"Of course I do!" Chijō Kana replied eagerly. "So what do I have to do to eat more of your cooking, Teacher Katori?"
"I'll be reopening the Katori-ryu Dojo and taking on disciples. If you're willing to become my student, you'll have a chance to eat my cooking regularly," Katori Nanatsuki said with a grin.
"I want to be your disciple, Teacher Katori!" Kana nodded vigorously.
To her, Nanatsuki's words sounded like a demon's tempting whisper—she didn't hesitate for even a second.
[Chijō Kana has agreed to become your disciple. Accept as personal student?]
A line of text suddenly appeared before Nanatsuki. With a thought, he confirmed, formally accepting her.
[Successfully accepted Chijō Kana as personal disciple]
[New function unlocked — Student Feedback]
[Chijō Kana's reputation level increased. Current level: Close]
[Feedback effect significantly enhanced]
[First time accepting an S-grade talent disciple — Extra reward received: Trait "Patient Mentor"]
After feeding her, Kana's reputation level had already reached Friendly. With the new bond, it was now Close.
Nanatsuki focused on the newly unlocked function. Information immediately appeared: Student Feedback meant that training students generated growth feedback, and the better their relationship, the greater the reward.
He then checked his newly acquired trait:
[Patient Mentor: You're skilled at guiding others and inspiring trust.]
"Alright then. Since I've taken you as a disciple, I'll be stricter with you," Nanatsuki said seriously. "First, I need to check your swordsmanship foundation to adjust your training plan. Follow me."
He stood and gestured for Kana to follow him to the dojo.
Batsu'unsai Katori, curious about this sudden disciple-accepting development, came along too.
Inside the dojo, a plaque reading Katori-ryu hung on the central wall. Wooden sword racks stood at either side.
Each took a wooden sword and moved into position.
"Come at me. You take the first strike," Nanatsuki said, making a slight motion with his sword to invite her forward.
"Here I go!" Kana shouted as she charged.
From her movements and footwork, he could tell she had some foundation—but not much.
Her sword swung toward Nanatsuki's waist, but with a mere sidestep, he dodged it completely.
"Opening."
Nanatsuki tapped her wrist lightly.
"Ow!" Kana flinched and dropped her sword.
"Wait! You were too fast, Teacher! I didn't even get to try properly! Let me go again!" Kana hadn't even seen how the strike hit her.
"If you swing too wildly, you leave too many openings," Nanatsuki said with a smile. "Attack me again. I'll go slower this time."
Kana retrieved her sword, stood opposite him, and readied her stance. Her chest rose and fell with her deep breathing.
She took a few steady breaths to focus her mind.
"This time I'm really coming!"
Instead of charging recklessly, she shuffled forward in careful alternating steps.
She kept her eyes on Nanatsuki's sword, watching his movements with caution.
But Nanatsuki didn't go on the offensive. Each time he moved, it was only to block her.
Kana attacked several times—each move properly formed, but all were easily neutralized.
Frustrated, she lashed out with a flurry of strikes, trying to break his defense.
Clack clack clack—
But Nanatsuki always seemed to know exactly where she was aiming. His blade was already there, as though she were guiding her sword to his.
"Impatience leads to mistakes."
He raised his wooden sword to block a swing aimed at his neck, then twisted his wrist and delivered a quick counterstrike.
Thump!
Kana cried out in pain and crouched down, clutching her head: "I give up! Don't hit the head—I'll get dumber!"
Nanatsuki chuckled at her dramatic reaction. "Alright. I've seen enough to understand your foundation."
Chijō Kana had definitely trained in swordsmanship before—her basics were solid.
And Nanatsuki noticed her grip was strong. Even without using Spiritual Pressure, he couldn't overpower her by force alone.
"Teacher, how did you know where I was going to strike every time? My sword always hit yours!" Kana asked after getting up, rubbing her head.
"You have some training, but your swings are too textbook. It's easy for someone experienced to guess your moves," Nanatsuki explained.
"I practiced with a tutor when I was little," Kana replied, checking her head for bumps and sighing in relief when she found none.
"And you kept staring at my sword—that's not good," he continued. "By the time you see the sword move, it's already too late. You need to observe how I move and where I draw power from. That's how you read someone's intent."
"Teacher can really tell where I'm going to strike…" Kana muttered thoughtfully. "But even when I try to observe you, I still can't figure it out…"
"That's why you need experience," Nanatsuki said. "Swordsmanship can't advance in a vacuum. You need to spar with many different people. But foundational training is just as important."
"I understand! I'll work hard!" Kana clenched her fists, brimming with energy.
Since it was getting late, Nanatsuki told her to head home and return tomorrow when she was free to train.
[You have taught your disciple. Reward Settled.]
[Reward Received: +20 Swordsmanship XP]
[First Lesson with S-Grade Talent — Extra Reward Earned]
[Gained: 10,000 Universal Base Ability XP]
[Gained: Sword Technique Skill Scroll (Mastery Level)]
The bonus reward was quite generous—it pleasantly surprised Nanatsuki.
10,000 points of universal experience—very rare.
It was a first-time-only reward. Even if he accepted more S-rank disciples in the future, he wouldn't receive this again.
Nanatsuki immediately invested all the experience into Spiritual Pressure.
It felt just like he had spent days in deep training—his spiritual energy had grown significantly.
His Spiritual Pressure rose from Lv10 to Lv31.
In Soul Society's classification, that put him at Fourteenth Spiritual Rank—a big jump from where he was before.
He checked the new item he received:
[Sword Technique Skill Scroll (Mastery Level): Instantly upgrade any sword technique below Mastery to Mastery level.]
A great item!
After thinking it over, Nanatsuki used the scroll on Shunpo Iai—a technique that relied on Shunpo, which he wasn't particularly skilled at. It had been tough to improve.