Chapter 144: Someone Has Come to Wreck the Place

Aoki Tsukasa walked hurriedly toward the Kendo Club with Saiki Kusuo, Teruhashi Kokomi trailing behind them with a faint look of excitement.

"What exactly is going on? Tell me slowly," Aoki asked, frowning at Saiki beside him.

Saiki wiped the sweat from his forehead, still catching his breath. "It’s just that Senior Busujima was always trying to arrange a practice match for us, but other schools kept refusing because she was too strong. Somehow, they found out she’s been on leave lately, so now they’ve all seized the opportunity to come and challenge our school together!"

Before Aoki could respond, Teruhashi interjected, "How annoying of them! To wait until Senior Busujima is away to challenge us—that’s just too much. Can’t we refuse? We could just wait until she returns."

Saiki looked a bit ashamed, scratching his head awkwardly. "Actually, it’s not entirely their fault. To be honest, Senior Busujima has been... well, a bit excessive over the past two years."

"Huh?" Teruhashi felt a spark of joy. *Yes! Keep going! Say something bad about her so Tsukasa-kun can wake up!* In her eyes, Aoki’s infatuation with Busujima Saeko was a form of madness—to ignore a perfect girl like her in favor of someone he barely saw was simply inconceivable.

Saiki explained, "She didn't do anything malicious, but for the past two years, she’s been seeking out practice matches with every single high school in Chiba. Since our freshman year, she’s gone through the entire list."

"At first, those schools were happy to oblige, given her personal visit and the reputation of the Busujima-style Kendo. But then... the entire kendo club wouldn't be enough to handle her alone."

Saiki scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "If it had stopped there, it would have been fine, but word got out, and eventually, the kendo clubs at those schools... disbanded."

"Later, the nature of these matches changed. To Senior Busujima, it was just training—she’d let us fight a bit before finishing them off herself. But to the other schools, it was never like that."

"As more schools were defeated and their entire clubs couldn't beat her one-on-one, they started to harbor resentment. People were saying their kendo was so weak they couldn't even beat one woman. Because of those rumors, our relationship with other schools soured. Eventually, no matter how much she tried to lobby, no one would accept an invitation anymore."

Saiki gave a bitter smile. "And now, they’ve seized this chance to show up on our doorstep. They even have a perfect excuse: they say they’re finally taking us up on the invitations Senior Busujima sent them earlier."

After hearing the explanation, Aoki’s expression turned peculiar.

*Senior Saeko is certainly strong.*

Thinking about it, the members of those other kendo clubs must have felt truly stifled. Her skill was beyond the reach of ordinary people, and the fact that she was a girl only added to their frustration. They couldn't win, and they had no logical reason to be angry, so it was understandable that they held a grudge against Maiyo High and her.

However, understanding didn't mean he approved. The idea of them coming to stir up trouble while she was away was despicable. If you can't win, you train harder. If you still can't win after that, it just means you've reached your limit. This kind of opportunism was beneath contempt.

"Are they in the kendo hall right now?" Aoki asked, brow furrowed.

"Yes, they’ve likely already started," Saiki replied with a wry smile. "I told them I’d go get you first, but they..."

"They’re still holding a grudge because I’ve been pushing them so hard these past few days, aren't they?" Aoki scoffed.

Saiki nodded and sighed. "I think they realize your intentions aren't bad, but your methods are a bit too provocative, Aoki-kun."

"That’s why they’re improving so fast," Aoki said with an indifferent laugh. "They’re training like madmen after class and adding extra sessions at home. That’s something mere encouragement could never achieve."

"But don't you feel, er, wronged?" Saiki asked, choosing his words carefully.

Aoki laughed. "Wronged? Why would I be? Even if I didn't do this, they wouldn't see me as a good guy anyway. I am Aoki Tsukasa, after all."

Teruhashi listened, her interest piqued. *What has he been doing at the kendo club?* Seeing how comfortably Aoki and Saiki were chatting, she didn't know how to ask, so she simply followed along quietly.

"That’s true," Saiki laughed as well, his tone full of respect. "But I think they’ll change their minds soon and come to acknowledge you."

"Whatever," Aoki shrugged. As they spoke, the kendo hall came into view.

Unlike its usual quiet state, the building was surrounded by a crowd, and cheers could be heard from within. Aoki pushed his way through the spectators, who instinctively made way upon noticing him. He ignored the whispers—some fearful, some hateful—and strode into the hall.

In the center, Nomoto Renta, a third-year member, was solemnly adjusting his armor. He took his stance, two steps away from his opponent, holding his breath as they waited for the referees to signal the start. One of the referees was a stranger, a high schooler with short, spirited hair wearing a different school’s uniform.

"Are you ready!" the referee shouted, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of impending vengeance as he looked at Nomoto.

Nomoto took a deep breath. Facing his opponent, he was surprised to find he wasn't as nervous as he expected. Compared to the pressure he felt when facing Aoki, this guy was nothing! He hurriedly shook the thought from his head and shouted, "Ready to begin!"

"Okay, both ready!" The referee raised his hands, holding up white and red flags, then brought them down sharply. "Match start!"

"Hah!" Nomoto’s opponent screamed, his bamboo sword slicing through the air toward him.