Colosseum

Rentarou and Shin both arrived at the reception lobby of the hotel as soon as the time hit nine o’clock. Takeda stood near the door of the hotel, patiently checking his watch. Another ten minutes passed, and in that time, Hinako and Satori also made their way to the lobby.

Where is Yukimura? That thought entered Shin’s head seconds before Rentarou spoke.

“Well, if she’s not here, then we can just say she forfeited, right?”

“That’s a good idea, right, Taku?” However, before Takeda could answer Rentarou’s and Satori’s questions, the sounds of footsteps could be heard from atop the stairs. It was Yukimura. She raced down the stairs as fast as she could so she wouldn’t be any later than she already was.

“Where were you?”

“I…” Yukimura looked away from Takeda’s gaze as she answered his question. “I fell asleep.” When he heard Yukimura’s answer, Rentarou’s and Satori’s laughter filled the lobby.

“You fell asleep? Are you serious? That’s hilarious!”

“I can’t believe you fell asleep like that, Yuki!”

However, Takeda raised his hand in the air to silence their laughs. “Since all of you are here now, the fight can begin. Follow me.”

“Follow you where? Outside in the snow?”

“No, you won’t be fighting in the snow as you did before. Instead, we’ll be using these.” Takeda unveiled two talismans, which were ones that Shin and Yukimura recognized all too well. However, it wasn’t the same training room as before. When Takeda opened the door that was supposed to lead outside, it led to somewhere else entirely.

When they stepped through the door, the first thing they noticed was the weather. Instead of being cold and snowy, the place Takeda brought them to was warm, and the sun beamed on their faces. Shin and Yukimura took a few cautious glimpses of their surroundings and noticed the stairs all around them. The stairs led to an oval-shaped sandy area in the center.

“Welcome to the colosseum. General Isamu had it made to settle internal disputes, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if he used it for training purposes. Right, Satori?”

“Yeah. I’m sure Isan wouldn’t mind that much.”

“Perfect. So, Rentarou, Yukimura, and Shin, step into the arena so I can give the countdown.” After they all stepped into the arena, Takeda began to give them a countdown. “Three.”

Rentarou cracked his knuckles as he said, “Shin, you’re going down! I was gonna let you off with a slight beating, but what you did in the infirmary demands payback!”

“Two.”

Shin first smiled at Rentarou’s words as he placed his left hand near his mouth. Then he said, “Are you sure about that? I might blast you through the colosseum.” However, when he said those words, his eyes weren’t focused on Rentarou at all; they were on Yukimura.

“One.”

Shin could see that Yukimura’s eyes were heavy. Her legs were slightly shaky, but Yukimura still held her sword up to her chest as she awaited Takeda’s countdown to end.

“Zero. Fight!”