Ryuuzaki had already turned his back, so after a moment's hesitation, Gion reluctantly slipped off her top.
"Here, don't you dare do anything indecent with my clothes!"
"Wouldn't dream of it!"
Ryuuzaki accepted her shirt, took out a needle and thread, and began to stitch. His tailoring skills weren't top-notch, but they were good enough to patch clothes. Within minutes, her shirt was mended.
Once Gion put it back on, she puffed her cheeks and muttered, "Hmph, you little brat, turns out you're pretty handy."
"Just average, heh."
"Anyway, you broke my sword. Remember to forge me a new one!"
"Of course, of course!"
Gion shot him one last glare before following Tsuru out of the smithy.
As they walked, Tsuru asked, "Gion, what do you think of that boy?"
"He's not bad. Kinda handsome."
"Idiot, I wasn't asking that. I meant his strength."
"Oh! Right." Gion stuck out her tongue, sheepish like a scolded schoolgirl. After thinking for a moment, she said seriously, "He's strong. Way younger than me, yet already better with a blade."
"Good. Then you understand, don't get cocky again."
"I wasn't cocky!"
"No, you're just... tsundere."
Gion rolled her eyes, looking put out.
"Intelligence agents are selected differently from Marines," Tsuru continued.
"Oh?"
"From what I know, Buck's group started with over a hundred candidates. After all the eliminations, only three survived. Ryuuzaki was one of them. The rest... were disposed of."
"Disposed of? You mean, killed?"
"Yes." Tsuru nodded gravely.
Gion was stunned, then fell quiet. Compared to Ryuuzaki, she realized how fortunate she was. She had always been under Tsuru's protection in Marine Headquarters.
"It's a pity," Tsuru sighed. "No matter how talented, nobles are pigs. Information leaks from them far too easily."
"Then why not bring him into the Marines?"
"Government agencies are government. Marines are Marines. They're separate. Bringing Ryuuzaki over isn't possible."
She shook her head, quietly regretting it.
In Tsuru's view, if Ryuuzaki lived long enough to mature, he'd be admiral-level without question.
Back in the smithy, Ryuuzaki was poring over the sword-forging manuals, eyes gleaming with excitement. The World Government's archives were truly deep, some texts dated back centuries, filled with techniques of long-vanished swordsmiths.
As for Ace? Ryuuzaki couldn't care less. Tsuru had already warned him, so why bother? He'd coast for now, keep a low profile, and focus on being a blacksmith. With the credit from reporting Dragon, he doubted he'd be punished even if this mission "failed."
He flipped open one book, starting from the first page.
"Mix trace elements from plants into iron?"
It was a novel idea. Different plants absorbed specific minerals, and the metals in their tissues stayed in consistent ratios. Swordsmiths had used them as natural measuring tools when blending alloys.
"Strange methods," Ryuuzaki muttered, fascinated.
Half a month passed quickly. Days were spent reading in the mornings, experimenting in the afternoons.
One afternoon,
"Anyone here?"
"Who's there?"
"It's me!"
A lively figure darted inside, startling Ryuuzaki. For crying out loud, can't you just use the door normally?
It was none other than Gion.
"What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? You promised to forge me a new sword, remember?"
"Uh, "
"You didn't forget, did you?"
"No, of course not! But it's only been two weeks. Don't you think you're rushing a little?"
Gion, later known as Momousagi, was someone Ryuuzaki pictured as a poised, mature woman. Yet the girl in front of him was still a spirited, playful teenager.
"What are you staring at, huh? With that pervy look!" she scolded, glaring.
Ryuuzaki rubbed his head awkwardly. "Fine, fine, I won't look..."
"Don't 'you, you, you' me. Call me 'sister'!"
"...Sister."
"That's better."
"As for the sword, give it some time. Half a year, maybe."
"What?! Half a year? That long? Can you even do it?" She squinted at him, suspicious.
This girl... way too lively. He sighed, deciding not to argue.
"Gion, you-!"
"Say it right!"
"Okay, okay, Gion-sister. Could you maybe not keep coming here? You're messing up my work."
"No worries. You do your smithing, I won't bother you."
"I don't mean the smithing. I mean... my other job."
"Oh, that? Relax, I'm in plain clothes. No one knows."
You might not care, but I do! Ryuuzaki nearly spat blood.
"Hey, Ryuuzaki, let's spar!"
"Spar? In what?"
"Swordsmanship, of course!"
"Gion-sister... I can't. Because of my... other job, I can't reveal my skills like that."
"No problem! We'll close the doors, just spar in here."
This girl... nothing was "a problem" for her. Ryuuzaki was at his wit's end. If he refused, she might run to Tsuru. If he agreed, he risked blowing his cover.
"Come on, just once! What's the big deal? I'll tell you a secret, among this year's Marine recruits, I'm ranked number one in swordsmanship. If you beat me, that means you're stronger than all of them!"
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter