Takashi gets off the ground. "Well... Haruko-san..." he starts. I smirk and fold my arms, waiting to hear what he has to say. "Uh... good job. Okay, Rin-chan, you're up. I'll go easy on you."

Rin smiles and gets up. "I did kendo back in Sapporo," she says. "Is this any different?"

Takashi laughs. "Yeah, a little bit. This style is more loose and flexible than kendo. And you don't have to wear all those clothes. But you can still shout if you want." Takashi takes an over-exaggerated swipe at the air and yells so loudly I think an avalanche might come down from the mountains. Rin giggles and holds her sword out.

"Are you going to duel me?" she asks.

"I don't know," Takashi says. "If you want to do a formal duel, we can. But I don't know if you're up for it."

"Well, Haruko-san beat you."

Takashi turns red and I laugh. "She caught me by surprise," he says. "Fine. If you want a duel, we'll duel."

Takashi invites her to duel and she accepts. The counter starts over their heads, and I can't help but think, Wouldn't it be funny if Rin-chan beat Takashi-kun? It probably won't happen, but it's fun to think about.

The counter hits zero and the buzzer sounds. Rin rushes at Takashi and he blocks it easily. I get the feeling that this is how the fight's going to go; her running and him blocking. Sure enough, that's how it goes until Rin forfeits.

Takashi puts his sword away. "All right," he says, "now we level you guys up."