Ōmaeda Kishinosuke's towering frame—well over two meters tall—carried a massive sense of pressure. Standing before him, Chijō Kana looked like a child being scolded by an adult.
Thankfully, they weren't ordinary humans. In a match like this, size wasn't everything.
Chijō Kana moved first—stepping forward, raising her arms, and slashing down!
But Ōmaeda Kishinosuke mirrored her exactly. The moment the bowing ritual ended, he lunged toward her with his wooden sword.
Thud—
The two bokken collided with a sharp crack. Ōmaeda Kishinosuke grinned viciously, trying to use his size advantage to overwhelm Chijō Kana.
But to his surprise, she didn't budge an inch. She held firm, blocking his downward strike head-on.
With such a stark difference in size, Kishinosuke naturally had the advantage in a clash of strength. His attacks came from above, while Kana had to hold her sword up to resist the pressure.
With a roar and a fierce glare, Kishinosuke unleashed his full Reiatsu and pressed down with all his might.
Chijō Kana clenched her teeth, her feet—wrapped in plain white tabi—suddenly tensing. She rose to her toes, pushing back with force.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the floor beneath her feet.
BOOM!!!
Kishinosuke felt a jolt of excitement. Seeing the floor beneath Kana crumble, he figured she'd soon lose balance—and when that happened, she'd no longer be able to hold back his sword.
But the cause of the broken floor wasn't what he thought.
It wasn't from his strength crushing it.
—The floor had cracked from the sheer force she generated!
A surge of power rippled through Kana's arms, and Kishinosuke's wooden sword was suddenly flung aside. He staggered back several steps.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of red.
The girls' uniform of the Spiritual Arts Academy resembled a miko outfit, with crimson hakama.
"Oh crap!"
He looked up in alarm—Chijō Kana had already leapt into the air, her hands raised high with her wooden sword.
Caught mid-step and still unsteady, Kishinosuke had no choice but to hastily raise his bokken overhead to block.
But his rushed defense was no match for Kana's descending strike. His massive body was sent toppling backward, crashing hard onto the floor.
Boom—
The impact embedded Kishinosuke into the ground, wood chips flying everywhere.
"Cough, cough— I underestimated your strength… To think I'd lose in the one area I'm most confident in—what a surprise." Kishinosuke crawled out of the crater, glanced at the slash on his shoulder, and knew he'd just lost a point.
"Again, you brute of a girl!" he grumbled.
"Don't give people random nicknames!" Kana shouted, charging at him again with her wooden sword.
She parried his strike and used the force of it to leap into the air.
Kishinosuke narrowed his eyes, recalling the earlier match between Kuchiki Sōjun and Hirako Shinji. Shinji had made a similar move during their fight.
Naturally, he thought of Sōjun's counter.
All he had to do was block Kana's next few strikes. Then, once she was vulnerable mid-air, he could land a decisive blow!
He braced himself and stood firm, confident in his ability to defend.
Their movements now mirrored that earlier match exactly—like watching a replay.
Kana landed behind Kishinosuke and struck fast.
Kishinosuke didn't get cocky this time. He twisted his body and deflected her blow.
But what happened next caught him completely off guard.
Kana suddenly extended one of her white-tabi-clad feet and, like a dragonfly skimming the water, stepped onto the flat of his wooden sword.
Kishinosuke froze for a moment, unsure what she was doing. If he flipped the blade right now, the edge would strike the bottom of her foot.
And under match rules—that counted as a point!
Not wasting the chance, Kishinosuke quickly twisted the blade upward.
At the same time, Kana grinned slyly. Her toes pressed off the sword, launching her toward Kishinosuke, her wooden blade thrusting at his shoulder.
It all happened in a blink.
Kishinosuke's blade struck Kana's foot.
Kana's strike landed on Kishinosuke's shoulder.
They both scored a point—simultaneously!
Kishinosuke froze. Then it hit him—he had already lost one point earlier. Now that he'd lost another… that meant he'd lost the match!
"Damn it, that point was too tempting. I acted without thinking!" he said bitterly.
Kana had traded a point for a point and seized the victory.
"You really are strong. Losing to you isn't shameful," Kishinosuke shook his head and sighed. "But next time, I won't make the same mistake!"
"Chijō Kana, wins!"
"Nice job, Kana!" Muguruma Kensei gave her a thumbs-up. "That was quick!"
"I'm in the finals!" Kana beamed. That meant she'd get to learn a new sword technique once she got home.
"You all did great today. Let's celebrate with a big meal!" Nanatsuki ruffled her hair. "And of course, I'll teach you a new sword technique."
"Yay!"
Over at the instructor's table, many were surprised by the outcome.
"Well, that was unexpected. I thought Kishinosuke would win for sure. Haha!" said Department Head Yamada with a laugh.
"I've taught Kishinosuke before. His Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō are all solid. He's a well-rounded type. If this match allowed those skills, he wouldn't have lost to Kana," said Department Head Nakano, clearly disappointed.
He was the Hakuda instructor for the Onmitsukidō, and in a way, half of Kishinosuke's teacher.
The Ōmaeda family, being a longstanding presence in the Onmitsukidō, would send their children there for training when they came of age.
"Though Kana used the rules to her advantage, that just proves her tactics aren't rigid," Asido added in praise. "I was worried she only relied on brute strength, but clearly she can use what she's learned in clever ways."
"The next match will be tough. The gap is just too big," Danmu Zōsuke sighed.
Truthfully, even many official Shinigami wouldn't be able to defeat Kuchiki Sōjun. His strength far outclassed the rest of the Spiritual Arts Academy.
After a short break, it was time for the final round.
"Don't stress too much for the next match," Nanatsuki said gently. "Just because you can't beat him now doesn't mean you won't in the future. You're young. There's still plenty of room to grow."
Kana's eyes sparkled with mischief. She leaned close to Nanatsuki's ear and whispered the tactic she'd just come up with.
Nanatsuki chuckled. "You can give it a try. Go for it!"
Kana nodded fiercely. "I mean, there's no way I can beat him in a normal fight, so might as well go for something bold!"
Chijō Kana and Kuchiki Sōjun stepped onto the stage.