EFB Chapter 8 I just don't want to lose, and I don't want her to lose again.
Chapter 8 I just don't want to lose, and I don't want her to lose again.
On the training ground.
The crowd sat around, quietly watching the two people in the center, dressed in dark blue kendo uniforms and full protective gear, preparing to fight. Shirakawa Yuta was one of them.
As for Hoshino Tsukigen, he was sitting directly opposite him, dressed in a white kendo uniform, with the two of them separated by the battle area.
Yuta Shirakawa nodded slightly to Tsukigen Hoshino in greeting.
But the other person seemed not to see it and remained sitting there motionless.
Seeing this, Shirakawa Yuta frowned slightly, not wanting to make a fool of himself, and turned his attention back to the two people who were fighting.
Their training rules for sparring are much simpler than those for official matches. Although they can still only hit four fixed points—the face (head), the wrist and forearm, the torso (chest, abdomen, and side waist), and the throat—they also need to shout out the location of the hit when they make it.
However, the requirements for the posture during and after the hit are not that strict. After all, most people have only learned a little in the club and have not received systematic training, so it is difficult for them to achieve such a standard.
If the original rules were followed, many invalid attacks would occur in every match, which could easily dampen the enthusiasm of the team members.
That's why this regulation came about.
The conditions for determining the winner are the same as in the game: the first to get two valid first-tier attacks (i.e., attacking four fixed points) wins; if no one gets two first-tier attacks before time runs out, the one with the most points wins; if it's a tie, there's overtime, and the first one to get a first-tier attack wins.
Due to time constraints, the adversarial test consisted of only one round.
As the coach gave the soft command "Start," the two players bowed simultaneously, their bamboo swords lightly touching the ground, and the competition officially began.
Neither of them made a rash move. Instead, they circled the center point repeatedly, trying to find the other's weakness and deliver a fatal blow.
The people around were all members of the kendo club. They had seen this kind of scene many times before, so they were naturally very patient and quietly watched the two's movements.
After a few laps, Shirakawa Yuta suddenly focused his gaze and said softly, "They're here."
"What?"
Kurosaki Takeshi, who was sitting to the side, didn't hear clearly, but didn't have time to ask any more questions.
The moment he spoke, the boy on the right launched the first attack.
With a thud, his foot stomped off the wooden floor, and he lunged forward with lightning speed, raising his bamboo sword high with a sharp whistling sound as he slashed straight at his opponent's face.
His moves were swift and decisive, displaying the sharpness unique to young people.
The boy on the left reacted just as quickly, taking a half-step back and flipping his wrist in an instant, his bamboo sword blocking in front of him.
With a crisp "bang," the two bamboo swords collided violently, the powerful force spreading along the blades to the arm, instantly causing a numbing sensation.
However, the two were already used to it and did not stop or freeze due to numbness.
In just a moment, the two were separated.
Seeing that his first attack had failed, the boy on the right quickly changed his move. As he retracted his wrist, he slashed diagonally at his opponent's forearm with his bamboo sword. His moves were fluid and tight, giving his opponent no chance to catch his breath.
The boy on the left moved nimbly and changed his moves, countering each move and exchanging blows with his opponent, resulting in a stalemate.
The audience below the stage began to whisper among themselves.
"As expected of a senior student, their offense and counterattack are so strong. If I were to go up there, I would probably be knocked down in one hit."
"That's right. After all, Murata-senpai is a third-year student, and Inoue-senpai is also one of the best second-year students. I heard that they represented the school last year and participated in the National High School Kendo Tournament with Captain Hoshino. Although they didn't get good results, their swordsmanship is really strong!"
"Yes, but Captain Hoshino is stronger. After all, he was the only one who remained undefeated in the competition last year."
"Of course."
……
"Yuta, who do you think will win?"
Kurosaki Takeshi, who was sitting next to him, also came over and asked Shirakawa Yuta a question.
Yuta Shirakawa didn't rush to answer. Instead, he stared at the two people on the field for a long time before saying, "It's most likely the one on the left, Senior Inoue."
Kurosaki Takeshi, watching Inoue Naoki, who was on the defensive and seemed to be at a disadvantage against Murata Yusuke's attacks, asked in confusion, "Really? Why?"
"Although Inoue was on the defensive, his footwork was not disordered at all, his lower body was stable, and his hand movements looked a bit chaotic, but he always strictly followed the sword techniques without any fancy or superfluous movements."
"On the other hand, although Murata-senpai's continuous attacks gave him a certain advantage in the early stages, his stamina was also severely depleted, and his footwork and hand movements began to become chaotic."
"If we reveal even the slightest weakness, Inoue-sensei will seize the opportunity and crush us!"
Upon hearing this, Kurosaki Tsuyoshi asked with some suspicion, "Really? How do you suddenly know so much?"
Yuta Shirakawa smiled mysteriously and didn't reply.
The belt worked very well, better than I expected.
He had completely grasped the sword techniques and footwork that he had been somewhat confused about before, and he also had a precise understanding of the situation.
As Shirakawa Yuta had predicted, after Murata's heavy blow was dodged by Inoue, Inoue keenly seized the opportunity when Murata's old strength was waning and his new strength was not yet generated. He quickly stepped forward and swung a slash straight at Murata's face.
"めん(面)!"
The timer ended, accompanied by the sound of "men".
The coach stepped forward at the opportune moment and announced, "Naoki Inoue wins this test!"
As the coach made the announcement, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.
Yusuke Murata removed his faceplate; his hair was already soaked with sweat.
He looked at Inoue Naoki, who had also removed his mask but whose eyes inadvertently glanced at Hoshino Tsukigami, and said, "You've improved so quickly."
Naoki Inoue quickly turned around, nodded slightly, and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Murata-senpai. I just didn't want to lose, and... I didn't want her to lose again."
The last sentence was spoken very softly, but Yusuke Murata, who was standing opposite him, heard it clearly.
Of course he knew who the "she" in the conversation was.
Last year, they and two others represented the school at the National Junior High School Kendo Tournament with Hoshino Tsukizuru. Although Hoshino Tsukizuru did not win the women's individual event, she made it to the finals.
However, they stumbled in the round of 32 in the team competition. It wasn't that Hoshino Tsukigen performed poorly, but rather that some of them dragged the team down.
Yusuke Murata sighed softly, suddenly realizing that the reason why Tsukigen Hoshino had been so demanding of the newcomers this year must be due to this.
He patted Inoue Naoki on the shoulder, and the two walked off the stage together.
After putting his protective gear back in place, Inoue Naoki sat down next to Hoshino Tsukigami.
The two were talking in hushed tones, and soon a happy expression appeared on Inoue Naoki's face, presumably because he had received praise.
Yuta Shirakawa glanced at them twice before turning his attention back to the two new people who had come up to the stage.
The following matches were much less interesting than the first, with many basic mistakes frequently occurring on stage, which would elicit a roar from the coach or a cold look from Hoshino Tsukigami.
The latter is significantly more powerful than the former.
It's worth mentioning that Takeshi Kurosaki was the fastest to finish the match.
His opponent was a first-year student who had never practiced kendo before, just like him. Logically speaking, it should have been a battle of novices.
But Kurosaki Takeshi's nearly 1.9-meter height and muscular physique provided the answer: brute force can overcome any method!
A single, powerful strike splits Mount Hua, ending the battle instantly without any unnecessary movements.
After stepping off the stage, he proudly flexed his muscles at Shirakawa Yuta, demonstrating his strength.
Before Shirakawa Yuta could even speak, Hoshino Tsukigen glared at him, shutting him up.
Yuta Shirakawa was happy to have some free time, but what puzzled him was that he hadn't heard his name mentioned.
It wasn't until the last group finished playing that the coach shouted:
"Yuta Shirakawa versus..."
"Wait a moment!"
Before the coach could finish speaking, he stood up first, not noticing that Hoshino Tsukizuru, who had been sitting opposite her without moving as the coach called out, was also about to stand up.
"I probably don't need to take the test anymore, I want to leave the company!"