15. Akodo Yumako

Month of the Serpent 18th, 1123

Shinjo's Duel

Shinjo Takuya accepts the Iaijutsu Duel to the first strike. We all go to the training grounds and form a circle. Both Shinjo Takuya and the Crab clan Magistrate prepare themself for the duel. Agasha Sumiko, Kitsu Tsuguri and Asahina Tadane will be the jury. They both take their bokken, and the duel starts!

The Crane Magistrate is really fast and immediately draws his bokken while Shinjo Takuya takes a more careful approach. He slowly draws his bokken and it seems he wants to predict what the Crab will do. But the Crab just tries to hit him, but fails getting the first strike. It's then Shinjo Takuya who suddenly uses all his force and with 1 fierce swing get the first strike. He wins the duel! It's not how I would have approached the duel, but it was very effective against the Crab. Sometimes Shinjo does impress me!

I noticed Doji Ren also came to look at the duel. Afterwards I go with her to our quarters to help her with the notes she made this morning.

Month of the Serpent 19th, 1123

Breakfast

The next morning before we go to breakfast Isawa Aki and Bayushi Kyo tell us what they did yesterday evening at the granary. They found a secret room, and in it they herbs which could be used to make poison, and notes written by the same person that also wrote some of Doji Satsume's notes. One stated that the Emerald Champion betrayed humanity to the kami! It was signed by 'The Hidden Serpent'.

We then quickly go for breakfast. My brother is not here, I guess he left early, after what happened at dinner yesterday! There was a new face, a Crab Magestrate called Hiruma Shigeki. He was telling that the real danger was in the Shadowlands. A real Crab Samurai it was. I ignore him and after breakfast we quickly go to the training grounds.

Weaponry Training

We will get weaponry training this morning in the Ruby Dojo. It is a beautiful dojo, with a lot of interesting weaponry available. The training is given by Shosuro Koharu, of the Scorpion clan. She explains about all different kind of weapons, also about the ones often wielded by others than Samurai. While it is interesting I already know most of this.

Then it's time for some practice. She will attack us with a simple weapon. She attacked me with a Hammer. It wasn't much of a challenge and I stood my ground and blocked her attack. As a reward we each get to keep the weeapon she attacked us with.

Next she tells us about another type of weapon: poison. She is really against using it, as she should be. Since poison is a very dishonorable choice of weapon. She worked in the City of Lies as a Magistrate for a long time, and she was often confronted with poisons when investigating crimes. This made her a kind of expert on the topic. We get more background about poisons and the herbs and ingredients oftens used in it. These are all new things, and maybe this knowledge becomes useful in the investigation of Doji Satsume's death.

At the end of the session she tells us: "Your greatest weapon is your unyielding duty to the Emperor". Which I can only agree with.

The afternoon

During lunch we get a message from Miya Kotsuma, our trainer for tomorrow. He tells us that we need to prepare for tomorrow by doing some research on famous crimes of the past.

After lunch we head to the library to do this research. And while at it, we can also see if we can get any more background related to the notes we found. But on our way I notice that Kitsuki Kāgi is following us. Isawa Aki also noticed, because she suddenly turns around and confronts him. After a remark about it from Togashi Yoshi he admits that he has been following us since we had the talk with Agasha Sumiko in her private quarters and heard about our short training, which he considered weird.