210 Slow Practice

"Don't tell me you fight using that ridiculous little knife," Nobunaga chuckled, who didn't know whether to feel tenderness or pity for his new guildmate.

"Actually, I don't use it very often. No offense, Takamori-Sensei," Yoichi smiled, looking at his master. His right hand was still on the back of his head, trying to mask his embarrassment.

"No offense taken, boy. Nobunaga has never seen your power and doesn't know that your Oracle possesses an enhancement skill," Takamori specified.

Yoichi, Nobunaga and Takamori continued to converse quietly on the beach east of Goldhaven, under the uncurious gaze of Rinji, who at times seemed to be sleeping standing up.

Nobunaga explained to Yoichi that the stance he took during the defense phase could not coincide with that of the attack phase: although Kenji's power allowed him to parry blunt and sometimes sharp weapon strikes successfully, it made his response time much longer.