Koushiro moved immediately and decisively. His students cheered loudly, suggesting that their master was not usually so bold.
Cherry could easily outpace the man, rush up into his face and attack without giving him a chance to react. However, she understood that his students would not only learn little to nothing from that, but may even be discouraged from the path of the sword.
So instead, Cherry waited right where she stood, taking a defensive posture with her wooden blade.
Given how slow Koushiro was from her perspective, she took a moment to admire the practice sword in her hands. It had all the pieces that you could expect to see in a real sword, and they were weighted in a way that simulated the balance of a genuine blade as well. It was honestly very well made.
Sadly, she didn't have any more time for idle thoughts as Koushiro suddenly sped up in an attempt to take advantage of her distraction. Unfortunately for him, he was still too slow.
*whack whack whack whack whack*
Cherry stayed on the defensive, feeling out his style as she deflected his attacks. It was very aggressive, all but abandoning his own defense in favor of overwhelming offense. It was familiar, actually…
"Wait a minute, this is Zoro's style! Less refined, but definitely his!" Cherry pushed his sword aside with a bit more force and pointed at him.
"Hahaha, it didn't take you long to notice," Koushiro stepped back and laughed. "I thought it would take a while, since I'm only using one sword."
Cherry wondered if it was just a little joke, or if he was testing her. In any case, since he hadn't rushed in again, she did so instead.
She was moving faster than the speed that she showed before, but Koushiro had already started moving the very instant after she had.
Cherry thrust her practice blade towards his chest. With a single fluid movement, Koushiro guided her sword to the side and thrust his own sword at her chest in turn.
Cherry used Kami-e to dodge and slip around behind him, bringing her weapon up to smack in across the back of the head. Koushiro simply tilted his head forward and allowed her attack to pass him by.
His counter attack came swiftly, spinning in a low leg sweep which Cherry hopped over at the last second.
Koushiro's eyes flashed dangerously. His wrist twisted and he brought his arm up in a vicious slash. If Cherry had been anyone else, she would have been helplessly trapped in midair. As she wasn't anyone else, she simply hopped again and did a front flip over his head.
The students were no longer cheering, but unknowingly holding their breaths.
"You have some very strange skills. I've never seen their like before," Koushiro said.
"You're quite the odd one yourself," Cherry said, causing Koushiro to smile.
And she meant it. Koushiro keeping up with an opponent that was stronger and faster than himself was still within the realm of reason, but he was keeping her on the back foot whilst remaining quite calm himself.
Furthermore, Cherry had a sneaky suspicion. "Your haki is quite good."
"I never learned, I'm afraid," Koushiro confirmed Cherry's thoughts. "Now that's a scary smile."
"Oops," Cherry reigned her expression back in.
Koushiro had been predicting her actions without observation haki. That was why he was caught off guard when she used Geppo to hop off of thin air and avoid his finisher; he simply didn't know that was an option.
"Let's pick up the pace!" Cherry vanished with Soru and her blade slid along his own that he raised to block her.
Cherry proceeded to lay into him with a flurry of blows from angles that were impossible to achieve by most, and at a speed far faster than what Koushiro was capable of matching.
Still Koushiro was able to block, dodge, and even parry some of her attacks. Cherry was cackling in delight whilst Koushiro was starting to sweat, though he still wore a smile on his face.
"Last one! Try not to die!" Cherry created just a bit of distance before rocketing right through his guard. A little conquerer's haki slipped out by accident which made a couple of weaker willed students faint.
*CRACK!*
A half snapped wooden sword flew into the air and landed at the students' feet.
"*Hah Hah* I would appreciate if you didn't involve the audience in our bout," Koushiro said, taking deep breaths.
"My bad," Cherry said, eyes glittering as she waved her empty hands in surrender and glanced at the wooden blade leveled at her throat.
Koushiro wasn't strong. He was skilled, to an absurd degree. When he said that he never learned haki, what he meant was that haki would only get in the way of his true passion. He walked the path of the sword for the sake of the art, not for power.
In the Myriad Realms, such a person was destined to reach the highest pinnacle of power simply because cultivation would give them more time to dedicate to their passion. In a mortal world like this one, however, such people would be doomed to die in obscurity; and they probably wouldn't have it any other way.
"Master won!" "Master, you're the best swordsman in the world!" "Give that rude bitch a good whack on the head!"
That last guy was the one to get a whack on the head instead. Koushiro admonished him, "Do not dishonor our dojo."
Koushiro turned back to Cherry. "Would you like some refreshments? I could certainly use some."
Cherry agreed, though she wasn't even a little tired. Not like Koushiro was, that much was certain. The man was drenched in sweat and even now his breathing was labored, albeit controlled.
The students were thrilled, buzzing with excitement as they chittered and chattered about the fight. They had a superficial understanding that the result may have been different if it had been a real fight, but it was Koushiro himself who taught them that a victory was a victory and a loss was a loss, no matter what reasoning or excuses one made after the fact; so they took pride in the win nonetheless.
Koushiro didn't bother to correct them. It was a good demonstration of how skill could bridge the difference with a physically superior opponent. They didn't need to know that Cherry could have ended the fight instantly, and at any point.
"I wonder if my father could match you," Cherry said when they were alone with fruit juice and snacks on the table between them.
"Your father?" Koushiro asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Hawkeye," Cherry said, nearly causing Koushiro to spit out his juice.
"I don't think so," Koushiro said after carefully swallowing his mouthful of juice.
"Not in a death match, obviously," Cherry rolled her eyes. "I've never gotten to see him pull out all the stops, not really. He's got too much raw power to contest anyone in skill alone, and he's too much of a jerk to hold back against anyone who might actually manage it."
Koushiro looked thoughtful. "He was not always the man he is today. I have personally witnessed one of his duels, when he was still far from becoming the world's strongest swordsman. It was a beautiful and frightening sight, as well as a great inspiration for what one can do with a sword. I am not sure that I from today could beat him from back then."
"Perhaps he just made too strong of an impression on you, so you can't imagine him any other way than as your superior" Cherry said.
"Perhaps," Koushiro smiled. "You would make a good teacher."
"Are you aiming to retire?" Cherry retorted.
Koushiro laughed.