Morning Warm-Up and Sparring
Early morning. Before breakfast, I headed to the open lot behind the inn to loosen up with some stances. Come to think of it, even while injured, I'd never skipped training altogether, but actually moving like this felt like it had been ages.
“Hoo…”
I steadied my breathing and drew my sword. Then came the forms of the Three Powers Sword Art. Swinging it over and over until the movements were etched into my body, beyond mere familiarity. But there was one thing different from before…
“Too much strength in your wrist. Think back to your fight with that one-eyed bastard. Unless you're slicing straight through the torso in one go, you need to loosen up a bit more. That way, you minimize the shock from clashing blades and flow swiftly into the next move, right?”
“Your balance is good. But your forward momentum lacks punch. The Eight Directions Step is balanced footwork, sure, but don't get obsessed with perfect equilibrium. Remember, footwork is ultimately for seizing the advantageous position.”
“And come to think of it, you're always just practicing swordsmanship. What if you don't have a sword? From now on, have this lady teach you something like the Six Harmonies Fist. You need at least some backup, don't you think?”
It was that I had Hong Yeonhwa piggybacked on me. The soft sensation pressing against my back. The clear voice chattering in my ear. Her slender arms and legs wrapped around my neck and waist. Ever since yesterday, Hong Yeonhwa had been stuck to me like glue, and even now, she was giving me advice while riding on my back.
Of course, there was a reason for this setup.
To unleash the power of the Martial Spirit Divine Art, I needed intense willpower. Up until now, I hadn't been able to control it properly and couldn't make real use of it… but I'd accidentally figured out a method.
“Alright, you've warmed up enough. Now circulate your heart method properly.”
“Got it.”
I closed my eyes and focused on the sensation of Hong Yeonhwa pressed against me. Before, I'd tried squeezing out willpower by recalling my fight with Cheok An Geum Gwi. All failures, though. Looking back now, the reason was simple. Deep down, I saw it as something already in the past. Reviving that desperation couldn't fuel a breakthrough—it just turned into pointless anxiety.
The Martial Spirit Divine Art is, after all, a martial art that lets you glimpse the next realm through the power of pure intent. With my will crumbling into anxiety, no wonder it wouldn't activate properly.
But like this, in direct contact, it was different. I could focus entirely on Hong Yeonhwa's presence through all five senses. Why? Kinda like how you remember stuff better by saying it out loud, hearing it, and writing it down instead of just reading—same idea, more or less.
Soon enough, a portion of my inner energy slipped my control, gathering along my spine in a lukewarm rod-like shape. A faint heat spreading through my body. I could feel power slightly exceeding my normal limits.
“Hngh!”
In that state, I swung my sword again. Nonstop, until my focus broke and the Martial Spirit Divine Art's effect faded.
“Mm-hmm. Now you can activate the technique freely. But you're still a long way off. Your speed's sluggish, the boost is minimal, and worst of all, you can't do it without this lady. …You can't do it without this lady!”
Hong Yeonhwa repeated the last part with triumphant glee. She'd been like this since yesterday. Cute, but something felt… lacking. What was it?
Just then, her legs wrapped around my waist caught my eye. For safety's sake, I sheathed my sword first, then slipped my finger into her shoe.
“What're you doing all of a sudden?”
Despite all my teasing so far, her voice held not a shred of suspicion. Behind that pure trust, I sensed a hint of smugness.
'You must really like this lady! So of course you wouldn't do anything she'd hate!'
I could practically hear her saying it. Something's off…
So I tickled the arch of her foot furiously with my fingertip.
“Eeeeek! S-suddenly… hii! Stop tickling! I'm gonna fall! This lady's gonna fall!”
Hong Yeonhwa wriggled wildly! The effect was squishily perfect! How could a person's body be this soft everywhere? And she's a martial artist, no less. Even forcing myself to imagine her with firm, toned muscles didn't work. By now, Hong Yeonhwa had carved out a spot in my mind as something small and squishy.
“Can't you… eek! hear this lady… haang!”
I could hear her fine, but I decided to pretend just a bit longer. Nodding as I felt her breasts squishing against my back from her squirming. Mm. That's the stuff. Now it finally felt satisfying.
……
After thrashing for a good while, Hong Yeonhwa went limp, resting her head on my shoulder and panting.
“Haa… uueh… What dissatisfaction do you have that makes you torment this lady once a day…?”
“Hm, who knows. Just? My body moves on its own without much thought.”
“…Huh?”
Her brain seemed to short-circuit at the lack of reason, letting out a dumb noise. Maybe too shocked to protest the unfairness properly.
“You…! Urgh…! Uuuurgh…!”
She just growled in frustration for a bit before sighing deeply and hopping off my back.
“Hoo… Draw your sword again. We need one last spar before breakfast, don't we?”
“Suddenly…?”
“Didn't this lady tell you before? What you need right now is real combat—or a spar that feels like it.”
I remembered that, but the vibe felt kinda chilly now.
“…You mad?”
“This lady isn't mad.”
“Or sulking?”
“This lady isn't a child.”
“Then…”
“Enough chatter. Just pick up your sword.”
“……”
She is mad. Unable to argue with her firm attitude, I just fiddled with my sword hilt. Thinking about it, it made sense. When had Hong Yeonhwa ever been treated this playfully anywhere else? From my side, her wide-eyed disbelief at what was happening to her was adorable, but from hers, it was plenty reason to feel wronged. Maybe all that buildup led to her snapping now? Should I apologize right away? Or wait till she cools off?
Fidgeting anxiously, rolling my eyes, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Hey, sorry about just now…”
“Do you even know what you did wrong?”
“Teasing you even though you always say you hate it?”
“And.”
“Saying you like me but treating me rough…?”
“And.”
“And… um…”
My head drooped lower without thinking. What else did I mess up? Oh, right?
“Not stopping when I said to…?”
I barely squeezed out the answer and peeked up. But something was off. Hong Yeonhwa, whom I'd expected fuming, was smirking at me.
“Pft! Puhahaha!”
??? What? What's going on?
The chilly air vanished like it'd been my imagination. All that was left was Hong Yeonhwa clutching her mouth, laughing her head off at whatever amused her.
Unable to keep up with the sudden shift, I just stared blankly as she spoke with a face full of mirth.
“Surprised?”
“Huh?”
“This lady seemed mad all of a sudden, didn't she? Did it scare you?”
“Uh…”
I nodded dumbly, and Hong Yeonhwa beamed like the happiest person alive.
“Your flustered face trying to read this lady was just too cute! So this is how you feel when you tease me?”
“Wha…? No, I really!”
Finally, it clicked. Hong Yeonhwa had pretended to be mad to mess with me. Humiliating! But self-inflicted, so no comeback.
She sidled right up, whispering in my trembling ear.
“This lady made you uneasy! This lady can control her emotions!”
That was it—I couldn't hold back.
“Kiyeeeeek!! You said spar before breakfast, right?! Let's do it! Right now!”
I swung with full power. And got utterly demolished.
The inn in the morning, with guests few and far between. Today, I ordered generously: four servings of dumplings and two of beef noodle soup. I'd planned something light like thin noodles for breakfast, but I wasn't in the mood anymore.
Hong Yeonhwa watched me chug the spicy, hearty broth and offered a dumpling.
“Want a dumpling? It's the last one.”
“Nah.”
“Th-this lady's too full to finish. Can you take some of my beef noodles?”
“Not eating.”
“…Even if I just pick out the meat?”
“I'm good.”
Ignoring my sulky response, Hong Yeonhwa dragged her chair over and plopped down beside me.
“Mad?”
“No.”
“You seem mad.”
“I'm not.”
“Then you're sulking.”
“I said no.”
The exact same back-and-forth I'd done earlier. But Hong Yeonhwa pulled out her trump card, usable only by her.
“Wanna touch my boobs?”
“…Not now, later.”
Couldn't resist that. Seeing me soften, she kneaded my shoulders and said,
“Don't mope too much. Even with equal inner energy, this lady's realm doesn't just vanish.”
“True, but…”
Still, getting my ass handed to me without landing a single hit was a shock. Intellectually, I knew it'd happen—our skill gap wasn't small. But actually getting thrashed left me deflated anyway. Felt like… something impossible had happened. Like… domestic abuse?
Unaware or uncaring of my turmoil, Hong Yeonhwa scarfed down her “last” dumpling and spoke up.
“By the way, I hear there's a bandit gang holed up around here.”