At this life-and-death moment, the three images of Soji thrusting towards Kaguya were joined by another.
A boy in black casual sportswear flashed in front of her, holding her sword in his hand... her sword?
Only then did Kaguya realize that her sword had been taken from her at some point, and then she felt a force on her abdomen.
Thud.
This was the second time she had been kicked flying, but compared to the force of Soji's kick, this one was very light.
Before she could think more, she heard several sounds of clashing blades erupt from the arena.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of clashing swords exploded almost simultaneously, making Kaguya's eardrums ache.
When she regained her senses and saw the situation on the stage, she finally understood what had happened.
A boy now stood in her previous position, holding her sword, his blade locked with Soji's.
The host had been slow to react. There was no helping it… the two girls on stage simply didn't seem like ordinary people. Amidst the flashing blades, he didn't know what to do.
It wasn't until Yusei appeared that the host finally reacted.
"You... you're the competitor for the next match! Why are you on stage early?"
Yusei glanced at him, smiled slightly, and released the sword in his hand.
"Sorry, I'll head down now."
"Eh, but..." The host wanted to say more, but Koken, who had been watching from below, stood up.
"No need to say more. Shinomiya Kaguya has already lost. Hurry up and prepare for the next match."
The host was taken aback by the imposing aura of Koken. Hearing her grandfather's words, Kaguya bit her lip tightly, feeling somewhat unwilling.
But she also understood that if that boy hadn't suddenly appeared, she might even be dead by now.
Kaguya absolutely refused to believe that the assassin would have shown mercy.
"I understand." Kaguya nodded and looked at the referee and host.
"I concede."
As her words fell, the audience in the venue erupted in an uproar. Especially those seated closer to the stage, whose view was the clearest.
To them, the fight seemed like a clash of afterimages. Their worldview was refreshed, as it was the first time they had seen Kendo like this!
They were puzzled by Kaguya's sudden concession and equally puzzled by Yusei's sudden appearance.
"What was that guy doing? That's totally against the rules, right?"
"Interrupting someone else's match is so rude."
"He seems to be the competitor for the next match. Was he just impatient?"
"They should disqualify him and let the yellow-haired girl win directly."
"I think the Shinomiya young lady was also very skilled. If not for him, she might have won!"
Utaha was also confused about why Yusei had suddenly gone on stage. Hearing the surrounding discussions, she felt somewhat indignant but didn't know how to refute them.
Megumi didn't have as many thoughts, she was just intently watching Yusei on the stage, worried about his next match.
The 'thrilling' level of the previous match had exceeded her imagination.
'Moreover, they were using real swords. What if he got hurt...'
Shiro silently watched her Onii-chan on the stage, completely indifferent to the criticism around her.
Seeing this, Utaha couldn't help but ask, "Shiro-chan, aren't you worried about your Onii-chan?"
"There's nothing to worry about. They are just a bunch of ordinary mortals who couldn't see what Nii did. There's no need to mind them."
Shiro's soft, sticky voice sounded, very calm.
'What he did?'
Utaha was slightly stunned, 'What had I missed that Yusei-kun did? Didn't he just take a sword and intervene in the match?'
She was still filled with blame and worry. Those two were from renowned swordsmanship families, using real swords, their skills transcendent. What was an ordinary high school student like him doing getting involved? If he had been accidentally hit, wouldn't it have been dangerous? What would they have done then?
…
Kaguya returned to the backstage rest room somewhat dejected. The whole way, she was reflecting on why she had lost? Why was she completely powerless?
What was the [Mumyo Sandan-zuki] that the Okita young lady mentioned? And what was the [Kuzuryūsen] she heard just now?
That was the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu's ultimate technique. It couldn't be mastered without over a decade of practice. But her grandfather only had her, his granddaughter… there was no illegitimate grandson or anything.
So who was that guy who suddenly appeared?
Filled with these questions, she returned to her rest room, only to be surprised to find her best friend, Fujiwara Chika, watching TV there.
Her gaze was focused, filled with excitement, happiness, and a bit of... infatuation.
The sound of Kaguya returning startled Chika. She turned around and excitedly waved at Kaguya.
"Kaguya-chan, I found him!"