These were eyes that reflected the soul. This was not only a description of himself but also of its abilities.
Soji, frozen in her sword-thrusting stance, suddenly stiffened on the spot, as if her time had stopped in that moment.
Her expression was stunned, as if she had seen something unbelievable.
Instantly, her hair, which had begun to turn white, completely reverted to its original pale gold color.
The sword in her hand fell to the ground. Soji instantly lost consciousness, her petite body going limp and collapsing to the side.
Yusei quickly caught her. The soft, light body fell into his arms, and a maiden's faint fragrance wafted into his nose. But he had no time to dwell on that and quickly shouted at the referee.
"Where are the medical staff? Get her down to rest, quickly!"
Being directly targeted by the Sharingan's soul-piercing gaze had a significant impact on the spirit. Fortunately, the worst effects were just dizziness and drowsiness, with no harm to the mental faculties.
The referee was momentarily stunned, then snapped back to reality. He quickly signaled the medical staff, who were already on standby, to place Soji on a stretcher and carry her away.
Simultaneously, the referee didn't forget to announce the match result.
"Contestant Okita Soji has collapsed due to exhaustion! The winner is Kazami Yusei! Furthermore, as this was the final match of the individual competition, the Champion of this year's National Youth Kendo Tournament individual event is Kazami Yusei!"
The venue immediately erupted with enthusiastic applause. The various thrilling exchanges during the fight, especially the eerie red crescent moons, had been an eye-opener for them.
Although commentators claimed it was just red powder on the swords used to confuse the opponent, many didn't believe it. They preferred to believe in the legendary swordsmen's flying slash.
In the spectator stands, Megumi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart, which had been nervously stuck in her throat, finally settled down. A happy smile appeared on her cute face… she was genuinely happy for Yusei.
She had been Yusei's deskmate for a year. She actually didn't know when he had developed an interest in Kendo, but seeing him achieve success in it made her very happy.
And there was an even more important matter.
'Yusei-kun's grades haven't been great. But with the Kendo tournament championship, he might even get directly recommended admission to Tokyo University.'
The girl's face showed a delighted expression, and her mood grew even more joyful.
On one hand, she was happy about Yusei's bright future. On the other hand, she secretly resolved to study hard and strive to get into the same university as Yusei.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but glance at Utaha beside her, who also had a happy smile on her face, and gradually, she stopped shrinking back.
Yusei winning the Kendo Tournament's Championship gave her a lot of courage.
In her view, if the former sports idiot, Yusei, could achieve his desired Kendo Championship through hard work, then she could also work hard!
Feeling unworthy... it didn't matter. She would strive to become excellent enough to be worthy of Yusei.
Feeling she wasn't Yusei's type... then she would change for him, become the type he liked!
Unbeknownst to Yusei, his Kendo Tournament's Championship had made a girl who had always silently watched him resolve to make a change.
…
Next was the award ceremony. The Kendo Tournament officials presented Kazami Yusei with his prize. Apart from the 1.5 million Yen prize money, there was also an exquisite and magnificent katana.
The blade had golden dragon patterns, and an antique-style jade pendant hung from the hilt, reminiscent of the decorative swords carried by ancient gentlemen.
The blade was sheathed, so Yusei hadn't seen how sharp it was. But regardless, this katana was extremely beautiful even just as a decoration.
Following the procedure, Yusei cooperated with the subsequent interviews and provided necessary details, like his bank account number and contact information.
After finishing all that, by the time Yusei bid farewell to Koken and found Utaha, who had been waiting for him in the rest room, the sun was almost setting on the horizon.
Utaha looked speechlessly at the travel-worn Yusei.
"Why does it feel like receiving the award was more exhausting for you than the actual competition?"
Yusei nodded in strong agreement and sat down on a nearby chair.
"You're absolutely right, that's exactly how I feel. By the way, could you please pour me a glass of water, Senpai? I feel so tired."
Utaha rolled her eyes at him but still dutifully poured a glass of water for Yusei.
After he finished drinking, she looked at him and said, "Because I was waiting for you, my meeting with the editor got postponed to 8 p.m. tonight. So... shouldn't the 'culprit' responsible accompany me?"