Chapter 98: May This Moment Last Forever
The eastern sky was just starting to blush with the faintest fish-belly white. Takumi tore through the dense forest at full sprint, trees blurring past like green streaks.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A series of nearly invisible spinning shuriken sliced the air from behind, ripping straight toward his back. Takumi's body moved on pure instinct—like he had an extra eye growing out of his spine—twisting in a sudden shift-step that let the deadly projectiles whistle harmlessly past.
Rustle rustle rustle!
Three long arrows tore through the atmosphere next, creating visible ripples as they sealed off a perfect triangular kill zone around him. The speed was insane—faster than conscious thought.
Takumi roared, eyes flashing crimson.
In that instant, the three arrows—quicker than bullets—slowed to a crawl in his vision, like frames from a slo-mo action movie. He could see every feather, every tiny vibration.
'Hell yeah—gotcha!'
He arched backward into a dramatic bridge dodge. The arrows grazed his skin with burning kisses before thudding deep into the earth behind him.
'Whew… that was close—'
Clang!
The unmistakable ring of a blade leaving its sheath echoed. A dazzling arc of light erupted from the distant treeline, twisting mid-air like a living comet before streaking forward as a bolt of pure lightning. It crossed the distance in a heartbeat and descended toward Takumi's head!
Under the newborn sunlight, the blade reflected blinding flashes, splitting—one into two, two into three, three into a dazzling storm of countless blades! A single katana somehow became a gorgeous web of lethal radiance slashing from every angle!
The shrieking wind from the cuts sounded like wailing ghosts. Even before the edge arrived, the razor-cold ki brushed Takumi's skin like thousands of needles.
"Tenra Chimo Shiki! Shigure—nooooo!!"
Takumi let out a tragic wail.
'Not the net of heaven and earth again—my poor handsome face is gonna get filleted!'
But he exploded upward. Thick veins bulged across his body like an old ox straining up a mountain. His fists blurred into a storm of afterimages—thousands of punches launched like a rain of arrows straight into the heart of that deadly blade-net!
Clang clang clang clang!!
Metal clashed in a furious symphony, like someone madly beating a biwa in a thunderstorm. Finally the shimmering net shattered. Takumi landed, gasping, steadying himself. Four-fingered brass knuckles gleamed on his fists—the only reason his bare hands hadn't turned into sashimi.
The wielder stepped into view: expressionless, long black hair in a high ponytail—Shigure.
She spoke calmly.
"Combining aggressive 'Random Arrow Strike' with defensive control sphere… You blocked my 'Heavenly Net Earthly Web Style'. Good. You pass."
"Haaah…"
Takumi exhaled in relief, then immediately put on a suffering expression.
"Shigure-nee… I thought we agreed this was remote weapon evasion training? How did it end up with you pulling out the katana again?!"
"Because. I wanted. To cut you."
"Please don't say such horrifying things so casually!!"
Cold sweat poured down Takumi's back.
After surviving a full week of brutal training—and finally getting the Elder's permission—Takumi had been dragged into daily sessions with Akisame and Shigure. It was basically high-stakes cat-and-mouse every time. Shigure unleashed barrages of hidden weapons, shuriken, kunai, arrows, and even some ancient matchlock gun she'd dug up from who-knows-where.
In the beginning, Takumi got hit every single day. Only thanks to Ryōzanpaku's two medical geniuses and his bootleg "instant recovery" did he manage to hang on. But finally—he'd grasped it.
His own "Seikūken"—Control Sphere.
It sounded mystical, but it was simple in practice: fusing sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch into his ki through relentless training. Ki naturally radiates like a magnetic field. Once it extends, you gain a predictive "bubble" around your body. The size of your control sphere depends on three things: your base reach, how far you can move in an instant, and how widely your ki aura spreads.
Take the Invincible Superman—his sphere stretched a terrifying kilometer. Snipe him from thousands of meters with an anti-materiel rifle? The moment the bullet enters his field, he knows. Normal people still couldn't dodge bullets at that range, but for him? A kilometer buffer meant he could casually stroll away from cannon fire.
Seeing Takumi's tense face, Shigure let the tiniest smile slip.
"Young man. Let's head back. We can make it for lunch."
"Yeah… I need a serious nap. Midnight special training is brutal. Lack of sleep isn't just a woman's enemy—it's mine too!"
Takumi yawned hugely and turned to leave—then noticed Shigure still standing motionless. He blinked, then gently took her soft hand.
"Shigure-nee? Let's go."
She gave a small smile. Whenever she was with Takumi, faint expressions would appear on her normally blank three-no face. She rarely smiled, so even her gentle curve of lips felt breathtaking.
Takumi stared, genuinely stunned.
"Shigure-nee… you're seriously beautiful when you smile. You should do it more often."
Shigure gazed at him steadily. Her other hand rose to his cheek, stroking softly as she murmured:
"Young man… only you get to see me like this. Please remember that."
Takumi caught her other hand too. Those simple words carried such deep affection that his chest tightened.
"Shigure-nee… can I kiss you?"
She looked at him for a long moment… then gave the tiniest nod.
'Jackpot—jackpot jackpot jackpot!!'
Takumi's heart exploded into fireworks. Angels sang. Petals rained from the sky. His whole body sank into the sweetest honey. Slowly, he leaned down, staring at the faint blush blooming across Shigure's usually impassive face.
That shy, girlish expression on a three-no face like hers was heart-stoppingly beautiful.
He couldn't hold back anymore—he lowered his head and captured her soft cherry lips.
As the emotion surged, her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. Her mature, full figure pressed tightly against him. Slowly… Takumi felt heat rising dangerously inside.
'I want more… but no—not yet. This is her first kiss. I love this feeling—taking it slow, step by step up the stairs of love. Rushing would ruin everything.'
Gently, he eased her back.
Their lips parted with a thin, glistening thread of saliva catching the sunlight—like fate's red string tying their souls together.
Seeing Shigure's questioning eyes, Takumi whispered tenderly:
"Time to head back, Shigure."
After that one kiss that sealed everything, Takumi's way of calling her had subtly shifted again. Shigure—three-no but far from cold or slow—noticed immediately. She squeezed his hand a little tighter, her smile turning sweet and content.
Takumi silently wished this exact moment could freeze forever.
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