The atmosphere was very awkward during their return. Even though the old man initially wished to explain himself, the lack of response from Ren eventually rendered him silent. Like that, they arrived at home, where food awaited them.

Ayako already knelt by the table covered in dishes, she didn't eat but waited patiently for the rest of the family. As soon as the two joined her, the feast began.

Her demeanor didn't change, and this fact combined with the recent revelation worked surprisingly on Ren's nerves. He could feel the irritation boiling in his stomach, taking his appetite, and at some point, he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Listen, lady!" He exploded, putting his bowl back on the table. "I'm not your Haruki, and I don't have any intention of replacing him! It was never my intention!" He shouted.

Satoru immediately sprang to his feet, reaching over the table to grab his collar, but Ren didn't stay idle. He grabbed that hand, and they wrestled.

"I will make this old fool happy by becoming a candidate, but not for his sake, for my own! And I will remain myself! I will never replace your son! So move the focus of your anger from me because it is not my fault. I'm a victim here, but I won't remain one, now that I know everything!"

"How dare you!" Satoru growled, rushing around the table clearly to silence Ren.

"Stop!" Ayako shouted at her husband, who immediately froze in place, ready to punch Ren in the face, still holding him by the collar. Then a surprising smile emerged on her face. "You should not start fights in your own house," she nagged him. "And you… You eat more. You need strength if you want to become a candidate," she said, moving some of the slices of meat from her bowl of rice to his.

This moved the awkwardness of the situation solely on the shoulders of the old man. The two clearly felt relieved thanks to this confrontation, which allowed them to have a bit of peace.

With his belly full, Ren retired to his room to get some sleep. He came out again only for dinner. In such a way, the next day came, starting with a breakfast that was transpiring in a strange atmosphere.

Satoru was still clearly angry, while Ayako seemed happy. This was a massive change in her demeanor. Now she didn't appear so grim and could easily pass for a wife content with her life.

Ren was a bit torn and confused. The worry about his future in this house crept into his heart as he was able to properly contemplate everything. In this strange new world, he needed to rely on those two, at least for a bit more time.

"Are you going to train me, as you promised?" He asked eventually, looking at Satoru.

The man was chewing his food at the moment, but he paused, hearing the question. He required a moment to think but eventually answered with a short nod.

But despite the agreement, the moment didn't arrive until two days later. On that day, after the quick breakfast, they departed from the house heading into the center of the district of the Noroi clan, carrying with them a change of clothes. The closer they got, the better the buildings were looking. They kept the traditional vibes but got bigger, carrying more splendor.

The very center was occupied by several dojos. On wide squares, many young and older warriors were practicing their sword techniques under the watchful eyes of the instructors.

Standing in rows, they practiced strikes over and over, on the command of those who taught them. The ages started at a very young Ren noticed kids no older than ten years, and it continued from there to people clearly in their thirties, although they weren't practicing in groups but rather focused on individual training. They sparred with other warriors of similar skills, using wooden blades.

Satoru ignored it mostly, clearly having a very precise destination where he was leading them. It was a dojo on the side, where not many could be spotted around, but there was definitely somebody inside. Somebody who practiced the sword, as Ren could hear the loud exclamations with every strike.

"Ha! Ha-ja! Ha!" The same noises repeated over and over, and soon he was perfectly sure it was a girl – which the voice suggested.

As they got inside, he immediately saw a large open space with an empty floor and wooden weaponry placed against the walls. There were swords, spears, shields, naginatas, and more, but he paid minimal attention to it as his gaze got lured in and trapped by something entirely else.

In the middle, dancing with a wooden sword in hand was a beauty. She was wearing a tight costume that emphasized her perfectly sculpted body. Wide hips, and nicely formed breasts of just the perfect size. She had a mane of black hair, with strands of green mixed in, and big, emerald eyes.

She paused, noticing the intruders, and as her eyes fixed on Satoru, she immediately bowed, showing respect.

"Teacher."

"I'm not your teacher anymore," the old man raised his hand in protest. "I came to ask you for a favor. This is my son, Ren, and he needs to learn quickly how to fight. I want to train him, but my body is not what it used to be, so I need somebody to practice with him. Will you help me, Hinata?"

Her piercing gaze ventured to rest on the peculiar-looking Ren, who stood there devouring her with his gaze. His kimono slightly expanded at the loin region, showing his deep appreciation of the view.

A smirk emerged on her lips. "If he can keep up with me," she said.

"He will have to catch up first," Satoru pointed out, putting away the spare clothes and walking further into the dojo to grab one of the wooden swords, which he threw at his adopted son, almost hitting him in the face.

Ren's body reacted on its own, catching the weapon at the last moment, and almost dropping the clothes he was carrying in the process. His attention was simply too occupied with Hinata, but almost getting hit was enough to bring him back to reality. He reacted by bowing deeply. "I'm Ren Noroi. I was adopted by Satoru. I look forward to training with you."

"That you do," she said, noticing the bulge. "My name is Hinata Noroi. Let's start. Attack me!"

A bit confused at first, Ren quickly got a hold of himself, put the clothes away, and readied his weapon to attack. He measured Hinata with his eyes before rushing forward and striking from above. She dodged swiftly and then counterattacked, smacking him in the knee and shoulder so fast that he didn't even notice before the pain came

A groan escaped his mouth through gritted teeth as the jolts of pain penetrated his body, but it was nothing compared to the torture he went through after his initial awakening. He immediately retaliated, swinging to the side and trying to get her in the middle of her movement.

She ducked down, avoiding the hit, and swung upwards, striking the handle of his sword at its base, knocking it from his grasp. It went flying. This attack made Ren's eyes go wide at a perfect moment, as Hinata straightened herself, causing her breasts, wrapped in her tight uniform, to jiggle a little.

A blush immediately appeared on his cheeks, just as the wooden weapon fell to the floor, causing a little bit of dull noise.

"You have the guts, that I can tell," she said, as a smirk appeared on her lips. "But you are completely green when it comes to fighting."

Her words were a clear blow to his ego, and he felt it.

"He is a beginner. You went too hard on him," Satoru came to the rescue, already walking around them to grab the sword. "Give him some time, and he will start catching up."

His words for some reason annoyed Ren even more, but he endured, knowing that he needed to swallow his pride to learn, so he could show them in the future. The determination only hardened in his mind.

The old man grabbed the sword and brought it to Ren. "I'll show you how to move. Then you two should practice together, and let's have another sparring at the end of today's session," he said.

"Sounds good to me," Hinata accepted.

Ren simply nodded, and this began the practice. Satoru grabbed a wooden katana for himself and then began showing them both how to move slowly. The girl seemed to already have the perfect understanding of those basics, but she still kept practicing them.

The old man was slow, meticulous, and keen. He corrected every mistake, even the smallest, while directing Ren at every step, showing him how to move properly. This part of their training stretched for hours, but eventually, it came to an end, and they began practicing, exchanging blows and defending them according to Satoru's instructions.

The whole thing ended with another sparring. Just like before, Ren got his butt handed to him, but at least this time he was able to do more than during their first confrontation.

"Thank you for the lesson," Hinata bowed upon finishing.

Ren did the same, although in a very awkward manner, which brought a smile to the old man's face. A little triumph for him after what happened in the past days.

With this breather, Ren's attention automatically drifted back to the girl and her captivating shapes. She walked to the wall to put her wooden sword back, swaying her hips, which made his body react instantly. There were drips of sweat on her neck, exposed as the hair was moved to the side, and even more visible on her back, revealed as her uniform had a deep cut there.

She then went to the corner of the room to pick up something else. A sword of sorts, but Ren wasn't sure if it was a katana. It was wider, as the saya suggested, and the handle looked very peculiar, wrapped in black leather with those white spots, which brought to his mind a variation of jaguar fur.

"Let’s go. I'm hungry," Satoru's words brought him back to reality.

He nodded in response. They left the dojo, heading back to the house, but on the way, they visited the baths.

The cold water was very refreshing after the practice, and the fresh clothes only further expanded this feeling. Quite joyful, they both returned at the correct time to enjoy a late lunch. Finished eating, the old man went to have a smoke, while Ren retreated to his room.

He lay down on his futon to rest a bit, but his mind was haunted by Hinata’s amazing body in the tight costume she used for training. 'I want her,' he concluded after a moment. 'I wonder if as a candidate I could have her.'

With this idea, he couldn't stop thinking about embracing her. It was so tempting that he almost couldn't take it. He realized this and forced himself to switch his attention to something else.

'It's useless to dream about this. I need to make it a reality instead of some silly dream,' he concluded. 'I have to become a candidate, but this body of mine might not be enough… I could really use a Jujin… Maybe… Yes. I should at least give it a try. There is no harm in checking those mountain apes. I'll ask where they keep them, and if I can, I will see how they look.' He made up his mind and rolled out of the bedding, getting on his feet.

He went straight to the porch in front of the house, where Satoru sat on the stairs, smoking his pipe. The intrusion prompted the old man to look over his shoulder.

"I didn't expect you to come here..." he said.

"I came to ask for something. I know how you feel about it, but I want to see those mountain apes if there is a possibility."

"You can't beat one of those monsters," the old man snorted through his teeth, holding the pipe firmly. A bit of smoke left his nostrils.

"Maybe," Ren shrugged his shoulders. "But I would like to see them for myself first."

"Fine,” Satoru let out a heavy sigh. „Let me finish, and I'll take you to the Tachibana clan. They are accepting anybody who wants to try fighting those monsters, so they shouldn't oppose us having a look," he concluded.

With the confirmation, Ren sat by the old man's side and waited for him to finish, but Satoru deliberately took his time.