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

Seeing him raise the bamboo knife, their bodies tensed up instinctively.

This stems from the conditioned reflex formed by their repeated defeats.

They knew... he was serious.

Kumazawa Kijiro watched the match with his arms crossed. He had absolute confidence in Hanamaru Shin'zuki's strength, which was enough to sweep away all the contestants in the previous prefectural tournament.

As for Uesugi Kai's strength... he couldn't recall anything about him even after going through his memories, so he shouldn't be very good. However, he was the general of the opposing kendo club and seemed to be very familiar with Hanamaru Yuuki.

They should... have some ability.

Kumazawa Kijiro focused his attention on the two people on the field.

The battle suddenly began in the next second.

With a roar, Hanamaru Shingetsu swung his sword down, unleashing a burst of power.

The next moment,

Kai Uesugi moved.

Kai Uesugi's one-handed thrust struck his throat.

"sudden."

The opponent's voice reached his ears, and Hanamaru Nobuyuki froze, his kesa slash landing on the opponent's shoulder armor.

There was a loud "snap".

He now finds that a bamboo knife is already pressed against his throat.

"..."

"..."

when?

Even through protective gear, being hit by Shigenryu's swordsmanship is very painful.

Uesugi Kai casually retracted the bamboo sword he had thrust out, twisted his shoulder, held it in his hand, and turned to the two surprised advisors in the rest area, saying:

"One book."

The mouths of the several third-year members from Hayaka High who had been consistently defeated by Hanamaru Shingetsu Jigen-ryu swordsmanship were agape.

What happened? Our own general... just lost?

"One book!" Goto Iwakatsu, the cheerleader, quickly clapped and celebrated, "Great! Great!!"

But his applause was the only one echoing throughout the entire dojo, both enthusiastic and desolate. Soon, he gradually stopped moving in this strange atmosphere.

I withdrew my hand, feeling a little embarrassed.

The air fell silent for a few seconds.

"Wait, wait!"

Realizing what was happening, Hanamaru Yuzuki took off her sunglasses and quickly asked, "Kai, how come you only have one copy?"

Uesugi Kai glanced at Hanamaru Nobuzuki, who was also stunned across from him, and turned back to say, "He slashes, I stab, isn't that one book?"

"No, no, I'm asking why you suddenly got a book."

“He chops, I stab, one stroke each.” Uesugi Kai tried to simplify his language for easy understanding.

"..."

Everyone was stunned for a few seconds.

Everyone knows this simple principle! But how exactly is it done?!

Kumazawa Kijiro could hardly believe his eyes. Could a high school student use such a fast thrust?

It seems that only top-level players in national competitions can achieve this kind of speed.

Seeing that everyone was still confused, Uesugi Kai repeated himself: "He chopped, I..."

"stop!"

Hanamaru Yuzuki quickly stopped him from continuing, "While the thrusting attack is indeed the best technique against the Dragonfly Eight Forms, do you know how fast you were just now?"

Uesugi Kai recalled what his father-in-law had shown him that morning; it certainly wasn't that fast.

Then he said, "It's alright, not very fast."

“One more round!” Hanamaru Yuzuki suggested.

“I’m on my period,” Uesugi Kai said.

"What period? You're not a girl. Show everyone again."

"No, we agreed on one book."

"Come quick!"

"I don't want to go."

"Hurry up, no one saw anything just now."

“I’m lazy,” Uesugi Kai said.

......

Uesugi Shio ate a lollipop, watching the two locked in a stalemate as if she were watching TV.

On the other side, Hanamaru Nobuzuki looked at his hands holding the sword, his pupils dilating and then contracting.

This speed, the feeling of piercing through the clouds... I think it's called Cloud Sweep, right...?

------

The exchange meeting ended in the afternoon.

Advisor Kumazawa Kijiro and club president Higashiyama Chizu politely saw off the members of the Kamikoshi Kendo Club at the door.

After an afternoon of training together, it turned out that everyone in Shenyue was just an ordinary person.

Apart from that guy who never wanted to make a second move.

Hanamaru Nobuzuki seemed to want to say something to Hanamaru Yuzuki, but Hanamaru Yuzuki quickly waved his hand, said a few words, and casually brushed him off.

On the street bathed in the setting sun, the members of the Shingoshi Kendo Club discussed Uesugi Kai's miraculous strike before saying goodbye and heading home.

"Uesugi! Minister! Mr. Hanamaru! See you next week!"

Goto Iwakatsu waved to them and turned to head towards the nearest subway station.

Uesugi Kai shook his head; this guy's voice had become many times louder after practicing kendo.

"Kai, what exactly was that move you used?" Hanamaru Yuzuki rubbed her chin, staring at him.

Uesugi Kai: "He slashes, I stab, one..."

"Don't try to bluff me. I know your move is not simple, but it's not Yun Yao's."

“I guess you could call it an experiment,” Uesugi Kai said. “But didn’t Uncle Yuzuki say that kendo is boring? What’s the point of learning more about it?”

"Kendo is boring, but I'm very interested in your move. The movement is so precise that it's like you've locked onto your opponent's throat. All you need to do when you move is unleash your full speed."

Hanamaru Yuuki's gaze toward him grew increasingly suspicious.

"Even a powerful kid like Xinyue was dumbfounded by you. What kind of monster are you?"

Uesugi Shio walked ahead of the two, leisurely eating a lollipop in the sunset.

Uesugi Kai answered irrelevantly: "What is the relationship between Uncle Yuzuki and Nobuzuki?"

Hanamaru Yuzuki: "Why are you asking this?"

Kai Uesugi: "I just feel that Uncle Yuzuki is intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him."

"You're just imagining things."

"My intuition is very accurate."

"It must be your imagination."

Hanamaru Yuuki turned around, hands in his pockets, looking like a casually dressed person:

"That's enough for today. I now know your capabilities. I will visit your school."

At the crossroads, he put his sunglasses back on, turned around, waved behind him, and said:

See you next Monday.

That road leads to Kabukicho, a major red-light district.

Uesugi Kai stood still, gazing at Hanamaru Yuzuki's receding figure, before finally crossing the intersection, which was about to turn red, at Uesugi Shio's urging.

"Hanabi's uncle is very reliable," Uesugi Shio said.

"Very reliable."

Kai Uesugi took out his phone and glanced at the newly received message.

"Fireworks?"

Kai Uesugi smiled as she looked at her phone and turned off the screen: "She said she and her mom have already prepared the meal and are just waiting for us to come back."

Uesugi Shio took out another lollipop and put it in her mouth, then took a step forward. "Then let's hurry up and go."

"Ah."

The city at sunset, a tapestry of gold and red, is imbued with the enchanting colors of the transition between day and night.

------

Monday, July 5th, two consecutive days of rain.

The wedding attendance has been postponed to this Saturday.

The early morning was quiet, and the light rain mixed with a thin mist outside the window indicated that it was still dark.

Hanabi Hanamaru, who was sleeping soundly while hugging a shark plush toy, furrowed her beautiful crescent-shaped eyebrows, and felt a warm, ticklish sensation in her ears.

The thin pajamas vaguely revealed her white belly, and the irregular folds made her look slightly messy.

I opened my lazy eyes and there was that familiar face.