Chapter 52: The Protagonists Talent

Chapter 52: The Protagonists Talent

Miyuki?

Hmm? Yes?

Whats with your neck? Is that a band-aid?

It was an innocent question from Tetsuya.

Miyuki, slightly startled, reached a hand to the band-aid.

Ah... this... I got bitten by a mosquito...

Oh? Wouldnt using a band-aid be bad then?

It... got unexpectedly red...

Be careful, okay? Want me to get you some medicine?

I already applied some. Thanks for caring.

Miyuki gave a fresh smile and turned her body away.

She, who was taking delicate steps backward, lingered, hand on the back of her head, and spoke with an agitated voice while staring at me.

Matsuda-kun, come quickly.

We have plenty of time; we can go slowly.

What do you mean we have time? We have a math test today, we should at least cram a bit.

When did they say that?

On Friday.

Why do you remember that?nove(l)bi(n.)com

Miyuki stood still until I approached.

Tetsuya, too, ended up stopping in his tracks.

After giving his face a quick glance, I naturally walked over and stood in front of Miyuki.

Then, I casually asked her, who was looking peculiarly at me.

What?

Theres dust on your shirt.

With her pincer-like fingers, Miyuki picked off the dust clinging to the front of my white shirt. She also lightly brushed between my collarbone and shoulder with her palm, before playfully rebuking me.

Dont go around with stuff like this on you, clean yourself up.

I did check before putting it on... Maybe its because the air above is dusty.

When I subtly teased Miyukis short stature, she let out a soft chuckle and then looked ahead again.

Tetsuya-kun, lets go.

Ah, yes...

His expression was tinged with bewilderment.

He had noticed Miyuki treating me with unusual warmth.

No matter how ignorant he was, with Miyuki acting like that, he couldnt not notice.

When I played Dokiaca, as the protagonist, I took care of the events, somehow bringing the naive you closer to the heroines, but not now.

Now, I am the protagonist, not you.

For you, theres nothing but a gloomy future.

But suddenly, a question comes to mind.

As I thought before, while playing Dokiaka, I actively managed Tetsuyas events.

I moved him to where the heroines were, conversed, and selected options.

But what about now?

If Tetsuya encounters an event with Renka or Hiyori, what choice will he make?

Given his indecisive and dim-witted nature, he seems likely to do something useless...

But since hes a guy with a lot of luck, its hard to say.

Matsuda-kun, come quickly!

Miyuki calls, as she moves away with Tetsuya.

Whether it was when getting in the car today, or just now when brushing off the dust...

I felt determination in her eyes she must be prepared, right?

Hmm

While it would be nice to do that on any day Rather than being worried about going to school the next day-

-Wont it be best if the next day is a holiday for our first time?

Okay.

Lets set the mood on the last day of this weeks cultural festival.

***

Matsuda hubae-nim! Did you have a good weekend?

Chinami, raising both hands to her shoulders, waves like a kindergarten teacher might.

I hope youll be this excited even at night.

Approaching her, I respond in a resigned manner.

I did, thank you. And you, Sensei?

I also had a great time. But why do you seem so low energy? Is it because its Monday?

Its not that I look low energy, its that youre exerting an excessive amount of it.

Its not that. And what should we do today?

Today, well just lay out the towels, transfer the water, and wait until the activity time ends. After that, well just clean the hogus[^1].

Surprisingly free, huh? I thought it would be busy on a Monday. Then, can we start practicing right away?

No! You should stay inside today. You have to observe the first match of the second semester.

Upon hearing the word match, my ears perked up.

The first match of the second semester is one of the crucial events in Dokiaca.

The scene where the club president, Renka, gets challenged in a relay appears, and after a few people get beaten, there are no challengers left.

Thats when Tetsuya, innocently raising his hand, comes into play - A beginner who doesnt even know how to wear the hogu, let alone understand the Kendo properly.

The director, pleased with that spirit, asks Renka to accept the challenge, and Renka moderately accommodates Tetsuya who charges in with a horribly messy stance.

Thanks for explaining.

No problem.

At that moment when Tetsuya, forcing an awkward smile, looked forward again,

Begin!

Goros robust voice rang out.

At the same time, Renka and Chinami shouted kihap[^2] to increase their fighting spirit and took their respective stances.

Haap!

Kyaaah!

Renka, dignified, and Chinami, adorable.

The kihaps matched each of them perfectly.

Barely holding back a burst of laughter, I pretended to fiddle with something and observed the match between the two.

The two spread out, flicking their feet and swinging their arms, initiating their exploratory battle.

The first to attempt an attack was,

Head strike!

Chinami, who was in Sangdanses upper stance with her arm lifted high above her head. As she rolled her foot and descended, she released her right hand, which had been gripping the center of the shinai, and stretched out her left hand. Consequently, the extended range of the shinai aimed at Renkas left flank.

Whoosh!

The energetically swung shinai seemed poised to strike Renkas head soon. However,

Hup!

Renka swiftly raised her wrist, positioning her shinai diagonally to deflect Chinamis attack.

Clack!

With the exhilarating sound of the shinais colliding, a fierce exchange between the two unfolded.

Kyaah! Head! Head! Head strike!

Chinami persistently targeted Renkas head. Perhaps when Renka lifts her hand to defend her head, she intends to target another area... But Renka is so rock-solid that no substantial opening is appearing.

Renka, too, had not been able to properly attack while defending against the nimble attacks from Chinami.

Was it possible that Chinami also possessed talent on par with Renka?

Just as such a thought occurred,

Throat!

Renkas hands, after she issued a short kihap, shot forward. The tip of the shinai, stretching out in a blink, soon touched right below the center of the hogu Chinami was wearing.

Thump!

Ugh!

As Chinamis head sharply jerked back from a precise hit to the throat area, Goro, waving a white flag, shouted.

Point!

Simultaneously, white flags flickered from the hands of the two third-year seniors who had been watching the match.

In Kendo, a point is scored if at least two out of three referees raise flags of the same color. And the unanimously raised white flags also matched the color of the string attached to Renkas hogu.

Hoh...

Scoring a point, Renka took a measured breath.

She was indeed focused. Its a testament to how formidable Chinamis offensive was.

Clap, clap, clap-!

The applause from the club members, who had been holding their breath, resonated through the room... Chinami, adjusting her posture, took her place opposite Renka, who was positioned in the center, and squatted a little.

Then Goro shouted.

Resume!

The two immediately reopened their offensive and defensive battle. The second match, unlike the first, only concluded after quite some time had passed.

Clack!

Point!

This score was also for Renka.

Being stripped of 2 points in Kendo, which is based on a best-of-three rounds system, signified a loss.

Chinami, who had cooly taken a hit, cutely stomped her foot, then made a small bow to Renka while looking at her and retrieved her shinai.

Thank you for your effort.

Thank you for your effort.

Although she couldnt score a point, Chinamis skill was truly exceptional. That became apparent when watching the match between Renka and a third-year senior who came up next.

Haiyaaahp!!

The senior, who rushed in emitting a peculiar kihap,

Head!

Clack!

...was struck by Renka, who effortlessly scored a point by exploiting an opening...

Thus, when five senior men and women had fallen, no one was left to challenge Renka.

Whos the next challenger?

Even with Goros call, the room remained silent.

As the members avoided his eyes due to embarrassment, a vein popped on Goros forehead.

This lack of fighting spirit...

At that moment,

Ill give it a try!

Tetsuya raised his hand.

Me.

And so did I.

*

{1: **Hogu** is a protective gear used in various martial arts, in this case for kendo, to protect the practitioner during practice or sparring sessions. The kendo hogu typically involves several pieces: a helmet (men), body armor (d), gloves (kote), and a waist and hip protector (tare).

2: **Kihap** is a term used to describe the short, sharp exclamation martial artists make (often similar to a shout or yell) when performing a technique. The kihap serves to focus energy, intimidate opponents, and signal a strike in martial arts like taekwondo, kendo, and more. Its quite similar to the kiai found in Japanese martial arts.

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