2930/What Happens In Kendo Club

What Happens In Kendo Club
Date of Scene:	03 February 2026
Location:	Club Building
Synopsis:	Sugata, Takuto, and Chiyo are on cleaning duty for their club room when Chiyo tells Sugata about a certain video featuring a certain CLAMP noodle.
Cast of Characters:	Sugata Shindo, Chiyo Sakai, Takuto Tsunashi

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Sugata Shindo has posed:
The Kendo Club (Not Kendo Legal Edition), like most clubs at Radiant Heart Academy, makes use of space allocated within the Club Building for most of its meetings. It's on the ground floor, to accommodate the fact that anyone under them would be disturbed by the amount of jarring thuds, thumps, and stomps that occur during kendo practice, and it's near the back of the building to lessen the noise impact on other clubs.

It's also over for the day, which means the only thing left to do is clean up and head out. The club rotation has left Chiyo, Sugata, and Takuto to clean, Wako having studiously continued to avoid being anywhere within immediate kendo reach for fear of Benio developing teleportation.

"You're improving," Sugata tells Chiyo as he wipes down the mats they'd used as padding. "Though, I'd still like to do some additional training in henshin; none of our approximations are going to feel the same as your Star Sword into Star Hammer."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai didn't terribly mind clean up time. It was something that had been ingrained into her from a young age, even before she was in elementary school. Once you used an area, you clean it. Ojiisan and her Obaasan ahd made sure she helped out in that regard. Even if this wasn't a cooking situation it was still important to be clean.

With sleeves rolled up she has a broom in hand sweeping around the sides of the mats to get any dust that had been kicked up. Sugata's remark earns a smile as she looks over. "Thanks. I *have* been trying to improve... But you're right, unless I decide to switch to using the Star Sword in it's usual form, the only way to really practice is in henshin." A pause before adding, "I can't just dual-wield kitchen knives like *someone.*" My that was ominous.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
Takuto's already got a lollipop in his mouth, tucked into one cheek, and he's still in his hakama and his hair's spikier than usual; he's checking over the equipment before putting it away. "It was funny," Takuto says to the wall after a lollipop-against-teeth click, smirk in his voice.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"...kitchen knives?"

Sugata is clearly contemplating the virtues of training with kitchen knives as an alternative to shinai OR Star Swords. It's probably not a mental space anyone wants him to stay in, given the dangers of playing with knives. ...unless.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai chuffs a little laugh at Takuto as she pauses in her sweeping to shake the broom in his direction. "Still gave me a heart attack at first," she teases before swinging her attention back to Sugata. Even she had taken to wearing the hakama typical for this 'club' because she felt a little weird not to. The sleeves were rolled back currently for cleaning though, much as she'd done for yukata and kimono in the past. "The video's on my phone if you want to see, Sugata. I already sent a copy to Wako-chan."

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"Oh shit, I forgot you filmed it! Did you get the slo-mo? Man! Do we know anyone with video editing skills?" Takuto's suddenly enthusiastic-- but he doesn't stop carefully inspecting the equipment, he doesn't rush. "You're the real MVP, Chiyo-chan."

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"You sent a video to Wako-chan and she didn't send it to me?" Sugata crouches, picking up one mat after another until he has a stack of four to carry to the back of the room, where other athletics clubs can pull them out or not depending on their needs.

"Betrayed on all sides." There's genuine grief and regret in his voice, or so it seems - he's actually just putting those drama club skills to work. He cracks a minute later, turning with a faint smile and a composed voice. "I do want to see it, though, Takuto never plays with knives when I'm around."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"That's usually because you two are occupied with other things," Chiyo teases just a little bit at the whole theatrical tone from Sugata. She may not have known him as long as the others, but she knew him just enough that she doubted he would actually express true emotion that way. Usually he expressed it with punching or fighting.

Including his flirting.

"No problem, Takuto-kun. I did get the slow mo but uuuh." Here she pauses a bit. "Mind the audio. I was a bit distracted." Sheepishly she makes her way sweeping over to her items to pause and hold up her phone which she opens up to the appropriate video. Only to lob it toward Sugata with a, "Catch."

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
The redheaded boy straightens, looking back with concern at the tone until the context clicks and then rolling his eyes. "Har har," he says, finishing up and moving the lollipop around in his mouth as he slugs his way back across the room toward Sugata, considering and then rejecting the idea of interrupting the phone midflight just because he can.

He comes over to, once Sugata's caught the phone, put his chin over Sugata's shoulder and watch the video with him like that.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
The fact that Takuto looked back with concern just makes Sugata's faint smile widen into a smug grin, a hint of 'got you' in his face as he catches the phone in one hand, fingers tightening before the slippery case can falter. He doesn't have to shift for Takuto - they're of equal heights, making it easy for him to lean back just slightly against him while he presses play.

Swish, swish, swish go the knives, and sploop, splip, plop go the slices of radish as they fall into the bubbling pot.

"The most impressive part of that is how even your cuts clearly are," he murmurs as they watch.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai finishes up her own cleaning as the pair walk over to watch the video. She was there after all and also did get to see the results of it a few times as well. A few more sweeps, and then she turns to move the broom back to the storage closet as well.

"He did a really good job, honestly. If you ever need extra money you could get a job as a chef at one of those tourist grills. They call it tepanyaki but it's more showing off things like that."

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"That sounds fun. Maybe something to do when I retire from being the Ginga Bishounen," Takuto says easily, turning his head to look at Chiyo so he doesn't talk directly in Sugata's ear. "The one at the end was the one where no one died and it was impressive that no one died."

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"...I'm not trying to be obnoxious here," for once, "But 'if I ever need extra money? Chiyo-san, that's the closest you've ever come to wounding me."

Teasing. He's terrible, actually. He might have said more, but Takuto's voice is very close and a bit distracting, to be honest, and then the portion of the video that he's talking about comes up, and -

"...It is impressive that no one died, or more likely, that you didn't end up in the pot. What happened, there?" Obviously, he saw what happened, but, from Takuto's view, on a technical level, what happened?

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai actually does pause at that point when Sugata brings it up. He was stupidly wealthy after all. "I just meant if he wanted to surprise you with a gift not using your money, or something," she points out awkwardly. "Or... I don't know. Sorry. I'm used to factoring that into a lot of my decisions." It wasn't the same for them of course!

"As a hobby though it's an option," she agrees. "For retirement." Here she cracks a grin and walks over to retrieve her phone if they were done with it. She'll let Takuto explain the other part.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
With regret, Takuto sliiiides his chin off Sugata's shoulder. "You're right, you weren't trying to be obnoxious, you just were. He was teasing you about something that isn't funny. Him teasing you is sort of a good sign? Just-- never you apologize for him being an ass."

He finally lets go of his hands on Sugata's hips, then starts a slow-motion pantomime of his movements in the middle of the room with his eyes closed, explaining:

"I had momentum, it was easier and faster, when holding the knife in a way I can flip it already, to go into a spin and--" stab air with invisible kitchen knife "--stab, but it had more mass than that angle was prepared to deal with--..." He stops and frowns. "No."

He frowns harder, and then his eyes widen. "Ooh, that guy!! Threw a curveball!!"

Sugata Shindo has posed:
There's the instinct to reply, 'something that isn't funny to you', but then - well, he's never explained his family to Chiyo. Rarely mentioned them at all, save for allusions when the subject of her own mother was brought up.

"...an apology isn't necessary," he agrees with Takuto, shaking his head. "The fact that I enjoy burning through my family's money isn't something I should forget other people can't do."

It's close to an apology? Maybe? Yes.

Thankfully, there's something else for them both to focus on - Takuto, pantomiming out the action, breaking it down one-sided -

"Curveball," he breathes, then straightens up, somehow standing taller than he already is, "That would make sense - do you think the baseball club would join us for a cross-club exercise?"

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"...our knives versus their balls? I don't think they'd agree," Takuto says seriously, shaking his head.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai releases a little breath that eases the tension out of her shoulders when Takuto points out that Sugata was teasing HER this time. Of course, she should have guessed. One day she'd be able to. His own apology is met with a simple shake of her head.

"It was a pretty good through. They used to try to recrurit me to the team once upon a time." Here she pauses though, frowning. "One of my old teammates used to be on the team. I could..." She pauses though only to turn bright red at Takuto's remark with a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she laughs.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"If we provided the balls, they'd have no reason not put them on the line," Sugata says seriously, refusing to acknowledge the smile starting to break through Takuto's mock seriousness or the red in Chiyo's cheeks.

This is a Serious Proposal, Only Serious Commentary Accepted.