Chapter 16
Since Wudao has gone to the future, Yuko can only patiently wait for him to return.
She knew that the Martial Arts Tournament had traveled through time more than once, and she believed that if the Martial Arts Tournament returned, it would come looking for her.
The semester was drawing to a close, and summer vacation would begin after the final exams. Yuko had been waiting for her martial arts training for a long time, so she decided to find a way to get it done in her own way.
Because she didn't know the exact time of Emma's accident, she could only stay with Emma as much as possible, wanting to find out who wanted to hurt Emma.
On the first day of summer vacation, Yuko called Emma as soon as she woke up.
Emma was woken from her sleep by the noise. She fumbled around on the bed until she finally found her phone, and answered it with her eyes still closed. Hearing that Yuko was coming to see her, Emma, barely holding on, thought Yuko's energy was incredible—it was the first morning of summer vacation, and she wasn't sleeping in! Emma drowsily mumbled a few "uh-huhs" before falling silent.
Yuko called out several times but received no response, only the sound of shallow breathing.
Emma must be asleep again.
There's just no way to deal with her.
But then she thought that Emma would be safe if she stayed home and slept, so she felt relieved.
Because she got up so early, Yuko had nothing else to do at the moment, so she decided to go to the Seta Dojo.
Although she has a Japanese-style room at home for self-training, it's difficult to improve without opponents. Yuko's kendo teacher, Seta Sojuro, is an eighth-dan kendo practitioner; those who can reach that level are extremely rare nationwide.
When I arrived at the dojo, Seta, an eighth-dan with gray hair, was watering flowers in the backyard.
"Teacher," Yuko greeted him.
"Oh, you're here? Go and slap Su Zhen (wields a sword) a hundred times first." Seta Hachidan didn't even turn his head, as if the flower in front of him was more beautiful than his own closed-door disciple.
"yes!"
“Ichikawa brought his apprentice with him today.”
"Eh? Senior Ichikawa is here too?" Yuko exclaimed in surprise. Seta, an 8th Dan player who is 74 years old this year, has only taken four disciples in his life. Ichikawa Masahiko, who once played for the national team, is the most accomplished of his disciples.
"They said they came to exchange ideas. The other person is just a middle school kid, don't embarrass me." As he said this, Seta Hachidan looked at Yuko with his hawk-like eyes.
Yuko: Master, have you forgotten that I'm just a middle school kid, and I've only been practicing kendo for a short time...?
But she dared not talk back. Her master was a typical Showa-era man—ambitious, responsible, and strict with himself as well as with others. He taught his students that "spare the rod and spoil the child," and Yuko endured no shortage of beatings and scoldings during her childhood training. However, she wasn't afraid at all back then; instead, she thought to herself that one day she would defeat this old man.
It was precisely because of her indomitable fighting spirit that Seta Hachidan took her as his disciple.
Yuko's training wasn't with the other students at the dojo; she practiced alone in the backyard for the old man to see, so there was no way she could slack off.
When Yuko swung her 30th time, Masahiko Ichikawa also came to the backyard. He didn't greet Yuko for fear of interrupting her training, but instead went around to her back and stood with his teacher, 8th Dan Seta. Looking at his junior, he remarked, "Yuko's shoju form is as impressive as ever."
Seta Hachidan snorted: "Are your eyes no longer working? She's not as good as she was when she was eight."
Masahiko Ichikawa, who was being scolded, was already used to his teacher's way of speaking and didn't take it to heart: "After all, she's been out of practice for several years, so it's quite good that she can maintain this level. Master, will she be able to take this year's exam?"
“She’s practically throwing herself away by taking the exam like that. I can’t bear the embarrassment.”
"Should I go easy on you?"
Seta, the eighth-dan, looked at Yuko's upright and earnest back and smiled: "Fool, would my disciple be inferior to my disciple's disciple?"
Ichikawa Masahiko thought to himself, "If you lose and lose face, don't take it out on me."
Yuko was drenched in sweat after her 100th match, and Seta 8-dan allowed her to rest for 15 minutes before the match began.
The competition was divided into two rounds: Kendo and Iaido.
Yuko donned her protective gear and arrived at the arena. Her opponent was said to be a man the same age as her. Because of the masks, neither could see the other's face clearly. However, their kendo uniforms bore their surnames.
"Akiji"
Takitani
The first kendo match.
First game.
The two men squatted down, holding bamboo swords as a sign of respect for their opponent. After standing up, they touched the two bamboo swords together to test each other. This was necessary before the confrontation. Although it only lasted for a few seconds, it was enough to get a preliminary understanding of the other's offensive intentions.
The two were evenly matched, and with roars emanating from their dantian, they drew their swords. The outcome would be decided in a single breath, with astonishing speed.
"Takiya." The referee raised his hand to signal, and Yuko scored a point by striking her face and then her abdomen. Her opponent attempted to attack her face (the scoring point between the sun and the uterus), but she dodged it by tilting her head, and Yuko slashed forward, striking his abdomen to score.
If Yuko gets just one more book, she'll win this match. The rules of the kendo match are that the first person to get two books within three minutes wins.
The second game begins.
Yuko took the initiative to attack with her knife, but was countered by her opponent in the same way she had just done, and Yuko was hit in the abdomen.
"Ming Si," the referee announced, calling out the winner of the book.
He's got a bit of a mischievous streak.
I'll retaliate with my own moves.
And it seemed like they were looking down on me, like I was being underestimated…
Yuko gained a general understanding of her opponent's character from these two exchanges.
In the third round, Yuko remained tense and focused. The two clashed, their bamboo swords striking each other with a crisp sound. Her opponent not only defended against Yuko's attacks but also attempted to use force to press her forward.
I've been waiting for you to underestimate my power!
Yuko quickly withdrew her force, redirecting her opponent's bamboo sword to her shoulder; in this type of competition, a hit to the shoulder doesn't count as a point. Yuko raised her hand and swung her sword, striking her opponent cleanly on the head.
"Takiya." The referee announced the result of the match.
Both sides bowed, and the onlookers applauded. Seta, the eighth-dan, never stopped smiling: "Well done, Yuko. I was just thinking about how I would beat you up if you lost. That was close! Haha."
Yuko: ...
"The next sword-drawing technique isn't your forte, so it's okay if you lose." Seta, an eighth-dan swordsman, was already quite satisfied that Yuko had won this match.
Yuko was taking off her protective gear, and deep down she thought the same thing. In her mind, Ichikawa's sword-drawing technique was the best in Japan; how could she possibly be better than his student?
Yuko turned to look at Ichikawa Masahiko, and saw that her opponent, who had removed his protective gear, looked very familiar.
Ah, it's Haruchiyo!
Isn't his surname Santu?
Yuko had a question in her mind.
The second Iaido match begins.
The two faced each other, and Yuko could see his face clearly. At this moment, Sanzu Haruchiya was not wearing a mask, and the diamond-shaped scars on both sides of his mouth were clearly visible. However, his features were already very delicate, and those unique scars were not ugly at all, but rather had a strange charm. His long hair was tied in a ponytail, and his eyes were lowered with long eyelashes, making it somewhat difficult to tell whether he was male or female for a moment.
Not only is its name cute, but it's also very cute!
Yuko, who had already memorized the other person's name as a woman's name, called out to herself in her heart.
The two knelt facing each other, with a knife's width between them.
Bow deeply and place your hands at your sides.
The art of drawing the sword is all about the instant the sword is drawn and swung. Originally, samurai used the art of drawing the sword to be able to draw their sword in any situation to deal with sudden attacks, emphasizing speed and surprise.
The whistle blows.
Yuko's sword was swiftly and elegantly defeated before it was even fully drawn. If it were a real sword, Yuko's body would probably have been ripped open like a piece of paper.
But regardless, today's result of one win and one loss is not shameful, and everyone is happy.
Seta, the eighth-dan player, was in a good mood and had his apprentice Ichikawa cut up the watermelon. Sanzu Haruchiya and Yuko had a hard time with their match today, so the adults let the two kids go to the backyard to eat watermelon.
Yuko sat on the porch in the backyard, her legs dangling in the air, holding a chilled watermelon in her hands. After exercising, taking a bite was incredibly refreshing.
Santu, propped up on one leg and holding a melon in one hand, remained as taciturn as ever. He glanced at Yuko, who was beaming with delight beside him, and wondered how he could have lost to her.
Although they only met once, Santu remembered Yuko. The person who stood surrounded by admirers was merely a false moon. With limbs lacking developed muscles and a body so fragile it could break at any moment, she was even worse off than his sister, Senju.
But today he was truly defeated by her.
Santu resented his younger sister, Senju, possessing the strongest power; in his mind, strength and woman were not synonymous. At this moment, he also disapproved of Yuko.
Yuko, who knew nothing about Santu's inner thoughts, turned to look at him and asked, "Should I call you Meiji-kun or Santu-kun?"
Santu said nonchalantly, "Whatever."
Yuko blinked and poked her cheek with her index finger, saying, "I'm your master's junior sister, your senior."
She thought for a moment, then raised her index finger as if she had come up with a good idea: "Ah, if you continue to be so disrespectful to me and not use honorifics, I'll tell on you."
Three paths that also want to study under Ichikawa Masahiko: ...
"You tattletale!" San Tu cursed inwardly, but still honestly replied, "Ming Si is my surname."
Yuko, who had finally managed to act like an elder after getting a free junior apprentice, felt a surge of pride. Seeing Santu's frustrated and restrained demeanor, the devil in her heart stirred: "I see. So how do you write Ming Si's name in Chinese characters?" She held out her hand to him, gesturing for him to write it on her palm.
Santu's patience was commendable; he carefully wrote his name in Yuko's palm, stroke by stroke.
Yuko, who had been watching, suddenly realized, "Oh, it's Haru Chiya." She always made this kind of mistake. The first time she heard Emma's name, she thought the Chinese characters were written as "绘麻" (Ema), which also caused a misunderstanding.
Yuko smiled contentedly and said to Santu, "Don't worry, I'll tell my senior that Si-kun is a good kid."
Santu twitched the corner of his mouth: "Well, thank you very much."
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