Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week

"Two points! The winner is Chestnut Mountain!"

Jiro's judgment was without any bias, merely stating the fact.

From the start of the bout to the end, less than two minutes had passed before Kenji Kojima was defeated.

Such is the brevity and cruelty of Sword Dao.

Kenji Kojima and Chestnut Mountain bowed to each other and exited the competition area, returning to their respective sides.

Aozawa smiled and said, "It's fine. Even if they win four matches, if they lose the last one, the victory still goes to Brilliant High School."

Kenji Kojima smiled back and replied, "It's normal for us to lose. Our Kendo club isn't particularly strong, after all. Don't be too nervous."

"Captain, are you really being sincere?"

After a brief silence, a trace of unwillingness was visible on Kenji Kojima's face behind his mask as he murmured softly, "Aozawa, I hope you can win."

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

Aozawa gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.

...

On the other side, Chestnut Mountain returned to his team without saying anything.

In his view, he would be able to leave shortly. Brilliant High School was even weaker than he had imagined.

"Ready!"

Jiro called out.

Yutaro Shidori stood up and moved to the center of the area, his hands in the standard "chudan-no-kamae" stance.

Aozawa also stepped forward and said, "Shidori-san, please go easy on me."

"Aozawa-senpai, it is I who should be saying please go easy on me."

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of teaching you," Aozawa suddenly said, breaking decorum with his out-of-place remark.

Yutaro Shidori was slightly taken aback but then smiled beneath his mask. "Okay."

He wasn't angry. Making him angry was a difficult feat. Everyone who knew Yutaro Shidori agreed that he was incredibly mild-mannered, to the point where it seemed he had no temper at all.

However, his style of Sword Dao was anything but mild. It was extremely aggressive, making him the most ferocious member of the Qinghuateng Sword Department.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they ceased any further formalities.

Yutaro Shidori's eyes sharpened, and he shouted, "Men!"

With his right foot stepping forward, he entered the striking distance of "one sword one step."

Like a sudden downpour, his bamboo sword fiercely aimed for Aozawa's mask.

Aozawa retreated quickly, intercepting with his own bamboo sword.

After a sharp CLANG, Yutaro Shidori noticed an opening in Aozawa's defense and roared, "Do!"

His bamboo sword chopped downward in response.

It must be said, the timing was exquisite.

A gray filter instantly covered Aozawa's eyes.

Time stood still at that moment.

He saw Yutaro Shidori's movement clearly and tried to adjust, anticipating his opponent's action well in advance. An attack that would have caught him by surprise before now had no chance of succeeding.

Time resumed its flow.

Quickly dodging Yutaro Shidori's bamboo sword, Aozawa countered loudly, "Men!"

THWACK!

Yutaro Shidori froze.

So did Jiro, along with everyone else present.

No one called the score.

Kenji Kojima snapped out of it and shouted, "One point!"

The other three members displayed smiles and clenched fists excitedly.

No one wanted to lose if they could win.

Regaining his senses, Yutaro Shidori still felt bewildered. He had been confident that his strike would have landed on Aozawa. How could it have missed and allowed him to be countered? Could it be that Aozawa deliberately revealed an opening?

Yutaro Shidori took a deep breath. He had been practicing Sword Dao for so long that it had become instinctual, allowing him to detect an opponent's weakness. Sometimes, he knew whether a strike would hit even before the bamboo sword fell. In the previous posture, he had been completely sure of landing his hit.

But reality told him he was being overconfident; he couldn't touch Aozawa at all.

Was there such a high level of feinting?

Yutaro Shidori had a complex expression as he said softly, "Aozawa-senpai, you are truly strong!"

"You're not bad yourself," Aozawa replied genuinely, admitting that without the use of Time Suspension, he wouldn't have been a match for Yutaro Shidori based on Sword Dao skills alone. This guy truly deserved the nickname of a monster rookie. The innate talent he possessed in Sword Dao had already surpassed the limits an ordinary person could reach.

Since everyone's basically using 'cheats,' it all comes down to whose 'cheat' is more powerful.

...

Yutaro Shidori quickly composed himself. He had lost before; it was quite normal to lose against a strong opponent. The key was whether he could learn from this defeat. That was what mattered most.

He readopted his stance.

Such an attitude was very comforting to Jiro, though it also made him feel somewhat disappointed. Such a perfect student left him with no room to offer guidance. As a coach, it was indeed disheartening, making it seem as if the student's achievements had nothing to do with him.

Yutaro Shidori assumed a defensive stance. He sought to find a breach in Aozawa's attacks and then counterstrike to claim victory.

Seeing this, Aozawa stepped forward, using his left foot as a pivot, his body bursting with forward momentum.

Now was the moment! Yutaro Shidori was certain that he had caught Aozawa's opening. But was such an opening truly a vulnerability? Or could it be that Aozawa was deliberately showing an opening?

This doubt arose in his heart, causing Yutaro Shidori to subconsciously dodge.

This action made Jiro's brows furrow. He knew that Yutaro Shidori's greatest strength was his instinct. That extraordinary instinct allowed Yutaro Shidori to capture the enemy's weaknesses in the shortest time possible, thus making his move, forming a style as fierce as thunder.

However, such a style was now sealed because Yutaro Shidori could not confirm whether Aozawa's move was a feint or a true opening.

Jiro frowned slightly. It wasn't just Yutaro; even he couldn't distinguish whether Aozawa's movements were real or fake. This person's strength was truly terrifying. Sunaga Takashi was actually able to defeat such a monster. His true strength indeed went beyond what was displayed at the national competition.

Aozawa advanced in pursuit.

More and more openings made Yutaro Shidori unable to refrain any longer.

"Do!" he roared, and his body followed his bamboo sword as he lunged forward, striking Aozawa with extreme ferocity.

This strike felt very smooth to him, as though opening a bottle of mineral water would definitely yield mineral water. He was also certain that he could definitely hit Aozawa's body.

The gray filter once again covered Aozawa's eyes, allowing him to see Yutaro Shidori's attack trajectory clearly.

As time resumed its flow, Aozawa immediately dodged Yutaro Shidori's attack, not giving his opponent time to react. "Men!"

THWACK! The bamboo sword struck Yutaro Shidori's face guard hard.

"Two points, winner Aozawa!"

Jiro, this time without surprise, quickly announced the result of the match.

Yutaro Shidori lost.

This fact left the four from Aohana Fuji High School in shock.

Yutaro Shidori, despite being a first-year freshman, had already surpassed any member of the Qinghuateng Sword Department. He was arguably the Qinghuateng Sword Department's strongest ace.

"How could this happen?" Masato Mogi, the vanguard, growled in disbelief.

Yutaro Shidori was also in a daze. He could not imagine how his strike, which he was a hundred percent sure would hit, was perfectly anticipated. How could this be? He couldn't help but doubt whether his judgment in that instant had been correct.

"Aozawa-senpai, how did you manage that? No, sorry, I was presumptuous." Yutaro Shidori came to his senses and quickly bowed. How could someone reveal such things to others?

He straightened up, with only one question in mind. "Last year at the Jade Dragon Flag competition, you lost to Sunaga-senpai. Was your strength the same as it is now?"

"It's not the same. I am much stronger now than I was last year. But your strength is far from Sunaga's. In the national competition, you couldn't possibly win against him."

"Many people have said that. Is Sunaga-senpai really that strong?"

"At this year's Jade Dragon Flag, no one besides me can stop Sunaga."

"I think, Aozawa-senpai, your judgment will be wrong." Yutaro Shidori revealed an uncommon sharp resolve and said, "This year at the Jade Dragon Flag, if I face you, Aozawa-senpai, I won't lose again! And I will win the national competition!"

"I will be waiting for you at the peak."

Aozawa smiled, not disliking the young man's spirit.

...

Although the Aohana Vine team won the friendly match overall, none of them were happy. They had lost the most important match. This meant their ace had been defeated. Even if they made it to the final round of the national competition, they would face an insurmountable mountain.

In the van on the way back, the atmosphere was heavy, a stark contrast to their excitement on the journey there.

Jiro thought it necessary to speak up. "Are you scared?"

"Coach Jiro!"

"Mogi, there's no need to object. Everyone feels fear at times; that's not shameful. Being too frightened to wield your bamboo sword—that's what's truly shameful."

Jiro spoke solemnly, "There is still time before the national competition. Strive to become stronger, then push for the peak."

Yutaro Shidori said, "I want to participate in the Jade Dragon Flag."

"Good! Whether it's the national competition or the Jade Dragon Flag, let's win them all!" Masato Mogi exclaimed passionately. "I too want to face those strong guys. Facing such formidable people, even if you lose, you gain something!"

"Gain confusion? I really can't imagine how Aozawa dodged Yutaro's attack."

"Kumakura, you! Don't say such disheartening things!"

"His movements indeed looked as though he had seen through Yutaro's attack in advance."

"To be able to see through Yutaro's attack? That's really terrifying."

"Right, let's call Aozawa 'Eye of God' from now on. What do you think of this title?"

Masato Mogi's words elicited strange looks from the others.

"This is no time to be coining such cringeworthy nicknames. 'Eye of God'... why not 'Hand of God' while you're at it?"

"Kumakura, you're really stupid. Seeing through Yutaro Shidori's moves—isn't that befitting of the 'Eye of God'? As for the 'Hand of God,' we'll reserve that for Sunaga."

"Idiot."

"Idiot."

"Agreed."

Listening to their conversation, Masato Mogi shouted, "Chestnut Mountain, how could you agree with Kumakura too!"

As Yutaro Shidori listened to his seniors argue, a smile appeared on his face. It was his fortune to have joined the Qinghuateng Sword Department. Next time, he would definitely win. Sunaga Takashi, Aozawa, just you wait!