Chapter 18:The Weight of Gold

The day was Mio’s national level tournament.Mio packed her Tachi in her gym bag and left the empty dojo in the early morning,to practice with Rei in sparring in the usual ruins.

The ruins were cold in the pre-dawn light.Mio’s Tachi moved with a violent, rhythmic intensity,clashing against Rei’s three-section staff.However,every time their weapons met,a spark illuminated in Mio’s frustrated face.

She saw how Rei was just holding back the weapon.”Give it to me, Koga!” she hissed,her breath hitching.”Stop holding back! Use that weapon to the fullest potential! Show me “Kinetic Fever” in its true form!”

Rei dodging from every one of her imaginary slashes using his “Subsonic Friction” speed and “Rhythmic Wave”.He parried a high strike,his movements as fluid as a wave.”I told you,Mio.To use it to its fullest is to invite a friction the world isn’t ready for.I refused.”

Mio parried his unpredictable strikes and pushed Rei away.Mio growled,stepping back and lowering her blade.”You are such a spoiled brat! You aren’t so appreciative of that weapon of yours,you know?There are people who would die for that fraction of that force,yet you treat it like a burden.They would have treated it like a weapon blessed from heaven itself.”

Rei paused,his eyes narrowing slightly.”Why do you care so much about–”

“I’M HERE! CALCULATIONS COMPLETE!” Kenji’s voice cut through the air as he almost tripped over a loose rock,he used his center of gravity to balance but ultimately failed.Sliding into the training ground on his knees.He immediately hopped up,dusting off his tracksuit.”If we’re going to win this tournament,we need to optimize Mio’s torque-to-weight ratio immediately!”

The tension broke immediately. Mio let out a tired sigh,but the fire in her eyes remained.

Later that afternoon,the Inuyama Kendo Dojo was almost an empty husk.Mio practiced in silence,her movement,her striking and techniques.She didn’t think she would see anyone after all,all the students and instructors were at the tournament waiting.

BANG

Mio looked at the door being opened,her eyes widened in shock but a spark in her eyes lit up brightly.

“Mio! We’re here… I hope we are not too late…” Hiyori said while panting from running to her dojo.

“We’re here to be your pit crew,Mio!” Hiyori cheered after managing herself.

Alongside Hiyori,was Rei and Kenji.”I..I’m just here for analyzing not.. not for sparring but Rei is.” Kenji said while pulling out his laptop and placing it on a nearby desk.

Rei looked at Mio,”Mio,I will grant you your request,fine I will use the weapon to its fullest potential”. Mio’s eyes lit up even more,It’s the first time Rei has ever seen her that excited for being able to fight against a powerful opponent.

Rei stepped onto the mat,every second of Rei unwrapping his Sam Jeol Bong,Mio’s heartbeat slowly increased.Rei realized that he couldn’t keep being a wall,he had to be a mirror.

He shifted his stance,his body becoming unnaturally still.For the first time,he allowed a surge of high-velocity kinetic energy to flow through his veins and joints.

Rei suddenly lunged at Mio with the eyes of a serious opponent,Mio dodges his attack with a competitive grin on her face.Mio tries to strike Rei’s head and was blocked by the three-section staff.She felt the material of the staff,it was as if car was going at high speed without stopping.

They throw attacks and techniques against each other.This wasn’t a sparring session,it was a storm.What Mio didn’t realise was Rei moved with a “Pseudo potential” – not his true 100%,but the kinetic potential energy was enough to disrupt the air by a little.Mio’s face breaking into a genuine,fierce smile.

Beside the intense storm they were creating,Kenji and Hiyori sat.Kenji was looking at the photos Hiyori sent to him about the storm that is happening in front of them,analyzing them in his laptop, while Hiyori took photos of each striking occured.”

“There!” Kenji shouted,staring at the screen.”Hiyori,the frame at 0.4 seconds! Her follow through has a 3% drag.Rei,push her left!”.He wrote down every data from him analyzing the fight.

After an intense final practice from the dojo,The group went to the tournament.The tournament was a blur of sweat and wood.

Kenji was shocked how big the tournament space is while Mio was excited to be there.

The tournament started as Mio’s first round began. Her opponent? A female fighter of equal height tried to use speed. Mio didn’t even use a technique,she simply used her superior speed and Rhythmic Flow to outmaneuver the opponent in five seconds.Her opponent was in deep shock but before she could react to Mio’s speed,she was suddenly felt to the ground and hit on the head with Mio’s bokken.A swift and soft hit.

Her matches after that are very easy for Mio due to her swift speed and immense strength she carried from birth.

In her Semi-Finals,her opponent was massive, similar to a bodybuilder and taller than her.He tried to crush her guard however Mio recognized the opponent's strength and weak points.Mio utilized her “Imaginary Slashes” – feints so fast,it created a visible ripple in the air.The opponent dropped his guard by flinching at Mio’s “Imaginary Slashes”,and Mio saw him dropped his guard,dashed and landed a precise hit on the solar plexus.

At last ,it was her Finals,she was nervous as her final opponent was The Reigning Champion of Kendo.

The Champion moved like a machine– perfect,traditional and efficient. For ten minutes,both were striking and parrying each other's attacks,neither of them could find an opening.The sound of wood on wood was like a drumbeat.

Mio can feel her lungs burning.For the first time,she felt her muscles reaching the limit of their sheer strength.”Stand on the National stage for all of us” she thought,the memory of her instructor’s final letter flashing through her mind. “I’m not fighting alone” she said in her mind.

She dropped her center of gravity,ignoring the pain.With a loud roar that shook the viewers,referee and her opponent.The Champion’s guard was sucked forward,leaving their head exposed,”An opening!” She said in her mind however,the champion was prepared and launched a counter attack.The air was silent until…

CRACK

“2 Points! Winner…. Mio!” The referee raised Mio’s hand up in the air.

The arena exploded. Hiyori jumped the barrier to hug her.”You did it girl! You did it!” Hiyori congratulates her while hugging her tightly.

“Heh thanks,Hiyori but the.. hug is too… tight,” Mio said while struggling to escape Hiyori’s congratulatory hug.

Kenji was sobbing with joy over his data points.”We did it! My data was correct! The calculation of her chances of winning is correct!” Kenji celebrated while Rei stood at the back of the crowd,nodding once in silent acknowledgment.

“Come on! Let's grab dinner at your favourite sushi restaurant!” Hiyori said while Mio jumped with joy.

At dinner…

“I think I should reward myself with fifteen plates of Makizushi,” Kenji said.”I think I should reward myself with fifteen plates of Nigirizushi instead.”.Both of them argue who gets to be rewarded first.

“Aww. Look at them.Acting all like siblings fighting over the last food” Hiyori said while leaning against Rei’s shoulder.Rei nodded in agreement while also holding his green tea shaking from Hiyori leaning to his shoulder.”That was an unconsented 45 degrees lean.” Rei thought to himself.

After the celebration dinner where Kenji ate enough to pass out.

“Guys,I'm going to head out first to do something real quick,” Mio explained.

“Okay! Stay safe out there ‘Champion’.” Hiyori said while giggling.

Mio went out to a convenience store,she bought several drinks and a cold can of beer,a beer that one of her seniors enjoyed.She went to The Inuyama Cemetery.

The Inuyama Cemetery was silent,a stark contrast to the cheering arena.She walked past a row of perfectly lined graves until she reached the section she knew by heart.Behind the small markers of her seniors stood the large,imposing stone of the Instructor.

She pulled out several drinks from her bag.

“Forgive me for the delay,guys,” she whispered.

She cracked the tabs of each drinks and poured each drinks specifically to her specific seniors.These selected drinks were her “Big Brothers” and “Big Sisters” favourite drinks,one by one.

“We won,” she said,her voice small but steady.

She reached the instructor’s grave.She didn’t pour the drinks or beer here.Instead,she took the gold medal from around her neck– heavy,shining and hard-earned and draped it over the top of the stone.

“I’m home,father…” she whispered,bowing her head as the first cold wind of the evening ruffled her hair.”And I'm still swinging.”

Finally,she reached the end of the row.She pulled out a cold can of beer from her bag,the strongest senior favourite.

She cracked the tabs.The hiss of the gas was the only sound in the evening.She poured the golden liquid over the marker of her strongest senior.

Mio left some liquid in the cold beer.She decided to drink the remaining cold beer.”Blegh,the taste of beer sucks.I feel bad for you,drinking beer every breakfast heh.” Mio said to the final grave.

“Drinking while you are underage?” A sudden voice appeared.

“So what,you're going to call the polic–” Mio turned around and looked at the person who called her out.”Koga? Why are you here?” Mio looked surprised.

“Well,I was wondering if you tell me why you care so much about my interactions with my weapon?” Rei appeared and sat next to her.

“Before I begin my explanation,want some beer?” Mio asked

“I guess so but I’ve tasted alcohol before so this won’t affect me.” Rei takes the beer Mio lent him and drinks.Rei suddenly spits out the beer.

“Hahaha look at your reaction,I wonder who said they have tasted alcohol before.” Mio laughed at Rei’s sudden reaction to the beer.

“Not funny,it tasted quite awful.Is this expired beer?” Rei questioned with a slight annoyed in his tone.

“Heh no it wasn’t.” Mio reassured Rei.

“Now to begin with. The Tachi you see me used in every single sparring session we had was not assigned to me by a government or a school.It was bought with blood and birthday wishes from my seniors.” She said while pointing to the row of graves.

“I was a disaster back home.A Rank 5 monster,I know what you are thinking.Wow a delinquent–” she was cut off by Rei saying,”That’s not what I was thinking,I just think that your school probably has the same hierarchy system as me.”

“Yeah it was the same.My parents gave up on me,but a Kendo instructor in this city didn’t.He and his seniors… They were my only family.They were the ones who taught me that my strength didn’t have to be a curse.They spent months saving up to buy a custom-forge Tachi for my thirteenth birthday.”

Rei remained silent,his new mindset allowing him to absorb her words without judgement.

“They never got to give it to me on my birthday,” Mio continued,her voice trembling slightly.”Thugs came for protection money.My ‘Big brothers’ and ‘Big Sisters’ who used to pinch my cheeks and play jokes around me.They formed a line to protect us.They died in that courtyard so I could hide in the storage room.When I found my Tachi under a white cloth,it came with a letter wishing me a ‘Happy birthday.’ It was covered in my seniors' words. I recognized all of them.

She turned back to Rei,her eyes fierce.”So when I see you treat that three connected sticks,a masterpiece of physics and design like its a piece of trash you want to throw away,it feels like you’re spitting on the very idea of a warrior’s legacy.To you,it’s probably a reminder of your previous rank.To me,a weapon is the only thing left of the people who loved me.”

Rei looked down at the ground.He thought for a long time.For the first time, through Mio’s eyes,he saw the weight of her actions.

“What? You feel bad for me now?” Mio teases him.

Rei felt for her teasing,”N-No I didn’t… maybe I did…” Rei said.”Look,I didn’t know,” Rei said softly.He adjusted himself.”If that weapon represents a legacy… then I will treat our next spar with the respect it deserves.”

Mio had a look in her eyes that said,”Someone finally listened to me.”.”That should be all,thank you,Koga.” Mio said softly for the first time.

Back at the Sato household,Rei Koga opened his gym bag and took out his Sam Jeol Bong.He looked down at his staff.He saw the carbon fiber,the frictionless joints,and the kinetic dampeners.He saw the math and the beauty design of the staff. He smiled knowing he learned something new in his new life.

Author's note:

✍️ Fun Fact:

When Rei finally used his staff at high velocity, he created Cavitation—a phenomenon where fast-moving objects create low-pressure "bubbles" or ripples in the air.