Kamiyā Yuu swung the bamboo sword in his hand and said after a moment of thought,
"I'll take all of these."
"Certainly. I'll have these bamboo swords packaged for you right away."
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, I'll buy all the bamboo swords here. No need for fancy packaging—just find something large enough to load them into my car."
"...Pardon?"
The clerk stood there with his mouth slightly open, wondering if he had heard incorrectly.
All three shelves' worth of bamboo swords?
Many of these swords were expensive enough to cost an entire month's salary for him.
"All of them. If there are any in storage, I'll take those too."
Kamiyā Yuu repeated himself.
Rather than testing them one by one, it was easier to buy everything and slowly try them out at home.
Time was short, and he had no room to hesitate.
Kendo was one of Japan's traditional sports.
Although its popularity couldn't compare with national favorites like karate, it was still considered a first-rate sport.
Many schools maintained traditional kendo clubs and held annual national kendo tournaments.
For most people, their strongest impression of kendo probably came from movies and television dramas: competitors wrapped in thick protective armor, raising wooden swords with both hands and repeatedly striking—
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Kendo originated from Japanese Bushidō and represented one branch of that tradition.
When people around the world thought of Japanese warriors and their weapons, only one image usually came to mind:
The Japanese sword is one of the world's three famous blades.
The Japanese sword was long, slender, elegant, and coldly beautiful.
It possessed both ornamental value and considerable lethality.
Because of its design, however, its greatest power came from chopping and slashing motions.
Japanese kendo was born from that principle.
Stripping away all the complicated explanations, the essence of kendo was mastering the mechanics of a slash, pursuing a clean and decisive one-hit kill.
Those back-and-forth sword duels often seen in films and television weren't something ordinary people could realistically perform.
In real combat, matches between true kendo masters were often decided in an instant.
The kendo knowledge Kamiyā Yuu had acquired within the consciousness space surpassed that of any kendo master in this world.
His virtual combat experience was extraordinarily rich.
His understanding of the true nature of kendo was the source of his inexplicable confidence regarding the upcoming match.
What he needed now was to help his real body adapt to the kendo he had practiced in the consciousness space and eliminate the subtle sense of discord between the two.
His physical condition was excellent.
However, there was no way he could compare to Busujima Murasaki, who had undergone years of intensive kendo training.
Take the heavy wooden sword she carried, for example.
If she used that as a weapon, Kamiyā Yuu could surrender immediately.
No matter how brilliant one's technique, it was meaningless before overwhelming physical strength.
His own physical limitations prevented him from displaying truly terrifying swordsmanship.
Fortunately, the agreement between him and Busujima Murasaki was merely a kendo match.
They would both use lightweight bamboo swords while wearing thick protective gear.
Naturally, the match would follow official kendo rules.
After dinner, Kamiyā Yuu told Kamiyā Sora that he had recently become interested in kendo and would be spending the next few evenings training at a kendo dojo.
Then he drove his car, loaded with bamboo swords, to a relatively empty public park and began practicing on the spot.
Under the night sky, in a dark corner beyond the reach of the streetlights, a shadowy figure could be seen moving suspiciously.
"One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!"
Kamiyā Yuu stretched rhythmically.
The familiar movements.
The familiar cadence.
If a Chinese student happened to see him, they would probably cry out:
"Isn't that the legendary nationally standardized broadcast calisthenics?!"
Warming up before strenuous exercise made everything much easier.
After finishing his stretches, Kamiyā Yuu unloaded several large baskets of bamboo swords from the trunk of his car.
One after another, he tested them, searching for the bamboo sword best suited to his right-hand grip strength.
"Too light. It doesn't feel like there's any power behind it."
"Hmm... this one's not bad, but the blade feels too short. It still can't generate enough force."
"Let's see... 0.78 kilograms. It could use a bit more weight and length."
"This one, then. Not too heavy, doesn't tire me out when swinging, but still feels substantial."
After an entire round of testing, Kamiyā Yuu concluded that bamboo swords weighing around 0.9 kilograms felt best in his hands.
They weren't so light that they felt weightless, nor so heavy that they interfered with maintaining the stability essential to kendo.
Having chosen his practice sword, Kamiyā Yuu closed his eyes and recalled the kendo training he had undergone in the consciousness space.
The quiet environment of the deserted park allowed him to maintain complete concentration.
Before long, the hazy image of himself practicing kendo within the consciousness space gradually became clear.
How had he gripped the sword?
How had he generated force?
What angles had he used for attack and defense?
An indescribable sensation flooded through his body like a torrent of power.
The instant he swung the bamboo sword for the first time, the silent park echoed with the sharp sound of a gale slicing through the air.
His body's memory had returned.
Using imaginary enemies as opponents, Kamiyā Yuu felt as though he had returned to a bloody era of war.
Surrounded.
Countless soldiers clashed with weapons in hand.
Each rise and fall of his blade severed enemy heads.
Then he elevated Busujima Murasaki into the ultimate imaginary opponent.
She possessed swordsmanship superior even to kendo masters and physical abilities beyond human limits.
The two fought on a battlefield.
The moment they exchanged blows, Kamiyā Yuu's body reacted half a beat too slowly.
His head was severed instantly.
"First attempt. Defeat. Death from a slashed throat."
"Second attempt. Defeat. My third attack is redirected and countered. Severe injury to the waist. Combat capability lost."
"Third attempt. Death. The sword pierces through my mouth and all the way through my skull."
The Busujima Murasaki, in his simulations, represented his own skill level within the consciousness space.
The difference between them reflected the gap between his real-world swordsmanship and his swordsmanship inside the consciousness space.
...
"As expected, I'm still not adapted."
"There's no way my body can catch up in such a short period of time."
"But sword fighting can be trained."
"As long as I can secure victory quickly during the match, there shouldn't be any major problems."
After countless attempts, Kamiyā Yuu finally managed to survive ten exchanges against his imaginary opponent.
One had to remember that his simulated Busujima Murasaki possessed swordsmanship equal to his own as well as the finest physique in the world.
Lasting ten exchanges under those conditions already satisfied him greatly.
Incidentally, if a random passerby happened to come here, all they would see was a suspicious figure wildly swinging bamboo swords in the darkness.
There was a good chance they would immediately call the police—and perhaps a psychiatric hospital as well.
When his body finally began feeling exhausted, Kamiyā Yuu stopped.
Stretching his fingers, he felt stiffness, soreness, and several painful blisters forming on his palms.
His muscles ached every time he moved.
This was his first time truly practicing kendo techniques in reality.
Naturally, his body could not adapt so quickly.
Kamiyā Yuu walked over to the pile of bamboo swords he had discarded earlier and began searching for another suitable one.
This time, he tested the weights using his left hand.
"My body can't take much more."
"Let's stop the training here."
"Time to try something more interesting."
"Hmm... my left-hand grip is slightly weaker, and I can't control the force as precisely."
In the end, Kamiyā Yuu selected a shorter bamboo sword.
With one bamboo sword in each hand, he couldn't help striking a cool pose before muttering with a grin,
"Kendo?"
"Take this—Starburst Stream!"