"See?"
While Sona was proud, Rias was speechless before she let out a helpless sigh. "It was the same tricks as always."
"That's why he is better at my place than yours." Sona shook her head and said, "Your team isn't suitable for him, Rias." Frankly, she was being polite as she knew well how simple Rias was, or rather, Rias was a bit idiotic.
"No, it's because of how bright he is that it is better for him to be in my place."
Yet, as Sato had shown his worth and won against Kiba, who had trained his swordsmanship under her older brother's knight again for a while, Rias wanted Sato even more!
"Rias."
Still, Sona wasn't going to back down. "I can lend him to you later when you need him, but he is mine. I have given up that one for you, after all, or should I take that one instead?"
"...you want that one?" Rias looked strangely at Sona.
"No."
Yes, even if that "one" had good potential, becoming one of the strongest, especially with what that "one" owned within him, Sona really had no idea how to take that "one" from Rias.
"Go ahead. You can have him."
"But I also need Suzuki-kun."
"That one is for me, Rias."
As the two argued, Sato let out a helpless sigh, then extended his hand toward Kiba. "Are you okay?"
"...yeah."
Kiba was disappointed, letting out a helpless sigh before he grasped his hand. "I thought that I could win..." He had trained so hard, yet the result was the same.
"If it's pure swordsmanship, then I will lose to you."
If Sato didn't play dirty and just used pure swordsmanship in his duel against Kiba, he knew that his victory wouldn't be guaranteed. Then again, he hated losing, so if Kiba somehow might win the duel, he felt that he might start to play dirty to make the duel into a draw or not count.
"No, losing is losing. I am not a loser, and your way, even if the others might not accept it as swordsmanship, I believe that it is still one, or rather, if someone dares to make fun of you, I will strike them."
Kiba knew that, despite often using dirty tricks, traps, and everything within reach to turn the duel into the defeat of his opponent, Sato worked hard, or rather, his hard work was even harder than his.
"..."
While Kiba's words were weird, Sato smiled. "It's good to know that you don't have to be prejudiced toward it."
"Can you teach me?"
If Kiba could be taught by Sato, then...
"My technique isn't suitable for you." Sato shook his head and refused Kiba without hesitation. Partly, he was lazy as he didn't really want to spend more time than needed with Kiba, as this guy... was a bit... ambiguous in that area.
"You are more straightforward and pure instead of being crafty like me."
More importantly, he didn't think that his style was suitable for Kiba, as, instead of pure swordsmanship, he was more like... he would do anything to win.
Yes, his fighting style was more of a method for staying alive and approaching a battle with the highest chance of winning. It relied on his adaptability and the use of his surroundings.
So, unlike Kiba or Kiba's teacher, Okita Shoji, who refined his technique to the limit, Sato was like a jack-of-all-trades. Instead of trying to develop one ultimate technique, he developed many tricks to win.
Or rather, sometimes, to win, Sato would even lock Kiba's fingers, sweep the feet, and take advantage of Kiba's weaknesses.
"But, next time, I won't lose."
Yet, even so, Kiba vowed that he wouldn't lose.
"Say that after you win against me."
Sato's potential might be limited due to his Twice Critical, as it was impossible for him to grow into the strongest unless he was given thousands or millions of years. He was just born with a human body, a mortal, with average quality, yet, even so, with such a limitation, he could defeat the fastest knight, Kiba Yuuto.
If Sato tried to make himself down, as if it were a fluke, or thought that his potential was lower than Kiba's, then he couldn't be happy with himself, always lowering himself, thinking that he was inferior to others, when the truth, that wasn't the case at all since he believed that even with his limited potentials, he definitely could stand side by side, or fought toe-to-toe with those known as the strongest.
It might not be now, or it might not even be seen in the short moment, but Sato was sure of it.
Yet, as they had their exchanges, those in the surroundings quickly gawked at them, but Sato ignored them and asked, "By the way, tell me how you swung that sword earlier!"
"...."
Yes, Kiba knew that he was working hard, but he had to work harder, or else it would be impossible to defeat Sato.
Still, as everyone started their training late, Sato wanted to go back, but—
"...you want me to stay in the girls' changing room while you change?"
"Yes!"
Whether it was Katase, Murayama, or all the female members, they gave the same answer, wishing him to stay in the changing room when they changed.
Sato was speechless and quickly turned toward Kiba, but somehow, this guy had run away.
'Fucking femboy!'
Sato cursed Kiba inside his mind before he looked at them and asked, "Can I ask the reason?"
"There were perverts who peeked at us!"
"....."
Sato turned his head toward Aika, who quickly looked at him angrily!
"I might be a pervert, but I am straight! I like men!"
Aika wanted a dick rather than a pussy!
She also loved the big one!
Like his~!
"...sorry." Sato felt sorry since while he knew that Aika was a pervert, there should be a limit to how perverted she was, right?
"It's fine." Aika shook her head as she smiled softly, liking this straightforward part of him, then made a request. "But as they have told you before, when we changed before, we felt like someone was peeking on us."
"You should make a report, then."
However, everyone showed a bitter smile since no one wanted to make a big deal.
Still, while Sato was afraid that the regulation might hit him, he knew that he had to protect them, and frankly, while they were all charming, he wanted everything to be proper, so let's wait till a few years later, when they all had become university students.
It was just two years.
It wasn't long, right?
"Okay." Sato nodded. "If there are really perverts, then I will make sure that they won't be able to peek at you anymore, but before that, let me check the changing room to see whether there are secret cameras or not."
"Thank you, Suzuki-kun."
"As expected, we can rely on you."
"I am the captain, after all. You should have told me this earlier."
As he said so, he waved his hand, telling them that everything was okay. "Okay, I will check on the locker room now."
"Thanks!"
Yet, as he turned and walked toward the locker room, hoping that the girls were just paranoid, all the female members of the kendo club looked at each other with a mischievous smile that wasn't appropriate.