The yer Ryo Kuroiwa from Osaka had a brief chat about fitness with the Gori Vice President before he excused himself and returned to his team.
Watching his retreating figure, Teacher Yamazaki said to everyone, "Currently, among the high school students in Osaka, it''s likely Ryo Kuroiwa who has the strongest Sword Dao. Be careful when you face him; he''s a formidable opponent."
"What about that sneaky squinty-eyed guy?" the Gori Vice President immediately asked, shing his fist with his palm.
"Don''t underestimate him," said Minister Uchida from the Kendo Club, his expression serious. "Kusatsu Ikuta is also a favorite to win this year''s championship, and he wasst year''s winner."
"Him? He won before?"
"The Capital City schools strong in Sword Dao are numerous. Kusatsu Ikuta emerged from among them. It''s best to not really think of him as just a smooth talker."
"But he''s definitely not as good as President Ayakoji and Instructor Kagura!" Miyamoto Shi said confidently.
The Gori Vice President regretfully expressed, "I think so too. The President and the Instructor could definitely beat him, it''s just unfortunate that the Instructor can''tpete."
"Hmm... that''s also true," Miyamoto Shi said ambiguously.
"It has been a long time since the Tokyo District advanced into the top eight at the national tournament,"mented Teacher Yamazaki who had led the Kendo Club to the national tournament in the previous years. "This generation of yours holds the most promise. Give it your best!"
"For the barbecue!"
The boys cheered and rallied.
After a while, Kagura Hikaru and the others finally found the ce arranged for them by the organizers and settled down. They immediately began to undress and change into their Kendo Uniforms.
As the weather was cold, everyone just took off their coats and was able to change directly, saving the trouble of going to the changing room.
As club managers, Kagura Hikaru and Hosaka Yui took the opportunity to get the protective gear and Bamboo Swords from the organizers.
Everyone tried them out to get a feel and stretched a bit, then sat down in their spots waiting for thepetition to start.
Soon it was 8 AM, and the venue personnel had cleared the area, leaving a spacious field.
The spectator stands quickly filled up, upying two-thirds of the seats—about three hundred people—which was a highly impressive turnout.
The majority of the audience consisted of students from various high schools, with many from the Capital City, holding support signs and banners.
Today should be a school day on Friday; I wonder how they managed to get the time off. Perhaps the schools had given a break to facilitate the students attending thepetition.
If that''s the case, that''s really enviable.
Thepetition is about to begin.
The organizers handed out the first batch of match schedules.
Thepetition used an elimination system, where each participant randomly battled against students from other schools. The winner would move to the next round, and so forth.
Since it was a random draw, the further one advanced, the more likely one would face a teammate, which was an unavoidable situation.
After Hosaka Yui brought the list over, it quickly passed through everyone''s hands. Everyone, apart from Ayakoji Chiyoko and Miyamoto Shi, showed a shocked expression.
The list eventually reached Kagura Hikaru, who scanned down until he saw their school''s name.
Members from Tokyo District Haneoka Private High School participating — Ayakoji Chiyoko, Wada Ritarou, Uchida Hajime, Ooi Shuuyitsu, Kagura Hikaru.
...Kagura Hikaru?
Why was his name on there?
He looked up sharply at Ayakoji Chiyoko, who seemed to have anticipated this, and calmly said, "Kagura Hikaru, do not dishonor Ugao''s name. Fight with all your might to win the championship, understand?"
Kagura Hikaru finally understood that he had been tricked by her.
From the very beginning, Ayakoji Chiyoko had ced herself on the contestant list, but she deceived him into doing the club manager''s tasks.
"Miyamoto, is this good enough for you?"
Kagura Hikaru looked at Miyamoto Shi withplex emotions.
The one who had been reced on the list was Miyamoto Shi.
He had probably known about this before they set off, and had mentally prepared himself early. He met Kagura Hikaru''s gaze without any resentment, instead, he proudly smiled, "Instructor Kagura, let everyone know how formidable you are and fiercely p those people from the Capital City in the face!"
After speaking, he handed over the kendo uniform he had received but never worn to Kagura Hikaru, the cloth identifying thepetitor''s role ringly inscribed with the word ''Kagura.''
Kagura Hikaru nodded and solemnly epted it, "Thank you, I won''t let you down."
"Now I feel relieved, hahaha." Miyamoto Shi scratched his head andughed.
Upon closer inspection, one could still see a touch of regret deep within his eyes.
As a lover of Sword Dao, he naturally wanted topete and measure himself against the best in the world.
"Miyamoto Shi, you have great potential." Ayakoji Chiyoko''s eyes suddenly nced over as she spoke, "Consider this year as an observational learning experience, train well when you get back, and next year, I will secure a spot for you topete."
Miyamoto Shi''s face instantly brightened, "Yes! Thank you, President!"
By then, Kagura Hikaru had already changed into his kendo uniform with the help of Hosaka Yui.
Donning the kendo uniform and hakama, the deliberately constrained sharpness finally revealed a corner.
d in the kendo uniform, he had a special aura, as if he was the protagonist in a sword-fighting film, who appeared casual and rxed yet was deadly with a sword, dazzlingly handsome.
Hispanion, Hosaka Yui, nearly glued her eyes to his face, unabashedly pulling out her phone and the continuous clicking of photos ensued, making her seem not just like the club manager, but also a part-time journalist.
Only Ayakoji Chiyoko sensed the subtle sense of danger hidden beneath Kagura Hikaru''sposed face, her expression growing even more serious.
Being proud of her Sword Dao skills, yet having never won against him in their spars, she wanted to forget her role as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and challenge Kagura Hikaru straightforwardly as a pure contender this time.
Kagura Hikaru was sitting cross-legged on the ground, cing a bamboo sword across hisp as he closed his eyes to meditate, engaging in sword meditation.
This was akin to a form of meditation; mystically speaking, it was about deepening his connection with the sword, achieving unity of man and sword.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Simply put, he was concentrating his mind.
Switching from the club manager to apetitor, Kagura Hikaru was preparing himself mentally, gathering his fighting spirit and ferocity, determined to exert his full power and not disgrace Miyamoto Shi and Ugao High.
As a whistle blew, the referee announced the official start of the match, andpetitors from all sides began to enter the arena.
The first to enter the ring from the Ugao team was Ayakoji Chiyoko, and her opponent was a male student from Hokkaido.
The opponent stood at the edge of the other end of the field, facing Ayakoji Chiyoko from a distance, nonchntly lifted his chin, and despite the faceguard, one could almost see the disdain behind it.
He did not have a good impression of Ayakoji Chiyoko and unterally believed that this beautiful woman was a publicity tool brought in by Haneoka Private High School, a mere vase holding a sword, likely to be eliminated after one round.
The National High School Kendo Competition did not distinguish between genders, but since its inception, no woman had ever ced, as Sword Dao was ultimately a man''s realm.
When a woman appeared in thepetition, what it signified was self-evident.
To market the school''s image by sacrificing a contest spot, Tokyo''s Ugao High no longer deserved respect!