Chapter 15: Baby Steps

With his first attempt nearly resulting in a bad end, Nobu temporarily gave up on escaping and focused all his attention on the stone tablet. Using up his stockpile brought his total score to just under 880, so, using the conversion method he had figured out on day one, he estimated that 10 days had passed since his reincarnation.

At the present moment, Nobu's main focus was figuring out how to navigate to the Home screen and access the other two Apps he had seen. There was a chance he could only open a single App for his entire reincarnation but he wanted to believe this wasn't the case. After all, while he enjoyed Clicker Apps quite a bit, it wasn't like he stared at the screen all day without doing anything else. It was basically something he did to occupy his hands when he had nothing better to do, much like a fidget spinner or a Rubix cube.

Simply put, Nobu was bored out of his mind, so, while the raven-haired woman was out gathering food and supplies, he was hunched over the stone tablet, mumbling, "Come on you bastard...there has to be a way to navigate back to the Home screen..."

Turning the tablet over, sideways, and upside down, Nobu traced the tips of his fingers along every visible surface. He tried pressing the area where the volume and power buttons would normally be located, tapping the bottom of the 'screen', and, when all else had failed, he even booped it with his nose after recalling the events of his first day. When that failed, he tried voice commands, and, after turning over his mind to find a solution, he even tried giving it orders by referring to it as Alexa and Cortana.

Unfortunately, each of Nobu's efforts ended in vain, so, after thumbing through the Achievement Tab for the better part of an hour, he eventually set it aside, dropped to his chest, and started doing push-ups. He literally had nothing better to do, so, much like a prison inmate, he decided he might as well get swole.

Though the notion of building them from scratch was profoundly annoying, Nobu was someone who had spent the better part of ten years exercising. It had helped him deal with his bully problem, and, once he began sneaking into clubs, his physique became instrumental in helping him hunt for a place to crash. He didn't like staying at home, so, while it had worried his mother to no end, there were more than a few occasions where he had spent the night with women he had just met.

In hindsight, Nobu knew he was lucky he hadn't received an STD. This was also the reason he hadn't panicked when he awoke to find the raven-haired woman straddling his hips. He had experienced a bit of misfortune during his second-ever visit to a nightclub. He made the mistake of believing that only lone girls were the target of getting roofied, but, after ingesting what he thought was MDMA, he awoke to find himself in a hotel with two women more than twice his age. They ended up giving him around $300 to keep his mouth shut, but, from that moment on, he did his best to avoid taking drugs and drinking from glasses that weren't given to him by the barkeep...

Finding himself unable to do even twenty pushups without needing to bend the knee, a frustrated sigh escaped Nobu's throat as he instantly switched to abdominal crunches. His Aura only seemed to activate when he was on the verge of death, unbelievably angry, or extremely excited. This meant it was either directly related to or empowered by emotions. Thus, at least for the time being, he had nothing but his twig-like arms and scrawny ass legs to aid in his exercising.

"Tsst...tsst...tsst...tsst...!"

Determined to regain his six-pack abs, Nobu managed to pump out a solid fifty crunches before he felt like something might tear in his lower abdomen. This wasn't enough to deter him, however, so he immediately rolled to his side and began doing planks using his elbow as support. After that, he switched to leg lifts, butterfly kicks, mountain climbers, squat thrusts, and, once everything else was said and done, he wrapped up his first set with eight-counter bodybuilders and star jumps.

Using the system he had adopted back on Earth, Nobu took the opportunity to get some clicking in as he rested. When he was in his prime, he would exercise for thirty minutes before spending ten to twenty letting his body cool down. He would repeat this for upwards of four hours every single day, and, though he had never gone pro, he had managed to dominate people in the same weight class when he took up MMA. If his mom didn't have a panic attack every time he came home with even a minor cut or bruise, he might have made a career out of knocking heads.

"Haaa...haaa...haaa....this fucking sucks..."

Remembering his mother, Nobu placed his forearm over his eyes, not because he was crying but because it just felt like the right thing to do. The pressure against his eyelids was strangely relaxing, and, with his eyes closed, it was a lot easier to forget he was trapped in a world far from the home he had once avoided...

"Fuck..."

---

Returning from her gathering, Yui found Nobu sprawled out on the ground, a robust aroma tickling her nostrils as she stared at his shirtless, gaunt, and, sweat-laden body. She could tell he had been training, and, while his methods were likely inefficient, it was refreshing to see him making an effort after watching him spend the last week lazing about like a wastrel.

"I can't teach you my techniques but I can offer advice regarding the imperfections in your training method. Show me what you've come up with."

Though he was tempted to give the woman the finger and tell her to fuck off, seeing her set down a satchel filled with fruits, nuts, and berries caused Nobu to remain silent. She had been taking care of him for the past couple of days, and, ever since they left the inn, she had stopped injuring him at every available opportunity. They had also fucked for the better part of a full day, so, while he had no reason to do what she told him, he didn't have to be a dick about it.

In the end, Nobu just shook his head, answering, "I'm in no condition to continue pushing myself. I just spent the last two hours working every major muscle group of my body. If you're that eager to see me working out, you can wait till tomorrow."

"Eager....? Me...?"

Pointing towards herself, Yui adopted the most offended look Nobu had seen on her face thus far. She wasn't angry or anything. Instead, she appeared baffled, almost like a teacher who had heard their student confidently state they were wrong regarding the subject they were most familiar with.

Amused by the reaction, a smile spread across Nobu's face as he answered, "Don't think I didn't see you checking me out when you walked in. For someone who assaults a person for simply looking at them, it's somewhat ironic that you let your own eyes wander. Wouldn't you agree?"

Snorting through her nose, Yui elected not to respond to Nobu's obvious taunt. The concept of tact seemed completely foreign to him, and, ever since she had discovered his true identity, she lost the ability to harm him. Rather, she was still looking for an opportunity to apologize, as, the moment they reached the Yoshitsune Clan, it would become a problem if he went around telling people she assaulted him.

"Very well...I will wait until tomorrow..."

Seeing the woman assume an uncomfortable seiza position, promptly ignoring him, Nobu adopted a slight frown. It was still early in the morning and he was honestly tired of spending the entire day in absolute silence. Thus, with a grunt, he rolled to a seated position, elbows resting on his knees as he asked, "How can you sit like that? Doesn't it hurt your knees?"

Without shifting her attention from the Yuzu she was peeling, Yui flatly answered, "This is the basic sitting posture of a warrior. It might be uncomfortable in the beginning, but, so long as you remain steadfast, your body will adapt. It also helps to improve posture and respond to surprise attacks, so, to answer your questions...easily and not anymore..."

Nodding his head, Nobu appeared as if he understood what Yui was trying to covey. The latter had already become wise to this, however, so she immediately followed up by adding, "Don't...if you say something stupid or insensitive you'll be going hungry the rest of the day. Nutrition is important for maintaining good health and recovering from injuries. Don't do something you'll regret."

Rolling his eyes, Nobu resisted the temptation to point out that she would undoubtedly give him something to eat if he threatened to go out and get it himself. Unfortunately, there was a very real chance she might just tie him up and force him to remain put. She had all the makings of a Yandere with BDSM tendencies, so, rather than risk being tied up, gagged, and forced to shit in a bucket on demand, he rolled onto his back and grumbled, "You're such a hardass..."

Though she frowned in response to Nobu's remark, Yui decided to just ignore it. She didn't want to waste time arguing with him, and, after eating, she still needed to meditate for at least ten hours. If she arrived at the clan with a lower cultivation base than the one she left with, her detractors would surely notice. There were no real penalties for using a forbidden technique, ignoring the actual side-effects, but that wouldn't stop them from using it as a justification for why she shouldn't be allowed to become a warrior. The Sixth Elder of the Oda Clan was still eager to accept her as his seventeenth Concubine, so, in order to curry favor with the ambitious old man, her family would readily offer her as a tribute.

As this notion crossed her mind, Yui was surprised to realize she actually felt relieved to have given her virginity to save Nobu's life. This would significantly reduce her value as a Concubine, as, due to their high pride, Nobles rarely accepted 'impure' women into the ranks of their harem. They would be worried that the woman would betray them or that their sexual prowess would be compared to another. This was unacceptable, so, unless they had personally killed the other man and stolen his wife, a common occurrence between rival families, it was rare for a Noble to accept 'spoiled goods'.

Restraining a smile, Yui continued peeling fruits until she had readied enough for both herself and Nobu. There was a non-negligible chance her actions had inadvertently endangered his life, but, considering the alternative had been guaranteed death, he didn't really have ground to stand on if he wanted to complain. It was his own ignorance that led to him overdosing on the Dragon's Vigor, and, while he had done it to save her, she had returned the favor by saving him. In that regard, they were equally culpable, and, depending on the situation, they would both be put to death as a result of their carelessness...

Comforted by this notion, a hint of a smile appeared on Yui's face until she noticed that Nobu was staring directly at her. This caused the rare phenomenon to instantaneously disappear, but, perhaps as a result of her previous warning, he didn't say anything callous to infuriate, annoy, or exacerbate the situation. Instead, he just closed his eyes, arms supporting his head as he pretended he hadn't seen a thing...

...

..

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(A/N: Cohabitate long enough and, even if you hate each other, you can learn to live together...)