Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980

It looked like the upcoming Golden Week was going to be an enviable time for Kiryu Kazuma—he was about to live the life of a man who seemed to have it all.

From morning to night, three beautiful girls of different styles would be visiting his home!

And on top of that, he had his equally pretty younger sister always by his side.

If you ignored the small matter of "if I don't get into Todai, I'll have to go to war with the entire Kanto Union", then yes, it truly was a life worth envying.

But Kazuma had no idea that he was about to crash and burn—hard—by the very next evening.

That night, right on time, Tamago arrived at the Kiryu residence, carrying a gift of treats freshly made in her family's wagashi shop kitchen.

By the time Kazuma reached the entryway, Chiyoko had already invited her inside.

"Yo, right on time, Keitama." Kazuma greeted her with a teasing tone. "Good thing we're punctual about meals too—finished just before you got here."

Tamago was about to reply, but suddenly arched an elegant brow and leaned in toward Kazuma for a sniff.

To be honest, having a beautiful girl lean in and smell him was a brand-new experience for Kazuma. In his past life, nothing remotely like this had ever happened.

"White plum incense?" Tamago asked.

Kazuma didn't need to check—he was sure his status window now had a flashing DANGER tag.

At that moment, Chiyoko grabbed her brother's arm and cut in, trying to lighten the mood. "How come you guys can always sniff this stuff out so fast?"

"We run a wagashi shop," Tamago explained matter-of-factly. "Our family's name has been around since the Edo period—we know traditional Japanese fragrances inside and out."

She went on, "Using traditional incense instead of those trendy French designer perfumes? That points to a young lady from an old family."

"But white plum incense also carries the meaning of 'untainted by the mundane world,' which is why courtesans in the pleasure quarters often wore it too. So… it's likely someone trying to imitate a proper young lady from a newly rich family."

Kazuma groaned. "What are you, Sherlock Holmes?"

Tamago corrected him with a perfectly straight face. "Impossible—I'm a woman."

"Ah, then… pleased to meet you, Miss Marple," Kazuma quipped, switching to another world-famous (and equally fictional) detective.

In his past life, Kazuma had read a lot of detective novels. Back then, with little money and not many entertainment options, books were one of the few ways to pass the time. Once he'd finished all the wuxia novels, he'd turned to mysteries.

Tamago frowned. "I'm not that old, am I? Calling a girl an old lady—even I would get mad at that."

"My apologies. You're eternally seventeen," Kazuma said with mock solemnity.

Ignoring his teasing, Tamago pressed on. "So, who was it? It's clearly not Fujii—she'd use some mass-market perfume from the department store."

Hey now, Kazuma grumbled internally. That's a bit rude to Mikako. She may not be a high-class beauty like you or Nanjo, but she's got her own charm!

In any case, he had no intention of hiding it. After all, he hadn't been two-timing anyone—he'd behaved like a perfect gentleman and kept a respectful distance from each girl.

Besides, at the dojo, once someone became an official student, their name would be displayed on the wall.

That very day, Chiyoko had ceremoniously written Nanjo and Mikako's names on small wooden plaques in calligraphy and hung them beneath the "students" section.

Why Chiyoko? Because Kazuma didn't know the first thing about calligraphy.

Though come to think of it, as an art form, calligraphy could probably boost status stats too… Kazuma made a mental note to pick it up sometime.

In short, there was no point hiding the truth—and no reason to.

So he answered openly, "She's a senior in Chiyoko's high school division—Nanjo Honami. She and Mikako both became students at my dojo."

"Ohhh~" Tamago drew out the sound meaningfully.

Chiyoko chimed in brightly, "How about you join too, Keitama-senpai? Learning kendo would be great for self-defense!"

Kazuma shot his sister a look. What's gotten into you? Have the financial pressures driven you to madness? Do I need to smack some sense into your soul?

After a moment of thought, Tamago said, "Hmm… why not? If your Japanese grades are really that bad, you'll need more cram time. Show me your tuition rates."

Chiyoko cheered. "Yes!"

Kazuma felt a chill down his spine. This can't be good…

Golden Week — Day Three

The atmosphere in the Kiryu dojo was… tense, to say the least.

Fujii Mikako was glaring daggers at Kazuma.

Don't look at me like that! Kazuma thought frantically. This wasn't my idea! I just wanted to study and practice kendo in peace. You girls are the ones who showed up—what was I supposed to do?

Haven't you heard the saying, 'the tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease'?

Also, Mikako—you were the first one here! Where's your confidence? You should be standing tall, radiating queen energy! "So long as I live, the rest of you are but concubines"—that kind of vibe! Haven't you ever seen those period palace dramas from China?

…Right. It's 1980. She probably hasn't. Unlike 2020, when those dramas practically took over Japan's housewife TV market.

Nanjo, on the other hand, looked fired up—probably seeing Tamago as some young lady from a distinguished family.

And to be fair, in Japan, the daughter of a centuries-old wagashi shop really did count as a kind of modern-day ojō-sama.

Wagashi was still popular with the common folk, but it didn't quite have the high-society cachet of, say, tea ceremony or flower arranging—arts reserved for the upper class.

Tamago herself seemed the calmest of them all. In fact, she was practically radiating queen of the palace energy.

Well, that made sense—she'd caused this whole mess. She was the villain who had engineered this ultra-hardcore love polygon showdown.

Chiyoko leaned over and whispered in her brother's ear. "Bro, say something."

Kazuma muttered back, "Damn it, isn't this exactly what you wanted? You've been stoking the flames for days."

"I did it for Fukuzawa Yukichi!" Chiyoko whispered back brightly, referencing the ten-thousand-yen bills. "With their tuition, we finally got a cash boost. Yesterday we even had meat and fruit for once!"

Kazuma had to admit—she wasn't wrong.

Meat tastes so good… I really don't want to go back to a fish-only diet…

Chiyoko prodded him again. "So do something already. We can't just sit here wasting the whole morning. You're the shihan-dai—this is your dojo. Time to step up."

Kazuma nodded and was just about to assume his shihan-dai demeanor and break the awkward silence when Tamago spoke first.

"By the way—are you two also aiming for the University of Tokyo?"

The sudden question caught both girls off guard. They exchanged glances.

Mikako answered first. "I want to get into Sophia University—English department. And Kazuma, we're practicing English conversation again today!"

"No problem!" Kazuma replied enthusiastically.

Tamago turned to Nanjo.

"My first choice is the literature department at Keio University."

"Oh, the future housewife track," Tamago commented bluntly. "Have you ever published anything or won any awards?"

"No, but my love for literature is genuine," Nanjo answered with dignity.

"I see." Tamago flipped through her notebook. "Keio University literature, Sophia University English—perfect. Their entrance exam Japanese sections overlap a lot with Todai's. We can review together."

"Wait—what do you mean, 'review together'? What about kendo?" Mikako protested.

"Golden Week ends soon, and the national mock exams are coming up," Tamago replied. "Etsukawa Girls' will be participating, right?"

Japan's national mock exams were an interesting system. Unlike China, where official agencies conducted unified exams, Japan had few government-run tests like that.

Instead, mock exams organized by private companies and NGOs had gained real credibility. Many schools chose to participate, making them the de facto national standard.

Of course, participation was up to each school. Those not focused on college entrance often skipped them. Students from such schools had to register through cram schools if they wanted to join.

Etsukawa Girls' didn't have an affiliated university, so they participated in the mock exams.

Nanjo nodded. "Yes, we're participating. But what does that have to do with kendo?"

"If Kazuma can't achieve at least a B rating on the mock exam, his teachers might pressure him to lower his goals—and reduce their academic support. And Kazuma probably can't afford cram school. You understand now?"

Kazuma wanted to say, Sorry for being poor, okay?

Seeing the other two girls fall silent, Tamago pressed further. "Unless one of you thinks you can personally tutor him to Todai level?"

Their expressions said it all.

Nanjo gave a small nod. "Alright—let's focus on studying for now. I want to do as well as possible on the mock exam too. If I don't get at least an A rating, my family might restrict my outings."

"Excellent," Tamago said, clapping her hands. "Then let's all study together."

"Uh… can we still practice kendo a little?" Kazuma ventured.

"Of course." Tamago checked her watch—a dainty ladies' wristwatch with the face on the inside of her wrist, requiring her to turn her palm up to check it.

Kazuma really liked that style of checking a watch—so elegant and feminine.

Too bad by 2020, hardly any girls wore watches anymore. It was all smartphones.

Tamago confirmed the time. "You can start kendo practice now. In one hour, we'll begin the study session."

(End of Chapter)