"Not bad."
Shoyo had given Chifuyu a brand-new blade he'd requested.
"Most hunters use katanas as their weapons, but a handful also use bows, spears, scythes, and a couple more."
"A scythe sounds cool as hell."
"Don't they? Chifuyu, remember I told you there were 2 reasons why I wanted to speed up your training. The first was so you could take part in the expedition."
"Yeah."
"The second reason is because... I'm the strongest."
"Right..."
"What is this buffoon waffling about?" Ariel says unamused.
"What I'm trying to say is that I shouldn't even be allowed to give a kid special training for a whole year, let alone 2. It's because you're special that the upper brass at the Hunter Agency allowed this."
"Wow, they must have some high hopes for me."
"Of course, you have one of the strongest vampires and me backing you up."
Hunters are divided into 4 separate divisions based on their skill and merits. At the top are a handful of Special Rank Hunters. Going down the line of divisions are 1st Rank Hunters, 2nd Rank Hunters, and 3rd Rank Hunters.
Shoyo is the undisputed strongest Hunter. His presence alone inspires fear in every vampire knowing they could be faced against at any moment if they show themselves in public. This is thanks to Shoyo's Alter Weapon.
Alter Weapons are forged in the Alter World and were given to the Hunters by the unknown person. The Hunters were granted exactly 20 weapons that Unknown forged themself. Every Special Rank Hunter has one along with a few 1st Rank Hunters. The rest are under the custody of the Hunter Agency until a suitable user is presented. They grant the users special abilities from the monster's blood they were forged with.
Shoyo's Alter Weapon may allow him to be anywhere a vampire appears, but that's it. It doesn't grant him any real advantage during actual combat. A Hunter's swordsmanship is the deciding factor when fighting a vampire, and Shoyo's is simply the best.
Shoyo's blade is unwavering and undefeated.
"So let's get started now. I'll be explaining some things to you, but it'll be as you're doing practice swings. I'll demonstrate how to properly do them, so follow my lead."
Unsheathing his sword, Shoyo assumes a stance.
"Like this?"
Observing him, Chifuyu imitates the pose.
"Draw your sword up, and swing downward like so."
They do 20 swings so Shoyo can see if Chifuyu is able to correct himself on his own.
"Your form is sloppy, but that's expected. Can you point out one of your mistakes?"
"Let's see... I'm overextending a little when pulling my sword up."
"Yep, that's one of them. You want to make sure your form is the same each time. I'll break the practice swing down for you."
They assume the practice pose and take 5 swings.
"Your leg movement is good. Stand with your left foot back, and take a step forward with your right immediately followed by the left keeping the same distance."
5 more swings.
"Don't rush. These swings are to hone your technique and core strength. Take your time."
5 more swings.
"Pay close attention to me. Push your sword up with your left hand, the right is just following along. And make sure you're not pulling towards yourself. Don't fold your arms any more than you need to when coming up."
10 more swings
"When striking down, lean with your left arm going forward. Your right wrist stays the same, it's supposed to maintain control. Your left wrist contracts downward while swinging, your left arm is what you apply power to.
20 more swings
"Cut forward, not down. Watch where I'm stopping."
25 more swings
"Looking good, Chifuyu. Keep that up. Now for the lecture portion."
"This'll put me to sleep."
Ariel gets her quip out.
"You're training to become a Hunter, so the most important thing for you to learn first is how to kill a vampire."
"Right."
"Snore...."
Ariel lies on the ground knocked out.
"This little..."
"She actually fell asleep."
"Back to what I was saying; vampires are much stronger than humans, it's impossible to beat them with brute strength. So, what do we need to best them?"
"A Hunter's swordsmanship?"
"Yes. Your skill, technique, awareness, and experience with the blade is what decides who comes out on top of a life-or-death battle with a vamp. Sometimes, even cunningness can be a deciding factor."
Shoyo brings out a dozen dummies for demonstration.
"The surefire way to off a vamp is good old decapitation. Slice their neck clean off and they're done. They can't regenerate a new head. The 2nd most efficient way is a deep slash across the chest, slicing their heart which also can't regenerate."
"So those are the guaranteed ways to kill a vampire, sounds like one of those things that's easier said than done."
"Oh yeah, especially for novice Hunters. The safer way is the slow and steady method. You get in multiple effective but non-fatal attacks. Vamps can regenerate, which is common knowledge. But they get weaker after losing too much blood. By slowly chipping away their blood, you'll be able to finish them off once they're in a weakened state."
Chifuyu is listening clearly but is starting to get physically tired of the practice swings.
Shoyo cuts through half of the dummies with decapitations and gashes across the chest.
"These were perfect swings using no more than the necessary strength to efficiently cut down a vamp. Though the real thing will be different of course since they won't be standing still, but you got a glimpse of what to strive for."
"Aren't you cool?"
"I thought you were asleep."
"I told Chifuyu I wouldn't miss his first training session, you were a fool to believe me."
"Go to sleep forever."
"Haha..."
"I'm about to wrap up, Chifuyu. It's crucial to not let vampires land the first blow on you, as it could be fatal. So being able to dodge, parry, block attacks, and know when to strike is what the second half of your training will be over the final 6 months."
"What'll be the first half of my training then?"
"Nothing but practice swings and stamina training."
"Huh?"
"As I said, practice swings are to sharpen your technique and build your core strength. Doing this for half a year will have quite the payoff."
"I've been doing this for only 30 minutes and it feels like my arms are gonna fall off!"
"You can do them in sets of course, your goal is to do 400 swings 6 days out of the week for the first 3 months, and 700 swings for the next 3 months minus that last week. You'll be doing 1,000 swings for those last 6 days. Wanna quit?"
"We're just getting started, no way in hell am I gonna chicken out already."
"Hmph. Go ahead and take a quick breather."
Shoyo smiles, Chifuyu never fails to relieve him.
***
Chifuyu's first day of training and studying finishes. He's wiped out, but wants to do something for Ariel.
"Hey Ariel, let's go to the mall."
"Mall?"
"It's a place that has dozens of different stores to shop and get food from. You're gonna be living here for a while, might as well get familiar with Shioto. Plus you need some clothes you can wear in public."
"I suppose so, only if we acquire some donuts as well."
"Why of course."
Shoyo dropped them off at the closest mall. Chifuyu showed Ariel all around and they got some donuts before shopping for clothes. Most people who passed them easily thought they were siblings. Ariel had on one of Shoyo's shirts that reached all the way to her knees. The thought of putting on his clothing grossed her out so when they find a new shirt for her she's going to immediately throw his away.
Even Chifuyu's shorts were too big for her so she opted to go commando. Nobody noticed it. Chifuyu was going to use the small amount of money he had to buy Ariel's clothes, but Shoyo gave him more than enough telling him not to worry about it.
Ariel ended up choosing mainly tank tops for casual wear along with several skirts, but they also got matching pajamas and hoodies. Chifuyu had Ariel choose some pants to go with the hoodie. Shoyo picked them up after nearly 2 hours and was surprised to see them wearing matching hoodies, but was still delighted all the same. He took a picture.
On the car ride home, Shoyo brings up an important matter.
"So Chifuyu, remember after the end of the trial I told you I was also homeschooling someone about the same age as you. Actually I think she is the same age as you."
"Oh yeah, I do."
"I gave her a 2-week break, and she'll be returning tomorrow. You see, I was giving her training and homeschooling in the district she's from. So beginning tomorrow, she'll also be staying with us."
"Wait, you were training this person too?"
"Yeah. And as a matter of fact, she's already completed her training. She just needs to get her high school diploma before she's able to become a Hunter."
"She's about 16 years old and is already that strong?"
"Yep. She's a prodigy only me and the HA President know about. I'm sure you'll get to know a lot about her."
Chifuyu got goosebumps. Hearing that someone his age is already strong enough to be a Hunter gave him a boost in motivation.
"She still trains a few hours a day and would've finished her education in 2 years like normal, so I asked if she wanted to cut that time in half. Iris was hesitant, but said she'd be fine with it."
"So her name's Iris."
Chifuyu was excited to meet her.
"She's a little shy, but I'm sure you two'll be good friends.
***
Fast forward to tomorrow evening. Chifuyu's done for the day and is relaxing watching tv on the couch. The doorbell rings and Shoyo goes to open it.
"Chifuyu, this is Iris Sakata! Iris, this is Chifuyu Kyotani!"
She's hiding behind Shoyo looking down at the floor with quivering legs. Iris has beige blonde hair with blue highlights covering both of her bright blue eyes. Must be hiding a pair of Sharingans.
Even Chifuyu is taken aback a bit.
"I'm Chifuyu, it's nice to meet you."
He extends his hand.
"I-I-I-It's nice to m-meet you. I'm.. I-Iwis... Aaahhhhh!"
Having completely flubbed her introduction, she runs away, leaving the house.
Chifuyu stands there in shock.
"THAT'S WAY MORE THAN A LITTLE SHY!"
Iris's Pov
Iris Sakata here. I've been standing outside of Mr. Shoyo's house for almost 30 minutes. I've been trying to think up several comedic entrances I can do but that'll just be impossible for me. I can't believe he suddenly told me I'd start staying with him and some other boy. And my parents so easily agreed to it.
For the past couple of years, ever since the incident, Shoyo would come by my house to give me training and help with homeschooling for a few hours a day, from Monday to Tuesday. Apparently, the training I've been receiving is supposed to be secret too. I wonder if I'll actually just suddenly be allowed to become a hunter, even though Shoyo said not to worry about that.
My new life away from my parents, I'm not optimistic about it at all. I already miss them. At least I won't miss Hana.
Heh. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. Well, here goes nothing.
***
Hello again, I'm currently running away as fast as I can. I couldn't even introduce myself without tripping all over my tongue. I wanna die. Wait no, that was a joke. I just wanna live peacefully with mom and dad. Why'd I have to go and attract the attention of the Hunters?
Also, live with a guy my age? When was the last time I even talked to someone my age? Even when I went to middle school, I never had any friends. I knew this wasn't gonna work out. If there's anything I can have confidence in, it's my legs in dire situations.
When I was 9, this terrifying German Shepherd was wandering around my neighborhood and decided to harass me as soon as we locked eyes for some reason. I ran like the wind and left that mutt in my dust.
Heh. I'm quite proud of that achievement.
I might be the fastest human alive.
Or so I thought.
The boy who I'm supposed to start living with is hot on my trail.
"Ehhhhh?"
I try to speed up even more, but it proves futile. This guy is catching up at an alarming rate. I at least thought I was the fastest 16-year-old. My confidence was shot to the ground and I came to a stop.
"It's over."
I said feeling defeated with my hands on my knees.
"Wow, you sure can run!"
"Huh?"
"You just cleared several blocks in less than a minute, that's pretty amazing!"
Says the one who caught up to me with ease.
"..."
I don't know what to say.
"So, why'd you run off like that?"
"Um..."
"Nevermind, I already know why."
"Y-You do?"
"You're super shy aren't you?"
"Gah!"
"What was that? Are you that surprised? Haha."
No one's ever straight-up told me they know that I'm shy.
"Let's start over. I'm Chifuyu Kyotani. Do you mind if I ask you your name?"
"... Iris Sakata."
"What was that?"
Why did I whisper it??
"Iris... Sakata."
"Iris huh, that's a nice name, isn't it?"
"..."
He's pretending like Mr. Shoyo didn't tell him my name. Well, he did want to restart the introduction.
"We're gonna be living under the same roof with each other for the next year, so I hope we'll be great buddies!"
Ahhhh! His extroverted aura is too powerful.
Guess I'll just have to go along with this.
"It's nice to meet you, Chi-Chikuyu."
"It's Chifuyu."
Gah!
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