My love index is at its maximum.

"That's a difficult question to answer..." She hesitated for a moment, then licked her lower lip with the tip of her tongue while thinking about the answer, which was extremely charming. After a long while, she said in a joking tone, "If you're still interested in teachers when you grow up, I'll tell you."

Without warning, Tsukasa Tazaki asked, "Teacher, do you have any of those extra-large suitcases?"

The sudden turn in the question caught Shimamoto Kana off guard, leaving her momentarily bewildered before she asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Teacher is so beautiful, I want to knock you out, put you in my suitcase, and carry you away from Tokyo overnight."

“I love to hear that.” Kana Shimamoto’s face lit up with an impeccable, warm smile. Soft light streamed down from the ceiling, making her gold-rimmed glasses and pearl earrings sparkle.

Tazaki Tsukasa left the counter, found "The Stars of Humanity" in the book section, and just as he stepped out of the library, Kuriyama Sakura called.

"Come to the stadium."

"Not interested."

"Your concubine has been bullied."

"Coming right away!"

Chapter 117 Farce

"Both sides exchange greetings!"

"Ready, go!"

"Drink, crotch~!"

The bamboo knife slashed quickly and accurately, striking the person's arm with a muffled "thud".

"ah……"

Shiori Ninomiya gritted her teeth, her delicate face slightly contorted with pain.

The PE teacher reacted extremely quickly, instantly raising the flag: "Shenshan High School has committed a foul!"

"I'm so sorry." The opponent quickly bowed and apologized, "It was my mistake. Are you alright, sir?"

The audience outside the arena reacted and a sparse chorus of curses erupted. Ueda Masao spotted Onodera Eri in the crowd. He vaguely remembered something, his gaze fixed on his opponent from Kamiyama High School, trying to recognize the face hidden under the protective shield.

"Ninomiya-san, can you still keep going?" The PE teacher came to Ninomiya Shiori's side and said with concern, "If you feel unwell, don't push yourself. This is just a training match, so don't worry about the result."

Shiori Ninomiya slowly moved her left arm, which had been hit, and felt a burning pain. After a few seconds, she stubbornly said, "Teacher, please begin."

The PE teacher hesitated for a moment, then raised the flag in his hand: "Both sides salute, ready, go!"

As the flag was lowered, the opponent suddenly lunged forward, raising the bamboo sword above his head with both hands while shouting, "Dong~!"

Without pausing, the bamboo sword swiftly turned from the right and slashed towards Shiori Ninomiya's left arm.

"puff!"

Shiori Ninomiya was beaten until her body was twisted.

She had anticipated the second strike, but as a novice who had only trained for two months, she was far inferior to her opponent in skill. Furthermore, the pain from the first strike affected her movements, so she could only watch helplessly as the second strike landed in the same spot.

The bamboo swords used in kendo competitions are hollow bamboo swords. Even if you accidentally hit a body without protective gear, it won't cause too much damage, but pain is unavoidable.

Shiori Ninomiya stumbled, and the bamboo sword in her hand fell to the wooden floor with a dull thud.

"foul!"

"Shenshan High School is doomed!"

The PE teacher's voice echoed through the gymnasium, the lights illuminating the floor. A moment of silence fell; it was clear to everyone that this wasn't a competition, but rather a deliberate attempt to cause trouble.

The opponent took off his mask and said calmly, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake."

His tone was nonchalant, and there was absolutely no indication that he was apologizing.

Takeuchi Takumi stared at the woman, his gloomy expression as if every female creature in Japan owed him a huge debt. Ueda Masao thought carefully for a moment, then suddenly ran out of the gymnasium and headed towards the ATF club.

The students in the audience also reacted, and like a powder keg being ignited, shouts and curses instantly filled the air.

As one of the top private high schools in Japan, Kitagawa Gakuen students are quite honorable. Of course, asking them to waste their energy striving for honor is another matter entirely.

As the center of the criticism, the students from Kamiyama High School also looked rather grim. The leader, Minamino Sawahei, stood up and shouted at the girl on his team, "Fukuhara, come back!"

Fearing things might escalate, the PE teacher opportunely stepped into the center circle, saying, "That's enough for today's discussion. Everyone go back and study hard..."

"Wait a moment."

Suddenly, Kikawa Yui, who had been observing coldly, stepped forward. She put on a mask and raised her bamboo sword with both hands: "My turn."

His voice was flat, and it was impossible to tell that he was speaking up for anyone.

Ninomiya Shiori glanced at her with some surprise, then clutched her arm and left the field, sitting down at the edge of the crowd. Her small face, glistening with fine sweat from gritting her teeth in pain, would occasionally glance towards the stadium entrance, a hint of hope in her eyes that held no expectation whatsoever.

The PE teacher looked around, his expression slightly troubled.

"Please begin." Yui Kichikawa's voice carried a slight hint of command.

"..." The PE teacher turned his head to the other side helplessly, "This Fukuhara student, please pay attention to the rules of the game and do not commit any more fouls."

The student from Kamiyama High School, surnamed Fukuhara, nodded. His main purpose in coming here was precisely to test Yui Kichikawa's abilities. As for teaching the girl from the countryside a lesson, that was just a side job.

Both teams are in position.

The gymnasium fell silent. As a star student, Yui Kichikawa was quite popular at the school, and some of the students who were watching had come specifically to see her.

The PE teacher shouted, "Salute!"

The two sides bowed to each other, and then the PE teacher shouted, "Ready!"

Following the command, Yui Kirikawa raised the bamboo sword high with both hands.

Fukuhara's face darkened, and he muttered, "How arrogant."

Tazaki Tsukasa walked in just as he heard the curse. He glanced at the two opposing sides and walked straight to Ninomiya Shiori at the edge of the crowd.

The little cutie was looking down, her slender body giving off a sense of exhaustion—like a tuna wrapped in cling film and then thrown into the refrigerator.

He asked with some concern, "Are you alright?"

Shiori Ninomiya suddenly looked up, her eyes shining: "Why are you here?"

“She said you were being bullied, so I came.” Tsukasa Tazaki pointed to Sakura Kuriyama, who was standing to the side with her arms crossed.

"Did you come all this way just because I was being bullied?"

"Uh...we'll talk about it later." Tsukasa Tazaki turned her gaze to the field and asked, "What are they doing?"

"Get ready to start." Shiori Ninomiya took out her phone, searched for something, and handed it to him.

The screen displays basic knowledge of starting techniques in Kendo matches.

There are generally five starting stances in Kendo competitions: Chudan, Gakudan, Gakudan, Hachisō, and Wakiga.

Of these five starting stances, the middle stance is the most common and basic, making it easy for beginners to learn. Once the technique is mastered, it can be used for both offense and defense, and many Kendo masters continue to use the middle stance even after achieving fame.

The upper stance tends to be all-out attack, with little to no defense. While it puts a lot of pressure on the opponent, it also makes the opponent vulnerable to a sudden, sharp attack to the throat. Because of this characteristic, the upper stance often carries a sense of contempt when starting, and is commonly seen in matches where the skill gap between the two opponents is significant.

The lower stance prioritizes defense and is generally used for a solid defensive counter-attack, aiming to wear down the opponent as much as possible when there is a significant skill gap. However, this starting stance is used less and less these days. After all... kendo matches aren't like football matches; a draw doesn't earn points.

The Eight-Session Stance is useful in group battles and brawls, but it is not very useful in modern Kendo matches, which are mostly 1v1.

As for the rib-type, it involves concealing the blade behind the back, making it difficult for the opponent to judge the direction of the attack, thus achieving a surprise effect.

While Tsukasa Tazaki was reviewing the documents, the PE teacher finished checking both teams' protective gear, then forcefully swung his hand downwards and shouted, "Begin!"

Kikawa Yui slid forward in an instant, shouted "Men!", and swung her bamboo sword down at her opponent's head.

In a flash, Fukuhara sidestepped the attack. She quickly stepped back a few paces, preparing to readjust her defensive stance. The next instant, her eyes narrowed.

Before she could even regain her footing, Qichuan Wei took a heavy step, her body shooting out like an arrow, thrusting her sword straight forward: "Thrust!"

With a "thud," the bamboo knife pierced the opponent's throat.

Although there was a rubber board for protection, the force of the blow was so great that the opponent was sent flying, rolled several times on the ground, and then rolled out of the playing area.

"Fukuhara..."

Minamino Sawahei from Kamiyama High School cried out in alarm and ran towards the fallen classmate. Removing her mask and armor, he saw that her face was ashen and she was having difficulty breathing.

On the Beichuan side, a burst of cheers suddenly erupted.

"Kikawa-kun is amazing..."

"Our school has been established for over a hundred years, and we're finally going to have our first women's individual champion..."

Kikawa Yui removed her mask and returned to her seat. Her expression showed no sign of bullying, and she remained oblivious to the surrounding discussions.

That's amazing...

Tazaki Tsukasa glanced at her; her two moves just now clearly demonstrated the results of her kendo training since she was ten years old.

"Alright..." The PE teacher returned to the center circle and announced loudly, "It's getting late, so this exchange meeting is over."

The students in the audience booed.

The PE teacher remained unmoved and began urging the students to leave.

Minamino Sawahei broke away from the Kamiyama High School group and walked towards Ninomiya Shiori.

Tazaki Tsukasa stood guard in front of the little cutie, looking wary: "What's wrong?"

"I'm very sorry about what happened today." He bowed and raised his head. "I don't know why Fukuhara did that, but please accept our apology from Kamiyama High School, Ninomiya-san."

His expression was sincere; he didn't seem to be lying.

Tazaki Tsukasa said calmly, "Get lost."

When you're angry, you can't be polite.

After the Kamiyama High School students left, only the members of the Kendo Club, along with Tsukasa Tazaki and Sakura Kuriyama, remained in the gymnasium.

Ueda Masao dragged the terrified Onodera Eri to the center circle, and under everyone's gaze, he said loudly, "I know that Fukuhara girl from earlier; she's Onodera's best friend."

"What do you mean?" Takeuchi Takumi's face turned cold, and his gaze immediately shifted to Onodera Eri, whose ugly face looked exactly like an ice goblin.

Kikawa Yui looked up for a moment, then lowered her head again, uninterested.

“Onodera-san…” Kuriyama Sakura’s lips curled up slightly as she asked disdainfully, “Did you send her to help teach Ninomiya-san a lesson?”

"Don't talk nonsense!" Eri Onodera's eyes darted around.

Kuriyama Sakura's tone hardened: "Answer me."