In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

No matter how he changes his tactics, how fast he speeds up, or how he tries to suppress with force.

Yuan Qianye always seemed to be one step ahead of him, as if he had already seen through all his intentions.

His attacks were like hitting an incredibly flexible wall or sinking into a bottomless quagmire; most of his power was easily neutralized, while his opponent's counterattacks always came when he was at his most vulnerable.

It wasn't heavy, but it repeatedly interrupted his rhythm, giving him a feeling of frustration that he had no way to use his strength.

The gap... is even bigger than it was back then.

No, perhaps there was such a big gap back then, but I was not able to see it clearly at the time.

This realization did not discourage Hattori; instead, it ignited a deeper, more unyielding spirit within him.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He took a deep breath and unleashed his remaining strength and momentum to the extreme!

"Oh my god!!"

With an unprecedented roar, Hattori Heiji abandoned all his complicated feints and maneuvers.

He poured all his strength, speed, and will into this final strike, the simplest and most direct straight cleave!

He stomped his feet on the ground, leaned forward, raised his bamboo swords above his head, and charged towards Yuan Qianye, who was a few steps away, like an arrow released from a bow.

The emerald green bamboo sword tore through the air and slashed down with unstoppable momentum!

Faced with this all-out, self-destructive attack, Yuan Qianye's eyes finally showed a subtle change.

We've gone through more than twenty rounds; it's about time to end this...

He no longer dodged with skillful footwork as before, nor did he try to deflect the attack with clever force.

Just as Hattori's bamboo sword was about to reach its apex, Minamoto Chiya moved.

His movements didn't seem fast, but they were extremely precise and concise.

As he shifted his stance, the bamboo knife in his hand, which had always been primarily used for defense and skillful maneuvering, for the first time clearly conveyed a sense of power.

It is not brute force, but a concentrated burst of power.

With a flick of his wrist, he swung the bamboo sword diagonally upwards, not directly meeting Hattori's downward slash at the middle of the bamboo sword, but precisely striking the lower part of the target.

This is a key point where the force exerted is relatively weak and it affects the stability of the knife-wielding person's wrist.

Time seemed to stretch out and freeze at this moment.

Hattori Heiji felt that his strike was sure to hit its target, but just before it struck, a small but unusually precise and tricky tremor came from his wrist.

This force was not enough to completely counteract the immense power of his downward strike, but it cleverly dispersed the force with which he gripped the hilt of the sword, and subtly altered the angle at which the bamboo sword struck downward.

"Snapped!!!"

A sound that was clearer and louder than any other collision rang out!

Then, reflected in the suddenly contracting pupils of all the girls, a scene unfolded that nearly stopped their hearts—

The emerald green bamboo sword in Hattori Heiji's hand flew out of his grasp due to the combined force of the impact and the skillful technique!

The bamboo sword spun rapidly in the air, drawing a heart-stopping arc and making a distinct whooshing sound as it hurtled through the air, hurtling straight toward the girls kneeling and watching the battle in the corridor!

"what--!!"

"Be careful!!"

Eriri, Rikka, and Kazuha Toyama exclaimed almost simultaneously, while Yukino and Utaha's expressions changed drastically, instinctively trying to back away or raise their hands to cover themselves.

But the bamboo knife flew too fast and was too close, and it was about to smash into them!

At this critical moment—

Saeko Busujima, who had been kneeling calmly on the outermost side, moved.

Just as the bamboo knife was about to fly towards her, she stood up and extended one hand, raising it naturally and smoothly as if she had practiced it beforehand, her five fingers spread open to meet the spinning weapon flying towards her.

Then--

With precise, effortless ease, he firmly grasped the spinning bamboo knife in his hand.

The emerald green bamboo knife instantly stopped spinning and its momentum in her palm, lying obediently in her fair hand, completely still.

The girls remained in their subconscious backward-leaning posture, staring blankly at Saeko.

Saeko Busujima lowered her eyes and glanced at the rough bamboo sword in her hand.

It was as if the thrilling scene just now was nothing more than brushing away a fallen leaf for her, so natural and easy.

Her face showed neither shock nor pride. Instead, she slowly turned around and asked gently, "Is everyone alright?"

"N-nothing...it's nothing," Eriri replied blankly.

The others nodded subconsciously as well.

"Is that so? That's good." She tossed the bamboo knife back into the field, then knelt down again by the corridor.

The girls' gazes shifted subtly from the sidelines to Saeko.

The calm elegance she displayed just now, and the indescribable, admirable charisma and reliability...

This caused Toyama Kazuha, who was getting up close to her for the first time today, to blush silently.

What's up with this girl... She's so cool, incredibly cool! How come she seems even cooler than Heiji?

After that brief moment, she wasn't the only one thinking the same thing; it's just that the person she was comparing herself to had changed to Qianye.

Hattori Heiji, who was in the middle of the field, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one had been injured.

"What a pity." Yuan Qianye stroked the smooth bamboo pole. "After all, it's just a bamboo pole, not a professional bamboo knife. The grip is too smooth, so it's easy to slip and drop if you sweat even a little. Want to play another round?"

He spoke a little louder, just loud enough for the audience members nearby to hear him clearly.

Hattori Heiji smiled bitterly upon hearing this, all the remaining fighting spirit in his heart vanishing at that moment.

He understood that the other party was trying to save face for him out of consideration for his feelings.

"There's nothing to regret. Losing is losing. I'm not as good as you. You're really good. With such a big gap, I guess no matter how hard I try, I won't be able to catch up with you."

After today's battle, Hattori Heiji has finally seen things clearly and can't help but sigh that there are always people better than you, and you really have to admit defeat.

Alas, I can't compare to them in swordsmanship, and I've also been thoroughly outmaneuvered in terms of character.

It was a complete and utter defeat.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

From the start of the competition to the final result, the entire process lasted only a little over ten minutes.

With Heiji Hattori's surrender, the match was officially over.

Yuanshan and Ye, who had been anxiously waiting, finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Although there was a thrilling incident where a bamboo sword slipped from someone's hand and flew into the audience, thankfully no one was injured in the end, which is more important than anything else.

She wanted to tell her childhood friend to go back home and stop disturbing his happy holiday.

But unexpectedly, Hattori, who had just admitted defeat, humbly asked Minamoto Chiya for advice on various issues related to swordsmanship.

What made Yuanshan and Ye even more speechless was that Yuan Qianye also seemed to be a very kind person.

Or rather, he had no intention of being secretive or perfunctory towards Hattori, who also genuinely loved kendo and was sincere in his attitude.

When faced with Hattori's questions, he not only answered them patiently, but even picked up the bamboo sword again to personally demonstrate the movements, breaking down and explaining the techniques for exerting force and timing.

As they talked, the two of them actually started practicing and demonstrating on that open space again.

In an instant, the sounds of bamboo swords clashing and Hattori's sudden realization of "Oh!" rang out again.

Saeko Busujima watched quietly for a while, and gradually a glimmer of eagerness ignited in her eyes.

She put down her teacup, stood up, straightened her not-too-disheveled clothes, and stepped into the courtyard to join them.

The three of them exchanged their experiences in kendo.

Then, someone started it, and the conversation gradually deviated from the norm, starting to get creative.

Various green plants are planted in the courtyard, and fallen leaves are inevitable on the ground.

Heiji Hattori was the first to pick up a fallen leaf.

He tossed the leaf high into the air, then took a deep breath, his eyes narrowed, and as the leaf slowly fell to a certain height, he suddenly stepped forward, twisted his body, and swung the bamboo sword in his hand with all his might!

"Whoosh—smack!"

With a soft sound, the ginkgo leaves in the air shattered, turning into several smaller fragments that drifted away.

"Wow!" Rikka, who was standing to the side, clapped her hands, seemingly enjoying the moment.

Hattori Heiji sheathed his sword with a hint of smugness and looked at Minamoto Chiya, wanting to see just how far Minamoto Chiya could go with this.

However, before that, it was Saeko who volunteered to give it a try.

Her previous movements were the same as Hattori's, except that Saeko used the bamboo pole to stab instead of swing.

When she stopped and slowly withdrew her hand, everyone stared at her and gasped in surprise. Even Hattori Heiji's eyes widened.

The bare, blunt bamboo tip, which had been simply sawed off by a tool and was neither sharp nor even perfectly flat, pierced through the fallen leaves and strung them on it!

What terrifying eyesight, stability, and control over strength that requires!

Keep in mind that those were soft fallen leaves, suspended in mid-air, not fixed target paper!

Piercing a falling leaf through the air with a blunt bamboo pole is far more difficult than chopping it with a knife!

When it was Minamoto Chiya's turn, he also chose the same method as Saeko.

But he tossed a handful of fallen leaves into the air, making a series of moves in a short period of time.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

The sounds of air being torn apart were short and frequent.

Then, everything came to an abrupt end.

Yuan Qianye maintained the posture from the final thrust, slowly retracting his arm and standing still.

All eyes were fixed on the tip of the bamboo pole in his hand.

Time seemed to stand still.

The top of that rough bamboo pole was not empty, nor was it just strung with a single leaf.