oro, it seemed, had an uncanny ability to make himself right at home, anywhere, anytime. Kuina, delicately lifting a portion of rice to her lips with her chopsticks, didn't even grace him with a glance. "Yours is in the kitchen," she stated coolly. "Get it yourself."
With a clatter of footsteps on the wooden floor, Zoro vanished into the back kitchen. Moments later, he emerged triumphantly, bearing a large tray. Piled high on it was a mountain of steaming white rice, easily double a normal portion, alongside an entire grilled fish.
He plunked the tray down beside Selene and Kuina, plopped himself onto the floor cross-legged, grabbed the oversized rice bowl, and bellowed, "Itadakimasu!" (Thanks for the food!)
Then, he attacked the meal like a starving wolf, shoveling rice and fish into his mouth with ferocious speed. He must have been absolutely famished after his frantic, misguided training session.
"Hmph!" A disdainful sniff escaped Kuina as she watched Zoro's display. "A freeloader, and he dares to eat that much?"
It was true. All the other children who trained at the dojo paid tuition fees. It wasn't much, but it contributed to the dojo's upkeep. As disciples living on-site, only two didn't pay: Selene, as Koshiro's adopted daughter, and now Zoro, the newcomer. However, the dojo also owned a small plot of land where they grew some of their own food, and Selene regularly helped with the chores and farming. She earned her keep; she wasn't truly freeloading.
Zoro paused mid-chew at Kuina's sharp remark, blinking owlishly. A few grains of rice clung stubbornly to the corner of his mouth. Then, bafflingly, he scrambled to his feet, bowed deeply and formally towards Kuina, and declared with utter seriousness, "I apologize! I will help with the dojo chores from now on!"
Having made this solemn vow, he promptly sat back down and resumed demolishing his food with renewed vigor, seemingly completely unfazed by the initial barb.
Selene watched, speechless. This Mosshead idiot... his nerves aren't just thick, they're practically nonexistent.
Kuina's attempt at shaming him had utterly failed. Frustrated, she resorted to aggressively stabbing at her own remaining rice with her chopsticks, a sight that made Selene stifle a laugh behind her hand.
Once the meal concluded, Zoro sprawled out inelegantly on the floor, patting his distended stomach with satisfaction. "Ahh, full! So full!" he announced loudly.
Kuina stood up, preparing to clear the trays. But just as she reached for them, Zoro leaped to his feet, a competitive fire suddenly blazing in his eyes. "Alright! Now that I'm full, let's settle this!" he declared, pointing a finger straight at Kuina.
Kuina looked ready to dismiss him entirely, perhaps with another cutting remark. But Selene intervened, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'll handle the dishes," she said smoothly, standing up. "You handle him."
Before Kuina could respond, Selene gathered all three trays with a knowing smirk and headed towards the kitchen. She knew exactly what was coming next. If her memories of the original story served, Zoro was destined to live in Kuina's shadow for a long time, accumulating a rather infamous record of 2001 losses and 0 wins against her.
The start of that legendary losing streak was about to unfold. Selene wasn't about to miss the spectacle just to wash a few dishes.
Sure enough, by the time Selene returned from the kitchen, wiping her hands, the clang and thwack of bamboo swords echoed through the room. Zoro and Kuina were already locked in combat.
Compared to yesterday's wild flailing, Zoro's movements showed a flicker of improvement. He was actually attempting the basic stance Selene had shown him that morning.
But a proper stance alone wasn't nearly enough. His timing was off, his power application uncontrolled. After a brief, clumsy offensive flurry, Kuina easily spotted an opening. Her shinai shot forward in a precise thrust, striking Zoro squarely in the stomach. The impact lifted him clean off his feet, sending him tumbling backward through the air.
Selene saw it clearly – Zoro's eyes practically bulged out of his head from the force of the blow.
"Cough! Cough!" Zoro landed hard, curling up on the floor, looking like he was about to cough up his lunch, possibly his gallbladder too. Yet, even as he choked and gasped, the fierce, unyielding light in his eyes remained stubbornly lit.
Selene had initially planned to just enjoy the show, maybe chuckle at Zoro's expense. But seeing that look in his eyes, the sheer, unwavering refusal to give up... the amusement faded.
That's it, she thought, a jolt of recognition running through her. That's the look. The look of someone who will never, ever quit.
A sudden resolve solidified within her. Selene straightened up and walked over to Kuina, who was lowering her shinai, ready to dismiss the beaten Zoro. "Kuina," Selene said, her voice steady. "Still got energy left?"
Kuina, having delivered her swift lesson, seemed surprised by Selene's interruption. She blinked, then straightened her posture. "Of course!"
"Then spar with me," Selene stated, her expression serious.
A rare, genuine smile spread across Kuina's face. "Well, this is unusual. Big Sis Selene actually challenging me?"
Selene felt a flush creep up her neck. Kuina was right; she'd never actively sought a match before. Why volunteer for a beatdown you knew was coming? But things were different now. Since drawing the Samanosuke card, she was itching to test its effects, to see how much of a difference it truly made.
Seeing that Selene and Kuina were about to fight, Zoro abruptly stopped his coughing fit. He scrambled out of the way, plopping down at the edge of the room, his eyes wide with anticipation, ready to watch.
In the center of the room, Selene and Kuina faced each other, shinai held ready. A palpable tension filled the air as they focused intently, reading each other's slightest movements. Selene watched Kuina's posture, her senses heightened. A subtle shift in Kuina's shoulder— There! Selene thought.
In the next instant, Kuina exploded forward, her footwork blurringly fast. But Selene's reaction, amplified by the card's stats, was even faster. Without conscious thought, her shinai lashed out, a direct thrust aimed at Kuina's line of approach.
The speed of the attack clearly surprised Kuina. She twisted sharply, deflecting Selene's thrust with a sweeping block.
Immediately, they fell into a fierce exchange. The sharp cracks of bamboo impacting bamboo filled the room – block, parry, counter, strike – a dozen blows exchanged in mere seconds!
Their movements weren't flashy or complex. Koshiro's teachings focused purely on fundamentals – proper stance, footwork, the perfect execution of basic cuts and thrusts. There were no named techniques, no fancy flourishes. Yet, it was precisely this adherence to brutal basics that made their duel so intense. Beside them, Zoro watched, utterly captivated, his earlier defeat momentarily forgotten.
Evenly matched! The realization struck Selene with the force of a physical blow. For the first time ever, she was fighting Kuina to a standstill.
She could feel the difference coursing through her. Her reaction time, her striking speed – they were significantly enhanced. Each swing carried more weight, more impact. Managing this sudden surge of power was still difficult; her control felt clumsy, less refined than Kuina's practiced ease. But the raw increase in strength undeniably pressured Kuina, forcing her onto the defensive more often than ever before.
However, this heightened intensity came at a cost. Fierce bursts of action consumed stamina rapidly. After several more breathless exchanges, both girls simultaneously broke contact, lowering their shinai, chests heaving, sweat dripping onto the polished wooden floor.
"B-Big Sis Selene..." Kuina panted, staring at her with wide, astonished eyes. "Your improvement... it's incredible! You lost to me just yesterday! How...? Were you... were you holding back against me all this time?"
"No!" Selene shook her head quickly, denying it perhaps a little too forcefully. Admitting she'd held back would mortally wound Kuina's pride; their relationship might never recover. "I... I've just been training more seriously than ever before," she explained, hoping it sounded convincing. "That's why I've improved."
"Really?" Kuina's eyes narrowed slightly, then she visibly recalled the image of Selene training with unparalleled focus that morning. The intensity she'd witnessed had been undeniable. Kuina nodded slowly, accepting the explanation.
"Let's call it a draw, okay?" Selene wiped sweat from her brow, her arms trembling slightly. "I'm out of stamina."
A flicker of reluctance crossed Kuina's face. Like Zoro, she possessed a fiercely competitive spirit. Having been undefeated among her peers for so long, accepting anything less than victory, even a draw, chafed. But seeing Selene's genuine exhaustion, she nodded curtly.
A draw isn't a loss... right? Kuina probably told herself as she turned and walked away, needing a moment to process the unexpected challenge.
Selene remained standing, catching her breath, staring down at her own sweat-drenched palms. Okay, new training priorities, she thought grimly. Stamina and strength conditioning. The spar, though brief, had brutally exposed her physical limitations. The card provided raw stats, yes, but her body needed to be able to handle them, to sustain the output.
Her current stats showed Strength and Speed both at 20. Her Doriki had nudged up to 14. If she could fully utilize these stats, she was technically stronger than a standard Marine grunt now.
Still complete fodder in the grand scheme of things, though...
As she mulled this over, she felt a tug on her sleeve. Looking down, she found Zoro staring up at her. Being ten, Selene was a good head taller than the younger Zoro, forcing him to crane his neck.
"What is it?" Selene asked, still breathing heavily.
"Big Sis Selene..." Zoro mumbled, the address sounding slightly awkward but earnest. "...teach me! Please! I want to beat that woman!"
It was the first time Zoro had called her that. Hearing it, likely prompted by witnessing her fight Kuina to a standstill, sent an unexpected thrill through Selene. His request, too, sparked something within her. She wouldn't readily admit it, but Zoro's arrival, his raw determination, had spurred her on. Training alongside him, feeding off his obsessive drive... it could be incredibly beneficial for her own progress.
"Alright," Selene agreed after a moment's consideration. "Starting tomorrow, you train with me."
Master Koshiro, despite being the dojo head, rarely involved himself directly in the day-to-day training of the younger students. Most instruction fell to Sosuke, or, increasingly, to Kuina and Selene. Selene herself had seldom seen Koshiro truly demonstrate his own skill; his true strength remained an enigma. So, taking Zoro under her wing seemed perfectly reasonable.
The next morning, as Selene began her pre-dawn training routine, she found she had acquired a small, green-haired shadow.
"...Let's start with running," Selene decided, feeling slightly awkward stepping into the instructor role. Zoro was watching her expectantly. "Follow me. We'll do a lap around the village first."
"Okay! Okay!" Zoro nodded vigorously, bouncing on the balls of his feet, eager to begin.
Selene turned and started jogging at a steady pace down the path leading away from the dojo. After only a few steps, however, she sensed something amiss. Glancing back, she saw... nothing. Zoro wasn't behind her.
She scanned the area, confused. And then she saw him. Zoro was cheerfully jogging away... in the completely opposite direction.
"COME BACK HERE, YOU MORON!" A vein pulsed angrily on Selene's temple as she roared, her voice echoing in the dawn stillness. "HOW CAN YOU GET LOST WHEN I'M RIGHT HERE?!"
Zoro heard her shout and skidded to a halt, looking bewildered. He turned, spotted her, and started running towards her. Relief washed over Selene for a fraction of a second, before turning into utter disbelief. Right before her eyes, after taking maybe two steps in the correct direction, Zoro inexplicably veered off course again, heading towards the treeline at a sharp angle.
"..." Selene stood frozen, mouth agape. She literally had no words. From childhood onwards... the world's number one master of getting lost... His reputation is entirely deserved...