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Beneath the tall pine, isolated by thick fog stood two girls facing each other at ten meters; Lily in a purple kimono, and Nanako in a pink miniskirt kimono. Suddenly, Nanako let out a cute spirited cry as she cut through the wind in her charge towards Lily at a speed unreachable for most samurais of the same level, “Eee-yaaah!”

Lily’s twice strengthened body from the two spirit powers boosted her dynamic visual acuity to level above Nanako’s speed, rendering each action clear for her to see. She stood, waiting for Nanako to get closer. If she used her 800-some kwan of penetration force, she could disarm Nanako immediately; however, that would be going overboard. In addition, Lily hadn’t faced a well-trained martial artist like her before, they were all brute-type fighters. As such, she planned to only use the light blue spirit power.

Nanako weapons were fast but at the cost of a shorter reach, so she had to be very close to her opponent. Once she was in front of Lily, she leapt from the ground with a kick, her right hand holding the kodachi slashing towards Lily with the added momentum from the jump. With Nanako having lost the ability to change her position, Lily made full use of her katana’s length to quickly slash at Nanako in a horizontal strike!

With a loud clang Nanako’s kodachi moved with a mind of its own and deflected the strike, all while the glistening gauntlet quickly approached Lily’s face! Lily suddenly realized something important – Nanako’s kodachi was so short as it was a defensive weapon. Once Nanako got past her opponent’s sword, she could deliver a blow with her karate techniques – her true fighting style! In response, Lily’s feet began to move in a peculiar way as she took a few steps back to withdraw from Nanako’s attack range in an instant.

“Tsk! How can you be so nimble with such a big ⓣⓘⓣⓢ!” Nanako shouted while chasing as soon as her feet touched the ground, quickly slashing at Lily with the kodachi. In spite of that, Lily easily dodged to the side.

“What?!” Nanako exclaimed, she never expected Lily to be so good at dodging! Those moves were all thanks to senior sister’s athletic body and Lily’s ethereal footwork. Nanako stamped on the ground with one foot to turn her body around, slashing at Lily once again, only to be blocked with the tip of Seiwa Tamashi as if it were natural. Lily’s moves were as smooth as the moving clouds and flowing water in a calm stream: graceful and unconstrained.

‘Th- this woman!’ Nanako exclaimed in her head, ‘actually blocked my attack with such an irregular and laid-back move. Her sword-play is mediocre at best, but those seemingly straightforward moves are extremely effective! This big sister… is very talented!’

Nanako was a lost cause when it came to femininity when she compared herself to Lily, so she absolutely didn’t want to lose against her in talent. Her rage flared stronger than it ever had been as she squatted down, driving her gauntlet into the ground, and launching a low kick at Lily’s shins; her fighting style making full use of her sword, fists, legs, and also hidden weapons, such as the small dagger that was suddenly ejected from her sandle.

With one hand holding the katana, Lily grabbed Nanako’s bare leg with the other. Coated in spirit power, her slender arms could exert a strength that peaked around 400 kwan of force – 1200 kilograms (~2645 lbs): more than enough to easily fling Nanako into the sky.

Through great difficulty, Nanako managed to turn around in midair, too late to avoid the awkwardness of her butt touching the ground as she fell onto the meadow. Somersaulting to her feet, her face was tinged with anger as she shouted, “Stupid big-breasted woman!”

Dashing forward while launching consecutive agitated attacks that Lily either dodged or deflected —practically using Nanako as a practice dummy— Nanako was quickly growing tired, gasping for breath; in contrast Lily wasn’t tired, as she had been passively dodging with minimal movements, on top of her advantage when it came to blocking attacks, she felt like she had simply been strolling in the park.

“N- no way… how can this be!” Nanako gradually became more impatient, “This woman… why is her footwork so good? Why does she look so graceful even while dodging? Moreover, s- she is taller than me and has such big breasts, but her speed is actually faster than mine!”

Nanako was very unwilling to accept that her speed and dexterity also fell short of this big breasted woman. This was a huge hit to her confidence.

After the frenzied attacks, Nanako pulled some distance from Lily. She was gasping for air, with her hands on her knees. Fragrant sweats could be seen forming on her forehead.

And as for Lily? She was standing there while brushing her hair, looking very relaxed.

“Stupid woman… y- you better take this more seriously! Or the next move could possibly end your life!” yelled Nanako in a fit of anger.

“Oh my, am I not taking this seriously enough?” Lily smiled sweetly.

‘Hmph, she obviously has that indifferent look on her face!’ thought Nanako, but she was actually anxious about the outcome of the battle. She didn’t expect Lily to gain the upper hand with her outstanding physical ability despite having mediocre sword skills.

She already lost to this big sister when it came to the size of their breasts, but she didn’t expect to lose to her in power and speed as well. In front of Lily, Nanako was just like a little chick.

‘She… this big sister is so strong.’

Nanako’s eyes became cloudy as her mind was enveloped by a hazy-feeling.

‘If I lose to big sister Lily, I will become her slave…’

‘She is so strong, there’s no way I can beat her. I lost to her in every aspect. In that case… doesn’t that mean big sister is meant to be the master?’

For the first time in Nanako’s life, everything she knew about herself came crumbling down.

‘No! Not good!’

‘Hmph! As long as my finishing blow can hit her, I can turn this whole situation around!’

Nanako fired herself up!

‘As long as I can beat this woman, then this big sister who is stronger than me in every aspect will become my slave!’
‘I can ride on this proud and girly big sister like a horse! That would be so fascinating!’
‘Hmph, although she is strong, she still lacks experience. She definitely won’t be able to see through this move! Even if I don’t have as much power as her, it’s my win if I can connect the hits! Then she will be mine! I can do anything I want to her!’
‘I’ll bet everything on this move! I can win this!’

The atmosphere around Nanako became heavier as light blue Spirit Power materialized around her body.

Lily also had a serious look on her face. She warned herself not to look down on the ancient martial skills that had been passed down for several hundreds of generation! She could be defeated in one fell swoop despite her dominance in battle!

Lily pulled out the scabbard from her waist and changed the way she held the sword. After sheathing the sword, she lowered her body and got into an iaijutsu stance.

“Iaijutsu?” Nanako was startled and thought to herself, ‘Hah, although she can hide her flaws and prevent others from predicting her next move with this, I have nothing to fear with this move of mine! Kagami Lily, be prepared to lose!’

“Hah!” shouted Nanako as the all the Spirit Power she accumulated burst out. With a sharp acceleration, Nanako got in front of Lily with a strong wind after her trail. Victory or defeat would be decided in an instant!

When Nanako entered Lily’s sword range, she drew the katana.

“Clang!” However, Nanako’s kodachi was faster and hit the blade which Lily barely pulled out. She offset the blade and prevented Lily from drawing her sword.

“You lose!” Nanako was sure of her victory.

The gauntlet on Nanako’s other hand was her true finishing move as it carried all of her remaining Spirit Power. The light blue Spirit Power formed a spiral vortex on the gauntlet as she lifted it to launch the decisive blow on Lily.¹

“Bang!!!”

Lily pushed the still sheathed blade against the kodachi, causing Nanako to lose her balance and the direction of her punch. Spinning the sword around, Lily drove the scabbard into Nanako’s rib, sending her flying away; her kodachi dropping to the ground at Lily’s feet.

“Crish-crash,” After Nanako’s body flew for several meters, she crashed powerlessly onto the spongy ground and fainted.

It might have been a short while or perhaps several minutes had already elapsed.

Nanako finally, if unsteadily, walked back to consciousness. What immediately entered her line of sight was the pine needles and pine cones. And beside her, she could see Lily’s purple kimono and her bare legs.

“……” Nanako wanted to get up, but she found that to be an impossible task. Her hands seemed to be bound by some kind of rope and her body seemed to be lying on Lily’s soft thigh.²

“What are you doing?!” Nanako realized what a shameful position she was in and her face turned red instantly. She twisted her body in an attempt to struggle, “Big breasted woman! What are you planning to do?! Let me go, release me!”

However, Nanako found to her dismay that her hands and waist had been pressed down firmly by Lily single-handedly. She was unable to break free at all!

“Kagami Lily, what do you think you’re doing?! You actually dare to tie me up?! Release me! I order you to let me go at once! You big-breasted, Herculean woman! Female monster! Fox-spirit!” Nanako kept wriggling her cute little body. Her legs flapped in disorder and cursing remarks kept coming from her mouth.

Being called a monster was Lily’s most recent concern. She originally planned to give her some face as she was a girl, but since she scolded Lily like that, anger was welling up in her heart. She made up her mind and lifted Nanako’s short skirt, then from her bosom, she took out a black ruler borrowed from the granny.³

All of these were carried out in one go, with no prior indication of it at all. Nanako was dumbfounded at the sudden turns of event.

She only felt a chilly sensation on her butt.

“Slap!”

The big sister’s ruler hit Nanako’s butt with no holds barred.

Nanako was completely stupefied.

After she had grown up, not even her mother Yomika had hit her once. And today, under the broad daylight, not only did she lose to this woman, she was even pressed onto this big sister’s thigh and got spanked like a child.

Nanako was undoubtedly furious and ashamed, “You actually dare to hit me?! I- I am the young lady of the Saikanji house!”

“I am hitting you precisely because you are an unruly young lady with a lack of discipline!”

Lily’s voice was elegant but stern and merciless all the same.

“Slap! Slap! Slap!”

……

The moon rose to the sky and darkness overruled the light.

Nanako had flushed cheeks with tears in her eyes. She covered her butt with one hand.

“Kagami Lily… y- you dare to hit my butt. Did you know it is a capital offense to shame and mistreat a nobility?!” Nanako was prostrating in front of Lily, but she still glowered at Lily and said with a sobbing tone.

Lily on the other hand just crossed her legs and said complacently, “Hmm? Nobility? Don’t forget that you are my slave now. What crime did I commit when I’m just punishing my slave?”

“T- that’s…” Nanako panicked and was at a loss for words.

“What’s that? Miss Nanako, could it be that the young lady of the historical Saikanji house won’t keep her word?”

“You… shut up! I- I am Nanako of the Saikanji house, as a samurai, I… I will keep my promise!” Although Nanako’s face was filled with reluctance and shame, she couldn’t break the samurai code and her family’s honor.

With a slightly cunning smile on her face, Lily said, “Then what are you hesitating for? Take it out and sign it yourself.”

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The river banks were filled with light-colored mists.

Lily walked past the wooden bridge and arrived at the other side, which was mainly occupied by trees and mountains.

She walked along the gravel lane just outside the shrine. The lush greenery at the roadside carried with them a fragrant smell. Lily was feeling quite pleasant at the moment. Who would have thought that her power was already approaching the ranks of Kengo with the Soul Eater’s augmentation!

Just imagine it, the high and mighty Kengo! Lily had been mesmerized by that title ever since she heard it from the merchant.

‘Can a little girl like me also become a Kengo?’

‘Why not? Why does age and gender matter? Aren’t they only assessing your sword skills?’

However, Lily also had her doubts. As Sakura mentioned previously, the ability to refine and replenish one’s Spirit Power through the consumption of animas and true essences was an ability called Soul Eater. The Spirit Power refined from monster animas contained various kinds of ominous colors and was not at all the same light-colored one she originally possessed. This kind of Spirit Power could also be called Demon Fury. Soul Eater was an ability only the shikigami and monsters possessed, but why then, was she also able to use it?

She was but an authentic young and healthy normal girl. There was no way she’d be a monster. Moreover, she came from the modern world no less!

Since that was the case…. Why was she able to use Soul Eater?

If she managed to get the Sakura Parasol back, there were much to talk about.

As Lily walked on the gravel lane that was piled up near the muddy river bank and feeling the waves against her feet, she eventually saw the shape of an exceptionally tall pine tree appearing in front of her amidst the dense fog.

Lily only knew of this pine tree’s location because she specially returned to the Chrysanthemum Inn to ask the granny.

Lily climbed up the sandy slope and what she saw under the old pine tree was a little girl with pink mini-skirt kimono sitting atop a big boulder measuring a few meters high.

‘It looks like Saikanji Nanako has changed to a new set of clothes today, is she in a good mood?’ Lily thought to herself.

And what Nanako had in her hands was undoubtedly the Sakura Parasol.

A sudden thought suddenly flashed through Lily’s mind; the little girl seemed to be a perfect fit with the color of that parasol.

However, there was no way Lily would give that parasol to her. This was a very important treasure to Lily, and also her friend!

Lily stepped onto the spongy ground packed with the pine tree’s roots, then she took a step forward and said with an angelic tone, “Lady Nanako, thank you for holding onto that parasol for me. Now then, can you return it to me?”

Nanako was swinging her legs, which were clothed in a pair of white stockings, “Return it to you? Sure, it’s just a paper parasol. I thought Miss Samurai didn’t care about it anymore and wouldn’t bother to come. Is it possible that… this parasol is very important to you?”

“It isn’t really all that important, it’s just that I like her cherry blossom design and color.”

“Her? Hah, I didn’t expect a big-breasted woman like you to have the poetic flavor to liken a parasol to a girl.”¹

Lily didn’t want to chitter-chatter with her, so she said, “Whatever, can you return that to me?”

“Of course I can, however~ you must sign this slave contract,” Nanako took out a paper filled with the terms of contract.

Lily sighed weakly, “Didn’t I already sign it once?”

“That didn’t count!” Nanako shouted, “Who asked you to sign in the owner section? You are supposed to sign under the slave! I want you to become my slave and let me ride on you like a horse, isn’t that a great deal? To let the noble young lady of the Saikanji house ride on your back and lead you along as you crawl on the ground, wouldn’t that be so much fun? Hahahahahaha!”

Nanako laughed with pleasure, as though Lily had already become her slave.

The wind blew from the riverside and tossed Lily’s long hair up.

“That brat really needs to be taught a lesson,” Lily shook her head and took out the Anima Container. Four or five Mountain Imp Animas flew out of the box as she opened it and they were blown towards the direction of the wind, towards where Nanako was sitting. One of the animas got under the parasol by pure coincidence.

“Huh? What are you doing?” Nanako was dumbfounded, “Releasing monster animas? These animas are worth a few hundred mon each, are you trying to flaunt your wealth in front of me?”

Lily didn’t bother to answer and merely looked on.

The anima under the parasol was suddenly seized by an unfathomable power. It was swaying like a little fish that had been hooked for a while before getting swallowed up by the Sakura Parasol. The parasol shone with a misty luster and instantly fluttered into the sky with a jolt.

“Huh? Whaaaaa——” The loli tightened her grasp on the parasol in a panic and she was actually lifted along into the sky.

“W-w-what? What’s going on?!” Nanako grabbed the parasol as her legs danced wildly in the midair. The poor girl was so frightened, it looked a little hilarious.

Nanako finally released her hands and landed on the ground with a stagger. She managed to avoid falling due to her light and nimble body.

And the Sakura Parasol flew into Lily’s hand all by itself.

Nanako had finally figured it out, “T-That is a magic tool! No wonder you care about it so much and spent one whole night to look for it!”

As it turned out, Nanako knew this parasol belonged to Lily as soon as she picked it up and ordered someone to tail Lily. They even knew Lily had gone out to search for it during the late night.

Just at this time, however, the parasol started to talk without waiting for Lily to say anything, “Pooey! Don’t compare me to those low-quality man-made object you hear?! This great loli is but a shikigami! A shikigami y’know?! Moreover, I hate other lolis!”²

“Huuuuuh???” Nanako’s eyes were already big as they originally were, but they widened even more in shock, “A… sh- shikigami you say?! I didn’t even have one yet!”

Nanako pointed at Lily, dissatisfaction to the max, “Y- you are just a poor girl who grew up consuming who knows what, and yet you have a shikigami?!”

“What is there to be surprised about? Lemme tell you, pervy loli, my master has lotsa treasures in her home!”³ said Sakura with a jolt.

“Don’t speak out of turn, Sakura,” There was an old saying in Lily’s original world that literally translates to ‘don’t be too naive and you will have a large amount of money.’ She didn’t want to let people know what other treasures she had in possession.

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwait, w- what did you just say?! Who are you calling pervy?!” It seemed like Nanako and Sakura were already on each other’s neck.

“You, who else!”

“On what basis are you calling me a perv?!”

“Hmph, master, you don’t know this but that young lady is definitely a pervert! During bedtime last night, she was hugging me and kept stroking my handle. She even sniffed me and says she can smell big sister Lily’s scent. Moreover, moreover, she even licked me with her tongue! That was eww… so disgusting! Master, please help me wash it off later.”⁴

“Eh?” Lily was really shocked but somehow managed to stop it from showing on her face.

She turned to look at Nanako again. Seeing as how she turned beet red in an instant, it seemed like Sakura didn’t accuse her wrongly.

There wasn’t a need for shikigamis to come up with such a baffling lie after all.

Nanako really hoped she could dig a hole and bury herself in it. Her memory last night was a bit hazy, but who would have guessed the parasol was a shikigami with its own mind and memory?!

Seeing that Nanako was awkwardly prostrating herself, Lily also didn’t want to hit where it hurts. She had already retrieved the parasol, so it was time to go back. She still had many things to do. For a girl who planned to dedicate her whole life to martial arts, all her free time could be better spent on training.

“Then… I’ll leave now. Thank you for looking after Sakura for me, Miss Nanako,” Lily propped up the parasol and turned around.

“S- stop!” Yet, Nanako pointed at Lily from behind and said in a panic, “Kagami Lily, don’t you move from that spot!”

“What is it? Do you still need anything else? Miss Nanako? Could it be that… you can’t sleep without big sister’s scent?” Lily leisurely glanced back with a smile.

“S- shut up!” Nanako felt so ashamed and unable to show her face. It seemed like the only way to keep her reputation from damnation was to silence Lily by killing her, “I- I want to challenge you to a duel! Kagami Lily, you busty and airheaded woman whose body reeks of slutiness! A vulgar woman who can’t help herself from sashaying while walking on the road! A damn fox-spirit! Fight me!”

Lily planned to just ignore her from the beginning, but she came to a halt as a silent flame lit up in her heart.

She tolerated her advances over and over again, but this little girl kept intensifying her approach to make things difficult for her. Not only did she insult her, but she also called her a fox-spirit just when Lily was concerned whether she had any relations with the monsters. She was not scared to be scolded by someone, but Nanako had stepped on a landmine!

Lily was burning with rage, her long hair flipped backward and made a whooshing sound as she turned around. Her eyes were burning with anger as she looked at Nanako. The little girl who was throwing a tantrum was startled by her display.

“Okay,” Lily’s tone of voice still sounded very calm, but that was like the calm before the storm, “You wanted to challenge me to a duel right, I have accepted.”

“Huh?” Nanako was puzzled. Although she believed that Lily would accept the challenge, Lily’s current behavior still gave her lingering fears, “T- that’s good then! If you lose to me, then become my slave!”

Lily’s breasts jiggled visibly as she intentionally emphasized the parts that Nanako was most concerned about and said, “Then what if you lose?”

“Hahahahahaha,” Nanako put her hands on her hips as she laughed, “Why would a high and mighty young lady like me lose to a woman like you? If I lose, how about I become your slave instead.”

Ever since she was young, Nanako had received top-quality combat training and even received the kodachi⁵ that had been passed down from one generation to another. Although Lily had more raw power, but if they really got into a fight, her sword skills, combat techniques, and experience far exceeded that of Lily. At home, that Low-Class Samurai Taihara Sugiyama always got bullied by her during their combat training.

In real combat, Nanako never thought of the possibility of losing to a woman like Lily.

“Good, that’s settled then,” Lily released her hand and the Sakura Parasol flew to the side by itself and landed beside a tree.

The atmosphere around Lily had become heavier. She placed her slender hand on the handle of the katana, slightly leaned forward and got into a good position.

As Nanako looked at Lily’s stance, she had to admit that it was somewhat proper, but it would appear that her sword skill was still underdeveloped. This was the stance every lower-class samurai in Kanagawa prefecture assumed. Nanako felt more relieved upon knowing this fact. Lily might have more raw power, but her sword and gauntlet were Grade Three weapons. The combat techniques and kodachi passed down to her were quite famous among the martial artists of the Kanto region. In order to deal with Lily, she just had to cautiously dodge her attacks and it’ll be a cinch!

“Kagami Lily, you actually dare to accept my challenge with such arrogance, you don’t stand a chance to win! Hmph, be prepared to work as the slave of Saikanji Nanako!” Nanako’s gaze also turned ice-cold. She was full of confidence. On one hand, she was equipped with the bamboo-green gauntlet. With the other hand, she unsheathed the kodachi and assumed the world-famous martial stance!

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The evening was still a long way off, so Lily put away the slip of paper for now.

“Just how long does this Saikanji Nanako plans to keep up with this!” Lily was already in a bad mood since early morning. Not only did she get kissed in an unexpected situation the day before, she even lost the Sakura Parasol. She never thought that the parasol would fall into the hands of such an annoying brat. Though she received an invitation, who knew just what kind of trap she set up this time. Nanako definitely wouldn’t return the parasol that easily.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Lily asked, “excuse me, is there a place where I can test my penetration force?”

The female disciple replied, “Of course there is. Miss Kagami is already one of us, the mistress said you may use some of the basic training grounds and facilities as you wish.”

“That’s great! Can you take me there?”

There were two reasons Lily wanted to test her penetration force. The first reason was to see what level of strength had she reached after that night of awakening. The other reason was merely to give vent to her frustration!

The female disciple brought Lily to an empty unfrequented training ground located in the dojo’s outer region. This was the training ground specially built for in-name disciples; however, as a matter of fact, the majority of the in-name disciples normally spent their time on adventuring or holding an official post, so they rarely ever spent their time training in the dojo.

Since the female disciple had other matters to attend to, she left Lily all by herself. Lily picked up a wooden sword and faced the blue-colored Slash Force Sensor, both of which had already been set up long before they arrived.

Directing almost all of her frustration and anger at the poor Slash Force Sensor, Lily struck out,
“Haaah—!” she shouted loudly as the wooden sword pierced through the wind.

The heavy sound echoed throughout the training ground, “bang!”

“450 Kwan!”

A slight smile formed on Lily’s face. She felt a little better after venting her frustration. This was the result of the more commonly used blue-colored Spirit Power. Lily was quite satisfied with it, considering all the battles and work out she had been doing recently. Next, it was time to test the Spirit Power obtained from the Soul Eater ability.

As Lily employed the Soul Eater power, the faint Spirit Power that enveloped her body changed into a dim crimson light, which also extended to cover the wooden sword

“Swish!” The abrupt sword swing caused the space in its immediate vicinity to twist¹ moderately.

“Dooooooooooong—!!!” A sound resembling the chimes of a grandfather clock reverberated throughout the area.

“871 Kwan!”

“Say what?!” exclaimed Lily, shocked by the result.

It’s actually… that powerful?

The Spirit Power augmented by Soul Eater was capable of giving her such a big boost in power?

No wonder… no wonder she was able to cut down the Mountain Imps as though she was chopping vegetables and killed them in the hundreds in one breath!

‘But 871 kwan, how does it work?’

Lily had specially asked the female disciple about the samurai’s power levels during their small talks. According to the long-standing standards of Genji and Taira Dojo, a Low-Class Samurai’s penetration force was between 80 to 200 kwan.

Middle-Class Samurai: 200 to 400 kwan.

High-Class Samurai: 500 to 800 kwan.

Lily’s base power had already surpassed the upper limit of a Middle-Class Samurai and was approaching the doorstep of High-Class Samurai. On top of that, the penetration force of her Spirit Power augmented by Soul Eater reached an astounding 871 kwan! Her power level jumped across the High-Class Samurai in one go and was drawing near to the strength of a Low-Class Kengo, who were said to be able to roam around the Heian Empire freely. Lily suddenly understood why Uesugi said her name would quickly spread across the Kanagawa prefecture. The speed of her improvement surprised even herself. She hadn’t even been in this parallel world for a full month, yet not only had she become a samurai, but she was also about to step into the ranks of the valiant Kengo!

“Senior sister… maybe… I have taken yet another step closer to the journey ahead… Alright, it’s about time to go find that little girl,” Lily was really excited and her breasts jiggled in response. Her mood was also a lot lighter compared to before.

“Hmph, I really hope that naughty young lady has really picked up the Sakura Parasol,” Lily had a relaxed smile forming at the corner of her mouth.

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Early in the morning, Daidouji Akira and his gang had gone into the valley to look for their “heirloom” after confirming the Mountain Imp colony was gone, but to no avail. As their hearts were so low, reaching their stomachs, they almost leaped from their throats when they saw Noburu standing in the way. They only relaxed after seeing the words carved in front of him, assuming they were carved by some strong samurai passing by. Relieved that Lily was probably dead, and the traitor most certainly gone, they could finally return to Takeshita with mixed feelings.

It was already the evening by the time Akira and gang reached Takeshita. They were making their way towards the tavern they were supposed to stay. They forwent the plan to return to the mountain town due to two reasons; they were unable to find the heirloom and confirm Lily’s death. They were unwilling to let it go just like that!

Akira even forcefully purchased a bullock-cart on the road. Lying unconscious on the cart was the heavily injured Takano with one arm missing.

Unwilling to let that go, Akira forced some words out between gnashed teeth as his hatred focused solely on Lily, “Regardless of her breathing or not, I must see her body with my own eyes! We don’t know if that ⓢⓛⓤⓣ was actually killed by the mountain imps or not!”

One martial monk exclaimed, “Lord Akira, how could that woman be alive with so many mountain imps there? Surely she’s in shreds now!”

“That’s right, but it’s such a pity. The heirloom must’ve been taken by them,” said another martial monk beside Akira.

Humoring the thought, Akira said, “Alas, since that’s the case it will be very difficult to get it back!”

‘This Lily was too hateful! So be it if she fell down the slope and got caught by the colony, but did she have to take the heirloom with her?’ Akira thought as the spy they left in the city breathlessly rushed over.

“Lord Akira! B- Bad news!”

Akira’s mood began to sour even more as he shouted, “What now?!”

“T- That woman…”

“What woman, speak clearly! And slowly!”

“That woman, Kagami Lily, I saw her entering the town this afternoon completely unharmed!” said the spy hurriedly.

“What?!?!” Akira was so surprised that his eyeballs threatened to pop out, “N- Not dead? She’s actually not dead? But how? How did she escape from that colony of Mountain Imps?!”

As Akira and the rest of his gang rushed to the tavern to discuss the topic in detail, Lily was walking out of the Chrysanthemum Inn to linger along the riverbank.

“That’s strange, I clearly remembered that I dropped it around this area, why is it gone…”

That was such a fine paper parasol, even if the others didn’t know of its secret, it was still within the realm of possibility for it to be picked up by other people.

Lily blamed herself!

‘I actually lost the parasol!’

It was beyond her control for the parasol to be blown away by the gust generated by the black steed. However, if she immediately returned to find the parasol, rather than getting enamored by Uesugi’s kiss and went to nag at her, she might still be able to find it. The street was devoid of people during the rainstorm after all.

‘This is just great! I had forgotten about this matter at the time, returned to Chrysanthemum to take a bath and get a new set of clothes, only to run back to specifically tell that woman my name, just what was I thinking?!’

All other matters could be dropped, but she would be in deep trouble if the Sakura Parasol was really lost!

However, the Sakura Parasol was not an ordinary item. At the very least, it was not something a commoner would be able to damage. Lily spread out spiritual waves to search the area, but since the Genji Dojo was protected by a special barrier, she was unable to search there.

The result from half a night of search; nothing.

Lily returned to the Chrysanthemum Inn helplessly. All she could think of was whether she could request Lady Sakiko to issue a pamphlet for lost item tomorrow. It may be assumed that the parasol was still within the town.

When Lily was back in her room, she took off her upper garment to reveal her back. Then she used a wet towel to whip herself until her back turned deep red.

“This is for my fickle mind! This is for letting senior sister down! This is for losing the parasol!”

In brief, Lily made far too many mistakes in one day.

Not much time had passed before she collapsed onto the ground with reddish back.

She was a girl, and if she looked at it from a different perspective, being kissed by another girl didn’t count. At the very least, it meant that she hadn’t defiled senior sister’s body.

The so-called purity of girls would be tainted if their body was seen by a guy, but it didn’t count if they were seen by other girls right? Lily had never heard of the saying that the girls would lose their purity if they were seen by other girls in the public bath.

However, Lily had the mind of a boy. Since that was the case, wouldn’t that mean kissing other girls was an unfaithful act towards senior sister despite having her purity spared?

Could that really be regarded as an unfaithful act though?

Regardless of which, Lily already had an answer in her heart. She felt very guilty towards senior sister in the deepest recesses of her heart.

That strong sense of immorality she felt when being forcefully kissed by Uesugi was enough to prove that she had done senior sister wrong.

“Senior sister… I’m sorry.”

The white yukata slid through her arm and fell onto the ground as she suddenly sat up in a seiza position.

In that position, with nothing but a black panty covering her crotch¹, she sat in seiza for one whole night.

That was Lily’s punishment for her own carelessness and fickle mind.

“I must remain faithful to senior sister! Who cares if Uesugi is a bad girl or not, there is no relationship between us. At most, we are just an acquaintance. I must not associate with her any more than this! It is for the best if I never see her again!”

Lily silently vowed to herself.

Just as she did that, however, she touched her lips and thought, ‘My first kiss was already stolen by her, how do I get it back…’

‘Hmph, kissing other girls doesn’t count as the first kiss!’

“Isn’t that right, senior sister?” said Lily as she looked into the mirror with her slightly teary eyes.

The next morning was greeted by a rare sunny day.

Lily put on the purple kimono and made her way towards Genji Dojo.²

She wasn’t expecting that her every action to attract so much attention.

There were some who harbored hatred towards her and some who she couldn’t even fathom what they were thinking.

“Ⓕⓤⓒⓚ!” cursed Akira, who was at the opposite bank of the path that led to Genji Dojo, “That ⓢⓛⓤⓣ is really still alive! How did it come to this… How did she escape from that Mountain Imp colony? She doesn’t seem to be injured at all? Could it be that the Mountain Imps didn’t notice her? Is she really that lucky?! If I had known earlier, I should have stayed to confirm the Mountain Imps had done ⓑⓛⓔⓔⓟ and ⓑⓛⓔⓔⓟ to her!”

However, it was not that he hadn’t thought of staying behind either. It was just that while humans found climbing a mountain to be difficult, it was like walking on flat ground to the Mountain Imps. He was afraid to be screwed over in case the Mountain Imps discovered him!

“That Kagami Lily must be going to Genji Dojo to finish her test assignment. Hmph, how can a peasant with no family background like you also become a samurai?! Peh!” Recalling that his son, Takano, had become disabled for life and couldn’t become a samurai anymore, Akira was burning with towering rage. He had the violent urge to go up there and smack Lily with his club.

“My lord!” The Martial Monk beside Akira pulled him and continued, “Takeshita is under the protection of Genji Dojo. If you injure the samurai of Genji here, our entire clan will be exterminated!”

“Peh! I already know that! Hmph, Kagami Lily, don’t think I won’t be able to deal with you even if you stay nested in Takeshita! There are many means that my clan can employ, you would never see them coming!”

When Lily gracefully entered the Genji Dojo, Akira’s fierce and crude-looking face broke into a vicious smile.

After Lily entered the dojo, she followed the instruction of the female disciple and arrived at the small isle in the southeast plain, where all kinds of goods were being sold.

There was a cabin here specifically for purchasing animas.

Lily handed over three Mountain Imp animas for inspection.³ The one in charge of verifying the anima was an effeminate onmyoji with dull-colored hunter clothes and traditional top hat. After the verification was complete, he gave Lily a sealed letter with ‘Combat Examination: Pass’ written on it. Lily accepted the sealed letter and she could feel a faint Spirit Power coming from it.

This letter didn’t contain any magic power, but it could prevent others from making a counterfeit.

Lily gave the sealed letter to the female disciple. That action was indicative that Lily had, in fact, already became a samurai!

All she needed to do now was to wait for the announcement and receive the Pass Certificate in a few days time.

Lily was having small talks with the female disciple as they left the cabin. Once they reached the wooden bridge, they saw a somewhat familiar-looking young samurai running over with slight distress.

Lily seemed to recall that youngster standing at Nanako’s side.

Taihara Sugiyama was slightly nervous to stand before a woman as beautiful as Lily. He stopped quite a distance from her, turning his head to sideways to avoid arousing suspicion and gave Lily a slip of paper. Contrary to what one might expect, he was quite the gentleman.

“M- Miss Kagami. My ladyship requested me to deliver this to you.”

Lily received the letter.

‘Just what is that Saikanji Nanako playing at now?’

Upon seeing Lily’s confusion, Taihara Sugiyama wanted to say something but hesitated. He forced a smile with a guilty conscience and left in a hurry.

Lily flipped open the letter and written on it with somewhat messy handwriting was: “Do you want your parasol back? Then meet me under the old pine tree at the opposite bank this evening! If you don’t come…”⁴

There was even a scribble of a little girl sticking out her tongue at the corner of the letter. One glance was enough to tell it was scribbled by Nanako herself.

References