The Heroines Want to Confess.

After hanging their wishes, everyone held a small fireworks show, and just like that, Tanabata came to an end.

Today marks the start of a new week.

Summer vacation was getting closer, and the heat was becoming more unbearable.

The air you breathe feels like it's trying to burn your lungs — why can't humans regulate their own body temperature?

That's really something worth researching — if we hate the heat so much, why can't we cool ourselves down? Maybe it's because we need to give off heat in winter?

Ah right, humans do emit heat, so… does that mean humans = kotatsu?

With a head full of wandering thoughts and waves of heat, Sakurai only started to feel somewhat better after stepping into the classroom and sitting down at his desk.

The sounds of cicadas outside the window, mixed with the hoarse cries of crows, flowed into his ears.

Summer break was here. No more student council duties.

Not that he really did much in the first place. Last time during the sports festival, he just helped move some old stuff? That should still count as contributing, right?

After school, Sakurai planned to stop by the Kendo Club.

Apparently, one of the members was injured and they needed a temporary replacement — though Sakurai suspected this was just a trick by the Kendo Club captain, Kojima, to recruit him. They were on good terms, so checking it out wouldn't hurt.

He pushed open the door to the Kendo Club.

Hot.

That was his first impression.

Stinky.

Second impression.

The pungent smell of male sweat hit him square in the face. In the wide wooden-floored kendo dojo, a group of club members were practicing their swings. A few were sparring under the instructor's supervision.

The speed of their swings was impressive — stance, sliding step, fake-out, shout "kiai" and land a strike, followed by "zanshin" — the state of awareness and posture after a hit. If you land a hit but don't face your opponent properly, it doesn't count as a point.

Those sparring had perfect stances, not stiff at all — very relaxed. Their series of movements looked beautiful.

Drenched in sweat, and they were still wearing those heavy, outdated armor suits — you could imagine just how hot it was inside.

The Kendo Club didn't turn on the air conditioner.

Indoor sports clubs did have air conditioners — it's not like they couldn't afford them. It just wasn't ideal. Constant temperature changes make you prone to getting sick.

Captain Kojima of the Kendo Club saw Sakurai Saki walk in after changing his shoes, dressed in a kendo uniform and hakama, and came over to greet him:

"Sakurai, you finally showed up."

"At the meeting the other day, I asked Shirogane to pass on a message to you, and only now do you show up."

Sakurai glanced at the bamboo sword lying nearby. "I'm not his bodyguard. If you wanted me, you could've just called me directly. Our classes aren't even that far apart."

"Aren't you dating someone these days? I didn't want to bother you. That confession the other day was intense. Some guys said you were stupid, but the girls in my club really liked it." Kojima followed Sakurai's gaze. "What? Want to go a round? No point-based match, though."

"It's hot as hell, I've got no energy," Sakurai made an excuse.

Sparring with this guy was a great way to mess up your shoulder.

This bastard was born into a police family, a kendo prodigy trained in the Jigen-ryu style since childhood. He loved swinging the bamboo sword down from above in a diagonal slash — the "kesa-giri" style. But in formal kendo matches, only four points count: head, side of the abdomen, thrust to the throat, and wrist.

A "kesa-giri" hits the shoulder… and the shoulder doesn't count.

Clearly, Kojima didn't want to do kendo — he wanted a real fight.

The rules of kendo scoring, even the strike zones and techniques, exist to reduce injuries. Otherwise, direct thrusts can be extremely dangerous. A bamboo sword thrust to the chest — just thinking about the damage is enough.

"Your kendo club has girls too?" Sakurai glanced around and realized it was true.

Several girls in kendo uniforms, hair neatly tied, were sitting on the floor resting. Without a closer look, you wouldn't even notice.

"What are you talking about? Kendo isn't just for guys." Kojima said while raising an eyebrow at Sakurai. "Though, yeah, a lot of the girls come here just to check out the guys. Our club's got plenty of good-looking ones."

"So what? Even with this stench, they still don't quit the club?" Sakurai walked along the edge of the gym with Kojima. Practice was ongoing, so it wasn't convenient to walk through the middle.

"That's probably the charm of kendo," Kojima said just as—

Sakurai overheard the girls' complaints.

"It's so damn hot~ I want to quit the club, but President Kojima is scary."

"If I quit, will he yell at me? His family works in the police department, what if I get framed and jailed?"

"Eh? Isn't that General Affairs Sakurai? Is he joining the Kendo Club?"

"Finally, a hottie joins the Kendo Club!"

After hearing that, Sakurai smiled and turned to Kojima: "That's what they're saying."

Kojima's face darkened as he shouted at the girls: "Hey!! Get back to training!!"

The girls jumped up in fear from the floor.

"Today as well, the tyrannical reign of President Kojima continues in the Kendo Club." Sakurai narrated like a commentator for the girls.

"Sakurai, I know we're on good terms, but if you keep saying stuff like that… I'll beat you till you cry," Kojima said, clearly displeased.

Tyranny? Doesn't matter!

As long as you win, everything's justified.

As club president, you've got to give it your all. Besides, if you gain recognition through kendo competitions, there's a better career path waiting at the police department. Kojima's goal during his presidency was to at least lead Shuchiin to win either the Gyokuryu-ki or the National Championship. The National Championship is held in March, while Gyokuryu-ki is at the end of July in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Once summer vacation starts, we go straight into it — no time to slack off!

Club members must be disciplined! More training! Train more! Don't even think about anything else!

But officially, the Kendo Club still promoted the tradition of balancing academics and training — after practice, members were expected to study seriously at home.

But after each session, your body felt like falling apart. Studying in that condition? Only inhuman freaks like Shirogane could manage that.

"So why'd you call me here? If it's just to spar, I'm fine with a few rounds." Sakurai's summer schedule was packed.

His mom had said that if he had free time, he should visit his grandmother in Kyoto.

In early August, there was a fireworks show, and Sakurai planned to go with Hayasaka Ai. If possible, he wanted to see the second one with Chika.

In mid-August, the Student Council would go on a beach trip.

Once that ended, it would be almost time for the new term to start.

Free time? If you looked closely, he only had the end of July.

Go to Fukuoka for what? Sweat it out with a bunch of sweaty dudes brimming with passion? No thanks.

[You have received a quest: Sword Saint]

[Win the Gyokuryu-ki Championship, and achieve a 1-vs-5 victory from the semifinals onward]

[Note: This is a phased composite objective]

[You have received a quest: Establish Authority]

[Gain recognition from the advisor and 30% of the Kendo Club members]

[Stage Reward: Current ability duration extended by 30 days]

[Final Reward: Permanent ability count increased from 0 → 1]

'Well, now I have a reason to fight.'

Permanent ability.

Sakurai never thought his powers could break this limit — but clearly, he was wrong.

In fact… the ability to extend time, and even stack with other powers, already said a lot.

Right now, Sakurai's body housed two types of powers: one was the player system, and the other was the random ability he'd received today.

Doing quests was kind of annoying, but all in all, this was a good thing.

In a kendo match, with his current physical state, he could win effortlessly.

[Reminder: During competition, your physical ability will be limited to the peak of what an average human can achieve.]

Knew it wouldn't be that easy.

But "the peak of an average human"? Are we sure this isn't a "beat up kids" kind of game?

This quest system — the better the rewards, the higher the difficulty — or well, not always. This time it seemed pretty easy.

"You're asking why I called you here?" Kojima asked back.

"Didn't you already know?"

Sakurai frowned. "Already know?"

Know my ass! What am I, a prophet!?

"Of course it's to win the championship."

Kojima glanced at the club advisor standing not far away.

If he wanted Sakurai to join the club, he had to get past that hurdle first.