He looked towards the other side. There, Taiji was fully geared up, only his head exposed, wrapped in layers of bandages. He looked somewhat ridiculous and laughable, yet also had a tragic air about him.
Injured so badly and still taking the field? He's really pushing it.
But at this moment, Taiji appeared fierce and menacing. His eyes were bloodshot, fixed intently on Yusei as if he had seen the murderer of his father.
Yusei didn't mind. He directly stepped onto the platform and started putting on the protective gear.
Utaha naturally also saw the aggressive Taiji. Combined with the fact that Yusei had beaten him up just a few days ago, the other party undoubtedly wanted to kill Yusei right now.
She couldn't help but remind him: "Be careful. Don't let pride lead to unnecessary suffering."
Hearing this, Yusei smiled and gave her a reassuring look.
"Don't worry."
After saying that, he finished putting on the gear and stood opposite Taiji.
Taiji snorted coldly. Seeing Yusei arrive with Utaha, standing together, even exchanging words before going on stage, made him furious all over again.
This goes back to a year ago when everyone had just entered high school.
At that time, Taiji had already shown his bully side.
He spent his days bullying the weak and getting into fights at school.
Utaha was one of the two school belles, naturally pursued by many, including this Taiji.
He first threatened all the other pursuers, then set up a grand gesture.
He placed 999 roses at the school gate to confess his love, but Utaha completely ignored him, treating him like air.
If not for the name 'Kasumigaoka Utaha' spelled out by the roses on the ground, others might have thought she hadn't even seen it.
This incident spread throughout the school and became a laughingstock.
Taiji was utterly humiliated. Fortunately, Utaha had never been in a relationship, so he was just one among many who were rejected.
But now it was different. Seeing Yusei and Utaha together like that, he felt incredibly jealous.
'Why? What's so good about that kid? He's just a weakling.'
Yusei's predecessor used to be bullied, but now not only was he riding high, he had even beaten him up last time, which made Taiji even more furious.
Before the referee could even announce the start, the moment the two stood ready, Taiji charged forward impatiently.
The bamboo sword in his hand disregarded any valid strike zones, heading straight for Yusei's head.
He never believed Yusei was better than him, and last time, he had just been caught off guard, leading to his crushing defeat.
And the matter of him sending people to beat up Yusei also left him utterly puzzled.
He wondered why Yusei unharmed, while those guys got injured.
When he asked them, they claimed they didn't know anything, saying they were beaten by another group?
'A bunch of idiots. They didn't even know who beat them up. Clearly, I have to do it myself!'
...
When Taiji launched his sneak attack, Yusei had just taken hold of his bamboo sword. Anyone else would have been flustered and at a loss.
But Yusei remained extremely calm. Since the other party was asking for it, he would oblige.
This was no longer following the rules of a match, so Yusei immediately lowered his stance, placed his hand on the bamboo sword, and stopped holding back.
[Ryugasen!]
The bamboo sword in his hand turned into several afterimages, directly striking the legs of the rapidly charging Taiji, instantly causing him to stumble and fall flat on his face.
Takeo, acting as referee, covered his face. He had expected this outcome.
'This random draw system...'
But at the same time, he was happy that his Kendo Club had gained a strong member. After all, the higher the final ranking, the greater the benefits for him as the club president.
He knew Taiji had lost and promptly announced the result.
Last time, Yusei had hit the head, but it didn't seem to knock sense into him. This time, he hit the legs, which should hopefully keep him quiet.
After all, if you can't even walk, how can you cause trouble?
Yusei paid no attention to Taiji, who was clutching his leg and howling in pain. He went down from the platform and found Utaha looking at him in surprise.
"How's my Kendo skill? I didn't lie to you, right?" Yusei said as he removed his protective gear.
Utaha looked at Yusei up and down with doubt. After a long while, she slowly said, "It feels a bit unreal. Peeping-kun is actually this strong."
It really was unreal. Just now, she hadn't clearly seen how Taiji fell.
She only saw Yusei slowly draw his bamboo sword and then sheathe it, and then Taiji collapsed.
It was like the swordsmen in ancient duels… the invisible sword is the deadliest.