4
Masanori
Silk trees with bright pink blossoms grew in the corners of the dusty training yard. A line of burlap training dummies was set up across one end, close to where Hidekazu and Masanori entered. On the opposite side, two bushi were clinched in a fierce duel. Several young women peeked through a nearby window, giggling as they watched the display of muscle-flexing and feather-plumping for their benefit.
The clang of metal echoed against the palace’s exterior. The bushi appeared to be in their mid-twenties, so they had only passed the Majyutsushi Exams within the last year or two. Although there was plenty of room for the four of them and more, Masanori felt self-conscious about practicing in front of strangers. He’d used a naginata as part of his self-defence training as a boy, b
