How do you handle a reserved, introverted guy, especially one who's strong and seems pretty intelligent?
Fubuki racked her brain for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.
So, she gave up thinking and turned to the all-knowing search engine.
[How to get along with a reserved, introverted guy?]
The webpage quickly displayed multiple links. Fubuki scrolled down and found a post with a title that looked very professional.
[Calling all sisters!! Today, I'm going to share a treasure trove of tips on "How to get along with a reserved, introverted guy"! I'll teach you step-by-step how to get these reserved guys wrapped around your finger! First, let's analyze the personalities of these introverted guys...]
Hmm... Lacks social skills? Mr. Qingshui has been a corporate drone for over a decade, so that checks out. Enjoys being passive? Yeah, that fits too.
Is he the type of reserved guy who's a techie? Seems like it. Often acts in ways girls don't understand, so I need to be tolerant?
This Fubuki-sama certainly has the magnanimity and tolerance for that!
The more Fubuki read, the more sense it made, so she kept scrolling down.
"Next, the practical steps...
Close the distance, strike precisely, break through their inner defenses? Melt the iceberg with details, use both actions and words, and both sides work together to find common ground... I see, I understand now!"
Fubuki hadn't even finished the post, but it was as if a lightbulb went off, and she felt she had gained a lot.
With this knowledge, wouldn't it be a piece of cake for her, Fubuki, to handle a shut-in?
Fubuki smiled smugly and reopened the chat window.
Step one: use normal conversation to build rapport, ideally subtly expressing care during the process.
So, Miss Fubuki confidently sent a message in the chat window.
[Still there? Have you eaten?]
Qingshui looked at the message Fubuki sent in the chat window and made the same confused expression as Nick Young.
This "Still there? Have you eaten?" opening... why does it feel so strangely familiar?
Qingshui couldn't figure out what Fubuki was thinking, but considering he still needed to get 100 million yen in compensation from her, he patiently continued the conversation.
After some awkward small talk, and realizing the topics were going nowhere, Qingshui finally got tired of humoring her. He ended the conversation by saying he was going to shower and would chat later.
Next, he needed to visit the small company he had recently opened.
On the other end, Fubuki saw that the conversation had ended. She tilted her head, feeling that through this exchange, their relationship had become slightly closer. Then, she straightened her sleeves, picked up her designer bag, and prepared to leave.
She planned to follow the advice in the guide and buy some small gifts. She had even searched for suitable gifts for men during their chat.
The 100 million yen was almost collected, and she had some extra funds, so buying some cost-effective gifts wouldn't be a problem.
Shortly after Fubuki left the apartment.
Tatsumaki, still in her pajamas, floated out of her bedroom, her eyes heavy with sleep.
"Fubuki, did you buy breakfast?"
Tatsumaki yawned and waved her hand, using her psychic powers to bring her toothbrush, towel, and other items to her, automatically completing her morning routine. At the same time, she looked around the living room.
Fubuki wasn't there.
But the tablet on the table was still on, indicating Fubuki had just left.
So, Tatsumaki curiously pulled the tablet closer and began to snoop on her sister's little secrets.
"Huh? What's this...?"
Tatsumaki swiped her hand, scrolling the unread post to the very bottom, where she saw a few tags at the end of the post.
#DatingTips #LoveTutorial #UltimateSweetheartManual
!!!
Tatsumaki's eyes widened, her sleepiness instantly vanishing. She dropped the toothbrush and cup she was holding.
Fubuki's dating?!
But maybe she accidentally clicked on this post?
So, Tatsumaki quietly opened the browser history and saw two entries.
[How to get along with a reserved, introverted guy?]
[What to give as a first gift to a very important man?]
"AAAAAHHHH!!!! Fubuki is really secretly dating a man behind my back, her older sister!!!"
Tatsumaki clutched her head, her tiny body like a deflated balloon, flying erratically and chaotically around the large living room, as if something monumental had happened.
Meanwhile, Qingshui, clad in his Black Samurai Armor, flew to a towering peak on the outskirts of Z-City's forest.
At the summit, inside an ancient dojo.
A Blondie youth, dressed in training clothes, was holding a broom and sound asleep under the shade of a large tree.
*"THUD!"*
The sound of the armor hitting the ground startled the Blondie youth awake.
"Huh?"
"Is this Bang's dojo?"
"Huh? Yes, I am Bang's top disciple, Charanko!"
Seeing a visitor, Charanko hastily stood up from the ground.
"You are…"
Charanko felt like this person looked a bit familiar.
It seemed his name had been popping up in the news lately.
"He's an A-Class Hero from the Association, the Black Whirlwind Samurai. But he has the strength to fight Dragon-level Monsters, so he should be promoted to S-Class soon."
Bang walked out from inside, one hand behind his back, the other stroking his beard, as he spoke to Qingshui.
"Huh? What would such an important person want at our dojo?"
Charanko scratched his head.
"Mr. Bang, it's an honor."
Qingshui slightly bowed to the white-haired old man in front of him.
He had sent a message to Bang last night, saying he wanted to visit and learn about the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock.
And Bang, who wasn't prejudiced about teaching, quickly agreed and set a time.
He was happy for someone to come and learn martial arts.
In fact, for Qingshui, learning from Bang was much easier than learning from Haragiri.
The latter would teach for money, but not everything. The former wouldn't take money; if you wanted to learn, he would teach, but whether he taught everything depended on how much you were capable of learning.
Of course, there was still a threshold: you had to impress old man Bang.
At least, that was the case before Garou caused trouble.
"Haha, what honor? I'm just an old man guarding an empty dojo. It's rare for such an outstanding young person to be willing to visit an old man like me, especially you, the Black Whirlwind Samurai."
Bang laughed heartily.
Qingshui took off his Black Samurai Armor, feeling a bit speechless.
"Mr. Bang, you're too kind. But you don't need to use my hero name, just call me by my given name."
"Then I'll be so bold as to call you Qingshui-kun! Charanko! Bring tea!"
Bang waved to Charanko.
A minute later, inside the dojo, the fragrance of tea filled the air.
"How is it? My tea ceremony skills aren't bad, are they?"
Bang pushed a cup of tea towards Qingshui, smiling.
"Uh… indeed extraordinary."
Qingshui replied politely.
He knew nothing about tea ceremonies.
"Speaking of which, my dojo was quite popular a few months ago, but… something happened. Aside from Charanko, who was lazy, skipped lessons, and went to internet cafes to play games, all the other disciples left. In the past six months, some people have come to seek apprenticeship because of the slight reputation I've gained, but I haven't taken in a single one."
Bang took a sip of tea, then said solemnly.
"Is it because of Garou?"
"That's right. It seems Qingshui-kun has investigated thoroughly. Garou was once my most outstanding disciple, but he had an extreme personality, couldn't tell right from wrong, and was perverse. However, his talent was exceptionally high. He was the only young man among my many disciples who fully inherited the dojo's ultimate techniques.
For many years, he hid his true nature, sharpening his fangs, until he believed he had mastered it. Then, while I was out, he severely injured all his fellow disciples, spoke ill of them, stole the martial arts scrolls, and finally betrayed the dojo."
Bang didn't say what evil words Garou spoke, but looking at the deserted state of the dojo today, one could pretty much imagine.
"Although I gave him a good beating afterward, he ultimately didn't show a single hint of remorse.
So, since then, apart from Charanko, whom I had already taken in, I haven't taken any other disciples.
It's just Charanko… sigh."
Bang raised his eyes and glanced at his only remaining disciple, who was refilling his teacup, and sighed.
"Master! Don't worry! I will definitely truly master the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock, and live up to your prestige!"
Charanko, putting down the teapot, immediately stood at attention.
"I want to believe you, Charanko, but do you even believe what you're saying?"
Bang said to Charanko.
"Uh… maybe, maybe I'll have an epiphany one day?"
"Sigh."
Bang let out a long sigh.
"As you can see, although Charanko has great aspirations, he's ultimately not cut out for anything significant. And precisely because of this, I estimate Garou won't bother him again because of it."
Charanko's expression immediately fell.
"Master, you shouldn't put down your own disciple like that."
"But fortunately, this disciple is also very filial, so naturally, I'm willing to teach him everything I can. However, the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock cannot be without a successor. That's why, over the years, in addition to my hero activities, I've been observing other young people. While there are many excellent youngsters, still..."
Bang patted Charanko on the shoulder and shook his head.
Garou's talent was one in a million, a martial arts prodigy rarely seen in a thousand years.
While there were many excellent young people, none of them could compare to Garou. What if he casually took on another disciple, only for them to be beaten away by Garou again?
One must remember that even though he lacked years of experience, Garou's strength was almost the strongest among the younger generation. He even had the ability to challenge older martial arts masters. In Bang's opinion, Garou at that time already possessed combat power approaching that of a Demon-level Monster.
Thus, the legacy of the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock became something ordinary people couldn't handle, and those who could handle it didn't need it.
No other physically-oriented S-Class Heroes came to Bang to learn the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock either.
"But now, I see a glimmer of hope. There's no need to talk about taking on disciples or not. I imagine Qingshui already has his own lineage, not to mention he might even become an S-Class Hero on par with me in the next association ranking update.
However, I have one more request, which I hope Qingshui can agree to."
Bang stroked his beard, speaking to Qingshui.
He was willing to teach the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock to Qingshui.
Someone with the strength to fight a Dragon-level Monster must be stronger than those Demon-level Monsters, right?
If even someone with S-Class Hero strength couldn't withstand Garou's retaliation, then who would dare learn the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock, and who could learn it?
Qingshui spoke to Bang:
"Mr. Bang, what is your request? Please don't hesitate to say."
"It's nothing major."
Bang patted Charanko's shoulder again and said to Qingshui:
"Although my body is still quite capable and I can still fight for some years, I am ultimately eighty-one years old. I don't know how much time I have left, or if I can resolve the hidden danger of Garou. The future, after all, belongs to you young people.
And Charanko is my only disciple now. Barring any surprises, this dojo will eventually be inherited by him, but..."
Charanko was not capable enough to take on such a heavy responsibility.
"I understand. In the future, I will definitely lend Charanko a hand to ensure he can safely inherit the dojo."
"Not only that, I also hope that if you can learn the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock, you can pass this unique skill down within the dojo in the future."
Charanko's talent was only slightly below average. He had been practicing the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock for so long, yet he still didn't fully grasp it each year, and his strength was only at the tail end of B-Class.
Compared to ordinary people, this was certainly strong, but the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock he learned was one of the top martial arts in the One-Punch Man world, and his instructor was Bang, one of the few martial arts grandmasters in the One-Punch Man world.
This was quite insufficient.
Especially after the Garou incident, Bang had taught Charanko with utmost dedication, but Charanko's physical talent could only take him so far.
Charanko certainly knew how to continue cultivating the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock, but he simply couldn't master it.
If he didn't encounter any fortuitous events in the future, or if his life didn't undergo a drastic change that transformed his will, enabling him to break through the limiter blocking his talent's upper limit, then his strength for this lifetime would remain as it was.
If there was no intervention from other external forces, then after Bang, this dojo would likely decline.
"Yes, it's a unique skill like this that I wouldn't want to see lost."
This was not a difficult matter.
Given the fame of the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock, there were plenty of people willing to learn it. As long as a few talented individuals came along, passing it down would not be difficult.
If he could learn it himself.
Two tall stacks of roof tiles were quickly piled up on the lacquered wooden floor.
On the open space next to the tiles, Bang assumed a horse stance with bent knees, his hands moving like a swimming dragon playing in water. He slowed his movements, demonstrating the forms in front of Qingshui and Charanko.
"This is the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock. Like flowing water, it combines hardness and softness. When soft, it's like invisible flowing water, breaking down the whole into parts, dissolving the enemy's attacks into nothingness. When hard, it's like the waves of a great river, powerful enough to crush rocks. Against an enemy's defense, the attacks are all-pervasive and continuous."
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