Chapter 556: Chapter 368: Who is the Main Character
Imamura is the newest disciple at Bushin Dojo.
Before getting into Sword Dao, he visited many famous dojos in Tokyo, but none of them seemed suitable. After much consideration, the well-renowned Bushin Dojo felt like the right place for him to learn.
Imamura started learning swordsmanship to teach a lesson to a male classmate from the neighboring class, who had a Judo rank. It wasn’t because the classmate offended him, but because the classmate confessed to Imamura’s classmate Akino, whom he had secretly had a crush on since freshman year.
Akino was someone he knew from high school.
Back then, she was the discipline committee member for their class, confident in her actions, always smiling, and considerate.
Imamura’s most vivid memory is after running a thousand meters at the sports festival when Akino, in a refreshing short-sleeved sports outfit, smiled and handed him a bottle of water.
When she handed him that water, he could sense there was a hint of her trying to flatter him.
Though Akino quickly handed out water to other athletes, Imamura firmly believes, without doubt, the bottle in his hand was completely different from the others.
Upon entering university, he discovered that Akino was indeed attending the same school.
Recalling the unique water from the sports festival, he understood that Akino was secretly in love with him and had followed him to the same university.
As a man with a strong sense of responsibility.
If someone confesses to the beautiful girl who secretly loves him, shouldn’t he teach him a lesson?
Only the strong deserve the beauty.
As for why Akino, who had been secretly in love with him and even followed him to university, never confessed to him.
Imamura thought that the beautiful girl must be shy and in the presence of a powerful figure like himself, couldn’t muster the courage to speak.
Imamura has always been a mature, charming, and capable young man who can easily learn and master anything.
Of course, swordsmanship is no exception.
He firmly believes this.
"What the eyes perceive, the heart manifests, nothing exists beyond the heart."
Imamura gazed at the most conspicuous line of vigorous small characters above the dojo, exuding an unparalleled aura.
Although today was his third day practicing swordsmanship, he was completely confident in dealing with that black-belt, the Judo fifth-rank guy from the neighboring class.
"Imamura, how about trying some real sparring today?" A fellow disciple, Imamura Shigeru, invited him.
"Of course!"
...
"Imamura, go for it, today the Vice Master will continue teaching some techniques. Honestly, the feeling of swinging the sword is quite nice, when I hold the sword with both hands, I feel completely confident."
Imamura ignored what he said, holding his forehead and shaking his head.
How could this happen? It shouldn’t be like this.
No, it absolutely shouldn’t be like this. How did he lose to that peer who was shorter than him?
It must have been because he didn’t rest well last night.
Yes, that must be it.
Imamura lifted his head, raised his chin, exuding a completely different aura, and said casually to his peer:
"Hmm, good luck."
Returning home at night,
he looked at the wooden sword he brought back from the dojo, recalling his peer whose name he couldn’t clearly remember saying to practice again at home.
Practice at home?
Hmph, foolishness.
A prodigy in swordsmanship would never practice; that would be a blasphemy of divinely bestowed talent.
Thinking of this, he finished his dinner and then slept.
The next morning, Imamura arrived at Bushin Hall.
"Imamura, good morning."
"Hmm."
In the dressing room, Imamura took off his shirt and changed into a white shirt and black hakama. He looked at his perfect self in the small mirror on the locker before contentedly closing the locker door.
Imamura surveyed the dojo; there seemed to be quite a few people today.
There were a few female disciples at Bushin Hall, and Imamura found several of them appealing, among whom Miss Sakihara most caught his eye.
Elegant and pure, wasn’t it natural for such a perfect woman to fall for a perfect man like himself?
Just yesterday noon, when Sakihara Shion invited everyone to lunch, Imamura noticed that Sakihara Shion was paying attention to him.
Indeed, a man’s charm is limitless.
Sometimes, a cute girl whose name he didn’t know would show up at Bushin Hall; she was quite nice, a beautiful girl with a lovely face.
Is it Akino? Is it Sakihara Shion? Or should I choose that cute girl?
Ah... being a man is such a dilemma.
Imamura inquired with the dojo disciples and found that cute girl wasn’t a disciple of Bushin Hall; he wondered if she’d appear today.
Imamura, thinking about this, got somewhat lost in thought.
Uesugi Sakura arrived at the dojo today.
He wasn’t aiming to spar with senior brothers, but he had heard from Sakihara Shion that the affordable master was back.
There were possibly clues about the Hook Jade on him, and to cure his ailment, Uesugi Sakura thought it necessary to ask him.
Circling the dojo and courtyard, Uesugi Sakura met Miss Sakihara, then found Sakihara Yishin beside the small bamboo grove by the pond. When Sakihara Yishin saw Uesugi Sakura, he asked him to help set up a parasol as he wanted to rest and nap under the bamboo shade.
Uesugi Sakura took some ice cubes from the cooler box under the table and made a glass of iced cola using canned cola for him.
"Where have you been lately?"
"Went for a play in the Capital City, heard from a friend that there’s a hotel with quite the view, on a mountain." Sakihara Yishin, wearing sunglasses, took the cola cup Uesugi Sakura handed him, and sipped it through a straw.
"Master lives quite leisurely, huh."
"Haha, not really, care for some cola?"