"Then allow me to serve as the witness for this wager."
A calm voice came from the entrance of the dojo.
Everyone turned toward it — it was Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President, with a purple-haired girl beside him, her hair tied into two round buns.
"If the president is willing to act as the witness, I have no objections," Matsui said.
"Neither do I," Ryosuke replied.
With both sides in agreement, Horikita adjusted his glasses.
"Then I hereby declare the match... begins."
Ryosuke and Matsui bowed respectfully to each other in true kendo fashion, before taking their stances.
The moment Horikita's voice fell, Matsui lunged forward with speed and precision, raising his shinai high and bringing it down in a fierce vertical strike.
A loud thud echoed through the dojo — Ryosuke had stopped the blow effortlessly, holding his wooden blade horizontally in one hand.
Matsui quickly retreated five meters back.
The onlookers didn't understand why he backed off so suddenly, but Matsui knew exactly why — that strike had felt like hitting a steel wall.
Ryosuke's sword hadn't even shaken.
In just that first exchange, Matsui realized — this boy was no "unranked amateur."
But it was too late to hesitate now. Seeing that Ryosuke wasn't pressing the attack, Matsui stepped forward again.
Still, having experienced that overwhelming power firsthand, he knew a direct clash would be reckless.
He shifted tactics, switching to feints and quick jabs, trying to bait out a mistake.
But no matter how he moved, no matter what angle he attacked from, Ryosuke's defense remained flawless — impenetrable, calm, and unreadable.
It was like facing his own master.
No — worse. The pressure was even greater.
Sweat rolled down Matsui's temple.
The club members watching from the sidelines clenched their fists nervously.
Horikita remained expressionless as ever, while the purple-haired girl beside him watched with amusement, eyes sparkling like she was watching a live match on TV — popcorn was about the only thing missing.
Suddenly, Matsui saw it — a small opening near Ryosuke's left chest, just outside his reach.
This is it!
He switched from a slash to a thrust.
"Too slow."
"Huh—?" Matsui barely registered the voice before Ryosuke vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared at Matsui's left flank — and with a single upward swing, sent Matsui flying backward.
"Do you still want to continue, senpai?" Ryosuke asked, lowering his blade.
"Huff... huff... huff..." Matsui was breathing heavily — whether from exhaustion or shock, it was hard to tell.
"Come on, Matsui-senpai!"
"You can do it!"
The club members shouted encouragement, their voices pushing Matsui to his feet once more.
"That's the spirit, Matsui-senpai!"
"Yeah... I can't fall here."
The purple-haired girl giggled softly. "Oh wow, he stood back up! This is the part where the hero defeats the demon king, right?"
Hearing that, Ryosuke's expression twitched slightly.
Matsui ignored the comment. He knew now — landing a hit was impossible. The gap between them was too vast.
So instead, he shifted into a defensive stance.
Seeing that, Ryosuke quietly decided to end it.
"Since you've chosen to defend, please be careful, senpai. Second Form—Inner Gale."
And then — Ryosuke vanished again.
Matsui barely caught a blur of motion — something flying past him at impossible speed.
He swung to block, but hit nothing.
"...It's over. Slash."
By the time Ryosuke's final word fell, he was already behind Matsui.
A metallic clang rang out — Matsui's shinai was knocked from his hands, flying across the floor.
He turned around, only to find Ryosuke's blade poised right before his chest.
With a dull thump, Matsui dropped to his knees, dazed.
The match was over. Ryosuke had won.
But no one cheered.
Not a single clap or shout came from the Kendo Club members.
Even the purple-haired girl looked disappointed — like a movie fan whose favorite hero had just been crushed by the villain.
"You—you were hiding your strength, weren't you?!"
"Yeah! There's no way an unranked rookie fights like that!"
"Liar!"
Ryosuke didn't answer. He simply stood there in silence, looking at the kneeling Matsui.
As the accusations grew louder, even the purple-haired girl beside Horikita frowned, about to intervene — but Horikita stopped her.
"President, he's being—"
"Tachibana," Horikita said coolly, "He'll handle it himself."
"'He'...?" Tachibana repeated under her breath.
Before she could finish the thought, Matsui slowly rose to his feet.
"Enough."
The dojo fell silent.
"A loss is a loss. Are we really the kind of club that can't accept defeat?"
The members lowered their heads, ashamed.
Then Matsui turned toward Ryosuke, eyes full of complex emotions.
"It's your win. I'll honor the bet. The points will be transferred, and from today, you're the new captain of the Kendo Club."
"Matsui-senpai!"
"Captain!"
"Matsui! Isn't there another way?!"
Seeing their faces, Ryosuke dropped his mask of arrogance.
"First of all, I want to apologize for what I said earlier," he said sincerely.
The room went quiet. No one had expected such a tone from him.
"I never meant to look down on any of you. My words were just to make sure you'd agree to the wager — nothing more."
"...You," Matsui muttered, surprised.
"If I've offended or hurt any of you by doing so, then I truly apologize. I'm sorry, senpai." Ryosuke bowed deeply.
"But you still lied about having no rank!"
"Yeah! You're stronger than Matsui-senpai — you've got to be at least fourth-dan!"
Ryosuke just smiled faintly. Explaining would be pointless — technically, he really was unranked.
As for the title of Sword Saint... that wasn't something anyone here would understand.
So he simply let them believe what they wanted.
Matsui stepped forward and bowed in return.
"Honestly, Saionji... I think you're the true strong one here. But as for the title of captain — I think it should stay with you."
"No," Matsui said firmly, shaking his head. "A deal is a deal. And with swordsmanship like yours, you deserve it."
Ryosuke looked troubled. He truly had no desire to lead a club.
Then his gaze drifted toward Horikita — and an idea came to mind.
"Actually, I've been planning to join the Student Council," he said. "Since I can't handle both at once, I'm afraid I'll have to decline, senpai."
"I see… in that case, I won't insist," Matsui said with a soft smile. "There are twenty-three members in our club. At five thousand points each, plus my own five thousand monthly, that's one hundred fifteen thousand total. I'll transfer it to you now."
Leaving the gym, Ryosuke looked at his student ID — his point balance had increased significantly.
He smiled faintly.
"Well," he murmured, "that was worth the trip."