Miyajima Dojo.
"You bunch of idiots! Look at Caleb Uesugi! If any of you had even half his ability, I wouldn't have to worry so much!!!"
"I've taught a dog for this many years, it would have mastered that move by now!"
Muneie Miyajima's face was stern, his spittle flying as he berated a group of disciples who couldn't lift their heads. Just as he was getting fired up, Caleb and Sakura Miyajima entered hand-in-hand.
"Miyajima-sensei, we meet again." Looking at the group of burly men with bowed heads, Caleb asked curiously, "What has you so furious?"
"Oh, it's Caleb." Muneie Miyajima suppressed his anger and forced a smile. "It's nothing, just giving some guidance to my good-for-nothing disciples."
"Actually, you were beaten this morning, and now you're taking it out on us..." One disciple, who must have been incredibly bold, blurted out the truth.
A vein throbbed on Muneie Miyajima's forehead. He nearly lost control and almost gave Caleb a live demonstration of 'cleaning house'.
"Uh..." Caleb looked at the crew-cut man in the crowd with pity. Others might not have known who spoke, but it didn't escape his ears and eyes. "Well... Miyajima-sensei, you're busy. Sakura-senpai and I will wait for you in the back."
"Very well, Caleb, make yourself at home." Miyajima-sensei gave Sakura Miyajima one last instruction with his remaining patience. "Sakura, take good care of Caleb. Don't neglect him."
"Yes, Father."
No sooner had Caleb and Sakura Miyajima left the dojo than they heard Muneie Miyajima's furious roar.
"Caleb, have you been to my house before?" Sakura Miyajima looked back, saying thoughtfully, "Father seems to think highly of you..."
"Well, I didn't know where Sakura-senpai had transferred to, so I came to the dojo this morning to ask. Due to a misunderstanding, I had a brief sparring session with your father." Caleb shrugged, lightly gliding over the topic. He couldn't exactly tell the man's daughter that he had soundly thrashed her father.
"Then it seems Caleb won." Sakura Miyajima smiled sweetly. She knew her father's temper best. If he hadn't lost, he would never be so courteous to a junior. Especially since Muneie Miyajima always had a dismissive expression when she previously mentioned Caleb. He practically had 'that boy is not good enough for my daughter' written on his face.
Caleb chuckled. "I'm certainly not as good as Miyajima-sensei at Kendo. I just relied on having been in a few more fights." The implication was, you're right, your dad is no match for me.
Even though she had guessed, Sakura Miyajima was still surprised when it was confirmed. "Is Caleb that strong? It's the first time I've heard this."
"Just a rogue path, which has reached its limit. That's why I wanted to try traditional styles like Kendo during the club tour last time, to see if I could refine my skills."
"If Caleb wants practical combat, sports clubs won't be much help," Sakura Miyajima said earnestly. "Our family's Kendo is inherited from the Shinkage-ryu style..."
"Wait, wait..." Caleb waved his hand, interrupting Sakura Miyajima. He wasn't particularly interested in Kendo schools. Even if he were to learn weapon skills, he would prefer to find martial arts manuals from the neighboring Dragon Country. Compared to the Japanese style, where sword and katana skills were often intertwined, the Dragon Country's vast array of distinct martial arts was Caleb's first choice. Second would be Western styles, like Knightly swordsmanship, combat shields, dual blades... all handsome and powerful fighting techniques.
"I'm not really interested in Kendo." Caleb stated directly, "I just wanted to observe and see if I could draw any parallels."
Sakura Miyajima closed her mouth and smiled. "I overthought it. Being able to defeat my father, Caleb certainly doesn't need my guidance."
They chatted for a while longer. Muneie Miyajima, having vented his anger, hurried in. "Caleb, I apologize for my poor instruction. You saw something embarrassing."
"Miyajima-sensei is too modest. Who around here doesn't know the reputation of the Miyajima Dojo?" Muneie Miyajima had heard similar compliments many times, but coming from Caleb, he found it especially gratifying.
"Haha, those are just superficial reputations, nothing to mention. It's nothing compared to you, Caleb, who possesses such strength at a young age yet remains modest. You're far stronger than my good-for-nothing disciples."
Caleb didn't continue exchanging pleasantries with Muneie Miyajima. Talking to an old man wasn't as interesting as talking to a beautiful girl. After nodding, he turned his head and continued chatting with Sakura Miyajima beside him.
Muneie Miyajima didn't feel awkward. He looked at the two sitting together with satisfaction. Caleb not only matched his beautiful daughter in looks but also had entirely sufficient strength. Sakura Miyajima's reputation as a Kendo genius wasn't just talk. Muneie Miyajima, at the same age, did not have Sakura Miyajima's level of skill. With Sakura Miyajima's talent, she could reach his current strength by her early twenties at most. If Caleb hadn't appeared, Muneie Miyajima had planned to find a man to marry into the family, so the dojo could be inherited by Sakura Miyajima.
Whoosh~
The wooden door slid open, and Tsubaki Miyajima entered the room, holding a tray. "Why did you take so long?" Muneie Miyajima frowned, displeased.
"Master..." Tsubaki Miyajima was about to explain, but Caleb spoke first. "Thank you, Mrs. Miyajima. It must have taken you a lot of time to prepare all of this yourself."
Tsubaki Miyajima shot Caleb a grateful look, a seductive smile blooming on her pretty face. "It's no trouble. It's rare for Caleb to visit."
Muneie Miyajima frowned deeply. He felt Caleb shouldn't be so polite to women, especially women without any fighting ability. However, he couldn't openly embarrass Caleb and planned to discuss it with him privately later. Tsubaki Miyajima was still dressed in the same clothes as this morning, but the sensuality in her eyes seemed even thicker. She walked past Muneie Miyajima and knelt gracefully beside Caleb, placing the tea and snacks from the tray onto the low table.
With every bend and movement, her ample body brushed against Caleb. Sometimes it was his leg, sometimes his chest. She occasionally met Caleb's gaze, which was filled with tempting lust. Every time Tsubaki Miyajima seemingly accidentally touched Caleb, Sakura Miyajima felt a sense of discomfort and that something was off. Especially those ambiguous and provocative glances... Even Sakura Miyajima could see that her mother's gaze toward Caleb was full of suggestive intent. Unfortunately, Muneie Miyajima, with his overly patriarchal demeanor, merely glanced at his wife and paid no further attention.
Just as Sakura Miyajima couldn't resist offering to help serve the tea, everything from the tray was finally laid out. Though it only took one or two minutes, Sakura Miyajima felt as if an hour or two had passed. Watching Tsubaki Miyajima's lingering gaze as she stood up, Sakura Miyajima instinctively looked at her father, who was sitting upright. She wanted to warn him but was afraid she was overthinking things. Furthermore, Sakura Miyajima didn't particularly like Muneie Miyajima's behavior and knew Tsubaki Miyajima wasn't very happy. After some thought, she ultimately remained silent, but a hint of seriousness was added to the look she gave her mother.
She can look for a man, but it absolutely cannot be Caleb. Other women are fine, but she didn't want to come home and have to engage in a palace drama with her own mother. That's right. After an afternoon of deliberation, Sakura Miyajima still wanted to be with Caleb. After being taken advantage of so much, how could she just let it go!
After drinking tea and eating snacks for a while, Sakura Miyajima finally couldn't help but bring up the topic from noon. "Caleb, you said I might be in danger. What exactly is going on?"
Hearing their daughter mention danger, Muneie Miyajima and Tsubaki Miyajima were both taken aback. Forgetting their emotional exchange with Caleb, they quickly asked, "Sakura, what is it? What danger?"
"I don't know either. Caleb suddenly came to find me and said I might be in danger recently." The Miyajima family's gaze all turned to Caleb, waiting for an explanation.
"Ahem..." Caleb cleared his throat, guiltily and quietly pulling back the hand he had secretly placed on the side of Tsubaki Miyajima's thigh. He had been so focused on flirting and playing little games with Tsubaki Miyajima that he almost forgot about the main issue.
"Hmm..." After a moment of thought, Caleb didn't know how to explain, so he could only start the conversation by bringing up Kuoh Academy. "Miyajima-sensei, you sent Sakura-senpai to Kuoh Academy. You must know about the school's special nature, right?"