"Young people need to learn to stay calm. Being too impatient is sothing no girl likes, right, Daokou?"
Makki Hojou, after sitting down, seed like a different person, now engaging in casual conversation.
Among the crowd, the notably tall Daokou Kanbara scratched his head after being called out.
He was the one who rushed to confess to a girl on the first day of school, only to be rejected.
The girl scread, and this incident beca a joke among his friends ever since.
"Boss, please don't bring that up!" Daokou grumbled.
"Hahaha, Hojou-kun, I love Tokyo."
"I didn't join the kendo club to dominate the world."
"I just love this place and these people! I love Tokyo, I love my friends, which is why I joined here."
"We just genuinely love motorcycles and enjoy the feeling of riding down the silver streets. It's a mont when it feels like the whole world is ours."
"Haven't you ever dread of freely cruising through the city on a bike in the dead of night?"
"Odaiba, Ginza, Asakusa, Nishi-Kicho, following Route 246 from Futamatagawa to Shibuya."
"With the engine roaring, the rush of wind in your face, and the rumble echoing through the silent night?"
"For , it was always about sharing this joy with my friends, just cruising through Tokyo's quiet night. That's why I ford the Rampaging Angels."
"It's worth noting that in this version of Japan, you can legally ride a motorcycle as soon as you turn 13."
"King of Speed!"
"Boss, I'll always follow behind your Red Lotus ZⅡ's tail light!"
"Tokyo's fastest! The undefeated legend!"
As Makki Hojou spoke, the delinquents around him began howling excitedly.
"Hahaha, anyway, let's go for a ride tonight!" Hearing his friends' voices, Makki Hojou laughed heartily.
"So, what do you think? Hojou-kun, after hearing all that, do you have a slightly better opinion of delinquents or the Rampaging Angel?"
Hojou Kyousuke, hearing Makki Hojou's words, felt like he was already on a bike.
The girl behind him clung tightly to him as they sped through the neon-lit streets of Shibuya, the engine roaring in the quiet night as they tightened the throttle along Kanagawa's empty asphalt road.
It almost felt... kind of nice? But...
"Still, even if I'm not in a Rampaging Angel, I can still take my girlfriend out for a ride," Hojou Kyousuke said.
"Eh?" Makki Hojou blinked, surprised. He hadn't ntioned girls at all.
Isn't riding with friends what makes it fun?
"But if you're with your girlfriend, you won't have all these friends around you, huh?" he tried to persuade him again.
"Wait a second, are you saying that if I beco the boss, I can have all your subordinates at my command?"
Hojou Kyousuke had caught on.
Although the people around him seed a bit foolish, if he could have so many followers, his life at the academy would certainly beco much easier, right?
"They're friends, not subordinates!"
Makki Hojou almost said it, but seeing that the boy opposite him was beginning to show interest in taking his position, he looked at his friends and gave Hojou Kyousuke a heavy nod.
"Exactly. That's right."
This was a great deal! Lazy Hojou Kyousuke's heart raced with excitent.
Now, he wouldn't even have to stand in line for lunch!
"Then let's do it. Not just you, but anyone in Higashi who doesn't recognize , co at !"
Standing up, Hojou Kyousuke looked around, raised his bamboo sword, and pointed it toward Makki Hojou.
He needed to show his future adorable subordinates his strength to win them over completely.
His words caused a stir among the delinquents, and soon so of them shouted angrily, ready to charge.
"Hahaha, you're the man who made lose once. But take a break, everyone! Wait until I actually lose, then you can co up! I'm the hero of Higashi; I don't need those dirty tricks!" Makki Hojou also stood up.
"Kisaki, hand the bamboo sword I brought. It's one I'm used to, stronger than the usual kind. That's okay, right?" Hojou Kyousuke looked at the opponent.
"I was planning to use a wooden sword anyway. The bamboo sword feels too restrictive. Ryou! Where's my wooden sword?"
"It's coming, it's coming!"
Tsuzuki Ryou, who had been missing until now, jogged over, holding a wooden sword in the shape of a wild katana.
"This is my weapon. It doesn't matter who the enemy is, I'm sticking with it. That's okay, right?" Makki Hojou laughed and echoed Hojou Kyousuke's words.
"Well then, let's do this."
Hojou Kyousuke's face turned serious, his eyes sharp as he stared at Makki Hojou.
There was no way he could take this lightly.
Although he had knocked Makki Hojou's sword away in one move, they both knew that practice matches didn't count.
Makki Hojou had been holding back, trying to teach the younger ones a lesson and hadn't used a proper weapon.
"Wait a second, Daokou, clear the area," Makki Hojou called out.
Upon hearing the command, Daokou Kanbara stood up and kicked a few people in the rear: "Hey, get those who aren't in the kendo club or Rampaging Angels out of here."
Although everyone at Higashi, including the principal, knew about the Rampaging Angels, they still respected the unspoken rules of delinquents and kept ordinary people out of it.
With the non-relevant people removed, the delinquents once again surrounded the area, but this ti they stood, creating a much more imposing atmosphere.
Anyone with a bit of a weak heart would surrender just from the pressure of being stared at by so many intense eyes.
"Rampaging Angels' Boss, Makki Hojou, here!" Makki Hojou raised his sword and yelled out in a commanding tone.
"Hokushin Ittoryu's Hojou Kyousuke, here!" Hojou Kyousuke stood in the middle stance, announcing his school.
Kyousuke's words caused quite a stir.
Kendo practitioners were highly protective of their school nas, and you could only use your school's na if you had permission or had reached a certain level of achievent.
So when soone proudly declared their school na, it ant they were an exceptional practitioner, especially soone using the famous Hokushin Ittoryu.
The kendo club mbers began to worry for their leader, wondering if the "Hero of Higashi" would be able to defeat the renowned Hokushin Ittoryu master.
Fortunately, they didn't know that Hojou Kyousuke wasn't just an ordinary licensed practitioner; he was, in fact, the student of the Hokushin Ittoryu's head, and he had been trained from a very young age.
Makki Hojou wasn't fazed, though.
He gave a loud yell and charged toward Hojou Kyousuke with unstoppable montum, swinging his sword down.
Hojou Kyousuke quickly sensed that this strike couldn't be easily blocked.
He stepped back, narrowly avoiding it.
Makki Hojou's powerful strike slamd into the ground, leaving a dent in the wooden floor.
If he weren't careful, he could have left his back open to attack.
But because his wooden sword was unusually long, his range was significantly larger.
His opponent had to retreat far enough to avoid it, allowing him to unleash such an attack.
However, he was facing Hojou Kyousuke.
When Makki Hojou's sword ca down, he saw Hojou Kyousuke raising his bamboo sword for a thrust.
Makki Hojou quickly raised his wooden sword to counter, trying to push Hojou Kyousuke back with a defensive maneuver.
He always used this move to force enemies to retreat.
What he didn't expect was that this move, which had never failed before, didn't work against Hojou Kyousuke!
He didn't know that he was up against Hojou Kyousuke, a direct disciple of the Hokushin Ittoryu, known for his "Northern Star Hand Chopping Technique."
Kyousuke took a step back, evading the upward thrust of Makki Hojou's wooden sword, and with a sharp swing of his bamboo sword, he sliced down at Makki Hojou's right hand with full force.
Cut! Another strike!
"Boss!"
"How is this possible!? The Boss was defeated in one move?"
"The invincible sword strike of the Boss was so easily broken? Is this the power of a licensed practitioner from Hokushin Ittoryu?"
"This kid's a monster!"
...
The murmurs from the onlookers didn't faze Makki Hojou, but his right hand could barely hold onto the sword anymore.
What kind of monster is this kid? His speed is astonishing, his strength is incredible, but what really frightens him is his swordsmanship.
Is he the son of the Hokushin Ittoryu's head?
He must have been training in swordsmanship since he was a toddler, right?
It's impossible for anyone to have such ridiculous strength otherwise.
Watching Hojou Kyousuke, who hadn't pressed the attack, Makki Hojou reflected on why he had been defeated.
His innate footwork, his clean and decisive strikes, and his ability to anticipate and counterattack — Makki Hojou couldn't think of any way he could win.
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