After reaching the designated changing area in the gymnasium, we pulled our props from the bags we’d prepped earlier. Having finally talked Hiiragi-san and the others out of it, we were no longer using the mascot suits, which meant we didn't actually need to change.
"I guess all we need for this are the mock swords and the banner with the club's name, right?" I asked.
"Should be enough," Yuji replied.
As Yuji and I rummaged through the bags for our equipment, Hiiragi-san and the girls were staring longingly at the bear costumes that had been unceremoniously cut from the program. They looked a little dejected, but I decided to ignore it for now. I’d just have to find a way to make it up to the three of them later.
"All right, here. Mika, Saori-chan, you guys take this."
I handed the banner over to them. We’d made it from a fairly large piece of fabric so the name would be visible even from the far end of the stands, which meant it took two people just to unfurl it.
Mika and Saori-chan took the banner, though they both looked a little pouty.
"Hey, Onii-chan? Are we really just supposed to hold the banner? Wouldn't it be better if we joined in on the mock battle too?"
"She's right, Onii-san," Saori added.
"Well, about that..."
As they voiced their protests, I scratched my cheek with my index finger and awkwardly looked away, turning to Yuji, who was already inspecting his mock sword.
Noticing my silent plea for help, Yuji frowned slightly and shook his head, taking it upon himself to explain why the two of them couldn't join the fight.
"Sorry, but with your current skill levels, performing a mock battle with these fragile props is too difficult. If you swing them the wrong way even once, they'll snap right at the hilt."
To demonstrate, Yuji drew one of the mock swords from its scabbard. The silver-painted blade caught the fluorescent light of the gym; for something a complete amateur had cobbled together using internet tutorials, it looked reasonably authentic.
"They look the part, but at the end of the day, they’re just cosplay props made from plastic sheets and aluminum rods. Don't expect any real durability. Look."
Yuji held the blade horizontally and gave it a light shake. The "steel" wobbled unreliably. They were fine for posing or a light flourish, but they’d never survive the stresses of a full-speed practice swing.
"Mika-chan, Saori-chan, you two don't spend much time training with swords. If you swing these without perfect edge alignment, the sheer air resistance is enough to snap the blade. Can you guarantee that every single strike you throw will have a perfect edge?"
"Ugh..."
The two girls groaned in unison. While they did practice with their sub-weapon daggers, their primary focus was the spear. As Yuji pointed out, they didn't yet have the technical finesse required to wield such fragile props without breaking them.
"So, yeah. For today, just bear with it and stay on banner duty."
"Fiiiiine..."
They sounded reluctant, but they seemed to accept the logic.
"Right. Everything’s ready. Shall we?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go."
"Okay."
"Yes!"
Clutching our respective props, we left the gymnasium behind.
By the time we reached the Entrance Gate, the area was already crowded with members from other clubs. It was a colorful mix of people in athletic uniforms, some carrying balls, others bats or various specialized gear.
Still...
"Hey... is it just me, or is everyone staring at us?" I muttered.
"They definitely are," Yuji agreed.
"It's probably because of what happened yesterday," Hiiragi-san suggested.
Yesterday... Right, the brief spar between Yuji and Hiiragi-san. I suppose if people saw something like that up close, they were bound to be curious.
And that wasn't all.
"Those things you're carrying are making you the center of attention, Onii-chan," Mika noted.
"Yesterday was just hand-to-hand, after all," Saori-chan added. "People are probably wondering what happens when you have weapons."
Just as they said, the gazes of everyone around us were glued to the mock swords Yuji and I held, and the mock spear Hiiragi-san was carrying.
For the record, Hiiragi-san’s spear was a custom piece made from a modified extension pole. It was a bit sturdier than our swords.
"I guess that makes sense..."
As I turned my head to get a better look at the people watching us, they all simultaneously averted their eyes.
What was that reaction?
"..."
The three of us looked at each other and let out a collective sigh.
"Well, I figured it would be something like this, but..."
"Actually experiencing it is another matter..."
"It’s a bit much, isn't it?"
It was like we were being treated as radioactive. Everyone seemed to be at a complete loss as to how to approach us.
We’d been virtually unknown in this school until now, only to suddenly perform a high-level mock battle out of nowhere. Of course they were bewildered. Our classmates already knew us, so they had felt comfortable enough to ask things like "How did you do that?" or "Why were you hiding it?" but to the rest of the school, we were just mysterious, potentially dangerous figures who had suddenly displayed terrifying power.
"Well, at least it means we've already achieved our goal to some extent," I said.
"True," Yuji replied. "And thanks to that, I didn't have to wear that for the real thing, so I’m calling it a win."
"Hmm? Wait a second, Hirose-kun. What’s with that relieved look? Did you really hate the idea of wearing it that much?"
"..."
The heavy atmosphere broke for a moment as Hiiragi-san started teasing Yuji for his slip of the tongue, and Yuji desperately looked the other way. It felt a bit like they were putting on an act for our sake, but I appreciated it nonetheless.
Eventually, the event before the club activity introduction finished, and the participants cleared the field.
Upbeat music blasted over the speakers as an announcement urged us to enter. The clubs marched in one by one with short intervals between them, the members waving to the crowd. Mika and Saori-chan unfurled our banner, showing it off to the students in the stands and the parents in the visitor area.
Once the procession ended and the clubs were lined up, the announcer’s voice came over the PA system again.
"Attention, everyone. We were originally scheduled for a five-minute club activity introduction. However, due to the cancellation of the inter-club relay, we have decided to extend the introduction period by an additional five minutes, for a total of ten minutes."
An extension... I’d suspected they might do that, but doubling the time was a bit much. If we’d stuck to the original skit, we would have had a massive amount of time to kill.
"We will now begin the club activity introduction. Please spread out across the entire field to avoid collisions. All clubs, disperse!"
On the announcer's command, the various clubs scattered toward the positions they’d used during the rehearsal.
We moved toward the center of the field, just as we had before.
"...Hey. Is it my imagination, or is the center of the field way bigger than it was during the rehearsal?"
"It’s not your imagination," Yuji said. "Everyone is staying much closer to the edges this time."
"This is definitely our fault, isn't it?" Hiiragi-san sighed.
Unlike the rehearsal, the other clubs were huddling as close to the track as possible while they did their demonstrations. It left a massive, gaping hole in the center of the field where we were standing.
It was as if they were making sure they weren't anywhere near the splash zone...
"Well, no point just standing here. Let's get started."
"Right. So, how are we handling this? The performance time just doubled."
"Even if the time is longer, what we need to do doesn't change," Hiiragi-san said. "Besides, it's not like we have any other tricks ready."
"Fair point," I replied. "Then to mix things up, why don't we do the first half unarmed? We can save the mock swords for the second half."
"Good call. Just clashing swords for ten minutes straight might get boring for the audience anyway. You okay with that, Hiiragi-san?"
"Yes, that sounds fine. Let’s do it."
We did a quick huddle to coordinate the flow of the extended demonstration.
"Alright, Mika, Saori-chan. Hold onto these for a bit."
We handed our weapons over to the two girls.
"Once five minutes have passed, toss them to us. We’ll catch them."
"Wait, is that actually safe?" Mika asked.
"Can you really catch them in the middle of a fight?" Saori-chan added.
"It'll be fine. Even if we call it a mock battle, it’s just light sparring. It’s not like we’re actually trying to stop each other from grabbing them. Catching a thrown weapon is easy. Just remember what I said—these things are fragile. If you hurl them too hard, they might fall apart in mid-air, so keep the toss steady."
"Okay. Got it."
"Yes, we'll be careful."
"Alright, you two should back off a bit. It might get dangerous," I warned.
With the girls at a safe distance, the three of us moved into the very center of the field.
We positioned ourselves in an isosceles triangle, each of us taking a stance. Since we all shared the same master, our forms were similar. For this demonstration, we were going two-on-one—Yuji and Hiiragi-san against me. I needed to make sure I left a lasting impression on Goto and his cronies. The other two had already made their point yesterday.
I gave Mika a quick nod. She nodded back and signaled the start of the mock battle with a sharp kashiwade.
"Hup!"
Yuji made the first move. He opened with a flying knee aimed straight for my face. I arched my back to let the strike whistle past, then spun to deliver a counter-strike to his back—only to abort the turn halfway through and leap backward.
Hiiragi-san had been right there, aiming a palm strike at my ribs while I was mid-rotation.
"Dangerous, dangerous. When did you two have time to coordinate that?" I asked as I landed.
Yuji didn't give me a chance to breathe, rushing in to follow up. "We didn't! We're just going with the flow—hya!"
As he answered, Yuji unleashed a low kick at my left leg. I pulled my leg back to evade, and as Yuji’s posture wavered slightly, I drove a right palm strike toward his jaw.
But the moment I committed to the strike, a small smirk played across Yuji's lips.
"!"
I tried to abort and pull back, but I was a split second too late. Hiiragi-san appeared from the side and snatched my extended wrist.
"Eyah!"
She twisted and yanked my wrist downward, using my momentum to flip me off the ground.
Crap, this isn't good.
"Seiyah!"
With me suspended in the air, Yuji immediately followed up with a high kick aimed at my chest.
Since Hiiragi-san had my arm pinned, there was no way to dodge—at least, not in a way that looked normal for a sports festival. Clicking my tongue at my mistake, I used my free left hand to brace against the impact of Yuji’s kick.
"!?"
I seriously wanted to ask if he was holding back at all. The weight of the kick was immense. With no footing to stabilize myself and Hiiragi-san having let go of my wrist, the force of the blow sent me flying several meters through the air.
Screams erupted from the students and parents in the stands as they watched me get blasted back.
"And... land."
Ignoring the panic, I righted myself in mid-air and stuck a perfect landing. I was about to wave to the crowd to show I was okay, but I didn't have the time.
Yuji and Hiiragi-san were already closing the gap for their next assault.
"Sigh..."
I let out a soft breath, dropped my defensive posture, and went on the attack. First, I had to deal with Hiiragi-san. I closed the distance before she could react, dropping low to sweep a right roundhouse kick toward her left flank.
Hiiragi-san stomped her foot into the dirt—hard enough to leave a literal crater—to kill her momentum and dodged the kick by a hair. But I’d expected that.
"Hah!"
As Hiiragi-san came to a dead stop to evade the first kick, I twisted my body and lashed out with a left back kick aimed squarely at her stomach.
"!"
Still, she wasn't an easy mark. She crossed her arms just in time to block the blow, jumping backward to let the force of the impact carry her away safely.
Good. That bought me a moment to focus on Yuji.
"Shi!"
Yuji tried to capitalize on my low position by stomping down on my back. I used the momentum from my kick and the leverage of my arms on the ground to propel myself forward, rolling out of the way. I came out of the roll and sprang back to my feet.
"Nice save, Daiki."
"That was nothing."
Yuji and I traded light barbs, our eyes never leaving the other’s silhouette, watching for the slightest twitch that would signal the next move. Once Hiiragi-san moved back to Yuji's side, we dove back into the fray, our fists clashing once more.
And then...
"Onii-chan! Yuji-san!"
"Yukino-san!"
Apparently, five minutes had flown by. Following the girls' voices, our mock swords and spear came sailing through the air toward us.
Alright. Time for the second half.