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

It's really heavy, and the helmet feels like it's squeezing your neck; it's just generally very stuffy.

Uesugi Kai walked into the rectangular arena and, through his helmet, saw a burly man whose anger couldn't be hidden even by the helmet. The woman surnamed Tachibana was standing next to him.

"Should we change players?"

“No, I’ll do it.” Tachibana Yuu stepped forward, her bare feet on the floor, while the man angrily stepped back.

Kai Uesugi gripped his sword in his right hand, struggling to adjust to the ill-fitting kendo uniform. His voice, coming from inside his helmet, sounded slightly muffled. "Let's begin."

I took the helmet from the student, held it with both hands and put it on my head, then looked directly at Uesugi Kai opposite me, "I hope you can have seven-tenths of your senior's strength."

Seeing that no one was acting as referee after the two entered, Bin Yuehui had no choice but to step forward and extend his hand:

"Salute!"

"Prepare!"

The two men, carrying wooden swords, exchanged salutes in the middle of the arena, then returned to their respective positions, squatted down, and faced each other, swords in hand.

Seeing that neither of them said anything, Bin Yuehui simply waved his hand down:

"start!"

Tachibana Yuga immediately stood up, held his sword in mid-section, and assumed the standard stance of the One-Sword Style.

Blade to blade, realizing that Uesugi Kai had no intention of defending, he instantly thrust his sword down, letting out a roar:

"noodle!"

How quickly can a victory or defeat be decided in kendo? In a second? Half a second? In any case, an outsider would never be able to see it clearly.

However, the students in the dojo were all skilled kendo practitioners who had been practicing for several years, and they could tell at a glance that Tachibana Yuga's starting speed was faster than his opponent's.

How can we lose?

In Kendo competitions, it's all about who hits whom first, who's faster, and who reacts faster; that gives them the advantage.

If we were to translate that into numbers, Tachibana Yuuga's starting speed would be 10, while Uesugi Kai's would be 5, a full half beat slower.

Your opponent has already hit you in the face, and you're only now making a move?

How can we lose?

Anyway, the students watching had already lost respect for this arrogant little brother's abilities.

but,

With a loud "bang!", just as the wooden swords clashed, Tachibana Yuga quickly abandoned his offensive and switched to defense. He took a few steps back, making a sound on the wooden board with his bare feet, steadied himself, and gripped the hilt of the sword tightly.

At this moment, some people in the museum frowned, some looked puzzled, and some were surprised. What did this action mean?

If she doesn't take the book, Senior Sister Ju is going easy on her.

Bin Yuehui, who was standing at the very front, was also confused about what was going on, because it was so fast, so incredibly fast.

Kai Uesugi remained rooted to the spot, holding his sword, his voice coming through the helmet visor: "Quick reaction."

The room fell silent for a moment. He was clearly talking to Senior Sister Ju, but who was the one who was slow to react?

Why did Senior Sister Ju back down when she was about to win?

"Cut it off." Tachibana Yuuga's expression inside his helmet was serious. "Looks like I really underestimated you."

To understand the technique of "cutting down," one must first understand the concept of "interlocking" in Kendo.

【Interval】refers to the effective attack range.

It's especially noticeable when viewed from the side.

'The gap is very close, we can attack now.'

'They're so close, why don't they attack?'

'The distance is too great; we can't attack, or they'll seize the opportunity to counterattack.'

For example, when playing a game, players can clearly perceive the difference in attack range between archers and warriors, understand their own role, and know when they should attack.

The "cutting down" requires a keen grasp of the distance between the "interval" and the "cutting down" during the back-and-forth confrontation.

This is the distance of [intersection], and also a feeling.

This level of control over "feeling" can also be explained in the context of games:

The enemy with low health immediately ran away with his teammates. He only has 600 health. Can we kill him?

If you don't get a good feel for it and fail to kill the enemy teammate, then the enemy teammate will quickly use their skills to kill you in return.

At this moment, you need to quickly scan a series of variables such as equipment, enemy equipment, level, skill level, and skill damage, and then add up the values ​​based on your "feeling" to calculate that your set of skills can deal 620 damage to the opponent.

A decision can be made in a second: kill!

—This is how [intersection] controls distance and feeling.

In the split second before swords clash.

----------------

A street scene in Tokyo at 1:39 p.m.

Cold rain sprinkled across the transparent umbrellas that were being used to walk between the high-rise buildings.

"Welcome to 7 Days Convenience Store."

"Hi, Seunghye, 300 yen."

"Sir, starting in September, you'll be charged for plastic bags. Here's your change: 190 yen. Please keep it safe."

Thank you for your patronage. We look forward to welcoming you again.

After leaving the convenience store, Uesugi Kai, whose chin was now covered in stubble, walked home alone, holding an umbrella.

The whispers of raindrops hitting the umbrella's surface filled my entire body with a chill.

Kai Uesugi didn't react much, letting the chill invade his body as he continued walking through the rain-soaked streets of Tokyo.

He answered the phone, carrying a clear plastic bag containing two cup noodles.

It is the mother.

【Akai, the letter from the University of Tokyo has arrived.】

【Um. 】

[It says on the sign that the entrance ceremony will be held on April 1st!]

That's really lucky.

[Yeah, yeah! I can't believe you actually got in, A-Zhao! This past year must have been tough, right? What do you want to eat tonight?]

Kai Uesugi glanced sideways at the two packs of Nissin Cup Noodles in his plastic bag.

The pattering raindrops continued to fill my ears.

I've already bought some instant noodles.

[Instant noodles? No way! That's unhealthy. When you get home, just wait for me to go grocery shopping; it'll be ready in a minute.]

【Um. 】

Kai Uesugi hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

Unexpectedly, it rang again.

It's Goto.

【Hello.】

[Haha, Uesugi, I passed! I passed!]

【Congratulations.】

Hey, you have no idea how tough it's been for me lately. Every night I wait for the envelope to arrive at home.

【Um. 】

Kai Uesugi, phone in hand, gazed at the passersby under their umbrellas as they brushed past him.

[Hey, Uesugi, are you alright? You don't sound very happy. Could it be that you...]

You've passed; don't worry.

[You passed? Haha, that's great! The University of Tokyo... I can't even dream of it. There's a class reunion on Friday, everyone's coming. Are you coming?]

【never mind.】

Hey, no way! The class reunion wouldn't be complete without you! You're a celebrity at our school! Do you know how many girls have asked me for your phone number?

[It wouldn't be much different without me.]

【How can you say that! Every classmate is important! If you don't come, Tsubokawa and I will drag you here!】

###Chapter 266 Collision###

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

When I finally saw the stance Uesugi Kai took, I realized that he had already attacked. The blade of the wooden sword suddenly enlarged in my eyes, as if carrying a strong wind, and struck my helmet with one blow.

The wooden sword struck the helmet with a dull thud, indicating a solid blow.

Tachibana Yuga's expression behind the mask was still one of shock. Barefoot on the floor, she staggered back several steps.

"One book." After a long moment of panic, the temporary referee, Bin Yuehui, slowly uttered these two words.

In the swordsmanship contest, Uesugi Kai didn't bother to maintain his composure and stepped forward to strike the face with the same New Year's greeting sword technique his father-in-law had used on him.

The swordsmanship of the Jigen-ryu school lies in overwhelming the opponent with its power. He usually doesn't like to speak loudly, but at this moment he shouted several times:

"noodle!"

With forceful pressure and relentless strikes, they pressed forward step by step.

Kendo matches are never won by brute force, and Tachibana Yuga is not unfamiliar with Jigen-ryu swordsmen, but at this moment she does not know how to deal with them.

First, the opponent wasn't slashing randomly; each strike targeted a change in her defense.

Secondly, the opponent's movements were relentless and relentless, one move leading to another, leaving the victim breathless.