Fate: Hero Simulator

[3rd POV]

The Yagyu Shinkage-ryu is a swordsmanship developed by Munetoshi, based on the teachings of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna's Shinkage-ryu.

But after watching the battle, the girl only needed a single look.

She had already managed to copy seven parts of it perfectly, with three parts feeling almost like the real thing.

"These should be about it. I still don't understand that last move, but I can keep thinking about it later."

Musashi sheathed her sword.

She had already practiced most of the stances of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū and aside from the secret technique, Shinmyōken, the only techniques she couldn't copy were those that Munetoshi had never used.

As for the rest, she had already surpassed the dojo's younger disciples by far.

Originally, Munenori had thought that the young girl looked down on their swordsmanship, but now it seemed he wasn't wrong at all.

However...

"You must join our Yagyū Shinkage-ryū."

She had completely seen through their techniques.

How could they just let someone like that roam free?

Normally, anyone caught secretly learning their techniques would have their hands or legs cut off.

But since Kyouya was standing right there, inviting the girl to officially join their dojo seemed like a much better option.

Now that Kyouya and the Yagyū family had spoken, it was only a matter of time before this girl would...

"I refuse."

Musashi wasn't stupid.

She had already watched the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū to the point of understanding it—why would she bother joining them now?

Besides, since Kyouya had defeated Munetoshi in a duel, following a stronger master was obviously the best choice.

"So you'll agree... huh? Refuse?"

Just as Munenori began to doubt his hearing, Musashi swiftly ran behind Kyouya, clearly not intending to leave.

"Munenori, there's no need to dwell on this. Consider it a ransom for her life."

Munetoshi, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm about it.

The Yagyū Shinkage-ryū was known as the "Living Sword"—its main purpose was survival.

After a fight like that, walking away alive was already a victory, and he knew better than to be greedy.

"Father... I want to spar with this girl."

Munenori naturally couldn't just let their secret techniques spread outside the family.

He might not be able to defeat Kyouya, but surely, he could beat Miyamoto Musashi!

"If I win, you must take the name of a Yagyū Shinkage-ryū disciple when you travel."

Munenori could clearly see Musashi's talent.

Even though she was a woman, she was likely to make a name for herself in the world someday.

Why not take advantage of the moment and tie her to the great ship of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu?

That way, it would also increase the reputation of their school.

"I don't want to. Even if I win, I won't benefit from it."

Musashi wasn't stupid.

She was a genius like herself, but wasn't Munenori one too?

She learned everything she knew by secretly observing others. She wasn't truly a match for someone who had trained properly like Munenori.

After a few years of training, things might be different.

"If you win, this katana in my hand will be yours."

Munenori was confident that he wouldn't lose and was willing to bet his beloved katana on the fight.

"A katana?"

Coming from a samurai family, Musashi had no resistance to such a tempting offer.

After mentally assessing the strength of both sides, she agreed.

To ensure fairness and maintain the friendly sparring, both sides would use wooden swords.

With Kyouya and Munetoshi watching, there was no risk of anyone getting seriously hurt.

"As fellow disciples of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, I'll let you make the first move."

Munenori already saw Musashi as his future junior disciple, and it was practically a done deal.

However, Musashi looked at him with disdain.

"I think it's better if you go first. I've already decided on how to defeat you. If you don't make the first move, you might not even get to use a single technique."

Musashi lazily rested her wooden sword on her shoulder, looking completely bored.

It was clear she didn't take this young sword master seriously at all.

"You... better not regret this."

Munenori knew she was trying to provoke him, but he suppressed his anger. He just needed to finish this quickly and bring this genius under his school's name.

The moment Munenori took his stance, he used Reduced Earth to close the distance.

This move, which was difficult for most people, wasn't hard for him, and he was a sword master with talent equal to his father's.

With absolute speed and strength, he planned to end the fight quickly, but then... he got a face full of lime!

"Despicable! A true samurai would never use such a dirty trick!"

"Heh, you haven't seen anything dirtier yet."

Although Musashi dreamed of becoming a samurai, the reality was that she was a woman.

How could she ever achieve that status?

Since she wasn't a samurai, there was no need to follow the so-called honor or samurai code.

As for techniques like Reduced Earth, since she had seen it, she had learned how to use it herself.

"Thud~"

A crisp sound rang out, and Munenori's head was struck, crashing to the ground as he lost consciousness.

"7 out of 10."

Kyouya, watching this smooth and quick move of throwing lime and hitting with a wooden sword on the back, instinctively started rating Musashi.

He never expected that Musashi's first attack would surpass a passing grade—she was truly impressive for her age!

"Hey~ If you don't get up, does that mean I win? The katana is mine now, and you can't change your mind."

Musashi poked the unconscious Munemori with her wooden sword, but of course, he didn't respond since he was unconscious on the ground.

Without hesitation, she took his sword.

"This is my trophy now. You won't back out, right?"

Musashi suddenly remembered that Munenori's father was still standing nearby and got a bit nervous.

"You win, fair and square. How could I back out? The katana is yours now, and you don't need to call yourself a disciple of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū anymore."

Munetoshi clearly took it well. Even though his son had been knocked struck on the head, it didn't necessarily mean it was a bad thing.

She had been very careful and made sure not to hurt him seriously, but still gave Munenori a "lesson."

Munetoshi was worried about his son's talent.

A person who's never tasted defeat will be completely broken when they face their first defeat.

He learned this when he lost to Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.

It was a good deal for him to bet a famous katana in exchange for a lesson that would keep his son from failure in the future.

"However, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Various lords are eyeing the cursed blade in your possession, so please be careful."

"I know."

Kyouya responded casually, then led Musashi away as armies moved toward their direction.

To be continued...

...

Thank you for taking the time to read my work! If you're enjoying it, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could drop some powerstones and share your honest review to show your support. Thank you so much!

https://www.patreon.com/Abyssuit

If you want to read more, you can find up to 15 advance chapters at my patreon