"Father!"
When Koushirou said that, the veins on Kuina's forehead throbbed, "Why do you say everything out loud?"
"Oh?"
Koushirou smiled warmly, "In front of your idol, you suddenly know how to be shy? But you're still holding onto his arm yourself, aren't you?"
Hmm?
Kuina instinctively lowered her head, her cheeks instantly felt like they were on fire, flushing red all the way to her ears. She quickly let go of the arm and bowed, "I'm terribly sorry! Pardon me, Lord Shano!"
"It's no big deal, really."
Shano waved his hand, he certainly wouldn't take it to heart, nor would he see it as any kind of admiration between genders.
Kuina is only eleven this year, a year older than Zoro, and about the same age as Nojiko.
Just entering her teenage years, her personality changes daily, hard to predict, suddenly becoming a fan of someone, then suddenly losing interest, all quite common.
"Lord Shano."
Kuina just sat down, but couldn't help but ask, "Are you just passing by here temporarily? You won't be leaving tomorrow, right? Why not stay a few more days, it's a rare opportunity, I still want to learn some swordsmanship from you."
Just what I feared.
"No rush."
Shano laughed nervously and patted his hungry belly, giving Koushirou a pleading look, "Why don't we start the meal first?"
...
The dinner location was in a spacious side room on the west side of the dojo.
A long low table was laid out in the middle, and everyone sat along the tatami mats on either side.
The Isshin Dojo wasn't small, and there were a dozen people dining together.
Besides Koushirou and Kuina, there were two assistant instructors from the dojo, the cook Granny, and several children who boarded and lodged here.
Zoro was among them, this little rascal was dragged back by Kuina, looking rather unwilling as he hadn't finished his extra practice task yet.
Dinner was simple, with rice as the main dish, several stir-fried vegetables, accompanied by grilled eel and miso soup.
The color, aroma, and taste were quite ordinary, but Shano's stomach was already in an uproar, and anything seemed like a delicacy to him at the moment.
After they started eating, Shano quickly sensed a gaze occasionally glancing his way.
Looking up, Kuina quickly withdrew her gaze, and pretended to elegantly nibble her rice.
At first, Shano thought he should maintain his image and eat neatly, but seeing Kuina's eager expression, he didn't care anymore.
——This unlucky kid, it's fine to peek once or twice, but why keep doing it?
He simply stopped pretending, rolled up his sleeves and wolfed down his food, soon the mountain of plates piled higher than his head, conveniently blocking the girl's line of sight.
"This guy eats so much..." Zoro, sitting opposite, was dumbfounded, "And his eating manner is even worse than mine..."
"Shut up!"
Kuina looked displeased, glaring at him, "A strong swordsman wouldn't naturally have a small appetite, but you, losing to a girl, dare to serve yourself a fifth bowl?"
"You!"
Zoro was furious, why was this annoying girl so biased today?
He wanted to retort but couldn't find a reason.
Especially thinking about losing to her for the 1950th time today made him even more frustrated.
He could only depressingly bury his head in the food, thinking to himself as he got up to get a sixth bowl, secretly scrutinizing Shano.
Junichi senior said this guy is strong, and Kuina also says he is strong, but what exactly is strong?
He couldn't tell.
Zoro squinted his eyes, maybe... find a chance to test him out later?
...
After dinner, the night grew darker, accompanied by a light drizzle.
In the Japanese Courtyard, the ancient deer scare made of bamboo occasionally emitted a soft "pop," startling the fish in the pond into scattering.
Shano stood silently under the eaves watching the rain, when Junichi suddenly rushed in, "Boss, everything's arranged at the clinic."
"How's the situation?" he asked.
"That kid named Sanji isn't seriously hurt, he looks much better after taking medicine, and will probably be lively by tomorrow after resting tonight."
Junichi sighed, "But Uncle Zeff's wound is infected and it's a bit troublesome to deal with. Granny Zilan isn't strong enough, so she just called Koushirou over too. The two of them are trying to find a solution, hopefully, they can settle it properly tonight."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Shano nodded, just about to say something when he was tapped on the shoulder from behind.
Turning around, the green-haired kid was standing on tiptoe, trying hard to look him in the eye, but the height difference was too great, ultimately turning into looking up.
"Hey! Lord Shano!"
"Do you need something?"
"Let's spar! How about it?"
Zoro grinned, waving his two bamboo blades, "That sword on your back looks impressive, I want to see if you, as a swordsman, match up to it!"
Shano glanced back at his Masamune Sword and raised his eyebrows without speaking.
"Zoro." Junichi frowned, "Lord Shano is very tired, he doesn't have time for your nonsense."
"But Senior, I trained all day too, I'm exhausted, isn't this fair then!"
Zoro kept staring at Shano, "Are you scared?"
Shano didn't want to argue with this brat, shook his head, and was about to walk away, yet after catching a glimpse of his bamboo blade, he suddenly changed his mind.
Alright then.
Since he couldn't avoid it, might as well deal with this troublesome matter altogether.
"Alright, let's have a sparring match."
Shano reached out to take the bamboo blade but was pushed away by Zoro, who glared, "Why! You think I was going to share one with you? I'm a Dual-Sword Style swordsman, I need both of these blades!"
Almost forgot, Shano chuckled and motioned Junichi to get one for him, then suddenly turned to look at the end of the corridor.
"Koushirou's daughter, why don't you join us too?"
"Eh?"
In the dim light, Kuina widened her eyes behind the pillar, nervously clutching her clothes. How did he know she was hiding here, eavesdropping?
...
The dojo's backyard.
This open area had a thatched rain shelter, usually used when the weather was bad for outdoor activities to move here.
"Hey! Are you serious!"
Zoro was almost exploding, pointing his bamboo blade at Shano, "It was supposed to be a one-on-one spar, how did it turn into the two of us against you!"
"Zoro!"
Kuina reprimanded, "Mind your manners! Lord Shano is a famous swordsman in East Sea, it's already hard enough for him to offer a sparring chance. We should come together and give it our all to honor this opportunity, why are you shouting here?"
"What kind of spell did you take, why are you always speaking for outsiders!"
Zoro was even more aggravated, "Fine! Then we'll have this match, I'm attacking on my own, just pretend it's a solo, won't cooperate with you at all!"
"Who cares about you."
Kuina clicked her tongue, gripping her bamboo blade, she respectfully announced to Shano, "We'll start our attack now, be careful, Lord Shano!"
Earlier she was somewhat shy in front of her idol, but now in serious mode, her spine straightened like bamboo, her demeanor turned sharp.
"Come on."
Shano chuckled as he weighed the bamboo blade in his hand.
Under the eaves, Junichi held his forehead with one hand, sighing quietly.
This scene was too familiar, he could guess what would happen next with his big toe.