Chapter 26 - Rumors
A few months had quickly passed since Ren’s very first lessons with Yako and Kōrōbō.
By the end of his first month, the young boy had successfully managed to commune with nature for an entire minute. By achieving this fleeting but profound harmony with the world, he had officially managed to take his very first step onto the path of the Sage Arts, though calling him even a half-baked Sage at this point would be a massive overstatement. He had merely touched the threshold.
During his second month, he grasped the basics of the Tenran Kenjutsu, and he was finally able to glide weightlessly across the dojo floor, significantly boosting his baseline speed without making a single sound.
These two seemingly simple milestones shocked Yako and Kōrōbō so deeply that the ancient masters nearly suffered a mental breakdown. After all, it had taken both of them years of gruelling, nonstop effort to reach that exact same starting line and they were widely considered to be unprecedented prodigies among their peers!
Granted, the fact that they were long-lived supernatural races had to be factored into the equation. Yokai naturally learned and matured at a much slower pace than fleeting, short-lived humans. But even taking human adaptability into account, Ren’s monstrous rate of growth was absurd. He was learning at the speed of light.
If Yako and Kōrōbō’s innate talents were top-of-the-line fighter jets, Ritsuzen Ren was a literal space rocket blasting off into the stratosphere.
**********
A few days after the New Year, inside the private dojo of the Tengu barracks...
THWACK!
A fierce, blindingly fast swing from Kōrōbō’s bokken swept in from Ren’s blind spot, striking the boy directly in his unprotected flank. Ren gasped, his own wooden training sword, which had been raised high for a piercing thrust, stopped dead in its tracks by the sudden, breathless impact to his ribs.
"Mm. It seems your footwork is getting better and better," Kōrōbō complimented, effortlessly lowering his wooden blade. "However, your intentions are far too obvious. I have looked into your human sword arts and gained a preliminary understanding of your stances. Because of that, I can predict your moves long before you even make them."
"Ugh... Then how should I fix this, Sensei?" Ren asked, nodding thoughtfully as he rubbed his stinging side and absorbed the critique.
In truth, there was no need for an ancient Yokai like Kōrōbō to read stances to defeat a seven-year-old. But since this was a teaching spar, the Tengu captain had heavily restrained his own physical specs to match Ren’s exact level, ensuring the boy could properly learn and grow.
"Bait," Kōrōbō replied succinctly. "You need to learn how to conceal your intent when wielding your blade. Once you can mask your true emotions, you can begin to fake them, tricking your opponents by projecting false intentions."
Although Kōrōbō's own Tenran Kenjutsu was a straightforward, overwhelming style built entirely on speed, the honourable master had genuinely spent his own free time researching the Kunst des Fechtens just so he could help the boy seamlessly merge his two fighting styles.
"Ohhh..." Enlightened, Ren nodded in understanding, tightening his grip on his bokken. "Again!"
This time, however, he didn't strike immediately. Instead, the seven-year-old stood perfectly straight, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
"Fuuu..."
Kōrōbō stood completely motionless, watching the boy's unusual actions intently. 'What is he trying to do?'
When Ren finally opened his now-clear eyes, he smoothly raised his wooden blade, shifting back into his western sword stance.
'!!!' Seeing the perfectly calm state the boy had just entered, Kōrōbō was genuinely shocked. 'I... I can’t read his intentions anymore!'
That’s right. With just a single sentence of guidance from his master, the young prodigy had adjusted his mindset and hidden his intentions perfectly. This wasn't because Ren was some natural-born actor or a master of deception. Rather, it was a direct result of his Sage training under Yako.
Through all those months of deep meditation, constantly striving to commune with the breath of the world, he had learned exactly how to quiet his own mind and suppress his inner agitation. By cleverly applying that exact same meditative state to his swordplay, he effectively flatlined his own emotions, erasing any trace of his next move.
Seeing the boy's visible improvement, Kōrōbō smiled slightly in genuine pride. 'Interesting!' Lowering his stance, the Tengu captain pointed his bokken directly at the seven-year-old. "Come!"
SWISH!
Carried by a sudden, violent burst of wind from his Tenran footwork, Ren closed the distance in the blink of an eye. Just like before, he seemingly launched himself into a heavy, piercing thrust. Swoosh! The tip of his wooden sword rocketed straight toward Kōrōbō’s torso.
Relying on his vast combat experience, Kōrōbō quickly raised his guard to parry the familiar attack. But mere inches before the wooden blade reached his chest, Ren's trajectory suddenly shifted. Stripped of all readable intent, the linear pierce seamlessly morphed into a blistering, unpredictable upward slash.
THWACK!
A wooden sword was sent spinning violently into the air, ripped right out of Kōrōbō’s grip.
Caught completely unprepared by the flawless feint, the heavily restrained sword master had actually been disarmed. A split second later, Ren's bokken came to a dead stop, the blunt wooden tip resting perfectly against Kōrōbō’s neck.
"A commendable performance... my disciple," Kōrōbō acknowledged, his deep, resonant voice thick with respect.
Snapping out of his hyper-focused battle trance, Ren's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Ah! I'm sorry, Kōrōbō-sensei!" Panicking slightly, the seven-year-old quickly lowered his bokken and bowed his head deeply, fearing he had just shown terrible disrespect to his master.
"No apologies are needed. You have done an excellent job," Kōrōbō replied gently, waving a hand to dismiss the boy's worries.
Stepping forward, the Tengu captain looked intently into Ren’s eyes, his avian features settling into a look of profound solemnity. "Ren. You can now truly be called a warrior. The path ahead is now yours to walk. Although there are still a few advanced techniques from the Tenran Kenjutsu that you have yet to learn, I have no doubt you will master them quickly. And once you do... I will have absolutely nothing left to teach you."
Completely overwhelmed by the sheer weight of Kōrōbō’s solemn praise, Ren could only nod his head in a silent, awestruck daze.
"You are dismissed," Kōrōbō announced smoothly, officially bringing their morning training session to an end.
**********
A few weeks had quickly passed since Ren’s sparring with Kōrōbō, and wild rumours had officially begun to spread throughout the streets of Inner Kyoto.
"I heard from a friend, who heard from his cousin who works in the Tenko-jō... that Yasaka-sama is actually pregnant!"
Huddled around a corner table inside a bustling Yokai teahouse, a Tanuki dressed head-to-toe in black ninja garb whispered conspiratorially to his eager audience.
Gasp! His tablemates all gasped loudly in perfect unison, their eyes going wide.
"Shhh!" The Tanuki frantically raised an index finger to his lips, shushing the loud crowd. "Keep your voices down! It’s just a rumour! If the Tengu guards catch wind of me spreading this around, I'll be whipped!"
"Ohhhhh..." The group nodded in collective understanding, immediately slapping their hands over their mouths and making a synchronized zipping motion.
'What rumour?! If the Tengu guards are willing to whip someone over a simple rumour, then it isn't a rumour anymore, it's the absolute truth!' In that exact moment, the entire gossiping crowd collectively came to this flawless, unassailable conclusion.
"Hehehehe."
Sitting completely unnoticed just a few tables away from the gossiping crowd, a beautiful woman with dark brown fox ears twitching atop her head laughed mischievously behind her hand.
After finally having her fill of the entertainment, Yako stood up and casually tossed a few yen notes onto her table. Humming a cheerful tune, she strolled out of the establishment but not before discreetly flicking a folded piece of paper high into the air toward a nearby rooftop.
Up on the roof, a patrolling Tengu guard reflexively caught the anonymous note. Opening it, his eyes went wide behind his mask. "A Tanuki is spreading rumours about Lady Yasaka?!"
Alarmed and outraged, he immediately dove from the roof, his wings flaring as he crashed into the teahouse. "Tengu Guard! You there, Tanuki! You are under arrest for spreading defamation against Lady Yasaka!"
"Crap!" the ninja-dressed Tanuki yelled in distress, throwing his hands up in the air.
Meanwhile, the crowd sitting right beside him simply stared with wide eyes, echoing in perfect unison, "Ohhhhh..."
'It really IS true!' their collective minds screamed. The rumour was officially confirmed.
And walking away down the bustling Kyoto street, a certain mischievous Fox Yokai enjoyed double the fun. "Hehehehe~"
**********
Meanwhile, inside the now-darkened office of the Tenko-jō...
A slightly pale Yasaka sighed heavily to herself. Illuminated only by the dim, flickering light of her desk lamp, she was currently reading a freshly submitted incident report detailing the sudden, aggressive arrest of a ninja-dressed Tanuki in the shopping district.
"Sigh... What am I going to do with you, Yako?"
She rubbed her aching temples in sheer distress. Knowing exactly who was responsible for framing the poor gossiper and fanning the flames of her supposed "pregnancy," Yasaka couldn't help but let out another long, defeated sigh. Against that deeply mischievous Kitsune, the great and powerful Yokai Faction Leader was utterly helpless.
Dropping the incident report onto her desk, Yasaka gently placed a hand over her lower stomach, rubbing it softly. Looking down into the dim light, her stressed expression melted into a tender, albeit exhausted, smile.
"Mama is going to grow white hairs because of you," she whispered gently to her empty office.
In truth, she wasn't actually opposed to the idea of becoming a mother. But having a child magically induced by a drunken Kitsune's glowing hands was still incredibly sudden for her. More importantly, she harboured a quiet, lingering worry; growing up without a father figure might make the child feel lonely in the massive estate.
'I should visit Ren-chan more often,' Yasaka mused, her golden eyes softening as her thoughts drifted to the fiercely dedicated seven-year-old. 'When the child is born, I can have him help take care of the baby. Oh! And if it's a girl... maybe she could be his little bride?'
Completely forgetting about the towering stacks of paperwork and the rumours spreading through her city, the great Yokai Faction Leader happily slipped away into a ridiculous, self-indulgent daydream.
**********
Meanwhile, back inside the warm living room of the Mizuki estate, Yako casually dropped a massive bomb.
"By the way, Yasaka is going to have a child."
"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Kon, who had been peacefully lounging under the heated kotatsu, screamed in sheer disbelief, nearly jumping right out of his silver fur.
"Is it from that spell you cast on Yasaka-sama during the New Year’s party?" Ren asked, completely unconcerned. He clearly remembered the glowing light, whereas the little fox had been entirely blacked out from the sake at the time.
"Yep!" Yako replied cheerfully, leaning back with a proud, beaming grin. "Hehe, I honestly had no idea that spell would actually work! I guess that means I can officially be considered half a father to Yasaka’s baby! Hehehehe~"
Indeed, when Yako drunkenly chanted that bizarre spell weeks ago, she hadn't the faintest clue it was actually potent enough to create life.
"WHAAAAAAAAT?! I AM GOING TO BE AN OLDER BROTHER?!" Kon shrieked again, clutching his furry head in panic. "Wait... TO YASAKA'S CHILD?! Ughhh..."
Kon dramatically slumped over the tabletop, taking a massive, critical hit to his fragile heart. As a legendary Yokai, he was supposed to be in the exact same generational peer group as the Faction Leader! But now, thanks to his mother’s ridiculous antics, he had suddenly been demoted down the family tree to the baby's generation.
"Maa, maa. No need to be so distressed. Konyo-chan is going to be a fantastic onii-chan~!" Yako teased mischievously, poking his twitching ears.
"Um... What should we call the baby? Maybe Yaya? Or maybe Sako? Hmm... or maybe Kako?" Completely ignoring the fox's existential crisis, Ren started thinking aloud, haphazardly mashing Yako and Yasaka’s names together into terrible, uncreative combinations.
**********
Simultaneously, high above the mortal realm in the heavenly domain of Takamagahara...
"Hm, hm~"
A breathtakingly beautiful woman, seated gracefully amidst a pristine sea of fluffy white clouds, laughed elegantly behind her flowing, divine sleeves. 'I suppose Yasaka-chan will not be so uptight anymore.'
Yes, the truth of the matter was finally revealed. It wasn't that a drunken Yako had suddenly become an omnipotent deity with the authority to spontaneously create life. Rather, the "miracle" occurred simply because a certain Chief Goddess of Shinto had decided to orchestrate a little mischievous prank of her own.