Chapter 55: Hesitation Leads to Defeat
The captain of the kendo club stood before Ronan, holding his shinai in a proper stance. In contrast, Ronan casually swung his shinai twice before lazily holding it horizontally in front of him with one hand.
From any angle, his stance screamed "amateur"—the kind of amateur who had probably watched two episodes of an anime and thought they could strike a cool pose.
The other kendo club members noticed the duel and quickly stopped their training, turning their attention to the scene.
"Are you planning to spend the next two days in the hospital?" the captain asked, frowning.
"You think you have what it takes to put me in the hospital? Are you joking?"
"You bastard..."
The captain's gaze suddenly sharpened. In an instant, he lunged forward, raising his shinai and swinging it down toward Ronan's head.
"Oh, right. If you injure me, I doubt you'd be able to explain yourself to the school."
"!?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the captain's shinai froze mid-air.
Seizing the opportunity, Ronan tapped his opponent's helmet with his own shinai.
Thud!
"..."
"Hesitation leads to defeat," Ronan said. "I'll be taking the first 'point' then."
"You... You shameless bastard!"
"All's fair in war. Falling for my 'chat distraction' strategy just proves your focus and intelligence still need work."
"Enough!!"
The captain stepped back to his original position, gripping his shinai once more. This time, his gaze was completely different.
"I've had enough of your little tricks. Even if it means sending you to the hospital, I won't hold back."
"Aren't you forgetting that your actual goal here is the club fees?"
"Shut up!"
Whoosh!
He lunged forward again, raising his shinai high before swinging it down toward Ronan.
Just as the strike was about to land, Ronan swiftly reached into his coat and pulled out—
A handgun.
A handgun!?
The captain's movements froze instantly.
Thud!
Ronan lightly tapped his forehead with the tip of his shinai.
"I told you—hesitation leads to defeat."
"..."
He didn't say a word, but the way his teeth clenched and his shoulders trembled made it clear—his fury had reached its peak.
"…You bastard! Who the hell pulls out a gun in a match!?"
"Oh, this? It's just a water gun. Just a replica."
As he spoke, Ronan squeezed the trigger, sending a thin stream of water straight onto the captain's face. Of course, the water didn't extinguish his anger—it only made him even more furious.
By kendo competition rules, bringing any unauthorized object into a match would result in an automatic loss. But at this point, the captain didn't care about the rules. He just wanted to teach this shameless trickster a lesson.
"AAARGH!!"
This time, he charged forward with his shinai raised high, radiating sheer determination and fury.
He had made up his mind—no matter what tricks Ronan pulled next, he would leave a welt on that bastard's head.
But just as his shinai neared Ronan's body—
Ronan's foot shifted slightly.
Effortlessly, he sidestepped the attack, crouching low. At some point, his shinai had shifted into an iaijutsu stance.
"You—"
SWISH!
The strike was unbelievably fast.
Before the captain could react, Ronan's shinai struck him squarely on the head.
The sheer force of the blow sent him flying.
Thud!
"Captain!"
"Captain, are you okay!?"
The kendo captain, who had been sent flying, crashed onto the floor. His club members rushed over to check on him.
Thanks to the sturdy protective gear on his head, he wasn't seriously injured. As his teammates helped him sit up, he just felt a bit dizzy.
Meanwhile, Ronan's shinai had developed visible cracks—clear evidence of the sheer force behind that last strike.
"I probably should've shouted 'Hassagi!' for extra flair… Oh well."
Returning the damaged shinai to the rack, Ronan pulled a form from his pocket and casually marked down the kendo club's budget allocation for the quarter.
"I told you, your skills are only good enough to muddle through. A small budget cut shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"…Damn it!"
"No objections, then. I've got more clubs to visit. Take care."
With that, and under the furious glares of the kendo captain and his members, Ronan walked out of the dojo.
Despite his underhanded tricks earlier, the captain knew full well—Ronan's final strike had shown his true skill. Even if they had gone for a rematch, there was no way he could've won.
But the most infuriating part?
Ronan had the ability to beat him outright—yet he chose to mess with him first.
His methods were baffling. The captain just couldn't understand this guy at all.
...
At Shuchiin Academy, cultural clubs typically experience minimal budget fluctuations, while sports clubs see the most significant changes.
Since sports clubs are the most expensive to maintain, their funding is usually allocated based on their performance in a given period.
The kendo club had been one of the more costly clubs, but after Ronan slashed their budget in half, a substantial sum was freed up—roughly equivalent to the combined budgets of two cultural clubs.
Among the cultural clubs, there were standard ones like the Astronomy Club and the History Club, but there were also some… peculiar ones.
For example, the club Ronan was currently visiting—the Occult Research Club.
Sitting across from him was a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair. Her eyes remained perpetually half-closed, making it impossible to read what she was thinking.
"I remember you. You were the kid standing next to Miyuki Shirogane at the last meeting, weren't you?"
"Let's drop the whole 'kid' thing, Atenbo-senpai."
The girl before him was Atenbo Yume, a third-year student and the president of the Occult Research Club. She was also a member of the Student Council's VIP Committee and the granddaughter of a Shinto Honden high priest.
"I'm here to evaluate your club's activities and allocate funding based on a strict and impartial assessment," Ronan stated.
"I'm not like President Shirogane—my evaluations are strict. From what I see, your club hasn't produced any meaningful results. Honestly, giving you funding feels like a waste—"
"You can't say that~"
Yume smiled.
"Our club serves a purpose, you know. We provide fortune-telling services to students who visit us."
"Fortune-telling?"
"Would you like a reading, Ronan-kun?"
As she spoke, she pulled a crystal ball and a deck of tarot cards from beneath the table.
"Tch. You really think I'd believe in that superstitious nonsense?"
Despite his words, Ronan didn't leave. He was curious to see what kind of nonsense Yume was about to pull.
She casually flipped over a few tarot cards, then let out a small chuckle.
"Ronan-kun, it seems like you have a romantic disaster in your future."
"Hah? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you'll be very popular with women~ Even if you don't get a girlfriend, you'll at least find some… companions~"
"…This reading is complete nonsense. It has nothing to do with my current situation."
Expressionless, Ronan pulled out his budget allocation form and marked down the Occult Research Club's funding.
"Your budget is increased by 10% compared to last year."
"Much appreciated~"
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