Chapter 10: A Bond Forged in Thigh-Slapping Camaraderie

"These forearm lines, these deltoids, this latissimus dorsi—though not massive in volume, the physique is simply perfect..."

Inside the dojo's changing room, Ririko was poking and prodding Uesugi Toru's body, her expression filled with awe.

"Why are you obsessed with these strange muscles, just like those hardcore gym rats?" Toru muttered to himself. He took off his school uniform shirt, picked up a keikogi, and held it out to Ririko, gesturing with his hands: "Come on, don't pity me just because I'm a delicate flower!"

Ririko's face flushed slightly, but she quickly took the uniform and meticulously helped Toru put it on. While dressing him, she asked, "Uesugi-kun, how did you train to get like this?"

The answer was the demonic power of the Hannya and the art of Kiai. Of course, Toru couldn't say that. He replied offhandedly, "Maybe it's just talent."

Who would have thought that Ririko would nod in complete agreement and sigh, "Talent, huh..."

"Talented people should just drop dead."

The girl turned her head away and spat out the words under her breath.

Toru stared at her. "Did you say something just now?"

Ririko blinked and, with a blank expression, tightened the ties of his hakama and obi. "No, nothing at all."

"Since this is your first time holding a sword, I won't have you wear the protective gear yet."

Toru recalled the club members in the dojo wearing armor and sparring with bamboo swords. "Ririko, if you want to beat me up, you can just say so."

"If I wanted to, I would have done it already."

Ririko picked up a bamboo sword to clear her mind, but her peripheral vision caught the golden ratio of Toru's physique as he turned around. She thought of how she had been training since she was a child—over a decade of effort—and she was still nowhere near this level, yet Toru seemed to have achieved it in just a few months.

Subconsciously, Ririko swung the bamboo sword in her hand.

*Whack!*

Toru stumbled and fell to his knees, feeling a fiery sting in his rear. He turned back, bewildered, and locked eyes with the expressionless Ririko.

—Wait, you really just did it?

Ririko looked at her empty palm, confused, as if she had only just realized what she had done. She had an epiphany. "Uesugi-kun, it turns out that jealousy really can make a person lose their mind."

Toru’s eyebrow twitched. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Ririko hand him the bamboo sword, turn around, bend over, and present her backside.

Toru: "Huh?"

Ririko looked back, earnest. "Uesugi-kun, you hit my butt just as hard. Consider us even!"

Toru hesitated. "Uh..."

Ririko arched her eyebrows and slapped her own hip. "Come on, hurry up! Don't let a small thing like this create hard feelings and ruin our practice later!"

Since she had put it that way, Toru found it hard to refuse. He gripped the sword with both hands. "Then I won't hold back."

The girl gritted her teeth. "Do it!"

Toru felt no desire to be gentle. Like a baseball swing, he brought the sword down with full force, landing squarely in the center of her backside.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Ririko couldn't help but cry out, her expression twisting as she rolled her eyes in pain.

Just then, a voice from outside the partition drifted closer: "Tokugawa, it’s time for everyone to join you for practice..."

"It's Kondo-sensei!"

Ririko wanted to stand up and regain her composure, but Toru's strike had been merciless, leaving her legs weak and unable to straighten her back.

*Clatter.*

The wooden door slid open. The kendo club instructor, Kondo Eiya, stood in the doorway, staring in stunned silence at the scene inside. The man, well into his forties, opened his mouth, only to find his vocabulary failing him; he had no idea what to say.

Toru lowered the bamboo sword and, after a moment of thought, tried to explain: "Well..."

Kondo Eiya looked at the two of them in silence. After glancing back to ensure no other students were watching, he put on a stern face and whispered harshly:

"Both of you, pull yourselves together! Get to my office immediately!"

The two exchanged a look and walked out of the partition, limping and clutching their backsides.

...

After watching them enter, Kondo Eiya closed the office door firmly.

"You, what is your name!"

Once the soundproof door was shut, Kondo Eiya shouted at Toru. Toru answered truthfully.

Kondo Eiya frowned upon hearing the name and looked at Tokugawa Ririko. "Is this the 'transfer student' you mentioned this morning?"

"Yes."

The walk had eased the pain, so Ririko replied with a blank expression: "Since he's already here, please handle the paperwork for him, Kondo-sensei."

"Paperwork!?"

Kondo Eiya slammed his desk in anger. "Tokugawa! Do you have any idea what the situation is?"

He roared, "Before afternoon practice, give me 1,000 suburi swings!"

"And you!" Kondo Eiya looked at Toru, who was secretly checking his phone to see how much time was left until afternoon class. "Aren't you here to join the Kendo Club? Get to the track and run until class starts. Let me see what you're made of!"

Toru raised an eyebrow. Why did this instructor sound so Showa-era? It was the 21st century, after all. Even if it hadn't been a complete misunderstanding, what did it matter if he and Ririko were hugging in a partition? It was just normal interaction between a man and a woman.

Ririko raised her hand. "Kondo-sensei, this actually has nothing to do with Uesugi-kun. I'll go run an extra twenty laps."

*Damn.*

Ririko was even volunteering to take his punishment. She was truly a bro who could go through thick and thin with him. He definitely had to take Ririko out for hot pot or barbecue in the next couple of days.

Kondo Eiya’s gaze shifted between the two of them. He sneered, "Since you two are so close, why not go run those laps in the sun together? It might just help heat up your relationship."

Ririko frowned, wanting to say, *Don't waste everyone's time, I'll just run fifty laps and do 2,000 swings later*, but Toru spoke up first.

"Task accepted!"

"Very good! Very spirited!"

Kondo Eiya’s expression softened slightly. "Don't let me catch you slacking off. Now, go!"

Toru pulled Ririko out of the office. Just before they reached the track, the girl asked, puzzled, "Uesugi-kun, time is precious. Why did you pay for my mistake?"

Toru patted his chest. "When there's trouble, we face it together. I wouldn't just throw you under the bus."

Ririko fell into deep thought. Toru, seeing the [Enter the Netherworld] option light up again, didn't disturb her and just kept running.

A long while later, when the afternoon bell rang, Tokugawa Ririko, soaked in sweat, fanned herself and suddenly asked:

"So, what kind of relationship do we have now?"

Toru, nearly exhausted to the point of collapse, replied weakly:

"A 'butt-striking' friendship, I suppose."

The usually expressionless Ririko froze. After savoring the phrase a few times, she finally lost her composure, buried her face in Toru's shoulder, and let out a muffled laugh.