Chapter 86: Blonde Fiancée? Thanks, but No Thanks

"The Club President vomited!"

"Is she sick?!"

"Hurry, send her to the infirmary!"

"It's fine." The Kendo Club President raised a hand to stop everyone.

"Club President—"

The Kendo Club President shook her head slightly: "I'm not sick, I'm just scared."

Scared, scared.

No one dared make a sound.

The Kendo Club President wiped her lips with a towel, put on her protective face mask, and pulled the cords hard twice.

She put on the arm guards, picked up her bamboo sword, and stood up.

Unhurried.

She walked step by step toward the starting line, remembering her first kendo practice and her kendo teacher's warning: Kendo is absolutely not just about swordsmanship and winning or losing; more importantly, one must learn the path of life from kendo.

How to view winning?

How to handle losing?

How to persist?

How to calm the mind?

Standing before the starting line, the Club President felt she had found a little bit of an answer.

But she was still scared.

How could she not be? This was a match she was certain to be killed in one strike—a battle she was sure to lose.

Before the match, she had vomited from fear.

The Kendo Club was very likely to be disbanded.

Just thinking about it, the nausea surged up again.

"Stop, don't think, just do it."

Standing before the starting line, the Club President drew her bamboo sword and raised the tip.

Just like putting on protective gear, repeating a movement thousands of times would naturally calm her heart.

Sword tips touched, and both crouched.

The student acting as referee hesitated for a long time without shouting start; the two on the field stood motionless, as if turned into sculptures.

"What are you doing?" Miyase Yaeko said, dissatisfied.

The referee gritted his teeth: ". Start!"

Both stood up instantly.

"I am the Club President, I am the Captain, I am a swordsman, I will never retreat!"

"Aaaaaaaaaah!!!" The Captain abandoned everything, no, she staked everything.

She mobilized all her arm strength, intelligence, and willpower.

The bamboo sword tore through the air, and in an instant a rain of swords poured down.

System·Ryosuke danced in the rain, absolutely composed, bringing a visual elegance of beauty.

She received, deflected, borrowed force, knocked down, parried, and then—

"Thrust!"

Everything stopped abruptly.

A strong urge to vomit surged to her throat, and tears uncontrollably filled her eyes.

In the blurred scene before her eyes, the opponent put away her sword and left, reminding the Club President of the perspective of a loser dying in a TV drama.

Qingshan Li took off her protective face mask, her vision suddenly widened, and even the air seemed sweeter.

Everyone looked at her.

Dressed in a white kendo uniform, her posture tall and elegant, outside the dojo the sky was vast and blue, and the cherry tree leaves were emerald green like the sea.

Such a person would spare an enemy's life, and sometimes kill a whole family without changing expression.

Anyway, almost everyone of the opposite sex present felt their heart flutter upon seeing her.

Occasionally, even males would be moved, like now—too strong!

Qingshan Li's hair wasn't even wet; the protective gear she used definitely had no sweat smell, perhaps even the scent of soap.

"System, look at the gazes around you—do you know where you're not smart?"

The System remained silent the whole time.

"What's your name?"

Qingshan Li turned to look: lustrous beautiful golden hair, a full chest that the white kendo uniform couldn't hide, a slender waist, the true face of the Sword Princess.

"Qingshan Li," she answered.

The Sword Princess stepped forward: "Did you hold back against me?"

"No."

"Liar!"

"Really no, I swear." For some reason, Qingshan Li felt like she was being caught cheating by her girlfriend.

"Let's go again!"

"Enough." Miyase Yaeko finally spoke.

Everyone held their breath, remembering the reason for this match.

Challenged one against five, the Kendo Club, which truly had no power to fight back, had its middle-ranking member beaten to tears—though he insisted it was bleeding, and the Club President, who vomited from excessive pressure, would not satisfy the Student Council in either strength or mental fortitude.

The Student Council was indeed displeased, but the Student Council President was very satisfied with Qingshan Li.

"From now on, the Kendo Club's funding will be halved, and men and women will share one dojo." Miyase Yaeko announced the result.

The Kendo Club breathed a sigh of relief; as long as they could survive, nothing else mattered.

"President, I want to have another match with Classmate Aoyama!" The blonde Sword Princess's voice was resolute.

"Very well." Miyase Yaeko smiled. "Lose once, and the Kendo Club's funding decreases by ten percent; win, and there's a reward — funding increases by ten percent."

She then looked at Qingshan Li: "If you lose once, the Seiten Band's audience increases by ten people."

Qingshan Li perked up.

"What if I win?" he asked.

"Go on a date with me once."

Braised in soy sauce or twice-cooked — to a pig, is there any difference?

Besides, Qingshan Li recently had a severe debt crisis.

The Sword Princess didn't issue a challenge — not because she didn't want to, but because she was held back by members of the Women's Kendo Club.

Club activities cannot function without funding; a new batch of bamboo swords and protective gear just arrived, so that wasn't urgent, but the Kendo Tournament was right before their eyes — registration fees, travel expenses, training camp lodging and meal costs — what to do?

In previous years before the tournament, relying on club funding and everyone's fundraising, they would hire professional kendo practitioners to conduct short-term special training; if they wanted to continue this activity this year, the proportion of fundraising would certainly be even larger.

So, funding absolutely could not decrease any further!

After all, the opponent was the Sword Princess — they fundamentally couldn't win.

And Qingshan Li would rather sacrifice himself and accompany Miyase Yaeko on a date than let the Seiten Band's audience increase by ten people.

Come one, cut one down; cut them down until the Kendo Club has no funding left!

This was a private grudge.

Qingshan Li still had official business.

"I won't teach," he said to the Kendo Club, "but if you feel that sparring like today's is useful for the tournament, I'm willing to serve as a sparring partner!"

"Please!" The Kendo Club President bowed deeply, paying him the highest respect.

"No need to be so polite; I'm truly glad to be of help." Qingshan Li also hurriedly lowered his head in return.

When someone bowed to him, he would bow back to them — it had nothing to do with whether he liked the ritual or not.

"We don't need an upgrade in sword technique," the President said sincerely. "We only need to overcome the cowardice in our hearts; if we no longer fear you, Classmate Aoyama, I can truly become stronger!"

Qingshan Li felt that with the previous four all fallen, bearing the expectations alone, and still able to stand back up after being crushed by pressure once, the President was already very strong.

He naturally wouldn't say this out loud — too arrogant.

Besides, the one who won the match wasn't he himself.

Qingshan Li looked at Miyase Yaeko and asked her: "Winning like this against them — you won't deduct funding, right?"

"No." Miyase Yaeko smiled. "You're really good to the Sword Princess; have you fallen for her?"

"Why only mention the Sword Princess? What about the President?"

"If you beat me, I'll marry you — the moment I turn eighteen, we'll marry immediately!" The blonde Sword Princess, possessing both Western splendor and Eastern charm, promised.

"Elsa, you've already lost!" A female club member hurriedly reminded her.

"True enough. In that case, from now on, I am Classmate Aoyama's fiancee!"

"Elsa!" "Senior!"

While the female members were anxious, they also vaguely suspected that Elsa actually didn't reject marrying Qingshan Li at all.

She used to only like kendo; now falling in love at first sight with the Sword Princess Qingshan is entirely possible.

Qing Shan Jun's appearance is that outstanding.

Nothing else matters anymore; good looks, flawless kendo — that's already enough to be a husband candidate.

No one is perfect; having one or two traits you like most is enough.

Qingshan Li didn't respond; this kind of topic is a mud pit — once you step in, you only sink deeper — this was knowledge he learned from "Detective A".

(Chapter End)