In the morning, Shiko Mishima woke up to find herself lying on Sōjun Minamoto's sofa.
Another blackout from drinking.
Holding her head, she tried to ease the throbbing from the hangover. Most of last night was a blur.
She sat on the sofa, still groggy. Her blank gaze drifted forward, unable to focus.
Sōjun Minamoto walked over, leaned down, and waved a hand in front of her face.
Shiko Mishima met his eyes.
One, two, three, four, five—huh? Why are there five pupils?
"You're awake?"
The deep voice startled her fully awake.
It came again. "Did you forget what happened yesterday?"
She flinched. "I… I didn't cause you any trouble, did I?"
"No."
Seeing she was now fully conscious, Sōjun Minamoto brought over the rest of breakfast and placed it on the coffee table.
"You just kept going on about 'no one understands me,' 'geniuses can all die,' and 'Mom, I miss you.' Then you laughed and cried, climbed onto a chair and started singing. Everyone applauded."
Fragments of memory suddenly flashed through her mind. Her pupils contracted as she covered her face and let out a mortified whimper, refusing to accept what she was hearing.
Time for you to hit rock bottom, huh?
Sōjun Minamoto watched her reaction. Perfect. Just the kind of expression he wanted. He nodded with satisfaction.
"Go wash up and have some breakfast to settle your stomach. I have to head out—feel free to make yourself at home."
With that, he left.
As he closed the door, Shiko Mishima clearly heard a stifled chuckle.
Kukuku~
Her embarrassment deepened.
...
Sōjun Minamoto arrived at Training Field No. 5 to study, train, and refine techniques... showing not a hint of slack.
He was in a phase of rapid growth and didn't want to waste a second.
His daily routine had shifted.
4:00 a.m. Wake up and refine Cursed Energy for two hours.
6:00 to 10:00. Physical training, martial arts, and theoretical studies.
10:00 to 12:00. Peak mental clarity—perfect for challenging tasks and technique development.
A short break midway. Avoid sitting too long, avoid eye strain. A bit of fruit for vitamins, also to cut back on lunch intake—smaller, more frequent meals.
12:00 to 13:00. Lunchtime. Balanced nutrition, eat until 70% full to keep the body in top form.
Then a half-hour nap. Good for the heart and energizing for the afternoon.
14:00 to 16:00. Prime time for expansive thinking—ideal for creative work like experimental research or biomimetic enhancements.
Followed by a half-hour tea break. Sugar for the brain and a short rest.
16:30 to 18:00. As physical fatigue sets in, time for repetitive tasks like constructing compound eyes or adjusting hawk vision.
One hour for a light, protein- and veggie-based dinner.
19:00 to 21:00. Another session of Cursed Energy refinement.
21:00 to 22:30. Wind down, reflect, and log the day's progress.
23:00. Sleep. Between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. is prime recovery time for the body.
Four hours to recharge the spirit, one hour to let the mind go blank—just lying in bed, doing nothing, waiting for the first light of dawn.
Then the cycle begins again. Everything is meticulously scheduled.
Many small habits can harm the body:
Slouching, poor posture, long hours sitting, crossing legs, resting your chin on your hand, licking your lips...
Just like looks—people get better-looking as they mature, but really, it's about reaching their potential.
Some could've become even more attractive, but they unknowingly wasted too much of that potential. Over time, it showed.
If you're not happy with yourself, maybe it's time to look inward.
Too many bad habits?
Staying up late too often?
Skipping meals and wrecking your rhythm?
...
Achieving perfection is never easy.
Even among the Minamoto family, or others with similar techniques, there are differences in how close they get.
Perfection is somewhat subjective. If your aesthetic is different, your idea of perfection will be too.
His Innate Technique tells Sōjun Minamoto when to act, what to do, and what to avoid. Take smoking and drinking—he doesn't touch them. Even if he was addicted in a past life, it's easy to quit now.
Because his body rejects it on instinct.
All he has to do is follow that instinct.
His daily routine might seem strict and complicated, but to Sōjun Minamoto, it's effortless.
When passion aligns with perseverance and direction, that's the best kind of luck.
Every day, he feels himself improving—he even wishes he didn't have to sleep, just to gain a little more time.
...
After having dinner out, he returned home to find Shiko Mishima still there, practicing sword techniques in the courtyard.
Her strikes were broad and forceful. Yesterday's fight to the death clearly hadn't been for nothing.
Sōjun Minamoto twitched at the sight.
My plants!
One of the reasons he trained at Training Field No. 5 was that intense practice would damage the terrain and surroundings.
Luckily, the big tree in the yard was still intact.
Shiko Mishima looked fully recovered. None of the drunken gloom, resentment, anger, or jealousy from the night before remained.
She was energetic and training hard—not at all like someone who had been shaken.
Sōjun Minamoto had originally planned to say a few comforting words, but it seemed she didn't need them. She was even tougher than he'd thought.
She greeted him briefly, then turned and left.
He didn't give it much thought.
...
After a few days of rest, Sōjun Minamoto decided to take on a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit gathering mission.
The difficulty was rising again.
He logged into the sorcerers' forum and opened the mission board.
He sent the selected mission to Shiko Mishima. Her reply came quickly: "Okay."
Sōjun Minamoto accepted the mission.
He sent her the meeting time and location.
Her reply came just as fast: "Got it!"
2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.—that was the time he had set aside for this kind of task.
Experiments didn't happen daily. Strength progression needed to be tested, and what better opponent than Cursed Spirits?
Plus, there was a bounty. He still had to eat.
After refining his Cursed Energy and summarizing the day's work, it was already 11:00 p.m.
Day complete. Everything on track.
Sōjun Minamoto lay down, closed his eyes, and began to drift off. In about five minutes, he would be sound asleep.
But three minutes in, his phone buzzed.
He picked it up. It was a message from Shiko Mishima:
"Thanks for yesterday and today."
Is that really what you should say?
It should be "I'm sorry!"