Chapter 114

What had she just heard?

Did she hear him right?

"A wish...?"

"Yes. A wish. Scoring a point against the President means I did well, doesn't it?"

Matsuda was the one who asked for the sparring match, yet he was setting conditions.

Was he even reflecting on his actions? It was absurd.

And what was up with that bashful expression?

"Are you serious?"

"If not, we can just skip the condition. Should I get ready now?"

"Hah..."

An immature kid who didn't seem to take Kendo seriously.

Yet, he was a wild horse with massive potential, possessing a visible talent that could turn him into an absolute master.

That was how Matsuda appeared to her right now.

Had there ever been a club member with such a strong personality?

She had never seen anyone like him in middle or high school, let alone at the Academy.

It inexplicably sparked a competitive spirit within her.

"I'm trying to approach you in my own way, President, but you're still looking at me with prejudice."

Caught off guard by Matsuda's sudden remark, Renka frowned.

"Prejudice? Even putting it nicely, your behavior hasn't been commendable."

"You mean because I brought up a wish?"

"That too, but mostly the violent side you showed to Miura...! That's the biggest issue. Are you asking because you genuinely don't know?"

"I'm reflecting on that."

"It doesn't look that way to me at all."

"That's because the person standing in front of me is the President."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's obvious you dislike me. You act like everything I do displeases you. Anyone would act out if they were treated like that."

Matsuda's tone was growing a bit heated.

He looked like he was about to unleash everything he had been bottling up.

Deciding to observe him a little longer, she crossed her arms. Matsuda continued.

"Didn't we get off to a good start at first? Things were slightly awkward at the very beginning, but when I bowed to you while cleaning the school gates to fulfill my volunteer hours, you encouraged me, telling me to keep it up. Do you remember?"

"Yes, I remember."

"I also recall the day we bumped into each other when I went to buy figures. You even laughed at my joke then."

"Right. And I'm still grateful that you gave me a ride home that day."

"But everything went wrong after that, didn't it? The exact moment was probably... after the sparring match with my peer."

Now that she thought about it... something definitely started to sour after that point.

Like gears grinding in dissonance.

Things had been precarious before, of course, but the conflict truly intensified right after that friendly sparring session.

Striking the side of a peer's Men was an act of blatant disrespect.

Kendo was a martial art Renka loved dearly.

She had been furious at Matsuda for disrespecting it. After the match, she called him over and severely reprimanded him.

And Matsuda had responded with poor manners, barely even listening to her.

'Is it... because of pride?'

Matsuda had a strong ego, much like how exceptional athletes hold their own strict personal standards.

And the same was true for her.

From Matsuda's perspective, he probably didn't want to back down against someone who treated him so coldly.

And she hadn't wanted to speak kindly to a swaggering Matsuda, either.

As this dynamic persisted, and as she watched Matsuda repeatedly step out of line, her frustration had built up until it finally exploded today.

"I've been staying out of trouble and keeping quiet ever since I joined the Kendo Club, but you, President, were never pleased with me. You just had me pegged as a delinquent."

"That might be true, but things would have been different if you had shown even a little respect for your opponent during that match. If you had just apologized right then and there, it wouldn't have escalated to this. Do you remember what you said back then?"

"What did I say?"

"When your peer got hit on the side of his Men, the instructor told you that wasn't a valid striking area. You answered that you knew. And when I asked you what possessed you to strike the side of the Men, how did you respond? You said it wasn't a foul, that it was free sparring. Didn't that mean you knew the strike was bad manners?"

"I didn't know it was an unwritten rule."

"It was a misunderstanding?"

"Yes."

Renka's voice rose slightly.

"Then you should have said so earlier... If you had just admitted from the start that you didn't know the etiquette, I would have explained it to you, told you to be careful next time, and ended it on a good note."

"From the start? If you want to argue about that, shouldn't you have asked if I knew in the first place?"

"How could anyone think you didn't know when you answered like you did?"

Putting aside the context and who was right or wrong, their relationship showed no signs of improving because they kept endlessly circling each other like this, driven by pride and stubbornness.

In times like this, someone had to yield or step back.

But neither Matsuda nor she had any intention of doing so.

After the friendly match, when Matsuda got an earful from Chinami and reacted so docilely, Renka had briefly wondered if her own approach was wrong.

It was true that he was steadily improving under Chinami's guidance, and it was also true that she had viewed Matsuda through a narrow lens.

As the captain of the Kendo Club, taking a step back here seemed like the right thing to do, but...

If she did that with someone as ego-driven as Matsuda, he might just become even more insufferable.

Honestly, on a personal level, she simply didn't want to lose this battle of pride.

She didn't care if others thought it was childish.

She wanted to tame him. That wild horse.

So, what should she do?

As her headache grew, Renka's eyes suddenly lit up at a passing thought.

'A wish...'

Perhaps she could fix this broken relationship through Matsuda's proposal.

For instance, she could set her own condition, forcing him to obey her implicitly if she won...

Or order him to dedicate two hours a day to learning the finer points of Kendo...

Something along those lines.

Given Matsuda's personality—he wasn't one to make excuses—he would submit without complaint if he lost.

Could she guide him onto the right path using this method?

It was a bit forceful, but wasn't that the whole point of a wish?

Matsuda would get used to it over time.

The only concern was that she had no idea what kind of wish Matsuda would make.

It made her nervous. He had brought up a wish out of nowhere.

Of course, she just had to not lose, and she was confident in her victory...

But considering the sharp instincts Matsuda had displayed during their previous bout, and how much his skills had improved through practice, setting up a safety net wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Let's stop talking about this and get to the point. What kind of wish do you want to make?"

"I don't know yet."

"What do you mean you don't know? It doesn't seem like you suggested it on a whim, so you must have something in mind. Don't tell me you're planning to ask for something... weird?"

"Weird?"

"..."

When Renka clamped her mouth shut, unable to bring herself to say it, Matsuda let out an "Ah..." of realization and asked.

"You aren't thinking of something sexual, are you?"

At that blunt question, Renka's face instantly flushed bright red.

Seeing her reaction, Matsuda shook his head in disbelief.

Feeling a sudden prick of guilt, Renka quickly replied.

"I-I never thought of anything sexual...! Don't jump to conclusions...!"

"Then that's a relief. Anyway, it's nothing like that."

The previously tense atmosphere was strangely softening.

Why? They had only exchanged a few words.

It was absurd.

Squeezing her eyes shut and then opening them, Renka reined in her emotions and spoke.

"I need to set a condition too."

"A condition? A wish?"

"Yes. We'll make a bet with wishes on the line. Considering the skill gap, if you score one point, or if I score ten, the winner gets their wish granted. A total of thirty matches. At the end of the bout, I'll drop the ones digit from my score. How does that sound?"

"Ten points?"

"Yeah. Don't you think that's fair?"

"...What about the referee? Is it Senior Nanase?"

"Me. Since I'm your opponent, I'm confident I can judge accurately."

"Excuse me...? You're going to referee, President...?"

Matsuda's jaw dropped slightly.

As if understanding his concern, Renka let out a hollow laugh.

"I called it a teaching bout, but honestly, I see this as an emotional grudge match. Aren't you embarrassed to let anyone else know?"

"...Well, you have a point."

"I swear I'll judge fairly. If you have even a sliver of doubt about a call, we can get a new referee then."

"No, I have no complaints. Let's do that."

"Great. How about ten o'clock tonight?"

"Sounds good."

The conversation moved so fast it almost felt like it was done in the heat of the moment...

But still, it was what they both wanted...

Anyway, why had Matsuda been so heavy-handed with Miura?

Weren't the two of them close friends?

She knew Matsuda even took Miura home, and she thought the three of them—including Hanazawa—were tight...

Did they have a falling out over something yesterday?

She hadn't had many chances to observe the two of them, but come to think of it, Miura had never actually referred to Matsuda as a friend.

The fact that they always addressed each other by their family names too... She felt their relationship was a bit ambiguous.

Whatever the case, that wasn't what mattered right now.

Preparing for the match tonight took priority.

Brushing away her stray thoughts, Renka opened the door to the Training Room.

"Shall we go in and finish practice? I was originally going to run you into the ground, but you shouldn't be exhausted for the bout, so let's keep it moderate."

"Yes."

From the moment I brought up a wish, I expected Renka to counter with a bet.

But I didn't expect it to be this kind of setup.

I thought we would compromise at least. Something like best out of five or seven.

To think she would meet fire with fire...

It meant she was that confident in her skills, but wasn't she even a little anxious about me? It was just like Renka.

And thirty matches. Considering a standard bout was a best two-out-of-three, this was going to take an immense amount of time.

It was a war of attrition, a number of rounds that demanded incredible concentration.

Things had deviated slightly, but it still went my way in the end.

I just had to score a point, no matter what.

Seeing that it was almost time, I stood up and put on my coat.

Glancing over at Tetsuya, I saw he was just fiddling with his Cell Phone.

He had become noticeably quieter since the sparring session ended, which was nice and peaceful for a change.

Out of consideration for your crushed spirits, I'll forgive you for snoring tonight.

Tucking my Training Uniform inside my coat, I spoke as I walked past him.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Again? Have a good time."

"Yeah."

After that awkward exchange, I stepped outside and headed toward the Training Room, which was located a short distance from the lodge.

The lights were on; Renka must have arrived first.

After checking to make sure no one was around, I opened the door and walked in. Sure enough, Renka was already in her Training Uniform, doing stretches.

Stretching out her long limbs to limber up, she spotted me and walked over.

"Get changed and stretch."

"Yes."

"Wait... I have a question first. What's the acceptable scope of this wish?"

Why was she being so meticulous?

With her eyes shining so brightly... it was unexpected.

"Granting anything, as long as it's not sexual."

When I brought up that minor incident from the afternoon, Renka flinched and cleared her throat.

"...Fine."

"And no canceling out a wish with another wish."

"I agree to that too."

"Yes. Then we're all set."

Renka said no more, focusing entirely on warming up.

Letting out a quiet snicker behind her back, I stepped into the makeshift Changing Room and began to undress.

From now on, it was time to clear up our accumulated misunderstandings through an intense physical clash.

No, that wasn't right. It was time to sprout the seeds of the scheme I had planted.

I had to show everything.

I wanted to score at least five points, but considering my opponent was the genius Renka, I should probably set my max goal around three points.