8

"Yoriiiii!" Roxy shouted as she approached Yoriichi, who was sitting and resting.

"Hello, Roxy," Yoriichi replied in his usual manner.

"What were you doing?" Roxy asked with interest, her cheeks slightly flushed as she remembered their previous conversation.

Memory: "Remember my words." End of memory. "I was training," Yoriichi replied with a faint smile.

"You must be exhausted," Roxy said as she moved closer and sat down next to him.

Silence filled the air. There was still some time before the sun would set, and the silence was not uncomfortable; it was more soothing. Both sat side by side, gazing at the trees swaying in the breeze.

"Why do you want to be strong?" Yoriichi suddenly asked, turning towards her.

"What's with the question?" Roxy asked, not sure why Yoriichi was inquiring.

"I don't know, just curious, I suppose," he replied, looking up at the sky.

"I can't say for sure, but I think it's for my family," Roxy responded, looking at the sky as she considered a more elaborate answer.

"That's good," Yoriichi said, still gazing at the sky.

"What's it like to have a family?" Yoriichi asked again, this time with a gentle smile.

Roxy's heart sank a bit at the question, but it eased when she saw Yoriichi smiling.

She sighed. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's comforting to know you have somewhere to go when you can't handle something. Sometimes it's fun, other times it's frustrating, but having a family is like having support," Roxy replied, thinking of her family in the demon continent.

"It makes me happy that you're happy," Yoriichi suddenly said, looking at the white clouds in the blue sky.

Roxy blushed. Yoriichi often made these kinds of comments, which she liked to some extent, but they also made her nervous, and she felt embarrassed when he noticed.

"You always say sweet things," Roxy said as her blush faded.

"I don't think much about it; I just say what I feel and think," Yoriichi replied calmly.

"That's what's special," Roxy said, pushing one of her braids back.

"Hmm, I think I'm starting to understand," Yoriichi concluded.

"I have a question," Roxy said to Yoriichi, who turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Mmm," he made a sound with his mouth, giving his approval.

"What's your age?" Roxy asked, wanting to confirm Lilia's theory.

"Hmm, let me see," Yoriichi started counting on his fingers, trying not to get confused.

"I'm 14 years old," Yoriichi said, searching his memories.

"Eh... ehhhhhhhh!" Roxy couldn't believe that the boy who looked like a child was almost of legal age.

"Why are you so surprised?" Yoriichi asked, not understanding why Roxy was shocked.

"B-but you don't look that age," Roxy said, more composed a few seconds later.

"I don't know, I guess I had slow development," Yoriichi said, not concerned at all about his age or physical appearance.

"Lilia said it's impolite to ask a woman her age, so I won't," Yoriichi said, unaware that he had just dropped a hint.

"I'm 24 years old," Roxy said, not bothered by her age. She was a young woman in human years, and as a demon, her longevity was much higher than humans, nearly double.

"You also look younger, but you're beautiful," Yoriichi flirted, unintentionally.

"Don't say those things," Roxy said, blushing.

"Uh, if it bothers you, I'll stop," Yoriichi shrugged.

"N-no, it doesn't bother me, I-It's just... just..." Her brain short-circuited.

She sighed. "Never mind, I don't mind receiving compliments from you," Roxy said, laughing.

"Oh, alright then," Yoriichi said, smiling.

.

.

.

.

.

"Breath of the Sun, First Stance Waltz," Yoriichi took a stance and then released it, making a downward slash, leaving a trail of reddish fire in its wake.

"Breath of the Sun, Second Stance Blue Sky," Yoriichi spun and executed a 360° cut, performing this stance after the first one was completed.

"Breath of the Sun, Third Stance Crimson Mirror," after finishing the previous stance, Yoriichi immediately made two cuts that, when used for attacking, would be more defensive.

"Breath... UGH," blood spurted from his mouth as he fell to his knees, one hand covering his mouth.

The pain in his chest spread throughout his body. He didn't know what was happening. It was true that it was his first time attempting to perform more than one stance in succession, but it felt strange. Had his body overheated? He wasn't sure, but he knew it hurt like hell.

A year had passed, and Yoriichi's body continued to grow as usual. He no longer had the build of a child; he now resembled a well-formed teenager. His black hair with red tips, long enough to reach his back, was tied in a ponytail, with strands covering part of his forehead. His mark remained the same, as did his earrings, which swayed with every movement.

During this time, Yoriichi dedicated himself fully to his sword training. He felt like he was born to wield a sword. Many times, his body moved on instinct, and he performed actions on its own without even thinking about them.

He realized that he had been creating a unique sword style different from what was usually taught in various schools.

There were different types of sword styles, with the most well-known being the North God Style, one of the main styles used by Paul and the first one he wanted to instruct Yoriichi in.

Unlike other styles that used mana flow through the body to enhance their abilities, the style created by Yoriichi used breathing. By extracting air, it caused the blood in the heart to flow faster, tensing the muscles and increasing durability and endurance.

A normal person would have no idea how this worked, but Yoriichi wasn't a normal person. He had a secret that only one person, aside from himself, knew.

Flashback from a year ago:

"Hey, how are you so strong?" Roxy asked Yoriichi as they sat on the roof of the Greyrat house.

"I'm not strong," Yoriichi replied, unaware that not every day a seemingly young boy gave a high-ranking adventurer and S-rank swordsman a run for his money in a fight.

"Yes, you are, much stronger than many adult swordsmen," Roxy said, knowing that Yoriichi didn't overestimate himself like most people.

"I wouldn't know how to explain it," Yoriichi responded to the previous question.

"Explain it as best as you can; I'll try to keep up," Roxy replied, sitting a few inches higher than him.

"I see the world transparently," Yoriichi told her, getting straight to the point.

"Eh? I don't understand. Can you see through walls? If so, promise me you won't peek in the bathroom while I'm bathing, or I'll get mad," Roxy, who misunderstood Yoriichi's words, began scolding him about not being a pervert like Paul and Rudeus.

"That's not how it works," he said, not understanding why he should spy on girls. Lilia had told him that it was wrong, and he always trusted Lilia's judgment.

"Can you explain it better?" Roxy asked calmly, relieved that her almost crush wasn't a pervert.

"I see through the bodies of living beings; I know their movements before they attack, allowing me to react before others strike," Yoriichi replied, resting his head on Roxy's shoulder, as sleep was catching up to him. After all, it was late at night, but it had become a habit for these two to climb onto the roof to talk.

"B-but how can you do that?" Roxy stammered in amazement at the revelation.

"I don't know; I suppose I've been able to do it since birth," Yoriichi replied vaguely.

"Does that mean you can't see others normally?" Roxy asked, intrigued by Yoriichi's vision.

"At first, I thought everyone saw similarly, but that wasn't the case. When I found out, it just turned off," Yoriichi said, explaining that his body had acted on its own once it had the information.

"You're incredible," Roxy said, looking at the younger boy with admiration.

"You're incredible too," Yoriichi said, letting his body slowly fall onto Roxy's.

"I have a question," Yoriichi said sleepily.

"Ask it," Roxy said, on the verge of falling asleep herself.

"You're not like me; you're not human," Yoriichi told her gently and calmly, as if just stating the fact.

"I suppose you noticed because of your strange sight," Roxy said, not caring either way; the Greyrat family had known from day one.

"Yes, your cells die more slowly than usual, just like mine. That's why I often wonder if the villagers are right and if I'm a demon," Yoriichi replied, revealing how he had found out.

"There are good demons, so to speak, and demons who only want chaos. I know you, and I've never known anyone with a sweeter heart than yours," Roxy said, falling asleep, followed by Yoriichi, with their heads resting against each other.

End of the flashback.