After the grading competition ended, Suwa Yuuji accompanied Fujino as they left the Kendo Association's competition venue.
Recalling what just happened, Suwa Yuuji couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Most people take at least ten moves to determine a winner. But you, in less than five moves, made it so those kids' moms wouldn't even recognize them."
"I already went easy on them, but even when I gave them a chance, they couldn't handle it."
Fujino sighed deeply, with a look of disappointment on his face. "Honestly, I could've beaten them in one move, but I let them off several times. Eventually, I just couldn't hold back anymore and had to win."
"That must've been tough for you," Suwa Yuuji nodded.
He actually wanted to say, "Do you even hear yourself?"
But thinking about it, if he were in the same position, he probably would've done the same.
So, it's all good.
Participants in the beginner's ranking competition were typically teenagers, around sixteen or seventeen years old, or sometimes as young as thirteen or fourteen.
Some prodigies might dominate the beginner level, but in reality, a first-dan rank is only a starting point in Kendo.
Kendo is quite unforgiving—either you win, or you don't. There's no room for luck.
At this point, Fujino's swordsmanship had already surpassed first-dan, reaching around the level of a seventh or eighth-dan practitioner.
This seventh to eighth-dan level was determined through his sparring with Suwa Yuuji.
At the very least, when they faced off, Fujino could draw upon a vast mental database and hold his own against Suwa Yuuji.
Given his current abilities, thrashing real beginners was as easy as child's play.
It was like beating them down from another dimension.
Suwa Yuuji suddenly remembered a previous match, where a boy's wooden sword had been shattered by Fujino. He burst out laughing, "But seriously, you didn't spare any face for those kids, did you? You even broke the wooden sword of that one kid they called a 'Kendo prodigy' who hadn't even ranked but had already won ten matches against first-dan practitioners."
"I didn't expect the Kendo Association's wooden swords to be so weak."
Fujino recalled the scene earlier and sighed again, "The wooden swords here really don't compare to the sturdy ones at the Konoha Kendo Dojo."
"It's just a ranking competition; the association won't provide top-quality wooden swords," Suwa Yuuji explained. "The wooden swords we use during practice are high-quality custom bamboo that I paid a lot for."
By now, Fujino's swordsmanship had become extremely advanced, and his strength had reached superhuman—though still within the bounds of science.
Ordinary wooden swords simply couldn't withstand one of Fujino's forceful strikes.
"Let's hope that kid whose sword you broke doesn't lose his fighting spirit because of it."
Suwa Yuuji laughed but then sighed.
Losing your "fighting spirit" happens in many competitive fields.
Take Go, for example. After getting completely destroyed in a major tournament, people often suffer mental breakdowns.
The same can be said for a Kendo ranking competition.
Especially for those prodigies who have never faced defeat.
If a prodigy were to lose badly, they might mentally collapse.
That's what's referred to as losing one's "fighting spirit."
At its mildest, they might sulk under the covers. In the worst case, they could lose their drive for the rest of their lives.
It's safe to say Fujino's technique was excessively brutal.
He even shattered the kid's wooden sword.
Brilliant but heartless.
Two days later...
The midterm exams were over, and after three days of intense testing, Fujino finally had a much-needed day off.
Honestly, with the Kendo competition and the midterms happening at the same time, it was exhausting.
Even though he wasn't weak physically, it still left him mentally drained.
Thankfully, his Flame Medal and college student traits helped, and after just one night, he felt much better.
Early in the morning, Fujino drove Ran and met up with Sonoko at Beika Station...
As usual, that "death god" of a kid, Conan, tagged along.
Today, Ran was wearing a green blazer, an off-white sweater, and a grayish-blue pleated skirt, with pale yellow knee-high socks.
Sonoko's outfit was much simpler: a blue turtleneck sweater and a white pencil skirt.
As for Conan, he stuck with his classic, unchanging outfit.
Meanwhile, Fujino had donned a brand-new suit he had just picked out the day before.
For some reason, his aura seemed to have taken a major leap forward.
"So, Conan, why did you tag along this time?" Sonoko looked at Conan, who was sitting in the backseat, with an expression of exasperation.
"Haha… I heard Ran-neechan was going bowling. I've never gone before, so I was curious…" Conan scratched the back of his head, putting on his familiar innocent-kid look.
Of course, that's not really why he came along.
It's just bowling—he'd done it plenty of times as Shinichi Kudo.
But…
As he thought this, he glanced at Fujino, who was driving.
Fujino, in turn, looked back at him, already feeling a bit of a headache from the presence of the "death god" kid.
Looks like today's not going to be peaceful.
With Conan, Ran, and Sonoko all together...
Yeah, something's definitely going to happen today.
Is it going to be at the bowling alley?
Fujino couldn't help but wonder.
After wandering around Beika City for a bit, they eventually arrived at the bowling alley.
Since it wasn't a holiday, the place wasn't too crowded.
After paying the usage fees, the group gathered at a lane.
"Hah!"
Sonoko picked up a bowling ball and, with some effort, hurled it down the wooden lane.
Rumble...
It started in a straight line, but then veered off course at the last moment, missing the pins entirely.
"Damn it!"
Sonoko clicked her tongue in frustration at the sight of the untouched pins.
"Hahaha... Just now, Sonoko-neechan, weren't you saying you're a bowling expert? How come you didn't knock down a single pin?" Conan teased with a mischievous grin as he watched the untouched bowling pins.
"It's rare to get a chance to relax, and Ran still has to look after you, you little brat," Sonoko Suzuki retorted, her expression turning gloomy as she shot back at Conan. "Aren't you embarrassed?"
Conan stood tall, unfazed by Sonoko's words. After all, he was just a kid, and if a kid could feel embarrassed, they wouldn't be a proper kid.
"My turn!" Ran Mouri, having taken off her blazer, grabbed a bowling ball from the machine beside her. She casually tossed it in her hand, then stepped up to the lane.
Assuming the stance to throw the ball, she took a smooth step forward. Her skirt swayed, and the red bowling ball flew out of her hand, rolling in a perfect straight line down the lane, knocking all the pins down.
"That's amazing!" Sonoko clapped her hands. "A strike on the first try!"
Even Conan showed a similar reaction.
Ran looked at the fallen pins and let out a relieved breath. Then she turned to Fujino and said, "Senpai, it's your turn."
"My turn, huh?" Fujino, who had been sitting, slowly stood up. After taking off his blazer, he revealed his shirt underneath, rolled up his sleeves, and approached the bowling machine.
He picked up a bowling ball and moved to the front of the lane.
"Phew..." Fujino weighed the ball in his hand for a moment.
To be honest, his strength had increased too quickly lately. The boost he once only got when wielding a sword at full power had now become a permanent part of him after his transformation.
This rapid increase in strength also came with the downside of not being able to fully control it.
Beating someone up wasn't an issue; people in the Conan universe were pretty resilient. Even if he miscalculated a bit, they wouldn't easily get hurt.
But bowling, which required precise control of strength...
Let's see how it goes.
At least, he hoped he wouldn't end up like Kyogoku Makoto and break the machine. He really didn't want to pay for that.
Fujino took a deep breath and mimicked Ran's previous stance. Reaching the right angle, he released the ball.
The ball flew out of Fujino's hand at high speed, hovering a meter above the lane before crashing down onto the wooden surface.
*Bang!*
The ball collided directly with the pins.
With a sharp crack, one of the pins split apart.
Conan: "..."
Sonoko: "..."
Ran: "..."
The group stared in disbelief, their eyes wide as they gazed at the broken pin inside the machine.
Fujino, however, simply sighed, as if everything had gone according to plan.
Turning around, he smiled at them and said, "Looks like there's an issue with the quality of the bowling pins."
"Uh, I think bowling pins are supposed to be solid. There shouldn't be any quality issues," Conan interjected.
"Hmm, little Conan is right, but this time, it really is a quality issue," Fujino replied, casting a glance at Conan.
This kid sure knows how to hit a sore spot. Can't he just stay quiet for once?
He really didn't want to pay for the damage.
Fujino's smile widened slightly, and with a seemingly friendly gaze, he looked at Conan, saying, "Conan, you sure know a lot. But this time, it's definitely a quality problem."
Conan suddenly had a flashback to previous moments of fear. Fujino's kind expression started to feel... unnervingly *nuclear.*
"Ah... right, it must be a quality issue. No doubt about it," Conan quickly changed his tune.
"Oh, I see," Ran nodded, clearly convinced by Fujino's explanation.
"Uh... Ran, but this—" Sonoko began, looking at her best friend, who had already bought into the story, feeling a bit speechless. However, when she glanced at Fujino and saw his charming, friendly smile, she quickly said, "Yeah, it must be the quality of the pins."
"I told you, it's a quality issue," Fujino said with a satisfied smile.
He then waved to the nearby manager. "Excuse me, it seems these bowling pins are defective."
"Change them out!"
(End of chapter)