Chapter 43: The Special You in the Special Building

"Aono-senpai, your bento is delicious, but I can't eat it now. May I take it back?" Ono Mizuki asked.

"It's my honor that you're willing to take it back!" Aono-senpai even used honorifics toward her junior.

As she put the disposable bento box into her bookbag, Ono Mizuki secretly smiled at her sister.

Ono Mika also put a box into her own bookbag, and the two sisters exchanged a smile.

Qingshan Li had already finished his own portion, and he was thinking about Mikami Ai's portion, of which she had only eaten two bites, but he felt a little embarrassed.

He didn't mind leftovers.

He ate Kuze Oto-sensei's leftovers from the infirmary without caring at all.

Now, perhaps because his stomach was full, he felt embarrassed; being full had its downsides.

"Classmate Aoyama, our Cooking Club hasn't given up yet; we'll challenge you anytime!" Mizuguchi looked like a hot-blooded young man.

"Sorry, I have no time." Qingshan Li directly refused.

"Mizuguchi, you're too clumsy," Kisue criticized. "Mikami Classmate, our Cooking Club hasn't given up yet; we'll challenge you anytime!"

"Welcome," Mikami Ai said with a smile.

"I see!" Mizuguchi understood. "As long as Mikami Classmate comes, Classmate Aoyama will be forced to come!"

Huh. Yes.

But please finish before the 【Campus Mystery, Main Ability is Beauty】 material collection is completed.

Once material collection is complete, Mikami Ai will be like sugarcane he has chewed, losing all value; by then, he won't use the system for trivial matters like cooking duels.

The Cooking Club members still had to clean the cooking counter and edit videos; the four of them said their goodbyes and left.

He walked out of the activity classroom.

"Mihana-senpai, please buy this one." Qingshan Li handed Ono Mika the nutrition book he had borrowed from the library.

"Aren't you going?"

"I'm going to the Kendo Club."

"You really are enjoying yourself," Ono Mizuki hummed softly.

She had two reasons for being unhappy.

First, on a rare Saturday, the three of them were going to the mall, but he wasn't going;

second, the Kendo Club cost a lot of money—dinners, training camps, etc., all required club members to pay—and the reason she joined the Choir Club was because the Choir Club cost almost nothing—just like writing novels and learning to draw.

"Silly, I learn kendo to protect you," Qingshan Li said.

"Sweet talk."

After bidding farewell to the three of them, Qingshan Li headed to the Kendo Club.

The Kendo Club was located in the Special Building, which also housed clubs requiring special venues, such as the Naginata Club, Kyudo Club, Judo Club, and Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Club.

The Ono Sisters saw him off, said goodbye to Mikami Ai, and left side by side.

"Mikami Ai-senpai is really pretty," Ono Mizuki said.

"Her family is also very wealthy," Ono Mika said with a reminiscent look, then added, "but she seems like a nice person."

"When she was eating hamburg steak, that Rina guy kept staring at her."

"She's probably looking forward to the other person's reaction," Ono Mika said with a smile. "Of course you'd pay attention to the other person's reaction when it's food you made with your own hands."

Qingshan Li walked along the first-floor corridor of the Special Building.

On the left side of the corridor were activity classrooms that looked like dojos one after another; on the right were a series of archways made of red brick, giving off a Western vibe.

There was a patch of sunlight, like it had escaped class for a picnic, hiding at the top of the corridor, shimmering like water, looking very happy.

"Face!"

"Hand!"

"Shin!"

This was the Naginata Club, all girls, barefoot on the floor swinging naginata, practicing in front of mirrors.

As Qingshan Li walked past, the club president kept shouting "Face," and nothing else; the other members didn't notice anything wrong because they were all staring at him without blinking.

The sunlight was bright, the floor was so clean it reflected light, and lying directly on it wouldn't be a problem.

Past the Naginata Club was the Judo Club, all dressed in white, practicing punches in unison.

Past the Judo Club was the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Club.

Qingshan Li, who had already walked past with his hands in his pockets, stepped back a few paces and stood before the wooden sliding doors to watch.

Three boys and six girls, also dressed in white, barefoot on the floor practicing punches, shouting cries that could be called battle roars.

Usually it's you people making all the noise—the main culprits are the Brass Band Club, Cheerleading Club, and Baseball Club.

The club president was a girl with a long ponytail; her face, red from practice, was quite cute.

"Not bad. Keep practicing Chinese martial arts; I allow it."

Huh?

Two people looked very familiar; they were from Qingshan Li's class, one male and one female.

Who allowed you to practice Chinese martial arts! As someone who has burned incense at the Shaolin Temple, I won't allow anyone to insult Shaolin kung fu like that!

Qingshan Li hated couples who participated in club activities together.

While his head was full of thoughts on how to make money, these damn bastards were actually enjoying sweet youth.

All F!

【National Competition: 17%, 18%】

【Fitness Book: 37%】

The female club president's face grew redder and redder, and Qingshan Li felt he should leave so as not to disturb their practice.

Further ahead was the Kyudo Club; no one was visible, probably practicing at the range in the back.

Past the Kyudo Club was the Kendo Club in the corner.

"Ah!!!"

The angry roar was like an invisible solid wall, stopping Qingshan Li in his tracks.

No wonder it was placed in the corner; things that made noise, if not thrown away, the corner was the only place they belonged.

Qingshan Li walked forward.

The spacious and bright Kendo Club was practically a dojo, with war drums even in the corner.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The war drums were being struck.

Students in kendo uniforms sat in a circle, two of them bowing as if they had just finished a match; behind the crowd hung a banner reading:

"Kaimei Academy High School · Kendo Club 36th Freshman Tournament"

Aizawa Jun, clapping, saw Qingshan Li outside the door and subconsciously began to make a motion to go out and greet him as he would a senior student.

Qingshan Li quickly raised his hand to signal it was unnecessary.

Just observing is fine; there's no need to disturb others.

After watching for a while, Qingshan Li found the match before him not as appealing as the videos, nor as interesting as he had imagined.

Back and forth, before he could even see what happened, the match was already over.

During the break, after bowing to the senior student, Aizawa Jun hurried outside.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Qingshan," he said apologetically.

"Making me kneel inside is more tiring," Qingshan Li laughed. "You look cool in that kendo uniform, buddy."

"Yeah, you've got about thirty percent of my looks."

Both laughed.

"Please come in, don't worry too much about the rules," Aizawa Jun said.

"Is that okay? I heard sports clubs are like military camps, very strict about hierarchy," Qingshan Li said while taking off his shoes.

"That's true, but Qingshan, look at their kendo uniforms, bamboo swords, and protective gear."

Brand new.

This was Money Power that surpassed 'System·Making Do'!

Qingshan Li followed Aizawa Jun into the equipment room beside the dojo—the dojo had wooden sliding doors front and back, with excellent ventilation and bright sunlight.

"This is prepared for you," Aizawa Jun said, taking out a new kendo uniform.

"That's too kind."

On the white kendo uniform, below 'Kaimei,' the two characters 'Qingshan' were already written.

Before this, Kaimei High School's club clothing was actually shared, with only the school name, and one's own name was just stuck on.

Aizawa Jun's father made a donation; besides some shared clothing, each current club member received a new one embroidered with the user's name.

Qingshan Li had arrived at a good time.

"Actually, I had a selfish reason for asking you to come," Aizawa Jun said a little embarrassed. "The Student Council has been inspecting very strictly lately."

"I heard. Like a butcher carrying a knife into a chicken farm."

"Roughly. So, to avoid accidents, the Club President told us to recruit as many people as possible—Qingshan, you can come, the forward position..."

He didn't finish, but Qingshan Li understood.

"Your kendo is so dirty, Aizawa!"

"Practicing kendo naturally makes you stink."

Qingshan Li put on the white kendo uniform.

"With you here, the Women's Kendo Club should be able to recruit some new members too," Aizawa Jun said.

"What does the Women's Kendo Club President look like?" Qingshan Li asked while picking out a new bamboo sword.

Holding a stick, still in the shape of a sword, which man wouldn't get fired up?

"Starburst Airflow Slash!"

"That's Two-sword Style," Aizawa Jun said, picking up another bamboo sword.

Qingshan Li thought he would hand it to him, but instead he started playing with it himself.

"Mingdao Zanyue Po!" A powerful slash, with the sound of wind howling, "This is One-sword Style."

"Shut up, Ascending Dragon Sword!"

"Thousand Cherry Blossoms!"

"Forward Step Slash!"

The door to the equipment room was opened.

It was the Men's Kendo Club President opening the door himself, bending at the waist.

"This is the equipment room," he didn't continue.

Behind him was Yuko pushing up her glasses, and beside Yuko was—

Skin like snow, black hair reaching her waist, gorgeous and bewitching Student Council President Miyase Yaeko.

"We, uh, this is absolutely an accident!" the Kendo Club President said. "We usually practice very seriously, the equipment room is neat and tidy, only used for storing equipment, we definitely wouldn't slack off here!"

"Sorry!" Aizawa Jun directly prostrated himself.

This was a military-style sports club.

Moreover, this concerned not only the life and death of the Kendo Club, but also the futures of many people—excellent club activities could earn university recommendations.

People like Aizawa Jun, hoping to enter university, from the Kendo Club, who naturally took sides and got on the fast track in life, were not few.

In short, the Student Council's view of the Kendo Club affected their present and future.

Amidst dead silence.

"Mad Wind, Absolute Son Slash!" Qingshan Li swung his Bamboo Sword, a downward strike anyone would make as long as Earth still had gravity.

Then he asked: "How was it?"

"Very cool." Miyase Yaeko revealed an affectionate smile used to coax a child.

(Chapter End)