Shibuya, inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, the audience took their seats with excitement, watching the arena, awaiting the upcoming semi-final match between two competitors.
As time passed, two girls simultaneously arrived at the center of the arena, and the spectator stands instantly erupted with thunderous exclamations.
There was no other reason than their sheer stunning beauty.
These two girls weren't wearing the standard protective gear for Kendo matches, which instead allowed the audience to see their faces clearly.
One of them had long hair cascading down her back, ink-black in color. A pair of red eyes seemed emotionless, perfectly matching the expressionless look on her exquisite face.
Soon, someone recognized this girl.
"That's... the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya Family!"
"Eh! It really is the Shinomiya young lady! I saw her on the news before."
"Really unbelievable. I never thought a young lady like that would participate in a Kendo Tournament?"
"Tch, don't show off your ignorance. Don't the young masters and ladies of these great families learn traditional arts from childhood?"
Discussions and exclamations continued in the arena, while the other girl was equally stunning.
This was a girl in a swordsman's attire, dressed very efficiently. She wore a short kimono top with a blue Japanese-style jacket over it, and her legs were clad in black leggings.
Her eyes were the rare, beautiful amber color, with hints of green deep within.
Her pale yellow hair was tied back, fastened with a black knot. Her face was exquisitely cute, bearing a somewhat gentle smile.
Her hair and eye color seemed to indicate that this girl was of mixed heritage.
The awe and exclamations this girl received were no less than those for the Shinomiya young lady opposite her.
Shinomiya Kaguya, dressed in a white Kendo kimono, looked at the girl across from her, her eyes sharp, her entire being like a hunter ready to strike.
"Long time no see, Soji."
The girl with pale yellow hair, named Soji, nodded lightly and gently loosened her black scarf.
"I hope we can both improve together this time."
Her voice was very calm, seemingly without the tension of facing an opponent.
Kaguya's cool expression didn't change as she looked at the other party with disdain.
"Always like this. Is the Okita Family really planning to raise their daughter as an assassin? If so, why hide it? Just obediently reveal your true nature, wouldn't that be better?"
It seemed Kaguya's words struck a chord. The girl, who had been smiling gently, experienced a violent fluctuation in her emotions.
She didn't say much but slowly drew the long sword at her waist.
It was a real katana. The cold gleam rising from the blade made one shiver just looking at it.
Without a doubt, this was a real sword!
The cheers from the stands abruptly halted, seemingly surprised that a real katana had been drawn for the match.
The host, seeing this, quickly spoke up.
"Okita Soji-san, regarding this..."
But before he could finish, a voice full of imposing authority interrupted him.
"No need. Proceed like this. Only then can we see their true skill."
The speaker was an elderly man in a kimono. He was burly, and his face showed no signs of senility, exuding great dignity.
Watching the match from the rest room, Yusei almost spat out the food he was eating.
'This... isn't that Old Man Koken? Why is he here?'
'Eh? Wait, what did the host just say? Okita Soji-san?'
It was only then that Yusei suddenly registered the host's form of address.
'Okita Soji...'
Hearing this name, Yusei couldn't help but recall the settings from the Fate Series, comparing them with the hazy memories of the characters.
He was shocked to discover that she really seemed to be that character from the Fate Series.
'But wasn't she a historical figure from the Edo period? And... isn't this world supposed to be a simple slice-of-life world? How did Servants show up here?'
Yusei no longer had the mood to watch from the rest room. After one last look at Koken on the TV, he hurriedly left the rest room.
…
After Koken spoke, another elderly man not far from him also stood up and slowly nodded.
"That's right, proceed like this. You don't need to bear responsibility for their injuries. We are their guardians."
"Eh? But..." The host was still hesitant. After all, this was the National Kendo Tournament, so if something went wrong at this level of competition, he, as the host, couldn't bear the responsibility.