Shinji Hirako and Gosuke Ksaōji walked onto the stage. Shinji glanced at Katori Sora standing at the edge of the stage and saw his professor give him an encouraging look. He took a deep breath. He couldn't lose this match; he needed to secure the first win for Class 1-2!
"It's not too late to surrender," Gosuke Ksaōji said casually.
"Well now, if I were to surrender, Professor Katori would skin me alive. Even if I can't win, I have to at least trade a few blows with you," Shinji said with a smile.
Hearing this, Gosuke said no more and assumed his stance. Shinji also held his sword with both hands and got into position.
"Good spirit," Head Ashido commented. Ever since Ōmaeda's dominant first match, the students of Class 1-2 had been timid when facing their opponents. Yet, Shinji appeared completely calm. Not only that, but a slight smile played on his lips. He showed no fear towards his famous and powerful opponent, looking quite relaxed.
"This Shinji Hirako is one of Professor Katori's disciples. It's a pity he's from the Rukongai and hasn't been training with him for long. I doubt he can win against Gosuke Ksaōji," Souke Tanuki said.
"Professor Katori's disciple?" Head Ashido was slightly taken aback, then quickly remembered hearing that the Katori Dojo had reopened. "It seems Professor Katori is the current master of the dojo. Then we can look forward to this fight."
Tokinada Tsunayashiro watched the two on stage with indifference. He didn't believe a new student from the Rukongai could defeat Gosuke, who was one of the best in his class.
On stage, Shinji looked relaxed, but he had already focused his mind, intently observing his opponent's movements. When Katori Sora announced the start of the match, Gosuke took a sharp step forward. His long basic training allowed him to maintain a perfect stance even while moving at high speed. He revealed no openings and, in a flash, had closed the distance, thrusting his sword with incredible speed at Shinji's face.
Shinji's lips curled into a grin, revealing a set of clean white teeth. With a quick flick of his wrist, his own sword shot out, aiming for Gosuke's throat.
Gosuke's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected Shinji to choose not to dodge, but to go for a mutual-kill tactic! If he didn't pull back now, his opponent's sword would pierce his throat before his own could hit its mark. This was because Shinji's arms were longer than his! This slight difference was now playing a crucial role.
Gosuke's advance halted. His strong fundamentals allowed him to change his move in an instant. He stopped his forward momentum and, with a turn, stepped to the left. In that moment, Gosuke's figure seemed to transform into a venomous snake, coiling around the sword that passed him by and striking towards Shinji's right shoulder.
However, Shinji's thrust had been a feint! He was betting that Gosuke would change his move. He hadn't put his full force into it, holding back to allow for a follow-up. Almost at the same instant that Gosuke stepped to the left, Shinji flicked his wrist, changing his thrust into an upward slash.
Shinji had bet correctly! If Gosuke continued with his strike, his hand would be hit first, and according to the rules, he would lose a point. It was as if Gosuke were actively throwing himself onto Shinji's blade. But Shinji's sword was too close; it was too late to defend. Gosuke could only throw himself into a roll on the ground, trying to dodge the upward slash.
However, rolling is not invincibility! Shinji seized the opening revealed as his opponent rolled and rushed forward. With a single slash, he struck Gosuke squarely on the back!
In just a few exchanges, Gosuke hadn't landed a single hit and had instead lost a point to Shinji. This astounded the watching Professors and students.
"Has this student really only been learning from Professor Katori for two months?" Head Ashido's eyes lit up. As a swordsman, he could see that Shinji's basics were already quite good, and his combat sense was very strong.
"It might not even have been two months. I heard from Professor Katori that Shinji was the last of his three disciples to join," Tanuki said, his mouth agape in disbelief.
"Class 1-2 has produced a genius!" Ashido exclaimed. He then turned to Tanuki. "You said he has three disciples. Are the other two also in his class? Are they geniuses like this too?"
"His other two disciples are Kana Azashiro and Kensei Muguruma. I don't know their exact strength; I haven't seen them train," Tanuki said.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro frowned, a faint sense of unease creeping into his mind.
"Damn it!" Gosuke stood up, his face flushed. He couldn't believe he had ended up in such a sorry state. He was a star student of this year's class, famous even among upperclassmen, and was being groomed by his family. Now, to be so humiliated by a commoner from the Rukongai—if word got back to his clan, he would be ridiculed!
Anger welled up in him. He gathered Spiritual Pressure at the edge of his blade, planning to crush Shinji head-on, just as Ōmaeda had done. "I didn't want to be so flashy, but since it's come to this, you can just lie down and stay down!" Gosuke said with a savage grin. Spiritual Pressure surged from his body as he unleashed a powerful slash at Shinji.
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