"Haruki, do you remember the last thing I told you last week?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka, the high school Japanese teacher, sat with her legs crossed. She rubbed her temples with a weary expression, looking at the teenage boy standing before her.
From the outside, he looked like a perfectly normal high schooler—the kind of guy who would be a background character in a school anime. The only odd thing about him was the wooden sword, tucked into a makeshift sheath, that he always carried at his side.
However, ever since Haruki Aizawa enrolled at Sobu High, Shizuka's life had been turned upside down. Her peaceful daily routine had been blown to smithereens, as if two atomic bombs had been dropped on her sanity.
"The last thing?" Haruki rested his chin in his hand, looking thoughtful. "Was it 'Until we meet again' or 'See you tomorrow'?"
"Neither!"
A vein popped on Shizuka's forehead. If she were dealing with any other student, her "Twenty-nine-year-old Single Iron Fist" would have already whistled through the air, knocking the troublemaker out in record time.
But while her punches worked on everyone else, they never landed on Haruki. No matter how fast her fist was, the boy would dodge it with ease. He could even pull off incredible techniques that reflected the force of the blow back at her.
If she didn't know for a fact that he was raised in Japan, Shizuka would have suspected that Haruki had spent his childhood undergoing grueling martial arts training in some secret mountain temple. In reality, her suspicion wasn't far from the truth.
"The last thing I told you was: Stop causing violent incidents on campus! If you beat up another student, I really will have to recommend you for expulsion this time!"
"Is that so? Then I don't see the problem," Haruki replied nonchalantly.
"What?!"
"The people I beat up weren't 'innocent students.' They were a pack of violent thugs looking for trouble." Haruki waved his hand dismissively, acting as if he had simply been performing a public service.
Shizuka found herself speechless for a moment. It wasn't just because of his attitude, but because she knew, deep down, that Haruki was right.
Despite being labeled a "violent element" at Sobu High due to the various "incidents" he caused, his actions were always understandable. Since Haruki arrived, the discipline at Sobu High—and even the neighboring schools—had improved drastically. Even the delinquents in Chiba Prefecture had become significantly more well-behaved.
The "boso-zoku" bikers were no longer waking up neighborhoods, the bullies who shook down students for cash had vanished, and school bullying had plummeted. While he didn't take all the credit, Haruki was responsible for about eighty percent of it.
Personally, Shizuka actually approved of Haruki. However, modern society is a place of laws and evidence, not just vigilante justice. Even the Yakuza have to hide behind corporate shells these days. No matter how righteous Haruki's intentions were, beating fellow students so badly they couldn't get out of bed for a week was a bit excessive.
Shizuka had received more complaints and reports in the past year than in her entire teaching career combined. Her head was spinning. For the sake of her own peace of mind and for Haruki's future, she was determined to set him straight.
"Sigh."
Shizuka pulled a pack of Seven Stars from her pocket, tapped a cigarette against the desk, and reached for her lighter with the practiced movements of a middle-aged salaryman.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, no smoking in the office. Careful, or you'll never find a husband," Haruki noted helpfully.
"Shut up!"
Her fist flew toward him. In any other situation, the punch would have buried itself in a student's gut, leaving them gasping on the floor.
Haruki's reaction was superhuman. He leaned slightly to the side, letting the fist graze past him. Then, in a blur faster than the eye could follow, he snatched the lighter right out of her hand.
"You..."
The cigarette fell from Shizuka's mouth as she stared at her empty hand.
Haruki smiled. "As a teacher, you should set a better example. I'm confiscating this."
"You little brat... you're really trying to piss me off, aren't you?" Shizuka's eyes twitched. She didn't bother trying to take the lighter back, knowing it was impossible. Instead, she took a breath and asked, "Haruki, have you ever joined a club?"
"No."
"Then... do you have any friends?"
"Depends on how you define 'friend.'"
"I mean the normal kind. No money involved, no fighting—just people you hang out and talk with. Ordinary friends."
"Then no."
"Hmph. Let me ask this then... You don't have a girlfriend, do you?"
"Uh..." Haruki hesitated for a second.
As Shizuka's eyes widened in surprise, Haruki quickly added, "Most likely not."
"'Most likely' is a very suspicious way to put it..." Shizuka glanced at him but didn't push. She knew how extraordinary he was; it wouldn't be weird if a girl or two were interested in him. It would be weirder if they weren't.
Shizuka didn't hesitate any longer. "Anyway, Haruki, I understand your situation perfectly. To correct that warped personality of yours, I'm ordering you to join the 'Service Club.' You will perform volunteer activities as a form of punishment!"
"The Service Club? That sounds incredibly sketchy," Haruki said, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Sensei, I know you've been single for a long time, but if you're so desperate that you're forcing high school boys into 'service'—like some kind of host—I'm reporting you to the principal."
"You really are a..." Shizuka was so frustrated she couldn't even finish her sentence. She stuffed her unlit cigarette away and walked toward the door. "Follow me! I'll show you exactly what the Service Club is!"
"Fine, whatever. It's not like I can level up lately anyway," Haruki muttered.
Shizuka ignored the comment she didn't understand. She just wanted to fix this difficult student and make him understand what a "normal" high school life was supposed to be.
Chapter 2 – The Service ClubAs a young man who was originally born in the modern world—a law-abiding student who graduated and worked a normal job—Haruki Aizawa never expected to transmigrate into an anime world.
Transmigration was one thing, but the tragedy was that he'd been dropped into Japan with no money and the classic "deceased parents" backstory. His only asset was a broken system.
It was called the "Sword Saint Evolution System." Its goal was to turn him into a legendary Sword Saint. However, because it was damaged, all the training modules were gone. Only the most basic sword knowledge remained.
The system couldn't fix itself, and the only way to gain more knowledge or power was the rule set before it broke: defeat strong enemies.
It was like an RPG. Haruki had to defeat enemies to gain XP and unlock powerful skills. If this were a world of monsters, he could have leveled up through battle. But this was a peaceful, slice-of-life world. Even with the occasional Yakuza brawl, it was mostly governed by law and order.
Having no other choice, Haruki ignored the broken system interface and used the residual knowledge to train his body and his blade manually. Whether it was natural talent or a stroke of luck, within a year, he had mastered most of the skills hidden within the system.
The skills the system provided were oddly familiar. Currently, Haruki had fully mastered the kit of a character known as the "Wuju Bladesman": Alpha Strike, Meditate, Wuju Style, Highlander, and Double Strike.
Meditate and Wuju Style weren't just for combat. Meditate allowed him to enter a trance to evade attacks and heal wounds, while Wuju Style gave him a profound, transcendental understanding of swordsmanship.
Through sheer talent and tireless effort, he had mastered a complete skill set without a guide. Naturally, once he had the power, he needed to test it. Sword skills require proficiency, and proficiency requires real combat.
His chosen "training partners" were every delinquent in Chiba Prefecture, followed by thugs and organized crime members in the surrounding areas.
In the year since his arrival, Haruki had practically cleared the streets. He had dismantled every gang in the area and thrashed the bullies of every school. While he rarely killed, the system recognized these victories as "defeating enemies."
Thanks to that, after a solid year of "grinding," Haruki's level had finally risen from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2.