It's this time of the year, a duel to prove his motto stands true against the one refusing to acknowledge it.

Teacher and student were standing in front of a Japanese traditional mansion in the middle of nowhere.

"So Shishō, what did we came here for?" the student; Tachibana Hibiki asks her teacher as well as Commander of Section Two of the Special Disaster Response Team; Kazanari Genjūrō.

"Today is my yearly appointment with someone, proving my strength as well as my way of life is not wrong," the tall man answers, leaning his head toward the retinal scanner allowing them access inside.

Hibiki perks up to this, oddly intrigued. She had come this morning expecting her daily training with him, but the latter had some 'business' to take care of, asking her if she wanted to tag along, which she did.

That's how she found herself at Kamakura after a rather long drive followed by a good hiked in the mountains to reach this relatively remoted residence, despite having access to cute edge technology.

"There is someone stronger than you Shishō?" she asks as they enter the place, but instead of heading for the front door, they walk around it.

Once in the backward, they are welcomed by the sight of an old man, traditionally seated on the porch of the mansion, casually sipping tea.

"You have come." His voice echoes as his gaze lock on them, but particularly on the man, barely sparely a glance to the girl.

"I have come this day of the year as well, father." The red-haired man announces, performing a small bow while cradling a fist in an open hand toward the head of the Kazanari family, Kazanari Fudō.

Hibiki's eyes were shifting between the two individuals, the setting reminding her of one seen often in her teacher movies.

"Do you think that outcome will be any different from all these years?" The elderly inquires to his son.

"You can't possibly know the result beforehand!" Genjūrō exclaims clenching a fist in front of himself.

Fudō exhales loudly before standing up. "Crushing you will be faster than using words," he says, moving away from the porch to standing in front a of tall boulder reaching below his chest with a rather flat surface.

"Hmm? What about this kid?' the elder asks, finally noticing Hibiki's presence.

Genjūrō answered quicker than her student had the time to understand she was being spoken to. "She is my student, she will just be observing."

"That you want someone witnessing your defeat is of no concern to me. She can take a sit on the porch if she desires, but it won't be for long until the two of you will have to go." The elder comments.

Hibiki silently nods before taking a place on the porch, observing the two opponents getting ready. Her Shishō rolling up the sleeves of his red dress shirt, revealing the imposing muscled arms while his father was actually pulling his arms out of the sleeves of his kimono revealing a musculature rivaling her teacher and should maybe not belong to an elderly man.

'Oh! Arm wrestling,' Hibiki thoughts seeing them getting in position with the boulder between them and holding the hand of the other.

"Young girl!" Fudō calls out to her, catching her off guard as she responds with an instinctive 'aye'. "You will be in charge to give us the signal."

"Ah… Aye! Readyyy… Go!"

The moment the word left her lips that the atmosphere suddenly becomes tense. The expression of the two men became one of sheer concentration as a burst of wind as well as the sound of ground giving way under their strength reach her.

Hibiki could see that her Shishō was dominating with a large margin, his father's hand mere inches to touch to the rock signaling his victory.

"Your physical prowess seems to still be on point." The elder grunts

"My motto is eating, sleeping and watching action movies. Here lies the secret of my strength, father!" Genjūrō exclaims, earning a decisive nod of her disciple as he was pushing himself into finishing the match.

"Hmmf! It still remains unchanged… But I would recall you…" The tension ease for a very brief moment, the dominated arm emitted a faint dark purple aura. "Uryaaa!"

Everything happens in the blink of an eye for a moment for Hibiki, one moment she was watching her Shishō dominating, the next moment she was witnessing his arms being flipped on the other side, his body following as his feet left the ground he was standing before the loud crash of the boulder breaking under the power displaying and the creation of a cloud of dust filled the area.

Her eyes were wide open as she takes in the sight in front of her as the dust settles; her teacher's upper body was buried in the ground with his legs sticking out in the air while the patriarch was standing tall of all his height.

"Actions' movies can only bring you so far, only books and the experience of the battlefield can provide you with what you're currently lacking." The head says as he fixes his kimono back before walking away from the scene. "You are free to go once you have recovered," he lets out ultimately before sliding the door of his residence open.

"Wait!" Hibiki's voice echoes behind, stopping him in his track as he turns his gaze back on her.

Hibiki was not sure why she calls him out, but another look at her Shishō buried figure was all she needed to know what she should ask. "Would it be possible for you to teach me what's beyond actions movies or allowing me to read those books you were speaking off?"

A pregnant silence reigns for a moment as the elderly was pondering over the young girl asking for guidance.

"You are my son's disciple…" he states before asking a single question. "Name?"

"Tachibana Hibiki, 16 years old!"

"Tachibana… Ahhh… You are the new Gungnir wielder who recently joined." Fudō attests as Hibiki nods in confirmation.

The elderly watches the girls once more, considering over if this girl could reveal herself useful or not in the future. 'I have nothing much to lose' was his final thought as he came to a conclusion.

"My training will be worse than the purgatory, but if you can endure it you will become a true sentinel for this country. Will you be able to withstand it?!"

"I won't know that without trying!" Hibiki announced.

"Humph! Let's see how far this optimist will carry you, follow me."

"Aye!"