"So, every punch shouldn't use all your strength; you must reserve thirty percent. That way, if an attack is dodged by the enemy, you still have a chance to counterattack or dodge."
Originally, it was Mumei training Ikoma, but at some point, it turned into Inaba Tsukiyo training Ikoma.
Perhaps she felt helpless at Mumei's crude and reckless training method, or perhaps she recalled the time she trained a certain foolish apprentice and wanted to experience it again.
Both Mumei and Inaba Tsukiyo belonged to the practical school, teaching Ikoma how to fight in actual combat.
But the difference was that Inaba Tsukiyo would explain Ikoma's shortcomings after each battle, unlike Mumei, who merely unilaterally beat him.
Having strength but no way to use it well—this was Ikoma's state.
It was like a newly mined gem; it had to be in the hands of an excellent sculptor to reveal its most perfect side.
Although Ikoma had no combat experience, under Inaba Tsukiyo's training, he gradually became quite capable.
Mumei, watching from the side, nodded from time to time, seemingly very satisfied with Ikoma's progress.
But she also felt very strange: why, when she trained Ikoma before, did he only get beaten to the ground without any room to fight back?
After a while, Ikoma was tripped by Inaba Tsukiyo and fell to the ground.
Completely exhausted, he panted continuously. Although he had become very resilient to hits, the fatigue had not disappeared.
First, he was beaten for several hours, and then he underwent high-intensity training. No matter how much Ikoma persevered, he couldn't hold on any longer.
"Although you're still not up to standard, considering you've never trained before, I'll reluctantly pass you."
Compared to Ikoma's sweating profusely, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't have a drop of sweat, as if she hadn't trained at all.
"Really, if only you could be like my foolish apprentice. Although that guy was a bit perverted, he was indeed a genius."
The Magic Bullet, originally a finishing move, became every attack under his training. She wondered how he was doing now.
"Ha~ ha~ Miss Inaba, did you have an apprentice before? Then he must have been very amazing, right?"
Ikoma, having recovered some strength, got up from the ground and asked curiously.
Compared to Mumei's constant beating, he could fully feel Inaba Tsukiyo's teaching.
Unconsciously, he regarded Inaba Tsukiyo as a master, and even his address became respectful.
"Amazing? Hehe~ Isn't that a given? After all, his master is me."
Inaba Tsukiyo proudly pressed her chest, as if it was natural for an apprentice to graduate under her tutelage.
"But we've been apart for a long time, and I don't know how he's doing now."
"For a long time? Miss Inaba is only twelve years old now, isn't she?"
Ikoma discovered a very serious problem, which was Inaba Tsukiyo's age.
According to Inaba Tsukiyo, she is twelve years old now and has been separated from her apprentice for a long time.
So, by rough calculation, was she in single digits when she was teaching her apprentice?
"Clang!"
Just as Ikoma was deep in thought, the sound of a sword being drawn caught his attention.
Inaba Tsukiyo was seen slightly drawing the mikazuki munechika she held, her crimson eyes wide open, staring intently at Ikoma.
"You... were you just thinking something very rude?"
"N-no, I wasn't thinking anything about Miss Inaba's age at all! I really wasn't thinking about those things!"
Well, perhaps the day's training had dazed him, causing his usually clever mind to short-circuit temporarily, as he blurted out what he had just been thinking.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ikoma knew he had messed up.
He turned his head, wanting to ask Mumei for help, but Mumei was just sitting on the ground, reading a book and playing with a kendama.
"It seems the training just now wasn't enough, leaving you with the energy to think about such nonsense." Walking up to Ikoma, Inaba Tsukiyo looked at the sweating Ikoma and said in a cold tone, "Let's continue to train. I will make you so tired that you won't have the mind to think about anything else."
"N-no! Please let me go!"
No matter how much Ikoma pleaded, Inaba Tsukiyo had no intention of letting him off.
She forcibly dragged Ikoma to continue fighting with her, and this time the intensity of the battle was completely incomparable to the previous few times.
Although it brought valuable combat experience, Ikoma also completely lost his strength, collapsed on the ground, and fell into a coma.
So why do people always like to court death? Don't they know that if you don't court death, you won't die?
Clapping her hands, Inaba Tsukiyo was about to return to the corner to rest when she turned around and almost bumped into Mumei, who was standing behind her.
The distance between the two became very close at this moment, to the point where they could feel each other's breath.
Despite her expressionless face, she was still greatly startled.
"Hey, I'm hungry."
"Hmm? Hungry? Come to think of it, it's true..."
They hadn't eaten anything since morning, so it was natural for Mumei to feel hungry.
But Mumei's next words left Inaba Tsukiyo stunned.
"Hey, could you give me a little of your blood?"
...Blood? Vampire?"
After a brief moment of confusion, Inaba Tsukiyo came to her senses and realized that Mumei wanted her blood to alleviate her hunger.
This feeling was like the Vampires she had heard about living in medieval Europe; they also fed on fresh blood.
"Vampire? I don't know what that is, but I want your blood."
Mumei didn't know what the Vampire Inaba Tsukiyo spoke of was; what she wanted now was Inaba Tsukiyo's blood.
"There's no one else here besides you. Kabaneri blood is useless. So, before I can't hold on, give me your blood."
She looked at Inaba Tsukiyo with a smile, as if stating something obvious.
As beings between humans and Kabaneri, Kabaneri must do something to survive or maintain this special state.
This something is very likely blood. Even if they don't need to consume human blood like Kabaneri, or rather, what Kabaneri themselves need is just human blood?
If Kabaneri consumed human flesh and blood, then the attacked humans would have been eaten completely, with no chance of turning into Kabaneri.
Kabaneri possess the physical attributes of Kabaneri and the will of humans, so it's not impossible for them to need fresh blood as food to sustain their existence.
"What will happen to you if you don't drink blood?"
"Hmm? If I don't drink it, I'll gradually weaken and eventually turn into a Kabaneri."
Without hiding anything, Mumei directly told Inaba Tsukiyo the outcome.
Even if she had known the answer beforehand, Mumei's direct admission had a completely different effect.
In the Iron Fortress, besides her, probably no one would be willing to offer their blood.
Even now, she still occasionally heard discussions from the front carriages about Kabaneri being in the rear carriage.
"I understand. After all, we're friends."
She drew her blade and cut her wrist, and blood immediately welled up from the wound.
The moment the blood flowed out, Mumei grabbed the bleeding arm and brought her lips to it.
Mumei's small mouth sucked the fresh blood, and the blood flowed down her throat into her body; one could even hear the swallowing sounds.
This was the first time she had been sucked blood from. Mumei's tongue occasionally touched her arm, making Inaba Tsukiyo shiver a few times.
Mumei's bloodsucking was not like a Vampire's, who sucks from the neck, but this unusual sensation made Inaba Tsukiyo feel very strange.
The unusual sensation even overshadowed the intermittent pain from the wound, plus Mumei was holding her tightly, which could also be considered a kind of benefit.
A bright red color flashed in Mumei's eyes as she was sucking blood.
To survive, Mumei had drunk the blood of many people, but no one's blood had ever reached Inaba Tsukiyo's level.
This feeling was like other people's blood was street food, while Inaba Tsukiyo's blood was Kobe steak.
"I say... is that enough? How much blood have you already sucked?"
Although she didn't care how much blood Mumei had sucked, this girl showed no intention of stopping. Was she planning to drain her dry?
Mumei didn't care about that. Already somewhat addicted, she hugged Inaba Tsukiyo tightly, preventing Inaba Tsukiyo from pushing her away.
'This girl... is getting a bit too greedy.'
Even if she willingly offered her blood, the current amount was a bit excessive, wasn't it?
If it weren't for her slightly special physique, she would probably already be experiencing dizziness or even fainting.
If it were someone she didn't know, Inaba Tsukiyo would have already given the other party a punch to properly teach them what basic etiquette was.
However, this self-willed girl didn't care about it at all. Even when Inaba Tsukiyo pushed her head, she held Inaba Tsukiyo tightly and refused to let go.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Although Inaba Tsukiyo was voluntarily donating blood, in the eyes of those who didn't know, it was a different matter.
Ikoma woke up for some unknown reason, heard strange noises coming from the carriage, and then discovered that Mumei was actually sucking Inaba Tsukiyo's blood.
This shocked Ikoma and made him extremely angry.
Before becoming a Kabaneri, he had never even heard of the existence of Kabaneri, and he was only half-skeptical of Mumei's explanation.
So he didn't know that Kabaneri didn't need to eat human food, but needed to suck blood.
Therefore, when he saw Mumei sucking blood, Ikoma misunderstood, thinking, "What Kabaneri? This is no different from a Kabaneri!"
Because of his anger, Ikoma ignored his fatigue and got up, wanting to push away Mumei, who was hugging Inaba Tsukiyo.
Before Inaba Tsukiyo could explain, Mumei, who was hugging Inaba Tsukiyo, made the first move.
The moment Ikoma ran over, Mumei kicked Ikoma hard between his legs.
The pain that only a Boy would know stimulated Ikoma's brain, his expression became extremely distorted, and he couldn't even speak.
Immediately after, Mumei punched Ikoma in the nose, and Ikoma fell heavily to the ground.
The pain in his lower body and nose made him struggle continuously. Even though a Kabaneri's recovery speed was very fast, he still felt pain.
'I wonder if those two things can heal along with the rest of my body.'
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