"T-To actually have perfected the basics of kendo, even developing a sword aura! And Amamiya-kun only started practicing yesterday... How on earth did he do that?!"
After explaining to Hokushin Mei, Ren gripped the dojo's practice bamboo sword with both hands and began his performance, his movements as fluid as flowing water.
Initially, Hokushin Mei was skeptical. She didn't think Ren was the type to boast or lie, and she wanted to believe him. But mastering the kendo basics well enough to learn Hokushin Itto-ryu in just one day was simply too unbelievable.
However, reality proved even more bizarre than Mei could have imagined.
Watching Ren wield the practice bamboo sword as if it were an extension of his own arm, effortlessly creating afterimages with each slash, his imposing strikes carrying the desolate aura of falling cherry blossoms—Mei's delicate pink lips fell open in astonishment.
Her mind went blank once again, this time purely from shock at Ren's heaven-defying kendo talent.
This wasn't just about meeting the prerequisites for Hokushin Itto-ryu anymore. With the mastery Ren currently displayed, he could easily use basic swordsmanship in actual combat and take down a dozen people without issue.
In other words, learning Hokushin Itto-ryu was likely no longer an urgent necessity for Ren.
After the prolonged shock subsided, feelings of inferiority and shame began to bubble up within Mei, prompting self-reflection. Although she didn't boast about it, Mei clearly held a degree of pride and complacency regarding her own kendo talent. She knew she was a kendo prodigy, vastly different from ordinary, untalented individuals.
Yet Ren, nurtured under her guidance, now displayed a world-shattering talent that completely crushed Mei's small ember of pride and persistence.
One day—no, less than one day, accurately speaking. Excluding sleep and school time, Ren probably only had the opportunity to practice kendo last night and this morning.
To reach the pinnacle of perfection in basic kendo in such a short time... Ren's achievement would be considered astonishingly shocking in any era.
If Mei hadn't personally corrected Ren's posture yesterday, teaching him how to swing the bamboo sword and exert force, confirming with absolute certainty that he had just started kendo yesterday, she would have genuinely suspected Ren was like her—a prodigy who had practiced kendo since childhood.
But the awkwardness Ren displayed when holding the bamboo sword yesterday couldn't be faked.
A true genius, long immersed in kendo, would instantly adopt a stance suited for exerting force the moment they grasped a bamboo sword, due to years of ingrained habit. Even if they tried to hide their skill, their slashes would retain the telltale signs of seasoned swordsmanship.
Yesterday, Ren had none of that.
Watching Ren become increasingly enthusiastic as he swung the bamboo sword, getting a better feel for it, transitioning from basic drills to employing the Yae Shrine swordsmanship used by Yae Sakura, his slashes dazzling like falling cherry blossoms, feeling more and more exhilarated—Mei's heart began to waver after the initial intense shock.
She felt as though she had lost the reason for Ren, the only underclassman willing to interact with her, to stay by her side.
"—Huh?"
Just as Mei wracked her brain, trying to find some excuse to make Ren stay with her longer, she let out a small sound of surprise.
Utilizing her own kendo expertise to its fullest, trying to discern flaws and weaknesses in Ren's current swordsmanship, Mei's expression turned to one of astonishment as she recognized the Yae Shrine style Ren was demonstrating.
"Besides practicing basic kendo, Amamiya-kun has already mastered a sword style from a school I've never seen before?"
Kendo training wasn't done in isolation. Mei had challenged famous kendo schools in Nagazora City and fought against national-level competitors. Although her insight wasn't yet as sharp as her father's, she had developed a decent ability to assess swordsmanship.
The falling cherry blossom sword style Ren was currently using clearly didn't belong to any known school in the country.
"The sword flashes are as beautiful and dazzling as cherry blossoms, yet they can make an enemy's life fall like those same blossoms, concealing cruelty beneath a mesmerizing, fluid beauty. This is indeed the killing sword art Amamiya-kun sought previously, but..."
Mei analyzed the shrine swordsmanship Ren displayed with her kendo expert eye. She first praised the strengths of the Yae Shrine style, but then her tone suddenly shifted.
"But... this isn't a sword style meant for fighting people, is it? Some of the movements are too wide and open. Compared to fighting humans, who are roughly similar in size and tend to feel fear and retreat when injured, this new style Amamiya-kun has mastered seems more suited for hunting ferocious beasts." (Don't ask question pleassee)
Although it possessed the killing intent of a practical sword art, the primary target for which this falling cherry blossom style was developed was clearly not human.
And reality was just as Mei perceived. The duty of the Yae Shrine was to protect Yae Village from demon beasts. Yae Sakura learned swordsmanship under her father's tutelage primarily to exorcise these beasts, slaying the monsters that might attack the villagers.
Therefore, Yae Sakura's swordsmanship was a killing art designed for hunting large demon beasts. Against human, or more accurately, humanoid opponents, her style wouldn't provide the same overwhelming advantage as it did against beasts.
Thus, Ren believed learning Hokushin Itto-ryu was still necessary, especially since it allowed him to achieve multiple goals at once: getting closer to Mei, the Palace Ruler, and increasing her Confidant rank.
However, the shrine swordsmanship experience passed onto Ren by the Yae Sakura Persona had another advantage: because the moves were wide and targeted large enemies, there were fewer constraints on form.
Normally, even with Sakura's complete, unreserved kendo experience transferred, Ren wouldn't be able to perfectly replicate her techniques. Everyone's body is different—weapon quality, height, arm length, strength...
Ren surpassed the living Yae Sakura in all these minor factors. Unless he completely transformed into Yae Sakura, he couldn't execute her swordsmanship identically.
Fortunately, since Yae Sakura's style focused on hunting large beasts with wide, open movements, these physical differences had minimal impact, allowing Ren to inherit her polished swordsmanship almost perfectly.