Inside the Kendo Club dojo.
The air was somewhat heavy at this moment.
Beside them, not only members of the Kendo Club but also students from other clubs were watching the match.
After school, the Nakano Five Sisters—who were just about to head to the Library—heard that their Teacher-chan had a conflict with a Kendo Club regular, so they immediately rushed over.
It had taken Sakurai Saki less than ten minutes to change clothes, and the entire Kendo Club was already surrounded, with people constantly streaming in through the door.
At the edge of the dojo.
"Can Teacher-chan win?" Ichika looked worried.
She had never heard of his Kendo skill level. From last year to this year, Sakurai had only held the general affairs position and hadn't joined any club.
It wouldn't be shameful if Sakurai Saki lost. On the contrary—if that Kendo Club member lost, it would be a huge embarrassment for him.
"Probably not. Didn't a Kendo Club member just say that Sakurai-kun hasn't practiced Kendo for long? And he admitted it himself." It was Itsuki who spoke.
However, Sakurai was quite mysterious—and Itsuki wasn't entirely sure either.
"Sakurai-kun will definitely win!" Yotsuba said, then felt as if she'd spoken too definitively, so she added, "Ahem—I feel he can win."
Nino and Miku did not speak.
The match was about to begin.
Before a Kendo match, a set of intricate rituals must be performed.
However, since this was just practice, it wasn't necessary.
There was a cross-intersection in the field, with starting lines drawn on both sides.
Sakurai Saki stood on the starting line, maintaining a middle stance, waiting for Ohmonto Saburo—the chief referee—to give the command.
In Kendo, there are three stances: upper, middle, and lower—representing heaven, earth, and man, respectively.
The middle stance—balanced in offense and defense—involves pointing the tip of the sword at the opponent's face.
The upper stance—strong in offense—is simply raising the sword and chopping downwards.
The lower stance—with the sword tip pointing at the opponent's knees—is rarely used, though it can be for showing off.
"Begin." Ohmonto Saburo signaled.
Sakurai and Miyazaki raised their bodies.
The next instant—
Sakurai did not attack first.
Miyazaki Ikki, however, raised his bamboo sword high and charged forward. He would not underestimate this opponent.
Accompanied by a strange yell—"Haaah!!!" —the opponent's tall figure was extremely imposing, and his wide, open upper stance attack chopped down directly!
He was aiming for the face!
Sakurai moved his head away the moment he struck, causing the attack—originally aimed at his head—to hit his shoulder.
"Whack!!!"
The bamboo sword struck the shoulder, the force even spreading to the bone.
Sakurai didn't even frown. He used his bamboo sword to slash diagonally towards Miyazaki's waist!
Against such a reckless attack, a counter to the waist was all that was needed.
"Thwack!!"
Along with the feedback from the bamboo sword after hitting—
"Do!!!" he shouted loudly!
This was Kiai. If a hit was made without shouting, no point would be scored.
Hitting the head requires shouting 'Men!'
Hitting the waist requires shouting 'Do!'
Hitting the arm requires shouting 'Kote!'
After delivering this strike, Sakurai retracted his sword.
"Valid strike!!"
"Sakurai!!! Ippon!!!" Minister Kojima, standing on Sakurai's side, announced his victory for this round.
On the other side—
"Foul, Miyazaki." Ohmonto Saburo frowned.
This guy—doesn't he know that in Kendo matches you can't hit the shoulders and feet?!
Moreover, there's no protective gear on the shoulder. Even with a bamboo sword, the pain from a strike is incomparable to falling during a run!
"Sorry, Teacher-chan—I originally intended an upper stance attack to his face, but he dodged it."
"Next time, learn to control your strength! Kendo isn't a fight to the death—calm down!" Ohmonto Saburo said gravely.
"Yes!"
Miyazaki Ikki hadn't done it on purpose.
But as for the result—he was very satisfied.
Losing a point, but injuring the opponent's shoulder? Completely worth it.
"How was it so fast? I didn't even see it clearly!"
A girl whispered.
She had only heard Miyazaki Ikki's strange yell just now—and then, Sakurai won with a cool counter-attack to the waist.
"Won?" Yotsuba, also watching, looked completely bewildered.
She didn't understand Kendo rules at all.
"Won. Saki-kun hit a valid spot," Miku said.
As a history enthusiast, Miku naturally understood some Kendo rules.
However, she hadn't seen that last strike clearly either.
The angle was bad.
There was almost no time for the two to clash swords.
Yotsuba nodded blankly, then glanced at Miku's socks. "Miku, how are you still wearing pantyhose in such hot weather?"
"...I'm not hot." Miku gently wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Pantyhose could be worn with sheer willpower! Even if it was summer!
Inside the dojo.
The two returned to their starting positions again.
Sakurai Saki frowned slightly. The opponent's last move had made him a bit uncomfortable. His current physical fitness could only reach the human body's limit—and in any Kendo match, he couldn't exert superhuman strength. The feeling of pain was still there.
"Second round!! Begin!"
Accompanied by Ohmonto Saburo's voice—
Sakurai took a step forward first, raising the tip of his sword. At this moment, his waist was exposed to the opponent.
Miyazaki Ikki's gaze sharpened. The opponent's target is his head!
Since he knew the opponent's target, he naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity.
But!
Just as he was about to follow through with a side attack to the opponent's waist—mimicking Sakurai's previous attack—he didn't expect Sakurai's upper stance attack to be faster than he anticipated. Very fast!
No—it was unbelievably fast!
The bamboo sword grew larger and larger in Miyazaki's vision, about to reach his eyes in an instant.
Fortunately, Miyazaki Ikki had practiced Kendo since childhood. Relying on muscle memory, he quickly raised his bamboo sword to block the attack.
After a "thwack!" sound—
Their bamboo swords clashed together.
A few seconds later—
"Separate!" Ohmonto Saburo said.
In Kendo, this situation is called 'tsuba-zeriai'—clashing of guards. If it lasts too long, the referee will separate the two and have them return to their starting positions.
Sakurai took a few steps back, his face still expressionless.
The next second—
He moved forward again. But instead of raising his sword tip to attack, he slightly leaned forward, targeting Miyazaki's hand.
'Is he going to attack the hand?'
Miyazaki Ikki adopted a defensive stance.
'No! It's a feint!'
Unfortunately, he reacted too slowly.
The next moment, Sakurai Saki instantly raised his bamboo sword slightly—aiming directly for the opponent's throat!
"Throat!!!"
This sound was like a clap of thunder from a clear sky!
Miyazaki Ikki was startled by his loud shout, completely forgetting to defend—and even instinctively raised his head, wanting to retreat and escape.
But before he could turn around—
"Thud!" The tip of the bamboo sword collided with his throat.
...
"Clatter."
The bamboo sword in Miyazaki Ikki's hand fell onto the wooden floor due to the intense pain.
In a match, dropping the bamboo sword is considered a foul—but at this moment, he no longer cared about the match.
He slowly knelt before Sakurai, hands braced on the ground, his vision gradually blurring.
"Valid strike!!"
"Sakurai! Victory!!"
After announcing the victory, Minister Kojima looked at Sakurai, who was slowly removing his helmet in the dojo.
Some strands of hair on his forehead were stuck to it due to sweat.
After shaking his head, Sakurai smiled at Minister Kojima.
'...'
Minister Kojima suddenly felt a bit regretful about inviting him to the match.
'He's not a pushover—just stabbing the throat without a word.'
That last strike was clearly a response to the opponent hitting his shoulder—obviously for revenge.
Moreover, there was no intention of holding back any force. If Miyazaki hadn't been wearing protective gear, that strike might have sent him straight to the crematorium.
One second he was taunting—the next he'd be ashes.
Minister Kojima found the thought amusing.