Chokata corrected Suzuki's movements bit by bit, "torturing" him for nearly 10 minutes before finally nodding slightly.
It was not hard to see—Chokata must have already become quite accustomed to being a Swordsmanship Teacher.
Both his words and actions were filled with momentum and were quite professional.
And Suzuki and the others seemed to have long been used to being guided by Chokata; they did whatever Chokata said without daring to utter a word of dissent.
"Hmm... Not bad, at least your posture is finally showing some semblance of form. Just maintain this position for two sticks of incense time; let your body firmly remember this action."
"Two sticks of incense?" Suzuki's eyes widened, "Mr. Chokata, won't this... time be a bit too long? Wasn't it just one stick of incense before?"
"Before is before. Previously, your level was not as high as it is now, so naturally, the requirements weren't so high for you. Don't lower the sword, the position of the sword is low again!"
"Yes, yes!"
Suzuki hurriedly raised the Palm Sword slightly higher.
"Mm, very good, keep it like that, two sticks of incense time will pass quickly." With that, Chokata turned and walked toward another apprentice.
"Uehara!"
"Here!"
"Go get the bamboo sword now, let me see if your Suburi has improved."
"Yes!"
[Note: Suburi - Basic motion training in Japanese Swordsmanship, it's simply swinging the sword in the air in front; though it seems simple, there are many intricacies involved]
The apprentice called Uehara quickly brought the bamboo sword and demonstrated the Suburi in front of Chokata.
"No, no, no! The correct way to practice Suburi is to put out your most serious mindset, use your greatest strength, and swing your most powerful strike towards the front; even a thousand soft strikes can't compare to one serious full-powered strike. Now again, use all your strength this time!"
"Yes!"
Uehara swung the sword.
"No force! Don't look elsewhere with your eyes! Is this your stance for Suburi?"
"Yes!"
Uehara swung the sword.
"Still not right, your right hand was pressing down on the wrist just now." Chokata swung the bamboo sword in his hand and tapped lightly on the fleshy part of Uehara's right forearm, "Again!"
...
...
Scenes very similar to the ones just moments ago with Suzuki happened with Uehara.
Chokata sternly instructed Uehara for almost 10 minutes before finally nodding in satisfaction.
"Hmm, it finally looks like something. Remember the movement and feel of swinging the sword just now, now start doing 50 stationary Suburi."
"50 times?" Uehara's eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets, "Mr. Chokata, 50 Suburi... My hand will break, won't it?"
"Don't worry."
Chokata, who had been keeping a stern face, now smiled and said:
"50 Suburi won't be enough to break a person's hand."
After saying that, Chokata returned to his serious demeanor and walked briskly toward another apprentice.
The apprentice whom Chokata approached was unable to control his body from trembling slightly as he watched Chokata's face get closer and closer...
...
...
Chokata continued guiding Suzuki and others one by one like this.
Without exception, everyone was sternly instructed by Chokata for over 10 minutes and then tasked with practice that made them feel tingling just by hearing the content.
After being guided so relentlessly by Chokata, everyone now wore a look as if they had swallowed bitter herbs.
Finally—after finishing guiding Suzuki and others with him as the leader, Chokata walked up to Aoto.
"Mr. Tachibana, Brother Kondo specifically told me before he left: You had only learned a bit of swordsmanship from your father before and had not received any formal training in the Sword Dojo. And when I observed your sparring with Mr. Suzuki just now, I also noticed your foundation is indeed somewhat unstable."
"So today I won't teach you anything else. First, I will teach you some of the most basic training movements in Swordsmanship."
"First up—Suburi."
"So-called Suburi is the training that Mr. Uehara is currently doing."
Chokata gestured with his mouth toward Uehara, who was not far away, practicing "50 stationary Suburi" with a bitter face.
"Suburi looks simple, seeming like it's just swinging a sword at the air in front. But there are many crucial points to pay attention to, otherwise, instead of advancing in swordsmanship, you'll just wear out your wrists."
"Watch me demonstrate it first."
With that, Chokata stepped back two steps and then raised the bamboo sword in his hand.
Hearing Chokata say he would demonstrate personally, Aoto quickly widened his eyes and watched intently.
In the next instant after setting up the stance, Chokata took a deep breath, emitting a resounding Qi Union sound as he swung a sharp strike at the air in front of him.
Swoosh—!
The sharp sound of the wind made Aoto feel as if his eardrums were about to be cut open.
Clean and crisp, without a trace of superfluous movement, filled with momentum and power.
With limited swordsmanship skills, Aoto could not discern the approximate level of that Suburi by Chokata just now, but he could tell—it was far superior by an inconceivable amount compared to Uehara practicing Suburi not far away.
The difference between the two was roughly like the difference between a child's doodle and the "Mona Lisa."
"The sword is not slashed downward, but forward. When you swing the sword, you must use all your strength, only then will the practice be effective..."
Chokata explained the key points of Suburi to Aoto one by one.
At the end of the explanation, he lifted the sword with his right hand, while his left hand rested on his waist.
"Just by talking, I doubt you'll remember much. Mr. Tachibana, try doing suburi once. I'll correct your movements bit by bit."
"Yes!"
Aoto took a deep breath, then imitated Chokata's earlier movements, spreading his legs and raising the bamboo sword.
Just as Aoto raised the bamboo sword, he suddenly noticed — Suzuki and the others nearby were watching him with gloating expressions.
Catching a glimpse of Suzuki and the others' "eagerly watching a show" demeanor, Aoto couldn't help but show a hint of resignation on his face.
He was too familiar with this scene.
People often hope to see others experience the same misfortune after they've had a stroke of bad luck.
For example, if you did terribly on a test, you'd hope to see others — especially your friends — also do terribly. It gives you an inexplicable satisfaction.
In a past life, when learning free fighting and other hand-to-hand combat skills outside of school, after being beaten up by the coach, Aoto would eagerly await seeing his companions get beaten up too.
— How very realistic...
Silently mocking in his heart, Aoto refocused his attention.
— Pointing forward... unleash your full force with a strike...
In the innate talent list, "Sword Genius" shone with a golden light!
The "high-speed camera" once again set up in Aoto's mind.
This time, what was being played inside the camera was Chokata's demonstration of suburi moments ago.
Aoto slowly raised the sword.
Then, imitating the scene depicted in the "high-speed camera," he forcefully swung the sword in his hand!
Whoosh!
The bamboo sword swung down.
Chokata, who was carefully watching Aoto's movements, had a flash of surprise in his eyes, and his expression uncontrollably froze slightly.
Meanwhile, Suzuki and the others, who had been watching Aoto's practice with a mindset of enjoying the spectacle, widened their eyes in disbelief as they watched him.
"...Mr. Tachibana." Chokata asked in a tentative tone, "Have you really only learned a little swordsmanship from your father, without receiving formal training?"
"No." Aoto shook his head, "That was my first formal practice of suburi. My late father never taught me how to properly perform it."
"...Your left wrist was slightly twisting, and your right wrist was pressing down a bit." After a few careful glances at Aoto, Chokata stepped forward and adjusted the positions of his wrists slightly, "Only like this will you not injure your wrists during practice."
"Let me share a small trick for preventing wrist twisting and pressing during suburi."
"Imagine your hands are wringing a towel. From raising the sword to swinging it, keep your hands in a motion like wringing a towel."
"I don't know if you can grasp the little trick I just mentioned; it's difficult to explain clearly in words."
"Try suburi once more now, and this time, remember not to twist or press your wrists."
"Alright." Aoto nodded, then reset his stance.
— Wringing a towel... is it like... this...?
Whoosh!
Aoto swung another strike toward the air in front of him.
Chokata's cheeks flushed with even more intense surprise than before, watching the second strike Aoto delivered.
"Hmm..." Chokata looked Aoto up and down, pondering aloud.
His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, as if he wanted to say something but stopped midway.
Finally — he unleashed a silent sigh of amazement.
"Not bad... that last strike was excellent. The movement was very standard. Maintain that form."
"Now let's move on to the next phase of practice — from now on, just stand here and focus on practicing suburi, keep going until your arms are exhausted. I want to see where your current limits lie."
"Yes."
Responding loudly, Aoto reset his stance.
At this moment, Aoto suddenly noticed Suzuki and the others watching him with a peculiar mix of envy and jealousy.
Because they were focused on Aoto, their practice had slowed.
Chokata also noticed that Suzuki and the others were not concentrating on their practice.
"What are you all looking at here!" Chokata said displeased, "Focus on your practice! Or I'll double your practice quota today!"
As soon as Chokata's words fell, Suzuki and the others hurriedly refocused their attention and continued earnestly with their practice.
Yet some couldn't resist secretly watching Aoto with a strange gaze.
Seeing this scene, Aoto couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
He could understand why Suzuki and the others were looking at him that way.
The same teacher, after getting scolded heavily for a dozen minutes, another person merely got a few words and the teacher's praise — that kind of "ideal child of others" certainly stirs complex feelings.
— Sorry about that.
Aoto muttered inwardly.
— Having extraordinary talent means doing as you please.
*******
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A new book sets sail!
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