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

###Chapter 371 National Kendo Tournament###

The air was constantly filled with the smell of medicine.

Kai Uesugi saw an elderly man in a hospital gown with an IV drip walking shakily out of the ward. He was all alone, with no one to help him. The hospital is a microcosm of the coldness and warmth of human relationships in the world; birth, aging, sickness, death, separation, and loneliness are all reflected here.

"Kai-kun, the report is out."

Kai Uesugi nodded and looked at the electronic display hanging on the wall above him.

Numbers 43, 44, and 45—the first number has turned gray after the examination is completed, the second is red during the consultation, and it's my turn next.

"Hanabi, have a seat first," he said to the girl beside him.

"Ah."

Hanabi Hanabi sat down next to Kai Uesugi.

Hanabi was a dazzlingly beautiful girl; wherever she went, she attracted attention.

Therefore, her cute and refreshing appearance seemed out of place in the dull hospital.

Shortly after, number 44 pushed open the door to the examination room.

A young man emerged.

He was alone, and because of the person beside him, he didn't seem to be in good spirits.

As he walked out, he saw Hanabi Hanamoto sitting on a wooden bench. He was stunned by her beauty, and then, seeing a rather handsome boy sitting next to her, he lowered his head, turned around, and silently left with the diagnosis report.

"Are you here for a medical appointment alone?" Hanabi asked, watching the departing figure.

“It must be lonely for someone to come to the doctor alone, right?” Uesugi Kai looked at Hanabi Hanabi’s profile.

"Ah."

"When Hanabi gets sick, remember to call me and let me stay with you."

"Hanabi is sick... Kai-kun is always there for her."

Kai Uesugi smiled.

After the doctor in the consultation room called Uesugi Kai's name, the two went in together.

Today I came for a follow-up appointment. Originally, I was supposed to go to the hospital for a follow-up appointment some time later, but at Uesugi Kai's request, it has been brought forward by a few weeks.

Hanabi Hanamaru also put down her work to accompany him to the hospital.

Consultation room.

Dr. Nasu, who performed the last surgery, carefully examined and pondered the MRI images of Kai Uesugi.

“Strange…” he wondered.

"strangeness..."

Dr. Nasu looked at Hanabi Hanamaru, who seemed a little worried, and said with a smile, "Ah, don't worry, there's nothing wrong with your boyfriend's illness. The problem is that it has actually—disappeared, you understand? It's as if he had never been sick or had surgery."

Hanabi Hanamaru secretly tugged at Kai Uesugi's hand from below, her face showing delight:

"Is healed...?"

“We dare not completely remove a parasinus meningioma like his… We should have left some unresectable parts… but it’s gone.”

The doctor looked at the imaging image from left to right, his expression one of wonder as if he were seeing everything he had ever seen in his life over the past few decades.

"In short... I'm fully recovered."

......

"Hum~"

Uesugi Kai pushed his bicycle, smiling as he looked at Hanabi Hanabi, who was in a very good mood beside him: "Are you that happy?"

"Happy, of course I'm happy! Kai-kun's illness is cured! Of course I'm happy!" Hanabi Hanamaru hugged his arm and smiled sweetly.

"You're all better now, how about I treat you to ice cream?"

"Okay!"

Hanabi Hanamaru leaned happily against his shoulder again.

Kai Uesugi smiled faintly, parked his bicycle by the roadside, and took her hand as they walked to a small shop by the roadside to buy a very ordinary ice cream.

After he bought it for her, the girl ate it with great happiness.

Kai Uesugi led her to a small table set up in front of the ice cream shop. The surrounding area was a pedestrian street with people coming and going, and the zelkova trees overhead were shining in the sun.

Hanabi Hanabi looks adorable when she eats; her face is rosy and her eating manner is delicate and refined.

Just spending a short time by her side, watching her satisfied expression as she eats, fills me with happiness.

Having a childhood friend who is happy or sad for you is truly wonderful.

"Would you like more?"

"Mmm! I want more!"

------

August 31st, just over a month until the wedding.

Looking at the date that was just around the corner on his phone, Uesugi Kai was always filled with endless emotions. He stroked Hanabi's smiling face on the phone screen with his thumb, and a feeling of cherishing welled up inside him.

Fireworks... my fireworks...

"Junior brother! Go up and draw a number." Nanmiaowan's voice interrupted his lingering affection.

"Ah."

On the day of the National Kendo Championships, the Tokyo Budokan was filled with pedestrians, tourists, and cameras.

Not only are there many ordinary spectators, but people from all walks of life who practice Kendo and swordsmanship also come here to observe and learn.

Every year's champion must have something special about them. No matter how long the match lasts, even if it's just a second, you can see the battle of psychology, skills and experience.

Four teams from each of the nine regions—Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa—have qualified.

It's still an elimination tournament.

Kai Uesugi didn't care who his opponent was. He just drew his turn and waited for the tournament organizers to assign him his opponent.

He waited with his eyes closed in the lounge, and about fifteen minutes later, the match schedule came out.

They are going to face off against a team from Ehime Prefecture in the Shikoku region.

Upon seeing the familiar place name right away, Uesugi Kai couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

My cheap master is probably in Ehime Prefecture right now, reuniting with his grandfather.

The uncle is the grandfather's nephew.

This sudden relationship feels strange no matter how you look at it.

"Who goes first?" Lake Mirror asked the crowd when he saw the tall and strong contestant on the other side.

"Whatever," Nanmyu Maru said, shrugging.

"I'll go."

It's quite rare for Uesugi Kai to volunteer.

"Junior brother, your opponent is no pushover."

"rest assured."

Coincidentally, the opponent also sent out their own general.

The first match is a battle between two top generals, and naturally, the audience has high expectations for it.

Among the audience were many friends and family members of the contestants from each team.

Most of them were fellow students, fellow disciples, teachers, or apprentices.

It's not unusual for someone in their forties to participate in the National Kendo Championships; in fact, it's quite common, and most of the previous champions were in this age group.

Players like Kai Uesugi, who are not yet adults, are the ones who truly deserve our attention.

After all, in the world of kendo, a robust man in his forties or fifties is far more reliable than a handsome young man.

In terms of experience alone, young people can never compare to older men.

When Uesugi Kai and his opponent Taito Hongo stood on the same field, the height of Hongo made the audience feel as if an adult was bullying a child.

"Please give me more advice."

"Yes, nice to meet you." Uesugi Kai, wearing a kendo helmet, calmly returned the greeting.

His opponent was also a police officer, Hongo Taito, a detective with more than ten years of service in the Ehime Prefectural Police District of Matsuyama City.

In order to capture criminals and deal with various situations, Hongo Taito developed a very burly physique.

After bowing, the two men, at the referee's signal, took their positions, each holding a bamboo sword.

Both players started with a mid-range holding position.

Kai Uesugi watched his movements, unable to discern his fighting style... perhaps it was the Superintendent style, or maybe something else.

Although the possibility is very small.

Hongo Taito remained vigilant towards him from the start, pressing forward with his physical advantage to suppress Uesugi Kai's momentum.

His movements had a clear purpose—to quickly close the distance to his opponent, slightly turn his face, lean his left shoulder forward, gain strength, and use his physical advantage to ram into the enemy.

Of course, this is a competition, so real-world swordsmanship techniques cannot be used.

Therefore, Hongo Taito made some minor improvements.

—Make the offensive pace even more fierce, and concentrate the fierce force of the "collision" into the attack of the bamboo sword.

In a kendo match, as long as you have the momentum and the dominance, victory is assured.

Hongo Taito launched a fierce attack, aiming directly at Uesugi Kai's face.

The moment the bamboo swords clashed, the momentum, thanks to the height advantage of their bodies, pressed down intensely.

The attacking audience wasn't Uesugi Kai, but they could still feel his commanding presence from above.

Faced with this attack, Uesugi Kai chose to fight back head-on.