Only Weapon Master

[D-1 Until the Mugunghwa-Sakura Kendo Event Competition Held Jointly by Korea and Japan]

The competition jointly created by the two countries, Korea and Japan, will be held this Saturday. That is, tomorrow.

Many companies have sponsored this competition …… (omitted) ……. Among them, the most notable sponsorship would be this.

(Capsule manufacturer Cap logo.jpg)

It was stated that CAP, a world-renowned Japanese capsule manufacturer and major corporation, would provide a custom capsule for free—something that cannot be bought with money and is said to be possessed by very few people in the world—to the athlete who wins first place in this competition.

People might ask why they put up such a prize for just kendo, but.

If you search a little, you can find out the simple reason that the CEO of CAP loves the sport of kendo very much.

Perhaps due to the news that CAP’s custom capsule will be made as the winning prize?

A lot of attention is gathering from people for kendo, a sport that cannot be called a major sport even as a joke.

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(omitted)

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Not only is the prize special, but the competition’s format is also unusual.

Typically, kendo competitions are divided into women’s division, general division, men’s division, high school division, middle school division, and elementary school division, but this competition only has the women’s division.

Many people will be curious. Why only the women’s division.

This reporter was also very curious, so I struggled to find information by contacting people from the association, but all I got back was that it was top secret and couldn’t find out anything.

However, that evening I received surprising news from the head of the Korean Kendo Association.

None other than, she is returning.

People who have never been interested in kendo might not know who “she” is, but kendo practitioners will all know.

(Kang Ara full body picture.jpg)

(Kang Ara face picture.jpg)

Korea’s Sword Saint Kang Ara.

I was informed by the association that she will be participating in this event match after a hiatus of 1.5 years.

It seems the association is trying to gain a promotional effect through a match between Korea’s Sword Saint and Japan’s next-generation Sword Saint, Gojo Sayaka.

But people will think. Gojo Sayaka will be good as someone who has made a name for herself in the World Championships, but can Kang Ara compete after taking a 1.5-year break from competitions?

Some might think her practical sense would have declined due to the 1.5-year hiatus, but I can proudly state, staking my career as a reporter:

Trust and watch.

Her skills are undoubtedly the strongest in name and reality, and I believe it so much that I could bet my entire fortune on her winning even if her opponent were Miyamoto Musashi.

If you’re skeptical even after I say this, just go to the competition venue this once or click [VTube Competition Broadcast.link] to watch her match.

The competition will be held on the following day, Saturday at 9:00 AM at Seoul ■■ Gymnasium, and will proceed with a total of 64 participants, and the tournament bracket at the entrance of the gymnasium……(omitted)…….

[Comments]

— What? Isn’t it unbalanced if she participates?

— F*…ck lol The Korean Kendo Association’s conscience is completely dead

— At least it seems like Korea’s victory is confirmed, so I feel relieved.

ㄴ Really. What was that kid from Japan? Gojo Saturi? I wasn’t going to go because I heard she was good, but now that Kang Ara is coming out, I think I’ll go to the venue.

ㄴ It’s not Gojo Saturi but Gojo Sayaka.

— She hasn’t participated in competitions for 1.5 years, but I don’t feel any anxiety at all lol

ㄴ For real, Kang Ara should compete with sandbags. Her existence itself is unfair

ㄴ Is she that good? I just clicked on the article because there was a super pretty woman’s face, but it’s quite interesting.

ㄴ (Inare): She’s extremely good! Her face is even prettier in person, and she has a good body too!!

— Who is the real Sword Saint. This is going to be really fun. I should order chicken and watch it at home.

— Hah… I just found out about Kang Ara, but her face and body are just killer, really…lick suck armpit just once…huh

ㄴ Are you crazy? There’s nothing you can’t say to a high school student.

ㄴ (Comment author) ? That development is a high school student?

ㄴ Yeah, she’s underage lol In half a year, she’ll be an adult.

ㄴ(Inare): I’ll sue you..!!

ㄴ(Comment author): lol Unless you’re the athlete herself, what’s with the lawsuit talk. Stupid kid lol

“Eeeek!!”

Reina was furious after seeing the comments sexually harassing Ara, her best friend, in the article.

How dare they say such filthy things to her husband(?)..!

Reina forgot about going to cheer for Ara at the kendo competition tomorrow and spent the night keyboard battling, finally managing to go to bed just 4 hours before the competition started.

♦♦♦

Competition day.

Ara’s family headed to the gymnasium where the competition was being held with Reina.

Reina’s family also wanted to go, but her uncle was in the middle of a project, and her aunt, who is a lawyer, regretted not being able to come together as she had taken on a big case, and instead cheered for me to win.

In the car traveling on the road.

“Reina, you don’t look well, are you okay?”

Mom was sitting in the passenger seat, but she asked the question as Reina’s condition didn’t look good from what she glimpsed in the rearview mirror.

“.ugh… Yes.. I’m. I’m fine..huuh. Didn’t. Didn’t get much sleep…Zzz”

Reina answered with a dying voice before leaning her back and conking out.

Whether she fell asleep instantly or not, I sat in the back seat and turned on a pretty girl collection genre bonsai game to do today’s homework.

After finishing a total of 4 bonsai games, we arrived at the competition venue.

“Reina. Wake up, we’ve arrived.”

After the car parked, I woke up Reina who had conked out with drool flowing from her mouth.

“….hueh..slurp.”

Reina groaned, rubbed her eyes, and swallowed the drool that had flowed down as she woke up.

The current time is 8:20 AM. With less than an hour until the competition starts, I internally decided to go ahead.

“Mom, Dad. I’m going now. I’m going ahead, Reina.”

“Ara. Don’t feel pressured and do it comfortably~”

“Daughter. Don’t be nervous and fighting!”

“Uuuu!! Ara, come back victorious!!”

After getting out of the car and telling my parents and Reina that I was going ahead, I received their encouragement and headed to the waiting room inside the gymnasium.

When I opened the waiting room door, I saw faces I mostly recognized. Most of them were people I had met in the finals of competitions I had participated in.

“Hello.”

I identified them and gave a slight bow as a greeting.

“Oh…the Sword Saint has descended…!”

“…..so pretty..”

“Why haven’t you been competing lately??”

“Ara, hi~”

They seemed to remember me too and welcomed me warmly, and I answered each one calmly while changing into my uniform.

And after placing my face guard on my right side, as I was thinking about playing with my phone, the sister sitting next to me started talking to me.

“Ara. Do you know her? Gojo Sayaka.”

Gojo Sayaka…? Sshup, who is that?

“No.”

Since I really didn’t know, I answered briefly, but the athlete next to me suddenly started laughing out loud and began to tell me about her.

“Hahah. It’s understandable. Gojo Sayaka started to make a name for herself in Japan just when you went underground, you know? Originally, she was really bad in middle school. I mean, rather than being bad, should I say her physical growth was a bit lacking? But after entering high school, her reach got longer and ……(babbling)…… growing like that, when she turned 20, she won the World Championship and is now called the female Sword Saint in Japan.”

“Ah. I see.”

“So the Japanese side probably thinks they’ve already won ………(Blank..) ………. Well, it is strange that you don’t enter the World Championship with your skills. If you had entered ……(omitted)…….”

This person. I don’t know her name, but she really talks a lot.

Is she a spy deployed from the Japanese side to shake my concentration, which is considered the most dangerous? That’s what I thought as the nameless sister next to me wouldn’t stop talking.

Ah. I really want to kill her…

If this were the otherworld, I would have slapped her and told her to shut her mouth… Hah, really, can’t someone help me?

I looked at the people around me for help, but they were all busy turning their heads away whenever they made eye contact with me.

‘ㅇ. No, f*ck, don’t just turn your eyes away… help me…!’

Hah… Bad girls… I even signed their bamboo swords… fck fck… There’s no return for what I give.. This sister won’t be like this until the competition starts, right…?

“Ah! I’m Son Ga-yeon! You can call me Ga-yeon unnie. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you my name. Hihi. I’ve wanted to talk to you since we first met! Like, being a high school student but also competing in the women’s division in your 20s……(omitted)…… When I competed against you, wow~ I thought, is this talent? But strangely, I didn’t feel frustrated. Maybe because you’re too amazing? Hehe ……(omitted)………….”

Son Ga-yeon…Son Ga-yeon… You are number 582 on my mental blacklist. She really seems like a good person, but she talks f*cking too much…

Suddenly, I regretted blindly entering the competition with my eyes blinded by the competition prize.

The 64th round 1st match will begin soon. Players participating in the 1st match, please wait at the entrance of the match area …….

“Oh? It seems like it’s ready. Hehe, I’m in the 1st match, so I’ll be going now~ Let’s talk again when I come back. I still have so much I want to say…….”

No, you’re saying you’re going to your 1st match… It’s been 2 minutes since the announcement. Miss..

“Th. Yes, I understand. Go to your match. Fighting.”

I answered that I understood and then kicked her out to the match area. I thought she was cute as she looked like a dog moving away from its owner, but…

I immediately erased the thought of her being cute after having the creepy imagination that if that person was a dog and I was the owner, she would bark non-stop next to me every day.

Phew… But I think I’ll live.

I turned on my phone, entered VTube, and entered the room broadcasting today’s event competition.

[Now. Korea’s Son Ga-yeon and Japan’s Gomenasai have matched up in the 1st game. Who do you think has the advantage in this match, Committee Member Baek?]

[I would like to say Son Ga-yeon has the advantage. Son is a player who mainly uses middle stance, has very solid defense, and is extremely good at deflecting, right? But Gomenasai, despite her short stature, uses an upper stance position to erase the disadvantage of reach and is a player whose specialty is intensely pushing the opponent aggressively.]

[Then why do you definitely say Son Ga-yeon has the advantage?]

[However, there is a huge difference in energy consumption when players who frequently use upper stance move their bodies compared to those who defend and respond with middle stance. I predict that even if player Gomenasai scores a point, she will collapse afterward.]

As the commentator said, Son Ga-yeon used middle stance, and Gomenasai used upper stance.

In the match proceeding with best 2 out of 3, the player who scored the first point was Japan’s Gomenasai.

Son Ga-yeon had been exploring while slowly defending against Gomenasai’s aggressive bamboo sword swings, but Gomenasai’s bamboo sword hit her wrist, and two red flags from the judges went up, acknowledging a point.

Then, contrary to the Japanese side’s expectations that Gomenasai would ride the momentum or make a fuss.

— Tack, tack

“Head!”

— Tadat tack!

Son Ga-yeon’s head strike

“Waist!”

— Tack!

She quickly struck the opponent’s waist with her bamboo sword before the opponent could hit her head with their bamboo sword, scoring a point, and the winner of the 1st match became Son Ga-yeon.

[Wow. Just as Committee Member Baek predicted, in the last round when player Gomenasai was struggling physically, she aimed for Son Ga-yeon’s head with a final strike, but Son Ga-yeon responded so well, and from the first match, a Korean player advances.]

64th round 2nd match ………….

I quickly lay down on the floor and pretended to sleep to prepare for Son Ga-yeon’s return to the waiting room and the potential bursting of my eardrums.

♦♦♦

By the end of the 64th round 15th match.

The two commentators had significantly reduced the frequency of their speech compared to when they first started commentating.

[She’s good…]

[…Hmm…]

[This means that so far, the only Korean player to reach the round of 32 is Son Ga-yeon…yes..]

[Even though Japan is the origin of kendo, Korea is no less so. But..huh, well]

The 64th round 16th match will begin now. Each player ………….

[Ah. This player from Japan appears.]

“Woah!!! Sayaka! Sayaka! Sayaka!”

“Ganbare!!”

“Pretty Sayaka!!”

“One! Two! Three!”

“”Sayaka Ganbare!! Nippon no jisedai kensei (Japan’s next-generation Sword Saint) Ganbare!!””

[Wow… The heat from the Japanese cheering squad is very intense.]

[That means. They have high expectations for player Gojo Sayaka in her country.]

— Is she also a Sword Saint?

— What, isn’t Kang Ara the Sword Saint?

— Kang Ara is for domestic use only lol

— What’s with the domestic use joke, f*cker

[Now, now. Let’s not fight in the chat. Committee Member, isn’t Korea’s Kang Ara also a Sword Saint? Did the Japanese side not know about player Kang Ara and attached that title to player Sayaka? Or is it for the purpose of provocation?]

[Probably the former. Player Kang Ara has an undefeated record domestically, but strangely, she doesn’t participate in World Championships, so except for domestic kendo fans, she might not have much name value overseas.]

— lolol That’s why I said she’s for domestic use

[Ah, she’s not for domestic use. If the viewer had seen player Kang Ara’s matches, they wouldn’t be able to say such things.]

Committee Member Baek Kumdo strongly suppressing the viewer’s trolling.

[Is there a reason why she doesn’t participate in the World Championships?]

Caster Lee Hyun-tae, knowing Committee Member Baek Kumdo’s personality, changed the subject before he could fight with the viewers.

[Hmm… I was fortunate enough to have talked with player Kang Ara once about that topic.]

[What did she say?]

[She said that it’s already inconvenient to cover her face when going out, so if she wins the World Championship, it would be bothersome.]

[….Excuse me?]

As the caster expressed doubt, not understanding Kang Ara’s behavior.

[Let’s talk about this topic later and watch the match of Gojo Sayaka, a strong candidate for the championship.]

64th round 16th match start!

The match between Gojo Sayaka and a Korean player named Na In-a began.

Gojo Sayaka’s stance was middle? Upper? Or lower? Or is it Omse? Yangse?

It couldn’t be definitely said which one of the three it was.

[What is this player’s stance…? Is it lower stance… middle stance?]

As caster Lee Hyun-tae spoke with doubt, they began their face guard confrontation.

The Korean player took the first step and tried to test by hitting the waist with her bamboo sword, but…

“Men! (Head)”

— Tada…swoosh tack!

“Men. Ippon! (One point)”

Gojo Sayaka’s bamboo sword hit Na In-a’s head, and immediately all the judges raised red flags.

Not only was this the first time in the competition that all judges acknowledged a point, but.

[….What was that just now?]

— Eh? Just now the bamboo sword eh? What’s going on?

Lee Hyun-tae was more amazed by her strange swordsmanship.

As if understanding his feelings, Committee Member Baek Kumdo patted Lee Hyun-tae’s shoulder, telling him to come to his senses, and then explained about the swordsmanship Sayaka had shown.

[In Japanese terminology, it’s Suriagezawa. In Korean translation, it’s sweeping upwards but… Hmm… The application is crazy. Player Gojo Sayaka seemed to be striking the bamboo sword from right to left in a straight line as if to block the waist, but it wasn’t a straight line; she raised the bamboo sword from below to above and instantly hit the opponent’s head. It was an extremely difficult technique.]

— Wow… I still don’t understand even after hearing that?

— Insane… The level is so high?

— Can Kang Ara do this? Regardless of trust, this one is also really good?

— Hmm… Trust… A─men.

[This match will be player Sayaka’s victory.]

Perhaps due to being hit by Gojo Sayaka’s high-difficulty technique. The Korean cheering squad’s enthusiasm instantly died down, and seeing the Korean player also lose momentum, Baek Kumdo predicted Sayaka’s victory.

And as he said.

“Kote! (Wrist)”

— Tack.

“Kote. Ippon! (One point)”

Instantly, the 16th match ended with Sayaka’s victory. Half of the competition was over.