Kazuma barely made it back to Kitakatsushi High School in time, sliding into place just as the final second ticked down—safe! No punishment laps today.
First thing he did after changing clothes at the kendo hall? Sit down to meditate—time to check how much his experience bar had grown.
The result? Not as much as yesterday when he'd fought Daimon Gorō.
Still, it confirmed what he suspected: fighting someone with higher kendo skills under proper kendo rules would indeed earn him more experience points.
The reason it hadn't grown as much as during the fight with Daimon was probably because Daimon had triggered a "flashback boost" that elevated his overall strength that day.
So, if Kazuma wanted to farm more experience in the future, he'd need to push opponents into triggering their own flashbacks. If they weren't going to flashback naturally, he could always try provoking them with a little trash talk.
Of course, if there was actual danger to life and limb, trash-talking was a no-go. But in a relatively safe kendo keiko, he could talk all he wanted—get that BUFF triggered.
As Kazuma's thoughts were veering dangerously into non-human territory, a voice suddenly cut in beside him.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Kazuma opened his eyes. "Meditating."
"You always meditate during practice lately. Is there some special reason?" Mikako asked curiously.
"Not really. It's just a ritual to unlock my inner potential," Kazuma answered offhandedly.
But since Mikako knew he'd defeated yakuza before, she clearly took him seriously. "Does that... really work?"
Kazuma shrugged. "I'm not sure, honestly. But don't you think it looks kind of cool?"
"Cool?" Mikako tilted her head.
Kazuma stood. "Show me that Gatotsu I taught you yesterday. Let's see how you're doing with it."
"Okay!" Mikako beamed. "But we should warm up first, right? Like always?"
Kazuma nodded.
Even though he'd gone off on a wild side trip to Etsukawa Girls' this morning, today wasn't all that different from yesterday.
After finishing morning training, Kazuma and Mikako parted ways at the stairwell—third-floor landing—each heading back to their respective classes.
In Class 3-B, no one seemed to be treating Kazuma any differently, even after he'd embarrassed their English teacher, Takanashi Kenta, yesterday.
Still, Kazuma could feel more curious eyes on him.
But whenever he looked back, those eyes would immediately dart away, feigning disinterest.
Kazuma didn't care. No one in this class had a martial arts level, which meant there weren't any "monsters" here to grind for XP.
As for Yamada Yōichi—Kazuma had stepped on his kind before. They got old fast.
Kazuma was just about to do the classic anime protagonist routine—gazing out the window and acting cool while waiting for the bell—when Yamada Yōichi came swaggering over.
"Yo, Mr. English Ace! You made it in?"
Kazuma glanced at him. "Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"
"Heh. I'm here out of the goodness of my heart, to give you a little inside info." Yamada leaned in, grinning. "There's gonna be a pop quiz today."
Kazuma's heart skipped a beat. Please don't let it be Japanese!
In his past life, he wasn't Japanese and didn't know the language. His Japanese ability was purely what the original Kiryu Kazuma had.
And that level… wasn't exactly stellar.
If he wanted to get into the University of Tokyo, he absolutely had to buckle down and tackle Japanese. No way around it.
Seeing Kazuma's reaction, Yamada looked even more smug. "Heh, already nervous? That's not like someone aiming for Todai. But I get it—math is the hardest for everyone. Now, if you run out and buy me a drink from the vending machine and get back before class starts, I might be generous enough to tell you what the quiz will cover. Give you a little last-minute cramming chance."
By this point, Kazuma was already amused. He was about to fire back with a snappy retort, but then something caught his attention: "You said you'll tell me what the quiz will cover? In math?"
In all his life—elementary school through university-level calculus—Kazuma had never heard of anyone "limiting the scope" of a math test.
In his mind, math tests were always cumulative: apply everything you've learned up to this point.
But Yamada completely misread Kazuma's confusion and burst out laughing. "Haha! Look at your face! Where's all that swagger you showed yesterday, picking on poor Takanashi-sensei?"
Kazuma tried to explain. "You misunderstood. I was just surprised because—"
"We get it, we get it!" Yamada cut him off gleefully. "You're aiming for Todai, right? You're definitely gonna ace this math quiz! Top score! Hah, who was I to think you needed my help studying? My bad, my bad."
He patted his chest dramatically, then turned to his usual gang of academically strong friends.
They immediately chimed in:
"Yeah, Kiryu's gonna be first for sure!"
"Perfect score!"
"Can't wait for Kiryu to tutor us afterward!"
Kazuma couldn't even get a word in edgewise. Yamada had finished his grand performance and was already walking away, not giving him a chance to respond.
But Kazuma had just finished showing off at Etsukawa Girls' this morning. He wasn't about to swallow this.
He stood up—deliberately shoving his chair back so it screeched against the floor.
Instantly, the whole class turned to look at him.
Yamada also stopped and glanced back.
"Yamada-kun," Kazuma said with a bright smile, "thank you for the heads-up about the math quiz. After a whole winter break of hard studying, I feel I've made great progress in math. If you run to the shop right now, buy me a drink, and make it back before the bell, I just might be willing to tutor you a bit."
Yamada glared at him furiously.
Kazuma kept smiling. "What? Don't like the idea? I really think my tutoring could help you a lot."
Yamada jabbed a finger at him. "Kiryu! You're going too far!"
"But weren't you the one who came to pick a fight?" Kazuma spread his hands. "Tell you what—why don't we make it a bet? Whoever scores higher on the quiz gets to boss the other around for a whole week. Deal?"
Yamada's face turned red. "Fine! Deal! Everyone here saw it! Don't you dare use your kendo as an excuse if you lose!"
"I won't. Don't worry. In math—just math—I'm absolutely confident I won't lose to anyone."
Well... anyone Japanese, Kazuma mentally amended, swallowing the last part.
"You just wait!" Yamada spat.
At that moment, their math teacher, Tanaka-sensei, entered the classroom right on the bell.
"Alright, everyone, put your books away—we're having a pop quiz today."
(End of Chapter)