She gave Megumi a sidelong glance, "I didn't expect you to pay attention to these things. Seeing Katou-san always buried in books and studying, I assumed you were completely oblivious to all this."
'I wouldn't miss intelligence on my rivals,' Megumi thought to herself, but didn't voice it.
Seeing Megumi fall silent, Utaha stopped teasing her and instead extended a hand towards Yusei.
"Yusei-kun, care to take a walk around? Of course, the three of us together."
Hearing this, Megumi, who had initially grown wary, relaxed slightly and glanced subtly at Yusei.
It was clear she also desired this… to stroll together.
While a private time for two would have been ideal, that was impossible now that Utaha had found them.
Yusei didn't think much of it. Walking with one person or two was the same. It was a good opportunity to catch up on recent events on Tokyo University.
The trio walked across the campus. Fortunately, it was class time, and those without classes were either napping or in the library, so the sight of two campus belles with one man didn't cause much of a stir.
Along the way, the two girls told Yusei many things about Tokyo University, including the traditional art of Kendo.
Since they both knew Yusei was admitted based on his Kendo Championship, they were more informed about Kendo.
Among these, the Kendo Club's president held a relatively important position, able to participate in student council decisions regarding the university, a reflection of Japan's general emphasis on such ancient arts.
Yusei had no interest in this. He didn't plan to challenge the current Kendo Club's president and take their spot.
Simply put, he was just nominally associated with Kendo. After that, he would be busy with his own affairs.
Not to mention, he wouldn't be staying in this world for long.
In just over a month, he needed to go to a new world to complete the [Soul Sublimation] mission.
While he didn't know the specifics, the objective alone suggested it was extremely difficult.
After all, just the name Soul Sublimation didn't sound easy.
Furthermore, he hadn't fully mastered his Rinnegan yet and had no time to manage a Kendo Club.
He'd rather spend that effort practicing his Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu and the power of his Rinnegan.
And his name being on the Kendo Club's roster wasn't by choice… it was automatic due to his admission via the Kendo championship.
Having all eaten lunch and having no afternoon classes, a casual stroll around the large, varied campus wasn't tedious.
"Hey, Yusei-kun, do you know who the current Kendo Club's president is?" Utaha suddenly moved closer and asked.
"The Kendo Club's president? No idea," Yusei replied. He genuinely didn't know or care.
"That president... you might know her. It's..." Utaha started, but was interrupted.
Megumi cut in smoothly, "It's the one with pink hair who faced Yusei-kun in the Kendo Tournament's finals."
Utaha puffed her cheeks, shooting a look at the placid Megumi, who seemed utterly unperturbed.
Hearing the description, Yusei knew immediately who they meant.
'Okita Souji.'
She hadn't mentioned it last time they met, but Yusei felt it made sense.
She either didn't attend school, practicing Kendo at home, or if she did, it would be at a top institution like Tokyo University that valued the art.
Utaha's purpose wasn't merely informational.
"Yusei-kun, don't you want to defeat her? I heard she's a freshman too, and she defeated the old president right after enrolling to become the new one."
"You were first in the tournament. Beating her, the second place, should be easy, right?"
Yusei looked at Utaha, mildly exasperated. He hadn't realized she had this competitive streak.
But it was understandable. People liked to show off. Utaha wanted to showcase Yusei's prowess.
Besides, he'd promised to 'carry' her before. She found it incredible but believed him.
"Let's discuss that another time. She probably isn't even on campus right now," Yusei declined, waving a hand.
With his current strength, Souji was still too weak. He had no interest in a match.
In their recent encounter, he'd defeated her in a few moves.
It wasn't that she lasted, but he had let her.
In fact, she'd be down in one move if Yusei wanted to.
Utaha's disappointment was brief. The real joy was encountering him and walking together on campus.
"Yusei-kun, have you thought about how to spend the five-day holiday soon?" Megumi inquired.
"There's a holiday?" Yusei was unaware.
"That's right." Utaha beside him also looked hopeful, 'A date would be perfect.'
"I haven't decided yet, but probably training," Yusei mused. He might just sequester himself in the dojo.
Utaha didn't mind, as they were neighbors, so visiting was easy. Megumi felt a pang of disappointment, but her calm nature prevented her from voicing any request.
A three-person outing had its own unique dynamic, but Yusei found it pleasant overall.
The afternoon passed, including a trip to a shopping district, before they parted ways.
The girls returned to Tokyo University, while Yusei, true to form, skipped class.
Finding himself near Hina's residence after the stroll, Yusei decided to check on her first.
He knew where she lived.
Arriving at a two-story apartment in a standard residential area, Yusei knocked, and a voice soon responded from inside.
"Who is it?" The voice approached.
"It's me, Hina." At the sound of Yusei's familiar voice, the footsteps inside halted abruptly.
"Ah! B-Boss! P-Please, wait a moment!" Hina's flustered voice came through. The door opened, revealing Hina, her hair untied, standing before him.
But, unlike before, parts of her body were visibly transparent!