kscans

Chapter 180 - Along with the Blade

The teleportation brought me to a familiar, barren space.

It was a perfectly square room with nothing in it. Its only feature was the large sword crest drawn on the floor—the symbol of the Eastern Faction.

This was the place that had served as the waiting area for the preliminaries at the very start of the selection matches.

Though it looked the same, it wasn't nearly as large as it was back then. It was scaled down to about the size of a large hall, which made it perfectly suited for moving around freely.

It didn't seem to have a unified name, being called a "training ground" or a "practice room," but it was one of the convenient features available in each faction's castle—in Istia's case, [Ruvalest, the Phased Subterranean Castle]. It was an instance room.

Apparently, it wasn't an exclusive privilege for rankers; regular players could use it too. You could even spawn targets and other things by adjusting the settings, so many combat-focused players made good use of it.

...If I'd known this place existed earlier, I probably wouldn't have caused all those accidents trying to test things out on a normal field.

Like getting flattened by a giant boar.

"—Well then, shall we have a light spar?"

"Yeah... I don't mind, but..."

In any case, Irori and I had come here—as the 'disciple' and 'student' of the [Sword Saint]—to exchange various feelings and words... or so I had initially thought.

Though a hint of some unfathomable emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes, what he proposed was a "light(..) match."

To be specific, it wasn't a full-blown, all-out battle with skills and everything, but more of a casual practice match where we could chat and kill some time.

Honestly, I was bewildered, wondering what on earth he was thinking.

It was obvious that he held some ineffable feelings for Ui-san. And given that, it was also clear that he would have some thoughts about me becoming her disciple.

Frankly, I thought he might challenge me to a straightforward duel... but I never expected him to request a light practice match(......).

"You received a sword from our Master, didn't you? It's better to have a partner to help you get used to it."

He probably wasn't reading my confused thoughts, but Irori urged me on with that plausible excuse as he drew his own sword.

Well, I had intended to face him with it anyway... but you know what, I should probably stop overthinking this.

If he simply wanted to hang out and kill some time, I wasn't opposed to the idea.

If the [Sword Protector] himself was willing to be my opponent, then there could be no better venue for this sword's first battle.

"You're right... In that case, let's do it."

—[Samidorizuki].

I summoned the uchigatana I had just received from my Master into my left hand. Its substantial weight was, of course, nothing like the feather-light [Rabbit Dagger], and it felt more than twice as heavy as my orthodox straight sword, my Anima...

"—...Yeah."

I drew the jade-green steel blade with a sharp ring, gripped the hilt firmly, and gave it a swing. The supreme blade, forged by the [Sword Saint]'s own hands, felt like a true extension of my right arm.

She, who had always longed to be someone's master, had prepared this for me for this very day, insisting I take it.

Gifting a sword to her disciple—when I wondered if this, too, had been one of her 'dreams,' an indescribable feeling filled my chest.

...I'm becoming quite the Master-loving samurai myself. Well, not that my build is a samurai, even if I am studying under the Sword Saint.

"...Magnificent."

"Yeah, it's incredible."

I couldn't help but show it off, but for Irori, too, this was without a doubt the work of the 'Master' he revered...

Joining him in his words of admiration, I found myself captivated by the gleam of the blade for a moment.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—You're swinging it better than I expected. I heard from our Master that she wasn't able to teach you much about handling a katana."

"Whose sword do you think I've been watching, and for how long?"

Even if I didn't have enough time for direct instruction, the model I was constantly watching was the genuine article. By tracing the sword of my Master, which was burned into my memory, my own movements, however incomplete, became more than just half-baked.

I was also used to fighting while exchanging words, thanks to the countless games of 'tag' we'd played.

We even followed the pattern of switching between attacker and defender, so Irori and I naturally fell into a sword exchange that resembled that training.

"Haru. With a sword in the virtual world, you don't need to focus on the 'pulling'(..) motion. It's different from a real-world Japanese sword. You'll get more power by just striking with it."

—And on top of that, I was getting a bonus personal lecture from the seventh-ranked player.

It was probably an intentional choice to match my more intuitive learning style, but Ui-san never gave detailed verbal explanations during her lessons.

Given that I'd reached a point where I could proudly say my "training had borne fruit," I can state with certainty that her policy of making me learn with my body was the right one... But that aside, it's also true that a different approach can be stimulating.

"That... might be true, but Ui-san probably does it consciously, right?"

"Our Master is our Master, so it's fine for her. It's better to focus on honing what you can do, rather than trying to imitate what you can't and messing up everything else."

"Guess you're right."

Accepting his point, I released the unnecessary tension from my right hand—and sure enough, I could feel my swing becoming more natural.

"And your left hand. If our Master made it, the scabbard is probably just as durable for offense and defense as the sword itself. Isn't it a waste to let it just be a decoration?"

"Ah... that's, well... You probably know why you're saying that, don't you?"

This time, he'd hit a sore spot, and I frowned.

"Ah, I see. You're still not good with it, are you?"

Without showing any particular surprise, Irori nodded in understanding as if to say, "as I thought."

It was the same during the selection(.) matches(.), so it's no wonder he noticed.

"Well, let's just hope for future improvement on that front..."

"That's fine, then. Work hard, disciple of the Sword Saint."

"—...Hey."

I was grateful he was helping me get used to the sword. And getting guidance from him was more than I could ask for. However, I could no longer ignore the confusion welling up inside me...

Though I still hesitated, I couldn't help but voice it.

"If you have something on your mind about me, just say it."

Irori stopped in his tracks.

We both lowered our swords and met each other's gaze... The "something" in his blue eyes hadn't changed since he'd first called out to me.

"You said it before, right? That since fate brought us together, you wanted to get along."

"..."

"To be honest, that made me pretty happy."

That's why I'm setting aside any awkwardness or hesitation.

"I... well, I don't want any bad blood between us, you know?"

It was perfectly clear that Irori was holding back some thoughts or words as he looked at me.

So, what I'm trying to say is...

"Spit it out, senpai. Let's take this chance to really become friends, what do you say?"

"...Haaah... Honestly."

When I managed to push out those embarrassing words, Irori let out a heavy sigh and—

"You're an impertinent junior."

—broke into a wry smile. On that face, the guarded expression I'd been worried about was finally gone.

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Let's let our hearts connect, too.