Was it just her imagination?
When Morikawa placed the blade back on the stand earlier, had he not set it down properly?
Hojo Maki instinctively shook her head at the thought.
No—that couldn't be it. Morikawa was always careful. He wasn't the type to be careless.
So what exactly caused it?
A vague suspicion stirred in her heart, but she wasn't ready to believe it yet.
In front of Morikawa Yu, Kondo Kiyoshi also rose to his feet.
Neither of them had their protective gear on, so they began preparing.
Naturally, Morikawa had people ready to help, and in no time he was fully equipped.
When he glanced back at Kondo, he noticed something that made his brows twitch.
The one helping Kondo with his armor was that girl from the club.
She was fussing over his gear with almost excessive care, carefully adjusting the straps, even leaning close to whisper encouragement.
Kondo, in turn, gave her hair a playful ruffle, looking at her with a mixture of fondness and mild exasperation.
Strange. So had he misjudged the guy? Maybe Kondo wasn't a lovesick fool after all?
The instincts Morikawa had honed from years as a detective made him pause in suspicion.
But he let it go.
Whatever. In the end, it was just a match. And with the "Swift Wind Swordsman" system he'd just acquired, Kondo would make a perfect test subject.
He currently had one skill point, which he could use to learn either Steel-Cleaving Flash, Wall of Wind, or Forward Step Slash.
Opening the system interface, Morikawa scanned the glowing screen in his mind's eye.
Name: Morikawa YuClass: Swift Wind SwordsmanStyle: Swordsmanship of the Gale [Essence]
Skill: Way of the Ronin (Passive — While moving, the user accumulates sword intent, generating a defensive shield and greatly increasing the chance of critical strikes.)
Available Skills: [Steel-Cleaving Flash], [Wall of Wind], [Forward Step Slash]
Skill Points Available: 1
He tapped the learnable skills list, and descriptions unfolded.
[Steel-Cleaving Flash – Lv1]Accumulate the Sword Intent of the Gale. After two successful strikes, unleash a forward-rushing whirlwind slash. Power increases with level.
[Wall of Wind – Lv1]Summon a barrier of air to block all ranged attacks and projectiles. Strength increases with level.
[Forward Step Slash – Lv1]Dash forward a short distance, cutting as you move. Distance increases with level.
If he chose Steel-Cleaving Flash, two solid hits would be enough to send Kondo flying with a storm slash.
But that would terrify the club members—and Maki-sensei might see him as some kind of monster.
Wall of Wind was pointless here; Kondo wasn't about to throw his shinai like a projectile.
Forward Step Slash could be flashy, but with only one opponent it wouldn't show much.
After thinking it through, Morikawa decided not to choose anything just yet.
Better to test the waters with one strike first, then decide.
He stepped forward toward the center of the dojo.
Kondo also drew a long breath, forced a smile at the girl, then came to stand opposite Morikawa, taking his stance.
"Morikawa-kun, please take care of me."
"Kondo-kun, please take care of me as well."
Their shinai clashed lightly as they saluted, then they settled into their opening stances.
Though Kondo was a few years older, the two were about the same height.
And if one judged by bearing alone, Morikawa—with the calm of someone who had lived another life—seemed the steadier of the two.
A senior and the vice-captain stepped to either side of the combatants, each holding two flags.
In kendo matches, referees use flag signals to declare which competitor lands a clean strike first.
Once they saw both Morikawa and Kondo were ready, the vice-captain gave the signal.
The two raised their bamboo swords into the ready position—yet neither rushed to strike.
In kendo, victory didn't belong to whoever swung first.
Unless your speed was overwhelming, striking rashly without certainty of a hit only opened yourself up to counterattack.
With that thought, Kondo waited in a guarded stance.
But then… he blinked.
Was it an illusion? He could've sworn the fabric of Morikawa's kendogi began to ripple.
Wind?
A breeze was stirring his uniform?
But the dojo was sealed tight—where could wind possibly come from?
Before he could puzzle it out, Morikawa moved.
"Men!"
In a flash, Morikawa's shinai struck his helmet.
Too fast—so fast it defied logic.
He'd seen Morikawa's body shift, but his own reaction lagged far behind. He hadn't even managed to raise his shinai in defense.
All around, the students watching sucked in a collective breath. Some of the seniors' eyes went wide.
"S-so fast!"
"What the hell just happened!?"
From the side, their view was even clearer.
One moment Morikawa had only just raised his shinai overhead. The next—cut, direct and precise—his bamboo sword landed square on Kondo's men.
It was as if reality had skipped a frame, like film edited with the middle spliced out.
Kondo's helmet rattled under the blow, and still his body hadn't even begun to react.
How could that be?
They all knew Morikawa was strong, yes—but not this strong.
Could he have mastered some hidden technique while training the new recruits?
The students whispered, eyes burning with curiosity.
Morikawa himself was no less stunned.
He hadn't expected that single probing strike to land with such absurd speed.
By his own ability, he couldn't cut that fast.
Pulling his shinai back, Morikawa retreated two steps and opened the system.
Sure enough—the "Swordsmanship of the Gale [Essence]" entry was glowing.
So that was it… was the so-called "Essence" giving him this edge?
He had thought perhaps his Way of the Ronin passive had triggered a critical strike.
"…What… what kind of technique was that?"
Kondo finally regained his senses, staring in disbelief.
"Iaido."
Morikawa answered casually.
He couldn't very well admit he'd just swung at random. A name was needed.
Iaido appeared in many sword styles, and despite movies and anime exaggerating its rarity, the core of the art was simple: speed and surprise.
Of course, Morikawa was bluffing—he hadn't even sheathed his sword, much less drawn in proper form.
"Iaido… I see… Iaido…"
Kondo muttered twice under his breath.
But no—he didn't believe it. He'd seen plenty of swordsmen use iaido, but never anything with this sheer force.
When Morikawa's blade had moved, it hadn't felt like facing a man at all—more like being swallowed whole by a raging tempest.
In that instant, it was as if the storm had torn him to shreds.
If this was iaido, then what did that make all the others?
"…Morikawa-kun. I hate to admit it, but I've lost."
Kondo bowed his head.
Morikawa turned to the vice-captain, who looked just as shocked—so much so she'd forgotten to even raise her flags.
She had half-expected Kondo, the university student, to overwhelm her captain. Yet he'd conceded in a single round.
She tried to offer him a way out.
"Kondo-san, are you sure? That was only the first point—you can still continue the match."
"No. I've seen enough to know the gulf between us."
"Defeat is defeat."
He shook his head firmly.
At that moment, a familiar chime rang in Morikawa's ears.
You have defeated an opponent. +50 EXP. First victory of the day — EXP doubled.
Current EXP: 100/100. +1 Skill Point earned.
Skill Points available: 2.
Another point. Morikawa's eyebrows lifted slightly, but he put it aside—because Kondo's expression had shifted.
Hesitation. Embarrassment.
"…Um, Morikawa-kun…"
Kondo released his shinai and bowed deeply.
"Today I came here because of my sister's request. It was at her urging that I challenged you.
"If I had won, I would have asked you to accept her confession."
"But I lost. So instead—you may make a request of me.
"Whether it be that I discipline her properly, or anything else within my power, I swear to fulfill it."
"…Huh?"
Morikawa's eyes blinked blankly, his face gradually twisting into something unreadable.
Did he just say… sister?
When he looked up, sure enough, that girl was standing a little distance away, wringing her hands nervously.
Now that he compared them—the resemblance was obvious. And their closeness earlier? Not lovers. Siblings.
So Kondo hadn't been a lovesick dog at all?
That whole speech about "a man's duty"… it was about protecting his sister, and making sure she found someone worthy?
No way. No way something this absurd was actually happening.
And, wait—what was her name again?
Morikawa watched her approach, feeling less and less certain by the moment.
Honestly, he hadn't paid much attention to the club's members. Most duties he had left to the vice-captain.
If only he remembered her name, this mess wouldn't have happened.
Whatever. If he pretended not to notice, the awkwardness would be theirs, not his.
He steeled his expression, acting like nothing had happened.
"Kondo-kun, I accept your concession."
"And as for what you just said—don't worry about it."
"I have some things to take care of, so let's end it here for today. Your sister knows how to reach me—sometime we can all have dinner together."
"…I see."
Kondo's shoulders slumped as he nodded.
He understood. Morikawa was politely showing him the door.
And honestly, after that match, he had no face to linger anyway.
"Forgive me for the intrusion."
He bowed again, returned to his sister's side, and began unfastening his gear.
Morikawa turned to the circle of club members still gawking and shot them a glare.
"You all didn't hear anything, right?"
"No, no!"
"Didn't hear a thing."
"Not a word."
"Good. Then get back to what you're supposed to be doing."
Another sharp look, and they scattered in a hurry.
The vice-captain gave him a long, strange glance before finally sighing and shaking her head.
Evening came. The sun sank low, painting the dojo in shades of orange.
Most of the students had already gone home, leaving only a few tidying up.
On the tatami where Morikawa had been sitting earlier, Hojo Maki remained.
She gripped the ancient blade in her hands, frozen in place, her expression shifting back and forth between storm and calm…