Chapter 41: Suzuki Tsuyoshi
Suzuki Tsuyoshi!
The only All-Japan Kendo Champion in the history of Chiba Prefecture. By profession, he was a police officer. He had claimed that prestigious title back in 2004 when he was thirty-two years old. Now, seven years had passed, and at thirty-nine, he was arguably in the absolute prime of his life.
Since 2004, while he hadn't reached that ultimate summit again and couldn't quite be compared to "monsters" like Miyazaki Masahiro, he remained a formidable powerhouse in the circuit.
With the grand tournament season approaching, it was only natural for him to participate. His presence here was to be expected.
"Suzuki-san, this is Chishima-san, and the lady behind him is Hiratsuka-san..."
Ogura Yuko introduced Akishin and Shizuka to Suzuki Tsuyoshi with a hint of stiffness, carefully explaining Akishin's unusual situation.
In Yuko's eyes, Suzuki Tsuyoshi was the most influential figure in the building; a single word from him could dictate the trajectory of her career.
Besides... how should one put it? Suzuki Tsuyoshi lived up to his name—he was massive. He was built like a fortress, making people reflexively feel a sense of intimidation just standing before him.
He stood at least one hundred and ninety centimeters tall. Akishin was half a head shorter. Even the loose folds of his Gofuku couldn't hide his powerful frame, and his square jaw paired with a buzz cut set him apart from the average Japanese man.
"Oh?"
Upon hearing Yuko's explanation, Suzuki Tsuyoshi's gaze toward Akishin betrayed a flash of genuine surprise at the fact that Akishin didn't even possess a Kendo Passport.
But it wasn't a deal-breaker; he just needed to take the exam. A passport didn't represent everything; he was simply surprised that someone of this age had never bothered with the official grading system.
The other middle-aged men behind him shared the sentiment, yet none offered a smirk or a look of disdain. The "vibe" they sensed from Akishin wasn't a lie; this was a strong man—perhaps even an extraordinary one.
Suzuki Tsuyoshi stepped past Yuko, walked right up to Akishin, and gave a respectful nod. "Hello. I am Suzuki Tsuyoshi, Chiba City Police."
"Chishima Akishin, teacher at Sobu High School."
Akishin returned the greeting with a smile. "Suzuki-san, I've heard much about you."
Suzuki Tsuyoshi then looked at Shizuka. Caught off guard for a second, she quickly straightened up. "Hello, Suzuki-san. I'm Hiratsuka Shizuka, also a teacher at Sobu High."
Shizuka felt a legitimate twinge of nervousness. It was the kind of jitters one gets when suddenly standing face-to-face with a living legend.
In Chiba, no one with even a passing interest in Kendo was ignorant of Suzuki Tsuyoshi; he was the prefecture's sole All-Japan champion.
Back then, the local media had plastered his name across Chiba for three straight weeks; you couldn't escape it.
However, while everyone knew the name, very few had seen the man. Kendo champions aren't movie stars; they don't exactly go out every day to be put on display for public entertainment.
"Hahaha, so you're both teachers at Sobu High!" Suzuki Tsuyoshi laughed.
In Japan, the professions that produced the strongest Kendo practitioners were usually the police—since Kendo provided extra points on police exams—and teachers.
"Chishima-kun, since you want to enter the tournament, would you mind if I handled your testing? Of course, I call it a 'test,' but I'd actually like to have an official match with you."
Suzuki Tsuyoshi took the initiative to offer. He felt a distinct sense of threat coming from Akishin, and his competitive spirit had been ignited.
"Of course. It would be an honor."
Akishin nodded. This was exactly what he wanted. In fact, precisely because he had recognized Suzuki Tsuyoshi, he had proactively released his "aura."
Beyond the tournament entry, Akishin wanted to see the current ceiling of modern Kendo masters—and how they compared to the Ronin swordsmen in the system space.
He had expected to only meet someone of this caliber in the final rounds; he hadn't anticipated meeting Suzuki Tsuyoshi here and getting an immediate taste of a modern master's strength.
Suzuki Tsuyoshi headed off to change into his armor. The news that he was about to spar with someone spread through the Chiba Kendo Federation in less than a minute. The young practitioners on the far side of the hall immediately swarmed toward the arena.
The Chairman of the Chiba Prefecture Kendo Federation and several other officials caught wind of the news and emerged from their offices as well.
Akishin followed Yuko to change into a Kendogi. Since he didn't own one, he had to borrow a set from the facility.
Yuko's attitude toward Akishin shifted up another notch. Suzuki Tsuyoshi's words proved that Akishin possessed great strength, and the sheer presence he radiated was enough to startle her.
"Chishima Akishin!" Shizuka tugged at his sleeve, looking up at him. "You're really going to have a match with Suzuki-san?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
Akishin was confused. Hadn't they just agreed on this?
"You're not going to win... how about we just call it off?" Shizuka clutched the sword bag tightly, her voice low.
She didn't think for a second that Akishin could beat Suzuki Tsuyoshi; the man was a legend. She was worried Akishin would be mocked, especially since the crowd was growing larger by the second.
Akishin realized it then: She's worried I'm going to lose.
He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'm actually quite strong. Besides, losing to Suzuki-san isn't something to be ashamed of. He even said this was just to help test me."
As he spoke, to prove his point, Akishin gave his sword a quick swing. It let out a sharp, whip-like crack as it cut through the air, startling Yuko who was walking ahead of them.
Shizuka looked at him with a complicated expression before finally nodding. It was true; losing to Suzuki Tsuyoshi wasn't embarrassing—it was practically a badge of honor.
Still, her mind wasn't at ease.
"Why would Suzuki-san even want to spar with you?" Shizuka was genuinely baffled. The man was one of the strongest Kendo practitioners of the era.
Akishin joked, "Maybe it's what they call 'game recognizing game' between experts."
"Shameless!" Shizuka glared at him, then suddenly let out a laugh. "Hahaha, fine. I guess I have to trust you regardless."
Right.
She seemed to have lost her confidence just by hearing a name—she had studied martial arts and Kendo as a child, after all. When Suzuki Tsuyoshi became famous, she had studied his matches and even considered him an idol of sorts.
Perhaps because those impressions were too deep, she lacked confidence in Akishin's chances, yet at the same time, she desperately didn't want him to lose. If he lost his very first match, he'd surely be depressed, right?
Even if it wasn't an official match, a loss was still a loss...
"We're here, Chishima-san. The Kendo uniforms in here are all new. You can change freely, and there are showers available."
"Understood."
Akishin nodded, but he didn't move. Instead, he looked at Shizuka with a hesitant look in his eyes.
"What are you trying to do?" Shizuka took a half-step back, suddenly wary.
Akishin: "...What on earth are you thinking?"
"Shizuka-chan, do you know how to put on the armor?"
"...The armor?"
Akishin reflexively tugged at his trench coat and said, "I don't actually know how to put it on. Please help me."
In three lifetimes, this was Akishin's first time wearing a Kendo uniform. Even though he'd seen tutorials online, it was fairly complex, and he was terrified of getting it wrong.
Official Kendo gear consists of the Men (face mask), Kote (gloves), Do (chest protector), and Tare (waist protector).
The jacket must be tucked in perfectly, and the nameplate (Zekken) must be attached to the Tare to show identity. Participants also have to wear 70cm long red or white ribbons on the back of their Do straps to distinguish the sides.
It was incredibly tedious. Someone who had never worn it before could easily end up looking like a mess—like a monkey trying on human clothes for the first time.
Shizuka looked at him with an odd expression.
Akishin opened the door and pulled Shizuka inside.
Yuko stood frozen outside, wondering if she had misheard. An expert practitioner recognized by Suzuki Tsuyoshi didn't even know how to put on the gear? Hadn't Suzuki already offered a match? Didn't that mean he was already acknowledged?
Ten minutes later, Akishin emerged fully geared, cradling his Men under his arm, with a Shinai tucked into his waist.
Behind him followed Shizuka. Her face was slightly flushed—even with her makeup, the redness was unmistakable. She had just caught a glimpse of Akishin's bare upper body...
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