Chapter 29 Version Update: Time to Use Guns_1

Words : 1285 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Version Update: Time to Use Guns_1Friday, during the lunch break. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Brilliant High School Canteen, sunlight spilled onto the lawn where tall sweet osmanthus trees stood in rows. Resting benches dotted the spaces between the trees, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone path. A little further away, one could see the splendid cherry blossoms. Aozawa sat with his back to the floor-to-ceiling window. Today’s lunch was eel ramen. His school lunches usually consisted of various types of ramen in rotation. He ate eel ramen most often because he thought the canteen’s eel tasted pretty good. As for the ramen noodles, he felt that regardless of the type, they all tasted the same. Only the flavor of the soup was slightly different. Aozawa slurped a mouthful of ramen, chewed a few times, then took a bite of eel. The meat was tender, its fragrance spreading between his lips and teeth. The blonde girl opposite him wasn’t eating sushi; instead, she had a bowl of pork-bone ramen. She held the bowl with both hands and gently sipped the soup. Her posture was so graceful it was as if she could turn the real scenery into a virtual backdrop. Phoenix Academy Maggie possessed such a unique charm. In a way, this could also be considered a superpower, Aozawa thought. Phoenix Academy Maggie noticed his gaze. She put down her bowl, her lips glistening faintly with oil, and asked, "What are you looking at?" "I was just thinking that a young lady is truly a young lady, dining so differently from ordinary people. If it were me, I’d be gulping soup like a cow drinking water." "’Heh.’ Phoenix Academy Maggie was amused by his analogy. She shook her head and said, ’If you drink it slowly, you’ll have that feeling too.’" "I just like gulping down soup," Aozawa said. He then showed her how he drank soup, gulping down several mouthfuls loudly. Phoenix Academy Maggie’s eyes narrowed slightly with laughter. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she said, "Tomorrow is Saturday. Where do you and Ayatsuki plan to go?" "We’re meeting at the entrance of Arakawa Amusement Park at twelve-thirty in the afternoon," Aozawa replied truthfully. Phoenix Academy Maggie reminded him, "You’d better bring some armor." Armor? Surprise flickered across Aozawa’s face. He hadn’t expected such crude words from the young lady. We’re just going to an amusement park. Does she mean I should bring condoms—the Okamoto ultrathin series—to protect her from getting ’hit’? "Yeah," Phoenix Academy Maggie nodded. "You often see it on the news, right? Someone sees their ex with a new partner, gets jealous, and stabs the new partner to death. If you don’t wear armor under your clothes, you might get stabbed just like that." As she spoke, Phoenix Academy Maggie reached into her school blazer pocket. She pulled out a spring-loaded fruit knife and thrust it forward, stopping it right before Aozawa’s forehead. "Don’t underestimate the power of a knife!" Aozawa stared at the fruit knife before him, his expression one of astonishment. "When did you start carrying a knife?" "’After the last incident, it’s pretty normal for me to carry a knife, isn’t it?’ Phoenix Academy Maggie said, tucking the fruit knife away. ’And when I find the time, I’ll even consider applying for a gun license.’ She added calmly, ’If anyone annoys me, I’ll shoot them.’" "’Wow, that’s the declaration of an outlaw,’ Aozawa commented. Phoenix Academy Maggie smiled. "See if you dare provoke me in the future." "’I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare,’ Aozawa said with a feigned look of timidity, eliciting a light laugh from Phoenix Academy Maggie. Ayatsuki Ayaka was scared. She hadn’t meant to watch Aozawa and Phoenix Academy Maggie. It was just that while admiring the courtyard scenery, she accidentally caught sight of Phoenix Academy Maggie drawing a knife. Her movements were so fluid that it wouldn’t have seemed far-fetched to claim she had killed before. From where she was, Ayatsuki Ayaka couldn’t see Phoenix Academy Maggie’s smile. She only felt that the beautiful girl seemed extraordinarily worldly. What normal high school girl carries a knife? She must be the daughter of a Yakuza boss! Ayatsuki Ayaka thought. Sitting across from her, Takahashi Saeko smiled. "That’s terrifying, Iroha. You should be careful. A woman like that might get jealous of your relationship with Aozawa. Then, after school, when you least expect it, she might stab you in the kidney." Ayatsuki Ayaka laughed to hide the strange ache in her side. "I’m not afraid of her," she said with bravado. "If she tried to stab me, I’d just do this... and then this... and I could easily snatch her knife and counterattack!" Her words were vague, and her gestures full of girlish fantasy, like someone suggesting they could stop a pouncing tiger with a sliding tackle. Tama Chan smiled. "Don’t worry. I don’t think Phoenix Academy Maggie would be that ruthless. Go ahead and boldly make your move on Aozawa." "’You don’t need to tell me; I have a plan,’ Ayatsuki Ayaka said, her expression full of confidence despite her mind being completely blank. ’Boys like him? I just have to pull a few tricks, and he’ll be kneeling at my feet.’" Miyahara Kaoru looked at her admiringly. "Iroha, how do you plan to do that?" "’Well...’ Ayatsuki Ayaka pondered for a moment, her mind racing through past conversations. Then she smiled. ’I’ll casually make physical contact with him, keep him on his toes with a bit of push-and-pull, and then capture him with a sweet smile.’" Tama Chan found this statement very familiar. After a moment’s thought, she realized it was a tactic she herself often used. "’Iroha,’ Tama Chan said, ’to capture a man’s heart with this move requires genuine feeling. If it’s mixed with impure intentions, it will come across as very fake. Only a sincere desire to have him can make such a tactic flawless.’" "’No worries. I have plenty of experience. I got all my previous boyfriends this way.’" Ayatsuki Ayaka’s words made the other three exchange glances and burst into laughter. Takahashi Saeko grinned. "Then I’m looking forward to your success." 「In the afternoon, after school.」 Inside the Kendo club room, Aozawa was putting on his Kendo Armor. He turned to Department Head Kenji Kojima beside him and said, "Sir, I need to take this Saturday afternoon off." "’Is something wrong?’ Kenji Kojima was surprised. Aozawa had been sick the previous week, and now he was taking time off again this Saturday. If it were anyone else, he’d suspect them of slacking off. But Aozawa’s demeanor dispelled that suspicion; Kenji Kojima believed he genuinely had a good reason. "’I’m going on a date with a girl.’" "’Really? I see... What?!’" The previously calm changing room instantly erupted, shocking not only Kenji Kojima but all the surrounding boys. "’Aozawa, didn’t you say that with no woman in your heart, your sword strikes true like a god?’" "’I couldn’t help it. She invited me, so I had to say yes.’" Aozawa shrugged, his nonchalant expression a deep wound to the hearts of the other boys. Kenji Kojima punched a locker. He felt his "Kirin Arm," untouched by a woman for eighteen years, suddenly surge with power. "Aozawa! Today, I’ll make you understand that women are nothing but a hindrance to the Sword Dao! You’ve grown weak!" Despite his words, it was yet another day where the Kendo club got trounced by Aozawa. Even without the distraction of girls, they were just too weak.

Chapter 29 Version Update: Time to Use Guns_1

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