Swish-swish. The cast-iron pan cut the air with amazing ease when Shun swung it lightly to test it out. 

Dayumm, this thing feels so light that I can’t honestly believe it’s just a mere frying pan! If only I didn’t look absolutely ridiculous wielding it though…whatever, with this pan I won’t lose too badly against the Tayu Oiran—that’s all that matters. 

“A-ahem,” a bewildered Shihime cleared her throat and raised her hand, signalling that she was ready to begin. “Shun, are you, um, ready too?” 

He quickly stopped swinging the pan and nodded. “Oh, yeah, I’m ready to whoop ass.” 

A burst of mocking laughter rippled through the crowd while he took his position. He glanced at the spectator seats and spotted Rya trying to hide her face with her shawl, though it was clear that she was also giggling uncontrollably. 

Oh, you’re underestimating my a*s-kicking outfit? He suddenly felt a strong urge to actually win the duel instead of following his original plan of forcing a draw. Hah, just wait—I’ll show you guys that a measly frying pan is the superior weapon.  

The sound of a gong being struck resounded across the hall. “Both parties, yì jư gong!”

Shun didn’t know what that meant, but Shihime folded her hands in front of her dress and bowed, so he hurriedly followed suit. Once they were finished, the gong was struck again. 

“Both parties, take your stance…start!”

Silence instantly fell upon the arena; even the spectators watched on with bated breath. It was as if there was an unspoken rule that no one was to break the sacred silence.

He tightened his grip on the handle of the pan and quietly observed Shihime, who was also studying him with narrowed eyes. She was wielding a rapier with her right hand—which he had expected given her size and strength—but he found her hesitant behaviour strange. 

When it comes to offense, she’s obviously the one at an advantage here. Then, why isn’t she attacking? Does she already expect that I am able to block a frontal attack with my pan? 

Shihime stepped to her left, and he responded by inching to his left as well. Slowly, they began to walk in a circle in tense silence, gradually closing the distance between them with each round. He tried to read her face while focusing on her rapier, but her calm facial expression gave nothing away. 

What the hell is she planning to do—  

Her left hand suddenly moved. It was a motion that happened in the corner of his vision, but he managed to catch it just in the nick of time.  

Sh*t, she has another weapon?! 

Shihime closed the distance with a powerful leap, swinging her hidden weapon right towards him. 

He twisted his body aside and intercepted her flying attack with a swift swing of the frying pan.

To Rya and the other spectators, it was as if an unstoppable force had forcibly been deflected by an immovable object. Before the echo of the collision between their weapons had even died down, Shihime swiftly followed up her initial attack with a forward stab of her rapier.

He smacked the sword down with the side of his pan instinctively, but the sheer force of the impact nearly knocked him off balance. Thankfully, she stopped attacking and jumped back, throwing her now-bent rapier onto the ground. 

“Not bad,” Shihime murmured, straightening her gown. She unfolded the bronze fan in her left hand, revealing razor-sharp blades hidden along its ribbing. “How did you anticipate my movements so accurately, Shun?”

“Luck, I guess.” He removed the black hat from his head, which was now missing one of the two wing-like flaps after being sliced off clean by the edge of her fan. “Jesus, were you trying to kill me with that fan of yours?” 

“It’s not against the rules to aim for any place on your head other than your face and neck,” she simply replied with a slight grin. 

“But still—!” 

Shihime suddenly launched a series of precise slashes with her fan, almost as if she was performing a dance on the arena floor. He had no choice but to take a defensive stance—if just one of her strikes landed, there was no doubt that he would lose. Just the wind created by the flurry of attacks pressured him greatly. 

She plans to pressure me until I either make a mistake or am forced to retaliate—is that her strategy? 

If that was true, he was at a severe disadvantage. Shihime had the upper hand in terms of offense and agility; she was able to maneuver her movements easily and effortlessly due to her streamlined weapon. Compared to her thin metal fan, his pan was too clunky and stiff to react to her attacks effectively despite its higher defense.

Calm down. You mustn’t fall into her rhythm. Focus, examine her attack patterns and strike back when she least expects it. 

Clearing his mind of any unnecessary thoughts, he calmly observed the trajectory of her fan. It was intentionally erratic and unpredictable, just as he thought, but something about her posture caught his eye.

She is only using her left hand to swing her fan—that must mean that her right arm is keeping her balanced. That must be her weakness!

He patiently waited for the perfect opening. Left, right, right, down, up—there! Just as she raised it up above her head to strike down, he twisted his leg and kicked at her knees hard. 

“!” Shihime gasped as she suddenly tipped forward. She tried to regain her balance by twisting her right arm in the opposite direction, but he quickly locked her movement down with his elbow.

“Take THIS!!” He swung the pan directly on her left hand without holding back. 

There was a sharp cry, then a dull thud as Shihime’s fan landed on the tatami mats. He let go of her arm and quickly retreated.

Oh f*ck, did I use too much force there? Is she alright? That sounded super painful… 

“...impressive.” Shihime recovered her fan and dusted herself off. “Though I think you ought to use a proper weapon next time, I have to acknowledge your victory.”

He laughed. “How does it feel to lose to a frying pan?”

“Not good in the slightest.” She gave a bitter smile. “But, I must say watching you fight with your pan was extremely entertaining.”

He couldn’t have asked for a better reaction. They both bowed, and the sound of the gong marked the end of their duel. “The winner is Shun!”