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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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She was like a calm lake. That was my impression as I looked at Renka’s eyes through the men. She seemed to be thinking of nothing but our spar. I could already feel her lofty spirit. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I was now certain that scoring would be incredibly difficult.
“I’m not going to judge ki-ken-tai-ichi, except for breathing. The things I’m going to care about will be the zanshin and valid strikes. I’d like you to keep that in mind during our match.”
It was good for me that ki-ken-tai-ichi wouldn’t be judged. Was this a consideration for me? No, it seemed like she was trying to conserve our stamina as much as possible since we had so many rounds to go through.
“I see. Understood.”
Renka would judge objectively. Considering her personality, she would be offended if she let her personal feelings influence her judgment. I just had to give it my all.
“Don’t sit down after a round is over, just stand on the line.”
It sounded like she wanted to start the next round immediately after the previous one ended. How intense.
I nodded, closed my eyes, and exhaled a long breath. Then, I opened my eyes again.
“I’m ready.”
“…”
Renka looked at my serious gaze and paused for a moment. Was she nervous? Or surprised? It was hard to read her expression since most of her face was covered by the men.
“I’ll consider you ready five seconds after you take your stance. Consider it the start signal when I nod.”
“Okay.”
“Then… shall we begin?”
“I’m hoping to learn a lot from you.”
My tone was different from the afternoon’s, laced with politeness. I bowed to Renka and took a jōdan stance. Renka, who had looked surprised, calmed her eyes and,
*nod*
gave the start signal.
I stomped my foot forward and swung my shinai down the instant Renka nodded. At that moment,
*Clack-!* *Thwack!*
My shinai bounced upwards slightly, and I felt a dull thud against the armor on my waist.
“One point.”
“…”
Renka, maintaining her chūdan stance, watched me as she announced the result of this last round. I was dumbfounded, having been struck on my waist so quickly. I had given up a point before I could even make a move. Even if she had predicted my action, that was way too fast. The distance, power, speed, and even her movement were perfect.
‘This…’
I was so stunned I couldn’t speak. Was Renka this sharp when she wasn’t holding back? At this rate, I wasn’t sure if I could score even one point, let alone three.
Gritting my teeth, I stared directly at Renka and took my stance.
Focus, focus.
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He had an imposing figure. And that aggressive jōdan stance… As I had thought before, it really suited him.
But that was all. He was still no match for her, with his underdeveloped basics.
*Thwack-!*
“One point.”
*Clack!* *Thwack-!*
“One point.”
*Thwack-!*
“One point.”
That’s what Renka thought, until Matsuda lost seven rounds in a row.
*Crack-!*
‘Ugh…!’
Now, in the eighth round, Renka failed to block Matsuda’s charge for the first time. She hadn’t imagined he would try to close in the distance to this extent.
They were so close that their forward feet touched. Looking into Matsuda’s eyes, Renka felt his intense concentration. His gaze was sharp, as if trying not to miss even the slightest muscle movement, and his subtly shifting eyes seemed to be watching her every move.
And that gaze wasn’t for show. As time passed, it became increasingly difficult to land a valid strike on him. She could see Matsuda’s skills improving in real time. He had been helpless just a while ago, but not now. He was stepping or twisting his body to avoid valid strikes, and even then, he didn’t stop attacking, putting her in a difficult position.
*Creak!*
‘Ugh…!’
Now, she was being relentlessly pushed back due to the innate difference in strength between men and women. It wasn’t unfair. Using your physical advantages was natural in any sport, and moreover, Matsuda was completely focused on the spar. It meant he was genuinely trying his best to win. She should be praising him, not criticizing him.
Deciding this wouldn’t do, Renka moved her foot to the side, escaping Matsuda’s pressure, and thrust her shinai towards his waist. At that moment,
*Clack-!*
Almost simultaneously, a striking sound echoed from both her and Matsuda’s bodies. A dull thud emanated from her wrist. Renka was shocked by Matsuda’s attack.
‘N, no way…’
She had thought he would only aim for her head from that angle, but he had gone for her wrist… His hand would be injured… His tenacity was remarkable. Moreover, their strikes had landed at the same time, and both had hit valid target areas.
When both opponents’ strikes landed simultaneously, it was called ai-uchi. In this case, even if one of the attacks would have scored the point that would end the match, both attacks nullify each other.
Ai-uchi was rare even in actual matches, and it had just happened in their spar.
‘That was close…’
It was fortunate for her. If his attack had been even slightly faster, she would have lost a point.
Renka gulped and said,
“…Ai-uchi.”
“That’s too bad.”
His voice was calm, without a hint of disappointment, sending a chill down her spine. She felt like she would lose quite a few points if she didn’t focus.
Nod.
*Crack-!*
As soon as she signaled the restart of the eighth round, which had been nullified by the ai-uchi, they exchanged blows. The force of Matsuda’s attack traveled through the shinai and into her arm. Enduring the tingling sensation, Renka was about to counterattack when,
*Whoosh!*
Matsuda’s shinai came at her neck with incredible speed.
‘Deflect and strike the wrist…’
*Thwack-!*
She couldn’t hide her surprise as a sharp sound rang out from the top center of her men.
‘Huh…?’
She… had just been hit. She had been caught off guard by Matsuda’s animalistic reflexes. She had been hit cleanly, without a chance to react, by a perfect strike that combined power, distance, and movement, much improved from the attack he had used on Tetsuya’s neck in the afternoon. She had been prepared for every situation, but she had missed that split second.
She had lost a point in just eight rounds.
Her blood was boiling, but she still had to score it. She had to admit what she had to admit.
“…One point… You get one point.”
“Okay.”
Matsuda simply replied, without any sign of joy, and returned to the line.
‘Weird…’
Looking at Matsuda, who was completely focused, devoid of emotion, Renka felt a shiver run down her spine. He looked like a monster. Was she imagining it?
*Swoosh*
Seeing Matsuda’s arm, standing on the line, rise above his head, Renka cleared her mind. He wasn’t thinking about the past, he was focused only on the present. She had to do the same. There was no time for distractions. Now was the time to show everything she had. To prevent him from going astray, to stop him before he grew stronger and devoured her, she had to break his spirit here.
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*Thwack-!*
A sharp pain shot through my left wrist. I frowned and looked up at the ceiling, letting out a frustrated sigh. Renka retrieved her shinai and said,
“Haa… haa… one… point…”
“…I lost.”
3 wins, 27 losses out of 30 matches. That was my final score. I had earned the three points I had aimed for. I should be happy. But the sadness was greater. I had thought I could lose as much as I needed to achieve my goal, but losing itself was frustrating. Especially twenty-seven times.
I had trained so hard in secret, but the difference in experience was undeniable. Still, I should think positively. I had only been learning kendo for a short time. And yet, I had managed to score three points against Renka, who had immense talent and had dedicated her entire life to kendo… I should be satisfied.
Greed would only bring misfortune. I had gotten what I wanted, so now I should go home happily.
As soon as I took off my men by the window, a cool breeze washed over my face, cooling the sweat. I could finally breathe. I was so physically and mentally drained… I wanted to sleep without even showering.
I shook my sweat-soaked uniform and approached Renka, who was leaning against the wall of the training hall, catching her breath, and bowed.
“Thank you for sparring with me.”
“…”
Her hair was completely wet and plastered to her skin, she looked incredibly sexy. Putting aside her personality, she was naturally alluring. The stronger-than-usual blueberry scent was intoxicating.
Suppressing the urge to pounce on her, I continued,
“I was completely defeated. I think I scored all three points by luck.”
Did she not expect me to be so humble? Renka’s eyes widened. She stared at me blankly, as if gathering her thoughts, then patted my back, supporting her tired body.
“It wasn’t luck. You earned those points with your skill. I could see how hard you worked. You trained hard with Chinami.”
“You’re just saying that out of politeness.”
“I’m being serious. Honestly… it was unexpected. I thought I would win every round, or at most, lose just one by bad luck.”
There was something about Renka’s face… Was she upset that she had lost three times when she had intended to crush me completely?
“Did you learn anything from this spar?”
Renka asked. I took the towel next to me and wiped my face before answering,
“Yes. I need to understand the feelings of the people I have sparred with.”
“Why?”
“Most of the 27 losses were crushing defeats. Every time, my pride was hurt. I was also a bit annoyed that you looked at me with such indifference. I guess that’s what you call putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, right?”
“Well… something like that.”
“Or is it mirroring? Anyway, from now on, I’ll try to consider how my opponent feels during sparring.”
“…Really…?”
Renka’s demeanor softened considerably, seemingly pleased with my answer. We might be back to our usual relationship tomorrow, but… at this moment, right after the spar, when we had acknowledged each other’s skills, we could enjoy this atmosphere.
“I also realized how amazing you are, Captain.”
“Stop with the flattery. Like I promised, I’ll ignore the units digit.”
Renka brought up the topic of wishes. I smiled slyly and said,
“You have two, Captain. Tell me whenever you want something.”
“….When… are you going to use yours?”
“I’ll see… depending on the situation.”
“We… didn’t set an expiration date, I think we should do that now.”
She was quite meticulous, asking about the limits earlier and now this… Was she that uneasy?
“How about a month?”
“A month…? Alright.”
Renka slowly nodded and went to the water cooler for a drink.
I learned a lot from sparring with her today. To the point of being genuinely grateful to her. But gratitude was gratitude, and a wish was a wish. I wouldn’t go easy on her.
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Thanks Neko!