Currently, girl bands, karate, detective games, and other trends are popular in Japan.
However, it's clear that whether it's girl bands or detective games, they're just fleeting fads that could be completely forgotten within ten or even eight years.
Karate, on the other hand, is different. As a martial art with a history spanning hundreds of years, it's not something that will go out of style even after a few more centuries.
Karate originated in the 15th century, formed by combining ancient martial arts with boxing techniques.
The Karate Club at Tokyo University occupied a very large classroom. When Toru arrived, many people were already practicing inside.
"Leg, your leg isn't high enough. Raise it higher."
"President, I really can't lift it any higher. My tendons are about to snap!"
"Then stretch your tendons. I'll help you myself in a bit."
"Nooo!"
...
As soon as Toru arrived, he was greeted by a chorus of screams from inside the Karate Club.
Just like dancing or other physical arts, for those without any experience or foundation in a martial art like karate, the early stages of training are always accompanied by intense pain.
Still, even though the basics were painful, this was Tokyo University. Everyone here had been geniuses admired and praised in their respective high schools.
Even if their genius was purely academic, their years of pride wouldn't allow them to give up so easily. They couldn't afford to lose face.
So, despite the pain, the freshmen who had just joined the club gritted their teeth and pushed through.
Meanwhile, the sophomores and upperclassmen watched with schadenfreude. They had all gone through this pain themselves, and now they found amusement in the suffering of the newcomers.
"Haruno, what are you staring at?"
Miyuki, Haruno's friend, noticed that she didn't seem too focused on training today and asked curiously.
"I..."
Just as Haruno was about to answer, she saw Toru walk into the training hall. Her eyes lit up. She quickly dropped her stance and walked toward him.
Miyuki clicked her tongue and muttered, "Haruno, don't tell me you're really into that kohai?"
Initially, she encouraged Haruno to recruit Toru into the club because she was curious about his identity as the freshman representative.
In the end, Toru joined the Karate Club. Along with the rise in popularity of karate in Japan, many freshmen applied, and the club still had to screen applicants.
But for some time, Toru hadn't shown up to a single practice session, which annoyed Miyuki.
As students of Tokyo University, they looked down on slackers the most.
Generally, they categorized this type of person into two kinds.
One kind was just lazy and useless. These people were social trash and not worth dealing with.
The other kind had talent but didn't apply themselves, and they were just as disliked. Hardworking students had no tolerance for that kind of person either.
Of course, there was also some jealousy mixed in. Even among Tokyo University students, there were tiers. Some people were just built different.
Toru's repeated absences hit a nerve with a lot of them.
As Haruno walked over to greet him, most of the club members noticed.
"Isn't that our freshman representative?"
"He joined the Karate Club, right? Why hasn't he shown up to anything?"
"Probably chickened out. You know how painful the basics are."
"Seriously, being handsome must be amazing. Why is Yukinoshita-senpai personally going to greet him?"
Someone muttered in frustration.
"Don't be like that. Being handsome really is a cheat code. And Yukinoshita-senpai was the one who personally invited him. Now that he hasn't been showing up, maybe she's embarrassed too."
"Ohhh, that makes sense!"
The freshmen suddenly got it.
...
Seeing Haruno with her fresh short hair and lovely face walking toward him, Toru gave her a polite nod and said, "Yukinoshita-senpai."
Haruno smiled and asked kindly, "Toru-kun, how's your sister?"
"She's fine. The fever's gone, and she can take care of herself now."
"That's good. Your training uniform has been ready for a while. I'll take you to the changing room."
With that, Haruno grabbed his arm and led him to the changing area.
The President of the Karate Club saw this and frowned, clearly displeased.
"Toru-kun had a reason for not attending practices, but the members are still a bit unhappy. It's not easy to get them to understand," Haruno reminded him intentionally.
"Got it," Toru replied.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Haruno felt a headache coming on.
Was Toru like her sister Yukino? A little chuunibyou and liked to isolate himself?
But he didn't seem like that. From what she'd seen, he was sociable and articulate.
There's no way he didn't understand what she meant.
After changing into the uniform, Toru stepped out.
Haruno generously patted his arm, smiling like an older sister. "Not bad. The uniform suits you. You look sharp."
"Senpai looks great in it too."
Toru's gaze swept over her. The karate gi was tied at the waist, highlighting Haruno's slim figure.
Even though the upper part was loose and didn't show her curves clearly, if you looked closely, her "waves" were still noticeable.
Haruno had more of a pear-shaped figure, not the traditional slim and petite look. To guys, this kind of body was just... yeah.
Besides, uniforms didn't have to be stewardess or nurse outfits to be tempting. A karate gi could do the job just fine.
Haruno pretended not to notice the teasing in Toru's voice but was mildly annoyed by his relaxed attitude.
Her interest was piqued again. She wanted to see how he would deal with the challenges coming his way.
If he got bullied, even better.
That was just how she was. The more interested she was in something, the more she wanted to play with it in the palm of her hand—even watch it break.
If she wasn't interested, she would maintain perfect etiquette and feel nothing, not even dislike.
Back in the training hall, the club members were still hard at work.
Upperclassmen with ranks were leading the white-belt freshmen through the basics.
Those with higher ranks were either guiding others or practicing alone in preparation for upcoming competitions.
"When practicing karate, form is the most important. One of the reasons karate can be practiced solo is because of form."
"Karate is a combat technique, but it also has a performance aspect. Only through professional form training can you achieve the combination of power and beauty."
Sano Kazunari, the club president, was serious and responsible. He took time to teach beginners personally.
After his explanation, he demonstrated a series of punches and kicks. His strikes were powerful, slicing through the air with sharp sounds. Some of the freshmen applauded.
"See? That's the value of form. Everyone, stand in position and follow along. Shout with energy. This helps unify your spirit and movements."
Sano's voice boomed.
"Yes, President!"
To someone who had made it into the national top eight in karate, the freshmen had nothing but respect.
Under the guidance of their senpai, they practiced in sync, shouting loudly.
"One, two, three, four!"
"Two, two, three, four!"
...
"Again! One, two, three, four!"
...
In Japan, clubs are taken very seriously, and there are age-group competitions too. It's a defining feature.
The freshmen of the Karate Club were also practicing with full dedication.
Toru watched for a while. Most of the freshmen wore white belts, clearly beginners. Most senpai had some degree of rank, as seen from the different colored belts.
They had probably been tested after a year of practice.
As for the black belts, those were few. Reaching that level at this age usually meant they had been practicing since childhood.
After watching the training for a while, Haruno turned to Toru and said, "Toru-kun, you'll train with me first. I want to see where your level is at."
Even if it meant sacrificing some of her own training time, it was no big deal.
Whether it was because of her aunt's request or her own curiosity about Toru, she was willing to spare some time.
Just then, Sano walked over. From a distance, he barked with authority, "Hey, who are you?"
Haruno frowned slightly, but her face lit up with amusement. She had no intention of stepping in. She wanted to see how Toru would handle this.
Of course, Toru was still family. If things got too heated, she would smooth things over and turn it into nothing.
The group of freshmen chanting "one, two, three, four" lowered their voices. Almost everyone turned to watch, eager for drama.
"Fujiwara Toru."
He answered without a change in expression.
To be fair, he was kind of in the wrong. He had joined the club but hadn't attended anything. It was understandable that the president would be mad.
"Fujiwara Toru?"
Sano put on a dramatic expression of realization. "Oh, I remember now. You're that Fujiwara Toru who keeps skipping club activities, right?"
His face turned cold. He pointed toward the door.
"We don't need someone like you who lacks club spirit. You're out. Get changed and leave."
Toru looked at him with interest.
Sano smirked inwardly.
Good. Get mad. Punch me. That way, I'll have a reason to retaliate, and no one can say anything when I beat the crap out of you.
To his surprise, Toru just shrugged and turned around.
"Okay."
He headed toward the changing room.
The only reason he joined this club was because Haruno was in it. He wanted to see if she might drop some benefits his way.
But after learning they were relatives, he lost interest.
He didn't need the club to stay connected with her anymore.
Most importantly, with his basic understanding of psychology, Toru knew that by backing down, he would frustrate Sano and provoke him into making a poor decision.
Someone like him wouldn't just let things slide.
Sure enough, Sano was stunned by how obedient Toru was.
It felt like throwing a punch into cotton. No satisfaction at all.
What kind of man was this? No backbone?
Unaware he was being baited, Sano snapped, "Wait!"
Toru turned and smiled. "Yes, President?"
Sano felt like a clown. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I heard you've studied karate before?"
"A bit."
"Great. Then I'll find you an opponent. If you beat him, I'll let you join the club."
"Sorry, President, I'm not really interested in joining anymore."
"No. You're fighting."
Sano knew that while kicking Toru out had justification, what he was doing now was clearly picking a fight.
Even some of the club members began to feel he was going too far. The guy already backed down. Was he really going to abuse his rank to bully someone?
But Sano didn't care. He had enough self-awareness to know he couldn't fight Toru himself.
Looking around, he spotted a tall glasses-wearing freshman and pointed at him.
"Horikita, you fight him."
Manabu, suddenly roped in, adjusted his glasses and pointed to himself.
"Me?"
Me, fight Fujiwara Toru?
He hadn't even thought about that.
"Yes, you!"
Manabu sighed and stepped forward.
Back in high school, he had been the student council president and considered elite.
But at Tokyo University, everyone was a genius. His abilities were nothing special here.
His fifth dan in karate had been undefeated in high school, but here, people like Sano were out of his league.
Top eight in the nation wasn't just for show. That was a different tier entirely.
Though Manabu didn't want to do this, he had no choice. The weak had to bow their heads.
While the behavior here wasn't that different from high school, in terms of pure skill, the gap was overwhelming.
His old school had been one of the best in Japan, but Tokyo University students came from all the best.
He was just average here.
Standing in front of Toru, Manabu kept his expression calm and said, "Excuse me, Fujiwara-san. Since the president asked, let's spar a little."
(To be continued.)
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