Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Vindictive Togo, Kendo Club
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Perhaps, he believed in Coach Togo's praise of his talent?
Denying Coach Togo would mean denying his baseball talent and dreams, wouldn't it?
Sure enough, after hearing Akane's words—
Shouya sneered,"Haha, Akane, are you taking yourself too seriously?"
"You are indeed beautiful. I know there are even quite a few people in the club who like you."
"But Coach Togo is an upright adult. He's seen plenty of beautiful women. Why would he do such a despicable thing for a mere high school girl like you?"
"Akane, don't overestimate your importance. I'm not going to believe such nonsense."
Hearing Shouya's words, Akane became truly anxious.
She regretted not having Hikari send her the video he had taken of Coach Togo threatening her in the storage room.
Otherwise, she could just show it to him now, proving everything.
But... would Shouya still doubt the authenticity and think the video was edited?
At this moment, Akane was both anxious and desperate. However, without the video, she could only continue insisting, "Katase-kun, I'm telling the truth..."
Before she could finish, Shouya interrupted her.
With a displeased expression, he said harshly, "Stop listening to some people's rumors. Was it Hikari who told you bad things about Coach Togo?"
Hearing this, Akane froze. She couldn't understand why a discussion about Coach Togo had suddenly involved Hikari.
Seeing her stunned expression, Shouya seemed even more convinced and continued,"Coach Togo already told me that he and Hikari have a grudge. That guy is always spreading rumors about Coach Togo."
"I think Hikari isn't a good person either. Don't be fooled by his good looks. He might be a criminal." Shouya sneered.
In fact, Shouya had always harbored hostility toward Hikari ever since seeing him walk with Akane.
Upon hearing this, Akane looked shocked and incredulous, her expression turning to anger.
She glared at Shouya and said coldly:"Katase-kun, please don't slander Hikari-kun. He genuinely saved me. If it weren't for him, I might have been..."
"So if you continue speaking ill of him, I'll really get angry!"
Akane could tolerate disagreements with Shouya, understanding that even real couples have conflicts. But she couldn't accept him insulting Hikari, who had saved her.
Although Hikari never sought repayment for his help, she felt deeply indebted to him.
She couldn't understand why Shouya would maliciously accuse someone who had done no wrong.
However, Shouya became even angrier after hearing Akane's defense of "Hikari-kun," as if the name itself ignited his temper.
He yelled,"What's wrong with me saying that? Am I wrong?"
"You're mad at me just because I casually said Hikari might be a criminal?"
"Do you like him or something? How can you, as my almost-girlfriend, get so worked up over another guy? Is that fair to me?"
"And you dare get angry at me, accusing me of slandering someone?"
"Think about how you've been attacking Coach Togo, our baseball coach and my mentor. You know how angry that makes me? I haven't even lashed out at you yet."
Akane retorted furiously,"Katase-kun, so you don't believe me, do you?"
Equally enraged, Shouya shouted, "You're the one who needs to drop your prejudice. Coach Togo is truly a good person."
Feeling a splitting headache, Akane shook her head and sighed:
"Fine. Do as you please. I'm heading back to class."
"I'm done with this baseball club."
Turning around, she stormed out of the baseball club.
She couldn't understand how Coach Togo had brainwashed Shouya to such a degree.
No matter what she said, he wouldn't believe her, yet he treated Coach Togo's words as gospel.
Furious and exasperated, Akane decided there was no point in staying.
Meanwhile, Shouya believed Akane was the one being unreasonable.
"She promised to chase dreams with me, but now she's quitting halfway? Akane..."
Annoyed, he had no intention of running after her.
The two had effectively fallen out.
As Shouya fumed, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
Turning around, he saw, "Coach Togo?"
Feigning ignorance, Coach Togo asked with a smile, "How's it going with Manager Nanao? You two getting along?"
"No! It's terrible!" Shouya snapped.
"Akane reacted just like you predicted. The moment I mentioned Hikari, she got angry. They must be up to something!"
"Not only that, but she even falsely accused and insulted you, Coach Togo "
Coach Togo feigned surprise and concern, asking, "She misunderstood me? What did she say about me?"
Shouya recounted Akane's accusations.
Coach Togo laughed dismissively,"Ridiculous! I've known plenty of women. Why would I ever target a high schooler?"
Shouya nodded resolutely,"I believe you, Coach Togo. Not her!"
"Coach Togo is absolutely a good person. It's Akane who misunderstood you. Coach Togo knows full well that we're secretly dating, yet he's been helping us keep it hidden. He's just too good-hearted. It's Akane who can't appreciate his kindness."
"I'll definitely talk some sense into her!"
Hearing what Shouya said, Coach Togo shook his head and replied, "Persuading your girlfriend is completely useless."
"Don't believe me? Think about it. You just told her so much earlier—did she listen? She didn't listen at all, did she?"
Shouya froze for a moment, then nodded helplessly. "That seems to be the case. Akane doesn't listen to anything I say. What should I do?"
Coach Togo chuckled. "In this situation, you've got to be a bit tougher. Take a more direct approach."
"Aren't you two practically in a relationship already? But you haven't done anything together yet, not even kissed, right?"
"You haven't even held her hand. But she's been getting so close to that guy Hikari. Who knows how far they've gone? Don't you feel a little jealous?"
Hearing Coach Togo's words, Shouya nodded repeatedly.
The coach smiled slightly and leaned close to Shouya, whispering some sort of plan into his ear. "To win a woman's heart, you have to win her body first."
"Here, let me teach you. Do this, then this..."
As Shouya listened, his excitement grew, his face turning red. He nodded vigorously, a grin spreading across his face as if he were imagining some wonderful scenario.
———
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Hikari had no idea that Akane was planning to quit the baseball club entirely.
At this moment, he was also heading toward a club—but not the baseball club.
Instead, he was on his way to the kendo club.
Following the map, Hikari quickly arrived at the kendo club's training hall.
Pushing open the door, he saw that the kendo club's facility was quite large, about the size of several basketball courts, with a viewing platform above.
The hall was bustling, with dozens of members. It seemed the kendo club was quite popular at the school.
Hikari walked toward the crowd and soon spotted a familiar figure.
"President Miyajima."
Hikari greeted Sakura Miyajima.
Dressed in a kendo training uniform, her hair tied in a side ponytail, sleeves rolled up, and holding a wooden sword, Sakura Miyajima looked spirited and striking. She easily drew attention, and many of the male members seemed to have joined the kendo club partly because of her.
Hearing someone call her, Sakura Miyajima turned around immediately.
When she saw Hikari, she smiled and greeted him warmly as well.
"Ah, Hikari, you're here!"
"Perfect timing. Let me introduce you to the other members of the club. This is the vice president, this is the club manager, and this is..."
Perhaps because Sakura Miyajima had personally handled Hikari's membership paperwork, combined with his good looks, she had a strong impression of him.
She enthusiastically introduced the other members of the kendo club to him.
After the introductions, she gathered Hikari and the other newcomers together and said, "Since you're all new to the kendo club, most of you probably don't have any kendo experience. So, each new member will be paired with a senior member who will serve as your mentor."
"This pairing process is mutual. You can choose a mentor you like, or wait for one to choose you."
As soon as Sakura Miyajima finished speaking, two male members immediately raised their hands. "President Miyajima. I want you to be my mentor!"
With her beauty and impressive performance in high school kendo tournaments, Sakura Miyajima was a school celebrity and a goddess in the eyes of many male students. Many joined the kendo club solely because of her.
Given the chance, they naturally wanted Sakura Miyajima as their mentor.
However, she shook her head and said, "Sorry, but I'm usually quite busy and don't have much time to mentor people. I rarely take on new students."
"And this term, I only plan to mentor one person."
As she spoke, Sakura Miyajima walked over to Hikari, smiling. "I promised you when you joined that I'd personally teach you. Hikari, will you accept me as your kendo mentor?"
Hikari smiled and nodded. "Of course."
He had come here with a goal in mind. Given that Sakura Miyajima would inevitably attract certain individuals in the future, forming a good relationship with her was a no-brainer.
Seeing this, many of the male members looked at Hikari with envy and jealousy.
Vice President Masafumi Kase, who had been pursuing Sakura Miyajima, also shot an annoyed glance at Hikari.
However, since Sakura had already made her decision, he couldn't interfere. He could only keep an eye on things to ensure this newcomer didn't take advantage of her.
Soon, all the new members had chosen their mentors.
Naturally, the most attractive mentors and newcomers were the most sought after.
Several female seniors had initially set their sights on Hikari, but since Sakura had claimed him, they could only watch as he was taken away.
The senior mentors began guiding the newcomers in kendo practice.
Each mentor had their own style—some were hands-on, others provided distant instructions, some started with strength techniques, and others with posture.
Sakura Miyajima led Hikari to a wooden training dummy.
Assuming that Hikari was a complete beginner like the others, she pointed to the dummy and smiled. "Hikari, before formal training begins, you'll need to practice striking this wooden post for three days."
"Once you're used to handling a sword, formal lessons will be much easier and more effective."
"Don't find it boring—every kendo newbie starts this way."
Hikari paused and then said, "Sakura Miyajima-senpai, I actually have some kendo experience. How about we skip the wooden post practice?"
Although Hikari wasn't trying to show off, with his mastery-level swordsmanship, he also didn't feel the need to feign ignorance or hide his skills.
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