"It's quite sharp, but it's a pity the blade is too short."
After Maki took the short katana, she swung it a few times, then picked up a cut steel pipe from the ground and tested it with different amounts of force.
"There are many large Cursed Spirits, and this short katana doesn't feel as good to use as the greatsword from before."
Maki secretly thought it was a shame; if the original katana hadn't broken, it would have been a very good cursed tool.
"You think it's short? That's easy to solve. The button I pressed just now, there's another button below it. Try pressing that one."
Eichi had initially been worried that Maki found something wrong with the katana and didn't like using it, but if it was just about the length, that was easily fixed.
"Here?"
Eichi's finger rested on a button slightly smaller than the one above it for drawing the katana.
"Exactly, that one."
Click.
Swoosh.
"Whoa!"
After Maki pressed that button, a section of the short katana's blade suddenly sprang out, making it longer.
This startled Kirara Hoshi, who had just come closer.
Kirara Hoshi had only thought the decoration on the katana handle (umbrella handle) was beautiful and wanted to get a closer look, but then the blade suddenly extended, scaring her into a cute little fall on her bottom.
"Sorry, are you alright?"
Although Maki didn't have much affection for Kirara Hoshi, a cute boy who dressed even better than she did.
She thought Kirara Hoshi was even more like a bean sprout than Yuta Okkotsu, but Maki didn't dislike him.
Therefore, seeing Kirara Hoshi fall after being startled by her, she immediately went to check on him.
"I'm fine, just a little scared."
Kirara Hoshi stood up, rubbing his small bottom.
"To be scared by something like this, Kirara, you still have a long way to go."
Instead, Kinji Hakari, who had a better relationship with Kirara Hoshi, not only didn't worry about him but even made a joke.
"That's so mean, Kin-chan."
Kirara Hoshi pouted, looking sulky.
Maki found it a bit hard to understand the strange atmosphere between the two of them.
After confirming that Kirara Hoshi was indeed fine, Maki refocused her attention on the katana.
"Did you hide a part of the blade inside the handle?"
Maki compared the extended length of the blade and asked.
"Exactly. After all, the length of the umbrella shaft is limited, so when designing it, we made an ejection mechanism. The blade length can switch between a standard katana and a short katana."
Eichi nodded, confirming Maki's guess.
"This design is good."
Maki nodded in satisfaction.
After all, a normal-length katana is more convenient to use than a short katana.
"Are there other forms?"
Clearly, Maki's interest in the Thousand Machine Umbrella was growing.
"Yes."
Eichi nodded without hesitation.
Pressing the button again, the katana blade retracted into the handle, turning back into a short katana.
Eichi inserted the short katana into the umbrella shaft.
Holding the upper part of the umbrella shaft and the handle with both hands, one above and one below, Eichi twisted firmly, and the umbrella shaft separated into two parts.
"This way, the Thousand Machine Umbrella can be divided into two parts. The upper part can be used as a spear, and the lower part can be used as a short staff."
Eichi held the spear in one hand and the staff in the other, then demonstrated some martial arts moves.
Stabbing, sweeping, smashing, hooking.
Although both the spear and the staff were considerably shorter after being disassembled into two parts.
Their flexibility was greatly enhanced.
This would be more advantageous in forests or other complex terrains.
Although Maki was a Great Master of weapons who could wield a naginata even in dense forests, if there was a weapon more suitable for dense forests, who would use a more difficult long weapon?
Unless that was the only one they knew how to use.
"Of course, you can also use it this way."
Eichi pressed a hidden clasp above the staff.
The golden decoration on the staff immediately opened to the side, revealing the white staff inside.
Eichi reached out and gripped the opened part; the original short staff transformed into a nunchaku.
It was the same kind Megumi Fushiguro used when fighting Kamo Noritoshi during the Exchange Event with the sister schools.
"And there's this too."
Eichi held the nunchaku in his left hand.
He lightly tossed his right hand upwards, catching the bottom end of the spear shaft.
"See here? Push it up, and a button will appear."
Eichi pressed a sliding switch with his finger and pushed it upwards with force.
A button appeared below the switch.
At the same time, because the sliding switch pushed upwards.
The originally sharp umbrella tip, used as a spearhead for the long spear, suddenly split in two.
A gun muzzle popped out from the middle.
"Considering long-range combat and flying enemies, we specifically prepared this as well."
Saying that, Eichi pressed the button.
Bang!
With Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi's dumbfounded expressions.
A bullet shot from the muzzle, leaving a bullet hole in the ground.
"Due to limited space, it only contains 30 special bullets, and the bullets are fired using Cursed Energy, so remember to have Mai refill the bullets and Cursed Energy after you use them up."
After saying that, Eichi reassembled the Thousand Machine Umbrella and handed it to Maki.
"This is good. I'll make good use of it."
Maki looked at the cursed tool in her hand with satisfaction.
"So, what all needs to be tested?"
After playing with it for a while, Maki turned her head and asked.
"Here's the list. It's mainly about the feel of using its various forms in combat, directions for transformation optimization…"
Eichi spoke at length, and while there was indeed a reason for testing, it was actually more about wanting Maki to accept this gift.
After all, although the complex structure and not-so-thick umbrella shaft contained a large number of mechanisms, making the umbrella shaft almost semi-hollow.
Medea had applied more than a dozen strengthening enchantments for it, so its quality was absolutely guaranteed.
The reason it was given to Maki under the guise of testing was because Maki was a very strong-willed girl.
If she wasn't strong-willed, she wouldn't have left the Zen'in Family.
Although Maki would accept others' kindness, she would also feel burdened deep down.
She would work hard in the future to repay those who had helped her.
That's why Eichi used this method to give the Thousand Machine Umbrella to Maki.
"Why was it made into the shape of an umbrella?"
Maki held the umbrella open and asked curiously.
'To commemorate those times that cannot be returned to.'
"Because an umbrella won't attract suspicion when carried outside."
Although he had one thought in his mind, it was inconvenient to talk about matters from his previous life, as he would be considered insane.
So Eichi changed his explanation.
"Think about it, you, wearing a pink and white cherry blossom kimono, holding a beautiful Thousand Machine Umbrella, strolling with your sister along a street where cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and then a gust of wind blows…"
As Eichi spoke, Maki couldn't help but get lost in the imagination of a beautiful future.
Thump.
"Don't imagine embarrassing things."
Maki suddenly gave Eichi an elbow to the stomach, not too hard, not too soft.
Eichi immediately begged for mercy.
'When I'm strong enough, I'll do it.'
Maki, with her back turned, couldn't help but blush a little, and in her heart, she began to fantasize about her future with her sister, Mai.
"Hey, hey, over here!"
Kirara Hoshi suddenly raised his right hand high, like a student eager to answer a question.
"Student Kirara, please speak."
Eichi immediately adopted the role of a teacher.
"Are there more Thousand Machine Umbrellas? Kin-chan and I want one too!"
"Currently, there's only one prototype. After the testing is complete, we'll decide whether to continue production based on the test results."
"Aw, why is that? I want one too."
Kirara Hoshi's face immediately filled with disappointment.
"Why do you want a Thousand Machine Umbrella?"
Eichi asked, somewhat curious.
"Because I also want to wear a kimono and stroll with an umbrella on a street where cherry blossoms are falling! Kin-chan, do you want to come along?"
Kirara Hoshi excitedly invited Kinji Hakari.
"The umbrella's gone."
"Kin-chan, you idiot!"
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