ᴠᴇɪʟ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀʙʏʀɪɴᴛʜ [] ᴄᴏᴛᴇ x ᴅᴀɴᴍᴀᴄʜɪ []

[] Chapter 4 :- Kurogane : the Black Katana []

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My eyelids fluttered open as rays of sunlight streamed through the window of my rented room at the Benevolent Mistress's inn. I blinked slowly, adjusting to the soft morning light.

I felt a slight numbness in my arm due to the cramped bed but ignored it since there wasn't much I could do about it. I yawned and stood up, stretching my body slightly.

'It's probably around 6 o'clock,' I mused, as that's when my internal alarm typically wakes me. It's a habit of mine.

After a light stretch, the numbness in my body slowly started to fade, and I was ready to begin my usual workout when suddenly...

Crack Whack

A slightly loud noise, like wood striking something, reached my ears.

Curious, as ever, I opened my door and stepped into the corridor, following the direction of the sound. It grew louder as I approached, ultimately leading me to the inn's inner garden.

Thuck Clack

I could now clearly hear a wooden stick being struck against something.

When I finally entered the garden, I saw strands of short blonde hair swaying gently. Eyes as blue as the ocean, with a hint of pain masked in an apathetic expression, were focused on the wooden dummy in front of them.

It was Ryuu. She was holding a wooden sword-no, it was a custom wooden sword with a design different from a regular one. The wood itself looked far tougher than any ordinary metal sword.

Clack Crack

With two consecutive slashes, she split the dummy in half. The technique and execution of her slashes were fascinating.

She wore a white sleeveless top and green bloomers. It was my first time seeing her in anything other than her waitress uniform. Beads of sweat dripped from her snowy white skin, and the sunlight highlighted her form. It was as if I were watching a fairy-a dangerous one with a sword in hand.

"Training early in the morning, I see," I called out to her, not wanting to appear as a creep. She turned to me, with surprised expression.

"Eh?... Ayanokōji-san... Well, yeah, it's a habit of mine. Anyway, did you have a good rest? You were quite drunk yesterday after Syr forced you to drink four jugs of ale. She took you to your room afterwards, though i hope she didn't do anything weird," Ryuu said, clearly trying to avoid talking about her training by changing the subject.

"Is that so? I don't quite remember," I replied, my golden-brown eyes staring at her indifferently. I really didn't remember much. The last thing I recalled was Syr forcing me to drink, and two Amazons asking if I had a girlfriend. If I remember correctly, both were with Loki Familia.