Chapter 15:

Beginning of a New Adventure

Every Side of the World


A month passed by, and everyone knew who Kizou was in the small village of Rakai. Being that there were no more than 100 people, it wasn’t too much of a feat, but it was still something that Kizou appreciated. He continued on with doing his tasks in the morning which was to gather wood in the morning, and then assist in the different shops.

“Hup!” Kizou yelled out as he was capable of dragging the wood with the ropes now. While it was still a bit difficult, he didn’t get as tired from when he first started.

Afterwards, he would run towards the shops and see if they needed help with anything.

“Kizou! Thanks for coming by,” Dax said as he continued to weld swords. “I know it’s a bit early, so I definitely appreciate it.”

“That’s no problem with me,” Kizou said with a bright smile.

With Dax, Kizou’s task solely consisted of cooling the swords down after Dax was done crafting them. He was able to learn a lot from Dax such as how hard to hit the sword, where to strike the sword, and how long he should be cooling it off. There was abundant knowledge that Dax taught Kizou that would definitely benefit him in the long run.

After Kizou finished with Dax, he would go to the shops to grab the orders that needed to be delivered.

“Thanks for coming by as always,” the shopkeeper said with a smile.

“No problem,” Kizou said with a bright smile before he went off to deliver the food.

This was the moment where everyone knew who Kizou was, since he would deliver to almost all of the cabins in the villages. He would be met with greetings, hugs, and even breakfast. However, this was something that the kids who bullied him didn’t like. They felt like he was trying too hard even though they were actually just jealous.

While none of the activities he did ever changed, there was also another activity that never changed. He snuck down towards the river and hid behind the bushes that always does. His general area was filled with leftovers of food, because he would always eat the food that was given to him when he watched Tomiko.

Tomiko wore a red coat and black pants. She let out a deep breath before proceeding to get in a stance. With her legs slightly crouched and her arm perched back with her sword, she was preparing to strike an enemy.

Kizou had his eyes in awe as he continued eating his food. Every step that Tomiko took was planned as if it was like she was dodging all the strikes of an enemy. It was still a shock to Kizou that Tomiko practiced every morning. He’s only been there for about a month, and he could tell that she’s been practicing even longer than that.

As Kizou continued eating, the sound of footsteps could be heard trailing behind him.

“She’s pretty amazing, isn’t she?” the familiar voice said.

“Yeah, she is,” Kizou answered. As he turned around, he realized who it was which sent him in a state of shock and fear.

“Aha! I knew you were after my daughter!” Osamu said as pointed his finger towards Kizou’s face.

“I told you I’m not!” Kizou yelled out to which Osamu instantly put his hand over his mouth.

Tomiko turned around to find the voice, but it was nowhere to be heard. She went back to her training.

“Shhh, you’re going to alert her,” Osamu said. “She’s going to think you’re a stalker.”

You look just as much of a stalker than me for not going up to your daughter, Kizou thought to himself.

“I get it, I get it,” Kizou said as he removed Osamu’s hand.

“See, I told you that my daughter was the best,” Osamu said as he grabbed some of the food that Kizou was eating.

This guy didn’t even ask, Kizou thought to himself annoyed.

“I’ve never seen anyone with a sword before, so it was a surprise to see someone my age using one,” Kizou said as he kept his eyes on Tomiko with awe. “I didn’t even know about magic until I first came here.”

“Is it something you’re interested in?” Osamu asked while he continued watching his daughter.

“I want to, but I don’t know if I have the ability for it,” Kizou said.

“There’s more to the world than you think,” Osamu said. Kizou looked up to him and felt that strange feeling once again.

Every time they watched Tomiko’s swordplay, it seemed to get better and better. However, Kizou didn’t have anyone else to compare her sword skills with, but there was no doubt that it was still impressive. A question trailed in his head that he felt like Osamu would be able to answer.

“Where did she learn all those techniques and magic?” Kizou asked as he continued eating his food.

“Who else?” Osamu said as he stood up with a face full of pride. Kizou pulled him back down, so Tomiko wouldn’t see.

“Really? You taught her?” Kizou asked with pure disbelief.

“Yes, I did,” Osamu answered with a big smile.

“I don’t believe you,” Kizou said before he went to look back at Tomiko. “There’s no way someone like you could do that.”

“What does that mean?! You’re kidding, right?” Osamu said with his mouth open while looking at Kizou.

“No, I’m being dead serious,” Kizou said. He heard the sounds of leaves moving around where Osamu was, and Kizou assumed that he must’ve hurt his feelings.

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh, Kizou thought to himself as he let out a sigh.

“Okay, maybe you might’ve-”

Kizou turned to his side to find no one there. He scouted the area around and looked for where Osamu might’ve gone. He thought about where he might’ve gone and instantly felt nervous.

There’s no way he could’ve, Kizou thought to himself as he looked towards the direction where he thought Osamu would be.

Osamu was standing next to Tomiko and looked to be whining towards her. While the distance was too far from Kizou, he could see Osamu holding her sword and flailing it around. Tomiko looked mad that her training was being ruined and grabbed the sword from Osamu. She started yelling at him which made Osamu lower his face from being yelled at. It looked like he was saying something with a pout, and then he pointed at Kizou’s general direction. Tomiko glanced towards where Kizou was.

Kizou’s heart dropped in an instant as he realized that he was finally caught. Osamu and Tomiko walked together towards Kizou, and Kizou was too nervous to move. As they reached the bushes, Tomiko stood there.

“Come on out, my stupid dad already told me everything,” Tomiko commanded.

Kizou walked out of the bush and saw Osamu standing behind her with his hand over his mouth to hide his laugh.

I can’t believe this guy exposed me, because I made fun of him, Kizou thought to himself.

“So, is it true?” Tomiko asked.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Kizou answered while trying to save face.

“Don’t lie now!” Osamu exclaimed as if he wanted Kizou to tell the truth.

“Okay fine, I did say that,” Kizou said as he didn’t want anyone else to hate him. Kizou knew that Tomiko would probably hate him after how he said he didn’t believe her father trained her.

“Then we’ll start tomorrow,” Tomiko said as she turned around and headed towards the road.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Kizou thought to himself as her response didn’t add up with what he was thinking.

“Our training? My dad said you wanted to get trained, so you would be able to protect Grandma and Grandpa,” Tomiko answered as she looked back at Kizou.

“Training?” Kizou asked to confirm what she said.

“Yes,” Tomiko answered. “I wouldn’t have wanted to, but my dad kept saying that you wanted to become stronger to help the weak. I still said no, but he kept on crying.”

Oh, so that’s why he was pouting and looking like he was going to cry when he was with her, Kizou thought to himself.

Kizou looked to the side, and Osamu put up a thumbs up before walking away.

Maybe he isn’t such a dumb guy after all, Kizou thought.

Osamu walked up and tripped over some rocks before getting up quickly. He dusted the dirt off of him and acted like nothing happened.

Nevermind, this guy is super dumb, Kizou thought.

“But I don’t want to be the bully who doesn’t help the weak, so I’ll be willing to train you,” Tomiko said as she suddenly walked up to Kizou until they were face to face. “Don’t hold me back.”

“I won’t,” Kizou answered nervously as Tomiko was staring him in the face.

Tomiko stared at Kizou once again, and Kizou was prepared for her to make the disgusted face like she usually does. After a long pause, Tomiko backed up and held her hand out. Kizou put his hand out and shook her hand.

“Then as of today, you are my student,” Tomiko said with a big smile.

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