Chapter 296: Sparring
"That's true," Hattori Heiji grumbled, scratching his head in frustration. "So, between Takahashi and Kondo, which one actually did it? We've narrowed it down to the two most suspicious guys, but we still don't have a shred of evidence..."
"Are we really going to have to wait for them to make another move before we can find anything?" Conan Edogawa frowned, a look of deep reluctance on his face. 'That's far too passive,'he thought,'and it carries its own set of risks.'
Just then, a cheerful voice cut through their brooding. "Heiji! Conan! Over here, hurry!" Toyama Kazuha was waving at them, her expression alight with excitement. "You've got to see this! Little Ayaka is about to spar with this beautiful older sister we just met! She looks incredibly strong. Come on! I was worried you wouldn't make it in time."
"Coming!" Hattori called back loudly.
He and Conan exchanged a look. They were stuck on the mountain for now, unable to pursue the case until they went back down. They might as well see what was happening. Setting the investigation aside, they walked over to join Kazuha and Ran, their eyes following the girls' gazes toward the center of a wide, open space before the Sacred Sakura tree.
They arrived just in time to see Kamisato Ayaka, poised and graceful, executing a formal bow. Her opponent was a tall woman with her back to them, her long, violet hair woven into a thick braid that fell over a regal purple kimono.
"My lady," Ayaka's voice was clear and respectful, "thank you for agreeing to this bout. I know I am no match for you, but I wish to understand for myself how great the gap between us truly is."
The woman's reply was calm and measured. "Then I hope you do not disappoint me."
Still trying to piece together the situation, Hattori and Conan turned to Kazuha and Ran for an explanation.
Kazuha scratched her head, a puzzled look on her face. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself. Right after you and Conan left, Ayaka and Ms. Miko came over. They took us to the Sacred Sakura to make a wish. According to Ms. Miko, wishes made here are super effective."
"There's no such thing," Natsume interjected, her brow twitching in annoyance. "That's just Miko's latest marketing ploy."
Mouri Ran added from the side, "Yes, Ayaka said the same thing. But Sonoko didn't care; she said it was better to believe it than not. She wanted to pray for her relationship with Mr. Kyogoku to go smoothly, so we all went along. That's when we ran into Ms. Raiden Ei."
As she spoke, Ran gestured toward the woman in the purple kimono, who was indeed the Raiden Ei she had just mentioned.
"Yeah, yeah!" Kazuha nodded eagerly. "And get this! It turns out she's that elder from the Kamisato Clan! When Natsume mentioned her before, I was picturing someone really old. I never expected her to be such a beautiful and imposing lady."
Hearing this, Yae Miko brought a sleeve to her lips, a sly chuckle escaping from behind it. "Don't be fooled by Ei's appearance. Her seniority is quite high indeed."
"You really can't tell," Hattori remarked, sizing up the woman.
"Yeah," Mitsuhiko piped up. "Sister Miko also said she's super strong and that no one is a match for her."
"She even said it was really impressive that one of Sister Natsume's friends managed to block one of her strikes!" Genta added with wide eyes.
"And then," Ayumi finished, "I don't know what the grown-ups said after that, but it turned into this, with Sister Ayaka asking for a lesson from Sister Raiden."
"No one is a match for her?" Hattori crossed his arms, a competitive smirk playing on his lips. "Wow, that's some big talk. Even I wouldn't be arrogant enough to say something like that." His curiosity was piqued; he wanted to see for himself what kind of skill this Raiden Ei possessed to justify such a bold claim.
Conan shot a half-lidded glance at the fired-up detective from Osaka. 'Seriously, getting worked up over something like this... this guy is so childish.'His own gaze, however, settled on Raiden Ei with keen inquisitiveness.'She has close ties with the Kamisato siblings and Yae Miko, but I don't see a Vision on her. Could she not be a member of the Teyvat Organization? And more, Miko made that claim right in front of Natsume, and Natsume didn't refute it. That means she tacitly agrees.'A knot of intrigue tightened in his mind.'Could this Raiden Ei actually be stronger than Natsume? The same Natsume who can catch bullets and leap between buildings?' Conan found it difficult to even conceive of what a person with combat strength greater than hers would look like.
With that thought, he focused his full attention on the scene unfolding before him.
Ignoring the chatter from the sidelines, the two combatants facing each other before the Sacred Sakura had already begun their duel.
"Then, if you'll excuse me!"
With that declaration, Kamisato Ayaka's entire demeanor shifted. Her gaze sharpened to a razor's edge. Gripping the hilt of her katana with both hands, she leaned forward, and in a single, fluid motion, drew her blade in a blindingly fast forward thrust.
Raiden Ei's eyes remained placid, devoid of emotion. She simply tilted her head, the tip of Ayaka's sword whispering past her ear. In the same instant, her right foot slid back as the naginata in her hand swept upward at an impossible speed, intercepting the katana's path.
Clang!
A crisp, metallic ring echoed through the clearing as the two weapons met and instantly separated.
A powerful shockwave traveled up Ayaka's blade, making her hands go numb. Yet, she did not retreat. Instead, her grip on the hilt tightened as she suddenly spun, bringing her sword around to block a polearm that had appeared behind her as if from thin air.
"Your speed is lacking," Raiden Ei's voice cut through the air, calm and instructive. Seeing her attack blocked seemed not to bother her in the slightest. "Focus."
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