Apprenticeship? I haven't used that technique since the Heian Era...

Subaru's Perspective

"Well, successor," I said, my voice laced with a newfound energy. "I think I do like you after all. My name is Kirin Edo, former samurai, former Ronin of no renown simply because a bastard ate the damn renown. Pleased to meet you."

"Yes! To be acknowledged by a warrior of the historical samurai! It truly is a man's romance!" I declared, puffing out my chest with a theatrical flourish.

The chained man frowned, his brow furrowing. "Wait, historical? Well, I suppose it has been eleven hundred years. I imagine samurai have been replaced by some superior form of swordsman by now. I haven't spoken to a fellow countryman in… well, it's been a while. Tell me, what are the latest advancements in swordsmanship? While you talk, I'll get you started on some basic techniques that will far surpass anything you currently know. I mean, you're probably from a noble family, right? Even if we samurai are your protectors, they should have at least taught you the basics of iaijutsu."

I stared at him, my enthusiasm waning as a dreadful realization dawned on me. "Uh… will you be mad if I tell you that swords became illegal in the 1800s?"

A heavy silence descended upon the chamber. The formerly chained man's eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw slackening. He looked like he'd just swallowed a particularly sour lemon.

"I will be fucking furious!" he roared, his voice echoing through the chamber like a thunderclap. "History lesson, now! Start with what happened after Emperor Murakami's reign! And don't leave out a single detail!"

My heart sank. This wasn't going to be easy. Explaining over a thousand years of history, including the Meiji Restoration, the abolishment of the samurai class, and the rise of modern Japan, to a guy who hadn't seen the sun in centuries? It was going to be a long, long night.

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"Then Kyoto…" I mumbled, my voice trailing off as I tried to remember exactly how the capital switch happened.

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"Alright, so the Fujiwara regency…" I continued.

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"But then they were ousted, and…" I explained.

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"If you ask me, the Genpei War…" I interjected, summarizing the conflict that was history to me but news to this guy who has apparently been either fighting or chained up for way to long.

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"And that's the end of the Heian period," I concluded, my voice hoarse from the lengthy explanation. "I'm really tired. Can I learn some swordsmanship now?"

Kirin Edo stared at me, his expression a mixture of irritation and grudging admiration. "Samurai ruling the country?" he scoffed. "Extremely combat capable advisors and guards turning into 'shoguns'? I wouldn't want a position of actual rulership if it bit right on my ass. Give me a good fight and a wise ruler to serve any day but excuse me I don't think most Samurai actually learned rulership. Still, I suppose the strong are often cunning as well. Can't say I'm surprised they found a way to claw their way to the top."

He paused, his dark eyes narrowed in anger. "But swords becoming illegal?! That's a different story that I need to hear so that I can shove the story up my country's ass. Continue with your history lesson, Successor. I fucking need to know how such a travesty could have occurred."

"Oi, come on, man, buddy, teacher, sensei! Give me a break, aren't you supposed to be the sensei anywayyyUUUhg-?!"

My complaint was cut short as I was suddenly snatched up by the leg, the world spinning as I was flung through the air. I landed with a thud in soft, sandy dirt, the breath knocked out of me. Dazed, I looked up to see a sprawling city in the distance – Kararagi, I think? It looked just like the illustrations in one of the books I'd flipped through while Beatrice was yelling at me for pacing in the forbidden library back at Roswaal Manor.

Kirin Edo's voice echoed from a portal looking into that holding area I had been chatting with him in regards to fanciful history lessons I don't actually care about. "I can't leave this damned hole, but you can. So do me a favor. Your first goal is to head over there and learn the sword from a proper Japan-adjacent society. It's three years before I plucked you from your timeline, so if your goal is to prevent the deaths of your companions and everyone else you care about, you'd better get started. Make a mess, Subaru. It's good for you. And with your 'oops, am I alive again?' ability, you can always rewind a day or two if things go south. Get to my standard before I start your real training."

A shimmering portal snapped shut, leaving me alone in the sandy expanse. I stood up, brushing the dirt off my clothes, and noticed a katana lying beside me slightly out of its sheath and gleaming in the dim light. Clearly a parting gift from the Sword God Emperor.

"What a pretentious title…" I muttered, picking up the katana. It felt surprisingly light and well-balanced in my hand. I wasn't sure what kind of "Japan-adjacent" society Kirin Edo was talking about, but I had a feeling this sword was going to be my best friend for the next three years. 

Kinda lonely, if you ask me.

Three years. Three years wasted.

I'd spent two of them learning the sword from some self-proclaimed master, a washed-up has-been who couldn't tell the difference between a katana and a butter knife. A total fraud. And the worst part? No one else would teach me. I was eighteen again, physically at least, but my swordsmanship was barely better than a street thug's. Sure, I could take on a handful of common morons at once, but in this crazy world, that was nothing to brag about. I hadn't even managed to get myself killed more than four times – pathetic, considering my track record. And the Sword God Emperor? Vanished. Not a single peep from the chain-covered weirdo.

Then, it happened. 8:23 AM. The same time I saw on the clock tower in that death loop with Elsa, the gut-loving psycho. The same time my phone read when I first stumbled into Lugunica. A wave of memories, of timelines lived and lost, washed over me. I was yanked backward, the world blurring as I was pulled through some kind of portal.

I spun around, instinctively reaching for my katana, but it was too late. Someone else already had it, the gleaming blade pressed against my throat.

"Are you stupid, Successor?" Kirin Edo's voice, laced with a mixture of anger and disappointment, cut through the air. "You bumble around for a whole year looking for a school, then you do the unthinkable and find a scammer after a whole year, and you STAY with the convicted con artist for two whole years without KILLING HIM? That was the test, you idiot! You kill the fake swordsman, and the real teacher shows up! You failed! That's why that death row inmate gives lessons – it's a ploy to get him EXECUTED and hopefully find a potential fighter for the military in the process!"

My stomach dropped. A test? I hadn't even realized. I'd been so focused on trying to learn something, anything, that I hadn't stopped to think about the bigger picture. I'd wasted three years, and now I was paying the price.

Before I could even stammer out an apology, Kirin Edo shoved me through the portal again. The world dissolved into a blur of colors and sensations, and then I was back on solid ground, landing hard on my butt in the familiar sandy dirt.

I looked down at my hands, surprised to find them calloused and strong. Muscle memory still there, I still instinctively knew how to grip a sword, how to swing it, how to parry – the basics, at least. But my body… I was fifteen again. Shorter, leaner, but definitely not weaker.

I glanced up at the imposing gate of the Kararagian capital, its towering walls looming in the distance. Kirin Edo's voice, laced with frustration, echoed in my ears. "Go fucking enlist, moron!"

And then the portal snapped shut, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a renewed sense of determination. Enlist? Fine. If that's what it took to prove myself, to earn the right to be his student, to become the hero I needed to be, then I would do it. I would join the Kararagian military, learn everything I could, and become the strongest swordsman this world had ever seen.

This time, I wouldn't fail.