Due to the unique nature of their activities, Sobu High School’s Kendo Club and Kyudo (Archery) Club were not located in the main school building like other clubs. Instead, they were positioned at the northernmost and southernmost parts of the campus, with the gymnasium as the central reference point.

The kendo dojo was situated at the northernmost end, its size and scale comparable to the gymnasium itself.

The kyudo dojo was similarly impressive.

Initially, when the school was first built, the administration had planned to merge the two dojos to save space. However, the chairman at the time had a deep passion for both kendo and kyudo, leading her to reject the merger. She instead allocated additional funds to construct two separate dojos for each club.

Though the founding chairwoman had passed away many years ago, students from both the kendo and kyudo clubs remained deeply grateful to her.

A framed photograph of her still hung in the main hall of the dojo.

Upon reaching the northern end of the campus, the imposing structure of the dojo came into view. Even students who had never been involved in kendo or kyudo couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at the sight of it.

“This is my first time seeing Sobu High School’s kendo dojo,” Kotomi remarked, her voice tinged with admiration. Although she had known Kisara Tendo, the kendo club captain, for some time, this was her first visit to the dojo.

“Do you think there’s some legendary sword enshrined inside? Or maybe… a cursed blade?” Mai Sakurajima teased.

She had a friend in the film industry who had recently starred in a live-action adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin. As a close friend, she had naturally been invited to the premiere.

Having grown up hearing stories of famous swords and cursed blades, and given her career as an actress—which required continuous learning to stay relevant—Mai had taken it upon herself to acquire some knowledge about traditional Japanese weaponry. She understood that relying solely on looks wouldn’t sustain her career in the long run.

“How could there possibly be something like that?” Kisara chuckled as she explained. “Sure, we often see cursed blades mentioned in manga, novels, and movies, but in reality, the chances of them existing are pretty slim. Even if they did, some secret organization would have likely sealed them away for safekeeping by now.”

As she spoke, she reached out and pushed open the heavy dojo doors. Just before stepping inside, she turned to Kotomi and added casually:

“But my family does have two famous swords enshrined at home.”

Kotomi’s curiosity was instantly piqued.

I want to see!

Her entire face practically screamed those words.

Of course, Kisara noticed. In fact, she had deliberately mentioned it in front of Kotomi precisely to stir up her curiosity.

“Kotomi, do you want to see them?” Kisara asked with a knowing smile.

“Of course I do!” Kotomi nodded eagerly.

“If you’re really interested, just let me know in advance. I can take you to my house to see them anytime~”

“Really? Thank you, Tendo-senpai!” Kotomi said excitedly, but then hesitated for a moment before cautiously adding, “You’re not saying I have to join the kendo club first, are you?”

The way she spoke—so hesitant and cautious, like a little rabbit nervously negotiating with a fox wagging its tail—made Kisara burst into laughter.

“If you hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t have even thought about using this as a way to force you to join the kendo club. Thanks for the idea!” Kisara teased.

“Haha, alright, alright, I’m just messing with you. Even if you don’t join the kendo club, I’ll still take you to see the swords anytime you want.”

“Feel honored—you’re the first non-Tendo family member who’ll get to see the swords that have been enshrined in our family for generations!”

Originally, Kisara had intended to keep teasing Kotomi, pretending that if she didn’t join the kendo club, she wouldn’t be allowed to see the swords.

But when she actually said it, Kotomi’s entire face froze in shock, as if she genuinely believed it!

Worried that she might have scared the little penguin too much, Kisara quickly clarified that she had just been joking.

This little penguin was too naive. If things continued like this, it wouldn’t do—she needed to think of a way to lure Kotomi into her domain. Kisara thought to herself, half-jokingly.

But—how many real thoughts had she disguised under the name of “jokes”?

Stepping into the dojo, despite its long history, the school allocated annual funds for the maintenance and upkeep of both the kendo and kyudo dojos. Because of this, rather than feeling old or worn, the dojo exuded a pleasant wooden fragrance that lingered in the air.

At the entrance, they removed their shoes and placed them in the shoe lockers. Since there were no other club members present today, they could leave them anywhere, but once officially joining the kendo club, each member would receive a designated locker. Similar to the shoe lockers at the school’s main entrance, each slot was labeled with a name.

Walking into the main hall of the dojo in their socks, Kotomi and Mai took in their surroundings. The dojo was a single-story structure, but its high, open ceiling design made the space feel vast and expansive. If one spoke loudly, the sound would echo throughout the hall.

“The main hall is huge!” Kotomi exclaimed, looking around like a curious child, her eyes darting everywhere.

“It certainly looks impressive, but when you’re the one stuck cleaning it alone after club activities, it becomes a bit of a nightmare~” Kisara teased with a half-smile.

After glancing around at the sheer size of the space, both Kotomi and Mai were about to express their sympathy—only to suddenly notice the mischievous glint in Kisara’s eyes.

Mai was momentarily confused, but Kotomi immediately shrank back, cautiously asking, “I… I don’t have to stay behind and clean, do I?”

“Ding-ding! Correct answer!” Kisara grinned. “Normally, the kendo club doesn’t have activities today, but I specifically opened the dojo just for you. And since Mai came along too, she’ll have to help clean as well. Don’t worry—I won’t abandon you two. I’ll stay behind and help clean up too.”

With a friendly smile, Kisara swiftly grabbed Kotomi just as she attempted to turn and escape from the dojo.

Thinking you could just walk away after coming to the kendo club? Not a chance!

Resigned to her fate, Kotomi sat down and watched as Kisara pulled out the necessary protective gear and bamboo swords for kendo practice.

“I have to say, Kotomi, your hairstyle is perfect for kendo. A lot of the girls in the club have long hair like me, and whenever we put on our kendo uniforms and gear, we have to spend extra time tying our hair up into braids or buns. But since you have short hair, you don’t have to deal with any of that hassle.”

As she spoke, Kisara casually lifted a strand of her own long black hair and murmured, “Maybe I should just cut it short?”

“I actually really like Tendo-senpai’s long hair,” Kotomi blurted out without thinking.

Kisara paused for a moment, slightly stunned. Then, with a soft smile, she nodded.

“Alright, then. I’ll keep it long—just for you.”

Then, as if she had planned it all along, she quickly followed up with:

“Since you like my long hair and don’t want me to cut it, then from now on, every time I practice in the dojo, I’ll leave it to you to braid it and pin it up for me! Honestly, I’m really bad at doing it myself. I’ve tried learning, but I just can’t get the hang of it. I always have to trouble the other girls for help.”

“…I haven’t even said I’m joining the kendo club yet…” Kotomi muttered weakly.

Kisara was obviously using every trick in the book to coax and trick her into joining!

“You never know~” Kisara’s confident smile only deepened.

Without missing a beat, Kisara pulled Kotomi toward the changing room. Mai had initially wanted to follow them inside, but Kisara stopped her at the door.

“I’m absolutely not trying to sneak a peek at Kotomi changing! I just want to see how a kendo uniform is worn!” Mai declared righteously.

Before she could finish her sentence, Kisara swiftly shut the changing room door in her face—and even locked it for good measure.

Kisara picked up her own kendo uniform and hakama, both in the standard deep indigo color.

“I’ll demonstrate how to properly wear a kendo uniform, hakama, and protective gear. You might have learned this when you were little, but it’s been years. Even if you remember the general steps, you’ve probably forgotten the finer details.”

“Kendo attire is like a formal uniform—it must be worn neatly and properly. You cannot wear it carelessly like you do your school uniform, all loose and messy, like a delinquent high school girl from Shibuya.”

“Kendo fosters three key aspects of temperament: physical, mental, and social,” Kisara continued.

“As for the social aspect, one of its core principles is cultivating respect for others and valuing etiquette. Kendo begins with courtesy and ends with courtesy. Its rituals and discipline serve as a real and meaningful character-building experience for practitioners.”

“And the other two social qualities are developing adaptability in society and fostering a proper attitude towards health and safety,” Kotomi added.

Kisara paused as she was putting on her uniform, momentarily surprised. She hadn’t expected Kotomi to remember these points so clearly.

“Not bad! I didn’t think you’d be able to recall that. Having a conceptual understanding of kendo will be a great help in your future practice.” Kisara praised her with a satisfied nod.

She then demonstrated each step of putting on the kendo uniform, hakama, and protective gear. Kotomi’s eyes were completely glued to the process.

Mainly because Kisara’s figure was… really impressive—cough, cough! No, no, it was because of her deep curiosity about kendo that she was so focused! That’s why she carefully observed every detail, committing everything to memory.

In fact, after just one demonstration, Kotomi had memorized the entire process. Whether it was because of her heightened concentration at that moment or her naturally good memory, even she wasn’t sure.

After finishing the explanation and how to check if the gear was properly worn, Kisara removed her own uniform and protective gear, then handed them to Kotomi.

“Once you officially join the kendo club, every member receives two custom-fitted kendo uniforms and a bamboo sword. Since you’re not a club member yet—and the uniforms are tailored—we don’t have any extras for you.”

“But… I think our body sizes are about the same, so just wear mine for now!”

Kisara declared confidently.

However, the moment her gaze landed on Kotomi’s chest, she couldn’t help but falter, suddenly feeling a pang of self-doubt. Her voice, initially assertive, grew noticeably weaker.

Kotomi, oblivious to Kisara’s moment of hesitation, simply nodded and took the uniform with both hands before starting to remove her school uniform piece by piece.

Even though they were both girls, Kisara suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of “I shouldn’t be looking!” Her face flushed as she pretended to avert her gaze—yet in reality, her eyes kept sneaking glances at Kotomi through her peripheral vision.

I can die happy now. Kisara thought to herself.

Even after taking off her stockings, Izumi-senpai’s legs are still absolutely stunning…

The indigo-colored kendo uniform and hakama were made of soft cotton, comfortable to wear. And since they belonged to Kisara, as Kotomi put them on, she could faintly catch the gentle scent lingering on the fabric—fresh and pleasant, making her feel inexplicably at ease.

The only uncomfortable part was—

“Ugh—! It’s so tight around my chest! Are you sure this size fits me?”

Kotomi took a deep breath and struggled to put on the kendo uniform properly. She held her breath so hard that her face turned red. By the time she finally managed to wear it, beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, as if she had just run a full 1000 meters instead of simply changing clothes.

Even after all that effort, the uniform still felt way too tight.

Seeing this, Kisara’s face stiffened, as if a thousand arrows had pierced her heart.

Tch, what’s so great about having a bigger chest? Look at her now—she can’t even fit into my uniform properly! Kisara grumbled inwardly, unwilling to admit defeat.

Despite being a bit clumsy with some movements, Kotomi still managed to put on the kendo uniform, hakama, and protective gear with relative ease. She then stood in front of the full-length mirror, meticulously adjusting her attire and checking whether everything was properly worn—each step executed with surprising precision.

She’s actually pretty talented…

Kisara, unaware of just how focused Kotomi had been earlier, thought she had simply watched the demonstration once and mastered it instantly. This only solidified Kisara’s belief that Kotomi was a natural talent. She silently praised herself for making the right choice in inviting Kotomi to the kendo club—she might have truly found a hidden gem!

It had been years since Kotomi last wore kendo training gear, so as she took her first steps, she wobbled slightly. Kisara had expected this and instinctively reached out to steady her.

“Don’t panic—adjust your center of gravity. Men, dō, kote, tare—they protect your head, forearms, torso, and throat. While they serve as protection, they also add weight and pressure. You need to get used to this added weight. Take slow, deep breaths, focus on what’s in front of you, and gradually adjust to the limited visibility from the mask. Try walking as naturally as possible.”

After carefully explaining, Kisara, though still feeling a little uneasy, slowly loosened her grip on Kotomi. However, she remained on high alert, ready to catch her in case she stumbled.

At this moment, Kisara was even more nervous than Kotomi herself.

Following Kisara’s instructions, Kotomi adjusted her stance. Suddenly, her vision became clear, and the weight of the protective gear seemed to vanish entirely.

Huh?

The drastic and immediate change left Kotomi momentarily stunned. Just moments ago, she had struggled to walk due to the unfamiliar weight, but now, she had adapted in an instant.

Even the restricted field of vision from the face mask no longer felt limiting.

Could it be… I’m a genius?!

Kotomi was shook. In her mind, she had already ascended to an unbeatable level, striding confidently out of the changing room like she was invincible.

Behind her, Kisara stood frozen in shock. For most kendo beginners, the first major challenge was getting used to the weight and restrictions of the protective gear.

She herself had taken an entire morning to adjust when she first started kendo.

She had expected Kotomi to need at least a full day to adapt—but forget a whole day, she hadn’t even needed half a day! From the moment Kisara had supported her to now, barely five minutes had passed!

Snapping out of her astonishment, Kisara secretly marveled at Kotomi’s talent and became even more convinced that recruiting her into the kendo club was the right choice. Without hesitation, she grabbed a bamboo sword and quickly followed Kotomi back into the main hall.

In the practice area, a wooden dummy stood upright, used for training strikes.

“Kotomi, try attacking this dummy with the bamboo sword,” Kisara said, patting the dummy, the solid thud of her hand echoing through the room.

It’s solid wood.

“Why isn’t it a rolled-up bamboo mat? In the videos I watched, they were always practicing kendo on bamboo mats…”

The second the words left her mouth, Kotomi immediately realized what was wrong with that statement.

Her face instantly flushed crimson.

At that moment, she suddenly felt like an absolute idiot for asking such a question!

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep