Chapter 92: A Cozy Little Night
Under Takumi's dry-mouthed, heart-pounding anticipation, Shigure slipped off the outer layer of her ninja outfit. First her pale, slender shoulders came into view—soft and delicate—then slowly, the bandages wrapped tightly around her chest were revealed. No bra, just those signature wrappings. So very Shigure.
In the moonlight, her flawless, curvaceous figure gleamed with smooth, porcelain skin. That tiny waist looked like it could be encircled with just one hand, impossible to look away from. But what really sent Takumi's blood pressure skyrocketing was when Shigure next slid off the lower half—revealing full, perky hips and a pair of long, snowy-white legs. And what she wore underneath wasn't panties… but a traditional Japanese fundoshi!
That ancient garment carried the same timeless, forbidden eroticism as the old bellybands of centuries past. Takumi felt the heat rush straight to his head. He slapped a hand over his nose in panic—what the hell, am I seriously about to get a nosebleed right now?!
After giving a slow twirl in place, Shigure looked straight at him.
"young man, does it look good?"
Takumi nodded frantically like a woodpecker on caffeine, eyes glued to her body. His heart hammered so loudly that—even with the river murmuring nearby—it sounded like war drums in Shigure's ears. Curious, she reached out and placed her palm right over his chest.
"young man, your heart is beating so fast."
As a martial artist, letting someone put their hand over your heart—your absolute vital spot—was suicidal. Even an invincible superhuman wouldn't risk it. But right now there was no martial artist, only a love-struck, flustered boy. Takumi caught her hand and squeezed.
"Shigure… my heart beats for you."
At those cheesy words, though Shigure's face stayed perfectly blank, a faint, never-before-seen blush flickered through her eyes—gone so fast even Takumi missed it. Her voice remained flat.
"I remember an idiom. Something about a heart jumping like a rabbit."
"That's 'heart like deer crashing'—wait, no, 'heart pounding like a startled rabbit.' Exactly how I feel right now. I can't control it when I'm with you."
"Careful. You might kill the rabbit."
This time Shigure spoke the full sentence without her usual pauses. A tiny, mischievous smile tugged at the corner of her otherwise expressionless face. Seeing such a girlish, adorable look on her hit Takumi like a truck. Emboldened, he wrapped his arms around her.
"As long as you're here… it'll keep beating forever."
The moment he touched the silky-smooth skin of her back and felt those soft-yet-firm mounds press against his chest, Takumi was overwhelmed with the feeling that he could die happy right now. He didn't dare grope, but he did tighten his embrace, greedily trying to pull her even closer.
With Shigure's strength, ten Takumis wouldn't be enough to hold her against her will. Yet she said nothing. Didn't struggle. Only after a long moment did she speak.
"young man, let go for now. I need to catch fish."
"Catch… fish?"
Reluctantly, Takumi released her. Shigure stepped to the riverbank. With a sharp 'shing', her blade left its sheath. A dazzling streak of light shot forward—space and time seemed to bend around it—leaving a blinding white afterimage. When the flash stopped, her sword was suddenly threaded with over a dozen fish, skewered neatly like candied hawthorns, still wriggling.
"So fast… so strong!"
This was the first time Takumi truly felt the gap in power. No wonder she was called the Child of Weapons—the only true weapon master of Ryōzanpaku.
"Can you grill fish, young man?"
"Uh… never tried."
Takumi shook his head quickly. Without a word, Shigure produced a short sword from somewhere and handed it to him.
"Chop wood."
"R-right."
Takumi stared at the compact tachi, wondering how the heck he was supposed to chop firewood with it. But the moment he drew the blade and sliced through a branch—it parted cleanly in the moonlight—he understood. This wasn't some ordinary tool. This was one of Shigure's personally forged masterpieces, tempered and sharpened by her own hand.
"Alright—Random Arrow Barrage!"
Takumi turned his self-made ultimate technique into a firewood-chopping art. Thanks to the blade's incredible sharpness and durability, he quickly amassed a respectable pile. Hugging the wood, he hurried back to the riverbank. Shigure had somehow already gathered wild fruits and arranged a simple stone hearth.
"Shigure, here's the wood."
Shigure glanced at the chaotic, uneven logs and shook her head.
"Idiot. Wet, living wood like this—how do you expect it to burn?"
"Uh… I'll go find more—"
"Forget it."
In an instant, shuriken appeared in her hand. With a few crimson-glowing slashes—clearly channeling ki—the messy pile was transformed. Every piece of wood now looked kiln-dried, moisture expelled, perfectly uniform in size and shape.
"…Amazing. You can even use ki like that?"
Takumi stared in awe, then couldn't help asking.
"Shigure… you're actually a Dynamic ki type? I always thought you were Static."
Static ki—born from calm, unshakeable will. Dynamic ki—born from fierce battle intent. Most people's type matched their personality. With Shigure's quiet, emotionless three-no nature, Takumi had naturally assumed Static. But apparently not.
"My swordsmanship is extremely aggressive. Fierce like fire."
Her simple answer made everything click.
"So ki can generate heat too?"
"Vibrations through ki. Resonate the blade. High temperature follows naturally."
Shigure seemed about to explain more, but stopped herself and kept it short. Takumi wasn't the type to pry, so he let it drop.
Deftly, Shigure gutted and cleaned the fish, added some foraged mushrooms and fruit, then—miraculously—produced a chunk of rock salt (the kind almost impossible to buy these days) and rubbed it in. The finishing touch? She located a wild beehive, harvested a bit of honey, and held it out for Takumi to taste.
"You're incredible… Whoever ends up with you could live happily in the mountains forever. You're not just the Child of Weapons—you're the Child of Nature too."
Shigure's face stayed blank, but the corners of her eyes crinkled slightly in quiet amusement.
"young man, stop staring. Start the fire."
"Right—but I don't have a lighter…"
Shigure dropped two stones into his palm. Flint. Takumi blinked, then got to work. After several awkward tries he managed to spark some dry grass, carefully feeding it twigs until a proper fire crackled to life. By then his face was streaked with soot, looking utterly ridiculous.
Shigure watched in silence. Then, without expression, she pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the smudges from his cheeks. No words. No dramatic emotion. Just that small, tender gesture.
It hit Takumi straight in the heart.
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