"Bang!"
After their bamboo swords clashed—
"Your strength is a bit light, brother."
Sakurai's lips curled into a malicious smile.
He blocked the opponent's attack with one hand on his bamboo sword—even deliberately showing his other empty hand to the opponent a few times.
In Kendo—only dual-wielding practitioners hold their swords with one hand. Sakurai's actions were purely provocative.
"How about I let you have one hand?"
A few seconds later—the opponent didn't answer—but simply pulled back and attacked again.
'Boring.'
Sakurai found no fun when he saw that the opponent didn't fall for his trash talk.
Previous opponents would at least talk tough for a few sentences—but this one—perhaps due to being in the wrong—dared not answer.
He also didn't understand how he brought the illegal sword in.
"Clang!"
Their swords met—and Sakurai Saki's eyes became focused.
Inside the gymnasium—
The Nakano Five Sisters were sitting with Nakano Maruo—watching the match as planned.
Their attention was all on the match below.
"Sakurai-kun seems angry," Yotsuba said.
Sakurai Saki was continuously suppressing his opponent with overhead attacks—as if he wanted to shatter the bamboo sword in his hand.
Was there some deep-seated hatred?
Yotsuba didn't know that Sakurai Saki hated cheaters who used hacks and couldn't play fair in games. Kendo—in his eyes—was similar to a game—so he naturally felt annoyed by cheaters.
And facing the opponent's heavier bamboo sword—Sakurai Saki chose to crush him head-on!
"Mm—completely without form—Saki-kun is overwhelming the opponent with pure strength," Miku whispered.
This attacking style showed no regard for the opponent as a person.
Nakano Maruo crossed his legs—his eyes slightly narrowed: "Sakurai-kun's strength is exaggerated—even more powerful than that previous team."
He was referring to the five 'Kumamon' from Kumamoto Prefecture.
'Not like ordinary people—could it be someone from that side… No—the probability is low.' Maruo speculated internally.
Maruo had treated many humans with extremely exaggerated physical abilities—mostly Shinto priests—and their injuries also seemed to be caused by some strange creatures.
"So strong," Nino murmured.
Although she couldn't understand it—she knew that Sakurai Saki had a great advantage now. Her gaze stayed on Sakurai Saki's figure—not leaving for a moment.
Below the arena—
"Hmph!!!"
Sakurai let out a high-pitched Kiai.
'!!!'
His opponent was startled by his voice—and for a moment—he was so scared that he forgot to defend.
The opponent's continuous attacks earlier had no flaws—they were powerful and extremely fast—making him feel that he and Sakurai Saki were not creatures of the same dimension at all.
The bamboo sword grew larger and larger in his vision—until a crisp sound—
"Thwack!"
The tip of the bamboo sword struck his head—and even through the heavy protective gear—it made him feel dizzy. Soon—he fell straight to the ground.
"Men!!" Sakurai shouted.
The two referees simultaneously raised their flags and announced: "Valid strike! Ippon!"
In the spectator stands—
Ichika clapped excitedly a few times—exclaiming: "Sensei has scored the first Ippon!"
Although Nakano Ichika used a more intimate address for Sakurai Saki in private—with her father beside her—she restrained herself considerably.
"No wonder Sakurai-kun was so confident last time—even saying he didn't want to go on stage before the knockout rounds," Itsuki recalled.
So he looked down on his opponents.
'This match should be an easy win.' The Five Sisters had the same thought.
After a few minutes—
As the Five Sisters had expected—
Sakurai Saki easily defeated his opponent.
Then—
He didn't immediately return to the starting point to wait for the next opponent. Instead—he picked up the opponent's bamboo sword and shouted: "Referee—his sword has a problem!! The weight is wrong!"
This left both referees dumbfounded.
If there was a problem—why didn't you say so earlier?
And—if there was a problem—you still won? What kind of monster are you?
The referees—ignoring the slumped—dejected rule-breaker on the ground—took the bamboo sword and left to inspect it.
After a while—
The event organizer directly announced the disqualification of the offending school.
Nearby—many school contestants began whispering—mostly about cheating and still losing.
This time—they were utterly humiliated.
After entering the top eight—the first day's matches concluded smoothly.
Boarding the bus—the group prepared to return.
On the way—as they were about to reach the inn—Sakurai saw a festival site being prepared outside the bus window.
There was a shrine nearby—and this festival was hosted by the shrine's chief priest. This shrine seemed to enshrine tanuki—a type of yokai.
Tanuki are symbols of good luck in Japan—and tanuki decorations are often seen outside restaurants and shops.
"A festival—I heard it's tomorrow," Kojima said—following his gaze and seeing the scene.
"By the way—I might not be able to attend the celebration party after the match," Sakurai suddenly said.
"A celebration party? We should talk about that after we win the Tamaryokki Championship—shouldn't we? We haven't even played the quarterfinals yet—and you're already popping champagne halfway through?" Kojima was speechless.
"Do you think Shuchiin Academy will lose?"
Kojima really wanted to say no—but he wasn't so confident in his heart.
Sakurai explained: "I have a date tomorrow—I'm going to the festival with someone."
"The Nakano girls?" Kojima gossiped.
"How do you know that too?"
"We're staying at the same inn—and I'm not the only one who saw them," Kojima said—glancing at the others on the bus.
The remaining Kendo Club members all showed embarrassed expressions.
"Didn't you start dating Hayasaka-san? And you're still going to a festival with others?" He asked a question everyone wanted to know.
As soon as he said this—the bus instantly fell silent.
Sakurai heard him and gave him a look.
This guy has thick eyebrows and big eyes—and sharp gaze—looking like a tough character—yet he's so gossipy?
"I can't have female friends?"
As his words fell—boos erupted in the bus.
"Female friends… do you believe that?"
"I don't believe it," someone shook their head.
Someone even started a reprise of the previous confession— "Hayasaka-san!! I lo-lo-love you the most!"
Sakurai glared at the person who spoke: "Miyazaki—be careful when you go back later—don't sleep too soundly at night!"
Miyazaki Ikki instantly shut up.
This was a clear threat—without even pretending.
This topic didn't last long.
Everyone was a rich young master from Shuchiin Academy—and they were already used to such things—some were even children of their fathers' mistresses.
"Speaking of which—Sakurai—why didn't you report it earlier?" Kojima asked.
Before Sakurai could answer that question—Ohmonto Saburo—the coach sitting in the front row—spoke first: "He thinks he's strong enough—so he wanted to mess with their mindset. None of you others should learn from him—if you find a problem—speak up early."
Kojima was stunned for a few seconds—shocked:
"You just did it to mess with their mindset?"
Sakurai—what do you consider the Tamaryokki Championship to be?
This is one of the most prestigious high school Kendo competitions in all of Japan!
Are you being a bit too arrogant?