Kaguya Shinomiya nodded slightly. "I see."
Then she furrowed her brows, a faint trace of concern surfacing.
"You ntioned defeating the best mbers of the sports clubs in matches, but there are so many different sports. Can the two of us really handle all of them? Does Yuuki Asuna have any sport she excels at?"
Asuna shook her head. "No."
In truth, with Asuna's current physical condition, she was already a complete stat monster by ordinary high school standards. She could probably beat even the strongest athlete in a given club without much trouble.
But of course, there was no way she could say that out loud. Kaguya's question also conveniently avoided exposing the obvious flaw: the mont a Player's strength beca visible, it beca suspicious.
"Is that so…"
Kaguya's expression didn't change much. She simply nodded, then turned her gaze to Asagiri.
"I rember you were a national champion in basketball, badminton, and tennis. I'm more proficient in archery, swordsmanship, and judo. Even if I'm confident in those, I can't claim I'll win with absolute certainty against the strongest mbers of Shuchiin."
"No. You have to win."
Asagiri didn't give her even a sliver of room to retreat. His tone was calm, but the aning was ironclad.
"Most sports are fine. But for pure technical disciplines like archery, I can't win just by having athletic talent. The archery club has a huge mbership, so we must secure their support."
He continued without blinking.
"Sa with the kendo club. I've never trained in kendo. That ans you have to win. If you want to beco Student Council President as a first year, this is sothing you must accomplish."
Kaguya fell silent.
Fujiwara Chika imdiately stepped in, smiling as she tried to smooth things over.
"It's okay, it's okay. Didn't Utsunomiya say we negotiate first? If the negotiation works, then there's no need to…"
"No, that's not it."
Kaguya cut her off, her voice soft but decisive.
"Only the weak cling to a luck ntality, hoping to stumble into success."
Then she looked straight into Asagiri's eyes, each word landing cleanly.
"I understand. In that case…"
She didn't raise her voice, yet it carried weight.
"I will win."
…
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Shuchiin Academy's kendo club activity area, the dojo.
At a normal high school, building a dojo that spanned several hundred square ters purely for club activities would be unthinkable. So schools didn't even have a kendo club to begin with.
But Shuchiin Academy was a prestigious school with long history and deep pockets. Not only did it have a kendo club, it had a large one, with plenty of mbers.
"Please wait."
At the entrance, a kendo club mber stopped them.
"Utsunomiya… and Shinomiya? May I ask why you're here?"
Right now, Kaguya Shinomiya and Utsunomiya Asagiri were the two most famous first years at Shuchiin. Their talent and achievents were part of it.
The other part was simpler.
Kaguya was breathtakingly beautiful, and Asagiri was unmistakably handso. With faces like that, attention ca naturally.
Fujiwara Chika, who was handling negotiations, stepped forward with her usual bright smile.
"We'd like to speak with your club president about sothing. Is she here?"
"Ah…"
The club mber hesitated, but before he could decide, a girl in a kendo uniform stepped out of the dojo.
"I'm the kendo club president. What is it?"
"Oh, hello, hello. It's like this…"
Despite it being their first eting, and despite the other girl clearly being a senior, Fujiwara Chika showed no sign of nervousness. She simply stepped forward and, following the plan they had agreed on, explained their purpose in a light, friendly tone.
When she finished, the kendo club president wore an unreadable expression.
"So you're saying that if we support Kaguya Shinomiya as the next Student Council President, our kendo club's funding will increase, and we'll receive new protective gear, equipnt, kendo uniforms, and so on?"
"Yes, that's basically the idea."
"And if we don't support her, and she still becos Student Council President, our activity funds will be cut?"
"Huh? I didn't say that."
Fujiwara answered with the sa sweet smile, then shrugged with a faint sigh, as if she were the one troubled by the unfairness of the world.
"However, without additional sponsors, the Student Council's budget is limited. If so clubs receive more, others will inevitably receive less. That's unavoidable, right?"
"Hmph."
The kendo club president was sharp. She understood the implication imdiately. Fujiwara's tone was playful, but the ssage was clear: cooperate, or be prepared to lose out.
The president's eyes shifted to Kaguya.
"Honestly, for our club, it doesn't matter much who becos Student Council President. If we can secure more funding, supporting you isn't impossible."
She paused, then narrowed her eyes, staring directly at Kaguya as if trying to carve through her calm mask.
"But…"
"How do I trust you can actually deliver what you promised? I don't know you. I can't judge your character based on a few words."
"Alright."
Kaguya had already understood what was being asked of her. She nodded once, composed.
"Do you have a spare kendo uniform that fits?"
"Yes. Co in."
No more words were needed. In that brief exchange, they ford an agreent: they would speak through the sword.
…
Ten minutes later, inside the dojo.
Kaguya Shinomiya stood opposite the kendo club president, nearly ten ters apart. Both held bamboo swords.
Asagiri, Asuna, Fujiwara, and dozens of kendo club mbers stood quietly at the edge of the training floor, watching.
"Hm?"
Before the match began, Asuna studied Kaguya's grip and stance. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but with Fujiwara nearby, she didn't show it openly.
"Kaguya Shinomiya."
The kendo club president tightened her grip with both hands, her gaze sharpening.
"What kind of person you are, let the sword in your hand speak to my sword."
Asagiri and Asuna had the exact sa thought.
This kendo club president felt a little chuunibyou.
Of course, maybe that was because neither of them truly understood kendo. Even though Asuna used a longsword and her profession was Swordsman, she didn't know anything about kendo philosophy.
She only knew one thing.
Use the sword in your hand to cut down the enemy. That was enough.
"Begin."
Kaguya didn't waste words. She simply tightened her two handed grip and settled into a standard stance.
"Good."
The president advanced slowly, closing the distance step by step.
The mont they were within five ters, she exploded forward and slashed down toward Kaguya's shoulder.
Clang.
Kaguya angled her bamboo sword and blocked cleanly, deflecting the strike with a sharp collision of wood.
The president didn't panic. She flowed with the force, turning the failed vertical strike into a horizontal cut that swept toward Kaguya's waist.
Watching, Asagiri already had his own counter in mind.
Switch to a one handed grip. Use the left forearm to trap the opponent's blade. Thrust into the exposed throat. His arm would be cut, but the enemy would die.
However, this was a kendo match, not a life and death exchange. Kaguya clearly couldn't fight like that.
Instead, she took half a step back at precisely the right mont. The horizontal cut missed by a hair.
Then Kaguya's bamboo sword lifted lightly, almost gracefully, and tapped down onto the president's shoulder.
Her movent looked gentle and elegant, yet the speed was so fast it left a faint afterimage.
"It's over."
The president felt the slight weight on her shoulder. She looked up and t Kaguya's red eyes, calm and emotionless.
Her bamboo sword lowered.
After a few seconds, she spoke slowly, as if accepting sothing that had already been decided.
"Yes. It's over. I lost."
She straightened and declared it without hesitation.
"All mbers of the kendo club will support you becoming Student Council President."
…
After Kaguya changed back into her uniform and left the dojo, Asuna walked beside Asagiri. While Kaguya and Fujiwara moved ahead, Asuna leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"Shinomiya's sword grip is strange."
"Strange?"
"Yes."
Asuna frowned slightly, her voice soft.
"Ashikaga sensei once said a weapon is an extension of a martial artist's body. It's not just for offense. It's also for defense, to protect a body that's far more fragile than the blade."
She glanced forward, thoughtful.
"Logically, if Shinomiya has studied kendo, she should understand that. A proper two handed stance, like the club president's, tilts the blade slightly so it forms a barrier between you and the opponent."
Asuna hesitated, searching for the right words.
"But the posture Shinomiya instinctively used when she first picked up the bamboo sword was like…"
She paused, then finally found the closest comparison.
"Like she wasn't holding a sword at all, but a firearm. Like the tip of the sword was the muzzle, and she was aiming at the enemy's vital points, ready to pull the trigger at any second."
.....
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