Gion

Gion tilted her head and said, "Of course I have my own reasons for looking for Gigue. Since he's not here, I'll be leaving."

As she spoke, Gion brushed past Ginny and turned to leave without looking back.

Ginny frowned slightly. She instantly flashed in front of Gion and said, "I've known Brother Gigue since we were kids. If you have something to say, you can tell me first. I'll tell him when he gets back."

Gion was startled by Ginny's speed. Hearing about Ginny's relationship with Gigue, she immediately stopped and asked with interest, "Oh? So you're childhood sweethearts. No wonder you looked so nervous, little sister. Are you Gigue's girlfriend?"

"Wha-wha-what are you talking about! My, my relationship with Brother Gigue isn't what you think..."

Ginny's face turned bright red as she stood rooted to the spot, twisting the hem of her clothes. Jessica, who had followed them, slapped her forehead in exasperation, thinking, She's hopeless.

Gion smiled slightly. She pointed a finger at Ginny's chest, feeling the elastic touch, and teased, "So I was wrong. You're just harboring a one-sided crush right now, aren't you?"

At this, Ginny became like a startled kitten, her fur on end. She shouted indignantly, "You're the one with the one-sided crush! Brother Gigue definitely, definitely..."

"Definitely what?"

Ginny stammered for a long time without getting anything out. She shook her head forcefully and said angrily, "It's none of your business! Just tell me what you wanted with Brother Gigue!"

Gion shrugged, her left hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist, gently stroking it. She said, "Of course, I want to see the strength of the strongest student of this batch. Sister Tsuru has always praised him highly."

Hearing that Gion was here to challenge him, before Ginny could speak, Kashou stepped forward again and said, "Then how about Miss Gion spar with me first? I see you use a sword too, don't you?"

Momonga and the others pouted, thinking that Kashou was clearly just trying to show off in front of a beautiful woman while Gigue and the other three were away.

Speaking of which, Kashou was truly a tsundere. He always looked smiling and honest on the outside, but in reality, he got more excited than anyone when he saw a beautiful woman.

In the manga, he even had the glorious record of being completely petrified by the Empress. Compared to Momonga, who had faced the Empress before, it was quite embarrassing.

Gion sized up Kashou slightly and nodded gently. She said, "Alright, it's a bit against the rules to challenge the strongest right off the bat."

As she spoke, she slowly drew the sword at her waist, performed a swordsman's bow to Kashou, her expression extremely serious.

Kashou quickly returned the bow, drawing his own katana. Momonga, standing nearby, suddenly spoke up, "Miss Gion, if I'm not mistaken, that sword in your hand is the Famous Sword Konpira, isn't it?"

As a pure swordsman, Momonga was familiar with most of the existing Famous Swords and remembered their appearances clearly. He often looked at books of Famous Swords late at night... to fall asleep!

Gion therefore looked at him with a bit more respect and said softly, "That's right. This Konpira was a birthday gift from Sister Tsuru. I like it very much."

"Sister Tsuru... I wanted to ask this earlier, when Miss Gion mentioned Sister Tsuru, did you mean Vice Admiral Tsuru?"

"Yes."

"Hiss..."

Upon receiving Gion's confirmation, everyone gasped. Vice Admiral Tsuru's prestige within Headquarters was sky-high; she was in the same tier as Admirals like Sengoku.

For students like Momonga, this background was equivalent to being from a veritable Navy noble family.

Jessica leaned over to Ginny and whispered, "She's Vice Admiral Tsuru's sister? Gigue getting involved with someone like that is going to be troublesome!"

Ginny, who had been calm throughout, simply nodded and hummed. She was completely unfazed by Gion's background.

In her opinion, no matter how great someone's background was, could it be greater than her Brother Gigue's?

Kashou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, already regretting his decision.

This was Vice Admiral Tsuru's sister! If he accidentally injured her by going too hard... Although Vice Admiral Tsuru herself wouldn't hold it against him, who knew if someone else would step in to defend her honor!

Gion seemed to anticipate their thoughts. She chuckled lightly, "Don't worry, we're just having a normal spar. There won't be any messy entanglements. Besides..."

A sharp cold light flashed across Konpira's blade. Gion's entire aura changed, losing all trace of feminine softness. Her voice turned icy, "I don't believe I'm weaker than any man!"

Gion's figure vanished from her spot. The next second, she appeared behind Kashou, thrusting Konpira towards his lower back.

Driven by a man's instinct, Kashou unleashed astonishing reaction speed. He spun around violently, raising his sword to block Gion's attack.

The vibration from the sword made Kashou completely abandon any frivolous thoughts. He roared, using brute force to push Gion away, then his long sword began to vibrate at an incredibly high frequency.

As soon as Gion landed, she saw flames erupting from Kashou's sword. She narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "A flame formed by high-speed friction with the air, a peculiar technique."

Kashou gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, leaped, and slashed down fiercely towards Gion below.

Facing this powerful blow, Gion didn't choose to meet it head-on. Instead, she once again used her agile footwork to easily evade it, gaining distance from Kashou in the process.

As Kashou prepared to draw his sword and pursue again, Gion suddenly sheathed Konpira. She tilted her body slightly, assuming a drawing stance.

Compared to Kashou, whose movements were broad and powerful, Gion seemed to be completely still. As the distance between her and Kashou closed, she finally moved.

Konpira was drawn from its scabbard once more, tracing a beautiful arc through the air. A pink sword energy bloomed from it, striking Kashou's katana precisely.

After completing the move, Gion twirled her sword and turned towards Momonga and the others watching from the side, seemingly declaring her victory.

Kashou gritted his teeth, still resisting Gion's sword energy. However, he couldn't hold on for more than a few seconds. He was sent flying, along with his sword, and landed on the ground in a sorry state.

Momonga watched Gion approach with a solemn expression and murmured, "She actually unleashed sword energy! Is this to be expected from Vice Admiral Tsuru's sister...?"

Facing everyone's amazed gazes, Gion placed one hand on her hip, a bright smile reappearing on her face. She said loudly, "If this is the level of the Marine Academy, then perhaps I don't need to wait for Gigue to return."