Kendo.
It's one of Japan's representative martial arts. As the saying goes, "Begin and end with courtesy." The goal isn't to defeat your opponent—it's to cultivate respect, empathy, and mutual growth through discipline.
But that doesn't mean kendo lacks practicality. Far from it.
You already know the idea of kendo sanbaidan—the three stages of mastery—but what's really worth noting is the variety of its strikes. In kendo, practitioners grip the shinai with both hands. Even slight wrist movement sends the tip arcing across the air in countless trajectories. Though limited to a single weapon, kendo produces an infinite array of unseen strikes at near-invisible speed.
Give someone a stick, and they become unbeatable. That's kendo.
"Ma... maketa-degozaru..."
A defeated sigh.
At the edge of the dojo lies one dejected girl—Yayoi, a nekomimi samurai who, after a broken heart, somehow ended up reverse-summoned here.
She wears no armor. Her cat ears prevent even a towel, let alone a mask (men), from fitting properly. As a result, her head met the floorboards with a resounding thud. Fortunately, Glyos the Emperor held back—otherwise, her skull (and those poor ears) would've caved in. Don't think too hard about the bone structure near those ears.
"Well now, for one so young—and a woman at that—you've got fine sword form. If only my son had half your talent."
Glyos chuckles. He holds a shinai too, but no armor. When told it's dangerous, he just shrugs and says, "Too much hassle."
Adachi-kun joined earlier, though he practices classical swordsmanship rather than kendo, so armor isn't really his thing either.
So after that long opening about kendo—nobody's actually doing kendo.
It was supposed to matter.
Somehow, it doesn't anymore.
Plot matters, huh.
"Still, Glyos-dono and Adachi-dono, aren't you pushing your old bodies too far-degozaru? You won't strain something?"
"Oh, it's fine. Lately, I've been using these 'pain relief patches.' They work wonders."
Seems the former emperor traded his health for the faint scent of menthol. Makami, with his sharp nose, occasionally suffers in silence. Even Lynbel the Dark Elf secretly uses the same patches. The Adachi household's average age keeps climbing.
"But you seem better now," Glyos says. "To think you got reverse-summoned over a broken heart—foolish girl."
"Foolish? Maybe-degozaru. But didn't you abandon your own country-degozaru?"
"Ugh... can't argue with that."
Glyos scratches his head and laughs.
"My son was grown. Truth is, I stayed emperor too long. The hero summoning was a political move—a test of his worth. How he handled the hero, and what the Empire became, would mark the start of a new era. So I chose to vanish."
"...Glyos-dono..."
Yayoi looks at him, silent. His eyes hold deep color, like old wine.
He speaks with gravity—but let's be honest, the real reason was probably "being emperor's a pain." Still, if that's his truth, it's valid enough.
"Well, in the end, I found a better retirement spot than any palace. I may be old, but I can still serve as fodder for the young."
"Understood! I'll borrow your strength-degozaru!"
Conclusion:
Dinner tastes good again today.
Japan is peaceful as always.
* * *
"...Hey, pass the oil."
"Hold on, this rust won't budge."
Meanwhile, at a Japan Self-Defense Forces garrison—
a group of otherworld knights carefully disassemble their rifles for maintenance.
Just as knights tend their swords, JSDF members maintain their rifles. Many even name them. Some instructors encourage it, saying it fosters affection and care. "Roar, Megidofire!" indeed.
"Ah! The spring fell out!"
"What!? Apologize! Apologize to the spring!"
"Sorry, spring-san! I'm sorry, spring-san!"
The instructor barks while the knight, doing push-ups, apologizes to the fallen spring.
Everyday scene in the JSDF.
Take care of your tools—and when you break something, apologize with sincerity.
"Still, irregular as it is, I see why the sword remains vital on the battlefield."
"Agreed. Makes sense."
What they polish now are bayonets.
Modern warfare gives the impression that close combat is obsolete—but that's not true. Even in the Iraq War, there were recorded cases of melee combat. JSDF doctrine remains the same: soften enemy lines with artillery, then charge forward with rifles blazing and bayonets thrust.
Imagine escaping artillery and bullets only to face a screaming charge of soldiers with bayonets drawn. Terrifying.
"Sorry, trigger-san! Sorry, trigger-san!"
"Did he drop it again?"
"How do you even drop a trigger?"
The same knight who lost the spring is now apologizing to the trigger.
Day by day, the JSDF grows tougher—and oddly more sincere.
Japan is peaceful today, too.