His long hair whipped through the air like countless steel lashes, striking the ground at random and scattering sparks!
Yuichiro stared, dumbfounded. "Teacher, how am I supposed to fight him?"
Tetsu no Sosuke nearly choked on his rabbit meat. He hurriedly washed it down with a couple of gulps of water, then smiled at Yuichiro, who was leaping about to dodge the demon's hair. "Fighting comes down to taking turns attacking and defending. Dodge your opponent's attack, then seize the chance to strike back. That's the simplest way to fight. Give it a try..."
"Dodge, then strike back?"
Yuichiro considered it carefully. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the long hair slicing toward him and immediately rolled aside. Before he could get up, another lock came down from above. He scrambled across the ground to avoid it, and the hair cracked against the earth, throwing off a shower of sparks.
Yuichiro clambered to his feet. "How am I supposed to strike back against that?"
"Look for an opening," Tetsu no Sosuke said. "Watch how he attacks and find a way to counter. Sometimes you can afford to take a little risk... Hm?"
Perhaps Tetsu no Sosuke looked too relaxed. The demon felt his dignity had been insulted. He was a demon trying to eat someone—could they take this seriously?
He sent a lock of hair whipping straight at Tetsu no Sosuke's face.
Tetsu no Sosuke's expression darkened. He reached out, grabbed the incoming hair, and yanked. It snapped at once. The demon shrieked and retreated.
"You can do that?" Yuichiro's eyes lit up. The demon's hair had lost some of its force. Though it was still attacking him, the blows were nowhere near as powerful as before. He copied his teacher and reached for it.