Believe

“Whoa!?”

A bamboo sword is swung down.

The shinai strikes with such a powerful blow that it is hard to believe that it comes from a woman. I avoided the shinai in the nick of time, and the shinai grazed the tip of my nose.

“Wait, please wait, Tennoji-san!”

“I won’t wait!!”

The swing aimed at the head comes at me again.

Right now we are only wearing hakama and no protective gear. At this rate, we might injure each other.

In a panic, I held my shinai to the side and tried to defend myself, but Tennoji-san changed the trajectory of her shinai with a flick of her wrist.

“What a surprise!!”

“I …!?”

I feel a sharp pain in my wrist.

Tennoji-san is serious. Just because she is …… doesn’t mean that I can’t also fight back seriously. The other party is the daughter of the Tennoji family. If she gets hurt, it could lead to a big problem.

“You ……!”

Tennoji-san says, swinging the shinai.

“Oh, you…..! You dare to make fun of me, don’t you ……!!”

Her eyes were moist with tears.

“While I was being competitive with Konohana Hinako, …… you were pretending to cooperate with me, …… and laughing behind my back the whole time……!!”

Hearing those words told to me in a trembling voice, I realized.

Tennoji-san …. you have it all wrong.

“No, it’s different!”

I said while accepting the shinai.

“I am indeed being taken care of by the Konohana family! I apologize for not telling you that! But I am spending time with Tennoji-san because I want to!　Hinako has nothing to do with it!!”

“You talk less ……! Your words cannot be trusted!! You traitor!!”

Tennoji-san pushes back the bamboo sword.

How in the world could such a slender arm have such power? I broke out in a cold sweat.

I lied to Tennoji-san. It …… surely could be a betrayal.

I have lied about my identity, lied about my background, and hid my true feelings. Tennoji-san trusted me and even confided in me that she was adopted, …… but I betrayed her sincere feelings.

“Tennoji-san, …… it’s not that. I’m really not laughing at you.”

“You have no excuses!”

That’s right. Every word out of my mouth is an excuse.

I understand why Tennoji-san is so angry.

That’s how much she believed in me.

What about me, on the other hand?

I don’t trust Tennoji-san when I say that I haven’t betrayed her or that Hinako has nothing to do with it, …… but in the end, she doesn’t trust me when I’m lying to her …….

Is Tennoji-san an untrustworthy person?

That is not true. In fact, there are few people I would trust as much as Tennoji-san. I am sure that she always has the right attitude, no matter what I say.

“I admit that I lied.”
 

I said as I deflected Tennoji-san’s shinai.

“I also admit that I had something to hide. But …… it was not to hurt Tennoji-san.”

“I told you, no excuses!”

Now Tennoji-san is confused. That’s why words can’t reach her.

I am sure Tennoji-san would understand if she were calm. I’m sure she suspects some kind of insidious form of punishment, ……, but who would spend every day after school with her or learn a hard lesson from her for something as trivial as that?

“This much is true.”

“So, say you can’t believe it….”

Tennoji-san was about to swing her shinai.

Just before that, I put my right arm forward and grabbed Tennoji-san’s shinai to stop her.

“……It’s true.”

I tell her, just being myself.

I’m going to say it, I’m going to say it all.

I’ll tell her everything.

Just as Tennoji-san believed in me. I want to believe in Tennoji-san.