Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980

Sitting in the back of the police car, Kazuma finally had a moment to meditate.

He smoothly slipped into the state, eager to check his status screen.

Sure enough, a glowing timed status effect was sitting right at the top, complete with a countdown.

The most eye-catching one was called "Life of Fifty Years", with 244 seconds remaining. The description read: "A fleeting life burns brilliantly—what does it matter if it cannot return?"

Judging by that, this buff wasn't invincibility. If he was supposed to die, he'd still die.

Which means winning just now was pure skill…

Well, maybe a little bit of luck too.

Kazuma thought back over the fight. He'd been cut several times, but none of the wounds had hit any vital areas.

Now that I think about it... why don't these wounds hurt? Is it adrenaline numbing the pain?

Or is it this buff's effect reducing my sense of pain?

Seriously, can't these effects just spell out what they do?

Kazuma mentally braced himself. When the buff ended, he didn't want to be caught off guard and lose his cool if the pain suddenly hit all at once.

After checking the limited-time buff, his attention turned to what he really wanted to see: his Combat Proficiency level.

That flashy "Life of Fifty Years" effect had been too distracting.

When he finally looked—Kazuma was so delighted he snapped out of meditation entirely.

He quickly forced himself back in to confirm.

No mistake!

Level 12!

At this point, I can probably chop through a wooden bench without even going into a buffed state!

Though I'll have to wait until my sword comes back from forensics to test that... then again, I could try with Chiyoko's kitchen knife first.

Kazuma could barely contain his excitement. A 7-level jump in one go—what a rush.

If I keep gaining XP at this rate, a dozen more life-or-death battles and I'll be a Sword Saint…

Not that I ever want to end up in situations where I have to gamble my life again.

Better to be prepared and avoid danger whenever possible.

Now, with Combat Proficiency at Level 12, Kazuma figured he could probably take out your average yakuza street punk barehanded—relying on sheer reaction speed and raw striking power.

Feeling very satisfied with the XP haul, he was about to end the meditation when he noticed something new in his status bar.

He froze.

Already deep in a meditative state, this stunned reaction practically sent him into double-meditation. He was halfway to achieving true emptiness.

A new entry had appeared, just two words:

Lone Dragon

The description read: "A solitary dragon bares its claws and fangs."

Wait—what? So if I fight with allies, this buff won't activate?

But on the flip side... skills with activation conditions like this are usually pretty strong.

Most importantly, if I ever get caught alone by an ambush, this will kick in and give me a boost. Not bad.

Kazuma grinned.

Fine, from now on, I'm a permanent lone wolf.

Heck, if I've got too many people on my side, maybe I should send them away just so I can trigger a one-on-one situation—nothing says "sword master" like insisting on solo duels.

He was happily daydreaming about his future as Kiryu Kazuma, Lone Swordmaster, when the officer driving the car called back, "Kiryu-san, we've arrived at the station."

Kazuma jolted out of his meditation, taking half a second to process. "Oh—right, the station."

He glanced outside—yep, police station.

"By the way, could I get this bandaged first?" Kazuma lifted his arm to show the wound.

It hadn't cut any major blood vessels, so the bleeding had mostly stopped. But it was deep enough that it hadn't scabbed over.

"Of course. There's a hospital we partner with right next door. We can get you patched up before your statement. Actually, we wanted to mention it earlier, but you seemed deep in thought."

The young officer got out, opened an umbrella, then respectfully opened Kazuma's door.

"Please, right this way."

After getting bandaged up, Kazuma completed his statement and was driven home by police car.

By the time they arrived, the rain had stopped.

Kazuma, now wearing a fresh shirt and trousers, had just stepped out of the car when he heard Chiyoko's furious shout from inside:

"Get out of my way! Let me go find my brother!"

Kazuma's heart leapt. He took off running, ducking under the yellow police tape left behind from the earlier accident, and followed the voice straight toward the dojo.

There he found... an utterly bizarre scene.

Chiyoko, bamboo sword in hand, was thwacking the head of Nishiyama-gumi underboss Bandō.

Bandō and a few other yakuza were holding hands in a human chain, forming a ring around Chiyoko. No matter how she charged, they refused to let her through.

Kazuma couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

Chiyoko was swinging her bamboo sword repeatedly at Bandō's head, shouting, "Move it! Let me through!"

Bandō's head was already swollen, looking almost comically large.

"Boss lady!" one of the younger yakuza shouted. "Your brother's really okay! Please stop hitting our underboss! He'll be home any minute!"

Kazuma raised an eyebrow. What the hell? Did Nishiyama Heita not tell them I'm not joining the yakuza?

This is one hell of a misunderstanding!

Chiyoko spun around and snapped at the young man, "Who're you calling boss lady?! I'm not! And my brother isn't your boss either! We're ordinary citizens! Now move!"

She kept whacking the guy, but with the limited space, she couldn't swing at full force like during kendo practice.

Bandō finally spoke up. "Hold your ground! Our mission is to protect Miss Kiryu! And remember—don't touch her!"

Chiyoko screamed, "What are you people doing?! Let me out!"

Kazuma had seen enough.

"Are you guys playing a new version of tag or something?"

Everyone turned to look at him. Bandō immediately let go of the others, straightened up, and bowed deeply.

The younger yakuza followed suit in unison.

"Boss!" they chorused.

Kazuma waved his hand. "No, no! I wasn't, am not, and will not be yakuza."

Bandō looked confused. "Huh?"

"I said I'm not yakuza. I have no intention of becoming your boss. Besides, you're the wakagashira, right? Shouldn't your boss be Nishiyama Heita?"

Bandō replied earnestly, "If you joined, you'd likely be our young boss. It'd be natural to call you boss."

"There's really a system like that? Whatever, I don't need to know all your yakuza rules."

Kazuma waved again.

He'd been about to tell them to leave, but on second thought—these guys could actually be useful!

"You can stay at the entryway. There's a small lounge next to it—feel free to use it. Our front door's gone, so I'm counting on you to watch the place tonight."

Yeah, I'm not joining the yakuza... but having them guard the house is pretty convenient. No point getting hung up on details.

Bandō bowed deeply. "Understood! You—go buy some late-night snacks. This is our job for tonight!"

The young yakuza who received the order bolted off.

Bandō led the rest toward the entryway—well, what used to be the entryway—and soon disappeared from Kazuma's sight.

Kazuma turned to his sister, who was standing frozen nearby. "No hug for your big brother?"

At that, Chiyoko finally rushed over and threw her arms around him. "Where did you go?! I came out of the bath and couldn't find you, then saw a bunch of yakuza at the door—I was terrified!"

...You've been bashing their heads in, and now you say you were terrified?

Kazuma gently patted her head. "I went to flatten the Tsuda-gumi."

Chiyoko abruptly stopped rubbing her cheek against his chest, pulled back slightly, and frowned up at him. "What?"

"Uh... I said I went and took out the Tsuda-gumi," Kazuma repeated.

Chiyoko blinked, still processing. "When did that happen?"

"Just now—while you were in the bath crying."

She stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly stood on tiptoe, grabbed his collar, and pulled his head down to bump foreheads with him.

"You're not running a fever, are you?" she asked suspiciously.

Kazuma was about to answer when his stomach growled—loud and clear.

That reminded him: he'd been caught in that car accident this afternoon, and after everything that had happened, he still hadn't eaten dinner.

Wait... I flattened the Tsuda-gumi on an empty stomach?!

He patted Chiyoko's shoulder. "Is there anything to eat at home? Let's get some food ready, and I'll explain everything while we eat. Oh, and since Bandō's guys are getting late-night snacks, let's have them grab some for us too."

(End of Chapter)