I Teach Kendo in Tokyo - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Double Standard!
 

Kazuma was upset.

‘Damn you, didn’t you say that I shouldn’t have introduced myself?’

In addition, Kazuma noticed that the note on top of Daimon’s head had just changed from “Shock” to “That Summer.”

Kazuma thought to himself, ‘F*ck, did I beat the BOSS into the second stage with just a Tsuki?’

The most annoying thing was that when he focused on the note, the description was: “Summer comes and goes, and the bamboo sword is still in my hands. But things have changed.”

This explanation was too brilliant. Other than being poetic, there was nothing meaningful about it at all.

However, when Kazuma read the description, he understood something. ‘Could it be that this kind of buff was related to life experiences?’

Previously, Kazuma only knew that soaring emotions and ritualistic behavior could provide buffs. Now, he knew a new source of buffs.

Thinking about it, Nishikiyama Heita’s Demon Face buff should also be related to his past experiences.

‘F*ck, so to be a kendo expert in this world, hard work alone is not enough. Rich life experiences are essential too!’

This was too much.

As Kazuma was complaining in his heart, Daimon had already launched an attack.

Kazuma felt as frustrated.

‘Goro-sensei, you have already given yourself a buff through that personal introduction, so you should give me a chance to recite a poem and get a buff too!’

Their bamboo swords collided with each other. The sound reminded one of a supervisor whipping a slave.

To be honest, this was the first time Kazuma had had a one-on-one match with the Kendo Club’s Advisor Daimon since he transmigrated.

So he had no idea how much stronger Daimon had become compared to usual.

He was strong anyway.

Furthermore, Kazuma also realized that Daimon could handle all high strikes with ease.

‘What is this? A special defense against high strikes?’

‘Why did he get such defense after he reminisced about some past summer?’

‘Could it be that he once lost to someone who was especially good at high strikes?’

‘There is no other way. Tsuki is forbidden, and he has a special defense against high strikes. The only move I can use is the Kasaya Slash then.’

Kazuma felt that the enhancement given by his Actual Combat level was obvious only in sword skills. Therefore, he might not defeat the Stage-2 Daimon Goro without his enhanced sword moves.

Although losing the sparring should not be a big deal as it would not endanger his life nor cost him the dojo, Kazuma just wanted to win.

Hence, after a two-hit combo, Kazuma immediately changed his posture to prepare for a Kasaya Slash!

Before using a sword skill, one had to first pose and then exert force. Hence, Kazuma felt that it would be faster if he assumed the right posture first.

Before Kazuma made his move, he had actually made a mistake and created an opening for a split second. During a kendo sparring, his opponent might take advantage of this opening.

Of course, Daimon seized the opportunity!

“Hand!” Daimon shouted.

However, Kazuma’s Kasaya Slash also hit his arm.

When Fujii’s bamboo sword hit Daimon’s protective gear, it immediately bent. Of course, this degree of bending was not a problem at all. The reason why bamboo swords were made of individual bamboo strips tied up together instead of an entire bamboo stick was to achieve this level of resilience.

After Kazuma unleashed the Kasaya Slash, he subconsciously wanted to switch to the next move…

However, the referee raised the flag and shouted.

It was only then that Kazuma realized that this was not a life-and-death battle but a duel of swordsmanship. It was called “keiko” in kendo jargon.

After hitting the opponent, the competitors had to pull away and return to their starting position.

Kazuma glanced at the flag raised by the referee—’Wait a minute, they actually judged that I hit first!’

In kendo competitions, it was common for both sides to hit each other at almost the same time. In this situation, similar to fencing, the person who hit first would score.

Kazuma looked at the vice president standing on the other side and realized that he also judged that Kazuma had scored a hit first.

And Daimon did not seem to have any objections to this judgment.

In other words, Kazuma had attacked later, but his Kasaya Slash had hit Daimon quicker.

The effect of Actual Combat 5 was truly outstanding!

Indeed, the Beast[1] was right. Among all forms of martial arts in the world, speed prevailed.

After Daimon returned to his starting pose, he looked at Kazuma, who quickly got into position too.

Both of them held their swords near their waist while facing each other, waiting for the referees to signal the start of the second round.

The Kendo Club president declared the beginning of the second round.

Daimon attacked immediately.

This time, he used a high strike technique.

It was obviously a Jigen Style move. The way he exerted power was in the exact same way as the Jigen Style, and there was the signature strange shout too.

Kazuma took the attack head-on, but the web between his thumb and index finger hurt from the impact.

Daimon maintained the standard attack tempo of the Jigen Style. He let out a strange cry every time he unleashed a high strike with great force.

In Kazuma’s previous life, there was a word to describe this kind of attack style: Bowing Sword Style[2].

It seemed like Daimon had once been defeated by a Jigen Style expert, and he still had regrets until now.

After defending against five consecutive strikes, Kazuma finally felt that he could not continue like this. He planned to switch moves…

However, in the next moment, Daimon suddenly started to play tricks. His hand that was holding the end of the sword was suddenly raised high, letting the sword swing downward around the other hand that was holding the front part of the handle.

This was a standard bamboo sword technique. Actual combat with real blades also had such a move, but it required a wrist movement. Only one side of real swords had a sharp blade. Therefore, if one did not turn their wrist, it would be hitting the opponent with the back of the sword.

Kazuma was caught off guard and was hit in the hand.

The referee raised his flag.

Kazuma and Daimon pulled away from each other.

At this moment, Kazuma suddenly asked, “Sensei, you once lost to a Jigen Style expert on a summer day, am I right?”

This was a conclusion based on pure logic.

However, Daimon showed an “I knew it” expression and said, “Did you feel it from my sword moves?”

“No, I’m just asking. Just now, you… you used Jigen Style moves. Your usual techniques do not seem to belong to any schools, so I thought this might be the case.”

“But how did you know it’s in the summer?” Daimon asked.

Kazuma thought in his heart, ‘I can see it on your head.’

However, the words changed when he spoke. “This is also a logical deduction. After all, major kendo competitions are all held in the summer, be it the district qualifiers or the National Competition. So the probability of your match happening in the summer is the highest. That’s purely probability theory.”

“Is that so?” Daimon smiled. “Let’s just take it as that.”

It seemed that Daimon did not believe him at all.

This allowed Kazuma to confirm that people in this world had probably also realized that life experiences and emotions could influence the strength of their martial arts moves.

They probably just couldn’t see the note directly like Kazuma could.

It’s possible that martial artists in this world could understand each other through sparring.

And martial arts masters might even be able to use telepathy like those in Gundam.

At this moment, the Kendo Club president announced, “One to one, draw. Next is the decisive round!”

Kazuma and Daimon were both in position.

“Begin!”

This time, Kazuma was the first to attack.

[1] A character from the movie Kung Fu Hustle

[2] It looks like the person is bowing down when attacking