Chapter 289: I Was Complacent and Arrogant #2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 289: I Was Complacent and Arrogant #2
As we got off the bus, we drew the gazes of students from other academies.
Of course, the focus of their attention was Renka.
It’s exactly the same as the last tournament.
Others probably see Renka, with her indifferent expression, as aloof and elegant.
But they’d be shocked to find out that the woman exuding such a cynical air is actually a tsundere who can only talk tough when she’s in front of me.
“Is Hanazawa not coming to cheer us on?” Renka asked, unfazed by the attention she always received.
I glanced around and nodded in response.
“Yeah. She said some relatives are visiting nearby, so she has to go see them.”
“You know an awful lot of details, don’t you?”
Even though she knew full well about my relationship with Miyuki, her intention to pry further was obvious.
I might as well play along a little.
“I have no choice but to know the details.”
“Why?”
“Well? Why do you think?”
“...Never mind. I just wish you’d disappear from my sight.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You.”
“You want me to die?”
“Wh-why do you have to take things so negatively...! You piece of trash... ahem...!”
Renka, suddenly conscious of the people around us, cut herself off and quickly cleared her throat.
She must have been embarrassed at herself for almost swearing in public.
Come to think of it, I could feel the eyes of those around us turning to me as well.
Do they recognize me from the newspaper article last time?
No, that was a small piece in a local paper. The chances of kendo club members from other regions having seen it were low.
It wasn’t because I looked close with Renka, either.
Right now, it would look more like we were bickering.
So why were they staring at me?
Perhaps the coaches of the other kendo clubs had seen me win the rookie award and the overall MVP at the last tournament and warned their teams to watch out for me.
“Getting some attention, are we? You might be embarrassed if you don’t try your best.”
Noticing the gazes from the male students, Renka made an obvious attempt to provoke me. I scoffed and replied.
“Do you really think that’s the right way to fire up my competitive spirit?”
“Then what should I do?”
“You should pat me on the shoulder and tell me to do my best.”
“To you? Me?”
“You say that like you can’t do it.”
“Of course I can’t.”
“Alright. We’ll see about that later.”
“What... are you planning to retaliate? How petty...”
I wiggled a finger at Renka, who had instantly lost her nerve. She gulped and leaned in, and I whispered into her ear.
“Why do you keep challenging me when you know what’s coming?”
“Wh-what’s coming... Who do you think is going to do something to me...!”
“After the tournament and the award ceremony, make some time and come to the back of the venue.”
“F-For what...?”
“To punish you.”
“You crazy bastard...! I’m not going...!”
“I told you to come. That’s an order.”
I finished speaking as if giving a notice, then secretly patted Renka’s butt and the back of her thigh with a light touch.
Each time my hand made contact, she flinched slightly, as if a shiver ran through her.
I gave her a meaningful look, then turned to Chinami, who was just approaching, and smiled brightly.
“Good luck in your match, Master.”
“Yes!”
Chinami clenched both fists at my simple encouragement, her fighting spirit blazing.
“You too, Junior. By the way, your goal for today is to win. Just as they say results follow effort, I believe it’s more than possible for you, since you’ve worked so hard until now.”
Chinami’s expectations were too high.
It might be a different story in the individual competition, but winning the team competition seemed difficult with individual skill alone...
Still, hearing that made me feel a pang of guilt for slacking off on my training.
“I’ll do my best to achieve it.”
“Hehe... that’s the spirit.”
As the three of us were chatting, Goro called all the club members together.
He encouraged us with his usual energetic voice, then asked Renka to lead the girls’ team before heading to the competition hall with the boys’ team.
* * *
“You’ve been in the kendo club for almost half a year, and you still can’t put on your own armor?”
It was a jab from Ikeda, a senior who would soon be a third-year.
“I just can’t do the head guard,” I retorted as he helped me put on the head protector. “I can put on the other parts.”
“It’s all the same. There, you’re done.”
After tying the straps of the head guard, Ikeda patted the top of my head.
I thanked him and stood up as the match showed signs of starting.
“Good luck.”
“Yeah.”
I bumped fists with my teammates, then did the same with Tetsuya.
I thought he’d ignore me, but it seems he knows how to separate personal matters from official ones.
What a complex guy.
“Vanguard from each team, to your positions.”
Hearing the referee, I picked up my shinai, loosened my shoulders, and walked toward the center of the area outside the boundary line.
There was a decent crowd. It seemed some academies had already started the school year, as I could see a section filled with students in uniform.
Not many people here to cheer for us.
It would be nice if this went like last time, with the feel of an underdog’s rebellion.
The vanguard in the first match is where everyone’s attention is focused.
This creates a subtle pressure that makes the player nervous, but a moderate amount of tension is helpful in a match.
“Ready.”
I had been watching my opponent, who stood a good distance away. At the referee’s voice, I slowly began to walk forward.
As I did, I sized him up.
He was about my height. Same build, too. It would be hard to intimidate him with my physique.
He obviously has more kendo experience than me.
But I believed I had the better sense for it.
I came to a halt in front of the line drawn to the left of the center of the court. On the referee’s signal, I bent my knees and performed the sonkyo.
And then...
“Begin!”
The moment the signal to start the match sounded, I straightened my knees and assumed a high stance.
Then, as my opponent charged in, I rushed to meet him and swung my shinai down.
Clack-!
Our shinai clashed right in front of us.
In an instant, we were locked in a clash of guards. I put all my strength into the hand gripping the hilt, trying to make him yield to my power and back away on his own.
At that moment, his feet moved fluidly, and he slipped to my side.
Huh?
My center of gravity, which had been focused on the balls of my feet, was naturally thrown off balance, and my opponent didn't miss the opening.
“Haiyaaat!”
Thwack-!
Along with my opponent’s samurai-like kiai, I felt a dull impact on my wrist.
He had landed a clean pressing strike on my wrist.
Just as I was thinking, This looks dangerous..., the referee raised the red flag, the color of the opposing team.
“Ippon!”
Son of a bitch...
I had given up a point in the blink of an eye.
I stared blankly at the spot where I’d been hit, then sighed internally when the referee told me to return to my position.
As I walked back to the center line, I berated myself for my attitude.
“Yeah!”
Seeing my opponent and his team celebrating the first point infuriated me.
Not at them, but at myself. I was going crazy over how pathetic I was.
Unbelievable... you fucking idiot.
The people in this venue were all strong competitors who had advanced with excellent results from the previous tournament.
I knew that, so why was I so confident?
I hadn't even won the last tournament, so why was I so arrogant?
This is just... so fucking stupid.
I was ashamed that I, with this kind of mindset and skill, had talked about individual ability when Chinami mentioned winning.
Cursing myself, I went to the line and heard the loud cheers of my waiting teammates.
“Matsuda! Let’s go for real! You can do it!”
As self-centered as I am, I’m not so individualistic that I don’t give a damn about my own teammates.
Get it together. I’m the vanguard. If I get pushed back helplessly, the next players will start with their morale crushed.
“Ready.”
No more trying to be fancy with guard clashes or anything else. I’ll stick to what I do best, using the high stance as my primary kamae.
From now until the end of this tournament, if I give up even a single point, I’ll commit seppuku.
Making that vow, I performed the sonkyo, clearing my mind of all thoughts and focusing solely on my opponent.
“Begin!”
* * *
“Men-!!!!”
Thwack-!
The striking area of my shinai landed squarely on my opponent’s striking area.
But in kendo, it doesn’t end there. Zanshin is crucial.
Without letting my guard down, I maintained my form and awareness, and then—
“Ippon!”
As all three referees simultaneously raised their white flags and the head referee declared the point, I clenched my fist.
Yes.
A 2-1 comeback victory. I was easily beaten at the start, but once I got my head in the game and used my long reach to make bold attacks, I quickly tied the score. After that, my opponent, who had seemed unshakeable, faltered under the pressure, allowing me to exploit an opening.
Having decorated the first match with a victory, I ignored the applause from our side of the stands and switched places with Tetsuya, the Second-in-Line, who was already waiting.
I didn't offer him any particular advice.
Not only was his opponent different, but I felt that talking to him might break his concentration.
Tetsuya, who usually kept his kiai to a minimum, must have felt something watching me let out a thunderous shout. He was observing the opposing team’s Second-in-Line with a serious expression.
It seemed he had learned from the previous match that a single moment of carelessness could be fatal.
I knelt on one of the cushions placed at the edge of the court, briefly bumped fists with Mori, the middle fighter, and then took off my gloves.
My hands were drenched in sweat. It seemed I had been unconsciously tense after giving up the first point.
“...da. ...help you.”
I heard someone’s voice from behind.
I turned my head from watching the next match, which was about to begin, and saw Goro looking down at me with a refreshing smile.
“I said I’ll help you take off your head guard. You need to air out.”
Goro’s kind voice sounded as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
Realizing my mistake, I wiped my hands with the towel he offered and let him help me remove my head guard.
“Drink some water.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
“That’s a wake-up call, isn’t it?”
“Yeah... well...”
“That’s all that matters.”
Goro didn’t offer any specific advice, only patting my shoulder a couple of times with his large hand.
I felt embarrassed, as if he had read my mind.
“Begin!”
The match of the Second-in-Line started immediately.
Listening to the kiai shouted by Tetsuya and his opponent, I did my best to clear my head of distracting thoughts and opened my eyes wide.
No more half-assing it. I’ll watch everything. There might be something to learn.