The Kamishiro-style.
Also known as the Kawagon Style.
It was a comprehensive martial art covering strikes, grappling, weapons, and even ninjutsu.
Drawing from the venerable lineage of ancient styles... Just kidding.
In truth, it was merely a patchwork of techniques I had sampled here and there, pieced together with everyone pooling their wisdom.
We had somehow managed to refine it into something presentable to the public.
This is the tearful tale of the birth of the Kamishiro-style.
"In short... a strong style isn't about refined techniques; it's about the volume of practice. Our style has plenty of practice volume, too."
Katori-sensei came right out with a brutally blunt statement.
I mean, you're not wrong, but still!
Katori-sensei could only say that because he had plenty of patrons, including me and Wifey.
"If the amount of practice increases, the number of strong disciples increases, which brings in even more disciples. Then, the number of instructors capable of innovation increases. And then, dojos automatically multiply."
"Sure, but to increase the volume of practice, you need to feed those disciples. What if a dojo opens a ramen shop on the side, gets famous for it, and turns into a ramen chain instead?"
And if you try to go into show business and the tournament flops, it turns into pure hell.
I had no desire to walk such a dangerous tightrope.
That was why major sports like baseball were so deeply intertwined with government offices, securing priority hiring at corporations.
It wasn't that doing nothing but sports was inherently good, but rather that even someone who did nothing but sports could make a living. That was what mattered.
In Imperial Swordsmanship, too, outstanding competitors had an advantage in hiring.
Though the truly exceptional kids just joined the military anyway.
Just then, Katori-sensei clamped a hand onto my shoulder.
Ouch! Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!
You're putting way too much strength into that!
"You have the power of a king and the Kamishiro Group, don't you?!"
Ah, the old man was making a completely villainous face.
"I mean, sure, I could feed them. But don't go raising your expectations that high! All I can manage is the Chronos Army, Chronos Police, Amada Security, and a part of the Kamishiro Group! This country and these companies don't belong solely to me! Besides, we haven't even laid down the first stroke of the Kamishiro-style, so we're starting out as a branch of the Katori Style!"
"Yeah, fine by me. You hold a license in the Katori Style anyway. I can take on that much responsibility."
And so, the Kamishiro-style began as a single branch of the Katori Style.
Instruction would be handled by Katori-sensei.
For the record, I had no intention of ever striking out on my own.
My plan was to dump all the responsibility onto Katori-sensei for all eternity.
...Though something bizarre happened.
The very next day after that conversation, it became a hot topic in the Repsitore Nation.
The day after that, the news spread throughout all of Chronos.
As time passed, the rumors carried to other nations, and within a week, it had escalated to being reported in the Galactic Empire.
Naturally, I was summoned by Wifey.
It's Towa-chan's daddy, yes it is~.
Ah, she took the baby away from me.
"Lord Groom... Even I have been receiving inquiries about this."
She was furious!
"I'm receiving a mountain of inquiries myself, and it's killing me."
"Founding a style is all well and good, but you must put more thought into your approach! Quell this situation at once!"
I got scolded... Sniff.
Apparently, the Ninja Corps from Repsitore—who served as my bodyguards alongside the Imperial Guard—had gone around blabbing to everyone.
I mean, I didn't tell them to keep quiet, but still!
It seemed the Ninja Corps desperately wanted to force their ninjutsu into the curriculum.
I wouldn't even mind including it without them pushing so hard.
I used ninjutsu all the time anyway. For running away, that is! Nin-nin!
So, after leaving Wifey's office, I was promptly hauled into Claire's office next.
It's Ark-chan's daddy, yes it is~.
Ah, stop. Okay, I'm sorry...
"Inquiries have been coming all the way to my office, you know!"
"Figures..."
If Wifey was getting inquiries, it was only natural that Claire would too.
Then, after telling Claire "I'm sorry" and stepping outside, I was immediately caught in an iron claw.
"Give! Give! I give up!"
She kept going even though I tapped out.
The culprit was Melissa.
"Why didn't you consult me? My relatives have been yelling at me!"
"Well, I mean, you have the mission of carrying on the Tachibana Style, Melissa!"
I had simply held back out of consideration for her.
Melissa, however, was in a towering rage.
"Everyone in the school is telling me to investigate the Kamishiro-style!"
"There are no secrets! All I did was cut through the loading entrance door of that work vessel using the iai you taught me!"
And that was the truth.
I hadn't learned iai from Katori-sensei, who was a thorough pragmatist.
That old man's logic was: "Don't get attacked while your sword is sheathed. And if you do get attacked, don't force a draw. Fight barehanded. At your level, fighting empty-handed is better than relying on a half-baked trick!"
Melissa had merely taught me the basics whenever she had free time.
Specifically, the single motion of drawing and cutting.
Just the first form.
In other words, that was literally all I could do.
"Huh? So it's part of the Tachibana Style lineage?"
"Less of a lineage and more of an ongoing effort to piece together the techniques I've picked up haphazardly. The core will probably be Imperial Swordsmanship, hand-to-hand, and knives, I think."
"What about the staff arts you learned from Rikochi?"
"That one's too hard."
Her style of staff arts was the type where you swung with full power on every strike.
The kind of staff technique aimed purely at beating the opponent to death with a stick.
I honestly missed the canes we briefly learned about in Officer Academy classes.
Those were derived from sword movements, so they were much easier to understand.
"What about Isono's naginata?"
"Oh man, that..."
Another tough one.
I had learned that too.
Early in the Zork War, I tried out all kinds of weapons, but the sword ended up being the strongest.
I don't mean swords are inherently stronger as weapons; I mean in terms of my personal proficiency.
It just came down to having practiced with the sword the most.
Longer weapons were probably stronger objectively, but when it came to what I could actually use, it was always swords and katanas.
The only thing I hadn't learned was probably Nakajima's hammer techniques.
That was pretty much entirely self-taught anyway. There was no way to teach it.
"If it hits, the crab goes down in one punch! Nothing to be scared of!"
That was Nakajima's whole philosophy.
...Wait a second. Isn't Nakajima the true genius here?
After that, she learned how to use a massive club called a Mudgar from Rikochi, and that was what she currently used...
Yeah, isn't she the real genius after all?
"There are way too many geniuses around me!"
"What brought that on all of a sudden? Anyway, I'll just tell my family home that 'the iai comes from the Tachibana Style.'"
"Sure... But is that okay? I don't hold a license."
"They'll probably rush to issue you one now. That way, they can claim the Tachibana Style nurtured the Kamishiro-style."
I had just heard something utterly shameless.
Then again, I suppose that was how these things worked.
Hmm... This was getting much bigger than I had anticipated.
To begin with, I wasn't cut out to be an instructor.
I was purely an intuitive fighter.
Just as I was thinking about all this with detached amusement... the situation was about to spiral into even deeper chaos.
Why... Oh, why...?