"Good afternoon, Senior Busujima. My name is Kenji. I've long heard of your name. Everyone says Senior Busujima's swordsmanship is peerless and your beauty is even more stunning. Meeting you today, I've realized those rumors don't even capture half of your true charm."
Busujima Saeko's cheeks flushed slightly, a hint of shyness flickering in her eyes.
The junior before her was indeed very handsome, with sharp brows and bright eyes, and an extraordinary temperament. Combined with his polite demeanor and these sincere-sounding compliments, it was hard not to feel favorable toward him.
At the very least, Busujima Saeko's first impression of him was quite good.
"I'm already clear on the purpose of Kenji kun visit. I can take you on a tour of our Kendo Club. Later, when Junior Kenji starts his club, if there's anything you need help with, you can come to me as well," Busujima Saeko said with a smile.
"Help, huh..."
Kenji's heart stirred. Thinking of the swordsmanship he had just learned through the "Martial Arts Genius" skill, he figured he could find an expert to spar with to verify it. Thus, he spoke up directly: "Actually, there is one favor I hope Senior Busujima can help me with."
Several Kendo Club members who admired Busujima Saeko heard Kenji's words and looked over with some dissatisfaction.
Did this guy not realize she was just being polite!
To actually take it seriously—he really didn't know his place.
Busujima Saeko, however, gave a calm smile. "Oh? What does my junior need help with?"
Kenji took a deep breath and said bluntly, "During the observation just now, I learned Senior Busujima's swordsmanship. If possible, I'd like to have a match with you, Senior Busujima, to test my own depth."
"What!?"
The surrounding people all looked over in surprise, their faces filled with expressions of disbelief.
This guy was truly boasting shamelessly!
Just by observing for a bit, he wanted to compete with Busujima Saeko, a national kendo champion?
What a joke!
One Kendo Club member couldn't help but step forward and said disdainfully, "If you're just a beginner, I think Junior Kenji should stay grounded and work hard on the basics. Thinking you've mastered everything just by watching isn't a good thing."
Kenji ignored his mockery, simply staring intently at Busujima Saeko as he said seriously, "Please give me some guidance, Senior Busujima. I am serious."
"This..."
Busujima Saeko couldn't help but frown, feeling a bit displeased.
Did this guy really think he could fully master the kendo techniques passed down through generations of her Busujima family just by watching once?
Don't be ridiculous. She had practiced since childhood, enduring countless instances of sweat and pain to achieve what she had today. To master it just by looking—how could that be possible?
Busujima Saeko's gaze turned slightly cold. She felt it was necessary to teach this arrogant guy a lesson and let him know that kendo isn't something so easily mastered.
"Then put on the protective gear. Kikumasu, give him a wooden sword!"
Judging by her tone, Saeko was indeed already a bit angry.
"No need for protective gear!"
Kenji picked up a wooden sword and walked straight over, his expression calm and confident.
"This guy! He's really arrogant!"
Even the first-year newcomers below couldn't stand it anymore and began to gossip.
"Busujima Saeko just won the national tournament; she's the captain of the Kendo Club. Her exquisite swordsmanship has even earned praise from many masters who have spent years immersed in the art. This kid is a nobody, yet he's so wild?"
"Wait... Kenji... I seem to have heard that name somewhere?"
Some people hadn't reacted yet, searching their minds for memories of Kenji.
"Aren't you afraid of getting hurt?"
Busujima Saeko still couldn't help but ask, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes.
"It's fine, you'll see later. Enough talk, let's go."
Kenji held the wooden sword and took a stance.
In fairness, just looking at this stance, it was very standard. His legs looked steady and powerful, not at all like a beginner's.
Whether it's swordsmanship or boxing, one must start from the most basic starting stance and solid footwork. Many people who have studied martial arts for a year or two might not necessarily master these fundamentals perfectly.
Because often, these most plain and basic things are also the easiest to overlook.
Just as she was about to offer a few words of praise, in the next instant, Busujima Saeko's pupils dilated sharply!
Her body reacted subconsciously!
Raise sword! Horizontal block!
"Thud!"
The two wooden swords collided, letting out a dull sound.
Busujima Saeko only felt a powerful force transfer from the wooden sword, causing her body to stagger back several steps uncontrollably.
"Such strong power..."
Busujima Saeko was startled, a solemn look appearing on her face.
"I've already held back my strength. Do you need me to hold back a bit more?"
"No need!"
Busujima Saeko gave a low shout and rushed toward Kenji with her sword, her eyes filled with fighting spirit: "Show your full strength! I don't need you to hold back!"
"Alright..."
Though he said so, Kenji still didn't use his full strength.
He felt that sparring with an expert like Busujima Saeko was a rare experience; there was no need to decide the winner right at the start.
The wooden swords in their hands collided once more!
Bang!
Thud!
The wooden swords clashed, continuously emitting dull sounds that echoed through the dojo.
This time, the two were actually trading blows evenly, sword shadows flickering in a dizzying display.
However, Busujima Saeko felt more and more that something was wrong. It didn't feel like she was facing another separate individual, but rather like she was facing herself.
Was it like fighting her own reflection in a mirror?
Every move and every style of the two were so similar, almost identical.
Could it be that he really just learned it now?
Impossible!
If that were true, then what did her ten or twenty years of hard work even mean?
A strong sense of frustration and doubt welled up in Busujima Saeko's heart.
"Hah!!!"
Not a trace of contempt remained in Busujima Saeko's beautiful eyes. She gave it her all, continuously clashing with Kenji. The speed at which they swung their swords even created afterimages, leaving the surrounding club members dumbfounded.
At this speed, they couldn't even see clearly, let alone keep up. They would likely be defeated in the very first round.
Soon, fine sweat began to bead on Busujima Saeko's forehead, and her breathing became rapid.
Kenji, however, remained calm and composed, handling it with ease.
"How about it, Busujima Saeko? Am I qualified to be your opponent?"
The corners of Kenji's mouth curled up slightly, his eyes full of confidence.
Clang!
Busujima Saeko didn't reply, only delivering another strike. Both leaped back a step simultaneously, then immediately swung their swords to clash again.
Below the stage, Miyajima Sakura, the vice-captain, and Sumi, the international student from Korea, couldn't help but start discussing.
"How is it possible? He can actually trade blows with Senior Saeko!" Sumi's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
"No! It's not just trading blows!"
Miyajima Sakura, who also came from a prestigious kendo family, quickly saw through it. She frowned and said, "Senior Saeko is at a disadvantage! That guy is actually suppressing Senior Saeko the whole time!"
"How can that be!?" Sumi exclaimed, her face full of shock.
And that was the truth!
With the ability of "Martial Arts Genius," Kenji had directly pulled his own swordsmanship skills to the same level as Busujima Saeko's.
But don't forget, Kenji also had the "Sturdy" skill, which gave him basic abilities at the peak of human levels.
Stamina, strength, speed, and even reaction time were all steadily stronger than Busujima Saeko's.
On this basis, with swordsmanship skills equal to Busujima Saeko's, she had almost zero chance of winning.
The reason she hadn't directly lost yet was simply that Kenji was deliberately taking it easy on her and hadn't used his full strength!
Busujima Saeko also quickly realized this.
Though she was very unwilling, she had to admit she couldn't win.
The reason the opponent hadn't directly ended the battle was likely to save face for her as the Kendo Club captain.
Otherwise, being defeated in front of so many people would be far too embarrassing.
With that thought!
Bang!!
After another clash of wooden swords, Busujima Saeko stood in place, took a deep breath, and said bluntly: "I lose."
She was not a sore loser!
At worst, she would just win it back later!
"Well, let's call it a draw, how about it? After all, I might not necessarily be able to take down Senior Busujima in a short time."
Kenji said with a smile. He felt it was good to save some face for Busujima Saeko; there was no need to make things too tense, as he still had to pursue her later.
Below the stage, the watching crowd instantly erupted in an uproar!
What a joke!
Senior Saeko actually admitted defeat!?
[Shocking! Senior Busujima Admits Defeat! Chinese International Student Comes Out on Top!]
[Kenji! The Secrets Regarding This Man!]
[Dammit! The Defeat of the Perfect Senior—Will the Kendo Club Be Enslaved by That Man?]
Even before school was out, the campus was like a boiling pot. Various strange and diverse reports, like snowflakes, quickly covered the school's bulletin boards.
The dense layers of paper packed the once-empty bulletin boards to the brim, causing passing students to stop and watch, pointing and whispering.
Kenji walked along the campus path, looking at the strange gazes and whispers of the surrounding students, his heart truly filled with mixed emotions.
He really didn't expect he would become famous in school in such a bizarre way; this was truly a path he had never imagined.
Looking at those strange titles, Kenji couldn't help but complain in his heart. Even those clickbait shock-journalists would probably have to admit defeat and feel inferior.
However, on second thought, this was fine too. His "Performance Club" had now thoroughly made a name for itself. Although this fame didn't seem very positive—feeling more like a big villain making waves.
But regardless, the visibility was there, which counted as taking the first step.
To Kenji's surprise, Busujima Saeko was quite open-minded about it.
After the match ended, she not only took the initiative to add Kenji on LINE but also warmly expressed that they should make an appointment later to spar to their heart's content at the Busujima family dojo.
Not only that, vice-captain Miyajima Sakura also added his LINE. Miyajima Sakura also generously expressed that they should spar together when there was a chance.
For Kenji, this was considered an unexpected harvest.
After school, Natsuka, Kanako, Reina, and Yoshida Saki—the four girls—accompanied Kenji to clean and tidy up the entire classroom.
Some swept the floor, some wiped the windows, and some arranged the desks and chairs, busy and happy.
Before long, the originally chaotic classroom became clean, tidy, and completely refreshed.
Kenji looked at the newly cleaned classroom, clapped his hands, and said, "Next, we need to get everything ready for our Performance Club."
...
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