Chapter 294: Training Camp

“Is it here?”

“According to the map, it should be around this area.”

“Forget it. If we can’t find it, let’s just call and ask. We’ve been looking for so long, even the kid is about to fall asleep.”

“Let’s look a bit longer. I want to surprise her.”

“Do whatever you want, but you’re the one who has to ask for directions.”

“Fine, I’ll ask.”

On the large training field, the new president of the Tokyo Kendo Club spoke loudly to the trainees in front of him, “Today’s training ends here. Everyone, great job.”

“Thank you, senpai!” Everyone bowed to him in unison before dispersing.

After the disbanding, the members went to retrieve their personal belongings.

“So tired. Why is it that when others get to play, we have to work so hard? It’s really not fair,” complained Kawaguchi Megumi as she walked.

“But the guys seem really happy,” said Masako, pointing to the boys gathered outside the wire fence of the outdoor tennis courts, watching the female tennis club members practice.

“Hmph, a bunch of perverts,” Rumi, walking alongside them, couldn’t help but laugh.

Kawaguchi Megumi sighed, “I should’ve joined the tennis club back then. Compared to the tennis skirts they wear, our protective gear is just too ugly. I still can’t figure out why I joined the Kendo club in the first place.”

Rumi couldn’t help but speak up, “Kendo is really fun! The outcome is decided in that instant. A hit is a hit, and a miss is a miss—there’s no gray area.”

Kawaguchi Megumi retorted, “You can’t use your Kendo-obsessed view as a reference. I’m not saying Kendo is bad, but a youthful girl like me should be involved in something more exciting. Don’t you think the tennis club skirts are pretty? Look at those boys, they’re practically drooling.”

The Kendo girl frowned, “What’s so good about those skirts? They’re so short. When you run, everything’s exposed. I wouldn’t want to wear one of those skirts.”

Kawaguchi Megumi felt a bit powerless. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re even a modern person. Let me tell you, if today’s girls don’t know how to dress themselves up, they won’t meet good guys. Look at you, always sticking to the same old hairstyle. Be careful, you might not even have a boyfriend by the time you graduate.”

Hearing this from her friend, the Kendo girl instinctively glanced at her long ponytail tied at the back of her head.

At this moment, Masako suddenly said, “Hey, that person looks like someone I’ve never seen before. Are they students from our school too?”

Kawaguchi Megumi looked over and saw four boys in sportswear and three girls chatting and walking out of the tennis courts.

After closely observing their appearances, Kawaguchi Megumi confidently said, “They must be from another school. I don’t know why, but I feel like those boys are much better-looking than the ones from our school, especially the two in the middle. You can tell they’re good guys.”

After hearing her opinion, Rumi and Masako exchanged amused glances.

Suddenly, Kawaguchi Megumi got excited and said, “That boy looked over here! Oh my god, he’s walking towards us!”

Masako laughed, “He might just be coming over here to buy something. I’m going back soon, I’m really hungry.”

“Yeah, I’m hungry too,” Rumi added.

“You two kids, just shut up. Wait a minute, that boy really is coming over to us.”

Masako and Rumi looked up again and saw the boy smiling as he walked toward them, making them feel a bit puzzled.

The boy, upon reaching them, smiled and said to Rumi, “Hi, I didn’t expect to see you here. Are you a student at Teikyo?”

Realizing he knew Rumi, the other two girls immediately looked at their companion in surprise.

However, Rumi appeared confused. “Excuse me, do you know me?”

The boy smiled and said, “It seems you’ve forgotten. Earlier today at noon, I asked you for directions outside the supermarket. Do you remember now?”

Rumi studied his face carefully. Suddenly, she clapped her hands and said, “Oh, it’s you! Sorry, I didn’t recognize you earlier because you were wearing sunglasses.”

“I didn’t expect to run into you here either. I forgot to introduce myself—my name is Okuzawa Ryoji, a second-year student in Waseda University’s Management Department. I came here with my classmates for some fun. You’re a student at Teikyo, right?”

“How did you know I’m from Teikyo?” Rumi asked curiously.

“A friend of mine who lives nearby told me that Teikyo students come here for training every summer. Judging by your outfit, you must be part of the kendo club?”

“Yes, I am. And so are they—they’re also members of the kendo club.”

“Can you tell me your name?”

After a moment of hesitation, Rumi replied, “I’m Nagakawa Rumi, a new student at Teikyo this year.”

“So your name is Rumi. That’s a beautiful name. My classmates and I will be staying here for about a week, so I hope we can get along.”

“Likewise,” Rumi said, quickly returning the polite bow.

As they spoke, Kawaguchi Megumi gently tugged at Rumi’s sleeve.

Understanding her signal, Rumi quickly said, “If there’s nothing else, we’ll be heading back now.”

After bidding farewell, Okuzawa Ryoji returned to his classmates.

Once he was out of sight, Kawaguchi Megumi suddenly squealed in excitement, “You traitor! You didn’t even introduce us—how could you hog him all to yourself?”

Rumi was stunned. “Didn’t you just tell me to leave quickly?”

Megumi looked like she was about to faint. “You idiot, I wasn’t telling you to leave—I wanted you to introduce us! Ugh, I could just kill you. By the way, how do you know him?”

“During lunch today, wasn’t it my turn to buy drinks? When I was coming out of the supermarket, he drove up and asked me for directions. It’s not like I really know him. Don’t bring it up anymore—I’m starving! Let’s hurry back to the inn,” Rumi pleaded.

As they walked, Megumi lamented, “You’re so lucky. If I’d known, I would’ve gone to buy drinks instead of you. His name is Okuzawa Ryoji, right? I can’t believe someone with such good looks also has such a cool name. What do you think of him? Hey, Rumi, I’m asking you a question!”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Are you even listening? I’m asking what you think of Okuzawa Ryoji. How does he look?”

“He doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“You’re such an idiot. Of course he’s not a bad person—I wasn’t asking that! Forget it, if I keep talking, I’ll go crazy.”

Yasuko suddenly interjected, “I think Shiraishi-senpai is better than him.”

Megumi laughed. “So Yasuko, you’re a fan of Shiraishi-senpai too? He’s great, but he seems hard to approach. That guy just now had a really sunny vibe. He’s exactly my type.”

Rumi admired their energy as they continued chatting enthusiastically. She, on the other hand, was so hungry that she felt weak all over and just wanted dinner as soon as possible.

After returning to the inn, Rumi dashed to the bathhouse to take a shower and change clothes. Normally, she would wash her laundry after her bath, but hunger got the better of her. She left her dirty clothes soaking in water and headed to the usual dining room.

“Rumi, wait for me!” Already changed into her clothes, Akiyoshi Masako called out as she hurried to catch up from behind.

“Where’s Megumi?”

“She’s still in the bath. That girl always takes forever in there. I’m surprised she hasn’t scrubbed her skin raw.”

Rumi found it amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle.

As they walked, they suddenly heard voices conversing around the corner ahead.

“This inn is really ancient. When we entered the room just now, the floor creaked so much I was worried we might fall through if we stepped too hard. But it’d make a great setting for a horror movie.”

“There’s a rumor that this inn was co-owned by the former principal and his younger brother. It’s said that during his tenure, the principal mandated that certain school clubs train here every summer. But who knows if it’s true or not.”

“I don’t think it’s just a rumor.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

Akiyoshi Masako immediately recognized one of the voices as Shiraishi Akira’s but didn’t recognize the other one.

As she considered quickening her pace to greet Senior Shiraishi, she noticed Rumi suddenly dashing forward like there was a fire.

Startled, Masako quickened her steps to see what had happened.

Turning the corner, Rumi saw a familiar figure walking down the hallway alongside Shiraishi Akira. Next to the man, a little girl wearing a child-sized yukata was holding his hand and curiously looking around the hallway.

“Senpai?” Rumi hesitantly called out.

Hearing the voice, the man turned around, revealing a radiant young woman staring at him, her eyes brimming with excitement.

“This training site of yours was really hard to find. We almost had to sleep on the street,” Lei Yin said with a smile as he looked at her.

The kendo girl’s eyes reddened with emotion.

The training camp had been going on for over a week, and she had thought he wouldn’t come. Though she felt a little disappointed, she consoled herself with the thought that they would meet again after the camp ended. But just when she had given up hope, he unexpectedly appeared in front of her. In that moment, it felt as if her body had been struck and rendered immobile.

“Senpai, I…” Although her heart was overflowing with words, she couldn’t say a thing. She could only stare at him in stunned silence.

Lei Yin smiled and said, “I can hear your stomach growling. You’re not one to handle hunger well. Come on, let’s go.”

“Yes.” Hearing his words, the kendo girl’s face lit up with a radiant smile as she eagerly ran up to him.

“Who is that? He seems to be very close to Rumi.” Standing behind them, Akiyoshi Masako curiously observed the unfamiliar young man.

At that moment, someone quickly passed by her. Masako saw a girl dressed in a yukata sneak up behind Rumi and cover her eyes with her hands.

“Guess who?” The girl whispered with a playful giggle in Rumi’s ear.

“Kazumi, you’re here too?” Rumi exclaimed excitedly.

“Got it!” Kazumi grinned and let go of her hands, beaming at her.

“Senpai, you’re so mean! If you were coming, you should have called to let me know. Now I’m so happy I can barely stand it.”

Lei Yin said with a hint of irritation, “Do you think you’re a grade-schooler? Crying over such a trivial thing.”

“I wasn’t crying! Senpai, you’re making things up!”

Rumi loudly denied it, but she still instinctively wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Kazumi couldn’t help but laugh.

Rumi blushed and quickly squatted down, using the opportunity to address the little girl. “Amy is the best. Thank you for coming to see me.”

The little girl stared at her, confused.

During meal times, all the club members usually gathered in one large room, making it a lively occasion. Tonight was no exception.

Rumi, however, tried to sneak out with her plate of food, looking as if she was up to something.

“Rumi, where are you sneaking off to?” Kawaguchi Megumi called out, noticing her suspicious behavior.

“I… I was thinking of eating in the courtyard. The view there is nicer,” Rumi replied hastily before hurrying out of the room.

“What a strange girl,” Megumi muttered as she watched Rumi’s retreating figure.

When Rumi arrived at the smaller dining room for guests, she found Lei Yin, Kazumi, and Amy already seated and ready to eat.

“Rumi, come sit here!” Kazumi called out, scooting over to make room.

As Rumi sat down, her eyes lit up at the sight of the dishes on the table. “This looks so good! Oh, there’s fried shrimp too! Amazing!”

While Rumi was thoroughly enjoying her meal, Lei Yin commented, “If you like fish so much, you might’ve been a cat in your past life. But given how much you love shrimp, I bet you were bullied by a shrimp in your previous life, and now you’re here for revenge, eating every shrimp you see.”

“Senpai, stop spouting nonsense,” Rumi mumbled with her mouth full.

Kazumi, unable to bear it, scolded, “You’re a girl, Rumi! Don’t talk while eating.”

Lei Yin laughed and teased, “Kazumi, you’re also a girl, but you’re starting to sound more like a nanny.”

“Well, isn’t that your fault? Treating your little sister like a free housekeeper! Being as lazy as you are is practically a sin!” Kazumi shot back without missing a beat.

“That’s absurd. If laziness is a sin, wouldn’t littering warrant extermination?”

“That’s exactly what I hope society evolves to someday.”

“I just hope I don’t live long enough to see that day.”

Listening to the siblings banter, Rumi couldn’t help but laugh.

After finishing her meal, Rumi took a sip of tea and asked, “Senpai, are you leaving tomorrow?”

“What, are you trying to get rid of me?”

“Of course not! I was just thinking it would be great if you could stay a few more days—until my training ends, even.”

Lei Yin smirked. “Such a greedy request. Staying until the end of your training is impossible, but staying another two or three days shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Really?” Rumi’s spirits immediately lifted.

“Nope, just kidding.”

The kendo girl deflated instantly. “That’s so mean, making me happy for nothing.”

“It’s true.”

“What? You can really stay for another two or three days?”

“False.”

“Senpai, stop messing around!”