Strike 4

Zero
Title	Zero
Kanji	ゼロ
Rōmaji	Zero
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Zero is Strike 4 of the manga.

Characters In Order Of Appearance

1. Sayuri Toujou
2. Hiroto Kurogane
3. Yuri
4. Kinoko
5. Sarutobi
6. Kakei
7. Shidou Hazakura
8. Tsubame Shiratori
9. Kamiya Tsurugi (actual appearance)

Characters Introduced

1. Yuri
2. Kamiya Tsurugi

Summary

Hiroto and Shidou join the Kendo Club. They are welcomed by Vice Captain Yuri, Kakei, Kinoko and Sarutobi and everyone is amazed to see Shidou there. They are then told to get ready in their uniforms. Shidou asks if Hiroto forgot to bring the uniform, but he replies that he is just a beginner. Hiroto goes to get the uniform but Tsubame is in the middle of changing her clothes and Sayuri starts teasing her which results in Hiroto getting slapped.

After the introductions, the physical tests for measurement of strength and other skills start. Shidou gets serious and tells to Hiroto that this is a match. The test to check speed was a sprint and the test for strength was swinging a bokuto. Shidou easily broke all records while Kurogane fell during the race and couldn't lift the bokuto. The last test was Hanging Bamboo Hell. It was a test to check overall kendo skills. Yuri asks Sarutobi to demonstrate it to others. There were bamboo pieces filled with water hanging from a tree and one had to either dodge them or knock them away in a time duration of 3 minutes. Sarutobi got hit 31 times and was scolded by Yuri for slacking off.

Kurogane makes the record of 0 hits.

Before Hiroto started the test, Kakei asked him to leave before he got hurt claiming that even if they are a weak team now, they will become stronger one day and he shouldn't underestimate them. He tells him that he won't let any half heart-ed guys to join and slow them down. Sayuri sarcastically responds saying that Kakei is not just any random cocky guy and claims that Hiroto is also like their club, who is weak now but will soon become stronger and lead the club to become best in whole of Japan. Hiroto asks them to let him do the test. Kakei, who was still angry with Hiroto starts his test by hitting a bamboo from behind in order to make him give up. But Hiroto easily dodges the bamboo and further goes on to dodge all the bamboos without even using his shinai. Everyone is surprised by this because Kurogane is supposed to be an amateur and this leads Shidou to wonder if it is natural talent. Kurogane easily dodges all the bamboos and creates a record of 0 hits in 3 minutes. Everyone is still shocked because it was the first time a record like this happened ever since that of Captain Kamiya. The captain comes there and states that he heard Shidou was a new member but there is also another member who can be trained well too.