"Thanks. I'll treat you to a meal sometime," Silvain said as he slipped the key into his pocket.
When the bell rang and the other students gradually left the classroom, Silvain deliberately stayed behind.
"Sensei, I dropped something. I'll look for it myself." He made up an excuse to get the female chemistry teacher to leave first.
She didn't suspect anything and walked straight out.
Silvain then found two bottles of concentrated sulfuric acid stored in glass containers. After checking, he confirmed that the bottles were high quality and well-sealed. Unless deliberately smashed, the acid inside wouldn't leak.
With these in hand, Silvain felt more confident about taking down a Parasite in one strike.
At five in the afternoon, as Tokyo West High School dismissed, Silvain, now wearing a jacket, made his way to the Kendo Club.
The training ground was large. Many members were already sparring with wooden swords. They wore light protective gear to avoid serious injuries, but being hit by a wooden sword could still hurt.
"Silvain-kun!" Yuuji spotted him in the crowd.
"This is Silvain Nowak, my classmate. He just joined the Kendo Club today," Yuuji introduced him to the others.
"Welcome, welcome."
The members didn't show any resistance to the newcomer. In fact, they all greeted Silvain warmly.
After greeting them, Silvain quietly stepped aside to watch the training.
"Does our Kendo Club only use wooden swords?" he asked, noticing everyone had a wooden sword.
"We have iron swords too, but we don't usually train with them. They're too heavy and are only used during official matches."
While they were talking, several tall students approached.
The one leading had dyed yellow hair and gave Yuuji and the others a disdainful glance. The moment they arrived, the atmosphere turned cold. Silvain noticed the tension and quietly asked Yuuji what was going on.
Yuuji's tone turned grim. "They're third-years. The leader is Aso Koji. Rumor has it he's connected to some gang outside school. They always choose underclassmen as sparring partners and go all out during training."
"What's this? No greeting for your seniors?"
Forced by Aso Koji's reputation, Yuuji and the others reluctantly greeted them.
Seeing this, Aso Koji laughed loudly, and his group followed. Then, he noticed Silvain, who hadn't reacted to them at all.
Aso Koji narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Looks like someone still doesn't recognize our authority as seniors."
"Let's teach him a little lesson. It's tradition for seniors to break in newcomers."
The students around him stared at Silvain with obvious hostility.
"Forget it. He just joined. Don't scare him off," Aso Koji said, patting the shoulder of the one who had spoken.
Then, he selected a few students from the crowd as training partners.
Yuuji was among them.
Everyone in the club knew Yuuji and his friends didn't get along with Aso Koji. Someone usually got hurt when they trained. Still, human nature being what it is, many students gathered to watch the spectacle unfold.
In the center of the training ring, two students geared up. Compared to the tall, burly third-years, Yuuji's teammate looked thinner and more nervous, as seen in the way he held his sword.
Sure enough, once the match started, Yuuji's teammate was on the defensive. Within minutes, he had been hit several times.
Silvain silently shook his head. It wasn't that the third-year was highly skilled—it was that Yuuji's teammate lacked any fighting spirit. He only defended, which made it impossible to win.
As expected, Yuuji's companion took a strike to the back of his hand, lost grip of his wooden sword, and the match ended in defeat.
The next few matches were no different. All one-sided losses.
"My turn." Yuuji gripped his sword tightly, took a deep breath, and stepped into the ring.
His opponent was Aso Koji. Koji looked completely relaxed, swinging his wooden sword lazily as he taunted, "You juniors never improve. It's disappointing. Thinking about how people like you will take over after we leave is just sad."
"Shut up."
Yuuji launched the first attack. His speed was good, and he reached Aso Koji in a flash.
But the strike was blocked easily.
To be fair, Aso Koji did have some skill, at least compared to students like Yuuji. However, in Silvain's eyes, Koji's swordsmanship was full of flaws and barely tolerable.
"Too slow. Didn't you eat today?"
Koji spun behind Yuuji and struck his left arm, making Yuuji clench his teeth in pain.
"You're as reckless as ever. Kendo isn't for hotheaded fools."
Koji kept trash-talking while fending off Yuuji's attacks. Irritated, Yuuji's technique began to fall apart. His forehead veins popped as he began to swing wildly, losing all form.
Noticing this, Koji grinned maliciously. The moment Yuuji's momentum waned and he had no strength left to attack, Koji struck again, slashing the back of his hand. The skin immediately turned red and swollen.
"Give up. You'll never close the gap between us by chanting 'friendship, bonds, and revenge' in your heart."
Under Koji's repeated strikes, Yuuji was clearly reaching his limit.
Even the referee couldn't stand it anymore.
He stepped forward and declared Koji the winner.
Koji, triumphant, said mockingly, "Sorry, looks like I win again. What a shame."
Yuuji, holding back the pain, walked off the ring and lowered his head.
"Sorry you had to see that, Silvain. One day, I'll defeat him."
"Rest up first."
Silvain took the wooden sword from Yuuji's hand and noticed the bruises across his arms.
Shrugging, he said, "Next, watch my performance."
Then he stepped toward the ring.
(To be continued.)