Duel (2)
“……”
As soon as I stepped into the classroom, the rowdy chatter that had filled it moments before died down in an instant.
It had been like this ever since that tragic day when I couldn't showcase my Battōjutsu—no one dared approach me.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
Those who hadn't learned Battōjutsu were weak in both body and spirit; they simply couldn't handle the killing intent radiating from someone like me who had mastered it.
This is another trial…!!
Since ancient times, those blessed with immense power beyond the ordinary have always inspired fear and rejection.
Thinking of it as the price for acquiring such an overwhelmingly mighty force as Battōjutsu somehow made it bearable.
Yesterday, the teacher's interference had prevented me from properly demonstrating it, but today I'd prepared countermeasures. No issues now.
…I'll draw before he surrenders.
If I surrendered right at the start of the spar, I could just unleash Battōjutsu before doing so.
That was the solution I'd come up with after shaving a full minute off my draw time yesterday.
Today, I would absolutely showcase my draw. With that resolve, I waited impatiently for sparring time…
“Starting today, we're making a small change to the sparring rules. If you're not feeling well or pushed yourself too hard beforehand, it's fine to surrender before entering the magic circle.”
“……”
Should I just kill this bastard for real?
Yesterday, he'd unfairly docked me points, and I'd considered drawing on him from behind—but that might get me expelled from the academy, so I'd let it slide.
Hold back, hold back…!
According to Battōjutsu Economics, proposed by the British economist Adam Smith—who earned the moniker "Invisible Hand" for draws too fast to see—sometimes it's more profitable to restrain your draw.
In Battōjutsu Economics, any action to spread Battōjutsu far and wide comes with proportional risks.
Everyone knows intellectually how amazing Battōjutsu is, but murder is a crime, so drawing on someone gets you arrested by the police.
Thus, you must calculate the costs and opportunity costs of drawing properly. In this teacher's case:
Explicit Battōjutsu Cost: Gain the fame of felling an academy teacher with a draw.
Actual Battōjutsu Cost: But that fame gets you expelled, preventing draws on other named foes.
No matter how I crunched the numbers, it didn't add up.
There were only so many named students enrolled or demons that might invade this academy—I couldn't get expelled over some small fry.
Weighing explicit and actual Battōjutsu costs to achieve maximum efficiency in my draws.
That was precisely why I'd entered this academy and my ultimate goal here.
Thus passed a lonely time with no spars, and as soon as class ended, I headed straight to Training Ground 3, closest to Class G.
“Hey, that guy's…!”
A few students were practicing inside, but they freaked out and bolted from the sparring area when I entered.
…Is Battōjutsu really that terrifying?
Sneering at their frailty for fleeing before I'd even drawn, I claimed a suitable spot.
It was annoying how they scattered like bugs, but thanks to that, I had the training ground all to myself.
As I relentlessly practiced my draws to hone myself, I suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the side.
Mid-draw in high spirits, I turned, wondering who dared interrupt—and there was Jessica, glaring at me with fury.
Why's she here?
With no clue what was up, I watched as she pulled a glove from her bosom and hurled it at my face.
“Pick it up! I challenge you to a duel!!”
“……”
What the hell was this sudden outburst?
Not fully grasping the situation, I picked up the glove and stared blankly at Jessica.
I was about to say something when I remembered our three-day no-talking promise and shut my mouth.
But…
“Why aren't you saying anything?! Don't tell me you're scared now?!”
Since the other party had brought it up, it was fine to speak now.
“……It's not three days yet—can I talk now? As expected of the cute Jessica! So magnanimous! But you're really dueling? Battōjutsu is okay?”
“……”
Her face twisted in instant regret—I realized she'd momentarily forgotten the promise.
“But seriously, you sure about the duel? I won't kill you, but you'll get hurt.”
“Such arrogant words… You think beating a few weaklings makes you something special?”
“I like that 'weaklings' bit! Can you just say 'weakling♡ weakling♡' once without it?”
“Get serious!! The duel starts now!!”
“No, I'm plenty serious. If anything, aren't you the one lacking seriousness, my cute Jessica?”
“What nonsense—.”
Jessica's babbling, still not grasping the situation, cut off there.
I hadn't sliced off her head in a flash, but I'd done something similar.
-Plop.
As I sheathed my Reverse Blade Sword—a non-lethal strike—a limp sound followed, and a chunk of her roll-bread hairstyle hit the floor.
I could've severed the whole thing if I'd wanted, but Jessica without her rolls wouldn't be Jessica, so I went easy.
“Ow…!”
Staring at the fallen roll-bread chunk, Jessica went silent for a while, then touched her severed locks.
I got how she felt.
I hadn't cut even a part of those luscious rolls because I wanted to.
But the maids would thank me—it'd make morning styling easier.
“Jessica? Cute Jessica?! What's wrong? Want me to finish off the rest of your rolls?”
“Ugh…!”
Snapping to at my words, she whipped back the remaining rolls—still reaching her chest—and retreated.
“You're despicable! How can a Knight Department student pull such a vile trick!!”
“Vile trick? What?”
I genuinely didn't get it and asked, but she took it as mockery, grimacing.
“Ambushing the one who challenged you to a duel without a word—isn't that vile?!”
“Right, cute Jessica challenged me to a duel. I accepted by picking up the glove. So? What's the problem?”
“What…?”
She'd thrown the glove, I'd picked it up.
At that moment, the duel was established—hitting her unprepared gap was fair game.
Duels weren't spars or sports; she was at fault for standing defenseless after issuing the challenge.
“If you think that was truly cowardly, you've never seriously considered what a duel really is.”
Especially against me, who'd given her bad vibes all along—not some saint. She should've anticipated a surprise attack.
If it were me, I'd have shattered her skull with a draw the instant she picked up the glove.
“You should be grateful to me instead. If I hadn't gone easy, that chunk on the floor would've been your cute little head.”
“…How ever so thankful.”
Now grasping what a duel entailed, Jessica distanced herself with a far more serious expression.
She drew the golden hammer from her waist—the one that'd bugged me earlier.
Even from afar, its craftsmanship outshone market trash, gleaming gold.
But a hammer was still a hammer.
Any elementary kid knew a sharp katana could slice one effortlessly.
“If I win, can I take that hammer? Been meaning to hammer nails in my dorm, but no hammer handy.”
“…Do you think I'd fall for such cheap provocation?”
“Yeah.”
She was desperately hiding it, but her eyebrow twitched.
Before she could charge from afar, where she lurked watching for an opening, I made a proposal.
“Jessica, before we get serious, let's set one rule. Besides killing, how about broken weapon or dropped from hand means defeat?”
“Throwing out rules like that now… Getting cold feet after we start?”
“Of course, killing me doesn't count as defeat if you manage it. But if I win and you whine to keep fighting without a weapon, it'll be annoying.”
This wasn't provocation—just my honest thought—but she took it as bait.
“…Fine. I'll shatter that cheap katana first, then your skull!!”
“Jessica!! A roll-bread lady should use more refined words!! That's so crude!!”
“Shut up!!”
Aura surging through her body, Jessica shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Her golden hammer, laden with pent-up rage, swung for my head.
Before it connected, I leaned back and drew my Reverse Blade Sword from my waist to meet the swing.
-Clang!!
In the clash of metal on metal, it ended in under a second.
“Ah, aaaaaah…!!!”
Tears streamed from Jessica's eyes as golden metal shards scattered across the training ground.
A katana was a katana, even if blunt like the Reverse Blade Sword.
It couldn't slice, but the weapon clash ended as everyone expected: sword victorious over hammer.
“……Ugh!!”
As her hammer shattered, Jessica collapsed to the floor, weeping over the hilt in her hands.
I approached the devastated girl and spoke gently.
“Jessica…”
“W-what…!!”
Her upturned eyes brimmed with deep resentment.
“Yeah, so…”
Meeting that resentful gaze head-on, I drew toward her cute crown.
“Kyaaah…!”
I'd controlled the force, but the blunt strike to her head sent Jessica crumpling sideways, out cold like she was asleep.
I knelt beside the sobbing, unconscious girl and murmured down at her.
“I said I wouldn't kill you. Never said I wouldn't Battōjutsu.”