Touya wandered the halls of the Academy with his mind drifting.
His thoughts kept returning to a girl he had met in another life, through his computer screen, a character from an apocalyptic anime series he had liked. Did she still exist in this world, despite the changes he had caused in the timeline?
His curiosity drove him forward, guiding his steps as if by instinct to a room that was a full-fledged dojo.
Wood-paneled walls surrounded a space where students practiced. Ignoring the others, Touya's eyes wandered to the center of the room, where a young woman practiced with wooden swords.
Her long, straight purple hair fell to her thighs as she moved gracefully, effortlessly. She was facing a male opponent, spinning and striking with the fluidity of a dancer.
Saeko Busujima... There was no room for doubt in Touya's mind.
Lips curved into a smile, Touya ignored the students' protests over the disallowed entrance of a stranger into their practice. He stepped back and leaned against the wall, not hiding his excitement while watching the combat before him.
His thoughts churned with memories of that anime character and curiosity about the depth of her story, which has never been fully told due to the series not being finished.
Touya liked women with a similar character to Saeko, so if an opportune time came, he hoped to strike up a conversation with her. And since she was a swordswoman, he hoped to fight with her and get to know her even more.
Saeko wiped the sweat from her brow as she finished the practice and turned to the stranger who had been watching her. Despite the intrusion, she approached Touya with her usual aloof composure.
"If you've come to practice, you should find yourself a partner and clear some space." She told him firmly. "Otherwise, the dojo is for club members only."
Her tone was not harsh but implied that she would not tolerate nonsense.
She expected protests, excuses, and bluster to disguise the usual stares attracted by her unusual hair and attractive body. Instead, deep blue eyes met hers unflinchingly.
The young man was not looking at her with lewdness or desire but instead studying her with interest —about her person— that disguised the sharpness of his gaze. Before she could ask him what he did for a living, he spoke.
"I apologize for the intrusion. I was simply passing by and couldn't help but stop to observe a master as practiced."
The compliment rang true, without mockery or innuendo. Saeko eyed him warily, not knowing what to reply.
He kept his hands in his pockets, and his posture relaxed. However, Saeko sensed a great intensity beneath that calmness. Who was this boy to arouse both her distrust and interest?
"I see." She replied in a few words. "Since you've observed enough for today, I suggest you leave. If you want to join this club, talk to me later."
"Of course." He curtsied with a faint smile without complaint.
But as he turned to leave, he looked back. "I don't suppose you'll feel like working out sometime? If you prefer challenge to practice, I understand. After seeing your skills, I'd be honored to take on someone like you."
The invitation made Saeko ponder when had she last faced a real challenge, not just instructing her clubmates.
"If you prove to be a competent opponent, I might take you up on your offer."
'Let's let him prove his skills before we commit to anything.'
The boy's smile implied that her condition was expected.
"Very well. I patiently await our next conversation."
He turned and walked away under the curious gaze of the students. Saeko stared at the man's back. There was something about him that she could not explain in words alone.
Was he a young man skilled in some style of martial arts? She did not doubt that their paths would cross again, and she felt a flash of anticipation that she thought had long been extinguished.
'Ah, I didn't ask his name...'
Late in the afternoon, Touya and Saya had returned from the Academy. As usual, he was teasing his cute little sister while she was scolding him. After being lectured a couple of times, Touya went to find his mother so they could start training.
The intense light of dusk faded behind the training field as Touya faced his mother, Yuriko.
In her gaze was a cold, appraising sharpness: she would show no mercy, not even to her own son. When she unsheathed her daggers, Touya braced himself for the coming combat.
"Approach me with the intent to kill." Yuriko said, her voice as sharp as her daggers. "Hesitation means death in a real fight."
Touya nodded and burst into motion. His daggers met Yuriko's in a blizzard of blows and parries so fast that the individual blows were confused. Although Touya had strength on his side —he only used half of it in fear of hurting his mother.
However, in return for terrifying strength, his mother's technique was mercilessly flawless. She writhed under his blows as if her daggers were moving in slow motion, riposting, somehow turning her most extraordinary power against him.
Before Touya realized he had left an opening, one of Yuriko's daggers was at his throat. He froze, staring at her, and read in her both stern judgment for his mistakes and pride in her son's determination.
"You must be quicker." She said as the dagger disappeared back into her grip. "Think less, feel more. Let your instincts and your training guide your dagger."
Touya trained until his limbs burned with exhaustion and the sun had set entirely.
Yuriko was a relentless teacher. Under her sharp gaze, he honed body and mind into weapons as deadly as the daggers they wielded. By the end of that grueling training, he had come closer than ever to matching his mother's incomparable skill.
As Touya gasped with exhaustion, Yuriko held out one of the two bottles of cold water she had brought.
"Touya." She said with a rueful smile. "At this rate, you'll surpass your elderly mother in a few hours. I'm afraid these aging bones can barely keep up with you."
Her words elicited a mixture of emotions in Touya: pride in his progress and dismay at surpassing Yuriko's skill when she taught him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she dismissed his concern with a shrug.
"A pupil must surpass his teacher, even if it was only for a day. All I ask is that you use your skills to protect what matters."
As Yuriko drank deeply from her water bottle, Touya's gaze strayed to her sweat-soaked body, with her voluptuous curves: the roundness of her ass in tight pants and the purple bra visible under her damp tank top. His breath caught at the allure of her figure, so often masked by her rigor as a mother.
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