Chapter 6: Reyoma vs Aimi

As the first light of dawn began to paint the sky in hues of pale pink and lavender, the garden of the Reyoma's house stirred to life with a gentle rustle of leaves and the soft chirping of awakening birds. The air was cool and crisp.

As duelist faced each other on the training grounds, Aimi and Reyoma exchanged a knowing glance, a silent acknowledgment of the challenge ahead, and took their stances. Reyoma's stance held his sword with both hands in front of him in a middle stance, his foot touching the ground in the Akatsuki style of fighting, which emphasized domination and deflection. On the other hand, Aimi's stance held her sword in her right hand, pointing downward, while her other hand gripped a tanto sheathed at her waist. Her battle style was graceful and elegant, with only her toes touching the ground, in Aimi's own invented style inspired and taught by Ayaka. With a nod from Ayaka, they lunged into action.

Aimi, with her keen intellect and strategic mind, took the initiative. She, with her calm footing, moved closer to Reyoma, aiming to land an attack. However, as Reyoma didn't give any opening and remained calm, she skillfully retreated a couple of steps, ensuring she wouldn't get hit. Her movements were calculated and precise, analyzing his every twitch and feint. 'If he doesn't give any opening, I have to create one,' she thought. With that thinking, she suddenly raised her wakizashi from the downward right-hand side to the upward left-hand side by turning her waist a bit, while also secretly unsheathing her tanto from her left hand.

Reyoma, who was observing all of this while thinking, 'Is this another deception, or is she really going to strike this time? I shouldn't forget about her tanto; she might throw it before striking or first strike and then throw it at me. I should think before moving. Ahhhh... why is my head hurting so much tod...'

Before he could complete his thought, though, Aimi rushed toward him with calculated steps and slashed down her wakizashi, aiming at his katana intentionally while hiding her tanto the entire time.

Reyoma deflected the first strike, but instead of attacking, he continued to defend. While he managed to deflect the strike without staggering, she was staggered back by a little from that powerful deflection, feeling the wakizashi drawing in the air as she struck again. She thought, 'If he deflects atleast five of my strikes, there will be a possibility of him breaking my posture and taking advantage of it. I should retreat after this strike; he might even give me an opening...'

Reyoma deflected another strike, thinking, 'It's good for me if she keeps striking; I could break her posture. The problem, though, is if she retreats, I won't have anything to do because of her tanto. Yeah, I should keep in mind that it could unsheathe... ahhh, my head's hurting again. I won't be able to think properly if my head keeps hurting, and I will lose... ahh...'

Aimi, after completing her slash and taking advantage of Reyoma's stagger, swiftly retreated, her tanto still hidden behind her back, its unsheath perfectly concealed during the strikes. In the end, Reyoma was unable to do anything but hold his position. It was clear that he was at a disadvantage in terms of movement from the start, but Reyoma was planning something else, even as his head continued to hurt uncontrollably.

Ayaka, witnessing all of this, couldn't help but curl up her black lips into a mesmerizing smile.

Aimi thought of taking the initiative again, but to her surprise, Reyoma, for the first time, moved from his position. 'Unexpected. I should be more careful.' Reyoma, meeting Aimi's eyes and trying to read her next move, cautiously took slow steps closer to her, almost burning his mind with thinking and the pain in his head. As he approached striking range, he suddenly loosened his grip, almost letting his katana drop. Aimi, surprised by the sudden change, got distracted for a split second.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Reyoma tightened his grip on his katana and maneuvered it into an upward slash. Aimi parried it with her hidden tanto, countering with an upward strike, leaving Reyoma's full upper body open.

Seizing an irreplaceable advantage, Aimi thrust her wakizashi toward Reyoma's abdomen. However, Reyoma had already anticipated the turn of events and countered the thrust by stepping on the wakizashi with one leg, completely destroying Aimi's posture. Taking advantage of this, he brought the katana, which was held above his head, down in a downward slash toward the falling Aimi. But Aimi, being at a disadvantage, let go of her wakizashi, gripped her tanto while falling, and stopped her descent by kneeling on one knee. She thrust her tanto toward Reyoma's torso and stopped just short of hitting him, while Reyoma's katana stopped at Aimi's head, ending the battle in a draw.

As they took a moment to catch their breath, Reyoma wiped the sweat from his brow, his expression thoughtful. "That was quite the bout," he remarked, his voice tinged with admiration for Aimi's skill.

Aimi nodded in agreement, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Indeed," she replied, her tone filled with mutual respect. "You were better then before, Reyoma. I'll have to be even more prepared next time."

Ayaka, overhearing their exchange, nodded approvingly. "Remember, the path to mastery is paved with challenges," she reminded them, her voice gentle yet firm. "Embrace each obstacle as an opportunity to grow, and you will continue to progress."

As Reyoma and Aimi stood before Ayaka, their chests heaving from their intense sparring session, they braced themselves for whatever words of wisdom or critique their mentor had to offer.

Ayaka's piercing gaze swept over them, her expression unreadable. "You both fought very well today," she began, her voice carrying a weight of authority. "But there were mistakes made that must be addressed."

Reyoma nodded solemnly, his brow furrowing as he awaited Ayaka's evaluation. "Of course, mother," he replied respectfully, his tone tinged with a hint of frustration at his own shortcomings.

Aimi, ever eager to learn and improve, nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ayaka-sama," she chimed in, her voice tinged with determination. "Please, enlighten us on where we went wrong."

Ayaka's lips curved into a slight smile, though there was a firmness in her gaze as she began to outline their errors. "Aimi," she began, her tone measured, "you retreated after your initial strike, allowing Reyoma to regain his stance and potentially counterattack. You should have followed up with a series of attacks to maintain the pressure."

Aimi's expression flickered with acknowledgment, though she maintained her composure. "I see," she replied, her voice steady. "I'll remember to stay on the offensive next time."

Ayaka turned her attention to Reyoma, her gaze unwavering. "And you, Reyoma," she continued, her tone holding a note of reproach, "you failed to capitalize on Aimi's initial retreat and stagger. You could have pressed your advantage more aggressively."

Reyoma winced inwardly at the critique, though he knew it was warranted. "I apologize, Mother," he responded, his voice tinged with chagrin. "I'll strive to be more decisive in the future." Even now, Reyoma was experiencing continuous headaches. 'Sigh... I guess it's because of bathing in the cold water of the river. I should switch to hot water from now on, I think.'

"All in all, it is enough for today. You guys should be having your first theory classes about now," she said, and turned to Aimi, addressing her with a polite smile. "Aimi, you should leave first. Exit from the back door and make sure no one sees you."