ch221-ch240 · 238-ch238

Chapter 238: The Hiramatsu-ryu Secret Art: Sweet Talk

"Fair and square. Begin!"

For some reason Aikawa has volunteered as referee, and at her signal the mock duel with Hiramatsu-san begins.

Hiramatsu-san takes his stance. I don't take mine.

I know this man's weakness.

If I wanted to win, losing wouldn't be in the cards.

Until now I was training for the sake of getting stronger, so this is a card I've never played.

This time, apparently, one point earns me a new technique—so allow me to demonstrate one such trick......

"Wait, wait—Endo-san is coming."

I halt Hiramatsu-san with a hand and glance backward.

"What?"

DOSH.

The wooden jumonji spear's tip buried itself in Hiramatsu-san, whose head had whipped around at frankly alarming speed.

"Point!"

"Huh?"

Aikawa thrusts her right hand up and declares it.

Hiramatsu-san stares at her in disbelief.

Of course, Endo-san isn't coming.

Hiramatsu-san's weakness. Yes—it's Endo-san.

Hiramatsu-san, hopelessly smitten with Endo-san, simply cannot help looking whenever she so much as walks past.

......Not that I'm one to talk.

"So that makes it my win—"

"Hold it, hold it! That was dirty! Referee—void that one! VOID!"

"Ehh? That was very Hiramatsu-ryu, though. A splendid strike, I'd say."

That's right—mercilessly striking at the opponent's weak point is exactly what Hiramatsu-ryu is.

"It's not about how pretty the thrust was. That one doesn't count!"

Ghh—so it won't be that easy, huh.

Use the next trick?

No—if I use THAT, our relationship going forward will......

Oh my?

"Then let's call it one point. Aikawa—start us."

"Oh? You're fine with that? Then—fair and square. Begin!"

I hurry Aikawa along and get the second bout started immediately.

"Heeey, Endo-saaan!"

The instant the starting call lands, I shout up toward the branch's second floor and wave.

"Ha. Idiot? Falling for the same trick twice—"

The window rattles open.

"What is it?"

"Huh?"

And then—DOSH.

"Point! Haru-kun wins—!"

Yes.

Endo-san. The genuine article.

She happened to be passing by on the second floor, so I called out.

"No, wait—that's not—hold on, that's cheating! Doesn't count, VOID!"

Hiramatsu-san makes his objections, sneaking glances at Endo-san the whole while.

He's really showing himself at his least dignified, isn't he.

"Hiramatsu-san! You lose because you look away in the middle of a serious match, and now you want to pretend it never happened? If that happened in the dungeon, you would already be dead. 'Strong,' you say—when it only ever counts on the surface. And the very reason you lose like that is that your eyes wander. A faithless man through and through!"

Having said her piece, Endo-san shuts the window with a snap and is gone.

That snap was something else.

How something else? Soushi, behind Aikawa, was bowing in reverence toward the branch. That something else.

Thank you. Thank you.

"......"

"He's burned out."

Hiramatsu-san, scorched utterly white.

"Ha-ru-ki."

Whoa—he's alive.

Well, I suppose it can't be helped......

"Endo-san was angry, wasn't she......"

"THAT'S YOUR fault!"

Left alone like this, demon-grade drilling might begin, so I'll talk my way out of this one.

The Hiramatsu-ryu secret art: 'the Sweet Talk.'

"Why do you think she was angry?"

"Hm? ......What do you mean? Huh? ......Wait. You mean—?"

Oops—he seems to have misunderstood something.

I merely asked why Endo-san was angry, you know?

"Right! There's no reason for Endo-san to be angry just because Hiramatsu-san lost ugly, is there? Huh? Surprising!"

Aikawa assists.

Huh? Did this one just take the bait too?

"And the way she's always been short with ME—could that be......?"

That might just be because Hiramatsu-san won't leave her alone......

Also, she's plenty short with me, for the record.

I wonder why?

"Hiramatsu-san, you'd better go after her. Apologize above all else—tell her that her words were right, and that thanks to her, your eyes are finally open."

"Right! Off I go!"

Aikawa pushes him off.

Will he be all right?

So wondering, I watched Hiramatsu-san's sprinting back recede......

︙

︙

"A promise is a promise—I'll teach you the new kata."

Hiramatsu-san returns in high spirits.

According to Aikawa, who went to scout, he simply got lectured even harder—but apparently he's chosen to read that as a loving whip.

Hiramatsu-san feels blissful while being scolded; Endo-san scolds and feels refreshed.

And I come away with a new technique.

Nobody ends up unhappy.

Truly, the Hiramatsu-ryu secret art!

"But does Hiramatsu-ryu even HAVE defensive kata?"

"I simply haven't taught any—not that none exist. Though what I'm teaching today, defensive as it may be, is a counter—attack and defense fused in one kata. Let me show you the form first......"

When you say jumonji spear, most of the techniques entangle the enemy's weapon with yours—sealing their attack by attacking. Is this that kind too?

From his stance, Hiramatsu-san retreats a single pace.

That's rare—it really does look like a defensive kata.

His next motion spins the spear vertically.

I've never seen this one before.

"Rotation" usually means spinning the shaft at your hands so the side blades whirl and snare the enemy's weapon—but this time, one crisp spin brought the butt end up top.

And from there, another half rotation—now the blade end comes up.

"So—step back while lifting the butt end upward? And then, another half rotation......"

"Exactly. Come at me with a thrust."

"Yes—coming."

I swallow the urge to shout "Endo-san!" and thrust, plain and simple.

The moment I step in and thrust, Hiramatsu-san retreats one pace and bats my spear skyward with the butt of his.

His spear keeps spinning through the full rotation, and by the time I realize it, the blade has stopped right in front of my chin.

"Well? That is the defensive kata of Hiramatsu-ryu Jumonji Spear Arts—'Windmill.'"

From the Sweet Talk to the Windmill!