Chapter 40: Entering the Chiba Prefecture Kendo Federation
In a half-conscious haze, Akishin Chishima heard Shizuka's voice drifting toward him. "Chishima-kun, Chishima-kun, wake up. We've arrived at the Kendo Federation."
"...We're here?"
Akishin rubbed his eyes and stretched his stiff neck until it let out a series of audible cracks. He hadn't expected to actually fall asleep. He had drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber, enveloped by that faint, lingering fragrance.
"Um... Shizuka-chan, sorry about that. I guess I passed out for a bit."
Akishin offered a quick apology. After all, a grown man sleeping while a woman drove him somewhere felt incredibly tactless—especially when he was the one who had invited her out in the first place.
Akishin had his own set of moral standards. You couldn't exactly call it male chauvinism; the main reason was simply because the person in question was Shizuka.
Shizuka glared at him. Hearing him call her "Shizuka-chan" made her want to hit someone, though she likely wouldn't win that fight.
"Just get out!"
Today's goal was to relax, so she had to maintain a good mood. Shizuka let out a sigh, opened the car door, and stepped out. Akishin grabbed his sword bag and exited from the other side.
'Kolmogorov calculated that the probability of two strangers meeting in this world is 0.00487. So then... what about the meeting of people from two different worlds?'
Akishin squinted up at the sky. The late-morning sunlight washed over his face. A cool breeze brushed through his hair and the edges of his clothes, carrying a hint of the sea.
Shizuka approached him, glancing at Akishin before following his gaze up toward the sky. She asked, sounding puzzled, "What exactly are you looking at?"
Akishin looked at Shizuka and smiled. "Just thinking about my past, my present, and my future."
"Are you a Buddhist or something?" Shizuka laughed. "Using all that talk about the past, present, and future."
"I'm just having a bit of a chuunibyou moment!"
Akishin watched Shizuka as she stood in the middle of the breeze. She was wearing small, round-toed leather shoes, her skirt fluttering lightly in the wind. Her beautiful long hair draped over her back, and beneath her sun hat, her heart-shaped face wore a subtle smile.
Click!
Akishin whipped out his phone and snapped a photo!
Shizuka froze for a second before her face flushed bright red. She stared at him indignantly. "Chishima-kun, what do you think you're doing!?"
"Nothing, nothing. Come on, let's head inside!"
Akishin checked the photo; the result was perfect. He quickly tucked his phone away, slung his sword bag over his shoulder, and jogged toward the Chiba Prefecture Kendo Federation building.
"Chishima Akishin, delete that! Who told you that you could take secret photos of people?"
"It wasn't a secret. I took it right in front of you."
The two of them chased each other into the Federation building.
The Chiba Prefecture Kendo Federation consisted of a small three-story building and a blue gymnasium with a semi-circular roof. A hand-painted banner hanging over the entrance read "Chiba Kendo Federation."
The main entrance was located under the three-story block, while the gym was situated to the side. Even from outside, the air was filled with loud shouts and the rhythmic clack-clack of shinai hitting each other. In Kendo, these shouts are known as Kiai; to land an effective strike, these shouts are mandatory.
Stepping through the main doors, they found a lobby with very simple decor. A few green plants were tucked into the corners, and a reception desk sat at the far end.
On either side of the walls hung two large framed characters: 'Sword' (Ken) and 'Way' (Do)!
The photo incident ended with Akishin showing Shizuka the picture to prove it wasn't a bad shot, though he stubbornly refused to delete it.
(P.S.: The author couldn't find the official Kendo exam procedures, so everything below is purely fictional. Don't take it too seriously! (.?ω?.)ノ?)
Akishin led the still-annoyed Shizuka toward the information desk. There, a professional-looking woman in glasses was leaning over, taking notes.
Akishin tapped on the desk. The woman looked up, saw the newcomers, and offered a practiced, professional smile. She stood up and said, "Sir, welcome to the Kendo Federation. How can I help you today?"
Akishin glanced left and right before speaking. "I want to participate in the All-Japan Kendo Championship. What are the requirements?"
The woman glanced at the sword bag Akishin was carrying and smiled. "Sir, you've arrived at the perfect time. We are holding the pre-selection matches for the tournament in an hour. There are no specific requirements; you just need to show your Kendo Passport to register."
"..."
Silence hung in the air for three seconds. Akishin looked at the woman and said seriously, "I don't have a Kendo Passport."
"Eh?"
The woman's smile froze. She had originally intended to ask what Akishin's Dan rank was. Now, there was no need to ask; not having a passport meant he technically had no official rank at all.
And Akishin had said he didn't have one, not that he forgot to bring it!
Shizuka, standing behind him, turned her head away. She was also surprised to hear that Akishin didn't even have a rank. Usually, if someone had practiced Kendo since childhood, they would have had a passport since middle school.
Seeing the woman's expression, Akishin hesitated for another three seconds before adding, "Even if I don't have a passport, my Kendo is actually very good."
He had never studied Kendo systematically, but in order to join this tournament, he had spent the last few days researching everything he could. He felt there wouldn't be any problem taking the exam.
Kendo matches were essentially about hitting your opponent; it just had a lot of rules added on, and those rules were fairly straightforward.
As a veteran employee with years of experience, the woman recovered quickly. "Sir, this situation is a bit complicated. However, if you can prove to the Federation that you have mastered Kendo, you will be allowed to participate in the pre-selection. If you win, you can represent Chiba Prefecture in the All-Japan Kendo Championship. The passport can be processed through an exam afterward."
The world of Kendo primarily values strength. In Japan, where some perspectives can be a bit extreme, this was very apparent.
Akishin thanked her. "Thank you very much for your help, Ogura-san."
"It's no trouble at all; it's just my job."
Ogura Yuko glanced down at the name tag on her chest; her business cards happened to have just run out.
After recording Akishin's identity information, Ogura Yuko led Akishin and Hiratsuka Shizuka toward the gymnasium. Along the way, the three of them introduced themselves.
Passing through a long corridor, the view ahead suddenly opened up, and the noise grew louder. A sports arena appeared before Akishin's eyes, roughly 40 meters long and 30 meters wide. On the solid wood floor were nine white crosses, with two parallel white lines on either side of each cross.
Three large lights on the ceiling illuminated the arena brightly.
Dozens of young men wearing Kendo armor (Bogu) while holding their face protectors (Men) sat cross-legged at the far corner of the hall. Two others in full armor were dueling in the center without a referee; they were just practicing, and the shouts from earlier had come from them.
To Akishin's right sat more than ten middle-aged men wearing blue Gofuku (traditional robes), holding shinai as they watched the two practitioners spar.
Akishin turned his head. The group in Gofuku formed a sharp contrast with the group of younger students; the vibe they gave off was completely different.
Ogura Yuko led Akishin and Hiratsuka Shizuka closer. The middle-aged men in Gofuku turned their heads. The man at the very front stood up and nodded. "Ogura-san." However, his gaze was fixed on the two people behind her.
When his eyes landed on Akishin, the middle-aged man's previously calm expression suddenly turned serious.
What people call "aura" is actually a mysterious manifestation of expression, mood, gaze, and body language.
A CEO of a large company has a sense of authority even when they aren't angry; that's partly due to their position, but mostly due to dominant habits formed over a long time.
It wasn't anything magical; everyone had one. It could also be called guts or spirit—not the kind of "pressure" that could crush people to death like in martial arts novels.
Akishin pulled a shinai out of his sword bag, then handed the bag and the remaining blade to Shizuka.
Shizuka looked at Akishin in surprise. She realized Akishin had changed; he seemed somewhat unfamiliar now, and he felt incredibly dangerous.
The middle-aged men in Gofuku sitting on the floor also turned to look. A few more stood up with serious expressions.
Akishin looked at the man who had stood up first. He narrowed his eyes, a thin smile playing on his lips. He recognized this man—or rather, he had seen him several times while researching information over the past few days.
He hadn't expected to run into him here!
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