Tejima watched the girl in front of him without saying a word, but he already had a conclusion in his mind.
'Was it just a coincidence? But why do I feel both disappointed and happy?'
Had he fallen so low as to envy his own apprentice?
Tejima smiled, and just as he was about to wake Shiki, he saw her pick up the Kujikanesada lying on the table.
In an instant, Shiki's entire aura changed. Her eyes were devoid of emotion, like a dark vortex, swallowing everything.
But immediately afterward, she put down the Kujikanesada and returned to her normal state.
'She can only enter the Selfless State when holding the sword?' Tejima formed this guess in his mind.
He was indeed correct. As a beginner, Shiki could not enter the Selfless State at will; she needed external help.
And that external help was the Kujikanesada in her hand.
As long as the Kujikanesada was with her, she could enter the Selfless State and thus exert her full strength in battle.
But the side effect was also obvious: she had almost drawn the sword uncontrollably just now.
"Do you have to hold the sword to enter the Selfless State?" Tejima asked.
"Currently, that seems to be the case. Moreover, after entering the No Self state, I find myself somewhat unable to control myself, always wanting to cut things." Shiki nodded.
"This is normal, because No Self itself is a state that allows one to fully immerse themselves in combat."
Tejima didn't think much of it, as he was the same.
"Let's rest for today. No Self consumes a lot of mental energy. Tomorrow, I'll teach you some practical sword techniques for combat."
"Also, have you had dinner yet? If not, I'll make you some."
Tejima, a man who loves to eat, said he couldn't tolerate not eating, although this situation was most likely caused by him.
"I've already eaten, at the old lady's house next door."
Shiki naturally skipped over the fact that she couldn't start a fire. Of course, she could cook, but she needed fire! Also, she had never used such a large iron pot, so even if she started a fire, she wouldn't be able to cook properly.
Tejima felt relieved upon hearing this, then urged the girl to quickly return to her room to sleep.
Early the next morning, Shiki was woken up by a knocking sound. Needless to say, it must be Tejima.
"Quick, quick, quick! The day's plan starts in the morning. Get up quickly and eat breakfast!"
"Got it, got it!"
Shiki responded, burying her head in the pillow in annoyance for a while before laboriously getting up and putting on her clothes.
She skillfully tied her waist sash and then made a small bow at the back of her waist. It was initially very unfamiliar, but she had to wear it every day since coming here.
After breakfast, Shiki carried her sword to the backyard. At this time, Uncle Tejima had already tied three straw mats, and there were a few more on the ground that hadn't been tied yet.
"If you were any later, I would have finished tying them all. Hurry up and come help." Tejima said grumpily.
"I don't know how. You tie them first, and I'll watch. I'll do the next one. Besides, is there a problem with me, a girl, taking a bit longer in the morning?"
Shiki held her sword in her left hand and put her right hand on her hip. Although she had only done a simple wash, it didn't stop her from including her lie-in time.
"Alright, it's quite simple anyway."
Tejima finished speaking and continued to tie the straw mats. With his practiced movements, a straw mat about half a person's height was tied.
"Got it?"
"Got it."
"Good. Your goal today is to cut the straw mat into three sections, but after cutting, the last section must still stand on the wooden stake."
After saying that, Tejima's katana unsheathed from his waist. A clean Iai-Gesa-giri cut the straw mat into three sections, with the last section standing steadily on the wooden stake.
Then Tejima took down the last section of the straw mat. There was nothing on it to fix it, which meant that this bundle of straw mat was completely standing on its own weight.
But how heavy could a bundle of straw mat be? And it had been cut in two different directions.
"The foundation of all sword techniques cannot be separated from the three words: fast, steady, and accurate. When you can achieve this, we can begin the next step of training."
Cutting straw mats seems simple, but it actually requires a very high level of basic skill. If you're not fast enough, you can't cut it. If you're not steady enough, it will fall to the ground. If you're not accurate enough, you might even cut into the air.
Shiki stood a tied straw mat on the wooden stake, then imitated Tejima and used an Iai.
Although she hadn't entered the No Self state, the straw mat was still cut. However, before she could unleash her second strike, the straw mat, broken into two sections, fell to the ground.
Hmm, the accuracy was there, but it wasn't fast enough, nor steady enough.
Compared to the neat and smooth cuts on the fence in the No Self state, the cuts on the straw mat were a bit rough.
'Perhaps, I should try using No Self?'
Thinking of this, Shiki again stood a bundle of straw mat and then calmed her emotions.
She bent her knees, lowered her center of gravity, pushed the blade out a little, took a deep breath, and the sharp blade unsheathed!
Under the enhancement of No Self, everything in front of her slowed down. Shiki clearly saw the straw mat being cut into two sections by her.
The upper half of the straw mat tumbled and fell towards the ground, and the lower half was also tottering, but unlike the last time, Shiki's speed was faster this time.
Just as the straw mat was about to fall, the second strike came.
A strike in a completely different direction from before also brought an opposite force. While cutting off a section of the straw mat, it also returned the last section to its original position.
Looking at the straw mat standing steadily on the wooden stake, Shiki exhaled a murky breath, then exited the No Self state.
'Does this count as a success?'
Shiki was still pondering, and Tejima had already given the answer from the side.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't use No Self! You must be in a normal state. Otherwise, if you need No Self just for this, what will you do with more difficult training?"
"I was just trying to get a feel for it. I won't use No Self later."
Upon hearing Shiki's words, Tejima nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's fine, but No Self can only be used to get a feel for it. The rest of the practice must be done in a normal state!"
But using No Self to get a feel for it… probably only Shiki could do that. Who could master No Self when they were just starting to learn?
Those who master No Self may not have high sword cultivation, but those with high sword cultivation must master No Self.
Although Shiki needs Kujikanesada as a medium to enter No Self, for a person who practices swordsmanship, this medium is basically as good as nothing. Moreover, those who master No Self are not weak in swordsmanship. What they need are opportunities for certain epiphanies, not practice, so there is no need to find a feeling.