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CHAPTER 84 – TEA AND SWORD
The dim-lit room was filled with faint scents emitted from the three women.1
The weak sunlight was filtered by the window paper, becoming gentle and warm.
The sweet and elegant Sakiko demonstrated chado to the two maidens before her.
Lily found herself looking at Sakiko’s fair and beautiful face. The artistic mole beside her lips added a touch of beauty to her maturity. She soon found herself wondering if this woman was married or not.
Lily couldn’t understand why some sort of depression suddenly surged into her heart. It seemed as though she was unwilling to confirm if Sakiko was married. However, considering Sakiko’s age and manners, she was most likely married. It wouldn’t be strange.
Of course, Lily wouldn’t deliberately ask about something like this.
Master Sakiko was Master Sakiko. That’s all, right?
Sakiko’s slender, jade-like hand gently shook the teacup, which set off her fair skin even better. Lily had a feeling that chado was absolutely not about the teacup but the people in harmonious combination with the tea utensils. That style, that makings, that etiquette had created the light, sophisticated woman.
She gently held the black teacup, while her other hand of hers grabbed a whisk, which was neither big nor small. She used the strands of the whisk, not too thin or too thick, to stir the tea. Thinking about having to put this sort of liquid into her mouth and swallow it later, Lily’s heart beat faster.2
“Please enjoy,” Sakiko presented Lily the cup of tea she had prepared.3
Lily held it and took in a deep breath. The pit of her stomach swayed, ready to receive the tea.
“Ff. . .” Her small mouth opened, releasing a wisp of white smoke. Her red, succulent lower lip touched the lower rim of the black teacup. Between her parting lips it seemed there was a transparent thread connecting her beautiful and already moist lips, only to be broken by the teacup entering Lily’s mouth.
The deep green fluid carrying a gentle and fantastic scent worked with Lily’s aromatic tongue to enter her oral cavity.
“Nn
” Lily slightly lifted up her chin, swallowing the sip of tea. Lily could feel the tea move deep into her throat. The heated liquid slipped down her throat, seeping into her stomach. The comfortable feeling spreading throughout her body.
From Sakiko’s etiquette, to the delicate tea-making process, to the moment Lily swallowed the tea, those actions were all considered the complete cycle of a tea ceremony.
The reaction and the expression of the tea drinkers were also some kind of etiquette to the chajins.
Lily didn’t need to talk much. Her contented face was already enough to satisfy Sakiko. The latter thought that she should make more tea for Lily to drink in the future.
After Lily drank the tea, Sakiko made another tea for Nanako, using the same teacup.
It was unknown if Nanako had done it on purpose since she touched the teacup right at the spot Lily drank her tea from. Lily inadvertently touched4 her lip. ‘This
 Isn’t it an indirect kiss?’
‘Nonono, we’re just enjoying tea here. I can’t be too fussy. I’m in the middle of a tea ceremony between female samurais anyway. It’s not a gathering between sophisticated ladies. It’s normal to use the same teacup, right?’
‘Nonono, we’re just enjoying tea here. I can’t be too fussy. I’m in the middle of a tea ceremony between female samurais anyway. It’s not a gathering between sophisticated ladies. It’s normal to use the same teacup, right?’
Several days later, Lily had been practicing chado in the afternoons while spending the mornings and evenings to practice Genji Swordstyle. At night time, before drifting into her sleep, she would take some time to gather the spirit power. Although the process of absorbing the natural blue spirit power was really slow, it was still good for strengthening Lily’s body. How could she miss it?
And while she practiced Genji Swordstyle, although Lily had executed the practice swings smoothly, she hadn’t made much progress in the ways of channeling forces. Lily felt really restless about the lack of improvement.
No matter what, her desire to be stronger was greater than anyone else. She must wake up her senior sister as soon as possible.
However, she understood that being hurried would affect her training negatively, and it could even manifest a demon in her heart.
She had just understood the benefits of chado, her disordered thought and hurried intentions were comforted a lot when she drank tea.
Lily also wanted to learn how to ride a horse, archery, and even arcane artes. However
 her time was limited and even if she could study all of them, she had no use of them now. Moreover, Lily couldn’t afford a good horse at the moment. She might need to go slower.
Today, Lily went to Sakiko’s place alone to practice chado. It was mostly because Nanako wasn’t really in a hurry to learn chado. She didn’t come here every day, and lately, she had been spending more time in the dojo to practice her ancient style martial arts on the wooden dummy.
She couldn’t deny that Nanako was a hard-working girl.
“Okay, so today, Miss Kagami, please make me some tea,” said Sakiko.
“Yes Ma’am,” Lily said tenderly.
Actually, Lily hated her girly way of talking. However, sometimes, she felt an indescribable joy from the fact that she was becoming more feminine day after day.5
Indeed, that feeling was hard to describe and understand.
Putting these things out of her mind, Lily focused on her chado.
To ensure the etiquette and manner of a lady, her slender fingers, especially the pinky, would inadvertently rise while holding the tea container. Of course, it was the natural body reaction of a gracious lady. She didn’t do it on purpose.
Gently, she held the whisk and stirred with moderate speed. Of course, she had to blend her respect and feeling into the tea.
Taking out the whisk, she saw the green tea still whirling, which aroused people’s interest.
“Hm?”
“Ripples? Waves?”
A flash of inspiration emerged in Lily’s mind.
‘When I do the force channeling practice, something always doesn’t feel quite right.’
‘What if I overlay my Spirit Power like the ripples of this tea? Gradually spreading without breaking formation while adding momentum from the inside to the outside.’
“Overlaying the waves rather than expanding it in one stroke?”
‘This is
 just like the feeling of those ripples. The creative concept of water.’
Women are like water.6
‘I’m a woman, I naturally can’t channel forces as fiercely as Ieyoshi and the others. I must find a way that suits me to understand the essence of Genji Swordstyle.’
“Water!”
“Ripples and waves!”
Lily suddenly had a flash.
“Err
 Master Sakiko, I- I suddenly remember something. May I go and practice my sword technique?”7
Sakiko was also surprised. Looking at Lily’s impatient behavior, it seemed she had no choice but to let the girl leave.
“Go, but you’ll be punished the next time as you ditched me midway.”
“Yes, I understand,” Lily didn’t pay attention to the details of Sakiko’s words. As long as she was allowed to go and practice her sword, later, she would do everything she was told.
Looking at Lily’s rear end and small waist when the girl swayed and left hastily, Sakiko’s eyes had a glimpse of surprise, “She practiced chado for such a short time, but not only did she learn fast, she even has a flash of inspiration? This young lady does have extraordinary talent.”
Lily rushed to the corridor and bumped into Nanako, who had just returned after practicing her martial arts. She hit the little girl with her breasts.
Lily’s soft pair hit Nanako in the face. The scent assaulted her nose, causing Nanako to feel lightheaded.
However, it was fortunate that both Lily and Nanako were samurais. This sort of impact wasn’t enough to send them tumbling to the floor.
“Ah, sorry, sorry!” Lily hurriedly apologized then rushed toward the one-thousand-year sakura in the backyard.
It did make Nanako a little annoyed, “Tsk, is she rushing to the toilet? What a rude big-breasted woman!”