Chapter 31
“I have someone I want to catch up to. From what I’ve seen, your hand-to-hand combat skills surpass theirs… Please, let me become your disciple, or at least let me spar with you regularly—”
“Misaki-senpai, maybe you shouldn’t be begging in front of the supermarket…?”
“!? Akira-kun!? Eh, why are you here?”
“This is near my house. I was planning to do some shopping here today.”
I spoke to Misaki-senpai, who had been pleading to become my older sister figure’s disciple, in a corner of the supermarket parking lot.
…Well, that person she wants to catch up to is probably… obvious.
“Oh? So you’re an acquaintance of Akira? I thought you were some explorer because you’re in plain clothes.”
“Welcome back, onee-san. This is the student council president of the academy. Don’t you remember? She’s the woman I fought in the tournament on the first day of summer break.”
“Ah… maybe? I’m not good at remembering faces.”
“Um… Akira-kun, are you acquainted with her?”
“Yes. She’s our maid and my mentor.”
“Eh!? Th-then… asking to become her disciple… I guess that’s… inappropriate?”
“Hmm… I suppose so?”
It’s a bit strange to want to join the master of someone you’re going to fight. Even if she accepted, it would likely turn into a private duel against a fellow disciple, or something like that.
Though, we’re not technically in the same school of disciples.
“Wait, you’re refusing the disciple thing? Come on… since she’s an acquaintance of Akira, you could give her a little service. I could even spar once for 500 yen.”
“Why turn it into a paid thing… and a coin just to make it seem like a deal?”
“Eh, really!? Th-then… okay!”
“Senpai, don’t pay either…”
“Thanks! I won’t give it back! Then for the first time today, I’ll give you a light spar. Come on, carry the older sister’s stuff and let’s all head home.”
“Don’t make decisions without asking… wait a moment. I’ll finish shopping with Kasumi quickly.”
“Uh… yeah. I was taken aback… Oh, older sister, is there anything you want to eat?”
“Oh, Kasumi girl will cook? Today, I want something with a strong flavor since I’ll be drinking.”
“Got it. Then… I’ll make black vinegar sweet-and-sour pork and chili shrimp.”
“Woo! I love black vinegar sweet-and-sour pork! Kasumi, you know me well!”
After that, we quickly finished shopping and returned home—a very strange mix of four people.
…At first glance, it almost looks like I’m really lucky. Misaki, Kasumi, and the older sister—all quite beautiful.
Yet, somehow, my opinion of Misaki is gradually slipping into “disappointing beauty.”
“Akira’s house… it’s been a while. But the cleaning is thorough. Older sister, you do all this cleaning yourself?”
“Of course. I’m a flawless maid after all—cooking, laundry, dungeon exploration, I handle it all. Now… Misaki? Yes, Misaki. Let’s spar in the yard. I’ll start by sparring bare-handed with you to see your actual skill.”
On the way home, Kasumi went to the kitchen, while the older sister called Misaki to the yard, ready for bare-handed sparring.
I could tell. She’s just having fun—found someone better than a game to kill time until dinner.
I also noticed that the older sister put a 500-yen coin into the “Older Sister Piggy Bank” that had somehow appeared in the living room. She really took it…!
“P-pleased to meet you!”
“Misaki, any experience in hand-to-hand combat?”
“Yes. My family runs a swordsmanship dojo. There, I study ‘Kumitō,’ a martial art for battlefield situations when one loses their sword.”
“Ah, a swordsmanship dojo. I want to see your sword skills next time. But today it’s bare-handed. ‘Kumitō’ is an old-style battlefield martial art, specialized for taking down opponents.”
“Y-yes.”
“All right… Akira, give the signal. Count down.”
“Got it. Three, two, one… start!”
The moment I finished my improvised countdown, despite the roughly five-meter distance between them, the older sister’s fist was almost touching Misaki’s face the instant the match began.
No armor, nothing. If it had landed, it would have hit a maiden’s face at insane speed.
…Ruthless.
“Eh…”
“Yes, older sister wins. You were too careless, Misaki. From five meters, distance can be closed instantly. The mistake? Not fortifying your defense without knowing your opponent’s cards.”
“A… amazing… I didn’t even see the movement start…”
“This is a ‘Straight Lead’ from Jeet Kune Do. Every martial art has techniques, and a few of them are genuinely effective in combat. I pick those and teach them to Akira.”
“I see… so it’s an original style, compiled purely of techniques that are practical in real combat.”
“Exactly, I call it ‘Older Sister Style.’ Today, as a first-time service, I’ll thoroughly teach you the Straight Lead.”
And so, the older sister began teaching Misaki, while I went to help Kasumi with cooking.
“Kasumi, I’ll help too.”
“Really? But this is technically for Akira’s birthday celebration.”
“It’s fine. The older sister looks happy having someone to spar with, and senior seems to be enjoying herself, so I’m free.”
“Ahaha. Still… it’s surprising, seeing someone so desperate to become a disciple.”
“Yeah. And the older sister is… a bit mischievous too.”
“One coin for sparring… is that like a shady business? But from what I’ve seen, the older sister is a martial arts master. Paying for her sparring might actually be worth it.”
Indeed… from my perspective, being trained by her, even one coin seems reasonable.
“All right, Akira, cut the pork into bite-sized pieces. I’ll fry the shrimp.”
“Wow, so organized… Kasumi, you’d make a great mom.”
“Eh? Really? Don’t compliment me~”
Two skilled cooks working together really halves the effort. We finished cooking before the sparring ended, and then had to tell them to stop, like responsible parents.
“Thank you for letting us join the meal…”
“It’s fine, today’s partly your birthday celebration. A lively atmosphere makes Akira happy.”
“Eh, really? Happy birthday, Akira-kun.”
“Haha, my birthday was on the 10th, but this is a slightly delayed celebration.”
“Ah, but the older sister already celebrated it for you.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
A table of four is rare in this house; even with my parents, it’s usually just three.
“But… you’re surprisingly different from how I imagined. Should I call you older sister? You seem entirely different from when I first saw you in the dungeon or when I spoke to you at the supermarket…”
Misaki bravely addressed the elephant in the room: the older sister’s drastically changing personality.
“Eh? But a mysterious maid is cool, right? Also, I say what I think! It’s a survival tactic to avoid trouble.”
“You’ve grown, older sister. I’m happy.”
“Eh… wasn’t my energy like this before?”
“Ah… I forgot. Kasumi’s your close friend, so it’s fine. But Misaki, you’re basically meeting a crazy woman for the first time, so caution is natural!”
“C-crazy woman… I apologize…”
“No need to apologize, Misaki. Besides, there’s an even crazier woman right in front of you.”
“Hey, that’s not wrong, older sister.”
The lively dinner lifted my spirits a bit.
Meanwhile, I turned on the TV, thinking Misaki might need a little break from being teased.
“It’s now the scheduled time. We will begin the public auction.”
“First, we’ll introduce the participating companies—”
…Uh, there’s a special broadcast for the “Tenshou-class Magic Stone Size Category A Public Auction, Live Stream”!