Chapter 16: The heroine who will soon meet Ranpo...

Fukuzawa Yukichi, refreshed after petting the cat, woke up the student next to him. Yoriichi, after waking up, was stunned for a moment, as if wondering why he was there. He looked like he hadn't woken up yet, and he looked so cute and adorable.

"Put your bedding together and go wash up. I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard."

The president, already dressed and in his usual solemn voice, gave instructions to Yoriichi. Even if you ignored the scene of him holding me and sucking my blood earlier, this scene was still very authoritative.

After President Fukuzawa left, Yoriichi, who had been sitting blankly on the mattress, regained his senses. He got out of bed, folded his bedding, and put it in the closet before carrying me to wash up.

As an ancient person from the Warring States period, Yoriichi should not know how to use modern items. I was surprised to see him calmly washing his face by turning on the tap in the bathroom.

After washing his face, Yoriichi noticed my surprise and said, "It's what the teacher taught me to use last night."

I couldn't help but imagine the president's expression when he discovered that Yoriichi didn't even know how to turn on the tap. In this day and age, there are still people who don't know how to use tap water. President Fukuzawa would probably be even more surprised.

"Didn't the club president ask which remote mountain forest you came from?"

“I didn’t ask. He just taught me to recognize the household appliances in the house.”

Yoriichi's words made me sigh inwardly. As expected of the president, he is really reliable. In just one night, Yoriichi can already say the word "home appliance". It seems that President Fukuzawa taught him very seriously. Even in this world where literary giants have abandoned literature for martial arts, he still has the potential to be an educator!

After washing up, Yoriichi went to the courtyard in the morning light, where Fukuzawa Yukichi was already waiting with two wooden swords.

Fukuzawa tossed one of the wooden swords to his newly accepted disciple, then took a stance, sword in hand. "Yoriichi, let me see your strength."

Seeing that the president was going to fight Yoriichi, I felt a surge of nervousness. Yoriichi is the ceiling of power in Demon Slayer. Even though he is only seven years old now, his body is naturally different from that of an adult. Whether it is strength or speed, he is better than an adult. I was really afraid that the president would fail to teach him properly and be embarrassed.

While I was still worried, the two had already started fighting. In the blink of an eye, they had both swung their swords several times, so fast that my eyes couldn't keep up. At this moment, I really envied the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. If I had such eyes, I could see everything clearly and even copy it.

A few breaths later, I don't know how President Fukuzawa made that slash, I couldn't even see where he actually struck the wooden sword, and the wooden sword in Yoriichi's hand just vanished.

I was truly shocked at that moment. You have to understand that Yoriichi's strength far exceeds that of an adult. In other words, the president couldn't have made Yoriichi's sword slip from his hand by sheer strength. It must have been an extremely high level of swordsmanship. As expected of the president, he is truly amazing.

With Yoriichi's wooden sword slipping from his hand, the duel ended abruptly.

Fukuzawa Yukichi could not hide the shock on his newly accepted student's face. It was understandable; Yoriichi's swordsmanship was so strong that it was almost inhuman. If it weren't for the fact that the president's swordsmanship was recognized as the strongest in Bungo Stray Dogs, so strong that most supernatural beings were no match for him, he would probably have been humiliated by his student.

Yoriichi looked at his empty hands before raising his head and calmly said to the silver-haired man in front of him, "I lost."

President Fukuzawa had regained his usual dignified demeanor and then said something that surprised me: "Yoriichi, you are very strong, strong enough to possess swordsmanship far beyond what a child your age should have, but you have never actually practiced swordsmanship before, have you?"

For a moment, I almost thought that the president of the company had been possessed by Edogawa Ranpo. Even though Yoriichi's swordsmanship was so powerful, he could still tell that Yoriichi had never practiced swordsmanship. This is not scientific!

“Yes, teacher.” Yoriichi confirmed his guess, and the club president said “I knew it” before continuing to state his own guess.

"Not only is your strength and speed far beyond that of ordinary people, Yoriichi, your eyes can see through my attacks, right?"

I was shocked again. In just a short exchange, President Fukuzawa had already figured out that Yoriichi possessed the Transparent World. I have to say, the president is truly a powerful swordsman. He could guess these things just by relying on a swordsman's intuition and insight. It's no wonder that Yoriichi lost to him.

“It’s a transparent world.” Yoriichi briefly explained that he could see through human bones, muscles, and blood vessels, and President Fukuzawa showed an expression of understanding.

"No wonder. Your swordsmanship is strong but too honest. You are straightforward and do not know anything about cunning. You can easily lose your sword with just a little trick. You rely too much on your superpower."

Fukuzawa Yukichi commented on his disciple's swordsmanship with a serious expression, inadvertently revealing a different way of thinking about combat. I just wanted to clap my hands in frustration. As expected of someone who had done assassinations, his combat experience was indeed rich.

Yoriichi, being an honest man, naturally used honest swordsmanship, which put him at a great disadvantage against Muzan, a scum of humanity. Now, with the president's guidance, not to mention how much his swordsmanship has improved, his strategic combat awareness alone is invaluable.

"Teacher, what are superpowers?"

Yoriichi showed a rare hint of curiosity, and President Fukuzawa patiently explained the terms "superpower" and "superpower user," which are practically Yokohama specialties, to his disciple. This made Yoriichi's dull eyes light up, as if he was happy that he wasn't a special person.

This situation left me speechless. Has Yoriichi forgotten that he's not from this world? The Transparent World may seem like a superpower, but in reality, the two are completely unrelated.

After explaining the terminology, Fukuzawa Yukichi looked at his young apprentice with anticipation and admiration. "Yoriichi, you are a born swordsman. It won't be long before you surpass me. I really look forward to that day!"

It wasn't until this moment that I truly realized how broad-minded President Fukuzawa was. Most people would feel uncomfortable being surpassed by their apprentices, but the president was actually very much looking forward to that kind of future. Yoriichi really met a good teacher.

After breakfast, Fukuzawa Yukichi didn't teach Yoriichi swordsmanship. Instead, he took out a Go board and planned to teach him how to play. I was stunned and couldn't understand why Yoriichi wanted to learn something that was such a waste of time.

Yoriichi naturally wouldn't ask about such things. I clung to the Go board and meowed, hoping that President Fukuzawa could explain. He picked me up, put me on his lap, and stroked me several times before gently teaching Yoriichi the rules of Go.

I was lying on the president's lap, listening to his steady voice, feeling a little sleepy. But the crisp sound of the chess pieces hitting the board kept me awake. I was idly wagging my tail when I suddenly heard the president casually say that Go is a game that really trains the mind.

I suddenly remembered that Go can develop intelligence. Could it be that Yoriichi's seemingly dull and withdrawn appearance made the president worry about his apprentice's intelligence?

It's unlikely, but playing Go can effectively cultivate a child's habit of thinking and being thoughtful. Perhaps the president saw that Yoriichi's swordsmanship was already very strong and wanted him to exercise his brain. After all, a swordsman needs intelligence, especially the ability to use intelligence in battle. I think Yoriichi lacked this, otherwise Muzan wouldn't have been able to escape.

I silently complained about the adult Yoriichi in my mind. Everyone says that villains die from talking too much. If the protagonist talks too much, the villain will easily get away. Why give Muzan a chance to speak? Just kill him and there won't be so much trouble.

I yawned and was already feeling drowsy when I heard the sound of the door opening in the entryway, followed by Edogawa Ranpo's light, boyish voice.

Realizing Ranpo had returned, I instantly sprang to my senses and immediately looked around, trying to find a place to hide. If he saw me, he might recognize me as a fake cat at a glance.

Wait, don't panic. Hiding will only make me look guilty. I'll just lie here quietly. I don't believe Ranpo can really see through my true nature.

Thinking of this, I lay down again, still feeling a little nervous. Ranpo's reputation for super deduction was just too great; his intelligence, which could see the truth at a glance, was practically a bug.

As if sensing my nervousness, President Fukuzawa reached out and gently rubbed me, which made me relax quite a bit. His pair of bright blue eyes also looked towards the door, wanting to know if Ranpo could see through my identity. That was quite a challenge!

A note from the author: