After sharing the morning's incident with her friends, Shimizu Yu somehow felt rather listless. She slumped onto her desk in a dispirited manner and asked her good friend in a bored tone, "Well then, how do you plan to take revenge?"
Suzuki Sawami curled her lips into a sly smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. She leaned in and whispered, "You didn't go to the club yesterday, so you don't know. That guy joined our Kendo Club yesterday."
"Anyway, every new member joining the club usually has to have a match with a senior as a skill test," Suzuki Sawami added with a knowing look. "Then you, the runner-up of the national junior high school Kendo competition, can be his testing senior. Hehe..."
Shimizu Yu couldn't help but imagine the scene in her mind. She pictured herself swinging the bamboo sword at that jerk who used her to block the mud, aiming for his head... Her expression grew eager with anticipation. Since she wasn't fond of studying anyway, she let the whole day slip by in this excited waiting.
Before long, the pleasant bell signaling the end of school rang out.
Shimizu Yu instinctively looked towards Hoshino Gen's seat. To her surprise, he had already packed his schoolbag faster than her and was walking out of the classroom with it in one hand.
Shimizu Yu then glanced at Suzuki Sawami and found that her friend was also looking at her. They exchanged a knowing smile.
Setogawa Private Academy is one of the high schools with the highest academic standards in Tokyo's Koto Ward. Its admission requirements are extremely strict. Students here not only need excellent grades but also come from families that can afford the hefty tuition and miscellaneous fees.
In return, the school, backed by powerful consortia, offers top-notch educational resources. This is evident not only in its outstanding teaching staff but also in its advanced teaching facilities and spacious activity venues for students.
The Kendo hall, covering nearly a thousand square meters, is paved with solid wood floors coated with tung oil, so shiny that girls in skirts would hesitate to enter.
The grandeur isn't just limited to the venue. The equipment on the club members is clearly high-end, brand new and spotlessly clean. There's not a trace of an unpleasant smell in the dojo. Instead, if you sniff carefully, you can detect a faint, pleasant lavender fragrance.
This is thanks to the school's arrangement. After club activities, special cleaning staff will tidy up the venue and wash the club members' equipment.
As a result, many students who are interested in Kendo but worry about the hygiene of public equipment can join without concerns. This has led to the Kendo Club of Setogawa Private Academy having over a hundred members, making it a prominent and large club.
Today's Kendo Club was even more bustling than usual because there was a match taking place in the arena marked by white lines in the middle of the dojo.
Matches were common in this dojo, but what made this one special was the identities of the opponents.
On one side was the beautiful Kendo girl who had won the third place in the group and the second place individually in the national junior high school Kendo competition on behalf of her school. On the other side was a strikingly handsome guy who was the older brother of a super popular idol.
With such an appealing matchup, it was no wonder that a large crowd had gathered to watch.
However, the anticipated fierce battle didn't unfold as expected. Instead, it was a one-sided domination.
On the arena, Hoshino Gen, dressed in a plain white Kendo uniform with blue protective gear just like Shimizu Yu, was gripping the hilt of the bamboo sword with both hands, struggling to fend off Shimizu Yu's fierce attacks as he held the sword horizontally.
The sharp clashing sounds of the bamboo swords echoed through the noisy Kendo hall as Hoshino Gen was forced back step by step, almost reaching the edge of the arena.
Suddenly, Shimizu Yu changed her tactic. She shifted from a thrust to a stab, forcing Hoshino Gen to dodge sideways. But halfway through the stab, Shimizu Yu's lips curled up, and she swiftly raised the bamboo sword and then slashed downward with a powerful swing: "Men!"
The bamboo sword sliced through the air with a whooshing sound, aiming straight for Hoshino Gen's head. Judging by the force, even with the protective gear on, taking that blow would surely be a tough ordeal.
Yet, in that instant, Shimizu Yu thought she caught a glimpse of helplessness in Hoshino Gen's differently colored eyes. And up close, she realized just how strikingly handsome he was, with his delicate features and long eyelashes...
Just as the sword was about to strike the protective gear, Shimizu Yu abruptly stopped. But due to the momentum from her previous forceful swing, the sword still hit Hoshino Gen's head with a soft "bang~" against the protective gear.
"Men, valid!"
The dojo fell silent for a moment before erupting into cheers.
"Oh oh! Worthy of being the runner-up of the national competition!"
"Can't even beat a girl, what a loser~!"
"Hey, do you think if I go to comfort Hoshino now, I can become friends with him and then get that idol's contact information—hehehe..."
The various comments filled the air, but neither Hoshino Gen nor Shimizu Yu paid them any heed.
At that moment, Shimizu Yu fixed her gaze on Hoshino Gen's face, her expression haughty as she declared, "You lost."
Hoshino Gen simply smiled and nodded calmly.
"Then... apologize," Shimizu Yu said, her face turning stern.
"..." After a brief pause, Hoshino Gen smiled and replied, "Didn't I already give you the book you wanted as an apology gift... Well, sorry."
Shimizu Yu hadn't noticed before when she was angry in the morning, but now as he spoke again, she realized his voice was surprisingly pleasant, clear and almost ethereal.
With that handsome face and those captivating eyes... She couldn't help but think it was such a waste on a guy! What a jerk!
"Pfft... I forgive you, for the sake of that book," Shimizu Yu pursed her lips and looked away, not wanting to look at his annoyingly good-looking face any longer.
...
"What happened, Yu? Why did you suddenly stop at the last moment?"
During the free practice after the match, Suzuki Sawami found Shimizu Yu practicing solo swings in a corner and asked her curiously.
Shimizu Yu stopped her practice, took a few breaths, and then looked through the crowd towards another corner where Hoshino Gen was randomly swinging his sword with one hand. She paused for a moment before saying softly, "Although it might be an illusion, I had a feeling that the last move he made was deliberately showing me a flaw..."
"Huh?" Suzuki Sawami had a puzzled look on her face. She had watched the whole match and clearly saw that Hoshino Gen was completely dominated by her friend. Deliberately showing a flaw? If it wasn't an illusion, then he must have known he couldn't win and just given up.
Suzuki Sawami didn't dwell on it too much. Since her friend had already gotten her revenge, she lost much of her interest in Hoshino Gen. She quickly moved on from the topic and started chatting about ordinary things among high school girls.
"By the way, Yu, let's go to Shinjuku to play together on the weekend. I heard from a friend that there's an amazing clothing store..."