Chapter 21
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I wake up in the morning to find Sena not by my side.
Stepping out of the cabin, I’m first greeted by a gentle breeze caressing my cheeks.
It’s that time when the darkness of night recedes and the sky begins to lighten.
I advance forward, feeling an indescribable difference in the air permeating my entire body.
Our usual walking route as a couple. There she is, in the middle of the meadow.
Sena is dancing, as if flowing with the wind, surrendering herself to it.
Particles of light emanate from her form.
She sways, stretching her body wide in circles, tilting to the extreme and twisting herself.
Round and round, she leaps from the spot, landing lightly and gracefully on the ground, continuing her dance as if gravity has no hold on her.
It reminds me a bit of the 「Kagura dance」 I saw before in Japan.
But her movements are more intense, dynamic, streamlined. Her gravity-defying motions simultaneously contain a sense of fierceness.
Witnessing her dance, I am rendered speechless, forgetting the passage of time as I gaze in awe.
How much time has passed? Perhaps noticing me staring at her, she stops dancing and calls out to me.
「How was it…?」
She asks me, not showing much emotion on her face as usual.
「I can’t put it into words, but it was amazing.」
You could say my vocabulary has melted away.
「I’m giving physical form to my gratitude towards the gods.」
「Gratitude to the gods?」
「Yes, thanking the gods. For always bestowing blessings upon us.」
She tells me, radiating an almost divine aura.
「At the same time, this is a ritual to appease the gods.」
「A ritual?」
「Yes, so that gods tainted by evil will not further…」
Gods tainted by evil.
That phrase sends a chill down my spine.
「And this is also training in martial arts to resist such gods corrupted by evil.」
Sena’s eyes as she answers are the eyes of one who resists.
It can’t just be my conceit to think they’re similar to mine.
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When I propose starting rehabilitation, Sena gladly(?) accepts my offer.
「Leave it to me.」
「Thanks Sena, I owe you one.」
「Just imagine you’re on the Titanic and leave it all to me.」
「Wait a second. I’m getting an ominous feeling like never before…」
「I meant the Mary Celeste.」
「But everyone on board died…」
I had nothing but unease.
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So, there’s a Chinese martial arts training method.
It involves lowering your hips slightly, focusing on your breathing, and circulating 「qi」 through every corner of your body’s nerves.
You might not understand what I’m talking about, but I don’t understand it either. Spare me the detailed explanations or corrections.
The reason I started this explanation is because I ended up having to do it myself.
「Lower your hips a bit more.」
My rehabilitation-slash-training begins in the same meadow where she danced earlier.
「Yes. Focus your awareness on your abdomen. Good. Breathing is key.」
Her training is also a mysterious one.
「From your abdomen to your hips and legs. From your abdomen to your chest, head, both hands. Be conscious of the qi you’ve cultivated within yourself and let it spread throughout your whole body.」
「Sorry, but what’s qi?」
「Qi is qi.」
「But what is qi?」
「Like I said, qi is qi.」
Fed up with my repeated questioning (which is totally justified), Sena lets out a sigh.
「Ichiro, do you not want to do this?」 she asks in a chillingly low voice.
「You don’t want to learn from me?」
「No, I want to learn from you Sena! I want you to teach me about qi! I want you to keep helping me with rehab!」
Were there any other words I could have said?
My super yes-man nature was on full display.
「I see. That’s good then.」
I feel a little relieved that her expression returns to normal (slightly lacking in emotion), but I diligently train as she instructs so as not to dampen her mood.
We finish when puddles of my sweat have formed on the ground.
Ugh, what hell.
○○○
「By the way, will doing this training actually lead to proper rehabilitation?」
It’s an extremely natural question.
Even if I work hard at training, if it doesn’t contribute to rehab, you could say it’s meaningless.
「Huh?」
She tilts her head cutely as if I stated the obvious. That slightly animal-like gesture was adorable.
「Yes, of course. If you do this training, you’ll regain your previous physical abilities.」
Not only that, Sena continues.
「There’s a boar over there. Take a look.」
She instructs me.
A boar over there… What the heeeeeeell!?
Why is something like this suddenly appearing!?
That’s not just a boar… not on the level of a boar!
What is that? A spirit? It’s so huge it could annihilate a US military unit and still have leftovers!? It’s like a giant chocolate monaka ice cream! (in a frenzy)
Radiating particles of light, Sena approaches the boar(?) with dance-like steps, finally confronting it head-on.
The difference in mass was almost too crude to compare.
The object for comparison wasn’t an animal, but more on the scale of a building or apartment complex. Anyway, somehow dodging the boar(?)’s footstamp, she lightly touches its massive leg.
「Ha!」
A flash of fighting spirit, indeed.
The boar(?) vibrates unnaturally and ceases movement.
Without delay, its giant body collapses with a thud, shaking the earth.
The boar(?) has already been reduced to a lump of flesh, devoid of any sense of life.
「This much is a piece of cake.」
Yikes!
What is this? Hokuto Shin Ken?
Perhaps displeased with my needlessly startled reaction,
「You don’t have to do it.」
With an expression that says she doesn’t really think that,
「But your current strength is just riding on skills.」
She continues, somewhat provokingly.
「It’s a hollow strength based on sad misunderstandings.」
I can relate. No, I can more than relate.
「You don’t have to do it.」
Sena repeats once more.
「If you’re fine staying weak as you are now.」
What man could back down after being told this?
I shout with all my might, as if challenging her, as if encouraging myself.
「I can do iiiiiiiiiiit!」
Why I chose that shout remains a mystery to this day.
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