Yusei really wondered if this was truly a high school student competition. Converted to USD, this was roughly $10,000.
And this wasn't even the total prize pool… the 1.5 million yen was just the champion's prize. There were also runner-up, third place, etc...
The total prize money reached 3 million yen.
'Just when I needed money, it comes delivered.' Yusei felt delighted inside.
As for the Kendo Tournament's championship, he had already claimed it as his own.
Was there any middle school student who could surpass him in Kendo? Impossible.
But the immediate task was to check out the Kendo Club first. After all, saving on the registration fee was still saving.
Registering individually would cost money, but going with the Kendo Club wouldn't.
Just as Yusei was thinking about when to visit the Kendo Club, someone tapped his shoulder from behind, followed by a pleasant female voice.
"Kazami-kun, what are you looking at?"
Yusei turned to see Utaha standing there charmingly, still in her uniform with seductive, sexy black stockings.
Because many students were passing by, Utaha didn't call Yusei 'Leg-Fetish-kun' this time, but was slightly more formal.
Yusei didn't mind this. He pointed at the Kendo Tournament poster.
"I was looking at this."
Utaha looked over and raised an eyebrow.
"You're participating?" Her tone carried doubt, seeming very disbelieving that Yusei would sign up for this.
Yusei naturally heard the disbelief in her tone and couldn't help but shrug.
"Of course, and I'm determined to win that championship."
"Alright, suit yourself. I'm heading back to the classroom first."
Utaha shook her head and didn't press further.
In her view, the other party seemed somewhat overconfident.
Confidence was good, but if it was about eagerly proving something or being arrogant, that wasn't so good.
Even with great effort, Kendo wasn't mastered in a day. In Utaha's eyes, the Yusei who used to collapse from exhaustion after running a few hundred meters naturally had no connection with such events.
After saying goodbye to Utaha, Yusei didn't linger. He already knew the next step was to find the Kendo Club to register.
…
The morning classes ended quickly. Utaha didn't seek him out at noon today, and since he needed to go to the Kendo Club to register, the two didn't meet.
The Kendo Club had a small dojo. The number of members wasn't large, and it was considered a medium-sized club.
Following the route from his memory, Yusei found the Kendo's dojo in the corner of the school.
Before even getting close, Yusei heard the clattering sounds from inside.
That was the crisp sound of bamboo swords colliding.
Yusei stood at the entrance, watching the two people sparring in the center of the dojo. They wore protective gear to shield their bodies.
Their victory or defeat was determined by points scored from striking valid target areas on each other.
Watching the two in the arena, one side was clearly struggling to keep up, constantly being hit by the opponent, unable to even maintain his stance.
After watching for a while, Yusei felt bored. This was utterly uninteresting. This kind of Kendo Competition even involved wearing protective gear.
Protective gear, armor, and other defensive items were very useful, even on the battlefield.
But the problem was, they limited one's own speed.
A swordsman needed to act decisively, cleanly, and firmly remember the word 'speed'.
This clumsy appearance from wearing protective gear made Yusei uncomfortable just looking at it.
'So, is this why those swordsmen prefer wearing yukata?' Yusei guessed to himself.
Just then, a deep voice came from beside him.
"Are you a newcomer here to join the Kendo Club?"
Yusei looked over and saw a tall figure wearing Kendo protective gear watching the two in the arena. The words just now had come from him.
This person looked rugged, with a face full of determination.
Yusei recognized him; his predecessor's memories contained this person… Uesugi Takeo.
The former president of the Kendo Club, student council president, good-natured, relatively enthusiastic, well-respected by students.
Yusei's predecessor also held respect for him. Yusei himself had no bad impression of him.
He nodded.
"Yes, I'm very interested in the upcoming Kendo Tournament, so I'd like to participate in this Kendo Competition with the Kendo Club."
Before Takeo could respond after Yusei finished speaking, a mocking voice came from the side.
"If it isn't Kazami-kun? What, the guy who used to go into shock from running a few hundred meters wants to participate in a Kendo Competition now?"