Ch.352Showdown

“You’re not the type to give up easily. Hahaha. That’s the spirit a young man should have.”

Tetsu laughed as he raised his sword.

It was the thrusting stance, the core technique of the Thousand-Thought Heart Style. I had to block it somehow.

I couldn’t block it normally. So I had no choice but to push myself.

“HYAAAAH!!”

I charged toward Tetsu with all my might.

“Hahaha! Wise move!! Have you figured out that keeping an awkward distance will only get you hit?!”

Tetsu said with a laugh.

WHOOSH-!!!!

Tetsu swung his sword with great force.

I couldn’t track it with my eyes. But having been hit before, I knew the timing. I got hit about 0.3 seconds after Tetsu raised his sword. If my “GAAAH!” takes about 1 second to yell, I get hit right as I pronounce the “G” sound with my tongue. There was no timing I couldn’t measure with my “GAAAH!”

“G!!!!”

I raised my dangling broken arm just as the sword came flying. If I blocked with my sword, I wouldn’t be able to attack. So I tried to block the thrust with my arm.

“……..!”

Pain surged through me every time I moved my broken arm. But I desperately endured it.

TIIIING-!

I swung my arm horizontally toward the trajectory of the thrust. It was similar to the technique of parrying.

TIIIING-!!!

As expected, the sword’s trajectory was thrown off.

CRACK-!!

My arm, which barely made contact, broke once more from the thrust.

But that was enough to alter the sword’s path.

“…….?!”

Tetsu’s expression hardened, as if he hadn’t expected me to sacrifice my arm again.

“HYAAAAH!!”

Enduring the pain, I shouted with all my might.

SWOOOOSH-!!!!!!

Immediately after, I swung my sword toward Tetsu’s head.

SWOOOOSH-!!

The sword strike cleanly embedded itself in Tetsu’s head.

“GAAAAH!!!”

Tetsu screamed and was pushed backward.

CRASH-!

Tetsu’s large body rolled across the arena.

“Phew. Old man, you let your guard down too much.”

I said with a smile, holding my sword with one hand. My other arm had already turned blue.

CRACK-!!

I had somehow reset the bone, but the pain hadn’t subsided at all. This was… dangerous. Having one arm sealed in swordsmanship was too much of a risk. Defeat was certain.

But I was confident I could hold out for an hour. Thirty minutes had already passed.

“Ptui.”

Tetsu spat out saliva mixed with blood and got up.

“Hahahahaha!! You’re really something!! To think you’d use your bare arm as a shield!!!! You’d easily sacrifice one arm to win, huh!! That’s it!! Your fighting style is more beast than swordsman!!”

Tetsu laughed heartily.

“Yes. I took a hit. I’ve figured out how to beat you.”

Then, Tetsu’s expression hardened.

“I’ll have to break both your arms and both your legs before you’ll surrender.”

Tetsu declared his ambition as a limb-severing demon.

“Hmph. Go ahead and try.”

Holding my sword, I gauged the distance.

“Grandpa!! Stop!! This is enough!”

Kana shouted.

“No, Kana. Stand back. He said he’d give permission if I lasted an hour. For our relationship. Tetsu has laid out the terms for me. It would be dishonorable to ignore them.”

I said as I raised my sword.

“I will definitely win.”

With that resolve, my mind became clear. I thought about how to endure.

In the end, the method I chose was simple.

Leaning against a corner of the arena, I took a stance with my sword.

With walls at my back and sides, I only needed to cover the front.

With my back to the corner, my plan was to deflect all attacks with defense. That was my strategy. Even the famous limb-severing demon Obi-Wan from Star Wars used this strategy to dismember countless enemies.

“Hahaha! Planning to focus on defense and aim for a timeout?! Wise move!!”

Tetsu laughed as he charged toward me.

“Let’s see how long that iron defense lasts!!”

Right after, Tetsu rushed at me.

I decided not to make any half-hearted attacks. I kept my sword close to my body and resolved to only defend. Occasionally boosting my physical abilities with the Blazing Stance was a bonus. Even against an overwhelmingly strong opponent, I could somehow endure if I aimed for a timeout.

CLANG-! CLANG-! CLANG-! CLANG-!!

As if mocking me, Tetsu unleashed a series of incredibly fast attacks with all his might.

“Guhk…!!”

I felt my strength draining just blocking one strike.

CLANG-! CLANG-! CLANG-! CLANG-!

Tetsu swung his sword at an incredible speed, completely disregarding my situation, focused solely on cutting me down.

THUD-! THUD-! THUD-!!

In truth, I couldn’t defend against all attacks. Areas that weren’t vital became prey to Tetsu’s wildly swinging wooden sword.

“You’re holding up quite well!! But isn’t it about time to end this?!!”

Tetsu said with a laugh.

CLAAANG-!!

As Tetsu swung his sword with great force, my body was pushed back significantly. I almost lost my stance, but somehow quickly regained it.

“Tough one!! Then how about this!!”

Tetsu was about to deliver another powerful thrust.

If I couldn’t block this, I would probably faint. That would mean automatic defeat, and I’d have to elope with Kana.

If I blocked it… I’d survive another round. And I’d receive legitimate recognition from my father-in-law without eloping. This was the turning point of the match. Knowing this, I calmly took my stance.

That’s when it happened.

“Father!! Let’s stop this. I understand now!”

A voice came from beyond the arena. It was Kana’s father.

“What? Don’t interrupt a match!”

Tetsu immediately shouted in annoyance.

“This is enough! He’s quite a spirited young man.”

Kana’s father said, looking at my battered state.

“If we continue… this would be one-sided violence. I understand his feelings for Kana.”

Kana’s father sighed.

“Really? It’s only been 40 minutes though…..”

Tetsu seemed quite disappointed that he couldn’t fight me anymore.

“Arigiri Shota, was it? You’re strong. I’ll acknowledge that.”

Kana’s father came down to the arena.

“Moreover… thanks to you, Kana has changed. I can tell as her father.”

Kana’s father looked at Kana.

“She used to have almost no expressions… but since meeting you, her expressions have become diverse. I’m grateful for that.”

“Father-in-law…..!!”

Is this acceptance?

“I’ll permit your relationship.”

The father-in-law said coolly.

“Kana!! I did it!!”

I tried to hug Kana while dangling my half-broken arm.

Just as I was about to run toward Kana, I suddenly sensed killing intent.

SLASH-!!!

As a slash swept across the ground, I reflexively distanced myself.

Father-in-law… he had suddenly swung his sword to block my path.

“But there’s one thing that bothers me.”

The father-in-law glared at me.

“Ah… is it about my family background or origin…?”

I swallowed hard.

“No. Those are trivial. Before that….. I heard our Kana isn’t your primary wife. Is that true?”

The father-in-law seemed concerned about that point.

“Well… I already have a designated first wife.”

I answered ambiguously. Still, I couldn’t give up on Eri being my primary wife. It was certainly thanks to Eri being the primary wife that things had gone smoothly.

“What’s lacking in our Kana?”

The father-in-law seemed to have his trigger button pressed on that point.

“I raised Kana to be capable of ruling any organization. Of course!! She should be the primary wife in anyone’s harem!!!”

The father-in-law immediately declared.

“Even if you say that….”

How do I resolve this? Someone… someone tell me!!

“You… must want something. A lucrative job? Wealth? Honor? I’ll give you anything. Join the Saito family as a son-in-law and make Kana your primary wife. Demote the others to concubines.”

The father-in-law started making offers.

“Hey!! Shota!! Then I’ll pass the dojo to you!!! So make Umi your primary wife!!”

Gonzaemon also jumped in, seeing his opportunity.

“……….”

After contemplating, I finally spoke.

“I’ve already decided who my primary wife will be. It’s an attractive offer… but I must decline.”

Then, I added one more thing.

“As a warrior myself, I have things I want to protect.”

I had decided to make Eri my primary wife this summer. I intended to keep that vow.

“…….Dad. It’s okay.”

At that moment, Kana stepped forward.

“It’s true I’m not the primary wife now, but I haven’t given up on that position. Someday I’ll become Shota’s first. And that’s my battle. I’d prefer if Dad didn’t interfere.”

Kana said proudly.

“Kana…..”

The father-in-law looked at Kana.

“Well, young people’s affairs should be left to the young.”

At that moment, Tetsu patted the father-in-law’s shoulder.

“Ah. I had fun after a long time. Let’s end the dojo challenge here and all go eat.”

Tetsu said with a hearty laugh.

And so… the dojo challenge ended warmly. Yes. If the result is good, everything is good.

———

Afterward, the family gathered for a barbecue party.

There, I realized how nice it is to be wealthy.

“There’s… there’s a karaoke machine in the living room!!”

This is the best!!! It was exactly the dream home I’d imagined.

“I can’t help it. I have to sing.”

My singing urge was already vibrating.

“Shota!! Stop!! You’ll ruin all marriage prospects!!”

Kana immediately stopped me.

“Why? What’s wrong with my singing?”

I looked at Kana.

“You’re just going to sing anime songs anyway!!! No matter what, being too otaku-like is a bit much!”

Kana shouted.

“What’s wrong with being an otaku?!!”

I shouted loudly.

“No. Being an otaku isn’t exactly a plus factor.”

Kana said firmly.

“……..”

That’s true. I’d heard that being an otaku was a negative factor at marriage agencies. Too many negative factors. Even playing MMORPGs was a negative factor. It was stricter than job applications.

“Even otaku women ultimately want to date popular guys. It’s fair to say there’s no demographic with less demand than otaku men….”

Suddenly, Thumbs-up Man had a distant expression.

No. Thumbs-up Man… what happened to you in the past?

At that moment, Tetsu walked toward us.

“Shota!!! Betray Gonzaemon already! Join our dojo! Huh?!!”

The drunk Tetsu suddenly started clinging to me.

“Oh my! Old man!! Why are you doing this here! Really!!”

I was desperately trying to shake off Tetsu.

“Shota!! Don’t abandon me!!!”

At that moment, the drunk Gonzaemon also rushed toward me.

A drunk old man on the left, a drunk grandpa on the right… Yes. It was the worst.

“Oh my!!! Everyone please go away!!! Really!!!”

Learn to drink properly!!!

Anyway, the small year-end event concluded relatively peacefully.