August 2002, Tokyo.
In the evening, the setting sun dyed the western sky a brilliant golden color.
The wind blew through the forest and hit the girl's beautiful face, giving her a cool feeling.
"It's already … been two years?" Long Tangwei sighed softly and stepped onto the cobblestone path.
Her high-heeled sandals hit the stones rhythmically, producing a "patter patter" sound.
Her relationship with Masanori Tianyu had been exposed. Given her boyfriend's status in Takama-ga-hara and her family's power, even if she wasn't his fiancée in name, no one dared to criticize her in the Tianyu Family.
On the other side of the path, at the Tianyu Family's training hall.
She took off her sandals and placed them at the entrance.
When she stepped into the training hall, she heard a cry of pain.
She raised her head and saw a young man holding a bamboo blade stagger off the stage while holding onto his dislocated arm. "I admit defeat."
She counted. It was the fifth person.
The chase on the field continued.
More than twenty disciples of the Tianyu Family with bamboo blades formed a circle.
With a shout, they attacked the girl in the center who had a porcelain doll-like face.
The pause only lasted for an instant, but Long Tangwei felt that it was extremely long.
The girl in the center suddenly rushed to the back. Soon after, the ear-piercing sound of bamboo blades cutting through the air could be heard.
The young man at the back protruded slightly compared to his companions on the left and right. Actually, it was just a slight difference. It was unknown how the girl noticed this slight difference. It was precisely because of this slight difference that her companions couldn't save her in time. They raised their bamboo blades in panic and were kicked out of the field by a fierce spinning kick.
The two people on the left and right reacted quickly. Realizing that their companions were being attacked, they raised their bamboo blades and slashed at the girl in the center.
However, the girl dodged to the right and was hit by a bamboo blade. She didn't seem to notice it at all and kicked the person on the left out of the field.
Soon after, she raised her right hand and swung her arm through the air.
It was simple, beautiful, and cold. It was like the sound of a blade cutting through the air.
In an instant, Long Tangwei seemed to recall the scene two years ago in the Barren Scroll Dojo where the young man suddenly raised his pistol.
Five minutes later.
"Thank you for your guidance."
The thirty disciples of the Tianyu Family bowed. Then, they looked at the seemingly weak girl in front of them with reverence before turning around and leaving.
Long Tangwei raised his hand. "Kaoru!"
The girl in the field noticed them and walked over.
Strength was everything.
More than a year ago, when the woman came to the training center, everyone looked at her with disdain.
However, the next day's training swept away all these disdainful thoughts.
He didn't know how a young woman could possess strength that was disproportionate to her age.
In the beginning, everyone was secretly conserving their strength.
It wasn't until two of their companions were knocked out of the arena that they put away their contempt and unleashed their full strength.
The result … was no different from today.
The woman was very measured when she attacked. She would either dislocate everyone's wrists, arms, or shoulders, or give them an unbearable blow … In short, she would make them unable to attack again.
In stark contrast, why was their Bamboo Blade ineffective against the other party's body?
Actually, he was just like everyone else, accepting missions from the organization.
Although the higher-ups had instructed them to take care of her safety, when they encountered difficult or even life-threatening missions, it seemed that … she always contributed the most.
The result of her continuous training and continuous accepting of missions was that the number of disciples who would spar with her every time she went on stage was constantly increasing.
After training together for a period of time, everyone naturally knew her identity. She was the eldest daughter of the Yuechi family, Tian Yu Masanori's fiancée. However, she wasn't Tian Yu's girlfriend — his girlfriend was the one beside her.
For a woman who had such an identity, met with such misfortune, and was as beautiful as a porcelain doll, it was natural that many young disciples would fall in love with her.
However, the difference in strength made it difficult for them to find the courage to approach her. Moreover, there were a few who dared to approach her and invite her, but they were all chased away by her cold face and unenthusiastic tone.
Everyone was confused. Since she rejected others, why did she, as Tian Yu's fiancée, have no ill feelings towards Tian Yu's girlfriend?
Long Tangwei quietly followed behind the young woman as they passed through the forest. After two years of being together, he naturally understood that her silence wasn't impolite. It was just her nature.
"Tian Yu has returned from China today. Do you want to have dinner together tonight?"
"… Yes." The woman called Kaoru Tsukiike took out her key and opened the door. "Please wait for a moment."
The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Wei Wei walked around the unusually clean bedroom and sat down on the sofa that looked a little old.
There wasn't anything fancy in the bedroom. There were only a few dolls that clearly indicated that this was a woman's bedroom.
There were two huge dolls on the small bed.
A golden poodle was leaning against the end of the bed. It looked very new.
The other panda was placed at the head of the bed. It was very old.
After being washed countless times, the black fur on the panda had faded into grey. However, it was still very clean.
There were also some dolls hanging around the walls. Wei Yi had bought some beautiful and expensive dolls for Kaoru after she found out about Kaoru's hobby.
However, the old panda was still not thrown away. It was clear that it had a special status. A year ago, when the panda was being washed, its black plastic eyeball fell out.
Wei Wei, who was helping to wash the other dolls, saw this woman, who never showed any signs of being troubled, holding the panda for a long time with red eyes. After that, she even found a needle and thread to sew the eyeball back.
As for why it had a special status, Wei Wei had once asked her boyfriend about it. It was probably related to that China boy.
…
…
It was nighttime. The moonlight shone into the room.
Kaoru, who had just taken a bath, was wearing a nightgown. She was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Just now, she hugged the faded panda and fell asleep.
Two drops of crystal clear tears slowly flowed down her cheeks …