A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

"Speaking of which..." he said, bringing up a suggestion he'd wanted to make earlier, "would you be interested in coming to my place?"

“…Shoko is physically weak and can’t swim,” Sakuta Azusagawa said softly, explaining that his heart problem hadn’t been resolved yet.

Sometimes Azusagawa would add "Miss" after Shoko, and sometimes he wouldn't. Uesugi Genshin noticed this strange behavior.

"Then let's find another opportunity." He chose to give up for the time being.

Including Uzuki's mother, Ms. Hirokawa, the other party is obviously a responsible person. Last time, he and Azusagawa killed a small leader who was causing trouble for Ms. Hirokawa in the toilet. It was very troublesome to deal with at the time, so they put up a sign that was being cleaned at the toilet door. It would have been very troublesome if they had left then.

As for Sakuta Azusagawa, it was clear that he didn't want to leave on his own, but rather that everyone should leave together. However, he couldn't simply leave directly, as the airport terminal was a crowded and conspicuous place.

The two walked the last stretch of road in silence. Before leaving, Uesugi Genshin said to Azusagawa, "If the arms deal goes smoothly, you can leave on our ship."

"If all goes well." Sakuta Azusagawa was now somewhat calm, knowing full well how cruel it was to have hope rise only to have it dashed.

"Then I'll go first."

After saying that, Uesugi Genshin used the shadows to bypass the Self-Defense Force members guarding the coastline and successfully entered the sea, swimming towards Jonan Island Park.

This time it was much easier. Having shed his heavy luggage, Uesugi Genshin felt as agile as a deep-sea tuna.

To be honest, it was still a bit difficult to discern directions in the dark sea, but as he approached the shore, he clearly heard a song.

Her natural and melodious singing voice, like a siren, lured the seafaring wanderer.

"Are you back?" Perhaps hearing the commotion on the sea, Yang Nai, who had stopped singing, shouted towards the sea.

Although he wanted to make a joke and pretend he hadn't come back, he couldn't bear to hear Yang Nai's slightly hoarse voice, so he waded through the water and replied, "Mm."

Then a faint light appeared on the ship, barely noticeable from a distance, allowing him to easily find the ladder and climb up.

Immediately afterwards, a towel was handed over, and Uesugi Genshin took it and began to wipe himself.

Yang looked at her own dignified and beautiful face, then at Uesugi Genshin. Her gaze and expression, which were occasionally lowered, were not clearly seen in the dim light, but she seemed to be smiling mischievously. She asked, "Going straight home?"

"I really want to go straight back," Uesugi Genshin said with a sigh of relief, now that he had relaxed.

“Me too,” Yang Nai agreed, jokingly adding, “I was even thinking of spending the night on the ship.”

"Forget it." Uesugi Genshin said with amusement. He had guessed why Haruno had given up. There was a faint fishy smell on the boat. It was originally a fishing boat from Horikita Gaku's side.

“Yes,” Yang Nai replied simply, then turned and walked to the wheelhouse to start the fishing boat’s engine.

After getting dressed, Uesugi Genshin leaned against the railing, looking at the night sky, since he could barely see anything while looking at the sea.

At this moment, the stars in the sky are clearly visible, scattered densely across the night sky, and the phrase "as dazzling as a galaxy" is about to come true.

Even the apocalypse has its romantic moments, doesn't it?

Chapter 334: I Want to Learn Kendo

I was still a little sleepy during the morning meeting, so I suppressed a yawn.

Uesugi Gensuke tapped the wooden floor of the dojo with the hilt of his sword, producing a crisp thud that instantly silenced the whispers below.

"You probably already know this privately, but I'm announcing it now. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji will be the new squad leader, and let's welcome the 12 members of the new squad to the Execution Department."

As soon as he finished speaking, applause rang out in response.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who was sitting upright, bent his body slightly to show his obedience.

At least on the surface, that's how it appears. His expressionless face isn't too out of line compared to the three team leaders behind him, who are either arrogant, serious, or nonchalant.

Of course, it wasn't just these 12 people who joined. Horikita Suzune had already participated in the Executive Department's training, while Amasawa Ichika and Kiryuin Fuka had also joined the Executive Department, or more precisely, the Executive Department's direct subordinate group.

At that moment, one was sleeping in his room, while the other hadn't originally planned to come, but was dragged over by Uesugi Genshin.

That's Kiryuin Fuka. She has great physical abilities, but why doesn't she train her fighting skills?

What? Tianze Yixia didn't come? Well, if you can beat this cute junior, then he has nothing to say.

"Let's begin today's morning lessons." To keep it short, Uesugi Genshin didn't intend to be a leader who loved to talk nonsense; he would just say what needed to be said.

The morning training session in the executive department basically consists of two things: a general recitation and practical exercises.

But ultimately, they had to fight zombies, so everyone was very serious during practice, and no one would joke about their own life.

It also serves as a warm-up, preventing embarrassing sprains or other injuries during later sparring sessions.

Although he was still the one to test the strength of the executive department members in actual combat, most of the members had been beaten for a month and had been forced to summarize some combat experience that would make them less embarrassed.

That means they can hold out a little longer, so they won't be instantly killed, but not by much.

Ultimately, it comes down to their lack of experience and lessons learned in fighting living people; simply put, they didn't inflict enough damage.

In another two or three months, it should be in a decent shape, and it should be able to gain the upper hand in fights against other armed personnel, not specifically those from the Self-Defense Forces.

With a loud "Duang," the timber stand was knocked to the ground.

At this moment, Uesugi Genshin was too lazy to kick the person aside any longer and artificially create distance. It wasn't that he cared whether this would embarrass Zaimokuza, since everyone was treated equally.

But now there are people all around, so doing this will inevitably cause you to bump into someone.

Waiting for the wood-carrying stool to stand up and move two steps to the side, he once again assumed a fighting stance. Compared to his previous strange "ee-wa-wa" howls and pig-like charges, he was now calmly looking for an opportunity.

Uesugi Genshin was very pleased about this, as even the timber slabs had made great progress.

However, he still couldn't shake off a flaw that wasn't exactly a problem, and his intention to attack was now clear to everyone.

If this is a feint, then the subsequent attack will be full of flaws, because what the eyes are looking at and what the hands are swinging are not in the same direction, just like the Ministry of Revenue just now.

Regarding his reliance on his eyes, Uesugi Genshin does not intend to forcibly correct it at present. A month of intensive training is not enough to simply change this common problem.

"Haa!" Zai Muza Yoshiteru stomped his foot on the ground and charged toward him, while simultaneously launching a feint attack to the left.

But whether it was a feint or something else, all the attacks were blocked.

To conserve his energy, Uesugi Genshin didn't bother to give him a proper lesson and instead stabbed him in the left waist.

As the timber stand recoiled in pain, the wooden knife pierced its face, thus marking the timber stand's third defeat.

At this moment, the newly joined members had a clear understanding of their department head's strength, after all, not everyone could single-handedly take on most of the department.

And now it's their turn.

"Ayanokouji, no need," Uesugi Genshin said as he gestured for the next person to come up.

Although the crowd was puzzled, they did not question it.

“His strength is comparable to mine, there’s no need for me to waste my energy.” Uesugi Genshin also explained briefly, with a slightly joking tone.

The serious atmosphere lightened up slightly, but most people turned their attention to Ayanokouji because of this "quite".

"Then can we see it, Minister?" The person who dared to raise an objection spoke up; that person was Long Yuanxiang.

Ryuen Sho and Ayanokouji had actually fought once, so he was very clear about Ayanokouji's strength, and he had no doubt about the current captain's strength.

He was genuinely curious about the comparison of their strengths, which is why he spoke up. However, his roguish, half-smiling expression made his behavior seem more like picking a fight.

But those who actually know him know that by addressing him as "Minister," Long Yuanxiang has revealed his willingness to obey the Executive Department.

And that arrogant expression is, at most, just... a habitual bad habit.

“…” Uesugi Genshin thought for a moment, then looked at Ayanokouji.

“Although it’s troublesome, let’s just have a quick spar.” Kiyotaka Ayanokouji slowly stood up and said. He had his own considerations. Demonstrating his strength at this moment would help establish his authority over his team and solidify his position in the Execution Department.

So, despite the trouble, he decided to satisfy the curiosity of Longyuan and most of the people there.

“I was at a disadvantage in the last duel, so let’s settle this with iaido this time.” He suggested that Uesugi Genshin use a technique he was good at, which he himself was not weak in either, and which was an indispensable technique in swordsmanship, as the scope of this confrontation.

“Okay.” Uesugi Genshin had no objection to this.

The two men stood still in the middle of the field, simultaneously sheathing their bamboo knives at their waists.

The person involved remained calm, but all the other onlookers stared wide-eyed, afraid of missing even a second.

Hayato Hayama, acting as the "whistleblower," placed a gold coin on his fingernail and flicked it lightly.

The "ding" sounded, and everyone's hearts, which had been in their throats, jumped even higher.

Because in the blink of an eye, the two people standing in the center moved at the same time.

too fast.

Even without blinking, the two rushing forward at the same time were already close in a second, no, half a second.

Two loud striking sounds of bamboo knives echoed through the air.

The first exchange was a fierce clash between the two, with the bamboo swords almost breaking with force, neither gaining the upper hand.

The second attack was when Uesugi Genshin swung his hand back to strike Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's lower back as they passed each other, but Ayanokouji Kiyotaka blocked it with his sword on his back.

The next second, the two slid apart and stood facing each other with knives in the opposite positions from before.

However, neither of them had the desire to fight anymore, so they lowered their bamboo swords and relaxed.

Applause erupted spontaneously from the surrounding area. Although the two people in the center didn't need applause, the applause was simply to express the shock they felt.

"Bravo!"

"I never expected this..."

"咻咻~"

There were also some unreliable people whistling nonsense.

"You'll take over from me and finish the rest of the practice," Uesugi Genshin said to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who was about to sit back down.

"Huh?!" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who was about to go back, froze, looking at Uesugi Genshin with his characteristic incredulous expression.

“This is the minister’s order,” Uesugi Genshin said with a wave of his hand and a smile, then sat back down in his original seat.

"..." Helpless, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka gripped the bamboo sword in his hand.

Just like Uesugi-kun did before, he thought to himself.

So he took the wooden sword that Uesugi Genshin had just used, intending to finish the fight quickly.

Then, apart from Ryuen Sho, who had fought him before but lost, everyone else, including Shiraya Isamu, experienced the pressure from their captain's strength.

"We will be heading to the shopping mall this afternoon for internal cleaning. Details will be explained by your respective team leaders. Go and prepare. Dismissed."

At the end, Uesugi Genshin gave a brief explanation and then directly announced the disbandment.

“I didn’t expect you to involve them in the operation so directly,” Hachiman said to Uesugi Genshin, who was standing facing him with his sword drawn. “Wasn’t it said that if everything went smoothly, we would be able to fight the zombies with firearms right away?”

Signaling him to attack quickly, Uesugi Genshin casually answered Hachiman's question, "Some of them haven't fought zombies before, so using guns does reduce the chance of accidents, but... do you know why I chose to spar with them one by one? Because losing the courage to face swords head-on is a terrible thing."

Courage, or numbness, call it whatever you like.

It's like doing a lot of practice questions and mock exams before a major exam, so you won't be as nervous on the actual exam, because you've already become somewhat numb to it. It's similar to that.

“…” Sitting to the side, Horikita Suzune raised her head as if she had suddenly realized something.

So that's how it is, she thought to herself.

Sitting upright with her feet resting under her buttocks, she was waiting for Hikigaya to collapse from exhaustion. She had previously mentioned that she would be adding extra training after morning classes.

So she didn't get up and walk to the center until someone collapsed on the ground, panting heavily, indicating that they needed to rest.

The protective gear was already on, so they didn't take it off.

Although the mask slightly obstructed her vision, she didn't mind this in order to fight freely.

"Then I'll go back first." Hachiman struggled to get up, took off his shirt, and wiped his sweat-soaked forehead.

It's so hot! June will be even hotter!

But the thought of having air conditioning made him feel genuinely fortunate; electricity truly is the cornerstone of human civilization.

“Oh.” Uesugi Genshin responded to Hachiman and began to train the fox-eyed girl in front of him.

Only those who have systematically studied martial arts would perform such precise and methodical movements, but this is not derogatory in any way; on the contrary, it is a good thing. Even in Kendo, only the correct way of generating force can ensure the correct direction of the blade.

"Would you like to learn some kendo?" Uesugi Genshin asked during a break in their exchange. He asked this purely because of her personality and her status as a top student. To be honest, if Yukino weren't so busy, he would be happy to teach her, because hard work is a prerequisite for learning a skill.

"Haha..." Horikita Suzune, panting heavily, stubbornly maintained her perfect posture. Even though her forearms trembled slightly, she looked at Uesugi Genshin with a serious expression. "I want to learn. Will you teach me?"

"Yes, but it may take some time. Kendo is not something you can learn in a few weeks or a month."

“No problem.” Horikita Suzune, who was standing below, revealed a smile that she herself did not realize. “It suits me just fine.”

Chapter 335: Misfortune in the Fortune