"Phew—the exam is over."

"Woo woo, don't mention the exam."

"Huh...?"

"I feel like I failed the test, and I must have failed."

“......”

"Woo woo, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, how can I say it, I don't believe you 'failed the test' anymore..."

“......”

The bell rings for the end of school in the afternoon, and the exams are over. Mamoru Suzuki picked up his shoulder bag.

Most of the people around me gathered together in twos and threes, and had various discussions around today's exam, thinking that they did not do well and those who thought they would definitely pass, and those who answered the answers, arguing about what the result of a certain question was.

"Definitely A, right?"

"No, it's definitely B."

The two boys looked at the third boy together: "Say, what's the answer?" ”

“... Is it possible that the answer is C? ”

“......”

"Damn, wrong."

"It's over."

"Hey, didn't I say don't answer with me? Bastard. ”

"Huh? Blame me? You found me right, right? ”

"You..."

"Sorry, please give way." Mamoru Suzuki politely interrupted the two men standing in the middle of the aisle facing each other.

"Oh."

The two politely moved out of the way. When Mamoru Suzuki walked by, they immediately stuck together again, arguing about whose responsibility it was.

Mamoru Suzuki walked out of the classroom alone.

The exam is over and there is nothing more to say. Compared with the end of the exam, the kendo club practice that is about to start makes him a little more concerned.

After coming out of the class, along the corridor of the teaching building, turn another corner, and you will arrive at the second floor of the club building.

Then go down the stairs to the first floor.

After coming out of the staircase, you can see that the kendo club is located in the far corner of the first floor and in the deepest part of the corridor.

And in front of the door of the kendo club's activity room, Tamajo Michiyo should have just arrived, and it seems that he is holding the key and preparing to open the door... The distance is a bit far away, and it is not easy to see clearly.

Mamoru Suzuki walked over with his steps.

After a few steps, Tamajo Michiyo, who had just opened the door, turned his head to look in his direction, and the eyes of the two met in the air.

Suzuki paused for a moment, then quickened his pace and walked briskly. didn't let Tamaki Michiyo wait too long, Suzuki Mamoru came to the door of the activity room,

"Yucheng-san."

"Hmm."

He followed her into the kendo club and closed the door to the activity room.

In the closed activity room, the noise of the campus suddenly stopped.

Then, Tamashiro Michiyo walked to the side of the shoe rack, squatted down, and took off the school's indoor shoes. The white socks were also taken off, and he stepped barefoot on the wooden floor.

Mamoru Suzuki watched subconsciously.

The skirt of the uniform slipped because of the squatting position, revealing a little of the side of the thigh, which was dazzlingly white, and the bare feet and rounded toes after taking off the socks were also white and clean.

"It feels like it's clean even in the crooks of your toes"... This is Yasunari Kawabata's description of Komako in "Snow Country", and it is unexpectedly appropriate to place it here.

It wasn't until Tamashiro Michiyo got up that the skirt fell back and covered her thighs, and the girl gave him a puzzled look.

Mamoru Suzuki reacted, smiled awkwardly, and walked to the shoe rack, put down the shoulder bag, and did so.

When he took off his shoes and socks and stepped on the wooden ground and felt the soles of his feet feel cold, Tamashiro Michiyo walked over from the side and handed him a blue kendo uniform.

"Lend it to you."

Mamoru Suzuki stood up and looked at the girl's hand, and took it with some hesitation.

"I've washed it, try it to see if it fits, and there may still be a deviation in visual inspection." Tamajo Michiyo said a simple word, then walked to the side away from the door, opened the door of the cubicle and walked in—it was the changing room.

Before closing the door, Yucheng Sanchiyo said again: "I'll change it inside, you change it outside." ”

Mamoru Suzuki looked at the closed door to the changing room, and then looked down at the kendo suit in his hand. There was the sound of shredded clothes rubbing against each other.

“......”

He began to change his clothes.

It's not the first time I've come into contact with kendo uniforms, and it's a hassle to wear a hakama, but it can be worn with some time... It was when he was tying the hakama that Tamaki Michiyo had already put on his kendo uniform and came out of the changing room.

There was a young girl watching him tie the tie a little awkwardly, but Tamashiro himself seemed to be unaware of this.

Finally put on the kendo uniform, Suzuki Mamoru folded the clothes he took off and put them on top of the shoulder bag on the side, while Tamashiro Michiyo also opened the curtains and windows.

In the closed activity room, the air circulated again, and the noise in my ears became louder.

"Does it fit?" Tamajo Michiyo looked at him and asked.

"It's okay." Mamoru Suzuki finally sorted out his kendo uniform, "It's just a little wider." ”

"Hmm. If Suzuki-san really wants to learn kendo, it is recommended to customize a kendo uniform. ”

"Yes, it will."

Suzuki replied, no longer touching his clothes, and instead looked at the activity room where there were only two people, him and Tamajo Michiyo, and his eyes lingered for a while on the girl who looked more neat and tidy in a white kendo uniform.

After a while, he asked again: "Speaking of which, Yucheng-san, I wanted to ask last Friday, is there only Yucheng-san-chan in the kendo department?" ”

Tamashiro Michiyo was walking towards the sword stand placed next to him, and pulled out two bamboo swords from the shelf.

"It's just me." She walked over to Mamoru Suzuki and handed him one of them.

"Are you okay?" Mamoru Suzuki took the bamboo sword and asked with some curiosity.

Formal clubs with independent activity rooms are not so easy to apply for, at least "only one member of the department" is basically impossible to allow.

"There are some reasons." Tamashiro Michiyo took the bamboo sword and stepped aside, "Okay, let's start officially." ”

"Oh." Mamoru Suzuki didn't ask much.

He followed Tamashiro Michiyo and stood opposite her, keeping a distance of "one sword and one foot"-

The so-called "one sword and one foot" distance is the standard distance in kendo that can be attacked further and defended when taking a step back.

"Before that, ask first." Tamaki Michiyo looked at him, "Where did Suzuki-san's kendo knowledge go?" ”

Mamoru Suzuki thought for a moment and replied, "Kendo etiquette, standing posture, basic footwork, sword-holding posture, mid-section composition, sword-swinging method, that's pretty much it." ”

"Oh, and the rules of kendo." Mamoru Suzuki added that he taught himself over the weekend.

Tamaki Michiyo looked at him, and Suzuki Mamoru returned with an inquiring gaze.

"What's wrong?"

"That's all?" The girl frowned slightly.

"I've only studied for a week."

"Nine-type thirteen knives?"

- The basic skill of kendo, in layman's terms, is the move of the sword.

"I've heard the name."

“......”

"That...?" Mamoru Suzuki looked at the girl who was a little speechless for a short time.

Tamaki Michiyo seemed to sigh softly, "I'm sorry, maybe I misjudged 'Week' because I saw Suzuki-san wielding a sword, and I set my expectations too high, and now the disappointment is just my own doing." ”

“......”

The word "disappointed" is also inevitable...

"Actually, I should be quite talented and a quick learner." Mamoru Suzuki defended.

"Really?"

"Hmm." Mamoru Suzuki confirmed.

"Okay." Tamaki Michiyo was no longer entangled in her misjudgment, and she raised her bamboo sword.

"Let's get started."