Yuu removed his stifling face guard, shook out his hair, and let out a sigh.
"Not bad. Seeing his smug expression before the match, I thought he was some legendary samurai descendant…"
(Turns out he was only slightly stronger than the dark-skinned girl on their team. Not even close.)
Yuu won the match with little effort.
Four draws and one victory. It was a common match score. However, the duration of one match was shockingly short—7.04 seconds. The first six seconds were spent by the Himeji High participant hopping around, dragging out the time. Their actual fight lasted just one second.
Yuu was satisfied enough with this. He had no interest in breaking the fastest-time record, so he let his opponent probe in the second round. He waited for the attack, then defeated him. He didn't expend much energy.
At that moment, the referee signaled for both teams to gather in the center of the arena to bow, then return to their respective rest areas.
Once the door closed, the kendo club members, who had been holding back and staying silent on the field, removed their face guards and erupted into loud cheers.
"Yesss, we won!"
"One match down! The quarterfinals are secured."
"You're too timid. Toyodai Himeji was predicted to reach the semifinals. If we beat them, there's nothing left to fear!"
"Idiot, don't jinx it! If something bad happens, you'll be the scapegoat!"
Watching them talk with such enthusiasm, Yuu couldn't help but smile. He sat on a chair, still in his gear, removed his hand guards, grabbed a water bottle, and took two sips.
"When's the next match?"
The one who answered was the Kendo Girl who had once asked for advice on approaching the club president.
"Reporting, Sensei! All matches will finish in half an hour. After the draw and arena assignments, the next match will start around eleven. We can go back for lunch!"
"I got it… and don't call me Sensei." Yuu glanced at the Kendo Girl, who stood upright with a serious face. He set down his water bottle and began removing the heavy kendo gear.
Like a fan admiring her idol, the Kendo Girl watched him take off his gear, rubbing her hands over her chest. Her dark eyes seemed to sparkle.
"Then, Tenkuji-senpai! You were amazing. You defeated their captain without any resistance. I couldn't even see your speed from this close… We won this match thanks to you!"
Yuu's expression remained flat. He didn't feel proud of the praise.
"No. If you guys hadn't held your ground earlier, I wouldn't have had the chance to fight… Keep it up. Since this is a team match, the victory belongs to all of us."
"…"
He didn't lower his voice, so the other members surely heard his casual words. The rest area fell silent for a moment. No one spoke. They just stared at Yuu, who was starting to take off his pants—his hakama.
Even the bald guy who had opposed him the most at the start couldn't help but feel moved. After exchanging glances, several of them suddenly lined up around him and bowed seriously.
"Thank you so much!"
Though a bit late, the Kendo Girl also straightened her face and bowed gallantly. "Thank you so much!"
"Tch, really…"
Feeling a bit itchy, Yuu awkwardly scratched his neck. He set his gear aside and looked at them with an annoyed expression and a sharp tone.
"Wait until we win the national championship to thank me. You're putting so much pressure on me now. Be careful, I'll request the Gyokuryuki match format later, so none of you will get a chance to fight."
"Yes! We'll fight with all we've got!"
Their camaraderie peaked at that moment. Their faces were full of smiles. The wave of their voices seemed like it would break down the rest area's door.
The coach and Club President Himura watched the heartwarming scene from the side. The vice-president, with his broken arm, even took off his glasses, so moved that he wiped the corner of his eye.
At the center of the atmosphere, Yuu couldn't help but wonder—was this a society where the strong preyed on the weak, or one where everyone was a masochist?
He'd never thought he'd become so close with the kendo club members. He'd planned to have no further ties after this match…
Oh well. No one minded having more friends.
"You guys rest. I'm going for a quick walk outside. I'll be back before the match."
"Yes! Have a pleasant trip!"
"…If you can't say anything sensible, just stay quiet."
Taking his phone and wallet, Yuu sighed and left the rest area.
Masuzu had sent a message asking about his next plans. After he told her the match schedule, she told him to meet up outside the gymnasium.
What could he do in an hour? Maybe wander around Kyoto University, though he might not even finish. There were too many places worth visiting.
But it was better than his girlfriend sulking and hiding in her room, only able to go to a shrine alone to sightsee.
While thinking about this, as Yuu was about to leave the participants' passage on the first floor, a voice suddenly called out from behind.
"Hey, Sobu High!"
"Huh?" The tone wasn't friendly, so Yuu turned around, unsurprisingly showing an unfriendly face. "Who are you?"
"I'm Yamamoto, the one you fought earlier. You don't even remember your opponent's name?!" His handsome face looked extremely annoyed. He quickly walked up to him.
Yuu rolled his eyes, looking too lazy to care.
"Who told you to have such a common last name? If it was Hosho or Kiryu, I might've remembered a bit… Whatever, it's not important. What's up?"
Though his opponent seemed aggressive, Yuu didn't think he was here to hit him—cough, to have a private revenge match.
"I just want to ask one thing." Taking a deep breath, Yamamoto, the loser, asked seriously, "Why did my sword miss?"
This pointless question, if overheard by others, would make them doubt his brain—shouldn't he be asking himself why he missed?
But Yuu wasn't surprised. The three referees probably had the same doubts; they just didn't come to him directly for answers.
After all, only someone staring at him up close would experience an illusion like double vision.
He sighed and said helplessly, "Yamamoto, have you ever read Hunter x Hunter? The manga in JUMP that might not end until you die."
"Huh? Yeah…"
Yamamoto looked confused, completely clueless why he mentioned a manga at that moment.
Yuu kindly explained, "There's a move called Ashigane used by the Zoldyck family. It creates an afterimage by adding or subtracting weight to steps, confusing the enemy—at that moment, your focus was only on my sword. So, of course, you didn't notice I altered my body's movements."
After finishing, he had nothing more to add, so he turned to leave.
"…" Yamamoto opened his mouth, stunned for a moment. Disbelieving, he shouted at his back, "Isn't that a move from a manga?! How could you…"
"That's why you lost to me."
Without turning, Yuu put one hand in his pocket and casually waved the other.
"If I couldn't even do that, how could I become the national champion? Try harder next year, Yamamoto."
With those words, his figure was swallowed by the light from the exit and disappeared from Yamamoto's view.
His pride and confidence shattered, the boy named Yamamoto widened his eyes. His hands hung limply at his sides. He stared blankly at the empty exit, silent for a while.
"…So cool."
Muttering, Yamamoto clenched his fists tightly. He felt an excited thrill from his racing heartbeat. A fire different from before ignited in his eyes.
"It's decided—he's my next goal! His name's Tenkuji. From Sobu High in Chiba Prefecture… Just wait, I'll come back to fight again once I master that Ashigane!"
His tall, reliable back seemed etched clearly in his heart.
The path ahead was clear. A fiery shonen manga-like development slowly began—
"No, the story's going off track again."
Yuu held his forehead, speechless. After a few seconds, he felt a twinge of regret.
This was the first time he'd experienced something like this. He couldn't resist showing off a bit when no one else was around. Thinking back, it was a little embarrassing…
Thankfully, no one else saw.
This had nothing to do with Masuzu. So, even if the world's storyline reset, the facts that had happened wouldn't change.
For example, the fact that he met Haruno at the autumn festival didn't change, even though he parted ways with Asuna.
So, after leaving the gymnasium through the participants' passage, Yuu saw a group of girls waiting for him not far away. He couldn't help but ponder.
"My dear system."
[What's up, Host?]
"If I rush over there now and shout I'm the man with the system!, can you help me rewind time to before I left the rest area?"
[Sorry, that's not possible.]
"Damn you."
"…"