"The next match... Lyubase from the Knight Department and Yuri Catreia from the Magic Department! Step forward!"
Oddman announced the next pairing, his voice taut with a strange tension.
Stepping forward with a wooden sword in hand was my classmate and friend, Yuri. She was one of the few girls present on the field.
Her opponent was a young man with dull gray hair tied back behind his head. It was an unusual style in the Knight Department, where most students kept their hair short; his long bangs hung low, partially obscuring his eyes.
"Lyubase... Wait, is that Wilhelm Lyubase!?"
"Do you know him, Luid?" Rest asked, surprised by his friend's sudden outburst.
Luid stared wide-eyed at the student facing Yuri, his explanation tinged with a hint of awe.
"Yeah... He was the top student of the Knight Department this year. Didn't you see him giving the speech at the entrance ceremony?"
"Now that you mention it... I think I remember someone like him being there."
The memory had been completely pushed aside by the chaos of the Mud-Throwing Incident, but now that Luid mentioned it, I did recall seeing him on the podium.
"Rumor has it that during the practical portion of the entrance exam, Lyubase thrashed the active-duty knight serving as the examiner. He looks a bit unkempt with that long hair, but there’s no doubt he’s the strongest man in the Knight Department this year."
"And he's Yuri's opponent... They’re clearly trying to fail her no matter what."
Based on the conversation I’d overheard earlier, Oddman was acting on someone’s orders. He wanted to keep Yuri from ever picking up a sword. His plan was likely to have her defeated here so he could justify banning her from the Swordsmanship elective for the rest of the term.
Be careful, Yuri! Rest prayed for his friend's victory in silence.
As she faced her opponent, Yuri spoke up with her usual cheerful demeanor. "Oho, this is a treat. I never expected to spar with the top student of the Knight Department."
"......"
"Due to my father’s educational policy, I’ve never been allowed to properly study swordsmanship. I hope to learn a thing or two from you today!"
"Learn a thing... or two...?"
"Yes. You are a more than worthy opponent. I’m in your care!"
"......"
Yuri spoke at her own leisurely pace, but Lyubase hardly said a word. Whether he was naturally taciturn or just focusing, he remained silent, his expression impossible to read.
"Begin!"
"Hyaa!"
The moment the command was given, Yuri kicked off the ground and lunged. She raised her sword high and swung with a massive, overhead strike.
"No, don't...!" Rest groaned instinctively.
Launching such a wide, telegraphed attack against a superior opponent was the mark of a complete amateur. In close-quarters combat, the standard approach was to probe with smaller strikes and wait for a definitive opening before committing to a heavy blow.
"......"
As expected, Lyubase evaded the attack with a simple, effortless shift of his body. With Yuri left wide open by the momentum of her swing, he was perfectly positioned to land a decisive counter-blow.
"......"
But he didn't. Instead of attacking, Lyubase silently leaped backward.
"I won't let you get away!"
Yuri pursued him as he retreated. Her slender frame moved with the grace of a young trout leaping through a stream as she chased him, swinging her sword with reckless abandon.
"Ha! Hah! Yah!"
"......"
"You... take that! Just land already!"
"......"
"Hyaah! There’s an opening!"
Yuri screamed about an opening as she swung, but there wasn't one. Lyubase evaded and parried her strikes with light, rhythmic steps, looking for all the world like he could see into the future.
"......?"
"H-Hey! Who's winning this? Does Yuri have the advantage!?"
Luid, confused by the flow of the match, turned to Rest for an explanation.
"Well... Yuri is the one on the offensive, as you can see. But she doesn't have the advantage at all. In fact, she could be taken down at any second."
"Then what's happening?"
"...I don't know. Why isn't Lyubase counterattacking?"
That was the question that bothered me. Lyubase had passed up at least ten perfect opportunities to end the match with a single strike. One moment he seemed to be staring at Yuri through his bangs, the next he was blatantly averting his eyes, only to find himself staring again a moment later. Despite dodging her attacks with room to spare, he hadn't swung his sword even once.
"Hey! What are you doing, Lyubase!?"
Oddman, acting as the referee, was the one losing his patience.
"Finish it already! Stop playing around!"
Perhaps he was truly desperate to see Yuri defeated; Oddman abandoned all pretense of neutrality and began shouting at his own student.
"Tch..."
Spurred by Oddman’s command, Lyubase finally prepared to swing the sword in his right hand.
"Here it comes!?" Yuri hurriedly raised her sword with both hands to block.
It was a terrible move. She had fallen for a basic feint and was about to be hit from an entirely different direction.
"......"
Yet, Lyubase didn't strike. He stopped his blade at the last possible second and leaped away.
"Hm? You're not coming?"
Even Yuri tilted her head in confusion. She had finally realized that Lyubase’s behavior was bizarre. She stopped her assault and stared intently at her opponent’s face.
"......I lose. I surrender."
For some inexplicable reason, Lyubase was the one who declared defeat. He threw down his wooden sword and began walking off the field.
"Wait... she won?"
"Lady Catreia won? Against Wilhelm Lyubase?"
"Y-You’ve got to be kidding! Why is Lyubase quitting!?"
Bewildered voices rose from the Magic Department students. The Knight Department students were equally shaken, shouting in confusion.
"Hey, Lyubase! What’s the meaning of this!?"
No one was more agitated than Oddman.
"I told you to win against Lady Catreia! I won't accept a surrender!"
"......The match is over. I lost."
"You haven't even been touched yet! I won't allow this! Do you want to spend the rest of the term doing nothing but laps, too!?"
Despite Oddman's threats, Lyubase remained indifferent. "Fine by me," he muttered, continuing to walk away.
"Wait! I'm not satisfied with this either!"
Even Yuri, the supposed victor, chased after him.
"If I were defeated in battle, I would accept it gladly, but I won't have a victory handed to me for no reason! Fight me again!"
"Leave me alone... I'm not fighting you anymore."
"Wait!"
Yuri grabbed his hand to stop him. Instantly, Lyubase shook her off and leaped back as if he'd been electrocuted.
"Huh...?"
"D-D-D-Don't touch me!"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I said don't touch me! Ugh, seriously!"
Lyubase began frantically scrubbing the hand she’d touched against his trousers. It was an extreme overreaction, as if he’d touched something repulsive.
"Hm... I'm sorry. Was my hand sweaty?"
"That’s not it! You... you lewd woman!"
"L-Lewd woman?"
"During the whole match, your... your useless flesh was jiggling around right in front of me! I couldn't concentrate at all! Argh, forget it! This is why I hate women!"
"......"
The boy heralded as the strongest first-year in the Knight Department was shouting with a tearful, cracking voice. Everyone present stood frozen in stunned silence.
Could it be that he’s... just incredibly weak to women?
Whether he truly hated them or was just so inexperienced that he was pathologically shy, I couldn't tell. But it seemed he was hopelessly bad at dealing with the opposite sex. Seeing Yuri’s chest moving under her gym clothes during the fight had apparently been enough to paralyze his ability to fight back.
"It's my loss! That's final! I'm never fighting you again!"
Screaming like a petulant child, Lyubase fled the scene. Even Yuri couldn't bring herself to chase him this time; she simply stood there, eyes wide, watching her opponent run away.