My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon

Chapter 426

Chapter 426Training

It's been 40 years since then.

Ah, never mind that. Three days after that, Masa-kun and Yuki-kun, who had learned the basics of Aikido from Yuzuki-chan, returned to Osaka.

With the cheers of their beloved big sister spurring them on, they were incredibly motivated as they took on Aikido.

They even received praise from Yuzuki-chan, who taught them, saying, "They catch on quicker than the kids who come to our dojo." They're probably naturally gifted too. Mmm, their quick learning is the same as Nina-san's. As expected of siblings. Plus, since twins have a practice partner of equal skill, I think they improve even faster.

And Nina-san also went along to see them off, saying she'd show her face to her parents while she was at it.

And so, the three of them set off for Osaka. It was a leisurely trip, involving transfers between trains and buses. I'm sure it will become a wonderful memory for the three of them.

Well, to support that, my wallet became a little lighter again. But I don't regret spending that amount of money at all.

After all, I owe Nina-san a debt I can never repay.

Yes, the very reason I can spend such enjoyable times now is because Nina-san was there, in that place, at that time.When Ruu and I had broken up, and all three of us were about to part ways.

Nina-san suddenly revealed her own secret right there on the spot, saving us with a quick thinking that's normally unthinkable. This eased the heavy atmosphere all at once, and by turning it into something like a secret confession session, she created an environment where we could talk openly with each other.

Yeah, I still think that was amazing.

I could never do something like that. It was an action only possible for Nina-san, with her keen insight and understanding of human nature.

Even so, I wondered about it later and asked her why she made such a confession at that time. "Fufu, at that time, Coach becoming a woman was a pretty crazy situation, right? So then, if I confessed something I hadn't been able to tell anyone until now, you'd take it as me trying to comfort you, right? I guess I must have really wanted someone to understand me too, huh~" she said.

Yeah, it's hard to explain, but there are things you want someone to hear, right?

Even if you say something like, "I could never fall for a man," normally people would think, "Why are you bringing up such a heavy topic all of a sudden?" And if someone overheard me saying, "I often see the moment people die," they'd totally think, "Eww, what is this guy saying!?"

But, those kinds of things are pretty tough for the person involved.

Because if you talk about it, people will definitely think you're weird. So you can't get it out, and it just builds up. In that sense, since I was also able to vent under the guise of telling ghost stories, I feel a lot better.

...

(Hup, ... ho, hah!)

And so, I never neglect my training, even during breaks from chopping wood. Today, I was practicing by standing several logs upright on the ground and walking across them using the footwork of a master.

(Fufufu, this feels good. Doing this makes me feel like I've become a kung fu master or something...)

Since the logs are just standing on the ground, if you don't carefully shift your weight, they'll easily topple over. But when you can do it without knocking any over, it feels incredibly satisfying.

Just then, Shark and the others, who had been taking a nap after a combined breakfast and lunch, returned.

"Whatcha doin', Jung? Whoa, that looks fun! I'm gonna do it too!"

"Hey, wait, Shark!"

Ignoring my attempt to stop her, Shark came running over. She jumped onto the logs, but they clattered and gave way, and she ended up falling flat on her backside with a mighty thud.

"Whoa!? Fgyah!!"

"Eek! Are you okay, Ruri-chan!?"

"Are you alright, Shark? I told you to wait..."

"Oww, ouch... What's the deal with this? It wasn't stuck in the ground at all~"

Picking up one of the fallen logs, Shark pouted and complained.

"This is a type of training. The aim is to focus on careful weight distribution to achieve more refined body movements."

Yes, it reminded me of my childhood, when I'd get fired up watching training scenes in kung fu movies, try to imitate them after the movie ended, and fail utterly. That childhood memory suddenly came back to me, and I thought, "Ah, maybe I can do that now?" I tried it, and I did it easily.

And it was so fun, I just couldn't stop.

"Hahaha, how about it? Want to give it a try, Hinagata-kun? Ah, by the way, I don't see Serai-san around?"

"No, for now, I'd rather focus on the meditation training. Also, it seems Machi-san is on the phone with someone from back home."

"Hmm, I see..."

Lately, though it's only been these past two or three days, Serai-san has been acting a little strange.

She seems somewhat spaced out and distracted, and friends from her hometown frequently stop by, and she gives them food. Of course, she gets permission from me or Ojii-san before handing out food, so that's not a problem.

But whenever I ask, "Is something bothering you?" she just says, "Yeah, a little. But don't worry about it too much," dodging the question every time.

"Then, Egetsu-san. Shall we begin the meditation guidance soon?"

"Ah, yeah, sure. Let's get started, then."

"Ehh~! I like this one better!"

"Hey now. If you keep saying things like that, you'll never learn how to cultivate your ki, you know?"

"Tch~, fine. Okay, I'll do it~"

The Aikido instruction for the twin brothers.

Surprisingly, what Yuzuki-chan asked for in return was my guidance in meditation. I thought she might ask to play with Pixy more, but I guess she really is a martial artist's granddaughter. Having witnessed the push-without-touching using aura power, it seems she wants to master it herself.

Hmm, could it be that I've awakened the martial artist spirit sleeping within this high school girl?

"(Ufufu... if I can learn to do that too, then I can play with Pixy-chan and the others... Ufu, fufufu...)"

Ah, yeah... It seems that was my misunderstanding.