After hanging up their wishes, a small fireworks display followed—and just like that, Tanabata ended.
Today marked the start of a new week.
Summer vacation was drawing nearer, and the heat was becoming absolutely exaggerated.
Inhaling the air felt as if it would burn his lungs. Why couldn't humans self-refrigerate?
This was a question worth researching: since they feared heat, why didn't they evolve some internal cooling mechanism? Perhaps because it was cold in winter, and they needed to generate their own warmth?
Right—humans did generate their own heat.
So, human = kotatsu?
Carrying the heat and his wild thoughts, Sakurai didn't stop until he entered the classroom and sat down. Only then did the oppressive warmth in his body begin to subside.
The chirping of cicadas outside the window, mixed with the hoarse cries of crows, flowed into Sakurai's ears.
Once summer vacation arrived, he wouldn't have to work at the Student Council.
Well—he hadn't really worked much anyway. During the last Sports Festival, he helped organize old items? That should count as contributing, right?
After school, Sakurai prepared to visit the Kendo Club.
One of their members was injured, and they'd said they needed a substitute—but Sakurai suspected Minister Kojima of the Kendo Club was bluffing him. Their relationship was decent, so there was no harm in going to check it out.
He pushed open the Kendo Club door.
Hot.
That was his first impression.
Smelly.
That was his second.
A strong masculine scent assaulted his nostrils. Inside the large Kendo Club hall, on the wooden floor, a group of Kendo Club members were practicing sword swings, with a few engaging in sparring under the watchful eye of their instructor.
The sword speed was very fast: setting up a stance, sliding steps, feinting to lure the enemy, kiai and striking, and zanshin after the strike—adjusting position to face the opponent. If the target was hit but the opponent wasn't directly faced, no point was scored.
The stances of those sparring were very standard, without a sense of tension, very relaxed—the entire routine was pleasing to the eye.
The club members were drenched in sweat, and those sparring had to wear heavy, old-fashioned protective gear. One could imagine how exaggerated the temperature inside must be.
The Kendo Club did not have air conditioning.
Indoor sports clubs did have air conditioning arranged—not because they couldn't afford to turn it on, but simply because it was inconvenient. Sudden changes in temperature could easily lead to illness.
Minister Kojima of the Kendo Club spotted Sakurai Saki, who had changed into his shoes and walked in, and approached him in a Kendo uniform and hakama to greet him:
"Sakurai—you're finally here."
"During the last joint meeting, I said something to Shirogane, and he only just now called you over."
Sakurai glanced at the bamboo sword placed nearby. "I'm not his bodyguard. You should have just called me directly instead of going through him. Our classrooms aren't far apart."
"Haven't you been dating recently? I didn't want to bother you. Your confession last time was very spirited—some guys thought you were quite foolish, but the girls in our Kendo Club really liked it." Kojima followed his gaze. "What? Want to try your hand? Not playing by competition rules."
"I'm too hot to have any energy," Sakurai made an excuse.
His shoulders were prone to injury when sparring against him.
This guy was born into the Keishicho and was a Kendo genius who'd practiced Jigen-ryu since childhood—so he liked to raise his bamboo sword high and deliver a diagonal kesa-giri. However, in official Kendo competitions, there are only four scoring points: men (striking the front of the head), do (striking the side of the torso), tsuki (thrusting at the throat), and kote (striking the wrist).
The striking area for a kesa-giri is the shoulder—hitting that spot doesn't score any points.
Kojima clearly wasn't planning to play Kendo with Sakurai—he wanted to engage in a real fight.
Kendo sets scoring points and even specifies striking positions and methods to reduce injury-for-injury fighting; otherwise, thrusting movements would be too dangerous. A direct thrust of a bamboo sword to the chest—the damage would be unimaginable.
"Your Kendo Club has girls too?" Sakurai looked around a few times and found that there really were.
Several girls, dressed in Kendo uniforms with their hair tied up, were sitting on the ground resting—making them hard to spot at the moment.
"What are you talking about? Kendo isn't only liked by men," Kojima said, raising an eyebrow at Sakurai. "But many girls come here to look at men. Our Kendo Club has quite a few handsome guys."
"And then? After smelling this kind of odor, they didn't quit the club?" Sakurai followed Kojima, moving along the outside of the hall—practice was ongoing inside, making it difficult to pass through.
"Perhaps that's the charm of Kendo," Kojima had just finished speaking.
Sakurai then heard the girls' complaints.
"It's so hot~ I want to quit, but Minister Kojima is so scary."
"Won't we get scolded if we quit? His family is from the Keishicho—we might get retaliated against later."
"Eh? Isn't that Sakurai General Affairs? Is he joining the Kendo Club?"
"The Kendo Club will finally have a handsome guy!"
After listening, Sakurai smiled and turned his head, looking at Kojima: "That's what they said."
Kojima's face turned terribly dark. He yelled at the girls: "Hey!! You all are getting extra practice!!!"
As soon as he finished, the girls scrambled up from the ground, their faces filled with terror.
"Today, Minister Kojima's terrifying dictatorship still exists in the Kendo Club," Sakurai narrated for the girls.
"Sakurai—even if we're on good terms, if you keep talking like that, don't cry when I beat you later," Kojima said irritably.
Dictatorship? Doesn't matter!
As long as he wins in the end.
Since becoming the Kendo Club Minister, he had to give his all and make a name for himself in Kendo competitions—which would lead to better opportunities at the Keishicho in the future. Minister Kojima planned to lead Shuchiin Academy to at least one Yulong Banner or National Tournament championship during his tenure.
The National Tournament is in March. The Yulong Banner is in late July, held in Fukuoka Prefecture.
He had to rush there as soon as summer vacation started—leaving no time to relax!
All the club members had to show their grit! Extra practice! Extra practice! Don't think about anything else besides extra practice!
However, the Kendo Club outwardly still claimed to uphold the good tradition of balancing both martial and scholarly pursuits—stating that members should review diligently after training.
But after daily practice, their entire bodies were exhausted. In such a state, only inhuman individuals like Shirogane could possibly study effectively.
"Why did you call me here? If it's for me to be a sparring partner, I can play a couple of rounds with you." Sakurai had many plans for his summer vacation.
His mother told him to visit her in Kyoto more often if he had time.
In early August, there was a fireworks festival—Sakurai planned to go with Hayasaka Ai. If possible, he wanted to watch a second show with Chika.
In mid-August, the Student Council was going on a beach vacation.
After the vacation, it would be almost time for school to start again.
His free time, if he calculated carefully, was only at the end of July.
Why go to Fukuoka Prefecture? To get all hyped up with a bunch of guys? Forget it.
[You have accepted the quest: Sword Saint]
[Win the Yulong Banner championship and achieve a 1-vs-5 feat in the semi-finals or higher]
[Note: This quest is the overall goal of a multi-stage quest]
[You have accepted the quest: Establish Authority]
[Gain recognition from the instructor and 30% of the members in the Kendo Club]
[Stage Reward: Duration of this superpower extended by 30 days]
[Final Reward: Permanent superpower count 0→1]
'Now I have a reason to fight.'
Permanent superpower.
Sakurai hadn't initially thought that the ability born from his own body could break this limitation—but it seemed he was mistaken.
Actually—the fact that this superpower could extend its duration and coexist with other superpowers already indicated something.
Sakurai now had two superpowers coexisting in his body: one was the Gamer System, and the other was the ability he'd randomly received today.
Although doing quests was troublesome, this was ultimately a good thing.
Kendo matches, with my current physical abilities—I could easily win.
[Hint: During matches, your physical abilities will be limited to the maximum achievable by an ordinary person.]
I knew it wouldn't be that simple.
But "ordinary person's limit"—are you sure you're not playing a beat-'em-up game?
The quest system: the richer the reward, the higher the difficulty. It seems that's not always the case—this time it's quite simple.
"You ask me why I called you here?" Kojima retorted.
"Didn't you already know?"
Sakurai was puzzled: "Already know?"
I knew jack shit! I'm not a prophet.
"Of course—for the championship."
Kojima glanced at the instructor not far away.
To get Sakurai to join the club, he certainly had to pass this hurdle.