With a plan in mind, Suō Tsukasa walked towards the group of children who were playing enthusiastically.
"Ahem."
"Excuse me, hello there."
Stopping a few steps away from them, Suō Tsukasa lightly cleared his throat to avoid startling them and called out softly.
Hearing the call, the children stopped their frolicking. Four pairs of eyes curiously assessed the unfamiliar big brother who had suddenly appeared.
"Who are you, and what do you want with us?"
One of the slightly older children was quite brave. He stepped past the others to the front, asking with doubt in his eyes.
Suō Tsukasa half-squatted down, trying to meet the child's gaze, and said gently,
"I was just passing by and saw you playing, and I was a little curious."
"Could I borrow one of the wooden swords in your hands to look at?"
"I'll only borrow it for a moment, and I'll return it quickly."
"Be careful with it, okay?"
The older child hesitated, then looked at Suō Tsukasa's friendly appearance before cautiously reaching out to lend his treasured sword, not forgetting to instruct him.
"Thank you. By the way, take this as a gift in return."
Instead of immediately taking the wooden sword, Suō Tsukasa first took out a packet of Moon Plum fruit and placed it in front of the older child.
Although the oil paper wrapped the fruit tightly, one could still smell a faint fruity aroma up close, especially when he squatted down; the wind carried the scent faster toward the older child.
He noticed that when the child's gaze traced the oil paper packet just now, he unconsciously swallowed a little.
If others were generous, he couldn't be stingy. Snacks could be bought anytime, but the wooden sword in front of him was the key.
"Really!?"
"Mm-hm!"
The older child's eyes instantly lit up, a little incredulous. Only after receiving an affirmative reply did he take the oil paper packet. The hand holding the sword stretched forward forcefully.
His little face showed an expression of hurry up and take it, fearing that Suō Tsukasa might suddenly go back on his word the next second.
Only then did Suō Tsukasa reach out and take the wooden sword. His first impression was that it was light, much lighter than he had anticipated.
A slight squeeze with his knuckles revealed the wood's softness. Clearly, low-density wood like paulownia or cedar had been used.
He casually executed a simple sword flourish. The sound of the wooden sword cutting through the air was weak and fleeting, light and completely without force.
With just this basic movement, he noticed the limitations of the toy in his hand—it was too light.
He even felt that if he exerted slightly more force, the sword in his hand might break during the swing.
This wooden sword was just right for children to swing, but for him, it was worthless, not to mention for actual combat, but even for training.
His gaze swept over the children who had just unwrapped the oil paper and were busy tasting the Moon Plum fruit with impatience. He waited until each of them had swallowed a piece before calling out.
"I'm done with the sword. I'll give it back to you."
A moment later, the older child walked over, tightly clutching the oil paper packet in his hand. His face looked a little nervous, and he didn't immediately take the sword back.
"Don't worry, since I gave it to you, I won't ask for it back."
"This wooden sword is very unique. Do you know who made it for you?"
Suō Tsukasa saw through his concern and spoke in a gentle tone.
"It was my father! He used to be... a carpenter somewhere..."
The older child finally breathed a sigh of relief, took the wooden sword back, and tried hard to recall what his father had told him, furrowing his little brows.
"Is that so? Then can you take me to find him? I have something I want to ask of him."
Suō Tsukasa nodded, following up with a question.
"My father should be at home. I'll take you there, it's very close!"
Hearing this, the older child looked up at the friendly-smiling big brother in front of him and nodded vigorously without any hesitation.
He tucked the sword under his armpit, carefully retied the oil paper packet, and placed it cherishedly against his chest.
"Brother, follow me!"
The older child turned, one hand guarding the packet, and led the way at a quick jog, looking back to confirm that Suō Tsukasa was following.
Seeing Suō Tsukasa stand up and follow, the other three children also clustered around him and ran along.
After walking barely a hundred steps, Suō Tsukasa saw a courtyard where coarse cloth clothes were drying. A simple lean-to shed was built next to the house, and wood and tools were scattered on the ground.
"Father, someone is looking for you!"
As soon as he reached the courtyard entrance, the older child called loudly toward the house.
A middle-aged man with a simple, honest face, about forty years old, peered out from inside the house. The corners of his coarse linen shirt were stained with some sawdust. Seeing Suō Tsukasa, the stranger accompanied by the children, his expression was slightly surprised.
"What do you want with me?"
Coming closer, the carpenter spoke bluntly and directly.
"I'd like to commission you to make a wooden sword."
Meeting his scrutinizing gaze, Suō Tsukasa replied calmly without beating around the bush.
"A wooden sword!?"
"I'm not the only carpenter on this street. Why would you specifically come to me?"
The carpenter raised an eyebrow, his tone sounding a bit odd.
Over the years, countless people had come to him for tables, chairs, and cabinets, but this was the first time for a wooden sword commission.
However, looking at Suō Tsukasa's smooth, pale knuckles, which didn't look like they'd ever trained, he genuinely felt strange and asked a few extra questions subconsciously.
"Being able to make something and knowing how to make it are two different matters."
Facing the carpenter's slightly questioning tone, Suō Tsukasa responded calmly.
If one wishes to do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools. If he only needed a wooden prop that looked like a sword, any carpenter on the street could make it.
"To create a genuine wooden sword, one must understand the influence of the blade's curvature on a cleaving strike, and grasp the balance between the spine's thickness and the material's resilience."
"Most importantly—the center of gravity must be precise."
"An ordinary carpenter can't even locate the center of gravity correctly. With a wooden sword like that, I might as well just swing a wooden stick."
Pausing slightly, Suō Tsukasa extended two fingers of his right hand, made a downward striking motion in the air, and continued.
If the center of gravity of a wooden sword is off, resulting in a top-heavy or bottom-heavy feel, the handling when swung will be terrible.
If a wooden sword for martial arts training is required, the maker must possess specific experience.
"Interesting, that's very well said!"
"What style do you practice?"
The carpenter listened quietly, his eyes lighting up increasingly. Without doubting him, he spoke with excitement.
Different styles require different blade lengths and curvatures, and a professional person naturally asks more detailed questions.
To him, a wooden sword was not a toy. Even if it wasn't made of iron, it should still have the soul of a weapon.
"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. The style is passed down to a single successor. You probably haven't heard of it."
"Just make it according to standard specifications."
Suō Tsukasa replied calmly.
He wasn't bragging entirely; he genuinely had practiced Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū's ultimate technique, Kuzuryūsen (Nine-Headed Dragon Flash).
Though its effect in his previous life might have been so poor as to be an embarrassing 'Nine-Headed Dragon Crawl.'
And with his current physical conditioning, he could probably achieve about one percent of its power, which was threatening enough for ordinary souls.
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