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Hiiro Amagi - To Grasp with a Single Stroke (Idol Story)

Author: Kanata Haruka

Characters: Tetora, Chiaki, Kuro, Madara, Hiiro

Proofread: @hvsumii

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Hiiro: Madara-senpai, you finally came! We've been waiting for you!

Madara: Oh, all of the circle members are here today. It’s good that you’re all motivated!

Kuro: Nah, you're the one who hardly shows up, Mikejima.

Madara: Hahaha sorry sorry, I've been busy with lots of things and haven't had a chance to show up.

Chiaki: But, it sure has been awhile since the five of us got together! Doesn’t that mean we’ll be able to do a lot more activities today?

Hiiro: Mhm. It's usually just Bucho and I. It makes me feel like it's no different from what we do in the karate club! [1]

Kuro: Haha, if it's just the two of you, aren't you two just doing kumite all the time? Don't forget that some basic training is important too. [2]

Tetora: Ossu! Of course, Taishou! I do basic training every day without fail! [3]

Kuro: Oh. Well, that's that. What are we gonna do today?

Chiaki: Since the five of us are already here, why don't we form a team and do some intense training?

Madara: No, let's not do that. It's almost time for the "SS" qualifying rounds to start. It'll be pretty bad if you seriously get hurt.

Kuro: That’s true. I guess we'll just play safe and do some zazen, then? [4]

Tetora: Um... But then, it'll really just be the same as our usual karate club practices.

Hiiro: It's just like what Bucho said. I’ll follow suit if that’s what everyone decides to do. but I'd also like to do something a little different.

Madara: Then, how about we make today’s zazen more intense, by doing it with the purpose of creating a sense of tension?

After all, zazen is a strict ascetic practice originally created by monks to reach a "state of oblivion"

Hiiro: Hmm, what is "state of oblivion"? [5]

Madara: it's a topic that could likely become quite philosophical.

Tetora: Well, if you ask Hasumi-senpai, he'll be able to give you a more detailed answer, but the point is it's to be mindless and not to have any worries.

Hiiro: Don't think of anything, just be mindless? That's it?

Tetora: You make it sound so easy, Hiiro-kun. It's something that can make monks all over the country into enemies.

Madara: Hahaha. Well, I guess it might sound easy if you're just listening to the sayings.

But idle thoughts tend to get the better of you. Let me knock them down for you.

Chiaki: I see, so that's how it works. I get what Mikajima-san trying to do.

In other words, in this zazen, the moment you have an idle thought, you will be beaten by the keishaku! [6]

Madara: I guess that's that. Now that we've decided today's activity, does anyone have any objections?

Looks like there aren’t any. So let's get started ♪

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Katsu….! [7]

Chiaki: Guaa!... I couldn't overcome my own miscellaneous thoughts again! What a shame of a hero I am!

Madara: And also, ‘Katsu’ for Tetora-san sitting next to you.... !

Tetora: Ugh... I've already been hit three times with this.

Chiaki: No no, that’s still amazing Nagumo! This is already my fifth time.

Madara: It's because Chiaki-san kept shaking his body around. It was like he was fighting something.

Chiaki:Mhm, I was thinking about fighting various monsters in my head. I guess I got a bit too carried away and ended up moving my body.

Tetora: Isn’t that because you have a myriad of idle thoughts?! I knew I felt a ridiculous amount of movements coming from next to me!

It made me super curious about what was going on... I've been doing my zen meditation practice ever since Taishou told me to, but I guess I still lack training.

Kuro: ......

Madara: Oops, the fact that Kuro-san bowed his head seemed to be a sign for me to hit him. Well, don't mind if I do....

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Sorry for having to kill you ☆

Kuro: That word is too inappropriate, Mikejima [8]

Madara: Sorry. Because soft bamboo swords are used instead of keisaku.

Kuro: Also, you guys are so noisy during zazen, it was very distracting.

Tetora: Uu, I'm sorry Taishou...

Chiaki: Sorry, Kiryuu. But Hero-kun is amazing. He seems to be still concentrating even though we're making so much noise.

Hiiro: .....

Madara: He's been doing zazen without a single break, staying in such a beautiful position. It's truly splendid, isn’t it?

Tetora: But I can't believe he is still able to stay clear-minded with all the noises we're making.... Hiiro-kun, are you sleeping?

Kuro: Nah. How can he sleep in such a beautiful position?

Madara: Hmm, I apologize in advance, but let me tap you on the shoulder once.

Kyouzanbashoku! [9] Brace yourself!

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Hiiro: ....! I saw that coming!

Madara: —Oops, that was a surprise

Tetora: Y-You caught the blade with your bare hands, Hiiro-kun!

Hiiro: I've been on guard for a while wondering when it'll attack this entire time, would this be considered a success?

Kuro: No, it's not training to prevent being hit.

Madara: The bare-handed blade blocking is one thing, but the fact that he was thinking about when the attack would come means that Hiiro-kun was also full of thoughts. [10]

That doesn't mean you've reached a state of oblivion, yet. I guess I was right about hitting you.

Hiiro: I see. It seemed like everyone was annoyed with being tapped on the shoulder, I just assumed it was a practice to prevent it.

Chiaki: But the bare-handed blade block just now was really cool, Hero-kun! Seeing you do it makes me want to do it too!

Alright, why don't we start practicing Shirahadori instead of Zazen?

Kuro: Are you seriously talking about training in shirahadatori like a highschool kid, Morisawa?

Tetora: Morisawa-senpai sure sounds serious about this, Taishou. He really means what he says, like a junior high school student.

Chiaki: But it was cool, right? All boys would be thrilled to see the sight of a serious shirabadori!

Madara: If you insist that much, I wouldn't mind training shirahadatori. As a workout, it would be a consistent way to strengthen concentration and reflexes.

Kuro: Well, I ain't got enough reason to say no either. I don't mind if you wanna do it.

Tetora: If Taishou is fine with it, I'm fine with it too. Well, it's true that it is a cool move.

Besides, as the head of the karate club, I can't always show my good side to Hiiro-kun. I'll show you that I can do shirahadatori too.

Hiiro: ? I guess that means we'll be doing another training now?

Chiaki: Ahh, that's true. I want us to be able to do what Hero-kun showed us earlier!

Hiiro: If that's the case, I understand. I'll work on my training too.

Chiaki: No, I want Hero-kun to be our instructor this time. I can't think of anyone other than you to show splendid shirohadori!

Hiiro: Me as an instructor… Is it okay for me, a junior, to be the instructor when there are seniors here?

Madara: Hahaha. No need to be so formal, Hiiro-kun. This is just for fun, you know.

Don't hold back, Hiiro-kun, I want you to cut us down just for the fun of it!

Hiiro: Understood. If everyone says so, I'll wield this blade without hesitation.

—I'll slice you all down, without mercy.

Kuro: ... But just in case, please go easy on us. When you say it like that, it sounds like you seriously wanna slay us.

Notes

[1] Hiiro calls Tetora as Buchō since he's the president of the Karate club. Bucho means "chief"
[2] Kumite is related to martial arts which is practice fighting against a real opponent
[3] Taishou is Kuro, it means "boss"
[4] Zazen is sitting meditation.
[5] The original text describes it as 無我の境地 (Muga no Kyochi) which is a state of oblivion when translated in English and Hiiro asks Madara in Hiragana (むが の きょうち) what it means
[6] Keishaku is a flat stick carried around by monks. It's used to strike people who are meditating to encourage them to focus more on concentrating.
[7] Katsu is used as an expression to shout in Zen literature to scold those practicing in zazen.
[8] He's referring to the word 斬り捨て御免 which means the right of a samurai to kill commoners during the Edo period, a translation for it can be “die for your crimes”
[9] This is an idiom which means that laws and disciplines should not be compromised by personal feelings. Or give up your personal feelings to achieve a great purpose. This means that even the disciple/subordinates you trust the most will be punished if they violate the law.
[10]Shirahadori or 白刃取り means stopping a sword in between your hands, I translated it so it corresponds with the text.

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Pub: 09 Sep 2023 13:02 UTC
Edit: 09 Sep 2023 13:08 UTC
Views: 1128