>>5253600Shin charges you without warning, but you’re more than ready for him. Taking Kazeko’s words into consideration, you tighten your grip on the bokken just a bit more. The arc of Shin’s attack is surprisingly obvious to you, and you honestly don’t know whether that’s because of your difference in skill or your difference in speed.
Whichever the case it is, you raise your sword to defend against the overhead swing, in such a way and angle that while it may look like you’re just desperately trying to block, Shin’s blow should slide right off of it, leaving him open.
Sure enough, his shinai slips right off your bokken, Shin looking shocked at how ineffectual his attack was. He quickly tries to raise his arms to defend himself, but you put a stop to that, whacking his hands with enough force he almost drops the shinai.
You take a quick step back, allowing him to recover, and as he does, with anger in his eyes, you step in. As he begins to swing downwards, you’re already inside of his range, causing him to miss completely, while you hit him with a swing that would have bifurcated him from hip to shoulder were you using real swords.
He stumbles backwards, reeling from the hit, but still trying to attack. “Tch.” You exhale, stepping in and stopping his swing before it even really began by pressing his sword into the floor with your own, before using your free hand to hit him in the chest with a hakuda blow, putting him down for good.
Beside you, Kazeko claps, while murmurs ripple through the crowd at your seemingly unexpected win. Shin gulps for air on the ground, already drenched in sweat from that short bout, while you don’t even feel the slightest bit tired, though you play it up for the spectators.
You…
>Help Shin up in a moment of camaraderie>Tell him and those gathered that that was only basic zanjutsu >Pretend that you have no idea how you won that fight 