"Ryosuke, do your best tomorrow! Shizuka-nee and I will be there to watch you!" Nibutani Shinka's face is radiant as she smiles and waves to Ryosuke at the restaurant door. It's rare to hear her give him encouragement without her usual chuunibyou speech, which surprises Ryosuke. He doesn't think too much of it and says goodbye to the girls before walking back to his inn.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where the Gyokuryu Flag tournament venue is?" a gentle male voice says from behind him.
Ryosuke turns to see a smiling boy around his age, wearing a blue kimono and holding a real sword in his left hand. His demeanor is polite and he seems completely harmless. Before coming to Fukuoka, Ryosuke had already checked the map, so he points in the right direction. "Thank you," the boy says cordially, and is about to leave.
Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind blows through. Leaves rustle on the trees, and branches and small stones on the ground are picked up and sent flying.
Krrrr~
A sound of wood and metal scraping against each other comes from a shop on the second floor of a building nearby. Ryosuke looks up and sees that the old, rotting wooden window, probably from years of disrepair, is flapping open and closed in the strong wind. The window finally gives way to the wind and crashes down. Below it stands a child, no more than five years old.
Ryosuke's pupils constrict and his entire body tenses up. In a flash, he uses his "divine speed" technique, Shinsoku, and rushes toward the child without hesitation. Ryosuke extends his arms, intending to grab the child and get him out of the way. Damn it, so close, so close. The last bit of distance feels as vast as an ocean, and the falling window is about to hit the child.
Bang!
Just before it hits the child, the window shatters. Ryosuke falls to the ground, holding the child. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The wind stops. The child immediately wails, and his mother rushes out of the store. She grabs her child from Ryosuke and feels a shiver of fear as she looks at the broken window on the ground.
"Thank you so, so much!" The mother bows repeatedly to Ryosuke before taking her child back inside.
Ryosuke gets up and dusts himself off. "You're very fast," the boy in the blue kimono says with a smile. He's standing near the shattered window and slowly sheaths his sword.
Kinnng!
The clang of the sword guard hitting the scabbard makes a crisp sound. The boy, having noticed that Ryosuke's skills are far beyond those of an ordinary person, and thinking of the tournament tomorrow, changes the subject. He asks softly, "By the way, are you a participant in the Gyokuryu Flag?"
"Yes."
Ryosuke nods, but his usual calm expression is gone, replaced with a solemn one. He looks at the blue-kimono boy with extreme caution, because the boy's speed is incredible. The Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu (Flying Sword Style) is a lightning-fast drawing technique known for its speed. Since childhood, he has been trained by his master to use it, and the speed he can achieve is far beyond what a normal person can do. Yet, even with his full speed, he was still just short of reaching the child. The boy in front of him, however, was able to draw his sword and shatter the window before Ryosuke could even get to the child. A speed of that caliber is even faster than Ryosuke's own.
As my master said, this world is never short of geniuses. The Gyokuryu Flag tournament truly is filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Hearing Ryosuke's positive response, the kimono-clad boy becomes very interested. "I've never met anyone whose speed is comparable to mine. You're so strong," the boy says excitedly, a beaming smile on his face. Just as he's about to continue speaking, a group of people calls out from a street corner. "Hey, Seta! Did you get lost again?"
Seta turns to them and waves with a smile. He then turns back to Ryosuke and says warmly, "Thank you for the directions. I look forward to facing you in the competition." As he watches the boy named Seta leave, Ryosuke heads back to his inn to meet up with his teammates.
The next day, the stands of the Gyokuryu Flag tournament venue are packed.
"President, are you sure about making me the General?" Hiratsuka Ryosuke asks. A team in the Gyokuryu Flag tournament consists of five people: the Vanguard, Second, Middle, Vice-General, and General. The order of appearance isn't necessarily based on skill. Because the Gyokuryu Flag has a "Fighting Spirit Award," some teams will even put their strongest person as the vanguard to win as many matches as possible. However, most teams have their most skilled and respected person as the General to anchor the team. From what Ryosuke knows about his president, he's not someone who likes to show off and values team honor above all else.
Takamachi Kyouya nods. "Hiratsuka, the Gyokuryu Flag doesn't have a preliminary round. The vanguard's results have a huge impact on the team's morale. It's the safest arrangement for me to lead the charge and win a few matches to start, and for you to be the General to anchor the team and secure the final victory." His experience tells him how much morale can affect a team. It's not that he doesn't trust his teammates, but aside from him, the other four are first-years who have never participated in a kendo tournament. For a competition of this level, it's crucial to ensure the younger teammates keep their confidence.
Ryosuke understands his president's good intentions and is about to agree when another voice sounds from the team. "President, please let me be the vanguard and open the way for everyone!"
Ryosuke and Kyouya both turn to look at the speaker. It's Hirata Ichiro, the one with the lowest presence on the team.
"Hirata, the vanguard position is very important. Are you confident?" Takamachi Kyouya doesn't immediately dismiss Hirata's suggestion; he values his teammates' opinions.
Hirata Ichiro sits up straight, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. His presence is calm and composed, like a samurai from the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. "President, the vanguard can test the enemy's strength. I want to play my part and contribute to the team." Hirata Ichiro's voice is strong and resonant. He remembers his timid self when he first came to Tokyo from Iwate Prefecture. He only started to change and become more like a man after he met Teacher Doraku and the members of the kendo club. This time, Hirata Ichiro doesn't choose to be a coward hiding behind his teammates; he chooses to be a brave swordsman.
"Not bad, Hirata. You've grown a lot," Doraku Utage says, taking the lollipop out of her mouth and praising him from the side. She then says softly, "Don't be nervous if you haven't participated in a match before. Stay calm, fight your opponent with courtesy, and show off the character of our Soubu Middle School. Fight with your heart."
Takamachi Kyouya thinks for a moment and doesn't refuse. As president, he sees a teammate filled with high fighting spirit and momentum. He then pats Hirata Ichiro's shoulder and says firmly, "Alright, I'll be the vice-general. The vanguard position is yours, Hirata."
A short time later, the announcement rings out in the venue. "Next up, from the red side, Tokyo's Soubu Middle School will face off against the blue side, Fukuoka Prefectural Higashi Chikushi Middle School!"
As the announcement ends, Doraku Utage crunches on her lollipop and, with a special pop and a voice full of energy, shouts, "Hirata, go kill that boy on the other side!"