Kendo Dojo, Dusk.
Shūhei was in the middle of yet another brutal session.
With a sharp clang of clashing steel, his Asauchi slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.
He looked down at his trembling right hand, still faintly twitching from the pain, then glanced at the sword lying on the ground.
From across the room, Nobu spoke lazily. "Pick it up. Again."
Shūhei bent down to retrieve his sword—but his hand wouldn't obey. He could only watch helplessly as the blade slipped through his fingers again.
He dropped to the floor in frustration. "Give me a break."
"So weak, Shūhei. With that level of skill, even making it to seated officer would be a stretch."
Shūhei was used to this by now. Every time he lost, Nobu's taunts would follow. At first, they'd lit a fire in him, sparked his competitive spirit—but now he could choose to tune them out.
Just then, someone stepped into the dojo.
"Kanisawa?" Shūhei blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to show up here at this hour.
Nobu, meanwhile, seemed to remember something about her and Momo. After a pause, he asked, "What brings you here?"
Kanisawa glanced at Shūhei still sitting on the ground, then strode over and picked up the Asauchi he had dropped.
Nobu raised an eyebrow.
"I've got an itch to spar," she said calmly.
Shūhei sprang to his feet and backed off without hesitation.
Nobu chuckled. "I won't go easy on you."
Kanisawa raised the blade, leveling it in front of her. A steely glint flashed through her beautiful eyes.
"Good. Don't."
She vanished in a blur, launching straight at Nobu with her blade flashing like a streak of light. Her horizontal slash carved a crescent through the air.
Nobu took two steps back to avoid it, then suddenly lunged forward. His long blade came in at an almost impossible angle. Kanisawa didn't even have time to pull back her sword to block. Nor could she dodge. She could only stare as the blade halted cleanly at her chest.
Defeated—
In a single move.
Still, she wasn't all that surprised. She knew Nobu's skill was extraordinary; getting taken down in one strike was nothing to be ashamed of.
Nobu withdrew his sword with a grin, twirling it into a lazy flourish.
"Want to keep going?"
Kanisawa clenched her jaw and raised her stance again.
Clang!
Her blade was knocked from her hands. The sheer force of the earlier clash had left her arm numb and aching, pain blooming from the base of her thumb.
"I told you—I don't hold back," Nobu said, still smiling.
Kanisawa snorted under her breath, bent down to pick up the sword again, but clearly felt the strain in her fingers as she gripped the hilt.
Now she understood why the Asauchi had ended up on the floor earlier.
Nobu wasn't just skilled—his strikes hit with terrifying power.
She launched into another attack, but Nobu neutralized it with ease once more, his blade resting coolly against her neck.
"Again!"
"Again!"
"Again!"
After several more rounds, Kanisawa was nearly spent, barely managing to stay upright as she leaned heavily on her sword for support, breath coming in ragged gasps.
She brushed back a few strands of hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, the dampness making it uncomfortable.
Nobu, unfazed, stood calmly a few steps away, pacing with his sword still in hand, his movements utterly relaxed.
She couldn't hold back anymore. "You beat me in one move every time. Can't you at least let me get a few in?"
Nobu replied, "Because every time, you come at me full of openings. Even if I let you have a second strike, would that fix the holes in your first?"
Kanisawa's shoulders sagged. Ever since entering the academy and meeting Nobu, she hadn't beaten him once in anything.
And somehow… somewhere along the way… she'd fallen for this guy.
She raised her sword again and charged, though she was clearly at her limit. Her form was sloppy, her energy spent. Nobu merely sidestepped and let her blade swing through empty air. She stumbled and lost her balance, pitching forward.
Nobu caught her in his arms before she could hit the floor.
She lay there, panting, pressed against his chest.
"Shūhei's still watching, you know," Nobu said with a soft chuckle.
Off to the side, Shūhei covered his eyes with exaggerated drama—but peeked through his fingers anyway.
Kanisawa felt her face heat up. Probably just from the exertion, she told herself, as she clambered awkwardly to her feet.
Nobu walked over to the side and picked up a water flask, tossing it to her.
Kanisawa nearly fumbled it. She shot him a look.
"It's mine," he said simply.
Shūhei, not one to be left out, gave a loud, deliberate cough.
Nobu turned to glare. "Why are you trying so hard to be relevant?"
Shūhei looked aggrieved. "Can't you let a guy live? You two act like I'm not even here!"
He even grumbled at Kanisawa, "I was here first, okay?"
Kanisawa tilted her head back and drank from the flask.
Nobu watched the elegant arch of her neck, glistening with sweat. The inner shirt beneath her uniform clung to her skin. A tiny rivulet of water slipped from the corner of her lips, tracing down her throat and disappearing into her collar.
"Ahem!" Shūhei coughed again.
Nobu glanced at him. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?"
"What?"
"Then scram already."
Shūhei exploded. "You're too much!"
Fine! I'll scram!
He snatched up his own flask and stormed out of the dojo.
Kanisawa looked toward the doorway he'd exited through. "Why'd you make him leave?"
Then she realized what she'd said and quickly turned her head away.
"I need to talk to you," Nobu said.
"Oh."
Nobu stepped closer, his expression serious. "Momo said some things to you that were out of line."
Kanisawa's eyes flickered. "She told you."
Nobu nodded. "She was crying when she said it. Told me she messed up, that she wanted to apologize to you."
Kanisawa lowered her gaze. After a pause, she murmured, "She wasn't wrong. I… I really was being underhanded. Using your promise to hold it over you."
Nobu gave a soft laugh. "That's blackmail? Please. I'm not exactly suffering here."
Kanisawa shot him a glare.
Nobu sat down beside her, and she followed suit.
"Momo likes you," Kanisawa said suddenly.
"I know."
"Then…" she hesitated, but finally asked, "Do you like her?"
"I do," Nobu answered without hesitation.
"…"
Something seemed to drain from Kanisawa's eyes. She whispered, "I see."
Of course. Momo was so sweet, so pretty, so full of energy—it made perfect sense that any guy would like her…
Before she could spiral further, Nobu said, "But I don't just like her. I like you, too."
He paused, then added, "I like Rukia. I like Rangiku-san. I like Isane-san."
She looked up, only to see Nobu smiling, bright and unrepentant.
"I like all pretty girls."
Kanisawa felt her breath catch. "You…"
Nobu cut her off. "But Kanisawa, you're different from them."
She blinked. What does that mean?
Different… how?
Did he not feel that way about them?
A murky tangle of thoughts swirled in Nobu's mind: You're not one of the names the system chose.
Rukia. Momo. They had reminded him of something important: as long as he had this system, he was doomed to be trash.
And if he was already trash, then carrying around guilt would only weigh him down.
Saying sorry in your heart after doing someone wrong… meant nothing.
Might as well go all in. If he was going to be this person, he'd be thorough about it.
No one on that system list was ever going to be special.
"Kanisawa…" she prompted, when he didn't continue. "What do you mean?"
Nobu stood up and said slowly, "Nothing special. That's just the kind of person I am. I like a lot of people—but I won't stop for any of them."
He turned and gave her a smile.
"Not for anyone."
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T/N: OMGGG TRASHHHHHHHHHH GO DIEEEEEEEEE >,<