The two walked in tandem, and the snow under their feet made a "crunching, crunching" sound, which was particularly clear in this quiet place.
This small forest is located on the edge of an area to be developed behind the shopping mall. On weekdays, few people visit it, but in such a snowy Christmas Eve, it has become a completely forgotten corner.
Kazehara Tetsu stopped, turned around, and looked at Ibuki Mio who was following not far behind.
Her hands were still inserted into the pockets of the windproof jacket, Scarf covering most of her face, only revealing a pair of eyes and ears that were red from the cold.
"Does it look familiar?"
Kazehara Tetsu did not immediately put up a posture, but like Tour Guide, stretched out his hand and gently patted a slightly crooked old tree next to him.
The tree trunk was covered with a layer of crystal snow, and when he patted it, some fine snow fell.
Ibuki Mio followed his hand and scanned the surrounding environment.
Although the seasons have changed, and only the yellow branches of the originally lush bushes are now left, the terrain still awakens certain images deep in her memory.
That was a few months ago in the summer.
In this same hidden place, she was defeated by this man like a child being played with.
"..."
Ibuki Mio didn't speak, but silently took his hand out of his pocket and moved his stiff fingers.
"It seems that he recognized him."
Kazehara Tetsu looked at her tense expression, raised a smile on her lips, and continued to rub salt into her wounds.
"This is the place where you lost to me for the second time. Do you remember? You were very unconvinced then, just like you are now."
"Shut up."
Ibuki Mio interrupted him coldly.
She didn't want to recall that humiliating past.
"Don't worry about this nonsense."
She took a deep breath, and the cold air cleared her brain instantly.
"Hurry up and start. No matter you lose or win... I accept it. As long as you stop talking nonsense."
"I'm really anxious, Ibuki."
Kazehara Tetsu shrugged, and then slowly took out his hands from his pockets.
The moment his hands left his coat pockets.
"Bang!"
There was a muffled explosion.
Ibuki Mio didn't make any "opening remarks", and didn't even put on a regular fighting stance.
Because she knows very well that when faced with Monster like Kazehara Tetsu, any unnecessary preparations are a waste of opportunities.
She kicked the ground hard with her front foot, and rushed out like an arrow.
Snowflakes splash.
Almost in the blink of an eye, she had already crossed the less than three meters distance between the two.
Leveraging the inertia of the sprint, his right leg was like a whip, whistling and heading straight for the side of Kazehara Tetsu's neck.
If it were an ordinary opponent, even a boy with some fighting skills, facing this sudden blow, he would probably be kicked unconscious without even a chance to react.
However.
"The intention is too obvious."
Even when faced with the attack that almost hit his face, Kazehara Tetsu's body didn't even move significantly.
He just tilted his head slightly to the right and raised his left hand seemingly casually.
"Crack."
A dull crashing sound.
Ibuki Mio felt as if his powerful and heavy kick had hit an iron pillar.
The force of the shock made her leg bones ache, but the opponent's arm did not move at all.
"Tsk!"
Missing a hit, Ibuki Mio didn't pause at all.
She was forcibly twisting her waist, followed by a series of Chain Kicks like a violent storm.
Her kicks were extremely sharp. On this snowy ground, she was like a whirlwind, with every blow aimed directly at the critical point.
But.
All these attacks are useless in front of Kazehara Tetsu.
He just stood there, not even moving his feet more than half a step.
No matter how tricky the angle was or how fast the speed was, they were all blocked by him.
Every movement is simple to the extreme, yet precise to the extreme.
Just when Ibuki Mio had just turned around and swung his leg in a gap.
Kazehara Tetsu, who had been on the defensive, suddenly took a step forward.
This step instantly invaded Ibuki Mio's inner circle Defense Line.
"Too slow."
Following this deep voice, an elbow bumped into Ibuki Mio's abdomen without any fancy.
"Ugh!"
At that moment, Ibuki Mio's pupils suddenly shrank into pinpoint shapes.
"Ugh..."
The air in the lungs was squeezed out by this heavy blow, and an uncontrollable sound of retching came from the throat.
Her body arched uncontrollably into a shrimp shape, and her feet staggered back.
"Asshole!!"
Even if your vision becomes blurred, even if your body is shaking from severe pain.
Ibuki Mio gritted her teeth and used the inertia of her retreat to launch a counterattack with the greatest strength she could muster at the moment.
It was a roundhouse kick, aimed at Kazehara Tetsu's neck.
"Bang!"
This kick that I tried my best to hit really hit the target.
But it was just a "kick".
Kazehara Tetsu just raised his forearm with one hand and firmly withstood the blow that could have broken the wooden stick.
Not to mention knocking him down, I couldn't even make his tall body sway.
"That's it for now."
Kazehara Tetsu did not give Ibuki Mio any chance to breathe.
The hand holding her leg suddenly turned and clasped her ankle.
At the same time, the other hand grabbed the collar of her windproof jacket.
Turn around.
Use force.
An extremely standard Judo shoulder throw.
"Wow..."
Ibuki Mio felt like the world was spinning, and his body completely lost control and was thrown into the air.
Immediately afterwards, there was a huge falling feeling.
"Bang!"
Her back hit the snow hard.
Although the thick snow greatly cushioned the impact, it even gave her the illusion of being stuck in cotton.
But the impact still made her vision go dark and she almost lost her breath.
Large snowflakes flew up due to the violent impact, shrouding her like white smoke.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Ibuki Mio was lying in the puddle of snow, coughing violently. The cold snow slid down her collar into her neck, causing her whole body to tremble.
She wanted to struggle to get up.
However, a shadow has fallen over it.
When she struggled to open her eyes, what she saw through the flying snowflakes was the condescending face of Kazehara Tetsu.
He just rode on Ibuki Mio...
Of course, it was not that ambiguous posture, but an absolutely suppressing riding position, with her knees suppressing her arms, making her unable to move.
Then.
The hand that was holding her collar just now was now clenched into a fist.
Lift it high.
"!"
She saw the fist hit her face.
He really knows how to beat it down.
"..."
Ibuki Mio's body reacted instinctively.
Her eyes, which were originally open, were subconsciously closed tightly at this moment.
She was shaking violently, and her body was as stiff as a stone.
One second.
Two seconds.
The expected pain did not come as expected.
There was only the whistling of the cold wind and... the sound of some kind of clothing rubbing against each other.
What's going on?
Ibuki Mio carefully opened one eye.
What came into view was not a bloody scene.
The fist that could disfigure her was now less than a centimeter away from the tip of her nose.
Through her fist, she saw the eyes of Kazehara Tetsu.
There was no murderous intent or anger there.
He just had a look like he was looking at an idiot.
Next.
The clenched fist slowly unclenched.
"Collapse."
A crisp sound.
A Head Flick, which can be said to be "gentle", bounced on Ibuki Mio's forehead.
"It hurts..."
Ibuki Mio screamed subconsciously. Although compared to Elbow Strike and the throw just now, the pain was negligible, but the sudden contrast made her unable to react.
She stared blankly at Kazehara Tetsu who was still suppressing her.
"...?"
"Idiot."
Kazehara Tetsu retracted his hand, stood up, and patted the snow flakes on the hem of his coat.
He looked down at Ibuki Mio, who was still lying in the snow pit with a confused look on his face.
"It's really ugly to close your eyes and wait for death. Where did the fierceness that wanted to bite you just now go?"
"Go back and practice more, Ibuki."
"Now you, let alone defeat me. Even if you want to make me serious and sweat, you are still far from it."
"Don't lie here Snowfield for too long. If you freeze to death, I won't reimburse you for medical expenses."
"... Asshole."
She raised her hands and covered her eyes, but for some unknown reason, the corners of her mouth slightly moved upward.
"It's... so irritating."