Gre.. Dramatic Plot

From the brief introduction given by Tsubaki Miyajima during their previous meeting, Sasaki knew that the young girl before him was the future successor of the Miyajima Dojo, Miyajima Sakura.

Walking quickly to the entrance of the training hall, he greeted Tsubaki Miyajima with a smile.

"Aunt Tsubaki, sorry to disturb you."

As he spoke, handed over the gifts he brought.

Taking the gifts, Tsubaki Miyajima looked at his handsome face, her gentle eyes flashing with a hint of complexity before she greeted him warmly:

"Welcome, Sasaki-kun."

After exchanging a few pleasantries at the training hall entrance, Tsubaki Miyajima took her daughter's hand and introduced her to the bot:

"This is my daughter, Miyajima Sakura."

Although Miyajima Sakura bore a seven-point resemblance to her mother, Tsubaki's face was slightly more delicate and angular.

While Sakura's face was shorter and rounder, with a hint of youthful fullness in her cheeks, giving her an immature charm.

However, her slightly fox-like, narrow eyes inherited from her mother bestowed her with a seductive allure that belied her age.

Unlike her mother's purely captivating and seductive look, her slightly larger eyes made her appear more innocent.

Perhaps taking her mother as a role model, her dark blue, smooth hair was tied into a side ponytail on the left side of her head with a red ribbon, cascading over her shoulder.

She also wore a black and white kendo uniform, her tall yet curvy figure a testament to her inherited family traits.

At this moment, this beautiful girl was gazing curiously at her 'fiancé'.

Despite the inherent shyness of a young girl, she possessed the straightforwardness typical of a martial artist.

Instead of stealing timid glances like an ordinary shy girl, she stood with her back straight, confidently and gracefully looking at Sasaki.

Until today, she had been imagining what her 'fiancé' would be like.

Although her personality prevented her from judging someone solely by their appearance, she was still a young girl in love.

Even if she wouldn't base her judgment solely on looks, having a fiancé who met her aesthetic preferences would certainly be a bonus.

With these thoughts in mind, she feared that her expectations might be too high, leading to disappointment and leaving a bad impression.

Amidst this cycle of hope and anxiety, she waited for Sasaki's arrival.

If she hadn't known about her mother's situation, Sakura wouldn't have been so focused on his appearance and would have been more concerned with his swordsmanship.

But knowing her mother's guilt towards him, she decided she would become his wife no matter what to atone for her mother's mistake.

Thus, her focus shifted from swordsmanship to appearance.

Dressed in a simple yet elegant black outfit, Sasaki looked neither flashy nor ostentatious.

His figure was well-proportioned and tall, his posture straight and upright without the slouch of typical male students.

His bright, lively eyes exuded vigor and spirit.

His appearance was the most pleasing among the boys she had ever seen.

As for his demeanor, she found it hard to describe.

He didn't possess the exuberant vitality of sports enthusiasts, nor the somber aura of introverts, nor the laziness of the slothful type.

If she had to describe it, it would be a harmonious blend of all these qualities, giving an impression of calm and warmth, like a spring breeze.

Calming her rapidly beating heart, Miyajima Sakura took a deep breath, a slight smile forming on her lips as she extended her hand:

"Hello, I'm Miyajima Sakura."

Following their previous plan, the two were supposed to have a sparring session today.

Therefore, it was customary to mention one's martial arts style during introductions.

However, Miyajima Sakura knew that Sasaki didn't practice traditional kendo apart from his family's signature technique.

Thus, she skipped the formalities to avoid embarrassing him and simply stated her name.

Reaching out to shake her soft, petite hand, Sasaki, unaware of the customary introductions, smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Sasaki Fuyumi."

After the brief introductions between the young individuals, Tsubaki Miyajima, with a gentle smile, said to Sasaki:

"No need to be too formal. Treat this place like your own home. Follow me."

Though she found the words somewhat awkward, given the relationship between their families, they were perfectly appropriate.

However, Sasaki took it as mere courtesy, as he was unaware of their families' history.

Following behind Tsubaki Miyajima, Sasaki walked beside the smiling Miyajima Sakura, passing through the training ground.

As this dojo was well-known in the area and the head and successor were both attractive, many people came to learn kendo here.

Thus, the air was filled with the sounds of students shouting as they practiced and the thwack of bamboo swords hitting targets.

Given that Sasaki was a new and unfamiliar face, and accompanied by the dojo's head, he naturally attracted the curious and puzzled gazes of the students.

After all, not everyone had the privilege of being greeted personally by the dojo head.

"Hey, do you think that guy is Miyajima-senpai's boyfriend?"

A few boys from the same school as Miyajima Sakura, watching her follow the boy with a gentle smile and occasionally laugh, were curiously discussing.

"Probably… Otherwise, why would the dojo head wait for him so early in the morning?"

Resting against the wall in their protective gear, a black-haired, bespectacled boy turned to the slightly sleazy-looking brown-haired boy beside him and asked in surprise:

"But if that's the case, what about Masato? He's got no chance then?"

"What can you do? Challenge him to a duel?"

"Masato just started practicing kendo. You want him to get beaten?"

"Well…"

Listening to the argument on either side of him, the red-haired boy called Masato clenched his fists, glancing helplessly at the girl he admired, laughing and chatting with another boy.

Following Tsubaki Miyajima and watching her shapely figure move toward the inner quarters, Sasaki, engaged in small talk with Miyajima Sakura to get to know each other better, smiled and said:

"Miyajima-senpai is very popular."

"Not really. It's just that I'm the kendo club captain at school, and many of the students here are my classmates. So, they're naturally curious seeing us together."

Hearing some fragmented discussions, Miyajima Sakura shyly but openly explained to Sasaki.

In her view, as long as he didn't dislike her, they were destined to be a couple.

Therefore, she didn't mind others' speculations.

However, Sasaki, unaware of their betrothal, found it odd seeing how close they were walking together and how she responded to her classmates' teasing glances without any embarrassment.

Well given his handsome face...he indeed believed in love at first sight,

If Sakura simply found him attractive and friendly, it would have been understandable.

But her lack of shyness and apparent warmth suggested something deeper.

Considering Tsubaki Miyajima's previous mention of their families' close ties, Sasaki wondered:

Could it be that we have an arranged marriage or some sort of ancestral engagement?

If that's true, it would be… gre..cough well, quite a dramatic twist.

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