I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Hearing her father's puzzled murmur, Natsukawa Mana was somewhat surprised, but she also spoke up to answer him: "Soubu High School has applied for the Jade Dragon Flag tournament system. From now on, it will be a round-robin tournament. Whoever wins can stay on the field indefinitely, and whoever runs out of players to play first loses."

"I see." The father nodded, looking thoughtfully at his brother-in-law, muttering to himself, "He proposed the competition format himself, yet he didn't take the initiative to fight like the opposing general to gain momentum... Is it composure or conservatism? Judging from the information, he should be the kind of person who isn't afraid of being high-profile..."

Mana Natsukawa immediately understood. He wasn't there to watch the match, but simply to see his brother-in-law's performance... He wasn't interested in kendo, but rather in his brother-in-law's personality and what value he possessed.

...The adult world is too complicated, and she, a fourteen-year-old, didn't want to understand it too much, so she focused her attention back on the competition.

Despite their best efforts to delay, after more than four minutes, Soubu High's second-in-command was defeated by the opponent's general's sword. The cheers from the stands for Kyu-no-yama grew louder and louder, and many voices appeared wondering why Soubu High would "seek their own death".

The center then took to the court. It seemed that the opponent's stamina was starting to decline. This time, the two sides fought back and forth, and the center even had a slight advantage.

Just as the game was about to go into overtime, the general of Jiuyushan suddenly made a mistake, and the mainstay of Zongwu High reflexively won the game, instantly losing a point. This boosted the morale of the Jiuyushan team again, and the applause was thunderous.

At this point, Zongwu High School was almost completely defeated. Three of their players were defeated by the opposing general, while the other side still had four players with plenty of energy who had not yet entered the arena. The situation was practically settled, and the strong team that had been favored by many was about to taste the bitter fruit of defeat due to their overconfident choice of the competition format.

However, Mana Natsukawa was not affected by the changing atmosphere. Instead, she gradually began to look forward to it. The Soubu High School players on the field only showed resentment and shame on their faces, but not the despair of being about to be eliminated. Like her, they placed their trusting gazes on the general, entrusting him with important responsibilities.

Without pause, after the main force left, the dark-skinned girl who was the deputy general resolutely stepped onto the field. In less than a minute, she defeated the exhausted general of Jiuyu Mountain and faced the opponent's deputy general amidst applause.

The sound of bamboo swords clashing was incredibly loud, the interlacing rhythm like a raging torrent.

The two vice generals were evenly matched. Even though the dark-skinned girl pressed the opponent's attack from beginning to end, she could not break through the opponent's watertight defense. When the six minutes were up, both of them left the field at the same time, and the match came to an end.

Nine Peaks High School has only three classes remaining: Vanguard, Second Vanguard, and Midfielder.

Soubu High School is down to just one general, Yuu Tenkuji. Fearlessly, he stands up from his formation, facing the three opponents who are waiting in awe.

His lips moved slightly, as if he were saying something, but even though Natsukawa Mana squinted, she could only tell that he seemed to have said a number.

"three……"

Donning a mask and gripping a bamboo sword, Tenkuji Yu stood in the center of the arena amidst countless gazes, and knelt in a salute.

"start!"

After the referee gave the command, he slowly stood up, and a second passed.

Then he took a step forward, and in the second, the bamboo sword disappeared in mid-air before the opponent's sword tip could even be raised.

Snapped!

As if he had never attacked, Tenkuji Yu maintained his upright posture and retreated. The third second passed exactly, and he looked at his opponent who was standing there dumbfounded, as well as the referee with wide eyes. The tip of his sword twitched as if urging him on.

"...Noodles! One is sufficient!"

The timer stopped at seven seconds, but Natsukawa Mana knew that the match had already ended in the third second—did he mean that everyone only had three seconds?

Mana Natsukawa's lips twitched slightly. She tried to hold back, but couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth, revealing a proud smile that she couldn't suppress.

—Look, that's my brother-in-law!

I hate to admit it, but he's absolutely stunning!

It seemed that no one had reacted yet. After a moment of silence, a few scattered claps rang out, which then grew louder and louder, echoing throughout the entire stadium.

The excitement from the stands did not affect the progress of the game. After the center left the field, scratching his head and still looking incredulous, the second striker stood in front of Tenkuji Yu, gripping the bamboo sword with more tension and vigilance than ever before.

Then the match began. In the second second, he raised his bamboo sword to defend his head, but was slashed hard to the side. The force was so great that he staggered a few steps and fell to the ground.

"Dong! One copy is valid!"

This time the time stopped perfectly, and the announcement of Deben was made exactly at three seconds.

With this result twice in a row, not only the referees but also many spectators were left speechless and dumbfounded.

They just stared blankly at General Soubu Takashi, who had returned to his ready position. Even the applause cooled down considerably, and the scene froze slightly once again.

Although I know that the generals are usually the core of a team, and I also know that the generals of the Soubu High School are very strong, no less than the Nine-Imperial Mountain General who just fought three against one, it's not impossible for them to win—

But isn't this a bit too much?

The opponent wasn't straw or a wooden stake, but a strong player who could make it to the semi-finals of the national competition, yet he treated him like a target and defeated him in three seconds... Is this really something a human can do?

"That's right, that guy is a monster of that level..."

Seeing the same incredulous expression on her father's face, Natsukawa Mana nodded with pride, then glanced at Yasuoka. Both of them showed a subtle sense of helplessness and began to feel sympathy for the students of Kumiyama.

Let alone taking on three, he could easily take on five, okay?

Instead of starting and teaching those five kids a lesson, giving them a clean sweep, he at least showed some sportsmanship...

While her father was focused on the game, Natsukawa Mana looked away uninterestedly and quietly took out her phone.

The outcome of this match is no longer in doubt. It's time to warn my sister to stay away and avoid appearing in front of our father unless absolutely necessary, lest she be caught and sent back to Sweden again.

In this way, I can also use my sister's name to curry favor with my brother-in-law—if I could have him by my side as my bodyguard for a day, that would feel amazing, right?

Thinking about that future, Natsukawa Makoto couldn't help but chuckle mischievously.

Chapter 142 I still want to pick you up and lift you high in the air?

Inside the players' lounge.

"Next up is the finals, the same order as today. Does anyone have any objections?"

"no!"

"Very good, dismissed."

At Tenkuji Yu's command, the members of the Kendo Club bowed and began packing their belongings, pushing open the door with mixed feelings of excitement and heaviness.

Department Head Himura patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "This is a rare opportunity. Why not try the thrill of taking on five opponents at once in the finals? In the end, it's up to you to win anyway."

“There’s no need for that.” Tenkuji Yu didn’t even look at him, but simply slung his bamboo sword and protective gear bag over his shoulder. “They may be bad, but they’ve at least made it this far. It doesn’t matter if they get a chance to perform.”

He still had a smile on his face, but his eyes, which had been squinting, opened slightly.

Even if it's just losing to others?

"Even if we lose to others, at least no one will slack off or become lazy because of me, and that's enough."

Slightly surprised, Department Head Himura widened his eyes, then narrowed his eyes into a gentle and cheerful smile, and bowed ninety degrees to him.

"Thank you, Tenkuji-kun. You're more suited to be the captain of the kendo club than I am."

Holding the doorknob, Tenkuji Yu glanced back at him, smiling as well.

"Sorry, I prefer to be an ordinary member of a small club."

The door closed, and just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

It was an unfamiliar number.

Hello? Who is this?

On the other end of the phone, the sweet, youthful voice lacked its usual arrogance, and simply asked in a serious tone, "Brother-in-law, is it convenient for you to talk on the phone now?"

"Really?" Tenkuji Yu asked suspiciously, "When did you secretly save my phone number?"

"Who, who secretly saved your phone number! With the Xia Chuan family's influence, finding out your phone number would be a piece of cake. Stop being so presumptuous!" she retorted loudly, seemingly embarrassed and annoyed. Then, as if considering something, she quickly coughed twice to calm herself down.

"Stop with the small talk, let's get straight to the point... You know the Star○K nearby, right? Could you come over for a bit?"

Yuu Tenkuji said with a hint of disdain, "Huh? I'm going to go somewhere else with Ryou, I don't have time to go on a date with kids."

"..."

The voice on the other end of the phone was taking deep breaths, sounding quite angry. You could vaguely hear him muttering, "He's my brother-in-law, I can make good use of him in the future, don't get angry with him..." full of resentment.

"I don't want to go on a date with you! It's my father, he needs to see you!"

After a long pause, she finally managed to utter this sentence through gritted teeth.

"Your father? You should have said so earlier. Why are you being so hesitant to get to the point?" Yuu Tenkuji sighed and turned to walk in another direction from the contestant's passage.

"Do important figures disdain to speak directly with a child like me? Oh well, the head of the Natsukawa family has already come all the way to Kyoto to see me, which is already quite a show of respect."

"You go and be sarcastic to him yourself, I'm just a messenger!" Mana said irritably. "Also, he just went to watch your match, and I told Ryo about it so she could avoid her father and avoid being taken back by him."

"Mmm, very well done, as expected of Mana-chan." Yuu Tenkuji nodded perfunctorily.

Mana Natsukawa was furious: "Huh? That's it? This is the first time I've ever protected someone else's love life, and this is how you treat me?!"

"What else do you want? A gentle head pat from your brother? Or should I pick you up and lift you high in the air?"

"Be my bodyguard for a day—"

"Please give my regards to Mr. Angang."

Without waiting for her to finish, Yuu Tenkuji hung up the phone and dialed Masuzu Natsukawa's number instead.

"It's really cold. Tell everyone to wait in the cafeteria for a bit. I'll be there soon."

"...Ayu, do you really want to see him?" With a heaviness and worry unlike her usual self, Natsukawa Masuzu's voice sounded somewhat fragile. "He came all the way to Kyoto to find you. That person definitely has bad intentions. He probably won't leave after just a few words."

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but chuckle: "Hey, weren't you quite confident in me before? Why are you scared now?"

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's just..."

"Alright, just wait patiently for my good news." He said firmly, "No matter how powerful your father is, he's just a businessman. Your boyfriend is more than just a student. Even without resorting to underhanded tactics, there are plenty of ways to steal you away from him—do you think someone who can't even protect his own daughter is a match for me?"

She said blankly, "That sounds cool, but why do I feel like you're spouting nonsense?"

"Who cares if it's crooked or not, as long as it looks good, that's all that matters."

“…Alright, I’ll wait for your good news.” Natsukawa Masuzu finally smiled. “Boyfriend, that’s your future father-in-law, remember to be polite.”

Tenkuji Yu raised an eyebrow: "What if he's planning to break us up?"

"Hmm...be gentler?"

"Received, darling."

Hearing his serious and earnest answer, Natsukawa Masuzu froze, then panicked slightly; "Eh? You're joking, right? You're not really going to do it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yuu Tenkuji hung up the phone.

The two Natsukawa sisters met the same fate with him... well, only when they were interrupted before they finished speaking.

"Alright, let's begin... the regular parent-teacher meeting!"

Muttering to himself, he put his phone back in his pocket, left the player entrance, and walked towards Xing○K.

……

Beneath the green and white goddess sign, a blonde girl with pigtails was stomping her feet impatiently, her delicate and cute face full of frustration.