After school.
As we walked toward Yuji's house, I showed Mika and Saori the documents Hashimoto-sensei had entrusted to me. Once they saw the permit, they let out cries of joy that were even louder than I’d expected. It seemed they had been quite anxious about whether the approval would actually come through.
"We finally got permission to form the circle!"
Mika held the permit in both hands, her face lighting up with a beaming smile as she gazed at it.
"Yeah. The midterm exams were right in the middle of everything, so even after we submitted the paperwork, they couldn't exactly put it on the agenda for the faculty meeting right away. No matter how you look at it, exams take priority over club applications. Hashimoto-sensei waited until the teachers' room had settled down after returning most of the tests before bringing it up yesterday."
"I see... It’s been over three weeks since we turned in the application, so I was really worried about whether it was actually being discussed, you know?"
"I can imagine."
Saori-chan's concern was understandable. Yuji and I had been hearing about the progress directly from Hashimoto-sensei, but for Mika and the others, it was all secondhand information. It must have been difficult for them to tell if things were truly moving forward. Seeing the permit for themselves was likely the first time it felt real.
"Anyway, now that we have the school's approval, all that's left is to submit the application to the Student Council. Then we should officially be a circle."
Since it’s just a circle and not a full club, we won't get a budget, but it’s still an organization under the Student Council's jurisdiction. We have to follow the proper procedures. Still, since the faculty has already given the green light, it’s unlikely the Student Council will reject us.
"Right."
"I'll take it to them first thing tomorrow."
"Please do," Saori-chan said, bowing her head slightly in thanks.
It was definitely easier for us second-years to walk into the Student Council room than it would be for a pair of brand-new freshmen. I took the application back from Mika, who had been staring at it for ages, and tucked it into my school bag.
After parting ways with Mika and Saori in front of Yuji’s house, we climbed into the car driven by Muroi-san as usual and headed to the mountain training grounds.
And then...
"Oh! You're finally showing a decent reaction!"
"Yeah, well, if you keep getting beaten without being able to lift a finger, you learn how to cope whether you want to or not!"
Noticing Fumiya-san approaching from the front as usual, Yuji used the mock kodachi in both hands to attack, trying to halt his advance. However, Fumiya-san lightly parried every strike Yuji threw.
"With swings that wide, it doesn't matter how fast your blade is—it’s as telegraphed as a roundhouse punch! Keep it compact! Eliminate the wasted movement! The weapon you're holding isn't a sword for smashing with brute force; it's a blade for slicing! Don't put unnecessary power into it!"
"Yes, sir!"
Relax your strength... Fumiya-san was likely telling him his pre-motions were too large, though from my perspective, Yuji’s strikes didn’t look particularly wide. As I watched, the back-and-forth between them continued.
"Also, don't rush the kill! Maintain a more accurate awareness of your position relative to your opponent!"
While fending off Yuji's attacks, Fumiya-san had somehow lured him away from us. Once Yuji was far enough away, Fumiya-san—who had been consistently parrying Yuji's strikes—suddenly flicked something white from his right hand toward Yuji.
"!? Ah!"
"You're wide open!"
Yuji reflexively dodged the white projectile, but he hadn't realized that Ririka-san was standing right in the path of his retreat. Shaken by the realization, Yuji froze for a split second, leaving himself completely defenseless as Fumiya-san’s follow-up strike landed.
"!?"
I instantly stepped in front of Ririka-san and swung my mock sword, swatting the white object out of the air. It shattered the moment it hit the blade, scattering white powder everywhere.
"...Chalk?"
I looked at the fragments; it was indeed a standard piece of classroom chalk. Fumiya-san must have had it hidden in his sleeve. As I looked up with a dubious expression, I saw Fumiya-san already scolding Yuji.
"Listen. As long as you're an escort, you must constantly consider your positioning."
"...Yes, sir."
"If you lose track of where you are, you allow surprise attacks on the escort target like that, and you create openings for yourself as well."
"...Yes, sir."
Yuji hung his head, looking dejected as he listened to the lecture. Wait—we were still in the middle of the exercise! I immediately put strength into my legs, planning to put away my weapon and launch an attack on Fumiya-san while he was distracted by the lecture, but...
"Actually, sorry, but it's already over."
"Eh?"
Responding to the voice behind me, I turned to find Kenji-san standing right next to Ririka-san with a mock knife in his hand.
"...When did you..."
"The moment you parried Fumiya's attack. Swatting it away was good, but your vigilance grew lax because of it. It’s a pity; you hadn't shown any real openings until then."
"..."
Kenji-san gave a cynical smile as he pointed out my failure. It was true; I’d focused entirely on the chalk for a single second, and in that moment, I’d stopped monitoring the surroundings. He’d exploited that tiny gap.
"If someone skilled at lurking is mixed in with the attackers, a single moment of inattention is a fatal wound. No matter what happens, you must never let your guard down."
"...Yes, sir."
Being lectured by Kenji-san, I hung my head just as Yuji had.
"Well then, it looks like Fumiya and Asuka are finished too. Shall we head back?"
"...Yes, sir."
Since Asuka-san’s name came up, I glanced over toward Hiiragi-san. She was pinned to the ground on her back, completely immobilized by Asuka-san.
"The speed of your thrusts is beyond reproach, but when using a long weapon, you must remain mindful of your center of gravity. Otherwise, the momentum of your own thrust will be used against you, and you'll end up looking as unsightly as you do now."
"...Yes, sir."
Apparently, Hiiragi-san had been toyed with as well. Judging by the lecture, she had done well to find Asuka-san hiding behind a tree and launch an attack. However, the moment she thrust her spear, Asuka-san had twisted the tip using aiki principles, sending Hiiragi-san into a full rotation through the air before she hit the dirt. Applying aiki to match the speed of a spear thrust... that was terrifying skill.
Once we descended the mountain, we lined up before Genya-san. Fumiya-san reported the results on our behalf.
"I see. So they've become able to notice your attacks..."
"Yes. They're still unrefined, but I don't think they'll be taken down without at least noticing the enemy's presence anymore."
"I see..."
Genya-san nodded once at Fumiya-san's explanation, then shifted his gaze to us. "How was it, actually going head-to-head with them?"
We looked at each other, and Yuji spoke up for the group. "We feel nothing but our own inadequacy."
"Ho? And in what ways do you feel inadequate?"
"In every way, honestly. From how to sense presence to how we handle ambushes—the list is endless. We've all trained in martial arts for a long time, but that was ultimately about defeating an enemy coming at us. It wasn't about fighting while protecting someone else."
"Ho..."
Yuji was right. The martial arts Juzo-san taught us were for defeating enemies and protecting ourselves. Protecting someone else was never the primary objective; at best, it was a secondary consequence. But what we were learning now from Genya-san and the instructors was martial arts specifically designed for protection.
"If it’s hostility or killing intent directed at us, we can sense it even if it's faint, thanks to our experience. But when it's directed at the escort target instead of us, it’s a completely different story. Not to be rude, but the disciples who helped us with training up to Phase 3 had killing intent that was fairly diffused, even when it wasn't aimed directly at us. It was relatively easy to pick up on."
"...Hmm."
Genya-san's expression twitched slightly. I wondered if he was annoyed by the mention of the disciples' shortcomings.
"Conversely, we can hardly feel any killing intent or hostility from Kato-san and the others. Their gaze never lingers on anyone for long, either."
"Then how did you notice the attack from Kato-kun and his team this time?" Genya-san asked. It was a fair question. If there was no killing intent or focus to track, we shouldn't have been able to detect the ambush. Yet, we had.
"This time, we were watching Ririka-san's reaction."
"Ririka's?"
"Yes. Based on the training so far, we realized that even if no hostility was directed at us, there was a possibility it was being directed at Ririka-san. So, we climbed the mountain while keeping a close eye on her instead of the surroundings."
"I see. And you were able to sense the attack through her?"
"Yes. Right before Kato-san and the others attacked, perhaps a tiny bit leaked out, because Ririka-san reacted. We were barely able to detect the ambush because of that."
Yuji explained our reasoning while stealing a glance at Fumiya-san and the others.
"Heh, not bad, you guys."
"True. We were actually letting it leak a little on purpose, but to notice that and react is quite impressive," Asuka-san added.
"Indeed."
"You were watching my reactions? I didn't notice at all..." Ririka-san looked surprised for a moment, then seemed to get a bit dejected.
Genya-san fell into thought for a moment before calling out to Fumiya-san. "...Kato-kun."
"Yes?"
"Regarding their performance—if there were no escort target, do you think they could clear the conditions?"
"Without an escort? Hmm... Yeah, they probably could," Fumiya-san replied with a serious expression. "Without the handicap of protecting someone, these guys have enough strength to hold their own against first-class opponents. I can't say for sure they'd win, but they could fight."
"I understand. Thank you, Kato-kun. I'll take that into consideration."
"Yes, sir."
"Now then, after a short break, we'll have you try once more. Muroi-kun, get some drinks for everyone."
"Yes, sir."
At Genya-san's direction, Muroi-san began handing out mini plastic bottles of tea from a cooler box. As I took my tea, I pondered the meaning of the conversation between those two.
We came close, but today's training ended without a clear. The gap in pure skill was simply too large. Even when we avoided direct combat and focused on escaping, we couldn't completely fend off the ambushes of three instructors. They caught us before we could leave the mountain, and once the battle started, they exploited the tiniest openings. They even used coordinated projectile attacks, striking their own weapons together to launch them—a technique I’d never even imagined.
Exhausted and dejected, we were driven home by Muroi-san.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back!"
"Welcome back."
"You're home."
When I walked into the living room, Mika, Mom, and—unusually—Dad were there to greet me.
"Oh? Dad, you're home early today."
"Well, once in a while. No drinking sessions with the company today, so I figured I’d head back early."
"Heh, I see."
As I spoke with Dad, Mika piped up. "Hey, hey, Onii-chan! Lend me those documents!"
"Those documents? Oh, the circle application?"
"Come on, can I see?"
"I don't mind, but what for?"
"I want to show Mom and Dad!"
"Sure."
I pulled the paperwork out of my bag and handed it over. "Don't get them dirty, okay?"
"I won't!"
Mika scurried off to the kitchen to show Mom, who was busy with dinner. Dad, having heard our exchange, looked curious.
"What's this? You kids starting a club?"
"Yeah. It’s still just a circle for now, though."
"I see. Well, you should experience as much as you can while you're a student. I'm sure it'll be a good learning experience. Keep at it."
"...Yeah."
I forced a response, doing my best to keep my face from twitching. If it were a normal club, Dad would be right—it would be a great experience. But given the real reason we were forming it... it felt a bit bittersweet to hear his words of encouragement.
"Daiki, dinner’s almost ready, so go put your bag away."
"Okay. Dad, I'll be back in a bit."
"Right."
"Mika! Give those back before you go to your room!"
"Ah, okay!"
I took the documents back from Mika and left the living room to drop my things off.
The movements of the three instructors are finally starting to become visible. However, whether seeing them means we can actually win is a different matter entirely.