85 – The fox is relentless

The day after Edelweiss's crushing defeat, she found herself sitting cross-legged on a grassy knoll just outside the village, staring up at the sky. The cool breeze did little to calm her turbulent thoughts. Her pride had taken a severe hit. Ishin had called her weak, sheltered, and unworthy. The words cut deeper than any blade.

Chronoa, the Goddess of Time, sat beside her, still invisible to everyone except Edelweiss. She reached out and patted Edelweiss on the back with a warm, understanding smile.

“Come now, Edelweiss,” Chronoa said softly, her voice brimming with encouragement. “Every warrior faces moments like this. A true swordsman doesn’t become great by winning all the time—they become great by learning from their losses.”

“Easy for you to say, you're a goddess,” Edelweiss grumbled, her tone laced with frustration. “I’m supposed to be the inheritor of the Nakajima style, and yet I got tossed around like a child!”

Chronoa chuckled lightly. “Oh, I like having you around, Edelweiss. You keep things interesting. But you need to remember, my time away from the God Realm is limited. I can't just stay here forever watching you mope about. Do try your best to speed things up a bit.”

Edelweiss's ears perked up at this. She hadn't considered there might be a time limit to her quest here. She turned to face Chronoa, her silver hair fluttering in the wind.

“Then I need to make the most of this,” Edelweiss muttered, determination flickering in her eyes. “No more feeling sorry for myself. I’ll get that old man to train me no matter what. Also… if you’re the Goddess of Time… how the hell can you even run out of time?”

“Time is a concept much too complex for mortals to understand. Trust me. If I even attempted to try and explain the consequences and my responsibilities, your head would pop like a balloon filled with confetti.”

“Fine. Guess I’ll leave it at that. Anyway, let’s get moving.”

-----

From that moment, Edelweiss became Ishin's shadow. Whether he was tending to his small vegetable garden, sipping sake at the village tavern, or even taking a nap under a cherry blossom tree, she was always a step behind.

One morning, Ishin woke up to find Edelweiss sitting cross-legged outside his small cottage, her arms crossed and eyes closed in intense focus. He grunted and slammed the door, but Edelweiss didn't budge. Another day, as Ishin went to the stream to fish, Edelweiss appeared out of nowhere, startling him enough to nearly drop his rod. “You again? Are you a ghost haunting me or something?”

When Ishin sat in his favorite tavern, drinking away the afternoon, Edelweiss plopped down next to him. “Teach me,” she said for the hundredth time. He groaned, buried his face in his sake cup, and grumbled something about annoying brats from the future.

Edelweiss didn't give up. She’d pepper him with questions, pester him with requests for duels, and even tried bribing him with food. She would slide into the seat next to him, lean in, and whisper, “Hey, grandpa, how about a little sparring after this cup?” He’d give her a flat stare and turn away, but she never stopped asking.

One particularly amusing scenario unfolded when Ishin tried to hide in a crowded bathhouse, thinking there was no way she’d follow him there. To his horror, he spotted her in the men’s section, calmly waiting in a corner. “Damn it! Even here!?” he barked, covering himself hastily with a towel. Edelweiss just shrugged and said, “What? I’ve got nothing to lose.” And because Edelweiss was a futanari she had no issue going into the men’s section. Ishin nearly choked on his rage, but couldn’t do much more than splash water at her and mutter under his breath.

Days passed in this manner, and it became clear that Edelweiss would not give up. Ishin’s patience, or whatever semblance of it he had, was wearing thin. One evening, after a particularly stubborn day of pestering, Ishin finally snapped.

“Enough!” Ishin bellowed, standing up abruptly from his stool, almost knocking over his bottle of sake. The entire tavern turned to look. “You don’t give up, do you, brat?”

Edelweiss crossed her arms and grinned. “Nope.”

Ishin took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. “Fine. I’ll teach you… if you can pass a test.”

Edelweiss's eyes gleamed with excitement. “Name it. I’m ready.”

“Don’t get cocky, brat,” Ishin retorted. “You’ll regret your eagerness soon enough. Meet me at the hill beyond the village tomorrow morning. I’ll have something in mind by then.”

Edelweiss nodded eagerly, and with a final glare from Ishin, he stomped out of the tavern. She could barely contain her excitement; finally, she was making progress. Chronoa, who had been invisibly sipping her own drink in the corner, floated over to her with a mischievous smile.

“See? Persistence pays off, doesn’t it?”

Edelweiss smirked. “We’ll see who regrets this, old man. I’m just getting started.”

------

The next morning, Edelweiss arrived at the hill as instructed. Ishin was already there, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, looking as stoic as ever. Below them, a small river flowed steadily, the water clear and calm.

Ishin pointed down to the river. “Alright, here’s your test, fox girl. See that stream? I want you to perform a technique called ‘Fish in Flight.’ It’s a two-step move. First, with a single slash, you must cut across the stream in such a way that you scoop the fish out of the water and into the air. Then, with a follow-up swing, slice the fish in mid-air. Two precise strikes. Fail, and you won’t get another chance. If you can do this, maybe, just maybe, I’ll consider training you.”

Edelweiss looked at him incredulously. “Seriously? A fish-scooping technique?”

Ishin’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not as easy as it sounds, brat. This technique is about control, timing, and perfect synergy between mind and blade. Show me you have the basics, or don’t waste my time. You got until sunset. If you can’t do it by then, there’s no point continuing.”

Edelweiss huffed, but she stepped forward and unsheathed Yuki, her trusted sword. With her sword’s spirit sealed, this would truly be her skill and her skill alone. She took a deep breath, focused on the water, and waited for the right moment.

She slashed horizontally, her blade cutting through the water with a clean arc. A few fish flew into the air. As they began their descent, Edelweiss quickly pivoted, aiming for a follow-up slash. But in her haste, her second strike was off. She missed the fish entirely, her blade whooshing through empty air.

Ishin clicked his tongue. “Too slow and too forceful. Your first swing was too shallow, not enough to carry the fish high enough for a clean second strike. Again.”

Edelweiss’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she wasn’t about to give up. She steadied herself and tried again. And again. And again. Hours passed, and her arms began to grow weary, but each attempt showed slight improvement. The fish flew higher, her strikes more precise.

Ishin watched silently, his expression unreadable, but he didn’t move from his spot. Chronoa floated nearby, watching the spectacle with mild amusement. “She's got spirit, if nothing else,” she whispered.

Finally, after what felt like a hundred attempts, Edelweiss moved with a calm fluidity she hadn’t shown before. Her blade cut through the water with a smooth, graceful arc, sending a small silver fish flying into the air. Without a moment’s hesitation, she followed through with a second, perfect slash. The fish split cleanly in two before falling back into the stream.

Ishin’s eyes widened slightly, but he quickly masked his surprise. He nodded, a grudging respect in his tone. “Not bad, girl. Maybe you’re not as useless as I thought.”

Edelweiss grinned, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. “So, does that mean you’ll teach me?”

Ishin let out a long sigh, scratching his head. “A promise is a promise. I’ll train you. But don’t think for a second it’ll be easy. You’ll wish you never begged for it by the end.”

Edelweiss smirked, her eyes burning with determination. “Bring it on, old man. I’m just getting started.”

“You’re barely standing at this point. Get some rest and we’ll start tomorrow. Brace yourself. Things are just gonna get a lot worse from here on.”