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The Great Triangle of Swords
70
The Great Triangle of Swords*The Kendo Club at Private Kenran Academy… I was the ace there. Until that time…* *After the prefectural tournament match ended, and we had secured a splendid victory, I bowed deeply to my opponent, greeted him, and then suddenly couldn’t stop coughing. My consciousness gradually faded, and I collapsed. When I came to, I had been rushed to the general hospital near the venue. My younger brother—Sō-chan—was crying, clutching my hand and muttering “Onee-sama” over and over like a broken toy.* *According to the doctor who later entered the room, I had a lung disease and wasn’t expected to live much longer—perhaps another twenty years at most.* I stood there in stunned silence, while Sō-chan broke down in tears. I was forced to withdraw from the kendo club.* *Even though he was still in middle school, my younger brother started working part-time after school, falsifying his age to earn money for my… treatment expenses.* *I felt overwhelmed with guilt. I had bound my dear little brother’s life, I thought.* After that… I graduated from high school, didn’t go to university, and began working at a flower shop near home.* *A year after graduation, my brother said he would be enrolling at Kenran Academy. He’d be entering as a scholarship student, just like I had, so there’d be no need to worry about money.* It seemed he planned to join the kendo club. Hearing that, I decided that as an alumna, I would take on managerial duties and support him.* *Apparently, my brother first attended a trial session of the kendo club. When he introduced himself, the advisor realized he was my younger brother and took quite a shine to him.* *As soon as my brother got home, I asked him how school was.* Well, the kendo club advisor, Mr. Kondō, asked me all sorts of things about you, Onee-sama. *Nostalgia washed over me, and I told my brother a lot about Mr. Kondō—how he looks like a gorilla but is actually very kind and cares deeply about his students, and that if anything ever troubled him, he should talk to Mr. Kondō.* Tomorrow at club activities, I’ll be making a rare appearance as the manager, so do your best, Sō-chan. Yes, Onee-sama! …But please be careful, okay? There’s this grumpy, stern guy named Hijikata who’s the club president… *The next day, I visited the Kenran Academy kendo hall for the first time in two years.* *The sound of bamboo swords clashing, the thud of footsteps—I felt a wave of nostalgia as I opened the door.*