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Chapter 145: A Crisis
Chapter 145: A Crisis
Chapter 145: A Crisis
After breakfast, we went to see the only doctor in the village to find out why my body had shrunk.
“It’s been a while, Uncle.”
“Yes, it has been a long time, Yukika.”
Apparently, in Kazama, Senior Fuma’s hometown, everyone was related by blood.
This made things quite awkward, as everyone recognized Senior Fuma wherever we went.
Everyone asked if I was a groom brought from Tokyo.
Initially, I tried to clarify the misunderstanding, but eventually, I just gave up.
I realized they were just teasing Senior Fuma by asking if I was a prospective groom.
I underwent a thorough examination by Senior Fuma’s uncle.
Initially, I thought he was just a doctor in name, but he turned out to be an elite who graduated from a medical school in Tokyo with excellent grades.The medical license proudly displayed behind his office desk proved this fact.
After all the examinations, Senior Fuma’s uncle said,
“Surprisingly, everything is normal.”
“Yes?”
If it’s normal, why the surprise?
As I looked at him, not understanding, Senior Fuma’s uncle paused, wondering how to explain.
“In my 20 years of medical practice, I’ve never seen anyone as healthy as you. All your physical abilities are far above those of the average person. Yet, you say you’re in a bad condition; what exactly do you do?”
“Oh, I see.”
Again, what?
Senior Fuma, who was listening, chimed in, “You can’t judge him by ordinary standards.”
“Medically speaking, there’s nothing wrong with your body. However, considering the concept of ‘Qi’, the balance in your body is temporarily disrupted.”
“Is it because my yang energy has depleted?”
“Correct. The secret medicine of our clan, ‘Ghost Pill’, uses the person’s original true qi, leading to temporary depletion after its effects end. The depleted qi will return in a few days with proper nourishment, but this side effect might be due to the spirit possessing your body.”
I thought of Saya waiting outside the door.
“Is it because her energy is strong?”
“The physical body naturally follows the soul. Currently, there are two souls in your body, and one has temporarily become dominant, so your body’s form seems to be following the dominant one.”
“So, if my yang energy is restored, my body will return to its original form?”
“It’s just speculation, but that’s likely the case.”
I thanked Senior Fuma’s uncle again and left the hospital.
“What are you planning to do now?”
“I don’t want to waste time, so I’m thinking of practicing for now.”
Though my body had shrunk, it wasn’t entirely immobile.
Having memorized the book’s contents all day yesterday, I felt capable of practicing the movements to get a feel for them.
“If that’s the case, I know a good place. Follow me.”
Saying so, Senior Fuma started walking ahead, leading the way.
I felt increasingly indebted, but since I was a guest, I decided to obediently follow Senior Fuma.
Senior Fuma took me to an open area inside the mansion we had seen the day before.
It was the place where villagers gathered in groups to spar.
Today, it seemed the sparring had already finished, with only a few children fighting each other in the open area.
As we entered the area, one of the gathered kids shouted with a happy face.
“Sister!”
Instantly, all eyes were on us.
Half of those eyes were on me, not Senior Fuma.
Perhaps because I was a new face in the village.
While I was feeling awkward internally, the first girl to approach asked,
“Sister, who is this?”
Senior Fuma then kneeled down to her level and kindly answered,
“It’s not ‘who,’ but ‘he’s’ a guest of the village. He’s the brother we saw the other day.”
“Eeeek?!”
The kids looked at me again with shocked expressions.
It felt like I had unintentionally given them a surprise.
“He shrunk this much?!”
“No way!”
Honestly, even if I were in their shoes, I doubt I would believe it.
A person getting younger overnight? It was like something out of a cartoon.
“Anyway, sister has something to do, so let’s talk again later.”
After dispersing the gathered kids, Senior Fuma glanced at me and asked,
“I’m sorry, Kim Yu-seong. The kids didn’t mean any harm.”
“It’s okay.”
Following Senior Fuma’s lead, I found a spot in the corner of the open area.
“I’ll watch your training. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.”
“I appreciate that.”
With Senior Fuma watching, I began to replicate the movements I had read in the book yesterday.
Fundamentally, Hayate was a martial art that used hand strikes (Shuto).
And the most basic of basics, the first form Kamaitachi, was a technique to cut objects with bare hands.
Honestly, it was a challenge from the start.
Cutting objects with bare hands, wasn’t that impossible?
I was curious about the origins of such a technique.
So I asked Senior Fuma, and the answer I got was quite something.
“Originally, it was a technique developed in case of a sword breaking on the battlefield. The ancestors of the Fuma Clan wanted little difference in combat ability whether they were armed or not. If one could use their bare hands like a sword, there would be no need to hide weapons. As generations passed, the blade of kamaitachi became sharper.”
“I see…”
Did I hear that correctly?
Honestly, even after hearing the explanation, I didn’t quite understand.
But without showing my confusion outwardly, I silently began my own training.
As expected, the first day of training ended without any progress.
It was much harder than I anticipated to shape the energy wrapped around my hand into a blade-like form.
Although the book was full of difficult terms, ultimately, mastering the techniques seemed to depend on my own senses.
Anyway, after swinging my arms all day and getting drenched in sweat, I immediately grabbed a change of clothes upon returning to my quarters and headed for the bathroom.
Normally, the staff at the mansion would guide me, but since I memorized the way yesterday, I found it on my own.
Having firmly instructed Saya to stay put in the room while I bathed, there was no one to interrupt my bath.
After undressing in the changing room, with a towel on my head, I entered the open-air bath.
This bath, made from a nearby hot spring, had an open roof, offering a unique sense of openness.
Before immersing myself in the bath, I washed my body lightly.
Since it was a communal bath used by the villagers, I had to be mindful of hygiene.
After wiping off the sweat, I finally immersed myself in the bath.
The muscles, tense from all-day exercise, relaxed as they met the hot water.
“Ah~”
Indeed, bathing after exercise felt great.
The water, which would usually reach only up to my waist, now reached my shoulders due to my shrunken body.
With a neatly folded towel on my head, I submerged myself deeper into the water.
The warm heat circulating through my body seemed to improve my blood circulation.
I was thoroughly enjoying the hot spring bath when it happened.
Creak!
“Oh? Is there someone else here?”
I turned my head at the familiar voice and was startled.
It was Senior Fuma at the entrance of the bath, barely covered by a single towel.
“Kim Yu-seong?!”
Senior Fuma stepped back in surprise.
“It’s time for the village women to use the bath; how come you’re here?”
So that was it!
“Sorry, Senior, I’ll leave right away.”
If I had known, I would have asked, like yesterday.
Realizing I was naked, I tried to get up quickly but then asked Senior Fuma,
“Could you turn around for a moment, please?”
“Ah, sorry, I wasn’t thoughtful.”
Senior Fuma said that and was about to turn around, but then a new voice came from the changing room.
“Yukika? What are you doing, not going in?”
…Wasn’t she alone?
I realized the situation was getting even worse.
In haste, I glanced around and spotted a large rock in one corner of the hot spring.
Splash! Splash!
While Senior Fuma was buying time at the door, I quickly dashed and hid behind the rock.
Immediately afterward,
“Ah~ This is nice~”
A group of village women, including Senior Fuma, entered the bathhouse.