My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

Fukuzawa Yukari swung her wooden sword in a fit of rage but felt a tremendous shock on her hands. However, the impact wasn’t from hitting Kitahara Hideji but rather a tree that appeared out of nowhere. The wooden sword plunged deep into the tree, causing it to shake violently, and leaves fell like rain.

She was taken aback, realizing that she had chased Kitahara Hideji into a small grove without even noticing it. Now, Kitahara Hideji’s figure was getting larger in her eyes, and the wooden sword was aimed directly at her throat. Despite the unusual circumstances, her reaction speed remained fast, and she attempted to use the long handle of her own sword to block his thrust.

She managed to succeed, desperately tilting her head back while using the handle to deflect Kitahara Hideji’s wooden sword. However, she couldn’t stop his full-force charge, and he managed to push her away.

She landed first, feeling a bit dizzy from the fall. Despite her fall, her body had some elasticity, which made her less injured than Kitahara Hideji. He was the first to regain his senses, forgetting about the difference between genders, and straddled her, holding the wooden sword high and ready to strike down.

But even in the heat of battle, he still had some sanity left. The wooden sword halted just before Fukuzawa Yukari’s neck, preventing any major harm.

A sudden calmness enveloped the space between them. The chilly wind swept by, rustling a few fallen leaves.

Kitahara Hideji gasped for breath as he looked down at Fukuzawa Yukari beneath him. Her large eyes still shone brightly, but she appeared dazed and confused, as if she hadn’t fully grasped what had happened. With her jet-black hair spread out around her and the pale streetlights casting a cold light, her skin looked fair and delicate, almost like it could be easily shattered… As he looked at the defeated opponent beneath him, Kitahara Hideji’s body trembled slightly with excitement. The hard-fought victory felt even more exhilarating.

She didn’t collapse under the vast difference in physical abilities, nor did she resign herself to defeat. Instead, she fought to win despite her losses, ultimately delivering the decisive blow.

The exhilaration was beyond words; it was something that could only be truly experienced through firsthand combat.

After lying still for a while, Fukuzawa Yukari finally understood what had happened. She glanced at the wooden sword hovering above her and murmured, “I lost…” With that, she sat up, and the victorious Kitahara Hideji, still straddling her, suddenly felt like the soft girl beneath him had turned into a wild buffalo. He instinctively tried to squeeze his legs together to hold on, but it was futile; he was easily thrown off.

Kitahara Hideji quickly got back on his feet, still holding the wooden sword cautiously in case Fukuzawa Yukari went berserk. However, he was surprised to see that Fukuzawa Yukari sat motionless for a moment before standing up. She didn’t seem to care about her disheveled clothes as she immediately knelt down and apologized, “You won. As agreed, I apologize and kneel before you. I’m sorry.”

Her readiness to apologize left Kitahara Hideji momentarily stunned. He felt his tension ease, and his grip on the wooden sword loosened, causing it to fall to the ground. However, he wasn’t accustomed to the Japanese custom of readily kneeling and apologizing, so he instinctively dodged to the side and humbly said, “This… It was just a stroke of luck. Please don’t take it to heart. In truth, Fukuzawa-san’s skill is far superior to mine.”

It was the truth. He had indeed won by a stroke of luck, thanks to the vast difference in their innate physical abilities.

After finishing her apology, Fukuzawa Yukari stood up nonchalantly, patting the dust off her skirt. She seemed unfazed by the whole incident. Curiously observing Kitahara Hideji, she said earnestly, “No wonder my sister lost to you. You’re so amazing!”

Kitahara Hideji scratched his head, not quite understanding. Wasn’t he much more capable than Fukuzawa Fuyumi, that little radish head? Why did it sound like he couldn’t beat her? Despite the praise, he politely responded, “I really just got lucky. Fukuzawa-san, you need not worry about it.”

Fukuzawa Yukari gently shook her head and said, “Losing is losing, and there are no excuses! That’s what my father often says! After I return, I’ll practice even harder and come back to challenge you again, to determine who’s better once and for all!”

Her face showed the determined look typical of children.

Kitahara Hideji pondered for a moment, wondering if surrendering now would be too late. He thought, “Do I have to fight again? Next time, I might end up in the hospital. Besides, we can easily tell each other’s gender, right? Isn’t this like stating the obvious?”

After Fukuzawa Yukari finished speaking, she picked up both wooden swords and put them back in her sword bag. Holding the bag, she said to Kitahara Hideji, “I’ll take my leave now. I look forward to the day we meet again! I’ll appear before you in a more perfect form, staking the honor of a swordsman! On that day, we’ll be evenly matched, and it’ll be a fight to the death!”

With that, she turned around decisively and walked away briskly.

Kitahara Hideji looked at her departing figure with a perplexed expression. What was all this nonsense? Was she praising his skills by saying we’ll be evenly matched? Fight to the death? Do we have such a big grudge?

Well, whatever. At least she’s finally going home.

But unexpectedly, after Fukuzawa Yukari took a few steps, she swayed and knelt down again with a soft thud under the dim moonlight. Kitahara Hideji was alarmed, thinking she might have been injured accidentally. Did she hurt herself when she leaned back to avoid his attack and lost her balance?

He quickly caught up with her and gently asked, “Fukuzawa-san, are you hurt somewhere?” He didn’t want to cause any harm during their minor conflict. Fukuzawa Yukari might be a bit foolish, but she was surprisingly graceful in defeat, even more so than most men.

Fukuzawa Yukari knelt there, holding her stomach, and looked up at him with teary eyes, saying, “I’m hungry, and my stomach hurts.”

Well, whose fault is that for going out to duel someone in the middle of the night without having dinner? Kitahara Hideji felt a mix of frustration and speechlessness. He was so overwhelmed that he didn’t know where to start with his complaints.

He helped Fukuzawa Yukari to her feet and asked patiently, “Is it very painful? Can you hold on until we get home?”

In the moonlight, Fukuzawa Yukari’s eyes looked pure and moist, making her appear pitifully charming. She shook her head repeatedly, dejectedly saying, “I can’t walk anymore. What should I do? ‘An army marches on its stomach,’ but I was so focused on having the monkeys bring me the wooden swords that I forgot to ask them to bring two rice balls. What a great failure in life!”

Kitahara Hideji looked up at the half-moon in the sky, surrounded by a halo. He couldn’t believe what he was dealing with. But he couldn’t just leave her here in the park, even if she was acting foolishly. After all, they were schoolmates. Thinking it over, he finally said helplessly, “Let’s go eat a bowl of ramen, and then you can go home.”

“I didn’t bring any money…”

“I’ll treat you!” Kitahara Hideji gritted his teeth.

“Ah, really? Thank you so much!” Fukuzawa Yukari perked up immediately. She seemed to regain all her energy, as if she had just climbed five floors effortlessly. She looked around happily and said, “Where is the ramen shop?”

“Let’s go. After eating, you’ll head home right away, okay?”

“Got it! No, no need. I can carry the sword bag myself. You’ve already treated me to ramen; I can’t burden you further.”

“Weren’t you just unable to walk due to hunger?”

“It’s not like I’m starving to death. I still have the motivation to move towards food… I wonder if there’s any food left for me at home. Probably not. The food at home is never enough. I bet even the rice are all finished.”

…………

Kitahara Hideji took Fukuzawa Yukari to a 24-hour ramen shop near the train station. Inside, the owner greeted them warmly and invited them to sit at the counter. He swiftly provided them with hot towels and barley tea.

Kitahara Hideji thanked the owner and ordered a bowl of ramen for Fukuzawa Yukari. As he realized he was hungry too, he reflected on how physically demanding their previous sword fight had been. It was like the ancient Roman legions, where the first line of skirmishers would fight for only about three minutes before being replaced by the second line. Such long-lasting and vigorous combat could mostly be found in novels or historical accounts.

Once the bowl of kantoduke-style ramen was ready, the owner placed it in front of Fukuzawa Yukari with a friendly gesture, saying, “Please enjoy!”

“Ah-ha! Itadakimasu!” Fukuzawa Yukari clapped her hands together with delight.

Kitahara Hideji glanced at her and noticed her flushed face, greedily salivating as if she was famished. Despite being hungry, she seemed far from feeling tired. He couldn’t help but ponder if the Fukuzawa sisters were just extraordinary or if he was now too weak physically, as he couldn’t overpower either of them.

It must be due to his previously weak body; the original owner seemed to be not very active. He wiped his hands with the hot towel and then covered his face to dispel fatigue. After taking a deep breath and placing the towel back on the plate, he looked at Fukuzawa Yukari, who surprised him.

“Where’s the ramen?”

“I already ate it!”

“And the broth?”

“I drank it!”

Kitahara Hideji couldn’t believe it. Did she really consume all of it that quickly?

Fukuzawa Yukari sniffled and pitifully asked, “I’m still very hungry. Can I have another bowl, please?”