Ryu, acting as a teacher for the first time, was a little awkward but also quite novelty.
"Since Kaguya has temporarily lent you her beloved sword, then I'll teach you her Iaido first."
Higanbana was usually cherished by Kaguya, and the fact that it was generously lent to the newcomer Rhode this time indeed surprised Ryu.
At the same time, she felt a little bit of jealousy inside.
When she first joined the Familia back then, she didn't receive such treatment; that woman always seemed to hold a grudge against her, constantly clashing!
"Although I don't want to admit it, in terms of swordsmanship alone, she is the strongest in the Familia."
"In the upcoming battle, please pay close attention to my movements!"
"I believe if you watch a few times, you'll easily learn it too!"
"The trick is simple: draw the sword, swing the sword, sheathe the sword. Yes, just like that!"
The girls, eavesdropping with perked ears, couldn't help but want to complain: how could anyone learn with your teaching method? That's ridiculous!
What do you mean, just by watching, one can learn? And your description is too abstract, hey!
However, they watched the boy and girl, one earnestly explaining her understanding, the other actually nodding occasionally as if he understood.
The girls exchanged glances, speechless.
They decided not to crush their confidence for now and would correct them if problems arose during practical application later.
Only Maliu, the honest one on the left, weakly reminded her.
"Ryu, I remember Kaguya didn't teach you like that, did she?"
Ryu, a little miffed by her teammates' distrust, emphasized loudly.
"No mistake, this will definitely work!"
Ryu looked at Rhode with her beautiful sky-blue eyes.
"Rhode, please trust my teaching ability!"
Rhode pursed his lips and nodded, feigning seriousness.
"Yes, I've never doubted you."
"Eh? Eh… uh, a-anyway, I think I saw some Goblins. I'm going to kill monsters!"
Unexpectedly receiving such a direct affirmation, the clumsy Elf's heart suddenly fluttered, and she ran ahead somewhat flustered.
Maliu curved the corners of her eyes, playfully tilting her head and teasing Rhode.
"On your first day, you're boldly flirting with our pure Elf? I'm suddenly regretting agreeing to let you join the party."
Rhode raised an eyebrow, retorting without showing weakness.
"Actually, I prefer the older sister type."
Maliu's face flushed with an "ooh."
At nineteen, she was also among the older members of the Familia.
Due to being in this special Familia, she had never been this close to another man on a daily basis.
Rhode's sudden hint indeed made her imagination run wild.
"Rhode, don't get distracted, pay attention to me!"
Just then, Ryu's crisp voice came from ahead, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere between them.
Rhode stopped joking and narrowed his eyes.
The Three Tomoe Sharingan quietly spun out, and Ryu's movements slowed down in his eyes.
Ryu let out a soft cry, and with an acceleration power that seemed incongruous with her slender legs, she instantly slashed at the Goblins wielding wooden clubs.
The trajectory of the wooden sword was like a work of art; the weak monsters weren't even allowed time to blink, cut into pieces in an instant.
Having done all that, Ryu landed gracefully, then looked at Rhode expectantly.
"How was it? Did you learn it? I've already slowed down by about five times my usual speed!"
Rhode didn't answer immediately but was recalling the movements that the Sharingan had just copied.
Although it might be a bit unfair to Ryu to say this, if Kaguya's swordsmanship completeness was 10, then Ryu's at this moment was at most 3, perhaps reaching 4 in the future.
However, precisely because of this, Rhode could indeed more easily discern and replicate those basic movements.
Laila saw the atmosphere solidify a bit, so she turned her head and chuckled, teasing Ryu.
"I told you your teaching method wouldn't work…"
"No, I actually gained some insight."
Rhode suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed on a large rock not far away, his right hand on the hilt of his sword, and his toes stomping the ground.
Silent Suzuka's starting technique, combined with Ryu's movements he had just learned.
Together, it was…
Higanbana unsheathed!
An extremely fast flash streaked across.
"Gugaa—"
Six Earth Spirits, hiding behind the boulder, attempting a sneak attack, were split in two along with the boulder in an instant.
"Eh?"
"Ah?"
"Hmm… Hmm?!"
The girls were dumbfounded, for a moment even doubting if they were seeing illusions.
Asta, the shield-bearer, walked to the split boulder, placing her right hand on the smooth cut, still feeling the sharpness of the blade.
"Amazing… Even if I were to block that strike, I'd have to put all my effort into it."
Asta turned her head to look at Rhode, her eyes no longer seeing him merely as a junior, but as a rapidly growing combat force, and she sighed.
"Especially since you don't have any Grace, I'm starting to believe the rumors that you're the reincarnation of an ancient great hero aren't false!"
Asta couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"To be able to perform to this extent just by watching once, I'm somewhat looking forward to seeing Kaguya's surprised expression when we return."
Laila scratched her head in frustration, muttering in confusion.
"Strange, with the physique of someone who hasn't received Grace, even if he could really unleash that guy's draw slash, his arm wouldn't be able to handle it…"
The girls were all at a loss, only Ryu, after a moment of daze, happily puffed out her chest, instantly transforming into Alise, showing off to the girls triumphantly.
"See? I told you my teaching method was fine! Rhode, you're amazing!"
"Keep going, keep going! I still have so much to teach you!"
Rhode's "progress speed" gave Ryu an excessive sense of satisfaction, and her impression of Rhode improved by several notches at this moment.
In her mind, Silent Suzuka also clapped excitedly.
"Wow, is this what adventurer combat is like? Although it's a bit different from running, it's just as thrilling and exciting!"
"As expected of Master!"
Receiving emotional validation from so many beautiful girls, Rhode also cheerfully picked up the magic stone fragments on the ground and tossed them into his backpack, then, urged by Ryu several times, quickly caught up with her pace.
The remaining girls exchanged glances, smiled wryly, and tacitly decided to keep this matter a secret.
Probably only Ryu would attribute what had just happened to her teaching.
Anyone with eyes could see that Rhode must harbor a great secret.
But the girls weren't concerned with the secret itself; being kind-hearted, they cared about how to protect Rhode's overly exaggerated anomaly from being coveted.
Sometimes, having too much luck when drawing cards can also be a headache…