Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume24 Chapter2 4

The Bout. Part 4

Rei-chan had still not returned by the time Nana had changed and entered the dojo.

Nana properly faced the front and bowed before stepping into the dojo, then she did a slow 360 degree turn to take it all in.

"It's not quite as impressive as your family's dojo, though … "

Previously, I'd wanted to know more about Nana, so I'd investigated the Arima dojo. That's how I knew. The Arima dojo was a large one – not only was it physically bigger than the Hasekura dojo, they also had far more pupils.

But Nana responded with a serious look on her face.

"It's a fine dojo. Really good. The spirit of martial arts is here."

Hearing this praise for my uncle's dojo I was a bit pleased, like she was praising me. The spirit of martial arts, that sounds good. For me, Rei-chan's house was like half of my house. I've always thought that the dojo had a good feel to it despite its small size.

Nana put her armor and shinai in a corner of the room and started stretching.

"Do you want me to help you?"

Usually when we warmed up at kendo club, we did so in groups of two. For whatever reason, be it school year or kendo proficiency or height, I often ended up with Tanuma Chisato but –

"It's fine."

Nana completely, definitively refused. Then she completed her stretches and was starting on practice swings when Rei-chan finally returned.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting. Ah, keep going."

Nana stopped her swings when she noticed Rei-chan, and Rei-chan indicated that she should proceed.

"…"

My eyes followed Rei-chan to where she was doing her own practice swings, a short distance away from Nana.

By comparing the current Rei-chan to the one that had left to go back to her house, I could find out what had been added, and that would be the forgotten item.

Indeed, Rei-chan was holding the forgotten item. But it was incomprehensible.

It was a single shinai.

It wasn't unusual that she'd appear at the dojo carrying a shinai. In fact it was the opposite, entirely ordinary.

What I couldn't comprehend wasn't that the shinai was the item. It was the fact that Rei-chan had two shinai.

The shinai that Rei-chan usually used was in a corner of the dojo, alongside her armor, and had been there since before I went to get Nana. So why had she needed another one?

I had no idea. But Rei-chan had gone all the way back to her room to get it. That alone was certain.

Currently, Rei-chan was swinging top to bottom. With the "forgotten" shinai.

But for some reason something seemed slightly off. Probably because she was using something other than her regular shinai. Well, I'm not talking about some minor difference or characteristic – I'm not that knowledgeable about shinai.

"Rei-sama."

Nana said, stopping her practice swings.

"I'm terribly sorry for prying, but – "

"About my shinai?"

Rei-chan asked, stopping her swings. Nana nodded, "Yes." Annoyingly, it looked like Nana was going to be the first to clear up what I found "incomprehensible."

"Don't worry about it, Nana-chan. I want the terms to be completely even, but that's impossible. This is the least I can do."

The terms to be completely even? With that, I suddenly realized.

The shinai Rei-chan was holding was shorter than her usual one.

That was probably why it seemed slightly off. Because the balance between her height and shinai length were different to normal.

Then my gaze shifted to Nana's shinai. As I thought, it was also a short shinai.

(Ah, so that's it.)

Nana was still in middle-school, so she used a short shinai. But Rei-chan was in high-school, and above average height, so she used a slightly longer shinai. Rei-chan must have realized that when Nana was shown in. Then she'd quickly returned to her room, got the shinai she used to use, inspected it, got it ready and brought it over.

There wasn't that much difference between an adult and child shinai. Probably about three centimetres. But Rei-chan had decided that those three centimetres were not fair. It was impossible to make everything completely equal – for instance their age, or height and weight, or that this was the dojo that Rei-chan had grown up in.

Rei-chan practiced her strikes over and over again in order to get a feel for the shinai she hadn't used for quite some time. After running through all the fundamental moves, she at last seemed satisfied and came to a halt, then turned to face Nana. Nana seemed to have run through all her moves too, as she lowered her shinai and looked straight at Rei-chan.

"Now then, what should we do?"

Rei-chan asked Nana. Inquiring if she'd be satisfied with them just sparring with each other, or if she wanted to make it as close to a tournament bout as possible.

"If it's possible, I'd like to do peer sparring."

"Peer sparring?"

Hearing Nana's request, Rei-chan made an, "Oh?" expression.

"I know it's presumptuous of me. Please."

Peer sparring was when two equally matched partners freely exchanged blows. The reason Nana thought it was presumptuous of her was probably because she was saying that she didn't need any handicap applied, even though she was unranked and facing a ranked opponent.

"Alright. Let's put on our armor then."

"Okay."

The negotiations were concluded. They both went to their corners, knelt down and started getting ready.

Wrapping a hand-towel around their heads, then putting on their armor. I sat equidistant between them and watched the events unfold.

I had a vague expectation that Nana had come to avenge her sisters, or to experience the true strength of the person who had defeated her sisters. As a result, she'd stipulate a bout – basically, she'd want to fight Rei-chan in a situation as similar to her sisters' as possible.

But that was wrong. Nana wasn't fixated on that.

What was this all about?

If I took a few steps I'd be close enough to ask Nana. But I didn't move. Because it looked like their match would soon begin. I was not permitted to speak or act.

At any rate, if she said she wanted as close to an official match as possible, then that itself would be problematic. First of all, there's no referee. It would have been a different story if my uncle was here, but unfortunately he was away from home today. I mean, if push came to shove, I'd have to do it. But, frankly, I thought that was impossible. Obviously as a referee I wouldn't even be approaching their level of skill, but even more than that, I didn't think I could make an impartial judgment between those two combatants. It wasn't a question of favoring one of them, but my heart was so agitated that I couldn't watch them properly.

While I was contemplating this, they had both finished putting on their chest armor and face guard. As a result, from my vantage point, I couldn't see their expressions.

After putting on her arm guard, Rei-chan glanced in my direction. Almost as though she was reminding me not to interfere.

"Please."

After the ritual standing bow and crouch, the peer sparring session. Rei-chan's familiar strong alto was overlaid with Nana's high-pitched voice.

Normally her voice wasn't that powerful and, if I had to say, it was like tasteless and odorless water. But with a shinai in hand, Nana's voice was intense. Like strawberry soda, or a melon float.

(Hehehe … )

It was called sparring, but it was the same as a practice match. It may have been inconsiderate to be thinking about juice in the middle of all this, but I had to come up with these kind of diversions as it felt like I was being crushed by something.

The attack came from Nana. Moving directly forwards, aiming for Rei-chan's head. But Rei-chan calmly struck the middle of Nana's shinai, lifting it up. Despite being turned away so simply, Nana didn't learn her lesson and attacked again from the front. This time Rei-chan caught it from the left and then swiveled to the left and quickly struck back at Nana's head.

(A point!)

I felt like I could hear the referee's voice in my mind. My hands were still in my lap and I balled them tight into fists.

Rei-chan was far and away on top. The difference in skill was obvious even to me, who'd only just started practicing kendo recently.

Nana would have known this almost immediately. But she didn't let that first hit slow her down, as she attacked relentlessly.

Head, head, head –

From start to finish, Nana swung downwards, aiming for the head. Rei-chan responded to this by blocking and counterattacking, going for the chest, or evading and going for the head.

If this were a three-point match, it would have been decided as soon as two points were scored. But this was peer sparring. There was no time limit. Additionally, there was no faculty adviser or coach to tell them to stop, so the exchange of blows would continue until they decided they'd had enough.

As it went on, I found it harder and harder to watch. Why did the people I loved have to fight, even if it was martial arts?

Even though the outcome had already been determined. It was like Nana wasn't going to give up until she'd scored at least one point. Perhaps Rei-chan knew this as she met Nana's attacks.

But Nana had reached her limit. Her movements were getting duller. Her feet got tangled numerous times, putting her at risk of falling over.

Countless times I started to open my mouth to say, "That's enough." But I'd remember my promise to Rei-chan and desperately endure it. If I opened my mouth, I'd have to leave.

If I left, I might have felt more at ease as they finished their bout out of sight. But that was the one thing I wouldn't allow. I had to see this for myself.

It was like I'd fallen into the trap of thinking they were fighting over me.

"Ah."

Nana's body flew backwards from the impact of Rei-chan's thrust.

"Nana!"

I ran over to her in a daze. She was wearing her armor and knew how to handle that sort of situation, so she shouldn't be too badly injured by landing on her back. But I thought this was a sign from God that it was over.

Despite this.

"I'm fine. Let me go, please."

Nana brushed off my hand and stood up shakily.

"Rei-chan."

I pleaded to Rei-chan, who was still holding her shinai.

Stop, already. I know, already.

"Yoshino. You promised."

Not to speak or act. But, but –

"Do you want to stop?"

Instead of ordering me out of the dojo, Rei-chan turned to Nana and asked her this.

"No."

Even though she was staggering, Nana raised her shinai.

"… Nana."

My muttering had no place to go and was sucked up into the dojo ceiling. Nana didn't turn away. Rei-chan didn't say anything more.

Their heavy breathing from their furious exchange of blows affected their voices, so I couldn't get a read on their emotions.

It was only at times like this that I detested the kendo face guard. If only this were judo. Karate or aikido would be fine too. The only thing stopping me from understanding their current feelings were their face guards.

Right now, the only thing that Nana was looking at through the screen of her face guard was Rei-chan. And Rei-chan was only looking at Nana.

Even if I tried to intervene or call out, my words or actions would not reach them. Feeling like I was about to cry, I returned to my previous spot and sat down.

"Please."

Nana's voice signaled the resumption of the practice session.

I prayed, not to any god in particular. I didn't know what I wished for, but I couldn't do anything else, so for now all I could do was pray.

"…"

Was I imagining things? Even though Nana should barely be able to stand, she looked to be moving better than before she'd been knocked down.

Even though she'd taken a hit soon after they began, her blade was now locked with Rei-chan's.

Just then.

Nana took a big step backwards and raised her shinai high.

(Headshot … !)

Rei-chan noticed it too. As a result, she moved quickly to avoid it.

The tip of Nana's shinai barely brushed Rei-chan's head. At that moment.

"Well done."

Rei-chan said.

"That's enough, don't you think?"

Rei-chan's voice was the signal, and they performed the ritual of crouching and tapping their shinai together. After taking a few steps backwards and bowing, Nana collapsed with a thud.

"Nana."

I ran over and held her in my arms. I looked at her face through the visor, and her eyes were wide open. She hadn't fainted. She was just so exhausted she couldn't stand up.

"I guess I can't compete with Hasekura Rei after all."

Nana said, so quietly that only I could hear, as she leaned against me like we were embracing.

"She's a great person."

Then she raised her body and removed her face guard.

"A great person … "

I turned around to look at Rei-chan. She'd already taken her face guard off and was heading for the dojo exit.

"Rei-chan."

I called out to her. But Rei-chan kept walking away, not turning around.

I finally caught up to Rei-chan in the hallway. She was filling a cup with water from the tap near the dojo entrance.

Sweat running down her neck, her throat burning, Rei-chan gulped down the water.

"Take some to her too."

Rei-chan said, refilling the cup she'd used and handing it to me.

"More importantly."

I snatched the cup from her.

"More importantly?"

Rei-chan asked.

"More importantly – "

What was I going to say?

An objection to the training session that was more like a hazing?

Or to ask what her true motives were to saying, "Well done," to a strike that would never have been judged a hit in an actual match?

Or maybe to compliment her, like, "Rei-chan you're really strong?"

While I was silent, Rei-chan spoke.

"Compared to her older sisters, her technique and strength are very much lacking. But of the four sisters, I like Nana's kendo the best."

"Rei-chan … "

Rei-chan was smiling as she spoke.

Rei-chan liked her kendo the best. I was overjoyed to hear her praise Nana like this. I was proud, almost like she was complimenting me.

"More importantly."

Rei-chan said, looking straight at me as I soared with happiness.

"You were rooting for Nana-chan, Yoshino."

Her face serious.

"Um … "

At that moment, I couldn't think of how to smooth things over.

Smooth things over?

The moment I thought this was the same moment I accepted what Rei-chan was saying.

"Rei-cha – "

"It's fine."

Leaving me with that, Rei-chan walked off towards her house.

Left behind, I was frozen to the spot, still holding the cup of cold water.

Even though I'd been saying, "Don't let go."

Rei-chan had been supporting the bike with her hand, then she let go with such exquisite timing.