My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

“White team fouled, red team scores!”

Despite Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s foul kick, not only Uchida Yuma but the other two referees also raised their flags without hesitation, awarding Kitahara Hideji the point. However, Fukuzawa Fuyumi pretended not to hear and continued her relentless attack, slashing wildly with her bamboo sword, showing no intention of stopping until she managed to strike Kitahara Hideji.

Though Kitahara Hideji might not have as many combat experiences as Fukuzawa Fuyumi, he had faced real-life situations and developed tough nerves. Even if he lost his balance, he remained calm and composed, expertly defending against Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s onslaught. Though a bit overwhelmed, he managed to block all of her attacks and finally forced her back with a counter flick.

Uchida Yuma tried to intervene and stop Fukuzawa Fuyumi from further misbehaving, but she was too furious to care about the rules. She pushed him away with a shove, nearly causing him to stumble. Brandishing her bamboo sword, she was ready to charge at Kitahara Hideji again.

However, during this short pause, Kitahara Hideji regained his stance and balance. He smiled and asked, “Who’s the one playing dirty, Fukuzawa-san? Are you willing to throw away all dignity?”

The audience on the sidelines also began to grumble in dissatisfaction, and there were murmurs of protest like, “How despicable.” Some girls even anxiously held their hands to their chests, concerned that Kitahara Hideji might get hurt due to Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s actions.

Already furious, Fukuzawa Fuyumi grew even angrier with the noise around her. She turned and shouted, “Shut up, all of you! Stop making noise!”

The scene fell silent for a moment, but then the students from Class B united against her, expressing their disapproval with boos and jeers. Even those who were originally neutral from Class A joined in when they witnessed Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s bad behavior. Surprisingly, half of Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s own Class C also turned against her and started booing.

Fukuzawa Fuyumi put nearly 80% of the students from these three classes on her blacklist. She then turned back to Kitahara Hideji, trying to justify herself by shouting, “I didn’t play dirty! The Ittō-ryū I practice allows the use of feet!”

Kitahara Hideji slowly approached, smiling as he asked, “So now we’re having a Sword Technique match?”

Fukuzawa Fuyumi chose to hold her ground, sword still raised, and replied, “It has been one since the beginning!” She knew that if she continued to be constrained by the rules of the traditional sword match, she wouldn’t stand a chance. So, she decided to abandon those rules and win using Sword Technique, which incorporated various Taijutsu moves such as kicks, charges, and hand techniques—moves that were not allowed in a regular sword match. She believed that Kitahara Hideji might lack experience in countering these types of attacks.

As Kitahara Hideji swung his sword towards her, Fukuzawa Fuyumi once again employed Kirioroshi, slashing through his attack. She then lunged forward, attempting a feigned strike towards his chest while simultaneously trying to hook his ankle with her foot, aiming to disrupt his balance.

Her desperate fighting stance might not have been elegant, resembling more of a snapping turtle sticking its head out and flailing its legs. To the untrained eye, her attacks seemed like cheap tricks, which only intensified the booing from the crowd. However, she didn’t care; to her, winning was the most important thing.

Fukuzawa Fuyumi expected Kitahara Hideji to be flustered by her erratic moves, but to her surprise, he calmly sidestepped her feeble feint. Ignoring her attempts to hook his ankle, he swiftly inserted his hand between her two hands, gripping the hilt of her sword, and twisted it out of her grasp.

“Mu katana-tori (No-Sword Disarm)? Yagyū Shinkage-ryū?” Fukuzawa Fuyumi was taken aback. She exerted more force to secure the grip on her sword, but she couldn’t resist the leverage. With a sudden twist, her bamboo sword was pried from her hands. Japan’s Sword Technique employs a unique method of holding the sword—one hand strong, the other weak, with one hand above and the other below, one hand exerting force, and the other adjusting the blade’s angle. This technique allows for easy disarming when the timing and angle are right—using the weak hand as a fulcrum and the hilt as a lever.

[“無刀取り” (Mu katana-tori ) refers to a technique or skill in martial arts where a practitioner disarms an opponent who is wielding a sword or blade without using a weapon themselves. “無刀取り” (Mu katana-tori ) involves using unarmed techniques, such as joint locks, strikes, or grappling, to neutralize the opponent’s weapon and gain control of the situation]

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū’s core philosophy is “winning by not being killed,” and it includes various techniques for disarming an opponent’s blade. However, these techniques are specifically tailored to counter Japan’s Sword Technique and its distinctive grip. Against more rigid Western sword-gripping styles, these techniques might not be as effective.

Fukuzawa Fuyumi was infuriated. Although she managed to catch Kitahara Hideji off guard and disrupt his footwork, he had disarmed her, leaving her defenseless. She attempted to retaliate with the spare Shinai she found nearby, but to her surprise, Kitahara Hideji had already moved away using the Sankaku-bu (triangle step) footwork, and he was watching her with a smirk from a distance.

This only fueled her anger further, but she was out of breath and uncertain about how to proceed. In a real sword battle, she would have already been defeated by the multiple cuts she received. However, she still refused to accept defeat and angrily charged towards Kitahara Hideji with her bamboo sword, hoping to seize an opportunity to strike back using the techniques of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū.

She was determined to bring down this “pretty boy” and make him regret his arrogance!

But Kitahara Hideji was adept at using dual swords, employing both offense and defense simultaneously. Every time she tried to attack, he would counter and force her to retreat. Many people who had no experience with swordplay mistakenly believed that wielding a sword with two hands provided more power but made the movements clumsy, while one-handed swordplay was lighter and more agile. However, the reality was quite the opposite.

Using two hands on the hilt allowed for more precise control of the sword, even if the power was slightly less. The focus was on exploiting the sharpness of the weapon to deliver effective strikes. On the other hand, one-handed swordplay allowed for more momentum due to the greater swing, but it also made changing direction and recovering the sword more challenging. However, it had its own advantages, such as having more momentum and a longer reach due to the greater leverage and longer arm span. Attacks could be executed from a greater distance.

If the length and arm span were the same, a one-handed swordsman could strike the two-handed swordsman, but not vice versa. Additionally, having one hand dedicated solely to controlling the sword made it easier to adjust the direction or withdraw during a strike.

In summary, two-handed swordplay sought flexibility in both offense and defense, with a focus on angular attacks and footwork. It was well-suited for battlefield engagements. On the other hand, one-handed swordplay demanded more adaptability, requiring the swordsman to follow the sword with their body, and offering a greater range of movements.

Fukuzawa Fuyumi was now faced with Kitahara Hideji’s skilled dual-sword techniques, making it difficult for her to find an opening to attack. Her frustration grew as she realized that her opponent was not as easy to defeat as she had initially thought.

The gap between their skills was indeed significant, and Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s attacks were constantly repelled by Kitahara Hideji, who used the advantage of single-handed swordplay to keep her at bay. Despite her repeated attempts, she couldn’t even graze his clothes and had to retreat after taking a couple of hits.

Fukuzawa Fuyumi was shocked and uncertain. She questioned, “You… you… you’re not practicing Yagyū Shinkage-ryū; it’s Niten Ichi-ryū, isn’t it?” The move he used just now, “Retracting Bind,” seemed like a technique from Niten Ichi-ryū. She was almost overpowered by the force he applied to her Shinai.

Kitahara Hideji casually discarded one of his Shinai and smiled faintly, saying, “No, I just read some books and practiced casually for fun. I don’t belong to any particular school.”

“It’s impossible!” Fukuzawa Fuyumi thought Kitahara Hideji was deceiving her, and her anger surged. She was furious at the idea that this “pretty boy” was practicing Ancient Swordsmanship while concealing his school affiliation—showing no sense of honor as a swordsman.

Kitahara Hideji continued to control the remaining Shinai, spinning it slowly as he approached Fukuzawa Fuyumi again. He spoke in a soft voice, “Fukuzawa-san, from now on, take a detour when you see me. Today, I’ll let you go, and this will be the end of it. How does that sound to you?”

He had no intention of letting her go so easily, but he wanted to unsettle her determination with the verbal tricks of Tennen Rishin-ryū, making it easier to defeat her effortlessly.

Fukuzawa Fuyumi shouted in anger, “Dream on!” However, despite her defiant words, her courage wavered, and she hesitated in place, unsure whether to defend and counterattack or to go on the offensive.

With a swift step, Kitahara Hideji slashed again, smiling and saying, “Then let’s continue!”

He wanted her to remember this day for the rest of her life, every time she thought of him, she would feel fear and trepidation!