The Crisis World XX

Chap. 73: Sword Training with Tetsu

After failing to see Oita-san last night, Herlin finally decided to go home and rest. Although his wound had healed but he still decided to rest because the next morning he would train his sword skills.

**

The next morning after getting enough sleep and rest, Herlin woke up from her sleep at about seven in the morning and walked out of her room. The road outside his room was a hallway and he walked to the dining room.

In the dining room Herlin saw no one there, but he heard a voice from the kitchen. Most likely Yuuki-san is cooking food for the orphanage children. He goes to the kitchen and meets Yuuki-san.

But while trying to help make food, Herlin instead sees Yuuki-san talking to a child who is not an orphanage. Let alone an orphanage child, that child is not even human.

Herlin who was still half conscious immediately rubbed his eyes and then approached the two of them. Yuuki-san who noticed Herlin's arrival then greeted her.

"Herlin-chan, you're awake. Good morning." Good morning."

"Herlin good morning!"

"Good morning."

The little boy greeted him with a spirit that Herlin responded to with ordinary. He did not understand why he could be here and was also familiar with Yuuki-san.

"Tetsu, what are you doing here?"

"I'm helping Yuuki-san cook!"

Herlin recalled that Iraya had once refused the supplies brought by Herlin and brought his own provisions. It turns out that what makes the provision is this Spirit. And also she proudly called herself as the housekeeper, Herlin did not understand what Iraya said to her.

"So it's true that you're Herlin-chan's acquaintance" Yuuki-san said.

"That's right! I'm a friend of Herlin's."

"Yuuki-san, is it okay if she helps you?"

"It's okay, I'm happy if anyone helps me cook."

"But he's not human, you know?"

"Not human?"

"Really! Tetsu is a spirit!" tetsu said happily as usual.

"So so …."

Yuuki-san seems a little surprised by the fact that Tetsu is not a human but a Spirit. But he quickly replaced his surprised expression earlier with a friendly smile that he used to do.

"I don't think it makes any difference, as long as they can cook I'll be happy to help."

"Assyc! Thank you, Yuuki-san!"

"Together."

Herlin is surprised that it turns out that Yuuki-san can take Tetsu who is not human for granted, even though Yuuki-san is just an ordinary person. Maybe because he had gotten used to the strange things in place Oita-san made him already not too surprised anymore thought Herlin.

Herlin, who was unwilling to stay silent and was replaced by Tetsu, offered his help to Yuuki-san.

"I'll help too."

"really? Good then."

"Cooking together? It's so exciting!" tetsu was happy.

Finally the three of them prepared breakfast for the orphanage children this morning. After about half an hour of cooking, finally their breakfast was about to be finished.

"I think we should just wait to mature. Oh yes, Herlin-chan …."

"Yes?"

"Can you please wake the others? Me and Tetsu will take care of the rest here."

"All right."

Herlin then took off his apron and hung it on a hanger on the wall after which he went down the hall again and to several rooms in the hallway.

When she wanted to open one of the room doors, Herlin's movements stopped because of Cecilia who spoke inside her head.

"It's very peaceful to live here."

"Cecilia?"

"Right, it's me. Are you still surprised by my voice ringing in your head?"

"Lumayan no, I'm a little used to this."

Herlin did not open the door of the room and instead leaned in front of him chatting with Cecilia.

"So have you been here a long time?"

"My thoughts were vague back then, but I remember I started living here when I was six."

"What about your parents?"

Herlin was silent for a moment. It seems he doesn't want to discuss this too far.

"Why are you suddenly asking like that?"

"I'm just wondering, who knows it can put a burden on your chest."

"If I wanted to do it, maybe the person I'd tell you about isn't you."

Cecilia just let out a snort and indicated that she was laughing. Because it seemed like there was no harm, Herlin then did not so to open the door earlier and instead leaned in front of him.

"I think I remember his face a little. But my name, origin, and anything else related to my parents, I don't remember at all. But one thing's for sure, if I'm not from this country."

"You're not from this country?"

"That's how."

Herlin started telling stories. Although vague, but he can still remember some places that are much different from here. The mansion that looked more like a palace was always reflected in his childhood memories. People with different languages and stature could also still Herlin remember though vaguely.

"But even so, I don't think my past matters anymore."

"Is that really so?"

"At least that's what I've been saying in my head, now I have a family closer to me even though it's not a blood family. That's what I prioritize for now."

Herlin could imagine the faces of Yuuki-san, Haruka-chan, and the other orphanage children when mentioning the word family. Then also in Black Rain were Oita-san, Mei-senpai, Ishikawa-san, and also Iraya whom he considered to be his second family.

"For now, that's what's important to me. Therefore I will train my sword skills and save Iraya."

"Oh, yeah. But Herlin …,"

"What's wrong?"

"… Were you angry?"

Herlin widened her eyes slightly as Cecilia could feel the feeling she was feeling.

"You can feel it?"

"Yes .., even if it's just a little and a little, but I can feel the anger inside you. It's amazing to be able to hold back emotions so great, but are you okay?"

"You mean?"

"I mean you're still a human being, unlike me who's a Spirit. Wouldn't being soaked for too long be bad for you?"

Herlin fell silent permeating Cecilia's words just now. He deliberately held back his emotions and has been doing it for a long time. But he had never thought of letting out that emotion like Cecilia just said.

"I think you have a point. But maybe now is not the time."

"Right, our priority now is to save Iraya."

"You're right …. Uh?"

Bruukkkc…

When Herlin and Cecilia were focusing on talking suddenly one of the orphanage children in the room opened the door in a sleepy state. Herlin who was leaning in front of his door simultaneously fell down the moment the door was opened.

"Eh?! Nee-san, are you okay?!"

"I'm .. It's okay."

Herlin was too engrossed in chatting until he forgot the task given by Yuuki-san, which was to wake up the children. After that Herlin woke up the children of the orphanage and ate his breakfast together.

While the others unwittingly, Tetsu in the kitchen instead eats a pencil that he brought from Iraya's house alone.

"Good meal" he said, small.

**

Herlin was currently on the back hill, where he used to train Iraya. He stood up straight and then took out Tetsu's sword from its sheath.

"So? What am I supposed to do, Tetsu?"

"True, yeah. For now try to strengthen your horses first."

After hearing the instructions from Tetsu who was inside the sword, Herlin then put up the horses and prepared to swing his sword.

"Like this?"

"really. Ah for the first time, you better hold it with both hands."

When Herlin held his sword with both hands, without him noticing his horses changed by themselves.

"Wait a minute, your horses are changing again."

".... You're right."

"Hmm .. This is hard too. All righty! I'll fix it myself."

Suddenly a blinding light came out from Tetsu's sword after he said that he would fix it himself. And soon Tetsu appeared in front of Herlin.

"It seems like all we have to do is find the horses that suit you first."

"Is that influential?"

"of course! If the horses are strong, then it will be faster to learn the technique. You understand that, right?"

"Then it will be easier to understand if you already understand the basics. Now I'll try to fix your horses with my own hands."

"What do you mean by your hand—!"

Herlin's speech came to a halt because of Tetsu who was suddenly below him and held Herlin's thigh which shocked him.

"Don't move first, I'm in a position that's convenient and comfortable for you."

Although told not to move, but even a Herlin felt uncomfortable when his thighs were touched by someone. He tried to hold it as hard as he could to the point that his face turned crimson.

"A-Are you done …?"

"A little more."

At first Tetsu set the position of Herlin's strongest foot that makes it a pedestal and then assisted with his weakest foot as a regulator of the direction of his movement. And after a while, Tetsu took his hand off Herlin.

"Yosh, it's done."

Herlin slightly sighed in grateful relief that Tetsu was done. But then he checked how he was now. His right foot is on the front while his left foot is one step behind his right foot.

"I think this is the one that suits you best. My owner until now had never been a woman, so I had to arrange everything from scratch again. Because basically the proportion of the male body with the female is different."

"So then, I'm starting to understand now."

"All right! Now you can practice swinging your sword!"

"How many times?"

"Hmm …? For a beginner like you .. ten thousand times!"

"If you want to kill me, then you better do it now" Herlin said flatly in response to the training given by Tetsu.

"Just kidding, just kidding! For now try swinging a hundred times first, then after that rest for about five minutes and then swing again a hundred times. Keep doing that for ten times to get your hands used to the sword's grip."

"All right."

Herlin began to swing his sword with the horses Tetsu had told him about. Training went well and there were no obstacles. Sometimes Herlin swung his sword too fast, so Tetsu had to slow him down.

After nearly an hour of doing the same, Herlin's first thousand swings had finished.

"Whoah! You did it sooner than I thought."

"Is it just like this?"

"Yes for the warm-up, I guess that's it. But you're great too yeah, you don't even sweat a little."

Tetsu surrounded Herlin who was silent on his horses, trying to figure out which body part was sweating. But he didn't find it anywhere.

"That's not important, is it? What matters now is the next exercise."

"You're right too."

Tetsu then stood up straight again and informed him of the next exercise.

"Thousand swings you will do again in the afternoon and then at night. For now I will determine how to fight you."

"How's my fight?"

"Really! The way to fight that suits you now is hhhh …!!"

Tetsu spoke hanging and with a long tone at the end. It was very long and like there was no end and then stopped when his breath ran out.

"… Survive and attack!"

"Defend .. and attack?!"

"Yep, since your opponent is an Exception who can let out his aura, you won't have a chance to attack him openly because your speed and strength are certain to lose."

"So you told me to wait for my opponent to fight a mistake and then attack him?"

"That's right!"

"Then what if my opponent is a long-range type?"

"Near as much as possible while continuing to defend your horses. That's all you can do if you want to win."

"But …."

Herlin then imagined his opponents later on. Caramel with her Transformation ability, Nimis with her Elemental ability, and Ardenter with her Physical Strength. Fighting them all without using full force was a suicide. Not to mention an unknown opponent.

He did not continue his words, instead he just breathed a sigh of resignation. But suddenly Cecilia spoke inside her head.

"Just calm down, I'll help you. Although not much, anyway."

"I look forward to your help" said Herlin limp.

While Herlin was a little desperate, suddenly someone came to see him from under the hill. That person is Mei-senpai.

"It's true you're here!"

"Senpai? What's Senpai doing here?"

"I was looking for you at the orphanage, but Aiza-san said that you were out. So I'm sure you'll be here. Ms. .. Who is she?"

Mei-senpai who just realized that there was someone else here besides Herlin then asked.

"Name Tetsu. Dia—"

"Hello! I'm Tetsu!"

"I'm Kurobane Mei, greetings Tetsu—Eh? Wait a minute, that's not why I came here! You should be resting in bed right now, your wounds could open again, you know!" nagel Mei-senpai.

"But—"

"There's no buts! Let's go home now."

Mei-senpai did not even give Herlin a chance to speak. He took Herlin by the hand and told her to go home like a mother pulling her son home in the afternoon.

"I'm totally cured, Senpai."

"You're just trying to look strong, I know that. Such a wound would not heal in just one day."

"I'm cured, Cecilia's been treating my wounds."

When Herlin said so, Senpai's steps came to a halt and then looked towards Herlin whose hand from earlier was pulled by him.

"Cecilia …? If it's not wrong, the name …."

"True, it's the name of the Spirit that was on Iraya's body. And now it's in my body."

"Your body? Meanin?"

Herlin told me everything from the beginning. About Iraya's plan and about how Cecilia was inside her body. After hearing that, Mei-senpai then released her hand from Herlin.

"Re-really?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"I want to make sure of one thing first. Let me see your wound."

Herlin also showed that the part of his left waist that had been injured was now completely healed without a scar.

"The wound is not there."

"What does Senpai believe now?"

"Y-Yes that's how it is, but still what are you doing alone here? Someone's worried about you, you know?"

"Worrying about me?"

Mei-senpai pointed towards a tree. Behind the tree was a person who was hiding timidly because they were watching him. But Herlin soon found out who was there.

"Michi-chan?"

"He?!"

Feeling that she has caught sight of him, Michi-chan finally comes out of hiding and approaches Herlin.

"Don't you .. Michi-chan worried about me?"

He nodded slowly, a sign that he was very worried about her. Herlin who was aware of it then approached her and brought her face closer to Michi-chan's face which was bowed in embarrassment.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Michi-chan. But I'm fine."

"really?"

"Mrs."

"Oh, yeah. I'm so happy to hear it" said Michi-chan who smiled slightly in relief.

"So now you're training your sword skills?"

"Yes that's how."

"You're testing it with me?"

"Eh? No. .., I just practiced earlier—"

"Hoo! Also maybe! It will be a good exercise for you, Herlin," Tetsu interrupted Herlin's conversation.

"That's it, right?!"

"Yes, that's right!"

"No, wait a minute …."

Herlin tries to stop her but she is instead sadly ignored by the two of them. And there was nothing else he could do but accept this practice.

"Huh .. oh my goodness."

Herlin grumbled a little but there was nothing he could do. But the training between Herlin and Mei-senpai was finally about to begin.

Seriate