After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

```

"Hey, look over there, from the Tokyo District."

"Such a beautiful person, is she a model?"

"She's a competitor. Didn't you see her wearing protective gear?"

"What's her name?"

Ayakoji Chiyoko's appearance sparked a small wave of heated discussion.

As an idol beauty, she was dressed in a Kendo uniform + a full set of protective gear, standing at the sidelines, a scene no less impactful than Hashimoto Kanna's classic 'millennial beauty' candid shot.

With bright eyes and white teeth, her beauty could shame the moon and flowers, yet her martial virtue was abundant.

The broadcast director quickly noticed that the audience's gaze was gradually gathering in one direction and immediately had the broadcast camera turn to capture Ayakoji Chiyoko's face.

Now, the entire nation could see the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee's valiant appearance.

For a moment, the viewership skyrocketed, and even after Ayakoji Chiyoko had put on her faceguard, covering her face, there was no sign of it decreasing.

Everyone was excited about a match involving such a beautiful girl.

It was not hard to imagine that, once the match ended, photographs of Ayakoji Chiyoko from all angles would rapidly spread across the internet.

In a way, the Hokkaido player's wish had indeed come true, because after Ayakoji Chiyoko's appearance on camera, many people began to look up her region and school.

Although it was unintentional, the reputation of Haneoka Private High School did get promoted, with its popularity going up, up.

The outside chatter didn't affect the ongoing match.

The two referees waved their red and white flags to signal, and both players fastened their bamboo swords at their waists and entered the arena with almost the same tempo, stopping at the line. They raised their bamboo swords to the middle position, then slowly squatted down.

This posture is called 'Sonkyo,' a preparatory form before the match.

Only when the referee gave a vocal signal did they both leap up, closing the distance slightly, bamboo sword tips crossing against each other, moving lightly, watching their opponent.

A tense atmosphere was spreading.

Suddenly, the player from Hokkaido made a move, lunging forward in a big step, aiming for Ayakoji Chiyoko's head.

"Men!!"

In Sword Dao rules, there are four valid scoring areas: head, hands, waist, throat. When striking a scoring area, one must shout the corresponding target and maintain 'Lingering Spirit'—staying alert after making the stroke—to successfully score.

The player from Hokkaido already looked down on his opponent, thinking he had seen Ayakoji Chiyoko's weakness, and attempted to take her head with one risk-filled blow.

However, the moment he struck, Ayakoji Chiyoko also shouted "Men!" and used her bamboo sword to swiftly parry his blade. She then delivered a second strike to his head, smoothly passing by him while maintaining the raised blade, took a few small leaps due to inertia, then turned around.

The two referees raised the white flags, indicating that Ayakoji Chiyoko had successfully scored.

In Kendo matches, the players have red and white ribbons hanging behind them, and the referees raise the flag of the color that corresponds to the scoring player.

"Good!!"

Seeing Ayakoji Chiyoko score, Kagura Hikaru and the others immediately applauded in approval, and the audience in the stands followed suit a beat later.

The Hokkaido player lost a point and swung his bamboo sword in frustration.

The match was a three-point system, where the first to score two points would win. This meant he was now on the edge of the cliff, about to be eliminated.

He had underestimated this woman.

```

The Hokkaido competitor shed their contempt, leveled their mentality, and stood earnestly once again at the starting line, holding their sword in wait.

Ayakoji Chiyoko did the same.

The next second, the match resumed.

"Ha!"

Ayakoji Chiyoko struck first, with a cry like a howling monkey and a stamping of foot, intimidating the Hokkaido competitor into retreating half a step.

This retreat evoked a sense of shame within them, as if to demonstrate bravery, they stepped forward again, raising their bamboo sword in an offensive upper-level starting pose.

But they didn't realize that this was exactly what Ayakoji Chiyoko was waiting for.

The opponent was completely oblivious to the fact that while Ayakoji Chiyoko had been stomping to intimidate, she had quietly moved forward a distance, and then suddenly took advantage of the opponent's inattention to fiercely thrust forward in a single motion, striking like a venomous snake, and her thrust hit the opponent's throat.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Throat!!"

Scoring a hit, she swiftly retracted her bamboo sword and retreated, assuming Lingering Spirit stance with fluid grace, still having reserves of strength.

Both referees simultaneously raised the white flags.

The score was valid, Ayakoji Chiyoko won.

"Ohhh!"

The audience in the stands and those watching on screens let out exclamations of amazement.

The broadcasting cameras had long been focused here; they hadn't expected Ayakoji Chiyoko to finish the match so swiftly, and the sports journalists at the sidelines couldn't help feeling thrilled.

A beauty with skillful moves—wasn't this live news material?

They had already decided, the highlight of the first day of the high school Sword Dao tournament would be on the theme of 'The once-in-a-millennium Kendo beauty,' paired with the photo of the female competitor, the viewer ratings were sure to skyrocket.

Meanwhile, the other competitors watching from the sidelines measured the situation more seriously, with their attention on Ayakoji Chiyoko's technique.

"That first kick, was it to confuse the opponent, to create an opportunity to get close?" Kagura Hikaru from the Kyoto Ward team, squinted and stroked his chin with a smile full of interest.

Whether it was on-the-spot strategy or reaction speed, both were clearly beyond those of an ordinary competitor.

This woman, she's got talent.

Tokyo District team.

"President Ayakoji is so amazing," said Hosaka Yui, sitting beside Kagura Hikaru, watching Ayakoji Chiyoko approaching them after removing her faceguard, and spoke enviously, "Even though I also practice Sword Dao, I can't do it like she does."

"As long as you persevere and practice, anyone can become stronger," Kagura Hikaru stated calmly.

"Eh, Mr. Kagura, are you comforting me? I didn't expect you to care about me that much," Hosaka Yui joked, her voice tinged with laughter, but her eyes were not smiling, seeming more like a cover for her inner inferiority.

"...Do you know, Mr. Kagura. When I first joined the Kendo Club, my goal was the national tournament," Hosaka Yui's smile slowly faded, "But I can't do it. Truly, I can't. Whether it's height, technique, or physical fitness, I fall far short, not as good as the males in the club. With no other choice, I became the club manager, attending the matches in that capacity, as if fulfilling a dream."

Kendo is a man's domain, with no place for women—this notion indeed broadly circulated within the circle.

Women in high-grade Kendo were exceedingly rare, far fewer than men.

While there might be more females studying Kendo in high schools, due to the innate physical differences, the true masters were still mostly men.

"But seeing President Ayakoji, I think my way of thinking was wrong," Hosaka Yui said with a somber expression, "It's not because I'm a woman that I can't do it, but because of my own issues. I'm too weak, and that's why I can't carve out a place for myself in the Kendo Club."

"Hmm, you're right," Kagura Hikaru said, looking forward without shifting his gaze, and nodded in response.