That evening, as soon as regular training ended,
Smoker and Hina slipped like thieves into a blind spot behind the kitchen.
"...That bastard again!" Hina hissed through gritted teeth. "Hina is furious. Look at the time. Dinner just ended, the kitchen staff are still still around, and we already have to sneak in here to steal food?!"
"Stow it, Hina!" Smoker's expression looked even worse than usual. He was still swollen from last night's beating, and half his face was a mottled patchwork of purple and yellow. "Commodore Gion asked for a late-night meal ahead of time. What, you're planning to refuse? And that brat Aiden dumped the whole job on us!"
"What?!"
"He said," Smoker forced his face into Aiden's usual "kind" smile, "'From now on, I only cook. Everything else is your problem.' ...Damn brat! He's treating us like delivery boys!"
The two of them looked at each other and saw the same dead-eyed misery.
After a frantic scramble, they finally staggered to the meeting point, panting and carrying a heavy bag stuffed with top-quality ingredients. Aiden was already waiting there.
He took the bag, weighed it in one hand, and smiled. "Good work."
Smoker let out a snort through his battered face.
Aiden ignored him. "Same time tomorrow. Don't be late."
Without even sparing them a second glance, he turned and walked off with the ingredients, leaving behind two murderous stares.
...
Following the directions Gion had given him the night before, Aiden spent a bit of time tracking down her quarters.
The door was slightly open. He knocked lightly.
"Come in," Gion's lazy voice drifted out from inside.
Aiden pushed the door open, and a heady fragrance drifted toward him, bath soap mixed with the lingering scent left behind after a fresh bath.
It was his first time entering Gion's private quarters.
The room was spacious, but unexpectedly simple, almost cold in style.
Aside from the basic furnishings, most of what stood out were weapon racks and bookshelves.
Aiden stopped at the entrance and quickly realized there were no guest slippers.
"Um... Commodore Gion."
"I don't get many visitors here," she called from inside, clearly aware of his hesitation. "No need for slippers. Come in barefoot."
"...Yes, ma'am." Aiden pulled off his boots, stepped onto the cool wooden floor barefoot, and carried the ingredients into the small private kitchen.
Most officer quarters had one of these compact kitchens. Judging from the spotless counters and the nearly unused cookware, this one had barely seen any real use.
In the adjoining sitting area, Gion sat at a low table, fresh from her bath and once again wrapped in that dark blue silk robe, leisurely wiping down Konpira.
"You're three minutes late," she said without looking up.
"Reporting, ma'am," Aiden replied while skillfully preparing the ingredients, as though he had done it countless times before. "Your new arrangement is putting a lot of pressure on Smoker and Hina. That slowed them down a bit."
He smoothly pushed Smoker and Hina under the bus, leaving out the part where he had gotten lost trying to find her room.
"Oh?" Gion finally lifted her eyes, amused.
Aiden only shrugged and said nothing else, focusing on the food.
Tonight, there was no hotpot. Instead, he prepared several dishes that required more finesse and control, steamed deep-sea fish, sea-beast tendon and bone soup, and a delicate stir-fry of assorted mushrooms.
When the dishes were set on the table, even their restrained aroma was enough to make Gion's eyes brighten.
She tasted the fish first. It nearly melted on her tongue, and the seasoning was so precise that she paused for a moment.
Then she tried the soup. The richness sank straight into her body and seemed to wash the fatigue out of her bones.
After that, she stopped holding back. Her movements remained elegant, but the food disappeared from the table with surprising speed.
"Mmm..." She set down her chopsticks, let out a quiet hum of satisfaction, and leaned back in her chair. The rising steam had left a faint flush on her pale cheeks.
"Passable," she said with a small nod. "Far better than the slop from headquarters."
Aiden said nothing. He simply began clearing away the dishes.
"Oh?" Gion watched him with interest. "You handle cleanup too?"
"I can't very well make the commodore do dishes," Aiden replied calmly, quickly restoring the small kitchen to spotless order.
Only after he finished did Gion stand and stretch. The motion made the silk robe trace out even more dangerous curves.
"Let's go." Her tone instantly shifted back to that of a commodore. "To the training ground. I want to see what level your strength is really at."
...
It was already late. The public training ground behind the base was empty, bathed in moonlight and silence.
Gion led Aiden to the middle of the field.
She casually picked up two bamboo practice swords from a nearby rack and tossed one to him.
"Come at me with everything you've got. I need to know your baseline before I decide how to teach you."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Aiden took a slow breath and tightened his grip on the bamboo sword.
Soru.
His foot drove into the ground, and the air snapped beneath him as he shot forward.
But his use of Soru looked rough. He had speed, yes, but his line of attack was stiff, obvious, and full of openings.
Gion did not even shift her stance.
She only turned slightly at the waist, and with a casual flick of her bamboo sword, cut into his line.
Smack! The strike landed cleanly on the nerve at his wrist.
Aiden's bamboo sword flew from his hand with a clatter, and his own momentum sent him stumbling into an ugly fall.
Gion shook her head. "Pathetic."
She stepped closer, close enough for her scent to fill his nose.
"Watch carefully," she said, her voice sounding right beside his ear. "Real Rokushiki woven into swordsmanship isn't about rushing in first and swinging after you arrive. The cut is already there while you're moving."
Her figure blurred. She only shifted sideways by a single meter, but the air burst apart around her.
Crack!
The tip of her bamboo sword tapped the training stone nearby.
Aiden closed his eyes and stood there as if he were seriously thinking it through.
A few minutes later, he suddenly opened his eyes and rushed forward for another strike.
Bang!
He had not even fully completed the motion before Gion's bamboo sword struck his wrist again, knocking his weapon away.
"No." She frowned. "Your ankles fired too early. Your killing intent is leaking all over the place. Are you trying to announce your attack before it lands?"
Aiden gritted his teeth, reset his stance, and charged again.
Keeping up this level of pretending demanded more concentration than actual fighting. It was already getting annoying. His attention slipped, if only for a moment.
"Your shoulders are stiff as wood! Were you even listening to me?!"
There was a trace of irritation in her voice. Her bamboo sword swung again, aiming straight for the opening in his defense.
And just before the strike landed on his shoulder,
Aiden's body moved on instinct.
He had played the weakling for so long that his mind had drifted. His swordsmanship instincts, coupled with Observation Haki, acted before he could think.
In that split second, his wrist dipped by the tiniest angle.
CLANG!!!!
A sharp, jarring impact split the night.
Gion's lazy expression froze.
A massive recoil surged back through the bamboo sword in her hand. It felt less like she had struck another training sword and more like she had smashed into a steel wall.
The backlash jolted the tiger's mouth between her thumb and forefinger numb, and a sharp sting shot through her wrist. The force even shoved her backward several steps.
The training ground fell completely silent.
Shit, Aiden thought, his heart tightening. That was too much.
Gion steadied herself and looked up at him in shock, just about to speak,
but Aiden moved even faster.
"OWWWW!!!"
His scream tore through the quiet night.
The bamboo sword dropped from his hand with a clack, and he threw himself onto the ground, clutching his wrist and writhing like a fish flung onto dry land.
"My wrist! My wrist! Commodore, it's broken, it's broken! Aaaagh, it's going to snap off!!"
Gion: "..."
She stared at him with a complicated expression, then slowly lowered her gaze to her own right hand. The tiger's mouth was still buzzing, and her grip had not fully recovered yet.
Just now... was that really a fluke? Or...
She slid the bamboo sword back, walked over, and nudged the "dying" Aiden with the tip of her boot.
"Get up. Drop the act."
She nudged him again with that polished boot.
Aiden yelped, baring his teeth as he climbed to his feet, still rubbing his "cramped" wrist with the other hand.
A faint scent of soap and sweat drifted between them.
Gion suddenly caught his hand.
Aiden: Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)
She examined his wrist carefully. The skin was smooth, the bones were straight, and there was not even the slightest sign of swelling or strain. Not even a red mark.
Then she lifted her eyes. At this distance, her face was very close to his, and the corners of her lips curved into a sly half-smile.
"...Cramped, huh?"
"Y-yes, ma'am," Aiden mumbled, looking away. "Maybe... too much training today."
She stared at him for a full three seconds. Then, without warning, she chuckled and let go.
"Heh... that's enough for tonight."
She turned and walked toward the exit. At the doorway, she stopped without looking back and spoke lightly.
"Tomorrow night, I want tempura."