"...Third Brother, the people from Shiwei Hall have all arrived... Mr. Tachibana is here."
Chiba Domon Shiro slowly walked to stand under their "Commander’s Flag" and gently spoke to a tall young man sitting cross-legged beneath the flagpole, who was meditating with his eyes closed.
"..." The tall young man, who sat as still as a statue, slowly opened his eyes and raised his eyebrows, gazing into the distance at the opposite Aoto...
"Young Master, don’t rush over to greet Mr. Tachibana! The competition is about to start, and barging into someone else’s ’Main Array’ will cause trouble."
"I know that." Mukiwa lowered herself back into a kneeling position, with "Water Honey Peaches" once again pressed on her crossed small feet, "Mr. Kiryu, what time is it now?"
"9:50." Mr. Kiryu glanced at his pocket watch.
"Then the competition is about to begin." Mukiwa placed her small hands on her lap, excitedly clasping them together.
Besides her admiration for Aoto, Mukiwa really enjoyed watching these intense martial arts competitions.
"Mr. Kiryu, you just said that Aoto and his team will have a tough match today... Does that mean their chances of winning are low?"
In Mukiwa’s tone, there was a slight hint of concern.
With her feelings for Aoto, she certainly hoped the person she admired could achieve victory.
"...I can’t say for sure." Mr. Kiryu smiled mysteriously, "Xuanwu Hall is full of experts, and even has rare geniuses like Chiba Daisaburo who only appear once every ten years. Normally, Shiwei Hall’s chances of winning are low."
"However—"
Mr. Kiryu suddenly changed his tone.
"Shiwei Hall just so happens to have two ’unusual’ people."
Mr. Kiryu glanced sideways toward Shiwei Hall’s "Main Array," looking at Aoto and Toshisuke standing shoulder to shoulder.
"As for how this match will turn out... I really can’t say."
"Tsk tsk tsk, wow, so many experts have come." Hijikata’s grin nearly reached his ears.
"Just as we heard beforehand." Toshisuke turned his face to Aoto beside him, smiling, "In order to fight ’Niō,’ many experts from Xuanwu Hall are eager to compete."
Aoto chuckled silently, "Are there many experts? I’m not very familiar with Xuanwu Hall... Out of everyone there, I only recognize the faces of Chiba Daisaburo and Chiba Domon Shiro."
"Hahaha. Mr. Tachibana, Xuanwu Hall’s lineup is truly a gathering of heroes." Inoue, who was standing right behind Aoto, laughed heartily, "See that very slim person over there? That’s Kikuchi Takeshiro, Xuanwu Hall’s school principal. And the fierce-looking fellow is Kawashima Yasuzō, also known as ’Ghost Hachizou.’ Next to him is a baby-faced guy, who, at only 20 years old, has already mastered the Beichen One-Sword Style, Senda Sennosuke..."
"Who cares how many experts are here!" Kondo crossed his arms over his chest with a confident expression, "No matter who Xuanwu Hall sends to compete or what strategies they use, our plan remains the same—just follow the battle strategy we set the day before!"
Interestingly, an odd dichotomy of moods appeared among the contestants from Shiwei Hall standing at the eastern end of the arena.
The majority, upon seeing the "all-star" lineup opposite, displayed faces full of tension, fear, and apprehension.
Yet, Aoto, Kondo, Hijikata, Toshisuke, and Inoue—the core members and top fighters of Shiwei Hall—were calm and cheerful, each with a faint or broad smile on their faces.
As if they weren’t worried at all about losing the upcoming battle
Some were timid, some excited, some worried, some thrilled... Overall, the mental state of Shiwei Hall’s contestants was polarized this way.
With less than 5 minutes to start of the competition... Zhouzhu and the idle personnel should now leave the "Main Array" and head to the "Audience Seating."
"Ho ho ho, everyone don’t be too nervous." Before leaving, Zhouzhu stroked his smooth chin and encouraged everyone, "It’s not a deadly true sword duel, no need to be too tense or afraid; just treat it as a typical swordsmanship practice."
"Everyone! Don’t lose!" Harada waved a flag bearing the Kondo family crest vigorously.
"Oh, if only I could compete... I really want to face Chiba Daisaburo in a match." Nagakura sighed deeply.
Saito: "...Good luck, everyone."
"Young Master..." Kyūbē grasped Aoto’s hand tightly, "Please make sure not to get hurt."
Basically, everyone left behind words of encouragement before leaving.
"Toshisuke! Be careful out there." Toshisuke’s brother-in-law, Chokata Rintaro, stood in front of Toshisuke, speaking earnestly, "It doesn’t matter if you lose, after all, it’s just a competition. Just make sure not to get injured."
"Brother-in-law, don’t worry!" Toshisuke patted his chest energetically, "I... no, we will win the match without a scratch!"
Everyone had moved to the "Audience Seating"... The only people left were Chokata Mitsuo and her husband.
"Wishing all of you a prosperous martial fortune."
Chokata Mitsuo clasped her hands in front of her, offering a simple blessing with a humble and respectful nod. Then she led Chokata Rintaro to walk in the direction of leaving the "Main Array".
At that moment, no one noticed—Chokata Mitsuo suddenly altered her walking path slightly, changing her route to move closer to Toshisuke from behind.

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