Dojo Initiation – Umi's Pursuit Begins
"Why are you like this, seriously? 'Hey, wait!! There's still time left!! Can't we talk more?'"
Umi suddenly blocked my path. She was planted firmly at the dojo entrance, making it impossible to slip by. It was a perfect pressure defense, a full-court press. I finally understood how Taiga must feel with Taiga in front of her. This was impenetrable.
"Talk...?"
I couldn't find an angle to refuse.
"......."
I immediately shot a desperate plea for rescue toward Gonzaemon, who was polishing his sword in the distance. Our eyes met. Then Gonzaemon glanced back and forth between me and Umi.
Grin! Before long, he smirked and pretended not to notice as he fiddled with his sword.
No... this old man, he totally misunderstood something, didn't he?
"You said your name was Shota, right? I'll call you Shota casually."
Umi was desperately trying to keep the conversation going. Calling me by my first name right away... was this the gal's sense of distance?
"Yeah, call me whatever. Kiryu."
I said that.
"You can call me just Umi too."
Umi smiled as she spoke.
"I don't really like the family name Kiryu..."
Umi said with a complicated expression. Well, it did have an overly macho vibe. It reminded me of that legendary yakuza from some fictional story. Being a girl, she must mind it.
"Got it. Umi."
I ended up replying like that. But even as I answered, my brain was in overdrive.
But... why the hell was she talking to me? Was there some affinity event? There wasn't anything like that. I'd just swung my sword every day. There was zero reason for Umi Kiryu to approach me. No basis for getting friendly...
Did Gonzaemon ask her to?
That didn't seem right either. Umi was smack in the middle of her rebellious phase, not the type to blindly follow her dad's orders.
She's really scaring me... Why is she doing this! Seriously!
The scariest thing for a possessor like me was characters not following the original flow. This could butterfly-effect the game's storyline off the rails.
"Why the stiff face?"
Umi asked.
"Oh. I've never talked to a girl before, so I got nervous. Especially since it's a total bombshell beauty talking to me? Way too high difficulty."
I said that.
"Doesn't seem like you were nervous... Casually calling me a beauty right in front of me."
Umi eyed me sharply. Unnecessarily perceptive. Well... I wasn't nervous. My insides were a mid-20s web novel writer, jaded by deadlines. Getting tense over school lunch would be weirder.
"Nah, I was tense. You're not trying to recruit me into a cult or some shady part-time gig, right?"
I asked.
"Pfft!!!!"
Umi burst out laughing immediately. It felt like a sudden explosion.
"Cult recruitment... uhuhuhu."
She shook with laughter for a good while before finally composing herself.
"Just wanted to get friendly, that's all."
Umi said.
"Yeah, that's what every cult says."
I replied.
"Cult... hahahaha! S-stop, you're killing me!!"
Umi kept cracking up. This girl had a pretty loose laugh threshold. Laughing this hard? Or maybe... low taste? Anyway.
"Shota, you're fun. You thinking about joining any clubs at school?"
After that, Umi smoothly kept up the small talk. She seemed to have killer communication skills, naturally steering everyday chit-chat even in this awkward setup. I just followed the flow.
Before I knew it, afternoon session had started.
"Well, time to..."
I eyed my escape route again. It was 1 PM. Afternoon training at the dojo was kicking off.
"Oh, yeah. That was fun."
Umi said that and seemed about to head back to her room.
Halt! But she stopped short. Looking like she was expecting something.
What the hell should I do? No clue.
"See ya. Let's chat again sometime."
I waved and headed straight for the dojo floor.
".......Yeah. Sure."
Umi looked dissatisfied. Man... teenage girls were a mystery.
---------
Meanwhile, from Umi's perspective.
A bit later, Umi headed straight up to her room. A hint of sulkiness clouded her face. Hurt pride, maybe. Her cheeks were oddly flushed too. No matter how hard she tried to school her expression, the blush wouldn't fade.
H-he didn't even ask for my number?
That shocked Umi. It scratched her pride so bad, tears even welled up a bit.
I gave him so many openings!! Made it clear I was interested!! But... no number?
Any normal guy would've jumped at it—grabbed her number or set up a meetup right then. But not Shota.
B-but... the vibe was so friendly.
She'd heard he was a shut-in, but Shota was surprisingly good at talking. Unlike guys who just steamrolled with their own chatter, he actually listened to her, gave proper reactions, and kept the convo flowing.
Something... mature about him.
Umi sensed an adult charm from Shota. Way calmer than the boys around her.
But... no spark!!
Shota felt like... some emotionless SNS chatbot. Just polite responses, no feelings.
H-he wasn't even a little excited with me?!
That bruised her ego hard. Simple reason: Umi had felt a slight flutter from Shota's unexpected side. It felt real.
Am... I not attractive?
Umi even thought that. But she shot it down immediately. She was dead certain of her own appeal. That was the root of her self-confidence.
I've decided.
Instead, Umi felt her motivation ignite.
Ignored me? I'll make you drool over me for sure.
Otherwise, her damaged pride wouldn't recover.
That was when Umi steeled her resolve.
"Oh... Umi. Didn't know you hated the Kiryu name. Can I call you Umi too?"
One of the disciples approached Umi familiarly. Same age as her, always trying to chat her up.
"No. Just call me Kiryu."
Umi cut him off cold.
"But you said you hate the family name..."
"You were eavesdropping? Gross."
Umi said that and went back to her room.
"........"
The disciple could only make a miserable face.
----------
The initiation ceremony started right away. Rules were simple: disciples faced off one-on-one in free sparring for one minute, starting with the newest and working up. Like military drill: everyone under me lines up above me... or something. Damn, bad memories.
Anyway, I faced my first opponent.
"Shota!! It's not just the initiation—I've got a grudge against you!!"
One disciple bellowed.
"A grudge?"
Why the sudden intensity? Scary.
"How dare you call our idol Kiryu by her first name!!! Unforgivable!!!"
At that, the other disciples' vibes shifted. They looked ready to actually slice someone.
"Family name or first name, it's the same!!"
I shouted back. Why do Japanese people split hairs like that?
"No need for words!!! Charge!!"
The freshly bogu-clad disciple rushed me. Name was... Tanaka, I think. That surname from every Forbes-listed Japanese media.
"Uhahaha! Love the enthusiasm, everyone!!"
Gonzaemon laughed heartily from the sidelines, like he was watching a show across the river. This old man had it easy.
No choice. Had to fight.
Whoosh! A clean head strike came flying. I dodged by tilting my head just in time. Then I fired back a crisp short head strike.
Crack! It landed clean.
"...........?!"
The room froze. No one expected a total newbie in fresh bogu to dodge so neatly and counter.
Well... back in my original world, I'd trained kendo hard prepping for possession. Good enough to place in adult and corporate tournaments.
Hmm... Gonzaemon's eyes gleamed from behind his bogu. He was eyeing me with intense interest.
---------
Anyway, the ceremony continued after that. I could one-sidedly smack the newbies. But mid-tiers and vets? No mercy. Having to chain fights drained my stamina, and the dojo seniors were straight-up stronger.
Especially Gonzaemon.
"Uhahat!! Nice movement!! But retreat!!!"
Smack!
"Dodge?! Too soft!! Retreat!!! Think about attacking faster first!! That's a swordsman's spirit!!"
Thud! Thwack!
"Yes!! Remember that feeling!!"
Crack! He was having a blast pounding me. This old man... yapping non-stop while hitting. Tongue gonna cramp?
Thwack! The final head strike landed, and I collapsed.
Total defeat.
Well... honestly, didn't expect to shine here. Protagonist-style heroics? Web novel writer catnip, but no way. I'm just an extra. No buffs, no nothing.
Still, put on a decent show, so I'd call it a win.
After the ceremony, I ditched the bogu. Maybe from all the exertion in it, but I was soaked in sweat everywhere.
"Huuu..."
Taking it off felt like coming alive. The world looked beautiful. One beer after... Oh, right. Minor.
"Good work!! Everyone, applause for Shota who fought hard!!"
At Gonzaemon's call, everyone clapped.
Thus, I became an official member of the kendo dojo.
But no time to slack post-ceremony. I planned to train straight through to evening.
During a short break after swinging my sword.
"Um... you look thirsty. Want this at least?"
Umi brought over a sports drink right away.
"........."
What's with this girl? She's seriously creeping me out now. For real.