Third person POV

Towa had put in a lot of work in preparation for the kendo tournament, seeing as how she was the team's dark horse. Towa's unbeaten streak in kendo began when she joined the club at her school and it continued to the National Championships. She is so well-known in Tokyo that she is often referred to as "the Silver Samurai," and those who have ever seen her compete in Kendo would never bet against her.

Eventually, the final day arrived, and Towa made her way to Chiyoda's Budokan for the Final Championship. She was the only member of the team to advance to the semi-finals, meaning she will be the only one competing in the Finals. Towa merely remained on the bus in silence, staring at the screen of her smartphone while oblivious to everything else until the bus arrived. Still listening to music on her headphones, Towa disembarked from the bus and headed to the registration desk. Even though she had her headphones on, she was still able to pick up on the conversations going on around her.

'Shōyō Middle School'

'That Silver Samurai...'

'Is she going to participate?'

'If she's around, it's game over for us.'

'But don't you know? There's someone who's actually on par with the Silver Samurai.'

Towa's ears perked up when she heard that.

'You mean that guy from Awarashi dojo?'

'I heard he's a beast. He even won every match without holding back.'

'I've never heard of him before, yet he manages to reach the Finals?'

The sudden sound of screaming caused her to loose focus on the conversation. She looked at the current game and spotted a participant dressed in a navy blue Kendo uniform.  The individual assumed a traditional samurai stance with his shinai in front of him. He remained deathly still for a moment before dashing towards his opponent and surprising him by hitting him in the Stomach 9, Gall Bladder 4, Gall Bladder 20, and Stomach 6. He froze when the blade's tip approached his opponent's neck.

"Winner, Awarashi Dojo, Nura Riei!" The referee announced as his opponent was carried away on a stretcher.

The boy turned around, removed his helmet, and shook off the sweat from his dark hair. It was then that Towa caught sight of his eyes and was taken aback. Those eyes were the same azure blue as the ones she had seen before.

'It's the boy from that time!'

"So, his name is Nura Riei, huh."

Towa wondered about the boy's identity ever since that night. He arrived like a typhoon and disappeared as mysteriously as a ghost. Towa couldn't even get a good whiff of his scent. However, at this very moment, he was here... competing in the same Kendo Match as she was.

✲'*。.❄¨¯'*✲。❄。*。¨¯'*✲

Like she had anticipated and as everyone had hoped. The final match pitted her against the new boy.

Towa cast a glance at the Riei as the two of them stood with their shinais in position. Yes, the same tension she had felt when they first met was still present, and it could mean only one thing... He's different from her previous opponents. Actually, he could be more formidable than she is. Towa, however, could not afford to come in second when Mei was counting on her to take the first prize.

Riei charged straight forward. Towa easily deflected the strike and countered with a slash to the gut from her shinai. After a moment of stillness caused by shock, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

Towa let out a battle cry and charged. Riei managed to block her blow in time, but she was far quicker than he had anticipated.

"Ah... I see. So you're a half-demon. No wonder you're strong." He noted.

"...?" Towa was surprised by his remark.

"Still, you have a long way to go." He broke the stalemate and swung again. Towa, instead of blocking, evaded the boy's swing and retaliated before the boy could regain his footing. He avoided the blow, but felt the shinai brush across his helmet. The boy, not wanting to be outdone, charged forward with a flurry of jabs, but Towa dodged each one, eventually pushing his shinai away far enough to send another blow, forcing the boy to fall backwards.

The match prolonged for a while, it was uncertain who was the superior fighter.

"You're eager to win... In that case."

Towa repeated her slashes, but each time Riei deflected them. Towa didn't want to lose, so she charged forward, but instead of avoiding or dodging the blow, Riei decided to take the blow on purpose.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Towa was breathing heavily and her crimson eyes were widened.

'That was on purpose... He looses on purpose!' She squeezed the shinai so hard that it was about to snap in two.

'No! I don't want to win like this—'

She turned to face him, but by the time she did, the boy was nowhere to be seen.

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The boy didn't even bother to show up to the ceremony, leaving the runner-up spot vacant. Still, Towa couldn't afford to give up. As soon as the ceremony was over, Towa sprinted out of the court and took a deep breath of the air, hoping to get a whiff of his scent. Their short duel allowed Towa to memorize his scent, so there was no way for her to miss him this time!

Towa rushed toward the school's entrance and caught sight of a boy with dark hair. She could recognize that dark hair anywhere.

"Hey! Wait—!" Towa shouted.

Riei turned to face the girl with silver hair who was breathing heavily, as though she had just completed a marathon.

"This... This should be yours." Her words came out choppy as she handed over the first-place award.

"And why is that? Aren't you the one who got first place?" The boy replied in a flat tone.

That's when Towa snapped.

"You lose on purpose! It's obvious that you—"

"I'm not interested in things like this." He began walking away.

"Wha—"

Just as she reached for his sleeve, someone stepped in.

"I didn't know you were handing out trophies like candy." When Towa heard the voice, she curse under her breath.

Kenji was one of the bullies who persisted in tormenting her. Despite being the son of a Kendo Master, he was the one who lost to her in the first round.

"Give it to me, that should be mine!" He demanded.

"But you lost against me, didn't you!" Towa retaliated.

"Get her! And that pretty boy too!" Kenji roared, and his gangs charged in, shinais in hand.

"No! Don't drag him into this!" Towa instinctively stood in front of Riei and drew her shinai from its sheath.

Although Riei could pretty much handle himself, the girl's boldness took him by surprise. For the first time, a girl who wasn't part of his clan was making an effort to keep him safe.

From the time they insulted Towa, the outcome of the battle was predetermined. Towa, who was standing above the other boys who had fallen, turned around to face Riei. Seeing him still there took her by surprise.

"Are you alright?" Towa asked with all sincerity as her red eyes shined with concern.

Riei could only draw one conclusion from her expression: Towa was a warm and affectionate person. It's weird how he was able to tolerate her presence, it was probably because she's not fully a human. Riei let out an amused chuckle before proceeding to hand her the First Prize trophy, which she had dropped on the ground earlier.

"Well, I supposed you have my thanks. You save me trouble on getting my hands dirty on those humans."

Towa was baffled.

"I'll be sure to pay you back."

"Hey wait—"

Just like that, he disappeared out of sight.

'He disappears?'

✲'*。.❄¨¯'*✲。❄。*。¨¯'*✲

(Disclaimer: Towa vs Riei drawn by me)