[Ransei] This is no ordinary mop! It holds the dual power of combat and cleanliness! Use it to clean up the battlefield, Master!
[player] Okay, let's do this!
[Ransei] I'll offer this mop to you, Master –
[player] Ransei, look out!
[-] Just as Ransei jogs over to me, a cat suddenly darts into her path. To avoid it, she uses the mop like a pole vault, launching herself into the air, where she completes two and a half rotations before landing perfectly back on the ground.
[Onlooker A] Nice!
[Onlooker B] I had no idea there'd be such an amazing pre-show! That's Bamboo Cloud for ya!
[-] The crowd bursts into huge applause for Ransei's performance. Ransei trots over to me and wipes the sweat from her flushed face.
[Ransei] Here, Master.
[player] Relax.
[-] I pat Ransei on the shoulder. Amid the crowd's cheers, my focus is actually on the mop – it's wet.
[Jiu Hua] Now that you have your weapon, let us begin. Take this!
[-] The instant Jiu Hua readies her attack, I quickly sidestep, change direction, and angle the mop slightly before making a beeline for her. She agilely leaps out of the way, the corners of her mouth curved into a smirk.
[Jiu Hua] Is that it?
[player] Heh! No, THIS is!
[-] The mop barely grazes the edge of Jiu Hua's shoes, but the momentum causes the fabric at the end to fan out, flinging "dirt weapons" in all directions...
[-] Wails fill the place. Jiu Hua doesn't escape unscathed either.
[Jiu Hua] It has the texture of fabric, the weight of wood, and it sprays water... Shoot, I can't determine this new weapon's distance, speed, or power!
[Hibiki Himekawa] We'll be pausing the live stream for just a moment, guys... I need to... clean... my face!
[player] You're still streaming?!
[Hibiki Himekawa] You may have just flung mud in my face, but since my stream is blowing up to the point that it's starting to lag, I'll let you off the hook. Hehe.
[Hibiki Himekawa] You got this, PLAYER. Your victory, my skyrocketing views and subs... This is a big win-win for us.
[-] Just when I'm seriously wondering whether I'll be canceled for "flinging mud at a pretty girl" during her live stream, I hear a familiar voice.
[Ume] That's enough, Jiu Hua.
[-] Ume emerges from the crowd and stands beside Jiu Hua and me.
[Jiu Hua] Ume? Why are you here?
[-] The moment Jiu Hua hears Ume's voice, she softens up and stops her attack.
[Ume] I came to inform you that your new sparring partner is stuck in traffic and hasn't arrived yet.
[Jiu Hua] Wh-Who is this then...?!
[Ume] This is PLAYER, the person in charge of the anniversary celebration.
[player] Um... hello!
[Jiu Hua] ...Huh?! I-I'm so sorry, just look at the mess I've made, haha...
[-] Jiu Hua takes off her eye mask and looks at me, then glances around. Her face instantly turns red, and she quickly drops her spear and starts bowing to me, apologizing over and over.
[Jiu Hua] You were surprisingly skilled and reacted in such extraordinary ways that I thought you were my new sparring partner. I even thought... well... that you were really something. I've never had a sparring match quite like this...
[Jiu Hua] Anyway, I'm very sorry.
[player] It's fine, really. You could say we were just getting to know each other.
[-] I may have been forced into a duel, but it felt pretty good to get some exercise. Plus, no one got hurt.
[Ume] Since everyone's okay, why don't we continue our discussion over a meal?
[-] With that, Ume turns to the crowd and raises her voice slightly.
[Ume] Alright everyone, I believe it's time to wrap things up. To thank you for your interest in Bamboo Cloud's anniversary celebration, we're offering a 20% discount at all of our restaurants today. We hope you'll come and enjoy!
[Onlooker A] Yeah!!
[Onlooker B] So generous!
[Onlooker C] You guys will cheer for anything, huh...
[-] Hearing that the show's over but there's a discount at the restaurants, the crowd disperses at once. Even Hibiki, who was deeply invested in the fight only moments ago, gives me a wave before joining the crowd with a mischievous grin on her face.
[-] Just when Ichihime and I are about to follow Ume to the restaurant, I feel a tug on the back of my clothing.
[player] Huh?
[Jiu Hua] U-Ume, there's something I want to talk about with PLAYER. Could you bring the priestess to the restaurant first? We'll join you shortly.
[-] Ume looks at us both, then nods.
[Ume] Okay, sure.
[-] Once Ume and Ichihime are out of earshot, Jiu Hua suddenly grabs my hand and hurriedly pulls me over to the kitchen.
[Jiu Hua] I know I was at fault earlier, but you're a kind person who's willing to help those in need...
[player] What happened?
[-] Just then, a series of thumps suddenly echoes from behind the kitchen door. With a loud "bang," something breaks through it...
[Jiu Hua] Shoot, they're gonna make a run for it!
[player] What's gonna make a run for it?
[-] I get my answer before Jiu Hua can respond – a flock of chickens, geese, and pigeons swarms out, filling the air with feathers, clucks, and coos. For some reason, some of the pigeons are even carrying pens and paper in their beaks. It's utter chaos for a while...
[Jiu Hua] Catch.
[-] Jiu Hua throws me a line of thin rope and leads the charge into the swarm.
[player] We have to catch them? Well... I'm no stranger to that.
After a long, hard slog, we finally managed to tie up all the chickens, ducks, and pigeons again. Covered head to toe in feathers, Jiu Hua and I slump to the ground...
[-] Grumble... A loud whine comes from one of our stomachs. Jiu Hua and I exchange glances and then burst into laughter.
[Jiu Hua] Looks like we're going to miss out on Ume's feast. How about I treat you to a meal instead? Think of it as an apology for the earlier duel.
[-] To make amends, Jiu Hua takes me to eat at a Bamboo Cloud's restaurant. Once we've had our fill, I finally pluck up the courage to ask her something.
[player] You're Ms. Fuuka's personal bodyguard, right? What were you doing butchering a pigeon in the kitchen this morning?
[Jiu Hua] Those pigeons were for the staff meal. The chef brought them out for me to practice my spear-fighting. Once I finished, I'd give them back to him to cook.
[Jiu Hua] That's what I call a win-win! Pretty clever, if I do say so myself.
[player] A clever person would use a pigeon as her sparring partner?
[Jiu Hua] ...
[-] Her smile suddenly vanishes, and for a moment, the air feels tense.
[Jiu Hua] No one wants to be my sparring partner. The last few all quit on their first day, and the chickens, ducks, and pigeons were all I had left.
[-] I look up at Jiu Hua. The hair hanging over her face casts a shadow over her eyes. She's pretending to be fine, but my heart pangs when I detect a hint of sadness.
[player] Sorry...
[Jiu Hua] That's right – I'm too strong, so no one can keep up with me.
[player] Huh?! Who asked that?!
[Jiu Hua] Hee-hee. But then you came along and solved all my problems.
[player] I never agreed to be your sparring partner! I'm just a supervisor, that's it!
[-] I take an indignant bite of a chicken foot. She watches me with a sly smile, then suddenly turns serious and says:
[Jiu Hua] Hey! I just poured my heart out to you, so you can't tell Ume about the birds escaping. This will be our little secret! Come on, pinky promise me!
[-] Without saying another word, Jiu Hua yanks at my greasy hand, which is still holding the chicken foot. The moment our pinkies – and the chicken foot – interlock, Jiu Hua smiles, her eyes crinkling with delight.
[Jiu Hua] Also... If you won't be my sparring partner, then you'll be my opponent! We'll compete and help each other improve. Relax, you're a genius at martial arts. I'll be coming to you often from now on.
[player] Ahh! Please, I'm too young to die...
