Chapter 3: Friends?

After being introduced to the Kuki siblings who will also be Ronin's brother and sister from now on.

Hume wanted Akasuki and Kimiyo to enter the rankings of the servants.

"Why are we fighting again?" Akasuki wanted to make sure and Kimiyo was disinterested.

"The servants have a ranking in the Kuki estate. And you two are new servants, being the personal maid of Ronin." Hume explained with a grin.

"But we can't kill them huh." Kimiyo stated and she nodded, it was a good way to stretch anyways.

"Well, we can't lag behind. After all, we are going to be Ronin's servants." Akasuki shared a look with her twin and they nodded at each other.

"Servant, I don't like how it sounds. You two will be my partners." Ronin disagreed and they nodded at him.

"Cut the sappy stuff, for being trained assassins. You guys sure love being all fluffy." Hume snorted.

There were hundreds of servants in the Kuki estate. And they already know who the rank 2 is; Claudio Nero.

As well as Hume who was rank 0. Because he was much, much stronger than everyone else. So he had to get a designated rank.

"My, my, young ladies will be participating in a competition to rank up." Claudio smiled at them and the perfect gentleman was happy that they were integrating.

At least with the competitiveness part of the servant groups.

"Oi, listen here you babies." Hume's deep voice resounded as the other servants were gossiping.

"Ronin-sama here has picked his personal servants. And they're here to prove their rankings." Hume pointed at the twins and they have completely stone cold faces on.

Everybody knew that Hume can hear them even if they were like miles away. So they just shut up.

"Pick the opponent you will fight. This should be a yearly thing, but due to Ronin-sama's arrival, it will be only held for you two." Claudio instructed them.

The servants lined up and they saw who was the number 1 and 3 right now.

Surprisingly, the number 1 servant is an old woman. But they knew better than to underestimate someone. After all, Claudio looked old as well. But he was really skilled at his craft.

The number 3 servant was an black man that had some sick dreads. It was also neat and clean. Unlike the ones that only get washed once a year.

All the other ones were either higher up in the rankings due to their ability to help with the company, or they were weak.

The twins coud smell it, feel it, almost taste it. The number 1-3 servants are the only ones who are worthy to fight.

They weren't some meat heads. But it would be a disgrace to be a lower ranked maid for Ronin.

"Can we fight the 1st one at the same time and share her rank?" Akasuki who was the more analytical one asked.

"I approve, you two will be together all the time anyways." Hume shrugged.

"Hoh? Do you really want to fight this old lady? My, oh my, I will be beaten by some children." The woman smiled a little.

"Marple, cut the crap. Get ready to fight with them." Hume snorted.

"Hmph, as if you didn't try to ask me out back then, Hume. I was miss London after all." She teased the blonde man and Hume didn't have a retort for that.

"Weapons." Kimiyo asked with an outstretched hand and Hume disappeared. He had a rack of blunted weapons for them and the twins observed them with just a glance.

They immediately picked an odachi and a wakizashi.

"Interesting choice, those need amazing edge alignment." Claudio commented.

'Hmm, so that's their main weapons? They only fought with daggers earlier. So it seems that they hid their strength.' Hume made an observation.

The twins noticed that Hume and Claudio weren't really Killing the children. So the duo decided to let themselves be beaten soundly from the raid.

The girls looked at each other for a second, using a tanto and a tachi instead of the original ones because they were too large for their frames.

But the dimensions of their weapons fit them appropriately now.

"Start!" Hume announced and the twins almost made everyone drop their jaws. Excluding Hume and Claudio who saw how they fought.

With such light footedness, they jumped backwards and the duo seem to be gliding on the ground with their absurd balance and control.

"Wait, wait!" Marple cried out as she didn't want to use her trump card. And the ild woman felt that her life was in danger.

"I surrender." Marple announced. "I'm old after all, I can't fight them." Marple pointed at the twins who were about to stab her.

They looked towards Hume with a bit of confusion, but the blonde battle butler just shrugged.

"Then you two are the number one now." Hume dismissed everyone and they didn't even dare to speak their dissatisfaction.

"Well, that was easy." Ronin was perplexed. He could feel that Marple was hiding something, but she didn't use it.

Though he thought that it was a wise move. Because there are only a few people who you can really trust with secrets.

"So we're number 1 now?" The twins thought that it was a shit way to be number 1.

"Not really. Zozuma; the 4th in rank would destroy you. Marple is just being a secretive, old hag." Hume rolled his eyes.

"As I thought, so we just need to grow for the 1st spot?" Akasuki analyzed what Marple was trying to accomplish.

"Marvelous, it is much easier when your colleagues are intelligent." Claudio smiled at her and Akasuki only gave a nod.

"Good, you saw through that. Yes, you will just have to improve and bream your limits." Hume smirked at them.

"And I will be driving you towards the Kawakami temple." Claudio gestured for them to follow.

"Kawakami temple..." Ronin frowned. Nobody dared to even infiltrate that place.

Kawakami Tesshin was there. Everyone in their trade worth their salt knew that Kawakami Tesshin is like a supernatural weapon.

The man is old. He was already alive during the first Sino Japanese war.

Yet he was still feared all throughout the world. Japan is untouchable due to him.

So his information about the temple was limited. Just that the Kawakami temple is the most well guarded place in the world.

His thoughts were broken when they arrived at the amazing looking temple.

"Why did we come here?" Ronin asked and Claudio hummed.

"We can't have you killing people accidentally. You must have amazing control over your strength, but in a fight. Not everything goes to plan." Claudio explained

The trio nodded at his reasoning and they were welcomed by two people.

A guy wearing a chinese themed shirt and pants, sporting a bowl cut and a man that looked like a yakuza.

"Gyoubu Shakadou and Lu Yi, it is nice to meet you." Claudio bowed at them.

"Hoh? Interesting." The yakuza looking guy stared at them with curiosity.

"Claudio-san, is it them? Hello, I am Lu Yi. Welcome to Kawakami temple. This gloomy guy is Shakadou." Lu introduced themselves.

"I can introduce myself just fine, Lu. But I already heard what Claudio brought you here for." Shakadou turned around and he lost interest on their purpose.

"Look for me if you want more techniques though, heh." Shakadou chuckled.

Lu frowned and he warned them. "Shakadou is the assistant master here in Kawakami temple... But he is dangerous and his techniques are more violent. I advise you not to learn from him." Lu respected his strength.

But his attitude and vision about martial arts were the opposite of his. In which martial arts is supposed to be a discipline.

Where Shakadou thinks that martial arts is a tool to use in order to fight.

They just ignored him, the trio weren't interested in Shakadou's techniques. Being assassins, they have a mission above all mindset.

And their mission was to learn how to fight more carefully.

After their little run in with the assistant master and Lu Yi. They were welcomed by a bald old man with a long beard.

He looked positively ancient. Like a mysterious expert. And Ronin could feel a certain pressure coming from the old man.

"I am Kawakami Tesshin, the grand master of the temple." Tesshin smiled at them and he already had an inkling on what their pasts were.

After all, they reek of blood. Shakadou couldn't compare. It was like they bathed in blood, they stink of it. And Tesshin could only imagine how many people they killed.

"Hello." The trio greeted succinctly. They thought that he must be expecting them already.

"Ronin-sama, it is impolite to not introduce one's self even if the other party already knows your name in your first meeting." Claudio chided him.

"I guess... Hello, I am Kuki Ronin." He introduced himself flatly and Tesshin almost frowned due to how unused they are to interacting with people.

They can act, yes. But that would be counterintuitive to what they were trying to do. And that is to live a normal life.

"Hmmm, and the other two are Akasuki-chan and Kimiyo-chan? How about I call you Aka and Miyo?" Tesshin suggested.

"Sure." The twins nodded. And Ronin thought that would be a better way to call them.

"Hmm... I can feel it, your training has already resulted in you unlocking your ki." Tesshin rubbed his chin.

Ronin has the most, even unconsciously leaking it. But the twins aren't much behind.

And as a result they could even be called superhuman by now. They would decimate people if they don't learn how to control it.

"I will teach you everything I can. Martial arts training is about finding balance in all aspects of life. And you are terribly imbalanced." Tesshin stated.

"A soldier is told what to do. And he does what he is told. But a warrior, a true martial artist already knows what to do. And he does what is right." Tesshin nodded at them and the trio thought of his profound words.

"As expected of you, master Tesshin. I will leave them in your care for now. They can return on their own." Claudio bowed and he returned to the Kuki estate.

"Yes, sir." The three bowed at him and they feel like Tesshin can give them a chance. A chance for a new beginning.

"Excellent students, eager to learn. Humble, attentive, and are open to change." Tesshin was satisfied with their response.

"You already must have amazing patience, but let us test it. Follow me and go into a lotus position." Tesshin led them into his personal dojo and Tesshin sat down.

He inhaled and suddenly, the children noticed that his presence almost vanished.

It was as if he was a part of the surroundings itself. And if they blinked, they would miss him.

Natural, different. It was unlike their method of suppressing their aura and concealing theirselves.

It was calm. And Tesshin looked like he wasn't breathing.

So they looked at each other and nodded. Copying Tesshin, they sat down in a lotus position and inhaled.

After exhaling, they thought of absolutely nothing. Just closing their eyes, feeling the wind. Hearing the rustles of the leaves outside.

Distant cries of students and other martial artists that were completing their daily morning training.

Tesshin almost shook his head wistfully at what they were doing.

'As expected of assassins that almost got Mikado... They can almost reach a zen state by thinking of absolutely nothing.' Tesshin rubbed his chin.

Thinking that they would be interesting students.

"Jii-chan! I want some peach juice! Ohh? Visitors?" A little girl with jet black hair and red eyes suddenly barged in, ruining their concentration.

They looked at her, annoyed. But otherwise, curious about the girl who called him grandfather.

"Momo, what did I tell you about entering here without a care in the world. I am currently training them." Tesshin sighed at Momo's boisterous attitude.

"Heh? You're training them personally? Then they must be amazing then!? Oi, come on, fight me." Kawakami Momoyo was eager to brawl.

She has never seen people that interested her grandfather personally. And her instincts told her that they were strong.

Even as a small child, Momoyo had absurd strength. Her life force was off the charts, she was like a budding demigod that would keep getting stronger.

Ronin looked at Tesshin and he smirked. 'What a devious old man... He wants us to teach his granddaughter a lesson.' Ronin snorted inside of his mind.

Aka stood up, she wasn't angry. But she was annoyed that Momoyo distracted them.

"Then I will be your opponent." Aka stared at Momoyo with her deep blue eyes that looked like pure ice.

Her stare gave Momo goosebumps. It was so cold that it was like the room's temperature decreased.

"Yosh! Then come at me!" Momoyo shook her head, thinking that it was just her imagination.

Aka then crouched a bit and her feet dug into the hardwood floor of the dojo.

Momoyo was shocked as Aka suddenly appeared right in front of her.

With cold, calculating eyes. Aka analyzed her defenses and Momoyo was lacking. Always relying on her brute strength.

Aka gave a feint, pretending to give a roundhouse at her head. Momoyo moved to block the hit. But Aka suddenly stopped midway and pulled her leg back.

Releasing a side kick at her solar plexus, Momoyo felt the air in her lungs escape her mouth. Spittle escaping in the air as she was launched backwards.

Aka gracefully and slowly stood in place after taking her leg back. Tesshin thought that her balance and control over her body was immaculate.

"W-what?" Momoyo blinked as she tried to get her breath back.

"You held back." Miyo mused and Ronin was pleased that she was already learning how to not go for killing blows already.

"If I hit her jaw, she could have a debilitating concussion." Aka shrugged and Tesshin nodded.

"Momo, even though you are strong. There are people around that can still beat you easily. Remember that." Tesshin warned her and Momoyo was shocked.

It was like lightning hit her. "Hey, you. Who's the strongest among you?" Momoyo gritted her teeth.

She was just a rambunctious child. And being beaten by others in front of her grandfather made her determination burn.

"That would be me." Ronin answered with his apathetic expression and Momoyo glared at him.

"Then I'll beat you, just you wait. I'll beat them first!" Momoyo ran away like a two-bit villain and the trio just stared at Tesshin.

"Ahhh. Sorry about my granddaughter. Now, let's continue. What do you know about your inner energy?" Tesshin smiled at them.

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Thank you for reading everyone, ciao.