Tatsuki's hand wiping the blade paused slightly.
Guide her in swordsmanship?
Tsk, how troublesome.
He still had to figure out how to farm points, he didn't have time to mentor a rookie.
He was about to find an excuse to send the girl away.
Something like "My sword path isn't suitable for you" or "You're not qualified yet"—typical pretentious lines.
But when he saw Gion's hand tightly gripping the hilt out of nervousness, he subconsciously reached out to help her relax, and his fingers accidentally brushed the back of her hand.
[Ding!]
In his mind, the cold system notification suddenly rang.
[Detected host utilizing authority to perform workplace harassment.]
[Congratulations, host, obtained Violation Points: 200!]
Tatsuki: "..."
The expression on his face instantly froze.
Then, he looked at Gion's face, which had instantly turned beet red from his touch, and then at the 200 points that had arrived in the system panel.
A brand new door to financial freedom swung wide open before him.
The expression on Tatsuki's face instantly shifted from "too much trouble" to "righteous and stern."
"Swordsmanship guidance, you say?"
He put down the cloth and walked behind Gion. "Stand up and draw your sword, let me see your grip."
Gion hurriedly stood up and nervously drew her sword, assuming a standard stance.
"Too stiff. How can you exert the full power of the blade like this?"
Tatsuki shook his head, stepped forward, and assumed a standard back-hug position, encircling her entirely in his arms.
"Relax. Feel my power transfer."
Tatsuki's hand covered Gion's soft, delicate hand, helping her "correct" her grip.
Gion's body jolted, and she felt as if her brain had short-circuited.
Too... too close.
She was enveloped in an embrace full of masculine aura, with Tatsuki's warm breath by her ear. The heat from his hand made her whole body go soft, and she could barely keep standing.
"Relax, a sword isn't meant to be gripped to death."
Tatsuki's voice rang in her ear. "You must feel its breath, let it become an extension of your arm. Here, loosen your fingers a bit."
As he spoke, his fingers gently stroked the back of Gion's hand.
[Ding! Detected host utilizing the convenience of his position to perform sexual harassment and mental manipulation on a naive female subordinate.]
[Obtained Violation Points: 800!]
Tatsuki was overjoyed inside, but his face remained that of a serious and upright mentor.
"This muscle is too tense, the power delivery is wrong."
His hand moved up Gion's arm, gently squeezing her forearm muscle before sliding all the way to her shoulder.
"Lower your shoulders, don't shrug."
By now, Gion had completely lost track of what she was doing.
She felt like a Steam Girl, with steam practically rising from her head.
How could she listen to any swordsmanship theory?
Her mind was filled with the sensation of Tatsuki's palm and that dizzying masculine scent.
"Rear... Admiral..." Her voice was trembling, carrying a hint of inadvertent coquettishness.
"Focus."
Tatsuki lightly patted her waist, his tone stern. "A swordsman must never be distracted at any time."
"Yes."
Gion jumped and quickly straightened her back, but a strange sweetness welled up in her heart.
'He's taking so much responsibility for me. Is this the teaching of a hero?'
"And your stance. Your lower body is unstable, and your center of gravity is too high. This is fatal in a real battle."
As Tatsuki spoke, his knee "inadvertently" nudged the back of Gion's leg to help her adjust her center of gravity.
[Ding! Violation Points +80!]
"Breathe. Your breathing is a mess too. Follow my rhythm."
[Ding! Violation Points +60!]
Tatsuki's heart was in wild ecstasy.
To become stronger, to protect the peace of this sea, what did it matter if he sacrificed his reputation a little and got a bit handsy with a female subordinate?
This was all for justice!
Meanwhile, outside the window.
Raindrops pitter-pattered against the glass, blurring the view outside.
On the plaza of Marineford, a pink figure was struggling through the mud.
Tokikake was soaked to the bone, the lace dress clinging tightly to his body, outlining his far-from-aesthetic features and flab. His legs felt as heavy as lead, but he still persisted.
For justice!
To prove himself to Gion!
As he ran his eighth lap and passed under the Headquarters building, he subconsciously looked up.
That window.
That warm light.
That was Tatsuki's office.
Tokikake wiped the rain from his face and squinted.
Through the shadow on the curtain, he clearly saw two overlapping silhouettes.
That tall figure was pressed tightly against the back of that slender figure. Their movements looked so intimate, so...
Crack.
It seemed something had completely shattered in Tokikake's heart.
"No... no!"
Tokikake shook his head frantically in the rain, tears mixing with rainwater as they flowed into his mouth, incredibly bitter.
'Gion...'
'You must... you must be asking for swordsmanship guidance... right?'
'Gion isn't that kind of shallow woman. And Rear Admiral Tatsuki is the incarnation of justice. I must be overthinking. Waaaaah!'
Tokikake let out a desperate wail in his heart, but his legs could no longer move. He fell to his knees in the mud with a splash, letting out a shrill roar into the dark, rainy night that he didn't dare make too loud.
"This damn justice!"
...
For the next three days, a strange rumor circulated throughout Marineford.
It was said that whenever night fell, sounds that made people blush would emanate from the office of the newly promoted Rear Admiral Tatsuki.
First, there were heavy thudding sounds, followed by the gasping breaths of an exhausted girl, and finally, a man's stern, low shouts.
"Sink your hips lower!"
"Put some effort into it! How can this weak, soft force satisfy me?"
"Is this your limit, Gion?"
When the patrolling Marines passed the window with the light on, they would flash an "I understand" smile, then tacitly quicken their pace and walk far away.
"That's sword practice! That's hellish special training, got it?!"
In the First Cafeteria, Tokikake, sporting heavy dark circles under his eyes, slammed his hand on the table and roared at a group of whispering colleagues.
For the past few nights, he had been squatting downstairs like a pervert, eavesdropping. He firmly believed that Gion was sweating profusely to become stronger. It was the necessary tempering on the path of a powerful warrior.
As for the person involved, Gion was both pained and happy.
(End of Chapter)
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