After everyone finished soaking, Asuna arrived as promised to hang out and play games.
That night, Yuu played games in the room with a group of fragrant girls. Around midnight, he and Masuzu escorted Asuna back to Kurayuri Academy's inn.
Of course, despite there being five women and one man in the room, their activities remained wholesome and normal.
They played games like regular Monopoly and UNO. As for the unconventional Monopoly version and Kings Game proposed by Haruno, everyone unanimously and firmly rejected them, successfully preventing all sorts of weird incidents.
On the way to drop off Asuna with Masuzu, nothing special happened. On the way there, they chatted a bit. On the way back, they were silent, simply walking hand in hand through Kyoto's quiet streets, gazing at the clear, transparent night sky. A few stars adorned their eyes, both gentle and bright.
Upon reaching the inn, at the door, Masuzu looked at him as if she wanted to say something. Her small lips parted slightly.
"…Good night, Yuu."
In the end, she only gave a sweet smile, stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, then, with a flushed face, hurried back to their room.
"What the heck…"
Turning to open his private room's door, Yuu touched his cheek, his face filled with confusion.
But a familiar premonition quickly surfaced, making him realize, almost certain—
"Is the time almost up?"
It had happened before, and before that too. This repeating process could be called a routine. Combined with the mental preparation he'd made before coming, Yuu felt neither regret nor sadness, just a slight loneliness.
He simply turned off the light, closed the bed curtains, letting the room sink into pitch-black darkness, like an eternal night, not allowing a single ray of light into any corner.
Then he lay down fully clothed, quietly waiting for that moment to arrive, whether tomorrow or the day after.
His dreams that night were filled with memories.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The next morning, the National Kendo Championship reached its critical point in the final rounds.
Today, they would compete straight through to the semifinals. The two remaining teams would face off in the final round tomorrow morning to determine this year's national champion.
As a result, the atmosphere in the arena was more tense than yesterday. The stands were packed with more spectators. Cheers and shouts of support set the gymnasium's air ablaze, growing even fiercer in this winter season.
In the first match, Sobu High faced trouble—one of their second players accidentally sprained their wrist during emergency training yesterday. Yet, they endured it without saying a word, holding their ground against a stronger opponent than before with difficulty.
They managed a draw. But when Himura forcibly removed their hand guard, a swollen bruise was revealed. It was clear they couldn't continue to the next match.
In the rest area, the fierce bald guy knelt on the ground, hands pressed to the floor. He bowed deeply before the other club members, especially the coach and club president.
"The next semifinal is against Kyuuzan. I know their second player. Our substitute, Kuroda, will lose by one point… Whatever punishment you give, I'll accept it. Please let me keep fighting!"
They exchanged glances. No one spoke. They silently avoided looking at his bowed head. Only the coach, president, vice president, and Yuu stood there, staring at him in dogeza.
"With your wrist like that, the current Kuroda could beat you with one hand." Yuu said calmly, arms crossed.
"Let's try!" The bald guy suddenly raised his head. His eyes were red like an enraged bull, filled only with anxiety and a plea to prove himself. "It's just a slight sprain. If I can beat him, please let me fight!"
Yuu raised an eyebrow. "That's your confidence to win? You think you can defeat a strong opponent while injured? Ignoring the risk of losing, just to prove your strength, gambling with your teammates' victory?"
"…" The bald guy fell silent, clenching his fists, staring at him.
"Well, I guess I don't have the right to say that to you. I'm just way stronger, so I can talk tougher." Yuu sighed, shrugging slightly. "Baldy, your wrist injury from overtraining is your own fault. Didn't I tell you yesterday to pace yourself and not overdo it? Since you did it on purpose, your punishment is to sit out."
"I have a name, it's ○○○○!" The bald guy instinctively corrected him.
"That's not important. You're not fighting anyway. Stay on the bench." After saying it mercilessly, Yuu looked around at all the kendo club members, including the coach, president, and vice president. "Kuroda will take the second player's spot. Then we'll change tactics—starting now, we'll propose the Gyokuryuki system. The order stays the same to ensure we don't lose before I fight."
"So, fight calmly."
"Yes, sir!"
Amid the unified shout, only the bald guy's voice held a hint of reluctance. The others had complete confidence in Yuu, feeling even more at ease about the next match.
If they'd used this tactic from the start, while they wouldn't need to worry about early elimination, there was a risk opponents would be wary and refuse the Gyokuryuki system. The chance to use Yuu to secure victory in the finals would've been slimmer.
Now, with the semifinals imminent, every team was eager to show their strength. They had enough confidence and pride in their abilities. Though they knew Sobu High had a captain who always won, they'd accept the proposed system with a mindset to test and challenge him.
After ensuring no objections, Yuu dismissed them. They'd regroup in the rest area when the next match began. He then went to a corner with the coach, president, and vice president to discuss the upcoming match's strategy.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Time passed quickly.
In the next match, Sobu High proposed the Gyokuryuki system for the first time in the National Championship. Their opponent, Kyuuzan High, after a few minutes of team discussion, happily accepted. They sent their captain as the first player, as if he'd sweep everyone from the start.
At that moment, in the second-floor stands:
"This place is so noisy… Hurry up and finish, then come back."
The man in a suit sighed softly. He tugged at his slightly uncomfortable tie, brow furrowed, as he navigated the bustling crowd in the corridor.
The match below had just started. He glanced at it casually, then turned to the two following him. "Which one? Which field is Masuzu's boyfriend on?"
"You can't see from here. Please follow me."
Seeing the familiar friendly smile on her face, Mana first signaled Yasuoka with her eyes. She then led the way, guiding her father, who had come from afar.
Her fingers brushed the phone in her pocket. The petite blonde girl hesitated briefly but didn't warn Masuzu via message—mainly because there was no chance. She could only deliberately take her to watch the match far from her sister. She could only help a little.
"What a jerk, always pulling surprises…"
Muttering to herself, Mana couldn't help but click her tongue.
She knew her father's return to Japan was to meet Masuzu's boyfriend. With Yasuoka by his side, it was natural that she, who secretly came to watch the match, would be found—what surprised her was that her father didn't just show up but also asked her to take him to see his brother-in-law's match. He even planned to wait for him in the participants' corridor afterward and say something.
Wasn't this too rushed? It wasn't like her father, who always controlled situations and planned everything.
Her mind was full of questions, but she didn't dare ask. Mana could only suppress her curiosity, assuming her father happened to enjoy watching kendo, and casually led him to a corner of the second-floor stands.
"Field two, Sobu High's captain position—that's him."
"Mm." The father nodded calmly, no longer paying her attention. His gaze fixed on a young man below, observing him.
Mana quietly stepped aside, sighing in relief.
Here, she didn't need to worry about Masuzu and her father spotting each other. Avoiding trouble was best if possible. The rest, she'd leave to her all-capable brother-in-law—that was the impromptu plan she devised.
Her gaze also turned to the first floor. Like yesterday, it focused on that mature, composed figure. When fighting, Yuu was aggressive and decisive. Mana twirled her blonde ponytail around her pinky. Her small nose wrinkled slightly, but a proud, joyful smile unconsciously spread across her face.
"Stupid brother-in-law, I've thought of so much for you guys… If you don't treat me well later, I won't forgive you!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time, the first match below ended.
Kyuuzan's captain easily defeated Sobu High's lead player. The second player couldn't hold the sword properly, visibly nervous. As soon as the referee announced the start, they retreated and moved around, seemingly trying to exhaust the opponent's stamina.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"I thought the rules were one-on-one and sequential… Why's he still on the field?"
Hearing her father's confused murmur, Mana was startled but answered, "Sobu High proposed the Gyokuryuki system. From now on, it's a chain battle. Whoever wins stays on the field. Whoever runs out of players loses."
"I see." The father nodded, staring at his brother-in-law while muttering, "Though they proposed this system, he didn't step up to show strength like the opposing captain… Is he calm or conservative? From the intel, he shouldn't be the type to shy away from standing out…"
Mana understood instantly. Her father didn't come to watch the match but to observe her brother-in-law's performance… He wasn't interested in kendo but in his personality and worth.
…The adult world was too complicated. As a fourteen-year-old, she didn't want to overthink it. She refocused on the match.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Despite trying hard to stall, over four minutes later, Sobu High's second player still lost to the opponent's captain. Kyuuzan's cheers grew louder. Many voices wondered why Sobu High brought trouble on themselves.
The middle player then stepped up. Perhaps because the opponent's stamina was waning, this time their fight was even. Sobu High's middle player even had a slight edge.
Just as time neared an extension round, Kyuuzan's captain suddenly exposed a weakness. Sobu High's middle player instinctively advanced and lost a point. Kyuuzan's morale surged again, their applause like thunder.
At this point, Sobu High was nearly defeated. Three players were consecutively beaten by the opposing captain, who still had four fully rested players. The situation seemed certain. The highly praised strong team would taste the bitter fruit of their arrogant system choice.
But Mana wasn't swayed by the shifting atmosphere. Instead, she grew excited—the Sobu High players on the field showed only reluctance and shame, not a trace of despair over losing. Like her, they placed immense trust in their captain.
Without hesitation, after the middle player left, a black-haired girl boldly stepped up. In less than a minute, she defeated Kyuuzan's exhausted captain. Amid applause, she faced their second player.
The sound of bamboo swords clashing was intense, their rhythm like a stormy tide.
Both second players were evenly matched. Though the black-haired girl attacked relentlessly, she couldn't break her opponent's perfect defense. After six minutes, both stepped down, ending the match.
Kyuuzan High still had their lead, second, and middle players.
Sobu High had only their captain, Yuu, who fearlessly faced the three prepared opponents. He rose from the lineup.
His lips moved slightly, as if saying something. Though Mana squinted, she only caught that he seemed to say a number.
"Three…"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Wearing his face guard, holding his bamboo sword, Yuu stood in the center of the field under countless gazes, kneeling in salute.
"Begin!"
After the referee's shout, he slowly rose. One second passed.
Then he stepped forward. The second second passed. His bamboo sword vanished in the air. The opponent's sword tip hadn't even risen.
*THWACK!*
As if he'd never attacked, Yuu stepped back with proper posture. The third second passed. He looked at his stunned opponent and the wide-eyed referee, moving his sword tip as if urging.
"…Men! One point valid!"
Time stopped at seven seconds, but Mana knew the match ended at the third second—the "three" he mentioned meant three seconds per opponent?
The corner of Mana's lips twitched. She tried to hold back but couldn't help smiling, showing a proud, joyful grin.
(Look, that's my brother-in-law!)
Though she didn't want to admit it, Yuu was super cool!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
It seemed no one grasped what happened. The atmosphere froze briefly, then scattered applause broke out. It grew louder, like rain, echoing through the gymnasium.
The stands' enthusiasm didn't affect the match. After the middle player left the field, scratching their head in disbelief, the second player faced Yuu, gripping their bamboo sword more nervously and cautiously than before.
The match began. In the second second, they raised their sword to protect their head, but Yuu struck heavily at their side. The force was so great it staggered them back several steps, and they fell to the ground.
"Do! One point valid!"
This time, time stopped precisely at the third second when the point was called.
The same result consecutively. Forget the referee—many spectators were slack-jawed, looking confused.
They just stared at Sobu High's captain returning to his ready stance. Even the applause quieted. The atmosphere froze again.
Though they knew the captain was a team's core and that Sobu High's captain was strong, on par with Kyuuzan's captain who defeated three players, victory wasn't impossible—
But this was too strong!?
The opponent wasn't a dummy or a post. They were a skilled fighter who reached the National Championship semifinals. Yet they were defeated in three seconds, like a mere practice target… Was this something a human could do?
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Indeed, he's a monster to that extent…"
Seeing her father's slightly disbelieving expression, Mana nodded proudly. She glanced at Yasuoka. Both showed a strange, resigned look, starting to feel pity for Kyuuzan's students.
Forget defeating three people—defeating five would be easy for him.
The fact that Yuu didn't step up and crush all five "kids" outright showed he still had some sportsmanship…
While her father focused on the match, Mana lost interest and looked away. She quietly took out her phone.
This match had no suspense left. It was time to warn her sister to stay away from their father, to avoid being dragged back to Sweden.
That way, she could leverage it for her sister's sake—if she could get him to be her personal bodyguard for a day, it'd be super fun.
Thinking of that future, Mana couldn't help but chuckle softly.