章 7: Training- Arc (2)
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And so it came to pass that I was gently woken up the next morning by the rays of the sun shining through my window and onto my face. Filled with anticipation and excitement, I jumped out of bed because today was the day I would meet my new sensei, Tsukuyomi, the Shinto god of the night and the moon.
After a brief prayer to Amaterasu, I took a shower and soon found myself refreshed and sitting at the kitchen table. My mother served her specialty, my favorite breakfast: Okonomiyaki with fried vegetables. I had never been a fan of sweet dishes, and my mother's savory Okonomiyaki was simply the best food in the world.
My father sat across from me as my mother placed a fully loaded plate in front of each of us.
"Itadakimasu!" we said in unison and began devouring the Okonomiyaki. My mother watched us proudly, smiling at her culinary skills.
Amidst our eating, neither my father nor I noticed that a third man had joined us at the table. My mother served him a plate as well. Nodding silently in thanks, he started eating.
Two minutes filled with ASMR eating sounds later, he said, "Wow, just the right thing after a night full of alcohol and partying!" while rubbing his full belly. My father and I nodded in agreement until we jumped in shock.
"Ah, sorry... Let me introduce myself. I am Tsukuyomi; I believe my sister has already announced me..."
I looked at him appraisingly. His slicked-back hair, oversized clothes, and the cigarette behind his ear made this introduction very unconvincing. Adding to that were the dark circles under his eyes and the smell of stale alcohol and cheap perfume.
"Can a god really look like this?! And above all, is this supposed to be my new sensei?" I thought, wondering if this was some sort of prank by Amaterasu.
"Omi, uh, is this a joke? If so, it's not a good one! Please tell me this 20-year-old wannabe is not my new sensei!" I prayed silently to Amaterasu, hoping she was just pulling my leg.
"Sorry, Ama-chan, but this is indeed Tsukuyomi... He is the god of the night and in recent decades, his love for nightlife in big cities has grown... To be honest, he drinks and parties way too much, but he is the best trainer for fog manipulation that I could get for you..."
"Great..." I thought before my thoughts were interrupted by Tsukuyomi. He looked me in the eyes with a piercing gaze and said, "Enough talking to my sister about me?"
Embarrassed, I looked away until Tsukuyomi relented: "It doesn't matter... you must be Mitsukawa Amateran, my sister's new blade. Well, outwardly, you don't make much of an impression; maybe I should also give you lessons in this regard?"
"No! Uh, I mean, no thank you... Please teach me everything about fog manipulation, Tsukuyomi-sensei!" I stammered with a deep bow.
Tsukuyomi thought for a moment and then murmured, "I just wanted to show you some basics... man, if Amaterasu wasn't so damn terrifying when she's angry, I wouldn't have come at all..."
Then he turned to my mother and, with his most charming smile, said, "But these Okonomiyaki are really divine! If I didn't enjoy partying and my single life so much, I could almost marry you, Mrs. Mitsukawa!"
My mother's smile froze a bit, and then she hugged my father and said in a cold tone, "Tsukuyomi-sama, I'm sorry, but I love my husband! Please never talk about such topics with me again! Otherwise, you can cook for yourself!"
Tsukuyomi stopped and threw himself submissively on the ground, begging, "No! What have I done! Please excuse my suggestion! I never meant it that way! I just want more Okonomiyaki! Please let me continue to enjoy your divine cooking skills! In my long life, I have never had a better breakfast. My hangover is already forgotten!"
My mother looked at the god crawling on the floor in front of her, winked at me, and said, "Tsukuyomi-sama! How about a deal? If I understand correctly, you train Ama-chan and get board and lodging from us. My new deal is you really put in the effort and teach my son everything you know about fog manipulation, and in return, I'll make you delicious Okonomiyaki every morning..."
Tsukuyomi stopped begging on the floor and then said in a serious tone, "I can't teach him everything, that would take decades, which your son doesn't have if I remember correctly... but for the divine Okonomiyaki, I'll teach him everything he needs for the future!"
My mother nodded gratefully, and I also bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Tsukuyomi-sensei! I will not disappoint you!"
Tsukuyomi waved his hand dismissively while placing the cigarette behind his ear in the corner of his mouth. A small flame ignited on his index finger, but before he could start smoking, my mother grabbed him by the neck and ushered him out into the garden through the kitchen door.
"God or not! No smoking in my house!"
And so it came to pass that Tsukuyomi, the god of the night and the moon, was thrown out of the house by my very mortal mother.
I followed him out of the house, and we stood together in the garden. Tsukuyomi lit his cigarette, and the smoke escaped from his mouth with a relieved sigh, rising towards the sun. He looked up at the sun and with a smile said, "Good morning, sister... it's nice to see you in the sky again. The days when you hid in that cave were really dark and sad..."
From the shrine not far away in the garden, Amaterasu's voice could be heard: "Tsuku... honestly, I haven't missed your face! I still hold it against you that you killed Ukemochi... but for the sake of my little blade... Hello Tsuku..."
"That old story again! I've told you a billion times that it was Susanoo who killed Ukemochi... but whatever, the Okonomiyaki are worth putting up with your nagging for the duration of the contract... so go ahead and start your training... I'll lie down in the grass, smoke, and sleep off the remaining alcohol... wake me up for lunch. Oh, and Amateran-kun, be ready for your first lesson!"
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While Tsukuyomi lay in the grass, I started the day's training with Amaterasu. The plan was to refine my sword skills and learn new techniques. As usual, Amaterasu and I were too lazy and uncreative to come up with our own techniques. So, we did what anyone in this situation would do: we borrowed from smarter and more creative people. Specifically, we thought about which anime techniques we could bring to reality.
"How about we go through Zoro's techniques first? Since you've only fought with one sword so far and we're short on time, we should stick to his Ittoryu... so what have we seen from Zoro so far?"
Without hesitation, I replied, "Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson and San-Juuroku Pound Ho, so not much variety, and I don't think the latter is possible. At least not with my human body, blessing or not..."
"Hmm, you're unfortunately right, not much variety, but what do you think about Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson? Couldn't that already enhance your fighting style? Especially against single opponents?"
After brief consideration, I agreed. Shishi Sonson was an extremely fast Iaido technique where Zoro drew his sword in a flash and cut through his opponent with a single, precise strike. He first used this technique against Mr. 1 in the Alabasta Arc, and it always stuck with me as an epic scene.
Amaterasu added enthusiastically, "And you can envelop your blade in the flames of the sun, which should amplify the power of the technique, especially against supernatural opponents!"
Inspired by Amaterasu's enthusiasm, I started practicing the technique. But I quickly realized that in reality, such a fast technique was extremely difficult to control. Thanks to the sun breathing technique, I could bring my body to the appropriate speed, but I couldn't stop myself afterward. This meant that after every swing, I sailed a few meters through the air and then braked with my face on the grass.
Tsukuyomi watched amusedly as I repeatedly fell flat on my face, but I didn't let his giggling deter me. Who wouldn't want to perform one of their favorite characters' techniques in real life?
Therefore, I wasn't discouraged by my failures, even though no improvement was noticeable by lunchtime.
"Shit, it's just too hard to stop the acceleration... every time my feet touch the ground, the momentum of my upper body is so great that I land on my face!" I grumbled loudly at the dining table, earning a smack on the back of my head from my mother.
"No swearing in my house!"
Tsukuyomi, who was also waiting at the table for my mother's food, chuckled. "Ah, your personal fail competition really brightened my day... but try to calm down. For my part of the training, you need a clear mind. Maybe I'll even give you a tip or two for your swordsmanship if you do well and don't cause me any trouble…"
I looked at him skeptically, still unsure if the god would actually provide serious training. In my mind, I was more worried about Tsukuyomi following in Susanoo's footsteps. I admit, I was scared, really scared, of becoming a plaything for a god again.
My breathing became slightly panicked, but I immediately heard Amaterasu's calming voice in my head. "Don't worry, Ama-chan, I'm with you and I will stay with you the entire time. And if I sense even the slightest hint of manipulation that doesn't belong to your training, Tsukuyomi will wish he had never been born!"
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