Aohana Vine Academy, Kendo Club.

Unlike other club members, Sunaga Takashi would go to Sword Dao training whenever he had free time. He refused any social engagements and didn’t mind the short break after classes. His daily commute between the academic buildings and the Kendo club had become routine, familiar to everyone, even to himself. He never considered this routine boring.

The existence of Superpower Users, in particular, ignited Sunaga Takashi’s passion for Sword Dao. Previously, he viewed Sword Dao as merely a personal interest; surpassing bullets was, in his mind, its ultimate limit. Now, anything seemed possible. As long as his Sword Dao skills reached the level of Superpowers, techniques previously thought impossible could become feasible. For example, drawing his sword to cut something a hundred meters away, or even a kilometer, or ten kilometers away.

If the heart is limitless, the sword can extend indefinitely. Such an idea wasn’t out of reach.

Sunaga Takashi had also seen the shocking footage of Dio fighting against Space-based Weapons, and it had solidified a clear goal in his heart. He didn’t just want to surpass the swordmasters of the past and present; he aimed to become the world’s strongest swordmaster, the first in history capable of launching ranged slash attacks.

Sunaga Takashi meticulously visualized opponents in his mind. On the spacious, pale yellow floor of the dojo, figures began to appear. These were adversaries conjured from his study of various Sword Dao manuals, competition recordings, and anecdotal accounts of historical swordmasters. Recently, he had even begun to incorporate characters from manga, seeking to deepen his understanding of Sword Dao.

HUFF.

Sunaga Takashi exhaled, his eyes scanning the imagined enemies around him. His left hand pressed lightly on his scabbard, his right hand gripping the hilt.

The door slid open with a RATTLE. A tall, beautiful woman appeared at the entrance. She saw a flash, like snow-white lightning, erupt in the air.

HISS. The blade cut through the empty air.

For an instant, it seemed the young man had struck someone down.

Morimoto Chiyoda’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Hold on," she said. "Stop practicing for now. I need to talk to you."

The girl kneeling in seiza and watching looked up, surprised. "Miss Morimoto, what brings you to the school?"

As she spoke, Ruriko Yokoo hurried over.

Morimoto Chiyoda patted her head. "There’s an important experiment that needs Sunaga’s help. The higher-ups are pressing for it, so I’ve already arranged a leave of absence for you with your teacher. Come with me."

"Is it related to Superpower Users?" Ruriko’s face showed a hint of worry; she didn’t want Sunaga Takashi to get involved in such uncontrollable dangers.

Morimoto Chiyoda treated the girl with considerable patience, her tone gentle. "The higher-ups have decided to initiate the Takamagahara Project. It’s a heavily funded plan, and one of its components is the Superhuman Medicine. To develop it, we need physiological data from individuals like Sunaga Takashi to determine the limits of ordinary humans."

Ruriko took a nervous deep breath. "There won’t be any... modifications, will there?"

"Don’t worry. Modifications are a separate project, unrelated to the research institute we’re heading to."

"So there really will be modifications?!" Ruriko’s face filled with astonishment.

Morimoto Chiyoda patted her shoulder. "You don’t need to worry. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to him."

"Let’s go." Sunaga Takashi sheathed his sword. Unlike the worried Ruriko, he seemed completely unconcerned, his expression still composed.

Ruriko was quite annoyed by his attitude but couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She just gripped Morimoto Chiyoda’s hand and pleaded, "Miss Morimoto, please make sure Gao Shi is safe."

"Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to your little treasure~" Morimoto Chiyoda whispered into her ear. The girl’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and she mumbled, "Miss Morimoto, we’re not in that kind of relationship!"

"HEHE." She chuckled. Perhaps due to her age, she found herself quite interested in the sweet romance between teenagers, like an amused bystander. But the thought that Aozawa might also be at that age made her heart feel heavy. She had no interest in spectating such a scene if it involved him.

「Brilliant High School.」

The afternoon sun shone brightly.

Aozawa circled around to the side of the club activities building and approached the window of the Guzheng Club. Before even showing his face, he sensed a resentful aura emanating from within. He paused for a moment, then cautiously peeked inside.

By the window stood Hojo Shouko, her face expressionless. But unlike her usual calm, stoic expressionlessness, this time it was devoid of any tranquility, filled only with overt displeasure.

Her soft lips pursed, then parted. "Liar! You promised not to tell anyone Brother’s embarrassing stories! We even made a pinky promise! And you still used that to laugh at Brother, which got me scolded by him yesterday!"

As she spoke, her usually calm cheeks puffed out. She was furious with Aozawa for breaking their pinky promise. Hojo Shouko felt like all her trust in Aozawa had gone down the drain.

Aozawa gave a sheepish smile, knowing he was in the wrong. He quickly tried to smooth things over, "Shouko, it was a complete accident. I had no idea Tetsuji was so sensitive. I only said one thing—that Little Sayuri wouldn’t call him cute. I didn’t say anything else! That was all Tetsuji’s baseless speculation; you can just deny it."

"Senpai, making excuses isn’t what a real man does." Natsuka Yanagimachi mischievously popped her head in, adding fuel to the fire. "A man stands by his word! If you break a promise, you’re supposed to swallow a thousand needles. Now’s your chance to show your manly courage!"

"Don’t suggest such impossible things." Aozawa thought. Even if he could swallow a thousand needles, the Guzheng Club didn’t have that many. Saying something like that would only make Hojo Shouko more upset, thinking he was just trying to brush her off.

"To express my sincere apologies, how about I treat you to a meal?"

"You mean treat *us*! Treating just one person won’t cost you much, you know." Natsuka Yanagimachi grabbed Hojo Shouko’s shoulders, clearly hoping to freeload.

Hojo Shouko glanced sideways at her.

Natsuka Yanagimachi grinned, withdrawing her hand. "Alright, alright. I’ll let you two have your private time."

Aozawa raised his hand to pat Hojo Shouko’s head, but she dodged him. She still hadn’t cooled down.

Natsuka Yanagimachi proactively offered her own head. "Here, I’ll do you a favor. You can pat my head."

Aozawa swatted her head lightly. "I have no desire to touch your greasy hair. I’m trying to apologize here; stop clowning around."

"Senpai, that’s very rude! I wash my hair every day. It’s not greasy at all; you can’t even see a speck of dandruff!" Natsuka Yanagimachi glared, her expression one of mock fury. She had only been trying to be nice and save Aozawa from the awkwardness of having his hand left hanging, and this is how he repays her? It truly wounded her kind soul!

Aozawa couldn’t resist. He reached out and plucked a flake of something from her hair. "Don’t tell me these are bread crumbs."

"Alright, fine. I actually wash my hair every three or four days." Seeing the undeniable evidence, Natsuka Yanagimachi reluctantly confessed her true hair-washing schedule. "I can’t help it!" she defended herself. "Maintaining this beauty requires long hair, and washing it is such a pain."

"Summer Flower, I’m trying to be angry here!" Hojo Shouko complained. "Could you please respect my fury and stop being funny? You’re completely ruining my imposing aura." Despite her words, her anger was already dissipating amidst Natsuka Yanagimachi’s continuous interruptions.

Natsuka Yanagimachi looked utterly shocked. "Shouko, you actually think I’m a joke?!"

"Weren’t you trying to be funny?" Hojo Shouko asked, genuinely surprised.

PFFT. COUGH. Aozawa nearly burst out laughing but quickly composed himself, looking very serious. "Shouko, I promise I won’t make the same mistake again. Please, forgive me this time."

"It’s not that easy." Hojo Shouko turned to get the bento she had prepared, still pouting. "I made it medium spicy today, as punishment for Aozawa-senpai breaking his promise."

"No problem! I promise I’ll eat every last bite," Aozawa declared confidently.

Seeing the two reconcile, Natsuka Yanagimachi looked from one to the other, her mind reeling. Wait, was I the clown in this whole thing?! Damn it! I’m never getting involved in their arguments again! she fumed internally.

「Shimane Prefecture.」

High mountains were draped with trees, and the bright sunlight cast a lush, green sheen over the forested slopes.

Morimoto Chiyoda sat in the cafeteria, her seat offering a clear view of the scenery beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. She scooped up some curry. "Sunaga, are you really going to cooperate with their experiments here?"

Sunaga Takashi nodded. "Miss Morimoto, I believe that by staying here, my Sword Dao skills will improve."

"That’s right, young man! We’ll definitely turn you into a superhuman!" An old man with a round poof of fluffy hair and round glasses strode over, seating himself unceremoniously. He was the director of this research institute, Tsukahara Hikoshiro.

"Your physique is practically a treasure trove! Among all the data I have on martial artists, no one possesses your unique, heaven-sent talent."

"Aren’t you laying it on a bit thick?" Morimoto Chiyoda asked.

"Not at all, Miss Morimoto, I’m not exaggerating in the slightest! Compare his age with that of the others whose data we have, and you’ll see. To possess such reaction speed and strength at his age... you wouldn’t find another like him in all of Japan. He’s truly a man born for the sword!"

Tsukahara Hikoshiro was beaming. It was the first time he’d had such generous funding and a research team entirely at his disposal. And now, the most outstanding experimental subject. These conditions filled him with immense confidence about developing the Superhuman Medicine.

Morimoto Chiyoda shook her head and murmured to Sunaga, "Be careful. This old man isn’t normal."

"Miss Morimoto, I’m still right here," Tsukahara said, a little miffed.

Sunaga Takashi simply nodded. "I know."

"Ignoring me, are you? Well then, let me show you something interesting." Tsukahara Hikoshiro pulled a jellyfish-like object from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Morimoto Chiyoda glanced at it. "What is this?" she asked, curious.

"It’s an Artificial Jellyfish Robot," Tsukahara Hikoshiro explained, his expression animated. "It’s driven by chemical reactions and soft logic boards. By converting liquid hydrogen peroxide into gas, its limbs inflate like balloons. Impressive, isn’t it?"

Morimoto Chiyoda asked skeptically, "Does it have any destructive capabilities?"

Tsukahara Hikoshiro shrugged. "Maybe in the future. I heard another research institute is attempting to apply this technology to create offensive robots."

"What we lack now is time." Morimoto Chiyoda knew that the Takamagahara Project was unlikely to yield significant results in the short term. Not unless a scientific genius capable of epoch-making breakthroughs was leading it. But such individuals were exceedingly rare, practically impossible to count on.