Chapter 10: Thank You, Senior, for Lending Your Sword
The delinquent gang exchanged uncertain glances.
First, they looked at Yamato—this robust man could only clutch his chest while groaning, unable to lift his butt off the street pavement, his face twisted in agony.
Then, they sized up Ryouma.
Ryouma held the wooden sword upside down, turned around, and lightly traced an invisible line on the ground behind him with the tip.
"Here,"
Ryouma said to Ryouka, "Stay behind this line. They won't be able to cross it even a single step."
Ryouka nervously pressed her palms to her chest. The number of delinquents had doubled since last time, and she had considered fighting them together with Ryouma. But he unreasonably turned his back to her, cleanly slicing the wooden sword through the air.
"Come on, I'll wipe the floor with you!"
"Gulp,"
The lead blond guy swallowed hard.
Although he was also a member of the school's karate club, Yamato's skills were far superior to his.
If this kid could reduce Yamato to such a pitiful, half-paralyzed state with just one strike, then going up against him himself would undoubtedly end even more disastrously...
And this kid... was just too bizarre. He looked utterly feeble, so how did he unleash such overwhelming power in an instant!?
The blond guy felt a chill run down his spine, his legs even trembling slightly, but he gritted his teeth and forcefully waved his hand,
"Brothers! Two fists are no match for four hands! Surround him! There's no way he can take all of us down!!"
"Roar!"
His underlings let out fierce shouts.
No matter the situation, when people outnumber their opponent, they tend to get carried away by enthusiasm and lose their judgment.
Three people spreading rumors can make a tiger seem real.
And here, there were over ten of them!
When they surged toward Ryouma in a chaotic mass, the scene alone was quite intimidating.
At least, that's how it seemed in Ryouka's eyes.
She first saw Ryouma's slender back, and only then did her gaze sweep past him to the charging delinquent group.
Just based on their size difference, it seemed like he would be crushed instantly by those scumbags.
But the next moment.
The sword rose.
With just one strike.
The delinquent wearing a cap, who was closest to Ryouma, was struck in the cheek by the wooden sword. Instantly, the corner of his mouth was torn open with a "splat, splat" sound as he spat blood, and within the bright red blood were a few white objects... teeth!!
Meanwhile, the fat guy tried to take advantage of the cap-wearing delinquent distracting Ryouma to launch a sneak attack, but before his baseball bat could even swing down.
"Break!"
Ryouma's sword retracted, its tip directly pressing against the fat guy's chubby chin. He flew upward like a discarded piece of rotten meat, soaring two meters into the sky before crashing down onto the asphalt road with a thud.
Swift as lightning, before the fat guy even hit the ground, Ryouma sheathed his sword at his waist, assuming a "drawing" stance. His gaze sharpened, and in an instant, he drew the sword. The "wooden blade" slashed through the waists of three people in succession. The "thud, thud" sounds resembled cracking bones, and the three's faces twisted in agony.
Two fists are no match for four hands?
That's only because the two fists aren't fast enough or strong enough.
As the captain of the kendo club, Sakura saw it clearly: this underclassman's strength was on a completely different level from these delinquents.
He was a once-in-a-decade swordsmanship genius! Even at... sixteen? Or seventeen... at this age, he already showed glimpses of a "master." His swordplay, how beautiful it was! Like a swimming dragon, yet also like a startling swan!!
Sakura, being an expert in "kendo" herself, naturally valued swordsmanship more than others. Her eyes were sharper, and her pursuit of the art was more obsessive.
Her cherry lips trembled with excitement.
Strong... so, so strong... amazing... this kind of swordsmanship, this kind of power...
Her blazing eyes fixed on Ryouma.
This man, she "had to have" him!!
In just a few exchanges, the entire delinquent group lay defeated under Ryouma's wooden sword.
And Ryouma hadn't taken a single step back!
Nor had anyone... been able to break through his sword's range!!
Ryouma looked down disdainfully at all the delinquents... except for one, the lead blond guy.
He didn't collapse to the ground wailing in agony. Instead... sensing the situation turning against him, he had already begun retreating to make his escape.
He was now roughly twenty to thirty body lengths away from Ryouma.
Though his fleeing was undignified, as long as he remained safe, there would be future opportunities. That damned brat would suffer under his hands someday!
The blond gritted his teeth. After this defeat, he was already planning his next move to bide his time for revenge.
But before he could formulate a concrete plan—
A wretched scream caught his attention.
It was Aihara Yamato.
He couldn't help but glance back and saw Ryouma walking over and striking Yamato's shoulder with a wooden sword. The blow was likely powerful enough to shatter the shoulder blade, and indeed, Yamato's eyes reflected intense resentment.
"One," Ryouma said, then cheerfully tapped Yamato's other shoulder with the wooden sword, grinning. "As everyone knows, humans have two shoulders... Stand up, or I'll break your second one!"
He suddenly shouted, and Yamato, who had fallen from the pain, hurriedly struggled to his feet. But the moment he stood straight, another strike came down.
Yamato screamed and fell once more.
"I only said I'd strike if you didn't stand up. I never said I wouldn't strike if you did," Ryouma said indifferently. Then, with a vertical slash, he struck two inches below Yamato's thigh. "This time, it's your shoulder. If I see you harassing Ryouka again, next time it'll be somewhere else!"
"..." Yamato remained silent, only trembling slightly.
"Stand up," Ryouma commanded again.
Yamato seemed at a loss, only groaning in pain a couple of times.
"You broke your shoulder and ribs, not your legs! Hurry up and crawl, or I'll make sure you end up at the bottom of Tokyo Bay," Ryouma said.
Hearing this, Yamato desperately tried to get up. But with both arms incapacitated, he had no strength to support himself and fell back onto his rear. Then, just as Ryouma had said, he crawled a few steps before mustering the effort to stand and flee.
As soon as Yamato ran off, Ryouma's gaze turned toward...
The blond shuddered with fear, but he still had the advantage of distance. He was about to sprint away when he heard a voice from behind:
"Hundred-Step Flying Sword!!"
A wooden sword shot straight toward him.
Before the blond could even lift his leg, the wooden sword struck his back with a loud thud. Despite being just a wooden sword, the impact sent him flying several meters before he crashed to the ground.
Once on the ground, he felt an excruciating pain in his back, but his will to survive drove him to stand up and stagger away.
"Remember this too," the blond heard a quiet, cold warning. His legs nearly gave way, but he managed to steady himself, not daring to look back.
Ryouma stepped over the delinquents who couldn't get up and returned to stand before Ryouka.
Ryouka clutched her chest with both hands, yet she could still hear her heart pounding wildly.
Her eyes met Ryouma's, and she couldn't stop the blush from spreading across her cheeks.
"Ko-Kobayashi..." Ryouka began to say something.
But Ryouma turned the wooden sword horizontally, holding it respectfully in both hands, and presented it to Miyajima Sakura.
"Thank you, Miyajima-senpai, for lending me your sword," he said.