Chapter 75: The Official Tournament Begins
It was only eleven in the morning by the time they reached the hotel. After settling their luggage and finishing the room assignments, the clock struck twelve. There was still plenty of time left in the day.
However, there were no plans to go out and sightsee.
It was necessary to give the mind a proper rest to face tomorrow's matches.
Since the number of participants wasn't particularly large, the Kendo Tournament would be decided in a single day. The slightest lapse in judgment could lead to an instant defeat.
Vice Chairman Kiyohara, who had accompanied them, didn't exactly give the participants permission to go out either.
Of course, if one insisted on leaving, Vice Chairman Kiyohara couldn't actually stop them. The relationship between the participants and the Kendo Federation wasn't a hierarchy of superior and subordinate; it was more like a club and its members.
It's just that there was no need for that. Offending the Kendo Federation over such a trivial matter wouldn't do anyone any favors.
The room shared by Chishima Akishin and Hachiman was a medium-sized suite on the seventh floor. It featured a large separate bathroom, two single beds, a massive television, two computers, and even a small kitchenette.
If they wanted to cook for themselves, they could simply ask the hotel to deliver groceries upstairs. Finally, there was a large balcony that offered a view of a small river flowing not too far away.
After surveying the room, Akishin turned to Hachiman. "How about we go grab something to eat?"
"Sure."
Hachiman put down his phone—which he'd been using to snap photos, likely intending to brag to Komachi when he got home—and nodded. He was dressed in a white shirt, his thin hoodie already tossed onto a coat hanger.
"Let's head out then!" Akishin grabbed the room card and opened the door. "We'll call for Shizuka-chan first."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's room was right next to theirs. Theirs was 701, while hers was 702—a single suite that was slightly more luxurious than 701.
He knocked on the door of 702. After waiting a few seconds, Hiratsuka Shizuka opened it. "What is it?"
Akishin pulled out his phone and pointed to the time on the screen with a smile. "What do you mean 'what is it'? Look at the time, it's lunch. Aren't you hungry?"
"Lunch? Alright, I'll be right there."
Shizuka closed the door, stepped back inside to shut down the game she had just launched on her computer, and put back on the jacket she had previously shed.
Once she was ready and stepped out, she asked, "Let's go. Do you want to eat out or just stay in the hotel?"
"Inside. Let's go to the buffet restaurant on the top floor."
This luxury hotel featured a high-end restaurant on its highest level. Rumor had it that you could see Tokyo Tower and the Ferris wheel at Disneyland from up there.
Normally, it wasn't a buffet; you'd have to pay for individual orders. However, since the hotel had been entirely booked by the Kendo Federation, the venue had been converted into a buffet service.
Simply by showing their room cards, they could eat and drink to their heart's content. All expenses were covered by the Federation.
As prominent figures in the world of Japanese Kendo, this kind of treatment was only natural.
Taking the elevator to the top floor and presenting their cards, the three of them stepped inside. There weren't many people eating yet; teams from distant regions weren't expected to arrive until later that afternoon.
Akishin spotted Suzuki Tsuyoshi and Yunomoto Shinichi eating at the same table. The two noticed him as well, and both parties exchanged a nod of acknowledgment.
Akishin didn't approach them, given that Shizuka and Hachiman were by his side.
The restaurant also had a small bar staffed by two bartenders. Alcohol could be ordered freely, but since everyone here was a 'somebody,' they weren't about to give the staff a hard time.
Hardly anyone was drinking alcohol at this hour; usually, the orders started flooding in once night fell.
The place also provided high-end ingredients like Kobe beef and tuna without order limits, though the total quantity was restricted by the hotel's daily stock quotas.
The three of them each ordered a bowl of Wagyu Donburi, some fruit juice, and three servings of Kobe beef steak. The sensation when the meat hit the tongue could truly be described as melting in the mouth.
But that was about it. The ingredients were top-notch, certainly, but in terms of actual flavor, Hachiman and Shizuka felt that Akishin's cooking was still far superior.
Akishin and Hachiman were both tasting authentic Kobe steak for the first time. In short, the satisfaction didn't quite live up to the sky-high expectations, though it wasn't bad either.
It was like hearing about the fame of Qiegao cake; once you finally buy it, it tastes ordinary—hardly better than a simple Mahua twist.
Once they were full, the trio returned to their rooms. Shizuka went over to room 701, dragging Hachiman and Akishin into playing games all afternoon.
In the evening, they returned to the rooftop restaurant to enjoy the Tokyo night view. They even shared a glass of alcohol—Hiratsuka Shizuka wanted a few more, but Akishin put a stop to that.
And just like that, the day passed.
...
The following day, the weather was clear with a gentle breeze.
Inside the Nippon Budokan, fifty-nine participants dressed in Kendo gear with Shinai tucked into their waists stood in neat rows across the arena, listening to the opening speech by the Chairman of the Kendo Federation.
The championship trophy—the Emperor's Cup—was placed on the main podium, crafted from pure silver that shimmered brilliantly under the floodlights.
The first floor of the Budokan had 3,199 fixed seats, the second and third floors had 7,846, the third floor had 480 standing spots, and the main arena could accommodate up to 2,946 additional seats, along with several other scattered positions.
A total of nearly fifteen thousand seats were completely filled, looking like an ant colony magnified millions of times.
Various media outlets had gathered, and the number of video cameras was several times higher than during the pre-selections in Chiba. But overall, the difference wasn't that vast; there were just more people.
The lights overhead were as numerous as stars, illuminating every corner of the arena and making the crowd appear slightly blurred when viewed from the center of the floor.
For a national-level tournament, this level of specification was only to be expected. Most importantly, it was the location.
—This was the Budokan.
Akishin scanned the surroundings and found Shizuka and Hachiman. Both waved toward him, and he gave a slight nod in return.
This wasn't Chiba; it would be impossible for Akishin to have them standing right at the edge of the arena. He had met with Vice Chairman Kiyohara to arrange for them to have seats at the very front.
The first row of the arena seats; it only took two steps forward to reach the center of the match area. You didn't get a spot like that without connections.
After the Chairman finished his speech, last year's defending champion, Takanabe Susumu, gave a few words of greeting. This police officer from Kanagawa Prefecture was a massive man, nearly two meters tall and even more muscular than Suzuki Tsuyoshi.
Next came the various formalities similar to the pre-selections, followed by an exhibition match performed by a demonstration team from Tokyo.
Just like in Chiba, the movements were flashy and visually pleasing.
Once the exhibition match concluded...
The official tournament began!
This time, the brackets were truly determined by a lottery. Who you faced was entirely down to luck. Ultimately, the goal was simply to determine who was the strongest.
In this place, everyone was a Kendo expert. There was no such thing as "the strongest vs. the weakest"; every person had the potential to survive until the end.
To be honest, Akishin himself didn't have absolute confidence in becoming the champion. Thus, one could never underestimate others.
Of course, if he could elevate his Kendo to the Master level, he would certainly have the confidence to be the last one standing. Unfortunately, the system continued to display the status: [Qualification not yet met].
All the participants sat in a dedicated seating area. Two people whose names were called stepped onto the arena, followed by three judges holding red and white flags.
These two participants hailed from Saitama and Hokkaido respectively.
They exchanged bows, then turned to bow to the audience. After that, they stood at the starting line and drew their respective Shinai.
The hall, which had been noisy just moments ago, fell silent. The video cameras moved slowly, projecting close-ups of the match onto the large screens.
The judge announced the start. The two baited each other, neither attacking recklessly.
Ten seconds later, accompanied by a sharp shout, they clashed and immediately broke apart. The participant from Hokkaido scored the first point—an Ippon.
A brief round of applause echoed through the arena.
They faced off again. After more than ten seconds of testing each other, the attack was launched once more. In the end, the Hokkaido participant moved on to the next round, while the Saitama participant became the first person eliminated this year.
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