Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Yes……!"

Today's Saionji Orange will surely be transformed.

Chapter 311 Don't Lose to a Genius

When Akira Kuroba and Makoto Hikawa arrived at the Nippon Budokan, the venue for the competition, the men's individual matches had already finished, and the women's individual matches had reached the semifinals.

Kuroba Akira originally thought that a traditional sport like kendo, which was a bit outdated, wouldn't attract many viewers. However, the venue was packed with spectators, and not all of them were students from his own school who came to cheer him on. Many of them had come specifically to watch the national tournament.

It seems that for the Japanese, Kendo, which originated from Bushido, still retains a unique kind of romance.

Just holding a wooden sword or a bamboo sword makes you feel stronger.

The same reason why boys like to pick up wooden sticks with cool shapes is also true.

This fascination with swords among the Japanese is probably one of the reasons why sword-themed manga has remained so popular in Japan.

However, there is another reason why this event has attracted more attention.

As soon as Akira Kuroba and Makoto Hikawa sat down, they heard two middle-aged men in front of them talking about the upcoming kendo tournament.

"As expected, Tianyu made it to the finals. As expected of the daughter of the Sword Saint, her strength has far surpassed that of a high school student. It's pitiful for those who have to compete with her... She finally made it to the finals, but can only get second place."

"I reckon Saionji will be the one to make it to the finals again. She's the only girl Shirayuri Girls' High School can field this year."

"Saionji... I remember she lost to Amau in the Kanto region invitational tournament back in the spring."

"Yeah, so if he loses again this time, it will be his second time as runner-up. And from now on, he can forget about winning any tournaments that Tenyu participates in. Saionji will probably be a background character forever. If it were me, I probably would have given up kendo..."

Snapped!

Hikawa Makoto stomped her foot hard, startling the two balding men in front of her, who shrank back.

"...Tsk..."

Yotsuhiro Makoto clicked her tongue in annoyance, barely suppressing the urge to kick the two guys in front of her, because it wasn't just them who didn't think Saionji Makoto had a chance; everyone around her thought Saionji Makoto couldn't win.

It seems that public opinion is overwhelmingly negative about Saionji Mato.

Kuroba Akira also received new information: Shinichi's opponent is the daughter of the Sword Saint.

Seriously, there's still a title like "Sword Saint"? The Japanese are still so immature.

This guy has both bloodline advantages and talent advantages; he's probably another prodigy.

But Tianyu... could it be the same Tianyu from the main family that Miss Danyu mentioned before? What a coincidence!

To cheer up Makoto Hikawa, Akira Kuroba deliberately played dumb and asked a silly question.

"Hey, Makoto, how do you determine if you've won a kendo match?"

"Hey you... I've already complained about this before, but are you really Japanese...?"

Sorry, I don't read many kendo-themed manga; the only one I can still remember is Dragon Ball.

Hikawa Makoto tapped Kuroba Akira's forehead and arm with her index finger, then drew a large circle on his chest.

"The face, forearm, and body are the effective attack range. The first two hits win the game. Then, there are three rounds to decide the winner. Each round lasts five minutes, and an extra round lasts three minutes."

The explanation is simple and concise.

Isn't this something you know quite well?

You must have looked it up specifically because your younger sister practices kendo, right?

Right? Tsundere older sister?

Noticing Kuroba Akira's teasing gaze, Hikawa Makoto blushed slightly, crossed her legs, and rested her chin on her hand to change the subject.

"Anyway... today, Zhencheng is playing in an individual match, so there's no need to worry about the other players' wins or losses."

"In other words, it all depends on your own abilities."

"That's right, she can only rely on herself..."

In the competition arena, Shin-chan is all alone, and no one can help him.

"Oh, it's Zhencheng's turn to go on stage."

Kuroba Akira turned his gaze to the arena. Because everyone was wearing kendo protective gear and masks, it was impossible to recognize who was who without taking off their helmets.

After all, safety is more important than fashion.

Beautiful girls and swords seem like a wonderful combination, but the reality of sports is anything but. I already knew this when I was in the school club building—it was all about the smell of sweat…

To put it more elegantly, you could say it's the taste of youth, although Akira Kuroba's youth taste is more like the sea.

Just as Kuroba Akira was lost in thought, the match began.

Kuroba Akira quickly focused his mind. He had come here to find inspiration for manga storyboards, and since one of the sections was about women fighting, he might as well come and see women fighting for real.

Saionji Mato's opponent charged forward with a roar like a gorilla, but was easily dodged.

After that, he neutralized all of the opponent's successive attacks... although from the layman's perspective, it seemed like Saionji Mato was just taking a beating.

"Hey... is this really okay? Are we going to lose the semifinals?"

"Don't worry, Zhencheng is fine. I've watched many of her matches, and I can vouch for her with my own hands that she's in the best form she's ever been. Her three-point defense (referring to simultaneous defense of the face, forearm, and body) is flawless, and her footwork is much more agile... Even if the opponent is much stronger than her, it's meaningless if they can't hit the effective areas."

"So, you actually secretly watched every single match that Zhencheng participated in?"

"...long-winded."

Makoto Hikawa didn't bother to deny it and continued speaking with a slightly flushed face.

"Zhencheng studied a style that specializes in counter-attack techniques. She seizes the openings in the opponent's attack and counters them, making it difficult for the opponent to dodge or defend."

"So, it's about striking back after the enemy has made their move?"

"That's right... Look! It's coming!"

Kuroba Akira was intently watching the arena when he witnessed Saionji Masato launching a counterattack.

When faced with the opponent's thrust, Saionji Masato simply shifted his body slightly, causing the attack to miss.

It was as if it had just 'grazed' the tip of a bamboo sword, like an enemy bullet grazing the edge of the hitbox in a bullet hell shooting game, accompanied by the clicking sound of scoring points.

Yes! It was wiped clean!

At that moment, a new idea popped into Kuroba Akira's mind.

Actually, when he was conceiving the Keijo manga about the class president, what troubled him the most was that if he wanted to follow the hot-blooded plot of the underdog overthrowing the superior, and set the heroine to be flat-chested, then he wouldn't be able to draw the intense scenes of breast collision.

Secondly, how to express that feeling of something about to burst forth was something Kuroba Akira had been pondering... and now he finally found the answer.

Besides focusing on the deformation of specific parts, you can also emphasize the dodging scenes where the breasts 'graze past'! This way, the imposing presence of huge breasts can also be shown!

This is really going to become a 'borderline' comic.

"Hit the body—!!!"

Saionji Makoto scored first, and her opponent was completely in her rhythm.

The experience of learning ballroom dancing with her older sister enabled Saionji Maju to read the rhythm of her opponent's movements and to find the moment when her center of gravity shifted during a series of movements while she was wielding a bamboo sword, so as to launch a counterattack.

This is not a talent, but rather the result of accumulated experience.

Her opponent was no pushover, having reached the national tournament semifinals, but she lacked the experience of Saionji Makoto, which is why she lost. That's all.

"Two wins! The match is over!! The semi-final will be won by Saionji Makoto!!!"

However, the applause from those around them was sporadic.

Because everyone felt that the outcome of the final was already known without even having to compete, some people had even started to leave the venue.

"Tsk...!"

Unable to bear the one-sided atmosphere any longer, Hikawa Makoto stood up angrily.

Kuroba Akira grabbed her hand and asked.

"Where are you going? The game isn't over yet."

Hikawa Makoto didn't shake off Kuroba Akira's hand, but instead frowned and explained.

"I know, I didn't plan to leave. I just wanted to take advantage of my break to say a few words to Makoto."

"Then I'll go with you."

Kuroba Akira was mainly worried that Hikawa Makoto's arrival at this time would cause unforeseen complications.

It's important to know that they weren't really there to cheer on their idols. According to the previously discussed plan, it was expected that Saionji Maju would lose the final.

Hikawa Makoto also watched the match in the spring. She knew that with her current strength, no matter how hard she trained, she could never beat that real monster.

But this is actually a good opportunity to 'destroy the old and build the new'.

After suffering two consecutive defeats at the hands of the same person, Saionji Masato will definitely lose all confidence in kendo. At that point, if a new talent is implanted in her, she will not resist it as much.

It's essentially the same principle as taking advantage of someone's vulnerability when they're heartbroken, except that you need to guide them afterward.

Even if she loses this match, the shell of the older sister that Saionji Mato has built is still there. As long as she continues to imitate her older sister, or wants to be on par with the older sister in her heart, she will still repeat the same mistakes.

The two walked to the door of the players' rest room and saw Saionji Masato, who had taken off his protective gear, walking out of the rest room.

The break is half an hour. Normally, the coach should be responsible for thinking of countermeasures and giving some suggestions on how to deal with the opponent during this time. However, this time the coach had no choice but to pat Saionji Machi on the shoulder and tell her to adjust her mindset. That's why Machi came out to get some fresh air and change her mood.

"So you really came."

She smiled when she saw the two people she had invited arrive.

A strange sense of unease welled up in Kuroba Akira's heart once again. In fact, after the three of them watched a movie together during their previous date, Kuroba Akira felt that Makoto seemed to have changed a bit, and that she was slightly different from the way she had acted in the previous times they met.

But he had only met Saionji Masato a few times, so he dared not make any rash judgments.

However, this time, even those who know her best have expressed doubts.

Makoto Hikawa frowned deeply, a hint of suspicion in her eyes, and her lips turned down slightly, revealing an unconscious wariness.

"Are you... really 'the real Orange I know'?"

She replied with a smile.

"Hehe, little sister, you..."

Without giving her a chance to finish speaking, Hikawa Makoto said decisively.

"Zhencheng will never call me 'little sister'."