Volume 24 Chapter 2 (1/2)
The day after returning home from the women-only New Year's sleepover party at Sachiko-sama's house was the fourth of January
It seemed kind of sudden, since we'd ticked over into the New Year, but on reflection it had only been about a week ahen Rei-chan had said, ”The fourth or fifth” A trick of the calendar
As for Rei-chan, she had neither forgotten about nor been blindsided by the agreed upon day, and she'd even received per the day
Feeling nervous, I peeked into the dojo about half an hour before their 2p time and Rei-chan was already there
Already dressed in her kendo clothes (sans ar or focusing her ly cold, the wooden floorboards shone a deep black, and a fresh-cut sprig of the sakaki tree had been offered up at the household shrine
I sat down next to Rei-chan, still dressed in ht about whether or not I should have worn my kendo clothes
First of all, just as my position?
Referee? Witness? Announcer? Onlooker?
Nana had said she wanted a bout with Rei-chan There was no mention of me But still, what if I showed up in roup training?
I didn't want to be left out, but that said I didn't want to stick to theh I'd just come to take a look at their bout
”Yoshi+no”
Rei-chan opened her eyes and spoke
”You must not interfere, in words or deed”
”Huh?”
”If you can't promise me that, you'll have to leave the dojo”
”But, I”
Wasn't I bringing Nana along? Well, we aren't yet soeurs, so I suppose Rei-chan doesn't need my permission to cross blades with Nana But, but, hadn't I introduced Nana as soe today's bout -
”I don't really knohat you had in mind when you introduced me to Nana-chan But if we are to cross blades, then this is a kendo match”
A kendo match
”But”
One was a h-school student Was it okay to have such a massive difference? - But more than this, what I wanted to do was pin down s that led me to want to blurt this out
Rei-chan reiterated:
”The shi+nai is a sword”
Long ago, people who set themselves upon the path of the sword did so literally, not with ba was death Therefore, third-parties could not interfere
”Alright”
I didn't need Rei-chan to tell me that the sword fraternity was strict It wasn't like I'd read all those swordsman novels just for show
”I'll just watch So I can stay, right?”
I asked for confirave me permission with a, ”Yeah”
Taking advantage of this opportunity, I said, ”Okay then,” and stood up
”I'll go and get Nana”
I'd sent Nana athe route we usually took home from school, but since they were in the same business she probably had access to et from the Arie) so I wasn't really worried about her getting lost
But, for no reason in particular
It a in silence in that huge dojo for the appointed time when Nana would arrive
I love Rei-chan
But, et scared
Scared of what?
For the moment, I was scared of the unknown
I met Nana about a third of the way fro the normal route
”Gokigenyou, Yoshi+no-sama”
After greeting h map I'd faxed her into her coat pocket
”Gokigenyou That's quite a bag you've got”
Little wonder She'd have a full set of kendo clothes, armor and shi+nai
It ular clothes Since she had to use norear was out of the question
Daughter of the Ariest of the four Tanaka sisters I knoe'd talked about it, but seeing her with that bag ain that she really had come here for kendo She'd been at the inter-school kendo tournarandfather in Yanaka knew of her, but I'd never actually seen her holding a shi+nai
We walked together and not long after Nana asked:
”What happened there?”
”There? … Ah”
She was pointing at the gap between h socks, where some skin was exposed Overall the skin hitish, but there were patches of purple or black, like a spotted cat She was probably asking about what caused them
”Ah, I had a bit of a fall”
The re Even so, er forbidden, but that Nana sure had sharp eyes
”Yoshi+no-sama”
”What?”
”You sure fall down a lot”
”… Well, excuse me”
I was a bit annoyed I didn't fall down often enough that you'd point it out
It seemed like Nana had been nearby when I fell down all those times recently Despite how I looked now, I never used to fall down in the past Because I'd alalked slowly, to take care ofwas completely unthinkable
(Is that it?)
Since I've got better, I've stopped paying attention to walking and running As a result, I've been falling down
”Nana”
”Yes?”
”Why did you want to have a match with Rei-chan?”
I asked I wanted to knohat her goal was
”Why indeed?”
She responded with a sesture of confusion
”Are you dodging the question? Is it so you can't speak about?”
”Does it look like that?”
”I don't know, that's why I asked”
I was a little annoyed Just a little And only annoyed, really But sensing that, Nana made a follow-up remark
”I'm sorry Did my choice of words offend you? But even I don't know So no ive you an answer”
”You don't know?”
”Yeah I just thought I wanted to have a bout with her so I said it I'm not yet able to analyze why I wanted the match”
By saying ”not yet” it implied that there would come a day when she would be able to perforet that answer today, the instant she crossed blades with Rei-chan
”Are you strong, Nana?”
I asked I didn't knohat her skill level was Since she wanted to have a ainst Rei-chan, the only reasonable conclusion was that she was comparatively talented
”No”
Nana answered i hu a plain fact Like answering the question ”1+1” with ”2” So even if the truth was that she was crazy strong, at least she didn't think of herself that way
”But you're ranked, right?”
”No, I don't have a rank”
”Really?”
”Yeah Is that so strange?”
”What do you mean?”
”Do you have a rank, Yoshi+no-sama?”
”No, I don't, but”
But that was because I was a newbie, who'd only been practicing kendo for less than a year
”But you're a daughter of the Arima dojo”
”When I was born, I was a daughter of an office worker”
”But your grandfather's the head of a dojo”
”And your uncle's the head of a dojo”
The uncle she referred to was, obviously, Rei-chan's father and he was unquestionably the head of the Hasekura dojo
”My older sisters, all of them, have ranks To each their own”
To each their own - but they all did the sa
I'd only seen the second and third Tanaka sisters at the inter-school tournaardless of the match outcomes, they were both unquestionably skilled The oldest sister, who'd participated the year before, was a rank above Rei-chan, so the Tanaka faroup It didn't seehter and the only one to be taken in by her dojo leading grandfather, would be weak
To each their own Rank was certainly a measure of skill, but there would be people out there that were skilled and unranked, so it wasn't a complete measure
”Come in”
I opened the dojo entrance gate and motioned Nana in
For the Hasekura residence, this would be considered the back gate, but for the dojo the front They both went to the same place so it didn't really matter but since Nana hadn't come to visit Rei-chan's house it seemed only proper to use the dojo entrance But it did make it seem kind of like a shon
”Rei-chan”
I called inside, infor her of her visitor's arrival
”Welcome”
Before long Rei-chan appeared and greeted Nana with a s it hard to believe the tense atmosphere that had been there earlier
”Gokigenyou, Rosa Foetida Thank-you for granting my request today”
”Not at all, I've been looking forward to it too Come in”
Nana responded with, ”Okay,” and took off her shoes and stepped over the threshold Rei-chan watched this for a little while before gently infor me:
”Yoshi+no Show Nana-chan to the changing room Then when you're done, wait in the dojo”
”And you?”
I asked, to see where Rei-chan was going Because if Nana was going to wait in the dojo, itsomewhere else in the meantime
”I'ot”
”What did you forget?”
”I' on you”
She left h I was curious I couldn't ask her anything more If I'd been byquestions, but since she left ht maybe she needed to use the toilet, but in that case there was no need to say it was for soot, or to explicitly o back to the
”You can change clothes in here Put your belongings in one of the lockers You can use whichever one you want”
”Well then”
Nana opened locker number seven[1] A lucky number, huh?
”I'll be in the hall”
Nana set about getting changed, taking her coat off, so I reached for the door We were both girls but it probably wouldn't be okay to watch her get changed
”I don't mind But”
”But?”
I turned around without thinking, right as Nana was taking off her sweater
”You're not getting changed, Yoshi+no-sama?”
”Me?”
It was a bit late to be asking this now Hadn't Nana said she wanted aof htest when she'd said this
”I've been told that I can't interfere in words or deed”
In this matter, I would be ”hands-off” Therefore I wouldn't be changing intoa shi+nai
”Did Rei-sama tell you that?”
”Yes”
After nodding my head, this time I left Nana behind and went out into the hallway
”Is that so?”
As I went to close the door, I faintly heard Nana say this, as though she was talking to herself
Rei-chan had still not returned by the tied and entered the dojo
Nana properly faced the front and bowed before stepping into the dojo, then she did a slow 360 degree turn to take it all in
”It's not quite as ih … ”
Previously, I'd wanted to know ated the Arie one - not only was it physically bigger than the Hasekura dojo, they also had far more pupils
But Nana responded with a serious look on her face
”It's a fine dojo Really good The spirit of martial arts is here”
Hearing this praise forood For me, Rei-chan's house was like half of ood feel to it despite its small size
Nana put her armor and shi+nai in a corner of the roo
”Do you want me to help you?”
Usually arroups of two For whatever reason, be it school year or kendo proficiency or height, I often ended up with Tanuma Chisato but -
”It's fine”
Nana completely, definitively refused Then she cos when Rei-chan finally returned
”Sorry for keeping you waiting Ah, keep going”