Volume 1 Chapter 6 The Great Villain Of The World, Training With His Sister
──Tenhou's Perspective──
"Meow."
The book I bought was a hit.
It clearly said, "Imitate the bodies of the 4 beasts to guide the energy of heaven and earth."
The 4 beasts are the snake, cat, chicken, and turtle.
The book also explained in detail the postures, breathing methods, and how to absorb energy to become like them.
No doubt about it.
This is the 'Beast Body Guidance' Martial Arts Manual.
The writing is overly detailed and complicated, probably because the guidance methods aren't refined yet.
The game starts more than ten years from now.
By then, various techniques and martial arts might have been established to defeat the great villain, Kou Tenhou... just how disliked was Kou Tenhou?
The problem is that just getting the Martial Arts Manual won't be enough.
That's different from a game.
If I don't actually practice, I probably won't gain 'ki' energy.
"Lie face down, place both hands on the floor or bed. Keep your back straight. Take a deep breath and say, 'Meow'!"
One of the 'Beast Body Guidance' techniques, the cat form.
Imitating a cat stretching, I take a deep breath.
By gaining the cat's flexibility and softness, I can increase my 'ki' energy.
Yeah... I can tell when I actually try it.
The flow of energy inside my body――the meridians――are being activated.
But, things like this take time to show results. I'm glad I started early.
I'll keep raising my 'ki' energy and eventually get the escape skill 'Four Divine Steps.'
Of course, I'll protect Seirei. I won't let her enter the harem.
Even if, worst case, she ends up in the harem, I won't let her become a villainess.
I'm ready to do anything for that.
Still... I'm glad the merchant agreed to negotiate.
When I said I'd buy the 'Beast Body Guidance' Martial Arts Manual and the hair accessory as a set, he gave me a discount. Even so, I was still a bit short, so I negotiated by saying I'd write your product names on the ground.
In this world, there are surprisingly many people who can 'read but not write.'
The merchant could read but wasn't good at writing.
So I showed him by writing the words on the ground,
'I'll write a list of products next to the shop. That way, customers will know what you're selling at a glance. I think it will help sales, what do you think?'
――I made that offer.
The merchant agreed to negotiate.
He lowered the price of the book and the hair accessory to something I could afford.
I'm glad my writing is good.
Thanks to that, I was able to buy both the Martial Arts Manual and the hair accessory.
The hair accessory was delivered to Seirei by Hakuyou.
I don't think I'll become close with Seirei right away, but I think it will be a good start.
Now... I'll try to show her the best side of me to gain her trust.
"Meow, meow!"
But... the 'Beast Body Guidance' pose is really embarrassing.
I was so happy to get the Martial Arts Manual that I ended up starting my training... but next time, I should do it late at night or early in the morning. I need to make sure no one sees me.
Especially if Seirei sees me──
"Meow, meow! Mew!"
"...Tenhou-sama."
I heard a voice.
It came from the direction of the door.
I'm still in cat form, and I turned my gaze toward the voice. Seirei was there.
She had her hand on the door and was staring at me.
Her silver hair had a cherry blossom hairpin.
I gave it to her. It looks like she wore it. I'm glad.
Seirei was wide-eyed on the other side of the door.
She seemed surprised to see me. Well, of course.
If the second son of the family she was adopted into was pretending to be a cat and meowing, anyone would be shocked.
This is bad.
Seirei finally accepted the hairpin, but now she's seen me in this embarrassing situation.
This is really bad.
What if she gets disgusted with the Kou family and decides to leave... what should I do?
"Um... Seirei. This is..."
"Tenhou-sama... it looks like Kokuyou... so cute..."
...Huh?
Is Seirei's eyes sparkling?
Her hands are shaking, but it seems like she's desperately trying to hold back from coming into the room.
"Meow. Kokuyou... Tenhou-sama..."
"Um, Seirei. What do you mean by Kokuyou...?"
"My precious... cat."
...Now that I think about it, Seirei really liked animals, didn't she?
I wonder if seeing me in the 'cat form' of the guidance made her think of her pet cat...?
"Tenhou-sama, can I come into your room?"
"...Sure."
"...Mmm."
Seirei suddenly jumps into the room, unable to hold back.
Meanwhile, I'm still in the cat posture of 'Beast Body Guidance.'
As she looks at me, Seirei says,
"Tenhou-sama... please continue."
"Well, Seirei, this is a guidance that mimics a cat... it's like a health method..."
"Yeah. Keep going."
"...Seirei?"
"Meowww. Meow."
...Wait, why is she making cat sounds while posing like a cat?
Why is she reaching out her hand to me and then pulling it back...?
Doing cat guidance in front of Seirei is super embarrassing...
...Ah, whatever!
"...Meow. Meoww. Meow!"
"...Pfft."
Seirei laughed.
The character of Ryuu Seirei in 'History of Swordmaster' was supposed to be a 'beauty who doesn't smile.'
If that's the case――
"Meow, meow, meow! Meow!"
I switch to 'Beast Body Guidance's 'Cat Ball Chase' (cats chase balls).
I pretend the pillow on the bed is a ball and scratch at it.
Then――
"...Kokuyou."
Seirei touched my back.
"...No, Tenhou-sama... thank you."
"Seirei...?"
"Thank you for caring about me during meals. Thank you for bringing tea, snacks, and the book. Thank you for the hairpin... Thank you for pretending to be a cat... Thank you for thinking about Seirei this much..."
"Well, this is called guidance――."
"But still... I'm happy."
Seirei stroked my back.
Her beautiful silver hair swayed. The cherry blossom-colored 'Setsuenka' hairpin looked really good on her.
Seirei continued to stroke my back with a face that was both crying and smiling.
"...I want to become part of Tenhou-sama's family..."
"Yeah. Seirei is my little sister."
"......Thank you very much."
"By the way..."
"...Yes?"
"It's a bit embarrassing to be in cat form all the time."
"......Is it okay for a little longer?"
"I don't want to be the only one feeling embarrassed..."
After thinking for a moment, I said,
"Do you want to try cat guidance too, Seirei?"
"Will you teach me...?"
"If my little sister wishes for it, of course."
"Yes. Please."
Seirei and I looked at each other and smiled.
Then I started 'Beast Body Guidance' with Seirei.
──Later, the servant Hakuyou said──
"Milady, may I have a moment?"
"Oh, Hakuyou. What is it?"
"I have something to tell you about Hou-sama and Seirei."
"About Tenhou and Seirei?"
"Yes. Seirei is in Hou-sama's room..."
"Is Seirei in Tenhou's room? Could it be that they've become friends?"
"Y-yes. They are getting along well."
"That's great. How are they both doing?"
"They're curled up and saying 'Meow, meow.'."
"...I didn't hear that clearly."
"They're both curled up on the floor, saying 'Meow, meow.'."
"...So it's not a misunderstanding."
"It's 'Meow, meow.'."
"It's 'Meow, meow,' huh?"
Hakuyou and Gyokushi fell silent.
After delivering the hair accessory, Hakuyou saw Seirei dash out of the room.
She thought she was going to Tenhou's room.
She believed that Tenhou's true feelings had finally reached her――so she secretly followed her.
Then, when she peeked through the door's gap, she saw Tenhou and Seirei in a cat-like position, hitting a pillow.
"That's not all."
"Is there still something else?"
"Hou-sama and Seirei-sama were also pretending to be chickens."
"Like 'cluck, cluck'?"
"Yes, 'cluck, cluck.'."
"What does that mean?"
"Hou-sama was looking for a book about a method to enhance 'ki' at the market. I think it's related. But I was surprised to see the son and adopted daughter of General Skybear both pretending to be cats and chickens..."
Hakuyou stared straight at Gyokushi and said,
"What should we do, milady?"
"They're getting along, right?"
"They're happily saying 'meow, meow' and 'cluck, cluck.'."
"Then, isn't that good?"
Saying this, Gyokushi smiled.
She didn't stop her knitting.
"Tenhou has opened Seirei's heart. Let's leave the rest to that child."
"Is that really okay!?"
"I've heard that Seirei never played with other kids in the town where she used to live."
Seirei was avoided by others because she looked different.
Even adults felt that way.
It's easy to imagine how kids her age treated Seirei.
"That Seirei has opened her heart to Tenhou. We shouldn't interfere."
"If you say so, milady."
"That's amazing. Tenhou is."
"Yes. Hakuyou feels the same way."
"Without hesitation, he used his savings for Seirei's hair ornament, right? The guiding technique... it must be something he needs, but having the courage to trust what he got and try it right away is a big deal."
"Hou-sama even negotiated with merchants to get the hair ornament and the Martial Arts Manual."
"Hakuyou. Please tell me the price of the hair ornament."
Gyokushi smiled gently.
"I'll cover half of it. After all, I asked that child to take care of Seirei."
"I will inform Hou-sama."
"And please bring tea and sweets for the two of them."
The guiding technique is like training in martial arts.
If one works hard, they'll get tired and hungry.
"Both Tenhou and Seirei did their best. Please give them something filling."
"Understood, milady."
Hakuyou left Gyokushi's room and headed to the kitchen.
There, she got some baked goods and tea, then made her way to Tenhou's room.
She called out to the two of them――wondering why there was no response――so she opened the door.
Then――
"...Oh my. You two."
Tenhou and Seirei were curled up together on the floor, sleeping.
Hakuyou tried to carry them to the bed... and noticed that Tenhou and Seirei were holding hands.
Feeling relieved at the cute sight, Hakuyou covered them with a blanket.
After that, she quietly left the room so as not to wake them.
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