Chapter 90

As the signal for the match to begin, I placed my bamboo sword in front of my navel—assuming the chudan-no-kamae stance.

Jang, facing me, mirrored the same stance.

Jang Bael.

A tall swordsman clad in the uniform of Senrin Academy, he must have been around 180 centimeters tall.

With jet-black short hair and a well-defined face, he wore silver-rimmed glasses, perhaps due to poor eyesight.

(The "Captain" of the Kendo Club...)

I was genuinely quite curious about what kind of sword he would wield.

Then,

"...Allen Rodor. I heard from Deputy Captain Sylti that you declined the Kendo Club's invitation, didn't you?"

"Um, yeah, well..."

Sylti Rozette—she's a second-year female swordsman who serves as the deputy captain of the Kendo Club.

She specializes in the Enshin-ryu, a style known for its defensive techniques.

(But, can that new student recruitment event really be called an "invitation"...?)

I had once faced off against Sylti during the May recruitment event.

(I remember, it was when I was observing the Kendo Club's activities with Lea and Rose...)

Suddenly, the gym's entrances and exits were sealed, and I was forced into a match.

(That was more like a kidnapping than an invitation...)

As I recalled these events from not too long ago, Jang continued the conversation.

"Even though you declined once... I still want you to join the Kendo Club."

"…Huh?"

With wide eyes, I listened as he began to explain the current state of the Kendo Club.

"Unfortunately, the Kendo Club is now being treated like a 'hayfield'... Just when we've worked hard to recruit promising first-year students and nurture them well—they get snatched away from us..."

Jang clenched his teeth and tightly gripped his fist.

"That's terrible..."

The club's budget is determined by the "Club Fee War."

For a large club like the Kendo Club, failing to secure a proper budget there would significantly restrict their activities.

Therefore, the situation where promising first-year students are poached is a crisis that threatens the club's survival.

"But, who could be doing such a thing...?"

"That century's worst villain—Student Council President Shi Arcstria...!"

"The President...!?"

She, of all people... No, she might actually do it.

(...Yeah, she would do it without hesitation.)

What came to mind was the incident during the poker match.

The President, with a gentle smile, casually used a "trick card" to cheat.

Despite her appearance, she has a somewhat devious side.

"---Student Council Secretary Lirim Tsorine, and Treasurer Felis Magdalot. Those two talented individuals were originally from the Kendo Club..."

Jang murmured this with a distant look in his eyes.

"Really...?"

I had never heard this before.

"Yes, they were supposed to lead the Kendo Club in the future. But somehow, that detestable Shi Arcstria poached them..."

"I see..."

Come to think of it, the President did say, "I scouted both of them"...

"And this year, it's you."

Saying this, Jang pointed at me.

(...I did join the Student Council, but...)

Originally, I had no intention of joining the Kendo Club, so this can't be considered a "poaching."

Then, he declared firmly,

"Let me be clear. You are heading in the wrong direction!"

"Um, the wrong direction...?"

"Yes. Allen Rodor, I did some research on you. A man who prefers blood and violence over meals, the founder of the suspicious cult-like group 'Swinging Club,' a man driven by greed. Honestly, it's not a good list..."

Jang shook his head slowly.

"Ahaha... Indeed, it's quite a mess..."

I didn't realize it had gotten this bad.

This might need some addressing.

"But, I can see now. You are, at heart, a very pure and simple swordsman."

"Um, thank you..."

Not knowing how to respond, I simply thanked him.

"Your chudan-no-kamae stance is so perfect it could be in a textbook, your far-sighted gaze, and your stance that doesn't reveal your center of gravity. These are not things that can be mastered overnight. You must have dedicated a tremendous amount of time to kendo."

I silently thought, "More like a few billion years."

"But, the beautiful sword you've honed through such relentless effort... is being tainted by that century's worst villain!"

...I clearly understood that Jang viewed the President as an enemy.

"I will straighten out your twisted nature...!"

Then, in the next instant,

"---Kiyagaryu, Tenrenjin!"

With a powerful roar, he charged straight at me.

"Kiyagaryu—Tenrenjin!"

Aim for the neck, torso, and abdomen—his precise strikes targeting vital points came at me.

"..."

I easily evaded them, recalling the previous "death match."

(...Jang's sword is not slow at all. In fact, it's incredibly fast, as befits the Kendo Club captain...)

However, compared to the "prodigy" Idris, it felt a bit lacking.

"Damn, you're good...!"

After evading all ten strikes, I launched a counterattack.

"Hachinoto—Yatagarasu!"

The refined strike split into eight slashes,

"Fast...!? Hah...!"

Severely cutting Jang's entire body.

"..."

The audience, which had been excited a moment ago, fell silent.

"Jang Bael, unable to continue! Therefore, the winner is Allen Rodor! Truly overwhelming...! Despite being a first-year, he easily defeated a third-year, instilling a sense of fear...!"

Having successfully "raided the dojo," I was about to leave the stage when

"Still... not over..."

Jang grabbed the hem of my pants.

"---The real Senrin Festival... is yet to come..."

He said this and then quietly lost consciousness.

(...The "real Senrin Festival"?)

What could he mean...?

With this question in mind, I descended from the stage,

"Great job, Allen! What a beautiful strike!"

"Hmm, I'd like to face you again sometime."

Lea and Rose said this with a proud smile.

After that, I chose a large hippopotamus plushie from the grand prizes and presented it to Lea.

"Lea, here's the hippopotamus plushie you wanted."

I handed her the well-made plushie.

"Thank you, Allen...! I'm so happy...!"

"Hehe, glad you like it."

"Yep, I'll take good care of it!"

Lea, with a childlike smile, hugged the plushie tightly.

"...Alright, decided! I'll name you 'Hippopotamus'!"

She immediately gave the plushie a unique name.

While I had some thoughts about her naming sense, I decided not to dampen her joy and kept quiet.

After that, we enjoyed various events, and before we knew it, it was 5 PM, the end of the Senrin Festival.

The general visitors had left, and the remaining students were about to start cleaning up.

I happily chatted with my classmates from 1-A while removing the classroom decorations.

"The third-year's hot dogs were so delicious... Damn, I should have had another one..."

"Did you try the second-year's chocolate bananas? They were amazing too!"

"The haunted house was so scary... I thought my back would go out..."

After reminiscing about the day's memories, the cleanup was both enjoyable and a little sad.

About an hour later, as we returned to the usual 1-A classroom, the intercom announcement rang.

"---This is Vice Principal Reia Rasnote. Students, thank you all for your hard work today! I've visited all the events, and they were all fantastic! The visitor survey ratings are very high, so this year's Senrin Festival can be considered a great success! The official Senrin Festival is now over! ---Now, let's begin the highly anticipated 'Underground Senrin Festival'! The night is still young!"

The moment Reia-sensei's loud voice echoed,

"---Wooooo!"

Roars from the second and third-year students on the upper floors could be heard.

"The Underground Senrin Festival...?"

"What's that? I've never heard of it!"

Amid the commotion in the class, I recalled the earlier scene.

(I see... The "real Senrin Festival" Jang mentioned earlier must be this...)

It seems the festival is far from over.

In fact, it's just getting started.

■

After that, the details of the Underground Senrin Festival were announced over the intercom.

The Underground Senrin Festival is a battle for the currency "Jin" used only during the Senrin Festival.

Each class must ensure that every student holds at least a thousand Jin, earned from their events.

Participation is on a class basis.

The class with the most Jin at the end of the announcement wins.

With no general visitors, the use of soul armors is unrestricted.

(In other words, this is a practical combat exercise using the entire academy.)

Ambushes, surprise attacks, and one-against-many battles—anything goes in this real fight.

The winning class will receive a large cash prize and the title of "Strongest in Senrin Academy."

"---That's all for the rules! The start time for the Underground Senrin Festival is 7 PM! The end time is one hour later, at 8 PM! The start and end signals will be the usual bell! Good luck to all of you!"

The intercom announcement ended.

Everyone, who had been listening quietly, had a burning fighting spirit in their eyes.

"Hehe! As expected, Senrin Academy is the best...!"

"Yeah, I didn't expect such a heated event at the end of the festival...!"

"Sure, the prize money is nice, but the real goal is the title of 'Strongest in Senrin Academy'!"

Everyone, regardless of gender, was filled with battle spirit.

"Allen, we're definitely going to win!"

"I won't lose to any seniors...!"

Lea and Rose also seemed very enthusiastic.

"Yeah, let's do our best together!"

After that, we divided the money—Jin—earned from the cosplay café among everyone and quietly waited for the start.

"Phew..."

As I exhaled deeply and steadied my breathing, Tessa patted my shoulder.

"Hey, Allen. How about a little competition to see who can earn more Jin?"

"Sure, sounds fun. Of course, I'm in."

"Hehe, I'll show you what I'm made of!"

Just as we were talking, the bell rang.

The Underground Senrin Festival had begun.

"---Alright! Let's go wild!"

The moment Tessa opened the door with a burst of energy, an ice spear pierced his abdomen.

"Ugh...!?"

"---Tessa!?"

Struck by a powerful blow from outside, he fell unconscious, rolling his eyes.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to continue the fight.

"Damn... Who...?"

As I rushed out of the classroom, I saw

"---What...!?"

A large group of seniors surrounding 1-A.

Not just ten or twenty, but over a hundred—more than four classes combined.

"Heh, we gotta start by taking down the 'strongest'...!"

"That's right—without crushing Allen, we have no chance of winning."

"It's not very mature to target first-years, but this is a real fight...!"

They readied their soul armors.

(This is bad... I didn't expect them to come for us right away...)

As I felt a sense of urgency,

"Conquer—<Primordial Dragon King>!"

"Stain—<Crimson Cold Cherry>!"

Black and white flames and a vivid cherry blossom storm

"Wha...!? Gah...!?"

engulfed the seniors in front of us.

"Hehe. It's a good judgment to come for 1-A first, but... will a hundred be enough?"

"Not enough. Let me rust them with the Sakura Hana Itto-ryu...!"

Lea and Rose, with their soul armors deployed, smiled confidently.

Then,

"Rage—<Storm King>!"

"Drain—<Immortal Worm>!"

"Disassemble—<Pleasure Doctor>!"

Encouraged by the two, the rest of 1-A deployed their soul armors one after another.

(...Right. I'm not fighting alone...!)

I'm fighting with everyone.

...What a reassuring thought.

"Allen, let's go!"

"Let's do it, Allen!"

Meeting the gazes of Lea and Rose, I said,

"Yeah, let's get started!"

Wielding the pitch-black darkness, I charged at the over a hundred seniors.