Kendo Club — Lunch Break
Inside the kendo club, two figures in full protective gear stood facing each other, locked in a tense duel.
"Haah!"
"Men!"
Minamoto Senya timed his advance perfectly, lunging forward with a decisive strike. His shinai slammed against his opponent's headguard with a sharp smack, echoing almost in sync with his shout.
The student acting as referee froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
Only when the red side's shinai drooped and Senya and his opponent exchanged bows did the referee finally raise his hand and shout, almost in shock:
"Men—valid! Black side wins!"
Senya immediately turned toward Busujima Saeko, who was removing her men-guard, concern flashing across his face.
"Senpai, are you okay? That last hit… I didn't hold back."
He knew just how much strength he put into that strike. These days, he could even beat his dad at arm-wrestling, and a moment ago he'd been swept up in the heat of the match, putting his full power into the blow. Even with protective gear, it couldn't have felt pleasant.
But Saeko just shook her head, smiling brightly.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Her joy was unmistakable.
In less than two weeks, Senya had given her more surprises than she could count. To call his progress "lightning-fast" was almost an understatement.
On the third day after starting kendo, she'd noticed how naturally he was beginning to control the shinai. Sparring with him no longer felt as easy as it did at first.
By the fifth day, under her guidance, he'd learned basic kendo techniques and forms. He had absorbed them instantly and put them to use in sparring. That day, Saeko had stopped taking him lightly—she suited up in full gear for the first time.
On the tenth day, Senya fought three club members in succession… and defeated them all cleanly.
And now, today, he had achieved his first official victory against her.
Yes, she had held back. But a win was a win. It couldn't be denied.
"Congratulations, Minamoto-kun," she said warmly. "That was clean and sharp—a very fine strike."
Senya shook his head quickly. "No, it's only because you taught me so well, Senpai."
"A teacher can only do so much. What matters is that the student has talent and puts in the effort."
Saeko didn't feel a shred of regret over losing. She was truly, honestly happy for him.
And when she looked at him now, her eyes didn't just hold gratitude and relief at having been accepted.There was admiration. Respect. Recognition. Complex emotions layered one atop another.
"Let me help you out of your dō," she offered.
"Ah, thank you, Senpai."
She leaned close, undoing the chest guard. But even after loosening the straps, she didn't step away. Instead, her slender fingers brushed across his chest, then squeezed gently at the muscles of his arm. Her eyes softened, almost dreamy, as if she'd had too much to drink.
"Your body's developing so well… strong, full of energy, perfectly built. Minamoto-kun, you really are… flawless."
Senya stiffened, caught between embarrassment and resignation.
After two weeks of training with her, he knew Saeko wasn't hitting on him, nor did she harbor some Hannibal-like obsession with human flesh.
No—this was just Saeko's pure devotion to kendo. She couldn't help but admire a body perfectly suited for it.
After all, beyond technique and experience, kendo ultimately came down to physique, power, and speed. And Senya excelled in all three.
For a woman like Saeko, born at a disadvantage in sheer physicality, it was only natural she'd look at him this way.
They were used to close contact like this during training, so Senya tried to stay calm.
But across the room, the vice-captain of the kendo club scowled, muttering darkly.
"Tch… what's so good about that pretty-boy? And the captain—seriously? All she does now is hover around him, ignoring everyone else!"
His hangers-on snickered, ready to chime in—
—when a loud, mocking voice cut through the room.
"Oi, if you've got something to say, say it to his face! Talking crap behind someone's back—what kind of pathetic move is that?"
All eyes turned toward the intruder: Sunohara Yohei.
The boy was brash by nature, and today he'd come looking for Senya. Hearing someone badmouth his friend, he'd instantly exploded.
"You—!"
"What, got a problem? Wanna settle it with your fists?"
The commotion drew everyone's attention. Saeko quickly rose and strode over, her presence silencing the clubroom.
"What's going on here?" Her tone carried the weight of authority.
The vice-captain, caught out, went pale. He knew he couldn't win against Saeko in popularity or skill. Muttering under his breath, he gathered his cronies and left.
"Pathetic," Yohei spat at their retreating backs.
Saeko frowned slightly at his language, but let it go. "Alright, everyone—back to practice."
Senya approached his friend. "Yohei. What are you doing here?"
Yohei's demeanor shifted immediately. He scratched his cheek, grinning sheepishly.
"Well, uh… I've been reflecting on my mistakes lately. I didn't know you had sisters back then, so yeah, I screwed up. To make it up, here—take these!"
He shoved a few books into Senya's hands. They were all about kendo.
Saeko glanced over and nodded approvingly. "These are solid introductions to kendo history and etiquette. I read them myself when I was starting out. Not bad at all."
With Senpai's recommendation, Senya accepted them. "Thanks. And… thanks for earlier, too."
Yohei waved it off. "Nah, don't mention it. Anyway, I'm starving—I'm off to grab some food."
Senya smiled. "Perfect timing. I haven't eaten either. Let's go together—my treat."
He invited Saeko as well, but she declined, busy coaching other members. Still, she made sure to add:
"Come back this afternoon. Then we'll head to my place for more training."
Senya nodded without hesitation.
On the way to the school shop, Yohei smirked. "Man, you and Saeko-senpai sure are close, huh?"
Senya didn't deny it.
He was spending as much time with Saeko now as he used to with Yukino—if not more.
Back then, no matter how close he and Yukino were, school was the limit. After class, they went their separate ways. He could count on one hand how many times he'd visited her house.
But with Saeko, things were different. He'd been in and out of her home over a dozen times already. Most evenings, he even ate dinner there.
She taught him earnestly, massaged his arms after practice, gifted him a bokken, and cooked balanced, nutritious meals for him every night.
When he praised her sautéed cod the other week, she'd remembered. The very next evening, she'd recreated the dish with even better ingredients—special cuts she'd gone out of her way to source.
All this kindness… surely outweighed the small favor he'd done for her back at the police station.
He owed her. He needed to think of how to repay it.
As they neared the school shop, they ran into Sawamura Spencer Eriri and Rikka.
"Oh, Senya! What a coincidence." Rikka's eyes sparkled—she knew her "onii-chan" would insist on paying for whatever she picked out. Having an older brother was pure happiness!
She even gave Yohei a polite greeting. He grinned back, remembering how he'd once tried to clear his name to her, showing receipts to prove that infamous book and CD were his doing, not Senya's. Despite his eccentricities, he was easy to get along with.
Eriri, meanwhile, offered only a brief hello.
On the way out with their food, she hesitated, then finally asked:
"Senya… are we walking home together today?"
He shook his head. "I'll be at kendo club after school, and then over to Saeko-senpai's place to train. Not today."
Eriri's face fell. As she expected.
The whole afternoon, she could barely focus in class. Her childhood friend felt farther and farther away.
Back when Yukino was around, things had been different. But now… everything had changed.
She wanted to fix it. But how? What could she do?
If only Yukino were still here. She'd know exactly what to say.
During break, Eriri listlessly scrolled through her phone—until the voices of nearby girls drifted into her ears.
"Hey, don't you think Minamoto Senya's been dating Busujima-senpai lately?"
"Totally! I saw them walking home together once."
"No way!"
"It's true! They're always together at school too. If that's not dating, what else could it be?"
"Ugh… I know I don't have a chance, but hearing that still hurts…"
"Don't you have a childhood friend?"
"Pfft. He's not even worth Senya's toenail."
Eriri nearly burst out laughing. The poor guy—if he knew he was losing out to someone's toenail, he'd flip a table.
Still, their rumor didn't worry her.
She might not see Senya as often now, but Rikka did, and through her she kept up with him.
Dating? No way.
He was just obsessed with kendo right now. And Saeko-senpai, recognizing his talent, was giving him extra attention. Nothing romantic about it.
"Middle schoolers shouldn't be worrying about romance anyway. Focus on your studies," Eriri muttered, echoing Senya's own words to Rikka at home.
So no—she wasn't worried about that.
But then, as she scrolled her feed, an anime poster popped up. A magical girl series.
Her breath caught.
Her mind flashed back. Memories she hadn't thought about in years resurfaced all at once.
"...!!"
Her eyes widened in horror.
Wait. No way. This lined up too perfectly.
Long hair… check.
Kendo… check.
Strong… check.
Cool on the outside, warm on the inside… check.
A true Yamato Nadeshiko… yes, Saeko-senpai had that air about her too.
And then she remembered Senya's words from long ago:
"Of course—because I'm your comrade! Ai-chan, the Yamato Nadeshiko type, cool on the outside but warm on the inside, is the best, right?"
Her heart stopped.
"...!!!"
No. No no no!
Senya had… he'd found his real-life Ai-chan!
Sawamura Spencer Eriri clutched her head, trembling in disbelief.
It all made sense now—his sudden passion for kendo, his closeness with Saeko, even going to her house after school.
Everything fit.
What was she supposed to do?
There was only one answer.
Yukino.
She had to tell Yukino.
Half a world away, Yukinoshita Yukino had just woken up, ready to start her morning. Her phone buzzed.
She opened it to find a crying sticker sent from Eriri.
Blinking in confusion, Yukino tilted her head.
"…?"