Chapter 28 – A True Man Knows When to Bend
Tch. What a tough fight.
Even though Tatsuro had the advantage in speed and strength, he was still pushed to the brink. Aside from the opening exchange, he had been forced to play defense.
He glanced at the scrape on his arm, a wound from a single slip in dodging.
Still, just one scratch from him and it cut this deep... No wonder I want to learn from him.
If he could copy this man's full set of combat techniques…
He might even match up to someone like Aoi Todo.
"I lost..."
Itou Shuuichi looked at the blood on his fingertips. He still couldn't believe it. He'd gone nearly toe-to-toe with a kid. The strength, the speed, the reactions—it was all real.
But losing to a child still stung.
"Shuuichi-sensei, according to our bet, I win if I last ten seconds. You have to teach me everything you know. I get it—passing on your life's work isn't easy, but how about this? I kneel and call you master? Or dad?"
Tatsuro smiled playfully, trying to sway him with humor.
This big guy clearly wasn't married and was probably pretty lonely. Pulling the "you're my only hope" card might just do the trick.
Once he added this guy's hand-to-hand combat skills to his Sharingan, he'd be nearly unstoppable.
"No need for all that."
Itou gave a long sigh, then burst into laughter.
Yeah, I lost. No excuses.
He was already past thirty. In another seven or eight years, maybe he wouldn't even be able to throw a punch. Did he really want to take all this skill into the grave with him?
"No need to kneel. I'll teach you. Come to my room tonight. I'm old... It's time the young ones took over."
"Got it!"
Tatsuro grinned from ear to ear. He hadn't expected the big guy to be so honorable.
Guess age really does come with dignity.
He remembered something his grandfather used to say: "A man must always hold onto his pride. If you lose face, you might as well be dead."
Now he understood.
He was gonna master this and return to school dazzling everyone.
"All right, everyone! Back to your posts! Anyone loitering around gets to run twenty kilometers with weights strapped to your backs!"
Itou shouted.
The crowd of onlookers immediately scattered like roaches.
Tatsuro had barely begun to complain about how strict the guy was when someone approached from behind.
He turned and saw a woman in a black-and-white maid uniform walking toward him.
"Good morning, Mr. Tatsuro. I'm the housekeeper here. The young lady has asked for your presence."
"Understood."
Tatsuro picked up his pack and gave Itou a wave, then followed the maid into the mansion.
As soon as he entered, he was stunned.
The floor was so polished it reflected like a mirror. Four massive golden pillars carved with dragons supported the ceiling. The dragons held gold orbs in their mouths—and they looked real.
Wealth. Absolute wealth.
The deeper they went, the darker Tatsuro's expression became. At the end of the hallway was a room radiating an intense cursed energy.
He had sensed it faintly outside, but now it was clear—
It was coming from inside the room he was supposed to protect.
"Um... Miss Housekeeper," he asked softly, "has anything strange happened here recently? Like floating objects, people disappearing...?"
"No," she replied with a smile. "Why do you ask, Mr. Tatsuro? That sounds scary."
"Oh, it's nothing. I just heard mansions like this tend to attract ghosts. I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat, you know? Might need you to stay with me at night, Miss Housekeeper."
He grinned. "If you don't mind calling me 'little Tatsuro,' I'd be happy to serve you."
"Haha."
The housekeeper chuckled behind her hand. "Since you said it like that, I suppose I'll stay with you, little Tatsuro."
"Thanks. By the way... Have your shoulders felt heavy lately? Even without moving, do they feel tired?"
"Actually, yes," she said with surprise. "I went to the hospital, but they couldn't find anything wrong. How did you know?"
Of course he knew.
There was a weak cursed spirit—shaped like a black cat—clinging to her shoulder.
Almost every household has these low-level curses. They're too weak to hurt anyone, so sorcerers usually ignore them.
That didn't mean he wouldn't deal with it, though.
"I could tell from your posture. I used to give my mom shoulder rubs a lot."
He stepped forward and gently brushed his hand over her shoulder—exorcising the curse in a flash—then started massaging casually.
"How's that?"
"Wow… I feel lighter already. Like something just melted away."
"That's good. I'd be heartbroken if a beautiful woman like you overworked herself."
"You little flirt. If you ever betray me, I'll tear that pretty mouth of yours apart."
She pinched his cheek.
"My name is Haruka Gardenia. Just call me Sister Gardenia from now on."
"Yes, Sister Gardenia."
She smiled, pleased with his attitude, then grew serious again.
"For the next half month, your job is to protect the young lady. She must never leave your sight."
"Even when she's bathing?"
Tatsuro said with a sly grin.
"Yes."
"...Wait, what?!"
Gardenia realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself. She tugged his ear in mock anger.
"You brat! You seriously had that in mind?"
"I was just joking!" he laughed. "But… doesn't the lady hate being watched so closely? And the other bodyguards are super strong."
"That's the problem," Gardenia said quietly. "They stand out too much. She doesn't like it. And besides… Well, it's not my place to say."
Her voice trailed off as they neared the door.
Taking a deep breath, she put on her warmest big-sister smile and said:
"Well then, Mr. Tatsuro… please, go on in."
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