"Toukichirou-sama! Toukichirou-sama! "
"Quiet down. What do you want?"
"Kanbei-dono has-! "
At the innermost part of the Daikoku-style dojo, the headmaster's room.
A short, middle-aged man with a big belly called Toukichirou listened to his student's words with a frown on his face over the loud voice.
"What about Kanbei?"
"He has been defeated! A dojo challenger! "
"...Tell me more."
Toukichirou's expression turned sharp when he heard that Kanbei had been defeated.
The student explained the situation piece by piece, starting with the scene where Second appeared in the dojo.
Then, after a moment of silence, Toukichirou reacted with surprise.
"Gahahaha! "
"! ? "
Amazingly, he laughed.
He laughed when Kanbei, the strongest man in the dojo he ran, was defeated so spectacularly. The student could not understand what was going on and had no choice but to stare open-mouthed.
"Thank you for the report. You may return."
"Yes, however..."
"I said you can go back."
"Y-Yes."
Toukichirou forced his student out and, in a good mood, leaned his weight heavily against the back of his chair.
"An opponent that was far beyond Kanbei's ability. Gahaha! Keep up the good work and knock those Tobatsu shitheads out of the way!"
He laughed merrily as if to say, "I've been waiting for you".
"I knew it, just as I thought. The monsters on the mainland are truly tailor-made for the occasion. Shall I reward the fishing tackle store owner?"
It was hard for him to stop laughing.
Toukichirou's plan seemed to be working so well.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Next, is it Benzai style?"
"Indeed. It's a bit of a special school."
"Special? "
"There are only girls in that dojo."
"Seriously?"
I'm getting a little excited.
"The new school was founded nine years ago by Masamune-dono, who was known as the " prodigy of the sword," for the sake of the women on the island, who were often shunned by others. Considering that she was only 16 years old at the time, one can see Masamune-dono's talent."
"Did she start her own school at the age of sixteen? That means she's twenty-five years old now. Wow, the head of a school at twenty-five, huh?"
"She is still young compared to the other heads of schools, but her ability is not to be underestimated."
"Who is stronger, Kanbei or the latter? "
"It's a tough question. Their Sword-drawing techniques are the exact opposite. Kanbei-dono is rough and aggressive, but Masamune-dono is fluid and delicate, so they cannot easily be compared."
"I don't care about that. Which side has the better record? "
"Seriously, you are... if I'm not mistaken, it's Masamune-dono."
"Thank you. That's good to hear."
If she said she was weaker than Kanbei, there would be no point in going.
Although it is quite interesting to see a women-only dojo...
"Here we are. For once, you need to be a big boy."
"Never."
"Seriously... I don't care what happens to you."
"Eh? "
What does she mean...?
"Excuse me! Tobatsu-style Akaneko is here, I came to say hello! "
As I puzzled over this, Akaneko stood in front of the gate and raised her voice.
It is a small gate. The money flow does not seem to be very good.
"――Well, well, what a lovely guest we have here."
After a short wait, a tall, slender, beautiful man with short black hair appeared from inside the dojo.
...Eh?
No, wait... this guy is not a man.
I know this because I've seen Maine, Angolmois, and Raspberry Bell up close and personal. This guy is probably, no, most certainly a woman. I see, the so-called "Beautiful Tomboy".
But why is she wearing men's clothes again?
"Oops, there's also a beautiful onii-san with you. Hello, onii-san. I've heard a lot about you."
"Name's Second. And you are? "
"Thanks for introducing yourself, Second-kun. My name is Masamune. If I say that I am the head of the Benzai school, that should be enough, right? "
"Yeah, I just heard from this one."
"This one? Haha, this is the first time I've seen someone call Akaneko-chan 'this one'. Interesting."
"Please don't be amused, Masamune-dono. It's a great annoyance for me."
"Well, well, don't be so angry. That outfit looks great on you. A gift from Second-kun, isn't it? It's really wonderful! "
"...Praising me will get you nowhere."
"I just wanted to compliment you, I wasn't expecting anything. Now come here, both of you."
Masamune winked at Akaneko with some sweet words and led us inside the dojo.
The first impression of her is not bad.
But there is something unnatural about it. It smells like acting or something.
Moreover, at first, I thought that Masamune was playing a male role because she liked women, but I did not sense any "woman-loving scent" from her at all. Perhaps she is not a person who has such a taste.
If so, why? The mystery only deepens. Since she is so beautiful, she should dress like a woman. What a waste.
Well, maybe there is some compelling reason.
"So, what can I do for you today? Unfortunately, we're too busy training to spare much time for you――"
"That's right! Even if you wanted to have Masamune-sama all to yourself, it's not going to happen! "
"Masamune-sama doesn't have time to talk to you, people! "
"Please leave at once! "
...What is it with these people?
As soon as Masamune began to speak, a dozen or so women who appeared to be her students suddenly came out in force and interrupted us with a barrage of harsh words.
"...Haa..."
Akaneko, next to me, let out a small sigh.
I see, this is what she was talking about. This is certainly a hassle.
"I'm sorry, my kittens. This is something the dojo needs to do, too."
Masamune stared off into the distance, made a somber expression, and muttered with a sigh. Then, the female students who had crowded behind Masamune said, "Kyaa! ", in excitement.
What the heck is this?
"Is it always like this? "
When I secretly asked Akaneko about it, she nodded with a ghastly expression and whispered back, "You'd better leave early before things get any messier".
Oh no, I agree with you on this one.
But... Some things need doing.
"Do you accept dojo-breakers? "
"Nbu!? "
"Ptff!? "
Akaneko and Masamune started to giggle when I said it so matter-of-factly.
"That's a funny way to ask! "
Akaneko smacked me and laughed at me.
The students behind Masamune started to make noise. They said things like, "Know your place," "Get lost," or simply, "Die".
"Hahahahah! Interesting! That's really interesting, boy..."
Masamune laughed for a while, then turned to her students and gave them a wave of her hand. Then, the girls who had been buzzing became quiet in an instant.
Masamune then turned to me again and broke the silence.
"――I'll accept it."
The fake expressions that had been on her face up to that point were no longer visible.
A woman with sharp eyes, who might be described as a samurai, was staring back at me.
Reminiscent of the first time I met Akaneko, her eyes were ready to fight for her life.
Masamune must be one of those who live by the sword.
I responded to her resolve with a big smile.
＊ ＊ ＊
The match lasted only a moment.
Not a second had passed since the "Begin" signal was given.
Immediately after Masamune-dono drew her sword, a thrust from Second's "Bishop Sword-drawing" caught the center of the blade.
It was truly unimaginable to catch a katana that was moving as fast as light with a sword, much less to do so in the first move of a life-threatening contest and to do so on the back foot, when one's basic position is to be at a disadvantage.
I was astonished, wondering how crazy this man was.
...As a result, a high-pitched sound was heard, and Masamune-dono's katana veered wildly to the side.
This was a huge chance. "The Second Slash will decide it" ―― the moment I thought that, to my surprise, Second executed "Gold Sword-drawing" whilst sheathing the katana.
Why do such a thing, I wondered. The reason for this soon became clear before one could even begin to wonder.
He was reading her...… Masamune-dono's wakizashi's strike.
Masamune-dono, in a split-second decision, let go of his katana and was about to switch to her other small sword, the wakizashi.
Excellent! I must say. She is indeed a talented person who became the head of a school at the age of sixteen.
...However, there was someone who went above and beyond. Detestably, and lightly.
Perhaps Second-dono saw Masamune-dono's next move by the slight difference in the response to the blow inflicted on the katana. Masamune-dono's special killing blow with the Wakizashi, and by extension, the counterattack with the "Gold Sword-drawing" were readied and unleashed one after the other.
"Such a――!! "
Masamune-dono slashed into Second's "Gold Sword-drawing"without any way to stop. Like a thrown stone that cannot be stopped in mid-air.
"Sorry, this is going to hurt."
Second muttered a few words.
Immediately after, he twirled his katana and struck back with a powerful counterattack.
Into the open space of Masamune-dono's chest...
＊ ＊ ＊
A back blade strike.
Duun! A painful sound echoed through the air, and Masamune fainted in pain.
...A talent too good to be just killed off. She, too, has something sparkling about her that makes her a worthy title challenger.
In the first place, killing is not my goal. First of all, my goal is to enjoy their skills, and if they are still feeling lacking, to light a fire and pour gasoline into it.
And that objective was achieved.
Masamune still seemed to be stunned, lying on the floor and not moving an inch.
I expected the students to make a fuss again, but the result was just the opposite. The dojo was quiet and still. All of the women students remained silent and showed no attempt to move from their place. Whether it was to care for Masamune or to come on to me.
That's fine. I don't have time to deal with these cowards.
"Tell Masamune. I hope to see you again."
After saying these words, Akaneko and I left the Benzai-style dojo.
For five minutes, maybe ten, we walked in silence.
The sun was about to set. I knew this was the way back because we were going the same way we had come. In other words, today's tour would end with these two dojos.
"As a follower of the Benzai style, she was more skilled than the Daikoku-style student. Perhaps Masamune has a gift for teaching as well."
"..."
"What about your dojo? What is the standard of the students?"
"..."
"Hey, you there? Are you listening? "
"..."
Nope, no response.
Akaneko was just staggering forward, staring ahead, as if she was thinking about something.
...Or so I thought. A few minutes later, Akaneko suddenly spun around and looked at me, breaking the silence.
"I'm afraid of you."
"What's the matter, all of a sudden?"
"Have you come to destroy the Land of the Eight Swords? "
A serious expression. It seems like she's not joking.
Hmm. Came to destroy, huh...?
"That's wrong."
"Then what are you doing here? Today alone, two schools have lost face. Tomorrow you will probably go around crushing more. You'd be lying if you said this wasn't destroying it."
"Is losing face... the same as being destroyed? "
"...You are still a menace to the island. Even though it was a promise, I was wrong to have brought you in."
The air froze.
That cold air radiated from Akaneko. That's what you'd call killing intent.
"Don't try to pull it out. That would be pretty foolish."
Even if she tested me without a katana, that would still be, well, foolish.
"..."
Akaneko understood this, and after a moment of silence, she quietly removed her hand from the katana.
"You already know that, right?"
"What?"
"That Sword-drawing is interesting, don't you? "
"So what?"
"...You can't wait to see it. My fights."
"—-! "
I had dimly sensed it.
Akaneko was one of those who fell under the charm of Sword-drawing.
They all do. They want to know what's ahead. The real, the ultimate, the end of the road――
"Don't worry, I'll show you the end."
"...Nonsense. I am not interested in you in the slightest. Of course, I have no desire to see it."
"Then why did you lend me your katana during the fight with Masamune? "
"That was..."
"I see. Now I understand. You have a tendency to say and do things that are contrary to your true intentions at times. Has anyone ever pointed that out to you? "
"I d-don't! Definitely not! "
"Did I hit the mark? You're so easy to understand, Akaneko."
"～～～! ! Shut up! I'm going first! "
Oh, I've made her angry.
But I learned something good. Her words are the opposite of her intention. Well, it may depend on the time and the occasion.
This means that, surprisingly, she really wants...
"Please show me around again tomorrow."
...maybe for this island, its traditions to get destroyed?