"What should I do next?"
It was afternoon now, still some time before Fujimi Academy let out.
Ryuji opened the world map, a bonus item provided by the Reincarnation Space when arranging his identity. It contained almost all the detailed information about the entire bed master city, seemingly intended to help Ryuji complete his tasks more easily.
The Reincarnation Space also granted each reincarnator an essential personal storage space, initially 1 cubic meter in size. Anything except living things could be stored inside, and reincarnation points could be spent to expand this personal space.
However, Ryuji's personal space was already Lv.5.
And now Ryuji's attributes were:
Reincarnation Number: A/A1
Reincarnation Nickname: Black
Strength: G-
Intelligence: G-
Constitution: G-
Spirit: G-
Talent: Immortality
Skills: Age and Appearance Control, Japanese Kendo (Grand Master)
Items: Lv.5 Personal Space (125m³)
Overall Rating: G-
Reincarnation Points: 0
"I feel my strength has improved a bit, and my five senses have become sharper. It must be from the Grand Master level kendo."
He clenched his fist. Although his attributes hadn't changed, Ryuji felt he could now take down three of his former selves.
...
Following the map provided by the Reincarnation Space, Ryuji arrived at Fujimi Academy's kendo club.
The kendo club at this time seemed unusually quiet and empty, probably because school hadn't let out yet.
'Wait, there's someone inside.'
The person inside was breathing extremely slowly. If not for Ryuji's senses being stronger than ordinary people, he might not have detected it.
With a hint of curiosity, Ryuji pushed open the door to the kendo club and immediately saw a beautiful girl with purple hair reaching her legs, kneeling in the center of the club room.
As the club room door was pushed open, the purple-haired girl also opened her blue eyes, placing her hand on the wooden sword resting on her legs while looking toward the club room door with a hint of vigilance.
When the door was pushed open, Ryuji also saw the purple-haired girl kneeling in the middle of the club room.
The girl had purple hair tied in a long ponytail. Due to her kneeling posture, a small portion of her ponytail fell onto the wooden floor. She wore Fujimi Academy's distinctive girls' school uniform, with the gray butterfly bow at her collar lifted by her impressive chest. Her waist was slender, and perhaps due to her kneeling position, Ryuji could even see the curve of her hips from the front.
Under the purple-haired girl's sharp gaze, Ryuji recognized who she was.
Saeko Busujima, the close-combat specialist throughout the entire anime. In the early stages, she protected the airheaded Shizuka with just a bamboo sword and safely reunited with the main group. After obtaining the Murata sword at the Takagi household, she went on a rampage, making it impossible for any "them" to get close.
Ryuji first showed a moment of confusion at the girl's vigilance, then immediately understood the reason.
'School hasn't let out yet, so she thinks whoever came isn't a student, and teachers wouldn't casually come here, which is why she's somewhat on guard, right?'
Stepping into the club room, looking at Saeko's voluptuous and fiery figure, Ryuji made no attempt to hide his burning gaze and intense possessiveness.
Facing Saeko, who was sometimes as gentle as a Yamato Nadeshiko and sometimes like a Valkyrie, there was no need to conceal his desire. As long as he demonstrated strength far surpassing hers, he could gain her high favor. Then, after the apocalypse broke out, revealing and accepting her weakness would absolutely make her fall hopelessly in love with him.
Ryuji's current Grand Master level kendo skills couldn't even be ranked according to Japanese kendo dan grades.
If forced to assign a rank, it would be above eighth dan, while Saeko's father was only seventh dan. After all, Japanese kendo nowadays was just a bunch of old men going by seniority—who cares about actual skill?
And Saeko, with strength at the fifth dan level, at eighteen years old could only obtain third dan qualifications. This was also why she won first place in every national youth kendo tournament—her skills already far exceeded her peers.
Saeko noticed the undisguised gaze. The favorable impression she had initially formed due to Ryuji's appearance instantly vanished, replaced by a touch of indifference.
"It's still class time. Is there something you need at the kendo club right now, classmate?"
Saeko stood up, smoothing her skirt along the way, then calmly questioned Ryuji.
Although Saeko knew how attractive her appearance and figure were to adolescent boys, she didn't think Ryuji had come to assault her seeing her alone in the club room. After all, the entire school knew about her kendo skills. It would be impossible for anyone to think that even several adult men could take her down, let alone Ryuji by himself.
"Busujima-senpai, I'll get straight to the point."
Ryuji came to a position three meters in front of Saeko. Getting closer, he could even more clearly perceive Saeko's criminally alluring figure. Combined with her sometimes spirited, sometimes gentle eyes, her housewife-like appearance when cooking in the anime, and those words defending male dignity, it made Ryuji want even more to conquer her and make her his possession.
"Let's make a wager through a kendo match. The loser becomes the winner's possession."
As Ryuji's words fell, Saeko, who had won the national kendo championship, didn't show the slightest contemptuous expression. Instead, she somewhat admired Ryuji's courage to say it.
"Kouhai-kun should know about my kendo skills, yet you still dare to challenge me. I admire that."
Saeko first expressed admiration for Ryuji's courage, then said gently, "But, since this is a kendo match wagering our future selves, I won't be holding back, you know…"
Just then, the Reincarnation Space suddenly displayed a new task notification.
[Ding! Hidden task triggered: Defeat Saeko Busujima. Reward: 1000 reincarnation points, Saeko Busujima Bronze Chest ×1]
...
In the quiet kendo club, a man and woman stood facing each other holding bamboo swords, each standing at their starting positions.
"Kouhai-kun, you're not wearing protective gear?"
Looking at Ryuji holding a bamboo sword with one hand without wearing any protection, Saeko asked with some surprise.
"A true kendo match should be about defeating your opponent with kendo without any restraints."
Ryuji spoke these chuunibyou words while raising his bamboo sword with one hand to point diagonally at Saeko.
With Grand Master level kendo skills, Ryuji certainly didn't think he would lose to Saeko.
Facing Ryuji holding his bamboo sword diagonally with one hand, Saeko didn't feel looked down upon. Instead, she focused her eyes intently, seriously gripping her bamboo sword with both hands and pointing it diagonally at Ryuji.
Because Saeko sensed an aura—the kind of aura she had once felt from her father.
'No, this aura is far stronger than Father's.'
Sensing this aura, even though Ryuji was just standing there holding a bamboo sword with one hand, Saeko couldn't find any point of attack at all.
Saeko gripped her bamboo sword tightly with both hands, her spirit highly concentrated, as a drop of cold sweat slid from her pale forehead down to her rounded chin.
Time seemed to slow down, making Saeko feel a trace of torment.
Tap!
Suddenly, the sweat droplet that had been hanging on Saeko's chin fell onto her ample bosom wrapped in her school uniform, making a faint sound that caused Saeko to lose focus for an instant.
At that moment, Ryuji moved.
Raising his sword high with one hand and bringing it down, Ryuji also quickly stepped before Saeko.
Smack!
In a fluster, Saeko barely managed to raise her bamboo sword horizontally above her head, blocking Ryuji's swift strike, but the tremendous force still made both her hands ache faintly.
Her impressive chest also swayed exaggeratedly with her movements.
'To have such force with just one hand, truly monstrous strength.'
Saeko felt secretly alarmed.
However, before Saeko could recover from the previous attack, Ryuji's bamboo sword was already slashing horizontally toward her left waist.
Smack!
Another hasty parry, and Saeko felt her hands growing slightly numb.
Smack!
Another swift diagonal slash toward her right shoulder, which Saeko barely managed to block.
Smack!
Blocking Ryuji's overhead strike once more, Saeko immediately pulled back and retreated, escaping Ryuji's attack range.
Saeko could now be certain that the boy before her, younger than herself, was a kendo grandmaster surpassing even her father.
When sparring with her father, although she was also overwhelmed, it was far from the pressure this boy brought her.
One-handed bamboo sword, force, speed, precision—all solidly surpassed her father by a margin.
The boy before her was so powerful, yet Saeko didn't feel discouraged. Instead, a fierce fighting spirit ignited within her.
Smack!
This time it wasn't Ryuji's attack, but Saeko's.
Ryuji caught with one hand Saeko's chop aimed at his neck, while simultaneously seeing Saeko's smiling face, flushed slightly with excitement, and eyes tinged with bloodlust.
Seeing Saeko like this, Ryuji smiled faintly.
This Saeko was the real Saeko.
Smack! Smack-smack! Smack!
Saeko launched a fierce assault, each strike aimed at vital points, her bamboo sword whistling through the air as she swung it.
However, Saeko's consecutive attacks were all easily blocked by Ryuji. There were even a few counterattacks that nearly knocked the bamboo sword from Saeko's hands.
What should have been a five-minute kendo match was dragged out to twenty minutes by the two of them.
Now the two stood facing each other again. After twenty minutes of high-intensity exercise, Saeko was gasping for breath, her full chest rising and falling continuously. Already exhausted, both hands gripping the bamboo sword were trembling.
But the fighting spirit Saeko had ignited hadn't cooled; instead, it seemed to reach its peak, her eyes shining with golden light.
Ryuji looked at Saeko at this moment, feeling this was about enough. After Saeko calmed down and digested the experience from this match, her kendo skills would surely improve tremendously.
"Busujima-senpai, it's about time to end this match. The next strike will defeat you."
Ryuji gripped the bamboo sword with one hand, not raising it but instead pointing it diagonally at the ground.
"Huff… huff… hehe, come at me, kouhai-kun."
Saeko smiled, excitedly gripping her bamboo sword with both hands and raising it high, gathering strength to deliver her final strike.
After exchanging glances for a moment, both moved simultaneously, passing each other.
Smack! Clatter-clatter!
A bamboo sword dropped outside the ring.
[Ding! Hidden task: Defeat Saeko Busujima—Complete. Reward: 2000 reincarnation points, Saeko Busujima Bronze Chest ×1]
Ryuji stood up and set down his bamboo sword, only to see Saeko's figure swaying unsteadily.
He immediately stepped forward to catch Saeko, who was about to collapse, holding her in his arms without caring that she was drenched in sweat.
Only then did Ryuji notice that Saeko's breathing was even—she had fallen asleep.
This wasn't surprising. Twenty minutes of mental and physical exertion at full concentration, dueling with an opponent far surpassing oneself, would be impossible for an ordinary person, even though Ryuji had been holding back the entire time.
Looking at the girl lying in his arms, Ryuji finally had time to observe this heroine who shone brilliantly in the anime.
"Her appearance is indeed somewhat different from my memory, just like Shizuka before."
Ryuji understood—anime was just anime after all, and couldn't represent what things would look like when they became reality.
They say there are no ugly girls in two dimensions, and that was indeed true.
But that didn't mean that the absence of ugly girls meant they were all beauties. Just like those girls on the playground earlier—while their figures were all excellent, their faces were ordinary, the kind you'd lose in a crowd and couldn't pick out, completely incomparable to Shizuka and Saeko.
Ryuji lowered his head and immediately saw Saeko's full bosom, her clothes soaked with sweat, revealing the deep purple lace bra underneath.
Ryuji could even faintly see through her collar a glimpse of fair skin and that deep cleavage.
Fortunately, Ryuji had developed decent self-control through his study materials, otherwise the currently defenseless Saeko would be like a little lamb fallen into the big bad wolf's jaws.