Joining the Kendo Club

After Yi Chen left, he found Ichinose nearby, looking at her phone.

When Yi Chen saw Ichinose, he paused briefly, then smiled faintly.

Ichinose looked up and spotted Yi Chen. She hurried over, a barely noticeable blush on her face.

"Why haven't you gone home yet?"

Yi Chen asked.

"Yi Chen, we came together, so we should go back together."

Ichinose said softly, her eyes warm.

Yi Chen's heart skipped a beat. It was a strange feeling, knowing someone had waited just for him.

Ichinose linked her arm through Yi Chen's.

Yi Chen looked at Ichinose and patted her head.

Then the two of them headed toward the dorms.

The dim streetlights fell across them, their shadows stretching longer and longer.

The next day.

As usual, Yi Chen went to class.

After classes ended that day, Ichinose took Yi Chen to the Kendo Club.

There was nothing particularly impressive about the Kendo Club's room.

It was just a large, empty classroom.

There were very few people there now. Including Yi Chen and Ichinose, only six had shown up.

The Kendo Club had two boys and two girls.

After they entered,

Ichinose led Yi Chen over to a burly man in a kendo uniform.

She excitedly introduced Yi Chen to everyone:

"This is Yi Chen. He's joining the Kendo Club today, so we'll all be friends from now on."

The club members welcomed him warmly.

Just then, a young man in a kendo uniform, about 173 centimeters tall, with long black hair tied into a ponytail,

quietly watched Yi Chen.

He gave Yi Chen a provocative look.

"Hello. You're Angela Yi Chen from Class D, right? I'm Tangben Yishan from Class C."

"I heard you're pretty good. How about a match?"

Yi Chen was confused.

Class C? I just had a run-in with those people recently. Is this guy here to cause trouble?

And I don't remember anyone like him in Class C.

Seeing that Yi Chen didn't answer, Tangben Yishan sneered:

"I've heard about you from Ryuen, so don't overthink it."

"I'm not on the same side as a half-baked guy like Ryuen."

Yi Chen gave an awkward smile.

Then he saw the hopeful look in Ichinose's eyes and agreed.

The Kendo Club president—the burly bald man from earlier—briefly explained the rules.

Yi Chen understood. They could only strike certain areas and so on. Compared with real combat, it was all just for fun.

The two of them put on their protective gear and stood on the kendo floor.

This was Yi Chen's first time wearing such a proper uniform, and he was in a dojo, too.

Yi Chen felt excited and looked forward to trying this out for the first time.

Though it was all rather haphazard, Yi Chen had no choice but to go along with it.

Tangben Yishan launched a fierce attack right away, and Yi Chen dodged quickly.

To Yi Chen, Tangben Yishan's every move seemed incredibly slow.

Yi Chen thought:

Is this the power of Sword Mastery? I didn't expect it to help me track things with my eyes, too.

Although Yi Chen had gotten some idea of the rules, he was still worried he might accidentally break one, embarrass himself, and have to leave.

So he kept dodging cautiously.

Once he had clearly figured out Tangben Yishan's fighting style,

Yi Chen seized his chance and knocked the wooden sword out of Tangben Yishan's hand.

"Whoa!"

The people below the floor exclaimed in surprise.

Unconvinced, Tangben Yishan demanded another round.

Yi Chen readily agreed because he was enjoying himself, too.

In the rounds that followed,

Yi Chen moved with agile grace, his sword darting like a dragon.

He dominated Tangben Yishan in almost every round.

Off to the side, Ichinose clenched her fists, thrilled and excited.

In the final round, Yi Chen nimbly dodged Tangben Yishan's attack and gently pressed the hilt of his sword against Saki's chest.

All four people watching erupted in cheers.

Tangben Yishan accepted his defeat wholeheartedly and patted Yi Chen on the shoulder.

Drenched in sweat, Tangben Yishan said cheerfully:

"Yi Chen, your swordsmanship is amazing!"

"No wonder you gave Ryuen and the others a hard time."

"I think highly of you. I've decided you're my brother now."

Yi Chen smiled helplessly. He had won far too easily.

He really couldn't keep a straight face.

Ichinose ran over to Yi Chen, her eyes sparkling:

"Yi Chen, you're really amazing!"

Yi Chen smiled and scratched his head. Sunlight streamed through the Kendo Club's entrance.

Afterward, they chatted at the club, and Yi Chen learned a few things about it.

Including Yi Chen, the Kendo Club had nine members in all. One of the other four had gone to a competition.

The remaining three didn't seem very interested in kendo anymore and often didn't show up.

The Kendo Club had started the school year with a good reputation.

Many students thought kendo looked cool, so the club had been recruiting new members like crazy.

It had been bustling, but after joining, most people realized kendo was just ordinary strikes.

It wasn't cool like it was in movies and TV shows.

So one by one, they quit the club.

Now, counting Yi Chen, only five members were active.

Class D's Angela Yi Chen, Class C's Tangben Yishan, Class B's burly, bald Kendo Club president, Pingyang Yamada,

Class B's Suzuki Eika, and Class B's Sato Anna.

The member competing in the kendo tournament was Beigong Wendi from Class A.

Yi Chen had gotten a general idea of the club.

Ichinose asked Yi Chen with a smile:

"Yi Chen, would you like to join the club?"

The other club members all watched him, especially Tangben Yishan, who looked full of anticipation.

Yi Chen thought about it. He didn't mind, and it would be a chance to give it a try.

Yi Chen said casually:

"Hello, everyone. I guess we're in the same club from now on."

Suzuki Eika and Sato Anna from Class B shrieked and stared at Yi Chen.

Tangben Yishan was so excited he jumped up, came over, and threw an arm around Yi Chen as if they were brothers.

President Yamada was happy, too.

Seeing the two girls from her class acting that way, Ichinose went over to scold them in exasperation.

And so Yi Chen's campus life gained another splash of color.

After that, Yi Chen sparred with all the current members of the Kendo Club.

As expected, he dominated them all.

President Yamada said:

"Yi Chen, you're good enough to compete in the kendo tournament. Registration opens next July."

"Though we might not be strong enough to join you in the team competition, with your skill,"

"you could compete individually, like Beigong Wendi from Class A."

Yi Chen was very interested and thanked Yamada.

Yamada added:

"If you win honor for the school, the school will reward you with personal points."

"If you need points, you could enter a national competition like this."

Yi Chen nodded to show he understood.

Tangben Yishan came up and draped an arm over Yi Chen's shoulder, speaking cheerfully:

"Yi Chen, we're in the same club now."

"Teach me kendo, okay? We should spar more often."

Yi Chen replied politely and awkwardly:

"We'll see. I've only just started, too."

Tangben Yishan said enthusiastically:

"You're too modest, Yi Chen."

Then Tangben Yishan called out cheerfully to everyone:

"Everyone, Yi Chen joined the club today, so we need to show him how welcoming we are!"

"Everyone! Let's go sing karaoke together!"

The others chimed in enthusiastically:

"Sure! Welcome, Yi Chen! Welcome, Yi Chen!"

Tangben Yishan said cheerfully:

"After karaoke, let's get barbecue and chat about life."

Everyone replied:

"Yeah! Barbecue! Let's chat!"

Tangben Yishan looked at Yi Chen.

"What do you say, Yi Chen?"

Yi Chen gave Ichinose a helpless look, silently begging her to save him.

Ichinose hugged his arm and cheered:

"Let's go!"

And so Yi Chen was swept away by the enthusiastic group. They laughed and joked all the way there.

At the karaoke place, they were once again charmed by Yi Chen.

After singing, everyone praised Yi Chen to no end, and Ichinose looked proud, too.

After the barbecue, they drank soda and chatted for a while.

Although Yi Chen wasn't good at expressing himself and didn't say much, he couldn't resist their enthusiasm.

It was a very lively evening.