NOVEL WEB Chapter 24 - Finally Caught You!
Fukuda Private Academy, despite having ample funding, couldn’t afford to provide kendo equipment to all students. The three ABC classes were supposed to have 90 students, but only 85 were present today due to various reasons like illness and personal leave. They were currently seated in their kendo uniforms inside the kendo hall. The hall was originally designed for teaching, and it wasn’t specifically built for the kendo club, which only used it after school hours.
The curriculum set by the Japanese Ministry of Education was quite comprehensive, including various physical education classes like swimming, ball games, gymnastics, and track and field, including kendo.
The purpose was not to train students to become kendo masters but to provide a basic understanding and appreciation for the sport, just like how they taught basketball in physical education classes without aiming to create NBA players.
It was a relatively unimportant class in terms of the college entrance exams, but the school had to offer it to comply with the regulations. They decided to finish it early in the first year and be done with it. It was rumored that schools in the Kanto region even added bayonet training to the curriculum, leading to suspicions of a resurgence of militarism, and they were already protesting against the Ministry of Education.
An experienced kendo instructor from an outside dojo arrived on time and began the class by lecturing on kendo’s history and spiritual aspects. He emphasized that kendo wasn’t just a physical sport but also a way of self-cultivation and self-discipline, nurturing not only physical endurance and agility but also the ability to observe and think critically, fostering a humble and respectful attitude towards life.
Most of the students either already knew about kendo or weren’t interested, so the information went in one ear and out the other. The instructor then demonstrated how to wear the protective gear and the ten different ways to tie the headband. After a rough demonstration, each student was given a shinai to practice the basic strikes without armor.
Over eighty students started practicing energetically. The instructor moved among them, checking their stances for correctness. As he passed by Kitahara Hideji, he looked surprised for a moment and then smiled, nodding in approval, seemingly impressed.
Meanwhile, Kitahara Hideji keenly observed the kendo instructor. He sensed that the instructor’s aura wasn’t as strong as the Swordsman in “Meditative Battle” – there was a lack of fierce determination. Could it be that the school cut costs and provided them with low-quality shinai for teaching? It was highly possible!
This kendo class was scheduled for 15 sessions, and today was just the first one and a half hours without any sparring practice. Kitahara Hideji decided to focus on his stances and practice his empty strikes to gain some experience points.
The school wasn’t under Kitahara Hideji’s control, so he couldn’t do whatever he wanted. If it were up to him, he would have canceled this class long ago.
After practicing with the shinai for a while, most students started feeling their arms getting tired and became a bit impatient. Kitahara Hideji coldly observed the situation and thought that the discipline of Japanese high school students wasn’t as good as rumored. Many of them seemed unwilling to endure hardship. Perhaps the previous generation from the Showa era had stronger discipline, while the students from the Heisei era seemed to have lived a more comfortable life. If there were ever conflicts between Japan and China in the future, the Chinese students from the ’90s and ’00s would likely outperform the Heisei generation.
Since it wasn’t professional training, the kendo instructor looked at the time and realized it had been nearly forty minutes, so he gestured for a brief rest, and everyone collapsed in exhaustion.
However, the kendo instructor was not pleased with their lack of discipline and immediately scolded them, forcing everyone to sit up straight again.
Uchida Yuma and Shima Rei had experience in kendo, so this level of physical activity wasn’t much for them. Shima Rei curiously looked at Kitahara Hideji and asked, “Kitahara-kun, your movements are very precise. Has someone coached you before?”
Kitahara Hideji shook his head and smiled, “No, I’ve been practicing based on what I read in books. Does it look alright?”
“Quite impressive. However, when sitting in seiza, you should place the shinai on the right side of your body,” explained Shima Rei.
Kitahara Hideji glanced at the shinai on his left side and asked, “Is there a specific requirement for that?”
“Yes, when the shinai is placed on the right side, you can quickly draw it with your right hand. This is a sign of goodwill and a tradition passed down from the past.”
Kitahara Hideji was taken aback. In Meditative Battle, he always drew the sword for a strike, and being right-handed, he was accustomed to holding it in his left hand and drawing it with his right. However, in the kendo hall, he complied with Shima Rei’s advice and moved the shinai to the right side of his body.
Well, it’s not like someone would suddenly jump out and attack him here, so it didn’t really matter.
Shima Rei nodded in satisfaction but still found it strange. He asked again, “Are you sure nobody has ever coached you, Kitahara-kun?”
“No, really…”
Shima Rei admired, “You truly have natural talent, Kitahara-kun!”
Just as Kitahara Hideji was about to modestly respond, he heard a clear voice from a distance, “Teacher, I have a suggestion!”
He turned to see Fukuzawa Fuyumi, the little radish head, stepping forward from the group of girls, bowing respectfully to the teacher with perfect posture.
“This student has a suggestion? Is it regarding the teaching? Feel free to speak up,” the kendo instructor said, looking at the petite girl with a gentle expression.
“Yes, teacher!” Fukuzawa Fuyumi replied with a respectful demeanor and a bright smile. “During the break, many students have only heard about kendo as a sport but haven’t seen a real match. How about using this time for a practice match to give everyone a more intuitive understanding? What do you think?”
“A practice match?” The kendo instructor pondered, thinking the idea was not bad. However, there were no opponents available at the moment. He smiled and said, “That’s a good suggestion, but I didn’t bring any assistants today. We can do it in the next class…”
Fukuzawa Fuyumi interrupted him with a radiant smile, saying, “It’s alright, teacher. I’m a member of the school’s kendo club. How about we, the kendo club members, have a practice match?”
“That’s a great idea!” The kendo instructor had a mild personality and thought that this situation might be an opportunity for the kendo club to showcase their training results. As a senpai, he should support the underclassmen. He immediately agreed and asked, “Which female student is your clubmate?”
Fukuzawa Fuyumi pointed towards the group of male students, smiling brightly, and replied, “Even male students can participate, teacher! Kitahara-san from Class B is also a member of the kendo club.”
Countless gazes instantly fell on Kitahara Hideji. He smiled, not bothered by the attention. He knew this day would come sooner or later, as Fukuzawa Fuyumi had a vendetta against him. She had been racking her brains to cause trouble for him, but he was prepared for it.
He placed a hand on Shima Rei, who was trying to stand up in embarrassment, and prevented him from doing so. Uchida Yuma hesitated, realizing that if he stood up and got knocked down with a single strike, he would embarrass himself in front of the entire year.
Kitahara Hideji stood up and wasn’t fazed by being the center of attention. He smiled and bowed, saying, “Teacher, I am willing to be Fukuzawa-san’s opponent.”
After speaking, he glanced at Fukuzawa Fuyumi. In his heart, he hadn’t quite figured out why she always targeted him, and he didn’t want to bring trouble to his ordinary high school life. Although he had regarded her as a hypothetical enemy, he never intended to do anything to her. But now that she had come to challenge him, he had no choice but to give her what she wanted!
He would make sure she would tremble in fear when she remembered this day!
Fukuzawa Fuyumi responded with an extremely radiant smile and even stuck out her tongue to lick her lips. Her expression was like that of a little lion looking at a lamb under its paw—a mix of cuteness and pride, with a hint of ferocity.
“Pretty boy, I finally caught you. Come on, let me hit you a few times to vent my frustration!”