After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

The applause from the audience had slowly ceased.

Kagura Hikaru sat among the Tokyo District team, hands clasped behind his head, he unfastened his straps and removed his faceguard and headband.

Some sweat stains dampened his forehead and temples, making his hair stick to his skin.

The semifinals and finals were separate, and now they had half an hour to rest.

"To effortlessly win 2-0 against Ryo Kuroiwa, your skill truly is exceptional."

Sitting behind him, Teacher Yamazaki spoke with emotion, patting his back, "Only you and Chiyoko left in the finals, no matter what, the championship has already fallen into the hands of Yuqiu High School. Well done, both of you!"

After speaking, he let out an evil laugh that only villains would emit.

As the team coach, he too would receive praise from the leadership when his students succeeded, and his year-end bonus would significantly rise, rise a lot indeed!

Gahahaha....

Kagura Hikaru's body shook with each pat from Teacher Yamazaki's large hand. Reluctantly, he looked back at him, wondering if he had been bought by Chiyoko Ayakoji to injure him internally before the finals.

Glancing to the side, Chiyoko Ayakoji sat composed to his left, separated by several people.

Like a samurai about to enter a duel, she placed her Bamboo Sword on her thighs in a meditative posture, eyes closed, utterly detached from herself and the surroundings.

It was obvious she was taking the upcoming finals very seriously.

Compared to her, Kagura Hikaru was not obsessed with winning or losing.

Whether he lost to Chiyoko Ayakoji or won, it probably wouldn't change anything.

Initially, that's what he thought.

But during his confrontation with Ryo Kuroiwa, he realized something—that he lacked respect for those who were trying hard.

Without the "mind-reading Golden Finger," he'd just be an ordinary person with likely no chance to stand on such a stage.

Yet, he happened to possess this cheat, acquiring top-notch Sword Dao skills and combat experience without even touching a sword.

This unfair gap had inadvertently fueled his arrogance, sometimes causing him to view others from a condescending perspective.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kagura Hikaru was grateful to Ryo Kuroiwa for helping him see his true self.

He decided not to treat the upcoming match as a mere duty towards Chiyoko Ayakoji, but to earnestly connect with her through the sword, conveying his true emotions through the blade's edge, as Ryo Kuroiwa had said.

Crossing his legs, Kagura Hikaru mimicked Chiyoko Ayakoji by placing the Bamboo Sword on his thighs, closing his eyes in meditation, quickly entering the zone, maintaining inner peace amidst the noisy venue.

What he didn't know was that while he was deep in meditation, Chiyoko Ayakoji on the other side had opened her eyes, glanced at him, pursed her lips slightly in approval, yet didn't want to show it openly, and continued to meditate.

Half an hour later, the finals began.

"Mr. Kagura, good luck," Hosaka Yui came over to encourage him specifically, her eyes sparkling.

Kagura Hikaru remembered their agreement and nodded.

He and Chiyoko Ayakoji donned their faceguards, picked up their Bamboo Swords, and entered the arena.

"Finally, I see a decent attitude from you," Chiyoko Ayakoji said as they walked towards the arena.

"I said I would not hold back."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Her tone suppressed excitement, showing she had been eagerly awaiting this match for a long time.

In the Discipline Committee, Kagura Hikaru had never gone all out against her, although Chiyoko Ayakoji had never won, she was sure of this.

This guy lacked enthusiasm for this kind of thing, always treating their contests cavalierly.

This time, on the national championship stage, in front of cameras and hundreds of spectators, Kagura Hikaru was still behaving with the same leisurely attitude that was frustrating yet irresistible.

Because he was indeed powerful, a strong person had a surplus of composure, and what could you accuse him of?

Until just recently, in Kagura Hikaru's match against Ryo Kuroiwa, no one knew what the latter had said to him, but during the second set Kagura Hikaru was noticeably more serious and finished the match with a breathtakingly swift Bamboo Sword strike.

The Kagura Hikaru that Chiyoko Ayakoji wanted was in that state!

Her Sword Dao had hit a bottleneck, and having such a formidable peer around, it would be a waste not to have a proper fight.

Plus, she had to settle her emotional scores with him as well.

Upon reaching the venue, Chiyoko Ayakoji and Kagura Hikaru stood on opposite ends of the field, gazing at each other from afar.

The final match, just between the two of them, an internal duel at Yuqiu High School.

That Tokyo people had monopolized the top two spots was unexpected, and students from the Keihanshin area outside the arena looked visibly disconcerted.

Following the referee's signal, Chiyoko Ayakoji and Kagura Hikaru approached each other slowly while maintaining eye contact and drew their swords as they squatted down at the stop line, vigilant of each other.

The next moment, both rose and swung their swords simultaneously.

Slap!

Their Bamboo Swords met forcefully mid-air, their strength seemingly matched, as neither of their sword's paths was deflected.

After a testing strike, both stepped back, circling sideways, looking for an opening in their opponent.

Suddenly, Kagura Hikaru attacked twice in quick succession, hitting Chiyoko Ayakoji's left hand guard on the first strike and aiming for her right thigh on the second, which she evaded.

This strike did not score, because the force of the hit was incorrect.

Sword Dao is not a sport where scoring is merely about hitting; to score a point, one must meet standards of spirit, force, and lingering spirit.

To put it plainly, one must strike beautifully and finish cleanly.

They continued to circle, facing off for over thirty seconds, during which various intimidating and disruptive actions occurred. Finally, Chiyoko Ayakoji made her move.

After two feint attacks, she thrust her sword straight at Kagura Hikaru's head on her third strike. Believing it to be a real attack, he quickly defended, only to be duped as the real target was his waist!

Kagura Hikaru made a split-second decision, holding the sword's hilt with one hand while pressing on the blade with the other, using both hands to parry the hit to the side, then releasing his left hand, his right hand whipping the sword out in a classic fencing move, lunging rapidly forward.

"Throat!"

The strike hit Chiyoko Ayakoji's unprotected throat with such force that she staggered back two steps, covering the guarded area of her throat, even dropping her sword.

The referee raised the red flag representing Kagura Hikaru, awarding a point, 1:0.

The audience gasped, applause breaking out belatedly.

Sword Dao allows the use of any sword technique style, but applying techniques from Western fencing foil in competitions is very uncommon.

One reason is that holding a sword with one hand usually lacks sufficient power, and hitting may not necessarily score a point.

Yet, Kagura Hikaru's strike was not only executed beautifully but also didn't seem like a last-minute resort; the power was strong enough to make someone step back, perhaps he had even practiced one-handed sword techniques privately.

Onlookers, enthusiasts of Sword Dao, marveled at his skill, puzzled by Mr. Kagura's mind, so quick in reaction, he might have been a famous swordsman in ancient times.

Having scored a point, Kagura Hikaru did not appear excited; he calmly returned to the line, facing Chiyoko Ayakoji again, sword in hand.