Tsukune Aono was your pretty average teenager. He went to school, got average grades, never stood out or participated in school activities. All he really did was eat, sleep and go to school. The only 'unique' thing about him was that he lived alone. His parents had passed away shortly after his thirteenth birthday and left their house and all of their wealth to him. It wasn't an insanely high amount of money, nor was it a big house. The only family he had were his Aunt, Uncle and cousin Kyoko. They had offered to take him in after his parents' untimely deaths, but Tsukune didn't want to be a burden on them, nor did he want to move to a new city and switch schools.
Tsukune had just finished up his junior year of high school and it was now Summer Vacation. Sadly, Tsukune had no plans for the summer other than sitting in his room for most of the day watching anime and reading manga. One day, Tsukune decided to go see a new sci-fi action movie about a man who's town was completely decimated by monsters and sought vengeance for his village.
After the movie, Tsukune had decided to find an ATM and withdraw some money to buy groceries for the week. After walking for a little bit, he found an ATM. He inserted the card he had inherited from his parents and entered his pin. As per his usual routine when making a withdraw, Tsukune first checked his accounts balance. Much to his chagrin, he was only down to a few hundred dollars of the money his parents had left him.
"Damn, I really should've cut back on buying so much manga" he said to no one in particular.
"Guess it's time for me to look for a part time job."
After a weeks worth of searching for a job, Tsukune had struck out every time. Just about to give up, Tsukune decided to try one last place, the small, worn down martial arts dojo in a deserted part of town. Tsukune was never one for athletics, but he didn't have any other options. The dojo had a few broken shingles and some of the shutters looked like they were about to fall off if a strong enough wind blew through. Entering the dojo, Tsukune took off his shoes out of respect and realized no one seemed to be there.
"Hello? I-is anyone here? I came to ask if there is any chance of getting a job here." Tsukune yelled, hoping someone was actually there to listen.
A minute or two passed with not a single sound heard from anywhere in the building.
"Great! Another swing and a miss! I just can't seem to catch a single break!"
Tsukune turned and began to put his shoes back on when he heard something moving behind him. He turned to see a short, old man walk out of the back room. He was dressed in a black martial arts outfit with a white coat overtop. He wore glasses and was smoking a cigarette. The most unusual feature about the old man was his oddly pointy ears.
"Ah, it's been so long since I had a visitor here. Sorry for not coming sooner. I must have fallen asleep while reading some manga. My name is Touhou Fuhai. And who might you be young man?"
"T-Tsukune Aono." replied Tsukune. Something about this old man is off. I'm not sure if it's the fact that he is still smoking at his age or that he said he fell asleep reading manga.
"You said you are here in search of a job? Might I ask why exactly?" inquired Touhou.
"Well I live by myself and the money my parents left me is getting pretty low so I figured it was about time to get a job." answered Tsukune.
"You live by yourself eh? Might I ask why? And if your parents left you money, why aren't you living with them instead of by yourself? After all, you are still a young kid."
Tsukune sat there for a moment before responding, obviously reluctant to talk to someone about his situation. "W-well my parents passed away shortly after I turned thirteen and left the house and the funds they had saved up to me." Tsukune replied, uneasily.
"I see. I am sorry for your tragic loss. As for the job, do you have any knowledge of the martial arts?" Touhou asked.
"No. I mean I have always been interested in learning, but never went to any classes." Tsukune looked down at his shoes as he felt yet another job slip through his fingers due to his inexperience.
A few minutes passed as Touhou Fuhai just stood there in silence. Tsukune wasn't sure what was going through the old man's mind, but he knew what the final verdict would be. So Tsukune decided that he didn't need to wait for an actual answer and finished putting on his shoes. He turned and faced the old man and bowed, "I'm sorry for wasting your time."
"H-hello? Mr. Fuhai, sir?" Tsukune asked before realizing that the old man had actually fallen asleep. "U-um sir? A-are you there?" he asked hesitantly.
Touhou jerked as he woke up. "Sorry about that young man. And as for the job, you start tomorrow. Come by tomorrow after school so I can debrief you on your duties." Touhou said with a smile while he held his long cigarette in his hand.
Tsukune just stood there dumbfounded. The old man had actually given him the job! "Thank you so much Mr. Fuhai! I really appreciate it! But I must ask, why would you give me the job if I know nothing about martial arts?" Tsukune asked puzzled.
"Because Tsukune-san, those who have knowledge are the hardest to teach and those who have none are like a blank slate, thus easy to teach. Plus, you give off a good aura and I expect great things from you."
Tsukune just stood there even more confused. Touhou expected great things from him? Him?! An average teenager who had never done any sports let alone martial arts? And what did he mean about 'giving off a aura'? Was this old man crazy or did he know things that Tsukune couldn't even begin to fathom. Regardless, Tsukune had just gotten his first part-time job and felt happy.
The next day, school seemed to drag on. Once the last bell rang, Tsukune bolted from the classroom and out of the school. He was eager to start his first day at his first part-time job. When Tsukune reached the dojo, he took off his shoes and placed his backpack and shoes in a wooden basket beside the door. He slipped on a pair of two-toed socks that were left by the basket that Touhou had apparently left for him.
"Hello, Fuhai-sensei?" Tsukune called. Hearing rustling from the back, Touhou soon appeared with a smile on his face.
"Ah, Tsukune, you're hear. You seem to be very eager to start your job."
"Of course I am! This is the first part-time job I've ever had! But what exactly am I gonna do here? I mean, I don't know martial arts so I can't teach anyone."
"That is true, my boy, but that is just a part of what work needs to be done within a dojo. To start with, I wish for you to wash the dojo floor. There is a bucket and a towel in the back. You can fill out the bucket out behind the dojo. Let me know when you finish and I shall judge your work."
"Yes sir!" Tsukune eagerly exclaimed as he stiffened up and saluted to Touhou before running to the back and fetching the bucket and towel. However, there was not one bucket, but two and both attached to a wooden post, one on each end. Tsukune didn't really think much of it at first, but then realized why the buckets were like that when he went out back. After searching the side and back of the building, Tsukune couldn't find a faucet. "Fuhai-sensei, where is the faucet to fill the buckets up?" Tsukune shouted towards the front of the building where Touhou was sweeping the front steps.
" There isn't one. There is a creek about half a mile into the forest behind the dojo. Fill the buckets up there." Touhou responded with a devilish smirk which Tsukune couldn't see. You're kidding right? Tsukune thought to himself. He turned, picked up the wooden post and stared to walk into the forest. This is going to be a rough day.