In the blink of an eye, a month had passed, and Yamahiko had adapted to life at the Shin'ō Academy. He was now slowly settling in.
During this time, Yamahiko, holding a bamboo sword, was in the training room with other students from Class 2, practicing their sword techniques together.
With nearly a month of training and the use of Reiryoku-enhancing spirit food, Yamahiko could feel his Reiryoku increasing significantly, almost reaching a fifth-level.
After half an hour of training, Yamahiko's forehead was covered in glistening sweat. At this point, their swordsmanship teacher, Kenji Hatada, announced, "Alright, training's over. Let's move on to some real combat practice. I'll assign your partners."
"Renji Abarai, you'll be with Izuru Kira."
"Kondou Isamu, you and Keiichirou Katsura will be a pair."
"...".
Kenji Hatada assigned partners for each group until he finally turned his attention to the youngest student in the class, the twelve-year-old Yamahiko. He said, "Yamahiko, you'll partner with Momo Hinamori."
Due to his age and short stature, standing at only 145 centimeters(4.75 Foot), Yamahiko was the shortest among the male students. Momo Hinamori, on the other hand, was petite among the female students, measuring only 150 centimeters. However, she was older, making her a suitable match for Yamahiko.
After the groups were set, Yamahiko faced Momo Hinamori, their eyes locked in determination.
Momo Hinamori had a slender figure, with jet-black hair neatly tied behind her head. She had a delicate appearance, fair skin, and lively eyes.
Compared to Yamahiko's focused gaze, Momo Hinamori seemed somewhat casual, as she underestimated him due to his age.
Momo Hinamori looked at Yamahiko and said with a smile, "Yamahiko, I didn't expect to be your partner. You can start your attack."
With those words, Yamahiko's right foot suddenly stepped forward, and as he landed, his left foot followed suit. Simultaneously, his bamboo sword descended from above, creating a blur as it struck towards Momo Hinamori's upper body.
Thud!
Caught off guard, Momo Hinamori could only raise her bamboo sword in haste, narrowly preventing it from slipping out of her grasp.
However, just as she tightened her grip on her bamboo sword, Yamahiko's bamboo sword had already hit her neck.
Momo Hinamori's expression froze for a moment, disbelief in her eyes, but she quickly turned despondent.
Yamahiko retracted his bamboo sword and bowed to Momo Hinamori, saying, "My apologies."
Momo Hinamori was left dumbfounded, unable to believe how strong Yamahiko was. In just an instant, he had defeated her.
She found it amusing how she had initially underestimated him, thinking he was just a child, while in reality, she stood no chance against him.
Momo Hinamori recalled her performance a moment ago, her face reddening slightly. She also noticed Yamahiko's confident expression and challenged him, saying, "Let's go again."
Momo Hinamori once again grasped her bamboo sword, her gaze fixed on Yamahiko, now with a more cautious expression.
She attributed her previous defeat to her carelessness. Although her opponent was undoubtedly a genius with fourth-level Reiryoku, he was short and just twelve years old. Momo Hinamori believed that if she remained extra cautious, she couldn't possibly lose to this young child.
However, just as Momo Hinamori had made up her mind, Yamahiko took another step forward, moving with a swiftness akin to Shunpo, and in an instant, he was right in front of her.
As he advanced, his bamboo sword descended from above. During the slashing motion, he twisted both his left and right hands inward, channeling the force from both hands into the tip of the bamboo sword.
Bang!
Momo Hinamori reacted swiftly this time, blocking in time. However, she still felt a tremendous force that left her arm numb.
"What immense strength," she thought, her silver teeth clenched. She was taken aback by Yamahiko's increased power, wondering how this little guy possessed such strength. Fortunately, she had prepared herself in advance and managed to withstand this blow.
As Yamahiko's bamboo sword was blocked, he immediately stepped back, creating distance between them.
The importance of stepping back was unquestionable. In Shin'ō Academy, Yamahiko had learned that it wasn't just to avoid a potential counterattack from the opponent but also to maintain the distance necessary for a counterattack while observing the opponent's actions for timely adjustments.
Yamahiko retreated another step, and Momo Hinamori advanced with a swift step, once again swinging her bamboo sword downward.
Yamahiko stepped back, and Momo Hinamori's bamboo sword passed a mere centimeter in front of his nose. Just as her bamboo sword descended, Yamahiko swiftly thrust his bamboo sword directly at Momo Hinamori's chest.
Yamahiko's movements were simple yet powerful. In just a few moves, he effortlessly defeated Momo Hinamori.
Momo Hinamori looked at her bamboo sword, realizing that she had been too careless. She shouldn't have attacked aggressively after Yamahiko had created distance between them.
"Again," she said.
Momo Hinamori challenged Yamahiko once more, but after a few moves, her bamboo sword was once again blocked by Yamahiko's, pointed at her neck.
"Again."
Momo Hinamori continued to challenge Yamahiko, but with each attempt, lasting no more than ten moves, she was defeated. As she grew more familiar with Yamahiko's techniques and tried to increase her defensive moves, every time she attempted to counterattack, she was swiftly defeated.
Growing anxious with each failure, sweat began to bead on Momo Hinamori's forehead, trickling down her fair and pretty face.
As she continued to lose, Momo Hinamori's frustration grew. Finally, she aimed for an opportunity and thrust her bamboo sword directly at Yamahiko's chest.
With ease, Yamahiko took a step to the left, dodging the attack. In the same instant, he swung his bamboo sword horizontally towards Momo Hinamori's neck.
Confronted by Yamahiko's bamboo sword, Momo Hinamori tried to defend herself, but at her current speed, she couldn't block this strike in time.
Growing anxious, she tried to muster all her strength and, with a loud whoosh, unconsciously used her Reiryoku(spiritual power).
With her spiritual particles released, her speed increased dramatically. She managed to block Yamahiko's horizontal strike, but the immense force made her bamboo sword almost slip out of her hand. Simultaneously, she launched a swift attack towards Yamahiko's face.
In an instant, the strike was right in front of Yamahiko's face.
Yamahiko had no way of anticipating that Momo Hinamori would use her Reiryoku. He couldn't react in time and instinctively moved his body, but he was still struck on the shoulder.
Crack!
Momo Hinamori's bamboo sword hit Yamahiko's shoulder, shattering his shoulder bone, sending waves of excruciating pain through him.
"Ah!"
Yamahiko let out a hoarse cry, falling to the ground and clutching his shoulder, his face turning pale.
Seeing this, Momo Hinamori was frozen, only now realizing the consequences of her actions.
In her pursuit of victory, she had unconsciously used her Reiryoku and injured Yamahiko.
"Are you, are you okay?"
Momo Hinamori's face filled with anxiety. She dropped her wooden sword and rushed toward Yamahiko. However, before she could even stand firm, she was pushed aside by a figure that appeared beside Yamahiko.
"Move aside."
The one who appeared in front of Yamahiko was Renji Abarai. He was the one who cared most about Yamahiko. The moment he saw Yamahiko injured, he rushed to his side, supporting his body.
Renji Abarai anxiously asked, "Yamahiko, how are you feeling?"
Yamahiko gritted his teeth and replied, "My bone is broken."
Momo Hinamori quickly apologized, "I didn't mean to."
Renji's face turned cold as he glared at Momo Hinamori and scolded, "The teacher already said we're not allowed to use Reiryoku during practice. You used Reiryoku; it seems intentional to me."
"I really didn't mean to."
Tears welled up in Momo Hinamori's eyes as she wanted to explain further. However, at that moment, their swordsmanship instructor, Kenji Heta Kenji, arrived. He examined Yamahiko's injured shoulder, and with a sigh accompanying Yamahiko's painful groans, he said, "The shoulder bone is broken, and the clavicle is shattered. It's not a minor injury."
Renji Abarai anxiously asked, "What should we do?"
Kenji Heta Kenji, with a calm expression, replied, "Don't worry. Squad 4 has a special training program here at Shin'ō Academy, The teacher of Squad 4's Medical Assistance Team here is pretty good; she can handle this injury. Renji, go find her."
"Understood."
Renji Abarai stood up and quickly ran towards the medical team.
Note: Guys, please leave a review and your power stones here. I've completed 10 chapters, and seriously, it takes me more than an hour on every single chapter daily. So, at the very least, I deserve your free power stones. Additionally, I have updated the synopsis of the novel. You can check out the original MTL and then leave a review. This way, some people will realize how much work I'm putting into this. If you can get through a single chapter without feeling like your brain is frying, I can only say you've reached Nirvana in MTL.