The next day after school, we gathered with Iris and Aria.
　Iris had listened to me last night and returned to the dormitory.
　Before the practice began, I stood around the trees with my mock sword at the ready.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.

"How's ...... it going?
"Yes, it feels good. Try to remember the feeling.
"Yes!　Yes! ......!

　Iris looked pleased to hear my words.
　The more you concentrate, the more you'll be able to do.
　The more she concentrated, the more conflicted she must have become about her true strength.
　Her sword was straight from the start, but it was getting sharper.
　I believe that Iris will be able to cut down multiple pieces in no time.

I don't think it will be a problem.

　Aria, who was looking at me with her arms crossed and looking like a big deal for some reason, gives her opinion like that.
　In fact, Aria was able to cut off the fallen leaves in a more natural way than me.
　The fact that her movements are not those of a normal person is a matter of concern.

Oh, thanks. But I've caught up with you now. ......?
Do you want to play a mock game to see?
No, I mean, we're practicing now.
No, I think that's fine. I think it's a good idea.
Yeah.
What?　But we often have games together. ......
I think it's a good idea to have a match between Iris and Aria as a way to improve each other's skills. If you've been doing this for a while, you might want to do it again today.
"In that case, .......

　Iris nodded in agreement, and the two began to prepare.
　In my opinion, Iris is stronger than Aria.
　But they seem to have different areas of expertise to begin with.
　In my honest opinion, Iris has not yet broken out of the game format, and while she has the ability, she is still inexperienced in many areas.
　Aria, on the other hand, has a style that is complete in a sense.
　For example, when she fought me, she was very steady in her fighting style, making sure to wait and see.
　I don't know if he is unsuited to it, but he ended up choosing to cut each other down.
　If two people of the same level of ability improve each other, they can become stronger and more effective.
　The same opponent will know your habits and movements, and you can point them out to each other.

I'm ready.
Sensei, will you give the signal?
Yes, let's start the game.

　With a hand signal, Iris and Aria began to move at the same time.
　While Iris was holding a thin sword, Aria ran forward with a dagger in both hands, keeping her posture low.
　Aria rushes straight under Iris without looking at her.
　It's probably because we both know what we're capable of - there's no hesitation in Aria's movements.

But Aria's expression changed.

　But there was a change in Aria's expression.
　The moment she entered Iris's space, she noticed something and stepped back.
　The one who moved to meet it was Iris. He took a step forward and tried to strike a blow at Aria.
　Aria cuts it off and swings her other dagger.
　Iris dodges the blow by spinning her body.
　Her reaction is quick - she can react well enough to the blow she sees. The ...... problem is what happens next.
　The problem is that after this, Aria, who is still in the air, swings her dagger again without hesitation. This time, it's a throw - an attack from outside the blind spot.

"--

　Iris stomps her foot on the ground and turns to face Aria.
　She is already holding a thin sword and cutting off the flying daggers.
　If she hadn't known it was coming, she wouldn't have reacted.

(It would be meaningless if her reaction to the blow was the result of a regular fight, but ...... that doesn't seem to be the case.

　You can see it in Aria's expression.
　I'm not sure what to make of that.
　I could see that she was surprised when Iris blocked her attack.
　Perhaps the blow would never hit her completely, but she might have expected it to just graze her.
　But Iris reacted and showed it.
　Aria, who had been knocked off her dagger, tried to move further away. She may be trying to distance herself and retrieve the dagger that fell.
　Iris would not allow it. He stomped on the ground to close the distance to Aria.
　The speed of the two swords is almost the same, but Iris is slightly faster.
　However, Aria should have been able to attack faster overall due to her dual swordsmanship.
　With only one of them, Aria would have fallen behind. The sound of swords clashing with swords echoed through the air, and soon the time would come for the winner to be decided.
　Aria lost her balance under Iris's onslaught and was one step behind in preventing it. At her neck, Iris stopped her sword with a snap.
　I didn't have to stop her, we both knew we were going to win.

"...... I win, right?
"Yeah, I lost. Iris, you're a little stronger than before.



　I'm not sure why she looks so happy about losing, but she does.
　She gently pats Iris on the head.

I'm embarrassed.
"I'm embarrassed." "Since Iris does it so well, I thought I'd do it for her.
I'm just fixing your sleeping habits.

　"No, I'm just fixing your sleeping position." Iris protested with reddened cheeks.
　He looked at me and said, "No, you're not! She even took the trouble to remind me.
　I'm just trying to show that I know what I'm doing.

"Now that the match is over, let's start practicing with a summary of what we learned.
"Yes.
"Yes.

　Iris replied politely, while Aria replied in a somewhat carefree manner.
　Once again, the three of us begin to practice together.