I'm going to fight both the vanguard and the commander?
Yeah! The vanguard starts with their head guard on,
"-The Previous Day-" Yeah! The vanguard starts with their head guard on,
"-The Previous Day-" so they won't get a good look at your face.
So they won't get a good look at your face.
What do you think? Brilliant idea, right?
But no, they'll figure it out.
- What? - You can't cover up her physique and they'll know by how she moves.
That's why you'll suppress your abilities in the vanguard match.
You can fight at half your potential.
Half...
But you'll fight the commander match in earnest!
Like you're someone else!
Half...
- No worries! - You're doing great, Tama-chan!
"Machido High * Vanguard" "Konatsu Harada (White)" "Muroe High * Vanguard" "Tamaki Kawazoe (Red)" "(First Point Scored)" - No worries! - You're doing great, Tama-chan!
This won't work, sensei...
You can't tell her to use half...
Round two!
Tama-chan's never even fought in earnest at practice.
Nor even at half her potential...
Men!
Haritsumeta kuuki ga suki
Takamaru kodou hirogatte yuku yo
Fukaku iki suikonda nara
Mou mae shika mienai wa
Daremo kawaru koto dekinai
Watashi shika arukenai michi
Sono namida mo subete kagayaki-hajimeru
Dakara omoi-kiri furi-ageta tenohira ni yadoru power
Mayowazu ni massugu ni ashita e to yuku yo
Honno mabataki no shunkan ni
Kanaeru yo yume no story
Hakanakute toukutemo
Akiramenai wa itsumo
Watashi dake no bamboo beat narashite
Match over!
- Tama-chan, you're amazing! - That's our Tama-chan!
No worries!
"Machido Muroe" "Vanguard Harada (M) M Kawazoe" "Deputy Vanguard Asakawa Miyazaki" No worries!
"Machido Muroe" "Vanguard Harada (M) M Kawazoe" "Deputy Vanguard Asakawa Miyazaki" - You did well, Harada! - Head strike. Win. There.
"Machido Muroe" "Vanguard Harada (M) M Kawazoe" "Deputy Vanguard Asakawa Miyazaki" - You did your best! - You were awesome! - Head strike. Win. There.
"Center Nishiyama Kuwahara" "Second-in-Command Ando Chiba" "Commander Yokoo" "Points" - You did your best! - You were awesome! - Head strike. Win. There.
"Center Nishiyama Kuwahara" "Second-in-Command Ando Chiba" "Commander Yokoo" "Points" Hey, you're doing your job properly.
I'm sorry, everyone. I wasn't able to do anything.
There, there, don't let that bother you.
Harada has a lot of experience and she's a 2nd dan practitioner.
She trains seriously and she has a desire to improve.
She's our number two, but...
The matchup was bad.
"Kawazoe Miyazaki" The matchup was bad.
"Kawazoe Miyazaki" She's too strong.
Kawazoe... A new student?
Who in the...
Huh?
Kojiro, where'd your vanguard go?
What?
Oh, uh, she went home already!
What?! What's the big idea?!
Well, uh, she has a dentist's appointment or something.
Dentist?
Is something wrong with Tama-chan's teeth?
You told her that the match would be today, didn't you?!
It's because you guys came late.
Well, fine.
I bet that was a good wake-up call for you guys!
Get your head back in the game and...
Asakawa...
- Go, go! - Go for it, Miya-miya!
I will!
Deputy vanguards!
"Muroe High * Deputy Vanguard" "Miyako Miyazaki (Red)" Deputy vanguards!
"Muroe High * Deputy Vanguard" "Miyako Miyazaki (Red)" Red, Miyako Miyazaki!
"Machido High * Deputy Vanguard" "Akemi Asakawa (White)" Red, Miyako Miyazaki!
"Machido High * Deputy Vanguard" "Akemi Asakawa (White)" White, Akemi Asakawa!
Huh?
Something doesn't seem quite right with the opponent...
Did something happen with her boyfriend?
Bingo!
To hell with him... To hell with him... To hell with him...
Begin!
Go, Miya-miya!
Attack! Attack!
Asakawa...
What the hell are you doing against this virtual amateur?!
What happened to your excellent footwork?!
Out of bounds! Return!
Miya-miya, get vocal!
You can do this!
Hey, sensei, can I go pee?
What?!
We're in the middle of a match! Hold it!
What? But I don't think I can...
At least wait until after Miya-miya's match is over!
All right, Dan, you can go.
Yay!
Sorry, Miya-miya!
Begin!
Men! Men!
- Kote! - Whoa! That's some fighting spirit!
Men! - Whoa! That's some fighting spirit!
Good going, Black!
Get her!
I'm hitting her! Why is it no good?!
They aren't valid strikes, Miya.
It's not like all you have to do is hit her.
- You have to hit a constantly moving target. - Men! Men! Men! Men! Men!
That alone is already difficult for an amateur.
This is still impossible for you.
Asakawa!
Get moving, bitch!
Huh?
We might be able to do this.
Out of bounds!
Too bad! That was so close!
You can win this, Miya-miya!
What the hell is Asakawa doing?!
Somehow, I just don't care anymore...
Hey, Asakawa, hurry up and get back to your start position!
"I was wrong." "I'm sorry"
Begin!
Men!
Head strike!
Doh!
Body strike!
- Match over! - You did it!
All right! Well done, Asakawa!
- No worries, Miya-miya! - Don't scare us like that!
That was close!
She sure gave us a scare.
Wait, Asakawa, where are you going?!
Pardon me! I'm going home!
My turn's over, so it's fine, right?
What?! We're still in the middle of the match!
You cheer for the team, too!
I'm sorry. You guys, good luck!
Uh...
Miya-miya!
That was too bad!
Dan-kun...
You've gotta get stronger!
I'll train you!
Okay.
Ta-da!
Sneak out, so they don't notice you,
and come in, pretending like you're late.
What am I doing?
I'm sorry, everyone.
I'm going to eat first to prepare myself.
Men! Men!
Kote!
Men!
"Muroe High * Center" "Sayako Kuwahara (Red)" Men!
"Muroe High * Center" "Sayako Kuwahara (Red)" She keeps scurrying around!
Even though she's so big!
"Machido High * Center" "Karen Nishiyama (White)"
I'm scared!
Nishi-chan, if you keep running away, you'll be hit with another foul!
Damn moron!
Attack! Attack!
Damn moron!
But...
Doh!
Body strike!
- Aww, Saya... - All right, good going!
- Aww, Saya... - Good work!
"Machido Muroe" "Vanguard Harada" "Deputy Vanguard Asakawa (M)" - Aww, Saya... - Good work!
"Machido Muroe" "Vanguard Harada" "Deputy Vanguard Asakawa (M)" Body strike. There.
"Center Nishiyama (D) Kuwahara" "Second-in-Command Ando Chiba" "Commander Yokoo" "Points" Body strike. There.
Nishiyama's our strongest fighter to begin with.
When she's cornered, her body moves reflexively.
It's sort of an issue that she has to be cornered first, though...
At any rate, because of that, Nishiyama won't lose.
Saya, don't lose your cool!
Come at me with all you've got!
You're such a pain to deal with!
Why you...
"-do Muroe" "(M) M Kawazoe" "(M) D Miyazaki" "(D) Kuwahara" Why you...
"-do Muroe" "(M) M Kawazoe" "(M) D Miyazaki" "(D) Kuwahara" There's no time left...
"Kawazoe Miyazaki"
"Kawazoe"
Men!
Was Saya this good at footwork?
Successive step.
Kote!
A parry-strike to the wrist! She got it!
No!
Shallow! Step forward, too weak!
She's out of bounds!
Two fouls! One point granted!
Oh, no!
Damn moron!
It's time!
With this, they both have one point.
She made it, just barely.
If it's all the same, I wish that last wrist strike had counted.
But one point is one point.
Now, whoever gets one more point in overtime wins!
Saya, fight!
You cornered her skillfully with footwork.
Normally, you're just a bundle of energy and you spin your wheels,
but you were able to calm down and move properly.
"Muroe" "(M) M Kawazoe" "(M) D Miyazaki" "(D) Foul Kuwahara" "Chiba"
Tama must have taught it to her.
"Muroe" "(M) M Kawazoe" "(M) D Miyazaki" "(D) Foul Kuwahara" "Chiba" Everyone's being inspired by her.
"Muroe" "(M) M Kawazoe" "(M) D Miyazaki" "(D) Foul Kuwahara" "Chiba" That's a good thing.
Tama taught it to her?
Come on now, that's supposed to be my role...
Go, Saya! Overtime!
Go!
Yeah!
I'm done eating.
I'm Saya! I'm going to sing!
Isn't it early for my turn to come?!
I wonder if cheating like this is okay...
It's fine. It's just a practice match anyway.
It's just a practice match, but it's a practice match!
I can't lose, no matter what!
Oh, make sure you disguise yourself at least a little, okay?
You saved my life.
If you want to borrow this, I'll gladly lend it to you.
I appreciate it.
However...
"Assistant Principal" However...
"Assistant Principal" Get it back to me by Monday, all right?
Halt!
Aw, out of time! It's a draw!
Gah, too bad! That was so close!
- Saya, you did great! Good girl! - I-I'm tired...
It's finally over!
You idiot! What're you doing feeling all relieved?!
You need to gain the endurance to keep fighting in overtime, Nishiyama.
And the mental strength, too.
Pardon me for being late.
Oh, Tama-cha...
You sure were late, um...
Uh, um...
Right. Um... uh...
Bureiba!
Bureiba! Bureiba of Year 1, Class 9!
You sure were late, Bureiba!
Hurry up and get changed, Bureiba! Bureiba, come on, Bureiba!
Whaaaat?
Tama-chan?
Don't tell me sensei...
...plans to make her fight the commander match, too?
She's the vanguard girl... right?
Oh, well. I wanted to see her again anyway.
- She's the girl I fought against. - It's the vanguard girl.
It's that girl from earlier.
It's fine, Harada.
I don't want to be the only one without an opponent anyway.
Besides...
I wanted to try fighting her, too!
This is getting interesting!
We're counting on you, Kirino!
You're the team captain, so you gotta get this!
Dan-kun, do your best keeping the time!
- Leave it to me! - What?
Second-in-command!
"Muroe High * Second-in-Command" "Kirino Chiba (Red)" Red, Kirino Chiba!
White, Yuuri Ando!
"Machido High * Second-in-Command" "Yuuri Ando (White)" White, Yuuri Ando!
"Girls' Locker Room" White, Yuuri Ando!
"Girls' Locker Room" Begin!
Dan-kun, keep the time!
Come to think of it, I haven't cheered anyone on.
I feel bad to everyone for that.
Kirino, don't lose the deadlock!
Mash the B-button! Mash it!
Sh-She's annoying!
Is that on purpose?
It's on purpose.
Is she doing it to be annoying?
She's doing it to be annoying.
I wonder if Ando-san has any intention of winning.
It's more about her sadistic streak than winning.
All she does is guard-to-guard deadlocks and she's not attacking!
She's a tricky opponent.
I wish I'd been matched up with her instead.
Miya-miya, you're Black! You've turned Black!
Push her! Push her, Ando! Blow her away!
That hurt...
Damn you, Ando! That was just shy of a foul!
Are you all right?
Yeah!
It's not a problem, Kirino.
There's no way you'll lose against someone
who isn't that interested in winning.
Don't forget what Tama taught you and fight!
What about what you taught her?!
Begin!
Stay true to the fundamentals as always,
and stick to the earnest way that you practice kendo,
and you'll win for sure!
- Right! - What?
Before your opponent gets into range,
snap your wrists
and parry your opponent's sword by swinging in an arc.
If you do this,
the direction the sword was parried in and the force of it...
...will flow right into the attack.
Kote!
But isn't this still being deceitful?
I know! Tama, you like anime and stuff, right?
If we win the upcoming match,
I'll give you one of my super rare collector's items!
A super rare collector's item...
Go, Kirino! Fly!
That's it! Push her! Smack her!
Burn it up, Kirino!
Come on, Tama-chan, you cheer her on, too! Be loud!
Ch-Cheer her on?
Be loud...
There's no time left.
Dan-kun, nice timekeeping!
Men! Men!
Go...
Go for it...
She won't hear you like that!
Another head strike...
But that's a feint and she's after a body strike.
In that case, I'll slam myself into her and shove her...
- Wait... - Men!
Head strike!
- She lost... - Match over!
Get at least one point, you damn moron!
Good work, Kirino!
That's our team captain for you!
Um, senpai, congratulations.
Thank you for cheering me on, Tama-chan.
I won!
Head strike. There.
Two wins, one loss, one draw. We can do this!
If you stick to what I taught you, you'll be sure to win, Tamaki!
You haven't taught her a thing!
Never mind that. Hurry up and get your head guard on, Ta...
Bureiba!
Yes, sir.
Yokoo, you should've gotten ready, too!
What's the big deal? I didn't want to miss watching the match.
She looks strong.
She's tiny, but she looks strong somehow.
Or rather, she actually was strong, after all...
Hey, you should hurry up and get your head guard on.
Harada,
do you think I could win against her?
I don't know.
Man, I haven't felt like this in a long time!
One point at a time!
Good luck!
Commanders, come forward!
What's this, Bureiba? You forgot your name cloth again?
You're so hopeless, Bureiba! You really are so careless, Bureiba!
Uh...
Commander match!
"Muroe High * Commander" "Bureiba (Red)" Commander match!
"Muroe High * Commander" "Bureiba (Red)" Red, B-B-Bureiba!
"Machido High * Commander" "Maya Yokoo (White)" Red, B-B-Bureiba!
"Machido High * Commander" "Maya Yokoo (White)" White, Maya Yokoo!
"Machido High * Commander" "Maya Yokoo (White)"
They're too physically different!
No fair! You're huge!
Tama-chan's going to get blown away at this rate.
Looks like it's going to be a good match.
A long match might be inevitable.
Begin!
Scary.
What?
Men!
Head strike!
H-Hold on...
Round two!
H...
Hold on a minute!
Men!
Head strike!
She did it!
Bureiba! Bureiba!
Match over!
I couldn't...
I couldn't do anything...
Let's line up.
With three wins, one loss, and one draw, victory goes to Muroe High!
Bow to one another!
Thank you very much!
We did it, Miya-miya.
AIIIII right!
Senpai, that was a truly good match.
All right!
I would not have expected any less of your students, senpai.
They're all fantastic.
You did it, Bureiba! You sure are great, Bureiba!
Senpai?
Kojiro, would you let me fight a match, too?
What?
But we said earlier that there's no point in us fighting a match...
Well, I'd be fine with it, though...
- Then, let's get our protective gear on and... - Not with you.
Huh?
What's your name?
Um... B-Bureiba...
What's your name?
I am Tamaki Kawazoe, a first year at Muroe High.
I'm Kenzaburo Ishibashi.
Tamaki Kawazoe, fight a match with me.
I'm calling the star rise
Yuuyami ni kagayaki-dasu negai-tachi
Kono te no naka orite-kite nagare-boshi
Madobe de suashi no mama yoru o miagete
Nemurenai tsuki-akari hitori
Me no mae o chira-tsuiteku hiruma no watashi
Jibun dake karamawari de modokashii mama
I'm calling the star rise
Me o tojite kokoro no koe kiiteru
Mada shiranai watashi ni deaitai
I'm calling the star rise
Mabayuku kagayaiteru negai-tachi
Kono te no naka orite-kite nagare-boshi
"Bamboo Blade," "Bam-Bla" for short, is already on its seventh episode!
So, to commemorate this occasion, I'll compose an acrostic!
Let's see, "Please adlib the last 'la' punch line."
Yes, yes, I understand. I'm great at that sort of thing!
Then, here I go!
"Ba!"
Bam, I got the head strike, and yet...
"M!"
Mm, I got faulted for it being too shallow and...
"B!"
Bitching and moaning, I griped about it...
"La!"
Oh, too bad! Ran out of time!
So, next time, it's "Sushi and Mince Meat Cutlets!"
I wonder if that was all right...