Are you kidding me? Selene thought, bewildered. Me? Fight Zoro?
A herd of metaphorical grass-mud horses stampeded through her mind. This isn't how the story goes!
Selene knew, of course, that the current Zoro knew absolutely nothing about proper swordsmanship. His so-called "fighting" was just chaotic flailing, typical kid stuff. If she stepped up, relying on her [Basic Swordsmanship], she could probably thrash him soundly. But that wasn't the point!
If she fought him, how would the crucial bond between Zoro and Kuina ever form? Without Kuina as his driving motivation, his rival, how would Zoro push himself relentlessly to become stronger?
Losing to a boy versus losing to a girl – the psychological impact was completely different!
Deciding this definitely wasn't her moment to intervene, Selene shook her head decisively. "I won't fight him."
Koshiro gave Selene a curious glance, seemingly wondering what she was thinking, but he didn't press the issue. Since Selene refused, calling Kuina was the logical next step.
Kuina, ever obedient, stepped forward when Koshiro called her name. "Yes, Father."
The moment Zoro saw Kuina, however, he practically bristled. "What?! Aren't you supposed to be my opponent?" he demanded, pointing at Koshiro.
Koshiro simply smiled. "Kuina may be a girl, but in this dojo, she's stronger than most adults."
Zoro scowled, sizing Kuina up for a long moment before finally grumbling, "Fine! Let's get this over with!"
"Then please, come inside," Koshiro said, turning and leading the way back into the dojo. Zoro and Kuina followed him.
Having heard Zoro was a challenger, Selene and the other junior disciples were already seated cross-legged inside the training hall. Aside from Selene, who knew who this kid was, the others stared at Zoro with a mixture of curiosity and indignation.
You couldn't really blame them. Zoro's current attitude was obnoxiously cocky. And yet, Master Koshiro was actually indulging him, agreeing to the challenge. What was the master thinking...?
In a corner of the dojo stood barrels filled with bamboo practice swords (shinai). Koshiro gestured towards them. "Choose your weapon. Any of these will do."
"Really?" Zoro spat out the leaf he'd been chewing. He walked over and, with a clatter, grabbed a huge armful of shinai.
Then, to the utter astonishment of everyone present, the boy proceeded to hold three shinai in his left hand, three in his right, and clench three more between his teeth. Thus prepared, he turned to face them, leaving the dojo disciples gaping.
He followed Koshiro to the small shrine at the front of the dojo. As they bowed in respect, one of the shinai clamped in Zoro's teeth slipped and clattered to the floor. Then, as he and Kuina bowed to each other before the match, clatter, another one fell.
Through it all, Zoro maintained a deadly serious expression...
"What's his deal? He looks like a total moron!" one of the younger disciples whispered, staring at Zoro as if he were crazy.
Selene felt a wave of second-hand embarrassment. So, the 'Mosshead idiot' nickname was apparently well-earned from a young age...
After the formalities, the duel began. Unsurprisingly, it was over almost instantly. Kuina's first downward strike forced Zoro to block desperately with two shinai. Her second blow, delivered with focused power, sent all the shinai flying from Zoro's grasp.
"D-Damn it!" Zoro glared at Kuina's calm face, scrambling back to his feet, unwilling to accept defeat. He picked up two of the fallen shinai and awkwardly faced Kuina again, adopting a semblance of a stance.
"Hm?" Koshiro watched this, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected such resilience from the boy. Despite the overwhelming difference in skill, Zoro still had the courage to fight.
Kuina also seemed slightly surprised. The stance Zoro had stumbled into actually resembled a basic two-sword style (Nitoryu) stance. "Have you... studied the two-sword style before?" she asked.
"Hell no!" Zoro retorted fiercely. "This is the first time I've ever held a bamboo sword!"
"The first time?" Master Koshiro repeated, his gentle smile unwavering.
Selene knew what Koshiro was thinking. To instinctively adopt a Nitoryu starting position on his very first try, despite his current idiocy... this Mosshead's innate talent for the sword might actually rival Kuina's...
Zoro, oblivious to Koshiro's and Selene's thoughts, glared intently at Kuina.
"Damn it! I'm strong! I'm gonna get even stronger! How... How could I lose to a woman here?!"
Fueled by indignation, Zoro let out a yell and charged recklessly towards Kuina, shouting, "Yaaaah!"
And then...
Kuina brought her shinai down decisively, smacking him right across the face.
"Ooh... That looked like it hurt..." The other disciples flinched visibly. "Why didn't he even try to dodge?"
Thud! Zoro collapsed, hitting the wooden floor hard enough to make it vibrate slightly.
Selene covered her face with her hand. This idiot charges like a wild boar, she thought. Did he really think brute force would beat Kuina? Zero technique. Of course he lost.
"One point! Match concluded!" Master Koshiro announced, ending the bout.
The Mosshead idiot, however, was already out cold. He lay sprawled on the floor, a bright red welt visible on the side of his face. Kuina stood over him, planting her shinai firmly on the floor near his head. "You're just an amateur. Trying to use two swords? You're ten years too early," she stated coolly.
Zoro slowly came to, groaning. Hearing Kuina's words, he instinctively grabbed the shinai planted near him, his eyes still burning with defiance.
Kuina frowned slightly. "What, you want another round?"
Unexpectedly, though, Zoro was surprisingly forthright. "Damn it! A loss is a loss!" he admitted grudgingly.
Master Koshiro smiled approvingly. "Very straightforward. Good."
"Alright then! I'm joining your dojo! Got a problem with that?" Zoro pushed himself into a sitting position, crossed his arms, and challenged Koshiro.
"None at all," Koshiro replied, shaking his head, thus accepting him as a disciple.
Kuina ignored him and turned to leave. But just as she did, Zoro suddenly shouted after her, "I'm gonna train like crazy, and one day, I'll definitely beat you! You hear me? Remember that!"
He delivered this defiant declaration with blood still trickling from his nose...
"That day will never come," Kuina retorted flatly, without looking back, and walked away.
"Selene," Koshiro said, turning to her. "Take him and tend to his injuries."
Selene nodded. She stood up and walked over to Zoro. "Come with me."
Zoro, probably because his nose hurt too much, didn't argue or throw a tantrum. He meekly followed Selene out of the training hall.
They went to one of the back rooms. Selene found the first-aid kit, cleaned the blood from Zoro's nose, and then stuffed cotton plugs into his nostrils.
"Who is that woman?" Zoro asked sullenly.
"That's Kuina, Master Koshiro's daughter," Selene replied calmly. "My junior sister. And starting today, your senior sister."
"Hmph! Like I'd ever call her 'senior sister'!" Zoro puffed up, crossing his arms again despite the cotton sticking out of his nose. "Sooner or later, I'm gonna beat her!"
With the cotton plugs, he looked surprisingly... dorky.
Selene chuckled softly but didn't say anything, focusing on applying some ointment to the welt on his face. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to say to him right now.
However, just because she didn't want to talk didn't mean Zoro felt the same. The Mosshead idiot seemed to remember something and suddenly turned to her. "Hey! You! Why didn't you fight me earlier?"
Selene paused, thought for a moment, then looked him straight in the eye and said with perfect seriousness, "Because I don't fight with idiots."
"What did you say!?" Zoro instantly flared up. "Who are you calling an idiot?!"
"You," Selene stated plainly. "If I'm not mistaken, you got lost and ended up here by accident, didn't you?"
Zoro looked utterly flabbergasted. "Wh- How did you know?!"
Selene sighed internally. How do I know? Because it's you, Zoro! Your legendary lack of direction is almost as famous as your swordsmanship!
Selene would bet her non-existent Beri savings that his challenge was completely impulsive. He likely got lost wandering around, stumbled upon the dojo, and decided on a whim to challenge it. Utterly random.
After finishing with the medicine, Selene gently patted Zoro's head. "Rest up."
"D-Damn it! You're not that much older than me! Stop treating me like a little kid!" Zoro bristled again.
To me, right now, you ARE a little kid, Selene thought wryly as she turned and left the room.
Zoro watched her go, feeling strangely puzzled. This girl, Selene... she seemed mysterious. How did she know he'd gotten lost? He was sure he'd never met her before today.
And just like that, Zoro moved into the dojo, officially becoming Koshiro's disciple.
The very next morning, well before dawn, Selene dragged herself out of bed. She went out to the dojo's practice yard and began her sword-swinging exercises.
Truthfully, while she had always been diligent during the group practice sessions, she had never done extra training on her own before. But something about watching Zoro yesterday – seeing his fierce refusal to accept defeat even after being utterly crushed by Kuina – had struck a chord deep within her.
People didn't become strong by accident. Comparing herself to Zoro, Selene realized she lacked something crucial: conviction. True drive.
She had spent most of the previous night thinking. She finally acknowledged that even if she lacked natural talent, she had the system to compensate. But without unwavering belief and sheer perseverance, she would likely never become truly strong in this world.
Zoro's arrival had ignited a competitive spark in Selene. She couldn't let herself be surpassed by a kid who had just picked up a sword for the first time yesterday.
So, for the first time ever, Selene started training early.
Her goal for this morning: one thousand swings.
Gripping her wooden practice sword (bokken), Selene began to swing, focusing on a steady rhythm.
Today, each swing was deliberate, slow, completely different from the rapid drills in the group sessions.
True sword swinging, as Master Koshiro taught, wasn't just about going through the motions. It was about pouring your entire focus, your spirit, into every single movement. It was about feeling the rhythm, the distribution of force, about engraving the motion into your muscles until it became instinctual.
An hour passed, and Selene hadn't even reached five hundred swings. Sweat dripped from her forehead, soaking her training clothes. Her muscles trembled, her arms felt heavy as lead.
A persistent voice whispered in the back of her mind, telling her she couldn't keep going, telling her to stop.
But then, the image of Zoro's defiant, bruised face flashed in her memory. Selene gritted her teeth, pushing past the burning ache, and continued swinging.
Endure! Just a little longer! You can do this!
Completely absorbed in her practice, Selene failed to notice something crucial happening within her mental interface – the system notifications that were constantly pinging.
"You performed Sword Swing Practice with Full Concentration. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +5!"
"You performed Sword Swing Practice with Full Concentration. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +5!"
"You performed Sword Swing Practice with Full Concentration. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +5!"
"You performed Sword Swing Practice with Full Concentration. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +5!"