Chapter 18: A Sword Is, in Other Words, a Dialogue

Vigilance against the "Fictional Invaders" encroaching upon the city center had intensified.

The shapeless god that had appeared the other day had been dangerous enough that, had the Fox Squad not miraculously defeated it, there was a real possibility that they would have failed to hold the defensive line.

That was precisely why it had been decided that several more Bluffers would be assigned to Gensou High School.

In other words, transfer students.

And one of those transfer students who had come here was Kanon Kyusei. In the original story I knew, she was a girl who was supposed to die in the battle against the shapeless god.

"Why is she here...?"

Even smoking did nothing to clear my thoughts. It felt as though a haze of smoke was drifting around inside my head.

In the original story, Kanon Kyusei was supposed to have been at Gensou High School in Tokyo from the very beginning. Since I hadn't seen her anywhere, I had assumed that, for some reason or another, she hadn't become a Bluffer after all.

I had even consoled myself with the thought that she was probably happier that way.

"..."

It would be far too unnatural to suddenly approach her and ask, "What have you been doing all this time?"

But I wanted to know. I wanted to know what kind of past she had gone through, what kind of experiences had brought her here.

"Saving the world, huh... That's a wish far too heavy for a human being."

After muttering to myself, I threw away my cigarette.

"Getting to know Hibari. Getting to know Hibari, huh..."

Raika certainly knew how to give me difficult assignments.

But I wanted to know about her too. She was one of my friends, after all, and I wanted to interact with her knowing who she really was beneath the surface.

I also felt that it wouldn't be good to simply listen to Raika's opinion all the time.

She was smart and reliable, but every now and then, she could be a little off. The fact that she casually smoked cigarettes behind the school building was proof enough of that.

How was I supposed to get to know Hibari?

Unable to come up with an answer, I decided to ask Hazuki after our sword training.

"How to get to know your opponent, huh? It's rare for you to come to me for advice, Shota."

"Yeah. I thought I'd like to hear your opinion too, if that's okay."

Hazuki wasn't particularly good at dealing with people, but her perspective was different from everyone else's, so there were times when it could be useful.

She immediately voiced her thoughts.

"If you want to know Hibari, Shota, there is only one simple way.──Speak through your sword."

"...Huh?"

Her words were so decisive that I couldn't help asking her to repeat herself.

"If you cross swords with someone, you can understand what kind of person they are. If you clash your fighting spirit against theirs, you can understand the shape of their soul."

"...Yeah. Yeah?"

Her tone was calm, but I still had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

"If you clash techniques, you can understand your opponent's entire life! From their breathing, their footwork, the sharpness of their blade, and the way they grip the hilt, you can learn their every limb and bone, and if you understand their core through the heat dwelling in their eyes, then no matter who your opponent is, there is nothing to fear!"

"Hazuki, calm down!"

This was bad. Hazuki's overly passionate side was running wild.

Once she got like this, she became nothing more than an idiot who wouldn't listen to anyone.

"I've received your feelings, Shota! I'll go settle things with Hibari!"

"You absolutely did not receive them! You've probably misunderstood!"

Dash!

Hazuki took off running, and I was unable to stop her.

Dear Nakatsuka Shota,

I hereby accept your challenge to a duel.

Accordingly, I shall await you at the First Training Grounds at 3:00 p.m.

Standing before Hazuki, who had returned carrying an absurdly old-fashioned challenge letter, I realized that all my escape routes had been cut off.

The First Training Grounds were essentially a vast outdoor field, resembling an enormous sports ground.

It was spacious enough for a Bluffer to move at full strength without any problems.

And apparently, a duel between an Anchor and a Bluffer, something rarely seen even at Gensou High School, was about to take place there.

Onlookers began gathering, and what was supposed to be a private duel had turned into something of an event.

I watched the whole thing with a jaded look.

"Old Liar. How do you see this battle playing out?"

"How do I see it...? I mean, I'm wondering why those two are even trying to fight in the first place."

I answered Victoria's question honestly.

Why was that guy, who was supposed to become friends with Hibari, trying to duel her instead?

Was he always this much of an idiot?

"Indeed. The Observer's abilities have improved considerably in recent days. His Bluffer Wearing has become more precise, and his handling of the sword has already approached the level of his master."

"I haven't even said anything, though..."

Victoria began speaking with an air of confidence.

"On the other hand, the girl who bears hope. Her greatest strength lies in her ability to use her high mobility to break through the enemy's defenses. A collision is inevitable.──In this battle, the first one to retreat will lose."

There she goes saying whatever she wants again...

Victoria folded her arms and watched the two of them with a smug expression, as though she were some kind of expert. She looked like she was having fun.

Apparently, this was exactly the kind of situation that satisfied her chūnibyō sensibilities.

"Now then, Shota-kun, are you ready?"

Hibari's lively voice rang out across the open-air training grounds.

She was already wearing her magical-girl outfit.

In her hand was a magic wand.

"No problem. I'm ready whenever you are."

Opposite her, the protagonist had already completed his Bluffer Wearing with Hazuki, and he held a rugged Japanese sword in his hand.

"Don't hold back.──Otherwise, you'll die."

Hibari's body lifted slightly into the air.

Borrowing the power of magic, Hibari closed the distance between herself and the protagonist in an instant, then swung at him with a blade of magical energy that unfolded from her wand.

"Tch...!"

The protagonist's sword caught the edge of the blade.

The two weapons ground against each other, sending sparks flying.

Hibari flashed a fearless grin.

"Flash!"

Her wand emitted a dazzling burst of light.

"Whoa!?"

The protagonist, who had stared directly into it from point-blank range, covered his eyes and stumbled backward.

Burdened by the overwhelming handicap of impaired vision, he retreated.

Hibari didn't let the perfect opportunity slip away and quickly lunged at him with another slash.

"Heheh, got you!"

With his vision gone, there was no way he could dodge the blade rushing toward him.

Or so it seemed.

The next moment, however, the protagonist swiftly twisted half of his body aside, narrowly avoiding the blade.

"What!? No way!"

"Gensou Style──Whirlwind."

With his eyes still closed, he unleashed one of his techniques.

The blade swept horizontally, striking Hibari as though he could see her perfectly.

The steel slammed directly into the unguarded stomach of Hibari, who had been certain that victory was hers.

Apparently, he had held back somewhat, as the blade did not cut into her.

Instead, Hibari was sent flying like a baseball struck by a bat.

After tumbling across the ground several times, she pushed herself upright and raised an indignant voice.

"Owww! Shota-kun, don't you know what holding back means!?"

"Well, you're the one who said not to hold back..."

The protagonist calmly replied as Hibari began angrily puffing up her cheeks.

Looking around, I saw everyone else quietly nodding in agreement with him.

Every member of the Fox Squad had heard Hibari's cool declaration: "Don't hold back.──Otherwise, you'll die."

And then she had gone and made a spectacle of herself like this.

It was unbelievably lame...

"Hibari, the match is over, so stop being so petty. Shota's sword... the sword of Shota, who grew up watching my sword, has won. Accept that reality."

Hazuki declared this proudly, puffing out her chest.

"Mmm... But that's weird! Shota-kun definitely couldn't see anything, so how did his sword hit me? That's cheating! That's hacks! You're such a cheat-harem protagonist!"

"I don't quite understand the last part, but... Gensou Style takes every possible situation into account. We regularly train to read an opponent's next attack through their 'ki' without relying on our eyes."

"Huh? What are you even talking about, Hazuki-chan...?"

Hibari looked genuinely taken aback.

I had absolutely no idea what Hazuki was talking about either. Was she some kind of Heian-era warrior or Sengoku-period warlord...?

Mana seemed to share my opinion. She stared into the distance and muttered, "That's not logical..."

For some reason, only Victoria was nodding enthusiastically.

"Indeed, indeed. As expected of Heavenly Eyes."

"Hibari, does it hurt?"

The protagonist had somehow already made his way over to Hibari and offered her his hand. She took it and stood up, only to immediately point a finger at him with a sharp jab.

"F-Fine! I'll let you off the hook for today. But in a month, I'll have mastered this 'Heavenly Eyes' thing too, and I'll beat you! So don't you forget!"

With that, she dashed away.

Zip, zip, zip!

She disappeared somewhere in the blink of an eye, moving at a speed that made it seem as though she hadn't felt any pain at all.

"I see. Losing after making such grandiose boasts, then fleeing after being overwhelmed by embarrassment. This behavior is understandable."

"Mana, you don't have to tell her the truth."

Poor magical-girl-in-the-making Hibari Hopegaoka fled with Mana's painfully accurate analysis at her back.