Kendo Club.
After school, Hachiman arrived here as usual.
When he got to the club, there weren't many people around yet, but he immediately spotted Saeko Busujima kneeling in the practice area, clearly having been waiting for him for a while.
"Good afternoon, Busujima-senpai."
Even though she had been waiting for him, Hachiman politely greeted her.
Upon hearing his voice, Saeko opened her previously closed eyes and looked at Hachiman standing not far away.
There seemed to be a hint of a smile in her deep blue eyes.
"Hikigaya-kun, I've been waiting for quite some time. Hurry up and change your clothes, let's start today's match!" As she spoke, there was a hint of excitement in her tone.
Alright, this beautiful senpai seems to be addicted to this. It looks like she's been holding back for quite some time.
In no time, Hachiman changed into his kendo uniform and returned to the practice area.
"Thank you for waiting, Busujima-senpai," Hachiman nodded to Saeko in front of him.
"No need to be formal, Hikigaya-kun. Considering our similar kendo skills, just call me Saeko," she replied.
For someone from Saeko Busujima's kendo background, skill mattered most, and Hachiman's kendo level was certainly high enough to address her by her first name.
"In that case, Saeko-senpai, you can just call me Hachiman."
"Hachiman-kun, let's begin!" Saeko was becoming quite eager.
Wow, Senpai, you're in a hurry, aren't you? Shouldn't we have a bit of mental preparation first?
"Alright, Saeko-senpai, please teach me!" Hachiman couldn't refuse an invitation from such a beautiful senpai, and sparring with her would certainly improve his kendo skills.
Before he could react, a fragrant breeze rushed toward him, and Saeko closed the distance in a single step, bringing her sword down.
Hachiman remained composed, raising his wooden sword.
Smack!
"Saeko-senpai, you really are impatient!" Hachiman couldn't help but laugh as he deftly caught her strike.
"Can't help it. It's not every day I meet a formidable opponent like you, Hachiman-kun." Saeko tone couldn't hide her enthusiasm.
"Please satisfy me, Hachiman-kun," she said with a strange choice of words before launching another attack.
"Don't worry, Saeko-senpai. I'll make sure you're satisfied." With these words, Hachiman raised his sword and joined the spar.
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed continuously in the practice area.
As time passed, Saeko, who had been unable to land a hit, grew increasingly fierce in her attacks.
Feeling the growing force behind the wooden sword, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.
It seemed that his senpai was entering one of those frenzied states again.
However, this time, he didn't plan to retreat like last time.
Instead, he chose to fight fire with fire.
Hachiman was confident he wouldn't lose to a girl like Saeko in terms of pure strength.
Moreover, his enhanced reflexes from his Level 3 physique were far beyond that of an average person.
Today, he wanted to see how far he could push himself when facing Saeko in her full frenzy.
"Hachiman, you're really impressive!" Unable to land a hit, Saeko complimented him.
The two of them once again found themselves in a deadlock, evenly matched.
"Where do you see that, Saeko-senpai? I'm still far from matching your skills," Hachiman replied modestly to her praise.
"Be prepared!" Before he could catch his breath, Saeko launched another assault with her sword.
Busujima-ryu - Tora Kiba Giri!
Without a chance to complain, the frenzied onslaught resumed, forcing Hachiman to focus and defend.
Busujima-ryu - Kamaitaichi Senran!
Busujima-ryu - Gyakuten Kaiten!
Busujima-ryu - Hikari Nagare!
The relentless attacks continued, and Hachiman had to keep up his defenses to withstand Saeko's onslaught.
Saeko executed each move of her Busujima-ryu swordsmanship with precision and vigor, demonstrating her mastery. Yet, Hachiman remained remarkably resilient, relying on his exceptional reflexes to hold his ground.
"It's not enough yet. I'm not satisfied, Hachiman-kun. Let's continue!" Seeing him withstand her onslaught, Saeko became even more exhilarated.
A hint of bloodlust glimmered in her eyes as she intensified her grip on the wooden sword.
Duang~
Feeling the tremendous force transmitted through the wooden sword, even Hachiman, with his current physique, was forced to take two steps back.
His palms were starting to numb.
However, he chose not to retreat further but instead closed the distance, raising his wooden sword to initiate an attack.
He wanted to find out where his limits were now!
"Good, just like that, just like that."
"Come at me with all your might!"
As Hachiman charged toward her, Saeko grew increasingly excited.
She raised her wooden sword and charged back.
Duang, duang, duang, duang~
The clashing of wooden swords became even more intense, and their attack speeds continued to escalate.
Both of them had unleashed their true abilities, leaving no room for reservation in this fierce battle.
As time passed, more and more club members gathered around, drawn by the spectacle.
They had witnessed Hachiman's strength before, so it wasn't surprising that Saeko chose to spar with him again.
After all, he was the only one in the entire club who could provide her with a challenging match.
The crowd continued to grow, but nobody uttered a word.
All of them watched in silent anticipation, aware that battles of this caliber were a rare sight.
Kotonoha was among the onlookers, her expression showing concern as she witnessed Hachiman engaged in an intense battle with Saeko on the practice field.
"Hikigaya-kun..."
In just a short span of time, she had already seen Hachiman getting hit several times by Saeko's ferocious attacks.
However, he didn't give up but chose to keep on attacking.
Apart from occasionally blocking critical strikes, he maintained a relentless offensive.
Having never seen Hachiman exhibit such an intense desire to attack during their previous sparring sessions, Kotonoha couldn't help but feel worried.
On the other side, Hachiman felt his blood boiling within him as he battled Saeko.
Although he had taken quite a few hits, this kind of battle felt truly genuine. Indeed, in their hearts, men longed for a heated battle like this.
However, he could also sense that he was nearing his limits.
Even though he hadn't collapsed yet, he was merely enduring it through sheer stamina.
In terms of kendo, he still had a considerable gap compared to Saeko.
This battle could come to an end.