Ch.349Year-End Stamp Rally (4)

*Squirt-!!*

The love gel flowed from Jurota’s hand. As it was thoroughly applied to the bamboo sword, it reduced the friction between his hand and the sword to nearly zero.

“Yagyu-style Gathering Technique… Ten-Character Double Slash.”

As Jurota’s shout was heard, he quickly closed the distance.

*Fwaaang-!!!*

Jurota rushed straight toward me.

His charging speed was manageable. However, his gathering slash was anything but.

*Swiiiiing-!*

In the blink of an eye, a horizontal strike came flying.

*Claaaaaang-!!*

Deflecting it was impossible. I could barely block the direct strike. Though I managed to block it, my stance was greatly disrupted.

*Swiiish-!*

Without time to catch my breath, a second strike flew at me.

‘Damn it… my breathing…!’

Even the Blazing Stance, which momentarily enhances physical specs, required regulated breathing to use. As long as I couldn’t regulate my breathing, the Blazing Stance might as well be sealed.

*Swiiish-!!*

Another vertical strike came flying.

*Claaaaaang-!*

I had no choice but to block the sword strike with my bare body. Unless deflected with perfect timing, the impact of the sword strike was transmitted directly. My stance completely collapsed.

*Crack-! Clang-!*

My bamboo sword completely shattered. In the end, I couldn’t fully negate the sword’s impact.

It was defeat.

“I’ve lost,” I sighed.

“I thought you’d just take the drawing technique head-on… blocking it alone is impressive.”

Jurota immediately sheathed his sword.

*Ding-!*

Even in defeat, there was a benefit in receiving the memory of a strong opponent. Later, I could go to Violet and have the strong opponent’s memory converted.

“Shota!! I’ll avenge you!!”

Kana immediately burned with enthusiasm.

“I’ve completely figured out this old man’s swordsmanship.”

Kana said with a smile. Well… Kana is a person with insane talent.

“Fine. Come at me then. I’m ready anytime.”

Jurota said with a shrug. His breathing hadn’t been disrupted at all during our fight. I was forced to painfully acknowledge that to Jurota, I was still just a mob-level opponent.

“Umi…”

Only Umi could comfort me.

“Here, Shota. Come here.”

Umi opened her arms lovingly. I immediately dove into Umi’s embrace. Ah… Umi’s soft chest, so healing.

——–

And so began the match between Kana and Jurota.

*Fwaaang-!!*

Kana succeeded in taking a round against Jurota. After perfectly analyzing Jurota’s drawing technique, she seized an opening and delivered a strike.

“…They said the Saito family had a once-in-a-generation genius… I guess it was true.”

Even Jurota seemed surprised.

“…….”

With that, my mental state collapsed.

“Umi!!!! Umiiiii!!”

I desperately tried to suppress the snake-like jealousy in my heart by burying myself in Umi’s embrace.

“There, there, Shota. It’s not that you’re weak. It’s that Kana is a monster. She’s a cyber psycho after all.”

Umi said.

“Who are you calling a cyber psycho?!”

Kana got angry.

“Shota!! I avenged you! Praise me too!”

Kana immediately pulled me away from Umi.

“How could a worthless creature like me dare to comfort the great Kana…”

I was already in maximum groveling mode!!

To grasp the opponent’s technique and win right after my fight… it was truly overwhelming talent.

“Arrrgh!! What did I fight for?! For you! For you!”

Kana forcibly lifted me up and stole my lips.

*Smooch-! Chu-!*

The kiss with Kana brought me back to my senses.

*Pat pat-!*

I habitually caressed Kana’s firm, rabbit-like buttocks. Whether I felt jealousy or not… what did it matter when such a beauty loved me?

“That’s it. That’s the Shota I know.”

Kana grinned.

“Hmph. Youth, eh?”

Jurota, who had finished the match, was already sharing drinks with Gonzaemon.

“Sigh… he should be satisfied just loving our Umi, but he’s gone and collected women like this. It’s fortunate that Umi is fine with this lifestyle.”

Gonzaemon still seemed displeased with my open declaration of a harem.

“So… are you going after the Saito family next?”

Jurota asked.

“Yes. I need to show my disciple… the power of a Fighting God. Though not as much as Kana, that boy greedily absorbs everything. It wouldn’t be bad to have him spar with Tetsu on this occasion.”

Gonzaemon smiled as if already looking forward to it.

Wait… am I going to spar with Mr. Fighting God? I couldn’t see any way to win even if I died and came back to life, but like with Jurota, I could probably convert the match with Tetsu into a strong opponent’s memory. Then everything would be okay.

“Less than a year of kendo training… that’s impossible.”

Jurota seemed to have developed an interest in me.

“Yeah. Sometimes I can’t believe it either. I guess he was born to wield a sword.”

Gonzaemon said as he downed his drink.

“That’s the spirit that can only come from someone who has actually cut people. Interesting.”

Jurota seemed to have somehow noticed my battle-hardened experience. Well… I do have real sword fights with monsters every month. Thanks to that, my practical experience has piled up.

“Everyone!! Let’s head to the Saito family!!”

Gonzaemon, who had finished all the alcohol, stood up.

“Next bell-ringing…”

Thumbs-up Man already seemed excited about it.

“I’ll be seeing my family after a long time.”

Kana muttered with a slightly complicated expression.

“Hm? Isn’t it nice to see your family after so long?”

I said while still patting Kana’s buttocks. I tried to slip my hand inside her kendo uniform and into her panties… but Kana immediately slapped my hand away.

“T-that kind of thing should be done at home later…”

Embarrassed Kana was too cute.

“I… don’t get along well with my family.”

Kana said.

“Well, Kana isn’t great with relationships in general.”

Umi said as I unilaterally fondled her chest.

“Don’t talk like it’s someone else’s problem!! It’s because of you guys!”

Kana shouted.

“Originally, I was planning to marry the fiancé arranged by the Saito family. But I fell head over heels for a man, and moreover, that man already had a harem… my family has every right to be shocked.”

Kana said.

“I-I’m sorry…”

I apologized to Kana. I felt like I had unintentionally derailed Kana’s life with tremendous momentum.

“No. It was my choice. Without Shota… my life would have been boring.”

Kana said.

“I chose Shota of my own free will. Stand tall.”

Kana then added one more thing.

“I’m a Shota-con after all.”

Kana said with a proud smile, as if quite pleased with this joke.

“Kana… the term ‘Shota-con’ is a bit…”

It sounds weird. It gives the impression of someone panting after young boys.

——–

Anyway, we headed straight to the Saito family. They were located near Ginza in Tokyo. Ginza was like Gangnam in Korea. It was the most bustling area with the most money flowing in Tokyo, Japan’s largest metropolitan area. Though not as prosperous as during the bubble economy, it was still famous as a wealthy neighborhood.

Gonzaemon drove to an upscale apartment complex and parked in the public parking lot.

“A special event offering five hours free parking…”

Gonzaemon looked around the parking lot with a complicated expression.

“Let’s finish the dojo challenge within five hours. The parking fee is terrifying.”

Gonzaemon, who had lived fearlessly his whole life, seemed afraid of parking fees. Right. Money is the scariest thing in the world.

That was the weight of being a father of two children.

“So… where is the Saito family?”

I asked as we walked around the upscale apartment complex.

“This entire area belongs to the Saito family.”

Gonzaemon calmly made an insane statement. It seemed that the apartment complex, almost the size of a small town, was all owned by the Saito family.

“No wonder they can host expensive tournaments like the Fighting God Cup with all this wealth…”

The scale was different.

“See? You should hold onto a woman like me tightly. I’m rich.”

Kana immediately tried to raise her ranking within the harem based on this fact.

“I’d love Kana even if she were a beggar. You’re beautiful.”

But to a serious face-lover like me, it didn’t matter either way.

“Oh my…”

Kana blushed openly at the direct compliment about her beauty. These occasional girlish, innocent reactions were Kana’s charm.

“Anyway, if we walk around a bit, the Saito family guys will pop out. Just ask them where Tetsu is.”

Gonzaemon said.

That was certainly true. After walking through the apartment complex for a short while, men in suits appeared from beyond the alley. Though they wore suits, they had bamboo swords at their waists. They were disciples learning swordsmanship from the Saito family.

“Miss. You’ve come.”

One disciple addressed Kana.

“Yeah. Where are my parents?”

Kana asked with a haughty expression.

“The head of the family is… very angry. Even though the former head somehow managed to smooth things over… rashly deciding to marry such a man is a bit…”

He spoke with a troubled expression.

“I see. So that’s how my parents feel.”

Kana’s expression hardened upon hearing this.

“The head wants to meet this man called Arigiri Shota separately… hand him over.”

The disciple pointed at me.

“I’d go find him anyway, even if I didn’t want to. This is a dojo challenge. I’ll come after I defeat you all.”

I said.

I could have just gone along quietly, but… then I wouldn’t get to fight. I was dying to fight.

“This is my husband. As a wife, I should follow my husband’s words.”

Kana smiled as if she couldn’t help it and drew her sword beside me.

“Can’t be helped.”

Soon, the Saito family disciples also drew their swords.

“I don’t really need to help, right?”

Gonzaemon said to us.

“No. Please protect Umi.”

I gestured to Thumbs-up Man while holding my sword. Thumbs-up Man also took his stance with his sword.

“Let’s go!! Dojo challenge!!!”

And there’s also greeting my father-in-law thrown in!! I couldn’t help but be excited!!

I immediately dashed forward.