Joining the Kendo Club

After Yi Chen left, he stepped out only to find Ichinose looking at her phone not far away.

Seeing Ichinose, Yi Chen was slightly stunned, then the corners of his mouth curled up into a faint smile.

Ichinose looked up and spotted Yi Chen, then walked quickly toward him with a trace of an imperceptible blush on her face.

"Why haven't you gone back yet?"

Yi Chen asked.

"Yi Chen-kun, since we came together, we should go back together."

Ichinose said softly, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Yi Chen's heart skipped a beat; this feeling of being specifically waited for was quite wonderful.

Ichinose linked her arm with Yi Chen's.

Yi Chen looked at Ichinose and patted her head.

The two of them then walked toward the dormitory.

The dim light of the streetlamps spilled over them, stretching their shadows longer and longer.

The next day.

Yi Chen went to class just like any other day.

After class ended today, Ichinose took Yi Chen to the Kendo Club.

Upon arriving at the Kendo Club, there was nothing particularly dazzling inside.

The Kendo Club was just a larger, empty classroom.

Furthermore, there were very few people there right now; including Yi Chen and Ichinose, there were only a mere 6 people.

The Kendo Club members consisted of two men and two women.

After entering, Ichinose pulled Yi Chen over to a burly man wearing a kendo uniform.

She excitedly introduced Yi Chen to everyone:

"This is Yi Chen-kun. He is joining the Kendo Club today, so we're all friends from now on."

The club members welcomed him warmly.

At this moment, a young man wearing a kendo uniform, about 173cm tall with long black hair tied into a braid, watched Yi Chen quietly.

He gave Yi Chen a provocative look:

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

"I heard you're quite skilled. Do you dare to have a match with me?"

Yi Chen was very confused upon hearing this.

Internal thoughts:

"Class C? I just had a dispute with that group not long ago. This guy isn't here to cause trouble, is he?"

"And I don't recall there being anyone like this in Class C."

Seeing Yi Chen remain silent, Tangben Yishan sneered:

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

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

Yi Chen gave an awkward smile upon hearing this.

Afterward, he looked at Ichinose's expectant gaze and agreed to the match.

The Kendo Club president, who was the burly bald guy from earlier, began to briefly explain the rules.

Yi Chen understood; basically, it was just about hitting specific areas and such, which felt like child's play compared to a real fight.

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

This was the first time Yi Chen had worn such formal equipment, and he was even in a dojo.

Yi Chen felt very excited and looked forward to this first experience with this kind of game.

Although it was quite hasty, Yi Chen had no choice but to go for it.

Tangben Yishan launched a fierce offensive right from the start, and Yi Chen dodged quickly.

In Yi Chen's eyes, every move Tangben Yishan made seemed incredibly slow.

Yi Chen thought:

"Is this the charm of Sword Mastery? I didn't expect it to have this effect on visual perception as well."

Although Yi Chen had some understanding of the rules, he was still afraid of accidentally committing a foul, making a fool of himself, and having to leave in embarrassment.

Yi Chen continued to dodge cautiously.

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

Yi Chen seized the perfect moment and struck the wooden sword from Tangben Yishan's hand.

"Wow~"

The people off the stage exclaimed in surprise.

Tangben Yishan was unconvinced and demanded a rematch.

Yi Chen readily agreed, as he also found it quite fun.

In the following rounds.

Yi Chen moved with agility, his sword dancing like a dragon.

He crushed Tangben Yishan in almost every single exchange.

Ichinose, standing on the sidelines, clenched her fists in excitement and thrill.

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

The four people off the stage all cheered and jumped for joy.

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

Drenched in sweat, Tangben Yishan said heartily:

"Brother Yi Chen, your swordsmanship is truly impressive!"

"No wonder you were able to make Ryuen and his lot suffer."

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

Yi Chen smiled helplessly, as the victory had been far too easy.

Yi Chen really couldn't hold back his laughter.

Ichinose ran happily to Yi Chen's side, her eyes sparkling:

"Yi Chen-kun, you are truly amazing!"

Yi Chen smiled and scratched his head, just as the sunlight shone into the entrance of the Kendo Club.

Afterward, the group chatted in the club, and Yi Chen learned a few things here.

Including Yi Chen, there were currently nine people in the Kendo Club in total, but one of the remaining four had gone to participate in a tournament.

The other three seemed to have lost interest in kendo and rarely showed up.

Although the Kendo Club had a good reputation at the start of the school year.

Many students thought kendo was cool, so the club recruited members like crazy at first.

The club was very lively, but after most people joined, they realized that kendo was just ordinary striking.

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

So, one by one, they withdrew from the club.

Now, there were only five core members including Yi Chen.

Class D's Angela Yi Chen, Class C's Tangben Yishan, and the burly, bald president of the Kendo Club from Class B: Pingyang Yamada.

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

The one who went to participate in the kendo tournament was from Class A: Beigong Wendi.

Yi Chen now had a rough understanding of the club.

Ichinose smiled and asked Yi Chen:

"Yi Chen-kun, would you like to join this club?"

The members of the Kendo Club all looked at him, especially Tangben Yishan, who wore an expectant expression.

Yi Chen thought about it and felt it didn't really matter; he would just treat it as an experience.

Yi Chen said calmly:

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

Class B's Suzuki Eika and Class B's Sato Anna, the two girls, shrieked and then stared intently at Yi Chen.

Tangben Yishan was so excited he jumped up, came over to put his arm around Yi Chen, and started acting like brothers.

President Yamada was also very happy.

Ichinose looked at the two girls from her class and went over to scold them with a huff.

And just like that, another splash of color was added to Yi Chen's life on campus.

Next, Yi Chen sparred with everyone currently in the Kendo Club.

Unsurprisingly, Yi Chen crushed them all.

President Yamada spoke up:

"Yi Chen-kun's strength is enough to participate in the kendo tournament; you can sign up next July."

"Although we might not have the strength to join you in the team competition, with Yi Chen's ability..."

"You could participate in the individual competition, just like Beigong Wendi from Class A."

Yi Chen was very interested and expressed his gratitude to Yamada.

Yamada added:

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

"If you are in great need of points, you can participate in this kind of national competition."

Yi Chen nodded to show he understood.

Tangben Yishan stepped forward, threw his arm around Yi Chen's shoulder, and said heartily:

"Brother Yi Chen, from now on we are in the same club."

"You must teach me kendo, and we can spar more often."

Yi Chen replied with an awkward, polite smile:

"We'll see, I've only just started learning it myself."

Tangben Yishan said enthusiastically:

"You are truly humble, Brother Yi Chen."

After saying this, Tangben Yishan shouted jokingly to the crowd:

"Everyone, today Yi Chen has joined our club, we must make him feel our club's enthusiasm!"

"Everyone! Let's all go to karaoke!"

The crowd also responded enthusiastically:

"Great! Great! Welcome Yi Chen, welcome Yi Chen!"

Tangben Yishan said heartily:

"After singing, we'll go eat barbecue together and chat about life."

The crowd:

"Great! Let's eat barbecue! Let's chat!"

Tangben Yishan looked at Yi Chen:

"How about it, Brother Yi Chen?"

Yi Chen looked at Ichinose with a bitter smile, his face pleading for her to save him.

Ichinose hugged Yi Chen's arm and cheered:

"Let's go!"

Just like that, Yi Chen was carried off by the enthusiastic group, with everyone laughing and joking along the way.

Once they arrived at the karaoke bar, everyone felt Yi Chen's charm once again.

After singing, everyone couldn't stop praising Yi Chen, and Ichinose looked smug.

After finishing the barbecue and drinking sodas, they had a long chat.

Although Yi Chen was not good with words and didn't talk much, he couldn't resist their enthusiasm.

It was a very joyful night.