4 Dojo on the hill

'I still can't believe you allowed him to use the old man's spear,' Mitsuki frowned.

'You may not remember this, but it wasn't his blade. The old man would've loved if it was destroyed,' Tenko responded.

A well-bulit old man appeared in the distant. His beard and his hair were clearly taken care of, and the white of a long life just started to replace the natural brown. He was carrying something on his back, and a young girl followed just a few steps behind.

'Good morning, Mr. Rorick, what are you doing here in this hot summer noon?' Tenko joked.

'Morning, Tenko-san, where are the boys? Am I late?' he put down his luggage on the ground.

'They'll be in a moment.'

Ichiro and Tomura were sitting inside the dojo. Upon hearing the sounds of guests, they went outside to properly greet them. After that, Mitsuki invited the guests to have some tea, so they all went back in. Ichiro sat down near Ei. Hours later, they were done with the chit-chat, the tea, and the watermelon, and the old blacksmith reached for his bag.

'When I first heard you had the Mystic Remembrance, I thought you were joking...'

'Not many know about it nowadays,' Tenko added.

'True, but there is not a one smith that hasn't heard of it. When I was an apprentice, it was already a children's tale,' Rorick opened the bag, and pulled out a sword. 'I was glad to work on it. Turnes out, it looks exactly like an iron!'

'This is for you, Tomura,' Ichiro handed it to his friend.

'What... I...' he stumbled.

Everyone laughed at Tomura's reaction, and he blushed red.

'And this double blades are for you, son, as you ordered.'

The steel blades were shorter than what blacksmiths usually forge.

'Thanks a lot.'

'Don't sweat it. I was happy to make something different than nails and knives,' he laughed.

'But there is one more thing,' Ichiro looked at Ei, 'I want to marry your daughter.'

Everyone was shocked. The room went silent for a moment. Then, the father looked at his daughter and smiled.

'You should ask her, not me, ha-ha.'

'Will-'

'I-'

'Will you be my wife?'

'I will!'

She covered her face with both hands, and the tops of her ears were flaming red. Mitsuki and Tomura were screaming in happiness, trying to make sense out of what just happened before their eyes. Tenko was laughing at their interaction, and for a moment, Ichiro felt home. He was very happy. The dojo on the hill wasn't this lively for far too long.

'But when is the wedding?' Tomura asked.

'Let's do it tomorrow!' Ichiro proposed.

'So be it!'