Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard

Sword Dao is not about who is faster or who is stronger.

But undoubtedly, speed and strength can give a player certain advantages.

The third round, both still started with a middle stance.

The middle stance is fundamental and also the essence of Kendo form.

When attacking, one can attack the face; when countering, one can deflect the opponent's blade to the right.

If the opponent presses further, one can use the sword's edge to launch a counterattack.

If the sword is still being suppressed by the opponent, one can attack the opponent's hands from below when they take the chance to attack again.

Face, throat, torso, hands, these four areas are all scoring points.

For some reason, in the third round, Hongo Taikou seemed to have lost his spirit, though his sword skills were the same as before, it always seemed to lack the previous aura.

In fact, from the very beginning during Seme, after trying a few probing moves and failing, he felt hopeless.

He initially wanted to see what tricks Uesugi Sakura would use in this third round to break his stance.

But unexpectedly, a minute into the match, Uesugi Sakura merely used an "insertion" cutting-off skill and made him lose three points.

The third round, was also lost.

As the general, a complete defeat...

Hongo Taikou put away his bamboo sword, bowed to Uesugi Sakura as he exited the stage.

This trip to Tokyo was considered to have reached its end.

Shibata Yumi watched as the captain returned to the team and didn't know what to say at that moment.

...

The audience.

Hanamaru Hiroki sat in an unobtrusive spot among the crowd, with a young plain-clothed police officer beside him.

"Last time, is this how you lost to that kid?"

"No no," Ishibashi Kesuke quickly replied, "last time he used the cutting-off skill."

Hanamaru Hiroki glanced at Ishibashi Kesuke: "Cutting-off? That Sakihara guy really taught him all sorts of skills, but... you lost without grievances."

Ishibashi Kesuke scratched his head and smiled: "It's like that... Hongo-san looks much stronger than me."

Hanamaru Hiroki stared at the vacant competition area, pondering for a moment: "Last time you used the Police Style Wooden Sword form (originating from Jigen Style)?"

"Yes."

"How did it feel?"

"Hard."

"Couldn't break through his defense at all." Ishibashi Kesuke looked at Hongo Taikou, who was sitting down and taking off his helmet, "So... while watching Hongo-san, I very much understood his plight."

"Police Chief..."

"Hmm."

Hanamaru Hiroki responded solemnly, as he was staring at Uesugi Sakura sitting cross-legged at the general's position.

This brat is going to take away the daughter I've raised for eighteen years in just a month.

Even though I was prepared mentally.

He just doesn't sit well with me.

Ishibashi Kesuke asked a bit embarrassingly: "Does the Police Chief know how to break Uesugi-san's stance?"

"Asking me?" Hanamaru Hiroki turned to look at him.

"Haha...quite curious about it...After losing that day and returning, I had Motegi at the police station replicate Uesugi Sakura's movements, to no avail, I couldn't sense that peculiar feeling from before."

Hanamaru Hiroki thought for a moment and imagined his daughter the night before the wedding, and said: "Attack hard."

"Attack hard?"

"Numb his hands, break his spirit, make him unwilling to face you with any backbone."

"..."

Somehow... it felt a bit off.

Ishibashi Kesuke found this answer quite strange, where in competitive Sword Dao is raw aggression everything.

Matching involves probing, reaction, and skill.

"Let me put it this way, it's very hard to find his weaknesses through skills, previously when I sparred with him, he would intentionally leave some flaws, making them seem unintentional... when you attack, he would counter with a cutting-off skill, that's how Hongo lost to him just now... his style is peculiar, techniques that work on Sixth Rank players are completely ineffective on him."

After Hanamaru Hiroki finished speaking, he pondered again.

"Strange, he seemed to have a bit of Dual Sword Style just now."

"The Police Chief is referring to that Kogan Style masterpiece?"

"Kogan Style masterpiece?"

"Ah...that's what the young people call this technique."

"Hmm...that's what it is, in Dual Sword Style, due to single-hand usage, the grip usually has a lot of variations, that move seems to stem from Dual Sword Style techniques."

After Hanamaru Hiroki explained, he stared at Uesugi Sakura again and muttered to himself:

"Taught by Sakihara?"

...

The final score between the two teams came to 3:2.

Uesugi Sakura looked at the large characters on the screen and sighed in relief.

Finally liberated.

Koshin Kagami glanced at Kusunoki Kubomaru, who was wearing black armor and safely stepping off the stage: "Ah~ lost again, while someone's claiming to be the strongest?"

"Damn, Kagami, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you won one match!" Kusunoki Kubomaru snorted and turned his head, choosing not to hold it against Koshin Kagami.

It's not that Kusunoki Kubomaru is weak, but the opponent being a police officer was simply too strong.

The top batch of Sword Dao players are all from the Police Headquarters.

Even Sakihara Yishin, a Fan Shi, lost to the police officer Hanamaru Hiroki.

"Junior Brother!" Kusunoki Kubomaru happily put his arm around Uesugi Sakura's neck, "Interested in grabbing some BBQ tonight?"

"No thanks."

Uesugi Sakura politely declined, "My uncle is watching from the audience."

Uesugi Sakura looked towards his father-in-law's spot, and his father-in-law was also watching him.

He always felt... his uncle did not seem to be in a good mood.

Should he invite him for a meal later?

Kusunoki Kubomaru asked: "Hanamaru Hiroki?"

"Hmm."

Uesugi Sakura saw them looking left and right at each other and nodded to confirm.

...

"Wanna go meet him?"

"No, if Master knows, we won't hear the end of it."