CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 97: ANOTHER EXPLORATION

As they returned to Jigoro’s house, they heard the familiar wailing cries as soon as they reached the door.

"Grandfather, please make them go back! They’re too dangerous! They killed Senior Brother! The Automaton they created will definitely kill me too! I absolutely, absolutely refuse to train with that thing! Please, I’m begging you!"

The voice boomed with resonant energy.

Another equally forceful voice immediately countered, "Your Senior Brother isn’t dead, just unconscious! And do you even realize what the Automaton represents? It allows you to experience the true essence of the breathing technique in real combat, and gain a deeper understanding of Sword Forms. This kind of opportunity is something others would kill for! It’s only because the Swordsmith Village recently produced such a rare talent who rediscovered the Automaton’s crafting method through alternative means that you, a mere beginner, even have a chance to use such a thing! Show some gratitude, you fool!"

The two who had been about to enter suddenly hesitated, unsure whether to proceed.

At that moment, they realized that their days living here would always be accompanied by this constant commotion.

As the two hesitated about whether to wait before going inside, the main gate suddenly swung open.

Zenitsu, tears streaming down his face, roared over his shoulder, "In any case, I absolutely refuse to sit here and wait to die! I’m going to die for sure!"

As he shouted, he charged out of the gate. His attention was so focused on his master that he crashed headfirst into Sosuke’s chest.

The impact felt like hitting solid iron. Zenitsu’s head rang, and he faintly heard Jigoro’s voice echoing in his ears: "You... get back here!"

When the echoing voice finally faded, Zenitsu turned around in a daze and found Sosuke standing right in front of him.

Startled, he collapsed to the ground with a thud. "Please don’t kill me! I haven’t even gotten married yet!"

"..."

’Just how obsessed was this guy with getting married?’

’No, wait—could this be a tradition in their lineage?’

When they first arrived, Jigoro had urged Sosuke and Kanae to get married immediately.

Shaking his head, Sosuke forced himself to calm down. He glanced at Zenitsu sprawled on the ground, then at Jigoro..

"Hmm... we’re back," Sosuke said hesitantly.

"Did you find anything?" Jigoro and Sosuke both remained calm, completely ignoring Zenitsu.

Seeing this, Zenitsu immediately began to inch cautiously toward the exit.

"We didn’t find anything concrete, but I have a feeling demons are lurking nearby," Sosuke said. "We’ll investigate further tonight."

Zenitsu, who had been about to sneak away, immediately plopped back down on the ground upon hearing the words "demons lurking nearby." He shuffled silently back to his original spot, his body trembling.

Kanae couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Jigoro’s face darkened with shame. ’This is utterly humiliating!’

He grabbed Zenitsu by the collar and yanked him to his feet. "Get back inside!"

In that instant, Zenitsu became as obedient as a lamb. He turned and darted into the house, diving straight into bed and burying himself under the covers, shivering uncontrollably.

Jigoro grew even angrier, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

Finally, he turned to Sosuke and Kanae. "If you’re going out tonight, be extremely careful."

Sosuke nodded, pulling Kanae into the house. "How’s your disciple doing?" he asked.

"Kaigaku?" Jigoro replied. "It’s not too serious. The broken bones will just take some time to heal."

Kanae said apologetically, "I’m sorry. It was our fault."

"No, it’s just that the boy’s training isn’t sufficient yet. You can’t blame yourselves," Jigoro said, shaking his head dismissively.

This made even Sosuke, who hadn’t felt particularly guilty before, feel a little embarrassed.

Kaigaku certainly didn’t deserve pity. Ever since learning that the person he’d beaten was Kaigaku, Sosuke had only regretted not finishing him off then and there. He should have aimed the sword directly at his head instead of modifying it into a regular hammer blow, eliminating future troubles.

But seeing Jigoro’s current demeanor, Sosuke now felt a sense of relief.

The future hadn’t yet come to pass, and he clearly had no right to execute Kaigaku at this moment.

Now that he knew about this incident, the question he should be considering was whether there would be opportunities to change the future.

Of course, it was too early to dwell on this. He would observe the situation carefully over time.

If an opportunity arose to prevent the tragedy, he would seize it.

With nothing more to say, Kaigaku finally woke up as night approached.

At first, he didn’t see Sosuke and Kanae. When asked about his injury, he told Jigoro that he had been attacked by a Demon hidden in the forest.

After finishing his explanation, he noticed Sosuke and Kanae standing behind him. Though they looked familiar, he couldn’t immediately recognize them.

It wasn’t until he saw Sosuke’s hammer-sword that his face flushed crimson, then paled to blue, before he finally retreated into sullen silence.

When Jigoro turned to face Sosuke and Kanae, his embarrassment was palpable.

Of his two disciples, the elder had shocked him with his character, while the younger had shocked him with his disgrace.

Compared to them, neither was someone he could truly be proud of.

The old man’s stern face now carried a hint of shame.

Sosuke was at a loss for words to comfort him. Kanae deftly changed the subject, steering the conversation away from the awkward topic and bringing the matter to a close.

As the sun dipped westward, they boiled water, cooked a meal, and by the time they finished eating, darkness had fallen.

Sosuke adjusted the sword within his hammer, while Kanae inspected her Nichirin Blade. Then, the two of them stepped outside.

Under the cloak of night, they headed straight for the small grove.

Yet the grove was eerily silent.

They ventured deeper, searching every corner, but ultimately found nothing.

This left both Sosuke and Kanae simultaneously questioning themselves.

"Could we really have been wrong?"

Perched on a tree branch, Sosuke and Kanae exchanged glances, each seeing the bewilderment in the other’s eyes.

They shook their heads in unison, about to speak when a sudden, heart-pounding sensation gripped Sosuke.

But Kanae, sensing the danger even faster, had already sprung into action. With a light tap of her toes, she darted forward, followed immediately by Sosuke.

______

Note: This fic received more Power Stones yesterday than it did over the past 3–4 days combined. Maybe the reason it wasn’t getting as many before is because I didn’t ask—so I think I’ll do just that. With the new weekly ranking coming up, I’ll also set a goal: for every "..." Power Stones, I’ll release 1 bonus Chapter.

But that doesn’t mean you should stop giving me Power Stones today! We’re currently at around 300, so maybe we can try to push for 400. Of course, it all depends on you guys.