Chapter 195 Morning Practice
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Hiroya’s POV)
(Hmm…? Is it almost time for practice?)
I wake up in the big bedroom. Next to me is… Kazumi.
As I turn over, there’s Rena. Both of them look so cozy while sleeping.
(What about everyone else…?)
I sit up and look around the bed. As expected, it’s a big bed. Everyone is sleeping all over the place.
I get out of bed, feeling that happiness I was holding onto before I fell asleep, once again.
* * *
I head to the bath before practice. Even though I’ll be sweating during practice, I want to wash off last night’s sweat and lingering smell.
”Wait, Asuka!? S-sorry!”
I open the bathroom door and see Asuka washing herself.
”Hiroya, good morning──you can come in. I figured you came to wash off last night’s sweat too, right?”
”‘You too’… Asuka, you too?”
”…Yeah. Thanks to that, Gorge is still sound asleep.”
Asuka chuckles while rinsing off the soap.
”So… did you take care of everyone?”
I sit down next to her, a bit shy, and start lathering the soap when Asuka asks.
”Everyone wanted it. Plus, we just finished a big job exploring a new dungeon as a clan, so I got a bit excited.”
”Was it… good?”
”Yeah. They’re all great girls. I’m really satisfied.”
”No issues for practice, right?”
”Of course not.”
Asuka mutters “I see” and heads towards the bath.
* * *
”Hey, Hiroya.”
After finishing washing my whole body and rinsing off, Asuka calls out from the bath.
”Hmm? What is it, Asuka?”
”…Being with someone you love is really something special. It’s like… your heart gets filled up.”
”I get it. Those girls always fill me up too.”
”Well, I’m sure it’s the same for them.”
I try to keep my distance from Asuka out of consideration, but she gestures for me to come closer and points to the spot next to her.
”Hard to talk about. Don’t worry, I only feel attracted to Gorge.”
”Right?”
Well, we’ve been in the same bath a few times, but… seeing a n*ked woman who’s not a girlfriend is just not something you do. I try to move without looking at Asuka.
”I’m really grateful to Hiroya and the others. It’s thanks to you that I can be here with Gorge…”
Feeling a strong gaze from Asuka, I cautiously look over and see her staring at me seriously.
”I’ve been able to make friends, even someone like me. Right now, I really cherish these guys. Thank you.”
Asuka bows her head as she says this.
I can’t help but chuckle a little, “Hehe.”
”What’s up…? Is something funny?”
”No… I just like the way Asuka is now, much more human than before. Let’s keep getting along.”
”Yeah, same here.”
* * *
”Alright, let’s get ready for my cute disciple.”
Asuka stands up in the bath.
”Yeah.”
”Gièze has some good skills. That girl is going to improve.”
”Yeah, I think so too.”
Asuka and I leave the bath to head for training.
* * *
”Mr. Hiroya, Ms. Asuka, good morning.”
Asuka and I finish warming up with some running and practice swings in the light snow when Gièze appears in the backyard training area. She seems to have warmed up well too, steam rising from her body.
After some practice drills with the 3 of us, I teach Gièze a few new forms in the ‘Obu Muso Style.’
”Gièze’s speed is impressive. You’re going to get stronger.”
”…Keep working hard.”
Gièze nods with slightly teary eyes at our words.
(It’s really changed a lot… I hope she’s starting to trust me a bit…)
I think this as I watch Gièze seriously swinging the Bokken sword against Asuka.
* * *
(Gièze’s POV)
(Guess it’s time to get ready for training…)
I got out of bed quietly, trying not to wake Karina who was sleeping in the next bed.
”Gièze…? Is it time for practice…?”
Looks like I accidentally woke her up.
”Sorry… did I wake you?”
”No, no… it’s fine…”
Karina sat up in bed.
”I’m glad to see that practice is… still going on… ah, I’m relieved.”
”Honestly, I can feel my skills improving.”
”Seems like it… I was surprised in the dungeon. Gièze is really… getting stronger.”
Karina smiled at me.
”So… how about it? Has the misunderstanding about ‘my brother’… been cleared up?”
”After seeing him fight in the dungeon, I’m sure that if I follow him, I’ll definitely get stronger.”
Karina frowned slightly at my answer.
”That’s not what I was asking…”
Karina looked a bit annoyed.
”Um, you… were hugging ‘my brother’, right?”
”!”
It’s true, my emotions exploded when we took down that high goblin together…
”Um, I really don’t want you to… get too close to ‘my brother’!”
Karina puffed her cheeks and glared at me.
”Considering you suddenly became an ‘big sister’, you’ve really become quite the ‘brocon’, Princess Karin…”
”Ugh! I’m not a brocon…! I just don’t want you, as an ‘big sister’, to be too sweet with ‘my brother’!”
”That’s exactly what a brocon is, Your Highness.”
Looks like she has turned into an ‘big sister’ who wants to monopolize ‘her brother’.
”Don’t worry. Back then… I just got carried away with my own progress.”
”Oh, is that so…? Then that’s good. I’ll take another nap, so… please wake me up by breakfast time for ‘my brother’…”
With that, Karina snuggled back under the covers.
”Well, um… I’m glad… it seems like we can get along…”
”Yeah… then I’m off to practice.”
I replied to Karina, who was mumbling under the covers, and headed downstairs to get ready for practice.
* * *
After running lightly around the house in the falling snow, I started my swings.
(Yup. I can feel I’m swinging well.)
That was probably because I could feel my ‘growth’ from this exploration.
(More accurately. Faster.)
Focusing on that, I kept swinging anyway.
Eventually, I heard the sound of swings coming from the backyard of the neighboring mansion.
(Lord Hiroya and Ms. Asuka!)
I wanted to go over right away, but I continued my swings until they finished.
After repeating my swings about 13 hundred times, it got a bit quieter, so I figured they were done.
(They’re done! Hurry… I want to be by his side!)
I suppressed the sudden surge of feelings.
(No, no…! ‘I want to get some practice from them quickly!’)
After shaking my head, I dashed over to Mr. Hiroya and Ms. Asuka.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply