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574 — The Match Begins
🕑 Added 2025-10-08 17:35:20 +0000 UTCEven though the girls from the Roppongi branch were stunning had perfect figures, flawless looks.
And family backgrounds that would’ve matched the kind of dream Hojou Kyousuke once had when he joked about “never wanting to work hard again”.
He wasn’t the kind of man who could be tempted so easily.
He had always lived by strict self-discipline and unshakable moral standards.
Once the warm-up exercises were done, the Kaihin High students gripped their bamboo swords and prepared for their daily training.
A normal kendo practice followed a strict order: warm-up, shadow swings, footwork drills, kata forms, then impact training.
If you peeked into a kendo club during this stage, you’d usually see one person standing still in the correct stance.
While another charged forward shouting loudly and striking at the target’s head, abdomen, or wrist — those were the valid scoring points.
That was “impact training”: it toughened the defender’s mental fortitude, teaching them to face attacks calmly, while also sharpening the attacker’s strikes and timing.
Of course, in a large joint training like this, it wasn’t just physical drills.
It was also a chance to exchange techniques, spar, and share experiences — a way to grow together through practice.
After explaining all that, Keiichi Katou looked deadly serious as he said:
“Wait, don’t tell me you girls came all this way just to watch Hojou-sensei do warm-up swings? Don’t you want to witness his legendary Handless Demon technique up close?
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Outside the members of the Rampaging Angels, no one else has ever been able to train under him!”
His tone was intense, almost fanatic.
“R–Rampaging Angels? The Handless Demon?”
The Kaihin High girls froze.
Finally, everything started to make sense.
Why there were so many motorcycles parked outside the dojo.
Why the students from other schools all looked like delinquents.
Why everyone bowed to Hojou and called him Boss.
So it was true — Hojou Kyousuke was that guy.
The name that once terrified every delinquent in Tokyo.
The fiercest of the Rampaging Angels, the second-generation leader known as the “Handless Demon,” a man who once roared across Tokyo like a wild tiger.
And these people—these so-called “trainees”—were all his former gang members!
Saimenji Mizuki lifted her head toward the front.
There stood Hojou Kyousuke, tall and calm, his kendo uniform clinging to his solid frame.
But the gentle smile from before was gone—replaced by something sharper, colder.
His face seemed to glint with a dangerous light, and the smirk curling at his lips carried an almost predatory amusement.
“What do we do now, Captain…?”
The Kaihin girls all turned toward their club president.
‘Oh, now you remember I’m your captain?’
‘You’ve never once helped me set up equipment, and now you’re looking at me for answers? Have some shame!’
Mikiyo cursed silently, trying to mask her nerves with anger.
Kaihin High—by name alone, you could tell it was near the coast.
Technically still part of Tokyo, but far from the city center, on the opposite side of the bay.
Their “delinquents” were a whole different breed; even wandering into the wrong neighborhood could get you jumped.
So while they’d heard rumors about the Rampaging Angels, they’d never imagined their Hojou Kyousuke was that same terrifying legend.
Now, after hearing the truth, they realized they’d just walked into a lion’s den.
“So? Fired up yet?!” Keiichi Katou asked, eyes gleaming with excitement.
“...Oh yeah,” Mikiyo muttered weakly, forcing a smile.
Saimenji glanced at the Roppongi girls — the so-called “Ojou-sama Squad.”
Were they tricked into coming here too? Kidnapped, maybe?
But surprisingly, the Roppongi heiresses, led by Himeno Seiko with her flowing crimson curls, seemed thrilled.
“Hey, Haitani, are we finally getting to the part where we ‘get closer’ to Hojou-kun?” Seiko asked dangerously sweetly. “You know what happens if you lie to me, right?”
The straight-haired princess-cut girl beside her crossed her arms and added, “Yeah, my dad’s the chief of police. If you’re scamming us, I’ll make sure you’re eating pork cutlets in prison.”
Haitani Rindou just laughed nervously.
“No lies, no lies. Trust me—once this starts, even if you don’t want to get close to the boss, you won’t have a choice.”
“Kyaa~!”
The Roppongi girls squealed with excitement.
Watching this whole exchange, Saimenji felt utterly lost.
She turned toward the Soubu High group, hoping for clues, but the girls there were just smiling back—half mocking, half pitying.
‘Something’s definitely off here…’
Before she could think more, the organized formation suddenly shifted, the students forming a wide circle around the center.
“Wait, hold on—are we supposed to kiss Hojou-kun in front of everyone?” Seiko whispered. “There should be a private room for that, right? If not, I’ve got a car outside.”
“Nah,” Haitani grinned. “It’s more ceremonial this way.”
“Well, if Seiko’s too shy, I’ll do it,” the princess-cut girl, Arisugawa Ren, chimed in. “My dad loves strong men like Hojou-kun. If he became my boyfriend, my whole family would celebrate!”
The other heiresses joined in eagerly, chattering about how they could use this “rare chance” to win Hojou’s heart and bring him home as their future husband.
Despite their talk, they all sat down with perfect posture — every motion elegant, refined.
Their sword uniforms weren’t just well-tailored; they looked custom-modified, hugging their curves in all the right places.
The sleek fabric shimmered, outlining every delicate line of their bodies — the rounded chests, slim waists, graceful backs…
Honestly, it looked less like kendo attire and more like designer cosplay.
Saimenji Mizuki’s jaw dropped.
“Wait… THIS is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you were talking about?!”
She turned to Keiichi Katou, incredulous.
Katou’s face had gone pale. Oh no, this is bad.
If only he had his phone right now, he’d be blowing it up nonstop to call his cousin Megumi.
‘You lazy girl, still asleep at home while all these rich beauties are targeting Hojou-sensei? Don’t you have any sense of danger?!’
The students finished forming the circle, sitting neatly in place.
The Kaihin High members already knew what was coming — but the Roppongi girls were still completely clueless.
———————————————————————
Hojou Kyousuke stepped calmly into the center of the ring, bamboo sword in hand.
Bluezane’s kendogi fit him perfectly, giving him an indescribable swagger.
It made his already tall frame even more imposing — he didn’t have to do anything but stand there and he became a sight to behold.
“Handsome” didn’t even begin to cover it.
Lucky for him, a handful of schoolgirls in the audience supplied rapturous expressions that completed the picture.
Kisaki stepped forward to take control of the floor. “Which school wants to go first?”
No one from Soubu High spoke up — everyone knew the drill and were trying to be polite and deferential.
Toru Amakawa, captain of Higashi High’s team, immediately raised his hand. “Higashi goes first. You wouldn’t try to take this chance from us, would you?”
He was a stern-faced kid with a hard gaze, scanning the room like a hawk.
When his eyes landed on the legendary Makki Hojou, the resolve in them hardened.
Higashi was the birthplace of the “Rampage Angels” — both the first and second generation champions came from there.
Now that the second-gen leader had apparently left, the organization’s center of gravity had shifted to Soubu High, and nobody at Higashi was happy about it.
Knowing the kind of man his elder brother was, Toru and his crew had already staged three protests in just a month, demanding the school modernize — make it co-ed!
If Higashi weren’t a damn all-boys school, their revered captain never would have run off.
Look around: at Soubu, Kaihin, Roppongi — there are girls everywhere.
Only Higashi is full of monks.
How’s that fair? Even Toru, who idolized his brother, admitted he was tempted to run away himself.
Still, protests aside, Toru felt duty-bound to restore Higashi’s honor.
He wanted the captain to see that Higashi was their promised land — loyal and powerful.
“Hey, hey — with so many seniors here, you really want to get beaten up first? I came all the way from Kanagawa, and Makki-senpai skipped hanging out with a bunch of pretty college girls to be here. Aren’t we supposed to have priority?” Eikichi Onizuka barked.
He was squatting in classic delinquent fashion — no cigarette this time — and his face was no longer sad; probably Kisaki had soothed him with his money power.
If shameless Onizuka was bullying the younger ones, Kaihin and Roppongi quickly started clamoring too — everyone eager to be the first to step up.
The desperate scramble left the kids from Seaside High baffled — their earlier guesses about how this would go were suddenly looking wrong.
Mizuki Saimeiji looked over at Keiichi Katou uncertainly. “Katou, if I understood correctly, are we doing sparring now?”
“No, no, no!” Keiichi wagged his head and raised a finger with theatrical seriousness. “Not sparring. It’s a tate-giri.”
“A tate-giri?” Chiyoyo blinked in surprise.
A tate-giri is essentially a standing endurance test: one swordsman acts as the anchor and faces dozens of challengers in succession, with no breaks in between.
“Exactly!” Keiichi’s eyes glinted with fanatical excitement.
He looked at Hojou Kyousuke standing at the center of the floor and practically vibrated as he spoke.
“That’s how Higashi’s middle and high divisions have dominated the national tournaments year after year.
People say it’s because Hojou-sensei is a great teacher, but the real reason is his unique training method.
“Whether it’s wheel-style battles or being swarmed, Hojou-sensei is the reef in the ocean — he smashes every tidal wave that hits his team.
Only a leader like that can forge an unbeatable squad. Keep your eyes wide open — you’ll never see this anywhere else!”
A tate-giri, huh…
Mizuki’s eyes went distant as the implications dawned on her.
She watched the crowd — people pushing to be first, practically itching to fight.
So they were literally volunteering to get beat up? Some had come all the way from Kanagawa, others had skipped mixers, some were adults in suits…
Her gaze drifted to the right and landed on the Roppongi debutante squad — a gaggle of well-dressed young ladies, all glammed up.
They’d come here to get cut down too? Did they love him that much? Was this… some kind of masochism?
“What’s going on? Those people too? They want some ‘close contact’ with Hojou-kun!?” Kiyoko Himeno snapped, pointing at Onizuka and his crew and firing questions at the Haitani brothers.
The girls felt tricked and furious.
Arisugawa Ren was beside herself, demanding her father call in riot police to put the punks in their place for daring to interfere with her and Hojou-kun’s moment.
Haitani gave a wry smile. “Can’t help it — they’re comrades. But Himeno-san, you and your crew can go first. If you’re strong enough, you can hog Hojou-sensei all night.”
Mizuki’s eyes widened — she finally got it.
Himeno and Arisugawa Ren and the other debutantes had no idea that the ‘intimate contact’ they fantasized about meant hopping up to slash blades with Hojou in a passionate duel.
Fighting was, in its own brutal way, a form of intimacy — nothing brings you closer to someone’s soul than blades clashing.
That said, these ladies knew fashion and high society, not kendo.
One flick to the nails and Himeno’s glittered manicure proved the point.
Mizuki saw Haitani Rindou trying not to laugh beside Arashi, turning his head fast so the young women wouldn’t notice.
How dare those two toy with the debutantes like that — didn’t they fear payback later?
Feeling a little soft because they were girls, Mizuki opened her mouth to explain — but before she could, Himeno rose like a war general.
“You useless cowards!” she spat, standing up and clearing her throat theatrically.
“Thank you to all the seniors who traveled so far. Tonight I’ll arrange a banquet from Roppongi’s finest restaurants to show our gratitude.
Higashi’s veterans have deep qualifications — shouldn’t they be more gracious? We’re from Roppongi and don’t normally get chances to meet Hojou-kun…”
Himeno spoke like the perfect gentlewoman at first, but every sentence hit like a rapier thrust.
Her words cut through Onizuka’s bluster and even silenced Toru, who’d been all fired up about restoring Higashi’s honor.
Watching Himeno stand there like a war deity, Mizuki’s eyes shone with admiration.
The composure, the nerve — no wonder she was from an influential family.
So — you’re really volunteering to go up there and get beaten?
