Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

Uesugi Shio also picked out five of the more capable students from among the students at Kamikoshi, who were the second-year students she had introduced to Uesugi Kai last time.

Goto Iwakatsu was among them.

Their kendo exchange match wasn't very interesting, so Uesugi Kai didn't care much about the result.

I started chatting with my uncle.

"What has Uncle Yueyou been up to lately?"

Because it depends on everyone's skill level, Hanamaru Yuzuki is paying attention to their movements.

"Xiao Kai, what do you think Uncle Yueyou is doing?" He turned around, smiling meaningfully. "Interested in going to Kabukicho for a visit?"

Kabukicho is the largest red-light district in all of Asia, and four-fifths of it used to be filled with brothels.

"That kind of place isn't good."

Hanamaru Yuzuki, who took off his glasses, had a youthful and handsome look like a younger uncle: "Hey, don't say that. There are far fewer red and green things in Kabukicho now. It's all proper restaurants and eateries now."

"Then what am I supposed to do there?"

"Oh...?" Hanamaru Yuzuki smiled. "So, if there's one, you'll go?"

“No,” Uesugi Kai said. “I am a minor.”

"They always use their status as minors as an excuse."

Hanamaru Yuzuki stroked his chin, looking Uesugi Kai up and down: "But I always felt that you were that kind of person, Kai, someone who kept a low profile."

“I have a good eye for people,” he added.

“It must be your imagination, Uncle,” Uesugi Kai said.

Hanamaru Yuzuki smiled without saying anything, and then said, "That's true. If I asked you to go to that place, I wouldn't believe that my second brother wouldn't cause you trouble."

"Didn't Uncle Youyue say that all those places are legitimate restaurants?"

"Some of them are indeed legitimate, but who can say for sure whether they are legitimate or not? Most of the people who can open shops there have some kind of connections to the underworld."

"Who would turn down the opportunity to make more money?"

"Anyway, if you want to go there for fun, just come find me for a drink and some karaoke, but please don't bring my little niece with you."

"Will it be dangerous?"

"Maybe."

That concludes the discussion.

The five-person exchange and competition between Kamikoshi and Hayaka has also come to an end.

The score is 0:5.

We're just a tiny bit away from a complete victory.

The Hayaka Kendo Club had no intention of humiliating anyone; they were simply demonstrating their abilities in a very ordinary way.

However, due to the vast difference in strength, Goto only managed to barely defeat his opponent by one second-tier skill.

Uesugi Kai didn't expect this guy to be so hardworking. He only brought him into the kendo club to help him improve his physical fitness.

Seeing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Hanamaru Yuzuki said to Uesugi Shio, seemingly seriously:

"Hmm... Everyone's basics aren't very solid. Their footwork and swings are quite immature. Their opponents exposed their weaknesses with just one 'seme'."

"Is it a newly recruited member?"

“Yes.” Uesugi Shio shook her head helplessly. “Everyone just joined last week.”

With his arms crossed, Kumazawa Kijiro said, "You've already reached a level where you can actually fight after just one week of kendo training. That's quite impressive."

Before Kumazawa Kijiro could finish speaking, it was clear that they were learning very quickly, able to spar with their club members in just about a week.

But with the United Sports Festival at Shingoku's home stadium fast approaching, there wasn't enough time for them to work hard.

The kendo clubs of the other schools are all quite strong.

He had heard that Shenyue wanted to expand his influence in competitive events.

However, it would be too hasty to let the newly rebuilt kendo club compete against the kendo clubs of other schools.

For Shingoshi, not participating in this kendo competition was the best option.

Being defeated as the host country would only be more humiliating.

Kumazawa Kijiro subconsciously glanced at Uesugi Shio, the seemingly languid captain of the Kamikoshi Kendo Club.

"Girl, why don't you go up and give it a try?" Hanamaru Yuzuki said to Uesugi Shio.

The air conditioning was very effective, and he put his casual jacket back on after sitting still for a while.

The reason Uesugi Shio brought everyone here was to let the members of the kendo club realize their own strength.

With the competition fast approaching, how can we succeed without some real-world experience against our opponents?

She herself doesn't really want to exercise.

"I'm going up?" Uesugi Shio pointed to herself. Actually, she hadn't even brought her pure white kendo uniform with her today.

“Learning and exchanging ideas means everyone should give it a try,” Hanamaru Yuzuki said. “As an advisor, I also believe in your abilities.”

"I didn't bring any protective gear," Uesugi Shio tried to deny.

“We have spares in our equipment room,” said Chizu Higashiyama with a smile, her voice sweet and girlish.

"A-Zai." Uesugi Shio glanced at him, meaning, "You take my place."

Uesugi Kai would definitely refuse, but Hanamaru Yuuki answered for him first:

"Kai, as the general, will also be going up later. Let's start with a ministerial match."

Higashiyama Chizu looked at Uesugi Shio and bowed to her in a gesture of respect.

"Sigh, alright, alright." Uesugi Shio sighed helplessly. "How about we finish with just one book?"

"no problem."

Higashiyama Chizu's faint smile makes it hard to associate her with a powerful kendo girl.

She looks exactly like a girl who loves sports.

She is the captain of the kendo club at Waseda High School and holds a 5th dan in kendo without a specific style.

A fifth dan is very impressive; some people are still stuck at fifth dan even when they're in their seventies or eighties.

Traditional swordsmanship and modern Kendo are actually two different things. The former is more focused on practical combat, while the latter has evolved into a competitive sport.

Rather than defeating an opponent, Kendo focuses more on breaking through the opponent's defense and striking their scoring points through constant probing to achieve victory.

Of course, knowing a particular style of swordsmanship will give you a significant advantage in experience when participating in kendo competitions, and will also allow for more variety and unique characteristics.

The concise and clean yet powerfully impactful swordsmanship of Shigenryu is a hallmark of its style in competitions.

Kendo matches are psychological games. You have to judge/predict which part of your opponent will attack based on their starting posture and attack pattern.

Therefore, in many kendo matches, you can see both sides holding bamboo swords and dangling them on the tip of their opponent's sword.

This is quite irritating to outsiders who don't understand kendo: 'Are you guys going to fight or not?'

But this is precisely the contest between people, and every sway of the knife tip is a test.

For example, in the middle stance, actions such as picking, thrusting, chopping, etc., may appear in the next move.

Every probe is an attempt to find the opponent's impending weakness; the choice between slashing or thrusting is determined by the weakness the opponent exposes.

Once you seize that moment, victory is assured.

Higashiyama Chizu was well aware of this.

The movement of the knife tip reflects the opponent's psychological desires and technical characteristics.

But Uesugi Shio's bamboo sword barely moved.

Higashiyama Chizu repeatedly tapped Uesugi Shio's bamboo sword with the string of her own, but Uesugi Shio showed no intention of defending herself, her eyes remaining as lazy as ever.

The movements... it's hard to judge their direction, and the eyes... it's also hard to judge their direction.

Chizu Higashiyama had never faced an opponent like this before.

"Oh~ Your cousin is really amazing." Hanamaru Yuzuki said to Uesugi Kai.

"Uncle Youyue noticed?"

“I have a good eye for people.” He repeated what he had just said. “Your cousin looks very ordinary, but she’s full of subtle details.”

The members of the Shingoku Kendo Club didn't understand what was so great about this; it was just standing still.

Hanamaru Yuzuki: "Just watch, the outcome is already decided."

Higashiyama Chizu, starting from the middle, launched the first attack, sliding forward with her feet lightly touching the ground, and swinging the handle of her bamboo sword downwards with both hands.

The sword slashed down.

As the sound of gunfire rang out, the attack was unsurprisingly blocked.

This battle between ministers is clearly not going to end so easily.

Prior to this, Uesugi Shio was already on guard when she raised her sword, and slid to the left in advance.

The two bamboo knives clashed, and the parrying blades formed an angled surface.

Uesugi Shio gripped the sword firmly with his left hand and loosely with his right. As he pressed down on the hilt with two fingers of his right hand and pushed the sword, he shifted his body to the side to generate force.

Her reaction was particularly swift, instantly countering the bamboo sword that Higashiyama Chizu was attacking with.

The footwork that was pushed back simultaneously retracted, seizing the center line.

With a "crack!", the two bamboo knives clashed again, the bamboo blades vibrating and making a hollow sound.

The offensive conflict subsided, and the two returned to a standoff.

Several moves, the first round of combat, completed in just two seconds.

It all happened in the blink of an eye; the sounds of fighting came immediately, and the brain couldn't keep up with the information received by the ears and eyes.

Everyone was completely dumbfounded; without real skill, it was impossible to understand.

To take care of everyone in the Kamikoshi Kendo Club, Hanamaru Yuuki explained: