"It was a crushing defeat, but at least I got to witness Shin's true strength. I'd say it was worth it."
After Shin stepped away from the wall, Saeko Busujima racing heartbeat finally calmed down.
Her face still slightly flushed, she expressed her admiration for Shin's power and casually took out her phone to snap a picture of the wooden sword embedded in the wall.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing her photograph the sword, Shin looked puzzled.
"I'm sending this to my family elders. This way, they'll understand that swordsmanship holds little value for someone like you."
With a faint smile, Saeko explained her reason for taking the photo—half of the wooden sword had been thrust straight into the concrete wall by Shin.
She knew the quality of that sword well. Though it was a finely crafted training tool, piercing concrete with it should have been impossible. Yet Shin had driven it deep into the wall without so much as a crack.
She had no idea how he'd done it, but since the sword was hers, she was certain this wasn't some magic trick—it was raw, terrifying strength.
Once her family elders saw this, they'd surely stop pestering Shin.
Saeko was a considerate woman. Noticing Shin disliked being hounded, she proactively gathered evidence to shut them up.
Seeing this, Shin said nothing more—he really didn't enjoy unnecessary attention.
Though, if a beauty like Saeko wanted to get closer to him, he wouldn't exactly mind.
But after photographing the sword, Saeko also snapped a picture of Shin himself.
When he raised an eyebrow, she grinned and explained:
"We might not meet again after this. I just wanted a keepsake."
Though their interactions had been few, Saeko couldn't deny that, just moments ago, her heart had raced for him.
Maybe it was just the suspension bridge effect—an instinctual reaction to his overwhelming power.
Still, she wanted to remember that feeling. The thought of never seeing him again left her with a pang of regret.
For a moment, she envied Yukino Yukinoshita—at least she attended the same school as Shin and likely had plenty of chances to meet him.
Of course, she didn't know that Yukino hadn't seen Shin in a long time either.
After parting ways, Saeko returned home.
Since she'd taken the day off, she didn't need to go to Shuchi'in Academy.
Truthfully, she'd never cared much for the school's atmosphere. Though she came from a prestigious swordsmanship lineage, she wasn't the elitist type.
The students at Shuchi'in might appear cordial, but beneath the surface, rivalries simmered.
For instance, Kojima from the kendo club—the son of the Metropolitan Police Department's superintendent—clashed fiercely with Ryuju Momo, daughter of the Ryuju Group's leader.
Kojima's swordsmanship was decent. If not for her, he'd probably be the club's captain.
But after witnessing Shin's power, Saeko doubted anyone could match him—not even her family's elders.
"Hm? Saeko, you're back already?"
Her father stepped out from inside the house.
In the original zombie storyline, he should've been overseas running a dojo, but this world's events had clearly diverged.
He looked surprised to see her home so soon. He'd thought she'd spend the whole day trying to recruit that supposedly talented kendo student as per the elders' request.
Personally, he didn't care much—how skilled could a student really be?
But he'd expected her persuasion efforts to take longer, hence the day off.
Yet here she was, back in under an hour, including travel time.
"Shin's strength is on another level. He has no need for kendo training."
Saeko smiled wryly—the gap between them was insurmountable. He'd defeated her in seconds.
She could tell he'd held back. If he could stab a wooden sword into concrete, running her through would've been effortless.
"Oh? How strong is he?"
Initially indifferent, her father now seemed intrigued by her high praise.
Instead of explaining, Saeko handed him her phone, showing the photo of the sword embedded in concrete.
He took one look and froze.
A perfectly ordinary wooden sword, lodged unnaturally into a solid wall.
He knew his daughter wouldn't lie about something like this… meaning this impossible feat was real?
How could anyone drive a wooden sword into concrete without breaking it? Unless—
"Wait, Saeko. What did you say that student's name was?"
A sudden thought struck him—rumors circulating among certain elite families about the Shiomiya Group gaining the aid of an "esper," with a student playing a key role.
"Shin."
Saeko blinked, confused by her father's sudden tension.
"So it's him… that Shin!"
His expression shifted. Now it all made sense.
The Busujima family, though respected in swordsmanship circles, paled in comparison to the Shiomiya conglomerate.
He'd never imagined they'd cross paths with the youth even the Shiomiyas revered. Yet Saeko had brought him an unexpected opportunity.
Turning to his bewildered daughter, he spoke gravely:
"Saeko, how close are you with Shin?"
"…?"
Even her usual composure faltered at his abrupt intensity.
To be continued…