Joining a school club was practically a requirement for high school students. For Shimizu Koji, it was partly driven by interest—and partly by school rules.
Classes themselves were dull, but effective at killing time. With a powerful soul that granted him what felt like a multi-core processor for a brain, most subjects were things he could grasp with a single glance.
One could easily call him a genius.The problem was—nothing truly interested him. Or rather, there was nothing in this world that could hold his attention for long.
Before four o'clock, with the sun still blazing warmly overhead, Koji snapped out of his daze in the classroom. After briefly planning his next steps, he packed up, picked up his bag, and—as usual—left the classroom, heading toward the gym where the kendo club trained.
But today, something was clearly wrong.
The moment Koji reached the stairwell, two senior members of the kendo club came running straight toward him.
The instant they saw him, both of their eyes lit up.
"Shimizu!""Shimizu!"
They looked vaguely familiar.
Aside from the club captain, Nohara Naoto—who had challenged him multiple times—most of the others still felt like strangers. Still, Koji remembered they were from the kendo club, and even recalled their names.
"Tanaka. Sasaki. What's going on? I was just heading over."
Tanaka Shota took a deep breath, then nearly shouted in relief, "That's great!"
Sasaki Naoto wiped the sweat from his forehead, visibly relaxing.
Koji had skipped practice before, and no one usually cared. But today, when he was twenty minutes late, the club had panicked like ants on a hot pan.
Neither Tanaka nor Sasaki dared to put on airs as seniors. Between the two of them, they quickly explained the urgent situation.
"You're saying… a girl came to challenge us?"
Even Koji's voice carried a trace of disbelief.
A girl was one thing—but challenging the dojo? This was just a high school kendo club. What dojo was there to challenge?
"Why?" he asked.
The two shook their heads, faces tight with anxiety. Seeing that, Koji stopped questioning, tightened his grip on his bag, and followed them toward the kendo hall.
Teitan High School – Kendo Club
Though Teitan High wasn't as prestigious as some private academies, its facilities ranked among the best. With many famous alumni, it wasn't surprising that even wealthy heiresses like Suzuki Sonoko attended.
The kendo club's facilities were no exception. Inside the gym was a spacious, dedicated practice hall.
And at that moment—
Standing alone at the center of the polished wooden floor was a girl.
She had short, slightly curled hair and wore a black school uniform. Her expression was cold and distant, a wooden sword held calmly in her arms.
Around her, members of the Teitan kendo club—third-years, second-years, even tall male students who towered over her—stood silently at the edges of the hall.
"If this is all your club is capable of," the girl said evenly, "then you'd better skip next month's Kanto Tournament and spare yourselves the embarrassment."
As Koji entered with Tanaka and Sasaki, her calm, cutting voice echoed through the hall.
She was beautiful, but aloof. Pride showed between her brows, along with thinly veiled impatience—and perhaps disappointment—as her gaze swept over the club members.
"You barely passed the prefectural qualifiers and earned your spot in the Kanto Tournament," she continued coolly. "But that's as far as you go. I don't see anyone here who belongs on that stage."
Her eyes finally flicked toward Nohara Naoto, the club captain.
Nohara stood drenched in cold sweat, clutching his left arm as two members supported him.
Seeing the girl turn as if to leave, Nohara gritted his teeth and pushed himself upright.
"Wait! Just—wait a moment!"
At that moment, Koji set his bag down in the spectator area, took his wooden sword from the rack, and walked to Nohara's side.
"Sorry I'm late."
Though he wasn't particularly attached to the club, Koji respected Nohara—an upperclassman who kept challenging him despite repeated losses, never bitter, never resentful.
Besides, someone coming to their doorstep to humiliate them—what was this, a third-rate manga plot? Koji wasn't the kind of person to swallow an insult in silence.
"Haoji! You finally made it!"Nohara turned instantly, his face lighting up when he saw Koji in person.
Koji was their only card left—their last hope. They'd been holding on until now solely to buy time for his arrival.
He'd been terrified Koji might just head straight home like before, but now that he was here, the weight on his chest vanished.
The girl, who had been about to leave, turned back.
Her cold gaze followed Nohara's line of sight and locked directly onto Koji.
Her sword-like brows furrowed. Curiosity flickered in her eyes—yet disappointment was unmistakable.
"Haoji… I'm counting on you," Nohara said excitedly, patting Koji's shoulder twice.
Koji didn't mind the sudden familiarity—but… that was it?He glanced at Nohara, who had already gone back to sitting down, and felt speechless for the first time.
Why did this suddenly feel like he'd been hired as a pure hired muscle?
"You're not a student here, are you?" Koji asked.
He didn't bother changing into heavy practice gear—he rarely wore it when training alone anyway. Still, it felt strange.
She looked like a pure, delicate schoolgirl.
Koji's gaze drifted briefly to her long legs beneath the black pleated skirt—slender, well-proportioned, wrapped in white thigh-high socks.
The girl noticed immediately.
Her expression darkened. She didn't answer him.
Instead, she pulled out her bamboo sword. With a flick of her wrist, she executed a beautiful, flashy sword flourish—something rarely seen in standard kendo matches.
Then, the tip of her sword pointed straight at Koji.
The sharp whoosh of the bamboo blade cutting through the air rang out.
Koji's eyes narrowed.
He grew serious.
Whatever else she was, this girl clearly had real skill. Perhaps even strength as unreasonably powerful as his own.
Koji never underestimated an opponent.
A boy and a girl, both in school uniforms, assumed their stances.
The atmosphere in the hall froze instantly.
It wasn't quite silent enough to hear a pin drop—but everyone present could clearly hear only their own breathing.