Getting Stranger and Stranger?

Marineford Military Academy, swordsmanship dojo.

Sephiroth gripped his bamboo sword tightly in his right hand, excitement showing on his face as he looked toward Gion.

"Come on! Who's afraid of who?!"

"Hehehe...! Bring it on!"

The long-legged beauty covered her mouth and chuckled as she walked toward the open space in the distance, completely ignoring Tokikake beside her. He could only sigh with a disgruntled expression.

Once the two had assumed their opening stances, Sephiroth was the first to swing his bamboo sword and take the initiative, launching a straightforward probing attack to test Gion's speed and reactions. Yet she easily blocked or dodged every strike.

"I'm coming!"

The long-legged beauty chuckled and gave him a warning.

The next moment.

The bamboo sword in her hand traced a perfect arc, striking toward the silver-haired youth from an extremely tricky angle.

If he used his bamboo sword to block, that angle would put him at a disadvantage when exerting force, making it impossible for him to defend at full strength.

Thus, he could only pull back while quickly adjusting his footing and raising his sword to block.

Seeing this, the corners of Gion's lips lifted slightly, the smile on her face growing more pronounced.

Bang, bang, bang...!

The instant she seized the silver-haired youth's disadvantage, she swung her bamboo sword again and again, launching a swift, dense barrage that left afterimages in its wake.

Sephiroth had clearly used Observation Haki to predict her attack trajectories, but it was as though she had anticipated that already. One strike after another pressed him so hard that he had no chance to counterattack...

No! She predicted my prediction!

Is this Observation Haki that can foresee the future?

No...! She's using nothing but her pure swordsmanship experience to drag me into her attacking rhythm, designing an entire sequence of offense and defense for me!

From the very beginning, I fell into her offensive pattern, and her ultimate goal was... to defeat me!

At that thought, Sephiroth's expression briefly turned dazed, and his blocking motion slowed by half a beat.

The bamboo sword slammed heavily into his forehead.

Seeing this, Gion smiled and teased him.

"Oh my! I didn't expect little brother Sephiroth to run out of steam so quickly?"

The silver-haired youth's face immediately darkened. He seriously suspected she was making a dirty joke, but he had no proof!

And... she actually dared say he couldn't do it?

"Sigh! Can't be helped. You keep swaying around and making my eyes dizzy."

As he spoke, Sephiroth stared fixedly at her two headlights.

Following his gaze downward, the long-legged beauty nearly couldn't see the tips of her own toes...

"Pervert!"

Gion's face flushed slightly. She spat lightly, and, embarrassed and annoyed, swung her bamboo sword at the silver-haired youth again.

However...

With distracting thoughts on her mind, her sword strikes lost their meticulous calculation.

Flustered and impatient, she actually exposed an opening during her attack. Sephiroth seized the opportunity and smacked her neck with a slap, leaving behind a red mark.

That blow instantly brought Gion back to her senses, and she understood where she had gone wrong.

"Oh my, oh my! Is this the strength of a master swordsman?

No way? No way?"

Having gained the advantage with one strike, Sephiroth hurriedly seized the chance to mock her, making Gion grit her teeth in irritation.

"If you've got the guts, come again!"

"Bring it on!"

After the grueling training that morning, Gion's stamina had dropped severely, while Sephiroth remained in peak condition. The gap in their strength was therefore not so great that technique could not bridge it.

After more than a month of Bogard's guidance, Sephiroth, who possessed decent talent, had already learned every technique he was supposed to learn.

What he lacked now, before becoming a true swordsmanship expert, was only practical combat experience.

Every move Gion made contained multiple variations, preventing Sephiroth from using Observation Haki to fully predict her attack trajectories. As a result, he was continuously suppressed throughout their exchange.

But...

Amid Gion's attacks, he was also rapidly absorbing her techniques and experience, incorporating them into his own swordsmanship.

"Oh my, oh my! Little brother Sephiroth, are you out of steam again?"

"Ah! It can't be helped. Who told you to be such an unsatisfied woman?"

Whenever Gion struck Sephiroth with her bamboo sword, she would instinctively mock him. Sephiroth, meanwhile, refused to be outdone and always fired back.

As time passed, Gion's excessive stamina drain caused her movements to gradually slow, and Sephiroth took the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Big sister Gion, it seems you're only good with your mouth. Your body isn't much use, huh!"

"Who told little brother Sephiroth's techniques to be so uninteresting that I can't work up even the slightest interest?"

Elsewhere, Tokikake was sparring with Maynard. As an experienced driver himself, the more he listened, the more something felt off.

What's going on with these two...?

Why are they saying stranger and stranger things?

Are they flirting or sparring with swords?

Distracted, Tokikake was struck across the face several times in a row by Maynard's bamboo sword, adding an inexplicable touch of comedy to his lecherous face.

Ring, ring, ring...!

At the sound of the bell, everyone's swordsmanship class came to an end. The next class was hand-to-hand combat, held on the school field.

Thus, everyone returned their bamboo swords and prepared to leave the dojo.

"Sephiroth, let's have a fair duel!"

Tokikake called out to the silver-haired youth who was about to turn and leave.

Sephiroth: "(•ิ_•ิ)? What did you say?

Why would I duel you?"

Their conversation instantly drew everyone else's attention. Even Zephyr, who had already reached the dojo entrance, stopped and looked at them with great interest.

"Of course it's for Gion!" Tokikake said with a cheerful smile.

"Huh!?"

Sephiroth stared at him in confusion, unable to understand what exactly was going through the man's head.

"A handsome and wealthy man like me—there's no reason for Gion not to like me..."

Hearing that, Sephiroth waved his hands repeatedly and bluntly mocked him.

"No, no, no! I think you definitely have a misunderstanding of what handsome means."

"That's right! That's right!" ×n

Several Military Academy students watching nearby nodded in agreement.

"How is that possible?

The ladies in the Pleasure District all say that I'm not only witty and humorous, but also handsome and rich."

"No! I think you've really got it wrong. The only important part of what they said was that you're rich."

The silver-haired youth pressed a hand to his forehead. Faced with this ordinary yet overconfident man, he was nearly losing the desire to mock him.

"I don't care. Beauties only deserve to belong to the strong!

Let's have a fair duel. The winner can continue pursuing Gion, while the loser withdraws!"

"..."

Sephiroth fell silent for several seconds before speaking.

"How about you go fight that woman Gion instead?

If you win, lock her in a basement and cover her body in tally marks.

If you lose, stop pursuing her."

Gion was proficient in all manner of seductive geisha arts, and she was especially skilled at reading men's thoughts. She understood Sephiroth's words almost instantly.

After being mocked by the silver-haired youth for so long, she had already been holding in a bellyful of anger!

Thus, with the attitude of someone who loved watching drama unfold, the long-legged beauty narrowed her eyes and fanned the flames from the side with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"Oh my! You really are heartless. You were clearly saying this and that to me before."

Sephiroth: "..."

When women got dirty, men couldn't handle it either!

Zephyr gently pushed aside the Military Academy students gathered around them and walked over to Sephiroth and Tokikake, his expression stern.

"Hey! You two brats, private duels aren't allowed at school!"

"Right? Right? Then I'll be going now!"

The silver-haired youth nodded repeatedly and turned to leave.

However...

Zephyr suddenly grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth.

"However... the next class is hand-to-hand combat. To temper your combat skills and your ability to take a beating.

Therefore, in the next class, you will form pairs and fight until one person collapses.

If both people are still standing when class ends, you'll be punished with two hundred laps.

If you two brats want to fight, you can pair up in the next class."

Sephiroth: "..."