Kondo did not call off the match, so Suzuki had no choice but to continue.
"Hah——!"
A sharp slash accompanied by a resounding Qi Union sound was emitted.
The bamboo sword drew an arc, aiming for Aoto's padded forehead.
Suzuki did not have high hopes for this strike. After a series of exchanges with Aoto, he realized that his opponent had an incredibly adept Step Technique, making it difficult to hit him.
And indeed, as Suzuki expected, his strike was once again dodged by Aoto.
However, even though he anticipated that this strike wouldn't be effective, a trace of surprise appeared on Suzuki's face.
It wasn't because Aoto could dodge his attack.
But rather because Aoto's dodging speed seemed to be slightly faster than before.
——Why…is this person's dodging speed slightly faster?
Suzuki quickly racked his brain, pondering the answer to this question, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't come up with anything convincing.
On the sidelines, Kondo and Chokata knew why—Aoto had just slightly adjusted his sword-bearing stance, shifting his body weight to better suit holding the sword, making his dodging more fluid.
After evading Suzuki's slash, Aoto immediately launched a counterattack.
Not used to shouting with Qi Union, Aoto remained silent, slightly lowering his waist, and pushed his bamboo sword forward in a horizontal slash aimed at Suzuki's chest.
Pop!
Suzuki swung his sword to parry Aoto's strike.
Even though he successfully defended, Suzuki still showed an expression of astonishment as if he had been hit.
Having fiercely battled with Aoto until now, he could clearly feel that Aoto's previous strike was far more precise in both timing and angle compared to before…
Suzuki was astonished by Aoto's transformation, while Aoto—he was closely watching the "high-speed camera" in his mind that hadn't stopped rolling since earlier.
The "high-speed camera" in Aoto's mind was replaying the attack he had just launched on Suzuki.
——No…my last strike was a bit too high, and my stance and grip were still somewhat off…it didn't feel smooth…
Aoto quickly withdrew his sword and once again slightly adjusted his body's center of gravity and his sword-gripping technique, then swiftly slashed at Suzuki again.
——This grip feels much more comfortable now…
...
...
If earlier, Kondo and Chokata had shown just a hint of surprise on their faces, now they were completely taken aback, their jaws slightly agape.
They looked dazed, as if souls had left their bodies, watching Aoto on the floor advancing at a visibly astounding pace.
They could clearly see—how Aoto's movements were becoming more and more skilled.
Just moments ago, Suzuki could press Aoto one-sidedly.
But now, in just a short amount of time, the situation had drastically changed.
In terms of swordsmanship skill, Suzuki was still stronger than Aoto, but he could no longer press Aoto one-sidedly as he did at the beginning.
The rapidly advancing Aoto had now executed several attacks that posed a great threat to Suzuki, causing him to appear quite embarrassed several times.
The three apprentices who came to the Sword Dojo with Suzuki had now completely ceased their mocking of Aoto from earlier.
Even for those who hadn't practiced swordsmanship, it was somewhat apparent how astonishing Aoto's progress was.
Each of them now looked at Aoto on the floor, just like Kondo and Chokata did, dazedly, revealing expressions that seemed to say: (ﾟДﾟ)
Chokata then raised his hands and rubbed his eyes vigorously, then continued to watch Aoto on the floor.
After a few confirmations that his eyes hadn't deceived him, a look of excitement slowly appeared on Chokata's cheeks, and his hands resting naturally on his thighs involuntarily clutched at the fabric.
"Brother Kondo." Chokata, unable to conceal his excitement, whispered to Kondo, "We…we've struck gold today…!"
Kondo didn't respond to Chokata.
He only widened his eyes, which were filled with excitement, continuing to fix his gaze on Aoto, whose movements had become a bit more refined.
...
...
"Huff…huff…huff…huff…"
The ventilation of Aoto's protective helmet felt mediocre, with most of the hot breath he exhaled from his nose and mouth failing to disperse outside, making him feel hot and uncomfortable.
——This body…really has no stamina…! And the muscles in my arms are pathetic; after swinging such a light bamboo sword just a few times, they're already starting to ache…!
Aoto could no longer remember how many times he had lamented the poor fitness of this body since he traveled here.
The decline in fitness also made Aoto's attacks and evasive moves a bit sluggish.
Opposite him, Suzuki's stamina seemed to be about the same; his movements were no longer as agile as when they first started.
——When will this match finally end?
While this thought was running in Aoto's mind, he heard the sound he most wanted to hear right now——
"Alright! That's enough!" Kondo stood up and said loudly.
Aoto had been waiting for this sentence for a long time.
As soon as Kondo finished speaking, Aoto immediately released his sword stance and retreated, while Suzuki did the same.
After the two had distanced themselves, they stood still and bowed to each other.
Since earlier, Aoto had been expecting to hear the system alert sounding in his mind again.
But even after waiting until now, no sound echoed in his mind.
This meant——there was no special talent on Suzuki.
Aoto felt a slight sense of regret in his heart, but he wasn't overly disappointed, as he had mentally prepared for it. After all, the system manual had clearly stated: only a very few would possess special talents.
"Thank you both for your hard work. You must be tired after such a long match. Both of you, please come down and rest."
"Yes!" After energetically shouting "yes," Suzuki quickly walked off the floor, knelt properly on the ground, and skillfully removed his protective gear.
Aoto, who followed Suzuki off the floor, was also removing the protective gear on his head at this time.
And it was at this moment that an awkward situation occurred.
Since he wasn't yet familiar with the protective gear, Aoto couldn't remove the headgear no matter how hard he fiddled with it.
The current Aoto resembled a cat that had accidentally gotten its head stuck in a bag of chips, frantically using its little paws to push at the bag, trying to pull its head out.
"Mr. Tachibana, let me help you."
At this moment, Kondo's deep voice sounded from Aoto's back and side.
Aoto felt a strong hand fiddle around the back of his head for a bit, then the protective gear loosened and fell off his head.
"Thank you…" Aoto turned to thank Kondo, who helped remove his protective gear.
But as soon as his gaze landed on Kondo, the rest of Aoto's words of gratitude got stuck in his throat.
He saw Kondo, both in appearance and demeanor very masculine, squatting to his side with eyes that seemed affectionate, looking at him.
*******
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