Do you play chess?

"Ow!" I yelped in pain.

"Don't move." Ashikaga said while aggressively tying a bandage around my torso.

I was careless. In my rush to experience real combat, I overlooked my body's physical limitations. While the parts of my body that I reinforced with perfect overload were perfectly fine, the parts that aren't were an issue. Even though my blade cleanly cut through two people's heads and one man's arm, there was a resistance that I hadn't encountered while training, meaning that my body wasn't adjusted, as a result, my back muscles received an incomprehensible amount of strain, causing a lot of muscle tear.

This was something that I could recover on my own in a few minutes, however…

As the adrenaline rush wore off, I turned around to look at the decapitated victims and while doing so, I winced from the pain caused by my aching back muscles.

"You're hurt, aren't you?" Ashikaga said while I made my way towards the two corpses. She seemed to notice my change in facial expression.

"I'm fine."

'I'm so stupid. I'll have to fix this and also modify my muscle composition on my back to ensure this never happens again. And while I'm at it, I might as well do it for every muscle in my body. Hnghhh. That's gonna take ages.'I mentally groaned at the amount of work I'd have to do.

I crouched down next to the assailants and moved my hand to unmask them, hoping to gain some information.

"Don't." A voice echoed from behind me. "Don't look people you've killed in the eye. Nothing good will come from it, believe me."

I didn't know how to feel about it, I had never killed a human before. I've seen plenty die, so I didn't think that it would be any different, but I decided to listen to Ashikaga anyway, it's better to not take any unnecessary risks.

"More importantly, are you alright?" I asked, turning my head around just enough to look at her but not enough to strain me.

"Apart from the fact that you kicked me in the ribs, I am unharmed. I think your condition is more critical than mine though."

"Really, I'm fine"

"Just have a doctor look at it anyway." She sighed while placing her knee on the man's chest to ensure he wouldn't try anything funny.

I nodded.

"I'll call the guards." I told her.

"I'll wait here."

I gave her a confused look before clearing my throat.

"INTRUDER! NORTH-WEST WING!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, enough to gain the attention of anyone in a 500 meter radius.

At the same time, multiple alarm bells started ringing throughout the estate grounds.

"Do you have to be that loud?" She asked with her hands covering her ears.

I rolled my eyes.

"You know, I think a lot of people find you unpleasant to be around."

"You're not the first person to tell me that."

"And probably not the last."

She slightly frowned at my remark.

"Sleep with one eye open tonight."

The guards arrived a few moments later, only to find two corpses along with another passed out intruder.

"What happened here?" One of the men asked, perplexed by the scene in front of them.

"We'll report directly to my father, for now, please bring this man to the infirmary, he's a valuable source of information." I said while pointing at the passed out assassin.

The guards threw each other hesitant looks as if they were unsure about what to do.

"Did you not hear him? That's an order!" My father's voice rang out, making all the guards flinch.

Upon hearing his words, they quickly mobilized and brought the man to the infirmary while also taking care of the two corpses.

"Your report, Yukiko." My dad said as he approached me.

"Right, there were three assailants, we're not sure of their target but it is most likely Lady Ashikaga. All three of which have been eliminated. We also retrieved the poison pill one of them attempted to use."

My dad looked at me, then at Ashikaga, then back at me before giving us a nod of approval.

"Well done. You can fill me in on the details on the way to the infirmary."

With that, all three of us made our way to the infirmary while discussing tonight's incident.

"So you took out 3 trained shinobi by yourself?" My dad raised a brow as he continued walking.

"He did." Ashikaga backed me up.

My dad looked at her before sighing.

"Well, what did I expect from you anyway? Also, the old geezer says he has something to talk to you about, you should go see him after getting checked out."

"I really don't need to go, I'm fine." I protested.

"You definitely need to go." Ashikaga simply said.

'This damn woman.' I thought while turning around and shooting her a glare, a gesture she replied to by sticking her tongue out.

"Fuck you." I whispered just enough so she could hear me.

"What barbaric words." She whispered back.

My dad cleared his throat and gave me a nasty side-eye.

"Stop being stubborn, you know she means well. Just go, if nothing is wrong you can just leave." He urged, though it felt more like a threat.

"Fine."

*

The infirmary was packed. Apparently, the shinobi we encountered weren't the only ones who tried to infiltrate the mansion. Though it looked like the rest of them got caught trying. Between trying to keep the man I captured alive and treating the wounds of fatally injured guards, the small nursing team just simply couldn't keep up.

I caught the eye of a servant who was acting as a temporary nurse. She looked back at me with a worried expression on her face before standing up and making her way towards us.

"Young master, don't tell me you're injured too."

I wanted to say I was fine again, but when I caught a glimpse of Ashikaga glaring at me, I just told the truth.

"It's really not that bad."

"Then…" The nurse hesitated, "Young lady, why don't you check up on him. Call me over in case there's anything major, otherwise just slap on a bandage."

She blinked a couple of times, making sure she understood what the woman had just told her.

"I don't have any medical knowledge, are you sure it's alright?" She asked.

"Don't worry, just check if there's any bleeding or broken bones." She hurriedly said. "Then, good luck."

She rushed back to her patient, leaving the two of us stumped.

"Please take good care of me, doctor." I said.

"Whatever, just hurry up."

We sat down on one of the empty infirmary beds and drew the curtains. What surprised me was how modern the whole place was. I had no knowledge of how advanced medical practice was during this time period, but I didn't think it was this advanced. Sure, the whole place was lit up by candles and lamps, but still, white sheets, dividers, the whole pack.

"So, what seems to be the problem."

"You see, doctor, my back has been hurting for a while now. Do you think there's something wrong with me?" I mockingly said.

"Shut up and let me see. I don't want to waste any more of my time."

I did as instructed and slipped my hands out of my kimono, letting it fall off my shoulders.

"How did this even happen?" She said.

I turned around to see a shocked expression on her face.

"It's really not a big deal."

"You idiot, the muscles on your back are, for the lack of a better term, fucked up."

"It'll heal." I shrugged. "Just apply those bandages unless you want to be here all night."

And so, she began roughly applying them.

"Ow!"

"Don't move."

"Have you ever done this before?" She wrapped it even tighter than before.

"No, this is the first time. Why do you ask."

"Be gentler, it hurts. Ow!"

"I said don't move, idiot."

"I save your life and this is how I get repaid? Don't forget you owe me."

"I didn't need you to help, it was under my control." She tugged on the bandage.

"Sure, tell that to the 3 masked men with swords that were out to kill you."

"Look," She tugged one last time as she began to tie my bandages in a knot. "I've been in similar situations more times than I can count. I made it out alive each time without your help, I certainly will not need it going forward."

I remained silent for a while before speaking again.

"All it takes is one time. One time where luck won't be on your side, that's all it takes for you to lose your life. If you keep being that stubborn, it'll happen one day or another."

"And what about you? I can tell from looking at your eyes, you know. What gives you the right to risk your life?" She questioned, tying the knot in a neat bow.

I turned around to look her in the eye, I wanted to drive my point home.

"I'm stronger."

"And I'm smarter."

"You're too young."

"I'm older than you."

"You're still weak and fragile."

"You haven't seen me fight."