Inside the club building, Nino followed Miyuki up the final flight of stairs, sticking so close she nearly stepped on the president’s heels.

The hand that usually held her heavy shinai steady trembled faintly.

When Miyuki opened the rooftop dojo door, Nino slipped past her and planted herself at the front, scanning the room like a hawk searching for prey.

Her gaze swept from the lower left corner to the far right, skimming over every face.

The silhouette she had carried in her heart for weeks wasn’t there.

The thrill in her chest cooled into disappointment, and the light in her eyes dimmed.

Akari Hojo’s teasing voice echoed in her mind from two days ago.

"If you go, you’ll definitely run into him."

So he’s not here.

Is he avoiding me?

"Hm?" Miyuki tilted her head. Noticing the downturn of Nino’s lips, she asked, "What’s wrong? Nino, are you hungry?"

Nino sniffed, lifted her gaze, and raised two pale fingers like surrender flags.

"I’m in a bad mood today. Two onigiri will be enough."

"Only two?" Miyuki blinked. "You must really be upset. I’ll get them in a minute—"

"Mm."

Nino nodded, her high ponytail swaying gently behind her.

She cast another glance around the kendo club, puffed her cheeks slightly, then asked in a soft voice, "President, later when we draw lots... can I be the one to do it?"

"You want to draw?" Miyuki asked, surprised. "Why all of a sudden?"

"Er..." The question stumped her. Nino scratched her temple, thought until her brain nearly squeaked, then tugged at Miyuki’s sleeve, eyes shining.

"Can’t I?"

Looking into those clear, guileless eyes—especially when they took on that kicked-puppy shimmer—refusal was impossible.

"All right," Miyuki relented.

"You can."

Nino’s eyes lit up like twin lanterns. She flashed five slim fingers. "President, I feel better now. Five onigiri later."

"..."

Miyuki pressed her lips together, already regretting her soft heart. She eyed Nino’s flat stomach. "No way. Three. Max."

"Okay."

Saku, who had been listening to Miyuki’s briefing, stared at the girl bent over the sign-up table, scribbling names with one hand while stuffing rice balls into her mouth with the other.

"You’re saying she’ll take part in the men’s instructional exhibition match?"

He studied Nino more carefully.

She was tall for a girl—well over 170 centimeters—but kendo was still kendo. There was a reason men’s and women’s divisions existed. The gap in training volume and raw physicality was enormous.

Miyuki nodded, reading his thoughts. "Don’t worry. Nino’s our ace. She won gold last year."

Saku’s brows shot up.

That sounded like boasting.

"That good, huh?"

"You’ll see. And honestly, if Nino hadn’t asked, we wouldn’t have put her in this exhibition at all."

Saku understood. The club was divided into casual members and the competitive squad. The latter trained under paid coaches, their workload far heavier.

If Nino was truly that strong, using her to demonstrate basics would be excessive.

Seeing Miyuki’s confidence, Saku nodded. "Then I’ll look forward to it." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

At the table, the volunteer signaled that the draw was ready. Saku stepped forward. To prevent cheating, each school drew from the other’s box.

Nino stood at the edge, eyes locked on Saku’s hand.

When he unfolded the slip and her name appeared, a spark flashed in her gaze. With a subtle flick of her sleeve, she palmed another slip and theatrically drew it out.

She unfolded it hastily.

Alan.

Saku blinked. At first, nothing seemed wrong.

But when he called the name—once, twice, three times—no one answered.

A quick glance around confirmed Alan wasn’t even in the hall.

Saku turned to the vice-president. "Tazawa, where’s Alan?"

Tazawa scratched the back of his head. "No idea."

"..." After a moment, Saku offered Miyuki an apologetic smile. "Looks like he’s not here. Maybe the name was written wrong?"

Miyuki shrugged. "Let’s draw again."

She turned to Nino. "One more time."

"Okay."

Nino answered mechanically, eyes darting as she plunged her hand back into the box. Another flick of the sleeve.

Another slip.

Alan.

Saku stared, dumbfounded. Someone must have written the same name twice.

Before he could question it, Nino spoke first.

"Can’t find him? But I’m sure I saw him come in earlier..."

Saku studied her face—innocent, earnest, and dismissed any suspicion.

Still, curiosity tugged at him. "You know Alan?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded brightly. Then her clear eyes glimmered. "Is he afraid of me?"

She raised her voice just enough for the entire hall to hear.

"Running away from a girl... that’s kind of cowardly, isn’t it?"