.

Despite the signal to begin, both girls did not move a single step. Their last match too started as such. An invisible pressure began to grow from Ayame's side. This was the same pressure that made her unable to perform properly in their last bout.

"(This girl… she's different from last time)" Ayame felt something. Her enemies would usually have a reaction whenever she was serious in a match.

Ayame inched closer. She sensed something amiss. This was the Shiroyuki dojo's successor so she wanted to be careful. Tomoyo watched intently whilst under the pressure Ayame was involuntarily releasing. She was thankful towards Kazuya for showing her how to deal with it.

Ever since the incident with her parents, Tomoyo had started to fear and distrust everyone around her. The grandparents that took her in were the only ones she relied on. Jirou was especially nice to her so her interest in Kendo started because she could see her father's image whenever she watched Jirou practice.

Of course, she was praised a lot for wanting to learn and practice kendo. She was even called a genius by everyone and had no one near her age beat her at the dojo. It was because of this that her grandfather told her to join the kendo club in Sacred Forest Academy so that she could pit her skills against people outside their dojo.

Tomoyo was initially afraid of the challenge after being doted upon by her grandparents. She joined the last tournament of her first grade and found that it was more or less the same as with students in the dojo. The only difference was that there was no unnecessary banter or praising. She actually preferred this over the praises she received in the dojo.

It was then that she met Kuronuma Ayame. A girl that looked at her the same way she looked at people. She first appeared in last year's tournament and is the defending champion. Tomoyo, being a first grader gained everyone's attention but this girl saw her as just another stepping stone.

Ayame had the right to do so as Tomoyo lost without putting up much of a fight. This was the first time she had lost so badly and she didn't even know what it was about Ayame that made her feel fear. This bewilderment lasted for a while and caused her to lose focus as she lost to Akabane Nanami as well which placed her in third place.

People had consoled her for the loss and even praised her for getting ranked third in the tournament. This made Tomoyo believe that her loss was just a matter of fact and had been inevitable. Reasons like "they were older or they were bigger" and similar other reasons made her believe that she could not have won anyway. This only lasted of course, when a strange boy walked into their elite class' dojo accompanied by his mother and her grandfather.

At first, Tomoyo did not really pay attention to this person nor was she interested. The only stranger she was curious about is about a child that was supposed to be the grandson of Jirou's very close friend. Her opinion changed only moments after he was introduced as the same person who she had been curious about followed immediately by a shocking statement. The boy had challenged her beloved grandfather without a hint of hesitation.

This agitated her because this bold boy was her age and immediately ignored the hierarchy she had been led to believe. She refused to allow him to have his way and immediately stepped forward to show him how things were.

The boy reciprocated her good intentions by ignoring her. He even went as far as belittling her abilities and overestimating his own. Tomoyo, who had been praised by everyone was now being looked down upon by someone her own age. This the very first time someone did so and the pride she never had she knew compelled her to teach him a lesson.

She didn't quite understand how this boy thought. He himself said that he didn't stand much of a chance against her grandfather but he still insisted on dueling with him. He even admitted that he knew nothing much about kendo but still stood confidently while ignoring her. She wanted to see what this boy was capable of but did not notice that this was the first time she actually wanted to directly challenge someone.

Her persistence finally paid off as the boy accepted her challenge albeit reluctantly. He had expressed that he did not want to hurt her more than once but she only realized it to be true after experiencing his skills for herself.

Tomoyo had been utterly defeated. Defeated by a boy who she found out later was even younger than her. Her defeat was unlike the one she had suffered before where she didn't understand what was happening. He did so convincingly and without even showing the slightest bit of effort. Her thoughts were in disarray even though her expression didn't really give it away.

She had been reminded by her grandfather of his identity. Jirou would usually tell her stories and a lot of them involved tales with his old friends. Kouzuki Kou was one of them and probably the most significant one. He had told her about the unreliable person but reliable friend of his. One story in particular was told to her multiple times because it had involved her in a way.

In a gathering of all friends, Jirou's old friend Kou, talked about his grandson being born. He was proud to have a grandson because most of them had granddaughters. He promoted his grandson and wanted to make sure that he grows up with ties to the Kouzuki family's most trusted friends.

As reliable as Kouzuki Kou was as a friend, he was considered somewhat of an enigma even amongst his peers so they all tried to get each other take up his offer only for it to end up in a game which Jirou had lost.

Jirou of course didn't want to accept his loss just like that so he put up several conditions to give his granddaughter a way out. A few of them which is that Tomoyo had to like him and since the Shiroyuki household is known for their kendo skills then he had to possess talent in the field. Kou and everyone of course did not find this unreasonable and thus a betrothal was agreed upon.

Being a six-year-old, Tomoyo had looked at this like a child would. She had never met this person and often wondered what kind of person he would be. She wouldn't have cared if he had not been good at kendo because even she got good by simply practicing. Her expectation to meet this person grew since she heard all about her grandfather's most trusted friend and hoped she would be able to share a similar relationship. In short, she wanted a friend she could rely on.

Kazuya was not aware of her thoughts of course. If he did, he wouldn't have hated the older version of this girl so much in his previous life. Without the memories of his own family and their relations, he was not able to even think of this conclusion nor did he make a connection when he viewed his previous life's memories countless of times. His inability to understand her and Tomoyo's own persistence paid off in the end as Kazuya decided that he would change this girl and prevent her from turning into the version of her that he hated.

Both Tomoyo and Jirou then heard what he had experienced. She herself had a similar experience but in her thoughts, he had to endure for a long time that even caused him to lose his own memories. She envied that part, she wanted to forget what she had experienced but she immediately changed her mind when she heard that he was not able to remember his own mother.

She felt pity for him. He may be strong enough to have defeated her but she didn't want to lose the memories of her late parents and her grandparents. She felt that they were the similar in a way and wanted to get close to him. Tomoyo didn't realize it but the seemingly emotionless girl empathized with Kazuya.

The thing she admired most about Kouzuki Kou in her grandfather's stories was that he didn't give up on his friends despite anything they experienced. He would never leave or even betray a person who he considered as a friend even though he himself would suffer losses. Tomoyo wanted to be like him so she decided to ignore Kazuya's rejection and show her sincerity in wanting to be friends with him. It did take a lot of effort and patience but she was successful in making him not ignore her anymore.

She was not disappointed. Not only did Kazuya give her motivation, he even spared his time to help her get stronger. She had finally found a friend of her own and was very protective of him. Tomoyo now primarily sought strength both to spend more time with him and also have the strength to protect him if there came a time that it was needed.

She was now up against the first person in their generation that defeated her. Initially, she looked forward to facing this person to see how much see had grown together with Kazuya's help. He was able to accurately identify her problems to wash off the shame she encountered last time. But now it was different. This person whose name she now chose to remember declared that she wanted to take Kazuya away from her. This of course was unacceptable to Tomoyo.

She took one step forward and Ayame's pressure was immediately blown away by an even larger force that burst forth from Tomoyo. She thrust her bamboo sword forward as the sudden gush of pressure dulled Ayame's senses. She refused to hand him over, not to her, not to anyone.

Ayame was shocked. She was able to see the thrust coming but could only tilt herself backwards hoping to dodge the strike. Thanks to her quick reflexes, she was able to avoid the strike. Before her eyes, the body of Tomoyo's bamboo sword appeared in a flash.

"Point Shiroyuki!" The referee raised the white flag in favor of Tomoyo.

The instant call confused Ayame. As the sword in front of her get retracted, she shuddered. Her vision was clear. She used one hand to touch her helmet but toughed her own head instead. She turned to find her headgear got thrown back a few ways behind her.

"(A precise strike with the help of her own aura. Looks like this robot girl's senses are much better than I thought. Her style is becoming similar to what mine used to be)" Kazuya gave a nod of approval towards the robot girl who was looking at him.

The audience was stunned. Not only had Tomoyo taken a point but she had done so in an unbelievable way. All of them wondered what would have happened if Ayame hadn't been able to dodge that devastating strike. A few of them were already a witness to the strength Tomoyo showed in the first match of the team tournament and weren't convinced. Now they did not doubt it, she had grown monstrously since her last appearance.

A tactical timeout was called and the judges went into discussion while giving Ayame time to retrieve and wear her gear. She looked at the mark left by Tomoyo's bamboo sword and frowned. This was not something she could take lightly anymore.

"(And that sudden pressure…)" She tried sensing it again but could feel nothing. She looked at her opponent only to find her looking at Kazuya who gave her a nod of approval. (It was you? Did you teach her how to use that pressure?)" Tomoyo had turned to look at the judges so she missed Kazuya's glance turning towards Ayame for a second before giving another one of his nods.

Ayame of course didn't miss that and grew even more confused. Did he really hear the thoughts she wanted to transmit this time?

"Contestant Shiroyuki, please refrain from using tsuki again. Although we do not usually prohibit it normally, your strike's strength is currently above the level of this competition." the surprising call immediately made the audience discuss this with themselves.

Even the judges agreed that she was now on a level that surpassed this competition. "for fairness, this applies to you too contestant Kuronuma"

*nod* Tomoyo gave a nod of approval and went back to position. Ayame wore her gear and did so as well.

Both of them stood still once more after the duel had begun. Ayame was now taking this match seriously. She focused more on her senses and unconsciously emitted a stronger presence. Tomoyo felt the pressure but calmed herself as she had been trained by Kazuya to get used to even a heavier type of pressure.

Of course, this wasn't the only thing Ayame was capable of. Kazuya knew this, the involuntary release of pressure is due to one's intense concentration. Ayame's earlier dodge proved that she was a capable competitor. She carefully closed in on Tomoyo who still remain rooted to her spot.

Ayame raised her sword upwards slowly and Tomoyo was immediately alerted. Her muscles contracted and prepared to parry as soon as the Ayame's arm moved for a swing towards her head. She had decided to give a quick counterattack after Ayame's attack.

*BAM*

"Point Kuronuma!"

The crisp sound echoed through the stadium. Ayame's strike did not strike at Tomoyo's head but rather her arm. She had successfully taken back the point that she lost. The game was now tied 1-1.

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