Sayaka's brows furrowed slightly in displeasure as she said sternly, "Do you think you can beat me with swordsmanship alone? You, Kirihara from the Fencing Department, who relies solely on magic in sword techniques, want to defeat me—a member of the Kendo Department who has devoted herself to honing her swordsmanship—with swordsmanship alone?"
To Mibu Sayaka, that was nothing less than the greatest insult.
She had poured everything she had into kendo, yet someone from the Fencing Department wanted to defeat her without relying on magic.
That was far too arrogant!
"Big words, Mibu," Kirihara sneered. "Then I'll let you see."
"See the sword techniques I've refined through countless sparring matches in this dimension that surpasses the limits of physical ability!"
Those words marked the beginning of the contest between the two clubs.
The instant his words fell, Kirihara suddenly raised his wooden sword and slashed at Sayaka, who was not wearing a protective helmet.
Smack! Smack!
The wooden swords collided fiercely, producing sharp, explosive cracks!
Then screams rang out.
Yet the two on the field remained utterly focused on their duel.
They were clearly only wooden swords, yet their clashes produced roars akin to metal striking metal.
Even without watching the match, one could imagine how intense their exchange was.
Smack!
Mibu Sayaka blocked another strike from Kirihara.
But after that brief exchange, an inexplicable feeling arose in Sayaka's heart—
He's so weak.
Kirihara, who was sparring with her now, was so weak!
Compared with Yotsuba, the underclassman who had challenged her that day, Kirihara was nowhere close!
So—
I can win!
"Ha—"
As Sayaka's fighting spirit suddenly surged, their wooden swords crossed once more in a fierce collision.
Even Erika in the stands widened her eyes slightly and drew in a sharp breath.
"She's incredible. She's practically a different person from the Mibu Sayaka I saw back then! She's improved this much in just two years..."
Erika began talking to herself again.
But this time, along with her inner surprise, an eager fighting spirit radiated from her.
She vaguely regretted it.
Why had she not jumped down with Yotsuba Mahiro earlier? Then she would have had an excuse to take the field and spar with this Kendo Komachi!
And at that moment, the winner had already been decided.
"Urgh!"
Kirihara staggered back several steps in pain.
His sword had merely grazed Sayaka's left forearm.
Sayaka's wooden sword, meanwhile, had struck his right shoulder with precision.
"If these had been real swords, that would have been a fatal wound. Your sword merely brushed my sleeve and would at most have injured my skin."
"Admit defeat honestly."
Sayaka declared her victory with heroic bearing.
At some point, a group of people in uniforms different from those of the Kendo Department had made their way to the front of the spectators—
The members of the Fencing Department all wore expressions like they had swallowed bitter medicine and could not complain.
Their Kirihara from the Fencing Department had actually lost to the traditional Kendo Department. Did that mean their Course 1 Students were inferior to Course 2 Students?!
And Sayaka's final words twisted Kirihara's expression even further.
In truth, Sayaka was right. Even his instincts as a swordsman agreed with her.
But his heart could not accept it!
"Ha... Hahahahaha!"
Kirihara suddenly burst into laughter, followed by an aura of madness.
Sensing a powerful threat, alarm bells ringing in her heart, Sayaka resumed her stance. Her sword point aimed directly at Kirihara as her sharp gaze locked onto him.
"You said if these were real swords? But my body hasn't been cut!"
"Mibu, you want a real fight?"
"In that case... I'll grant your wish and deal with you using a real sword!"
Kirihara suddenly released his right hand and placed it over the CAD beneath the cuff of his left wrist.
Along with an intense Psion Light, a piercing screech like glass being scraped suddenly rang out, making the nearby spectators cover their ears.
Sayaka, being closest to him, suffered intense auditory interference!
Taking advantage of the moment, Kirihara closed the distance in a single stride, then raised his left hand and brought the wooden sword down in a slash.
As it moved, a layer of earthy yellow Psion Light wrapped around the wooden sword.
That was vibration magic—High-Frequency Blade!
There was no time to dodge!
Sayaka could only twist her body as much as possible and force herself backward.
But as the wooden sword drew closer and closer, it was clearly not enough!
At that critical moment, a figure suddenly rushed into the duel between them.
Seeing that familiar figure, Sayaka's eyes widened slightly.
"Y-Yotsuba?!"
"What?!"
Kirihara was also startled by the sudden intrusion, but the sword in his hand did not stop and continued falling straight down.
Whoosh!
Mahiro shoved Sayaka aside with one hand behind his back.
Then he sidestepped, and the wooden sword emitting a high-frequency shriek fell almost brushing against his hair.
Before Kirihara could react, Mahiro grabbed his wooden sword and viciously struck at the other man's wrist.
Smack!
The wooden sword wrapped in Psion Light flew high into the air.
Then Mahiro drove a kick straight into Kirihara's chest.
He sent Kirihara flying into the crowd, though fortunately the members of the Fencing Department behind him caught him in time.
"I say, Kirihara-senpai, are you such a sore loser?"
Looking at the thoroughly defeated Kirihara Takeaki, Mahiro rested the wooden sword on his shoulder and said flatly, "You're a grown man. A loss is a loss. It's not a big deal."
"You can always train harder."
"But look at you. You lost, then started making excuses. Not only did you use High-Frequency Blade to attack Mibu-senpai while she held a wooden sword, you even did it with a sneak attack. Aren't you ashamed?"
"I'm embarrassed for you."
Yotsuba Mahiro's words made Kirihara Takeaki's face turn green, then white, then red.
It was more colorful than a traffic light.
Yet he could not refute him.
Because this underclassman was right. He really was a sore loser and had gotten carried away.
However, Mahiro could not be bothered with him. After all, dealing with the misuse of a CAD was the Public Morals Committee's job, not his.
His gaze swept across the crowd and happened to spot Shiba Tatsuya there, so he called out:
"Hey, Tatsuya, you came at the perfect time. Come clean up this mess."
Shiba Tatsuya emerged from the crowd.
He did not understand what Mahiro meant by cleaning up the mess, but he still walked directly toward Kirihara Takeaki.
"Kirihara-senpai, due to your improper use of magic, please come with me."
After informing Kirihara Takeaki, Tatsuya contacted the Public Morals Committee again.
"—This is the Second Small Gymnasium. One student has been detained. The student is injured, so please bring a stretcher as a precaution."
As he spoke, Tatsuya's gaze occasionally fell on Yotsuba Mahiro.
He had originally intended to step in and stop it, but Mahiro had been even faster!
And that strike.
Although it had not used magic, it had already fractured Kirihara's wrist.
Whether in technique, strength, or speed, he was in no way inferior to Mibu-senpai.
Was that Alpha Stigma again...?
"Hey! What the hell are you talking about?! He's just some worthless substitute weed!"
"That's right! Why is Kirihara the only one being arrested? Mibu from the Kendo Department is equally guilty, isn't she?! Both sides in a fight should be held responsible!"
"I already explained that the reason for the detention is the improper use of magic."
Facing the Fencing Department's furious accusations, Tatsuya continued explaining in a polite, calm tone.
But in the end, a brawl still inevitably broke out.
That was only natural. Course 1 Students looked down on Course 2 Students, so how could they allow Course 2 Students to decide whether they had broken the rules?
Mahiro, however, did not intervene again. He simply turned around and asked, "Mibu-senpai, are you all right?"
"I'm fine... Yotsuba, thank you for saving me."
Sayaka spoke somewhat awkwardly, but when she looked up at the brawl in the arena, she could not help asking worriedly, "Yotsuba, shouldn't we go help?"
"There's no need."
Mahiro shook his head. "Those losers are no match for Tatsuya."
And that was indeed the case. The entire Fencing Department was utterly crushed by Tatsuya in hand-to-hand combat, and even whenever they tried to use magic, it was shattered beforehand.
"Oh, Yotsuba, that little hero-saves-the-beauty act was quite a show."
At some point, Erika, with her fiery red short hair, had come down from the second floor to stand before him. She reached out and patted his shoulder, as if offering comfort and encouragement.
But Mahiro teased, "What, Erika? Are you jealous?"
"—That was the full account of how the Kendo Department's recruitment demonstration match was interrupted by the Fencing Department."
Near the end of the school day.
Shiba Tatsuya reported what he had witnessed at the Club Federation Headquarters—
Before you continue