I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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The Endo family’s private airport. Sitting in the lounge waiting for Kim Il-sin, Hazuki asked.

“How long until they arrive?”

“They’ll be here in about 10 minutes.”

“They must be well-prepared, right? Since the head of the family personally invited them, there can’t be any mistakes.”

“Yes. Everything is perfectly arranged from meals to accommodations.”

“Good job. But keep an eye on things. Report to me immediately if anything happens.”

“Understood.”

Unlike the businesslike tone she used for instructions, Hazuki’s mood was incredibly upbeat.

This opportunity might allow her to see Kim Il-sin’s swordsmanship again, which had been missed during the exchange event.

Hazuki fiddled with the notebook she had taken out of her pocket.

It was a notebook where she had organized questions she wanted to ask Kim Il-sin.

In a little while, she intended to naturally bring up these questions while moving to the mansion.

‘If I ask nicely, maybe I’ll get to receive some sword training… Right?’

The Endo family had plenty of people who would come running to instruct her just by being called, but Kim Il-sin was different.

He gave off a sense of prayer that set him apart from ordinary swordsmen.

Because of that, she felt a vague expectation that if she received guidance from Kim Il-sin, her stagnant swordsmanship would greatly improve.

However, she didn’t show it on the outside. This was not just about being a swordsman; it was her position as the heir of the Endo family.

Exchanging pleasantries or requests for guidance from Kim Il-sin were merely additional personal desires.

The most important thing was to ensure Kim Il-sin, the head of the family’s guest, was comfortable.

“Hazuki-san. I have something to report.”

At that moment, Hazuki’s aide, Ryota, approached.

“Is there a problem?”

“No. Everything you instructed is proceeding smoothly. However, we’ve received reports that movements concerning Taichi-san are unusual.”

Endo Taichi.

He was Hazuki’s cousin and someone who had established a faction within the family to constantly counter Hazuki, the heir.

The Hazuki side suspected that his goal was to push Hazuki aside and take control of the family after the previous swordsman disappeared.

As the previous swordsman was still alive, he wasn’t openly exhibiting his ambitions.

But he had done all sorts of things while staying just within acceptable boundaries.

That made Hazuki worry about what he might do next.

“I thought that since they were guests of the head of the family, they wouldn’t act recklessly…”

“Is there anything confirmed?”

“Not yet. I’m sorry.”

“Report immediately if there are any other unusual circumstances.”

“Understood.”

Though they had managed for now, Hazuki couldn’t predict what kind of plans they were plotting.

‘Surely, they wouldn’t dare do anything to a guest personally invited by the head of the family…’

Just when Hazuki was deep in thought about the sudden problem.

“It seems Kim Il-sin has arrived.”

The plane carrying Kim Il-sin had landed at the airport.

‘Let’s think more about that later.’

Hazuki brushed aside thoughts of Taichi and stood up.

Welcoming her guest took priority over contemplating uncertain issues.

*

The journey to Japan had been incredibly exhausting.

She thought it would be straightforward since it had been arranged in advance, but it turned out to be more than she expected.

From the moment she left the academy until arriving in Japan, she hadn’t done anything by herself.

Whenever she tried to do something, the attendants beside her rushed forward to handle it first, leaving her without anything to do.

It was extremely burdensome and awkward. Being well-treated is one thing, but this was just over the top.

‘Did they catch on that I didn’t drink my chocolate latte?’

It felt as if they were intentionally trying to make her suffer.

Fortunately, once they arrived in Japan, she was freed from such excessive hospitality.

The attendants who had been supporting Kim Il-sin handed him over to the Endo family and then went back.

When they said they would come back to take her after finishing their business and returning to the academy, she told them she would go back alone.

She didn’t know if they would agree, though.

“Are you thirsty? Water and drinks are prepared. If you’re hungry, there are snacks too.”

“I’m fine.”

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know at any time.”

The Endo family’s attendants were also attentively looking after Kim Il-sin but it wasn’t to the point of being burdensome like before.

What caught Hazuki’s attention was her own presence next to Kim Il-sin, who she had personally come to greet.

She understood why she had come out to welcome him.

Since he was a guest invited by the head of the Endo family, it was necessary to show proper etiquette.

But at this moment, sitting in the car heading to the Endo mansion, Hazuki’s behavior beside Kim Il-sin felt a bit strange.

‘…Why do I look so starry-eyed?’

It was clear they hadn’t exchanged even a short conversation before.

The only time they saw each other was during the last exchange event. They hadn’t crossed paths since.

Yet, Hazuki’s gaze was filled with enormous favor towards Kim Il-sin.

She couldn’t figure out why.

To make matters worse, it didn’t stop there.

“What’s your daily routine like? What about your training time?”

“…I don’t have a specific routine. I wake up at 5 AM and begin mana refinement right away. Then, I do physical training and sword training flexibly. There’s no fixed training time.”

After starting a simple pleasantry when they set off, Hazuki started asking a series of questions with an excited voice.

And it wasn’t just once.

“I see… So how do you eat? Is there anything special you pay attention to?”

“No. I just try to eat a balanced diet without missing any nutrients. Oh, I do focus on consuming a lot of protein.”

“A balanced diet… adequate… focusing on protein…”

Hazuki diligently recorded Hazuki’s answers in her notebook.

She couldn’t guess what she was planning with that.

“Um… would you be able to tell me how you practice swordsmanship…?”

“I’m not sure how to answer that. It varies each time.”

“Ah, yes…”

That was a genuine answer, but Hazuki seemed to interpret it as a rejection.

Suddenly, she grew dejected and started scratching away at her pen.

A quick glance showed she was filtering her prepared questions.

Still, the questions didn’t stop coming.

As soon as she answered the question that followed, the atmosphere shifted back to how it was before.

“And then…?”

It was then that Hazuki, who had been lively just moments ago, suddenly tensed up and hesitated.

“Umm…”

It seemed like she was about to bring up a difficult or sensitive question, but that wasn’t it.

“If you have a moment before you leave, may I ask you for some sword training…?”

It seemed like she was greatly impressed by the duel with Benjamin last time.

If that weren’t the case, she would have no reason to ask for sword training.

Hazuki’s motives were puzzling. After all, it seemed like she hadn’t shown much.

‘It’s not easy for someone raised in a grand family and educated to do this.’

As an outsider, requesting sword training from someone of the same age like Kim Il-sin would typically be a difficult task due to pride.

Even the servant driving in front didn’t want to show it, but he seemed less than pleased.

Yet Hazuki had no qualms about asking for sword training.

It wasn’t so much that she set aside her pride, but rather her zeal for swordsmanship seemed to obliterate any thought of pride.

“Isn’t the swordsman here?”

It was a natural question to spring to mind.

Normally, learning from the swordsman, the founder of the swordsmanship she practiced, would be the better choice.

In fact, she must have learned swordsmanship from him since ages ago.

“Well… I’m still lacking to follow the head of the family’s teachings. I believe that Kim Il-sin-san would be able to point out my shortcomings… that’s why I’m asking you.”

She might’ve understood something.

Hazuki undoubtedly had talent in swordsmanship, but the talent of the swordsman was on a different level.

So, he was someone who couldn’t give guidance that suited Hazuki’s skill level.

“I understand.”

Facing the situation, Kim Il-sin accepted Hazuki’s request.

There was no reason to refuse given that he would show her the techniques of swordsmanship passed down from the swordsman and how to train them.

“Thank you…! But if you don’t have time or if something comes up, please prioritize that. I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

“No, let’s wait to start until after the meeting with the swordsman. It will be beneficial for me too.”

Now that she had even set a promise, Hazuki’s mood, which was already good, soared to the point where it showed on her face.

With a child-like, bright smile, she held the pen tightly in her hand.

She seemed to have forgotten her status as the heir of the Endo family.

“Thank you so much…! Oh, you must be tired, and I’ve talked too much. Please rest comfortably until we arrive. Shall I put on some music?”

“We have arrived.”

“…Huh.”

Just when she thought she might be released from the barrage of questions, the car stopped.

Out the window, the Endo family’s mansion came into view.