Bab 161: Battle!
Then, realizing she also needed to have a demand if she won, Miyajima Sakura pondered for a moment but couldn't think of anything to ask for.
Her determination to marry Sasaki stemmed from wanting to ease her mother's guilt by marrying the person her mother felt indebted to.
Her wish after marrying him was naturally a harmonious and happy family.
But these were things to be done, not spoken of.
So...
"Um... I can't think of anything to ask for right now. How about we just skip it?"
Unable to think of anything to ask for, Miyajima Sakura said this to Sasaki.
She wanted to spar with him purely out of youthful pride, wanting to prove that the heir of the Miyajima style was second to none.
Her goal wasn't to gain anything from Sasaki.
"That's not acceptable. Even though we are engaged, we must follow the rules."
Shaking his head, unwilling to let her off without a stake, Sasaki suggested:
"The condition is simple. If you can't think of anything now, you can save your request for later. If you win, whatever you ask for afterward, I'll definitely agree to it."
"Okay, that works."
Seeing Sasaki's insistence and believing she wouldn't have any demands later, Miyajima Sakura smiled and nodded in agreement.
At this point, they reached the training ground, having walked through the corridor.
Since most of the people training here were Miyajima Sakura's club members from school, they all curiously stopped their actions and watched the two who were still holding hands.
One of her close friends, particularly curious, put down her bamboo sword and approached Sakura.
"Oh my~ It's unbelievable. Sakura, you, this kendo maniac, secretly got a boyfriend and even brought him home. Seriously~"
Dressed in a pure black kendo uniform, her waist-length brown hair tied back with a white hairband into a spirited ponytail, the girl of the same height as Sakura looked her up and down with sparkling brown eyes as if seeing her for the first time.
She also glanced at the unfamiliar guy standing beside her friend, someone Sakura had never mentioned.
"Uh..."
Unsure how to introduce her suddenly new fiancé to her friend, Miyajima Sakura was about to awkwardly gloss over it when Sasaki, still holding her hand, extended his hand to her friend.
"Hello, I'm Sakura's fiancé, Sasaki Fuyumi."
Turning to the tall, handsome guy extending his hand, Ayaka Kobayashi lightly nudged her friend's arm before shaking his hand, teasing softly:
"Wow, Sakura, the kendo fanatic, is already discussing marriage."
Then she hurriedly shook hands with Sasaki and introduced herself:
"Hello, I'm her good friend at school, Ayaka Kobayashi."
Looking at the cheerful, expressive girl before him, Sasaki smiled and nodded:
"Thank you for taking care of Sakura at school."
"It's nothing, really."
"By the way, Sasaki-san is…"
Before Ayaka could continue her questioning, Miyajima Sakura, feeling exasperated, smiled at Sasaki and pulled her excited friend aside:
"Ayaka, save your questions for later. I need to spar with Fuyumi now."
"Oh~"
Hearing the word 'spar,' Ayaka's previously cheerful expression turned dull and uninterested:
"I should've known. You never come here to have fun. You're such a kendo maniac."
Unbothered by her friend's nickname for her, Miyajima Sakura, who was full of fighting spirit, said to Sasaki:
"Let's start preparing!"
"Okay."
Nodding, Sasaki gave Ayaka an apologetic smile:
"We'll chat later."
"It's okay, it's okay. I'll get you some gear."
Realizing that a kendo spar might be a special kind of romantic gesture for her friend, Ayaka hurried to help Sasaki put on the protective gear.
Meanwhile, the other trainees who had overheard bits of the conversation excitedly cleared a space for them.
Seeing Miyajima-senpai sparring with someone was rare, after all, not just anyone could challenge the school's ace.
Amid the trainees' quiet discussions, the two fully geared opponents stood in the cleared area, holding their bamboo swords.
They chose to fight the same way Sasaki had previously fought Miyajima Tsubaki: free form, without restrictions.
The win condition was either striking the opponent's head or any part of the body three times.
Since they had agreed on this before donning their gear, there was no need for further words once they were in position.
As the surrounding trainees quieted down, seeing that her fiancé, standing casually with his sword in one hand, had no intention of attacking first, Miyajima Sakura, holding her sword with both hands, began to move towards Sasaki slowly.
Unlike Miyajima Tsubaki, who had years of swordsmanship experience, the still somewhat green Miyajima Sakura found it hard to completely abandon traditional kendo rules.
To be honest, if Sasaki, with his physical prowess, wanted to, he could have easily defeated her before she got close...
However, to build a bond with his wife and make her happy, he decided to put on a show.
As the distance between them slowly shortened, Sasaki's stance shifted slightly forward, indicating his readiness to strike.
Noticing this subtle change, Miyajima Sakura continued her steady pace, but her beautiful blue-violet eyes, hidden beneath her mask, locked onto his movements like a hawk eyeing its prey.
Unconcerned that his intent was obvious, Sasaki didn't intend to defeat her outright but wanted to demonstrate overwhelming strength.
Sensing his blatant aggression, Miyajima Sakura, like a wary rabbit, halted her steps sharply.
Yet, the instant Sasaki swung his bamboo sword, the fierce whistle it produced sliced through the air like a venomous snake baring its fangs, aiming straight at Miyajima Sakura.
The sharp, ear-piercing sound of the blade cutting through the air made it clear to the girl's that this casual swing was beyond her ability to counter.
She even suspected that her mother would be hard-pressed to handle such a strike.
Could this really be the sound produced by a human swinging a sword?
Despite the shock that grew wildly in her heart like weeds, it did not affect Miyajima Sakura's movements.
Utilizing her family's traditional footwork, she moved with surprising agility despite her seemingly cumbersome protective gear, evading Sasaki's powerful strike like a fish darting through water.
Though she narrowly dodged the blow, the sharp wind accompanying the bamboo blade brushed against her delicate face through her mask, causing a stinging pain.
It reminded her of the feeling of her frostbitten hands during winter practice.
However, despite the unpleasant memory, it ignited a fierce, burning battle spirit within her.
Holding her sword with both hands at forehead level, Miyajima Sakura, while evading the strike, rotated her wrists and aimed a diagonal slash at Sasaki's exposed face, brought forward by his forward-leaning stance.
Smack!
Having successfully landed a hit, she didn't hesitate and quickly withdrew, moving out of Sasaki's striking range before he could muster another attack.
Despite wearing protective gear, Miyajima Sakura doubted it could withstand his strikes.
Trusting that Sasaki would hold back was not an option; she believed that would reduce the sparring to mere playful teasing.
In her opinion, sparring and fighting are very serious matters. How can there be any talk of holding back? Isn't that looking down on others?
Therefore, Sasaki's act of exerting all his strength right from the start did not make her angry. Instead, she felt that he valued her performance.
With her fingers flexing briefly like ripples before gripping the bamboo sword tightly again, Miyajima Sakura ignored the surrounding cheers and surprised gasps.
She crouched slightly, poised like a hunting leopard, with her sword pointed directly at Sasaki, who stood ready with his sword.
"Sakura~ as strong as ever."
Standing on the sidelines, Ayaka Kobayashi, along with the other trainees, cheered in delight at Sakura's advantage.
Honestly, after hearing the fierce whistle of Sasaki's strike, she was worried for Sakura,
Although she knew that her strength within their female group was unmatched, but against a male's inherent physical advantage, her strength was less significant.
Ayaka's biggest concern was that Sakura, due to her numerous victories, might underestimate her opponent and forsake her agility to match strength with a male.
Fortunately, this didn't happen.
As long as she maintained her agility and used it against Sasaki, who had great strength but clearly lacked speed, she was bound to win.
And if Ayaka, who was less skilled than Sakura, could see the path to victory, so could Sakura herself.
Realizing Sasaki's speed was inferior, Miyajima Sakura no longer rushed her attacks.
Instead, she began to circle him slowly, probing like a hunting dog, retreating when he advanced and advancing when he retreated, making repeated feints.
It was clear she intended to gradually wear down Sasaki and wait for him to reveal a weakness.
And the boy played along, turning to ensure Sakura remained within his field of vision.
This tense standoff continued for a while.
Once certain that Sasaki would not react to her small probing movements, Miyajima Sakura leaned forward slightly, pretending to make another feint.
Then, with a sudden burst of power from her feet, she sidestepped out of his line of sight.
Hearing the faint sound of wind behind him, Sasaki instinctively turned and swung his bamboo sword without a second thought.
.
.
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone