Seiryū, who was focused on training, didn't notice the little girl who had been secretly watching and gathering intel on her "opponent" until she finally walked over.
Seeing her pitiful expression, Seiryū couldn't help but chuckle and ask, "When did you get here?"
The little girl pouted and replied weakly, "J-just now…"
If she'd known earlier, she wouldn't have made that bet. Great, now she had dug a hole for herself.
But who knew Seiryū was such a monster?
Blinking her big eyes, Kurenai acted cute and pleaded, "Seiryū, Seiryū, I really give up! We don't have to spar tonight, right? You're the older brother, and I'm the younger sister!"
She surrendered on the spot.
Even the wooden training post got cracked by Seiryū's punch. With her delicate skin, she really would cry for a long time!
Actually, being a younger sister didn't seem that bad...
Seiryū smiled, poked Kurenai's cheek, and raised an eyebrow. "Heh heh, scared now? Weren't you super confident this morning?"
"I'm scared, I'm scared!" Kurenai didn't even dare to slap his hand away, and carefully asked, "So we can cancel the sparring tonight?"
"Hm, of course..." The word "can" was already at the tip of his tongue, but Seiryū forcibly swallowed it back.
Originally, it was just a little bet. With Kurenai surrendering, there was no risk to his status in the sibling hierarchy. He would be the older brother, and she the little sister.
But... Seiryū suddenly realized something strange.
The system hadn't gone "ding"!
Where was his mission reward?
Kurenai... no, Ochiai Rumi had already surrendered, hadn't she?
Why wasn't the mission complete?
Could it be... that he couldn't exploit bugs like this?
His heart sank. Seiryū called out to the system internally. 'System, didn't Kurenai... Ochiai Rumi admit defeat? Why isn't the reward issued?'
[Ding! The mission is not complete. The reward will only be issued once the Host defeats the challenger Ochiai Rumi!]
'What the hell... Subduing the enemy without fighting is more impressive than brute force. If you won't give me a bonus for cleverness, fine, but now you're telling me it doesn't even count as a win?'
Seiryū silently cursed in his heart.
This system really couldn't be trusted!
[Ding! Please fulfill the mission conditions to receive the reward.]
The exchange with the system only took a moment. Kurenai was still anxiously waiting for Seiryū's response. She really didn't want to cry tonight... But why was Seiryū hesitating again?
So annoying!
"..." There was no other way. Since the system wouldn't accept surrender, Seiryū had no choice but to make Kurenai suffer a little. "Of course... not!"
"Huh?" Kurenai's eyes widened in disbelief. Shock and confusion filled her face.
Her adorable act actually failed?
This didn't make any sense!
"What do you mean, 'Huh'? Acting cute won't save you this time." Seiryū tapped her head and pretended to be serious. "A bet is a bet. Even if you surrender, it still has to happen. Besides…"
"This is also a form of willpower training. Retreating at the first sign of adversity isn't good."
For the system reward... what's the harm in making Kurenai suffer a little?
It's for her own good, right?
You can't give up just because things get tough. You've got to persevere.
"..." Kurenai was nearly in tears. It sounded so reasonable!
But she felt strongly that Seiryū was just trying to secure his place as the older brother—this was revenge!
She was so mad, but she had no way to argue back.
She could only stomp away and sulk in a corner...
Shinku, who had just finished preparing dinner and was about to call the two for their meal, happened to hear that whole exchange and fell silent.
"..."
He decided to retract his statement that Seiryū had "maturity beyond his age."
And why was this kid suddenly doing things he couldn't understand again?
He really didn't get what children were thinking these days...
After dinner.
The spar began as planned.
In the backyard.
Seiryū and Kurenai stood facing each other. One was full of confidence. The other… was also full of confidence.
'Does this girl have a trump card?' Seeing this, Seiryū's heart tensed. He didn't dare lower his guard. This afternoon, she was full of fear, so why was she acting like this now?
Something smelled fishy.
Not good. His sibling hierarchy position was at risk again.
Hmph, hmph. I won't cry for long! Kurenai thought with resolve. She had already come up with the perfect plan.
She wouldn't get punched by Seiryū and cry for a long time.
As long as she surrendered fast enough, Seiryū's fists wouldn't have time to reach her.
Looking at the two children standing across from each other, Shinku, serving as witness and referee, spoke up. "Are you both ready? Then begin!"
Swoosh!
After giving the command, he quickly retreated from the scene, leaving the field to the two kids.
"I won't let you make me cry!" Kurenai shouted with determination, charging at Seiryū with a serious expression.
"..." Seiryū didn't dare be careless. This was about his position as the older brother.
The courtyard wasn't large. Kurenai ran forward, and halfway there, she "tripped" on something, letting out an exaggerated "Oof!" as her tiny body dramatically fell to the ground with a loud splat.
She "struggled" to raise her head and looked at Seiryū, who was still two meters away. With an ultra-serious tone, she said, "What powerful Earth Release! Seiryū, you're amazing! You've even mastered Earth Release Ninjutsu! I am no match for you. I surrender!"
Hehe. Surrendered right in front of the referee. Now Seiryū couldn't possibly punch her and make her cry, right?
If he tried, Father would definitely step in to stop him.
Flawless plan.
Seiryū: "..."
Kurenai: "..."
So that's why she was so confident. She had already planned her instant surrender strategy.
But her acting was way too over-the-top, and her excuse made no sense...
"Oh, you..." Shinku didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but found his daughter adorable like this.
He flashed to the center and formally announced, "Kurenai has been knocked down by Seiryū's Earth Release! I declare that Seiryū has won the bet. From now on, Seiryū is the older brother, and Kurenai is the younger sister!"
Kurenai immediately stopped pretending, jumped to her feet, and cheered, "Yay!"
"..." Seiryū didn't know what to say.
[Ding! Mission complete. Reward is being issued...]
Just as Kurenai finished cheering, the system prompt rang in Seiryū's mind, followed by a wave of information—everything about Bakudo #1: Sai (Restrain) appeared. From the flow of spiritual pressure, to the release process, to the core principles… it was all transmitted to his mind.
In short, if Seiryū were in the Bleach world, he would've instantly mastered this technique.
Seiryū reflected silently. Surrendering this afternoon didn't work, but surrendering tonight completed the mission. What exactly was the condition? Was it time? The presence of a referee? Or something else?
He'd have to slowly figure that out later.
This concerned all future missions.
Kurenai brought up the bet, and the time was set for tonight. Surrendering early didn't work, but surrendering during the official match counted.
Was it a timing condition?
Or did it have to do with the witness?
He'd have to test and confirm it step by step...
(To be continued.)
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