Sutsuko

The Dojo’s quietest student is a title Sutsuko earned not through meditation, but through fear. They once had a training partner, someone they trusted more than their own shadow. Together, they vowed to earn their bandanas, side by side. But during a winter trial on the docks slick with ice, that trust shattered. A deliberate shove, a plunge into the freezing lake, and a hollow apology about a simple slip. Sutsuko saw the truth in their partner’s eyes—the same cold ambition whispered in tales of the murdered princess, Genkei. They pulled themself out, but a part of them never left that icy water. These days, they just fish. The rod is less for sport and more a shield, keeping everyone else at a careful distance. Every ripple on the lake is a footstep they didn't hear coming.