My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

Kitahara Hideji finally understood why Uchida Yuma and Shima Rei were so resentful whenever Shima Kanae was mentioned. Shima Kanae was not a normal person at all. After they filled out the club registration form, she told them, “If the student council asks, say you’re participating in club activities as usual, and for competitions, you’re with the expeditionary forces.” Then she practically kicked them out, treating them like disposable items, no better than toilet paper.

She was a prime example of having zero emotional intelligence.

On the other hand, Fukuzawa Fuyumi was kept by Shima Kanae. It seemed that the Kendo Club’s captain admired Ancient Swordsmanship and wanted to have a good conversation with Fukuzawa Fuyumi.

Shima Rei felt extremely embarrassed about what had happened. In his view, he had brought his two friends, Kitahara Hideji and Uchida Yuma, to support his older sister’s club and deceive the club’s budget. He felt they deserved gratitude for that. However, Uchida Yuma ended up being intentionally injured by Fukuzawa Fuyumi. Although it wasn’t severe, at the very least, justice should have been served. Even if justice wasn’t served, a word of comfort should have been offered.

But instead, not even a word of consolation was said?

In any case, the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. His eyes turned red from the injustice, and suddenly, he bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle and said in a deep voice, “I’m sorry, both of you. I will definitely give you an explanation for this.”

Kitahara Hideji gently supported him, but Shima Rei insisted on bending over. However, when he tried to support him, Shima Rei didn’t budge, so Kitahara Hideji simply smiled and said, “Shima-kun, I’m not blaming you.”

After all, Kitahara Hideji was a bit older and knew that shifting blame onto others wouldn’t help the situation. He also had a bigger heart… At least he wouldn’t be like Shima Rei, who was only sixteen but had tears welling up in his eyes, unable to bear the injustice.

Uchida Yuma had a lifeless expression on his face. His situation was one of the tragedies of life, where pretending to be cool didn’t work out, leading to extreme disappointment. But in the face of Shima Rei’s sincere apology, he reluctantly said, “It’s okay, Rei. I know what kind of person your sister is. She has no emotional intelligence… She didn’t mean to embarrass you; she just didn’t think about these things. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame that shorty!”

He has known Shima Rei since childhood and their bond is extraordinary. Out of respect for him, Kitahara Hideji didn’t criticize his sister too much, but when it came to Fukuzawa Fuyumi, he didn’t hold back. Ignoring the fact that his own behavior was questionable, he cursed out loud, “That person clearly had ill intentions from the start. There’s definitely something wrong with her mentally. Probably because she’s short and has an excessive inferiority complex…”

Kitahara Hideji helped Shima Rei up and nodded, saying, “She did have ill intentions, but she was targeting me. You just got caught up in it.”

“How did you provoke that shorty?” Uchida Yuma said with resentment. Judging by his expression, if he could overpower Fukuzawa Fuyumi, he might have already gone to rip her bones and skin off.

Even Kitahara Hideji couldn’t understand how he ended up provoking that shorty. He shook his head and said, “I don’t know her at all.”

Uchida Yuma rubbed his throat, recalling the moment he was stabbed. He couldn’t even see where the tip of the sword was. He shuddered and said, “I’ll find out tomorrow. But that shorty is really formidable. Let’s try to avoid her in the future, okay?”

Shima Rei silently nodded in agreement. Although he was angry at Fukuzawa Fuyumi for using dangerous techniques intentionally, he was even more upset with his sister for embarrassing him in front of his friends.

Kitahara Hideji glanced at the cowardly Uchida Yuma, who didn’t agree. Avoiding the problem was useless! Who knew what kind of person Fukuzawa Fuyumi was? What if she found it amusing to cause trouble endlessly?

Avoidance only postponed the problem; it was not a solution and should not be considered.

A person must have the ability to protect themselves, even if it’s just for kids fighting!

He turned to Shima Rei and asked, “Shima-kun, I want to learn Kendo. Can you lend me some books about Kendo? And if possible, a Shinai?”

Shima Rei looked up in surprise, while Uchida Yuma couldn’t help but laugh. “Kitahara, aren’t you planning to learn on your own? Self-learning in Kendo is easy to develop bad habits, and it takes several times more time and effort to correct them.”

“Self-learning is simply not feasible,” Shima Rei nodded repeatedly in agreement. Kendo emphasizes proper posture, adjusting the blade’s alignment through the grip, scientific techniques for effective strikes, footwork, and body movement. Without someone guiding you, relying solely on books will likely lead to taking a detour 99% of the time. He added, “Kitahara-kun, the most crucial aspect of Kendo is persistent dedication. You need to repeat each movement countless times until it becomes a reflex… Even if you’re intelligent, without sufficient time for practice, it’s impossible to defeat Fukuzawa.”

Kitahara Hideji smiled and said, “Well, there’s no harm in trying, right?”

Uchida Yuma and Shima Rei exchanged a glance, both thinking that his idea was impractical. However, after some consideration, Shima Rei felt it wouldn’t be right to refuse outright, so he agreed, “Then I’ll bring it for you tomorrow… My sister really likes Kendo, so she has collected some illustrated techniques from modern Kendo and also some ancient military strategy books related to swordsmanship. I’ll pick one that focuses more on the basics for you.”

“Military strategy books?” Kitahara Hideji asked.

“Oh, in ancient times, swordsmanship was referred to as ‘heihō’ or ‘shōheihō.’ The term ‘heihō sensei’ referred to instructors of swordsmanship in the military.”

(兵法 (Heihō) is a broad term used in the context of martial arts and warfare in Japanese culture. It translates to “military tactics” or “strategy” in English. The concept of 兵法 has a rich history and significance in Japan, encompassing various aspects related to combat, strategy, and principles of warfare.)

Kitahara Hideji thought for a moment. It was better not to delay such matters, as who knew what trouble Fukuzawa Fuyumi might cause later. It would be embarrassing to get beaten up by a small person like her. The thought of being forever scarred by being defeated by a small, radish-headed girl was too much to bear. He asked, “Can I go and get them now? If possible, I’d like to take a few more to read… Fukuzawa Fuyumi mentioned that she practices a style called ‘Ono Ittō-ryū.’ Is there a swordsmanship style that can match her lineage?”

Shima Rei looked at Kitahara Hideji, a complete novice, unsure of what to say. Explaining such things would be complex and time-consuming. After a moment of thought, he decided it would be best for Kitahara Hideji to go back and look through the books himself. He nodded and said, “I’ll give you all of them.”

Filled with resentment over his sister’s embarrassing behavior, Shima Rei decided to go home and have a big argument with her. He saw it as a small revenge to rummage through her room and borrow the books as a small compensation for Kitahara Hideji.

Originally, the three of them weren’t going in the same direction. Normally, they would part ways at the train station. However, this time they accompanied Uchida Yuma to his nearby station first, making sure he was alright before heading to the Shima household together. Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s strike was accurate, but Uchida Yuma surprisingly didn’t suffer any major injuries. He had only taken a fall and was still a bit unsteady on his feet. He should be fine by tomorrow.

Shima Rei and Kitahara Hideji changed train lines and rode for another half an hour before getting off.

When Kitahara Hideji stepped off the train, he realized they were in a hillside neighborhood overlooking the sea. It was the southern district of Nagoya City, a newly developed affluent area after the city’s expansion. Shima Rei’s family seemed to have good financial conditions.

This was something that couldn’t be discerned at school. Everyone wore the same school uniform, even the socks were either provided by the school or required to be purchased from designated stores. It was difficult to distinguish between the rich and the poor without intentionally investigating.

Shima Rei wanted to invite Kitahara Hideji to his house, but Kitahara Hideji declined and chose to wait at the station, smiling as he asked Shima Rei to go and retrieve the items.

Shima Rei extended the invitation twice, but eventually gave up, thinking that Kitahara Hideji probably didn’t want to disturb his mother. He went straight home and without a word, headed to Shima Kanae’s room. He cleared out all the materials and books she had collected over the years and also took her sword bag that she used for training—this unfortunate sister was going to face a showdown tonight!