In the training grounds, the crowd spontaneously formed a few circles and sat down, watching the two combatants prepare to face off.
One was a genius girl with superhuman skills; the other was a brand-new attendant. The outcome seemed perfectly clear.
The bias in the crowd's chatter was obvious.
"Even though that Kaito kid is sure to lose, I'm still rooting for him. That she-devil is so annoying."
"I know, right? She's a girl, but she insists on becoming a samurai. What a pipe dream. Shouldn't she just stay at home?"
"Agreed. The masters never should have let her into the Kenpu Dojo in the first place."
"..."
Listening to the whispers around him, Kaito started to understand the kind of situation this stubborn girl had to face every day.
A strong woman trying to prove she's no less than a man? This character archetype feels a little familiar.
The Kenpu Dojo was steeped in tradition. The fact that Tetsuren had been allowed to enter at all was already incredible.
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Go grab a wooden sword!" Tetsuren snapped, annoyed at Kaito for just standing there blankly. "Hurry up! After I'm done with you, I still have to challenge the masters."
"Oh," Kaito replied simply, walking over to the rack of wooden swords. He ran a hand over the body of one, feeling it was as hard as steel.
Noticing Kaito's surprise, Mifune explained, "These swords are made from the trunk of an ironwood tree. Their hardness is comparable to iron ore, and their weight is moderate. Though they aren't sharpened and won't cause any cuts, getting hit by one still hurts. Be careful. Tetsuren won't hold back."
"Understood." Kaito nodded, resolving to protect himself well.
He looked back at the sword rack and hesitated for a moment. Ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to risk the social suicide of picking a third sword. He grabbed one wooden sword in each hand and returned to the center of the yard.
"Two swords?" Mifune couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Most of the spectators at the edge of the circle also looked surprised.
"I've never seen anyone use two swords before."
"I have. A good friend of my dad's used two swords."
"Was he strong?"
"I don't know. He's been dead for a long time."
"...Chosuke, what do you think?"
"Not everyone can master two swords. Without sufficient practice, it often disrupts your own rhythm and balance. In that case, you're better off with a single sword," Chosuke said, speaking the longest sentence he had all day. "However, if you can master the two-sword style, your offensive options increase significantly, as does the frequency of your attacks."
"But he's so young. How could he possibly have mastered two swords?"
Many were skeptical of Kaito, thinking he was just showing off.
Kaito ignored them. In high spirits, he struck a cool pose with his two swords and announced, "My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Kaito, a practitioner of the two-sword style. I look forward to your instruction."
He had wanted to perfectly replicate the full pose and line, but it felt too embarrassing, so he had settled for just using two swords.
"Hmph. All flash," Tetsuren scoffed, tilting her head up dismissively.
"You two, bow to each other, and then you may begin."
"Yes, sir!"
Kaito had watched the others bow earlier. He copied Tetsuren's movements, holding his swords upside down and giving a slight bow.
The formalities were over. The battle began!
"Hah!" Tetsuren launched the first attack. Pushing off forcefully with her feet, she shot toward Kaito like an arrow released from a bow, her sword carving an upward arc.
"A good opening!" Kaito was undaunted. He bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity, and held his right sword horizontally in front of him while thrusting forward sharply with his left.
Clang! Clang!
In two successive strikes, Tetsuren knocked aside both of Kaito's swords. Her own wooden sword slithered past his defense like a fish through water.
Got him!
The declaration of victory was on the tip of her tongue, but just as she was about to shout it, something flashed before her eyes. Her opponent's figure had vanished.
Not good! A sense of foreboding washed over Tetsuren. She quickly used her forward momentum to take two large steps.
When she turned around, the guy she had dismissed as a nobody was smiling at her. "That was close. I almost lost. Your sword is fast."
"Your evasion isn't slow either," Tetsuren said, her grip tightening on her sword hilt as her expression grew serious.
On the sidelines, Goshin had an appreciative look on his face. "Tetsuren's sword speed surpasses that of some official samurai. For him to be able to bend and sidestep into her blind spot in that instant... this kid is not simple."
"However, his left-handed strike was much slower. It doesn't look like he knows how to use a two-sword style," Mifune commented.
"Mm. It's likely just a boy wanting to look cool. We'll have to correct his thinking later. We can't let him go down the wrong path and waste his talent."
"Yes, sir!"
For the rest of the fight, Kaito adopted his previous passive-defensive strategy, wielding his two swords to create an impenetrable defense. Tetsuren might have been the strongest among these kids, but she was still no match for Uncle Beard in terms of raw power, and she couldn't find a way through Kaito's guard.
Her usual method of ending fights with two or three all-out swings became the very reason for her defeat.
After exhausting her stamina, Tetsuren inevitably faced her loss.
Mifune looked at Tetsuren, who no longer even had the strength to lift her sword, and took two steps forward to announce, "In this battle, the winner is Kaito!"
"Thank you for the match," Kaito said, letting out a sigh of relief. The girl had fought as if he were her father's killer, putting her full strength into every blow. Even his arms were trembling slightly now.
"..." Tetsuren bit her lip, her face a mask of defiance.
She was frustrated that Kaito had done nothing but defend, hiding like a turtle in its shell. It was nothing like the swordsmanship she envisioned.
"Tetsuren, are you frustrated?" Mifune saw right through her. "Do you believe that your go-for-broke style is the only true form of swordsmanship?"
"Yes!" Tetsuren nodded emphatically.
The expressions on the other disciples' faces showed that they shared her view.
"Hmph. All of you, remember this: swordsmanship is not such a simple thing!" Mifune declared loudly. "Gale, Stream, Lightning... from ancient times to the present, by imitating the power of nature, swordsmanship has already split into countless schools. Even within our Land of Iron, there are many different branches. Therefore, there has never been any single 'true' swordsmanship. It is all-encompassing and ever-changing!"
"Swordsmanship is all-encompassing..." The eyes of many disciples began to shine.
"However, everyone excels at a different style of swordsmanship. Tetsuren, you prefer a style that aims for a single, decisive blow, while Kaito is skilled in planning before acting, focusing on defense. Neither of these is superior or inferior. It's merely a matter of which one you prefer and are better suited for. That is all."
"I see." Hearing Mifune's words, the disciples felt as if they had been enlightened.
Tetsuren's fighting spirit was rekindled. She looked at Kaito and said earnestly, "Next time, I will definitely defeat you—with my go-for-broke swordsmanship!"
Uh, actually, I also prefer the one-hit-kill style of swordsmanship, Kaito complained silently in his head.
If you can finish an opponent quickly, why waste so much time defending? Isn't it just because I'm not strong enough?
Regardless, the duel had come to a perfect conclusion.
And Kaito's reward was to become the first person in the history of the Kenpu Dojo to be promoted from attendant to disciple on his very first day.
That night, after the lessons had ended, Goshin once again spoke with Mifune in private.
"That boy. What are your thoughts on him?"
"His talent is excellent. He's worth cultivating," Mifune said simply and clearly.
"Is that all?"
"Well... I don't know if it's my imagination, but I feel like his swordsmanship is very similar to someone's," Mifune said hesitantly.
"Who?"
"Senior Brother Okihira."
Hearing that name, a flash of sorrow crossed Goshin's eyes. After a long silence, he said, "Your feeling is correct. When you have time, go and ask him about his situation. At the very least, find out if Okihira is alive or dead."
"Yes, sir!"