White vapor lingered around the kitchen area located at the backyard of Matsuda Clan.

Lily was submerged in a wooden tub filled with warm water up to her shoulders.

Since she had already looked at her own body, Lily didn"t cover her eyes or face anymore.

She lifted her hand and let the crystal clear droplets roll down her slender arm. Some dripped onto the water surface, and some rolled until they reached her soft armpit.

Her other hand was holding a white towel, which she used to wipe her wet skin.

Her long hair was mostly submerged in the water. The beautiful black spread everywhere in the wooden tub.

She defeated Taro and finally obtained the right to partic.i.p.ate in the samurai"s qualification test. Moreover, it was in a situation where she restricted her usage of Spirit Power. Lily was naturally satisfied with the result. After all, only when a certain degree of danger exists would it be considered real battle!

However, there was one thing in her heart that made her concerned.

It"d be fine if she was this unyielding only in battles, it was an involuntary action after all.

However, in regards to what she did later, Lily found it hard to understand. Why would she do something like that?

She lowered her head and the water droplets fell into the wooden tub from her long eyelashes. The splash caused a ripple to form, which gently spread towards her b.r.e.a.s.t.s that were half buried in water.

Why would such a pure and honest girl ever embrace a lethal weapon…

"I wonder why I did something like that?"

"It was as if I got possessed by something at that time and did something that cannot be undone."

"Could it be that… deep within, I am a nasty woman?"

"No! That shouldn"t be!"

Lily dipped her face into the water. What nasty woman, I am a guy for G.o.d"s sake! It is already embarra.s.sing enough that I unconsciously thought of myself as a girl and act all girly, but I actually went and did something like that!

"I am… I am really too shameless!"

"This is an important time, I should remember this and punish myself at a later date."

"Even if it was because I was carving for something in the depth of my soul, it is still an unforgivable act for me to snuggle that sword so intimately!"

Nevertheless, even if her action was unbearable to look at, she still ended up absorbing a lot of true essences which drastically increased her power!

Why, just why did she become like that?

"Could it be that I can also increase my strength by doing something like that?" Lily blushed.

"Of course it"s not that simple!"

"Then… just why? Why did that shoddy katana shatter into pieces? And what are those mysterious runes that appeared on the katana before it shattered? Although it was my first time seeing those runes, I feel like I have seen the unique artistic style of that writing somewhere before…"

While she was letting her imagination run wild, Lily fell asleep while leaning on the wooden tub. Half of her soft, stellar b.r.e.a.s.t.s which defied gravity were exposed above the water surface. Although it was indecent, her sleeping posture could be said to be innocent.

And tonight, Daidouji Hiroko was bound to have a sleepless night. She was sending Taro to see a doctor in a carriage. Taro"s condition was anything but good, his wound was very serious as many bones around his chest were fractured. Although his life was not in danger, the pain was still hard to bear.

He had grown this big and been through a lot of fights. Many girls had fallen into his evil clutches, and yet, he didn"t expect to suffer this much pain from getting stabbed by a girl"s wooden sword.

"Kagami Lily! That vixen! This old lady will not forgive you! Mark my words!" said Hiroko as she gnashed her teeth.

However, when they arrived at the closest clinic that night, they had been told that Taro would be left with a disability if they treated him with an ordinary medical technique.

Hiroko got the shock of her life. Thus she hastily ordered the driver to take them to Doidouji"s mountain city, to where her brother resided. As matters stand, they could only request help from an authoritative figure of the Hojo Clan. Their Daidouji Clan only dared to act so arrogantly in Kamakura City entirely due to the backup of this figure!

Three days later, after obtaining the recommendation letter to partic.i.p.ate in the samurai"s qualification test, Lily was about to set out to the Genji Dojo located at Takes.h.i.ta Town. That was the venue where the examination would take place.

This morning, Matsuda Nagahide, Kimura, and Kanzaki were sending her off at the front gate.

"Miss Kagami, this is a recommendation letter with Matsuda Clan"s seal. You must keep it in a safe place." Nagahide pa.s.sed a scroll to Lily.

"Thank you elder, I will definitely keep it safely."

Right now Lily was wearing the purple-colored kimono with ice crystal patterns she originally wore. Her feet were adorned with wooden sandals and she was carrying the Sakura Parasol on her back. One of her hands was carrying a pale red rectangular sack. She was fully dressed up for a long journey.

She solemnly received the recommendation scroll with both hands.

"Also, here are 300 mon. You take it and use it along the way. After all, there are at least 15 miles of distance to Takes.h.i.ta. You will need to spend the night in various places so this money should come in handy." Nagahide handed a string of copper coins to Lily.

"Thank you, elder." Lily received the copper coins with grat.i.tude.

This was the first time Lily received money in this parallel world.

"Miss Kagami, I believe you might have a shot at pa.s.sing the samurai"s qualification test with your strength. Although the time I spent teaching you is short, I really hope that your dream to become a samurai will come true." Nagahide said with heartfelt words.

"I will try my best," Lily gracefully walked past the front gate, but then she stopped and turned around.

She made a graceful bow towards Nagahide.

"Master, however short it was, thank you for your guidance."

Nagahide stared blankly for a moment before his eyes involuntarily became moist. Regardless of Lily"s true ident.i.ty, having a girl as beautiful as a G.o.ddess calling a rough-looking lowly samurai like him master made Nagahide emotionally moved.

"Miss Kagami! Good luck!"

"You must become a samurai!"

Kimura and Kanzaki looked at Lily"s distancing back as they cheered her on with loud and unsophisticated words.

After bidding farewell to the Matsuda Clan, Lily set out for a long journey by herself for the first time. Her feet stepped on the gra.s.sland moistened by the morning dew as the refreshing morning breeze brushed past her. Lily followed the path pointed out by Matsuda and walked towards the direction of Takes.h.i.ta.

Although it was only 15 miles or so, the majority of the path was mountain road, so if she didn"t run and travel normally, she would only arrive at nightfall.

At the same time when Lily was hastily making her way to Takes.h.i.ta, another party with a rather powerful group of people was also heading towards the same direction from the Suruga Province1 of the West.

This party consisted of at least ten people. Most of them were foot soldiers wearing black armor and yellow innerwear. These foot soldiers had a really long spear. They looked st.u.r.dy and well-equipped.

And riding a white horse in the center of this group was a young girl in a yellow hunting dress. It felt like this group of people were guarding her.

The young girl was pet.i.te and her red hair was tied into a ponytail. She had a soft and delicate face, her lips were pink like the cherry blossom, and she had a bright pair of amber-colored eyes.

Attached to the left side of the young girl"s waist was a small tachi with gorgeous designs. On her right side hanged a shiny bamboo gauntlet that reflected green and blue light. There was a colorful strip of cloth attached to it.

The young girl merrily rode on the horseback. Her slender legs with white knee-length socks were exposed under her yellow dress. From time to time, she would use the heel of her rosewood sandals to kick the horse"s belly.

"Hmph!" The young lady pouted unhappily as if someone had offended her, "So frustrating!"

There were two servants riding beside the girl, one of the elderly servants asked, "Lady Nanako, what is it that makes you angry again?"2

The Lady Nanako this servant referred to was naturally that pet.i.te girl, Saikanji Nanako, the eldest daughter of the Saikanji House. Their house was a part of the Fujiwara Clan, and they were a famous merchant group from the Suruga Province of Kanto region.

Reportedly, the Saikanji House was a clan with females only. It had already been this way for many generations. The current head of the household was also Nanako"s mother, Saikanji Yomika. She was a single mother at the age of thirty odd years old. As for the men, they were only tools used to carry on the Saikanji House"s ancestral line. Once a daughter had been born, they would make the men leave.3

Saikanji Nanako turned her body around on the horse with agile movements and sat in reverse. Her little finger pointed at two round mountains about the same height.

Her tone carried enmity and resentment as she said, "Look, don"t those mountains look like a pair of b.r.e.a.s.t.s?!"

"Hah?!" Both young and old, the two servants staggered and almost fell from the horse.

"Lady Nanako, if you keep talking like that, you will be punished by the madam again!" The elderly man advice out of kindness.

"The two of you, go flatten those mountains for me!" said the young girl with a slightly bulging chest.4

"Lady Nanako, we are just your housekeeper and bodyguard only, how can we manage to do that!"

"I hate big-breasted women! I hate big-breasted women with long legs even more! I say these kinds of women must be m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic in their hearts! Their only worth is to, be, my, horse! Hmph!"5

"Lady Nanako… those… are just a pair of mountains…"