [began] to be portrayed as late.
He only started being late over a century after he died!
Does that make any sense?
The duel was full of controversy. Some say Miyamoto was too cunning because, at that time, Kojiro's physical condition was past its peak—Kojiro was 62 years old—and Musashi used many tricks. If they had truly relied on sword technique, Kojiro might not have lost to Miyamoto...
However, Miyamoto Musashi did once defeat a fellow Sword Saint, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.
To this day, the detailed process of that duel remains a mystery, but what is certain is that Sasaki Kojiro and Miyamoto Musashi really did duel, and Miyamoto Musashi won.
So, were they now going to have a rematch?
And a duel while Sasaki Kojiro was in his prime, no less!
"I'm going to be a witness! Isn't this my fight?"
Akishin didn't understand Patch anymore, but he began to feel incredibly excited. Not because he didn't have to fight, but because he was about to witness the continuation of that legendary battle.
Having reached his current level, he had never seen a life-or-death duel between people of the same caliber.
The white reeds waved, and flashes of electricity struck in the black clouds, though no sound of thunder could be heard. Miyamoto Musashi, wearing a dark blue Kendo uniform, nodded to him, drew his own sword, and pointed it toward Sasaki Kojiro.
Akishin took several steps back to give them space on the battlefield. This unexpected turn of events felt pretty good.
"Maybe they've been waiting for this fight too!"
This further proved that they weren't just puppets.
Akishin spoke silently: "Patch, what's the situation exactly?" Matters in Patch's space had to be asked of Patch, as he wanted to know the reason.
Patch: [Situation is normal...]
What was with the ellipsis? Akishin narrowed his eyes slightly and asked again: "What about my fight?" If he didn't have to fight, that was better; he didn't have full confidence in winning against either of them.
—Not being afraid to fight didn't mean he enjoyed being a punching bag.
Patch: [Akishin will fight the winner. Victory will complete the training.]
He hesitated for a moment, then spoke again: "What if they both die together?"
Patch: [Akishin automatically levels up.]
"Clever, haha."
Akishin exhaled, flicking his long sword to cut a stalk of reed. A scabbard appeared in his hand, and he sheathed the blade.
He sat cross-legged on the ground. The wound between his chest and stomach had already dried. His eyes watched the two people not far from him; the duel had begun.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The two attacked and parried. The fight wasn't flashy—it even looked a bit messy—but it held a fatal killing intent. Every secret technique unleashed made Akishin's heart pound, and he constantly analyzed how he would counter them...
...
Three minutes later, Akishin stood up while holding the sheathed [Rebirth] and walked toward Miyamoto Musashi—a battle between swordsmen is usually decided in an instant. If a fight lasts a very long time, it means they are either very weak or very great.
The two were able to fight for three minutes; that was incredible and amazing, exactly what Akishin had expected.
Miyamoto Musashi won, but he was also near death.
Sasaki Kojiro's neck was half-severed, and he lost his signs of life with a look of regret while still clutching [Monohoshizao].
Miyamoto Musashi's left arm was broken, and his chest was pierced. It was precisely because his chest was pierced at the end that he was able to find the opportunity to kill Sasaki Kojiro.
Otherwise, the winner would have been Sasaki Kojiro.
"Too bad, there's no chance for another fight."
Walking silently to the front of Miyamoto Musashi, a strong wind blew past them, carrying away the scent of blood from the earth. Something seemed to be rolling and struggling in the dim sky; a terrifying aura enveloped them both.
But the two of them ignored it, as if it didn't exist.
"Next time, I'll buy you guys a drink together."
Akishin said. Miyamoto Musashi nodded indifferently, standing while propped up on his sword, and then lost his signs of life.
The five upright corpses were scattered across the reed field, looking like guardians of this place.
Akishin turned to leave. He glanced at the rolling sky, drew his sword, and a dark red sword slash flew toward the heavens.
"Roar!"
It seemed the slash hit something. An angry roar echoed from the sky, and killing intent washed over Akishin.
"Next time I come back, I'll cut you down!"
Taking a single step, Akishin vanished from the spot.
Instantly, golden lightning the size of a tree trunk struck the ground.
Patch: [Akishin has completed training, leveled up to [Swordmaster].]
...
"Soichi, I'm at your school. Which class are you in... You can pick me up? Alright."
After hanging up the phone, Akishin stood at the crowded school gate and watched the masses of people passing by. Today, Sakura Elementary was holding a massive parent-teacher meeting, and almost all the students' parents had shown up.
Occasionally, cute students could be seen running out of the school to happily greet their parents.
"Chishima-sensei?"
While scanning the crowd, Akishin suddenly heard someone calling him. He turned and saw a cute little girl wearing a pink beret standing behind him.
"Rumi?"
"Yes."
Tsurumi Rumi nodded, bowing her head politely: "Long time no see, Chishima-sensei."
"Ah! Long time no see. What are you doing..."
"There's a parent-teacher meeting today, so I came out to meet my mom." Tsurumi Rumi's face showed a sweet smile: "Is Chishima-sensei here for Soichi's meeting today?"
She had come out to meet her mother and hadn't expected to run into someone so unexpected—Soichi's master, who had given her so much help. She had heard from Soichi that the one who actually told him to help her was this Chishima-sensei.
"That's right!"
Akishin nodded with a smile. Looking behind Tsurumi Rumi, there were no other adults. He was also surprised; after a few months of not seeing her, the child who used to have such a gloomy face had changed a lot.
"Rumi, where did you go?"
Two little girls of the same age ran over, looking a bit anxious. One of them grabbed Rumi's shoulder and complained softly: "Geez, you disappeared in a flash, at least tell us!"
"Sorry, Hitoko, Kori." Rumi clasped her hands and said apologetically: "I was in such a rush that I almost forgot about you guys."
"Oh, right. Let me introduce you—this is Chishima-sensei. You guys should have seen him during the summer camp."
Tsurumi Rumi smiled mischievously, pointing at Akishin as she introduced him to her friends.
"Chishima-sensei?" The two of them stared at Akishin. One of them looked confused, probably not remembering him. But the other one's eyes widened slightly as she said excitedly: "Are you Chishima Akishin? The Chiba Sword Saint? The teacher from Sobu High?"
Akishin was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected an elementary schooler to recognize him. He nodded and smiled: "Hello everyone, I'm Chishima Akishin."
He had been standing here for several minutes and many parents had passed by, but none had paid him any mind. At most, they just gave him a curious glance. It seemed his fame hadn't reached the point where he was recognized by everyone.
Actually, this was normal. Ordinary people didn't really care about grand titles. Unless it was someone who appeared on television or the news very often, even if they showed up right in front of people, they likely wouldn't be recognized.
"It really is, it's really the Chiba Sword Saint!" The second little girl said excitedly: "Chishima-sensei, I'm a fan of yours, and my older brother is a fan too. Can I take a picture with you..."
Akishin looked at Tsurumi Rumi. Tsurumi Rumi explained without looking surprised: "Chishima-sensei, Kori's family runs a Kendo Dojo. Her grandfather is actually a level six Swordmaster."
She hadn't actually wanted to bring her friends to meet Akishin because she had predicted this situation, fearing it would be a bother for him.
Akishin noticed Tsurumi Rumi's slight hesitation and understood after thinking about it for a moment. He then smiled at Kori: "A picture together? I can't do that, but I can give you an autograph."
Kori nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, an autograph is fine too." As she spoke, she pulled out a notepad and a pen from her skirt pocket, as if they had been prepared from the start.
Akishin was taken aback for a second, then took the paper and pen. He hesitated briefly, initially intending to just write casually, but seeing the little girl's expectant gaze, he wrote his name with a bit more seriousness.
"There, all done."
"Thank you, Chishima-sensei! When I get home, my brother is going to be so jealous."
Kori received it happily and stared at the writing with great anticipation. At first glance, the handwriting looked ordinary, similar to a regular teacher's corrections. But if looked at closely, the characters were slightly elongated, each stroke flowing without obstruction as if formed naturally, and the ends of the strokes were sharp, possessing a unique flair.
Akishin looked at the other child named Hitoko. During the summer camp, she had been on Rumi's team and had helped ostracize her, but now they seemed to be friends.
The child looked at him with a slightly fearful gaze and instinctively hid behind Rumi.
After chatting for a few more words with Rumi, her mother arrived. Akishin then spoke briefly with Rumi's mother and received her thanks...
"Why hasn't Soichi come yet?"
After saying goodbye to Rumi, Akishin looked into the school but still didn't see the boy.
"Don't tell me he fell while coming down the stairs!"
Akishin thought with a bit of dark humor; after all, the distance from the classroom building to the gate wasn't even a hundred meters. Two minutes later, seeing Soichi being supported by a classmate as he walked over, Akishin fell silent. Did he actually have a talent for being a jinx?
"Sorry, Chishima-sensei, I accidentally tripped while coming down the stairs." Kondo Soichi said with a laugh, his expression a bit awkward.
He hadn't actually fallen on his own; he had been knocked over. While coming down the stairs, a female classmate had tripped behind him and bumped into him. He could have avoided it, but if he had, the girl would have fallen straight onto the hard stairs; she would have been hurt, her face injured, and she might have ended up in the hospital.
Without hesitation, he had caught her.
But in the rush, he had underestimated his own weight and momentum. He ended up falling on the stairs anyway, but because he provided a cushion, the girl was fine, while he sprained his leg.
But there was no need to tell his teacher that.
"I see."
Akishin looked toward the back of the crowd. There was a girl staring this way hesitantly, specifically looking at Kondo Soichi. He looked at Kondo Soichi with a smile: "In that case, I'll take you to the school nurse's office!"
This kid's luck with girls wasn't bad either.
Without waiting for Soichi to speak, Akishin crouched down and let Soichi climb onto his back. He was going to carry him to the infirmary...
...
"Which way to the nurse's office?"
"... Third building on the left, third floor."
Being carried by Akishin, Kondo Soichi felt a bit uncomfortable. Passing classmates and parents kept glancing over, but he didn't refuse. He couldn't ignore his teacher's kindness just because of a little embarrassment.
"Is that kid behind us your friend?"
Akishin glanced back. The girl was still following—a very cute girl with long black hair, cherry-blossom colored eyes, and slightly chubby cheeks that were blushing. she looked like a cute, shy type. It was obvious she wanted to come up and say something but didn't dare, only able to follow carefully behind.
Kondo Soichi turned his head and saw the girl. The girl looked panicked and looked left and right, perfectly portraying the expression of being caught stalking. He muttered: "No, she's a classmate. She's usually very afraid of me."
Akishin asked with a smile: "Then why is she following us?"
Kondo Soichi hesitated: "Because I saved her."
Akishin thought for a moment and said: "Let me guess—you got hurt because of her."
Soichi: "..."
Akishin laughed: "Looks like my guess was right. What's her name?"
Kondo Soichi said reluctantly: "Ueda... Ueda Momoko."
"Momoko, huh." Akishin stopped and laughed softly: "What a cute name. Do you like her?" Then he turned around and shouted at the girl behind them: "Ueda Momoko-san, Kondo-kun has something important he wants to say to you, can you come here for a second?"
Soichi gritted his teeth: "Sensei, what are you doing!!"
Akishin said naturally: "Helping you make friends."
Don't they say nowadays that you have to start looking for a partner early? Soichi might be a bit too early, but at least he can plant the seed now. I'm such a good master, thinking of my disciple's future.
Ueda Momoko heard the man who seemed to be Kondo-kun's guardian calling her, and she instantly became even more panicked. But since someone else—an adult, no less—was calling her, her mother had told her she had to respond politely. Furthermore... that person was Kondo-kun's guardian.
It's okay, Momoko, you can do this. Mom said that if you receive help from others, you have to repay the favor; you can't be ungrateful. Hmm, spirit!
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