She strode quickly forward, glanced around at everyone, then grabbed James Walker, who was lying on the ground playing dead, yanked him up, gave him a look, and casually tossed him aside, saying, “It’s not a serious injury, he’s fine!” Then she turned and looked coldly at Preston Hill.

Just moments ago, Preston Hill had been full of seniority and authority, but now his tail was between his legs. He hurriedly leaned in and obsequiously summarized the key points of what had happened. Ryan Smith’s older sister immediately turned her gaze to Emily Turner, who had already removed her face guard and was calmly facing her with her little face held high.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, and Ryan Smith’s sister’s gaze gradually turned appreciative. She said gently, “You’ve suffered a lot, haven’t you?”

Emily Turner was short with short arms, and her weight limited her natural strength, so to have reached her current level, she must have put in much more effort and sweat than the average person.

Since the other party was the first to show goodwill, Emily Turner bowed her head and said, “That’s exactly the purpose of practicing kendo—to train the body and temper the spirit! Senpai, I don’t feel like I’m suffering at all!”

“Good!” Ryan Smith’s sister clapped her hands in praise and bowed in return. “I’m Evelyn Smith, a third-year student and captain of the kendo club. Please take care of me from now on!”

“I’m a first-year student, Emily Turner. Please guide me in the future, Captain!”

Evelyn Smith waved her hand, signaling for the others to follow her to the office. As they walked, she asked, “No need to be so polite! Turner, did you learn kendo at an outside dojo?”

Emily Turner followed behind and replied, “It’s a family tradition.”

“Classical school of swordsmanship?”

“Yes, an unofficial branch of the Ono Itto-ryu.”

“An unofficial branch? More focused on real combat, not bad… Last year I paid attention to the top performers in the middle school competitions, but I never heard your name. Did you not compete in middle school?”

“No, senpai.” Emily Turner was not the reckless type; she understood well how to survive in school, was very polite to her seniors, answered every question, and was extremely well-behaved.

“So why did you change your mind in high school?”

“I want to get into Nagoya University. I saw on a TV admissions guide that Nagoya University prefers students with kendo club experience. They believe that students who have achieved results in the kendo club are more confident, have strong fighting spirit, are proactive, and can handle greater pressure without easily collapsing in competition. So I plan to join the kendo club to enrich my student resume.” Emily Turner spoke frankly and honestly, which seemed to make Evelyn Smith appreciate her even more.

The two girls, one tall and one short, chatted as they walked. Emily Turner took a moment to look back, gave a proud smile, and secretly made a funny face. This immediately made Ryan Smith’s face turn ashen, while the supported James Walker hung his head in dejection, and Henry Carter remained silent—those with strength are more likely to be respected; it’s the same everywhere in the world.

Ryan Smith paused, then shouted angrily, “Sis!”

Evelyn Smith turned and glared at him, displeased. “I told you to call me ‘senpai’ at school. Are you deaf?” With that, she turned back and resumed her conversation with Emily Turner.

Ryan Smith’s face was dark. After a moment of silence, he said, “Mr. Carter, James, let’s go. We’re not joining the kendo club.”

James Walker exclaimed in surprise, “How can that be? If we leave now, your sister will definitely come after you later. Ah, no… Now that she’s at our school too, and she’s a big senpai, she might make trouble for all three of us…”

Ryan Smith was speechless for a moment.

Henry Carter gently patted his shoulder and comforted him, “Acting out of spite never solves anything, Mr. Smith!” This bit of coldness and neglect was nothing compared to the scorn he’d faced before—he actually didn’t mind at all.

“But this kind of humiliation…”

“This doesn’t even count as humiliation, at most it’s just being looked down on!” Henry Carter looked at Emily Turner, that little radish head, and smiled. His plan was to stay at the private Daifuku Academy for three years, then get into a top-ranked Asian university—or even Harvard, MIT, Stanford, or the like—learn some real skills, expand his network, and then return home. So this Emily Turner, who was full of hostility, was someone he couldn’t avoid—never mind that they weren’t in the same class, there were still some courses they’d have together, like tennis, kendo, swimming, home economics, and so on, where there was a good chance of running into each other.

He’d seen the class schedule. Many of these non-mandatory courses arranged by the Ministry of Science, Education, and Culture required enough students. For example, for soccer, Class B had thirty students, half boys and half girls—just fifteen people, so how could they play a practice match? They couldn’t very well have a mixed-gender match, right? Some courses also needed specialized coaches, and it wasn’t feasible to teach one class at a time, so these types of classes were usually large group lessons.

There was no way to avoid it, so he could only face it head-on. Besides…

Henry Carter recalled Emily Turner’s earlier roar, fierce as a little tiger, and her lightning-fast, meteor-like explosive charge. He was quite shaken—almost no man doesn’t yearn for strength, and he was no exception. People need to have strength; violence plays an important role at every stage of life. Only those who dare to fight have the confidence to speak loudly!

Maybe he should learn some fighting skills—it might come in handy someday.

Chapter 10: Borrowing a Book on the Art of War