Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 179 - 167: Jigen Style, "Cloud Shine

Chapter 179: Chapter 167: Jigen Style, "Cloud Shine

"Yo, you’re here."

Uesugi Shio’s voice suddenly came from behind, and Uesugi Sakura turned around to see her in a white Kendo outfit.

There was a question he always wanted to ask.

"Shio, why is your Kendo outfit white?"

Uesugi Shio held the bamboo sword, her eyes vacant: "Isn’t white prettier than the traditional indigo?"

"Of course, if you like red, you can wear a big red robe and write ’Yoroshiku!’ on the name tag. Guaranteed, you’ll be the most eye-catching presence in the Kendo Dojo, even more so than the General."

"Talk with a flick of the tongue!" Goto suggested enthusiastically from the back, his voice booming perhaps due to Kendo training.

Uesugi Sakura ignored him, scanning the Kendo Dojo several times seeking the "President": "So, what did you call me here for today?"

Didn’t see that person.

Uesugi Shio glanced at Goto, who had "Sword Dao" written all over him, and said:

"Didn’t Goto tell you? You’re here to guide everyone in Kendo, we’re going to Waseda Affiliated High School tomorrow for martial arts exchange."

"I can’t guide people."

"You can’t?" Uesugi Shio frowned, "Then who should I find to be our Kendo Department’s advisor?"

"How would I know? That’s your president’s problem. If there’s nothing else, this General is heading back first."

With that, Uesugi Sakura turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Uesugi Shio shouted, stopping him, "You, the General, haven’t shown your face yet. It’d be too embarrassing to say the five-member team doesn’t even know their own General."

The standard Kendo match is five-on-five with a Vanguard, Second Leader, Middle Guard, Deputy General, and General.

It’s typically one-on-one, Vanguard against Vanguard, Second Leader against Second Leader, and so on.

A match is best of three bouts; you need to hit an opponent’s valid area three times to win.

The higher-ranked ones take the General position traditionally; the General is the face of the team.

In matches, it’s possible to use the strategy of matching weaker players against stronger opponents, like the story of Tian Ji’s horse racing.

There’s also the "Jade Dragon Flag" death battle system, where one strong person can take on five.

Uesugi Shio pulled a few boys holding bamboo swords in front of Uesugi Sakura, introducing them to each other.

"This is Uemura Yukiyoshi, the Vanguard."

"Kataki Hidemi, the Second Leader."

"Uemura Mannosuke, the Deputy General."

"Hmm, I’m Uesugi Sakura." Uesugi Sakura said calmly to them, "Do you not agree with me being the General? Shall we have a trial battle? So I can go back to sleep after."

A trial battle is a deathmatch system of one versus many.

This sounded very arrogant. Uesugi Sakura meant it to be, but the three all shook their heads, looking somewhat fearful.

Generally, those who practice Kendo have some measure of character; they don’t appear like this.

"What’s going on?" Uesugi Sakura turned to ask Uesugi Shio.

Uesugi Shio spread her hands, indicating she didn’t know.

"Uesugi!" Goto Iwao’s voice was louder than usual.

"Lower your voice, I can hear you."

"It’s time to practice air swings now!"

"You’re talking to me?"

"Exactly! It’s four o’clock!" Goto Iwao held the sword upright, standing straight.

Uesugi Sakura thought this guy suddenly turned into an unfeeling robot, just calling out orders stiffly.

Once he announced it was four o’clock, everyone resting on the ground quickly stood up, held the bamboo swords, and started practicing air swings willingly.

Even the three people standing in front of him ran back quickly.

In no time, the dojo was filled with the swooshing sound of air swings.

"..."

Uesugi Sakura turned back to look at the Kendo Department president Uesugi Shio with light blue side-dyed hair.

"500 air swings!" She shouted to everyone.

"Yes!"

The cries of passionate youth echoed in Kanzaki Togoshi Private Academy’s Kendo Department.

...

Uesugi Sakura didn’t know why his cousin could make the Kendo Department members so eager, but at least he didn’t have to participate in these training sessions.

It indirectly proved she truly couldn’t guide people.

——————

Saturday morning, the sky was the clear blue of a glass marble.

Today, father-in-law had the day off and started to coach his Kendo again.

"Men!"

"Do!"

"Kote!"

Hanamaru Hiroki’s attacks came one after another, the sound of bamboo swords clashing resembling the cracking of a whip.

Sparring with the father-in-law was the most exhausting task, the Jigen Style demanded vehement strikes, a slight distraction would allow him to seize the chance, pressing on as if carrying a mountain.

Pa!

Uesugi Sakura once again blocked the attack with his bamboo sword, sweat constantly seeping from his forehead under the blazing sun.

"Gari do!"

A twist of the step, power from the waist and abdomen, just now it was an upper slash, and instantly it switched to the right do.

Hanamaru Hiroki’s every blow and every strike was too fast, not only in speed, but even the lag between withdrawing the sword for the next attack was minimized to non-existent.

A straightforward and clean sword style without any strange techniques, just one strike following another, forcing the opponent to retreat continuously.

Pa!!

The bamboo pieces trembled, Uesugi Sakura once again defended against the strike.

"Not bad!"

Hanamaru Hiroki shouted, stepping back before quickly standing firm, attacking once again with two consecutive upper slashes.

Pa! Pa!!

Every strike accompanied by heavy Qi Union, weighing down on the heart.

It fully engraved the features of "fast" and "strong" into the movements, each move powerful and heavy.

Even with his palms trembling from the shock, Uesugi Sakura barely managed to hold on.

To withstand for so long against father-in-law’s hand, he dared to say, among peers, there was no one with a stronger defense than his Uesugi family.

After all, that was a 37-year-old Jigen Style Seventh Rank Priest!

Hanamaru Hiroki’s three consecutive strikes chopped out, even the tiny powder of bamboo sheets flaked off, both bamboo swords were on the verge of breaking.

Uesugi Sakura maintained a defensive stance, retreating continuously, hands tightly gripped on the sword handle, enduring.

He had already endured nine rounds.

It’s fine, just need to withstand the next blow, then it’s over.

However, at this moment,

Hanamaru Hiroki’s attacks became indescribable.

"Cloud Blaze"

Uesugi Sakura stared blankly at the bamboo sword tip suddenly appearing above his forehead, and suddenly, a strong wind brushed by, raising his hair.

Despite the hot weather, he couldn’t help but feel a chill.

Hanamaru Hiroki’s sword tip pointed directly at his forehead, whispering: "Men."

What... just happened?

Uesugi Sakura hadn’t snapped out of it.

On the other side, observing the sparring session, Uesugi Shio had lost her usual lazy demeanor, mumbling:

"Was that... Cloud Blaze I just saw?"

Hanamaru Hiroki withdrew his bamboo sword and said to Uesugi Sakura in front of him: "That was quite impressive, at least at your age, I didn’t have such prowess."

"Father-in-law... just now, that move?"

Hanamaru Hiroki noticed the sparkle returning to his eyes and said: "Want to learn it?"

Before he finished speaking, he immediately reacted: "What did you just call me?"

"Uncle," Uesugi Sakura said, then diverted the topic, "Uncle, can I learn that move from you?"

Hanamaru Hiroki looked at him, suddenly sighed: "If you’re going to call me that, just do it, it’s inevitable, just a matter of time."

Has father-in-law come to terms with it?

Hanamaru Hiroki continued: "You can learn, but you first must master the Jigen Style’s opening stance ’Dragonfly’, ’Cloud Blaze’ isn’t so easy to master."

Modern Kendo has the Five Elements Formation, opening stances.

Upper stance is fire, aggressive attacks.

Middle stance is water, balanced in offense and defense.

Lower stance is earth, focusing on defense.

...

"Dragonfly" is the unique opening stance of the Jigen Style, focusing on footwork, emphasizing rhythm, short and rapid, powerful and energetic.

Uesugi Shio approached Uesugi Sakura, saying: "I figured out why you can easily defend against my attacks, turns out no one at your age can break through your defense."

Jigen Style itself is the hardest swordsmanship style to defend against, added with Hanamaru Hiroki’s background as a police officer, his Kendo was more geared towards real battle.

Besides, the title of Seventh Rank Priest is no joke.

He was the champion of the 16th, 17th, and 18th National Kendo Championships, not just the high school one.

The opponents were all notable and established fighters with their own styles.

Uesugi Shio knew Hanamaru Hiroki ended countless opponents with Jigen Style’s secret technique—"Cloud Blaze", the kind of swift, decisive sword speed few could defend against.

Of course, Uesugi Sakura didn’t know this—all he knew was that his defense was strong, able to hold out for over ten rounds under the father-in-law’s hand.

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