146 If you can’t stand it, try again.

I saw Mamushi off, got some sleep, and then morning came.

I walked down the road to the Tobatsu-style dojo.

The way was shown to me yesterday by Akaneko. It's a single road that goes straight down.

On the last day, it unfortunately rained. The winter cold made my hands numb as I held up my umbrella.

An umbrella was left at the entrance, so I took the liberty of using it. Later, Anko told me that Masamune had come and secretly left it behind around the time Mamushi had left.

"..."Here?"

After about twenty minutes, I arrived at the dojo.

Contrary to the quiet morning with a light drizzle, the inside of the dojo was quite bustling.

"Good morning."

When I entered the dojo after sliding the door in front of me, everyone inside turned to me and quieted down.

In the dojo were Akaneko, a group of Tobatsu-style students, and Masamune. Looking closely, there was also Kanbei of the Daikoku-style, and next to him, a little fat middle-aged man with a face I didn't recognize was smiling smugly. There was an old guy named Urashima or something like that from the Jyurou style, and there was also Mamushi, whom I just parted ways with this morning. And then there was Azami.

The samurai of the Land of the Eight Swords are all here. No wonder it was so lively.

"It was you, huh?"

As I was looking around at the others, an old man with a short haircut who was sitting next to Akaneko opened his mouth. It was a calm, low voice. He just sat there and talked, but he was quite intimidating.

"About what? "

"The one who came here to challenge the dojos."

"Oh, yes."

He was waiting for me.

The old man stood up quietly and continued speaking.

"My name is Kenshin. The head of the Tobatsu-style. I have been holding the title of Bishamon for eighteen years, but I am still in training."

Oh, is that the samurai etiquette custom called 'nanori'? He sure called his name, status, and achievements.

Alright, me too.

"It is mīn turn. I am a foreigner from the kingdom of Castall. The triple crown of Issenza, Eishou, and Reiou lies in my hands. I did not wait for the summer to come but arrived to snatch Bishamon's head. Family name Firstest, I am Second."

I tried to imitate our butler, Cubero. I think it was somewhat different, but I guess it's good for improvisation.

Then, as soon as I finished, the buzzing started, and the outsider crowd got louder. Calling me rude and haughty, they are apparently bad-mouthing me.

"So noisy."

I glared at the student of the Jyurou school who was the loudest and told him, then he quieted down.

Unforgivable, Jyurou style. I will harass you later.

"...Akaneko, go."

"Yes, sir."

Then, as if waiting for things to quiet down, Kenshin gave Akaneko the go-ahead.

Akaneko stood up stone-faced and calmly walked to the center of the dojo. The outfit, unfortunately, was not a mini-skirt, but rather a dogi.

"Masamune."

"Yes, yes, I thought you might."

I borrowed a katana from a dismissive Masamune, equipped it, and confronted Akaneko.

Akaneko was silent and expressionless, and when her eyes met mine, she did not react in any way.

Great, all the distractions seem to be gone. I feel a state of extreme concentration.

It is no exaggeration to say that the most important thing in a Bishamon battle is to stay relaxed. If you get even the slightest bit of distraction, you will lose nine times out of ten. From experience, this is clear.

Hence, the ability to immerse oneself in the game is a great advantage.

This Akaneko girl has created that condition.

Serious, earnest, and honest. This girl is determined to never, ever, ever, ever lose.

She's doing everything she can, risking everything, everything she can to defeat me.

She's putting her whole heart and soul into it for me.

This is 120% seriousness, which can only be described as love.

How many times have I received it and how many times have I broken it?

...Oh, I can hardly bear it.

"Shall we?"

We bowed to each other and took our positions.

"――Start."

Kenshin's order.

Immediately after ... Akaneko did not move.

In other words, they chose the latter move.

...Heh, I see. Hoho, ha, I get it.

I have shown my fights in front of Akaneko three times so far. Two of the matches were played on the defensive side, and only the match against Azami was played on the offensive side. And that was the match that lasted the longest.

Did she think I wasn't good at making the first move?

That's what I thought at first but judging by the look on her face ... apparently, that was not the case.

Well, that is interesting.

Interesting, her thoughts.

"..."

――It was as if Akaneko was saying this:

Go ahead and do it. Show me that move――

"Nice."

How can I not do it when I'm being invited like that?

I closed the gap and prepared "Rook Sword-drawing".

Akaneko stepped back in response and grabbed the mouth of the sheath.

But I won't let her take her distance. Even after I had finished my preparations, I continued to close the distance between me and Akaneko while holding my sword in the sheath.

Akaneko's retreat came to a halt. Right here.

Instantly, I lowered my posture and canceled the skill. At the same time, I spun around to the side and performed a "Silver Sword-drawing"attack at the same time as the preparation was completed.

"――! ! "

Akaneko caught her breath briefly.

The skill she used―― was the same, "Silver Sword-drawing".

A high-pitched sound echoed. My sword drawing was repelled by Akaneko's sword drawing.

Did she see through it? No. It is next to impossible to see through it at first sight.

She must have anticipated the trajectory and hit it with the skill that allowed her to respond the quickest.

Good call. She could charge up the "Silver Sword-drawing"attack more since she was on the receiving end. This is a skill that the more you charge it, the more powerful it becomes. It made my hands numb.

"Haa!! "

Akaneko's Second Slash approached. Likewise, it's "Silver Sword-drawing".

Silver without buildup is the fastest. Kanbei criticized it as a petty technique, and I wonder if that is the main focus of the Tobatsu-style. If so, Kanbei stands no chance.

However, its usefulness is the greatest of all in "Sword-drawing". The Tobatsu-style has a pretty good grasp of the "Sword-drawing" skillset.

Oh no, sheesh, I have to respond with numb hands, don't I? I don't like it one bit.

...Let's do that thing.

"Yoo."

"! ? "

I went head-on against Akaneko's diagonal shoulder slash.

I got even closer to her more rapidly as I watched her surprised face.

I turned my body just before the katana hit my head, stood on one leg, and pushed the katana itself with my shoulder as Akaneko swung it down.

"E...!? "

Because she was swinging as hard as she could, Akaneko was dragged down by the katana, which deflected off to the side and knocked her out of her stance.

This would be very effective if done with [Aikijutsu], but I'm currently bound to[Sword-drawing]. However, the effect was still sufficient without the use of skills.

"Well then."

Returning the katana to its sheath, I got back into stance.

I turned to Akaneko, who was repositioning herself with her hands flat on the ground, and smiled at her.

"..."

Akaneko looked at me with a puzzled look, then tightened her expression and once again cleared her mind of any distractions.

The series of changes in her facial expression conveyed her frustration that she had come so close, her anger that she had made a fool of herself, and her hope that next time she would be able to do better.

You shouldn't. You shouldn't show your feelings at a match.

Her talent is outstanding, but she is still very rough around the edges. In addition, she has not fully matured emotionally.

In short... she is a Sword-drawing practitioner who is really worth raising.

"Akaneko. Sword-drawing isn't just about the katana."

I told her one thing since right now is a precious moment.

I then prepared "Rook Sword-drawing" as I did in the first move, while closing the gap between the two.

"! "

Akaneko retreated with a "not again" look on her face and showed the same response.

She seemed to think that that response, which numbed my hand, was the best she could do.

That is not good enough though. This is something that can be said not only for [Sword-drawing], but for every other skill out there: there is no "best skill" to always start up a match. It is impossible to search for and pick out the best option from the mountain of choices. The best way to think about it is to choose one of the many candidates that will allow you to move as close as possible to the best possible outcome. It would be foolish to abandon thinking and assume, "This is the best choice."

"Let's pray I don't get to see a breakfast come out."

Lowering my posture, I canceled the skill, spun around, prepared "Silver Sword-drawing", and then drew my sword.

Akaneko, too, prepared to respond with "Silver Sword-drawing".

If this continued, it would be a repeat of what happened earlier.

However――

"Uhf!? "

――Thump.

Immediately afterward, with a dull thud, Akaneko showed an expression of agony.

I spun clockwise, stopped abruptly at about 8 o'clock, and then took one step backward while lowering the katana's handle so that the sheath rose, and thrust the sheath of my waist up at an angle.

Akaneko, who had assumed that the katana was coming from the right, left her abdomen vulnerable.

She writhed in agony, unable to even speak as the tip of the scabbard struck her in the solar plexus.

What a poor thing. My STR is so high up there, it probably hurts like hell.

Akaneko finally couldn't remain standing and dropped to her knees, crouching down on the spot.

"We have a winner."

Kenshin's decree was given.

"It was fun. Let's do it again sometime."

When I thanked her with a smile, Akaneko hung her head as she crouched down. She must have bowed while in pain.

"Well then."

Next up is finally the main dish. ... and as I looked at him, Kenshin stood up meditatively and walked over to us.

He then stood in front of Akaneko and crouched down.

"Father, please wait――!! "

...The next moment, Kenshin slapped Akaneko across the cheek.

There was no mercy at all; it was a blow of hatred.

"You are a disgrace to the name of Tobatsu. I don't remember raising you that way."

"...I am sorry, I can still…"

"Naive. Show me your commitment."

"...Okay."

After a moment of silence, Akaneko pulled out her side sword.

Then, when she brought the tip of it to her own right eye...

"――Eh!? "

...As expected, this is something I can't bear to see.

I used "Monster Summoning" to call for Anko and instructed her to grab that Wakizashi blade.

Anko used "Darkness Transfer" to move instantly behind Akaneko, and then snatched up her Wakizashi as she tilted her head curiously.

"...Do not interrupt me, woman."

Kenshin did not look surprised at all but looked at Anko and exclaimed so with a frightening expression on his face.

"Ah, what a lively creature. My Lord, let's have sashimi for lunch."

Anko's narrow, threadbare eyes narrowed even more, and with a smirk, she held the blade between her fingers――

――Pakin. She snapped it off very easily.

Instantly――The air in the dojo froze.

They all realized it. Even if all of them here were to band together, they would not be able to put a single scratch on Anko.

...However, Kenshin was different.

He did not move a single eyebrow in response to the broken Wakizashi in front of him, and remained still and silent, not breaking his stance to draw at any time. It was as if he was looking for an opening in Anko.

That bastard seemed to be planning to slash Anko at the drop of a hat.

Even though his own daughter, Akaneko, was caught in between them.

In a moment, I understood.

When I first landed on this island, Akaneko tried to kill me and Yukari without hesitation. It has been on my mind ever since. How can one grow up like that, I wondered. How could someone disregard human lives like that?

I see… ... this guy is the reason.

"Anko, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to give up on that."

"As you wish, My Lord."

I "Unsummon" Anko while approaching Akaneko.

"Hey. You're not hiding it well, old man."

I pulled Akaneko up from behind and stood her up.

And then I let her escape behind me.

"What?"

Kenshin replied with a single word while maintaining his distance from me.

"Your murderous intent."

"..."

"I know what you're thinking. You have this look on your face like you can't wait to kill me."

Otherwise, there is no explanation.

A disgrace to the Tobatsu? Don't remember raising her that way? Show your commitment?

There's only one reason to beat your daughter in front of a crowd and proclaim such a thing.

He's pushing his own values onto her.

And so, I guess he is eager for a game that he cannot afford to lose, a contest between life and death, with his whole life at stake.

Right?

"...hu, haha, and when I wondered what were you going to say...?"

See? I told you. He's smiling.

I know what that means, I was the same way.

But you know ... there is one thing that is strikingly different from you.

And I'll teach it to you to the death――