Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Vindictive Togo, Kendo Club
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Perhaps, he believed in Coach Togoâs praise of his talent?
Denying Coach Togo would mean denying his baseball talent and dreams, wouldnât it?
Sure enough, after hearing Akaneâs wordsâ
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. Heâs seen plenty of beautiful women. Why would he do such a despicable thing for a mere high school girl like you?"
"Akane, donât overestimate your importance. Iâm not going to believe such nonsense."
Hearing Shouyaâs 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, Iâm telling the truth..."
Before she could finish, Shouya interrupted her.
With a displeased expression, he said harshly, "Stop listening to some peopleâs rumors. Was it Hikari who told you bad things about Coach Togo?"
Hearing this, Akane froze. She couldnât 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 isnât a good person either. Donât 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 donât slander Hikari-kun. He genuinely saved me. If it werenât for him, I might have been..."
"So if you continue speaking ill of him, Iâll really get angry!"
Akane could tolerate disagreements with Shouya, understanding that even real couples have conflicts. But she couldnât accept him insulting Hikari, who had saved her.
Although Hikari never sought repayment for his help, she felt deeply indebted to him.
She couldnât understand why Shouya would maliciously accuse someone who had done no wrong.
However, Shouya became even angrier after hearing Akaneâs defense of "Hikari-kun," as if the name itself ignited his temper.
He yelled,"Whatâs wrong with me saying that? Am I wrong?"
"Youâre 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 youâve been attacking Coach Togo, our baseball coach and my mentor. You know how angry that makes me? I havenât even lashed out at you yet."
Akane retorted furiously,"Katase-kun, so you donât believe me, do you?"
Equally enraged, Shouya shouted, "Youâre 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. Iâm heading back to class."
"Iâm done with this baseball club."
Turning around, she stormed out of the baseball club.
She couldnât understand how Coach Togo had brainwashed Shouya to such a degree.
No matter what she said, he wouldnât believe her, yet he treated Coach Togoâs 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 sheâs 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, "Howâs it going with Manager Nanao? You two getting along?"
"No! Itâs 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 Akaneâs accusations.
Coach Togo laughed dismissively,"Ridiculous! Iâve 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. Itâs Akane who misunderstood you. Coach Togo knows full well that weâre secretly dating, yet heâs been helping us keep it hidden. Heâs just too good-hearted. Itâs Akane who canât appreciate his kindness."
"Iâll definitely talk some sense into her!"
Hearing what Shouya said, Coach Togo shook his head and replied, "Persuading your girlfriend is completely useless."
"Donât believe me? Think about it. You just told her so much earlierâdid she listen? She didnât listen at all, did she?"
Shouya froze for a moment, then nodded helplessly. "That seems to be the case. Akane doesnât listen to anything I say. What should I do?"
Coach Togo chuckled. "In this situation, youâve got to be a bit tougher. Take a more direct approach."
"Arenât you two practically in a relationship already? But you havenât done anything together yet, not even kissed, right?"
"You havenât even held her hand. But sheâs been getting so close to that guy Hikari. Who knows how far theyâve gone? Donât you feel a little jealous?"
Hearing Coach Togoâs words, Shouya nodded repeatedly.
The coach smiled slightly and leaned close to Shouya, whispering some sort of plan into his ear. "To win a womanâs 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.
âââ
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 clubâbut not the baseball club.
Instead, he was on his way to the kendo club.
Following the map, Hikari quickly arrived at the kendo clubâs training hall.
Pushing open the door, he saw that the kendo clubâs 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, youâre 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 Hikariâs 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 youâre all new to the kendo club, most of you probably donât 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 Iâm usually quite busy and donât 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 Iâd 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 couldnât interfere. He could only keep an eye on things to ensure this newcomer didnât 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 styleâsome 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, youâll need to practice striking this wooden post for three days."
"Once youâre used to handling a sword, formal lessons will be much easier and more effective."
"Donât find it boringâevery 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 wasnât trying to show off, with his mastery-level swordsmanship, he also didnât feel the need to feign ignorance or hide his skills.
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