Chapter 58: The Final Three
Suzuki Tsuyoshi and Matsunari Masafumi bowed to each other and left the arena. The applause lingered for a moment before the third pair of participants stepped up.
"Suzuki-san, why did Mr. Matsunari compete against you so early?"
Chishima Akishin asked as he took a bottle of mineral water and took a small sip. Logically, Suzuki Tsuyoshi's opponent should have been an average swordsman, and he wouldn't meet someone of Matsunari's level until the final stages of the competition.
Akishin was asking about Matsunari Masafumi's reasoning, not why the committee had set the schedule that way.
This kind of thing was technically unfair. When the strong faced the weak, the victory was usually decided from the start. But this was a competition; elimination would continue round after round. At most, it only changed the timing of when one left the arena, but the strongest would always remain the strongest.
If you felt looked down upon or treated unfairly, then defeat your enemy. Defeat the strong, and you automatically become the strong who must be reckoned with. This was a competition; survival of the fittest.
Aside from first place, everyone else was just a placeholder. The committee arranged things this way purely for the audience's entertainment value, and everyone understood that.
"Don't you know, Chishima-san?"
"Know what?"
Akishin was increasingly confused, and Hachiman, who had been seriously watching the matches, reflexively turned his head as well.
Suzuki Tsuyoshi saw their expressions and confirmed they genuinely didn't know. He hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Matsunari, who was watching the arena from a distance, and said solemnly, "Matsunari-san is planning to retire."
"Retire?" Hachiman looked over instinctively. He naturally paid more attention to the master who had taught Hayama. "He won't pick up a sword again?"
"No, no, it's not that serious." Tsuyoshi shook his head and sighed with a touch of regret. "By retirement, I mean he will no longer participate in competitions. As long as he can still move, he will hold a sword. He has his own Dojo, after all."
"Matsunari-san made his debut ten years before I did. He's a senior who once took third place at the national level, but age has finally caught up with him." As if sensing their gaze, Matsunari turned his head from across the way, nodded to Tsuyoshi, and then refocused on the match.
"Matsunari-san is fifty-six now. Both his stamina and reaction speed have dropped drastically. It's been five or six years since he managed to break into the top three. He's decided to give it up, and this year is his last."
Tsuyoshi explained further, "He's always wanted to face me in a competitive arena one last time, but he wasn't sure he could last until the rounds where he'd normally face me. It's been that way for the past few years, so this year he specifically petitioned the committee to face me in the early rounds."
"Then why not petition for the later rounds instead? Because if he can talk to the committee... Ah!"
Hachiman hadn't finished his sentence when Akishin landed a palm strike on his head with considerable force.
Hachiman's face twisted in pain. "What was that for..."
"Be quiet!"
Akishin rebuked him in a low voice, his expression somewhat displeased. This was the first time Hachiman had seen Akishin look genuinely angry at him. His face went pale as he realized he had spoken out of turn.
To the truly strong, they didn't need to trample over the weak to protect their dignity; if they were to leave, they would do so in a knightly fashion. Hachiman realized his mistake and felt a deep sense of regret. He had only asked based on his usual cynical skepticism.
Tsuyoshi saw the look of remorse on Hachiman's face and gave a small, slow nod.
The three stopped talking and focused on the matches. Even Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukinoshita Haruno turned serious; the atmosphere didn't allow for frivolous behavior. They watched the participants cycle on and off the stage, fighting and shouting; the air itself seemed thick with the scent of struggle.
Before long, the first round ended and transitioned into the second. Akishin stepped up again; his opponent was a young man in his twenties. Akishin remained the first to secure two points for the win.
Next was Suzuki Tsuyoshi's turn, and he too secured two points before stepping down. Then the third person...
The audience had basically realized by now that this year's match order was sorted by power levels!
For instance, Suzuki Tsuyoshi was the first-place ranker in last year's pre-selection, the person behind him was last year's second-place, Yunomoto Shinichi, followed by third place... and so on.
Though there were some deviations in the sequence, the overall trend was clear. This led them to a single question: Just who was this Chishima Akishin?
Why was he placed even before Suzuki Tsuyoshi?
Could it be that he was even better than Suzuki Tsuyoshi?!
When Akishin stepped onto the stage again, the camera flashes struck like a Gatling gun once more, practically blinding.
The third round began, leaving only the final six. In the first two rounds, there had been one person who received a bye, but by this round, that was no longer the case.
By this point, the opponents' strength had increased. Akishin reflexively focused with full concentration. Relying on techniques honed from practical combat, he was still able to take his opponent down quickly.
The fourth round started. Including Akishin, six people remained. Aside from him, the other five were quite famous, and the lineup hadn't changed much from previous years.
There were no new prodigies this year—Akishin was the sole dark horse.
The spectator stands were rife with speculation about Akishin's true identity. Various theories cropped up; the most outlandish one claimed he was an agent sent by a clan of hermits to enter the secular world—a claim that had somehow gained considerable traction.
Akishin could only offer a bitter smile as Haruno reported these rumors to him with a sly, mischievous grin.
Finally, someone who knew of previous events spoke up, triggering a massive uproar: Chishima Akishin had actually defeated Suzuki Tsuyoshi just a few days ago!!!
Many found it hard to believe, but when faced with the video evidence from their searches, they were forced to accept it. Even so, Akishin's origins remained a mystery to everyone.
The competition entered its final stage, and the fighting reached its peak. When the fourth round concluded, only three names remained in the arena: Chishima Akishin, Suzuki Tsuyoshi, and Yunomoto Shinichi.
The latter two were last year's first and second place, which was expected. But Akishin's presence shocked the entire audience and sent the enthusiasm for this year's competition through the roof!
Even before the tournament ended, the name Chishima Akishin had begun to spread across Chiba.
The three would represent Chiba Prefecture at the Nippon Budokan for the national tournament, but here, they still had to determine the Champion, the Runner-up, and Third Place!
The current matches used a single-round elimination system, but it was slightly different. For example, with three people—A, B, and C—A would first fight B. If A won, B would then fight C. If B won, the ranking would be A ← B ← C.
Conversely, if C won against B, he would have to fight A one more time. If C won that, then C would be first, A would be second, and so on.
The first match was Chishima Akishin versus Suzuki Tsuyoshi—the rematch Tsuyoshi had been looking forward to for days.
Donning the men, holding the shinai, and standing at the starting line. Both bowed low amidst the barrage of camera flashes, then turned to bow to the crowd. After that, they raised their wooden swords, dropped into a slight crouch, and touched the tips of their blades together.
The flashes stopped. The chatter ceased. The bustling hall suddenly fell into a heavy silence. All eyes were fixed on the two men in the arena.
Shizuka and Hachiman felt the tension knotting in their stomachs.
Three referees surrounded the pair and announced the start of the match, but neither moved. Suzuki Tsuyoshi had fought Akishin before and had watched his previous matches today. He already had a grasp of Akishin's attacking style, so he didn't dare strike recklessly, opting to prepare his defense first.
Akishin sensed Tsuyoshi's intent and began observing for an opening.
Both moved their feet with light, rhythmic steps. Their shinai clicked softly as they touched, massive amounts of energy coiled beneath their relaxed postures.
"A-choo!"
Someone in the stands let out a sneeze. Akishin's eyes sharpened instantly. He lunged forward in a flash, a vertical strike aimed straight for Suzuki Tsuyoshi's head.
Tsuyoshi raised his sword to parry.
Thack!
The two shinai collided.
Akishin stepped in deeper, launching a forward thrust (Tsuki). Suzuki Tsuyoshi retreated, pulling back his shinai and launching a counter-strike at Akishin.
Thack!
The wooden blades met again and immediately broke apart. Akishin retreated to the starting line, as did Tsuyoshi.
The two returned to their mutual surveillance.
...
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