𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒅

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟛𝟚 - 𝕌𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤

"Grandpa, please train me"

The sentence she uttered made the old man surprised as she bowed for his approval.

Fortunately, the absence of Manjiro, Emma, and Shinichiro had assisted her to stand in front of the eldest member of the family and utter the words she desired to speak without restraining herself that others would overhear. She knew that he was already a retired man who had closed the dojo since he had never had a successful successor, as Manjiro was still very young and knew that he probably wouldn't take an interest in teaching in the dojo. She could only seek help from Mansako, not Manjiro, as she noticed that he was quite a perceptive boy with great intuition. She simply cannot let her guard down in his presence to avoid the hope that her intentions will come to light.

Mansako can't help but be reluctant and also worries about her well-being. He let her raise her head as he also noticed a bandage on her cheek. He assumed that it must have been relevant to that. "Are you sure?" Mansako asked with hesitation, his voice molding as if he had agreed to the training she desired.

"Yes!" She responded immediately, almost yelling within the four walls of the room. The determination of her to raise her physical strength was soaring high that even Mansako could see that glint in her eyes. He couldn't help but feel that she had an ulterior motive. Regardless, he shrugged the thought off and replaced it with the thought that she would want to train in order to protect herself.

Mansako hesitantly agreed and told her that they would begin tomorrow. (Y/n) gleamed as she repeatedly thanked him with a genuine grin on her face that made Mansako smile fondly. Yet the lingering unsettling feeling of his is that he hopes that she will use this not to indulge in pursuing a path that involves delinquency, like the path that his grandsons chose.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

As he said, the training went splendidly, although unlike the training she was used to, it wasn't that life-threatening nor rigorous. Despite that, it's indeed helpful in regaining her physique. Mansako only sat as she instructed her to execute anything that he would utter. To his surprise, she did it perfectly without any further demonstration, whereas most young children her age and younger were unsure of how it would be done. Due to that, he was astounded as he applauded several times for how much of a genius she was.

(Y/n) had a deep appreciation of his compliments and aplauds, but she thought that such praise wasn't necessary. Yet there was something lingering in her mind that she would want more of, as she wasn't able to receive much when she was younger.

Shinichiro noticed a few days later why the house had been so empty; the living room, dining room, kitchen, and also their bedrooms. He found it quite odd since their grandfather doesn't go out much, considering his own health and the fact that he is already beyond the active stage of life, making him senile and unable to handle such heavy work. He then heard a loud shout, a similar shout that made him reminisce about him escaping the household when that time started.