Felix woke up after a few hours. The unfamiliar room came into focus as moonlight streamed through an open window nearby. He was alone.

Lying on the bed, he reached out his hand and clenched his fist.

"I guess I lost," he thought, sighing.

"It was foolish to challenge her when my muscles were still sore."

Sitting up, Felix surveyed the room. It resembled a guest room; the wooden walls appeared weak, and the bed creaked with every little movement. The only decoration was a large painting of a cherry blossom tree.

"This is my new life—now I am a temporary samurai."

"Well, I have to do this to protect Ryota and the others."

"I wonder what my father would think of this."

[Knock] [Knock] 

Just then, someone knocked and opened the door. It was Lady Satomi who stepped inside and approached Felix.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"I am alright," Felix answered.

"I have heard about your new fate," she said.

"What do you think about that?" she pressed.

"I feel that I am able to help some innocent people who showed me kindness, and they just want to live their lives in peace," Felix replied.

"Don't you also want to live in peace?" she asked.

"I..."

"Why go so far for people who just came into your life days ago?" She pressed further.

"If you care about innocent people that much, you will be saddened to know that people die every day at the hands of evil."

"Would you also protect them?"

"I... cant," Felix answered.

"It’s true that I can’t protect everyone, but I will protect whoever I can reach. That is the promise I made to my father, but I couldn’t fulfill that promise.”

"Why?"

"I... was... scared. I thought that if I made contact with anyone, it would cause them suffering rather than bring them joy.”

"Who told you that?"

"If the past is telling you that, then don’t listen to it. Make the present your friend and find joy with that friend.”

"Make the present, my friend?” Felix whispered.

"Indeed. So tell me, what’s a beautiful thing around you right now?”

"Around me?” he pondered.

"I guess that would be the moon,” he answered.

"No, you’re wrong, Felix,” she said with a chuckle.

"The most beautiful thing around a person in every moment is their heart.”

"The heart?"

"Yes. Although you can’t see it, it communicates with you. It’s not a living person, yet it reacts to emotions just like one does. It’s not a treasure, yet every living being has one. It’s not a gift, yet you give it to someone you truly love.”

"Even the God that created you calls it his home."

"So you think I have a beautiful heart?” Felix asked.

"Yes, you do. Everyone who walks a righteous path has a beautiful heart, but those who choose evil have nothing but rocks in their chests.”

"I know you're tired, but may I ask you something? This is the only time I can tell you this,” she said after a few moments.

"What?" Felix asked.

"I assume you still remember the debt you owe me."

"Yes, I do."

"Then do me a favor, and I shall clear that debt."

The old lady explained what he had to do. After hearing her, Felix nodded.

"I know it’s a lot, but you’re the only one I could ask this," Granny Satomi said with a concerned voice.

"I understand," Felix replied firmly.

"Rest now. Everyone else has gone home. Tomorrow, Kimiko will give you further details about the role of samurai, and when will you travel to the Shogun's castle."

"Please bear with her," she said with a smile before leaving and closing the door behind her.

"Can I do it?" Felix thought.

"I myself don't comprehend these types of things, but I will try. After all, I need to clear my debt."

"But am I truly the right person for this?" Felix questioned his ability as he looked out the window. 

 

New rays of sun shined through the window at Felix's face. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up on the bed, his mind still blank. Minutes later, he finally snapped out of his hazy state. He got off the bed and did some stretches.

"I don't feel sore anymore."

[Grrrroooowl]

"Well, that calls for some breakfast."

Felix then opened the door. There were three corridors: one to the left, one to the right, and another straight ahead.

"Now, which way to the kitchen?"

"Let's do the count to 10 trick."

"Wherever it lands on number 10, I will go that way."

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10..."

"To the left it is."

Then Felix walked through the left corridor and found some stairs that went down.

"What's that smell?"

"It smells like something is burning."

"Wait, burning?"

Realization dawned on Felix. He quickly sprinted to the source of the smell, nearly falling down the stairs because he was still a bit sleepy.

He approached the kitchen, which was very similar to the one at the old wooden house but a lot bigger. What Felix saw there was something he never believed he would see in his wildest dreams.

"Ahhhhh," Felix was speechless."

"Maybe it's because I am sleepy, but aren't you the leader of the Yotsuba?"

"Yes, I am," Miku replied.

"Please don't say lies like that; if she hears you, she might cut you in two," Felix whispered to her.

"She's very ruthless, and..." 

[Whoosh] 

"Don’t throw knives like that,” Felix said as he caught the knife launched at him.

"Chefs don’t use knives to kill,” he added firmly while playing with the knife. 

She removed the white apron she had been wearing. Next, she took out the golden pin that held her black hair, which was gathered into a bun at the crown of her head. Her hair cascaded down like water flowing from a waterfall.

"Wait, it's you," Felix finally recognized Miku.

"Get out of my way before I throw another knife. This time, I won't miss," she said in a serious tone as she moved past him.

"If you do something foolish in front of the shogun, I will cut you into tiny pieces, feed them to the flames, and burn them to ash," Miku said while standing behind Felix. 

Felix listened to Miku with an indirect gaze.

Miku then left the kitchen.

"I guess she got mad because of what I said," Felix thought.

"But what was that burning smell?"

Felix started looking around the kitchen and found a ceramic plate covered by another plate on top. Leaning closer, he realized the smell was coming from beneath the top plate. He lifted it to reveal the food.

"Oh, what's this?"

"I need to learn the names of these dishes," he mused.

"It looks like grilled chicken."

Felix picked up the burned grilled chicken with its bamboo skewers and took a bite.

"It's a bit burned, but it's tasty."

After years of living in a forest and surviving on burned mushrooms and vegetables, Felix's had adapted to charred food, so it didn’t bother him.

As he cleared his plate, he thought, "That was a satisfying breakfast."

He washed the plate with water from a nearby barrel. Just as he prepared to leave, Kimiko entered the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was just having breakfast," Felix replied.

"Do you know how to cook?"

"No no, I just ate some grilled chicken made by Miku," Felix explained.

"It's not 'Miku'; it's 'Lady Miku' to you," Kimiko corrected him.

"W-Wait a minute! Did you just say it was made by Lady Miku?"

"Yes. What's wrong?

"And he's still standing?" Kimiko thought in disbelief. She nearly fainted.

"How is it possible? All the times I've eaten m'lady's food, I've vomited for hours and even become sick for days. He must be lying!"

"Why are you here?" Felix asked

"Did I eat your portion too?" Felix asked, rubbing his head.

"N-No! Don't worry about that," Kimiko replied quickly.

"How am I supposed to tell him that every morning, m'lady tries to cook food, and then I have to throw it out? Even the cats and dogs won’t eat it, she thought to herself.

"I was looking for you," she finally said.

"You will be living here for the time being and will travel to the Shogun's castle in two weeks with Lady Miku."

"But before going to the castle, you will need to obtain the pass from the administration office in a nearby village."

"Okay," Felix replied simply.

Then Kimiko left the kitchen.

"Did m'lady's cooking actually improve?" Kimiko wondered as she walked away from the kitchen.

"I should look around the house so I don't get lost."

With that thought, Felix began exploring the spacious house, starting from the ground floor.

"What's this? Whoa, such a big pool!"

He discovered a large, hot water pool built into the ground, its surface covered with wooden slats. The warm steam filled the room, creating a cozy atmosphere.

"I need to take a quick bath," Felix decided.

He quickly removed his clothes and stepped into the inviting water.

"So warm," he exclaimed, sinking into relaxation.

After enjoying his brief soak, Felix continued his exploration of the house. He approached another door, and when he slid it open, he discovered a huge library.

"Perfect! This could help me catch up on everything I've been missing for the past seven years."

"This one? No, this one," Felix said as he began searching for books.

"This one! 'The Noble Clans of the East.' This will give me intel on the clans."

"Hmmm... the seven noble clans of Higashihara," he noted as he flipped through the pages.

Felix studied the book intently.

"Let’s see... the Sasaki clan has a red tulip symbol. This means that every clan has a flower symbol representing them."

"The Sasaki clan is the weakest of the seven and lacks resources. During the civil war, the previous clan leader was killed, and now his daughter, Kiko Sasaki, leads the clan. She can use Zor energy, but she has a very low amount of it; she is able to use two powerful attacks at most."

"She must be stressed out, having a clan on the brink of disappearing," Felix mused.

"The next clan is the Kaneko clan, represented by a red peony symbol. While they are the second weakest, they are also the wealthiest of all the clans. The previous clan leader died of old age, and now his oldest son, Fumio Kaneko, is in charge."

"Their power lies in money; however, since Fumio took over, he has been spending money on frivolous things rather than on the clan. The Kaneko clan used to be the fourth strongest due to their manpower and large number of samurai. They were accused of buying samurai from other clans in the past, but there has been no proof."

"I think this Fumio guy doesn’t care about the people. I wonder how the future of this clan will unfold," Felix wondered.

"The Yoshida clan has a red azalea symbol. Their clan leader didn't die but passed the mantle to his oldest daughter, Nanami Yoshida. She was chosen for her immense popularity and battlefield intelligence; some call her 'beauty with brains.' Every man in the world hesitates to disobey her commands—her beauty is that stunning. The Yoshida clan ranks fifth among the clans; if it weren't for their lack of Zor users, they would be much stronger."

"I wonder how beautiful she must be to be so popular," Felix thought.

"The Furukawa clan has a red lotus symbol. Its leader is Haruto Furukawa, who is 89 years old and has no heirs. His wife died giving birth to their only son, Chiro, who sacrificed himself to create ZEP. Although Haruto cannot use Zor energy, his clan remains the fourth strongest."

"Chiro Furukawa, the guy who created ZEP... I wondered why he didn't want to be a clan leader, but thanks to him, the negative Zor energy stopped spreading."

"But I wonder how this old man Haruto maintains such strength without Zor energy," Felix pondered.

"The Yotsuba clan has a red kalanchoe symbol. Its leader is Miku Yotsuba, who became leader at just ten years old after her father was killed. She is the youngest person ever to become a clan leader. The Yotsuba clan was once the second strongest but has fallen to third after facing a catastrophe that depleted their manpower and resources. It is one of two clans not participating in the civil war, the other being the Sasaki clan."

"Even though Miku runs the clan by herself without excessive manpower, her strength alone makes them the third strongest now."

"It's amazing that she possesses such strength to keep the clan in third place," Felix mused.

"I think I understand what she meant," he recalled someone’s words.

"She must have given up everything to become the clan leader," Felix pondered.

"What's this? A warning?"

"If you ever come into contact with her, don’t attempt to flee—she’ll catch you with her monstrous speed and strike without hesitation."

"Well, so much for that warning; I’m still in one piece," Felix chuckled.

"The Kenshin clan has a red carnation symbol; they are currently the second strongest clan, having risen from third place after the fall of Yotsuba. Their leader is Isamu Kenshin, who loves to fight so much that he won leadership by challenging his father."

"This guy seems crazy," Felix thought.

"And at last, the Himura clan has a red lily symbol. They are the strongest clan out of the seven and have been for the past 100 years."

"Kyojin had the red lily symbol."

"So Kyojin was from the Himura clan, huh?" Felix realized.

"Their leadership consists of two brothers: Yuma represents the clan outwardly while Yami controls it from within. Both possess immense Zor energy; their clan is feared throughout the country because of these two."

"That's it; this clan has the least information compared to the other clans."

"I need to be careful with this clan," Felix decided.

"Well, I should be cautious with all of them; nearly every clan has a new leader, and there is little information about them."

"Felix!"

"Felix!"

"Felix! You have guests!" Kimiko shouted from the house gate, her voice barely reaching Felix.

"Her voice is pretty loud."

"It must be Ryota," Felix thought. 

"He might be worried about me. I should let him know that I am fine," he said as he went outside the library.

Then Felix approached the main door. Having memorized the way from yesterday, he had no issues finding it.

"Finally here, huh?" said Ryota.

"I heard you were beaten!" shouted Kai at the top of his lungs, a surprised expression on his face.

"Kai, at least greet him first," said Ryota.

"Good morning to you both," said Felix.

"Yeah, it’s true," Felix admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"I can't believe my sensei lost!" Kai exclaimed dramatically, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead.

"Quit being so dramatic," Ryota interjected, giving Kai a light smack on the head.

"Ouch!"

"You’re not auditioning for an opera here," Ryota said with a playful smirk.

"I forgot to ask, how are you feeling?" Ryota questioned.

"I am completely fine," Felix replied.

"I know why he lost; it was definitely because of the muscle soreness," Ryota thought.

"What brings you here this early?" Felix asked.

"Did you forget, Sensei, about my training?"

"You still want to train? I thought you'd give up."

"Hey!" Kai shouted.

"Okay, come inside; we will continue training indoors."

"I promise, Sensei, I won’t quit training and I will honor your name throughout the world."

"And definitely won’t lose like you," Kai added with a smirk and giggle.

"If I were your Sensei, I would have you climbing mountains all day," Ryota said.

"No thank you; I am happy with my Sensei."

"Haha," Felix let out a soft chuckle.

"You should smile like that more often," Ryota said with a smile, looking at Felix.