Chapter 113: The Difference in Power #2 (Volume Increased)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113: The Difference in Power #2 (Volume Increased)
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A surprise throat thrust is difficult to block.
But that’s only when one’s posture is compromised.
Before the thrust landed, Miura had clearly been fully prepared.
Moreover, he was maintaining a mid-level stance, so if he had been ready, he should have been able to block it with a slight movement of his hands.
But Miura failed to do so.
Was it because his reflexes were slow? No.
It was simply because Matsuda was too good.
He had skillfully pierced through a range where Miura would struggle to move, landing his shinai at the exact moment Miura was executing a different motion.
Though his breathing might have been somewhat subdued, he had a fighting spirit palpable enough to be called an aura. His shinai shot out with force, and his movements were fluid, without a single wasted motion.
His footwork seemed a bit sluggish, but he executed the strike with perfect unity of spirit, sword, and body, and even maintained his awareness after the strike. It was impossible not to award him the point.
Objectively speaking, aside from a few minor issues, it was a fine strike.
So fine, in fact, that for a moment, I thought it was cool.
A second-year student who had delved deep into kendo would have likely blocked it.
But for Miura, still a beginner, it was impossible.
It was an attack he couldn't have blocked even if he saw it coming. That’s how fierce its momentum was.
This is too much...
I knew there would be a skill gap... no, a talent gap, but I never imagined it would be this severe.
What should I do...?
I wanted to stop them right now, but if I ended the match here, it would deal a huge blow to Miura’s pride.
I had already seen his competitive spirit flare up when he said he wanted to spar.
But leaving them be was also unsettling because I was worried about the second round.
If it ended in an instant like that again, his mental state would take a massive hit...
Of course, Miura hadn't shown his full abilities yet, but even taking that into account, he had no chance of winning.
“Nice one.”
Miura, checking if his helmet was askew, complimented Matsuda.
Hearing his nonchalant voice, Renka let out a sigh of relief internally.
There was no waver in Miura’s tone.
It meant he was in good control of himself.
He was slightly angry, but it seemed acceptable to consider it part of his competitive drive.
Pushing aside her intention to stop the match, Renka waited for Miura to kneel opposite Matsuda, then took a breath and spoke.
“We’ll take a short break. That was a strong hit, so you need time to recover.”
“Did I do something wrong again?”
“...Not to that extent.”
“Understood.”
Matsuda replied leisurely and turned without hesitation, approaching Chinami, who was trying hard to suppress her joy.
“You told me to be careful of the first strike... I’m sorry.”
Miura had come to my side at some point and was now apologizing.
With a gentle smile, Renka shook her head.
“No, don’t worry about it. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to give you a piece of advice. What do you think?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Your specialty is the long game. Focus on close-quarters combat, retreating strikes, and defense. Since Matsuda uses a left high stance, his left side will be wide open when he attacks. When you get a chance, aim for that area and drag him into a mud fight. Don’t try to create distance. The high stance has a long reach.”
“Understood.”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to try for a head strike right at the start.”
“Huh? But the high stance is strong at defending the head.”
“If you charge in while striking his head, he’ll think you’re trying to initiate a clash of the handguards. He’ll definitely try to push you away. At that moment, pretend to be pushed back and strike his wrist as you retreat.”
“Yes. Head strike, then retreating wrist strike... Head strike, then retreating wrist strike...”
Miura muttered the strategy as if to engrave it into his brain.
Renka let out a small laugh at his innocent display and said, “Of course, Matsuda won’t just stand there and take it, so if it doesn’t look good, it’s best to back off quickly. Always think as you fight. If you get too obsessed with winning or losing, your body will tense up, so it’s okay to relax. Just do what you normally do.”
“My distance control isn’t great, so maintaining the one-step-one-sword distance will be tough... but I’ll do my best.”
“That’s normal. With the high stance, the shinai is hidden, making it hard to gauge the distance. Is your neck okay?”
“Oof... It’s better now, but when it hit, it knocked the wind right out of me.”
“Let me see.”
Renka pulled down the neck protector of his helmet and leaned her upper body forward slightly.
“C-Captain...! You’re too close...!”
Ignoring Miura’s naive protest, she checked his neck and said, “Doesn’t look like there’s a bruise. If it hurts too much, you can stop.”
“N-No, it’s fine. I’ll continue.”
“Alright. Good luck.”
“Yes, Captain...!”
He answered with such spirit.
Was my encouragement giving him strength?
Or was his competitive spirit just burning that brightly?
Either way, it wasn’t a bad thing.
* * *
A scoff escapes me.
To think she’d examine Tetsuya’s smelly body right in front of me.
I’ll make you pay for that sharp-tongued behavior later.
The second round was different from the first.
The moment Renka gave the signal to start, Tetsuya stomped his foot and charged forward, aiming for my well-defended head.
Clack-!
After easily blocking the head strike, I scowled as Tetsuya tried to initiate a clash of the handguards.
I hated the thought of his filthy body touching mine, but I figured it would be fine since we were wearing protective gear.
I lowered my arms and blocked the shinai of the charging Tetsuya.
Scrape-!
We were now close enough for our protective gear to touch.
I gave a slight push with my arms to get him off me, and his body slid backward.
He’s not even trying to hold his ground, so he must be aiming for a retreating strike.
Looks like he got some advice from Renka... He could have at least pretended to resist for a moment.
Too easy to read.
And he’s retreating so far back that he’s creating the perfect range for me to strike.
I snorted internally, staring straight at Tetsuya as he created the distance for me, and swung my arm.
Whoosh-! Crack-!
The distinct, sharp sound of bamboo echoed from Tetsuya’s waist and from near my own wrist.
We had struck each other at almost the same time. But while the wrist he hit was not a valid scoring area, the waist I struck was a perfect target.
However, it couldn’t be counted as a point.
What had hit Tetsuya’s waist wasn’t the valid striking part of my shinai, but the back string in the center.
In kendo, a strike with anything other than the designated area is invalid, so it was nowhere near a point.
This was entirely intentional on my part.
Even though I could have easily scored a point, I deliberately extended my arm to toy with Tetsuya.
Pretending my distance control was clumsy.
“Urk...!”
Tetsuya, having allowed such a futile strike, clenched his teeth.
The wretch who would have whimpered timidly in the past was now trying to resist. It seems his nerve has grown since joining the kendo club.
Before Tetsuya could even collect himself, I rushed him and brought my shinai down.
“Huk...!”
The terrified Tetsuya tried to raise an arm, but my sword had already reached his shoulder.
Craaack-!
The back string of the shinai bent into an arch before snapping back.
The impact feels incredible. I thought it was just a useless sack of flesh, but it seems it has some small value after all.
“Ugh...”
Tetsuya let out a groan as if enduring pain.
The shoulder protectors hanging down from the sides of his helmet should have prevented any real pain. He’s being such a drama queen.
The one in pain is my wrist, which was hit by your blind swing.
It’s still throbbing.
To think he’d hit the bare skin right below my gauntlet... son of a bitch.
The rest of the spar was a one-sided beating.
Tetsuya, who had confidently boasted that he could hold his own against me, was now scrambling just to defend against my onslaught.
Through the grill of his helmet, I could see his eyes filling with bewilderment.
He must be dumbfounded.
He had trained so hard and thought he stood a chance, but here he was, getting beaten down without even being able to put up a proper fight.
Crack! Thwack!
Head, waist, even his back.
Acting as if I were gradually losing my reason, I had a blast beating the crap out of him, staying within the limits of not actually injuring him.
“Stop! That’s enough!”
Hearing Renka’s furious shout, I froze all movement.
I glanced at the wretch, who was cornered and about to be pushed out of bounds, then turned my head to Renka.
“Was that a point?”
“A point...? Are you kidding me? What do you think you’re...”
Renka, letting out a disbelieving laugh, was about to reprimand me when,
“Junior! What do you think you’re doing!”
Chinami came running over and lightly tapped my helmet with her fist.
Thump!
“What you just showed us was just violence! That wasn’t the posture for a proper attack at all!”
Thump! Thump!
“The shinai in your hand isn’t a steel pipe or a baseball bat! You’re being so mean!”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
She’s cute, trying to discipline me while standing on her tiptoes.
Come to think of it, something similar happened during our first spar...
I silently accepted Chinami’s adorable assault and then offered an apology.
“I’m sorry. I got heated after getting hit hard on the wrist earlier.”
“Your wrist? Are you talking about the first exchange?”
“Yes.”
“Let me see.”
I took off my gauntlet, rolled up the sleeve of my uniform, and showed her my wrist.
A straight red line marked my skin, which was slightly swollen.
Seeing it, Chinami flinched.
“Ah... that looks like it hurts a lot...?”
She touched the spot with her slender hand.
As I felt a sting and twitched an eyebrow, she continued.
“Are you okay...?”
“Yes. It’s bearable.”
“I’ll put some medicine on it for you later. It’s common for emotions to run high when beginners spar. But even so, what happened this time was clearly your fault, junior. That was... far, far removed from the framework of martial arts. If this were a real match, you would have been disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct.”
“I’ll be more careful from now on. I’ll apologize to Miura separately as well.”
While I was getting scolded by Chinami, Renka was beside us, checking on Tetsuya.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes... I’m fine...”
Tetsuya’s voice was heavy and subdued.
He was in despair over the overwhelming difference in our skills.
Noticing his emotional state, Renka helped him up and patted his back.
“Take a short break.”
The wretch was limp, like a puppy soaked in the rain.
His pride must have taken a few scratches.
Have you realized that the arrogant one wasn't me, but you?
Go ahead and steel your resolve, then come back later to get beaten up again.
And with that, your role for today is over. Go back to your room and cry your eyes out for all I care.
“Chinami. I’d like to talk to Matsuda alone for a moment, is that alright?”
Renka strode over to us and spoke.
Chinami, who had been huffing and puffing while lecturing me, nodded her head.
“Oh... yes. Please don’t be too hard on him. I just gave him a stern talking-to.”
“...I’ll keep that in mind. Follow me, Matsuda.”
Renka called to me in a chilly voice and left the training room.
As I followed her out and closed the door, Renka spoke in a low tone.
“Chinami might not have noticed, but I did. I know you were deliberately hitting only the parts covered by his armor. On the outside, you looked extremely agitated... but for someone so worked up, weren't your strikes a little too precise?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying... you did it intentionally. The way you attacked a cornered Miura, not with proper kendo form, but like a thug with a weapon... I can only conclude that this was to get personal revenge on Miura, or to humiliate him. Am I wrong?”
She saw right through me.
I answered by pressing my lips together, as if I had nothing to say.
Renka then gestured to my wrist with her chin and asked, “Is your wrist okay?”
“Yes. It’s alright.”
“When I was a beginner, I used to get angry over even a glancing blow. I was greedy and hated losing, and I always wanted to pay them back. But... I think you went too far. Your actions went beyond the scope of competitive spirit.”
“I admit it.”
“Well, it’s a relief you’re willing to admit your fault so readily. Chinami is soft on you. She’s too kind-hearted to say anything harsh. So I’ll do it instead. You have talent. But your personality is too arrogant and fiery. You’re not suited for kendo.”
Here we go. She’s starting.
“Are you telling me to quit?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. It means I’m going to set you straight.”
“Set me straight?”
“Spar with me. Not a practice match like last time, but a real one, like an actual competition.”
She took the bait perfectly.
Tetsuya was an excellent lure.
“Like a real competition...? You, with me, Captain?”
“That’s right. Isn’t this what you wanted? You said you wanted to spar to your heart’s content. I’ll be your opponent. You don’t want to?”
“No, it’s not that... I’d be grateful if you would, Captain... but it sounds like you’re trying to teach me a lesson. And honestly, objectively speaking, there’s a huge skill gap between us.”
“Are you afraid of losing?”
As if.
I would lose dozens, even hundreds of times, if it meant I could get what I want.
I scratched the back of my head and said, “That’s not it... I just think we should bet something on it, for motivation.”
“Bet? What?”
“One point.”
“...One point?”
“For every point I manage to score against you, you have to grant me one wish.”
At the sudden proposal, Renka’s eyes widened.