"Yuna's strength isn't just that." (Juubei)
"What do you mean?" (Shinobu)
"Yuna's movements were ingrained in her body." (Juubei)
"Does that mean her body moves before she thinks?" (Shinobu)
"No, I'm thinking and acting properly." (Yuna)
I denied Juubei-san's words. I was thinking and acting properly.
"She's certainly thinking about it. I can tell because she moves ahead of Shinobu's multiple ranges of action. However, she also blocks unexpected attacks. That's proof that her body moves before she thinks." (Juubei)
Indeed, when it came to unexpected attacks, I quickly moved my body to block Shinobu's attacks.
"It must have taken so much blood bleeding out to get there." (Juubei)
Regardless of whether my blood was bleeding or not, since I didn't even go to school, I was absorbed in playing games.
Maybe I had more time to play games than most people.
However, there were more game addicts than me.
I was sleeping properly.
Best of all, I was rarely invited to parties, so I was able to play at my own pace.
Furthermore, unlike reality, even if I was injured, I could recover my health and mana by using recovery items or resting at an inn, so I was able to return to the fight immediately.
Even if I died, I would just be returned to my home.
But this world was different from a game, so you couldn't become strong the same way I did.
"So much blood bleeding out..." (Shinobu)
Shinobu was thinking about Juubei-san's words.
No, because I haven't.
Don't look so serious.
"Shinobu, Yuna is not a genius or anything. She may have had talent. But that talent will never blossom if you don't do anything about it." (Juubei)
"Yuna-san has also worked hard to become stronger." (Noa)
Noa said quietly.
It's in the game though.
I was doing nothing except sleeping, eating, and going to the bathroom...
"Shinobu, I know you train more than anyone else. But Yuna has done more than that." (Juubei)
"Does that mean I have to do more than Yuna?" (Shinobu)
Juubei-san shook his head.
"What do you seek beyond strength? Do you really need that strength?" (Juubei)
"If I had been strong, I wouldn't have been hurt by the wyvern. If I had done that, I wouldn't have lost consciousness. If I hadn't lost consciousness, I wouldn't have forced Sakura-sama to do so." (Shinobu)
"Shinobu. Were you thinking about that? I've never thought that it was Shinobu's fault." (Sakura)
"Sakura-sama is kind..." (Shinobu)
"There are things people can do and things they can't do. I can't fight a wyvern. But I was able to channel mana." (Sakura)
"But if I hadn't been injured by the wyvern. If I had defeated it easily, I wouldn't have put Sakura-sama in danger." (Shinobu)
"That's idealism. When I said that, I kept wishing I was there. But I wasn't." (Sakura)
"…………" (Shinobu)
"Everyone lives with regrets. But if you're stuck in them forever, you can't move on. You're strong. Be confident." (Juubei)
"...Master" (Shinobu)
For some reason, I wasn't in the mood to interject, but it seemed like things would settle down.
Anyway, the match with Shinobu was over.
If I could help Shinobu, it would have been worth the match.
"Well then, where shall we go now?" (Yuna)
"Well then, how about we fight now?" (Juubei)
Juubei-san's and my words overlapped. The middle part was the same, but some words were different.
"Um, Juubei-san. What do you mean? I heard you say fight, but I must have heard it wrong." (Yuna)
"No, you didn't misunderstand. I'm sorry, but I'll also ask you to do it. I was able to see the fight between the twin swords. I want to show Shinobu the fight of Yuna with the sword. And most importantly, I want to see the fight from earlier. When I saw it, I wanted to fight again." (Juubei)
This guy was a battle freak.
Me?
I was not a combat fanatic.
I just wanted to win over people.
I felt really bad about losing.
Plus, it was fun to gradually become stronger and defeat stronger opponents.
So, I was definitely not a battle fanatic.
"Shinobu-san, is Juubei-san strong?" (Noa)
Noa asked when Shinobu came to where Fina and the others were.
"He's strong. He ranked among the top in this country." (Shinobu)
"Even though you say he’s top, it doesn’t mean he’s the best." (Noa)
"That's because there are battles that you're good at and things you're not good at. Even my master has opponents he's not good at." (Shinobu)
There was a compatibility of attributes in the game as well.
A sword was strong against a bow, a bow was strong against a spear, and a spear was strong against a sword.
The fire attribute was strong against the grass attribute, the grass attribute is strong against the water attribute, and the water attribute is strong against the fire attribute.
In rock-paper-scissors, it's like Goo Choki Paa.
In others, there were lightning attributes, earth attributes, wind attributes, wood attributes, dark attributes, and light attributes, and when there were so many, it got confusing.
Furthermore, it might be different from other games, and you might make mistakes.
"I want to see how Yuna handles the sword." (Juubei)
Juubei-san held a slender sword. He handed me a wooden sword.
So I never said anything about playing.
"Fina, Misa, Shuri. Don't disturb Yuna-san. Let's leave." (Noa)
"Yes"
Noa left with Fina and the others.
"Sakura-sama, it's dangerous, so we're leaving too." (Shinobu)
"Juubei, Yuna-san, please don't get hurt." (Sakura)
Sakura and Shinobu also went to Noa and the others.
Juubei-san and I were left in the center.
That's why I didn't say I'd accept it.
However, when I looked at Noa and the others, they were already in a watching mood.
Noa and Shuri looked happy, Fina and Misa looked worried, and Shinobu and Sakura looked serious.
I couldn't even say "I won't do it" now.
Also, maybe it's a hassle. I didn't hate fighting.
I grabbed a wooden sword and kept my distance from Juubei-san.
"Just to confirm, is it okay to ban the wind coming out of that sword?" (Yuna)
"Yeah, just weapons." (Juubei)
The wind blade coming out of that sword was troublesome. The spacing became difficult.
But if it's a pure weapon battle, I didn't have to worry about it.
Juubei-san and I readied our wooden swords.
"Let me go first." (Juubei)
Juubei-san set it up first.
The speed of the wooden sword was fast.
I read the trajectory and twisted my body to avoid it.
But Juubei's attacks never end. As if bouncing, the wooden sword that I swung down rose upwards and came towards me.
I immediately intervened with the wooden sword and blocked it.
The wooden swords hit each other, and a clanging sound resounded.
Both wooden swords went for the second blow.
Several times, Juubei-san and I clashed with each other with our wooden swords.
After blocking all the attacks, Juubei-san jumped slightly backwards. Then, as soon as he landed, he held a wooden sword horizontally. His right arm was drawn back.
It's a thrust.
Juubei-san's legs gained strength.
Everything was ready as soon as I landed.
Stance, preparation for thrusting, and foot pressure.
Juubei-san's thrust attacked me.
It's a three-stage thrust!
At the first attack, I stepped back and dodged.
Jubei went one step further.
Second shot, he played with a wooden sword.
However, he quickly pulled back the wooden sword that had been deflected.
The third blow, it sticked out.
I turned my body to the left. Prevented everything.
The moment I thought that, I felt something strange.
Juubei-san's left hand was towards Wakizashi.
I was preparing for the fourth blow.
I immediately used earth magic.
Earth rose up from the ground, blocking Juubei-san's wakizashi attack.
I took a step back to avoid being chased.
"S-sorry. I used magic." (Yuna)
I apologized for using magic even though it was forbidden.
"No, I don't care. I also used a wakizashi. Besides, it's probably a sudden action that's ingrained in your body. That's one of Yuna's strengths. Your body moves more than your head. How can you protect myself? Your body understands." (Juubei)
Certainly, what I just did was a spur of the moment action.
"Do you want to continue?" (Yuna)
"No, my 4-stage attack was blocked. It's my loss. Yuna blocked the 3-stage thrust before, so I was thinking of a new attack. Moreover, I used the wakizashi that I didn't say I would use. I used it to do something cowardly. It was prevented from doing so, so it's my loss." (Juubei)
"But I used magic to prevent it." (Yuna)
"That doesn't matter. As soon as I used Wakizashi, my loss was guaranteed. However, I wanted to see if I could get through to Yuna, and I wanted to see if Yuna could handle it. It was completely my loss." (Juubei)
My use of magic was against the law, but Jubei-san was in a gray area. At the beginning, he said it was a weapon-only match. Therefore, it couldn't be said that Wakizashi was a foul loss.
However, Jubei-san admitted defeat.
Juubei-san looked at Shinobu.
"This is Yuna's strength. I'm not telling you to become this strong. It would be difficult to aim for." (Juubei)
"Are you saying I shouldn’t aim for it?" (Shinobu)
"That's your decision. Consult with your heart so you don't regret it." (Juubei)
"If it was master, what would you do?" (Shinobu)
"Are you asking someone like me who is only good at swordsmanship? I'm sure that's a given. I'll just try again and again." (Juubei)
Does that mean you keep challenging me?
I didn't like that because it's a hassle.
However, I did feel that the match with Jubei was a lot of fun.
"But your duty is different from mine. Fighting is necessary, but that's not your only role." (Juubei)
Shinobu listened to Juubei's words and was thinking about it.
"Just think about it and decide. You're still young." (Juubei)
"...Thank you, master. I'll think about it." (Shinobu)
I didn't know what Shinobu would think, but her expression seemed to be clearer than she was at the beginning.
"Yuna-san, that's amazing." (Noa)
"My heart was pounding." (Misa)
"Thank you for your hard work, Yuna-onee-chan." (Fina)
"Yuna-neechan was so cool." (Shuri)
Noa and the others were coming.
"This was the first time I saw a match between Yuna-sama and Juubei, and they moved so fast." (Sakura)
"I showed you something embarrassing." (Juubei)
Juubei-san apologized.
"No, it was a great match."
Well, it was fun for me to be able to fight for the first time in a while. That fairy thing was stressful, and it wasn't a fun battle.
Once in a while, it might be nice to have fun fighting like this.
Author's Note
It's been a while since she fought Juubei-san.
It's three-stage thrust + one slice.
*Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Please note that some kanji have been revised to match the book, so some may not have been revised.