The assessment ended. The swordsmen who had come to observe began to leave one after another, but even on their way out, they were still reminiscing about that one strike from Shin-chan just now.
The strength shown by the successor of the Musashino Dojo was simply too astonishing. If given enough time, how far would he grow?
In another ten years or so, wouldn't the entire kendo world of Japan be swept by this guy? Could it be that a new swordmaster was finally appearing in this era?
"Shin-chan! Today was amazing! That look on Togo's face when he bent down to pick up his own hair, truly satisfying!"
Musashino Giken was so excited he couldn't help himself. He could already see a bright future for the Musashino Dojo.
Originally, he thought with his hand injury being so serious, the Musashino Dojo was sure to decline. Who would've expected Musashino Kenta to have taken in such a disciple.
Without a doubt, Shin-chan's strength had already surpassed Musashino Kenta. Just based on strength alone, Shin-chan was now the strongest in the Musashino Dojo.
"That's it then, Shin-chan. There's nothing else at the dojo. Do you want to stay and have lunch here?"
Looking at the few girls standing behind Shin-chan, Musashino Giken remained considerate. With Shin-chan's strength, practicing kendo at the dojo didn't mean much anymore.
"Let's call it a day. I still have things to do this afternoon."
"Alright, I'll take care of the dojo business, so don't worry."
"Shin-chan, I have other matters to attend to today. I'll have to take my leave first."
Ai-chan walked up to Shin-chan's side and, as always, habitually hugged his arm. It was clear she liked being close to him like this.
"Alright then, Ai-chan. If you have things to do, go handle them first."
It seemed ever since the school term began, Ai-chan had been especially busy. No one knew what she was preparing.
Under the escort of bodyguards, Ai-chan left.
Shin-chan felt something was off. Ai-chan had forgotten to give him back his clothes. Looked like he'd have to go home wearing his samurai uniform today.
"Shin-chan, I'm leaving too. I can still make it to my cram school this afternoon."
After checking the time, Kazama left in a hurry. As long as Shin-chan was okay, he was relieved.
"Shin-chan really is strong."
Saeko Busujima looked at Shin-chan with eyes full of admiration. Shin-chan was probably even stronger than her father.
As for Ai Suotome, Saeko felt that for a man as outstanding as Shin-chan, having lots of girls around him was completely normal.
If Yukino knew what Saeko was thinking, she would definitely retort, that kind of thinking is what's not normal.
"If Saeko works hard, I'm sure you'll become even stronger too."
"Then starting today, let's work hard together."
Saeko smiled gently. Even her way of speaking was charming. At the very least, Yukino standing beside her had no idea how to respond to that kind of line.
"I'm tired. Let's go home and watch TV. I can't miss today's Action Kamen episode."
Shin-chan suddenly remembered that today Action Kamen was airing. More than ten years had passed, and it was still a popular show, what a long-running series.
"Yukino, want to come home with me?"
Yukino nodded. The Musashino Dojo was closed for the day, and staying there served no purpose.
On the train ride home, Yukino was deep in thought, pondering how to compete with Ai-chan Suotome. Was it better described as "struggling"?
'Maybe teaming up with Eriri would be a good option? A cat-dog duo? Why did that sound so flimsy?'
Speaking of which, there was still club activity tomorrow. She also needed to go buy Kaguya Shinomiya a smartphone. 'Would Shin-chan have time?'
While lost in thought, Shin-chan and Yukino arrived back at the apartment.
"Shin-chan, are you free tomorrow? The Service Club has an activity. Are you joining?"
"Tomorrow? I've got very important things to do!"
"Huh? What very important things?"
"In the morning, I have to space out by the riverside. Then I have to play one-man hide-and-seek. In the afternoon, I need to nap. At night, I have to stay up playing games."
"…"
"Get everything ready for me by tomorrow! I'll come wake you up when I'm done sleeping! Don't waste your time on meaningless youth drama!" Yukino's fists clenched again.
"Fine, fine, little Meowno."
"Meowno?"
Just after Yukino let out a soft meow, a loud POOF sounded, and a puff of blue smoke appeared. Her clothes fell to the floor.
A blue cat crawled out of the pile of clothes.
Yukino, "???"
"What is this supposed to mean? A side effect? I can even turn into a cat now?"
If Eriri found out, she'd probably drool with envy. She dreamed of turning back into Kei, so she could snuggle up to Shin-chan however she wanted.
Yukino looked at Shin-chan. The meaning was obvious, she wanted him to call her name and turn her back.
Shin-chan stared at Yukino for a moment, then said, "Huh? Where did this little kitty come from?"
He picked up the cat that was Yukino, grabbed her clothes, and walked back into the room, ready to give the cat a good cuddle before thinking about anything else.
———
"Shizuka, something up? Drinking? Sorry, I don't have time today."
The Yukinoshita family crisis had been resolved. Shin-chan had become the largest shareholder in the Yukinoshita real estate group. Haruno had become his proxy, which meant he now effectively controlled the Yukinoshita family.
Because of this, she had to return home this weekend to confront her mother. But Haruno still hadn't decided how to face her.
Finally having a say in front of her mother, it hadn't been easy at all.
"Haruno, going out drinking again?"
Hearing the word "drinking," Nanako looked at her with some concern.
"There's family business to handle. No drinking today, don't worry, Nanako."
Haruno's mood was pretty good as she looked over at Nanako.
"By the way, Nanako, have you been feeling down lately?"
Haruno had noticed that over the past two days, Nanako's complexion wasn't great. She seemed sleep-deprived.
"I've been having weird dreams lately. Maybe I just haven't rested well?"
Nanako rubbed her face. Did she really look that bad?
She kept dreaming, and every time she woke up, she'd forget what the dream was about. But she always felt like she had forgotten something really important. It bothered her.
Haruno nodded thoughtfully as she looked at Nanako. In her heart, she wondered, 'Just what kind of guy would it take to win Nanako's heart?'
Nanako was gentle and beautiful. Since Haruno met her back in high school, she'd always been this way. She was kind to everyone around her, but actually didn't have many friends. Aside from Haruno, there was only Sonoko.
When boys tried to get close to her, Nanako would reject them without hesitation, sometimes even harshly. She seemed to have a deep aversion to men.
Such a gentle girl, so gentle and beautiful that even Haruno envied her.
Haruno had once even suspected that Nanako liked girls, but Nanako had denied it.
Haruno still remembered, she had jokingly asked Nanako if she liked girls.
And Nanako's answer was, "I'm waiting for the only compatible soul in this world."
'The only compatible soul? That sounds so beautiful. But… does such a thing really exist?'
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