Chapter 146: Come On, I'm Ready

"Is our school's kendo club really this pathetic? How did they end up getting beaten this badly by such a cute girl?" A boy wearing the Wuyou High School uniform muttered with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

A friend standing next to him, watching the commotion, tugged at his sleeve, motioning him to keep his voice down, and explained in a low murmur, "It's because our captain isn't here. She took some time off for personal matters recently."

"That's still pathetic. Six or seven people couldn't even beat one."

"Yeah, I think it's utterly humiliating for the school."

"Look at those guys from the kendo club. Their faces are black as coal. Don't they feel any shame at all?"

"Totally useless. What about that person named Saeko Busujima? Isn't she our club captain? Is she scared or something? Why hasn't she shown up yet?"

The surrounding murmurs vanished completely the moment Tsukasa Aoki took a step forward.

Tsukasa Aoki walked slowly and expressionlessly out of the surrounding crowd, freezing Sayoko Sakai's arrogant smile right on her face.

Damn it, this is a kendo match! Are they going to resort to foul play just because they're outmatched? Sayoko Sakai instinctively gripped the bamboo sword in her hand tightly.

"I'll take over," Tsukasa Aoki said without even glancing at Sayoko Sakai. He walked straight toward the kendo club members and patted Daibu Matsusaka's shoulder.

Daibu Matsusaka understood instantly and brought over the protective gear and a bamboo sword for Tsukasa Aoki. His expression was a mix of indignation and excitement, "Boss, vent our frustration!"

Tsukasa Aoki nodded, looking calmly at the dejected kendo club members around him. Seeing that not a single one of them dared to meet his gaze, he said indifferently, "You've already done well enough. It's not because you're too weak, but simply because this opponent is genuinely strong. From my perspective, she has reached a level that can be considered professional."

The expressions of the kendo club members softened slightly.

However, Tsukasa Aoki changed his tune immediately: "But that doesn't mean you didn't make mistakes."

"Kendo is not just a test of physical strength and technical skill; more importantly, it is a battle of wits." Tsukasa Aoki looked at Renta Nobumoto, "Renta-kun, where do you think you went wrong?"

Renta Nobumoto opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"In terms of raw strength, you are certainly no match for that girl, but your performance didn't have to be this poor," Tsukasa Aoki evaluated objectively. "First, you misjudged the enemy's level. Second, you failed to adjust your mindset quickly."

"If you had focused primarily on defense, in my view, lasting ten rounds would have been completely fine." Tsukasa Aoki looked at Renta Nobumoto, whose expression carried a hint of shame, and turned his head away.

When looking at Matsuko, Tsukasa Aoki's expression held a touch of appreciation, "Matsuko did well. Her courage is commendable. It's just that her kendo skills still need improvement."

"Yes!" Matsuko wiped away her tears, seemingly unaccustomed to being praised. She hurriedly answered in the affirmative, her body stiff as a log.

"However, the rest of you who stepped up afterward were simply foolish." Tsukasa Aoki's expression suddenly darkened as he looked at the few kendo club members whose expressions had just improved slightly. His glare frightened them so much that their legs went weak, and their eyes trembled violently.

"Renta Nobumoto went first, and I can understand misjudging the opponent's strength. I can also understand failing to come up with a countermeasure during the match," Tsukasa Aoki stared at them, his eyes ice-cold. An intimidating aura plunged the entire kendo hall into a freezing abyss, and even the students from Yachiyo National High School did not dare to speak up anymore.

"What about the rest of you?" Tsukasa Aoki reprimanded in a chilling tone. "Is the stamina of the girl on the other side infinite? Is her skill so overwhelming that you couldn't even maintain a defensive stance? Why is it that the moment each of you stepped up, your minds were filled solely with attacking and more attacking? Do you think you're the male protagonists in a novel, believing that struggling hard equals victory?"

"If you had taken turns draining her stamina, she would find it difficult just to stand right now." Tsukasa Aoki shook his head in disappointment. "Kendo must be met with strategy. What I taught you is to be fearless, not to throw away your brains. Facing a formidable enemy that you cannot handle alone, you must learn to unleash the power of teamwork, understood?"

"Yes!" The kendo club members bowed respectfully in agreement.

Sayoko Sakai sidled up to Juro Kawamura, nervously keeping her eyes fixed on Tsukasa Aoki's profile, and whispered, "Captain, who is this?"

"I... I have no idea." Juro Kawamura's expression was similarly tense. "I never received any information beforehand, and I have no clue how Wuyou High School's kendo club ended up with someone like this."

"Tsk," Sayoko Sakai clicked her tongue, her expression turning grave. "He looks like he's going to be really troublesome to deal with."

Juro Kawamura hurriedly asked in a low voice, "How is your stamina right now?"

"I... I need ten minutes to rest." Sayoko Sakai had originally wanted to say she was fine, but the moment she saw Tsukasa Aoki strapping on his protective gear and caught his icy gaze, her heart skipped a beat. Instantly shedding her arrogance, she adopted a serious attitude. "Let the other members wear him down a bit and buy me some time to recover."

"Alright." Juro Kawamura signaled the members who had accompanied him to challenge the club, and they immediately began making preparations.

With the help of the kendo club members, Tsukasa Aoki finished putting on his protective gear. He spoke in a flat tone, addressing the members behind him—some looking hopeful, others uneasy—"Alright, the rest is up to me. The senior entrusted the kendo club to my care, and I will absolutely not let anyone ruin its reputation while she is away."

"C-Cheers!" Matsuko suddenly clenched her fists and whispered.

Hearing this, Daibu Matsusaka paused for a second before shouting at the top of his lungs, "Go get 'em, Boss! Slaughter them!"

"Let's go!" "You can do it, Aoki-kun!"

The cheers and support from behind made the corners of Tsukasa Aoki's mouth curl up slightly. He turned around, looked at Juro Kawamura—who was acting as the referee—with a calm tone but a fierce gaze, and asked, "Are you the ringleader of this bunch of troublemakers?"

Tsukasa Aoki's appearance and aura made Juro Kawamura shiver slightly. Sure enough, he was the kendo club captain, but that didn't mean he could handle juvenile delinquents! And Tsukasa Aoki's undeniably dangerous appearance made cold sweat pour down his back instantly.

"H-How can you call this making trouble? Your school's Saeko Busujima kept sending us invitations; we merely came in response," Juro Kawamura forced a strained smile.

Tsukasa Aoki merely stared at him coldly. "You know very well what the situation is. Unfortunately for you, you picked the wrong day."

"Come, let me see if the school that was single-handedly swept by the senior has made any progress at all." The curve of Tsukasa Aoki's mouth grew even wider. In the eyes of the others, his naturally fierce face looked all the more menacing.

"Please be careful. The armor is thick, but my sword is not light." Tsukasa Aoki slowly put on his men-face mask and gripped his bamboo sword tightly. "Getting injured in a training match is only natural, right?"

The mask concealed Tsukasa Aoki's expression.

You like playing psychological warfare? Then you might have picked the wrong opponent.

"Come on, I'm ready. You can let your female captain rest for a bit." Tsukasa Aoki's mocking words made Juro Kawamura's expression turn ugly, yet Tsukasa Aoki simply assumed his stance unhurriedly. His arrogant aura completely shattered the momentum of victory they had built up step by step.

Meanwhile, not a single person from Yachiyo High School dared to step forward to accept the challenge. They stood stiffly in place, whispering to one another, yet none of them dared to take even a single step ahead.