Chapter 61: Training Begins

[That's great, Miu… What's this friend's name?]: soren

[His name is Kenichi… He's super friendly, and even saved me]: miu

[So he's strong?]: hayato

[Hmm… He's not so much as strong, rather brave]: miu

[Hmm… I see… Maybe you can invite him over to the dojo]: hayato

[That sounds like a great idea!... I'll invite him over tomorrow]: miu

Everyone went to bed that night, while Miu was thinking about her new friendship with a boy named Kenichi that she met on her way to school. And the very next morning, Miu once again left for school, but she didn't see Kenichi on the way, and just decided to talk to him at school, where she met him in class and made the offer, but Kenichi seemed to catch the eyes of all the boys in class. Soon, the day came to an end, as Miu started coming home, only to stop to help someone out who happened to run into some thugs, and by coincidence, Kenichi also came by and worked up the courage to try and help, but Miu already defeated the thugs before Kenichi could get hurt.

[You saved me once again, Kenichi]: miu

Kenichi seemed flustered for a few reasons, as for one, was that Miu was super strong and could beat up these thugs without help, and the second reason was due to her claiming that he saved her.

[I-I really didn't do anything, so no need to thank me… Anyway… I need to get going… I gotta train hard for a fight next week or I'm screwed]: kenichi

[Fight?... Well then how about my offer?]: miu

[Offer?... What offer?]: kenichi

[The offer to come over to my home, silly… You see… I live at this dojo, so maybe you can come train there for your fight]: miu

When Kenichi heard about the offer, he was excited, and immediately agreed, as Miu wrote down the directions on how to get there, and handed them over to Kenichi before leaving.

[I hope to see you later… Bye Kenichi]: miu

Miu then walked off, leaving Kenichi there by himself, as he thought about hanging out at a girls house, but after thinking about the words of the bully from the Karate club, he hardened his resolve to train, and remembered that this was a dojo, so he followed the map all the way up to the dojo.

[Wow… This place is hard to get too… And this map is quite unique as well]: kenichi

Kenichi arrived at the main doors of the dojo and tried to push them open, only for the doors not to budge an inch, making Kenichi think they were locked.

[Maybe they're closed… I guess I'll come back tomorrow]: kenichi

Just as Kenichi was about to turn around and leave, a buff old man with blonde hair pressed his pointer finger towards the gates and gave a slight poke at them, only for the doors to shoot open, surprising Kenichi as he turned to see the old man wearing a scary face.

[I- Uhh who waja… Ahheek… Please don't kill me!!]: kenichi

[Gurahahaha!!!... Don't worry kid, I'm not gonna kill you… So tell me, why are you here?]: hayato

[Well I was invited to come train here by Miu, sir]: kenichi

[Ahh… So Miu sent you… You must be Kenichi!... My granddaughter has told me so much about you… Please, come inside, and we can have a chat]: hayato

Kenichi then followed Hayato through the gate, as Hayato led Kenichi through the compound and introduced him to all current residence, as he explained that this wasn't just any dojo, but a home for all who are considered masters of their style with no place else to go, a safe haven for the elite, to further their styles in a safe environment. Kenichi watched as Apachai trained in the garden as he destroyed a bunch of stuff, before he visited Akisame who was meditating, before visiting Shigure who was in the process of doing her sword practice, only to be interrupted by Kensei, who seemed to be beaten and wrapped in bandages, but he was still energetic enough to try and take pictures of Shigure, only to be attacked by a volley of shuriken, in which one almost hit Kenichi, only to be caught by Hayato.

[As you can see… We have quite a few rambunctious residences, and training here may even prove to be life threatening… Knowing this, are you still willing to train with us?]: hayato

Kenichi took a gulp before he nodded his head and spoke with conviction.

[I-I still want to train here!... Please teach me!]: kenichi

Hayato began laughing as he then led Kenichi to the front gate and spoke a parting sentence towards him.

[Come back at 9am tomorrow, and we will start your training… Good night Kenichi]: hayato

Hayato then closed the gate, as Soren appeared next to him in silence, before he spoke.

[I was watching you introduce the kid to everyone… Tell me… Do you really want to put the kid at death's doors?]: soren

[Hehe… I have faith in him… He won't die so easily, and he doesn't seem to be a quitter either]: hayato

[You wanna make a wager?]: soren

When Soren spoke, Hayato was interested, as he raised an eyebrow and asked.

[Oh?... And what are we betting on?]: hayato

[I bet 50 thousand yen that I can make that kid quit in a week!]: soren

[No… I know it's a losing bet… I would like it if you stayed away from him, as you might just scare him to death… And I don't want Miu's first friend to get killed by you on accident]: hayato

[Hey!... I have control!... I just choose not to use it when sparing with you guys… I gotta let you know who sits atop the food chain here, hehehe]: soren

[Sure, sure… Let's go eat dinner]: hayato

The night passed, and the morning came as a knock and a shout came from the other side of the main gate, before Apachai opened the gate and let Kenichi come inside, before he was brought to the main house, Kenichi then spent the next 3 months training alongside all the masters of the dojo, except for Soren, while Nikita would occasionally spar with the masters, as her training came to an end, and she just needed more battle experience. Over those 3 months, Kenichi became known throughout the school as a strong martial artist, and he was hunted down by gangs and other strong people looking to fight and defeat him so they could gain popularity. One particular day, Kenichi came to the dojo, and was asked if he wanted to move in to become a true disciple, as Kensei explained the benefits of moving in, and after very little convincing, Kenichi agreed to live with them, and was seated opposite of Kensei while everyone else stood around them. Kensei was trying to get a disciple fee from Kenichi for 20 thousand, but due to Kensei's adamant and impatient nature, Kenichi settled on paying 5 thousand yen.

[Welcome to Ryōzanpaku, Kenichi!!]: miu

After Kensei took the money, Hayato patted Kenichi on the back while giving a burly laugh, leaving everyone else to snicker at Kenichi's misfortune, which was immediately noticed as he began asking in a panicked voice.

[W-What?... Why is everyone snickering like that?... All I did was choose to move in with you]: kenichi

[Ohh, nothing… Just go pack your stuff and come back… Ohh, and you will no longer refer to us by our names, but by Master, now]: shio

[Y-Yes Master!!!]: kenichi

[I couldn't hear you!]: shio

[Y-YES, MASTER!!!]: kenichi

[Guahahahahaha!!... Now go on, kid!]: shio

Kenichi quickly ran home while struggling to open the door by himself, before he left, before Soren spoke up from the corner of the room.

[Do you think he'll survive my training?]: soren

[Not a chance, just try to take it easy on him… By the way… Why do you even want to train the brat?... You don't even train Nikita]: shio

[Well, Kenichi isn't my wife, so I wouldn't be worried if I were to kill him on accident]: soren

[jeez, Soren… You're always so cold… Have you been using that technique to calm your mind, that I gave you?]: akisame

[Oh?... Why yes… It's quite helpful, as I feel less inclined to kill anyone who so much as looks at me funny]: soren

Soren's dark humor jokes always set the group off, and this was one of the reasons Akisame gave Soren a special mind and soul calming technique, that would make the user feel more at peace, and less tense and cold, but it seems that Soren's dark humor is just something that would never leave him.

[*Sigh*... Well then… Who will be training him first?]: akisame

[I guess I'll go first]: soren

When Soren finished his sentence, everyone looked away as they all inwardly said the same prayer.

'God's rest Kenichi's soul': everyone

When Kenichi came back with all his belongings, Soren was the first to make an appearance before him, shocking Kenichi a bit.

[H-Hello… I haven't seen you around here before]: kenichi

[That's because I didn't want you to see me… My name is Soren, but you will call me Master… I will be your first teacher of the day… Place your things in your room, then come back to the training grounds, and no rush, take your time]: soren

When Kenichi heard Soren's calm words, he was a bit scared, but hearing how carefree his last words were, he felt that Soren's training might be easier than everyone else's. Kenichi then did as Soren said and placed his stuff down in his room, before heading to the training ground as a moderate pace, only to see Soren sitting cross legged on the ground, as his long black hair was blowing in the wind, making Kenichi think of those ancient Chinese novels he had read a few times before.

[Umm… Master, what is the first thing we are gonna do… Spar?... Physical training?... Weight training?]: kenichi

[We will sit here and focus on breathing]: soren

[B-Breathing!?... What kind of training is that?]: kenichi

[*Sigh*... Breathing is something we all do… Humans breathe, animals breathe, plants breathe, even the earth itself breathes]: soren

[But Master… I already know how to breathe… If not, I would be dead]: kenichi

Kenichi answered Soren with a stupid retort for what he felt was a stupid statement.

[No… You don't know how to breathe… Kenichi… I want you to stand up, and go over to that tree and stand around 5 meters away from it and punch the tree]: soren

[Master, what do you mean… I can't hit the tree from 5 meters away]: kenichi

[You can if you breathe properly… Watch]: soren

Soren didn't even move from his position sitting on the ground, and only simply extended his arm, using the force from his inner strength using a breathing technique he bought quite some time ago and integrated with his current style, and when his arm was extended, a burst of compressed air burst forth from his fist due to the speed and strength held within his muscles, and obliterated the tree. Kenichi was in utter shock, and quickly was interested in what Soren was gonna teach him, while far off in the distance, all the other masters of the dojo were watching as well, since they wanted a little bit of insight as to how Soren trains, and in a way, were trying to learn from him from a distance.

[Come on brat!... Just sit down and take Soren's lessons… I wanna do that too!!]: shio

Soren knew that there were spectators, but he didn't mind, as it wasn't hurting anyone for them to watch, and only continued training Kenichi, as he had Kenichi sit across from him with his eyes closed and focus on breathing in and out.

[You must take a deep breath in, and feel it begin coursing through your muscles, as it expands and contracts with them, before you exhale the used up air… Air is essential in movements… You also need the stamina to perform such inhuman moves… Think of a Cheetah, you notice how fast a Cheetah is?... But it's speed comes with a set time limit before they run out of stamina… What is difference between a cheetah and a human besides the fact that one is a big cat, and one is an ape that has evolved into the intellectual beings we are today]: soren

[Uhh… Excluding the difference in species, maybe their muscles are more dense?]: kenichi

[Wrong!... The difference is in the breathing… A Cheetah knows how to breathe, while you only know how to survive… What if you knew how to breathe like a Cheetah?... What if you had stamina?]: soren