Night.
Saeko Busujima tossed and turned in her bed, unable to fall asleep.
Part of it was because she had not yet adjusted to her new surroundings.
However, it was mostly due to Shizuka Marikawa's sudden intrusion earlier during dinner.
Specifically, her questions: "Why are you in my house?" and "Why are you wearing my clothes?"
Every time she thought about it, Saeko felt an overwhelming sense of social death, wishing she could wrap herself in her blankets and wriggle like a caterpillar on the bed.
Saeko let out a long sigh.
She thought about the outfit she was currently wearing—one she had never worn once since she bought it, having finally summoned the courage to show it to Su Yan today.
While it was a pity...
...it would have to wait until next time.
The girl sat up in bed, intending to head out for a glass of ice water to cool her head.
Walking to the door, she quietly cracked it open.
Good, there were no lights on. It seemed Su Yan and Shizuka Marikawa had already retired to their rooms to rest.
This allowed Saeko to breathe a sigh of relief.
She slowly opened the door and crept into the living room under the cover of night.
The dinner the two of them had barely touched was still sitting on the dining table.
Saeko thought for a moment and decided to put the food away so it would not spoil.
After all, Su Yan had cooked quite a lot; there was more than enough to serve as tomorrow's lunch bento.
Before long, Saeko efficiently cleared the table and poured herself a glass of ice water from the fridge, downing it in one go.
Just as she was about to return to her bedroom, she noticed an incredibly faint sound, like the mournful wail of a ghost, coming from somewhere in the house.
Had it not been for her training in Nen, which had enhanced her vision, hearing, and physical constitution...
...she might not have noticed it at all in the past.
Because of Nen, she, who usually scoffed at tales of ghosts and gods, began to have other thoughts.
In modern society, killing people is illegal.
But what about ghosts? Monsters? Spirits?
Saeko could not help but feel curious. If Nen was effective against 'those kinds of things' and they were not related to Su Yan, perhaps she could slay one to satisfy her urges?
Following the source of the sound, she arrived at a bedroom door.
Saeko realized she had been mistaken.
However, she was still curious about the noise inside. Aside from herself, the only other woman in the house should be Shizuka Marikawa.
Moreover, Shizuka had mentioned earlier that this was her house, so this bedroom undoubtedly belonged to her.
But why would Shizuka be making such strange noises at night?
The girl curiously pressed her ear against the door to hear the sounds inside more clearly.
As a result, she heard Shizuka's pleading voice.
Cries like "I was wrong, please spare me," "Please don't do any more, I really can't take it," or "No, not there!" echoed from within.
Along with Su Yan's voice interjecting with things like "That's for ruining my plans" and "You don't know you're wrong, you just know you're at your limit."
Analyzing the dialogue, it seemed Su Yan was punishing Shizuka in there.
Saeko could not help but nod in agreement; she certainly deserved it.
After all, if not for Shizuka's sudden intrusion, given the ambiguous atmosphere in the air during dinner, she would surely be sharing a wonderful night with Su Yan right now.
However, as Saeko continued to listen, she began to feel that something was not quite right about the noises.
Soon, Saeko realized the truth and her face instantly turned crimson. Heat radiated from her body as if a fire were blazing in her heart, and she felt as if steam were rising from her head.
Despite having just finished a glass of ice water, her mouth felt parched.
This agonizing sensation was like countless ants crawling over her body, making her want to flee, yet her feet would not move an inch.
Saeko was left dumbfounded.
She never imagined that Su Yan and Shizuka Marikawa shared that kind of relationship.
And she had even thought about giving that girl named Rei Miyamoto a push this afternoon?
Another woman might have denounced Su Yan as a scumbag for looking at the pot while eating from the bowl.
But Saeko was different. She sincerely believed that her flawed self could never be worthy of the perfect image she had of Su Yan.
Instead, seeing Su Yan with these human flaws made him feel more real to her, giving her the illusion that she might actually be able to stand by his side.
Therefore, she did not care how many women Su Yan had; at most, she felt it was a pity that his first partner had not been her.
She wondered if Shizuka Marikawa, acting as her 'senior', would be able to accept her existence?
After an unknown amount of time, a weak-kneed Saeko finally returned to her room in a daze.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, the girl looked down at her pillow, but she was not the least bit sleepy.
'Great, now I really can't sleep.'
'Now that things have come to this, I'll just train.'
Saeko sat cross-legged, following the method Su Yan had taught her that afternoon.
She repeatedly practiced Ten, Zetsu, and Ren from the Four Major Principles of Nen.
As her training deepened, her mind gradually began to calm down.
However, she could not help but think about Hatsu.
Even though Su Yan had said it was an ability a Nen user should only attempt to develop after mastering their aura.
She still wanted to try.
The girl glanced at the white oak bokken she usually carried, resting by the head of her bed.
Although it was a seemingly ordinary wooden tool that could exert impressive power in her hands, she could not take the white oak sword everywhere.
For example, when traveling by train, she often had to explain herself to the conductors.
Even though learning Nen made her significantly stronger barehanded than she had been with her wooden sword...
...for Saeko, who had studied Kendo since childhood, she only felt at peace when a weapon was by her side.
Thus, the image of Su Yan effortlessly materializing a white oak sword before her earlier immediately came to mind.
'If I could do that too...'
'But how?'
Saeko spread her palm, first trying to release her Nen using Ren, then using Ten to gather the released aura onto her hand.
Visualizing the shape and texture of the white oak sword she used daily, she slowly formed a prototype of the blade out of aura.
'It's working!'
However, with just a moment's lapse in concentration, the aura prototype that had been taking shape instantly dissipated.
Saeko's eyes narrowed.
As expected, this was not as simple as she had imagined.
Refusing to give up, Saeko continued her attempts.
She did not know how long it had been or how many times she had tried.
Finally, a look of joy appeared on her face.
'Success!'
A long sword, identical to the white oak bokken she carried, took form in her hand.
Instantly, the Nen within Saeko's body surged violently, pouring uncontrollably into the wooden sword in her hand.
The girl was unaware that at this very moment, the weapon carrying her 'Vow and Limitation'...
...was born!
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