Chapter 28 Decisive Battle
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Good morning, Takatsuki-san”
”Un… Good morning, Kamishiro-kun”
When Kamishiro arrived at school and saw Aika in the classroom, he walked over to her first. Kamishiro looked as embarrassed as ever, but Aika too had a faint blush on her cheeks as she greeted him
”Wow, don’t show off in the morning”
”Well~ they look good together, don’t they?”
The classmates who watched from afar said delicately
Over the past two weeks, Kamishiro and Aika’s relationship has grown considerably closer. Like now, Kamishiro no longer hides his affection for Aika and Aika’s response is a mixture of sincerity and affection
And a few days ago, on Wednesday, they went to the cafeteria alone and had a small talk
They are not in a relationship yet, as Kamishiro declared if he gets a B grade in the upcoming exam. Well, they don’t seem to be going to school together yet, and they may not even be holding hands, let alone kissing
However, the general opinion is that it is only a matter of time
*sigh*
”Hey, Riko, what’s wrong?”
”Nothing. I’m just tired”
Riko glanced at Chihiro while she played with her usual friends. But without rely on his mind-reading ability, he knows what she means from her looks that as if to say, “So what will you do?”
Indeed. The sooner he makes an appointment, the better
So, after nodding to her, Chihiro got up from his seat. Then, seeing that Kamishiro had left Aika’s seat, he called out to him
”Kamishiro-kun”
”Hmm?”
The boy stopped and looked back at him with a surprised expression
It’s the first time for Chihiro to talk to him. Moreover, he hadn’t spoken to him since being invited to the cafeteria a while ago, so it was understandable
”What’s wrong?”
But Kamishiro doesn’t seem to be affected by the conversation
Really, his calm behavior did not make Chihiro dislike him, but rather made him feel good about Kamishiro. Anyway, Chihiro tells him exactly what he planned to say
”I have a request”
”A request?”
”Yes. After school today, I’d like you to accompany me to a training session. Match style”
”Eh?”
Kamishiro’s eyes widened
And, a little later, the classroom is buzzing. Apparently, there are a few students who had been paying attention to the two of them since the exchange with Aika
If they are flustered, the information would spread through the classroom in no time
That “Chihiro” has challenged that “Kamishiro” to a match
It had enough impact to attract the attention of the people around
”Okay, but why all of a sudden?”
Despite the buzz in the classroom, Kamishiro’s reaction is still calm. He looked surprised for a moment, but soon smiled and asked
”Well. We have a test coming up soon, so I wanted to do it before then”
”Oh…” someone said approvingly
Well, the test is coming soon. The words must have given them a different idea than the truth. Maybe they think Chihiro wants to make some memories before he left the school in the near future
After all, there is a possibility that the Chihiro of a while ago would have thought that way
”I see”
And Kamishiro nodded
”Yes. I’d like to get some training in before I make my decision, so thanks”
The classroom is buzzing again
Hearing this, Chihiro gave a small bow to Kamishiro
”Thank you”
”No, don’t worry about it. Then, see you after school”
”Yeah”
They exchanged a few words and parted ways
As Chihiro walked back to his seat, he could see Aika looking at him with a puzzled expression on her face
Apparently, the rumor of the match had spread to the other classes within half a day
And so, after school. There are more than ten students who followed Chihiro and Kamishiro as they left their seats. It must have been mainly because of Kamishiro’s popularity. Since his confession to Aika two weeks ago, he has become well known as “the first-year student who is closest to getting a B rank”
”Can I stop by the cafeteria first? You know what they say, when you’re hungry”
”Sure”
At Kamishiro’s suggestion, the two of them finished lunch first. Without saying much to each other, Kamishiro finished his curry and hash rice, and Chihiro finished his pasta with meat sauce
When they had cleaned up the dishes, Kamishiro asked him
”Oh, by the way, where should we go?”
”I’ve reserved the training room. Not a private room, but a large one”
”Oh, that’s great”
”After all, some people care about this match”, Kamishiro says that with a smile
It’s hard to fight on an empty stomach, but it’s also dangerous to hit each other right after eating, so they took a long break after eating
By the way, Chihiro had chosen a rather light meal of pasta, but he wondered if Kamishiro would be able to handle eating that much. Perhaps he is accustomed to it, and so he can digest it quickly
After a break, they went to the changing room to change their clothes and uniforms, and went out to the training area
Looking around, the audience numbered nearly twenty. Among them are Maria, Riko, and Aika
After that, Kamishiro and he faced each other at a distance of a few meters
”What are the rules?”
”No time limits. You lose if you fall and can’t get up, or if you give up. The rules are the same as in class, weapons are allowed…”
Kamishiro nodded “OK” as Chihiro showed him the wooden sword he had prepared
”I’ll use my bare hands as usual, but you’re welcome to use it”
It’s not a handicap, but Kamishiro is simply better at hand-to-hand combat. In fact, he’s never been seen using a weapon unless it is regulated that way
”Thank you”
Chihiro thanked Kamishiro and grabbed the wooden sword
As the two began to concentrate, the buzz around them diminished. All that could be heard is a faint murmur. Some said that the match would be decided in an instant anyway, others said that they wanted to see the match for a long time. But none of the voices are thinking about Chihiro’s victory in the slightest
That’s fine
That’s why it means a lot if he wins
”Let me give the signal”
Said Aika, stepping forward
Kamishiro and then Chihiro nodded silently in return, and she took a light breath,
”Start!”
And with that, the match began
Kamishiro moved immediately. Chihiro waited for him, not moving an inch, and looked into his eyes
――He approached straight away and kicked Chihiro diagonally from the right side
It’s almost as if he’s replaying their previous encounter. The big difference is that Chihiro had a weapon
Kamishiro must have known that, but he still came at him straightforwardly
Then, Chihiro swung his wooden sword. He put all his strength into it, in order to strike the enemy at the moment of contact
And
Just as he is about to attack, Kamishiro increases his step. With a loud boom, Kamishiro’s body accelerates, and his kick is delivered just one breath faster than it would have been at his current speed
Of course, Chihiro could not see it coming
But he had already given the command to his arm. And a large slash intercepted Kamishiro a moment earlier than the impact of the kick
Boom
About two meters. The impact sent Chihiro (…) backwards
Kamishiro frowned slightly and muttered on the spot while he regained his position, holding back the pain in his abdomen
”So, you can read that, too?”
”…Well, yeah”
Even if the timing of the execution is just in time, Chihiro could figure it out as soon as Kamishiro thought of it in his mind. After all, this feint, too, had been in Kamishiro’s mind for several steps
After all, it would be difficult to try not to be conscious of the attack plan
It is often the case that the more one tries not to think about it, the more one thinks about it. That is almost the only advantage Chihiro had over Kamishiro
”…Then I guess I’ll have to do this”
As he says this, Kamishiro’s presence changes. It wasn’t that he had an aura, but there is something intimidating about him
Immediately afterwards, a high-speed step
It is clearly faster than the previous blow. His aim is to hit Chihiro in the torso from the front, and there’s no way Chihiro can avoid or intercept it in time
”Kuh!?”
So, all he could do is prepare himself in advance and try to back away. But, thanks to these efforts, he is able to kill some of the impact, but his vision went blank for a moment
Chihiro is pushed backwards, and the distance between them opens up again
…Just now is the performance of Kamishiro’s movement when he uses his ability as [Lost Item]
”Seriously? He’s really going to go for it against a weak-looking guy like that?”
”That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
Chihiro overhear the crowd murmuring
Well, their perception is slightly wrong. After all, given his personality, Kamishiro must have been serious from the start. He just wasn’t giving it his all
And it was to gauge Chihiro’s seriousness, his ability
But even though Kamishiro is not at full strength yet, Chihiro wouldn’t have been able to take this weakened attack if it weren’t for the last two weeks of training
(Really, how in the world did Maria ever match up to such an opponent?)
Even after all this time, it still gives Chihiro chills
”You’re not going to give up, are you?”
Kamishiro asked quietly
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