Belonging | 𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐱 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐡𝐲𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐨

𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Third person POV

Towa had put in a lot of work in preparation for the kendo tournament, seeing as how she was the team's dark horse. Towa's unbeaten streak in kendo began when she joined the club at her school and it continued to the National Championships. She is so well-known in Tokyo that she is often referred to as "the Silver Samurai," and those who have ever seen her compete in Kendo would never bet against her.

Eventually, the final day arrived, and Towa made her way to Chiyoda's Budokan for the Final Championship. She was the only member of the team to advance to the semi-finals, meaning she will be the only one competing in the Finals. Towa merely remained on the bus in silence, staring at the screen of her smartphone while oblivious to everything else until the bus arrived. Still listening to music on her headphones, Towa disembarked from the bus and headed to the registration desk. Even though she had her headphones on, she was still able to pick up on the conversations going on around her.

'Shōyō Middle School'

'That Silver Samurai...'

'Is she going to participate?'

'If she's around, it's game over for us.'

'But don't you know? There's someone who's actually on par with the Silver Samurai.'

Towa's ears perked up when she heard that.

'You mean that guy from Awarashi dojo?'

'I heard he's a beast. He even won every match without holding back.'

'I've never heard of him before, yet he manages to reach the Finals?'

The sudden sound of screaming caused her to loose focus on the conversation. She looked at the current game and spotted a participant dressed in a navy blue Kendo uniform.  The individual assumed a traditional samurai stance with his shinai in front of him. He remained deathly still for a moment before dashing towards his opponent and surprising him by hitting him in the Stomach 9, Gall Bladder 4, Gall Bladder 20, and Stomach 6. He froze when the blade's tip approached his opponent's neck.

"Winner, Awarashi Dojo, Nura Riei!" The referee announced as his opponent was carried away on a stretcher.

The boy turned around, removed his helmet, and shook off the sweat from his dark hair. It was then that Towa caught sight of his eyes and was taken aback. Those eyes were the same azure blue as the ones she had seen before.

'It's the boy from that time!'

"So, his name is Nura Riei, huh."

Towa wondered about the boy's identity ever since that night. He arrived like a typhoon and disappeared as mysteriously as a ghost. Towa couldn't even get a good whiff of his scent. However, at this very moment, he was here... competing in the same Kendo Match as she was.

✲'*。.❄¨¯'*✲。❄。*。¨¯'*✲

Like she had anticipated and as everyone had hoped. The final match pitted her against the new boy.

Towa cast a glance at the Riei as the two of them stood with their shinais in position. Yes, the same tension she had felt when they first met was still present, and it could mean only one thing... He's different from her previous opponents. Actually, he could be more formidable than she is. Towa, however, could not afford to come in second when Mei was counting on her to take the first prize.