"You don't know… ninjas? Not even ninja?" Izuna's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Nope, not a clue," Mash replied, scratching his head.
"Then what's with that insane speed and balance!?" Izuna pressed, her fox ears twitching.
"Just trained a ton, and it kinda happened," Mash shrugged.
"And this ridiculously tough body!?" Izuna poked and prodded Mash's muscles, her hands roaming in awe.
"Trained a ton for that too. Also, could you not grope my chest? It tickles," Mash said, squirming slightly.
"If you're not a ninja, then… what are you, Sensei?" Izuna demanded, her voice a mix of confusion and exasperation.
"Just an ordinary guy who got strong from training," Mash said matter-of-factly.
"There's no such thing as an ordinary guy like you!" Izuna exclaimed.
"You think?" Mash tilted his head.
"Absolutely!" Izuna insisted, hands on her hips.
Izuna was utterly baffled by Mash, who wasn't a ninja or samurai yet possessed superhuman strength. She'd been convinced his feats in their earlier escape were the work of a master ninja, so learning he didn't even know what a ninja was left her reeling. Still, she couldn't help but test the firmness of his muscles, marveling at their strength.
"…Okay, but seriously, what's a ninja?" Mash asked, genuinely curious.
"You don't know ninjas!?" Izuna gasped, then puffed out her chest with a mischievous grin. "Heh heh heh! Well then, allow Izuna to enlighten you!"
And so began Kuda Izuna's special lecture on ninjas.
According to her, ninjas were covert operatives who served under lords or rulers, excelling in espionage, infiltration, setting traps, and outsmarting enemies with cunning strategies.
"Ninjutsu, huh… Sounds like magic from my world," Mash mused.
"And ninjas are my idol—my dream!" Izuna declared, her eyes sparkling.
"Your dream's to become a full-fledged ninja?" Mash asked.
"Yes! To become Kivotos' greatest ninja—that's Izuna's dream!" she said proudly.
"That's a great dream. I'm rooting for you," Mash said with a warm smile.
"You… you'll cheer for me!?" Izuna's tail wagged furiously.
"Of course," Mash nodded.
Mash never mocked anyone's dreams. After all, he had his own—a happy ending he was determined to achieve, no matter how impossible others said it was.
"No matter what anyone says, I'll support your dream, Izuna-chan. No reason not to," Mash said earnestly.
"Ehehe! You're the first person to say that, Sensei! To cheer for my dream… I'm still a work in progress with plenty of mistakes, but I swear I'll become an amazing ninja!" Izuna beamed, her cheeks flushing with determination.
"Go for it," Mash encouraged.
"I will! I'll take on missions and—oh no! I forgot!" Izuna yelped, clapping her hands to her face. "I haven't finished my client's request!"
"Client?" Mash raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Izuna nodded vigorously. "Oh, here, have a sakura daifuku!"
"Thanks… Oh, I've got something for you too," Mash said, accepting the treat.
"Here!" Izuna thrust a book toward him. "It's The Secrets of Ninjutsu! I've got two copies already, so this one's for you!"
"Wow, looks intense. Thanks, I'll treasure it," Mash said, tucking the book under his arm.
"Then, Sensei… no, Master! I must go! Let's enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival together after I finish my mission!" Izuna chirped, then darted off like a gust of wind.
Man, her athleticism's no joke, Mash thought, watching her vanish. "What a lively kid. Haven't met someone that energetic in a while… Feels refreshing. Anyway, time to head to Hyakuyado."
Flipping through Izuna's book, Mash wandered back toward the festival streets, having somehow polished off his daifuku tower without noticing.
"Hyakuyado's that famous café, right?"
"Their strawberry anmitsu is to die for!"
"They've got all sorts of tasty stuff, but—"
"The best part is Shizuko-tan's adorable smile!" a group of festivalgoers chimed in unison.
"…Uh, thanks for the info," Mash said, a bit overwhelmed.
Asking around for directions to Hyakuyado, Mash was met with enthusiastic reviews of the café instead of actual directions, leaving him a little lost. Undeterred, he kept inquiring until he finally found the place.
"Excuse me…" Mash called out as he stepped inside.
"Boss! Welcome to Hyakuyado!" a lively voice boomed, startling Mash.
"Uh…" Mash began, but the enthusiastic greeting cut him off.
"We heard you were coming all the way from Schale, and I, Fina, have been waiting with all my heart!" a girl declared, her eyes gleaming.
"Schale… group?" Mash blinked.
"Fina, tone it down! You're overwhelming Sensei!" another voice scolded.
"But the Chairwoman said to greet Sensei with a super grand welcome!" Fina protested.
"No, no, no! That's just about making a good first impression as Hyakuyado staff!" the other girl clarified, then paused and closed her eyes briefly, as if flipping a switch. When she opened them, her demeanor shifted entirely.
"Teehee! Hi, Sensei! I'm Kawawa Shizuko, Chairwoman of the Festival Operations Committee at Hyakkiyako Alliance Academy and owner of our proud traditional café, Hyakuyado! Nya nya!" she said with a playful wink.
"…Split personality?" Mash asked, tilting his head.
"Nope, just putting on a cat-like charm!" Shizuko giggled.
"Don't spill the beans, Fina!" Shizuko huffed, nudging her companion.
"I'm Asahina Fina, a Hyakuyado employee striving to master the path of chivalry! Nice to meet you, Boss!" Fina said with a salute.
"Mash Burnedead, 16-year-old teacher," Mash introduced himself.
"Sixteen!? We're the same age!?" Shizuko gasped, her cat-like facade slipping.
"Younger than us!?" Fina added, equally shocked.
"Haven't heard that reaction in a while," Mash chuckled.
Muttering, "Sixteen… A sixteen-year-old teacher… That's fine, right?" Shizuko quickly regained her composure and got to the point.
"Ahem! Welcome, Sensei. We're the Festival Operations Committee, responsible for Hyakkiyako's biggest tourist attraction—the festivals. We handle everything from planning to management," Shizuko explained.
"And Hyakuyado is our coooool headquarters!" Fina added with a grin.
"So most of the academy's festivals are run from here," Mash noted.
"Exactly. Right now, we're in the middle of the Hyakuya Spring Cherry Blossom Festival… but…" Shizuko's voice trailed off.
"There's trouble, and you called me for help. That's the deal, right?" Mash guessed.
"Yes… The trouble is—"
Before Shizuko could finish, a deafening explosion and gunfire erupted outside. She groaned, "Ugh, them again!?" while Mash frowned, wondering what was going on.
"It's those guys!" Fina growled.
"Why do they always show up at the worst time!?" Shizuko muttered.
"Let's head to the scene," Mash said calmly.
"Right!" Shizuko and Fina nodded.
Rushing outside, they reached the main street, where a group of delinquents was causing chaos. A blonde fox-eared girl in a short kimono and a tengu mask led the pack, while another with bluish-black twin-tails wore a hakama and an okame mask.
"Bwahahaha! We're the Chimimoryo Troupe, terrors of Hyakkiyako's streets! Street-style, baby!" the tengu-masked girl bellowed.
"Let's wreck this place, just like they asked!" the okame-masked girl shouted, rallying her crew.
"Did I end up in Gehenna or something?" Mash muttered.
"It's better than Gehenna… probably!" Shizuko said, uncertain.
"Enough already! Time for another lesson!" Fina declared, cracking her knuckles.
"Hah! You Festival Committee punks think you can stop us?" the tengu-masked girl sneered.
"This time, we're different—because we've got Schale's Sensei!" Shizuko shot back, pointing at Mash.
"What? Sensei?" the okame-masked girl scoffed.
"Hey there," Mash said, raising a hand casually.
As Schale's teacher, Mash's reputation preceded him, with wild rumors circulating Kivotos. But not everyone bought into the hype.
"So what? Some guy with nothing but exaggerated rumors? No way we're losing!" the tengu-masked girl taunted.
"Yeah! Those stories are all fake. That guy's just dead weight!" another chimed in.
"You think you can beat the Chimimoryo Troupe with that baggage?" the okame-masked girl laughed.
Plenty of students didn't believe the tales—destroying tanks barehanded, fighting Trinity's strategic weapons, shattering meteors, or cleaning up Gehenna's streets. Who'd buy that?
"This is a good chance to see if those rumors are true!" the tengu-masked girl grinned.
"Let's do this!" another shouted.
"Wait, seriously!?" Shizuko yelped.
"Oh, we're serious, Sensei!" the okame-masked girl smirked.
One of the troupe raised a rocket launcher and fired at Mash. Shizuko screamed, "Sensei!" but—
"Nope, even if the rumors are fake, you don't just shoot people," Mash said, swatting the rocket skyward with a casual slap.
"…?" The entire group froze, their eyes shrinking to pinpricks. "What just happened?"
"Chairwoman… did he just… deflect a rocket? With his hand?" Fina stammered.
"With a slap… Wait, those rumors were real?" Shizuko whispered.
"Just a fluke! Probably a dud! This time, we'll get him!" the tengu-masked girl shouted, rallying her crew.
The troupe's machine-gunners took aim, ready to unleash a barrage, but—
"No reckless shooting in the streets," Mash said calmly.
"Huh?" one girl blinked.
"Take this!" Thwack!
"Gya!?" One of the troupe flew backward as Mash flicked her forehead, shattering her mask.
"You—" another started.
"Punishment time." Thwack!
"Ow!?" Another went flying, mask in pieces.
"We didn't sign up for this!" one wailed.
"Nobody said we'd face that! It was supposed to be a simple smash-and-grab job!" another cried.
(Job? Mash thought, catching the word.)
"If it's come to this… Hey! Help us out!" the tengu-masked girl shouted.
A shuriken whizzed toward Mash's feet. He dodged with a backflip and glanced in its direction.
"…Huh?" Mash muttered.
"Ninja Izuna, reporting!" a familiar voice called. "From here on, I'll—wait, Master!?"
"Izuna-chan, long time no see. What're you doing?" Mash asked, tilting his head.
"That's my line! Why are you getting in our way!?" Izuna demanded.
"I mean, you're causing trouble in the streets. Gotta stop that," Mash said reasonably.
"Could it be… you approached me to lure me out from the start!? Was it all a setup!? You cheered for my dream… but were you secretly a bad guy!?" Izuna's voice quivered with betrayal.
"How'd you jump to that conclusion?" Mash asked, baffled.
Mash was utterly lost, but one thing was clear: Izuna was with the enemy, and he had to stop her. Still, he couldn't shake the question—why was she helping the Chimimoryo Troupe?
"Izuna-chan, why're you siding with them?" Mash asked.
"I-I'm just following orders as a ninja!" Izuna stammered.
"Hmm?" Mash frowned.
"Izuna-dono, time for a strategic retreat!" the tengu-masked girl called.
"Strategic retreat…? But I…" Izuna hesitated.
"A true ninja knows when to pull back! I read it in a book somewhere!" another added.
"I see! In that case!" Izuna nodded, pulling out a smoke bomb and slamming it to the ground. A cloud of smoke engulfed the area.
"Sensei… to think the one who supported my dream would stand in my way. What a cruel twist of fate! But I know this is part of a ninja's path—I saw it in a drama! I won't give up, Sensei! The next time we meet, I'll be three times stronger! Nin-nin!" Izuna declared dramatically.
"Wait, Izuna-chan, I think there's a misunderstanding—" Mash tried to say, but the smoke cleared, and Izuna and the Chimimoryo Troupe were gone. The street was quiet, as if the chaos had never happened.
"Well… this is gonna be a hassle," Mash muttered, scratching his head.
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