After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

The player Ryo Kuroiwa from Osaka had a brief chat about fitness with the Gorilla Vice President before he excused himself and returned to his team.

Watching his retreating figure, Teacher Yamazaki said to everyone, "Currently, among the high school students in Osaka, it's likely Ryo Kuroiwa who has the strongest Sword Dao. Be careful when you face him; he's a formidable opponent."

"What about that sneaky squinty-eyed guy?" the Gorilla Vice President immediately asked, clashing his fist with his palm.

"Don't underestimate him," said Minister Uchida from the Kendo Club, his expression serious. "Kusatsu Ikuta is also a favorite to win this year's championship, and he was last year's winner."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Him? He won before?"

"The Capital City schools strong in Sword Dao are numerous. Kusatsu Ikuta emerged from among them. It's best to not really think of him as just a smooth talker."

"But he's definitely not as good as President Ayakoji and Instructor Kagura!" Miyamoto Shi said confidently.

The Gorilla Vice President regretfully expressed, "I think so too. The President and the Instructor could definitely beat him, it's just unfortunate that the Instructor can't compete."

"Hmm... that's also true," Miyamoto Shi said ambiguously.

"It has been a long time since the Tokyo District advanced into the top eight at the national tournament," lamented Teacher Yamazaki who had led the Kendo Club to the national tournament in the previous years. "This generation of yours holds the most promise. Give it your best!"

"For the barbecue!"

The boys cheered and rallied.

After a while, Kagura Hikaru and the others finally found the place arranged for them by the organizers and settled down. They immediately began to undress and change into their Kendo Uniforms.

As the weather was cold, everyone just took off their coats and was able to change directly, saving the trouble of going to the changing room.

As club managers, Kagura Hikaru and Hosaka Yui took the opportunity to get the protective gear and Bamboo Swords from the organizers.

Everyone tried them out to get a feel and stretched a bit, then sat down in their spots waiting for the competition to start.

Soon it was 8 AM, and the venue personnel had cleared the area, leaving a spacious field.

The spectator stands quickly filled up, occupying two-thirds of the seats—about three hundred people—which was a highly impressive turnout.

The majority of the audience consisted of students from various high schools, with many from the Capital City, holding support signs and banners.

Today should be a school day on Friday; I wonder how they managed to get the time off. Perhaps the schools had given a break to facilitate the students attending the competition.

If that's the case, that's really enviable.

The competition is about to begin.

The organizers handed out the first batch of match schedules.

The competition used an elimination system, where each participant randomly battled against students from other schools. The winner would move to the next round, and so forth.

Since it was a random draw, the further one advanced, the more likely one would face a teammate, which was an unavoidable situation.

After Hosaka Yui brought the list over, it quickly passed through everyone's hands. Everyone, apart from Ayakoji Chiyoko and Miyamoto Shi, showed a shocked expression.

The list eventually reached Kagura Hikaru, who scanned down until he saw their school's name.

Members from Tokyo District Haneoka Private High School participating — Ayakoji Chiyoko, Wada Ritarou, Uchida Hajime, Ooi Shuuyitsu, Kagura Hikaru.

...Kagura Hikaru?

Why was his name on there?

He looked up sharply at Ayakoji Chiyoko, who seemed to have anticipated this, and calmly said, "Kagura Hikaru, do not dishonor Ugao's name. Fight with all your might to win the championship, understand?"

Kagura Hikaru finally understood that he had been tricked by her.

From the very beginning, Ayakoji Chiyoko had placed herself on the contestant list, but she deceived him into doing the club manager's tasks.

"Miyamoto, is this good enough for you?"

Kagura Hikaru looked at Miyamoto Shi with complex emotions.

The one who had been replaced on the list was Miyamoto Shi.

He had probably known about this before they set off, and had mentally prepared himself early. He met Kagura Hikaru's gaze without any resentment, instead, he proudly smiled, "Instructor Kagura, let everyone know how formidable you are and fiercely slap those people from the Capital City in the face!"

After speaking, he handed over the kendo uniform he had received but never worn to Kagura Hikaru, the cloth identifying the competitor's role glaringly inscribed with the word 'Kagura.'

Kagura Hikaru nodded and solemnly accepted it, "Thank you, I won't let you down."

"Now I feel relieved, hahaha." Miyamoto Shi scratched his head and laughed.

Upon closer inspection, one could still see a touch of regret deep within his eyes.

As a lover of Sword Dao, he naturally wanted to compete and measure himself against the best in the world.

"Miyamoto Shi, you have great potential." Ayakoji Chiyoko's eyes suddenly glanced over as she spoke, "Consider this year as an observational learning experience, train well when you get back, and next year, I will secure a spot for you to compete."

Miyamoto Shi's face instantly brightened, "Yes! Thank you, President!"

By then, Kagura Hikaru had already changed into his kendo uniform with the help of Hosaka Yui.

Donning the kendo uniform and hakama, the deliberately constrained sharpness finally revealed a corner.

Clad in the kendo uniform, he had a special aura, as if he was the protagonist in a sword-fighting film, who appeared casual and relaxed yet was deadly with a sword, dazzlingly handsome.

His companion, Hosaka Yui, nearly glued her eyes to his face, unabashedly pulling out her phone and the continuous clicking of photos ensued, making her seem not just like the club manager, but also a part-time journalist.

Only Ayakoji Chiyoko sensed the subtle sense of danger hidden beneath Kagura Hikaru's composed face, her expression growing even more serious.

Being proud of her Sword Dao skills, yet having never won against him in their spars, she wanted to forget her role as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and challenge Kagura Hikaru straightforwardly as a pure contender this time.

Kagura Hikaru was sitting cross-legged on the ground, placing a bamboo sword across his lap as he closed his eyes to meditate, engaging in sword meditation.

This was akin to a form of meditation; mystically speaking, it was about deepening his connection with the sword, achieving unity of man and sword.

Simply put, he was concentrating his mind.

Switching from the club manager to a competitor, Kagura Hikaru was preparing himself mentally, gathering his fighting spirit and ferocity, determined to exert his full power and not disgrace Miyamoto Shi and Ugao High.

As a whistle blew, the referee announced the official start of the match, and competitors from all sides began to enter the arena.

The first to enter the ring from the Ugao team was Ayakoji Chiyoko, and her opponent was a male student from Hokkaido.

The opponent stood at the edge of the other end of the field, facing Ayakoji Chiyoko from a distance, nonchalantly lifted his chin, and despite the faceguard, one could almost see the disdain behind it.

He did not have a good impression of Ayakoji Chiyoko and unilaterally believed that this beautiful woman was a publicity tool brought in by Haneoka Private High School, a mere vase holding a sword, likely to be eliminated after one round.

The National High School Kendo Competition did not distinguish between genders, but since its inception, no woman had ever placed, as Sword Dao was ultimately a man's realm.

When a woman appeared in the competition, what it signified was self-evident.

To market the school's image by sacrificing a contest spot, Tokyo's Ugao High no longer deserved respect!