Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Happy Birthday

September 3rd.

Today is the last day of summer vacation. Tomorrow, Teitan High School will begin classes.

Today is also the day of the karate exam.

Keita woke up early.

After getting ready in his karate uniform and carrying a bag, he arrived at the exam venue to meet Sonoko.

Seeing that Kogoro, who had an appointment, hadn't shown up, Keita asked, "Where's Kogoro?"

"She went off somewhere with that detective otaku guy. Don't worry about her. Do you have any plans after the exam today, Keita?"

"No plans. It depends on you."

"Hey, it's your birthday today. Alright, leave everything to me." Sonoko patted her chest, acting like she's in charge.

The karate exam generally includes physical fitness, strength, kata (forms), and practical combat. The physical fitness test involves running 3000 meters in 10 minutes. The strength test includes 20 push-ups and 20 squats, each with your own body weight. For kata, you need to perform the required form from the Songtao Hall.

The first three parts aren't challenging for Keita; his daily basic training exceeds these requirements.

Practical combat, however, is much more uncertain. In this part, participants fight in pairs, and ten pairs of fighters compete. Each fight lasts two minutes, and the first side to win seven rounds advances to the next stage.

In each exam, only 30% of the students pass, making it a highly competitive event. Some experienced students have black belt level skills but struggle due to bad luck. So, if there are more new students, passing the practical combat part is easier; if there are more experienced students, it becomes more difficult.

Keita is probably the youngest among the participants. Today, he just turned 16.

After completing the first three sections, it was already noon.

Keita had lunch with Sonoko, recharging before preparing for the afternoon's practical combat.

In the afternoon, the exam venue shifted to an open area.

The karate exam is also a part of the publicity, so there are some visitors in the audience seats.

Keita was the first to compete.

Candidates surrounded the ring, and Keita observed his surroundings. The candidates generally seemed young, indicating that the exam would be smooth.

A participant stepped forward, around 20 years old and somewhat lean. After bowing alongside Keita, under the referee's command, their match began.

At the beginning, both of them struggled to determine each other's strengths and weaknesses, cautiously probing.

Keita baited his opponent with an opening, exploiting the chance when the opponent charged. A feint, followed by a leg sweep, unbalanced him, and Keita then kicked him into the air.

First victory.

???

Kind of weak, isn't he?

Keita then went on to win eight more rounds. None of the opponents were a match for him, including the oldest and strongest-looking one who posed no threat and was knocked down with a kick.

In the final round, the opponent's performance was clearly influenced by Keita's momentum, resulting in an abnormal performance. Keita kicked him, concluding the match.

Ten consecutive victories passed the exam.

Keita's promotion to the first-degree black belt was a sure thing. The certificate and belt would be awarded in one or two weeks.

Keita changed back into his clothes and left the venue.

Sonoko rushed towards Keita, and he caught her, spun around, then set down the excited Sonoko.

"Sugoi, Keita. You're really amazing, ten consecutive wins! Kogoro only had nine in her exam. You're truly powerful."

"Right, right. Having a boyfriend like this, isn't it so reassuring?" Keita said somewhat arrogantly. "But, speaking of which, the opponents today were quite weak. Even though it's tough fighting against the people from the dojo."

"That's because you usually spar with people who have a second-degree black belt!" A frustrated voice came from beside.

Keita turned around. It was someone familiar from the dojo, a sturdy person who looked about 1.85 meters tall.

"So it's Daimu, you already have a black belt, right? Why are you here? Sonoko, this is a fellow student from the Higher Level Dojo, Daimu. Daimu, this is my girlfriend, Suzuki Sonoko."

"I knew you had the exam today. Most people from the dojo came to watch you bully the newcomers. Today, I'm leading the team, it's the first exam for new dojo members." Daimu draped his arm around Keita's neck and said in a low voice, "You, only 16 years old, already have a girlfriend. Damn reality show-offs."

"I'm a newcomer too, you know. Well, you're busy, Sonoko and I are going on a date. Bye." Keita shrugged off Daimu's arm. He's really too familiar, pulling Sonoko along as he walked away.

"Damn it." Daimu's eyes turned envious, a roar of a single dog escaping his mouth.

"Hehe, it seems you're quite popular at the dojo," Sonoko said.

"It's okay, I usually don't pay much attention to the people at the dojo. Where should we go now? Let me check, it's only a little after 3 PM."

"Amusement park, amusement park! Today's the last day of summer vacation, I spent the entire break making games. I want to make up for it."

Huh, an amusement park? A place where events often happen. Kudo isn't here today, so there shouldn't be any issues.

"Okay, let's go."

Sonoko led Keita to a theme park called Dorobika Land.

This theme park had just been completed, and many of its attractions were still being perfected. However, using the Suzuki Group's financial power, the yet-to-be-officially-opened Dorobika Land was opened to the two of them.

Cloud Roller Coaster, Demon Laboratory, Misty Maze, Adventure Pioneer Island—these places were filled with laughter and excitement.

Keita even went to famous spots to take photos, leaving Sonoko puzzled about why he was taking pictures behind houses.

Sonoko even suggested that she would recommend going to the amusement park to Kogoro and Shinichi together, saying it's really worth it.

So, you're the mastermind behind turning Shinichi into a child, Sonoko.

After their outing, it was already 7 PM.

Sonoko and Keita had a casual dinner.

After dinner, Sonoko suggested they go watch a movie. They went to a theater and watched a movie whose name they couldn't recall.

After the movie ended, hand in hand, they left the theater. The time was 11:59 PM.

"Ding ding ding, Happy Birthday! Didn't expect me to remember your birthday, right? Humph, I deliberately kept you in suspense. Here, this is your birthday gift." Sonoko took out a delicate box from her handbag and handed it to Keita.

"Really? Thank you so much." Keita's face lit up with a surprised smile.

Actually, Keita already guessed it. After all, it's so late and she's not going home. There

must be something going on. But Keita wasn't unappreciative; he still showed a pleasantly surprised expression.

Opening the gift, he found a wristwatch inside. It was a couple's model, matching the one Sonoko was wearing.

Keita put the watch on and showed it to Sonoko. "Take a look, it fits really well. Thank you, I really like it."

As the watch's hands moved, they steadily approached midnight.

Keita took out a bag he had been carrying around since early morning and pulled out a gift he had prepared long ago. "Happy Birthday, Sonoko."

Sonoko was truly surprised by this scene. She didn't expect him to remember after just mentioning it once.

"Ah, Keita." Sonoko hugged Keita in excitement.

Opening the gift, she found a pair of cute figurines. One was Suzuki Sonoko, and the other was Yoshida Keita. This was what Keita had asked his dad to draw when Sonoko went to get Yoshida Toshio's autograph last time.

"I wanted to make them myself, but unfortunately, the ones I made didn't look right. In the end, I asked Mom, Ami, to make them." Keita rubbed his face and blushed a bit.

Sonoko lightly kissed Keita on the cheek, holding the two figurines against her chest, her face turning red. She whispered softly, "I really like them."

Keita grinned and gave Sonoko a quick peck.

"Annoying." Sonoko lightly tapped Keita.