They stood in the center of the clearing, two small figures facing each other while everyone else made a ring around them. The guards from both clans sat down in neat rows, watching like spectators at a match. The air between the two leaders trembled with words left unsaid, with a long history of rivalry folded into a single, tense moment.
"Before we start, tell your daughter to stay away from my little sister," Shion said. Her voice was cold, every syllable sharp enough to cut through the quiet.
Daichi blinked, then smiled in a way that did not reach his eyes. "Why? They look cute together."
Shion's jaw tightened. "A Hoshino and an Akarawa are not meant to be together. Never."
"Says who?" Daichi asked, the words light but the tone like a blade. The question landed hard, and Shion's face betrayed more than her words.
"Stop saying that. My sister will never be part of your clan. I would rather kill her than watch her end up with an Akarawa," Shion snapped, heat rising in her cheeks.
Daichi's smile widened, completely unfazed. He folded one hand behind his back and shook his head slowly, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Well, I ship them," he said. "And I'll do anything to see them together. They're my lovely couple."
A few of the guards exchanged nervous glances. Murmurs rippled through the air like wind through dry leaves. The clearing suddenly felt smaller, the air thicker. For a brief heartbeat, no one moved. The whole world seemed to wait.
Shion clicked her tongue. "Okay then, old man, let's play. Let's see who's the first to land a punch."
She dropped into her stance, her aura flaring faintly around her like a storm about to break. But Daichi didn't move. He stood calmly with both hands still clasped behind his back, that same infuriating smile on his face.
"Ladies first," he said lightly.
Shion's eyes narrowed. Then she lunged forward, her fist cutting through the air with sharp precision. Daichi tilted his head slightly — the blow missed by an inch.
She blinked, startled, then spun and struck again, faster this time. But once again, Daichi simply shifted his weight and let the punch pass harmlessly beside him, never once lifting a hand.
Shion skidded back, panting softly. "You're not even trying!"
Daichi chuckled under his breath. "Oh, I am trying," he said. "I'm just trying not to hurt my future daughter-in-law."
Her eyes widened for half a second, just long enough for the first real crack in her confidence to show. The air between them trembled with something heavier than rivalry now, something personal.
"I would rather kill myself than be part of your clan," Shion said.
Shion gritted her teeth. The smirk on Daichi's face was starting to crawl under her skin. She darted forward again, her fist cutting through the air so fast it left a faint ripple behind it. Daichi swayed slightly to the side, her punch missing him by a breath.
"Tch," she hissed, spinning and aiming a kick this time. He ducked, smooth and effortless, his expression still light.
"Too slow," he said playfully.
"Shut up!" Shion snapped, throwing another punch.
He bent backward, her fist brushing the edge of his sleeve. For a man who claimed to hate violence, Daichi moved like someone who had spent a lifetime dancing with it — graceful, controlled, untouchable.
Every time she attacked, he dodged. Every time she adjusted, he read her like an open book. It was maddening.
Shion jumped back, breathing hard. "Why, why can't I hit you?!" she demanded, her voice sharp with disbelief.
Daichi chuckled softly, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face. "Maybe," he said, "because you're fighting for the wrong reason."
Shion's eyes flickered in confusion, but she didn't stop. She charged again, her aura flaring bright like a white flame, her fists a blur. The sound of her strikes echoed through the clearing — thud, whoosh, crack — but none of them landed.
Daichi danced between her attacks like a leaf in the wind, hands still clasped behind his back, smile never fading. "You're fast, Lady Shion. Really fast," he teased. "But you think too much with your anger. Try using your heart instead."
"Don't talk to me like you know me!" she shouted, throwing one last desperate strike.
Daichi sidestepped it, and suddenly she realized too late she was wide open.
He made a moved this time, his right hand slipping from behind his back, rising slowly toward her face.
The guards on both sides tensed instantly, some rising to their feet. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
Shion froze, her gaze locked on his calm eyes as his fist stopped just an inch from her cheek.
He smiled. "See? I found my opening."
Her pupils trembled. Before she could react, Daichi lowered his hand gently.
"But… no violence."
For a moment, silence ruled the clearing. Even the wind seemed afraid to move.
Then Daichi turned, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve. "You can tell your clan," he said over his shoulder, "that Daichi Akarawa still believe in peace, even when everyone else forgets what it looks like."
He walked back toward his guards, calm and composed, every step deliberate.
Shion stood frozen, her fists trembling, not from anger anymore, but from something she didn't want to name.
"The game is not over," she said finally, voice firm. "No one has landed a punch yet."
Daichi stopped and turned halfway toward her, a faint smirk on his lips. "I won, didn't I? That means I have the right to this land. So you and your guards can leave."
"You didn't punch me, so you didn't win," Shion shot back. "The game must go on until someone does."
Daichi sighed, sat down gracefully beside his guards, and looked at her with lazy amusement.
"So this is a game to you, huh?" he said, reaching into his robe. He pulled out a bottle, its surface glinting under the sunlight. "Then let's play another game, Lady Shion. How about a drink?"
Shion blinked. "What is the meaning of this?"
"It's a new game," Daichi said with a grin. "We'll keep drinking until one of us passes out. The last one standing wins this land. What do you say, Lady Hoshino?"
The guards exchanged uneasy looks. The tension that had filled the field was now replaced by disbelief and curiosity.
Shion tilted her head, her lips curling into a daring grin. "Game," she repeated slowly, tasting the word like it was fire and honey at once.
"Alright then," she said, stepping forward, her eyes glinting with challenge. "Let's play."