Even though Saeko Busujima had long realized she possessed a strong violent streak deep inside and felt ashamed because of it, she had never let it turn into self-loathing or degrading behavior.
On the contrary, she always kept herself extremely pure and constantly worked to become the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko — the ideal traditional Japanese woman.
But right now, what this bastard had just done had completely crossed her bottom line.
Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
The thought roared through her mind like a storm.
This time, instead of suppressing her murderous intent like she usually did, Saeko let it spread freely through her entire body.
"Go to hell!"
Her arm tensed as she gripped the white oak sword. Veins bulged on the back of her hand as she swung again with terrifying force.
This slash was even faster and heavier than the last.
Driven by pure rage and killing intent, the strike was viciously sharp.
In terms of sheer momentum alone, it was already approaching the highest realm of swordsmanship — the legendary "Iron Cutting" level.
A powerful diagonal cut from upper right to lower left.
If it landed, there was zero doubt it would slice her opponent cleanly in half — even though she was only using a regular wooden practice sword.
But the man in black seemed to have predicted it. He took one smooth step back, dodging the blade's edge perfectly.
"Hmm?"
Saeko looked up, her eyes burning with murderous fury as she stared at the enemy standing just a short distance away. She hadn't expected him to evade her attack so easily.
Without wasting another second, she stomped the ground hard. The force sent a visible shockwave of dust exploding outward, as if she were about to shatter the pavement beneath her feet.
She charged straight at him like a cannonball.
If one strike wasn't enough, she'd follow up with ten. A hundred. A thousand...
Until he was dead!
Saeko expected him to dodge with that ridiculous speed again.
Instead, the man in black raised his hand, and an identical white oak practice sword suddenly appeared out of thin air.
He grabbed it firmly and held it horizontally in front of his body in a defensive stance.
Superpower? Or some kind of advanced technology she'd never heard of?
Either way, the fact that her opponent was willing to fight her with a sword was actually good news.
Because when it came to swordsmanship, Saeko had absolute confidence.
That confidence didn't come merely from winning two national high school kendo championships. It came from earning the title of full successor — "all techniques transmitted" — of the Busujima style at her family dojo.
In simple terms, she had completely mastered every single technique of the Busujima sword school to perfection.
If not for being born a woman, her skill level would have already made her the official heir to the family dojo.
Right now, terrifying killing intent radiated from every inch of Saeko's body. She looked like a venomous snake with its jaws wide open, ready to strike and devour its prey.
And the white oak sword in her hand was the deadliest fang in that snake's mouth.
Soon, the two wooden blades clashed violently.
Crack!
The impact was like two planets colliding. A powerful shockwave burst outward from the point of contact.
If the swords had been made of metal instead of wood, they would have showered the dark alley with brilliant sparks.
"Mmph!"
Saeko let out a muffled groan. Her opponent's strength was far greater than she had imagined.
The powerful recoil traveling through the blade made her palms sting badly.
In contrast, after blocking her strike, the man in black hadn't moved an inch from his position.
This was exactly what she wanted.
If she couldn't finish him in one blow, didn't that just prove he was a worthy opponent?
Besides, women were naturally at a disadvantage in raw power. Since strength wasn't working, she would beat him with pure technique.
Saeko quickly adjusted her grip on the handle, shifting her main power to her stronger left hand.
Then she launched another fierce assault.
This time her attacks weren't as heavy. Instead, she held back slightly and immediately changed angles after every block, fluidly unleashing the full arsenal of Busujima sword techniques.
Her strikes came like a violent hurricane, relentlessly hammering down on the man in black.
Under the ferocious barrage, he stood like a small boat in the middle of a raging typhoon — calmly blocking every single blow without a single opening.
Thirty minutes later...
"Is this guy seriously a monster?"
Saeko planted her white oak sword into the ground to support her exhausted body. Her eyes were filled with fatigue.
Large drops of sweat rolled down her forehead, but she no longer had the strength to wipe them away.
More than half an hour of intense, high-level combat had completely drained every last ounce of energy from her body.
If she hadn't trained in kendo since childhood — learning how to manage her stamina perfectly and using the special Busujima breathing technique to help sustain her — she would've collapsed long ago.
Most normal people would be gasping for air after just a few minutes of wild swinging.
But this guy...
Not only had he fought her for over thirty minutes straight, he'd only defended the entire time. His defense was flawless — like a cat toying with a mouse.
Now that she was completely spent, he stood there completely relaxed, as if nothing had happened.
She couldn't win. There was simply no way.
Against a monster like this, Saeko saw zero chance of killing him.
Still... going all-out in one final, exhilarating battle before dying wasn't such a bad end.
Using the last of her strength, Saeko gripped her sword and aimed the tip straight at her own heart.
She refused to accept the possibility of being defiled.
So she would end her own life with what little power she had left.
The wooden sword wasn't sharp, but if she avoided the ribs protecting her heart and thrust fast enough, she was confident she could succeed.
However, the moment she pressed the tip against her chest, no matter how hard she pushed, the blade refused to move forward even an inch.
"What...?"
Saeko looked up in shock.
The man in black had grabbed the blade tightly with one hand, stopping it cold.
Without saying a word, he used his other hand to pull back his hood and remove the mask covering his face, finally revealing his true appearance.
The man had neat, short black hair and deep, piercing dark eyes.
In short — he was incredibly handsome.
"Shu... Shuya? Underclassman...? How... how could it be you?"
Seeing the face of the man standing in front of her, Saeko's pupils shrank violently. Her expression was filled with pure disbelief.
Someone once said that if you meet someone too dazzling when you're young, everyone else for the rest of your life will feel like settling.
In Saeko Busujima's heart, the boy named Shuya was exactly that kind of white moonlight — an unattainable, perfect ideal.