"Once they concentrate their forces for a fierce attack on the center, there won’t be many left to attack the left and right flanks."

"In this way, we who have heavily fortified the left and right flanks can gain a numerical advantage. Even though the overall strength of the apprentices at Little Chiba Sword Dojo surpasses ours, it’s difficult for them to break through our left and right flanks in a short time when they’re at a numerical disadvantage."

"Therefore—the key to whether our line of defense can hold off the main forces of Little Chiba Sword Dojo lies in Mr. Kondo, who is responsible for holding the center, being able to withstand Little Chiba Sword Dojo’s fierce attack."

"If Mr. Kondo can hold them off, then everything will be fine."

"Looking back at the past ’Red and White Battles’, Little Chiba Sword Dojo has always been dominating us at Shiwei Hall."

"It’s impossible that none of the apprentices from Little Chiba Sword Dojo harbor any disdain towards us at Shiwei Hall."

"Therefore, once the competition starts, the spirit of Little Chiba Sword Dojo will be at its peak, and they will surely believe they will win today’s match."

"For enemies like them who believe they will win with ease, their morale and fighting spirit are often easily shaken once they encounter something unexpected."

"Once they find that the defense line they thought they could breach with a touch actually fends off their offensive, their determination will be somewhat shaken."

"At that time, it will be the moment for Mr. Chokata and me, the ’surprise troops’, to launch a counterattack."

"Little Chiba Sword Dojo probably won’t expect that our Grand General would recklessly take the field personally."

"After they’ve launched a fierce attack on our defense line, Little Chiba Sword Dojo is likely to have only the Chiba siblings left to defend the midfield and backfield."

"Those two siblings can only match Mr. Chokata in a tie."

"If they have to deal with both Mr. Chokata and me, the two siblings will definitely fall into disadvantage."

"Mr. Chokata and I will break through the Chiba siblings’ defense and rush into the ’Main Array’ of Little Chiba Sword Dojo, smashing the ceramic bowl on their Grand General’s head before Little Chiba Sword Dojo’s main forces can shake off you and Mr. Kondo."

"That’s my strategy."

"Does anyone have any objections?"

As Aoto finished speaking, the people gathered around him at Shiwei Hall looked at each other in shock and amazement.

"W-wait a minute, doesn’t your strategy seem a bit unreliable?" someone quickly chimed in, "You’re actually leaving the middle road to the master alone?"

"I’m not denying the master’s strength."

"But the swordsmen of Little Chiba Sword Dojo are not to be underestimated, leaving the master alone to deal with multiple swordsmen from Little Chiba Sword Dojo... it’s too much to ask!"

"...Mr. Kondo has the capability to withstand Little Chiba Sword Dojo’s fierce attack," Aoto said.

—Because he possesses a special talent called ’Lone Brave’, the stronger the enemies, the more power he can unleash!

Of course, Aoto couldn’t divulge these true thoughts of his.

So, he began to speak casually:

"Given that our overall strength doesn’t match Little Chiba Sword Dojo, if we want our defense line to hold off their main forces, we have to try to handle as many opponents as possible with as few people as possible."

"Although I haven’t been with Shiwei Hall for long, during the time I’ve spent practicing swords with you all, I’ve noticed that Mr. Kondo is someone with a very strong character, who becomes more spirited when faced with adversity."

"So, entrusting such an important task to Mr. Kondo is the most suitable choice."

Hearing this, Mr. Kondo... made no comment.

He simply pressed his lips tightly, seemingly lost in thought.

"Leaving aside whether the master can hold the middle road or not. With just you and Mr. Chokata attacking, isn’t that too few people? What if Little Chiba Sword Dojo leaves more than just the Chiba siblings to guard the midfield and backfield?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"That’s right, your strategy has far too many uncertainties, don’t you think?"

...

Everyone voiced their concerns.

Aoto, with half-closed eyes, quietly listened to the concerns voiced by everyone.

After the questioning voices gradually subsided, Aoto slowly opened his previously half-closed eyes:

"...You’re right. I also admit that my strategy involves a lot of gambling, and we would need exceptionally good luck to win with this strategy."

"I’m not hiding anything from you all."

"Earlier, when Mr. Chokata and I went for some sugar water at a nearby stall, we encountered some... unpleasant experiences."

Aoto recounted the incident he and Chokata had at the squid stall to everyone.

Upon learning that some participants from Little Chiba Sword Dojo who would be competing had said such displeasing things, the expressions on everyone’s faces immediately turned to righteous indignation.

"Honestly—until just a moment ago, I never harbored any illusions about us, who are at a disadvantage, defeating Little Chiba Sword Dojo in this match; I just wanted to do our best," Aoto continued, seeing the crowd’s frustration, "But after what happened earlier, my thoughts have changed."

"Now, I want to win this match!"

Aoto slowly moved his gaze, scanning each face of the people gathered around him.

His voice was clear and forceful, with each word striking firmly.

"Even though what they said might be facts, hearing them talk about Shiwei Hall, to which I am indebted, in such a manner still makes it hard for me to swallow."

"But if we want to regain our dignity, simply debating them with words is meaningless."