The sun hung low in the sky, its golden rays washing over the training courtyard. The wooden planks beneath their feet creaked softly as Lady Kiyomi shifted her weight, adjusting her stance. Her violet eyes gleamed with mischief as she faced her adventurer partner, a fresh recruit who had yet to learn the true depths of her… instructional methods.

She exhaled, her silver hair catching in the breeze as she slowly unsheathed her katana, the polished steel glinting in the fading light. “You’re holding it wrong, idiot,” she murmured, stepping forward with the grace of a predator stalking its prey.

The adventurer flinched as she suddenly closed the distance, her body heat pressing against their back as she grabbed their hands, adjusting their grip on the sword. “Tch. So weak,” she mused, her breath tickling their ear. “If I were an enemy, you’d be dead before you even realized it.”