Even though it was club activity time, it was essentially the time when school was dismissed.
The management system of Kuoh Academy, like most high schools in Japan, meant that school was officially over once all the day's classes were finished. Students were simply permitted to use the school's resources for a set period afterward to pursue their interests and hobbies.
This meant the various clubs on campus.
Furthermore, the school did not force students to return to classrooms for a final assembly to be dismissed by a teacher after club activities; they were free to pack up their belongings and go home directly.
As for students who weren't registered for any clubs, they could head home immediately after their last class.
These students even had their own unofficial club at school, known as—The Going-Home Club.
Currently, about thirty minutes had passed since the afternoon's last class ended. This was just when club activities were formally beginning and the bulk of the Going-Home Club students were only just leaving the campus.
Shifting the perspective, the sun had begun to slant westward, though it wasn't yet evening.
At the school gate, where only a few lingering students from the Going-Home Club were still slowly heading out, a tall, dark purple-haired girl carrying a sword bag stood quietly beside the guard post, gazing at the clouds in the distant sky that were gradually turning red. She was wearing the uniform of a different high school.
From the direction of the school's sports field, the distant sounds of the passionate sparring of the athletic club students could be faintly heard.
After several minutes passed in this way, a sound of footsteps suddenly mixed into the noise coming from the field. The rhythm was unhurried and steady, approaching from far away.
The young man's faint voice accompanied it.
"Yaa, hallow~"
Hmm...?
Saeko Busujima retracted her gaze from the distant sky and turned toward the direction of the voice.
Walking toward her was Hanakain Reiji, who had just rushed over after receiving the call from the old school building.
"Hello."
The Kendo girl politely bowed slightly, a faint smile appearing on her composed face.
"My name is Saeko Busujima, a third-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High School. You should know me; I sent you a message via private chat on the forum earlier."
"Ah, I remember."
Hanakain Reiji nodded.
"Hello, I am Qin Shi Huang."
"..."
For a moment, a loading bar of silence seemed to appear over Saeko Busujima's head.
To be honest, the moment they met, she was somewhat worried that she might have the wrong person. After all, online conversations are separated by a screen, making it difficult to confirm if the person sending the message is truly the account owner.
However, upon hearing the familiar phrase, "I am Qin Shi Huang," she was instantly relieved.
To be able to say such a thing so casually—this enviable state of mind undoubtedly confirmed it was the person she was looking for.
"...Heh heh, Hanakain-kun really likes to joke."
Saeko Busujima shook her head slightly, her voice still calm and soothing.
"Now, Hanakain-kun, have your club activities finished? If possible, I'd like to move to a different location to discuss the matter of the post from last night in more depth with you."
"Mmm, of course."
Hanakain Reiji readily agreed.
...
Ten minutes later, inside a coffee shop near the school, the two chose a secluded booth in a corner and sat down.
Saeko Busujima ordered a cappuccino, while Hanakain Reiji unceremoniously ordered a chocolate sundae.
He was a devout lover of sweets. While he couldn't say he couldn't touch bitter things like coffee, it fell short when compared to a sundae.
Taking a large mouthful of the sundae, Hanakain Reiji took the initiative to speak.
"Speaking of which, I had a faint feeling when we met at the school gate just now, Busujima-senpai, have we met somewhere before?"
"Oh?"
Saeko Busujima was momentarily stunned.
It was a cliché... even a worn-out way to flirt, and she genuinely hadn't expected Hanakain Reiji to start with such a line.
Although she couldn't quite understand why he would suddenly speak like that, the girl still seriously searched her memory out of politeness.
"I think... no, I don't believe so. I really have no recollection."
"No, no, no, I think we definitely have."
Hanakain Reiji skillfully spun the silver spoon provided by the coffee shop to eat the sundae between his fingers. The end of the spoon occasionally tapped lightly against the table.
"I remember it was last year, at the National Junior High and High School Traditional Martial Arts Tournament in Kyoto."
'Junior High and High School' includes both junior high and high school, and 'traditional martial arts' includes various disciplines like Kyūdō, Kendō, and Karate.
Seeing the young man bring this up, Saeko Busujima, who had just insisted they hadn't met, was stunned again, her composed look instantly losing its certainty.
"That... yes, last year I participated in the high school Kendō competition at the National Martial Arts Tournament held in Kyoto, and..."
"Ah, I knew it."
Hanakain Reiji snapped his fingers leisurely.
"Although I was there to accompany my sister for the Kyūdō competition, I saw you, Busujima-senpai, appear on the podium during the awards ceremony at the end. And I recall you were the champion, weren't you? Quite impressive."
"Heh heh, Hanakain-kun overpraises me. I just happened to be in particularly good form that day."
Saeko Busujima smiled faintly. Despite being recognized as the champion, she showed no sign of arrogance, instead becoming even more humble.
"Furthermore, due to my family background, I have been receiving instruction from my father since childhood, so I naturally have an advantage over my peers in Kendō."
"Family background?"
"My father is the current headmaster of the Busujima-Ryū style of Kendō."
Ah~ So that was it.
Hanakain Reiji instantly understood.
The Busujima-Ryū style was considered a prestigious name in Japanese Kendō. Although its fame was still somewhat lacking compared to the top schools like Hokushin Ittō-Ryū or Satsuma Jigen-Ryū, its strength was generally recognized to be enough to found its own school. At most, they were a step behind, but there was no sense that one could definitively crush the other.
It should be said that any school that has been passed down since the age of warfare wouldn't be weak.
"But why would the daughter of a Kendō master become a Curse User?" Hanakain Reiji was still somewhat confused.
"That... is simply a personal choice," Saeko Busujima maintained her smile. "And my father is fully supportive of it."
"Oh."
Translated, that meant it was her family's business, and he shouldn't ask any further.
Hanakain Reiji wisely chose not to pursue the topic.
And Saeko Busujima, seeing that they had chatted enough, decided to get straight to the point.
"Well, getting back to the main topic: regarding the finger in the photo you posted on the forum last night, as I mentioned in the private message, it is a Special Grade Cursed Object stored by our Tokyo Jujutsu High School and the Jujutsu Association. Its nature is extremely dangerous, so if possible, I hope you can return it immediately, Hanakain-kun."
"Uh, actually, returning it isn't impossible."
Once again sending a spoonful of sundae into his mouth, Hanakain Reiji set down the spoon and reached into his pocket. After a two-second pause, he pulled out a small plastic bag containing fragments of a dark, burnt-brown solid, which he placed on the table and slid toward her.
"But... I think I already broke it."
Saeko Busujima: ???