Fujimura Raika's forehead twitched faintly. Just as everyone in the room thought he was about to blow his top, the old man suddenly burst out laughing.
"Kid, what's your name?" the old man asked.
"Shirou Amamiya," the boy replied.
Fujimura Raika stroked his chin. "Shirou, I have a feeling you and I will get along quite well."
Shirou said happily, "Then, as proof of our friendship, could you waive Sato's debt?"
Fujimura Raika covered his face. "Hmm... Young man, aren't you being a little too realistic? Are all kids these days like this?"
"Don't worry, old man. I'm the only one like this."
"Hahahahahaha! That's a relief!"
The old man and the boy exchanged a knowing look, while everyone around them wore utterly bewildered expressions.
Fujimura Raika reined in his laughter and said, "Shirou, I can waive the interest on your debt, but I have one condition."
"Please, go ahead."
The old man rose from the sofa.
"I'm in the yakuza, after all. There's only one way to settle disputes, isn't there? Violence, of course."
As he cracked his knuckles, he looked down at the boy and the wooden sword beside him. "Shirou Amamiya, let's have a match!"
Old man, are you some kind of Pokemon trainer?
Shirou said, "So if I defeat the strongest person in the Fujimura Group, my debt will be waived, right?"
The yakuza boss nodded. "Exactly! Hey, bring me my sword..."
Shirou turned to the uniformed girl beside him. "That's the situation, so could you have a match with me, big sis...?"
"My name is Taiga Fujimura."
The strongest uniformed girl in the Fujimura Group smiled as she bent down and picked up the "Dōyōko" beside Shirou.
"Wooden swords are too dangerous. Big Sis is confiscating this."
Ah... That sword's actual special property is that no matter how hard you use it, it absolutely can't kill anyone, Shirou thought regretfully.
The moment Taiga Fujimura stepped into the office, Shirou sensed an extraordinary presence.
Although she looked like a cheerful young woman in the prime of her youth, her movements and breathing were as natural as those of a knight tempered through countless trials.
Her well-proportioned figure was the result of grueling training, while her rounded thighs had the perfect balance of muscle and fat.
Shirou immediately concluded that this seemingly frivolous big sister was far from ordinary.
As it turned out, he was right.
Taiga Fujimura—
She was the granddaughter of Fujimura Group leader Fujimura Raika and an active middle school student at Hohyunohara Academy.
At the same time, she was an invincible kendo girl who had dominated various official national competitions since the age of fourteen. Not even third-year students could stand against her, and she was known as the "Tiger of Fuyuki."
I didn't expect the Pan-Human History to have such a powerhouse.
Shirou thought with awe. The Fujimura Group really isn't all talk!
...Though she wasn't actually a member.
"Then, please go easy on me."
In the dojo under the Fujimura Group, a fourteen-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy faced each other from opposite sides.
"I'm the strongest in the Fujimura Group! Taiga! Get down here and let me fight Shirou!"
Fujimura Raika was held back by the Yakuza Clones at the edge of the dojo, shouting and making a scene.
Ignoring the commotion around her, Taiga Fujimura gripped her beloved sword, the "Tiger Bamboo Sword," with both hands and assumed a flawless stance.
"Let me make this clear beforehand: even if my opponent is a child, I won't hold back, okay?"
Shirou nodded. "That's exactly what I want. Bring it on."
The time had come to put it to the test.
He wanted to know whether the countless Martial Arts he had honed in the Fae Kingdom would work in the Pan-Human History as well.
"Then here I go, Shirou!"
Taiga Fujimura was full of energy.
The red-haired boy silently raised the shinai he had received from the girl.
Compared to a sharp wooden sword, a bamboo sword equipped with protective measures was safer and better suited for practicing Martial Arts—
"Huh?"
The bamboo sword in Shirou's hands snapped at the base.
"Wait, I think there's something wrong with my sword..."
"No excuses!! Only the weak like making excuses! Haaah!!!"
The "Tiger of Fuyuki" charged forward with overwhelming force and brought her sword down toward Shirou's head before the referee could call the start.
Volume One 017: The Kendo Showdown
The invincible "Tiger of Fuyuki" fell.
Just seconds earlier, Shirou had still been staring blankly at the broken bamboo sword in his hand, wondering what had happened.
However, he had failed to notice the sly curve at the corner of Taiga Fujimura's mouth.
She had deliberately handed Shirou a damaged bamboo sword.
From the very beginning, this was destined to be no fair match.
And that alone wasn't enough.
The instant Shirou raised his objection, Taiga Fujimura launched a surprise attack.
"No excuses! Only the weak like making excuses! Haaah!!!"
The ponytailed girl took a great step across the wooden floor, producing a dull thud.
If he had been a novice with little kendo experience, he might well have been so frightened by the fierce momentum bearing down on him that he would have fallen onto the floor.
But the invincible kendo master Taiga Fujimura possessed more than mere intimidation.
She could make light, nimble movements while suppressing her opponent, rapidly closing the distance between them before swinging the bamboo sword down with lightning speed!
It was a perfect combination of technique and physique, with the entire process completed in an instant.
Shirou was still standing there in a daze, completely bewildered, when the "Tiger Bamboo Sword" was already crashing down onto his forehead.
"..."
Just before the bamboo sword exploded, Shirou looked up.
He saw Taiga Fujimura wearing a smug smile.
"That's despicable! I don't remember raising you to be like this!"
Even her grandfather, who doted on his granddaughter, couldn't stand such shameless conduct and cursed furiously.
"Shut up, Fujimura Raika! As long as I win, that's all that matters! As long as I win!"
Taiga Fujimura paid him no mind and pounced like a tiger on the unarmed elementary school student.
"...I see."
Shirou's pupils widened slightly.
Handing his opponent a damaged weapon.
Ignoring the referee's rules and launching a surprise attack.
She had committed one despicable act after another, all to obtain absolute victory.
Is this the truth behind the "Tiger of Fuyuki's" undefeated record?
No.
Taiga Fujimura's true intention... was probably to protect me.
She was trying to protect my pride.
Were you worried that losing in front of so many people would crush my spirit, so you deliberately played the fool and staged this farce?
You're so kind, Sister Fujiwara...
But it's unnecessary.
Because—I won't lose.
"Huh...?"
For some reason, Taiga Fujimura found herself looking at the dojo's wooden floor.
By the time she came to her senses, she was kneeling on the ground, both hands empty.
What happened?
I should have just been...
The girl looked around in bewilderment. The Yakuza Clones surrounding the dojo and Fujimura Raika were all wearing stunned, disbelieving expressions.
As for Shirou Amamiya, he was still standing where he had been, still without taking any stance.
The only difference was that the "Tiger Bamboo Sword" had somehow ended up in the boy's hands.
"Huh? For real?"
Taiga Fujimura asked blankly.
Even without asking, it was obvious that this was an ironclad fact.
The instant she launched her surprise attack and unleashed her assault, Shirou had casually plucked her weapon away.
The legendary secret art known in Japanese Martial Arts as "Unarmed Takedown," a technique known to everyone—now, the legend had become reality.
Although she couldn't compare with the swordsmen and Sword Saints whose names had gone down in history, Taiga Fujimura was still an outstanding kendo practitioner of this era.
After that brief exchange, she had already clearly understood how vast the gap between herself and Shirou was.
Even if Taiga Fujimura was a modern top-tier kendo prodigy, so what?
Compared to Shirou, who had survived one life-or-death battle after another, the two of them were separated by an insurmountable gulf in both technique and experience.
What was more, the experience Shirou lacked least was fighting cunning, treacherous fairies. Underhanded tricks could never work on him.
"Thank you for the guidance, Sister Fujiwara."
Shirou politely handed the "Tiger Bamboo Sword" back to Taiga Fujimura.
"Ugh..."
Taiga Fujimura backed away as if she had seen a real tiger, then let out a tremendous cry that echoed throughout the dojo.
"Ugh, uuu... Uwaaaaaah... I lost... I lost to an elementary school student! Waaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The ponytailed girl collapsed onto the floor and began bawling.
"Ah..."
Shirou stared in shock. Oh no! I got serious for a moment, and I ended up making a girl cry!
He frantically looked toward Fujimura Raika, only to find the old man hunching his shoulders and retreating in an orderly fashion with the army of Yakuza Clones.
"Hey! Don't run!"
"Shirou, listen carefully! If you make a girl cry, you have to take responsibility for it yourself, all the way to the end! That's what it means to be a man!"
Before you continue