Before we begin, I had to make a few adjustments to the last chapters (most notably: Minako's name is "Sahashi" instead of "Sasashi"), so make sure you re-read the previous chapters before THIS one. Once you're done so...
Enjoy
Minako slowly opened her eyes. A few minutes ago, he was asleep in his room; now she found herself in a ginormous forest. "W-W-Where AM I?" Just then she heard a strange voice above her: "*SNIFF* *SOB* Help me...somebody *SOB* *SNIFF* Help..."
Minako looked up...and she saw somebody sitting in a tree, with his face away from her; the boy had yellow hair and wearing a white t-shirt and white pants. "Hey! Are you okay?" Minako called out. "It's okay. I'll catch you. Come on!" She held out her arms for the little boy.
Nervously, the boy turned his head to her, allowing her get a good look at her face; in fact, Minako widened her eyes as it was the very same boy that she kept having visions of.
Just then, the boy leapt, and Minako caught him, but his weight cause her to fall to the ground. "*GROAN* There you go, little guy. Now, what's your name?"
"...K-Kuma..." whispered the terrified.
"Kuma, huh? Pretty tough name for cute little boy," giggled the female woman. "So, how'd you get in here? And what are you crying about?"
"...*SNIFF* Ku just wanted to go play outside and..."
*GLOW*
Just then, Kuma began glowing green and was suddenly being pulled. "Help! Big sister! Help me!"
"KU-KUN!"
"KU-KUN!" Minako's eyes shot wide open in terror. She looked around and saw that she was back in her futon. *YAWN* I feel like I haven't had enough sleep because of that dream..." she yawned as she sat up. "Kuma...was it?"
Next to her, Musou was busy folding her sheets. "Good morning, Minako," he said.
"M-Musou-kun! W-What is that outfit you're wearing?"
"It's much easier to move around in this outfit." Musou was now wearing gym school clothing.
"Well, I guess that IS what they were designed for..."
*SWIPE* *SWIPE* *SWISH* *SLASH*
Just then, the Sekirei/Ashikabi duo heard something going on outside in the backyard: outside, Miyu stood in an Iai Sword stance, holding his socket in one hand, and hovering the other over the handle of the katana; the landlord waited a few seconds, and then...
*SLICE* *SLICE* *SLICE* *SLICE*
He withdrew his katana, slicing a bunch of single leaves in half.
"Whoa! That's amazing!" gasped Musou.
"Huh?" While sliding his katana back into its socket, Miyu looked up. "Oh, good morning."
*SPARKLE*
"LANDLORD-SAMA!" With sparkles his his eyes, Musou leapt off the balcony and landed right in front of the landlord. "PLEASE spar with me!"
"...Alright, but I will show no mercy."
Shocked, Minako rushed down the stairs and made it to the backyard, just in time to watch the sparring begin...
Musou rushed to throw the first punch, but Miyu easily moved his head to the left to avoid it. "Musou-kun! WAIT!"
"Who-ho-hoa! Check it out!" Yuzuru—wearing only his lightning-plaid thong—stop her to watch the fight.
"W-Well, don't just STAND there! STOP them!" begged the female Ashikabi.
"Eh, don't worry about it," said the tattooed Sekirei. "Miyu's actually STRONGER than he looks. But Musou's pretty good too, so we should go one-on-one when the time is right."
"Y-You mean FIGHT?"
"Yeah. We're Sekirei after all."
(One Sparring Session Later)
"I'm home!" Homura announced as he walked into the inn and entered the backyard.
"Ah, welcome home, Homura. Where have you been all night?"
*SIGH* Late shift."
"Well, since your back, I'll go make lunch."
"ACK! I'M LATE!" Minako suddenly began rushing for the door.
"Wait! Where are you going?!" asked Miyu.
"Sorry, but I got a part-time job to make money and afford rent!"
"Oh, what KIND of job?" asked Homura.
"*SIGH* Construction worker...I know it seems kinda unlikely, but there ARE female construction workers in Shinto Teito." Just then, she noticed a leaf on Homura's jacket and reached out her hand to—
"HEY!"
*WHACK*
Homura knocked her hand away.
"EEK! S-Sorry! It's just—"
"No, I'M sorry, I don't like being touched," said Homura.
"Sahashi-san, I have something for you..." Miyu presented Mianko with a lunchbox wrapped in a napkin. "Good luck at work."
"Oh, thank you, landlord!" Minato said as she took the lunch and bowed. "Well, I gotta go," she said before bolting out the door.
"See you later, Minako-sama!" said his Sekirei.
End of Volume 1
Cast:
Kuma: Ari Ozawa (English); Wendee Lee (English)
Thank you so much for reading!
And I'm sorry for the rushing again. I just wanted to finish before April (and since I'm currently at a convention for the weekend; and luckily, I completed this chapter the day before).
Oh, and one more thing: The English of Kuma (Kusano's male counterpart) was originally gonna go to Philece Sampler before her sudden death in 2021. (RIP Philece)
Until next time...
Later
