Chapter 147: Back to Tokyo
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 147: Back to Tokyo
Leaves fall from above.
A dozen or so leaves, swaying here and there on the wind, moved with unpredictable grace.
Truly impossible to follow.
I steadied my breath and focused my mind.
Hayate (疾風), First Form (型)
Kamaitachi (鎌鼬)
My hands moved.
Like cracking a whip, I relentlessly swung the edges of my hands, which were cloaked in sharply honed Yang Energy.
The fundamental thing to remember when using Kamaitachi was to release any excess strength from my shoulders.
Befitting its reputation as the secret assassination art of a ninja clan, it demanded faster and more precise movements.
In the blink of an eye, I sliced through every leaf. Then, I scanned them with my naked eye to see if I had missed any.
Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…
"Twenty."
A perfect count.
I had finally succeeded in cutting down all the falling leaves for the first time.
I trembled with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
I had poured every moment of the last three days into achieving this single success.
'I thought I wouldn't be able to master it before it was time to go home.'
For someone like me, who had always relied solely on 'Strength' (强)—as they often say in martial arts novels—it took far too long to internalize the new concept of 'Flow' (流).
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
"Congratulations, Kim Yoo-Sung."
Fuma-senpai, who had been watching my entire training session from the side, approached while clapping.
I paused wiping the sweat from my face with a towel and bowed deeply to her.
"Thank you. I couldn't have learned the technique so quickly without your help, Fuma-senpai."
"What did I do? It was all thanks to your own effort and talent."
We traded warm pleasantries, patting each other on the back.
I rolled my shoulders and muttered.
"Well, I guess I should start getting ready to head back."
"Are you sure you'll be okay? You still haven't returned to your original body."
"There are still a few days of summer vacation left. I'll have to figure something out by then."
Besides, there was someone nearby I could reach out to for help if things got difficult.
Though I had no idea what they would ask for in return.
"If that's what you want, I can't stop you. But if you don't see any improvement, let me know. I'll teach you the clan's secret Yin-Nourishing Yang-Cultivation Technique."
"The Yin-Nourishing… what?"
"Never mind. If you don't know, it's fine."
Fuma-senpai's face turned red as she said this, and she began sweeping the fallen leaves with the broom in her hand.
What was that? Why is she embarrassed?
I couldn't understand her reaction, but I decided not to point it out.
It wasn't the first time Fuma-senpai had acted strangely, after all.
"By the way, did they say it was okay to take Saya to Tokyo?"
"Ah, right. That."
As if just remembering, Fuma-senpai nodded and replied.
"The elders held a meeting last night. They concluded that if she isn't by your side, with your Extreme Yang Body, there's a risk she'll go berserk from an excess of Yin Energy. They strongly recommended you take her with you."
…I get the feeling they're just pawning off a bomb they can't handle onto me.
Still, now that I know Saya is connected to the original story, I can't just leave her be.
"So I guess my business in this village is really finished."
"That's right. It's really time to go back to Tokyo."
"Are you sad to leave?"
Fuma-senpai shook her head.
"I have to come back when I become an adult anyway. For now, this distance is just right."
"Aren't you going to college, senpai?"
Fuma-senpai gave a bitter smile.
"I don't think college is essential for life. I could go if I needed to, but right now, I don't particularly want to."
"...I see."
I was honestly envious that she wasn't just going because everyone else was, but seemed to have her own convictions.
I still haven't decided what I want to do.
When I said that, Fuma-senpai gazed at me intently and spoke.
"I'm sure you'll make a good choice, Kim Yoo-Sung."
"Do you really think I can?"
"I guarantee it."
Hearing that from her made me feel a surge of courage I didn't know I had.
We continued to talk about the future for a long while as we swept the leaves in the clearing, only returning to the village mansion when it was time for lunch.
*
"Thank you for everything you've done for me."
As I said this, kneeling and bowing deeply, Fuma-senpai's grandfather stroked his beard with a solemn expression and spoke.
"It is only natural to treat a valued guest of the village with hospitality. So do not feel burdened."
…Easier said than done.
"Here is the book."
I said, handing over the secret manual I had placed to my right.
Fuma-senpai's grandfather stroked the cover of the book once, then asked me.
"So, have you made any progress in mastering Hayate?"
"Yes. I just learned Kamaitachi today."
As I spoke, I formed blades of ki in both hands. Fuma-senpai's grandfather nodded in admiration.
"Indeed. It seems you did not defeat the God of Destruction by luck alone. Continue to devote yourself and make further progress with Hayate."
"Yes, sir."
I replied with the most serious expression I could muster and bowed my head.
"You may go now."
It was an order of dismissal.
Hearing this, Fuma-senpai and I quietly rose from our seats.
Before leaving the room, Fuma-senpai glanced back at her grandfather one more time and said in a small voice.
"I'll be going now, Grandfather."
“……”
It was likely her own way of showing consideration for her gruff grandfather.
'I should know when to take a hint.'
I glanced between the grandfather and granddaughter, then left the room first without a word.
*
Fuma-senpai came out of her grandfather's room about five minutes later.
I had been waiting just outside the door, and I asked her, noticing her surprisingly calm expression.
"What did your grandfather say?"
Fuma-senpai glanced at me and spoke softly.
"Oh, nothing much. Just to take care of myself in Tokyo, and to come visit home once in a while."
"I see."
"...You must have been waiting a while because of me. Let's go."
Fuma-senpai trailed off and started walking ahead.
I watched her with an amused expression, thinking she was cute, before quickly running to close the distance that had opened up between us.
"Wait up, senpai!"
*
It took us nearly ten hours to get back to Tokyo.
It took much longer than the trip here, the reasons being the massive amount of luggage we now had—unlike when we arrived empty-handed—and me, whose body had shrunk due to the side effects of the medicine.
Fuma-senpai's hometown, Kazama (風間), was hidden deep in the mountains, so with no proper mountain path, the descent took a considerable amount of time.
If Saya hadn't been able to use her poltergeist ability, it would have been much harder.
"It's late. Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"
"It's just a stone's throw away."
I reassured Fuma-senpai, who looked like she was about to walk me home, then hoisted my share of the vegetable box into my arms.
"See you at school, senpai."
"...Yeah. Get home safe, Kim Yoo-Sung."
We said our goodbyes at the subway station and headed to our respective homes.
About fifteen minutes after I started walking with the vegetable box,
"Phew, I'm here."
I was back home after about four days.
Just thinking about having to explain my shrunken body to my parents gave me a headache, but I decided to just face the music and headed up the stairs to the second floor.
Saya, who had followed me all the way to Tokyo, looked around at the town scenery with fascination and said.
「This place is still the same.」
"Saya, you lived in this town?"
「Yeah. For about two or three years.」
When we first met, she said most of her memories from when she was alive were gone, but she surprisingly remembers a lot.
Clack!
I carefully opened the door and went inside.
It was past 11 p.m., so my parents must have already been asleep; there was no sign of anyone in the living room.
I carefully set down the vegetable box I'd been carrying from the station near the entrance, went into my room, and turned on the light.
I'd been away for four whole days, but my mother must have cleaned my room thoroughly, because there wasn't a single speck of dust on my workout equipment.
Feeling a strange sense of relief at that, I put down my bag and took off my shirt.
「Eek!」
"Ah."
I did it without thinking.
As I stood there awkwardly, half-undressed, and looked at her apologetically, Saya grumbled that I should have given her a warning before taking it off and left the room on her own.
I quickly changed into some clothes I wore in middle school and told Saya, who was waiting outside, that she could come back in.
Saya then phased through the door and quietly re-entered the room.
「So what are you going to do now?」
"Sleep."
I get that you're in a hurry, but look at the time.
When I said that and pointed to the clock, Saya was rendered speechless.
"You must be tired too after traveling for nearly ten hours. Get some sleep while you can. Don't come complaining to me about being tired during the day."
As I spoke, I took a futon from the closet and spread it on the floor. Saya lowered her head with a look of resignation.
「Fine. We can go tomorrow. Tomorrow.」
At least she's quick to understand. That's a relief.
I let out a long, weary yawn and lay down on the bedding.