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

[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!】

There's no need.

"Uesugi, this is necessary. We're worried about you." Goto's tone suddenly became serious.

What do I have to worry about?

[Anyway, it's settled then. 2-6-12 Ginza. Remember to come on time Friday noon, you absolutely have to!]

Kai Uesugi put the phone he had just hung up back into his pocket.

On the way home, the sound of the plastic bag swaying and the rain hitting the umbrella were clearly mingled together.

The words Goto had invited me to the class reunion kept echoing in my mind.

To say it's perfect is an understatement; it's been imperfect for a long time now.

Uesugi Kai continued walking, the sky overcast with rain, filled with an unyielding chill.

......

open the door.

"I am back."

Kai Uesugi spoke loudly because he secretly hoped that a soft, warm voice would reach his ears.

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.

###Chapter 269 The Eccentric Uesugi###

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

Uesugi Kai understood why he was dissatisfied with him; it was simply because Uesugi Kai had arrived suddenly and was now in a higher position than him, and the imbalance in his heart gave rise to an emotion called jealousy.

I don't care about his mood. He can do whatever he wants. The only thing that annoys me is his terrible personality, which ruined Hanabi's feelings.

Fujino Masayuki walked to the center of the playing field, in front of Uesugi Kai. To him, this 18-year-old teacher was someone he could never acknowledge.

Does a junior want to stand in that position?

Why?

The students believed that Uesugi Kai was deliberately trying to teach Fujino Masashi a lesson, because he had embarrassed Fujino Masashi during the last class and left on the spot, still angry when he left.

Fujino Masayuki, on the other hand, has always been dissatisfied with him.

The conflict has naturally unfolded to this day.

After all, everyone knows his bad temper. If there aren't any strong senior brothers or sisters in the dojo, you might accidentally bump into him and he'll start hitting you, grabbing you by the collar and hurling insults.

Because of him, everyone's dissatisfaction had been building up for a long time, and they were all hoping that the newly arrived teacher would teach him a lesson.

Everyone needs someone stronger to help them resolve injustices. After seeing Uesugi Kai's sparring performance just now, they all felt the urge for Uesugi Kai to quickly defeat Fujino.

Now everyone is facing Uesugi Kai's direction.

Kai Uesugi held a bamboo sword in his right hand, dressed in casual everyday clothes he had just come from home. Directly opposite him, Masayuki Fujino was late for training and was wearing a black jacket.

"Since we're going to have a competition, aren't you going to get ready to wear a kendo uniform?"

Fujino Masayuki stared at him and said, "Since even the teacher doesn't wear it, there's even less reason for me, a student, to wear it."

Uesugi Kai weighed the bamboo sword in his hand. "I'm afraid I might hurt your blockhead. My 5 yen probably won't even be enough for you to get a haircut before your treatment."

Fujino Masashi's expression turned cold, and he snorted with a laugh, "Mr. Shihandai! Feel free to try—"

Yuuga Tachibana, who had been silent all along, stood up and nodded to Kai Uesugi: "Uncle Uesugi, this is the dojo of Mushinkan, and it's a kendo competition, so please wear your protective gear."

Then she turned her head to the other side.

"And you, Fujino, are the same."

She was afraid that Fujino might not follow the rules and might actually lose face and resort to underhanded tricks, which would be unbecoming and violate the swordsmanship etiquette of Wuxin Hall.

“No problem.” Uesugi Kai felt there was nothing wrong with it.

Fujino didn't say anything, and silently turned around and walked towards the changing room.

After he changed into his protective gear, even through the mask, his deep contempt was still evident.

At this moment, Uesugi Kai imagined that if a tail were stuck behind him, it would be perfectly upright, with a proud and smug posture and a disdainful expression.

He was confident in his abilities, believing that he was physically superior to Uesugi.

God might regret not giving humans a wagging dog tail, thus diminishing the expressive power of their expressions by a great deal.

Trying to explain "common sense" to children is pointless; telling them "you can't do that" is less effective than giving them a good beating.

Uesugi Kai thought this was very true. Instead of lecturing him, it was better to beat him up, make him feel the pain, and then listen to the lecture. That way, he would remember it!

He had no particular agenda; he just wanted to seek justice for Hanabi.

Kendo has a customary greeting, where people bow to each other, but at this point, it's purely for show.

Without respect, etiquette becomes merely superficial, used for sarcastic or obnoxious purposes.

I wanted to say a few words of advice, but given Fujino Masao's current mood, he probably wouldn't listen to anything I said.

After going through the motions of greeting, the two men moved in unison, slowly backward, each holding a knife in both hands.

Just when everyone thought the two would keep some distance and test each other, Fujino Masayuki launched a direct attack.

"noodle!!"

They went straight for the face right from the start, and the opponent still didn't have any protective gear or helmet, so it seems like they're really serious!

Even the bamboo swords used in competitions are not to be underestimated; otherwise, people wouldn't wear protective gear when competing.

In a moment, Fujino Masakatsu's bamboo sword tip appeared on Uesugi Kai's forehead.

Even Uesugi Kai's pupils reflected the shape of that bamboo sword.

Fujino's sudden burst of speed startled all the students in the group.

That speed is incredible!

Given that guy's physique, he could probably knock someone unconscious with one move, or even cause a deep concussion.

Everyone here is a sensible person, and they all start training in kendo from high school, so they know that Fujino's actions were excessive.

No matter what, you shouldn't hit them that hard!

That's completely outrageous.

Even I, Ju Yu, frowned off the field, thinking that the force of that blow might break the bamboo sword.

Uesugi Kai, however, remained unhurried. He retaliated by gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands and accelerating instantly. The two bamboo swords, one slashing downwards and the other upwards, clashed together in an instant.

With a 'crack', both shattered instantly, sending fine fragments flying and scattering in all directions.