“I’m so excited to see you lose for once!” Ayako, so happy at the idea of this concept, was bouncing along beside them as they headed for the exit at the back of the school

“If that’s why you’re coming to watch, you’d better go home.”

A ‘humph’ from Ayako was the only thing Kaito got in response.

The moment they exited the school, Mika could see the crowd. She wasn’t sure how many students attended the school, but it seemed like almost all of them were present. They were gathered in a rough circle around a center point in the field.

“The news of this event spread quickly didn’t it?” Kaito said, stopping at the outskirts of their circle to scan across the crowd. Voices rose from the students the moment they realized he’d come.

“Hey Kaito’s here!”

“I’ve been waiting all day for this.”

“Who are you betting on?”

“Hurry up and make a path!”

The crowd parted for him, revealing a rough clearing in the center with kendogu and bokken. The parting of the crowd also allowed Ayako, Mika, and Kana, who were at his side, to get close to the front for a good view of the match.

“Here.” Takashi gestured to a pile of bokken on the ground. “You can pick whichever one. There’s only two armor sets though, so you’ll have to make do with the smaller one.”

Kaito’s eyes scanned over the pieces of equipment. They were supposed to be protective, but “hindrance” was the only thing he could think when he saw them. Putting it on would be a useful handicap for him, but he wasn’t sure he could bear to fight with it.

“What’s wrong? They’re clean if that’s what you’re worried about,” Takashi said. He was already halfway through putting on his own gear.

“Actually, if I could go without it, I’d be grateful.”

“What?! Without it I could break your bones!”

“Yes… but I think I’d still rather go without.”

“Fine then. Do what you want. Do you know how a Kendo match works?”

“No.”

“It’s a bit troublesome to explain all of the details now. Daisuke-kun didn’t tell you anything at all?” Kaito shook his head and Takashi launched into a quick explanation. “Okay, there’s three valid hits that you can use to score a point at our current level: A hit to the head, wrist, or side. Each hit should include a shout or stomp, but because that's a bit more complex and requires a certain rhythm, we'll exclude that for now. The matches are on a three-point system. Clarity of the hit and follow through with the attack are also considered, but that’s a bit more complicated. I can teach you about it when you join.”

“Right, if I’m forced to join, you can teach me about it, senpai.” The corners of Kaito’s mouth turned upward in a small smirk.

“Whatever, go ahead and pick your sword.”

Kaito did so, finding one from the pile that suited him in terms of length, weight, and balance point.

“These three will be our referees.” Takashi gestured to three other members of the Kendo club who nodded and got into position to judge the match.

The crowd quieted immediately as Kaito and Takashi took their positions. Even the birds and crickets went silent. Confirming that the two were ready, the referees broke the silence with a countdown, and the moment they hit zero, Takashi rushed forward with a ferocious shout, sword raised to strike.

Kaito let out a low whistle as he retreated back a few steps to gain room. He’s faster than I thought, but like all Kendo students, they just rush straight forward. In light of this, Kaito dodged to the side as Takashi raised his bokken to strike. Kaito came up from behind, and raising his own bokken, delivered a clear strike to the top of Takashi’s head.

“One point!” one of the referees called.

Kaito and Takashi reset, and at the signal to start, Takashi once again lunged forward in a jabbing attack. Again, Kaito found himself pleasantly surprised by the speed this guy could muster, but each attack itself left far too many openings.

He slipped around Takashi’s jab and landed a blow to his side.

“One point! Kaito wins the match at two points!”

The crowd broke into cheers, which cut off the last half of the referee’s sentence. Kaito was laying down his bokken when Takashi stopped him. “Wait! Give me one more round.”

“Even if you ask, I don’t think it’ll end any differently.”

“Please.” Takashi dipped his head in a bow, and Kaito, feeling like he had little choice, agreed.

This time around, Takashi pulled off the helmet. “You won because you realized that this created blind spots right? This time it’ll be different, but hits to the head won’t count.”

“That’s fine.”

Once again the referees counted down, but when they reached zero, neither opponent moved.

He learns pretty quickly, I’ll give him that much, Kaito thought. I guess I’ll start this time.

Trying to force himself to remain on a human level of speed, Kaito moved for Takashi and aimed for his wrist.

In response, Takashi jumped backward and blocked the blow. His teeth were clenched, but aside from that, his body remained in a fairly loose and flexible stance.

Did I move to slowly? No, he had just enough time to respond so this level of speed should be fine.

Then Takashi retaliated, aiming a blow to Kaito’s side. Kaito dodged sideways, but Takashi was just as quick to respond and turned the attack into a horizontal swing that Kaito was forced to block. The moment their swords touched, Takashi pulled back and jabbed toward Kaito’s wrist.

Instead of moving backwards to dodge as Takashi predicted, Kaito surged forward, knocking Takashi’s sword up with such force that it flew from his hands. Kaito’s own bokken was now nestled at the side of Takashi’s neck.

Takashi’s throat moved as he swallowed, but otherwise their bodies remained motionless for a long moment. Kaito was the first to pull back. “Sorry. I know that wasn’t what you Kendo guys consider a valid attack, but can we leave it at that?”

“Yes. That’s fine.” The breath that Takashi didn’t know he’d been holding rushed out with his words. “But I won’t give up on you joining the team! We could make it to the nationals with you on our side!”

“Sorry, but Kendo really is a bit too strict for my tastes.” With a backward wave, Kaito moved back toward the crowd.

The moment it was over, Mika heaved a sigh of relief. He won, and without so much as a scratch. I was worried over nothing after all.

Now she focused on the flood of people rushing at Kaito. In the chaos, she’d gotten separated from Ayako and Kana. Working her way slowly backwards, Mika reached the edges of the crowd and waited for it to disperse.

Kaito really is popular among the students, Mika thought as she watched them gather around him to give their congratulations. He’s got an aura that draws people to him, which is kind of ironic since he isn’t even human… Although, watching him now, he seemed just as normal as everyone else.

Ayako, Kana, and Mika were able to meet up and join Kaito a few minutes later when the crowd began to head home.

“That was really impressive!” Mika exclaimed as soon as they were close enough.

“Did it seem that way? Everyone else appeared to enjoy it as well.”

“I would’ve enjoyed it more if you’d lost,” Ayako muttered, loud enough for Kaito to hear. “You weren’t even trying were you?” She turned her head just enough to glare at the guy who was trailing behind the three girls.

“What makes you think that? I certainly didn’t want to lose since I think joining the Kendo team would be troublesome.”

“You’re just an arrogant –”

“Now, now, if you’re just going to be rude, you might as well keep your mouth shut.”

“You…” Ayako hissed the word as she turned on him. “You wanna go?”

“Ayako.” Kana’s hand lightly rested on her friend’s shoulder to restrain her. “This is neither the time nor place for a roadside brawl.”

Ayako didn’t respond, but let Kana turn her around and push her forward down the road. The rest of the walk passed with minor conversation between the three girls, and by the time Ayako broke off to head down her road, her mood was back to normal.

It was already dark when Mika reached her own house. She went to sleep that night satisfied with the day and grateful for the amazing friends that surrounded her.

It was only when Mika woke up the next morning that she remembered what she had forgotten yesterday. Darn it! I let yesterday slip by me without looking into any of the clubs, she thought as she trudged down the road. I wonder how much more time our homeroom teacher would give me? Should I just be part of the ‘Going Home’ group like Kaito?

Mika was so engrossed in her whirling mind that she barely acknowledged when Kana joined her in the walk to school.

“What’s the matter?”

Startled by the sudden noise, Mika’s gaze jumped from the ground to Kana’s eyes. “Oh, it’s just that I forgot to look into the clubs before leaving school yesterday. I wonder if sensei will be angry?”

Kana gave a small shake of her head. “I don’t think she’ll be upset over such a minor thing. But my offer from yesterday still stands. You could always join our Literature club. It’s a small and close-knit group, but I’m sure they’d be happy to welcome you.”

“That sounds really nice actually. Thanks a lot Kana!” Mika said happily, returning Kana’s smile. From there, they continued down the road in deep discussion over their favorite book series.