Himeno Seiko's boldness didn't just shock Saimeiji Mizuki and the other girls— even seasoned punching bags like Hatake Gorou and Onizuka were completely stunned.
After all, even for them—veterans who had sparred with Hojou Kyousuke countless times—it always took serious mental preparation before facing him.
Usually, they'd shove the unluckiest guy to go first, watch him get beaten half to death, and only then muster the courage to step up themselves.
So seeing someone as fearless and eager as Himeno Seiko was unprecedented.
When she finished speaking, a round of applause spontaneously broke out.
Though the young lady looked confused, she still accepted the attention with her usual grace, giving a polite nod before turning her shining eyes toward Hojou Kyousuke standing in the center.
Those big, sparkling eyes made Kyousuke feel a headache coming on.
Out of the corner of his eye, he shot a glare at Kisaki Tetta.
The Haitani brothers didn't have the brains or guts to mingle with daughters of powerful families—nor the audacity to use his name to scam people.
Which meant this was definitely Kisaki's doing.
As for why, Kyousuke figured it out instantly.
The most urgent task right now was promoting his new book, and trends always spread faster from the top down than the bottom up.
If he could capture the elite social circles first, the success would come far quicker than anyone could imagine.
And as for whether he could actually win over this crowd of pampered rich girls—did that even need asking?
Even if he didn't rely on his literary fame or his looks, just his skill in kendo alone would be enough to turn these girls from casual fans into hopeless devotees within half a day.
That, however, was exactly what gave him a headache.
His unintentional charm had already caused him countless problems—right now, all he wanted was to live a clean, uncomplicated life.
Standing beside him, Kisaki Tetta wore a grin of pure mischief—the smile of a schemer whose plan was going perfectly.
Though he was still single, Kisaki had learned much from his "boss." One phrase in particular was burned into his memory:
"If she's innocent, show her the beauty of the world. If she's weary, take her on a merry-go-round."
He still remembered how his "boss" had said it back then:
"Kisaki, remember—your old 'nice guy' routine is the lowest form of courting. Even if you somehow manage to win her over with your endless simping, the love you get won't be what you think it is.
Pleasing her on the surface isn't enough. You have to see through appearances and understand what a woman truly values deep down.
It's not about giving her money because she likes money—in fact, don't spend a single cent. Instead, take her into high-class clubs, let her meet the rich and powerful, and make her feel what that money really means…"
That advice had completely blown Kisaki's mind.
It felt like a door to an entirely new world had just opened.
He even copied the words into his notebook and recited them every morning and night.
Of course, he did once question why his "boss" never seemed to use those "advanced dating theories" himself—yet somehow still managed to win the hearts of all the girls at the Ruyi Dorm.
His boss had only looked at him with pity and sighed:
"That's because what we have is love. What you're doing is just flirting."
Kisaki had lowered his head in shame, realizing how much his mentor worried for him.
Originally, he'd made decent progress with a few girls during the sports festival preparations.
But after witnessing the disasters that befell Hatake Gorou and Kuroda Kairen, he decisively cut ties with romance and refocused on "the mission."
His boss pursued love; idiots like Hatake and Onizuka chased women; so Kisaki decided to take the middle road—having countless one-day romances with elegant young ladies.
Even if he wasn't practicing the "dating bible" on himself, he could still apply it elsewhere—like now.
The Haitani brothers were just following his orders when they lured this whole "rich-girl squad" here.
These were daughters of politicians, CEOs, and celebrities—students of Roppongi's elite academy.
They'd met so many big names that dining with a Hollywood star was just a phone call away.
Rising political stars bowed to their fathers; award-winning prodigies groveled for their attention.
To them, the kind of men ordinary girls dream of were nothing more than products on a shelf.
Under those conditions, even though Kisaki sincerely believed his "boss" was the greatest man alive, he also knew that the girls' infatuation would fade fast once they saw Kyousuke up close and the fantasy wore off.
That's why Kisaki picked this exact day to bring them all here—through the Haitani brothers' "invitation."
A "close encounter"? Oh, definitely.
A close encounter of fists meeting flesh.
One that would leave a deep, unforgettable impression.
No one had ever dared raise a blade at them before.
No one had ever shown them such raw, terrifying power.
For these pampered, delicate heiresses, his boss's unyielding strength would be like a drug.
They'd be addicted. And soon, they'd become the most loyal servants to the "commander."
Suppressing the urge to apologize to his mentor, Kisaki turned toward Himeno Seiko with a charming smile.
"Himeno-san, since this is your first time joining the training camp, how about letting someone else demonstrate first? It's hard to work well with Captain Hojou if you don't understand the rhythm, right? Otherwise, the experience might not be… pleasant."
When it came to clever wordplay, even a well-trained noble girl like Himeno Seiko couldn't match Kisaki—the guy was smart enough to pass a bar exam purely through self-study.
His words postponed her satisfaction while quietly setting up his next move.
Himeno pouted, glanced at Kyousuke a few more times, then reluctantly sat back down.
"Alright then—let's have someone from Kaihin High go first."
Kisaki smiled slyly as he strolled toward the Kaihin team's seats. He patted the already fired-up Amakawa Tooru on the shoulder and whispered,
"Give it everything you've got. Don't let the boss down."
"Yes, sir!" Tooru shouted, throwing on his armor in a flash and striding toward the ring.
Kyousuke, who had read Kisaki's lips perfectly, sighed inwardly. He knew exactly what this schemer was up to.
Provoking Kaihin's hotheaded fighter into challenging him—so Kyousuke could display overwhelming dominance, letting Himeno experience that "thrilling violence" firsthand.
That idiot… he's using my own dating advice to help me flirt with girls? What kind of twisted loop is this?
In the ring, the two opponents faced each other.
Wearing his crisp blue kendo uniform, Hojou Kyousuke looked effortlessly cool.
Opposite him, Amakawa Tooru stood covered head to toe in armor, every vital point protected.
"Eh? Wh-What are they doing?" Himeno asked dumbly.
"This," Saimeiji Mizuki giggled, "is what he meant by close contact."
"???"
The elegant young lady swallowed nervously, her gaze darting between Hojou Kyousuke and Amakawa Tooru.
After a few seconds, she finally accepted the reality of what she was seeing.
This kind of "close contact" … wasn't quite what she had in mind.
Meanwhile, Ren Arisugawa—the daughter of a police chief and someone who knew a thing or two about kendo—was the first to notice something strange.
The bob-cut girl leaned toward Haitani Ran and whispered,
"Why isn't Hojou wearing any protective armor? Did he forget to bring it? I can lend him mine if he wants."
"Armor?" Haitani replied, a wild grin spreading across his face. "The boss doesn't need that kind of thing."
His tone carried a dangerous sort of reverence.
"No one can land a hit on him!"
"That's impossible," Ren argued immediately. "Even top-tier kendo masters—sixth dan and above—still wear armor when they spar with people their age!"
Coming from a family of police officers, she'd grown up watching high-ranking sensei at the station practice.
Even those seventh- and eighth-dan masters only sparred without armor when training total beginners.
But Amakawa Tooru was the captain of Higashi High's kendo club—one of Tokyo's strongest teams.
He might not be on Hojou's level, but it wasn't like the gap between a master and a rookie!
"Heh, you'll see soon enough," Rindou sneered.
These girls had no idea how terrifying their "commander" really was.
This wasn't some friendly kendo match—this was the same guy who, armed with nothing but a wooden sword, had once taken down entire delinquent gangs and yakuza crews single-handedly.
"Hmph! Hojou's only sixteen. I refuse to believe he's that strong! If what you said were true, he'd already be at the level of an eighth-dan master—but those are all old men!"
Ren was clearly irritated by Rindou's smugness.
"Um… Ren, maybe Rindou's not lying," Himeno Seiko murmured hesitantly.
A memory flickered in her mind—something she'd read in an online fan chat not long ago.
"Hojou Kyousuke took down the entire Sakura Syndicate overnight. Wiped them out like cherry blossoms in a storm."
At the time, she hadn't taken it seriously—just another exaggerated rumor posted by some overexcited netizen.
But hearing Rindou now… it suddenly didn't seem so ridiculous.
"Are you serious, Seiko? I know Hojou's won the national championship twice, but come on—that's not the same thing! Kendo isn't like shooting. Even if I can't strike a valid point, I could still land a blow the moment he hits me!"
Ren's voice carried the confidence of experience; she'd watched countless matches with her father and wasn't easily swayed by gangster tales.
"…Let's just watch," Seiko said quietly.
The rumor about Hojou Kyousuke fighting off ten yakuza alone did sound absurd, but what really got her attention was that, out of everyone here, only the girls and Kaihin High students seemed surprised that he wasn't wearing armor.
Everyone else acted like it was completely normal.
That alone told her plenty.
"Oh, please—just don't let that handsome face get hit!" Ren prayed under her breath.
Kisaki, watching everything unfold from the sidelines, could barely contain his grin.
Seeing the impatience creeping onto Kyousuke's face, he quickly raised his hand and called out, "Rei!"
The two combatants bowed.
Standing at the start line, Hojou Kyousuke held his shinai in chūdan-no-kamae—the middle stance he always used.
Even when he vastly outclassed his opponent, he never flaunted it with an arrogant high guard.
Humility was second nature to him.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
Amakawa Tooru's roar nearly made Himeno jump out of her seat.
The next moment, she saw him charge forward, bamboo sword raised high like a warrior in a death duel.
Compared to the ferocious Amakawa, Hojou—calm and still as a statue—looked almost fragile.
Instinctively, the girl clenched her fists, ready to shout a warning—
Then came a sharp crack! that froze her in place.
'PAH!'
The sound rang out crisp and clean.
Amakawa's strike was deflected mid-swing, his wrists struck before he could even finish his attack.
"MEN—!"
Kyousuke's shout exploded like thunder.
Even in the spacious hall, the sound reverberated through everyone's chest.
In the blink of an eye, the motionless Hojou Kyousuke had moved—his sword flashing faster than sight.
He struck Amakawa's wrist to parry, then stepped forward with perfect timing and delivered a clean blow straight to the helmet.
The impact sent Amakawa staggering two steps before crashing to the floor, while Kyousuke spun gracefully, ending back in his middle stance as if nothing had happened.
"So cool… so cool!"
It took Himeno a moment to process what she'd seen.
Then her whole face lit up with excitement, eyes sparkling like stars.
Even Ren, who actually understood kendo, was breathless.
"That was flawless! Clean strike, perfect follow-through, impeccable zanshin—honestly, that might be the best ippon I've ever seen!"
The other girls around them gasped and cheered.
They might not have known a thing about kendo, but the way Kyousuke's uniform flowed with each movement—the focused expression.
The controlled strength in his arms—was more than enough to make their hearts race.
After all, violence—raw, beautiful power—was something that no amount of refinement could ever erase from human nature.
And when a towering, bear-sized opponent like Amakawa Tooru—someone who could scare a child just by frowning—was felled by a single strike, that primal thrill hit everyone like lightning.
Even though Kyousuke had clearly held back, the hit had still been brutal enough to leave Amakawa dazed, sitting motionless on the floor.
The spectators erupted into cheers.
Himeno and the other girls, who had initially recoiled at the idea of "close contact" being actual combat.
Now found themselves eager, waiting to see who'd be the next one to challenge him, yearning to watch that same display of controlled violence again.
And they didn't have to wait long.
Another opponent stepped into the ring, another boy from Higashi High, tall and muscular, radiating strength.
But what caught everyone off guard was that Amakawa, the one who'd already lost, didn't leave.
Instead, he stood back up, gripping his shinai, and joined the newcomer, forming a pincer around Hojou Kyousuke.
"Huh?"
Himeno's mouth fell open slightly. She wasn't sure she was seeing this right.
Two against one?
Was this really happening?
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