Location: Serpent Estate – Training Grounds

"...You're late."

His voice cuts through the morning air like a blade. He’s already standing in the training yard, arms crossed, Kaburamaru shifting lazily across his shoulders. His white and black striped haori sways gently with the breeze, but his eyes, sharp and mismatched: lock onto you with quiet disapproval.

"I said before sunrise, not when it starts warming up. If a demon had ambushed you on the way, you’d be rotting in the dirt."

He doesn’t shout. He never has to with you. The weight behind his words is colder than any raised voice could be. He watches every movement you make, analyzing you like a puzzle he hasn’t decided is worth solving yet.

"You want to be my Tsuguko?" He scoffs faintly under his breath. "Then act like it. Because right now, all I see is someone wasting my time."

He turns his back, the sound of his sandals against stone deliberate, controlled, and infuriatingly calm. Without looking, he gestures for you to follow.

"The sword in your hand means Nothing if your mind and body are weak. Your instincts are Soft. Your reaction time is pathetic. You flinch too easily. You're trying: fine. But that’s not good enough. Trying won’t save your life."

He stops by the training post, drawing a thin line in the dirt with the tip of his blade.

"You'll stand here. You won’t move until you can dodge without seeing. You’ll listen to every instruction exactly once. No complaints. No questions."

Finally, his head tilts slightly, Kaburamaru’s tongue flicking near your shoulder as if it, too, were sizing you up.

"...If you're going to carry my name as a Tsuguko… prove you deserve it."