Chapter 192: Be Careful When Mocking
Inside the Kendo Club hall.
The atmosphere was a bit tense at the moment.
On the side, the spectators were not only Kendo Club members but also students from nearby clubs who had gathered.
After school, the Nakano quintuplets had planned to go to the library, but when they heard that their tutor had gotten into a conflict with an official member of the Kendo Club, they immediately rushed over.
Including the time Sakurai spent changing clothes, it had been less than ten minutes, yet the entire Kendo Club was already packed, with people constantly coming in through the door.
At the edge of the hall—
"Do you think Sensei-chan can win?" Ichika looked worried.
She had never heard about the opponent's kendo skills, and from last year until now, Sakurai had only served as General Affairs Officer and had never joined any club.
If Sakurai lost, it wouldn't really be shameful for him. On the contrary, if that Kendo Club member lost, it would be a huge embarrassment.
"Probably not. Didn't a Kendo Club member just say earlier that Sakurai-san has only been learning kendo for a short time? It sounded like he admitted it himself." The one speaking was Itsuki.
But Sakurai was indeed a rather mysterious person, even Itsuki couldn't be certain.
"Sakurai-san will definitely win!" Yotsuba said, then felt she was speaking too strongly, so she added: "Ahem, I just have a feeling he'll win."
Nino and Miku said nothing.
The match was about to begin.
——
Before a kendo match, a series of formal rituals should be performed.
However, since this was just practice, the two didn't need to go through all that.
On the floor was a cross-shaped mark, with starting lines drawn on each side.
Sakurai Saki stood at his starting line, holding the chūdan-no-kamae stance, waiting for the main referee, Teacher Daimon, to signal the start.
In kendo, there are three types of kamae: jōdan (upper stance), chūdan (middle stance), and gedan (lower stance), representing heaven, earth, and man respectively.
Chūdan balances attack and defense, with the sword tip pointing directly at the opponent's face.
Jōdan favors offense, simply raising the sword and cutting downward.
Gedan, with the sword tip pointing at the opponent's knees, is basically never used—only for show at best.
"Begin." Daimon Saburou signaled.
Sakurai and Miyazaki raised their stances.
The next second—
Sakurai was not the first to attack.
On the contrary, Miyazaki Kazuki raised his bamboo sword high and charged in, absolutely not underestimating his opponent.
Accompanied by a deep shout—"Haa!!!"
The opponent's tall frame carried intense pressure, and the strike from jōdan came crashing down with force!!
He aimed at the head!!
At the very moment he struck, Sakurai tilted his head to the side, making the blow that should have landed on his head instead smash into his shoulder.
"BOP!!"
The bamboo sword struck his shoulder, the shock even reaching the bone.
Sakurai didn't even frown, immediately swinging his sword diagonally at the opponent's side!!
Against such a reckless attack, just countering at the torso was enough.
"BOP!!"
Along with the feedback from the bamboo sword after hitting the target—
"Dou!!!" He shouted loudly!
That was kiai—the spirit shout—if you landed a hit but didn't yell, the point wouldn't count.
Hit the head, you shout "Men!"
Hit the torso, you shout "Dou!"
Hit the wrist, you shout "Kote!"
After finishing that strike, Sakurai withdrew his sword.
"Valid strike!!"
"Sakurai!!! Ippon!!!" Kojima, standing on Sakurai's side, declared his victory in this round.
On the other side—
"That was a foul, Miyazaki." Daimon Saburou frowned.
This brat, doesn't he know you can't hit the shoulder or legs in a kendo match?!
What's more, the shoulder area had no protective armor at all; even with a bamboo sword, when it hit, it hurt no less than falling while running!
"Sorry, sensei. I intended to strike his head from jōdan, but he dodged."
"Next time, learn to control your power! Kendo isn't about killing—it's about moderation!" Daimon Saburou scolded in a stern voice.
"Yes, sir!"
Miyazaki Kazuki really didn't do it on purpose.
But judging from the result, he was quite satisfied.
He lost an ippon, but left the opponent injured on the shoulder—not a bad trade at all.
...
"Why so fast?! I didn't even get a clear look!"
A girl whispered softly.
Just now, she only heard Miyazaki Kazuki's strange shout, then saw Sakurai spin around and deliver an insanely cool counter to the torso, winning immediately.
"He already won?" Beside her, Yotsuba — who was also watching the match — looked completely blank.
She didn't understand the rules of kendo at all.
"He won. Saki-kun landed a valid strike." Miku spoke up.
As a history otaku, Miku naturally knew a little about kendo competition rules.
Even so, she couldn't clearly see that move either.
The viewing angle wasn't good.
The moment the two clashed was so brief it barely lasted an instant.
Yotsuba nodded blankly, then glanced at Miku's tights: "Miku, it's so hot and you're still wearing tights?"
"…I don't feel hot." Miku gently wiped the sweat on her forehead.
Tights are something you wear with sheer willpower! Even if it's summer right now!
...
On the floor.
The two returned to the starting line once more.
Sakurai Saki frowned slightly. The opponent's earlier strike had left him uncomfortable. His current physique was only at the limits of a normal human; in any kendo match, he couldn't use strength beyond that limit, so the pain was still very real.
"Round two!! Begin!"
Along with Daimon Saburou's shout.
Sakurai stepped forward, lifted his sword tip, and in that instant, his torso exposed an opening to the opponent.
Miyazaki Kazuki narrowed his eyes — his opponent was aiming for his head!
Since he predicted the target, of course he wouldn't miss this chance.
But!
Just as he was about to seize the opportunity to slash horizontally at the opponent's torso, replicating Sakurai's previous strike, he didn't expect Sakurai's jōdan attack to be so fast — far beyond his expectations! Fast! No! It was terrifyingly fast!
The shinai in Miyazaki's field of vision grew larger and larger, and in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him.
Fortunately, Miyazaki Kazuki had practiced kendo since childhood. Relying on muscle memory, he quickly raised his sword to block the strike.
"Clack!" A sound rang out.
The two shinais collided.
A few seconds later—
"Separate!!" — Daimon Saburou spoke.
In kendo, this situation is called ai-uchi (clash of blades). If it lasts too long, the referee will order both sides to separate and return to starting positions.
Sakurai stepped back a few steps, his expression still completely calm.
The very next moment.
He lunged forward again — but this time he didn't raise his sword tip for an overhead strike. Instead, he tilted his body slightly forward, aiming straight for Miyazaki's wrist.
'He's going for my wrist?'
Miyazaki Kazuki immediately took a defensive stance.
'No! It's a feint!'
Unfortunately, his reaction was too slow.
In the next instant, Sakurai Saki lightly lifted his shinai! Thrusting straight at the opponent's throat!
"THROAT!!"
The shout boomed like thunder in clear skies!
Miyazaki Kazuki was stunned by the roar, completely forgetting to defend, even instinctively tilting his head back and trying to retreat.
But before he could turn—
"Clack!" — the tip of the shinai had already jabbed straight into his throat.
...
"Thud."
The bamboo sword in Miyazaki Kazuki's hand slipped to the wooden floor from the intense pain.
In a match, dropping your shinai counts as a foul, but at this point, he no longer cared about the match.
He slowly knelt before Sakurai, both hands on the ground, his vision gradually turning blurry.
————
"Valid strike!!"
"Sakurai! Winner!!" — Kojima announced the result, then glanced at Sakurai calmly removing his helmet on the court.
A few strands of hair on his forehead were damp with sweat, sticking lightly to his skin.
Sakurai gave a slight shake of his head, then turned and smiled at Kojima.
'...'
Suddenly, Kojima felt a little regret for inviting him into this match.
'Say one word of mockery and he goes straight for the throat — this guy isn't someone easy to deal with.'
That strike just now was clearly to answer for the shoulder hit earlier. It looked exactly like deliberate payback.
And what's more, he had no intention of pulling back on the force — if Miyazaki hadn't been wearing protective armor, that thrust might have sent him straight to the crematorium.
One second ago, he was mocking arrogantly; one second later, he'd be ashes.
Just the thought of it made Kojima want to laugh.