CH 91

Rematch

Sheila’s opponent was Seiryuu.

Despite being commoners, the Mifune family was a prestigious family that had produced many knights, and they were well remembered by the King. That was probably why his heir, Seiryuu, was selected for the Imperial Match.

And the most suitable opponent for Seiryuu was probably Sheila. As a person with a certain amount of fighting ability who could fight on an equal footing with him who didn’t have magical power.

‘Honestly, I’m kind of like a bonus. That’s why I don’t want to lose.’

No matter what the people around her thought, if Sheila was going to fight anyway, she wanted to win.

Sheila moved forward with enthusiasm. Seiryuu was already waiting in the central square battle area.

When their gazes meet, he narrowed his eyes belligerently. Seiryuu was a completely different person from his usual calm self when in battle.

“I’ve been wanting to have a formal rematch with you for some time now. ――This time, I will not be so easily defeated.”

Sheila also responded while pulling out her long sword.

“Me too. I’m not going to give up the championship easily, either.”

Since the sixth graders had taken the lead, Sheila and Toldird had to win their matches in the final competition, the Imperial Match. Axe had already won, so if she lost to Seiryuu here, it would confirm the sixth graders’ victory.

They wait for the signal to begin and faced each other head-on. Seiryuu suddenly broke his stance.

“You’re like an unsharpened blade when you’re preparing to fight.”

Sheila laughed back.

“I think that’s exactly what you want.”

“I wonder? ――I think you look lovely.”

“…… Eh?”

The hand that held the long sword loosened slightly. Her will to fight, which had been rising in anticipation of the match, was extinguished.

‘What are you talking about, so shamelessly….!?’

Sheila felt like she had been told something similar before, but it shook her resolve to hear it at the Imperial Match. In fact, she suspected that disrupting her concentration was Seiryuu’s strategy.

‘Wow, unknowingly, Seiryuu is a lady killer…. but he didn’t know that I’m a woman, so how could he say that so easily?’

If so, he probably had no other intention whatsoever.

Sheila took a deep breath to calm her distracted mind. There was no need to be distracted before the battle. She must concentrate only on defeating the powerful enemies standing in front of her.

When she calmed down, her nerves sharpened like a thinly twisted thread. The five senses become acute, and the clamor around her became distant.

“The second match――begin!”

Sheila ran forward toward Seiryuu as fast as she could. First, she threw her sword at him. Of course, he avoided it without difficulty.

Claushezade’s instruction was going through her mind even as she launched her attack.

‘Be aware of the opening of the left foot. Step in only after swinging the sword. Bring the tip of the sword down on the opponent’s head.’

It would be ideal to be able to move without being conscious of the proper form, but it was still difficult. Therefore, Sheila needed to control her body’s movements perfectly by always keeping alert. That way, she could manage to overcome the feeling of discomfort between her own style and the style that she had learned.

That was the only breakthrough that Sheila, who was troubled and still unable to overcome her shortcomings, could find.

‘I never thought I’d have to perform this risky strategy at this competition, though.’

But this was the best Sheila could do at the moment. 

Meanwhile, the incessant sword fights that were being unleashed had Seiryuu clicking his tongue.

Seiryuu had been lamenting Sheila’s poor performance for some time.

It could be said to be completely normal since Sheila had just learned the proper form, but she seemed to be having trouble stepping out of her comfort zone.

But how was the new Sheila right now?

She seemed to have absorbed all the proper forms and was even faster than before―

How far would she grow?

It was both exciting and frightening.

Seiryuu was looking forward to seeing how far she could go, but at the same time, he was afraid that he would never be able to catch up to her as she continued to climb ever higher.

Seiryuu lifted the corners of his mouth while blocking the sword attack. A ferocious light dwelled in his obsidian-like night sky eyes.

Sheila immediately retreated to keep her distance.

However, Seiryuu’s counterattack was fierce. His movements were so swift that she wondered where he had been hiding them all this time.

A long, single-edged sword with a beautiful crescent moon-like curve fluttered in the air. It glowed a dull blue in the sunlight. It was like the fangs of a wolf reaping the life of its prey.

“――That’s enough!”

Claushezade’s stopped the match. Seiryuu’s long sword, which was asserting its raw sharpness, came to a stop just inches away from her.

With one knee on the ground, Sheila looked up at Seiryu who was facing her. In contrast to her face, which was contorted with frustration, his face showed the composure of someone who had just won.

“The winner is Seiryuu Mifune!”

The hall was filled with explosive cheers.

Sheila finally remembered her surroundings and blinked her eyes. Everyone except Seiryuu was completely invisible to her before, but she just remembered that this was an Imperial Match.

“Ah… I lost….”

When Sheila looked up at the sky and sighed, Seiryuu’s voice came back to her.

“I can’t lose easily…. Especially to you.”

He held out his hand and pulled her up just like he did in the pole toppling competition. This time, however, he seemed to have misjudged his strength a little, and Sheila bumped into his wide chest.

She groaned as her forehead collided with his breastplate, and Seiryuu hurriedly pulled himself away.

“I’m sorry, are you all right!?”

“I’m fine, I’m sorry too….”

A calloused hand was placed on her chin, and her face was lifted. Seiryuu carefully brushed up her bangs to see if there was any bruise.

As Sheila stood still with her eyes closed, he suddenly stopped moving. She opened her eyes, wondering if he was moving away from her momentarily.

“Seiryuu?”

“That, no, I’m sorry.”

“No, I told you, it’s not Seiryuu’s fault.”

For some reason, he sometimes behaved suspiciously. Since she didn’t know the cause, Sheila could only nod her head.

Soon the next match would begin. Sheila saw Toldrid out of the corner of her eye as he finished his preparations and turned to face Seiryuu again.

“It’s a bit frustrating, so I really hope we get a rematch. I will definitely not lose next time.”

Sheila had expected the usual “of course” answer. But he furrowed his eyebrows a little and smiled.

“――I wonder. I would say soon, but it will be a long time before we can fight again, won’t it?”

Sheila stared at him almost dumbfounded at the unexpected reply.

Seiryuu turned his back and took a few steps before stopping. He looked back slightly, and his profile showed a glimpse of his unwavering determination.

“In the first month of winter, we sixth graders will be eighteen years old, and we will be adults. ――The time will come when we leave this academy.”

The mumbled voice reached Sheila, unmistakable over the cheers.

◇　◆　◇

Although it was clear that the sixth graders would win the championship when Sheila lost, there was no telling what would happen to the fifth- and fourth graders. Would the fifth graders turn things around or would the fourth graders defend their rank?

In the Imperial Match, the sixth graders won all their matches. The fifth graders won one match and lost one match, and the fourth graders lost all of their matches.

Toldrid’s match sadly ended with a crushing victory for Leidyrune.

Before Sheila could find the words to comfort her depressed classmates, it was time for the closing ceremony.

“I lost, too. We all worked so hard, but we didn’t even win….”

Sheila, too, was unusually somber. Partly out of frustration at losing, and partly because she was unexpectedly shocked by Seiryuu’s words.

She was surprised at how upset she was, even though she should have known that graduation was coming up. For some reason, she thought they could all stay together forever.

While Sheila was absent-minded, the final total scores were tallied.

The winner was still the sixth graders. And the second place went to―

“The fourth grade!”

Cody excitedly shook Sheila’s shoulders. She looked around in confusion while her classmates shouted their delight.

“Um, should we be happy? We didn’t win the championship because we didn’t win the Imperial Match….”

Sheila was once again depressed by her own words, but Cody smiled brightly.

“But still, second place for a fourth grader is a great accomplishment! Maybe it’s been since the founding of the school!”

Zechs even laughed, as did Toldrid, who had been depressed. Hyderion also had an unusually big smile on his face.

“We all recognize each other’s efforts. Let’s honestly rejoice in our good work now. Let’s look forward to next year’s victory.”

Sheila was comforted by her friend’s words. She thought it would be nice if they could aim for the championship together again next year.

Sheila finally smiled a little.