Suzutarou

Always, the other trainees at The Dojo see Suzutarou by the lake before sunrise. They’ll tell you it’s the only constant besides the cold. Suzutarou practices a single, punishingly difficult sword form—one they say was perfected by Yasuke during their exile. The trainees whisper that Suzutarou’s whiskers twitch when they sense an observer, but their movements never falter. Instead, a freshly peeled fruit might appear by a clumsy student’s training post later that day. Their adventurer’s pack is never fully unpacked, a reminder that every lesson learned here is for a world out there. They train not for prestige, but in the quiet hope that one day, their skill will be worthy of the Reluctant Heir’s notice.