Days flew by.
During that time, I didn't see any of the three girls anywhere. Probably, they were staying out of sight to keep their promise of surprising me with their improvements.
Although it's a bit, no, extremely lonely without them, I was busying myself with all the things that Guren was teaching me as the family head.
Every day, the pile of documents I process doesn't decrease but instead shows an increasing trend. With Guren's help, I learned how to skim the documents to shorten the processing time, making my work end faster.
Though I could only manage to slip in about 2 to 3 hours of shuteye each day... Honestly, I don't think my body could last until the end of the month.
Day after day, I could feel my teachings becoming shadier and shadier. I don't even know how I taught them Had*ken and other sorts of fighting game moves. Really, I blame this all on my lack of sleep. I should get a day off before the end of the month...
And so, the long-awaited end of the month came. As usual, I was lacking in sleep but was excited to finally be able to see the three girls. I wonder how much they've improved since I last saw them.
The large field where the thousands of tamers usually practice was changed into a wide arena. A stage made of stone spanning 250 meters on one side was placed in the middle, with a layered audience stand placed around it.
That was the venue of the duel between me and the three girls, Ying Yue, Wan Li, and Wan Er.
It wasn't to the point of becoming festive, but some commoners took advantage of the situation and were selling food and drinks to the ones sitting by the stands to watch.
"That's a lot of audience..."
I muttered as I counted about ten thousand of them cramped along the stands, waiting for the duel to begin. I looked once more in the mirror to check my appearance.
My eyebags, which got bigger and bigger each day, were hidden through the use of makeup. I guess sending their family head with a haggard face isn't appropriate, so the women of the Seimei did their best to make me look energetic at least.
I was wearing the Seimei's battle outfit, which was a white robe that made me look like an Onmyouji. The tall hat on top of my head, which they called kanmuri, was a bit heavy, making my neck feel uncomfortable.
I picked up the folding fan that Guren gave me before and went out. It was almost time for the ceremony to start.
After walking down the long corridor, I was met with two apprentices who led me to the side entrance leading to the stage. There, three figures were already waiting for me. Their eyes were shining with both joy and longing.
"Master, it's been a while."
Ember, with a face that was smiling but felt like she was about to cry, greeted me. Today, she wore a tight, sleeveless pink turtleneck paired with blue jeans. It was emphasizing her large chest even more, making her look stunning.
"Leader, you look stronger in this attire!"
Fang smiled brightly as her tail wagged like a fan. Unlike Ember, who wore clothes that had less exposure, Fang was wearing nothing but a tank top that looks like it'll slip at any moment, revealing her healthy underboobs, and short shorts, both the same black color as her hair.
"My Lord... I have finished my training as you've wished."
And Igni slightly bowed her head as she announced her accomplishments. Today, she wore clothes that were similar to the shrine maiden outfit. Although it looks good on her, her tail extending behind her was lifting her dress, exposing her legs. I wonder how the view is from behind her?
"Ah, Igni! That's jumping the gun! We promised to show the results of our training later, right?!"
Fang said as she poked at Igni. However, Igni had no fight scheduled for today, as I plan to only go with Ember, Fang, and me.
Although I wanted to go alone, as I claimed before, Guren dissuaded me from doing so. He said that it won't look good for the Luo whether they win or lose. So, in the end, we decided to send Fang as the first fighter, Ember as the second, and myself as the last.
Igni's too strong for either of the three, so she's sitting out this match. She was made to wear the shrine maiden outfit as she was part of the committee that was about to start the event.
I looked over the three of them warmly. I could feel the tiredness in my body fade as I saw them playfully interacting with each other. While I was enjoying this scene, a voice echoed from behind.
"So you didn't run away? I applaud your courage at least."
Before even turning around, I knew that it was Ying Yue.
There she was, standing with her silver hair tied into a bun. She wore the usual Chi Pao, but this time it was pink in color. The design was flowery and didn't look intimidating at first, but the energy that clung to it was on another level.
'Is it a sort of artifact?' I pondered.
Behind her, Wan Li and Wan Er were wearing the same dress in a slightly different design. However, it was mostly the same as Ying Yue's and of a base pink color.
"Why would I run? Rather, are you sure you want to continue?"
I sneered at her, seeing that her energy wasn't anywhere near the 4th level. She must be thinking of using artifacts to her advantage in this match. Well, we didn't have rules forbidding the use of it, so nothing's wrong.
Ying Yue glared at me; her atmosphere quickly changed as her ridiculing smile turned to a deep frown.
"Watch out, as I'll make you regret living until today."
With that as her line, she walked away. Wan Li and Wan Er avoided eye contact with us the whole time, only to look at me with a wry smile before following their young lady.
"..."
I felt my heart sting a little. I considered both Wan Li and Wan Er as friends, but to think that I would need to fight them not in a tournament but in a duel…
"... Fate really is a fickle mistress."
I sighed as I moved in the opposite direction as Ying Yue.
Visit freewe𝑏(n)ovel.co(m) for the b𝘦st novel reading experience