''She made me win,'' us thought inwardly as he gently lifted Aoi up. She had given him all the signs. In truth, Aoi was saving him from embarrassment and, possibly, from learning too much too soon. Having practiced since she was seven, it was only natural that she would be much better than us.


    But Aoi was shocked by how quickly us was learning her swordy. What took others years to master was being grasped by him in mere seconds. It was a talent that was hard to ignore.


    "Nice duel, Brother us," Aoi said, walking out of the arena, her cheeks flushed. us''s hands had pressed against her waist during the ending of the duel, and even though he had let go, she could still feel the warmth lingering there. The sensation made her blush deepen.


    She couldn''t shake the feeling of his touch, and it left her both flustered and intrigued. What had started as a friendly match had turned into something more meaningful, and Aoi found herself smiling despite her embarrassment.


    us, oblivious to the effect he had made on Aoi, felt a rush of his gains despite the handicap offered to him this time. He had learned so much in such a short time. But he also felt a pang of realization about how much he stillcked when it came to using a sword without any active skills.


    Even though Aoi had helped him win, he couldn''t help but smile as he walked toward his friends. As he stopped near them, he nced at the two Hiroshi sisters. Aoi was hiding behind them, so he couldn''t see her expression, but the looks on the sisters'' faces showed they were unaware of Aoi''s role in his victory.


    "Brother us, I didn''t know you were good with the sword," one of the sisters said, her eyes wide with surprise. "By the way, I''m Miki, and this is Mio."


    "Trust me, Sister Miki, I''m good with the sword through and through," us said with a grin. His words didn''te off as arrogant; instead, they carried a different tone that made everyone look at him oddly. However, a few of the guys caught the hidden meaning behind his statement.


    Daniel, one of his closest friends, gently tapped us on the shoulder and nodded knowingly. It was clear to him that us was both a monster on the battlefield and a beast in other ways.


    Miki and Mio exchanged nces, still puzzled by us''s words. Aoi, still hiding, felt her heart race for some reason.


    "Wow, we''ve got a real swordmaster among us!" Mio eximed, breaking the tension. us chuckled, amused that she didn''t catch the hidden meaning in his earlier words.


    "Maybe you should teach us some moves," Miki suggested, her curiosity clearly piqued.


    us grinned and said, "It will be my pleasure, Sister Miki. This little one doesn''t mind going a few rounds with each of you." He spoke in such a casual tone that thedies thought he meant he would train with them.


    But for the boys, it felt like a direct line to all the hidden meanings behind us''s yful words. They exchanged knowing looks, trying to suppress theirughter.


    "You are one bold and arrogant youngster," a deep voice suddenly interrupted. A man stepped into the arena, towering at 6''2" with a sword tattoo etched on his forehead. He had an athletic build and a calm presence thatmanded attention.


    "That is Ryo Hiroshi," Lily whispered to us, making sure he understood before saying anything too brash. "He''s the patriarch of the Hiroshi Great Family—Aoi, Miki, Mio, and Taro''s father. They call him the Sword King."


    us felt a rush of respect wash over him as he took in the imposing figure. Ryo''s reputation preceded him, and us knew he was in the presence of a true master. The air around him even spoke more than one had to say.


    "Nice to meet you, sir," us said, straightening up. He wanted to make a good impression, despite the yful banter just moments before.


    Ryo looked at him with a measured gaze, then smiled slightly. "You have skill, us. But remember, confidence is important, but so is humility."


    us nodded, appreciating the advice. He nced at Aoi, Miki, and Mio, all of them watching the interaction with a mix of pride and apprehension.


    "Let''s see if you can back up that confidence in a proper duel sometime," Ryo continued, a challenge hidden in his tone.


    us''s heart raced at the thought. "I''d be honored, sir," he replied, feeling both excited and intimidated.


    Ryo nced at Aoi, who was looking down, her face hidden. "You did well, kid," he said, his voice calm yet firm. "It''s just that this brat is too talented." Aside from us and Aoi, he was the only one who knew Aoi had helped us win.


    He knew Aoi was concerned about us learning her family technique, so he made him win when she could have easily defeated him.


    Instead of letting us lose, Aoi had chosen to support him, wanting him to feel good about himself. So hearing her father''s praise, Aoi smiled and nodded, her heart swelling with pride.


    He himself wouldn''t have easily let us learn the technique that has been in their family for many generations, even before the apocalypse go to a stranger that hasn''t known for that long. So seeing her daughter ce her own win aside just so she could preserve their heritage made him feel like a proud and aplished father.


    "Alright, you youngsters should continue enjoying yourselves," Ryo said, his tone shifting slightly. "Good luck tomorrow in the regional selections." He cast onest nce at us, a look that seemed to carry a warning before he vanished into thin air.


    us smiled after him, then muttered to himself, "Father-inw sure knows how to make an entrance and an exit." His words were quiet, but somewhere far from the arena, Ryo smiled too, murmuring to himself, "I might just have to kill him someday."


    us, still in the arena, felt a chill run down his spine for reasons he couldn''t quite grasp. Shaking it off, he nced at Aoi. "Fairy Aoi, if you don''t have any big ns tomorrow evening, would you join me and my friends for a night out after the Selection Trial?"


    Aoi, taken aback by the unexpected invitation, quickly rposed herself. "I would be honored," she replied, her heart racing. She nced at her sisters, who were looking back at her with teasing smiles.


    "Brother us, maybe you should win first before making a move on my sister," Mio said, her teasing tone clear.


    us chuckled. "A wise man once said, strike while the iron is still hot."


    "Does that mean you''ll also strike these two hot irons?" Miki teased.


    us''s smile widened. "I don''t want a certain somebody cutting my sword off," he replied, promptingughter from the group, especially the boys.


    Miki, Mio, and the otherdies joined in theughter, but suddenly, the realization hit them like a crashing mountain.


    Anna and Lily hid their faces behind Hanna, while Miki and Mio''s cheeks flushed a deep red. It finally clicked for them what us meant when he said he was good with the sword through and through. All the cheekyments he had made suddenly made sense, and they couldn''t stop blushing.


    The atmosphere shifted as they processed the implications of us''s words. Aoi felt her face heat up, realizing she had unwittingly stepped into a yful yet dangerous game. The teasing had been light-hearted, but now it felt more serious, charged with shameless meanings.


    us noticed their reactions and raised an eyebrow, a smirk ying on his lips. "What? Did I say something wrong?"


    "Not at all," Miki managed to say between giggles, her face still flushed. With that, they went back to enjoying the evening. us finally managed to enjoy his dessert and even cast Miguel a few mocking smiles. A whileter, the gathering was over and us and his friends left back to their hotel.