[ Soujirou notices that light (it's hard not to), but it's something he'll actually think about later. For now, it just makes one thing clear: Soujirou's attacks will have to be a bit more vicious rather than simply delivering mortal blows.
Kaoru's blade catches Soujirou, since momentum is working against him and he's not able to dodge, but he likely wouldn't have anyways. He can tell it's not a lethal blow, so it's an acceptable risk for being in so close to Kaoru. Blood splatters upward, but Soujirou doesn't even flinch. If anything, he just smiles more, because that's the only way he knows to respond to pain.
While Kaoru's sword is high from that arc, Soujirou pivots on one foot to bring his sword up as well, but it's towards Kaoru's neck. His sword is also angled so that Kaoru bringing his sword down would simply catch Soujirou's rather than leaving him open, though they're both likely to jump back if Soujirou's attack isn't successful. ]
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Kaoru's blade catches Soujirou, since momentum is working against him and he's not able to dodge, but he likely wouldn't have anyways. He can tell it's not a lethal blow, so it's an acceptable risk for being in so close to Kaoru. Blood splatters upward, but Soujirou doesn't even flinch. If anything, he just smiles more, because that's the only way he knows to respond to pain.
While Kaoru's sword is high from that arc, Soujirou pivots on one foot to bring his sword up as well, but it's towards Kaoru's neck. His sword is also angled so that Kaoru bringing his sword down would simply catch Soujirou's rather than leaving him open, though they're both likely to jump back if Soujirou's attack isn't successful. ]