My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

Ignoring the shouting and cursing outside, Kitahara Hideji didn’t pay much attention to the usual drunken disturbances in the neighborhood. It was a common occurrence for disheartened individuals to drown their sorrows, causing havoc and venting their frustrations. Living here, nobody was doing well, and such incidents were commonplace. Usually, nobody bothered to interfere, and occasionally, the police would be called if the disturbance got too out of hand. They would then come, wrap the drunkard up in a blanket, and take them to the police station to sober up.

However, this time, Kitahara Hideji hesitated. He gently pushed the door open and looked into the dark hallway. He softly called out, “Yoko?”

A dog’s bark answered him, followed by a whimpering sound as if the dog’s mouth had been covered. After a while, Ono Yoko’s voice came, “Onii-san, I’m here.”

“Have you still not been able to reach your parents?”

Ono Yoko stood up and said softly, “I live with my mom… She hasn’t come back yet.”

A single-parent family, huh? Kitahara Hideji couldn’t help but feel a little soft-hearted. He glanced at a drunkard in the building who was holding a wooden stick and banging on the trash cans, occasionally pointing at the sky and cursing. He thought for a moment and said, “It’s too late, and it’s not safe outside. Come in here and wait!”

Ono Yoko glanced at Kitahara Hideji and then at the drunkard downstairs. She knew that there were a few alcoholics living in this building, and considering the time, they might be back after a night of drinking. If they accidentally noticed her…

Although she was young, she was well aware that the neighborhood she lived in wasn’t a good place. After school, she tried her best not to go out, and now it was already late at night. The darkness outside was quite intimidating. She looked at Kitahara Hideji, whose sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes exuded a sense of righteousness. He didn’t seem like a bad person. Considering the circumstances, she hesitated but ultimately decided to clutch her school bag, hold the small dog, and approached Kitahara Hideji. She asked softly, “Would I be causing trouble for Onii-san?”

“It’s no problem.”

“In that case, I’ll trouble you, Onii-san. I’ll leave once this time has passed.”

Kitahara Hideji smiled, pushed the door wider open, and said, “Come in!”

“Thank you!” Ono Yoko bowed to express her gratitude, holding her phone tightly. She then carefully entered the apartment, trying to appear as sweet and non-threatening as possible, hiding her nervousness and wariness.

In the small entrance area, she took off her shoes, all the while paying attention to Kitahara Hideji’s movements behind her. She noticed that he only partially closed the door as he went further inside. Surprised, she asked, “Aren’t you going to close the door, Onii-san?”

Kitahara Hideji turned around and smiled, “It’s okay; there’s nothing worth stealing here.” He believed in the principle of not doing anything suspicious in front of others. As a single man, he was cautious about any potential misunderstandings.

Ono Yoko blinked and understood his intention, feeling relieved. Her smile became more natural, but she then noticed that she had accidentally brought the dog inside. She immediately thought about taking the dog back outside, but Kitahara Hideji had already taken a corrugated cardboard box and said, “Is this your dog? Let’s put it inside here for now.”

(Don’t dirty the floor…)

Ono Yoko hesitated for a moment, then placed Hyakujirou inside the box, whispering, “Yes, it’s my dog, but my mom doesn’t allow me to keep it at home, so I have to leave it on the street.”

(He’s really gentle; he doesn’t mind Hyakujirou being dirty…)

Hyakujirou didn’t make a fuss when placed in the box; it rested with its front paws on the edge and softly barked at Kitahara Hideji, as if greeting him.

Kitahara Hideji glanced at the dog and saw that it was just an ordinary mongrel. Its lineage was probably mixed, and its appearance didn’t reveal its breed. However, its eyes looked quite clever.

Since the dog wasn’t causing any trouble or making a mess, Kitahara Hideji ignored it. He then invited Ono Yoko to sit and apologized, “Please sit anywhere, Yoko. I don’t have much here, and I can’t offer you anything, I’m sorry.”

Ono Yoko politely bowed again and sweetly replied, “Thank you very much, Onii-san.”

Observing that Yoko was smiling sweetly but seemed a bit uneasy, Kitahara Hideji understood her situation. He had similar experiences when he was staying with relatives, so he knew it was best not to be too enthusiastic. Ignoring her would be the better choice, letting her be on her own was the best approach.

“All right, Yoko, I’ll go read for a bit.”

“Okay, Onii-san.”

Kitahara Hideji went to the back of the room, leaving the space near the door for Ono Yoko. He picked up a book on “shōheihō” and started reading, trying to piece together the fragments of information in his mind.

Ono Yoko felt more at ease with Kitahara Hideji’s attitude. She gestured to Hyakujirou, indicating that it must not make any noise, then carefully knelt down, trying not to make any noise even with her breathing.

She sat for a while and sneaked a glance at Kitahara Hideji. Seeing that he seemed completely absorbed in his book and didn’t pay attention to her, she felt emboldened to take a closer look around.

Kitahara Hideji’s black hair fell slightly long, scattering in front of his forehead. Under the light, his facial features cast deep shadows, giving him a somewhat stern appearance. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his lips were pursed, as if he were deeply contemplating something. Ono Yoko couldn’t help but find it hard to look away; there was something inexplicably attractive about Kitahara Hideji, making her feel secure and reliable. Just by watching him, she felt a sense of happiness.

She forced herself to shift her gaze to the slightly moldy tatami mat beneath her. She felt a bit puzzled, but quickly reassured herself—it was only natural for a high school student to be different from the younger boys she knew. She was probably just overthinking things.

Having nothing else to do, she quietly retrieved her books from her backpack and started doing her homework. Soon, she became absorbed in her studies.

The room fell silent, with only occasional muffled shouts coming from the street outside. Meanwhile, Hyakujirou, finding no one to play with, curled up inside the box and started dozing off.

Kitahara Hideji was reading a collection of miscellaneous notes about Sword Technique that Shima Kanae had gathered. Although it couldn’t be used as a skill book, it contained interesting anecdotes about Ancient Swordsmanship, which served as a good way for him to learn more about the subject.

Modern kendo is generally referred to as a sport and a form of physical exercise, while Sword Technique was a straightforward art of killing that was active on the battlefield for a long time.

It was mainly divided into three major schools: Ittō-ryū, Shintō-ryū, and Kage-ryū.

The earliest recorded Sword Technique School was the Chūjō Ittō-ryū, founded by Chūjō Nagahide. Its core principle was rather straightforward: “Cut down the enemy before they cut you down.” The “Ittō” referred to cutting down the enemy with a single strike, rather than simply using a single sword. Many branches of the school employed dual-wielding techniques, but they were not referred to as “ni-tō-ryū” (two-sword style) or similar names.

The most famous branch of Ittō-ryū today is the Hokushin Ittō-ryū, and its forty-three sets of continuous strike techniques are a mandatory course for the Japanese police, making it somewhat of an official martial art.

The core spirit of Ittō-ryū, as the pioneering Sword Technique School, has always been central to the development of Japanese Sword Technique. The focus is on quickly defeating the enemy to prevent oneself from being struck, which imbues Japanese Sword Technique with a highly offensive nature.

Kitahara Hideji slowly flipped through the pages of the book, confirming the imprints of Sword Technique in his mind. As the text described, Japanese Sword Technique was all about attacking and countering, and even defensive maneuvers aimed at swiftly striking down the opponent. Most mental images of combat he had were over in less than thirty seconds.

He murmured softly while looking at the lines in the book, “Any actual combat lasting over sixty seconds means both sides are just putting on a show… This is truly a deadly art, with a simple and straightforward goal.”