Later, Julia took me to visit a certain place. At first glance, it looked like a wooden warehouse, and when we entered it, I could see about 20 children fighting with wooden swords. Watching over them was an old man with pure white hair and beard.
“Master, I brought him here!”
“Hoh~, that boy over there?”
The old man, who she called Master, observed me with a sharp gaze through the gap between his long white eyebrows that hid his eyes. Moreover, he wears a dark brown robe. He seems to be teaching martial arts even though he is a master-level mage. At first sight, I know that he was not an ordinary person.
“Don’t be so defensive. As you can see, I’m just an old man.”
“I want you to stop joking. The moment you looked at me, I felt your piercing gaze you see.”
“Well, it looks like you’ve got the basics in place. I guess I’ll have to introduce myself then.”
The old man made the children go down and then he stood alone in the center of the room. As he raised his cane, the air tensed and everyone in the room, including me, gulped from nervousness.
“I am well known as the fluffy hermit who has walked the path of magic and mastered the path of martial arts.”
I was taken aback.
What does he mean by fluffy hermit?
Just then, countless dogs and cats flooded the dojo. At the same time, the applause of the children erupted. Wait a minute. I can’t keep up with the situation.
Where did these animals come from? Why hang out around the old man? Why are the children clapping?
“Great job, Master! It’s always the best self-introduction!”
“Right? First impressions are all about impact you see.”
The old man strokes the animals one by one and smiles. He was certainly just as Julia said, you would need time to answer who he was. I swallowed all the questions that came to my mind and reassured myself that I could do more here.
“If you want to be strong, take my guidance. If you have talent, you will rise to the highest level.”
“May I ask you one question then? What does being strong have to do with fluffy?”
“In order to master magic and martial arts, you have to master the path of fluffy, and vice versa. Fluffy is the essence and mystery of martial arts.”
“I feel like I’m about to go crazy here….”
Looking at Julia, she nodded excitedly at the old man’s words. I was impressed that she could understand what he was trying to say. Here I am, I don’t know what he is talking about. However, it is also true that everything is an experience.
For the time being, I decided to follow the old man and train here.
◇◇◇
It’s been four years and a few months since I started going to the dojo. I am already eighteen years old now and I am about to graduate from high school. The days go by frighteningly fast. It feels like it was only yesterday when I started going to the dojo.
It is me and Master who is holding the wooden sword and is facing each other in the dojo. Julia is acting as a watchman. However, there is now a world of only me and Master. I sharpened my nerves and calm my mind.
“Come on!”
“Seiya!”
In the moment, I find an opening on my Master’s side and hit him. However, almost at the same time, he seemed to have found an opening on me too, and Master’s wooden sword slammed into my shoulder. There is no winner or loser. Although feeling frustrated for not winning, I felt a sense of satisfaction that I was able to hit Master for the first time.
“You’ve grown so much, Ryan. I can’t believe you’ve improved your swordsmanship even though you don’t understand what fluffy is. You’ve earned your full license. Congratulations on your graduation.”
“It’s all thanks to Master’s teachings that I’ve become this strong. I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart.”
I received a book of fluffy from Master. With this, I graduated from the dojo and said goodbye to Fluffy. In retrospect, it was something beyond my comprehension. Everything I was taught is interwoven with fluffy and it even tries to brainwash me. To be honest, in this past four years, I thought I was going to go crazy. The students who go to school here are absurd I should say.
By the way, in Julia’s House, the Label Family, the whole family is animal crazy. Julia herself is crazy for cats. When she sees a stray cat, she gets excited and chases it. I’m thinking about saying hello to her parents soon, but I’m a little worried knowing that they are all “fluff” crazy. Will I be able to get along with the Label family? That’s a big question in my head.
“In the end, you had a talent for the sword, but not for fluffy huh. Then you can’t do the enlightenment of Fluffy.”
“What is that enlightenment of fluffy?”
“It’s a secret technique that I devised. It’s an invincible technique that if I stroke anyone, they’ll climax from so much pleasure that they’ll become defenseless.”
“.….For the first time, I wanted to understand fluffy.”
Why couldn’t I understand Master’s teachings? I’ve never felt so frustrated as I did today.
“You are now about to enter the society huh. But have you decided what you will do?”
“I’m thinking of taking the same government position as my father. If I become a military officer, I’ll have a chance to become a general.”
“That’s a good decision. You can definitely do it. The king may be foolish, but if his vassals are wise, the kingdom will not perish.”
Master muttered to himself.
I have never met the king of this kingdom, but I wonder if he is really that stupid, making Master worry about the destruction of the kingdom. Despite my doubts, Julia and I said goodbye to the fluffy hermit before leaving the dojo.
◇◇◇
“That was quick huh. It’s been four years since I met Ryan.”
“That’s right. Well, even now, I still think of that day when I bumped into you.”
Julia and I were sitting on a bench in the square, talking about our memories of the past four years. After graduating from school, she opened a bakery with the help of her parents. In fact, she made the bread she always ate. Her shop is now a well-known store with long lines.
“Wahewou youhedowou weddiwouo?”
“Please, don’t talk to me while eating bread, it’s a bad habit of yours.”
“(Gulps) I’m sorry. So, when should we set the wedding date?”
“I haven’t even said hello to your parents yet. If your parents like me, I think there would be no problem.”
“My parents were interested in you even before you meet them. When I told them that you might get your graduation license soon, they immediately said you would be the perfect marriage partner then. There’s nothing more to say. That’s all they said.”
The Label family’s immense trust in the fluffy hermit is terrifying. I don’t think he will come to the wedding though. Suddenly, I looked down at my feet and saw a leather ball rolling. In the distance, a child is waving and signaling for me to throw it to him. I lightly threw the ball and passed it to the child.
“When we get married, let’s have a baby.”
“Don’t be impatient, we’re still young.”
“That’s right. But you know, you say things like you’re old.”
“I’m old inside.”
After saying that, I kissed Julia. The ship of my life was finally riding the wind and starting to move.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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