บท 84: The Kendo Club of the Six High Schools
"You're still able to talk, and that's really impressive," Kisara Tendo remarked, then added, "Izumi, are you planning to enter the National Youth Art Award at Tokyo Metropolitan University?"
"Yeah, Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka has probably already submitted my application."
"Ah... that's really a shame. I was thinking of recruiting you to the Kendo Club this week," Kisara Tendo said with regret.
"Hey, hey, hey! Saying that you want to poach someone from the Art Club right in front of the club president... isn't that a bit too bold?" Hibiki Naegi, the Art Club president, grumbled.
Kisara Tendo only gave a slight smile and said, "I'm saying it in front of you because I want you to know."
Hearing this, Hibiki Naegi, who had been classmates with Tendo for two years, was taken aback. The drowsiness that had been clouding her disappeared in an instant.
If Kisara Tendo hadn't said anything, it might have been just a joke, and she probably didn't have any real intention of taking Kotomi away. But saying it openly in front of Naegi meant that Kisara was serious about wanting to recruit Izumi Kotomi for the Kendo Club.
Hibiki Naegi, a bit nervous and hesitant, asked, "You're serious about poaching Kotomi for the Kendo Club?"
"Teetering on the edge of very serious~," Tendo said with a teasing smile.
"What kind of answer is that? I don't get it. That sounds too indirect, and you're not usually the type to talk in riddles," Naegi grumbled. Since when did the straightforward 'Sword Demon' become a mysterious oracle?
Tendo twirled the pencil in her hand, her slender legs in black over-the-knee socks tapping the floor lightly in brown leather shoes.
"I just have a feeling that Kotomi would be great at kendo. She might even lead the Kendo Club to success in next year's Six Schools Tournament. If possible, I want her to spend a few days with us in the Kendo Club. If she turns out to have a natural talent for kendo, I might seriously try to bring her over," Tendo said earnestly.
Although Tendo was confident in leading Sobu High School's Kendo Club to a good result in the Six Schools Tournament, she was cautious.
The participating schools for next year's tournament were different from before. Besides Sobu High School, the other five schools had all been replaced. The schools competing next year would be:
Minoseki Academy High School, Heijou Academy High School, Royal-Sakuraka Girls Academy High School, Osafune Girls Academy High School, Private Homurahara Academy High School, and Sobu High School.
Each of these schools had formidable Kendo Clubs. Kisara Tendo, known for her cautious approach to kendo, didn't let her title as the "Sword Demon" make her overconfident enough to think she could lead Sobu High School's Kendo Club to victory on her own.
The tournament was next year, so Tendo wanted to recruit new members while the first-year students had just enrolled. Injecting new blood into the Kendo Club would increase their chances of winning.
Hopefully... Tendo sighed to herself.
"Sometimes, it's better not to trust your intuition too much. It's not always right."
"Hehe, I trust the good instincts and ignore the bad ones," Tendo shrugged with a confident smile.
Hibiki Naegi, long used to this, could only smile helplessly.
That was typical Kisara Tendo. Whenever her left eyelid twitched, she'd say it was a good sign, that something great was going to happen.
But when it was her right eyelid, Tendo would exclaim, "To hell with that superstition!"
She was refreshingly honest.
Naegi chuckled softly, but then added, "Though I'm not going to give up Kotomi to the Kendo Club easily, thank you for telling me your thoughts."
"It's fine. Even if I want to bring Kotomi to the Kendo Club, I wouldn't use any underhanded methods," Tendo said with a wave of her hand, indicating it wasn't a big deal.
Meanwhile, in Class 1-F, which was currently in session…
After flawlessly answering an English question, Izumi Kotomi returned to her seat amidst the teacher's praise.
Although Kotomi didn't want to draw too much attention to herself in class, the "God-Level Heroine System" was too powerful, turning her from an academic underachiever to a top student. At school, top students naturally received special attention from the teachers. Over the past week, every teacher seemed intent on nurturing her, calling on her to answer questions in nearly every class, and sometimes even giving her extra tutoring after class.
While she didn't want to be overly flashy at school due to her studies, her hardcore capabilities were undeniable.
Kotomi even felt like clasping her hands behind her back and dramatically declaring:
"In a world full of gods and demons, I may have no intention of ruling, but I understand the sufferings of the people."
Whether the words were appropriate didn't matter—it would just sound really cool!
As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, the English teacher dismissed the class on time without dragging it out.
After class, a group of girls gathered together, chatting about something:
"Hey, hey, did you hear? We're getting a transfer student this Wednesday. She's supposed to be super cute!"
"Oh, I heard about that too! Apparently, she's half English, half Japanese and has been living abroad."
"Living abroad? That's awesome. I bet she won't have to worry about her English grades."
"Your focus is so weird…"
"I heard from Ms. Hiratsuka that when they asked which club she wanted to join, the transfer student said she wanted to join the Art Club."
"Really? That means she'll be in the same club as Kotomi, right?"
"Looks like it."
"That's so nice. I wish I could be in the same club as Kotomi too~"
"You can't even draw, so stop dreaming."
Kotomi, who was playing Azur Lane on her phone, overheard the girls' conversation and became curious about the transfer student coming to Class 1-F this week:
"A new student is coming this Wednesday, huh."
"Huh? You're just finding out, Kotomi?" Yui Yuigahama said, "The news started spreading last Thursday. Most students at Sobu High School already know that we're getting a transfer student from abroad this week."
"She's a returnee, not exactly a foreign transfer student," Yukinoshita Yukino added, joining the conversation.
"Hehe, same thing. But apparently, she's going to join the Art Club too. So, there will be two of you from Class 1-F in the Art Club."
When Megumi Kato heard Yui say that, her eyes flickered slightly before she let out her usual gentle laugh and asked, "So from now on, Kotomi will have someone to accompany her to the Art Club every day?"
"Looks like it," Yui responded without much thought.
"Since she'll be in the same club, maybe you should get along with her, Kotomi," Megumi suggested with a smile.
"If she's easy to get along with, I definitely will," Kotomi said, as if it were obvious.
Reflecting on the description of this transfer student:
Raised abroad, half-English, half-Japanese, a very cute girl…
Why does this sound so familiar?
After finishing the day's classes, Kotomi said goodbye to Yukino and the others, then headed to the Art Club.
When she opened the door and stepped into the art room, she found that Hibiki Naegi and two new members were already there. Hearing the door open, they looked over and greeted her:
"Good afternoon, Kotomi," said Ruka Ishikawa from Class 1-C, the first to greet her.
"You're all here pretty early." Kotomi had thought she was early, but it turned out she wasn't the first to arrive at the Art Club today.
"It's probably because our classrooms are close to the Art Club. Class 1-C is on the floor just below, so I only need to climb one flight of stairs to get here," Ruka explained with a smile.
"My classroom is in Class 1-E, right on the fourth floor. So it's pretty close," added Emi Tsujimoto.
"Well, my class is in 1-A, and it's not as close, but I run fast!" said Hojo Ruriya with a grin.
"Do you really need to run?" Kotomi asked curiously.
Ruriya giggled and replied, "Hehe, I don't like staying in the classroom, so I always leave right after school ends."
"I get it, I get it," Kotomi nodded, understanding Ruriya's sentiment.
After exchanging pleasantries, they each returned to their own workstations. When Kotomi sat down, she noticed an extra stool behind her.
It seemed like there was going to be a new member joining the Art Club soon.
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