I teach judo in Tokyo.

(//▼/へ//▼//)

Sosuke scratched his head in confusion, wondering what this kendo girl was up to.

Speaking of which, today is the opening ceremony of the Golden Eagle Flag for Judo, and the members of the Kendo Club are not required to participate. Motoko Itsuka could stay at Hinata-sou and continue training with the other team members.

However, as a fellow student, she still took the initiative to accompany the group to the city.

Led by their instructor and Judo captain Yahiko Iga, the group followed the flow of people into the arena.

Then, after completing a series of registration procedures, all participants were lined up in the main venue under the arrangement of the organizers.

The Golden Eagle Flag competition is held at the Ocean Exhibition Centre, a huge venue that can easily accommodate thousands of participating teams.

That's right. Because there are no preliminary rounds or special entry requirements, the Golden Eagle Flag and Jade Dragon Flag competitions often attract a huge number of college teams to register every year.

For example, this year's competition reportedly had nearly 400 female teams and 600 male teams participating.

Today, all the athletes from the thousands of participating teams are dressed in judo uniforms and lined up in the center of the field as arranged by the organizers, quietly listening to the speeches of the leaders and important guests on the stage. In the audience, although it is only the opening ceremony, the seats are almost full.

Moreover, in addition to the audience, a large number of media personnel were also stationed in front, constantly taking photos and videos.

"Wow, this is much bigger than the regional qualifiers for the national competition."

Sosuke exclaimed in admiration, then looked up at the stage. Two identical, magnificent flags were hanging high on either side of the organizer's table, looking very high-class.

In front of him, Minister Iga Yahiko turned around with a smile and whispered, "Of course. The 'Golden Eagle Flag' is a large-scale competition that is comparable to the main competition of the National Championship. Because it only tests judo, in the eyes of judo enthusiasts, its prestige is even higher than that of the National Championship. Moreover, due to its special competition system, some amazing and dazzling athletes will appear every year, and its popularity among the audience is higher than that of the National Championship."

He paused, then looked at Sosuke: "Sosuke, my arm still needs rest this time. The Golden Eagle Flag competition will basically depend on you. Help Tsuramine win this honor, how about it?"

Sousuke yawned nonchalantly: "If this year's opponent isn't much stronger than Tachibana Shohei of Fudomine, then it'll be a piece of cake."

Iga Yahiko shook his head: "It's hard to say. Judging from past years, there will always be some years when super-powerful, top-tier geniuses emerge, crushing us ordinary people. This year might also see one."

After saying that, he gave Sosuke a meaningful look and teased, "At least, our Tsurume has produced such a super player."

Sosuke pursed his lips, stopped arguing with him, and instead looked boredly at the audience.

Then, his gaze sharpened.

Right in front of him in the stands, a strong young man in an ordinary black sweatshirt, with his hands in his pockets and a strange smile on his face, was staring at him without any attempt to hide it.

He knows this person well.

The powerful fighter who killed his opponent on the deathmatch stage that day.

Snake Bites - Atsushi Yokoi.

They finally showed up.

Chapter 140 Kunio Takiya

Atobe Sousuke and Yokoi Atsushi in the audience made eye contact for a few seconds.

The other person grinned strangely, pulled a hand out of his bag, and made a gesture like a snake baring its fangs at Sosuke.

Then he turned and left decisively.

He came here specifically to declare war on me!

Sousuke watched Yokoi Atsushi disappear into the crowd, and he knew in his heart that the other party had made it clear that he was the culprit behind Moriguchi Yuichi's "disappearance".

Now that they have openly appeared before him, it means that the other party is already planning to make a move against him.

Yeah.

Atobe Sousuke also smiled.

Venomous snakes are most troublesome when they are hidden in the dark and out of sight.

Now that the other party has shown up on their own initiative, he no longer needs to worry about other underhanded tactics.

When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it.

......

Soon, the speeches by the organizers and important guests were finished.

When it was the student representative's turn to go on stage, he was a tall, lean, and handsome young man with short hair. Surprisingly, amidst his roguish charm, he also exuded a sense of righteousness.

Sousuke noticed that Iga Yahiko in front of him was visibly surprised.

"What's wrong, Minister? Is that student representative very capable?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, that guy is Kunio Takiya from Suzuran High School. He's a Super-level player, just like you," Yahiko Iga sighed. "But he's a Super-level player who appeared two years ago, then disappeared for a year. Now he's a senior, so he's probably even stronger. You have to be careful of him!"

Kunio Takiya?

Sosuke gazed at the people on the platform. Because of the distance, the system did not quickly pop up a label as it would for people who were closer, even with just a slight glance.

However, even with his focused attention, the label for the student representative still came into view.

[Suzuran High School Judo Captain: Kunio Takiya]

Age: 19

[Possesses the entry: Hot-blooded Delinquent]

[Possesses self-defense technique 1: Judo - Throwing techniques 11, parrying techniques 13, ground techniques 6]

[Possesses Self-Defense Skill 2: Street Fighting - Unarmed Combat 14, Melee Combat 12]

[Special Move: Mach Kick]

[Current status: Damn, speaking in front of so many people is terrifying]

On the stage, Takiya Kunio looked extremely nervous. His face turned red as he quickly delivered a brief speech as a student representative, and then he ran off the stage as if he had just been released from prison.

This guy seems like a simpleton.

Sousuke stroked his chin and patted Yahiko Iga on the shoulder: "Speaking of which, Captain, you never told me what the situation is like among the top high school students in Japan. All I knew was that you were in the top eight of the national tournament."

When Iga Yahiko heard Sousuke's question, he smiled wryly and lowered his voice: "To be precise, I am the 'top 8 in the 70kg class.' In my weight class, there are probably four people stronger than me. If we were to rank people according to the weight class, I would probably be ranked outside the top 20."

He straightened his expression: "Hefeng's team has never been able to enter the national competition and compete against those strong teams that have been eliminated, so I haven't been able to face off against many of the top high school players. However, if we talk about the 'no-weight class' team competition, then almost every year we see those truly talented players who are so strong that they can almost ignore the weight class."

“For example, you, and the student representative who just spoke, Kunio Takiya,” Yahiko Iga added.

"Minister, if you're going to introduce yourself properly, please stop bringing me up all the time, okay?" Sosuke complained.

He then asked, "After all this talk, Minister, do you know of any other outstanding individuals who will participate? Hmm... someone of Kunio Takiya's caliber."

He believed that Iga would understand what he meant.

Iga clearly could. He recalled, "Speaking of which, although one or two very strong players emerge every year, most of them seem to disappear after only participating in one year of competition. It's quite strange when you think about it."

He didn't dwell on this point of doubt too much, and continued, "Speaking of such extraordinary powerhouses, Takiya Kunio emerged the year before last, and last year, the most powerful one was a short guy named Shirakawa Kenichi. This year, so far I've only seen you with such a level of strength, and I don't know about the other prefectures."

He scratched his head: "To be honest, compared to martial arts like judo that require a solid foundation to compete in, I've heard that karate is where the strongest people come from. There are quite a few incredibly strong guys who were once famous, like Shindo Kyotaro from our Tsurugamine High School several years ago, and Kyogoku Shin from Beika High School in Izu even earlier. They don't seem to have appeared in public competitions anymore, even though they seemed to be even stronger than world champions back then."

Sosuke, however, was quite clear about the reason for Iga's doubts.

To put it bluntly, those "strong" individuals probably caught the attention of the authorities because they demonstrated a level of strength beyond what ordinary people could comprehend. They were only allowed to showcase their abilities for a year, and then they were most likely banned from participating in competitions for ordinary people.

That's right. The more talented a person is, the more they will be subject to official control, while "ordinary geniuses" are allowed to be active as public figures.

He stroked his chin: "Then I think I understand. So, this time, if there are no other unexpected strong opponents, my final opponent will probably be this Takiya Kunio, and it's also possible that Shirakawa Kenichi will make an appearance?"

Iga Yahiko nodded: "These two are incredibly skilled, they're not in the same league as someone like me. You'd better go all out and not mess things up!"

Sosuke nodded to indicate that he understood.

As the two chatted, the opening ceremony's speeches ended, and it was time for the lottery.

Minister Mifune Yumi went to draw lots as representatives of the women's and men's groups.

That's right, although the women's team only had four members this time, Yumi Mifune still signed up for the competition with great enthusiasm.

Even Yotsuba Saki was dragged into the group by her.

Although Yotsuba Saki is currently specializing in parrying techniques, she did learn a few basic throwing techniques before, such as the shojitsu, kouchi-gari, and the one-handed over-the-shoulder throw.

Whether it can be used in actual combat is a matter of opinion.

The others, led by their teachers, left the stage and went to the contestants' waiting area.

Hojo Kazuha beamed. He had recently received high praise from the school leaders for the judo club's advancement to the national tournament, and he was now in high spirits. "Sousuke, and all the male and female team members, please wait here for a moment. After the Iga team returns from drawing lots and knows their opponents, I will take you to the nearby hotel where we have booked. After that, you will have some free time. The women's competition officially begins at 2:30 PM..."

Free time?

Sosuke looked at Yotsuba Saki beside him, and his little classmate's eyes lit up.

Not only my deskmate, but everyone else cheered when they heard they could move around freely.

After all, they'd been training for so many days. Even though Hinata-sou had a great environment, everyone was probably going crazy from being cooped up for so long.

Soon, Mifune Yumi and Iga Yahiko returned after drawing their lots.

As soon as Yumi Mifune returned, she ran happily towards Sousuke: "Master, I've drawn my lots. I'm in ring number six, and my next opponent is an unknown school!"

Chapter 141 The Deathly Madman's Invitation

After Mifune Yumi finished speaking.

Iga Yahiko, standing nearby, smiled faintly and said, "I drew the number ten arena. I waited a bit and checked the list of teams for the arena. There aren't any teams that I remember from previous years, so I guess you'll have an easier time."

Competitions with special formats, such as the Golden Eagle Flag and the Jade Dragon Flag, generally last for about two days.

The organizers will set up sixteen arenas in the venue, and then all the arenas will start the competition at the same time during the elimination stage.

Under normal circumstances, with this arrangement, as long as the number of participating teams does not exceed 512, only five rounds are needed to determine the top 16 teams, represented by the challenge matches.

It will take no more than half a day.

Then, the Round of 16 will begin on the second day. During this stage, only one arena will be maintained to allow the audience to enjoy high-level matches one by one until the final showdown.

"Now that everything's settled, how about we go grab some ramen together?" suggested Hojo, the teacher leading the group.

"Tonkotsu ramen!?" Yumi Mifune's eyes immediately lit up.

“Of course! When talking about Fukuoka, you have to have tonkotsu ramen! This time, it’s the teacher’s treat!” Hojo Kazuya said with a smile.

"Yay!" The ten or so team members who were preparing to participate cheered together.

Hojo Kazuya's proposal was unanimously agreed upon by everyone.

After finishing our ramen and checking back into the hotel, it was just past midnight.

Under Hojo Kazuya's instructions, the women's judo team had a competition that afternoon and couldn't go too far, while the men's competition was two days later. So, as soon as the judo club was dismissed, the male members ran off and disappeared.

Disciples are not allowed to wander off, so Atobe Sōsuke, as a teacher, naturally cannot go out alone either.

He accompanied his three disciples and two female members to wander around the CBD shopping mall near the Ocean Convention Center.

Speaking of which, as part of the "Kitakyushu-Fukuoka Metropolitan Area" outside of Japan's three major metropolitan areas, Fukuoka Prefecture is the most populous and developed prefecture in Kyushu. It is also the only prefecture outside of Japan's three major metropolitan areas with a population density exceeding 1,000 people per square kilometer. Fukuoka City, as the administrative center, is an even more densely populated city.

To put it simply, this city is quite prosperous, and the shopping malls are particularly bustling.

Except for Motoko Itsuka, all of Sosuke's group were dressed in judo uniforms and strolling around the mall for convenience.

Not only them, but also a number of students dressed in similar outfits were seen walking in groups in the mall.

To be honest, these past few days have been the days of the Golden Eagle Flag event, and pedestrians seem to be used to seeing so many judo boys and girls on the streets, without showing any particular reaction.

Yumi Mifune was quite excited, constantly pulling Saki Yotsuba and the two judo team members to take photos at various unique spots, while also wolfing down a lot of snacks.

Sosuke followed leisurely behind, like an elderly person walking a small dog.

Wu Fang Suzi lagged behind him by half a step. After hesitating several times, she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Master, when can I learn that three-stage thrust?"

Atobe Sousuke glanced back at her: "Anytime is fine. What were you doing a few days ago? You didn't come to me to learn."

He found it strange that during the match that day, Wufang Suzi seemed so interested in his Three-Stage Thrust, but in the following days, she would blush and avoid him whenever she saw him. He wondered what was going on.

Motoko Goto turned her face away, her cheeks slightly flushed: "Um...it's a little inconvenient for some reasons..."

She felt a little embarrassed and annoyed, because the scene in the hot spring that night had such a huge impact on her that whenever she saw Sosuke, she would involuntarily recall the scene of Sosuke and Yotsuba Saki kissing each other naked in the misty water.

This significantly tainted her pristine sword heart.

However, after these few days of letting it go, she has managed to avoid Sosuke out of shyness.

Now, unable to contain his desire to learn the three-stage thrust, he finally took the initiative to ask to learn it.

Sosuke thought for a moment: "Let me think... are there any suitable small martial arts training halls nearby..."