Yuma's Miserable Defeat

Shin finished explaining and then focused on watching the match. After the players took their positions, Ippei shouted, "Rei(礼)!"

Both sides bowed to each other, and Ippei called out again, "Ready!"

With the command, Haruka slowly rose with her sword in both hands, assuming a mid-level stance, while Yuma raised his sword high above his head. With nearly a thirty-centimeter height difference, it seemed like an adult facing a child, exuding an overwhelming arrogance.

Shin frowned and muttered, "What a fellow! He"s too arrogant!"

Kazuya who was unfamiliar with Kendo, asked, "What"s wrong, Shimazaki?"

Shin explained in detail, "Generally, there are five common starting postures in Kendo: upper-level, mid-level, lower-level, eight-phase, and rib-waist postures."

The upper-level posture is advantageous for offense but leaves the chest and abdomen exposed, making it weak in defense. The mid-level posture offers a balance between offense and defense, making it the most commonly used. The lower-level posture is defensive, suitable for counterattacks or wearing down the opponent, but it has become less popular due to its predictable nature.

The eight-phase posture is for group combat, not commonly used in modern one-on-one Kendo matches. The rib-waist posture hides the sword behind the body, making it difficult for the opponent to judge the direction and length of the sword, but it"s not effective in present matches where the length of bamboo swords is regulated. In this case, it"s the five basic starting postures, and others can be generated from them.

Yuma clearly didn"t take Haruka seriously. He probably thought that even if she has practiced for a longer time, his height, arm length, and strength gave him the advantage, making it impossible for her to defy common sense. He likely intended to gain attention by defeating Haruka in one strike, showcasing his prowess to the onlooking upperclasswoman.

Yuma"s lack of composure is evident, and Kazuya can"t do much about it. Ippei vigorously signaled, "Begin!"

"Ah —!" With Ippei"s command, Haruka, maintaining the mid-level posture, suddenly tightened her body, appearing to shrink by a size. Meanwhile, she emitted a shocking roar, filled with an unstoppable, resolute force.

Yuma was startled by her roar, hesitating even in the act of stepping forward. Haruka"s eyes contracted, and as Yuma"s foot was about to touch the ground, she suddenly sprung up like a tightly wound spring. Taking a heavy step, she thrust her sword straight forward, roaring once again, "Stab —!"

With a loud bang, Yuma was sent flying, rolling out of bounds.

Kazuya and Shin quickly stood up, but the outcome was decided in an instant. They rushed toward Yuma.

The arena fell into a momentary silence. Even Ippei was lost in thought. A thrust requires strong power, speed, keen eyesight, and the ability to seize opportunities. It is rarely used by adult female kendo players, let alone high school girls. It is occasionally seen on the national competition stage, but using such a move in a practice match seemed a bit excessive.

Thrusting is different from striking: it is hard to determine the target precisely, and hitting an unprotected area can easily cause injury. Fortunately, Haruka"s thrust was accurate, hitting the resin board protecting the throat. However, Yuma still held his breath, albeit mostly from being thrown. Although most of the impact came from the fall, being sent flying by a single strike from a bamboo sword was astonishing.

Haruka swung her bamboo sword satisfactorily. Despite not practicing much over the past year, her foundation in Kendo hadn"t deteriorated significantly. She strolled with small steps toward Yuma, who was still dazed. Without caring whether he could hear her or not, she taunted him, "Oh my god, are you okay? Don"t blame me. If you want to blame someone, just blame yourself for hanging out with Matsuoka! This is a lesson for you. Manage your mouth and don"t speak recklessly! Otherwise, I"ll beat you up every time I see you!"

Kazuya couldn"t help but frown as he looked at Haruka. Winning is one thing, but mocking Yuma after the victory seemed a bit unreasonable. Moreover, even if Yuma was a bit arrogant, he hadn"t really offended her. What does it have to do with her that he hangs out with him? Does being associated with him mean getting beaten up?

He stood in front of Yuma and asked sternly, "Sakura, what do you mean by this?"

Haruka immediately shifted her gaze to him, giving him a once-over. She smirked, neither sincerely nor insincerely, "Matsuoka, are you angry? Haha, don"t be in a hurry, it"s your turn! But you probably won"t dare. What a pity... Your lackey took the blow for you!"

Her voice carried disdain with a hint of delight because she could make Kazuya feel uncomfortable. Even if it was just nauseating him, it would satisfy her. She released a deep-seated resentment, saying, "I can understand if you"re too scared... Hey, even if you defeat me once in an exam, so what? Overall, I"m greater than you!"

Kazuya looked at Haruka, but through the faceguard, he could only see her bright eyes. He still couldn"t figure out where he had offended this little troublemaker. It seemed related to their entrance exam scores, but he wasn"t the only one; there was someone above him. Even if she wanted to find the culprit, she should go to him first.

However, facing the challenge, he didn"t defend himself. He had never practiced Kendo, and currently, he was just a frail student. Even dealing with a small animal was a bit difficult for him. He slowly stood up, gazing directly into Haruka"s eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Shin rose faster than him, angrily questioning, "With your skill, you don"t need such a dangerous move to win. Why use such a dangerous move!"

His eyes even showed a hint of redness, surprising Haruka for a moment. But she quickly resisted, saying defiantly, "Why did him use an upper-level posture then? Those who insult others will be insulted in return. He brought it upon himself! And what"s wrong with thrusting? I"ve been stabbed countless times since I was a child. Is it against Kendo rules to use thrusts? Is it my fault he"s too weak? Even if he won once, so what? Overall, I win!"

Her small mouth rattled like a machine gun, making Shin unable to speak. He could only clench his fists in anger and say, "Ok! It serves him right? Then, I"ll fight you instead!"

Haruka didn"t agree, "I"m not interested in fighting you, Gigo... Matsuoka, if you"re not confident enough, just forget it. Bullying the weak isn"t my style."

She felt self-righteous in her words, but to Shin, it sounded like a blatant insult. Instead of just his face, even his neck turned red. He turned around and was about to go to the changing room to put on his gear, but Ippei, who had finished checking the situation of Yuma, stopped their dispute, "Stop! This is the Kendo dojo. Hold the sword with courtesy; it"s not the place for settling personal grievances."

After hearing a few sentences, he also felt that Haruka and these three were incompatible. What the hell kind of practice match is it. It was purely an excuse for them to have a legal brawl.

Haruka didn"t want to confront the senior students head-on, so she shut her mouth. But Shin was still very angry and shouted, "But..."

"What happened?" A stern voice came from the entrance. "Why are you all gathered here without practicing? Don"t you know what it means to be ashamed and then brave? Didn"t you lose miserably in the last county competition?"