"Is this... really alright?"
Saeko stared anxiously at the tented fabric of her father's trousers.
Admittedly, it was problematic for a daughter to stare at her father's genitals. However, she rationalized it quickly: their relationship was first and foremost Father and Daughter, Master and Disciple. The biological reality of Man and Woman was secondary.
"My body is physically aroused, but there are no major side effects to my health. However... I am worried about you."
Adrian looked at the girl with a gaze full of paternal concern and grave seriousness.
"The Busujima Style swordsmanship taps into the primal self. It enhances power, but it also amplifies negative emotions and base instincts. For me, at my age, it manifests as an insatiable lust. While embarrassing, it is manageable as long as there is a proper outlet."
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"But from my observation, Saeko... your amplified instinct is not lust. It is killing."
"Ah—"
Hearing her father reveal her deepest, darkest secret, Saeko was struck dumb. Her mind went completely blank.
A memory flashed before her eyes. Last year, a group of men had tried to molest her. She had broken their limbs with her wooden sword.
It wasn't self-defense that she remembered. It was the pleasure. The strange, electric thrill she felt from their screams and the sound of snapping bone. That feeling had kept her aroused and high for days.
Saeko had always considered herself a monster—a sadist who found joy in pain. She had kept this secret locked deep within her heart, terrified that anyone would find out.
She never imagined that her father had known all along.
"Father, I..."
Saeko was momentarily at a loss.
Her father's "side effect" was merely lust. While difficult to discuss, in the context of society, it was a vice that could be managed.
Suddenly, her resentment toward the Katsura mother and daughter vanished.
If those two sows were simply "medical tools" helping her father relieve the dangerous pressure of his swordsmanship, then their presence wasn't an insult to the family. It was a necessity. They were human toilets, performing a duty she could not.
But... what about her?
Lust could be relieved in a bedroom. But her negative emotion was murder.
"Father... is there any cure for my illness?"
The purple-haired girl felt a pang of genuine fear.
Currently, she could control the urge with willpower. But she knew that Inner Demons were not tamed so easily. Her father, a man of iron will, had been forced to turn to women to suppress his own demons. What if her will wasn't strong enough? What if she snapped and became a slasher?
"It is not an illness, Saeko."
Seeing that the girl had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker, Adrian smiled gently.
"You know your history. During the Shogunate era, why did samurai kill?"
In feudal Japan, the social hierarchy was absolute. Hundreds of years ago, it was perfectly acceptable—legal, even—for a samurai of noble birth to cut down a commoner for a perceived slight. This was Kirisute Gomen.
There was also Tsujigiri—crossroads killing. When a samurai received a new blade, he would test its sharpness on a passerby. They called it "removing the evil aura" or "bloodling the steel."
Saeko was intimately familiar with the history. She nodded slowly.
"Father... are you saying that they didn't kill to remove evil auras? They killed simply to vent their Inner Demons?"
"That is exactly it."
Adrian nodded with satisfaction. It had taken quite a bit of effort to construct this pseudo-philosophical trap, but she had walked right into it.
"The thirst for blood is not a defect. It is the mark of a predator. It is the burden of true strength."
"But Father... this is the modern era. Even martial families do not have the right to kill."
Saeko looked down at her hands.
She had always suppressed her nature because she felt like an aberration. But now, with his explanation, the shackles binding her soul shattered.
She wasn't a monster. She was a warrior suffering from the side effects of high-level cultivation. She wasn't broken; she was just powerful.
However, although Adrian had untied the ropes in her heart, the iron cage of the law still remained.
"I will find a way," Adrian said calmly, his voice echoing with absolute confidence. "You do not need to worry about the law. I will provide you with the prey you need."
"Father!"
Tears welled up in Saeko's eyes.
"Your daughter can never repay your kindness, even if she dies a thousand deaths!"
Overwhelmed with emotion, the purple-haired girl prostrated herself on the tatami mats in a deep, subservient bow.
In a law-abiding society, her father was willing to become an accomplice to murder just to save her sanity. This affection was something she would gladly die for.
She felt utterly unfilial for having judged him earlier.
In her deep bow, Saeko didn't notice that the knot of her bath towel had come undone. As she lowered herself, the fabric pooled around her waist, leaving her smooth back and shoulders completely bare.
"We are father and daughter," Adrian said, his voice dropping an octave. He reached out and placed his hand on her bare shoulder, feeling the heat of her skin. "If I don't support you, who will?"
"Yes!"
Saeko felt her blood boil with devotion. Her father truly loved her best.
"By the way," Adrian said, shifting gears smoothly. "What about that Shizuka Marikawa you mentioned earlier? What is the deal with her?"
Although Adrian wanted nothing more than to pounce on the naked, devoted girl in front of him, he knew it wasn't the right time. He had established the mental link; pushing for the physical one now would be rushing the harvest.
"It was my rashness, Father," Saeko said, lifting her head but not realizing her state of undress. "I thought the Katsura women were trying to ruin your reputation, so I took it upon myself to find... an alternative. I am embarrassed."
"You didn't do anything wrong," Adrian assured her quickly. "The Katsura women did indeed have ulterior motives. I was merely... playing along with them to pass the time."
He smiled, his hand sliding slightly down her back.
"But a dinner with a beautiful school nurse? I would never turn down my daughter's thoughtful gift."
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