"Try your hand with our bows! Kyūdō's right here!"
"Our karate demonstration is starting very soon, come on over!"
Stall owners were yelling at the top of their lungs as various people passed by and checked out various stalls at the festival. Each one was either selling replica weapons, holding small games, or giving tiny demonstrations of their skills.
Ryusei explored each stall with Reimu, watching her getting excited over the smallest things such as a detailed hilt or double bladed sword. Though watching her getting this happy was quite satisfying to him, he was also a bit relieved. Earlier, he told her that he wouldn't be buying her any replica weapons since they were 1. Very expensive, and 2. Replicas so they were only for display.
After hearing this, she gave him a pout and he thought that she was still upset at him up until now.
Reimu on the other hand, quickly learned Ryusei was telling her the truth upon seeing several stall owners clarifying and showing that their weapons did not cut. While it was a bit disappointing, at least it meant that Ryusei had saved her the trouble of wasting a small fortune over non-functional tools.
Speaking of which, Ryusei wasn't in his usual tourist outfit and was instead, in the red samurai armor that she saw him wearing back in Gensokyo. The armor itself held a strong resemblance to the most samurai armors with several small differences. The helmet in particular had a retractable face cover that strongly resembled the faceplate of the video game character, Daito from Ready Player One. Despite this though, it still retained the maedate that most samurai helmets had. There were also hidden energon blades in the arms and instead of buddhist or shinto markings, several cross emblems were imprinted on the chest and shoulders.
He had already signed up for the tournament and was joining the other men who had brought their own armor and weapons for the contest that would be taking place very soon. Whereas most of the fighters were wearing replicas or custom made armor, Ryusei's armor was real and made of metals that Reimu had yet to learn of.
Just as the announcer got on stage, Ryusei and the rest of the participants bowed to each other before taking their proper positions.
"Attention everyone! The Ondo dance will be delayed for a few minutes. Please wait patiently."
Reimu then felt someone tap her shoulder and as she turned around, she realized that she was looking at two shrine maidens. One of the girls was clearly hurt and looked desperate for her aid.
"Uh. Can I help you?" asked Reimu.
The girl nodded and gestured to Reimu to follow her to the place where all tournament participants and stage dancers were present.
"Our lead dancer for the Ondo has a broken leg and we need a replacement. Can you dance?" asked the maiden.
"Uh. Yeah. I can," answered Reimu. "But why me?"
"Erm," started the girl. "I thought you looked like a shrine maiden and chose you cuz of that. Here, put this on."
Reimu picked up the red and white outfit that was clearly too big for her to wear. It was very similar to the shrine maiden outfit that she usually wore back in Gensokyo but it had a few tiny and nearly unnoticeable details that set it apart from hers. Reimu's outfit lacked covers for her shoulders and armpits while this one did not.
"Uh. This is too big for me," commented Reimu. "I actually brought my own shrine maiden outfit so can I use that instead?"
"Show me."
Reimu walked over to Ryusei who was meditating and tapped him awake.
"Need something?" asked the samurai.
"Yep. I'm going to be part of the Ondo dance. Mind if I get my outfit?" asked Reimu.
Ryusei smiled and pulled out her clothes from his adventurer's backpack.
"Good luck."
He watched as she eagerly ran over to show the two maidens her outfit before putting it on and joining the other dancers on stage. The performance was nothing short of amazing as Reimu's skill and movements mirrored the other dancers on stage despite being asked to perform at the last minute.
Every single one of her motions were performed with perfection and elegance. Her amazing beauty and youth stole much of the audience's attention with even Ryusei stopping his meditation to watch her. Once the dance was over, a thunderous applause erupted from the crowd with some of them attempting to reach Reimu to ask her out. Luckily security managed to intervene before Ryusei even realized that he was reaching for his blade.
"And now, give a hand to all the duelists present for our grand tournament!" yelled the announcer. "First up, we have Ryusei vs Sachi."
Upon hearing this, Ryusei got up and took a few deep breaths before walking up onstage to greet his opponent, a man clad in kendo gear with a replica samurai helm. His sword did not follow the curved design that most katanas followed and instead of a blade, it was a long thin pole, a reminder that these weren't seasoned warriors to Ryusei. For the sake of the tournament, Ryusei went out of his way and used one of the special amulets he had made earlier to blunt the blade of his sword to prevent injury. He had also promised himself to only use his katanas to give his opponents a fair chance.
After a bow, the announcer raised his flag and Ryusei's helmet quickly closed its face cover while he drew his red and gold hilt katana and disarmed his opponent with several strokes.
The next few matches went by uneventfully with most fighters quickly winning their duels as quickly as Ryusei had won his. Some had a bit of trouble with their swords or simply held back but, once they got to the second round of duels, Ryusei knew that they were beginning to go all out.
His next opponent completely wore replica armor and used a blunted naginata instead of a katana. Seeing this, Ryusei split his katana into two identical swords before positioning himself for battle. This time, the fight was a bit more longer with his opponent managing to block a few of his attacks before he managed to knock the weapon out of his opponent's hands and land the finishing strike.
The crowd cheered loudly while Reimu watched in awe and excitement. This was the first time she had seen Ryusei partake in such a competition. While Gensokyo had tournaments, none of them were like the ones she was watching right now. In Gensokyo, most of the participants did not have to sign up to join and could just crash the show. Additionally, instead of testing each other's strength, they instead fired bright balls of light and lasers in elegant and detailed patterns for the crowd to watch and enjoy. Even when they were dueling with physical weapons, since everyone already knew who each other, they would know who the winner was regardless of the participants. Here, no one knew each other and if they did, it was impossible to tell who the winner would be.
As the second round came to a close and the third round began, Ryusei noted that many of the fighters were younger than him or Reimu but were just as skilled as the fighters as before. His third opponent used a pair of replica Wakizashis and wore an outfit that strongly resembled an anime shrine maiden.
"So there are cosplayers here too," thought Ryusei. He watched as his opponent twirled her blades and beckoned him to come forward and fight. However, instead of charging at her, Ryusei positioned himself in a defensive stance with one sword raised above his head and the other, in front of his body.
A few seconds later, the two fighters advanced and Ryusei effortlessly blocked the incoming blows and hit her back with the handle of one of his katanas, ending the fight. The girl took off her mask, disappointed by the outcome, but Ryusei responded by giving her a respectful bow, a sign of respect and acknowledgement of her skill.
He then scanned the crowd for Reimu's familiar red and white uniform. There she was cheering and waving frantically amongst the many others in the back. He smiled upon seeing her and remembered what she had said, "All those past mistakes aren't weights of the past but a reminder of how far you've come now. If anything, now is the time for you to stop holding yourself back and show not just me but everyone present how far you've come and why you're a samurai. Fight in that tournament not as the student but yourself, the samurai adventurer. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose. All that matters is that you've truly freed yourself and are no longer bound by the same chains that those people put you in."
She was right. He wasn't a student anymore. He was an adventurer and a samurai. There wasn't any need for him to hold back any more than he should and if anything, winning didn't matter as long as he was free.
As he returned his katanas back to normal, he took a moment to reflect on the emotions he felt from the fight. There was a warmth and the feeling of excitement that he hadn't felt ever since he had been barred from participating in any other tournament. There weren't any restrictions or chains that bound him and there wasn't any need for him to prove himself now.
Remembering this, Ryusei took a glance at his final opponent. He was a boy that was a few years younger than him and he seemed quite nervous. His armor was clearly a replica but had many decorations that were very out of place. For one, there were several childish doodle marks and a few ribbons and girlish decorations tied to various parts of the armor. Clearly his opponent's armor did not belong to him. This was even more evident by the fact that the chestplate was clearly too small for him.
"Girl trouble?" asked Ryusei nonchalantly.
His opponent nervously nodded before responding, "My little sister and girlfriend."
"Calm yourself," advised Ryusei. "Don't let your nerves get the best of you. Otherwise, you're not gonna win."
Ryusei watched as his opponent took a few deep breaths before joining him in a combat stance.
"Ready?" asked the judge. "Fight!"
The two samurai quickly clashed swords and countered their opponent's attacks. The moment they separated again, Ryusei knew that his opponent was someone who had been well trained and won in events similar to this one. He could also tell by the strength of his opponent's sword, that this was a battle that he had been preparing much of his life for. Every time their blades met, the crowd cheered loudly for their desired fighter while both swordsmen studied their opponent's tactics and weapons. In the crowd, Ryusei noticed two girls and a tall elder watching the fight with close intent.
"Those must be his teacher, girlfriend, and little sister," thought Ryusei. So he was right, the boy in front of him was fighting the duel of his life. One that not only tested his skills but also pushed them to the limits. The boy was clearly exhausted and his concentration was the only thing that was keeping him in the fight. He seemed nearly ready to give up.
Rather than let him give up though, Ryusei twirled his sword, a common provocation that skilled duelists tend to use against lesser opponents and convince them to keep fighting. His opponent fell for it and charged forth at Ryusei who effortlessly blocked his attacks.
"Don't let your enemy provoke you," advised Ryusei again. He then dodged an attack from the boy who then backed away and made several fake attacks towards Ryusei. This was another provocation tactic used by swordsmen which Ryusei quickly recognized. However, this one was less common as it tended to convince the opponent into defending themselves rather than attacking.
Ryusei's response was to "fall" for the provocation and with one swift strike, knocked his opponent's sword out of his hands and into the air.
"And don't provoke your enemy unless you're ready for the consequences," added Ryusei.
Reimu watched as Ryusei allowed his opponent to catch his sword instead of finishing him off to continue the duel. Earlier she had witnessed him do the same thing except, he chose to end the duel instead of prolonging it. Why he chose to extend the fight was a question that not even she knew the answer to.
Right after his opponent retrieved his sword, Ryusei locked swords with him once more and gave him one final piece of advice.
"Lastly, always look for an opening."
The moment they separated, Ryusei purposely missed one of his swings, leaving him open to an attack. His opponent saw this and quickly disarmed Ryusei of his sword and tapped him on the chest with his own blade. Just as he did this, a thunderous applause and several loud cheers erupted from the audience. Even the judge himself was amazed.
"That was a good match," remarked Ryusei. He watched as his opponent bowed to him, a sign of respect and acknowledgement.
"Thank you," commented the boy.
Ryusei nodded and bowed too before heading off the stage to rejoin Reimu in the crowd.
"That was a pretty good fight but why throw it at the end?" asked Reimu.
"He reminded me of myself before I met you. I wanted to show him there's more to fighting than just winning," answered Ryusei.
He watched as the young boy accepted his prize from the judge and showed it to his sister and girlfriend: a new replica katana that had the words, "My journey begins here" inscribed on the blade.
"That was an impressive display."
Ryusei turned to see the boy's master watching them and his student.
"Perhaps you'd like a real match one day?" asked the master, extending a hand towards Ryusei. "An exhibition between you and me."
Ryusei smiled and took off his helmet.
"Maybe another day," replied Ryusei. "You've taught your student well. One day, I'd like a rematch to see how far he has come."
The two shook hands before the master left while making an offhand comment about keeping his student's armor away from his little sister.
"So where to next?" asked Reimu.
"Well, the bus is going to be here tomorrow so we can either head back to our hotel room or, you can join me in checking out this shop I've been planning to visit," replied Ryusei.
Reimu smiled and pulled on his hand as they continued to spend the night exploring the rest of the festival.