[A/N: There is a part missing in this chapter that i plan to add but everything else is finish enjoy]
After going from store to store and asking around, Rikuo and Kurotabo were unable to find any information on the ring but had more description on the youkai who stole it.
Now outside of Hanabi street, sitting on the edge of a four-story building with two bento beside him, Rikuo looked down at the bustling city below as people walked by.
*Sigh*
"That little thief. If I catch him, I swear I'll give him a beating."
"Yeah, but that's if we can find him, and that's if we even have the time."
Kurotabo walked up from behind Rikuo and sat beside him on the edge of the building
"I've taught you how to conceal the miasma on your body that links you to the scroll, but if a experienced youkai who knows of it examine you they will know you're connected to it."
"I need to teach you how to break that bond before we start running around the city looking for the youkai that stole the ring."
*Tch.*
Irritated Rikuo clicked his tongue before a wave of his usually calmness washed over him.
'Why am I so emotional its not like there is ain't a spell that can help find the ring, is it because I'm in my youkai state but'
Slapping his face with both palms Rikuo calmed down and began thinking logically
'I have to think logically. It's just a ring. Even though Gramps treasured it, that doesn't mean I did, and searching for it could put me in danger if those looking for the scroll find me.'
Turning his head toward the sky, Rikuo could clearly see the stars surrounding the half moon. Taking a sip of the juice he had bought earlier, his grip around his shirasaya tightened.
'Even so, it still pisses me off that some bastard stole it. I don't care whether my decision is emotionally driven. I want it back.'
Finishing the juice, Rikuo crushed the empty container in his hand ready to toss it off the building before stopping and placing it beside him.
"Kurotabo, thanks you for the shirasaya, I did ain't get to say it early since i was so focused"
"No problem kid. As for the ring I'll try looking for that youkai during the day. We know how he looks now, so it'll be much easier than blindly searching around."
"Thanks."
Taking one more piece of the meat from his bento Rikuo closed it and pick up the other.
"Well then, let's head home and get back to practicing yoki control. We only have a couple more hours before morning, and the food I bought for Kenjiro is getting cold."
Putting the bento bag in their, Rikuo stood up and stretched preparing to head back.
*****************************************
[]
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Jumping over the wall with ease, Rikuo and Kurotabo finally returned home.
"Yo, Kenjiro! We're back, and we got some food for you!"
Entering the house, Rikuo shouted out, but the only response he received was silence. Looking around the house in the usual spots where Kenjiro liked to lie down, Rikuo couldn't find him anywhere.
'I guess he hasn't gotten back yet.'
Thinking that Rikuo placed both of their food into the fridge, before headed toward the open door leading to the yard where Kurotabo was sitting on the veranda, drinking yet again another beer.
"Do youkai not get drunk? That's already your fifth beer."
*Burp*
"We do, it's just that human alcohol doesn't really affect us all that much. Now forget about my alcohol tolerance and come here. I'm going to teach you the third stage of yoki control: reinforcment."
Hearing that Rikuo was a bit hesitate as he though of the incident last night.
"Aren't we going a bit too fast? Just the other day I tried it, and I was left in pain for hours."
"You are part youkai, so you heal quicker. Besides, if the youkai that attacked us are actually searching around the city and find out that you have a connection to the scroll..."
"Without any way to defend yourself and me not being there, your would surely die. Isn't that also the reason why you wanted that?"
Kurotabo pointed toward the shirasaya still hanging off his side while continuing to drink. Taking it from his side Rikuo held it in both hands as he looked over it again before looking up
"Yeah you're right, so could you teach me swordsmanship or a sword style that can help with that?"
"Sorry to say, but my fighting style mainly focuses on the staff and throwing weapons."
Hearing that Rikuo felt a bit dejected knowing that any cool sword moves were out of his reach.
"But we can still practices with it at the very least, while we move on to the next lesson."
Getting up from the veranda, Kurotabo walked toward the center of the yard.
"So come over here and we will start."
Hearing that Rikuo became less dejected and walked over toward Kurotabo at the center of the yard.
Taking one last sip of his beer, Kurotabo placed the can at his feet as Rikuo stood in front of him with the shirasaya still sheathed.
"Now, take up a basic stance and try to feel the yoki inside of you."
Lifting the sheathed shirasaya forward, Rikuo spread his legs and grounded himself in a basic kendo stance before closing his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Rikuo focused inward and sensed the yoki naturally flowing alongside his blood. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and nodded toward Kurotabo.
Seeing that Rikuo was ready, Kurotabo continued the lesson.
"Good. Now, the reason reinforcing your body didn't work last time is simple. It wasn't just because you put too much yoki into a body that wasn't prepared for it, but also because of the way you did it."
"Reinforcement requires you to work from inwards to outward, strengthening what's inmost first before moving toward the surface."
"What you did was the opposite. You reinforced your muscles first, causing your bones and organs to be placed under the pressure of those strengthened muscles."
"That's why we start with the bones, then move to the organs, and finally the muscles. Try it. Start with your bones."
Following his instructions, Rikuo began channellllling his yoki through the bones in his body, starting from his spine. From there, the it spread throughout his skeletal structure until every bone was infused with yoki.
Completing the task, Rikuo once again nodded toward Kurotabo.
"Good. Now your organs."
Infusing his organs with yoki was much easier than reinforcing his skeleton. Since his yoki naturally traveled alongside his blood flow, all Rikuo had to do was carefully spread it beyond his veins and into the organs that they passed.
Starting with his heart, Rikuo followed the flow of his blood through his body and moved toward his lungs. However, the moment his focus reached his liver, he faltered.
His concentration broke, disrupting the flow of yoki and causing it to retract from his the organs he had reinforced and bones before returning to his veins.
*Gasp*
Gasping for air, Rikuo realized that he had unconsciously stopped breathing while focusing entirely on the inside of his body.
"That was good for a first timer. Now get back up and try again. This time, remember to breathe."
"Yes."
Taking a deep breath, Rikuo got back onto his feet, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and tried again.
Yoki once again flowed through his body, reinforcing his bones one by one. However, just as he began moving toward his organs, his concentration broke again.
'This is going to take a while.'
"One more time."
He faltered at his heart.
"Again."
This time, his concentration broke at his stomach.
"Again."
He failed.
"Again."
Failed.
"Aga—"
"Ag—"
"A—"
.....
*********************
Four hours had already passed, and the once bright moon had now moved toward the other side of the sky. Lying on the ground breathing roughly, Rikuo looked up in exhaustion.
Over those four hours, Rikuo had only managed to fully reinforce his body twice. Both times, it was because he had rushed his yoki through his body after reinforcing his bones, successfully strengthening himself, albeit in a crude way.
However, he still couldn't maintain the reinforcement, as only five seconds later, his yoki would retreat back into his blood stream.
'I shouldn't overestimate myself. Even though this world is based on Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, this isn't an anime. It's the real world, and if I want something, I'll have to work hard for it just like anyone else.'
'But damn this is exhausting'
*Sigh*
Sitting up, Rikuo looked around and found Kurotabo sitting on the grass as well. However, instead of drinking one of his usual beers, he was eating some of the food he had bought earlier.
"So, Kurotabo, when are you going to teach me how to wield this?"
Picking up the shirasaya beside him, Rikuo waved it in Kurotabo's direction.
"Hmm."
Putting down his bento box, Kurotabo looked over at him.
"I thought with your skills, you already knew how to wield a blade? I didn't get to see the full fight between you and that insect youkai, but I did see how you used those blades to your advantage and nearly won."
Memories of that night flashed through Rikuo's mind. He remembered relying on feints, targeting his opponent's weaknesses, and using whatever was available to his advantage—even dirt.
"No, I actually don't really know how to fight with one. I did become interested in kendo once, but I dropped it after a month."
"And the way I fought that youkai was mostly strategy, survival instincts, and dirty tricks. Nothing else."
"Hahaha! Is that so? Then your fighting style is already that of a youkai if you were willing to use dirty tricks just to win."
Getting up from the ground, Kurotabo stretched before placing his bento box on the veranda.
"But like I said, I don't know any sword styles. All I can do is practice with you so you at least know how to properly use a blade. If you want to learn an actual sword style, you're going to have to find another youkai."
Taking a practice Bo staff from his sleeves, Kurotabo swung it around himself, causing the air to stir. He then struck the ground, and the visible currents of wind around him spread throughout the yard causing Rikuo hair to flutter.
'Cool.'
"That's fine. I have to start somewhere."
Following Kurotabo, Rikuo got up and unsheathed the shirasaya before taking a stance in front of him.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking up a stance. Shouldn't I?"
"No, not that. Why did you unsheathe the blade? You're a beginner, and you already want to start with the real thing? Sheathe it and take this."
Kurotabo reached into his sleeves and pulled out a wooden practice sword before throwing it toward Rikuo. Catching it, Rikuo sheathed his shirasaya back and scratched his head as a small chuckle escaped his lips.
"Sorry, I got a bit excited about practicing with a blade."
Placing his shirasaya to the side, Rikuo swung the wooden sword a few times to test its weight before taking back up his stance.
"So, how are we going to do this?"
Tapping his staff against the ground, Kurotabo dragged it around himself creating an indented circle in the grass .
"How we're going to practice is simple. It's like kendo. Every time you land a hit on me, you gain one point, and if you're able to push me out of this ring, that's ten points."
"Your goal is to get as many points as possible by any means during the time we have left."
"So there are no rules on what I can do as long as I hit you or push you out of the ring then?"
"Right and I wont be using yoki making it fairer since I'm far more experienced than you."
Hearing that Rikuo was a bit relief if Kurotabo had use yoki then no doubt he would ain't land a single hit. Swinging the wooden blade in his hand, Rikuo looked up at Kurotabo.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
Taking a deep breath, Rikuo didn't immediately rush toward Kurotabo. Instead, he slowly began walking around him.
Even without being told, Rikuo instinctively knew that Kurotabo was strong. The aura surrounding him alone had made that obvious, and Rikuo understood that any simple attack he sent toward him would be easily blocked.
If he wanted to land a hit, he would have to get creative.
As Rikuo finalized his strategy, the speed at which he circled Kurotabo steadily increased. What began as a slow walk became a jog before eventually turning into an outright sprint.
As he ran around Kurotabo, Rikuo felt that addictive rush return once again, and a smile appeared on his face. His speed continued increasing until he was able to circle around Kurotabo twice within a second.
Using that speed, Rikuo suddenly sent out a swift attack toward Kurotabo's back.
Sensing something coming his way, Kurotabo quickly swung his staff behind himself while turning around at nearly the same speed as Rikuo.
However, what his staff met wasn't a wooden blade but a half-empty can of beer.
As his staff struck the beer, liquor exploded outward and scattered across his vision.
Seeing his plan work, Rikuo was already behind the turning Kurotabo and sent his actual attack toward his legs.
'That's one point.'
*THANG*
However, Rikuo's wooden blade didn't meet flesh but instead struck wood.
The impact of their collision rang throughout the yard as Kurotabo jumped into the air, twisting his body upright while using his staff to support himself, dodging Rikuo's attack.
"That was clever. Too bad you're just not fast enough to land the hit."
Still in the air, Kurotabo pushed his staff off the ground and spun it before swinging its blunt end directly toward Rikuo's chest.
Not being fast enough to dodge, Rikuo was sent flying several meters away while Kurotabo adjusted himself in the air and landed safely on the wet grass.
However unlike Kurotabo, Rikuo didn't know how to adjust his body while airborne and landed headfirst on the ground.
"Ahh!"
Getting back up stars spun in his vision, and his ears rang as Rikuo shook his head, trying to get rid of the dizziness. Slowly, he pushed himself up from his awkward position on the ground.
"I thought you said you were going to go easy on me! What was that?!"
"Hmm? That was me going easy on you. If I had actually used my full strength, you would've landed in someone else's yard by now."
Rubbing his stinging chest, Rikuo looked up at Kurotabo with a bit of shock he knew Kurotabo was strong but still how was this supposed to be any different from beating up a defenseless child?
How was Rikuo supposed to get a point if Kurotabo was also physically faster and stronger than him and he was not restraining it?
Picking up the wooden blade he had dropped while airborne, Rikuo began walking toward Kurotabo while rubbing the back of his head.
'Even without reinforcing himself with yoki, Kurotabo still outspeeds me by a significant margin. Any attack I send his way, he'll either block or dodge with his speed, so landing a hit is almost impossible for me.'
Stopping a meter away from Kurotabo, Rikuo crossed his arms as he continued thinking.
Rikuo knew that if he could reinforce his body, he might have a chance of matching Kurotabo's speed. This was probably another reason for the practice: to push him into maintaining his reinforcement.
However, that option was currently unreliable.
Carefully reinforcing his entire body took time and, based on his current record, a considerable amount of luck. Even if he managed to reinforce himself, Kurotabo would notice and immediately prepare for any sudden attack.
That left him with only one realistic option.
'If I want points, I need to get him out of the circle.'
Looking down at the ground where Kurotabo stood, Rikuo noticed that the grass beneath him was slightly wet and looking at his own arms Rikuo came up with a idea . Uncrossing his arms, Rikuo took up his stance once again.
"Are you ready now?"
"Yeah."
Not wasting any more time, Rikuo stepped forward and closed the distance between them, stopping only when he reached close to the edge of the circle.
Kurotabo watched him with curiosity, wondering what he would try next. If it was anything like his first move, it would surely be interesting.
However unlike his previous attack, this one was much more straightforward. Rikuo raised the wooden blade above his head and began to focuse as yoki began his reinforcement.
That hit and knock some sense into Rikuo sure reinforcing his entire body and maintaining it was currently too difficult. So why not simply just reinforce only the parts of his body he needed?
Focusing his yoki, Rikuo strengthened the bones in his arms and hands before moving on to every muscle fiber surrounding them.
The moment he felt the increased weight and power in his shoulders, Rikuo knew he had succeeded.
He didn't know how long he could maintain it, but that didn't matter.
All he needed was one swing.
Seeing that Rikuo had only reinforced his arms, Kurotabo wasn't surprised. With Rikuo's intelligence, he had expected him to figure out that shortcut sooner rather than later.
But what concerned him was the amount of 'strength' behind the attack Rikuo was about to make.
Now fully prepare for his next move Rikuo, using all the force in his reinforced arms swung downward toward Kurotabo.
The wooden blade disappeared from its original position in a fraction of a second, followed by a powerful gust of wind.
However, before it could reach its maximum momentum and it's target, Kurotabo's staff intercepted it.
*TTHHAANNGG*
Wood met wood, and the collision reverberated throughout the yard.
Rikuo's hands stung from the impact, and his shoulders immediately felt strained, but Kurotabo didn't give him time to adjust to the pain.
Using the remaining force behind his staff, Kurotabo pushed Rikuo away.
"It's good that you figured out you can just reinforce one part of your body, but you have to be careful. Your body is a temple."
Landing on one knee, Rikuo dug his feet into the grass to stop himself from sliding across the yard as the pain in his shoulders became more apparent.
"If too much force is placed onto it, that strain won't just focus on the strongest pillar supporting the temple. It will be redistributed throughout the entire structure."
Getting back onto his feet, Rikuo looked at his arms and strained shoulders as his grip around the wooden blade slowly loosened.
"So too much strength in my arms can strain my shoulders and other parts of my body?"
"Yes. If I hadn't blocked you halfway through that swing, you would've pulled a muscle. You need to make sure not to overdo it, otherwise you could seriously tear your limb off."
"Noted."
Tightening his grip before the wooden blade could slip from his hand, Rikuo began approaching Kurotabo again.
As he looked down at the ground, he noticed slight indentations in the grass where Kurotabo had been standing.
'It worked. I just need to deliver a well-prepared attack without letting him fully block it.'
Once again, Rikuo stood directly in front of Kurotabo.
His plan had worked, even if only slightly. It proved that he could push Kurotabo backward and if it had worked once, it could work again.
However, Rikuo knew that if his intentions became too obvious, Kurotabo would simply move back toward the center of the circle.
He needed to distract him.
Raising the wooden blade above his head once again Rikuo began reinforcing his arm this time a bit more carfully and less yoki
*********************************
Clashing their practice weapons with each other Rikuo had not once had the upper hand in this practice only being push back or hit. This had gone on for 10 minutes, and Kurotabo had barely moved, as if his feet were firmly planted in the ground.
Rikuo, exhausted by all his attempts, realized he was going nowhere. The grass was no longer slippery enough, and Kurotabo's deflections were perfect. Even though he had learned how to reinforce a single part of his body, that too was still not enough.
Rikuo needed something more, or else he would get nowhere tonight. He looked at the grass, which was no longer wet, as he pondered his next move.
Suddenly, Rikuo remembered what Kurotabo had said earlier at the beginning of their practice: 'You can use whatever means necessary to gain points.'
'Well, if he said I could do anything, it would be wrong of me not to try everything that comes to mind.'
Getting back up from the ground, Rikuo dusted off his clothes and walked inside the house.
"Where are you going? Are you giving up?"
"No, just give me a second."
Waving his hand, Rikuo went further inside as Kurotabo raised an eyebrow at him. Whatever Rikuo was doing it did not take long as a few minutes later, he came back outside, this time with a bucket and a large basin both filled with water in his hands.
Now more curious than before, Kurotabo watched as Rikuo placed one of the buckets down.
"What are the buckets for?"
"You will soon see."
'My master plan is in progress."
Taking up the wooden blade, Rikuo once again carefully reinforced his arms. In one hand was a basin of water, while in the other was a wooden blade chipped from all the collisions it had gone through since the practice started.
Finally, once again feeling his arms were fully reinforced, Rikuo took a deep breath and kicked the bucket at his feet towards Kurotabo, wetting his sandals and the ground he stood on as Rikuo rushed forward.
'What is this kid thinking, does he think simply wetting the ground will make it easier to push me out the ring.'
'I well let you know i have been on battlefield soaked in blood a little water ain't gonna disrupt my stance'
Taking that chance of Kurotabo's confusion, Rikuo rushed forward throwing the water in the basin at Kurotabo, blocking his vision as the distance between them shrunk.
Spinning his staff at high speed, Kurotabo quickly deflected the water, causing it to scatter into a mist. But following behind that water, however, was a blade thrusting towards Kurotabo's hand holding his staff.
Seeing the attack before it landed, Kurotabo using the open palm of his free hand batted it to the side as Rikuo's figure became clearer.
Retracting the blade before it went any further, Rikuo spun around, using the force of the deflection to send another attack towards Kurotabo's side.
With only one hand holding his staff, Kurotabo blocked Rikuo's attack, but unlike his previous stature—that of an unmoving mountain—Kurotabo began to be pushed back.
'Huh'
Perplexed, Kurotabo looked down at his feet, where he saw bubbles appearing around his sandals as he was slowly being pushed out of the circle.
The bucket Rikuo had first kicked towards Kurotabo did aint just contain regular water but soapy waterand for backup baby oil as well, making the ground Kurotabo stood on barely have any friction.
Already reaching the edge of the ring, Kurotabo knew that if he let Rikuo continue, he would surely be push out. But how could he simply let that happen? If Rikuo wanted to push him out, he needed to try harder!
Twisting his staff and shifting his feet, Kurotabo redirected his slide to curve around the edge, making Rikuo step into the ring.
"What now, kid? Don't tell me that was your plan."
Hearing that, Rikuo only smirked as his eyes caught a falling object nearing Kurotabo's head, and in the next moment, Kurotabo's vision went dark.
*Dunk*
The basin Rikuo had thrown behind the water he had tossed had finally hit its mark.
Rikuo's plan was simple. He knew that although Kurotabo was restricted to staying within the circle, his true range extended as far as the length of his staff. Any attempt to push him out from outside the circle would be met with an attack, meaning Rikuo would have to enter the ring himself if he wanted to close the distance and force Kurotabo out.
However, entering the circle alone would not be enough. As long as Kurotabo had firm footing, Rikuo would never be able to overpower him and push him out. And with Kurotabo's experience, any straightforward attack Rikuo prepared would be easily seen and blocked.
So, Rikuo needed to take away those advantages.
First was Kurotabo's footing. By kicking a bucket filled with soapy water and baby oil towards his feet, Rikuo made the ground slippery enough that Kurotabo could no longer firmly plant himself in place.
Next was his vision. Rikuo threw the water from the second basin directly at him, forcing Kurotabo to deal with it while concealing Rikuo's next attack behind the scattered water.
Finally came the basin itself. While Kurotabo's attention was focused on defending against his attack, he would not notice the basin in the air above him. It did not matter where Kurotabo moved within the circle; the basin was half it size and Kurotabo being the tallest one here would be the first one to be hit and vision be blocked.
Now, with unstable footing, limited vision, and Rikuo within the ring with the slippery grass beneath their feet, Kurotabo could no longer simply plant himself in place or maintain his distance.
No matter what Kurotabo did, he would inevitable be pushed out—either by Rikuo's next move or by the force of his own attempt to move.
'This was my perfect victory, I win!'
Making use of this opportunity, Rikuo, with his bare feet gripping the ground, swung his blade at Kurotabo, who once again, with his keen senses, blocked an attack he could not see. But unlike Rikuo's previous moves, this swing felt soft. After being blocked by Kurotabo's staff, the wooden blade twisted around it before being caught by Rikuo.
It was a feint meant to make Kurotabo leave his other side open, and now that he had the chance, Rikuo gripped the wooden blade with both hands and swung with all his force.
*BAM*
Rikuo's blade had finally hit Kurotabo, but not only that, Kurotabo was now outside the ring, still sliding across the yard's grass covered in soap and baby oil. With a grin on his face and laughter escaping his lips, Rikuo proclaimed his victory.
"And that's 11 points. Hahaha!"
Taking the basin off his head, Kurotabo looked to his side where he had been hit before looking back up at the boasting Rikuo, who was grinning down at him.
Feeling the sting at his side and seeing how far he had slid from his original position, a smirk formed on Kurotabo's face as he got up from the ground.
"Hahaha. That was pretty good. I didn't expect you to block my vision with the basin. But tell me, how did you know it would cover my face?"
Walking over to Rikuo, Kurotabo placed the basin at his feet as Rikuo stopped laughing.
"I didn't. I just hoped that it would, and even if it didn't cover your vision, you would have still been distracted by whatever hit you. So either way, I would have benefited."
Hearing that, Kurotabo truly believed Rikuo was meant to be a youkai. A kid so young, yet he was already using so many underhanded tricks and feints. He really was a youkai.
"Well, it was a smart idea, but in a real fight, you won't have the time to go inside and get a basin of water to trip up your opponent."
Scratching his head, Kurotabo reconsidered the rules he had originally made—or rather, the lack of them—and decided to change that.
"Okay, new rule: you're only allowed to use what's already on hand. You can't go inside to get something to aid you."
'Damn, and my next plan was to use even more baby oil.'
"Wait, so how am I supposed to gain a point then if you're not holding back your physical strength as well?"
"Pssh, you figure that out. After all, challenges give birth to ambition, and ambition is the spark of life. If you want to learn how to wield a blade, you have to focus on using it as a weapon instead of a tool for one of your underhanded plans."
Sigh
"Alright then, but those 11 points still count."
"Sure, you got them fair and square. Also, for the rest of the practice, I want you to keep up the bone reinforcement throughout your entire body."
"But won't that make it harder for me to move?"
"Like I said, challenges breed ambition. You either learn to reinforce your entire body to get rid of that heaviness or be stuck with it."
"Now then onto round two"
Saying that even though a smile was on Kurotabo's face the pressure he gave off was not jolly and Rikuo knew that for the rest of this practices Kurotabo would make sure to beat him.
*********************************
The two continued to practice until daybreak and for the point Rikuo got for the rest of the practise remained at 11.
As the sun rose over the horizon, Rikuo's transformation slowly faded as sunlight touched his skin. Exhausted from his practice with Kurotabo and from maintaining the reinforcement in his bones, Rikuo collapsed onto the veranda with a glass of water beside him.
"You did good today. If you keep up this progress, we should be able to start your Youjutsu training in a few days."
"It's so exhausting having to maintain the reinforcement while moving with heavier bones. Do you have any tricks that can make it easier?"
"The only way to fix that is to reinforce your entire body, so you better learn how to reinforce your organs and muscles and maintain it. But don't worry, it will get easier. Yoki is still something completely new to you, after all. It's only been four days since you started."
"Yeah, you're right."
Wiping the sweat from his face, Rikuo sat up and drank the water beside him as Kurotabo transformed back into his human disguise, now wearing his business suit and a fedora hat.
Seeing that Kurotabo transform back into his human disguise as though he was preparing to go somewhere, Rikuo called out to him.
"You going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I'm going to check something out in the city, and while I'm at it, I well look for the youkai that stole your grandfather's ring."
"Oh, thank again, but you don't have to if it's too much trouble."
"No need. It's the least I can do since you're giving me a roof over my head. If not for you, I might have to stay at some crusty old temple."
Hearing that, Rikuo chuckled before standing up and stretching.
"Are you leaving right now?"
"Yeah, I'll be back around two."
"Well, alright. Be safe out there."
"Yeah. Later."
Waving his hand, Kurotabo headed towards the entrance.
Seeing him leave, Rikuo went inside, to get ready to take a bath and get rid of the smell of sweat that clung to him from the lesson.
***20 Minutes Later***
Coming out of his room dressed in casual clothes with a towel over his wet hair, Rikuo walked towards the kitchen, only pausing when he noticed a fuzzy figure sitting on one of the stools near the counter.
*Yawn*
"You're finally back. Morning, Kenjiro."
Turning his head Kenjiro greeted Rikuo
"Morning, Rikuo. How was yesterday? Did you get to finish your business with the funeral home?"
Drying his wet hair, Rikuo walked towards the fridge and took out the food he had bought for both himself and Kenjiro the previous night and went to the microwave to heat them up.
"Not quite. While we were there, a malevolent spirit was born and started attacking everyone."
Kenjiro's ears immediately perked up.
"A malevolent spirit? Are you alright? Did anything happen to Kurotabo?"
"Yeah, I'm alright." Taking the two meals out of the microwave, Rikuo walked over to Kenjiro and sat on the stool beside him while opening both containers. "And Kurotabo is fine too. He's just out doing something right now."
Hearing that Kenjiro was relief, but still berated himself for not being their to protect Rikuo leaving it up to Kurotabo.
'Yet again, I was useless when others were in danger.'
Biting his lower lip, Kenjiro looked down at his paws, his claws unconsciously extending and piercing into the cushion of the stool.
Pushing the bento box towards Kenjiro, Rikuo began eating his own.
"Yo, I bought you some food last night. You gonna eat it or what? If you don't want it, then that's more food for me."
Just as Rikuo was about to pull the bento back towards himself, a paw grabbed his wrist with surprising strength.
"I never said I didn't want it."
"Alright then, eat up."
Letting go of the bento, Rikuo returned his attention to his own food as the two began eating together, the morning sunlight shone through the windows and open doors of the house.
Eating in akward silence Rikuo thoughs wondered to a pressing matter thats been on his mind for a while.
'I don't want to ask this since it would make me feel like clingy old man, but I really want to know more about him. I mean, it's not every day you get to talk to a cat that's known for not caring about people.'
Making up his mind Rikuo decided to ask.
"Soo, Kenjiro, now that I know you're a youkai and not just an ordinary cat, that means you have your own goals in life, right?"
Taking a moment to pause, Rikuo put down his chopsticks. Kenjiro, whose cheeks were stuffed like a squirrel storing nuts for winter, turned towards him.
"So, after you finish healing up, will you leave and go out on your own or go home?"
'My god I sound like a dad watching his teenager leave for college.'
Cough! Cough!
Coughing to hide his embarrassment, Rikuo looked towards the other side of the room to avoid Kenjiro's gaze. After swallowing the food in his mouth, Kenjiro looked towards Rikuo seeing the embarassment he tried to hide and answered.
"I did have those thoughts."
*Sigh*
"But then I remembered, where would I even go? After all, I have no home to return to."
"And after spending time with you and your grandfather, this was the only place I could think of returning to. It was the only place where there were people waiting for me."
"And with what's going on with you right now—losing your gramps and being bonded with an Osore no Gu that's now putting your life in danger—how could I just leave after healing up? Especially when you and your gramps saved my life on that street that day."
"I have a debt to re-pay and i won't leave anytime soon before i pay it"
Saying that Kenjiro slapped Rikuo's back.
"Well, that's good to hear."
Hearing that Kenjiro had no immediate plans to leave brought Rikuo relief. He didn't want to admit it, but he had grown a bit attached already losing someone and with the impending though of Kenjiro might leaving left Rikuo with complex feeling but now he did ain't have to concern himself for the time being.
A small smirk appeared on his face as he continued eating, and for a while, the two simply sat there quietly enjoying each other's company.
"Speaking of which, why were you so injured when we first met?"
"I was attacked, I don't want to talk about it."
Hearing the reluctance in Kenjiro's voice, Rikuo decided not to push the subject and quickly switched to something else.
"Oh right, yesterday we found out that a youkai stole Gramps' jewelry."
"Even his ring?"
"Yeah, but we did find his earrings at a store on Hanabi Street, and we now know what the youkai who stole them looks like."
Taking a bite of his sardine, Rikuo followed it with a sip of water.
"Kurotabo said that while he's out, he will try looking for the youkai."
"Well, I hope you find the thief before he sells off the ring."
"Yeah. At least we managed to get back gramps earrings thuo."
Taking the Hanafuda earrings from his pocket, Rikuo placed them on the kitchen island between himself and Kenjiro. Looking at them, he remembered how his grandfather would wear them whenever he had the chance and, during the short time Rikuo had known him, would proudly boast about his supposed Yakuza days.
"You know, since we have his earrings, I could help find his ring too."
"Oh? Do you know some Youjutsu that can find lost things?"
"No, but I do have something similar. My nose. We Nekomata have sensitive noses. If the earrings still have the scent of the youkai that stole them, then I might be able to track them down."
Rikuo's eyes widened.
"Are you serious? Then here, sniff it."
Pushing the Hanafuda earrings further towards him, Kenjiro finished his food before jumping onto the kitchen island. Lowering his head, he began sniffing them, trying to pick up the scent of the youkai who had once stolen them.
*Twitch*
*Twitch*
*Twitch*
As Kenjiro continued sniffing, his nose began to twitch as three distinct scents entered his senses. The first was a faint floral scent, the second carried the strong smell of tobacco, and the last was the damp, wild scent of wet fur.
Knowing the floral scent belonged to Rikuo, who had just finished bathing, Kenjiro focused on the remaining two scents, making sure to memorize them as vividly as possible before opening his eyes.
"It has three scents on it. Yours, another that smells like tobacco, and the last one smells like the wet fur of a wild beast."
Pausing his eating Rikuo thought.
"The shopkeeper was smoking, so the tobacco scent is probably from her. And she did say the youkai who sold her the earrings was half my size and had a panther-like face, so the wet fur scent is definitely his."
Moving away from the earrings, Kenjiro jumped back onto his stool.
"Okay, I remember the scent. You wanna head out now and try looking for that youkai too?"
Rikuo looked up at the clock hanging above the kitchen walkway. It read 7:06.
*Yawn*
'We do have time to go out and look around, but I haven't slept since yesterday, and it's not like we can't do this later... but.'
Covering his mouth before another yawn could escape, Rikuo looked back at the earrings lying in front of them before making his decision.
"Yeah, let's head out and look for that youkai after I drink some tea."
*************************************
long authors note
[A/N:
I was having issues deciding whether I wanted the MC to have perfect memory, good memory, or poor memory. Since he is now in a world based on anime, I realized that if I made it so he remembered every single detail of an anime he was only slightly interested in after 15 years since watching it, that could cause issues with how he treats the world he is currently living in based on his knowledge of the anime, along with a few other problems.
So, his memory is somewhere between good and poor, similar to mine. For example, I can't remember my mom's face from memory, but I would immediately recognize her if I saw her. That isn't necessarily good memory, but rather good recognition.
The MC works similarly. For him to remember something or someone, he usually needs to really think about it or see something that triggers the memory. Otherwise, that information won't just be sitting at the top of his head waiting to be used.
So if the MC misses or forgets something that happened in the anime, that's the reason why. This is also for the people who think the MC never watched the anime. No, he did watch it; he simply has stronger memories of anime that were more interesting or personally impactful to him.
Also, I reached over 30k words this month, which means you guys got an average of around 4 chapters a week this month if we're going by a 2k-word chapter average.
My goal is to write somewhere between 20k–40k words per month on average, but I can't make any promises since school is starting back. But psh, I don't really have to worry. Only like 20 people actually read this FF anyways. Those views you see are just people who clicking on the story and immediately left without reading, so it's not like I'll disappoint a lot of people if I don't reach my goals.
Also, how did you guys like the details on how reinforcement works and the effects it has on the body? I actually came up with the idea and some of its issues while watching a video about inertia.]