Chapter 123: Chishima-kun, Is This Some Kind of Confession? (Long Chapter)
"Soichi."
Akishin suddenly called out to Soichi, who was walking just ahead of him. Once the boy turned around, Akishin let a small smile play on his lips under the silver moonlight. "Do you want to learn Kendo from me?"
Kondo Soichi froze. "...!"
"Chishima-sensei, what did you just say? You're asking if I want to learn the way of the sword from you? For real?"
Akishin's expression shifted into a look of slight helplessness before he reaffirmed his offer. "That's right. I think you're a good fit for my style of swordsmanship, so I'm asking if you're willing."
"I am! I am! Of course I am!" Soichi nodded his head vigorously, his eyes bright with excitement. "Chishima-sensei, you're a Kendo champion. To tell you the truth, I was just wondering if I could ask you to teach me..."
"Haha, well, that's good to hear then."
Akishin reached out and patted Soichi's small head. A gentle breeze swept past, and the quiet surface of Lake Itomori in the distance rippled in layers, almost as if the water itself were offering its congratulations.
"In that case, Chishima-sensei, do I need to call you Shifu?" Soichi asked eagerly. "I read in the newspapers that I might even have a senior disciple..."
He understood that the inheritance of a craft was a serious matter. Usually, there was a formal ceremony for taking on a master, and once you became a disciple, the title followed naturally.
Akishin hesitated for a few seconds. Seeing Shizuka and Kaiko about to catch up to them, he shook his head. "There's no need for that yet. Don't be in such a hurry to decide, either. My training is incredibly brutal; you might find you can't handle it when the time comes. Why don't you come to Chiba first and train with me for a while before we talk about titles?"
"I can handle it!" Soichi grew a bit anxious, defending his resolve. "Really, Chishima-sensei, no matter how much I have to suffer, I can take it."
"No, Soichi. You have to understand that talking and doing are two different things. Anyone can talk, and anyone can talk big. But whether something actually succeeds depends entirely on your own capability." Akishin patted the boy's head again, offering a piece of advice. "Be a good kid. After you've actually trained for a period of time, I'll ask you again. If you're still willing to learn Kendo from me then... it won't be too late to call me Shifu."
"...Okay!"
Soichi's shoulders slumped slightly, looking a bit dejected.
Akishin shook his head faintly. He truly felt this kid was suited for his Kendo.
First, his mentality was mature enough; he wouldn't become arrogant just because he possessed a bit of talent.
Second, he was still young, making it easy to build a solid foundation. With direct instruction, this boy's future achievements in Kendo likely wouldn't be low.
It felt a bit like a nurturing sim game. If Soichi reached great heights in the future, Akishin would feel a sense of pride too.
But reality wasn't a game, after all. If Soichi felt the training wasn't for him, he could simply leave.
It wasn't like Akishin would hunt him down and drag him back to practice.
That was impossible.
He also had to consider Soichi's mother's wishes.
Though, that point should be easy enough; they had no reason to disagree.
Lastly, there was the matter of his own satisfaction. He already had one disciple, and adding another wouldn't be a problem, but he wouldn't do it with a half-hearted attitude—especially since he'd be called Shifu.
"And Soichi, until this is officially settled, it's best if you don't tell anyone. That includes your sister and your mother."
Akishin gave one last instruction. He mentioned this specifically because he worried that if Soichi told his parents, they might pressure the boy into making a choice prematurely.
"Why?"
Soichi was confused. He didn't quite grasp the logic yet. He had been thinking about telling his mother and sister just to make them happy.
But Akishin's words cut that thought short.
Akishin didn't want to give him the real reason, so he simply said, "You'll understand why when you're older. Can you do that for me?"
"I can."
Soichi nodded with absolute certainty.
"Good."
Akishin nodded with a smile just as Shizuka and the others reached them.
"Chishima-kun, what are you two talking about?"
"Nothing much."
...
By the time they returned to the Kondo residence, it was nearing midnight. Keiko and the others had already gone to bed.
The four of them had bathed before leaving, and despite the long walk back, the cool night breeze had kept them from breaking a sweat.
They simply washed their feet again and headed to their respective rooms.
The Kondo house was much like Akishin's own—an old home left over from the last century. There were plenty of rooms; the entire second floor had a total of eight.
The baby boom of that era had been truly remarkable, after all.
The reason Japan was able to recover so quickly after the war and return to the top of the world was largely due to the population growth from that boom, which provided an inexhaustible supply of cheap labor.
Yuika and Soichi occupied their own rooms, while Akishin and Shizuka were sharing a single room, sleeping on futons laid directly on the floor.
Whether it was because the Kondo house truly had no more empty rooms or because of some specific misunderstanding, that was how things had been arranged.
Of course, both had been asked at the time, and both had politely replied that it wasn't an issue.
Akishin and Shizuka entered the room wearing their pajamas. Seeing the two sets of bedding placed so close together, they both hesitated for a moment.
Shizuka glanced at Akishin before taking the initiative to pull back her blanket and slip inside.
She poked only her head out, her face flushing a deep red as she spoke to Akishin. "Chishima-kun, go to sleep early. After being in the car for half the day and then going out to play, you must be exhausted."
She trusted Akishin's character. There had been plenty of times before where he could have taken advantage of a situation but didn't.
Now they were just sleeping in the same room, not the same bed, so it wasn't a big deal.
Yeah, not a big deal.
She tried to convince herself, but she couldn't stop her thoughts from racing, which only made her face turn a darker shade of crimson.
Akishin nodded subconsciously. "Right."
Then he paused, looking left and right, and finally back at Shizuka, who was clutching her blanket with a bright red face. He was stunned for a second before nodding again.
He turned off the light, opened the other blanket, and slipped in.
The dim room was instantly enveloped in silence. Cold moonlight filtered through the window, reflecting quietly off the floor. The faint, rhythmic orchestra of insects echoed in their ears.
Shizuka didn't close her eyes. She stared blankly at the ceiling for several minutes in the shadows before turning to look at Akishin.
As it turned out, Akishin had been staring at her the whole time.
Their eyes met.
A momentary flash of panic struck them both, but they quickly regained their composure. Each looked at the other and offered a small smile.
"Um... Chishima-kun, have you ever been in love?" Shizuka took the lead, her voice a soft whisper.
"Never."
"Is that so? I guess that makes sense, you can usually tell..." Shizuka gave a self-deprecating smile, her tone turning a bit heavy. "But, I have. It happened right after I graduated from college. Back then, I really yearned for—or maybe I was just curious about—what they call love. Do you want to hear about it?"
Akishin was silent for a moment, then said softly, "If possible, I'd like to listen..."
After saying that, he reached his right hand out from under his blanket toward Shizuka.
Shizuka was stunned, her face heating up again. She hesitated for a heartbeat, then reached out her left hand.
Between the two blankets, their hands found each other and locked tight.
Shizuka's voice became more relaxed. "It went like this. I had just left the campus environment and was desperate for love. Then, on a rainy day, I met that person on the street..."
Shizuka talked about her past, about that terrible first love, but her tone was incredibly casual, as if she were telling someone else's story.
Their hands remained interlaced.
"...That day, after I got home, I saw the whole house was a mess. I cried my eyes out, and eventually, my father came to pick me up."
After finishing the story, Shizuka expected to feel a sense of panic, but she didn't. The large hand gripping hers provided a profound sense of security.
Dia felt her current mood quietly—a sense of peace she had never felt before.
Then she asked Akishin in a low voice, a small smile on her face. "Chishima-kun, what do you think?"
Akishin was quiet for two seconds, then spoke in a flat tone. "That person deserves to die."
If that guy were still walking this earth, Akishin would have gone looking for him with a sword a long time ago.
"That's it?"
"What else can I say? Did you want me to judge you based on what you just told me?"
"Shouldn't you?"
"Of course not. A story, an event—while it can express certain traits, it can't represent a person entirely."
In the dim light, Akishin looked at Shizuka and gave her a teasing smile. "You dummy, after spending all this time with you, do you really think I don't know what kind of person you are? You're incredibly innocent and cute, but you've also got a lot of stubborn, spoiled tendencies..."
"Hey, Chishima-kun, so that's how you see me."
"Haha, of course not, that's just a tiny bit of it..."
Shizuka stared at Akishin as he let out a small laugh. Her hand, held in his, squeezed back with a bit of strength.
She suddenly smiled and said, "Well, whatever. I'm glad you can see me like that. Everyone else thinks I'm just some brute. But, Chishima-kun..."
She paused there. Her expression looked amused, but there was a lingering worry in her eyes. "You said that person deserves to die, but actually... he's probably already gone. I haven't seen him since. My father said he went abroad, but once my father found out what happened, how could he possibly let that guy escape? He just never told me... Chishima-kun, don't be fooled by that Old Man's friendly and approachable act; he's actually quite ruthless when he takes action. So... well..."
She trailed off again. "...Chishima-kun, are you afraid?"
"I'm not!"
Akishin gave a firm answer. In the darkness, he flashed a wide grin at Shizuka. "The old man won't be able to do anything to me. Besides, he's very satisfied with me, and that satisfaction is only going to continue..."
Right now, he was a prospective son-in-law, and in the future, he'd be the actual son-in-law. What would the Old Man have to be dissatisfied about? Maybe in the future, the Hiratsuka Group would even be his. (Laughs)
"...Arrogant."
Shizuka laughed. With the help of the faint moonlight, she searched Akishin's eyes and saw not a single trace of fear.
Though she didn't fully believe him, she felt incredibly at ease. The thing she had been worried about didn't happen. Chishima-kun really wasn't simple.
"Chishima-kun, what kind of person are you, really? Even now, I still can't see you clearly."
Hiratsuka Shizuka pulled the blanket up, covering her mouth and nose, leaving only her large eyes visible.
Akishin smiled and said, "Then watch me slowly. If one year isn't clear enough, then two. If two years aren't enough, then ten, twenty, thirty..."
"..."
"..."
"Chishima-kun, do you like me?"
"I do."
"What kind of 'like' is it?"
"The kind of like where I want to marry you. The kind where I want to spend my entire life with you. The kind where I want to have children with you... Actually, Shizuka, ever since you pulled me back from the brink of death the first time we met, the moment I saw you, I'd already thought of names for our kids."
"..."
"..."
Shizuka pulled the blanket completely over her head, vanishing into a total cocoon. She felt her face burning up, her mind spinning. If she didn't hide under something immediately, she feared she might just pass out.
Akishin could feel the temperature of the small hand he was holding rising rapidly. He gave a faint smile and tightened his grip slightly. The hand trembled for a moment.
Then, from beneath the blanket, Shizuka's muffled voice drifted out. "Chishima... Chishima-kun, is... is this some kind of confession?"
"...It doesn't feel like one yet. I haven't even prepared a gift."
"Wah!"
Shizuka poked her head back out, gasping for air as if she were starving for it. Her face was flushed deep red, her gaze was hazy, and her pajamas were slightly disheveled, revealing the pale, clean line of her neck.
Even in the dim light... no, because it was dim, it became even more alluring, stirring an impulse to just pounce on her.
Of course, Akishin was only stunned for a moment, the thought passing in a flash.
Shizuka herself didn't realize how seductive she looked right now. Despite her red face and the intense shyness in her heart, she looked at Akishin seriously and asked, "Then... Chishima-kun, when... do you plan to officially confess?"
"I was originally planning to do it on your birthday, Shizuka..." Akishin answered, sounding a bit dazed. He was feeling quite confused by the turn of events.
What kind of situation is this?
Why does it feel like I'm being cornered?
"Is that still a month away?" Shizuka murmured softly, then looked at Akishin again with absolute seriousness. "Fine, Chishima-kun. I'll wait until then. I'll wait until you... confess!"
And then...
Shizuka dove back under the blanket. Aside from her hand still being linked with Akishin's, she refused to come out at all. Her body trembled slightly—whether from joy, embarrassment, or perhaps both...
...
Akishin didn't know exactly when he fell asleep last night. After hearing Shizuka's words, he had felt lightheaded too, and his hand never let go of hers...
When he woke up, the first thing he saw was Shizuka's face. He couldn't help but stare—the distance between them was tiny, only about two palms apart, close enough that he could feel her breath.
It could be said that he had never really looked at Shizuka this closely before.
Her skin was fair and perfect, possessing that gentle softness typical of Asian women. Her eyelashes, like tiny fans, made one imagine how perfect the eyes beneath them must be.
Her small nose flared slightly with every breath; she was sleeping very soundly. Her moist, pink lips gave the impression of wearing translucent lipstick, tempting the most primal desires at the bottom of his heart...
Her breath carried a faint, sweet fragrance that felt incredibly familiar—the scent of Shizuka's body, which only intensified the attraction from every angle.
Akishin forced himself to look away with great effort. That was dangerous; he had almost kissed her. But...
Remembering last night's conversation...
It felt like kissing her shouldn't even be a problem!
He smacked his lips, but in the end, Akishin didn't do it. It was only then that he realized he and Shizuka were sleeping almost touching, separated only by two thin layers of blankets in the middle.
It seemed that after falling asleep, they had unconsciously moved toward each other, and upon waking, this was the result.
If only the blankets had been pulled back then, how nice would that have been...
Akishin thought helplessly. He checked the sky; the morning sun had already risen. He pulled out his phone to check the time—it was already eight in the morning.
At that moment, Akishin realized his hand and Shizuka's were still firmly interlaced.
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