Volume 7 Chapter 11 Kazuramichi Naoshi’s Woman Troubles (As Usual) ④
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Barrier Manifestation: “Whose Sake is the Hundred-Generation Faith?”
”Well then,” the cold wind blew through.
In an instant, the scenery changed completely. Naoshi found himself standing atop the frozen surface of a lake. His family was gone. The only ones left in this world were Naoshi, his opponent Suwa Ryuju, and Mibu Itsuki standing a short distance away.
”You’re not surprised, Kazuramichi,” Ryuju said in a calm voice.
”Nah, I’m surprised. Totally surprised. Didn’t see this coming at all,” Naoshi replied with a casual shrug.1
Naoshi immediately denied her assessment. And he genuinely meant it. White stretched out in every direction. Snow and ice covered the landscape. The clear sky reminded him of a season that had already passed, while the mountain range in the distance looked dark and vague, almost unreal.
(What ridiculous scale…)
He already knew she could do something like this. Even so, actually seeing it left him shaken. A barrier is a reflection of the practitioner’s true psyche. Yet this barrier had completely overwritten the backyard of the Kazuramichi estate and recreated Lake Suwa itself. It was far too large for a single individual to contain. And beyond that, the cracks in the ice known as Omiwatari—the God’s Crossing—had grown rarer over the years and had disappeared altogether after the start of the Reiwa era. It shouldn’t have been a familiar sight even for Ryuju.
Most of all, there was the presence beneath the ice.
Something enormous was moving there.
A long black shadow slid silently beneath their feet.
”A dragon,” Itsuki murmured with quiet amazement.
It wasn’t a shadow. It wasn’t an illusion. The master of the lake itself was directly below them, possessing a tangible form.
”Do you understand?” Ryuju asked quietly. “This is Suwa. I am… Suwa.”
This time, Naoshi couldn’t dismiss her words as arrogance.
Her homeland. The prayers and fears accumulated there. The bloodline that had gathered together that faith generation after generation.
Those things had opened the door to this moment.
And in the current generation, Ryuju was probably the only one qualified to do it.
”Nah, I’m impressed. Seriously impressive,” Naoshi said lightly.
”Hmph.” Ryuju snorted. “Why aren’t you opposing it with your own barrier? You can use one too, can’t you?”
Naoshi shrugged at the question.
”What’s that supposed to mean? Who told you that? Where’d you hear it?”
”You share a bed with Touma. You expect me to believe you can’t use one? Or was it simply beyond your ability?”
”Aw, sounds like somebody got bad information, Sis. I lost that one, remember? Let’s keep that little detail between us, yeah?”
Once again, he played dumb.
In reality, there was a reason he hadn’t challenged her barrier with his own.
First, he wanted to avoid the stupidity of getting pushed back one-sidedly and wasting his strength. Looking at Ryuju’s spiritual power and the sheer scale of her manifested barrier, that judgment seemed correct. The pressure filling this place exceeded both his own and Yukinojo’s. The chances of resisting it successfully had been low.
There was also another reason.
Preparation.
Suwa Ryuju was unquestionably powerful. But she was also more dangerous than anyone Naoshi knew. Her base of operations was in Nagano. If she ever lost control, it would be fine as long as she could be contained within the Chubu District. But if that proved impossible, either Naoshi or Yukinojo would probably have to act.
Keeping his hand hidden would surely be useful if that day ever came.
”Hmph. Slippery bastard.”
Ryuju sounded annoyed.
And it would help him deal with this troublesome woman in the future as well. Even someone as arrogant and prideful as Ryuju would surely suffer a blow if she lost after going so far as to manifest her barrier.
”So what? You didn’t bring me here just to show me Lake Suwa, right?” Naoshi asked with a grin. “Or are we settling this with a skating competition?”
”——!”
Her answer came in the form of a thrust.
She stepped forward with such speed that it hardly seemed possible on ice.
”Tch!”
”Hah!”
The flow of battle had become clear.
Naoshi remained entirely on defense, barely moving from where he stood. Ryuju was the one attacking. At a glance, it looked as though the frozen battlefield was robbing Naoshi of his legs, the very foundation of his “swift as the wind and fierce as lightning” style.
To Itsuki, who was watching from the side, it looked like nothing more than preparation.
Was Ryuju aware of that?
Even so…
(She really does have good eyes.)
Watching the fight, Itsuki came to a realization.
Suwa Ryuju possessed countless advantages.
She was even taller than Itsuki, who stood at 177 centimeters. She had long limbs. She possessed enough spiritual power to manifest a barrier of this magnitude. It truly was a talent granted by heaven.
She was also accustomed to fighting people. There was no way she had spent all her time merely sumo wrestling.
But what stood out most was how quickly she reacted and learned.
And that was probably supported by those eyes.
(I wonder if I could cut her.)
Itsuki ran through possibilities in her head.
Analyzing.
Examining.
Searching for an opening.
(I want to cut her.)
The thought only grew stronger.
Itsuki had fallen in love when she was fifteen. Since then, she had devoted herself to a single man.
The only genuine life-or-death battle of her life had been against Kazuramichi Naoshi.
And the outcome between them had already been decided.
If that was the case, then she had no choice but to find someone else to cut.
And if defeating that person would benefit both herself and the man she loved, then there was nothing more she could ask for.
Even so—
(You don’t need to glare at me so much. I’m not stealing him.)
That man would occasionally direct a burst of killing intent toward Itsuki as though warning her not to interfere.
Perhaps it had become a habit after she had once been struck down for interfering in his battle with Ashina Itoko.
As that demonstrated, Naoshi’s strength came from accumulation.
Sen-tan-ban-ren.
A thousand days to forge. Ten thousand days to refine.
By that standard, he was still only walking the path. Naoshi himself would probably agree with that assessment.
But regardless of whether the journey was complete, the movements carved into him through endless repetition contained neither hesitation nor waste. He no longer needed to think at the beginning of an action.
He simply did what had to be done.
And left undone what should not be done.
Naoshi had applied that principle to the battles he had devoted most of his life to.
It wasn’t something shallow that could be copied merely through observation and understanding.
(It must be nice.)
Itsuki felt a small stab of envy toward Ryuju, who was experiencing those results firsthand.
She didn’t regret challenging him beneath Umeda.
Even so, those eight years had felt unbearably long.
She couldn’t have waited any longer than that.
And Naoshi had continued moving forward ever since.
He was much stronger now than he had been back then.
Far stronger.
(If I had been a man…)
The thought crossed her mind.
If she had been born male, perhaps she could have stood beside him more closely like Kanbe Yuzura. Perhaps they could have crossed swords together and grown stronger together.
Perhaps she could have helped carry even a small portion of the burden he bore.
But if that had happened, there were things she would have lost.
Things she valued far more now.
To be a woman.
To be his woman.
The joy of dedicating both body and soul to the person who had defeated her. The pleasure of having every part of herself accepted.
Those things were immense.
More than anything, there was the sensation of being pinned beneath him and taught her place.
The sweetness of defeat.
Begging for mercy again and again.
No matter what—
A true life-or-death battle only comes once.
To survive it and seek another chance to challenge him…
Wasn’t that greed?
It really was fortunate that I am a woman.
On a day like this—
He would surely take out his irritation on her later.
Mibu Itsuki never doubted her man’s victory.
Not even for a moment.
—
Summary:
Naoshi and Ryuju engage in a high-stakes duel upon a frozen lake barrier manifesting the essence of Lake Suwa. Naoshi tactically hides the extent of his own capabilities while analyzing Ryuju’s vast spiritual power and the presence of a dragon beneath the ice. Itsuki watches the combat from the sidelines, struggling with her own complex feelings of envy, devotion, and masochistic desire for her partner.
—
Trivia:
The Omiwatari phenomenon has been nonexistent in the Reiwa era.
Ryuju has an exceptionally tall physique at over 177cm.
Naoshi’s “swift as the wind and fierce as lightning” style is hindered by the ice.
Itsuki believes real life-or-death battles should only occur once in a lifetime.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Itsuki – A 177cm-tall swordswoman from the Mibu family with an asymmetrical bob and gray-and-blue eyes, she left her “handsome boy” past to live at the Kazuramichi household. Now Naoshi’s loyal mistress, medical support, and companion, she uses silver-bladed weaponry to protect him. Keenly observant, she is deeply, possessively devoted to Naoshi, though frequently exasperated by his reckless behavior.
• Naoshi – Kazuramichi, the acting head and exorcist of his family, is a pragmatic, blunt young strategist facing overwhelming supernatural threats. Currently on a frozen lake barrier in high-stakes combat, he uses lightning-based Reiryoku and maintains a deflective, comedic demeanor with a faux-Kansai accent. He navigates complex political ties with women and Ako’s possessive affection as her step-brother.
• Ryuju – The eldest daughter of the prestigious Suwa family and a First-Class Exorcist, Suwa is a tall, beautiful woman with long black hair, golden eyes, and a powerful physique. Linked to water deities, she acts as a dragon god and primary antagonist for Naoshi. This living legend possesses monster-like strength, lethal hand-to-hand combat skills, and spiritual power that manifests a Lake Suwa barrier.
• Mibu – The Mibu family name, carried by Itsuki. The lineage is based in Otsu City, Shiga, and is a prominent house of exorcists.
• Suwa – A militant clan of Nagano exorcists descended from the Dragon God welcomes their eldest daughter to the training hall. Possessing golden eyes and black hair that shifts to red when using higher spirit energy, she wields wind-based abilities originating from her four limbs.
• Kazuramichi – Naoshi Kazuramichi is a resilient exorcist from the prestigious Kansai Eight Families lineage, which he shares with Ako. A practitioner of the Seto-Jinmei martial arts style, this sardonically witty man utilizes powerful lightning-based techniques like Raikiri to maintain his family’s significant position within the hierarchy.
• Touma – The head of the Touma family and a third-generation member considered by Naoshi to be one of Japan’s strongest exorcists. Previously fought by Naoshi, who utilized the Heaven-and-Earth stance against him. At 21, this handsome young man with snow woman blood is known as the “Ice Blade,” mastering fire and swordsmanship. He also possesses the “Divine Eye.”
• Yukinojo – Touma, head of his family and a third-generation member, is a 21-year-old handsome exorcist with snow woman blood. Considered by Naoshi to be one of Japan’s strongest, the “Ice Blade” masters fire, swordsmanship, and possesses the “Divine Eye.”
• Kanbe Yuzura – The beautiful man. Kazuramichi Naoshi’s childhood friend, and one of the few who knows the true nature of the Kazuramichi family. The nephew of Kanbe Taro, the head of the Kanbe family.
• Yuzura – The beautiful man. Kazuramichi Naoshi’s childhood friend, and one of the few who knows the true nature of the Kazuramichi family. The nephew of Kanbe Taro, the head of the Kanbe family.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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