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

Hanamaru... Hanamaru Hiroki.

The policeman who defeated Isshin.

Upon further inquiry.

He never expected that Uesugi Kai would be that guy's son-in-law.

"Teacher training school...?"

Sakakibara Matsukawa did not answer the junior disciple's question again, and waved his hand, saying, "Go down first. Remember that there will be times of frustration during every cultivation session. Cultivation is about overcoming these."

Although the junior disciple had some doubts about what had just happened, he didn't ask any further questions after seeing Sakakibara Matsukita's expression.

"Thank you, Teacher Fan Dai."

"nothing."

About five minutes later.

Sakakibara Matsukawa, dressed in a kendo uniform and sitting upright, saw the senior disciples enter the dojo from the entrance.

"You're back so early?"

Nanmyu Maru walked at the front, greeted his fellow disciples in the dojo, and then walked to the rest area in front of Sakakibara Matsukata.

He plopped down on his seat.

"Hey, I don't know what happened, but after my junior brother went on stage, his opponent actually forfeited! And it was that guy Maehara Takehiko again, who was a top four in the national competition last year!"

Sakakibara Matsukata vaguely remembered: "The one from the Kasumi Shinto school?"

The mirror in the middle of the lake said, "Yes."

Sakakibara Matsukata was silent for a moment, as if recalling something: "Where's Fujimaki? Which team is he on?"

“I didn’t see him, at least not among the 16 teams in the Kanto region,” Kagami replied.

"Did he run off to somewhere else?" Sakakibara Matsukata muttered. "He's just like Isshin."

Kai Uesugi listened to these words from behind his senior brothers.

He also wanted to find that cheap master, but it seemed he had gone on a trip and had no way to contact him.

He then handed over the management of the entire dojo to his younger brother and daughter.

Higuchi Yoshiyuki stroked his chin, still recalling what had happened that morning. He was very puzzled:

"Why does Maehara forfeit every time he encounters his junior brother?"

Speaking of this...

For a moment, the other four senior brothers all looked at Kai Uesugi.

Uesugi Kai shook his head and said, "I don't know, I don't even recognize them."

"Junior brother, didn't you discuss the Kasumi Shindo-ryu style with us before you went on stage? I think you're quite familiar with their philosophy." Tsujimoto Kirou may have an intimidating name, but he has a kind face.

Kai Uesugi explained, "That was... a video I searched for online the day before."

He looked completely innocent.

Okay...it seems he really doesn't know.

At this point, no one had any clue what to do.

It feels like we won the game this morning inexplicably.

The Kasumi Shinryu team was one of the top four teams in the country last year. Facing this team that is missing Fujimaki Asuka, they are not without hope of winning.

At the very least, as a practitioner of Kendo, one must have the spirit of never giving up on a competition.

But why do they give up as soon as they encounter their junior brother?

It seems there's no better way than to ask the person involved.

At this moment, Sakakibara Matsukata said, "Maehara... seems to have been here before. He seems to know Fujimaki."

Speaking of this senior brother.

The four senior brothers all turned their gazes toward Kai Uesugi again.

......

......

Uesugi Kai: "What's wrong?"

The lake mirror saw: "Junior brother, your senior brother is making you the target of hatred."

Higuchi Yoshiyuki: "Bad thing."

Nanmyu Maru, standing to the side, didn't understand: "What exactly do you mean by talking about this and that?"

Tsujimoto Kirou: "Maehara's team was among the top four in the previous national competition. What would happen if the entire team suddenly forfeited when facing one person?"

What could happen?

"You're so stupid!" Kagami gave Miu Maru a disdainful look. "Pressure, didn't you see how many media outlets interviewed our junior brother just because he appeared in Fujimaki's position as a general? Not to mention the situation this morning where the whole team inexplicably forfeited."

"By then, the newspapers will definitely have all sorts of articles, but Junior Brother has no reputation in the swordsmanship world. He's a newcomer, and his reputation doesn't live up to his name! Don't you think there will be a lot of people talking about him?"

“I see,” Nanmyu Maru said with a sudden realization, completely ignoring Kagami’s first sentence. “But Maehara didn’t need to jeopardize his future this year, did he? Even if he has a relationship with Fujimaki-senpai, it doesn’t have to go to such lengths.”

"Even the losers' bracket can send one player out," Higuchi-senpai chimed in.

"Even if we qualify, we'll lose our reputation!"

"Junior brother, have you forgotten? The Maehara family isn't very well-off," Tsujimoto Kirou reminded him.

"You mean money? But... Fujimaki's family isn't well-off either."

Sakakibara Matsukata suddenly sighed: "He's changed. I can understand why Isshin wanted Kai to replace him in the competition. This guy is obsessed with the championship. Even if he is squeezed out of the top team, he will not give up the competition. His absence from the Kanto region is proof of that."

One more reminder from the lakeside mirror:

"Although Fujimaki's family is not well-off, don't forget that he has won two championships."

"So he made Maehara's team forfeit? Just to put pressure on his junior brother... That doesn't make sense."

The four senior brothers pondered it carefully for a long time.

Sakakibara Matsukata, however, said, "Let me see your schedule."

......

The four of them remained silent for a moment.

Sure enough, Shi Fandai didn't care about their competition at all.

They didn't even glance at the schedule.

In the end, it was Mirror in the center of the lake who took out the phone.

Sakakibara Matsukata took a look, then returned it and said, "I guessed right. While Fujimaki was putting pressure on your junior brother, he was also trying to ensure that you would advance to the top four in the Kanto region."

Upon hearing Shi Fandai's words, Hu Xinjing saw that he had a clue: "So... Senior Brother Fujimaki is deliberately trying to spar with Junior Brother on the national stage? Why is he targeting Junior Brother like this?"

Sakakibara Matsukata shook his head: "It's not that your senior Fujimaki is targeting Kai, but that Kai is targeting him."

Everyone looked utterly astonished at that moment. What did this mean?!

Kai Uesugi: "......"

Sakakibara Matsukata explained, "You all know how Fujimaki's temper became later on. He was arrogant. Kai took away his position as the top player in the competition to make him feel resentful."

"Of course, I didn't do it, your master did it; Sakakibara Isshin did it because he knew what Fujimaki would do as Fujimaki's master. He was using your junior brother to extinguish Fujimaki's competitive spirit."

That statement is actually quite vague.

However, based on the information she had gathered earlier, Uesugi Kai understood.

To summarize:

His own cheap master wanted to use him to dampen the arrogance of Senior Brother Fujimaki.

Fujimaki Asuka also understood what Sakakibara Isshin meant.

But he was too proud and arrogant to verbally protest; he wanted to prove who was wrong through his actions in national competitions.

It's also quite possible that she'll vent her dissatisfaction with Sakakibara on Kai Uesugi.

Kai Uesugi finally understood.

Good heavens, this cheap master is using him as a pawn.

Uesugi Kai was a little angry, and later he found him and decided to extort a lot of money from him.

We can't just take tens of millions of yen from this rich uncle who has a garden and a dojo in Chiyoda Ward.

He still doesn't have a wedding home!

......

After hearing this news, the senior disciples felt that their master was extremely irresponsible.

How can you let a junior brother challenge a senior brother? He'll be utterly humiliated.

It's unfair, completely unfair.

Even if you want to suppress that senior brother's temperament, you should at least find an opponent of similar strength.

Although... it is currently difficult to find.

None of them had the strength to fight against the vine-covered bird.

After all, everyone was learning the One-Sword Style from their senior brother.

Whether in terms of seniority or ability, one must take a backseat.

......

"Junior brother, where are you going?"

"Going to the toilet... never mind, the game's over anyway, might as well go home. Goodbye for today."

Kai Uesugi bowed to his senior classmates and Professor Sakakibara on his behalf.

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.