Chapter 270: Swordswoman

“Rumi, I heard you’ve been sick lately. Are you okay?”

“Thank you, I’m fine now.”

“You don’t look well. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Thank you for your concern. I’m fine.”

“You’ve been absent for over a week, and we were worried something had happened to you. You’ve never missed practice before. When Keiko called your apartment, your sister said you were sick. We wanted to visit, but none of us even knew your address. How embarrassing!”

“We’re glad you’re back. While you were gone, Okawa-senpai was especially strict with us.”

“Hey, that has nothing to do with Rumi! You’re just lazy!”

At that moment, an upperclassman approached and said, “Stop chatting and get back to your basic drills.”

“Yes.” The girls dispersed reluctantly to resume their monotonous practice routines.

As Rumi turned to begin her practice, the upperclassman softened her tone and said, “Rumi, are you feeling better?”

“Thank you for your concern, Okawa-senpai. I’m fine now.”

“That’s good. If you feel too tired, take a break. You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“Thank you, Senpai.”

“Alright, go ahead and do your drills.”

“Yes.”

After Rumi walked away, Okawa Akemi’s face betrayed a hint of worry.

In just half a month, the annual Tokyo Inter-High Kendo Tournament would take place. Rumi had already been selected as the vice-captain of the women’s team. However, seeing her current distracted and frail state, could she really manage?

While Rumi was practicing basic drills, a second-year student approached her. “Rumi, would you spar with me?”

Rumi’s kendo skills were second only to Shiraishi Akira within the club. Although she was only a first-year student, everyone knew she had once won the national high school kendo championship in the women’s division. Losing to her wasn’t shameful, so many upperclassmen often sought her out for practice.

Rumi agreed and moved to put on her protective gear.

Once suited up, she headed to the sparring area, where the second-year student was already waiting.

After bowing in the traditional kendo greeting, the two faced off, shinai in hand.

As they stood ready, the second-year student noticed something unusual—Rumi seemed full of openings.

To test her suspicion, she cautiously took a step forward, then suddenly shouted and lunged, aiming a strike at Rumi’s helmet.

With a sharp thwack, the student’s shinai connected with Rumi’s headgear.

Stunned, the second-year student was thrilled. There was no block, no dodge—just an effortless hit. Had her own speed improved that much? She felt a mix of disbelief and excitement.

“Rumi, can we go again?” she asked eagerly, her excitement driving her to return to her starting position for confirmation.

Rumi, her expression hidden by her helmet, slowly returned to her stance.

Just as they were about to start again, a stern male voice interrupted.

“Stop the practice immediately.”

The student turned to see Shiraishi Akira walking over, his expression serious.

Hearing his words, the other club members also paused and turned to watch.

Standing next to the two girls, Shiraishi Akira raised his voice and addressed everyone. “By order of the president, no one is allowed to spar with Rumi during this period unless explicitly permitted by the club. Does everyone understand?”

“Yes!” Though puzzled, the members responded in unison.

After sending the second-year student away, Shiraishi Akira turned to Rumi and said firmly, “For now, you are only to do meditation practice. No other training. Understood?”

“I understand.”

“Good. You may go.”

Rumi bowed to him and returned to the first-year practice area.

Lowering her head, she slowly removed her protective gear and helmet. After saying a word to Okawa Akemi, she walked toward the women’s restroom.

Though he remained in a different practice area, Shiraishi Akira continued to silently watch her actions from afar.

“You seem quite concerned about Nagakawa Rumi,” said the Kendo Club captain, now in his fourth year, as he sat down beside Shiraishi Akira.

Shiraishi Akira bowed slightly and said, “Please forgive me for acting on my own earlier.”

The captain shook his head. “No, you did the right thing. At this stage, Nagakawa Rumi really shouldn’t be doing sparring practice. In her current condition, she would lose no matter who her opponent is. But I can’t figure out why she ended up like this. I heard she was sick recently—could it be that she hasn’t fully recovered?”

Shiraishi Akira replied in a somber tone, “She’s suffering from an emotional wound.”

The captain’s expression shifted to one of realization, then he said with some concern, “I hope she recovers soon.”

Shiraishi Akira said nothing, but a determined look flashed in his eyes.

※※※

Seeing that one person was missing, Takeshima Shinobu asked, “Where’s Rumi?”

“She’s in her room,” Kazumi replied.

“She’s not eating dinner?”

“She said she’s a little tired and wants to rest. Don’t wait for her—I’ll order her some takeout later.”

“Okay,” Takeshima Shinobu said, then resumed eating his meal.

After a few bites, he suddenly asked, “Kazumi, is Rumi really okay? She still seems pretty down.”

Kazumi paused, putting down her chopsticks. After a moment, she said slowly, “Don’t worry. Rumi will be fine.”

After finishing dinner, Kazumi walked alone to the kendo girl’s room.

She knocked softly a few times, but there was no response from inside. Kazumi gently turned the doorknob and entered.

The room was dark and silent, with no lights on.

“Rumi,” she called softly, sitting down beside the bed.

There was no response from the girl.

Thinking she might still be asleep, Kazumi stood up, ready to leave.

Just then, the girl’s quiet voice called out, “Kazumi.”

Kazumi sat back down and gently stroked the girl’s hair, which peeked out from under the blanket. Smiling, she said, “Awake now?”

“Mm.”

“Are you hungry? I’ll order some takeout for you.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat something, even just a little, okay?”

Seeing her insistence, the girl reluctantly nodded.

Kazumi picked up her phone and called a nearby fast-food restaurant.

After making the call, she asked, “How was class today? Could you focus?”

“It was okay.”

“On Sunday, Shinobu and I will take you to Shinjuku for some fun.”

“Mm.”

“Kazumi.”

“Yes?”

The girl hesitated for a moment before softly saying, “Today, during sparring practice at the kendo club, I lost—and lost badly.”

Kazumi chuckled. “It’s just practice. You’ll win next time.”

“No, it’s not about winning or losing. It’s that I’ve realized I’ve lost my sense of being a swordsman. My movements are sluggish, my reactions are slow. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve easily blocked that strike. But at the time, I couldn’t even move. If Shiraishi-kun hadn’t stopped the practice, I would’ve kept losing. Kazumi, maybe… I’m no longer fit to wield a sword.”

Kazumi felt warm tears trickling from the girl’s eyes onto her hand, which was stroking her hair. At the same time, a sharp ache surged through Kazumi’s chest.

She pulled the girl into a tight embrace and said passionately, “No, that’s not true. Believe me, it’s not. You’re just not fully recovered yet. Give it some time, and you’ll return to the way you were before. Rumi, don’t think like that. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

The girl said nothing, only wrapped her arms around Kazumi’s waist and sobbed softly.

※※※

Three days later in the afternoon, after finishing her classes, Rumi went to the kendo club as usual.

After changing into her kendo uniform, she quietly knelt in a corner of the practice area.

After a while, Shiraishi Akira approached and knelt beside her in the same position.

Watching the club members practicing, Shiraishi Akira slowly said, “Do you blame me for not letting you join the sparring sessions?”

Rumi shook her head. “No.”

Shiraishi Akira continued, “The captain and I both have high hopes for you. We believe you can return to your previous state.”

“Thank you, Shiraishi-kun.”

He gave her a long look before slowly standing up. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly turned back and asked, “Do you have time on Sunday?”

Rumi was momentarily stunned, then asked, “What did you just say, Shiraishi-kun?”

Shiraishi Akira repeated clearly, “Do you have time on Sunday? If so, would you like to go out with me?”

“Sorry, I’ve already made plans with Kazumi to go to Shinjuku on Sunday.”

“I see. Next time, then,” he said before turning and walking away.

As soon as he left, a girl who had overheard their conversation nearby immediately ran over and asked, “Rumi, did Shiraishi-senpai just ask you out?”

Rumi replied honestly, “No, Shiraishi-kun just asked if I wanted to go out for a walk with him.”

The girl looked like she was about to faint. “Idiot, that’s obviously him asking you out! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe Shiraishi-senpai actually likes you. This is huge news!” She couldn’t wait and dashed off to tell the other girls.

After some exaggeration in her retelling, the first-year girls all swarmed over.

“Rumi, is it true? Did Shiraishi-senpai really ask you out?”

“No way! Keiko, you must’ve heard wrong!”

“Of course it’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask Rumi!”

“Rumi, is this true?”

“Rumi, didn’t you say you weren’t close to Shiraishi-senpai? Why would he ask you out?”

“You idiot! Isn’t it obvious? He must like Rumi.”

Just as the group of girls was chattering noisily, Okawa Akemi, who was in charge of coaching the first-years, walked over and shouted, “What are you all doing here? Get back to practice now!”

The girls had no choice but to disperse and return to their training.

When practice finally ended, the group of girls swarmed Rumi again as she was changing, bombarding her with questions about the earlier conversation.

Rumi only said she didn’t know anything. Worried about keeping Kazumi waiting outside, she quickly said goodbye and left after changing clothes.

Some of the girls, already changed and ready to leave, considered following her. But when they saw the cool and intimidating girl standing beside Rumi, they didn’t dare. When it came to the legendary Gennai-senpai, they held nothing but awe and respect.

“Sigh, I can’t believe Shiraishi-senpai actually likes Rumi. It’s over for us now,” one girl lamented.

“What’s so strange about it? Rumi is cute, and her kendo skills are second only to Shiraishi-senpai’s. I think they’re a great match.”

“Stop talking. I still can’t accept this.”

“It’s just a walk. It doesn’t mean anything, and Rumi turned him down anyway. I think we still have a chance,” another girl consoled herself.

“Whether she goes or not isn’t the point. The point is that it clearly shows Shiraishi-senpai likes Rumi. Have you ever seen him invite another girl out?”

A girl from Rumi’s major suddenly said, “Have you noticed that Rumi seems completely out of it these days? She’s lost a lot of weight, and she always looks distracted.”

“Maybe it’s because she just recovered from being sick.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.”

“Hey, we were talking about Shiraishi-senpai. Why are we changing the subject?”

“Forget it. It’s getting dark.”