Rakudai Kishi No Eiyuutan Volume2

4/2/2015
RakudaiKishinoEiyuutan:Volume2BakaTsuki
RakudaiKishinoEiyuutan:Volume2
DeBakaTsuki
Contenido
1Illustrations
2NovelIllustrations
3Prologue:MemoriesofaDistantDay
4References
5Chapter1:Disciple
5.1Part1
5.2Part2
5.3Part3
5.4Part4
5.5Part5
5.6Part6
6References
7Chapter2:TwilightofDisaster
7.1Part1
7.2Part2
7.3Part3
7.4Part4
7.5Part5
7.6Part6
7.7Part7
7.8Part8
7.9Part9
7.10Part10
7.11Part11
8References
9Chapter3:AyatsujiAyase
9.1Part1
9.2Part2
9.3Part3
9.4Part4
9.5Part5
9.6Part6
9.7Part7
9.8Part8
9.9Part9
9.10Part10
10Chapter4:DecisiveBattle<FailureKnight>VS<SwordEater>
10.1Part1
10.2Part2
10.3Part3
10.4Part4
http://www.bakatsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Rakudai_Kishi_no_Eiyuutan:Volume2
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10.5Part5
10.6Part6
10.7Part7
10.8Part8
10.9Part9
11References
12Epilogue:GlacialSmile
12.1Part1
12.2Part2
12.3Part3
13References
14Afterword
15References
Illustrations
NovelIllustrations
Thesearethenovelillustrationsthatwereincludedinvolume2
Cover
Index
19
33
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53
66
129
75
142
218
159
271
101
201
280
293
Prologue:MemoriesofaDistantDay
Standinginthemiddleofadojodyedinthecolorofmadred,thegirlcalledouttothemanbeforeheragain
andagain.
Hervoicewasfilledwithdistress,butthegrizzledmiddleagedmanlaughedcheerfully.
"Hahaha,it'sstillahundredyearstoosoonforanopponenttoholdbackagainstme.Enough,justcome."
"ButFather.Latelyyourbodyhasbeen."
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"That'swhyIwanttoentrustthistechniquetoyou,beforeIlosetheabilitytoholdaswordcompletely."
Swaying,themiddleagedman,thegirl'sfather,readiedtheshinai[1].
"SinceI'mnoBlazer,Ican'tbeofanyhelptoyoubutwiththesword.Thistechniqueistheresultofmy
entirelifeasaswordsman.It'ssomethingI'venevershownanyone.Itwilldefinitelybeofusetoyou.
Acceptit,Ayase."
Theeyesofthefatherlookingstraightathisdaughtershinedinawarmercolorthanthemadredofthe
eveningsun.
Therewasnowayshecouldrefuseafterbeinggazedatwithsuchanexpression,becauseshewaslovedso
much.
"I'lldoitFather."
Andso,thegirl
"."
Killingoffherunease,shematerializedhersoulasanArmament',akatanawithascarletbladeredderthan
sunsetandmorevividthanblood.Grippingthekatanainbothofherhandsasifshewassqueezingit
lightly,thegirldashedforward,aimingatherfatherwhostoodbeforeher.Andjustasherfatherdesired,
sheswungdownhersword.
Itwassomethingthathadhappenedlongago.
Butrightnow,shehadalreadylosteverything.Nothingremainedwithher.Shecouldnotprotectanything.
Onlythescenefromlongagostillburntbrightlyinhereyes.
References
1. Shinai:apracticeswordforkendomadefrombamboostrips.
Chapter1:Disciple
Part1
"Wellfolks!Theseventhmatchoftoday'sselectionbattleswillnowbegin!
"ComingfromthebluegateistheonewhodefeatedtheCRankknight,the'Hunter'KirihiraShizuya,who
wasarepresentativeinlastyear'sSevenStarsSwordArtFestival.It'sthefirstyearFRank'FailureKnight',
contenderKuroganeIkki!Tillnow,he'shadeightwinsoutofeightmatches.What'smore,exceptagainst
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contenderKirihara,hereceivednoinjuriesinhismatches.Buttodayhe'llfaceanopponentofthesame
caliberastheHunter!
"Andthatis,appearingfromtheredgate,amemberoftheHagunAcademyStudentCouncilandatop
contenderofthisyear'sFestival,secondyearCRank'Runner'sHigh',TomaruRenren!Herrecordsarethe
sameascontenderKurogane,eightwinsoutofeightmatches!
"But,Buuut!contenderTomaruwasthirdamongthepastyear'sacademyranking!Inotherwords,sheisthe
thirdstrongestknightinthisschool!Willsheshowherstrengthtodayasherrankstates?OrwilltheFailure
Knightwintodaytoowithhismartialartspowersthatdefycommonsense!?Yanagidasensei,whatdoyou
think?"
"Toolong,sleeping."
"Thankyouverymuch!Wellthen,today'stopmatchhasstarted!"
Thebuzzerindicatingthestartofthematchsounded,andloudapplauseandshoutsspontaneously
resoundedfromtheaudienceseats.
Asthetargetofthosefrenziedechoes,twoknightsstoodinthering.Theboywhostoodstillwhileholding
theJapanesekatanatypeDevice,KuroganeIkki.ThegirlwhoequippedtheknuckletypeDevice,Tomaru
Renren.
Eventhoughthematchhadalreadystarted,Renrenwasdoingsomehopslightlyasifshewereplaying,and
calledouttoIkkiwithanaffectionatesmile.
"Kuroganekun.Isawyourmatchwiththe'Hunter'!Thatwasanawesomematch!"
Tomaru'ssmilewaslikethelightbrowncolorofhertannedskinitclearedawaysmoothly.Facingher
smile,Ikkialsogrinnedalittleinreturn.
"Thankyouverymuch.BeingtoldthatbythethirdrankTomarusanmakesmeveryhappy."
"Usinghonorificswhenwe'rejustchatting,youdoknowwe'rethesameage,right?Butstill,it'sstrange.
Eventhoughyoucanfightsowell,whydidyourepeatagrade?"
"Ahaha,wellthat'stherewerealotgoingonandall."
"Fuu~un.Well,Idon'tknowwhathappened,butit'sunfortunate.Itwould'vebeenmorefunifIwereinthe
samegradeassomeoneasstrongasKuroganekun~"
"Ifyou'retalkingaboutstrangepeople,thenisn'tthereSaijousanwho'srankedfourth?"
"Thatguy'snogood.Hehascrazyphysicalstrengthbuthecan'teventouchmewithjustthat.He'sjustan
electricfanbutstill,that'sthesameforKuroganekuntoo.Imean,ifyou'restrugglingsomuchagainst
someonelikethe'Hunter',youcan'tbeatme."
Tomaru'sgentlesmilechangedintoaferociousone.
"I'llshowyouthewaythethirdrankedfights!"
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Suddenly,herfigurevanishedfromIkki'sfieldofvision.
WasitastealthskilllikeAreaInvisible?No,thatwaswrong.Thereissound.Asoundoftherightbeing
kicked,somethingpassingthroughthewindwithunbelievablespeed.Ifhelookedcarefully,hecouldcatch
aglimpseoftheafterimages.
That'sright.Tomarudidn'tdisappear,shejustmovedsofastthatitseemedlikeshedisappeared.Thatwas
TomaruRenren'sNobleArt
"It'sMachGrid!ContenderRenrensuddenlydashedwithvictoryinhereyes!"
Thetrueformofthatirregularitywastheaccumulationofspeed.Byignoringthenaturaldecelerationput
onherbody,Tomaruisabletocontinuouslyaccelerate.
"I'veheardofitbefore,butforittobethisfast."
"Seeingitoncameraandseeingitlikethisiscompletelydifferentright?"
"Yeah,Ican'tcatchuptoit.Thereasonyoutalkedtomewhenthematchalreadystartedwasforthe
stepsright?Youaccumulatedtheinitialspeedwiththosehops."
"Bingo!Theweaknessofthispoweristheinitialspeed,yousee.Butwiththosepreparations,Icouldbright
upmyspeedtofivehundredkilometersperhourinstantly.Butfivehundredisjustthebeginning.MyMach
Gridshowsitsrealpowersaftercrossingthesoundbarrier!"
Exactlyasstated,shecontinuedtospeedtotheright,usingthewallssurroundingthering.Exploitingthe
abilitytoignorethelawsthatbindthisworld,shecontinuedtoaccelerate.800,900,1000,1100,1200!
Shefinallypassedthespeedofsound,andarrivedatthedomainofsupersonicspeed.
Herspeedhadlongpassedthelevelwherethehumaneyecouldfollowit.
"Doyougetit?Myabilityisn'tsomethingthatletsmedisappearliketheHunter.Ibecomebothinvisible
andimpossibletocatch!Kuroganekunwhowashavingtroubleagainstsuchanenemycan'tpossiblywin
againstme!"
"ThenifIcancatchTomarusan,willyouadmitdefeat?"
"Haha!Wellthat'sifyoucandoit!Butyoucan't!There'snowayyoucan!It'sunfortunate,but
Kuroganekun'sFestivaljourneywillendhere!Let'sgo,withthissupersonicspeedattack!"
BythetimeIkkicouldnolongerevengrasptheafterimagesTomarucameforwardwithvictoryinmind
whileputtingpowerintoherfists.MovingtoIkki'sblindspot,shereleasedastrikefilledwiththehighest
amountofenergy!
"BlackBird!"
Whilecreatingasonicboom,TomaruaimedherfistatIkki'sbackandletlooseasupersonicstrike.
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Inspeed,itreallysurpassedMach2.Itwastrulyaoneshotkillstrikethatfarsurpassedthelevelwhereit
couldbeseenwithone'seyes.Forgetaboutblocking,itwasnolongerpossibletoevade,orevenreactin
time.
Tomaruhadnodoubtabouthervictory.However
"Thatgirl'sanidiot."
Asmallbuiltsilverhairedgirlstoodthere,sighingasifmakingfunofsomeone.
ThisadorablegirlwhoremindedyouofabisquedollwasKuroganeShizuku.ABRankknightwhowas
Lorelie
calledWitchoftheDeepSea[1]becauseofherpeculiarmethodofwinning,bydrowningher
opponents.ShewasKuroganeIkki'syoungersister.
"ThereasonOniisamahadahardtimewiththatpersonwasn'tbecausehecouldn'tseehim."
Butofcourse,herwordsdidn'treachTomarucurrentlyreflectedonherpupils.Itdidn'treach,butTomaru
immediatelyunderstoodthemeaning.
Eh?
Tomarusensedsomethingonherfieldofvisionthatcouldn'tpossiblybethere.Agaze.Inthethinjuncture
oftime,shefeltsomethingthatstuckhergaze.ItwasthegazeofIkki'seyes,whichhadcaughther
movementseventhoughshewasinsupersonicspeed!
NNoway!?Hereacted!?
Thenextmoment,Ikki'sfigurevanishedfrominfrontofthefistTomarustruckout.Thesupersonicpunch
hittheair,andtheirfiguresintersected.Withthempassingbyeachother,Ikkigrabbedthescuffof
Tomaru'swindbreakerandbyusinghersupersonicpropulsion,herotatedherwithonefullswing
Andwiththatmomentum,heslammedTomaruonthestonesurfaceofthering.
"Kuhugh"
AndablacktipwaspointedtowardsTomaru,wholostherbreathafterthatimpactonherback.
"It'smywin."
"."
Tomaru,whohadcollapsed,couldnotunderstandwhathadjusthappened.Shecouldnotunderstandhow
shewascaught.
Butsheunderstoodthatshehadlost.IfTomaru'sMachGridwasstopped,itspropulsionspeedwouldbe
completelyreset.Shehastobeconstantlyonthemove.Shecouldnotbringupherspeedfromscratch
again.Thepersonbeforeherwouldnotallowit.
That'swhyTomarunoddedlightly,andsurrendered.
"IIt'soveeeer!It'sovertooeasily!contenderIkkiwonitbyeasilybringingdownRunner'sHigh,thethird
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rankofHagunAcademy!It'shisninthvictory!FinallythehistoricmomentwhensomeonelowerthanE
Rankpassingtheselectionforthefestivalisnear!"
"Heyhey,seriously!?"
"ForthatTomarutonotevenbeabletotouchhim."
"WhattheheckiswiththatFRank?Whytheheckdidthatmonsterrepeatagrade!?"
"CCool!"
"AsexpectedofIkki.Amatchwithoutevenashredofdanger."
Amongthespectatorswhowereshoutingandcheering,oneslenderman,ArisuinNagistoodnextto
ShizukuandclappedforIkkiwhowasstandinginthelight.
"Intheend,hedidn'tuseIttouShura."
"Theresultwasobvious.ThereasonwhyOniisamahadahardtimeagainstthatHunterhadnothingtodo
withwhetherornothecouldseehim.Itwasbecausehehadalongrangedbowinadditiontohisperfect
stealth.Itdoesn'tmatterhowfastsheis,orifhecan'tseeher.There'snowayshewillbeunharmedafter
steppingintothefieldofOniisama'suniqueswordsmanship."
ForsomeoneofIkki'slevelofskill,itwasalreadyacloserangedbarrierofswordstrikes.Iftherewas
somethingcloseby,asamurai'ssharpenedsixthsensewilldefinitelyreacttoit,nomatterifitisvisibleor
invisible,fastorslow.FailingtoreadthatwasthereasonwhyTomarulost.
"Goodjob,Ikki."
Ikki,whowasleavingthearenasawavividlyredhairedgirlstandingnexttothebluegateasshe
welcomedhimback.
"MyrighthandonlyfeelsabitdisjointedIdidn'tfightsohardthatIwouldfeeltired.Stella,doyourbest
too."
"There'snoneedtotrymybestthough."
Afterreplyingwithavoicefilledwithconfidence,thegirlenteredthearena.
"Folks,withthelingeringfeelingsofexcitementremainingfrombefore,it'stimetostarttoday'seighth
selectionmatch!EnteringthearenawithherblazingredhairswayingisHagunacademy'sonlyARank
knight!The'CrimsonPrincess',contenderStellaVermillion!LikeherroommatetheFailureKnight,she
alsohaseightwinswithnolosses!Allofthosematchesendedwithheropponentswithdrawing!The
sensationalsupernovawhowonthroughwithjustherpressure,goingthroughallthematcheswithoutany
decentbattles.Buuut!TodayheropponentistheHanaikiBaffalo!"
EnteringthearenafromtheredgatefromwhereTomaruhadgonethroughwasagiantwithashavedhead
andauniformwithahighhelm.
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"RankedfourthinourHagunacademyandamemberofthestudentcounsel,theCRankknightnicknamed
'Destroyer',contenderSaijouIkazuchi!Havingwonthroughanexcellentrunofmatches,heleisurelystands
infrontofcontestantVermillion!Thereisnosignofthetensionorexcitementthathadbeenseenfromthe
otherswhofoughtcontenderVermillion!Onlytheglaringattheopponenthehastodefeat!Justlikethe
wallnewspaperclubguaranteed,NorunningawayforJapanesemen',helivesuptothephrase!
CompletelyreadytofacecontenderVermillion!Coulditbethatthistime,wewillfinallywitnessthetrue
poweroftheCrimsonPrincess!?Now,withbothofthemsummoningtheirDevicesMatch,START!"
"UWOOOOO!!"
"Whoa!contenderSaijouswunghisDeviceZanbatou[2]immediatelywiththesoundingofthestartbuzzer!
Theforceissostrongthattheroarofthebladereachedeventheseatsoftheaudience!"
"I'llask,doyouknowmyability?"
SaijouaskedStellawhilerotatinghisZanbatouoverhead.
"Idon't.UnlikeIkki,Idon'tresearchmyopponentsbeforethefight."
"Hmph.AsexpectedofthefamedARank.DoesaCRanknotinterestyou?"
"It'snotlikeI'mneglectingyou.Intheendthisfight,andeventheSwordArtFestival,everythingissimply
trainingforustogrowstrongerandbecomemageknights.Whenconfrontingterroristsandthelike,it's
almostimpossibleforyoutoknowoftheopponentsabilitiesbeforehand.That'swhy,ifyoucan'tfight
withoutknowingwhatyouropponent'sskillis,thenthat'snogood."
"Youwon'tdotheinitialresearchbecauseofthat,eventhoughyouareafirstyear.Suchanoblewill.Be
thatasitmay,thistimeitisfutile."
*BOOM*
SaijoubroughtdowntheZanbatouhewasrevolvingoverheadtowardsStella.Therewasmagicemitting
fromtheroughswordthatclashedwithStella'sgoldenblade,Lvateinn.
Thereason'oftheblazerswasalreadyatworkthere.
"Myabilityis'accumulationofthepowerofslashes'.ThemoreIrevolvetheblade,theheavieritbecomes.
Thecurrentlimitistentons.Thereasonforyourlossinthisbattlewillbebecauseyouletmechargemy
powertothelimitsbecauseyoudidn'tknowofmyability!"
"It'stheCrescendoAxe!"
Accumulatingthepowerofslashes.Theslashesjustnowhadenoughforcetocrackopentheground.
However
"Butnomatterhowheavyyourslashesare,they'reuselessiftheydon'thit,youknow."
That'sright.Thiswasthereasonhelosestothethirdrank,TomaruRenren.Certainly,ifit'sattackpower
alone,CrescendoAxeisofthehighestclass.ButasforthespeedofhisfortifiedZanbatou,it'sdefinitely
notfast.HewastrulyaneasyopponentforspeedbasedfighterslikeTomaru.Andofcourse,Stellahad
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plentyofvelocityeventhoughitwasn'tasmuchasTomaru.Thistypeofattack,shecoulddodgeitwithher
eyesclosed.
"But,I'llreceiveit!!"
"WHWHAT!?"
*CLANG*
ThedownwardslashingCrescendoAxewasreceivedbyStella'sLveteinn.No,itdidn'tstopatthat.Stella
didn'tjustreceivetheslashfromtheZanbatou,sheusedhermighttopushitbacktoo.
"ImImpossible!?"
Helostinstrength.Saijouwasshockedatthatfact.
Yes,Saijoudidn'tknow,becausethesingletimewhenStellafoughtseriouslywaswhenshefought
KuroganeIkki,andSaijouwasnotpresentthere.Becauseheonlysawthepicturestakenbythestudentsor
theblurryuploadedmoviesonthestreamingsites.
ThatStellawassomeonewhocouldshaketheEarthitselfwithjustonestrikeofhersword!
"Itwoulddoyougoodtorememberthis,Sempai."
StellapushedbacktheZanbatouandstretchedherhandtowardthenowdefenselessSaijou,touchingthe
upperhelm.
"Power,talent,techniques,Iwillbringdowneverythingwhilefacingthemheadon.IamanARank
exactlybecauseIcandosomethinglikethat."
Instantly,fireblazedoutfromthehandthattouchedthehelm.Thecollarsnapped,andSaijou'sbodyblasted
10metersupintheairandthenfelloutofthering.
Saijou,whowasnowcoveredinsoot,layunmoving.Helostconsciousnessatthatclosedistanceexplosion.
"Thematchisover!Winner,StellaVermillon!"
Realizingthatfactquickly,therefereeimmediatelyjudgedthematchtobeoverandannouncedthewinner.
"AAgain,completevictoryyy!!EventhoughcontenderSaijoudaringlywishedforaheadonbattle,he
wasn'tevenanopponentforher!Thisisworldlevel!Thisisthehighestrank!Strong,waytoostrong!The
firstyearsthistimearewaytoostrong!!Ifit'sher,ifit'sthem!TheycouldearnourHagunAcademythe
crownoftheSevenStarsSwordKingafteralltheseyearsithasbeenoutofourreach!"
Whilebaskingintheexcitedshoutsandcheers,Stellaleftthering.
IthasbeenaboutamonthsinceTheSevenStarSwordArtFestivalselectionbattlesstarted,whenthe
seasonturned.
FailureKnight,KuroganeIkki.
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CrimsonPrincess,StellaVermillion.
Lorelei,KuroganeShizuku.
Withtheirconsecutivewins,theybecamenamesthateveryoneintheschoolknew.
Part2
"Congratulations,Oniisama."
AfterIkkicameoutoftheexitofthefifthtrainingarenawherethematchwasheld,hesuddenlyfeltalight
impactonhiships.
Afterlookingdown,hesawShizukuwithherjadecoloredeyesgivingoffherpresencethere.AndArisuin
wasbehindher.
"Thankyou,Shizuku.Butcouldyoupleasestophuggingmeinpublicplaces.It'sembarrassing."
"Okay.It'scutewhenOniisamabecomesembarrassedtoo."
"Alice,itseemslikemywordscan'tgetthroughmysisteranymore.Asexpected,doyouthinkthelackof
communicationduringthosefouryearsisthecause?"
"Fufu,thatmightbetheorigin."
"Ahhh!Shizuku'shuggingIkkiagain!"
AnangryroarsoundedfrombehindIkkiwhowasbeingfawnedoverbyShizuku.Theonestandingthere
wasStella,whocameoutofthearenaafterIkki.Afterseeingher,Shizuku'sangelicexpressiontwistedinto
somethingthatmadeherlooklikeshewasbitingonasourinsect.
"Whatisit,youloudperson.You'realreadygrownupsocouldyoupleasenotgoaroundscreaminglikea
kid."
"Isn'tthatbecauseShizukuisdoingsomethingstrangetoIkki!?"
"Somethingstrange?Idon'tunderstand.Asyoucansee,amInotsimplybonding?Right,Oniisama?
Aren'twesimplysiblingsthatgetalong?"
"YYeah.Butthedistanceisabittoocloseandit'sembarrassing.Alittlefurtherwouldbebetter."
"See,OniisamasaidYeah'."
Anoutrageousquoteminingjustoccurred!
"Therewasmoreafterthat!Whatisitwithyouandyourdoublestandards!"
"Idon'tknow.Idon'tunderstandwhatyouaresaying.Inthefirstplace,justthinkaboutit,Stellasan.Iam
certainlyclingingtoOniisama,butIamnotputtinginmuchforce.Firstofall,evenifIdidforceitwithall
mypower,Oniisamawouldeasilybeabletotearawayfromme.That'sright,ifOniisamareallydid
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dislikeit,hewouldhavedonethat.ButOniisamawon'tdosomethingsomeantoasisterwhoyearnsso
muchforherbrother,right?"
Right?ThosejadecoloredeyesofShizuku'sglimmeredwithmoistureassheaskedthat,notunlikethoseof
anabandonedpuppy.
There'snowayhecouldshakeoffsomethingsocute.
"YYeah.Iwouldn'tdothat."
IKKIII~!!!
"Doyougetit?Thisispermittedskinshipbetweensiblingswholoveeachother.
Stellasan,whodoesn'thaveanythingtodowithit,shouldn'tbuttin."
"II'mnotunrelated!"
"Ooh?Thenwhatkindofrelationdoyouhave?"
"TThat's"
"Intheendyouaregoingtosaysomethinglikeyou'rehisslave,right?Butif
you'rehisslave,thenyouquestioningtheactionsofme,hissister,isinthe
wronghere.Thepeopleofyourcountry,eventhoughtheydonotserveyoubut
yourparents,theyshowproperrespecttoyou,dotheynot?Orisitthatthe
Vermillionimperialfamilyonlyseeswhat'sconvenientforitself?"
"WWro,ugh,uuuu."
Stella,whotriedtorebutShizuku'sfierceattackonlykeptmuttering.Butwhatshetriedtosay,Ikkiknewit.
That'sright.Theirrelation,itchangedonthatnightonemonthago.Fromsimpleroommates,itchangedto
beinglovers.AndStellawasaprincess,evenifherswasasmallcountry.Theydidn'thavethesocial
standingtobeabletoannouncesuchathinginpublic.Ofcourse,Ikkiwasalsoawareofthat.That'swhy
theydecidedtohidetheirrelationfornow.
Buttherewasnowomaninthisworldthatwouldpermitherlovertohavearelationshipthatobviously
passedthebordersoflove,evenifitwasherlover'ssister.Andofcourse,Stelladidn'tlikeiteither.Butshe
couldnotsayit.That'swhyshesankintovexedsilence.
AndShizukuglancedatthatStellalookingabitdisappointed.
"Coward."
"Eh?Shizuku?"
"It'snothing.Then,shallwego,Oniisama?"
"Uh"
StellasentaglancefilledwithjealousytowardsShizuku,whowasnowdraggingIkkiaway.
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"UUU!"
Seemslikeshewascryingalittle.Itwasabitcute.
"Grrrr!"
She'sgrowling!?
"HHeyShizuku.AsIthought,lockingarmswithmysisteratthisageandinschoolaswell,it'sabittoo
embarrassing."
Sensingtheincomingdanger,hetriedtoshakeShizukuoff.
Shizukulookedabitdissatisfied,butsheremovedherarmimmediately.
"Iunderstand,OniisamaIwouldn'twanttobehatedbyOniisamaafterall."
"There'snowayIcouldhateyou."
Hedeniedthatpart.Hecouldneverhatehislittlesisterwholovedhimsomuch.Andthatwillnotchange,
nomatterwhatwouldhappen.
Athiswords,Shizukusmiledalittle.
"Thankyou.Butstill,Oniisama"
Shestoppedspeakingonceandthenwhisperedinavoicethatcouldn'tbeheardbyanyoneotherthanIkki.
"Ifyouaretookind,thenyouwon'tbeabletogoforwardevenifyoutry."
Itseemslikethisgoodyoungersisterofhisalreadyguessedsomething.
Won'tgoforwardevenifItry,isit.
Certainly,itwasexactlyasshesaid.IkkihasbeenStella'sloverforaboutamonth.Buttheirrelationship
hasn'tprogressedevenabit.Rather,itfeelslikeitretreatedafewsteps.Withhimbeingherboyfriend,he
feltoverlyconsciousofher.
Hewantedtobecloser.Hewantedtotouchhermore.Hiswantedtosteponthenextlevel.However,he
didn'tknowwhenheshouldmakehismove.Howexactlyshouldheexplainthissituation?Shouldthey
bothdiscussthissituationproperlylikeacompanymeeting?Orshouldhemakehismovewhilehavinga
randomconversation?
Idon'tgetit.
Ikkiwhohadnoexperiencewiththeoppositesexwasn'tabletoreadthetimingsatall.
AndthemorehopelessfactwasthatStellawasthesameinthatfield.It'sliketheyweresailingthedeep
blueseaswithoutacompass.Ofcourse,itwouldturnintoadisaster.
LikeShizukusaid,shouldtheguybemoreaggressiveinthesecases?
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ButifthatmadeStellahatehimnocando.Hecouldn'tbeforceful.Asaresult,Ikkiwasn'tabletotouch
Stellaevenonceinthelastmonth.
HaaI'dliketogetakisssoonthough.
Thefactthattheyfeltmoredistantthanbeforetheystarteddatingwasabittoolonely.
Part3
"Ah!Heylookatthat."
"It'stheCrimsonPrincess.TheLoreleiandtheFailureKnightarealsowithher."
"Theyreallyhaveadifferentairtothem,don'tthey?Thosethree."
"Whatareyouspoutinglikeyouactuallyknowsomething?Thosetwogirlsaside,thatFailureKnight'sjust
anFRankwithabitofluck,that'sall."
"You,you'restillsayingstufflikethat?"
"Rather,didyouhearguys?IheardthatVermillionandtheKuroganebrotherbothdefeatedthosefourth
andthirdrankedstudentcouncilmemberseasily."
"Seriously?Thenthere'sonlythe'ScharlachFrau'andthepresidentleftabovethem!"
"Well,thosetwoaredoingexcellentlyinHagunAcademy,andiftheirluckdoesn'tturndownhillfromnow
ontheirplaceintherepresentativesisalmostcertain.AndtheKuroganesisteralsohasconsecutivewins."
"Thisyear'sfirstyearsarereallysomething,huh.ThattalldudebehindtheWitchoftheDeepSea.Isn'the
alsoamazing?"
"Heyyou,don'tcallhimthatdude'!Nagisamahasacoolnickname,'BlackSonia'!"
"That'sright!Ican'tbelieveyoujustcalledourNagisamathatdude'!"
"HHuh.SorryIguess."
"Thatmanytalentsgatheredtogetherinthefirstyearalone.Thisyear,Hagunmightactuallydoit."
AsIkki'sgroupheadedtowardsthemainschoolbuildingfromthefiftharena,theyfeltvariouskindsof
gazesonthem.Ithadalreadybeenamonthsincetheselectionbattlesstarted.Thenumberofremaining
candidateswasslimmingdown.Andamongtherest,thefourwhoreignedundefeatedwouldobviously
gatherattention.
EspeciallyIkki,hewasattractingalotofscrutiny.TheFailureKnightwhowasadvancingbyleapsand
boundsafterdefeatingtheHuntershockedthestudentbodyofHagunAcademybeyondmeasure.Knights
whoboastedabouttheirtalentsweredefeatedoneafteranotherbythepersonwhowasrankedFnomatter
howyouevaluatedhisability.Atfirst,thestudentscouldnotacceptthescenestheysawasreality,butafter
thesamethinghappenedninetimes,theyhadnochoicebuttoacceptit.Ikkiwasnolongerafraudlikethey
calledhimbefore.Theycouldnolongerseehimlikethat.
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Itwasenoughtoraiseasenseofinferiorityinafewothers.Now,almostalloftheknightscouldonlybe
perplexedatthishereticalfailureofaknight,andonlyguessjusthowmuchhigherhecouldclimb.
Seeingthat,Stellastartedtobraghappily.
"Fufun.SeemsliketheotheridiotsfinallynoticedIkki'sstrength."
"Ofcourse.MyOniisamaisthemostfantasticpersonintheworld,tothepointwherethoserealizingit
nowcanbeconsideredwaytooslow.Butstill,thingshavereallychangedinthepastmonth.Therearealot
ofpeoplecomingtothelunchbreaklecturenowadays."
"Certainly.Iwassosurprisedwhenthethirdyearsempaisalsocame."
ThelecturetheyweretalkingaboutwastheoneIkkiwasforcedtostartgiving,beingpesteredbyhis
classmates.Itwasamartialartsclass.Ikkigaveclassesonvariousmartialarts.Ofcourseswordsmanship
wasincluded,buttherewerealsokodachitechniques,spearwork,andevenarchery.
OnlyIkkicoulddoit.Beingwellversedinmanymartialartsafteranalyzingsomanytechniquesof
differentenemies,hewasauniversalmartialartist.
Though,takingintoaccountthatIkkihimselfdoesn'tcountanythingelsebutswordsmanshipashis
speciality,andthathewouldn'tteachthestudentsactualtechniquesalongwiththeirskills,itwassimplya
schoolclassforfundamentalmartialarts.
Atfirst,itwasonlyafewofIkki'sclassmateswhoparticipated.ButafteralltheuproarIkkimade,the
studentsstartedtogetabetteropinionofmartialarts.Now,notonlytheclassmates,butpeoplefrom
outsidetheschoolboundariesalsocametohimforlessons.Thiswasalsooneofthegreatchangesthat
happenedfromamonthago.
"ButthebiggestchangethathappenedtillnowIguessit'sthat."
Ithadonlybeenaboutaweeksinceoneparticularchangestarted.Honestly,hethoughtthatifheignoredit,
theproblemwouldsettle,buttherewerenosignsofitendinganysoon.Hecouldn'tignoreitanylonger.
"Oniisama,whatdoyoumeanby'that'?"
"Yeah.ActuallyIthinkI'mbeingstalked."
""HUH!?!?""
AtIkki'sconfession,bothStellaandShizukuyelledoutsimultaneouslyinsurprise.
"SSStalker!YYoumeanthatright!?Theyfollowyouaround,andtheybreakintoyourrooms,andthey
shavetheirmustacheandmailittoyou!Thatkindofstalker!Right!?"
"Stellasan,you'retalkingaboutarazorblade.Whatintheworldwouldtheydobysendingtheirbeardin
letters?"
"Isthisstalkerbeingcarefulwithpersonalappearances?Seemstobequitethekindstalker."
"Shuuuuutup!Don'tsweatthesmallstuff!Rather,now'snotthetimetotalkaboutthat!"
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"That'sright,Oniisama.Couldyoupleaseexplain."
"Ifirstfeltthegazeaboutaweekback.Sincethen,it'sbeenfollowingmearoundconstantly.Alicealready
noticedthat,right?"
"Yeah.ButsinceIkkihadn'tbroughtitup,Ithoughtitwasokaynottotalkaboutit."
"WellatfirstIthoughtitwouldsettleitselfifIsimplyignoreditbutitdoesn'tlooklikethatatall,no
signsofleaving."
"Doyourememberdoinganythingthatwouldmakeanyoneholdsomethingagainstyou?"
"Nope.Idon't."
AskedbyArisuin,hesearchedhismemoriesbutcouldn'tfindanything.
Andthegaze,hereallydidn'tthinkitcontainedmalice.Moreonthelineofregretwouldbeappropriate.
"Thenmaybe,it'slove.WithIkki,thatis?"
"Ah,thatcouldbepossible!?That!I'veheardthattheresentmentofstalkersareusuallybornfromafeeling
oflove."
"Oniisamaisaknightwhostandsoutalot.AndI'veheardhe'sespeciallypopularwithgirls.Whengazing
fromafar,ifagirl'seyemeetswithOniisama's,shemightthinkthathewasinterestedinher.Orwhen
talkingtohimasafan,shemightmisunderstandafterexchangingwords.Theseareallquitepossible."
"Ikkiseemsextremelyclumsywhenitconcernsbehavingwithwoman."
"That'sright.Whenaskedforahandshake,hereplieswithaYeah,uh'.Morelikehegivesasubmissive
kindoffeeling."
BeinglookedatbyStellawhoseemstobefindingalotoffaultwithhim,Ikkismiledbitterly.Asthethree
said,Ikkiwithhisfeaturesandkinddemeanorwasquitepopularwithwomen.Andrecently,therewerea
lotofthemcomingtocheerforhimbeforehismatches.ButasforIkki,hedidn'tknowhowtohandlethem.
Hecouldn'tbesocoldasShizuku,whoruthlesslyignoredhergatheringoffans,norcouldhegiveproper
fanserviceandsternlydrawalinebetweenthemlikeArisuin.Hecouldn'tignoreallthosewhowere
supportinghim.Whentalkedto,hestoppedandkeptthemcompany,whenaskedforahandshake,heended
uptalking.Therewerealsoafewtimeswhenhewasalmostlateforlessonsbecausehewasbusywiththe
girls.
Anditwouldn'tbestrangeifoneofthosegirlsmisunderstoodIkki'sactions.Stellaandcompanyfrownedat
thatpossibilitybutIkkididn'tthinkitwaslikethateither,becausefromthegazeonhisback,hedidn't
feelanymalicebutneitherdidhefeelsomethinglikeaffection.
Ifhehadtosay,itfeltmorelikebeingphotographedwithacamera.
"IfitwassomethinglikebeingidolizedthenIwouldn'tmind,butforsomeonetotrytoundeservedlylay
herhandsonmyOniisama,wellwecan'thavethatcanwe.It'storturetime."
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"Whatareyougoingtodowiththatfeatherduster,Shizuku?"
"Isn'tthatobvious?I'llcatchthestalkerandhavehergothoroughticklepunishment."
"Itdoesn'tsuityou,thatcutewayofpunishingsomeone."
"Well,thethingbeingtickledwillbetheeyeballsthough."
"""THAT'SREALLYSCARY!"""
"Well,sinceallthisanticipationisbuiltupandIdon'tknowwhat'stheanswertothissituationbut,
welllet'sdirectlyasktheculpritshallwe?"
Sayingthat,Ikkiturnedaroundtowardsthestonepaththeyjustpassedthrough.
"Ikki,coulditbethatevennow?"
"Yeah.Eversincewefinishedjoggingthismorning."
Thegazethathasbeenonevenforaweek,asifobservinghim.Thatgazewascomingfromathickbushon
theothersideofthepaving.Afterlightlysighingonce,Ikkicalledout.
"Hey,thepersonwho'shidingthere.Seemslikeyou'vebeenfollowingmeforawhilenowbut,doyouneed
something?"
Heloudlycalledouttothestalkerwhowascurrentlyhidinginthebush.Asso
"Hyawaa!Ou"
*Pyon*
Asifflipping,thestalkerhidinginthebushcameout.
Eventhoughtherewasnomalice,followingsomeonearoundforaweekwasdefinitelynotnormal.After
allthis,Ikkipreparedhimselftoseewhatkindofsnakewouldcomeofthebushbuttohisgreatsurprise
itwasablackhairedYamatoNadeshiko[3].Inbothhands,sheheldsometreebranches.
"Ah,auau,wrwrong!It'snotwhatyouthink!IIam,uuuh,uwah~!"
Sheprobablyrealizedthatshehadbeenfoundout.Thefemalestudentwasconfusedaftershewassuddenly
seenthroughlikethis.Soonenough,sheturnedaroundandranaway.Butbehindthebush,therewasa
smallpond.
"Kyaaaaaah!!!Gyabu!"
*Splash*
Whileshewashastilytryingtogetaway,shetrippedandfellheadfirst.Andastrangesoundthatseemed
physiologicallytraumaticrangout.
"."
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Thegirlfloatedonthepondfacedownwithoutsayingaword.Andthenshedidn'tmoveanymore.
"Wha,YYou,areyouokayhell,you'redefinitelynotokay!Alice,helpmecarryher!"
"Ohmy,howawful."
WhileIkkiandArisuinrushedtohelp
"SuchabeautifulpersonisIkki'sstalker."
"ItseemslikethetimeIfinallygettousethisfeatherdusterhascome."
Theintuitionsofthesetwogirlswereringingrestlesslyafterthismeeting.
Part4
Itwasasmall,gloomyprivateroom.Theonlysourceoflightwasthesmall
desklamponthetable.Andintheroom,therewasagirlsittingonthechair,
andfourrobustmensurroundingher.
Allofthemenhadgrimexpressionsandtheyquestionedthegirlwhile
shouting.
"Giveastraightanswer!Youwerestalkingthevictim,KuroganeIkki!Isn'tthat
right!?"
"Youwerecaughtredhanded!Youaren'tgonnaspoutcraplikeyoudidn'tdoit,
areya!?"
Thepressingquestioningvoicesandthedesklamp'slightwhichseemedwaytoodim.Whileprevailing
overallofthese,thegirlfranticallyanswered.
"NNo!Thatwasn'treallystalking.!"
"Enoughwiththeexcuses!"
"Hii"
"It'sobviousthatyou'vebeentailinghimforaweek!"
"Andafterallthat,you'restilltryingtomakethingsup!?"
"Yeah!It'stimefortorture!TortureItellyou!"
"SStopiiiit~!!!"
"Ha!?"
Andfinally,thegirlsnappedoutofhernightmare.Awhiteceilingcoveredherfieldofvision.Fromthe
smellofmedicine,sherealizedthatthiswastheinfirmary.Itseemslikeshewassleepingonthesickbed
here.
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Atthatfact,thegirlrelaxed.
Thankgoodness,thatwasadream
"Waxpunishment,whipping,tearoff,bondage,stoneweightedkneeling."
Assheturnedherhead,shesawansilverhairedgirlwhisperingsuggestionsnearherear.
"Stakeandburn,drowningdeath,naileddown,madetowalkaroundtownnaked,triangularshapedwooden
horseah,areyouawake?"
"Thatstuffyou'vebeenwhisperingnearmyearsthat."
"Iwonder.Maybeyoujustsawabaddream.Oniisama,shehaswokenup."
Thesilverhairedgirl,Shizuku,calledtowardstheothersideoftheprivacycurtain.Afterhearingthat
voice,Ikki,StellaandArisuinentered.
"Ohmy.You'realreadyup.Iwasworried.Thatwasquitethebump.AsexpectedofShizuku'shealing
magic."
"Sinceitwasn'taninjurycausedinamatch,wecouldn'tusethecapsule,butthankgodnessShizukuwas
there.So,doesitstillhurt?"
Afterlookingleftandright,thegirlcompletelygraspedthesituation.Shefellheadfirstinthepondand
bumpedherhead,andthosefellowscarriedherallthewaytotheinfirmaryandtreatedher.
"NNo,that'sI'mokay.Thanksfortakingcareofme."
Assheslowlygotupfromthebed,shebowedandshowedhergratitudetoIkkiandtheothers.
Shereallywasakindstalker.Butwhywasitthatshewasn'tmeetinganyone'seyes,andkeptaverting
them?
"Well,Iwasverysurprisedaboutthatinjury.It'sagoodthingthatitwasn'tserious.Butwhydoyoukeep
avertingyoureyes?"
"PPleasedon'tmindit.TThere'sareallypersonalreasonforthis."
Shesoundedprettynervouswhileanswering.Andnoweventhestateofherbodywasobviouslytensed,
andshejustcouldn'tcalmdown.Maybe,shereallywastailingIkkibecauseofsomeresentfulreasonand
nowshewouldn'tlookhimintheeyes.Well,itwasprobablyabouttimeheaskedthat.First
"Ifyou'reokaynow,thenI'dliketoaskaboutafewthings.Firstofallcouldyoutellusyourname?"
"II'mAyatsujiAyase.Asenior."
Anupperclassman?That'sabitunexpected.
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Maybebecauseshemadethatblunderwhentheyfirstmet.Ormaybebecauseshesimplycouldn'tcalm
herselfdown.Hecouldn'timagineherassomeoneolder.Butsinceshewasolder,hecouldn'taffordtoback
downorspeaksounreservedlynow.Hechangedtousinghonorifics,andaskedthethingthatbuggedhim
themost.
"ThenAyatsujisempai,I'llrepeatwhatIaskedbefore:whywasSempaifollowingmearoerr
Sempai?"
"WWhat?"
"You'renotjustlookingtheotherwaybutyourheadiscompletelyturnedintheoppositedirection
honestly,what'sthematter?"
Beforeheevennoticed,Ayasehadturnedtowardsthewallontheoppositeside.Herneckwasturnedtoits
limit,hecouldtellbyseeingthenapeofherneck.
"DDon'tmindit.IIt'snothing."
"No,ofcourseI'llmindit!?ThisisthefirsttimeinmylifethatsomeoneI'mtalkingtoistryingsohardnot
tomeetmygaze!?Whatisit?Istheresomethingonthatwalloverthere?"
"IImean.IIt'sembarrassing."
Shesaid,withavoicesolowthatitcouldbemistakenforthebuzzingofamosquito.
"Huh?"
"TTalkingwithaboyIdon'tknow,wwhilelookingeyetoeyethat'stooembarrassing."
Lookingcarefully,Ayase'sfacewascompletelydyedredtoherears,asifshewasonfire.
"WWhyisKuroganekunabletotalkfacetofacesoeasilywithagirlhejustmet?"
"Ehwhy?Evenifyouaskthat,Ithinkit'snormaltolookatthefaceofthepersonI'mtalkingtoina
conversation."
"NNormal.IIsthatso.Amazing.That'simpossibleforme.EventhoughIknowit'srude,Ican't
facestraightwhenIambeinglookedatsofixatedly."
Ikkineverthoughtthathewouldeverbecomplimentedbecauseofsomethinglikethat.
Certainly,Ayaselookedhiswayasifpeepingseveraltimes,butassoonasshemetIkki'sgaze,hereyes
immediatelyescaped.Seemslikesheherselfwastryingtolookthisway,butsinceshewassoembarrassed,
itdoesn'tseemlikeshewouldbesuccessful.
Andthatdidn'tseemlikeacting.ItseemslikeAyasewasaveryshysempai.
Thisistroubling.Ifpossible,I'dlikedtotalkfacetofacebut.
Ifnot,it'dbedifficulttoseethroughitifshelied.Ikkiponderedonwhattodo.
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"Well,ifit'susgirlsthenwouldthatbeallright?"
Suddenly,StellaandShizukustoodimposinglybeforeAyaseandspoketoherwithacriticizingtone.
"I'llhaveyouconfess.WhywasSempaitailingIkki?What'syourobjective?"
"TThatThatis."
"Isn'titobviouswhyagirlwouldstalkaboy,oraboywouldstalkagirl.Shewasobviouslypeepingathim
witheyesfilledwithcarnaldesires."
"ISTHATTRUE!?"
"TThat'swrong!Honest!"
Asexpected,itseemslikethereasonAyasewastailingIkkiwasneithermalicenoraffection.Then,whyin
theworldwouldshetailarepeatingstudentlike.
.Hmm?
Atthatmoment,IkkinoticedsomethingonthepalmsofAyase'shand,whowaswavingthemrapidlywhile
denyingStellaandShizuku.Calluses,aresultofswingingashinaiseveralthousand,hundredsofthousands
oftime.Seeingthat,Ikkiimmediatelythoughtofapossibility.
Thosecalluses,andthesurnameAyatsujinoway!
"Sempai.CoulditbethatSempaiisarelativeofAyatsujiKaitosan?"
Beingaskedthat,AyaseimmediatelywidenedhereyesopenandturnedtowardsIkki.
"CCertainly,AyatsujiKaitoismyfatherbbut,howcouldyoutell?"
"ThecallusesonSempai'spalms.That'sthehandofaswordsman.Andbesides,foryoutobeabletokeep
upwithmeandStella'sjogging,thatwouldn'tbepossibleunlessyouhaveasubstantiallytrainedbody.And
Sempai'ssurnamewasAyatsujisojustmaybe,Ithought.Butwhowould'vethoughtyoureallywerehis
daughter,andthatyoustudyinthesameschool.Thatwasquitethesurprise."
Stellatiltedherhead,seeingtheexcitedIkkiandwonderingaboutwhatcouldbesoexcitingaboutthat.
AndsheaskedArisuin
"Hey,who'sAyatsujiKaito?"
"Whoknows?I'mnotfamiliarwiththatname."
"AnonBlazerwhoisalsocalled'theLastSamurai'."
InsteadofArisuin,Shizukuwastheonewhoanswered.
"SincemostBlazersaren'tinterestedinmartialartsthatmuch,itisn'tasurprisethatAlicedoesn'tknow.
Butforpeoplewho'vestudiedtheswordevenalittle,thereisn'tevenasinglepersonwhodoesn'tknowof
thename'AyatsujiKaito'.Heisthatmuchofamaster."
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HeavenlyDragon'sContestTournamentoftheEastandWestMusashiCupTenthDanMatch
Hewasageniusswordsmanwhoparticipatedandwoninalltheworldfamousswordcompetitions.There
wasalsoarecordofhimsuppressingseveralBlazercriminalsinhisprime,despitenotbeingaBlazer
himself.
"Normally,evenapistolwouldn'tdomuchagainstaBlazerwhoisprotectedbymagic.Butbeforehis
sword,thathandicapwasnothing.HewasprobablythepersonwhogrievedovernotbeingbornaBlazer
themostbutsincehewassostrongwhilenotevenbeingaBlazer,heseemedtohaveboughtthe
resentmentofthemageknights,sohisfamedidn'treachsofarintotheworldofknights."
"ButShizukuknowshim."
"Becauseunlikemostmageknights,theKuroganehouseknowsthemeritsofmartialarts."
BecauseshegrewsickoftheKuroganehousewhichchasedawayherbelovedbrother,shedidn'tfollow
throughthepathofthemartialartstheKuroganehousetook.ButshestillrememberedabouttheLast
Samurai.AndtherewasnowaythatIkki,whofollowedthepathoftheswordmuchmoreearnestly,didn't
knowthenameofthegreatpioneer.
"WhenIwasakid,IwatchedthevideosofKaitosan'smatchesanddecidedtostudyswordsmanship.
Duringmiddleschool,Ievenwenttothedojotochallengehimdirectly."
"Eh?Isthatso."
"However,Iwasrefusedyouknow.Theysaidtheydidn'tdounsanctionedmatcheslikethat.ButI'mreally
happy,tobeabletomeetKaitosan'sdaughterlikethis.Kaitosan,howishedoing?Ishewell?Ihaven't
beenhearingabouthimlately,soIwaswonderingwhathadhappened."
Ikkiaskedwithanexcitedvoice.Butatthatquestion,Ayase'sexpressionclouded.
"Actually,becauseofaninjuryduringamatchhe'scurrentlyhospitalized."
"Eh.II'msorry.Iaskedsomethingrude."
"NNo,youdon'thavetoapologize.Youdidn'tdoanythingwrong.ForsomeoneamazinglikeKurogane
kuntoholdmyfatherinsuchhighregard,itmakesmeveryhappy.AAndthistalkisn'tunrelatedtowhyI
wasfollowingyouaround."
"Whatdoyoumeanbythat?"
"Aftermyfather,whowasalsomymentor,becamehospitalized,I'vebeentrainingintheAyatsuji
singlebladestyle,butrecentlyIseemtohavefallenintoaslump."
Sheanguishedoverhowtofollowinthestepsofherfather,hermentor.
"Butthen,IheardrumorsaboutKuroganekun,afirstyearwhousedastrangeswordtechnique.SoI
thought,ifIconsultedKuroganekunImightfiguresomethingoutbut"
Atthatpoint,Ayase'svoicethinnedout,andsheavertedhereyesfromIkki.
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"But,otherthanmyfatherandthestudentsinthedojo,Ihaven'ttalkedtoanyboyssinceIwasakid.
ThatIwaswonderinghowtoapproachyouand."
"Wereyouwereyoufollowingmearoundthewholeweekwhilethinkingofhowtotalktome?"
"Asembarrassingasitmaybe."
Uwah,whatareservedperson.
Almostlikearolledbunleftonthetablethatgrewmoldywithoutanyonenoticing.OtherthanIkki,the
threepeoplebehindthemwerespeechlessatherreasonforstalking.
Atthattime,AyaseonceagainbowedtoIkki.
"II'mreallyreallysorry!I'vebeenstalkingyouforsolong.Itcan'tbehelpedifyouthinkofmeasan
unpleasantwoman.BButIswearnottoapproachyouagain.SSopleasedon'tcallthepolice."
"No,it'snotlikeI'mthinkingabouthandingyoutothepolice."
Rather,hefeltquiteattractedtowardsthestrangeswordswomanhemettoday.Andmoreover,shewasthe
daughteroftheLastSamurai.Justwhatkindoftechniquesdidsheuse?Hewasextremelycurious.
"Erm,Ayatsujisempai.Ifit'sokaywithyou,wouldyoupleasetrainwithmeafterthis?"
"Eh?"
"We'rebothswordpractitioners.Maybewecouldcounseleachother.Andbesides,Iwanttoexperiencethe
swordoftheLastSamuraifirsthand.Justseeingithasitslimits."
"Isthatreallyalright!?"
AyaseimmediatelyjumpedoffthebedandgraspedIkki'shandwithbothofhers,andsmiledlikea
bloomingflower.
"Thankyouverymuch!!I'mreallyhappy!"
TheconfusedpureeyesshehadamomentagonowlookedstraightatIkki.Butshesoonrealizedwhatshe
wasdoing,andimmediatelysheseparatedandbackedawayaboutthreemeters.
"Ah,SSorry!FFormetograbyourhandlikethat,suchrudeness!"
"Ahaha,youdon'thavetobestartledjustbecauseyougrabbedmyhand"
Afterall,therewereyoungersistersouttherewho'dkisstheirbrotherattheirreunion,andprincessesthat
wouldtrespassintothebathwearingabikini
"Thenshallwetraintogetherfromnow?Thematchestodayarealreadyover,sowehavetimeuntildinner."
"Yeah,I'llbeinyourcareandcouldyoutalktomecasually?SinceI'llbetheonelearning,itwillfeel
weirdfortheteachertobetheoneusinghonorifics."
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"That's,I'mnotsoamazingtobecalledateacheryouknow."
"That'snottrue.AwhileagoKuroganekunsaidwecouldcounseleachother,buthonestly,Idon'tthink
thereisasinglethingIcanteachKuroganekun.Thusthedisciplehereisactuallyme."
Ikkishowedabittersmileatthat.Itwasasshesaid,eventhoughIkkicouldteachherstuff,therewas
nothingshecouldteachhiminreturn.Hecouldstealmostofhertechniquesjustbyseeingthem.More
humilitywouldjustbesarcastic.
Confirmingthat,IkkiacceptedAyase'ssuggestion.
"Okay,thenI'lldropthehonorifics.Butinreturn,talktomenormallytoo.Callingmeyourteacher,that
wouldputmeinatoughsituation."
"Yeah,please,I'llbeinyourcare."
Andthus,thestalkerAyatsujiAyasebecameIkki'sdisciple.
Part5
Afterschool,Ikkiwenttotheopeninginthewoodsbehindthecampusinordertotrain.Theplacewas
shadedwithtalltreesgroupedtogether,andtherewaslessconcretesoitwasquiterefreshing.Itwasthe
perfectplacetotrainduringthehumidsummerofJapan.
Afterperformingtheinitialwarmup,hebrandedIntetsuandstartedswingingit.Aftertracingtheform,he
beganimagetraining,creatingashadowmapinhisheadwhereenemiesarearound.Besideshim,therewas
alsoStellawhowaspracticingwithherLvateinn.AlittlefurtherawaywasArisuinandShizukuwhowere
usingakindofuniqueclaytocreateshapes,aspecialformofmagictraining.Duringthattime,therewas
almostnoconversationbetweenthefour.StellaandShizuku,whousuallyfawnedoverIkki,werealsovery
seriousduringthisperiod.Thiswasthescenewherethesefourtrained.
Butsince3daysago,anotherpersonhadjoinedin.Ofcourse,thatpersonwasnoneotherthanAyatsuji
Ayase.
"Fuh!Hah!"
AyasevigorouslyswangherswordHizume[4],aJapanesekatanawithavividblade,drawinganarcwithit.
Herfacewhensheusedtheswordwascompletelydifferentfromthecoweringexpressionshehadinthe
infirmarytheotherday.Withhermouthclosedandeyeswideopen,shelookedonlyatIkkiwithan
extremelysternexpression.Asexpectedofaswordswoman,themomentsheheldhersword,allherfear
towardsmencompletelydisappeared.
Rightnow,theyweredoingequalmocktrainingwithIkkiasheropponent,perhissuggestion.Ikkiwould
fightAyasewhilelimitinghispowertoherlevel,sincehewasthestrongerone.Hewouldonlyuse
techniquesofherstrengthlevel.
Andduringthistraining,hewouldmeasureAyase'sstrengthasaswordspractitioner.
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AsexpectedoftheLastSamuraiAyatsujiKaito'sdaughter,Ayasewasveryadeptatthebasics.Shecould
evenkeepupwithIkkiandStella'sjogging.Shemusthaverunforalongtime.Ayase'sbodywasperfected
asaswordsman,sowithanykindofform,shape,postureandbody,therewasnouneasinessinhermuscles.
Thetrainingfromthedaybeforewasalsopayingoff.Herfootwork,thevividredthatdrewthearc,
everythingflowedperfectlytogetherwithnointerruptionsatall.Itmusthavebeenaformengravedintoher
bodyafterpracticingitthousandsoftimes.
Butifonesaidthatshecouldn'thandleanythingbutthatform,thenthatwasalsowrong.Duringthis
practice,IkkitriedsomeseriouslyunderhandedmethodsoverandoveragaintotryandbreakAyase'sform,
butnotonlydidAyasedealwiththoseattacksappropriately,shealsodidrapidcounterattacks.
Neverforgettingtheform,whilenotbeingtoofixedonit.Ayase'slevelofskillinpracticalswordfights
wasunnaturallyhigh.IkkicompletelysawthroughthesurfaceofAyase,whoboastedofhardwork.
Throughthis,IkkifiguredoutwhyAyasewasinaslump.
"Ayasesan,let'sstopforaminute."
"Nn?"
AyaseparriedIkki'sdownwardslashingswordandwiththatopening,shewenttostrikeforhisbody.But
theredbladeofHizumewastightlyhalted.
"What'sthematter,Kuroganekun?I'mstillI'mnottiredyet."
Ayaseshowedconfusionatthesuddeninterruption.Hereyesdidn'tcalmdown,butshedidn'taverther
eyesanddisappearlikethefirsttime.Well,itwasnaturalthatshewouldgetabitusedtoIkkiafterthree
days.
"AsIcansee,theAyatsujisinglebladestyleseemstobeaswordstylethatemphasizesoncounterattacks."
"Eh,err,yeah.That'sright.Youcouldtellwithonlythatmuch?"
"Ididn'thaveamasteryousee,soI'veonlylearnedstuffbyobservingandstealingtechniquesfromothers.
SoasIwassaying,nowthatI'veseenyourstyle,Ikindafiguredoutwhatyourproblemis."
"IIsthattrue!?"
"Yeah.Ayatsujisan'sbeeninaslumpafteryou'vestartedtryingtofollowyourfather'sways,right?"
Ayasenodded.
"Yes.Ijustcan'tseemtoproducethesamesharpmovementslikemyfather.EventhoughI'vememorized
allofhismovesalready."
"Youshouldn'tdothat."
"Eh!?"
"TryingtomimicKaitosan,that'sthereasonforyourslump."
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"Areyousayingthatmyfatherwhotaughtmehowtousetheswordwasincorrect?"
Instantly,IkkisawanemotioninAyase'sburningeyes.Itwasanger.Shewasangryafterbeingtoldthather
teacherwastheonewhowasthecauseofthemistake.
ShereallyseemstotrustKaitosan.
Hewasabitjealousafterseeingthatshehadafathershewassoproudof.Whilekeepingthatsmallenvy
hiddeninside,IkkishookhisheadinreplytoAyase'sbitterwords.
"That'snotit.Kaitosanwasanexcellentswordsman.Idon'tdoubtthat."
"Then,whycan'tImimicfather'stechniques?"
Thereasonwassimple.
"It'sbecauseAyatsujisan'sgenderisdifferent."
"Gender?Doesthatmatter?"
"Ofcourse.Beingadifferentgendermeansyourbodystructureisalsodifferent.Andhavingadifferent
structurenaturallymeansthemusclecoordinationisalsodissimilar.Movementsthatbringoutthebestofa
man'spotentialformaredefinitelynotthesameasthemovementsforawoman'spotentialform.Themore
youtrytofollowtheopposite,thesoonertherestrictionscausedbyitwouldsurface."
"Ah."
AtIkki'scarefulexplanation,theangerfadedawayfromAyase'seyes,andunderstandingreplacedit.Ikki
wasn'tmockingherteacher.Rather,itwasbecauseherteacherexcelledtoomuch.Well,thereweresome
unavoidablefactorstoo.Inthefirstplace,swordsmanshipwassomethingcreatedformentouseinancient
times.
"Forthetimebeing,I'vethoughtofamethodonhowtoreformAyatsujisan'smovements.IfAyatsujisan
wantstocontinueherpreviouswaysoffollowingKaitosan,thenI'llnowforcefullyreformthem.SinceI
don'tthinkthatweshoulddoitifyouthinklikethateither.Becauseone'smentalityisabigfactortoo.
However,ifthemovementsarereformedthroughthistechnique,youwon'tbeabletoreclaimyourprevious
movementsafterwards."
Currently,Ayasewaspracticingaswordartthatwastunedformen.Soofcourse,herbodyrecognizedthat
itwasimpossibleanditwasconstrainingherpowerandspeedinvariousways.FollowingIkki'smethod,
shecouldsmoothenhermovementswhilediscardingallthestrain.Butifaswordswomanwiththeskill
levelofAyaseexperiencesthosesmoothmovementsevenonce,shewon'tbeabletorevertbacktoher
previousstate.Itwouldfollowthatshewouldhavesomeregretswhenthathappens.
ThatwaswhyIkkigaveAyasethechoicewhetherornottofollowhisguidance.
"."
Ayasespentaconsiderableamountoftimethinkingitthrough.Forawhile,shewasinaconflict.Butit
wasn'tlonguntilshemadearesoluteexpression.
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"Pleaseteachme!I,Ihavetobecomestrongernomatterwhat!"
ShelookedatIkki'seyeswithoutflinching,andrequestedforhiscooperation.Ofcourse,shewasstill
conflicted,butshewishedforstrengthnonetheless.
That'swhyIkkihadnoreasontodecline.
"Iunderstand.Leaveittome."
Ikkigaveatrustworthysmile,andtouchedAyase'sarms.
"Fuwahaa~!KKuroganekun!?"
Suddenlybeingtouchedsotightly,Ayase'sfacewentredandsheletoutastrangemoan.
AsforIkki,hehadacompletelysternexpression.Thatwasobvious,becausefromnow,hewasgoingto
adjustAyase'sswordstyle.Ifhemessedupafterhavingwickedthoughtsorfeelingawkward,thenthat
mistakecouldn'tbereversed.Theteachercan'tbeforgivenformistakes.That'swhatIkkithought.Ikki
didn'thavetheluxuryoffeelingreserved.
"FromnowIamgoingtochangeAyatsujisan'sformtothecorrectone.Itmightbeembarrassing,butbear
withit."
"YYeahI'lltrymybest."
Eventhoughherfacewassteamingred,sheendureditandbitherlip.
Ikki,whodidn'tevendropasweatwhilesparringwithAyase,wasnowsweatingfromhisforehead.Hewas
touchingalloverherbodywhilehavinganexpressionsoseriousthatitwasscary.Seeingthat,Ayase
understoodjusthowmuchIkkiwastryingforhersake.
There'snowayshewouldn'tunderstand.Soshecouldn'tbesoselfishastobe
feelingembarrassed.ThatwhyAyasekilledoffhershyness,andentrustedher
bodytoIkki.
"I'llonlyadjustalittle,sofeelthatchangeandconcentratetorememberthat
location."
"RRoger~Nn~"
Ikkimovedhishandsasifheweretouchingglassware,andcarefullyadjusted
Ayase'sposture.Loweringtheshouldersalittlebit,hefastenedherside.Next,
hetouchedthehealthylookingthighscomingoutofherskirt.Finallytouching
theinnerthighs,heopenedupherpostureabit.
"Fuah,hyan~uuu.~"
"Thethingwomenbenefitmorefromthanmenistheflexibilityoftheirjoints.Speciallythehipjoints.
Whentheybecomepregnant,theirpelviswidens.Sotheirhipjointshavetobethatflexible.Inotherwords,
theyhavehighermobilityinthatareathanmen.Thisistheweaponofawoman.IfAyatsujisanmakesall
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yourmovementswiththejointsofyourhip,thenyouractionswilldefinitelyspeedup."
Whilelecturingher,Ikkistrokedhisfingersfromherthighstoherkneesasifhecouldreadtheflowofher
muscles.Fromtheshameofhavingherhipsstrokedbyaman,Ayase'skneestrembled.Ikkihadthefeeling
hewasdoingsomethingveryrudetoher,butwithoutmindingthatandkeepinghisconcentrationfixed,he
continuedtheworkofminutedetailsandfinally.
"Yeah.Thisshoulddoit."
Aftercompletingthejobwhereinamisswouldn'tbeforgiven,helookedatAyase.
Ayasehadanexpressionthatmadehimthinkofanoctopus.
"Iwastheonewhodiditbutareyoualright?"
"I'mbokkay"
Andshewashalfcrying.
"Errsorry.Ishould'vestopped."
"NNooo!That'snottrue!InthefirstplaceIwastheonewhoasked,Kuroganekunshouldn'tfeelsorry!"
Afterwipingofhertears,Ayasesmiled.
"Andbesides,Kuroganekun'shands,theyweresobig,andgentle,andstrong.Likefather's,soIdidn't
hateit."
"Haha,whocould'vethoughtthatthesedirtyhandswouldbehelpfullikethis."
Eversincehewasyoung,Ikkihadbeenstudyingswordsmanship.Sotheskinofhishandswerequite
rough.Maybebecausenomatterhowmuchtheskinpeeled,orcallusesformed,hekeptswinginghissword
withoutrest.Butevenwiththatcomment,hishandsdefinitelycouldn'tbecalledbeautiful.Soheshookhis
headindenial.
"That'snottrueI,thatkindofhand,Ithinkit'sverycool.Iloveboyswhodrivestraightforward."
"Eh?"
Ikkibecamespeechlessatthoseunexpectedwords.
"Ah."
AndafterseeingIkki'sresponse,Ayaserealizedwhatshehadjustsaidandpanicked.
"That,now!Ididn'tmeanitinanindecentway!Onlyasapersonality!That'sit!"
"YYeah!Igetit.Don'tpanicsomuchortheposturewillbreak!"
IkkifixedthepostureofthedistressedAyase.Ifitfellapartafterallthatwork,thatwouldbetoo
unfortunate.
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"NnbutKuroganekunthisfeelsabittight."
"That'sbecausethehabitsyou'vebuiltinyourbodycannotbereformedrightaway.Youhavetopractice
andgetusedtoit."
Sayingthat,IkkitookoutIntetsuandstoodbeforeAyase.
"Fromnowonwards,I'llslashatyouwithmyswordjustlikebefore.I'vechangedtheangleinyourknees,
elbows,andhipjoints.Movebasedonthesethreepointsandtrytoparrymystrikejustlikebeforeand
counterattack."
"RRoger."
Ayase,whotookoutHizume,hadlookedtense.Guessingthatshewasready,Ikkibroughtdownhissword
withtheexactsamespeedandangleasbefore.
Then.
"!"
Justlikebefore,Ayaseparriedthestrikediagonally,andwiththeopening,shecountered.However,
whethertheactionsreallywerethesameitcouldbeconfirmedjustbyseeingthatthestrikewas
definitelyfaster.
Atthatfact,morethananyoneelse,Ayaseherselfwasatalossforwords.Asifshecouldn'tbelieveher
ownmovements,shelookedattheHizumeshegraspedinherhandswithterror,andthenatIkki.
Whew.Seemslikeitwasasuccess.
Ikkiwasrelievedthathiscorrectionswererightonspot.
Untilnow,Ayasehadusedherupperbodysheputstrengthinherarmstoblockthestrikes.
Butthatwasanerror.Ifitwasamale,thenhecouldfollowupsmoothlyafterthataction,butwitha
female'sphysique,puttingstrengthinherarmswouldnotbeenough,andafterthatitwouldjustbreakher
stance.Asaresult,thebodywouldonlystiffen,andthereactionwouldalsobeslower.
ButafterIkki'scorrections,shenowreceivedtheattackbyrelyingonherlowerbody.Afemale'stender
thighjointsweresuitabletoabsorbtheshock.Shecouldblockmostoftheattacksjustbyputtingstrength
onherlegs.Andsincetherewouldn'tbestrainonherbody,shecouldreacttothenextattacktimely.
ThatwasthemechanismthatresultedinasharpadjustmenttoAyase'sfighting.
"Aawesomeawesomeawesome!ThisisawesomeKuroganekun!!"
Perhapsshehadfinallygraspedthechangestoherbody.ShemadeabrightsmileandgrabbedIkki'shands
firmlywhilewavingthemaroundlikecrazy.
"TobeabletosolvetheproblemI'vebeentroubledwithfortwoyearssoeasily!Kuroganekun'salmost
likethatright!?APhDinswordsmanship,right!"
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"I'malsorelievedtofindoutthatI'mnotmistaken."
Nottoohappyaboutsuchashadydegreethough.
OtherthanShizuku,forpeoplewhocometothelectureduringthelunchbreak,hecouldnotguidethemso
directlylikethis.ForIkki,thiswasthefirsttimehehadtaughtsomeonedirectly.But,afterseeingAyase
whowasskippingintotaldelightwhileherbodyscreamedIdidit!Ididit!'withallhermight,despite
beingtensehewasgladhedidit.
*Foom*
Honestly,hewasmoretensethanwhenhewasinamatch.Itwasalsoaroundtentimeswearier,butitpaid
off.
*Foom*
Maybethiskindofjobwasn'tsobadafterall.
*FoomFoomFoom*
"Erm,Stella."
"Whatisit,Dr.Swordsmanship?"
"Forawhile,anamazingamountofwindpressurehasbeenblastingthisway,but"
Ikkiturnedsidewaysandlookedattheoriginofthewindpressurethatwashittinghisfaceforawhile.
There,hesawaStellaswingingaroundLvateinnwithapoutingfacesograndthatitwasamazing.
"Oh,sorryaboutthat.Afterseeingapervertwhowasbrushingagirl'sthighsinthenameoftraining,Igota
bittooirritated.Thankstothat,seemslikemyswordsmanshipisallmessedup.Sinceit'scometothis,
wouldyoubekindenoughtofixthatformenow?"
"O,OOkay."
IkkiwasoverwhelmedbyStella'sforcewhichwouldn'tallowhimtorefuse,sohenodded.
.ButIreallydon'twanttomesswithStella'ssword.
Afterall,Stella'sswordwas'aswordofthestrong'meantformowingdownherenemies.Comparedto
Ikki's'swordoftheweak'whichwasforoutsmartingtheenemy,itwasfundamentallydifferent.Hedidn't
feelliketherewouldbeanyresultsevenifhetriedtohelp.Butifhedidn'tcomplyhere,herirritationwould
onlygrowandgrow,causingaperiodofincessantpouting.
Withoutanychoice,butwithoutextractinghishands,heobservedStella'sswings.
Huh?
Atfirstglanceitmightlooklikeherswingsweretotallymessedup,butlookingcarefullyhecouldseethat
fromhertoes,toherkneesandhips,hermovementswerecompletelysynchronized.Thereweren'tany
uselessactionsatall.Stellahadprobablyintendedtomessupthoseswings,butbecauseofhersuperhuman
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perceptionofmotion,shesubconsciouslycorrectedthemovementsofherjointsandmusclesandcreated
themostsuitableformwheretheleastenergyiswasted.Thiswastrulystrengthdeservingofpride.
Tobeabletofindfaultswithsuchperfectswordsmanship,wasimpossibleforIkki.
"AsexpectedofStella.Someonelikemecan'tpossiblyfindafaultinyou."
"WHY!!!"
"Uwah!Why'reyougettingmadeventhoughIpraisedyou!?"
"IT'SNOTHING,YOUIDIOT!!!"
Ikki'sdemonlikeperceptionforswordsandswordsmanshipwereofnouseinexaminingtheheartofa
maiden.
Well,thatcouldnotbehelped.Hisbrainwasfilledwithonlypurethoughtsforbattles.
Part6
"What'swithhim!!Onlylookingatthatsempai!"
AftergoingcrazyandchasingIkkiaroundforawhile,Stellasatdownonthebenchinfrontofthelounge
besidetheplaza.Shizuku,whowasconductingmagictrainingonthenextbench,lookedatStella,whowas
obviouslyfuming.
"Maybehedidn'twanttotouchtheprincess'sfaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatthighs."
"IIt'snotsofatthatyouhadtodragitoutthatmuch!It'sonlyabitchubby!Andit'snotlikeIcanhelpit,it
wastrainedthatway!!"
Stellaprotestedthatsuddenandtotallyunexpectedevaluationwithahighpitchedvoice,butShizuku
avertedherfacewithanIdon'tknowanything'expressionandmadeanactionfigureoutofclaythat
lookedjustlikeIkki.
"Imean,ittotallylookslikeIkki.LikeIkki.Cool!Iwantone!"
"Nownow,youdon'thavetogetsonervous.UnlikeAyatsujisempai,Stellachanisonacompletely
differentlevel.Idon'tthinkthereisanythinghecouldinstructyouon."
"Mu!"
Arisuin'sfollowupwasspoton,andStella'sbrainwasalsoinagreement.Inreality,Stelladidnotneed
Ikki'sguidanceatall.
Butthatwasthat,andthisisthis.
Maybemyheartisthenarrowerone.
Ifherarmsandthighswerealsosquishedandstrokedbyanotherman,wouldIkkialsofeelthesameway?
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Wait!WhatthehellkindofrottenthingamIthinking!That'sdefinitelywrong!TThat!Squishingand
stroking!That'sonlyforIkki!I'llonlyallowIkkitosquishandstrokeme!
Itwasdisgustingjusttothinkaboutit.Stellakickedoutthatdelusionfromhermind,andaskedShizuku.
"HeyisShizukuokaywiththis?"
"Okay?Whatdoyoumean?"
"Imean.Ikkitouchingandstrokinganotherwomanallovertheplace."
"Iwaswonderingwhatyou'dask.OniisamaisteachingAyatsujisempaiswordsmanship.Unlikesome
othersow,she'snottryingtoseducehim,soisthereareasontosnarlather?I'mnotarabiddogyouknow."
Whileansweringthat,ShizukustartedtopainttheIkkiactionfigurewiththeacrylicpaintshehadbrought
outofherbag.Thiswasalreadyartsotraininghadnothingtodowithit.
"Andwhichmouthwastheonewhosnarledatmesomuch?"
"Thismouth."
Shizukupointedathermouthwithhertwoindexfingers.Trulyanirritableface.
"Stellasan,youseemtohavemisunderstoodsomething."
"Whatareyoutalkingabout?"
"YouseemtohavethoughtthatIwanttomonopolizeOniisama,butthatisaregrettablemisunderstanding.
MyloveforOniisamaisn'tsomethingsocheapandselfish.Tome,thethingthatmattersmostisOnii
sama'shappiness.IfOniisamabecomeshappy,thenIdon'tmindifhispartnerisn'tme.Ifthatpersontruly
bringsOniisamahappinesswithoutbetrayinghimormakinghimfeelsad,thenI'dbegladandblessthem."
ThisconfessionwassomethingcompletelyunexpectedtoStella,becauseshethoughtthatShizukuloved
Ikkiasawoman.
"Well,Idon'tthinkthereisapersonotherthanmewhocoulddothatanyway."
Sayingthat,ShizukusmiledatStellaprovokingly,andthenlookedtowardsthesquarewhereIkkiand
Ayasehadagainstartedtospar.
"OniisamaseemssohappyafterAyatsujisempaicame.TheotherstudentsandIaren'tstrongenoughto
learnsolidswordtechniqueswhileStellasanistoostrongforOniisamatoteachanything,somaybehe
wasfeelingabitunsatisfied.TheOniisamawhoishavingfunguidingothersisalsoverycuteand
fabulous.SoIguessIshouldactuallybethankfultoAyatsujisempai."
"Shizukusometimesseemssomature.Eventhoughyou'resosmall."
"Maybeyou'retheonewho'stoomuchofachild,eventhoughyou'rebiginsomanyplaces.Andyour
thighsaretoofat."
"They'renotfat!You'retheonewho'stootiny!"
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It'senoughifIkki'shappy.
Certainly,ifIkkiwashappy,thenthatwashappinessforStellatoo.Butstill,shecan'thelpbutthinkthat
shewantedtobetheonetomakeIkkithehappiest.
Butinreality,itwasnotgoingtoowell.Aftertheybecamelovers,shewouldbecometensejustbybeing
nearhim.Andtheyhaven'tdoneanythingloverlikeatall.Speciallythenightstheyspendtogetheralone
thoseweresevere.Justbymeetinghisgaze,herspinewouldgonumb,andshewouldbeunabletoevensee
properly.
WasIkkirestraininghimselftoo?Hewouldneverbreaktheirpersonalboundaries.
ForStella,sheactuallydidn'thatethatslowgoingtimetoomuch.Eventhoughshe'dfeelkindaitchyand
embarrassed,herheartwouldbeatfasterjustbybeingnearhim.Butshehadthatstrongdesiretotakethe
nextstepaslovers.
Shealsoheardthatgirlswhomakesboyswaitweresoonhated.Inthepastmonth,wehaven'tdone
anythinglikeloversatallhavewe?Thenwouldn'titbeokayifwereturnedtoourpreviousrelationship?
No,definitelyNO!
Shewouldcryjustbyimaginingsuchathing.Ifthatreallyhappened,thenshe'llneverbeabletobearit.
But,thiskindofthing,shouldthegirlbetheonewhomakesthefirstmove?Whatifshewasthoughttobe
indecent,orifshewashated?Nomatterhowshethought,thewilddelusionswouldcomeupagain.Shejust
couldn'tfigureitout.
AndtheworstthingwasthatevenifIkkimadethefirstmove,shewasn'tconfidentthatshewould
obedientlycomply.Sheunderstoodherperversenessthebest.Shewassure,thatshe'dgiveexcuseslike
howaprincessshouldact,orwhataprincessshouldn'tdo.
"Haa."
Eventhoughitwassoeasytoflyatanopponentwithhersword,whywasitsohardtodiveintoherlover's
chest?Thecouplesaroundtheworld,hermotherandfather,whycouldtheydoitsoeasily?Theyhaveway
toomuchcourage.
Whilethinkingsomethingsohopeless,Stellalookeduptowardstheskywhichwasdyedinamadredand
thought
HaaIreallywanttokisshim.
Itwasthemillionthhelplesssighthatshehadletoutinthatonemonthalone.
References
1. Lorelei:AsirenlikefemalecreaturefromaGermanpoem,whosebeautyandsongleadsailorsto
crashuponthecliffshesitson.TheJapanesetextusesthekanji,"WitchoftheDeep
Sea".
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2. Zanbat(,literallymeaning"HorseKillingSword")arefictionalbladescommonlyusedin
animeandmanga,knownforbeinglarge.
3. YamatoNadeshiko:Atermforthosewhoseappearanceandbehaviormatchestheidealized
Japanesewoman.
4. Hizume,:"ScarletClaw"
Chapter2:TwilightofDisaster
Part1
"Let'sgotothepooltomorrow."
Aftergettinghistenthconsecutivevictoryattheselectionmatches,Ikki
hadsaidthattoAyase.Itwasn'tlikehehadtheintentionofplaying
around.WhileAyasemightnothaverealizedit,becauseofthetraining
shewashavingwithIkkieveryday,herbodywasstressedallover,
especiallybecauseofherposture.Itwascorrectedjustafewdaysagoand
shewasnotusedtoityetInotherwords,shehadtorepeatedlyuse
variousmusclesshehadn'tusedbefore.
Thatwaswhytodaywasgoingtobearestday.Andinordertomakethe
bestofit,Ikkihadpreparedtheperfectmenu.Hewasgoingtothepoolfor
thatveryreason.
BesidesIkkiwhowaswaitingforAyasethatmorning,Stella,whoworea
whiteonepiecedressreminiscentofafrigidearlysummer,wasalsothere.
"OfcourseI'dcome.IfItookmyeyesoffyou,youmightsexuallyharass
Sempaiagain."
(translation(http://www.baka
tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?
f=44&t=9843&start=330#p246542)
"ButIdidn'tsexuallyharassher."
"Lies.Onthecontrary,youdiditjusttheotherday.Who'dnormallygoandtouchagirl'sinnerthigh?"
"IonlydidthattocorrectSempai'sposture.ItwasacriticalactionwhichifIbyanychancemessedup
well,Iabsolutelydidn'thaveanyfreetimetothinkaboutanythingfrivolous."
Stella'smoodhadturnedfortheworseoverthesefewdays.Naturally,Ikkiknewthereasonforit.Itwas
becausehewasonlypayingattentiontoAyasethesefewdaysThat'sprobablywhatshethought.Well,it
couldn'tbehelped.IfStella,Ikki'sgirlfriend,wasgoingaroundflirtingwithotherguys,naturallythat
wouldn'tfeelverygoodtohim.That'swhyheunderstoodhowStellafelt.Butstill
"HeyStella,Ihaven'tlookedatAyatsujisempaipervertedlyevenonce,believeme.I'monlyhelping
Sempaioutabitasafellowswordsman.That'sallthereisthereisn'tanyonewhodoesn'tneedthehelpof
othersfromtimetotime."
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Ikkihadn'tevenbeenhelpedoncelikethis.Theadultswhoshould'vehelpedhimallgangeduponhimlike
enemies.That'swhy,ifheeversawsomeonewhowasinneedofhelpandcouldn'tsolvetheirowntroubles,
hestronglydesiredtohelpthem.Hewouldhelpthemclimbthewalltheycouldn'tclimbalonebecausehe
knewhowharditwastoclimbitalone.
"That'sthereasonIamgivingAyatsujisempaiahelpinghand,andit'sdefinitelynotbecauseofsomething
likelove.Iswear!ImeantheoneIloveisyou,Stella."
"Ikki."
Withhercheeksdyedred,StellalookedupatIkki.Therewasatintofuneasedwellinginherscarlet
coloredeyes,whichwastobeexpected.Yes,Stellahadalreadyknownthat.Ikkididn'thaveanyfeelings
towardsAyasethatshouldmakeStellaworry.Themanshelovedwasn'taspettyasthat.Butstillshe
couldn'thelpbutfeelinsecure.Itwasbecausetheonlythingthattiedthatwasaverbalpromise.They
hadn'tdoneanythingtoshowtheirlovebutthat
Stella'slipsglossilymovedasifdesiringsomething.Thosepinklips,itseemslikeshecalledhisname.Ah!
That'sright,ifhecouldrightnowprovethathiswordsthatnightweren'tjustsomerandomtalk,sheshould
havemuchmoretrustinhim.
I
IkkidrewnearStella'slipslikeabeedesiringhoneyfromaflower.
"Sorryforthewait!Icouldn'tfindmyswimsuitsoIhadtosearchforit!"
""Uwaaaaaaaah!!!""
"What'swrong?You'rescreaminglikeacouplewhohadtheirloveaffairfoundoutonthespot."
Uwah!Deadon!?
ThebothofthemsweatedlikecrazyinfrontofAyase.
"IIIt'snothing!Right,Ikki?"
"Yeah!Wewerejustsurprisedbecauseyoucalledoutsosuddenly!"
"?"
Shetiltedherhead.Shedidn'tlookconvinced.That'swhyIkkidraggedthetwoandleftinahurryinorder
tochangetheplace.
Thatwasdangerous.BecauseofStella'sposition,theirrelationshipwouldbeaninternationalscandal.He
hadtobemorecarefulwhenhecreatedthatsteamymoodnexttime.
Butthatwasindeedregrettable.Otherthanthatonenight,thiswastheonlytimesuchamoodwas
creatednaturally.IfAyasewasjustabitlater,theycouldhaveprogressedtothenextstep.Ikkirealizedthat
hehadjustmissedanextremelyrarechance,andsighedinwardly.
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Part2
WithinthegiganticcampusofHagunAcademy,therewouldnaturallybeswimmingpools.More
specifically,two100meterpoolsinlength.Butthatday,thefirstpoolwasundergoingroutinecleaningand
thesecondwasbeingusedbyShinguujiKurono,theformerthirdrankintheKingofKnightsworldandthe
newdirectorofHagunAcademy,forspecialtraining.Thatwaswhythethreewenttothesportsgym
situatedneartheacademy.Theyweregoingtousetheindoorpool.
Boystooklesstimechangingthangirls.Thatwaswhy,afterchangingintostandardblackandredtrunks,
Ikkiwaitedoutsideforthegirls.Afterafewminutes,hesawStellaandAyasecomingoutwhilewearing
theirrespectiveswimsuits.
Ayase,beingoverlyseriousandoverlyshy,woreasportstypeswimsuitthatcouldhandlelightfitness.But
sinceshehadastylishlyfitfigurewhichshehadtrainedsincechildhood,thatswimsuitlookedcharmingon
herinitsownway,despitenothavingmuchcolor.
ButtheonewhowasreallyconspicuouswasStella.Sheworeadifferentswimsuitthanwhenshebarged
inIkki'sbathroom,ablacklacedbikini.ComparedtoAyase's,herbikiniobviouslyexposedwaytoomuch
skin,andwhenshewalked,thosevoluptuous,white,peachlikebreastsofhersconspicuouslybounced
rapidly.
Anditwasn'tonlyjustherbreastsherhipshadenoughsexinesstomakeazombiegulp.Aglamorouship
thatleapedupwitha*tsun*,somethingyouwouldn'tseemuchamongtheJapanese.Fromthere,abeautiful
leglineextendedwhichwastoodazzlingtolookstraightat.Eventhoughshehadsomuchphysical
strength,howintheworldcouldshemaintainsuchasoftandalluringbody?EvenwithIkki'sdynamic
vision,thiswasamysterytohim.Andadeeponeatthat.Hecouldfindnothingbutdarknesswhiletrying
toanalyze.
Andfinally,themostfascinatingthingaboutherwas.thewayshe
walked.Probablybecauseshewastrainedasroyalty,Stella'sattitudewhen
walkingwastrulybeautiful,likeamodelfeaturedbytheParisCollection.
YeahStellawassopretty.Withoutnoticing,Ikkiletoutasigh.Notonly
him,everycustomerrestingbythepoolside,andeventheonesswimming
onthecoursehadtheireyesgluedtotheforeignbeautythatjustmadeher
entry.
Stellashowedherfaceinthemediafromtimetotime,somaybeafewof
themknewher.Sowhilehavingallthegazesconcentratedonher,Stella
"Sorryforthewait.Boysreallydochangetoofast."
ShespoketoIkki.Instantly,Ikkifeltawaveofkillingintent,asifhewasbeingpiercedbyinvisiblearrows.
"Huh!Heyheyhey,what!?Thosetwobeautiesarewiththatdude!?"
"Impossible.Acutegirllikeherwithaweaklookingguylikehim!?"
"Heyhey!D'youreallythinkthecountrywillforgiveyouifthebalanceofacoupleissodamnridiculous?"
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"I'llfreakingkillthebastard!"
Imightdieanunfortunatedeathbydrowningtoday.
WhileIkkiwassweatingcoldsweat,Stellawassurveyingthewholepoolwithacuriousexpression.Since
theywerelivingtogether,hemighthavelostsightofit,butStellawas,infact,aprincess.Thismighthave
beenthefirsttimeshehadcometoacommoner'spool.
Thepoolwasonly50meterslong,smallerthantheonesatcampus.Itwasdividedintotwoparts,onefor
thecourseandoneforpublic.SinceitwasonlyJune,thereweren'tmanycustomersyet.
"It'squitebig."
"Vermillionsanisaprincessright?Thenthere'sapoolinyourhometoo,right?"
"Nope.Butifit'sourbaththenit'saboutthiswide."
"Wow!Amazing!That'sjustlikeacelebrity!"
"Wellactuallythatone'sforourservantstouse.Theoneforusroyaltyisalittlesmaller.Imean,it'slonely
iftherearetoolittlepeopleandthebath'stoobig."
NowthatIkkirecalled,Stella'sstyleoflivingwasn'treallythatdifferentfromanormalperson's.Well,other
thanthefactthatshewassurprisedbyinstantcoffee.TheVermillionEmpirewasn'tthatbigofacountry.
Maybetheroyaltytherelivedquitethehumblelife.
"Butstill,I'mrelieved.IwasworriedaboutwhatIwouldhavetodoifIhaddifficultieswiththerumored
Japaneserudeness,butsincetherearen'ttoomanypeopleI'mnotworriedanymore."
"Well,that'sbecauseisn'treallytheseasonforpoolsandall."
"Thenwecanhavefunplayingwithoutworryingtoomuchright!?"
Sayingthat,Stellabroughtoutabeachballwithanexcitedexpression.
"No.Wedidn'tcomeheretoplayyouknow."
"Eeh!Thenwhytheheckdidyoucometothepool?"
"WhydidStellacome?"
"Uooh!AndafterIwentthroughallthattroubletobringit"
"'Kay.We'llplayafterwefinishtraining.Butnoballsfornow."
"GuessIdon'thaveachoice.Butyouabsolutelyhavetoplaywithmelater!"
StellapassedtheballovertoIkki.Itseemslikeshereallydidcometoplaytoday.Strange.Hehadalready
toldStellathattheywerecomingtotraintoday.
"BythewayKuroganekun,whatkindoftrainingarewedoingtoday?Swimming?"
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AtAyase'squestion,Ikkishookhishead.
"No,well,we'vebeentalkingabouttrainingthisandtrainingthatforawhile,buttodaywe'renotgoingto
somethingsoheavyastobecalledthat.Yourbody'salmostatitslimittoo,right?"
"Thenwhatwillwedo?"
"Franklyspeaking,wearen'tgoingtodoanything."
"Eh?"
"You'regoingtofloatanddriftthroughthepoollikeajellyfish."
"IIsthatgoingtobeofanyuse?"
"Itwill."
Ikkiguaranteedit.
"Firstly,it'llraiseyourlungcapacity.Inasuddenfight,thisisvery
important.Thiswilldoforanaerobictraining.That'sbecausetheonewith
theleastlungcapacitywillmakethesoundfirstandlose.Forus
swordsmen,thisissomethingjustasimportantasphysicalexerciseand
strength.Well,fortoday,thisisjustanextrabenefit."
Therewasactuallyadeepermeaningbehindthistraining.
"Ithinkyou'llunderstandaftergoingthroughitonce,butwhenyou're
underwater,youwillfeelmuchclosertoyourself."
"?"
Ayaseprobablydidn'tunderstandwhatIkkimeant.Shetiltedherhead,whichwasabitcuteforher.
"Whenyou'reunderwater,youwon'tbeusingyourstrengthtostandup,norwillyoubeconcentratingto
understandwhatyousee.Simplyturnallyourconsciousnesstoyourself,andtrytohearyourownecho."
"Idon'tquitegetitbutI'llgiveitatry."
Shedidn'tquiteunderstandwhyIkkiwasmakingherdothis,butshedidn'thaveanyreasontodoubthim.
Followinghiswordswithoutcomplain,sheheldherbreathandsubmergedherbodyunderwater.Ifitwas
someoneproficientlikeAyasesan,thensheshouldbeabletounderstanditsmeaningwithjustonetry.
Ayasecouldprobablyholdforthreeminuteslikethatunderwater.
"ThenIguessIshouldgoputthisballbackinthelocker.Itwillbebothersometoleaveithereanyways."
Withthat,IkkiputawaytheballStellahadbrought.
Part3
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AfterIkkileft,itstartedtobecomeboringforStella.
ItwasnotlikeshehadanybadbloodwithAyase.Itwasthatshedidn'treallyunderstandmuchaboutAyase
andherswordsmanship,sotherewasn'tanythingtotalkabout.Moreover,shedidn'twanttodisturbher
trainingwithuselesschatter.
Bo~ring
Becauseshehadtime,shehadalsotriedtodothattrainingIkkimentioned.Shehadheldherbreath,and
hadentrustedherbodytothewater.
Itwasn'tpainful.Stella'slungcapacityactuallysurpassedthatofevenIkki's.Ifshetried,shecouldeven
stayunderwaterfor10minutes.Shewasalreadyonasuperhumanlevel.
It'ssoquiet.
Itwasn'tasifthereweren'tanypeopleatall.Therewereothercustomerswhowereswimming,andthe
merryvoicesofthechildrenechoedaround.Butunderwater,therewasnothing,Whenshelookedup,the
surfaceofthewaterfeltfarasiftheworlditselfwasinafarawayplace.
Ontheotherhandshecouldhearherownpulse.Thesoundofherpulsethatshecouldn'thearoutside
becauseofallthenoiseandracket,theflowofherblood,herneuraltractsshecouldgraspallthesemuch
clearernowthatshehadshutouttherandomthoughtsandnoises.
Whenyou'reunderwater,youwillfeelmuchclosertoyourself.
ThiswaswhatIkkihadmeant.AndforaknightasstrongasStella,shecouldunderstandthisevenwithout
himsayingit.Tobeabletounderstandthissensation,beingabletofeelyourconsciousnesspass.
Forexample,theactionofswingingasword.Thatwouldbeacombinationofswingingthehandthatwas
holdingthesword,connectingthemovementswiththefingers,signalsintheneuraltracts,theexpendingof
physicalstrength,swingingtheswordisthesameofwilling'allofthese.Inotherwords,thiscouldmakea
hugedifference.Ifshecouldn'tcontroltheseminutesno,nanosecondsworthofdetailsandactionsof
herbody,thenshewouldn'tbeabletousetheminrealbattles.
ButAyasecouldn'tdoit.Ifshecould,thenshewouldn'thaveforcefullytriedtousethatartificialformin
thefirstplace.Thatwasobvious.Shewouldhaverealizedwherethestresswasbornfrom,andwherethe
lossoccurred.Before,thereasonwhyherconditiongotbetterwasbecauseIkkihadcorrectedherform.
However,theconditionofone'sbodychangeseveryday.Whenthathappens,theonlythingthatcanbe
doneistoassimilatewiththatproperly.Whenoneisabletodothat,onlythencantheyreachtheirtrue
potential.
Forthatreason,thistrainingwascertainlyproductiveforAyase.ButforStella,itwasunnecessary,because
shewasatalevelwhereallofthatwouldbedoneautomaticallybyhersubconscious.That'sthereasonwhy
allherswingswereadjustedtotheverybestpossibleformtheotherday,eventhoughshewaspurposely
tryingtomessup.
ButI'mstilltoonave.
Splashingoutofthesurface,Stellamuttered.
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Untilnow,Stellahadbeentrainingherselfmoreearnestlyandsternlythananyone.Shethoughtthatshehad
pushedherselftothelimit.Butthatwasnottrue.Ikki'sIttouShura,thatwastheabsolutelimit.Shehadnot
yetreachedthatplace.Bringingoutherall,andusingitupwithinoneminute,thatwasimpossibleforher.
Andthat'sexactlywhyshelosttoIkkiintechnique.StellahasbetterlungcapacitythanIkki,ofcourse,her
strength,mana,firepowereverythingisfaraboveIkki's.Butshewasstillpushedbackandbeaten.Because
theirwayoflivingwasalsodifferent.EventhoughIkkiwasnowstandingontheearth,hewasinaplace
evendeeperthanthewaterwhereStellawas,adeepdarkseawhereeventhelightcouldnotreach.
AndthatwasIkki'sworld.Ifshecouldreachthatplace,thenshemightbeabletoseesomethingshehas
yettodiscover.
Stellaclosedhereyesslowly.Shewassubmergedunderwaterandalllightvanished.Onlytheburningfire
withinherremained.Onlyshewasthere.Shewaswithinthedarknessandthesilence,onthereceivingend
ofthevisionofherself.Butthatwasnotevenneartheendofit,thatdepthwasfarfromenough.Deeper.
Evendeeper,towardsthegreatdepthsofconsciousnesswherethe'CrownlessSwordKing'resided.
"Bytheway,isVermillionsandatingKuroganekun?"
"Guehghgh.*Cough*Cough*"
Stelladrowned.
Part4
"Ithurthsh,ithurts,mynose,itwent*tsun**cough*cough*!"
Whilepressingdownhernose,Stellacursedherincompetence.Eventhoughshedivedsodeepinher
consciousness,shecouldstillhearvoices.Thatwasenoughproofthathertrainingwasn'tnearlyenough.
Ikkicouldblockhissenseofsightandhearingwithhissheerwill.
Rather,ifshecouldcontrolherselftothatextent,IttouShurawouldjustbeajoke.Onceagain,Stella
realizedhowfartheplaceshewasaimingforwas.
"SSorryVermillionsan.Areyouokay?"
"YYeah.I'malright."
"ButthatexaggeratedreactionasIthought."
"TThat's!NNNothat'snotit!ThesecondimperialprincessoftheVermillionEmpiredatingthat
commoner!That'simpossible!"
"You'rereallynotgoingout?"
"Ofcoursenot!"
"Thenyouwouldn'tmindevenifIdeepenmyfriendshipwithKuroganekun?"
"Comeagain?"
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Herreplyautomaticallyturnedintoaquestion.
"WWWaitagoddamnminute!Didn'tSempaisaythatyouonlywantedhimtoteachyou
swordsmanship!?Andthatthere'sweren'tanymushyfeelings!?"
"Thatwasinthebeginning.Buthey,youknowhowKuroganekunislikeawarrior,somewhatcool.He
evenlistenedtotherequestofastalkerlikeme.Eventhoughhe'syounger,he'slikeanadult,right?He's
alsoverykindwhengivinglessons,oh,andprecisetoo.Forme,he'sliketheidealman.Andrecently,I've
gottenusedtotalkingtohim.Ifhe'ssingle,maybeIshouldtellhimthatIlo"
"NNooooo!"
StellascreamedunconsciouslyandinterruptedAyase'sproclamation.
"No!No!Neveeeeeeer!!!Ikki'smyboyfriend!Sonooo!!!"
Shewavedherhandsaroundinthewaterlikeakidthrowingatantrum.Shedidn'twanttohearsomeone
otherthanherselfsaytheyloved'Ikki.That'swhy,witheyesmoistwithtears,shedrownedoutAyase's
wordswiththeruckusandglaredather.
"AsIthought."
SeeingAyasegrinningwithanamusedexpression,Stellafinallyrealizedthatshehadbeentricked.
IImessedupbigtime!
"Ihadahunchthatthemoodattheappointmentplacewasalittletooloveydovey,butforittobeactually
true!"
"UghuuuSempai,usingsuchunderhandedmethods.Ithoughtyouweresupposedtobemorestupid."
"Vermillionsan,thatwasquiterude."
"Sayingthataftertrickingmethatwayyou'redefinitelygoingtohavetokeepthisasecret!Itthisgets
outthenit'sgoingtobeanightmare."
"Iknow,becauseVermillionsanisfamous."
"But,thatstuffbeforewasitallajoke?"
Ayasenoddedwithoutindecision.
"Itrulythinkheiswonderfulasaman,butIdefinitelydon'tseeKuroganekunlikethat.Thatwouldbea
greatbetrayaltowardsKuroganekunwhoisteachingmetheswordwithsuchdevotion.Ihadahunch
but.Ahh!I'mjealous!Iwanttofallinlovetoo~"
Ayasetouchedherblushingcheekswitha*pon*andhereyesglittered,asifshewereamaidenhavinga
dream.Stellafounditquiteunexpectedtoseeherlikethat.
"IthoughtSempaihatedboys."
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"That'sahorriblemisunderstanding.Iloveboys."
"Sempai.Youshouldn'tsaystufflikethatinaplacelikethis.Justnow,aboutsixpeoplehadsomelight
reaction."
"Anyway,Idon'thateboys.Rather,I'mjusttooconsciousofthemall.That'swhyIgetembarrassed.My
roommatesaysthatIseemgloomy."
ThisisthefirsttimeI'veseenapersonwhosaidthatwithouthesitation.
"Ahh~Butthat'ssolovely.Iwannafallinlovetoo"
"Thenwhydon'tyou?"
"IImpossible!Definitelyimpossible.Ifavirginlikemedatesaboyahh!It'ssoembarrassingI'lldiejust
thinkingaboutit.SoIjusthavetobesatisfiedwithmangaandlightnovels."
"Whatanawkwardinclination."
"Bytheway,doyouguysdonaughtythingswhenyou'realone?"
"Koghku!"
Stellachokedatthatsuddenfastball.
"WWWhatthehellareyouaskingsosuddenly!"
"Ireallywanttoknowhowitfeelsliketobearealcouple!"
TheimageofAyasewithherinsanelysparklingeyesoverlappedwiththeimageofoneofthosemediagirls.
Stella'simageofAyasebeingastiffkendogirlshatteredwithaclatteringnoise.Thegirlinfrontofherwas
nodifferentfromanyothergirl,amonsterwithaninterestforsensualloveaffairs.
"Wehaven'tdoneit.Moreover,Ihaven'tevenregisteredinhisfamilysothat'swaytoosoon."
"Isthatso?Inmangasforgirlstheydonaughtystuffallthetimewithoutallthatmarriageregisteringand
stuff,soIthought"
"Yeah,that'sright!?Speakinggenerally,isn'tnegotiatingmarriagebeforedoingthatobvious!?"
Stellawasrighttothepointofbeingsad.
"Butfromthewayyou'resayingit,youreallywanttodothisandthatwithKuroganekunright?"
SShe'sreallyapersonwhojustpushesrightin.But,nowaftershe'salreadygonethroughallthat,there
wasnopointofhidingit.Heruneasemightalsolessenthroughtalkingaboutit.That'swhy,evenwhile
beingdeeplysubmergedinwater,Stellaexpressedherinnerdesires.
"TThat's,Iwouldn'tgothatfarastosaythatmuchbutI'dlikeustobelittlemorelikereallovers,anddo
thethingsrealloversdo"
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"Thenwhydon'tyoujustgowiththatfeeling?"
"IfIcoulddothat,thenIwouldn'tbesufferingsomuch."
"Why?"
"Imean,foragirltosuggestthat,it'sindecent."
"Isthatso?ButIthoughtwantingtoflirtordonaughtythingswithyourloverwasnatural.Onthecontrary,
wouldn'titbeunnaturalifyoudidn't?"
Huh?
Nowthatshethoughtaboutitthatwasexactlyright.Itwasonlynaturalforonetohavedesiresabouttying
adeeperbondwithone'slover.Anditwasthesamethingforbothmenandwomen.
"Butstill,IthinkweshouldmaintainthepaceandifIbecometoopushy,hemightthinkthatI'malewd
girl,orhateme."
"Welllet'sjustsaythatthereissuchapace,andVermillionsantriestobreakitbybeingpushy,butwould
Kuroganekunbesocoldheartedastohateyoujustbecauseofthat?"
"HHewon't!"
"Thenwhat'stheproblem?"
"TThat'shuh?"
Itwasjustasshesaid.Therewasnoreasontoobject.Whydidn'tsherealizethissooner?Stellatiltedher
headwhilelookingatAyase.Couldthisbe?Thatblindnessoflove'thingy?
"Ithinkit'smoreappropriatenottowastethetimeyougettospendwiththepersonyoulove.Wehumans
arebeingswithlife',sonomatterwhat,therewillbeatimewhenwehavetopartways."
Ayase,withadrifting,adultlikegaze,spoke.
"JustnowSempaiactedlikeanactualseniorforthefirsttime."
"Bytheway,andthisisjustmyguess,butIthinkKuroganekunalsowantstodonaughtystuffwith
Vermillionsan."
"Why'sthat?"
"Vermillionsanwasobservingthepoolwhensheenteredsoshemightnothavenoticedit,butwhenyou
cameinwearingthatbikini,KuroganekunwasstaringatVermillionsanwiththosesuperpervertedeyes.
Hisgazefeltsoindecent,itwasfunnytowatch."
"!?"
God.ThatwasamistakeStellawouldregretforherentirelife.Sheshouldhavenoticedit.Shegrieved
overthefactthatshedidn'tnoticeit.
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AsStellawasbeingeatenbythatlumpydisappointedfeeling
"Huh?Ayasesanalreadyreachedherlimit?"
Ikki,whohadgonetoputawaythebeachball,returned.
"No.IwasjusttalkingtoVermillionsanabit."
"Isthatso.Oh,howwasit?Thatfeelingofpressingyourconsciousnessagainstyourself?"
"Yeah,I'veunderstoodthemeaningofthistraining.SoI'lltryabitmore.IsitokayifIgotryoverthere?I
needsomespacebymyself."
"Idon'tmind."
"Also,itseemslikeVermillionsanhassomethingimportanttodiscusswithKuroganekun."
"Wha!?"
Stellaraisedasqueakthatseemedlikeascreamatthatsuddenannouncement.ButasforAyase,winkingas
iftosayIt'smyapologyformonopolizingVermillionsan'sboyfriendthelastfewdays',shequicklyand
discreetlydistancedherselffromthepair.
"Idon'tneedthatkindofapology!!!"
Part5
AfterAyaseleft,IkkiandStellasatdownonabenchnearthepoolside.
"So,what'sthisimportantthingyouneedtotalkabout?"
"Erm."
Stellawasn'tabletoreplysoreadily.Well,itcouldn'tbehelped.EventhoughshewascoaxedbyAyase's
theoryawhileago,whenitcametoitthesekindofproblemsweren'tatheoreticalmatter.
WhydidshethinkthatifshesaidIwanttodomoreloverlikethingswithyou',Ikkiwouldhateher?Why
didn'tsherealizethatIkkiwouldn'thateheroversomethinglikethat?Stellaimmediatelyunderstoodthe
reasonforherlackofactionafterseeingIkki'sface.
Basically,shewasembarrassed.
Thatwaswhyshepretendednottorealizeit,makingupanexcuseandputtingthematteronhold.Or
maybe,shewasthinking,maybeIkkiwillbethefirstonetomakeamove?Somethingegocentriclikethat.
Butevenso,forhertogoandsayKissme'toIkkijustlikethat
There'snowayIcandosomethingsoembarrassing!
"Stella?"
"Ah,SSorry!Importanttalkright?Erm."
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ButaslongasherescaperoutewasblockedbyAyase,shehadtosaysomething.
"AAh,MMyswimsuit!ThebikiniI'mwearingtoday,howisit!?"
"Ofcourse,itlooksgoodonyou.Youhaveagreatfashionsense,andthatkindofbikinireallysuitsyou."
IkkismoothlyrepliedtothequestionStellamadeuponthespotwithhisusualkindexpression.
Butforsomereason,thatbotheredStella.Ayasehadsaidthatwhenhesawherbikinibefore,hehada
reallyindecentexpression.Sowhycouldhereplysocalmlynow?Forsomereason,italllookedlikea
faade.
"Actually,Ialsohavesomethingimportanttotalkabout."
"Ikkitoo?"
Thisisunexpected.Whatcoulditbe?
Maybehewantedanimpressiononhisswimweartoo.Thenhowwouldsheanswer?ForStella,Ikkiwas
alwaysthecoolestnomatterwhathewore,butputtingthatintowordswasn'tsomethingshecouldeasily
do
"Userm.Ourrelationship,isitreallyalrightlikethis?"
"Eh."
"I'vebeenthinkingaboutthisforawhile,butwehaven'tdoneanythingcouplelikethiswholemonth,it's
beenbotheringme."
Stellafeltthatthebodytemperaturearoundherchestareadroppedfivetimesuponthewordsthatcameout
ofIkki'smouth.
Wehaven'tdoneanythingcouplelikethiswholemonth.
ThosewerethewordsStellafeared.Thelineshewasafraidtoeventhinkabout.Butrightnow,her
boyfriendhadsaidit.Atthesametime,thecoldnessthatcamewithunderstandingenlightenedher.
AsIthoughtIkkiisn'tsatisfiedwithourcurrentrelationship.
Buthestillendured.Forawholemonth.
Helostinterestinme.
Thinkingbacknow,thatwasobvious.IkkihadShizuku.Healsohadabeautifuldisciple,whowasolder
thanhim.TherewerealsoothergirlslikeKusakabeandthecutegirlsintheirclass.AroundIkki,therewere
manygirlswhocherishedhim.Thereshouldn'tbeareasonforhimtocareaboutaselfishgirllikeher,who
wouldn'tlethimtouchherforsolong.
"So,Iwantedtotalkaboutus."
No!
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Sheunderstoodwhathewantedtosaythatitwouldbebettertoreturntotheirpreviousrelationship.
Shedidn'twanttohearthat.ShenolongerhadthewilltotalkwithIkki.Shewouldn'tbeabletobearitifhe
continued.
SoStella
"IIknowright!ActuallyIwantedtotalkaboutthatandnotmyswimsuit!"
TurningherbacktowardsIkki,hervoicecontinuedtoleak.
"IItwasobviousright,thiswasimpossibletobeginwith!Forroyaltyandacommonertobelovers!The
statusistoodifferent!EvenIkki,youlikegirlslikeSempaiwholetyoutouchtheirthighsandbottoms,
right!Ratherthanagirllikeme,whodoesn'tletyoudothat!"
"HHuh?WWaitaminuteStella!Whatintheworldareyousaying!?"
"WWhatdoyoumeanwhat!Breakup,it'saboutbreakingupright!?Youdon'tneedagirlwhodoesn'tlet
youdothatasaloverright!?"
"Wha!?"
Ikkiopenedhiseyeswideinsurpriseathersuddenoutburst.Forhim,hehadabsolutelynoideawhat
nonsenseStellawasspouting.
"TThat'snotitStella!Justcalmdownandlet'stalkitthrough!"
Ikkisaidwithadeathlypaleface,andtouchedStella'sshoulders.HedidthattotryandcalmStelladown
but
"Don'ttouchme!"
Stellashovedawayhishandwitharealmeaningofrefusal.Atthatmoment,hesawsomethingglitter
betweenthesurgingredhairs.
IsStellacrying?
Fornow,Ikkihadtoknowwhyshewantedtobreakup.Ifheflaredupnow,thenitwouldallbeoverthat
waswhatforcedhimtolisten.But
"IfIdidsomethingtomakeStellahatemethenpleasetellmeandI'llapologize.Ibegyou."
"Ikki'stheonewhohatesme."
"That'snottrue!Why'dyouthinkthat!I'veneversaidanythinglikethat!"
"Iknowevenifyoudon'tsayit!"
"No,youdon'tunderstandatall!Pleasecalmdown!"
"I'mcalm!*Hic*"
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"Noyou'renot!WhyareyousayingIhateyou!Foryoutosaythat,aren'tyoutheonewhohatesme!"
Ikkiwasjustasconfusedbecauseofthestrangesituation.HisbelovedStellawastryingtobreakupwith
him,soitcouldn'thavebeenhelped.HelovedStella,andthatwaswhyhefailedtostaycalm.Andhis
voicebecamerough,soitseemedasifhewasshouting.
"TThat'snottrue!IloveIkki!"
"No,I'mtheonewholovesyou!"
"Lies!IabsolutelyabsolutelysuperloveIkki!WhenIaskedyouaboutmyswimsuit,youwerejusttalking
aboutmyoutwardappearance!Youdon'tcareaboutmeatalldoyou!?SinceIhaven'tletyoutouchme!
ThatindecentgazeSempaisaw,it'sobviousthatitwasyoulookingatSempai'sswimsuit!"
"What!That'srude!Ifyoudon'tcutitout,evenI'llgetmad!?"
"Aren'tyoualreadymad,youidiot!"
"BecauseStellakeepsmakingfalseaccusations!WhenthegirlIlovelookssofascinatingandalluring,how
thehellcanIbecharmedbyanotherwoman!?"
"ThenwhywereyousocalmandreservedwhenIaskedyouaboutmybikini!"
"Certainly,Iwasreservedwhenyouaskedthat.Butbutthere'snowayIcanjustgoaheadandtellthe
truth!ThatIwassoarousedandmyheartwasthumpingsobad,thatIcouldn'ttakemyeyesoffyou!What
ifyouthinkofmeasapervert,whatifyoucometohateme!Andyoutoo,eventhoughyousaidyouloved
me,youdidn'tevenholdmyhandthispastmonth!"
"IwasthesameasIkki!There'snowayagirlcansaylewdstuffsostraightforwardly!Whatifyouthought
Iwasadepravedwomanandbecamedisappointed!"
"Thenwhythehellarewefightinglikethis!!!"
"Idon'tknow,Idon'tunderstandanything!!!"
Bothofthemkeptshoutingwithoutrealizingthattherewerepeoplearoundthem.
""Huh?""
Atthesametime,theyrealizedthattheirtiffhadturnedintosomethingstupid.
"AAh,excuseme,dearguests.Therearealsootherguestsheresoifyoudon'tmind,couldyoupleasetake
yourlover'squarrelorflirting,I'mnotquitesurewhich,somewhereelsewheretherearen'tasmany
people?"
""!!!""
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Theywerebeingwatchedbyallthebystanders,andtheyblushedredtillthetipoftheirearsinaninstant.
Astheylookedaround,theycouldseeallthegazesonthem,asiftheywerebeingwatchedlikesome
inquisitiveandcuriousanimals.
"SSorry!"
"Pleaseexcuseus!"
Theybothdashedforthechildren'spoolbesidethe50meterone,asifrunningfromthepaparazzi.
Therewasn'tanyonetherebesidesIkkiandStella.Eventhechildrenweren'tthere,sinceitwasnotthepool
season.Theyenteredanumbrellashapedfountainintheheartofthepool.Theflowingwaterthereacted
likeacurtainsotheinteriorcouldn'tbeseenfromtheoutside,andthesoundofwaterdrownedouttheir
voices.
Onlytheyknewwhatwouldhappenthere.Itwasanisolatedplace,andthat'swhy
"Ikki,pleasedon'tlookthiswaynow."
"Okay.Idon'twantmyfacetobeseennoweither,soit'salright."
Forsomereason,theyfeltexcessivelyuneasy.Itwasgoodthattheyranawaytogetherandall,butnowthat
theyrealizedtheirexchangeearlierwasjustplainstupid,itwashardtolookateachother.
However
"HeyStella."
"What?"
"Bothofustogether,shallwesaywhatwewanttodomostrightnow?"
"'Kay."
Certainly,ithadbeenanidioticquarrel,butitwasnotmeaningless.
""Iwanttokiss.""
Becausetheyrealizedthatthepersontheylovedalsodesiredthemsomuch.Foramoment,theywereboth
surprisedalittle,buttheylookedateachother.Itwasn'tembarrassinganymore,andtheydidn'taverttheir
eyes.
Ikki'seyesreflectedtheupwardglancingStella,whoslowlyclosedhereyes.Therewasstillateardropat
theendofhereyelashes.Ikkigentlybrusheditoff,andwiththathandhetouchedStella'ssoftcheeks.
*Pikun*
AndStella'sbodyfirmed.Hersoftcheeks,andherlongeyelashesdyedwithabitofunease.Butshedidn't
turnaway.SheentrustedherselftoIkki.Andthatmadehimsohappy,andhefeltsoloved.
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Withinthecurtainandsplashingsoundsofwater,Ikki'slipspressed
againstStella's.Pressedthatwasn'tquitecorrect,itwasonlyatthelevel
wheretheybrushedagainsteachother.
Butitfeltliketheirlipswereonfire.
Ofcourse.Sincelittlepecksandkissesonthecheeksweredonebyfriends
andfamily,buttheydefinitelydidn'tdomouthtomouthkisses.Inother
words,theirrelationshipwasmoresolidandmorevividthanever.They
provedthatthewordsthattheysaidweren'tsimplywords.Theirfirst
actualbondandproofastruelovers.
"Hey,Ikki."
"What?"
"Ikki,doyoudislikeindecentgirlswhowishtobekissed?"
"Therearen'tanymenwhodislikenaughtygirls.Rather,doesStellahateguyswholookatherwith
pervertedgazes?"
"Ihatethem.I'llonlyallowIkkitodothat."
Oncetheyhadsteppedforward,hesitationnolongerexisted.Thesecondwasfardeeper,andmoreforceful
thenthefirst.
"Nn."
Itwasn'tatthelevelwhereitcouldbecalledanadultkiss,buttheybothlustedfortheotherthatwastheir
beloved.
Andso,despitetheconfusions,thatdaybecameanunforgettabledayforthebothofthem.
Part6
Bythetimetheyleftthepool,itwasalreadysunset.Thethreewerealreadyfeelinghungry,sotheydecided
tohavedinnerinthecitybeforereturningtothedorms.Ikkiaskedthetwogirlsiftheywantedtoeat
anythingspecial,buttheydidn'treallyhaveanypreferencessoheguidedthemtoanappropriatefamily
restaurant.
There,thethreeorderedwhattheywanted.Ikkiorderedalargeservingofwheatflournoodles,Ayasehada
mealset,andasforStella,sheorderedfourpiecesofmixgrillandthreesteaks.
"VVermillionsanhasaveryamazingappetite."
"I'vegotnochoice.IfIdon'teatatleastthismuch,thenmybodywon'tmove."
"Eventhoughyoueatsomuchwhydoyouhavesuchanicefigure?Forsomereason,I'mnot
convinced."
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Stellawhowasawarethatsheateunnaturallytoomuchblushedabit,embarrassed.Butherhandsdidn't
stop.
*Munch*Munch*
Shechompedandcruncheddownherextrahighcaloriemeal.Well,forsomeonewiththatmuchpower,it
wouldfollowthatshe'dneedasufficientamountoffuel.
Seeingthat,Ayasesmiled.
"Forsomereason,Vermillionsanreallydoesn'tlookthatmuchlikeaprincess."
"*Munch*Munch*Huh?Whatdoyoumeanbythat?"
"Idon'tmeananythingbadyouknow?Justthat,you'reeasytotalkto,andthewayyouhavemealsisn't
muchdifferentthanours."
"WellI'vereceivedlessonsintablemanners,butthisisn'ttheplaceforsuchthingsnow,isit?"
Stellasurveyedthecrowdedinterioroftherestaurant.Theclankingsoundoftableware,thesoundof
customersandemployeescominginandout,thesoundofachildcrying,thecrudevoicesandlaughsof
highschoolstudents,everythingmixedintogether.Inaplacelikethat,ifshewastheonlyonewithelegant
tablemanners,she'dberegardedasthestrangeoneinstead.
"Youhavetoknowhowtobehavedependingonthetimeandplace,thatinitselfisanart.Bothmanners,
andswordsmanship."
"Ahaha,thathurts."
Ayasesmiledcheerfullyeventhoughherinexperiencewaspointedout.
"Todaywasno,todaytoowasveryproductive.EversinceI'vestartedtrainingwithKuroganekun,it's
beenonenewdiscoveryafteranother.I'mstillnotexperiencedenoughtolearnmyfather'ssecret
techniques,butIfeelalotclosertohimnow.Ican'texpresshowgratefulIamtoyou."
"It'sallbecauseofAyatsujisan'shardwork.Besides,Ithinkyouwould'veresolvedtheproblemsoon
enough,andarriveatthesecret.AllIdidwasgiveyoualittlepush,soyoudon'thavetobesohumble."
"NowhatI'velearned,forme,it'sveryhelpful."
"Isthatbecauseyou'reappearingintherepresentativeselectionmatches?"
"Yeah.I'malreadyathirdyear.ThisismylastchanceattheSwordArtFestival.That'swhyIwanttowin,
nomatterwhat.IhavetoentertheFestival,andIhavetotakebackwhat'simportanttome.Thatwhyright
nowIneedpower."
Hmm?
InthedepthsofAyase'seyes,Ikkifeltadeepfeeling.Itwasangerandnotjustnormalanger,closetoa
killingintent,astronghatred.
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Whatpushedhersomuchthatshe.
"Hahaha,lookiehere!Ithoughtyoulook'dfamiliarsoIwaswonderin',butifthatain'tAyase!"
Suddenly,frombehindIkkiacrudevoicecalledoutAyase'sname.
"!?"
Foramoment,Ayase'seyesdyedwiththecolorofsurprise.Whereshewaslooking,therestoodaman
about180cmtallwithsmudged,dyedhairandsanpakueyes[1]hiddenbehindshades.Eventhoughitwasa
nonsmokingarea,hewassmokingacigaretteandwearinganunnecessarilyflashycoat.Fromhisbare
chest,atattooofalaughingskullcouldbeseen,anditwasaffectingonthesurroundingcustomerstoo.
Seeingthesetraits,itwasthenthatIkkithoughtofacertainperson.Hewasamemberoftherowdybunch
Ikkisawwhenheenteringtheshop.
"Ihaven'tseenyouaroundlatelysoIwaswonderingwhathadhappenedtoya,butforustomeethere.
Haha,therearethingslikethat,huh."
"HeyKuraudo,who'reyoutalkingto?"
"Let'sgotothearcade."
"Huh!Heynow,it'sAyasechan.Longtimenosee~"
"Iwasworriedsinceyoudidn'tcometoplaylately!Gyahaha."
"You'vegrownquitetall?Oh?"
AbouttenguyslookinglikeoutlawscameinandgatheredatIkki'stablebehindtheskulldude.Itseemslike
theywereacquaintedwithAyase,butAyasedidn'tevenlookatthem.Shejustbitherlowerlipshardas
ifpossessedbysomething.
Seeingherlikethat,Ikki'sdecidedhisnextmove.
"I'msorrybutcouldyouguysleave?Mycompanionlookstroubled."
"Huh!?Thehellareyou!?"
"Thef*ckareyousayin'?I'llkillya!"
Eventhoughtheyweregangingup,Ikkijustignoredthem.Ikkiknewtherewasonlyoneguyhereworth
fighting.HelookedtowardstheonewiththeskulltattoonamedKuraudo.
Ashedid,KuraudoaskedIkkiastrangequestionwhilelookingbackcuriously.
"You,You'reaswordsman?"
"Youcantell?"
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"Hah,somewhat.Youbastardshavethispeculiarauraandall."
Ashesaidthat,hepickedupabottleofbeerandaglassfromthetable.
"Sorryboutthatbrother,fordisturbingyaduringameal.IonlycametotalksinceIsawanostalgicface."
HepouredthebeerandhelditinfrontofIkki.
"I'llapologize,sotakeit."
"Ah,pardonmethen."
Hewantedtosayit'snotKuraudo'sbeer,butitwouldn'tbewisetoaggravatetheguy.Ikkireachedtotake
thebeerKuraudooffered.
"Ikki!"
"Kuroganekun!"
SkullheadbashedthebeeragainstthebackofIkki'shead.
Part7
Theothercustomersimmediatelyscreamed.Thebottlesmashedandfragmentsflewoff.Ithadbeenbashed
againstIkki'sheadwithsomuchstrengththathebentandcrashedagainstthetable.
"HAHA!Aswordsmanshouldn'tfuckin'lethisguarddownyouidiot!"
"AHAHA,hedidit!"
"AsexpectedofKuraudosan,whatanastysonofabitch!"
"Justliedownandwatch!"
Attheskulltattoo'ssuddencruelty,theguysaroundhimcrudelycheered.
"Mythanks.Yasee,Ilovebreakingyouswordsmenbastardstopieces.Nowlet'sdothis.Youhaveone,
don'tya?ADevice!"
Themantookoutasparklingwhitebonecolorednodachi[2]withabladelikeasaw's.HisDevice.
That'sright,thepointlesslyflashycoathewaswearingwastheuniformofDonrouAcademy,aknight's
academyofTokyojustlikeHagun.ThismanwasaBlazerjustlikeIkki.
"Thisbastard!Ihopeyou'repreparedtobeburnttoashes!"
SeeingIkkigethurt,incandescencestartedtoblastoutofStella'sblazinghairassheraged.Shewasgoing
totakeoutLvateinnbut
"Stopit,Stella."
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ShewasstoppedbyIkki.Ikkistoodup,asifnothinghappened.
"There'snoneedtomakeafuss.Hishandsjustslippedalittle."
HesaidtoStellawithasmilewhilebleedingfromhisforehead.
"WWhatareyousaying!?"
"AndIwasonlyscratchedandmygotclotheswet.Nothingtofightabout."
IkkicontrolledStellawhilesayingthat.IfshetookoutherDeviceandstartedafight,itwouldn'tjustend
withasuspension.It'lldefinitelybeexpulsion.That'swhyIkkistoppedher.But.
"""BUBUAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!"""
Itseemstheskulltattoo'scompanythoughtofitasacoward'sretreatandstartedtoinsulthimwiththeir
fingerspointed.
"Heyheyhey,seriously!Heisstillsofrivolousevenaftersuddenlyhavinghisheadhit."
"WellIgetKuraudosan'sscary,butthat'ssospineless."
"Kyahaha,nomore,I'mgonnaburst,solame~!"
"Haha!Thisissurprising.Acowardeventhoughhe'saswordsman.Doyaevenhaveballs?"
TheskulldudeshoweredIkkiwithinsultsandlaughedamusingly.ButIkkididn'treplyandonlyshoweda
boredsmile.Seeingthat,Kuraudospit.
"!"
Atthat,thevoltageofStella'sangerroseoncemorebutIkkipressedherdown.Evenwiththat,Ikkididn't
snap,sotheskulldudeshowedaboredface.
"Hah,thisisboring.IfIfightachickenlikeyou,it'salreadymyloss.Comeonyoubastards,we'releaving."
Sayingthat,hewenttowardstheexit.
"Byebye,littlecoward."
"Isn'tthatnice?Kuraudodoesn'tbullytheweak."
"That'sright,That'sright.Isn'titnicethatyou'resoweak?Ahahaha."
Aftertheyleft,amanwholookedliketheshopmanagerrantowardsIkki.HebowedtoIkkiwhilesweating
likecrazy.
"Myapologiesdearcustomer!Areyoualright!?I'llcallanambulance."
"Aaa,I'mokayI'mokay.Rather,doyouguyshaveafirstaidkit?Ineedtotreatthissocouldyoulendit?"
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"YYes.Pleasewaitamoment!"
AskedbyIkki,themanagerbroughtthefirstaidkitfromthecrewroomhurriedly.Theotherworkerswere
tryingtocalmthecustomers.Fornow,thesituationwashandledwiththeleastfussasexpected.Ikki
confirmedthatwhilewipingoffthespit.
"Somehow,yourfaceinflatedtwiceasmuch,Stella."
IkkitoldStella,whosepoutingsideofthefacelookedlikeapuffedballoon.
"OfcourseI'llbemad!Beingtoldoffbythattrash!AndIkki,youdidn'tdodgethatbeerbottleonpurpose,
right!?What'sthebigidea?"
"IfIhandleditpoorly,hemight'vegottenevenmadderandIcan'tpossiblystartafightinaplacelike
this,canI?"
"Wellthat'sthatbutIkkicouldhavetakencareofthattrashwithoutevenusingIntetsuright?"
"Now,Iwonderaboutthat."
"Whatdoyoumean?"
"Theguywiththeskulltattoointhemiddle'squitestrong.Ahardopponenttofightemptyhanded."
"Well,ofcoursethatwouldbehard.Hedidrankamongthebest8inlastyear'sFestival,afterall."
IkkiandStellawerebothdyedwithshockwhenaboywithanalmostimpossiblybrightvoicesuddenly
buttedintotheirconversation.
Whywouldtheybesosurprised?Thatwasbecausetheownerofthevoiceappearedonatablewith
scattereddisheswithoutanypresenceorshadow,almostasifanotherfilmwassuddenlyinsertedwhile
watchingamovie.
Dimlysilvercoloredhairandgoldeyeswithoutanysignoflight.TheboytalkedtoIkkiwithasmilethat
seemedalmostplasteredtohisface.
"AhahaIyaa~Whatacalamity,whatadisaster!TogetmixedupwiththeinfamousaceofDonrou
Academy,the'SwordEater'KurashikiKuraudo,akillerhoundwhobitesanyonehelayshiseyeson.But
yourdecisionwascorrect,WorstOne."
"KusukusuEeh,absolutely.Youwereright."
Inthenextmoment,anotherpersonappeared,butthisonehadanaurathatcouldn'tbemoreobvious.Even
thoughitwasinsidetheshop,shecarriedaparasol,andworeahatwithahugerim.Thetallwoman'seyes
couldn'tbeseenbecauseofthelargehat,butherchinlinewasvisibleandwiththeglisteringblondehair,
herfigurecouldbemadeout.Sheworeapurewhiteballlinedress,likeanoblewoman,thatglimmeredin
theireyes.
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Eventhoughshehadapurewhitefigure,bothIkkiandStellafeltafleeting,incomparablefeelingof
disgust.Whatsheworewascompletewhite,yet,herpresence,foramoment,feltmorelikethickfresh
blood.
Andwhywouldthatbe?Ikkiknewtheanswer.Inherpresence,therewasaveilofdensebloodfragrance
thatcouldnotbehiddennomatterhowmuchperfumeshewore.Therewasnomistake,thispersonwas
therealdeal.
"Ifyouguysretaliated,thenrighthere,rightnow,wewouldhavehadnochoicebuttosuppressyou
people."
ThewhiteonewithapresenceofdeathandbloodrepliedinanoldJapaneselingoasifsheweresinging.
ThatwastoounpleasanttoStellawhohadalreadyraisedherguard.SheaskedIkkiwithasmallvoice
"Ikki,whoarethesepeople?Whatarethey?"
"ThevicepresidentofHagunAcademy'sstudentcouncil,MisogiUtakatasan,andthetreasurer
ToutokubaraKanatasan."
"Toutokubara!Youare?"
ItwasanameStellahadheardthroughrumorsmanytimes.
ToutokubaraKanata,otherwiseknownas'ScharlachFrau'.Sheplacedsecondintheinnerschoolranking
andwasaBrankknight.Whilebeingastudent,shewassummonedunderspecialcircumstancesandwas
allowedtofightinrealbattles.Shehadarecordofdestroyingmanyorganizationsandbasesofthe
Rebellionarmy.Shewasindeedasuperiorstudentknightwithrealbattleexperience.
"Itseemslikewedon'tneedtointroduceourselvesbutstill,thewayKuroganekunhandledthesituation
wastrulybrilliant.SwordEaterisapersonwhoattackspeoplefromotherschoolsunannounced,andgoes
aroundtownsmashingdojos.Inanycase,hebecomesquitehardtohandleifenraged.Thankstoyou,we
weresavedfromquitethetroubletoo.Onceagain,wethankyou.Itappearsthatwehavebeen
underestimatingyoutoomuch."
"Itseemslikeitwasn'taflukethatRenrenwasdefeated.Thisabilityofyoursthatseesthroughaperson's
characterinbattle,justlikeYakshahimesaid.Weneedtoreaffirmourrecognitionofyou."
"Ahaha.Absolutely.Wellthen,showmeyourwoundplease.I'lltreatit."
"No,youdon'thavetogothroughthetrouble."
"It'sokay,it'sokay.JustleaveittoSempai.Pain,painflyaway~!"
Sayingthat,UtakatatouchedIkki'swound.
"Okay,it'shealed."
Therippedskinandtheinternalbleedingwasallhealedwithinamoment.
"Wha!"
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Ikkiwasgreatlysurprised.
Certainly,thewoundwasshallow.Hedidn'tdodgeitandtherewasn'tmuchdamage,butithadstillreached
themarrow.Itcouldbecalledaviolent'wound.EvenShizuku,whohadARankmagiccontrol,wouldtake
abitoftimetohealit.
No,thiscouldn'tbecalledhealing'.Itwasasifthewounditselfdisappeared.Itdefinitelywasn'tjust
healingmagic.
MisogiUtakata,nicknamed'FiftyFifty'.Justwhatwashisability?Nodoubtitwasn'tanythingnormal
but
"Ahaha,youdon'thavetoobservemewiththatscaryface.Ididn'tenterintheselectionmatches."
"Ah,Iapologize.Eventhoughyouhealedme,Iwasbeingrude."
"Ahaha.It'sokayit'sokay.That'swhatmakesyouaknight.Wellthen,we'vefinishedourkouhai's
treatmentsowe'lltakeourleavenow.Let'sgo,Kanata."
"Yes,VicePresident."
"Youguys,too,keepyournightlifeincheck."
Andwiththat,MisogiUtakataandToutokubaraKantaleft.
Withtheirdeparture,Ikkisighed,feelingasurgeoftirednesshittinghimuponseeingtheduskfromthe
window.
TwilightofDisastershouldbeappropriatehuh.
Theymetonebigshotafteranothertoday.However,hecouldn'talwaysbesweptalongbytheauraofthose
whohadalreadyleft.ForIkki,therewassomethinghewasmoreinterestedabout.
"Hey,Ayatsujisan."
"!"
Shemighthadbeenawarethattheconversationwouldmovetowardsher.Sheavertedhereyeswithan
unpleasantexpression.ButIkkiaskedanyways.
"Whatexactlyisyourrelationshipwiththosepeople."
Theotherpartyknewhername.Ayasewasn'tsomeonesofamousastoappearonthemedia.Thatmeant
theykneweachotherpersonally.Butfromthelooksofit,itwasn'tafriendlyrelationship.Thatwasobvious
afterseeingAyase'sgaze.So
"Youdon'tneedtoanswerifyoudon'thaveto.Butwhentheycalledouttoyou,Ayatsujisanwasn't
behavingnormally.Ifyou'vegotteninvolvedintosomekindoftroublewiththoseguys,thenIcanlendyou
mystrength."
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Asafriend,hewasinthepositiontohelpher.HearingIkkisaythat,herexpressionsoftenedalittleandshe
triedtoreply.
"That's."
Atthatmoment,thestudentdatapadrangout,notifyingthatamailhadbeenreceived.Thenoisecamefrom
bothIkkiandAyase'spocketatthesametime.Ikkiwonderedwhocouldhavesentit.itwastheSelection
BattleExecutiveCommittee.
Hehadareallybadfeelingaboutit.Hisworstfearswereconfirmedafterreadingthemessage.
"ContenderKuroganeIkki'sselectionmatchtenthopponenthasbeendecided:thirdyearclassone
contenderAyatsujiAyase."
Whattiming.
Withoutadoubt,themailAyasegotwasthesame.Lookingather,onecouldseetheblooddrainedfrom
herface.
"Thisis,aah,I'msorry!Myroommate,IIgotamailfrommyroommatetellingmetoreturnimmediately,
Pleaseexcusemefortoday!"
Herfacepaled.Whatshesaidwasalie.Itwasthenotificationofthematch,andthatwaswhatmadeit
awkward.
"Yeah,thenI'llseeyoutomorrow."
Guessingthat,Ikkididn'trestrainAyase.HewascuriousabouttherelationbetweenAyaseandKuraudo,
butitwasn'tsomethingheneededtopryoutofAyaserightnow.Thisfeelingofawkwardnessdidn'trecede,
andhecouldjustsimplyasklater.
"Yeahthentomorrow."
Pickingupherstufffromthetable,Ayasehastilydeparted,asifshewererunningawayfromIkkiand
Stella.
"Shelooksawful.Whathappened?"
IkkishowedthemailtoStellawhodidn'tcomprehendthesituation.
"Wellthatsucks."
"Thisisprobablythatironyoffatething.IfIhadachoice,Iwouldn'twanttofighther."
"Speakingofwhich,didn'tSempaimentionsheenteredinordertotakebacksomethingimportanttoher?"
"Yeah."
"Youwon'tloseonpurpose,willyou?"
"DoIlooklikeaguywho'ddothat?"
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Stellalookedateasewiththatanswer.
"Youdon't.Sorry,thatwasafoolishquestion."
That'sright.Ikkiwouldnotdothat.EveniftheopponentwasStella,orShizuku,oranyoneforthatmatter,
hewouldfightfairandsquareheadon.Thatwasaknight'shonour.Butintheend,hewouldhavelikedto
avoidfightingwithAyase.
Shesaidshe'dseemetomorrowbut,Ayatsujisanprobablywillnotshowupfortrainingforawhile.
Hisguesshitthebull'seye.Fromthatdayon,Ayasedidn'tappearbeforeIkkievenonce.
Part8
"Butstill,thatguyfromtodaywasarealmasterpiecehuh."
"Haha,Iguessthat'sthetypeyoucallaweakbug."
"He'sstillsofrivolousevenafterbeinghumiliatedsomuch,la~me."
"That'snottrue,Misato.NotopposingKuraudosanisawisethingtodo,right?"
"Kuahaha.Right,right.It'sonlynaturaltoavoidfightsyoucan'twin."
Inaplacethatseemedliketheirbase,agangofyoungmenwerespoutingtastelesswordswhilesmoking
cigarettes.Thetopic?Theshamefulsightofthemantheysawinthefamilyrestaurant.
"Haha,youguysthinkso?"
Atashortdistance,Kuraudowasdrinkingalcoholwhilegazingatthemoonlightthatenteredthrougha
collapsedportionoftheroof.
"Yeah,ofcourse.Thatbeansproutain'tgotthegutstostanduptoyouKuraudo,muchlessbeatya."
"That'sright.Thatchicken,heisn'tevenworthbeingyouropponent.EvenIcanbeathimwithonehand
tiedbehindmyback."
"Gyahaha."
*Chatter**Chatter*
Whatwassointeresting?Theyresumedtheirlaughter.
"Haha."
Seeingthemlikethat,Kuraudoonceagainlookedupatthemoon.
Morons.Youguysdon'tunderstandathing.
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HerememberedthegazeofIkkilookingstraightathim.Therewerenotracesoffearornervousnessthere.
Therewasonlycoldcalmnesslikeflowingwater.Howcouldhesolvethesituationwiththeminimum
troublewastheonlythingthatIkkihadbeenthinkingabout.ThefactthathereceivedKuraudo'sattackwas
alsopartofthatplan.Hewasapersonwhogaveoffthattypeofaura.There'snowayhecouldn'tavoida
surpriseattackofthatlevel.
"Whatahighlevelbastard.You'retellingmethatprovocationofthatlevelwon'tmakeyoubudgehuh
Hahaha."
Well,thatwasalright.AmanofhislevelwoulddefinitelymakeittotheSevenStarsSwordArtFestival.
Smashingthatbastard,I'lllookforwardtothatmoment.
Kuraudogulpeddownthealcoholinhisglass,whilehischestthrobbedinanticipationoftheresistancethat
wouldcomefromthekindofdangerousquarryhehadn'tseeninalongtime.
Part9
ItwasthethirddaythatAyasehadn'tjoinedthemforpractice.Shedidn'tevenappearbeforethemdespiteit
beingthedaybeforetheirmatch.Atthatfact,Stellaletoutaboredsigh.
"Intheend,shedidn'tcomeevenonceSempai."
"Ohmy.Isn'tthatagoodthingforStellasan?Weren'tyoujealousofAyatsujisempaiforoccupyingmost
ofOniisama'sfreetime?"
"Shutup.Thisisthisandthatisthat.Forhernottobehereislonelyinitsownway."
"Whataselfishpersonbutthatmaybeoneofyourgoodpoints."
"Didyousaysomething?"
"Yourlegisfat."
"NOIT'SNOT!"
Ikkilookedatthepairhavingtheirusualconversationwhilewonderingwhethertheyhadagoodorbad
relationship.Hehadhisstudentnotebookinhishand.
Arisuin'stallfigureapproachedIkki.
"Shehasn'tbeenincontactatall?"
"Well."
"Really?"
IkkiraisedhisheadandlookedatArisuin.Arisuinhadhisusualsteadysmile,buthiseyeslookedasifhe
wassearchingforsomething.
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"Whydoyoudoubtit?"
"Isn'titjustsimplythatI'mworried?Idon'tgetafewthingsbutAyasesanwasquiteclearabouther
resolvetoreachhergoal.Andforthatreasonshesaidshe'dneedtoappearintheFestival.That'swhyit
wouldn'tbegoodforhertolosetomorrow'smatchagainstIkki."
Thenumberofpeoplewho'llbeselectedthroughthematchesissix.Accordingtotheirhomeroomteacher
Orekisensei,eachstudentwillgetabout12matches.That'sjustenoughforthatnumberofpeopleto
remainundefeated.Inotherwords,itwouldbebettertothinkthatlosingjustonematchwouldmeanbeing
kickedoutfromthecompetition.
"Butinanormalfight,shecan'thopetowin.That'sobvious.Thedifferenceinstrengthistoogreat.She
knowsthatthebest,havingbeentaughtbyyou.Therefore,shewouldobviouslymakeplanstowin
beforehand.AmIwrong?"
"Alicereallyissharp."
Ikkishrugged,andtossedhisnotebooktoArisuin.Therewasasinglemaildisplayedthere.Thesender,
AyatsujiAyase.
IhavesomethingimportanttodiscusswithKuroganekun.Iwanttoborrowyourpower.Tomorrowat3
AM.Meetmeattherooftopofthemainschoolbuilding.
"Igotitthismorning."
"ThisfeelstoomuchlikeatrapIguess."
"Ahahacertainly.Butthisisn'tatrap."
"You'resure?"
"BecauseIbelieveinher.Ayatsujisanwouldn'tdosomethingsolow.I'veonlytrainedwithherforafew
days,butIcouldunderstandatleastthatmuch."
ToIkki,Ayasewasanoverlyserioushardworkingandhonestperson.Andbesides
"Shesaidshelikedmyhands."
Shetoldthattoapersonwhohadthehandsofalabourer,roughandtough.She,whocouldrespectanother
person'shardworktothatextent,definitelywouldn'tdosomethingsolowlyinamatchbetweenknights.
"That'swhyI'llgotomeether."
Ayasewasanimportantfriend.Andhisfriendwantedtoconsulthim.Hecouldn'trefusethat.Ikkimade
thatclear.Andso,Arisuin
"You'redazzling."
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Whilesmilingbitterly,ArisuinstretchedhishandtowardsIkki,whowassoclosetohimbuthiseyes
suggestedthatIkkiwastoofaraway,asifhishandcouldneverreachhim.
"Dazzling?"
"Yes,very.Tothepointitmakesmejealous.PeoplelikeStellachanandShizukuwhocanlovesomeoneso
wholeheartedly,andIkkiwhocantrustsomeonesohonestly.Seeingthat,remindsmeofhowuglyIam.
Forme,Icannolongertrustsomeonesoeasily."
Butaftersayingthat,ArisuinmadeaseriousfaceunlikeanyotherandgaveIkkisomeadvice.
"Butthat'sexactlywhyIcanrealizesomethingsothersdon't.Thismightbemebeingtoonosybutjustin
case,Ikkishouldhavetheresolvetocuttieswithher.Ifyouremovethemaskofhumans,youwon'tknow
whatliesbeneath.Ifyouhandlethissituationlightly,youmightnotbeabletowinamatchyou'reotherwise
suretowin.LikewhathappenedtotheHunter."
"NowthatIthinkaboutit,Alicewastheonewhoadvisedmebackthentooright?Butit'sokay.I'vealready
decidedwhat'sthemostimportantforme."
Sayingthat,helookedatStellawhowasstillquarrelingwithShizuku.
Tomeetonceagainatthebattleforthesummit.That'swhathepromisedher.That'swhy
"Idon'tintendtobreakmypromisewithher.Nomatterwhathappens."
"Fufu.Seemslikeitwasn'tsomethingIshouldworryabout.Pardonme,Isaidsomethingunpleasant."
"It'snotlikeitwasunpleasant.ButregardingKiriharakun'scase,andeventhistime,Ireallywouldn't
likeitifsomeonecalledmyimportantfriendwhohadalwaysgivenmeimportantadviceugly.Evenifit's
Alice,youyourself."
Foramoment,Arisuinshowedatroubledexpression.Buthesoondismissedit.
"Fufu,sayingsomethingsocool.I'llendupfallingforyou."
"Please,yourgenderistheonlyjokehere."
Arisuinrepliedwithhisfrivolouschatter,soIkkirepliedinthesamemanner.Hedidn'tprolongitany
further.Evenifhetriedtoaskmore,Arisuinprobablywouldn'tsayanymore.That'swhyheconcentrated
ontheclosermatter.
Helookedupattherooftopdyedbythemadredofthesunset.Tomorrow,shewouldbewaitingtherefor
him.
IwonderifI'llbeabletohelpher?
Part10
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Tenminutesbeforetheappointment,Ikkilefthisroom,takingcarenottowakeStellaup.Hepassedthe
corridortherewithoutmakingasinglesound,andcameoutside.Usingthepalemoonlightasaguide,he
headedfortheschoolbuilding.Asheapproachedtheschoolbuildingbathedinmoonlight,hisfootsteps
echoed.
Normally,thiswouldbeabustlingplace,butnow,ithadanalmostdeadly,sereneatmosphere.Ikkiheaded
fortheroof,whileenduringthesilencethatalmostmadehisearsgomad.
Heclimbedthestairsonebyone,andfinallyhestoodbeforetheironcladdoortotheroof.Heopenedit.
Thewindblewthrough,andhewasshoweredbythepalemoonlight.
Atastelessscenethatspreadbeforehim.Aconcretefloorandaroughsteelfencethatdefiledthenightsky.
Acoldscenery.
Theblowingwind,thedimmoonlight,eventhoughitwasearlysummertheyallfeltcold.Andstandingin
themiddleofthescenery,withherbacktothefence,wastheyukatacladfigureofAyatsujiAyase.
"Hey,Ihaven'tseenyousincethepool,Ayatsujisan."
"YeaheventhoughIwastheonewhoasked,sorryforneglectingit."
Hmm?
Ayase,whohadanapologeticface,lookedabituncomfortabletoIkkiforamoment.
Thegazethatwassentstraighttohimlookeddry.
Asifhereyeswereartificialglassballs.
ShehadbecomeusedtoIkkirecently,andAyasedidn'thavetoaverthereyesforeverysinglethingnow.
Butthatdayatthepool,whenherestartedtheconversationwithher,hergazehadalsofeltdry.Well,it
mightbesomethingnaturalforapersonwhowasn'tusedtotheoppositesex.
Butforsomereason,thegazeoftoday'sAyasebuggedIkkievenmore.
Wasshethetypeofwomanwhocouldlookstraightatmesocalmlyinthemiddleofsuchaserenenight?
Buteventhoughyoucouldcallituncomfortable,itwasonlyalittlebit.Soitwasn'tsomethingIkkihad
togooutofhiswayandaskher.Thatwasn'tthereasonwhyhehadcomeheretoday.
"It'salright.Afterthatmail,thingsturnedsouranyways."
"Yeah,sayingthathelpsandbesides,youcamealone,likeItoldyouto.Thankyouforthat.Butisit
reallyalrighttoleaveyourgirlfriendandcomehereinthemiddleofthenight?"
"Aah,soyounoticedhuh.KeepthisasecretfromStellathough.She'llbitemehalftodeathifshefinds
out."
Whilejokingandagreeingwithher,Ikkifinallywenttothepoint.
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"Then,whatwasityouwantedtotalktomeabout?"
""
Ayasewentsilent.Wasshehesitatingtotalk?Orwasthereadifferentreasonforhersilence?Ikkicouldn't
makeajudgement,sincehecouldn'treadAyasefromheralmostartificialeyes.
Butitwouldn'tdoifthesilencecontinuedlikethis.
"Ifyouaren'tgoingtosayit,thenmayIaskaquestion?"
Ikkiopenedhismouth.Ayasedidn't.Thistime,hetookitasanaffirmationandaskedoncemore.
"Continuingfromourpreviousconversation,wasitKurashikiKuraudowhotookawaysomething
importantfromAyatsujisan?"
Ikkididn'tmisstheswayinginAyase'seyes.
"Whydoyouthinkthat?"
"Justaguess.Duringlunchthatday,whenAyatsujisansaidI'mgoingto
takebackwhat'simportanttome',youreleasedanamazingamountof
killingintent.Andyoudidthatanothertimeafterwards,whenKuraudo
appeared."
Ayasewaslookingdownwhilebitingherlips.Ikkiconcludedthatitwas
thesamethinghefeltduringlunch,thatkillingintent.
"AndAyatsujisansaidshehadtoappearintheFestivaltodothat.In
otherothers,youhadtofightsomeonewho'llalsobeappearingthere.
SwordEaterwasinthebesteightlastyear.AslongasDonrouisn'tusinga
specialsystemlikeHagun's,hisplaceinthefestivaliscertain.Fromthese
twopoints,thepersonAyatsujisanistryingtoface,theonewhotookthat
importantthingfromyou,istheSwordEater,KurashikiKuraudo.AmIwrong?"
Ikkitriedconfirmhissuspicions.And
"Fufu,asIthought.Kuroganekununderstandseverything.Sinceyou'vegottenthisfar,Idon'tfeellike
hidingitanymore."
Ikki'sguesshadhitthenailonthehead.
"HeyKuroganekun.ThereasonIcalledyouheretodaywasbecauseIwantedtoaskyousomething."
"Askmesomething?"
"Yeah.IheardfromVermillionsanatthepool,butKuroganekunhasapromisewithhertofightherinthe
decidingmatchinthefestivalright?""
"Yes,thatis,ifIcangetthere.Butwell,we'llfightsomewhereintime,that'saboutit."
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"Butbeforethathappens,whatwouldKuroganekundoifyoufacedanenemyyouabsolutelycan'tbeat?"
"?"
Ikkicouldn'tgetthemeaningofthequestion.WhydidAyasewishtoknowabouthimandStella.But
instantly,heunderstoodthatthequestionalsoappliedtoAyaseherself.ForIkkiitwasapromise,forAyase
itwastotakebackherimportantthing.
Eventhoughtheirreasondiffered,theirstandingwassimilar.Shewasaskinganotherpersontoconfirm
hersituation,wasitthat?
Hecouldn'tunderstand.Buthisreplywasdecided
"I'llfightwithallIhavefairandsquare."
"Evenifyoulose."
"Youwon'tknowuntilyoutryEvenifIlose,Iwon'tstopuntilI'veusedallIhave."
DuringhismatchwiththeHunter,Ikkialmostgaveuponce,butbecauseofStella,hemanagedtocompose
himself.Thewoundonegetsfromtheenemyafteronelosesafightcanbehealed,andthenonecanfight
again.Butthewoundreceivedfromrunningawayfromafightcanneverbehealed.That'swhyevenifhe
weretolose,Ikkiwouldfightwithallhehadenoughtobeproudofhimself.Ikkiwouldneverlosesightof
thisagain.However
"Idon'tthinklikethat.Righteousnesswithoutresultsisjustcaprice."
Sayingthat,IkkireceivedaniciclecoldgazefromAyase.
"Eh?"
ItwastoounexpectedtohearthatfromAyase.Ikkigulpeddown.
Hedidn't.Ikkididn'texpecttohearsomethinglikeanAnythingisfineaslongasIwin'kindoflinefrom
Ayase.
Why,wouldshe.
TheAyaseIkkiknewwouldneversaythat,sowhenheheardherhecouldn'treplyimmediately.But
evenifhecouldn'treply,henoticed.BeneathAyase'scoldeyes,herlipstwistedintoaninsultingsmile.An
expressionthatIkkineversawAyasemake.
WhenIkkisawthatexpressionofhers,twoquestionscametohismind.
IsthisreallyAyase?Rather,isthistherealAyase?
AndtotheconfusedIkki,Ayaserepliedwiththatmockingtone.
"That'swhythisismyreply.NomatterwhatIhavetodo,I'lltakedownmyenemy.Nomatterwhat"
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Inherrighthand,shematerializedthevividredswordHizume.
Theshriekofaswordcuttingthroughsomethingechoedintothenightsky.
Part11
"!?"
Ikkipreparedhimselfuponhearingthesoundofthesword.Withoutadoubt,Ayasehadusedsomekindof
abilityrightnowtocutsomething.
Butexactlywhatdidshecut?
Ikkiraisedhiscautionleveltothehighest.Hecollectedhisconsciousnessandinreturnofcancellingout
thesenseofcolorsandsound,heputthemaximumamountofconcentrationinsituationrecognition.
Henoticedthestrangenessimmediately.
InfrontofhimwasAyase.Behindher,thefenceforsomereasonwascollapsingbackwards.Why?
Becausethehooksofthefencewascut.
Therewerenosounds.Withoutadoubtshehadusedsomekindofability.
What'shermotive?Whywasitnecessarytocutthat?
Ikkiwhowasconfusedwhilenotunderstandingthereasonwaspushedintoevenfurtherconfusionwith
whathappenednext.
Forsomereason,Ayasewasalsofallingbackwardswiththefence,fallingfromtheroofofthefourstoried
building.
"Wha!?"
Surprise,shock,buthedidn'tletthiscloudhisjudgement.
Hecouldn'tunderstandthemeaningbehindheractions.Didshefail?Orwastheresomemeaningbehindit?
Hecouldn'tunderstand.But,nowwasn'tthetimetothinkofstufflikethat.
Instantly,ablueaurasurroundedIkki.HehadinvokedIttouShura.
Pushinghisstrengthtothelimitsinamatterofseconds.HedashedtowardthefenceandgrabbedAyase.
IkkiinhisIttouShuramodecouldeasilylandevenifitwasfromthe4thfloor.Buthecouldn'tuseitmore
thanonce,andit'spowerlastsforaveryshorttime.
Heranverticallyonthewalloftheschoolbuilding.HecaughtAyaseandpulledhertowardshischest.
"Asexpected."
"YYou,forthatyou'rewillingtoriskyourlife!?"
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"Yes.Didn'tIalreadysaythatnomatterwhatIhadtodo,Iwouldwin?IfKuroganekun'sanswerwasthe
sameasminethenImight'vethoughtotherwise,butofcourse,Kuroganekunisjust'ThenIhavetouse
forcetowin.Kuroganekunbeatsmeinswordsmanship,andhealsohasatrumpcard,IttouShura.There's
nowayIcanwinagainstthat.ThenallIhavetodoisremovethattrumpcard.Ihearyoucanonlyuseit
onceperday.Andyou'veusedit.Thematchstartsatten.Youwon'trecoverintime.EvenifIcan'tbeat
youwiththesword,nowthatyoudon'thaveIttouShura,Ijustmightbeablebeatyouwithmyabilityasa
knight."
Ikkibitdownatherexplanation.Itwasasshesaid.IttouShurawasatechniquethatpushedhimtothe
limit.Itwoulduseuphisstrength,allthequantityofmagicthatheretained.Tocounterthat,allshehadto
doismakehimusethatmagicbeforethematch.Hewouldn'tbeabletouseitagain.But
WasIwrong.DidIfailtounderstandher?
IkkitrulythoughtAyasewasanhonesthardworker.Thatshewouldn'tbeabletodosomethingthatspaton
another'shardworklikethis.TheAyasewhowasproudofherfather'sswordsmanship,whowashappy
beingjustalittleclosertoherfather'steaching,whosometimesactedlikeachildjustbylearning
somethingnew,wasitalljustafacade?
"WhenIfirstsawAyatsujisan,Iwashappythattherewassomeoneotherthanmeinthisschoolwho
wassodevotedtothesword.Ithoughtwecouldbecomefriends."
"Iamtrulygratefulforyourguidancethusfar.IwilluseitalltodefeatKuroganekun."
"Ididn'tthinkyouwerethetypetodothiskindofthing."
"I'llbetroubledifyoupushthoseexpectationsontome."
"!SwordEatermight'vetakensomethingfromAyatsujisan.ButwhatAyatsujisanisdoingisaninsult
notonlytome,butStella,Shizuku,andeveryoneelseparticipatinginthefestival!It'saninsulttowhatwe
knightsprideourselvesin!It'saninsulteventoyou,Ayatsujisanyourself!Allthis,forthesakeoftaking
backthatsomething.Evenifyoudotakeitback,canyoubeproudofyourself!?Canyouproudlyboastof
therewardswiththis!?"
"That'snotsomethingKuroganekunhastoworryabout."
AyasecompletelyignoredquestionsofIkki,whoactedasifhewasgrieving.
"Nomatterwhatyousay,Iwilldefinitelybeatyou.Itwouldn'tdoifIdon't."
Andwiththat,sheturnedherbackonhim.Thatbackwasn'tthatfaraway,butitfeltsofaraway.Soon,he
wasunabletoseeit.
Justincase,Ikkishouldhavetheresolvetocuttieswithher.Ifyouhandlethissituationlightly,you
mightnotbeabletowinamatchyou'resuretowin.
HerememberedwhatArisuinhadsaid.Itwasexactlylikethat.Withthiskindofcomplexfeeling,his
swordsmanshipwouldgetaffected.
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Then,shouldhecutit?HistieswithAyase.Cuttingit,severingitforgettingitall,wasitreallyalright?
Withthat.
""
ThereactionfromIttouShurapassedhisheartlikestormclouds.
Whilekneelingthere,Ikki,foronce
"Dammiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!"
spatoutaninsultnotdirectedatanyone,andstruckthelawn.
References
1. Sanpakueyes:Eyeswherethewhiteportionsaboveorbeneaththeirisarevisible.Itisassociated
withillhealthormentalimbalance.
2. Nodachi:Afieldsword,alongkatanaforusefromhorseback.
Chapter3:AyatsujiAyase
Part1
ThemorningbeforethebattlewithIkki,ataround9am,AyatsujiAyase
wokeuplazily.
ShewasnappinginherownroomafterpartingwayswithIkkiat
midnight.Shewastiredequallybecauseofallthematchpreparations,and
equallybecauseofthenegotiationswithIkki.Aftercrawlingoutofthe
neatlyarrangeddoublebed,shesawaletterfromherroommateontopof
thetable.
IwillnotbecomingtoseethematchbecauseIwastoldnotto
yesterday.However,Iwantyoutoconsultmeifthereissomething
troublingyou.IamveryworriedwheneverIseeyoubecauseyouhave
becomegloomiernowadays.
"Truly,whataworthlesswomanIam."
Betrayingabenefactor,andtroublingherroommatethismuch
Sullyingourpride,andeventhrowingasideyourown.Canyoustill
remainproudevenifyoumanagetoregainthat'something'withsuch
means!?
f=44&t=9843&start=345#p246630)
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"Ku."
Thequestion,whichhadbeenthrownatherwithasorrowfultone,wasstillechoingdeepwithinherears.It
wasnotaverygoodconditiontobein.Eventhoughtherewasamatchshejustcan'tlosetoday.
Thishadtobecorrectedimmediately.Shehadtochangethemoodandlightenitup.Havingthoughtthat,
Ayasedecidedtousethetimeinthemorningtogotoacertainplace.
Part2
AboutfifteenminutesbytrainfromHagunAcademy'snearesttrainstation,Ayasearrivedattheintended
facility:alargewhitebuildingsoaringintothecloudlesssummersky.ThiswasShishidoGeneralHospital.
ItwasthenearestbighospitalfromtheHagunAcademy.Roomnumber515wasAyase'sdestination.
Shedirectedherselfwithfamiliarity,arrivingatherdestinationwithoutincident,andopenedthesliding
door.Insidetheprivateroomwasasolitarylonelybed.Andbythebedsidetherewasabeautifulmiddle
agedwomansittingonapipechair.Themiddleagedwomanletoutasoundinsurprisewhenshelookedat
Ayase,whohadjustopenedthedoor.
"Ohmy,isn'titAyasechan!"
"Hello,AuntieSuzuka."
"Hi~What'supatthistimeoftheday?Whathappenedtoschool?"
"TodayIamfreetodecidewhethertoattend.Studentswhohaverepresentativeselectionmatchesare
exemptfromtakingclassesonthedayoftheirmatch.That'swhyImadesometimetocomeandvisit."
"Isee.Beittheselectionmatches,orthethingwithroommates.Thenewprincipalsuredoesinteresting
things."
WhenshehadexplainedthepoliciesofKurono,heraunthadgivenherconsent.
Herauntstoodupfromthepipechairandwenttowardsthebed,and
"Bigbrother,yourcutedaughtercametomeetyou"
calledouttothemanlyingonthebed.
Cheeksthathadbeenhollowed,anddisfiguredintotheshapeofcheekbonesskinwithcrackslikethoseof
driedupland,andhands,slimliketwigsfromwinter.Thatman,whohadwitheredlikeamummy,wasthe
fatherofAyase.HewasAyatsujiKaito.
"Goodmorning,Father."
Followingheraunt,Ayase,too,calledouttohim.ButKaitodidn'treturnthegreeting.Withoutany
response,hejustcontinuedtosleep.
Thatwasright.Hehadbeencontinuouslysleepingfortwoyears.
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"Wellthen,it'dbebadifastrangerdisturbsfatheranddaughter.I'llbeatthecoffeeshop.Tillwhattimeare
yougonnabehere,Ayasechan?"
"Ihavethematchintheafternoon,soI'llleaveatnoon."
"Okay~Then,I'llreturnsomewherearoundthattime.Seeya~"
Herauntlefttheroomwhilewavingherhandbyebye.
ShewassuchacheerfulpersonwheneverAyasesawher.Ayasewishedshewouldsharealittlebitofthat
livelinesswithherbrother.
No,evenfatherwas
Atthatmoment
"Kun."
Kaito,whowasonthebed,movedhiswitheredlipsjustatinylittlebitwithtremblingweakness.
"Father."
Itwastheusualthing.Hewaswhisperingthesamehabitualwords.Shecouldn'thearhisvoice.Itwasnot
inavoicewhichcouldbeheard.However,Ayaserememberedthemovementsofthoselips.
(Sorry.)
"Tsk!"
Krrr.Ayase'steethgroundtogether.Ayaseborethefeelingsofsorrowandvexation,whichwasalmost
enoughtomakehershout,bygrindingherteeth.Fromthatday,Kaitohadalwayscontinuedtoapologizeto
Ayase.Thathewasnotabletoprotect.Thathewasnotabletoentrust.Allalone,eternallywithinthatrainy
season.
Listenwell,Ayase.Neverloseyourpridenomatterwhat.Ourswordisthepowertokillpeople.You
people'sgiftsarethepowertosurpassotherpeople.Thatiswhyyoucannotloseyourpride.Ifyouloseit,
youractionswilljustturnintomereviolence.Alwaysbepolite,helptheweak,andhatethewicked.Never
everletyourselfbetiedbyyourownpower,andnomatterwhatkindofopponent,alwaysfacethemfair
andsquare.Becomeaknightthatwon'tbeashametoothers,ortoyourownself.
ThosewerethewordsthatAyase'sfather,the'LastSamurai'AyatsujiKaito,alwaystoldher.The
responsibilityofthosewhohavepower.Kaitounderstooditsowellthathewasabletoimpartthesword
anditsmoralsintoAyasewhowasbornasaBlazer.Tomakesurethatshewouldnotbecomeacheapand
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arroganthumandrunkonherownpower.
Kaito'straining,evenifshehadsayitwithflattery,wasnotagentleone.Harsh.Onecouldverywellsay
thatitwasharsh.But,evensoAyaselovedthestrengththatKaitotalkedabout.Shelovedthegallant
backofherfatherwhenhewasswinginghissword.ShelovedKaito'sbigandroughhandthatusedto
caressherheadwheneversheshowedgrowth.
Asmalldojo,abouttendisciples,herfather,andherself.Bynomeanswasitaluxuriouslifestyle,butthere
waswarmthinthatflowoftime.
Itwasatimefilledwithhappiness.Ayasewishedfromthebottomofherheartthatsuchatimewould
alwayscontinue.
But,thatwishofher'swascruellycrushed.Onthatrainyday,twoyearsback.Byasinglemanwho
bargedinonherdailylife.
IthadbeentwomonthsafterAyaseenrolledinHagunAcademy.Therainyseasonhadjustarrived.The
seasonwheretheskywascoveredbyheavyraincloudsandeventhewindfeltdampandhumid.
Afterclasshadfinished,withoutreturningtothedorm,Ayasewasholdinganumbrellawithintherainand
wasmovingtowardsherhouse'sdojo.Herpurposewasofcourse,tolearnswordsmanshipthatshe,no
matterwhat,justwon'tbeabletolearnatschool.
WhenAyasewasinthefirstyearofhermiddleschool,Kaitowasdiagnosedwithaheartdiseasethatwas
impossibletocureevenwithcuttingedgemedicaltreatment,andnowhewasbarelyabletoswingasword.
ThelasttimeKaitoheldtheswordwaswhenAyase'sadmissionintoHagunwasdecided.Itwastoentrust
herwiththesecrettechniquethathehimselfhaddeveloped.Tobeblunt,hisbodywasnolongerinthe
conditiontoswingasword.But,inthedojo,therewerediscipleswholearnedtheAyatsujisingleblade
stylefromKaito.Eveniftheywerefewinnumbers,theywerestillwarriorsnotunlikeAyase,whomfroma
youngagehadlearnedtheswordundertheLastSamurai.
Amongthem,Sugawarafromcramschool,althoughafarcryfromKaito,waswaystrongerthanAyase.
ThatwaswhyforAyasetoreceivetrainingfromhim,shetraveledtoherhomethreetimesaweek.Because
shewantedtobecomestrongenoughquicklytobeabletousethesecrettechniquethatherfatherhad
entrustedherwith.
Thus,commutinghad,moreorless,becomearoutine.
But,onthatday,afterpassingthroughtheleftopenedgatefordisciples,shemetwiththevariantthatwas
notsupposedtoexistwithherdailylife.
"Eh?"
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Theonesheencounteredwasatallyouthwhowasholdinganumbrella.Hishairwasdyedinalightcolor,
andtherewasacigaretteinhismouth.Hisgazewassharplikeahungrywolf,andatattooofaskullcould
beseenfrominsidetheuntidyuniformofDonrouAcademy.Ayouthwithanatrociousyetbrutal
appearancewhowasprobablyworldsapartfromtheappreciativeworldofdojosormartialarts.
Ayase,whowasnormallynogoodwiththeoppositesex,steppedbackwithoutthinkinguponseeingthe
overbearingappearanceoftheteenager.
"Huhu."
Theboy,KurashikiKuraudo,laughedatthatasiftoteaseher.
"Seeya."
Anddisappearedintothegraytowncoveredwithclouds.
"Whowasthatperson?"
Whydidsomeonewithsuchasuspiciousappearancecomeoutofherhouse?Toboot,someonewhowas
wearingDonrouAcademy'suniform.InotherwordshewasaBlazer.Heshouldhavenobusinesswitha
swordsmanshipdojo.Didhestopbytogetdirectionsorsomething?Whilethinkingthat,Ayasestarted
walkingtowardsthedojoinsidethehouse.
And
"Shit!Iwon'tforgivethatbastard!"
ThevoiceofSugawara,whocouldbesaidtobeAyase'schildhoodfriend,resoundedwithinthedojo.
Wonderingwhathappened,Ayasehurriedlyenteredthedojoafterslidingthedooropen.
Insidethedojotheusualenergeticsoundsofswordscouldnotbeheard.Rather,includingSugawara,about
sevendiscipleswerestandingstill,doingtheirbesttoholdbacktheirrageandshock.Theirinstructor,
Kaito,waskneelingaswellwhilekeepinghiseyesclosedwithadifficultexpressiononhisface.
"Whatisgoingon?Didsomethinghappen?"
AyaseaskedSugawara.
"Justnow,somestrangepunkjustsuddenlyintrudedonus,andaskedforamatchwiththetitleofthisdojo
atstake."
"Adojochallenge,wasit?"
"Yeah,butSensei'sbodyisalreadywornout,andabovealltheAyatsujisinglebladestyleforbidssuch
matcheswithstakes."
Ayasealsoknewofthat.TheswordofAyatsujiexistedtoprotect.Kaitohadalwaystalkedaboutit.Itwasa
swordmeantnottocauseuselessscuffles,ortoshowoffone'sstrength.Underthatnotion,theAyatsuji
singlebladestyleforbadeanyandallfightsexceptforofficialmatches.
"Thatiswhy,Instructorhadrefusedthematch,andthen."
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"ThatbastardinsultedInstructorbycallinghimacoward,fiasco,andfailure,andthenheevenspatonhis
face!"
"Eventhoughhewasjustamerepunk!Actinghighandmightyjustbecausehecanusesomeability
kuh."
Disciplesstartedraisingtheirangryvoicesoneafteranother.Sincethetimeoftheirchildhood,theyhad
beenvisitingthedojofrequently,andtheyrespectedKaitoasifheweretheirownfather.That'swhythey
probablycouldnotforgivethatKaitowasmadefunof.
Ayasesharedthatfeeling.Someonehadspatonherfather'sface.Justbyhearingthataloneherbody's
temperaturehadrisentwotimes.
"Damnit,hisfootprintsarestillthere.Tothinkhecametoasacreddojowithhisshoesontch.If
Master'sbodywasinperfectcondition,thatbratwouldhavegottenhisasshandedtohim."
"Thatisincorrect,Nitta."
Kaitorespondedinasharpvoiceuponthewordsthatoneofhispupilssaid.
"Icouldn'thaveacceptedevenifmybodywasinaperfectcondition,becausetheAyatsuji'sswordexiststo
protectpeople.Itisnotaswordthatshouldbeswungforuselessscuffles.Thisisnotaneratoprotect
peoplewiththesword,butthatpurposeshouldnotbeforsakenorabandoned."
"Yyes!Iamsorry!Iwillreflectonthiswithallofmyspirit."
Nittabowedtothereprimand,whichwasfilledwithapeacefulyetsharptone,ofKaito.
"Good.Otherstoo,allofyouhavestoppedtheirhand.Asapunishmentpracticeswingathousandtimes!"
AfterexplainingAyatsuji'sswordphilosophy,Kaitoswiftlychangedtheatmosphereoftheplace.The
disciplesrepliedwith"Osu!"andfollowedtheorder.Withthattheusuallivelinessreturnedtothedojo.
"Wellthen,Ayasechan,hurryupandchangeintodojoclothes.Afterall,Ican'tletAyasechanturnintoa
Blazerlikethatwho'sdrunkbyhisownpower.I'lltrainyouproperlytoday,too."
"Yes,pleasetakecareofme!"
Ayasefinallyrelaxedafterseeingthatthedojohadregaineditsenergy,andhurriedtothelockerroom.
But,onherwayshesmelledascentthatsheneversmelledinsidethedojo.Thatwasthesmelloftobacco
leftbehindbyhim.Thatlingeringscentwouldalways,alwayscoilaroundAyase'sbeloveddailylifelikea
snakewithitsmenacingtongueout.
Andworse,thatpremonitionwasrighton.
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Thenextday.Justlikeyesterday,Ayasecametothedojowithintheannoyingrain.
"Hello~Huh?"
Aftergreetingandopeningthedoorofthedojo,shefoundKaito,whowassittingonacushion.
"It'sonlyyou,father?It'sunusualfortheotherstobelaterthanme."
"That'sright,it'safirstforallofthemtobelateatthesametime."
Kaitotiltedhishead,puzzled.Althoughallofthemwereneverlatetogether,butthereweretimeswhere
oneortwoofthemwouldcomelate.Itwasprobablyacoincidencethatallofthemwerelatetogether.
"Well,they'llcomearoundsoonerorlater.Now,sincewe'refinallyalonetogetherafteralongtimeI'll
personallyseetoyourswordpractice."
"Iamhappythatyouwillseeit,butyou'renotallowedtoswingtheswordyourself,gotit?SinceFather
issick."
"Ayaseissuchaworrywart.Don'tworry,I'lljustlookitover,becausemybodyisn'tingoodcondition
becauseofthecontinuousrainthesepastfewdays."
AyasedecidedtoshowKaitothestancesbeforetryingthesecrettechnique,whichshelearnedfromhim
whensheenrolledintoHagunAcademy,whilewaitingfortheotherdisciples.Ayaseaimedherwooden
sword,andopenedherstanceatinylittlebit.Sheloweredherwaistabitandreleasedstrengthfromher
shoulders.ShetracedthemovementsofKaitofromwithinhermemoryofthatday.Onebyone,carefully.
But
"No."
Kaitoimmediatelyrebuked.
"Don'tloosenyourhandwhenyoureleasestrengthfromtheshoulders.Tightenyourwristsmore,butdon't
puttoomuchforce.Allwhilekeepingthestancesinmind."
"ThThatisdifficult."
"Ifyoucan'tdoit,thenyouwon'tbeabletomasterthesecrettechnique.I'llshowyouhowit'sdoneone
moretime."
AftersayingthatKaitoreachedforthewoodenswordthatwassetuponthewall,but
*Stare*
"."
*Stare*
"Igetit,Igetit.Iwon'tswingit,okay."
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KaitosurrenderedbyraisingbothofhishandsuptoAyase,whowaslookingathimfromthebackwitha
lookofreproachinhereyes.
"Forgoodnesssake,youreallyresembleyourlatemotherinthatregard.Yourmother,too,reproachedme
bysendingglareslikethoseratherthansayingitwithherownmouth."
"It'sonlynatural,becauseMothertaughtmethatifFatherevertriedtodosomethingstupid,Icanstophim
bydoingthat."
"It'snotfunnytobedominatedbybothgenerationsofmotheranddaughter."
Kaitosighedonce,andmovedtowardsAyase'sback.Hehuggedherfrombehindandheldontoherhands,
whichweregrippingthewoodensword.
"Listenwell:keepyourwristsatthisangle.Thevitalpointbehindthissecrettechniqueisnottodisturbthe
stancesbyinsertingtoomuchpower."
Whileexplainingthevitalpointofthesecrettechnique,whichhehadentrustedherwithwhenshewas
goingtogotoHagun,KaitowassimultaneouslyhelpingAyasewithherposture.Feelingthesensationof
roughandstiffpalmsthatwerewrappedaroundherhands...
Theyarebig,Father'shands.
Ayaselovedthatsensationwhichcouldnotbereferredtoasgentle.
NowthatIthinkaboutit.It'sbeenalongtimesincethelasttimehetaughtmethisway.
"Fufu."
Whenshebecameconsciousofthat,forsomereasonshebecameextremelyhappy.Ayasesqueakedouta
smile.
"Whathappened?Laughingallofasudden."
"It'snothing.Ijustthoughtit'sbeenlongtimesinceFathertaughtmevariousthingsinthismanner.Iwas
somewhathappyaboutit."
AyasesuddenlyleanedonKaito'sthickchestandbroughtherfacecloser.
*BabumpBabump*Whilelisteningtoherbelovedfather'sheartbeat
"Itwouldbeniceifsuchagentletimecontinuesforever."
Shewhisperedtoherself.
"."
WordsfromKaitodidn'tfollow.Ofcourse,becauseKaitoknewthatwishcouldn'tcometrue.Ofcourse,
Ayase,too,knewthat.Kaitonolongerhadverylongtolive.Thetimewhenthisheartbeat,whichshewas
listeningtorightnow,wouldstopwassteadilyapproaching.ThatiswhyKaitohadtaughttheimmature
Ayasethesecrettechniquewhichshecouldnothandlerightnow.
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ForhowmanymoreyearswouldFatherbeabletolive?
Shehadalreadymadeherresolvetopartwithhim.ButthatwaswhyAyasewishedthatthelastdaytobeas
tenderasthismoment.
Andthatwishwasbetrayedinthecruelestofways.
Inthatmoment,theslidingdoorofthedojosuddenlyopened.AyaseandKaitoturntheireyesovertothe
entrance,thinkingthatfinallythediscipleshadcome.Certainly,therewasoneofthedisciplesthere.Itwas
Sugawara.
But
"SuSugawarasan!"
Ayase'sfaceturnedpaleinaninstant.ThatwasbecauseSugawarawas
thereinaformthatwaspainfultolookatwithbandagesandgauzeall
overhisbodyandface.
"Thoseinjuries,justwhathappened?"
Kaito,whowasshockedtoo,rushedtoSugawara'sside.
Uponseeinghisinstructorrunuptohim,Sugawaraforalmostburstinto
tears,and...
"Instructor.I,Iamsosorry!"
Justlikethatprostrated,almostlikehittinghisheadonthefloorofthe
dojo.Althoughhisfacecouldn'tbeseen,hissobbingvoicecouldbeheard.
Kaitoimmediatelyunderstoodthatitwasn'tsomethingtrivial.
"Raiseyourhead.Theseinjuriesitseemsyoudidn'tgetthesebyfallingdownorsomething.Justwhat
happened?"
"ThThatis,weweredoneinbythatmanwhocamebyyesterday."
"What!?"
"Yesterdaynight,whenwewereonourwaybackfromdojo,hewaswaitingtoambushusseven.Then,
allofsuddenheattackeduswithastick!Thatguyisinsane!Withoutanyhesitationhetriedtosmashother
people'sheads.Heisinsane,madItellyou.That'swhy,withnootherwayout,allofusfoughtback,
but."
Sugawarasobbedheavilyonceatthatpoint,and
"Wewerehelpless!Allsevenofustogetherweren'tevenabletotouchhimwhenhewasn'tusinghis
ability,norwasheevencoveringhisbodywithmana."
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"!"
Ayasegulped,shockeduponhearingthosewords.IncludingSugawara,otherdisciplestoo,likeAyase,had
beenlearningtheswordofAyatsujisincetheirchildhood,andforthemtobethathelplessagainstsomeone.
Thatguy,hewasthatstrong.
"EventhoughweweretrainedbyInstructorforsomanyyearswewereplayedaroundwithbythat
delinquent!Iamverysorry!"
"Youdon'thavetoapologizeanymore!Moreimportantly,aretheothersallright!?"
"Nittawasbeatentoapulpandthat'swhyshewastreatedwithacapsule,butalloftheotherswere
hospitalized."
Capsulescouldonlybeusedbyclaiminghealthinsuranceotherwiseitwouldbeverycostly.Therefore,it
seemswithinthesevenofthem,withSugawaraandNittaout,fiveofthemwerestillconfinedtobed.The
oneswithsevereinjurieswerediagnosedwithinjuriessuchastheirarmwouldneverreturntonormal,et
cetera.
Afterconfessingallofthat,atlastSugawararaisedhishead.
"Senseiwewereabletocomethisfarbecauseweadmiredyou.Wewantedbecomeproudmenlike
Sensei,butIreallydon'twanttosaythisbutjustwhatwerewedoingforsomanyyears!?"
HeaskedKaitowhileweeping.
"."
Uponseeingherelderpupil'smiserablefigure,Ayasewasatalossforwords.Theheadcoach,Sugawara
whotaughtAyasethesword,couldn'tbeseenanywhere.Thoseeyeswerestainedwithfearanddespair.His
hearthadbeentwistedsomuchthathewon'tbeabletoreturntohisusualselfanymore.Wrong,itwasnot
justSugawara
"Iamsorry.Wewon'ttouchtheswordfromnowon."
Whilecryingheavily,Sugawarapulledresignationlettersforsevenpeoplefromhispocket.Yes,justlike
Sugawarahere,theothersix,whowerenotpresent,alsohadtheirheartsbroken.
"Cruel."
Whydidhedosomethinglikethis?Howcansomeonedosomethinglikethis?Eventhougheveryonegave
theirbestsincechildhoodandwalkedstraightdownthepathofthesword.Howcansomeoneplayaround
withpeoples'heartsandbreakthem?Ayasecouldnotcomprehendit.
Andthemanwhodidsuchincomprehensiblethings
"Haha!Icamearoundataninterestingtime."
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""!?""
Heappearedinthedojoasthoughhewasaimingforsuchatiming.
"Tothinkeveryonequit,maybeIbulliedthemabittoomuch."
"Hihiiiii!"
ThemomentSugawarasawthatfigure,hescreamedlikeagirlflappinghisfourlimbstohurryinsidethe
dojo.
"Hey,hey,don'trunawaylikethat.You'llhurtmyfeelings."
Kuraudosteppedinsidethedojowhilelaughinginavulgarmanner.
"DDon'tcome,pleasedon'tcomeinside,hihiiiiii!"
"SStop!He'sgettingscared!"
Notbeingabletoseethepatheticfigureofhercomradewhohadalwayswalkeddownthepathofthesword
withher,AyasesteppedforwardtoprotectSugawara.
Buthershoulderwasgrabbedbyaroughhand.ItwasKaito.
"Whatbusinessdoyouhavehere?"
"Thesamebusinessasyesterday."
"IthoughtIhadrefused."
"IjustthoughtifIdropbytodayI'llgetadifferentanswer.Hahaha!"
"Isee.So,justtodragmeoutyoudidsuchthingstomydisciples?"
"Ya.ButyesterdayIwasn'tabletogetmyhandsonthatwomanthere."
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Whydoyoudosuchthings?Aren'tyouaBlazer?BeitschoolortheSevenStarsSwordArtFestival,you
shouldnotbelackinginopponentswhereveryourunwild.Inspiteofthatwhydoyouobsesswithmeso
much?"
"Don'taskmesomethingweirdagain,oldman.Doestheedgeofawarrior'sheartdullwhenheretires?"
"!"
Atthosewords,Kaitoslightlywidenedhiseyes.
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"Haha.Well,it'sallgood.Thereasonissimple,it'sbecauseIwanttoshowoffmystrength,mypower.It
doesnotmatteriftheyareBlazersornormalpeople.Iwanttoshowittoeverysingleonewhocatchesmy
interest!"
AyaseburnedwithangeratKuraudo'smotive,whichhehadjustspokenaboutasthoughhewassnarlingat
Kaito.
"Forsomethingsoworthlessyoudidsuchcruelthings!"
"Worthless?Ha!Whatis?Ijustwanttogetitonwithsomeonestrong,Iwanttocrushstrongpeople.Aren't
feelingslikethatnatural?"
"Don'tmesswithme!"
Shewouldn'tstandaroundasthisguydidwhateverhewanted.
"Itdoesn'tmatterhowmanytimesyoucome,theanswerwillstillbeno!Thisisnotaplacewheresomeone
likeyoucanjustbargeinon,becausewedon'tswingourswordsaroundjusttoshowoffourstrength!
Father,let'scallthepoliceimmediately!"
But,Kaitowhispered.
"No,Ican'tletitgolikethis.TheAyatsujisinglebladestyledojoacceptsyourchallenge.Whoevergetsin
thefirsttwostrikeswinsthematch.Wewillonlyusewoodenswords.Realswordsarenotallowed,gotit?"
Ofallthings,AyatsujiKaitowentaheadandacceptedKuraudo'schallenge.
"WhWha,Father!!!"
"SeSensei!"
ThemomenttheyheardofhismotivetoacceptKuraudo'schallenge,thetwodisciples,whosefaceshad
turnedblue,triedtostopKaito.
"Pleasestopit,Instructor!Youshouldn'tfightwithsomeonelikethis!Aboveall,yourheart!"
"That'sright,Father!Youwon'tbeabletofightwiththatkindofbody!Ifyouwanttodoitthatbad,thenI
willfightinyourstead!"
Kaito'sdaughter,Ayase,andevenSugawara,whohadcurledupwithfearofKuraudo,triedtostopKaito
desperately.ButKaitosmiledslightlyatthat.
"Thankyou,youtwo.Itakeprideinthekindnessofyoutwowhoworryaboutme,butthatisprecisely
why"
ThewordsthatwerespokenbeforehadbeenburnedintoKaito'smind.
Justwhatwerewedoingforsomanyyears!?
"ThereisnowayIcanforgivethisguywhohurtyouall!"
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Hecouldn'tleavethistoothers.Hehadtodefeatthismanwithhisowntwohands.KaitostaredatKuraudo
likeanogre,andinhiseyesthereresidedresolveanddetermination.
Uponseeingthatexpression,Ayasewasatalossforwords.Shehadalreadyunderstoodit,thatnowhe
wouldnotbestoppedwithherwords.
"Iunderstand.Iwon'tstopFatherifheiswillingtogothatfar.I,too,willseethisthroughasthejudge."
"Yes,Iwillleaveittoyou."
"WinatallcostsFather."
AviolentvoicecalledouttoAyase,whowaswishingasthoughpraying,fromtheside.
"Hey,ifyou'redonetalkingthenlet'sgetstartedalready.I'vegottiredofwaiting."
"Iknow."
Ayasefrownedatthevoiceshedidn'twanttohear,thenhitthegroundwithherheelandthrewawooden
swordatthedemandingKuraudo.
"Haha,whataviolentwoman."
"Rulesare,likeFathersaid,thefirstonetogettwostrikesonhisopponentwins.Theweaponsofthismatch
arewoodenswords.Theuseofmanaisforbidden.Isthatclear?"
"Yeah,itwouldn'thaveanymeaningifit'snotamatchonequalgrounds."
Kuraudo'scaninesgleamedlikefangswhenhesmiled.Hiseyeswere,now,lookingonlyatKaito.
Ontheotherhand,wasKaitoconcentrating?Hewasjuststandingtherewiththewoodenswordinhisright
hand,andwithhiseyesclosed.
Itseemsthatbothhadcompletedtheirpreparations.That'swhy,Ayaseasthejudge
"Then,bothofyoustandinfrontofeachother.Start!"
Thematchofthosetwohadstarted.
"Haha!HereIcome!"
Themomentwhen'start'wasshouted,KuraudorantowardsKaito,coveredinwinds.Heobliteratedthe
distancebypurelegstrength,andswunghissworddownonKaito'shead.Therewasn'tevenatraceof
techniqueinthatsinglestroke,whichrippedtheatmosphere.Hehadnottransmittedpowerfromhislegs,
norusedlatsbyclosinghisarmpithedidn'tdoanyofthose.
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Itwasawildswingwithjustthepowerofhisarmbehindit.Obviously,itwasaswordplaybelongingtoan
amateur.
Fast!
EvenfromtheeyesofKaito,whowasamaster,thatswingseemedabnormal.Heconcludedthatitwould
bedangeroustoreceiveitupfront.Kaitoquicklyescapedthetrajectoryoftheslashbyslidinghisfeettothe
side.
Inthatmoment,Kuraudo'swoodenswordgrazedthetipofKaito'snose,andsplitthefloorofdojo.
"Whatmonstrousstrength!"
Ayase,thejudge,raisedhervoice,feelingawed.Itcouldn'tbehelpedbecauseaslash,whichwascapableof
splittingthefloor,hadgrazedherfather'sface.
But,Kaitowasdifferent.Hepurposefullyletitgrazehim.Adjustingthedistancebyslidingyourfeetwasa
basicskillofswordsmen.Hedidso,becauseitwastokeeptheopeneddistanceshortforhimtocounter.A
fullswingenoughtosplitthefloorofcourse,theopponentwouldn'tbeabletotakedefensivestancessoon
enoughtoblockthecounter.Thatsinglemomentbecomesthedecidingfactorinamatchwithamasteras
anopponent!
AndcounteringwasAyatsujisinglebladestyle'sforte.
ThemomentwhenthetipofKuraudo'sswordplungedintothefloor,Kaitoslidehisfootforward
shorteningthedistancebyhalfastep.ThatwasKaito'sattackrange.
"!"
Kaitoletoutasmallsighand,thistime,hewastheonewhoattacked.Aimingforthesamebodyareaas
Kuraudo,thehead,hebroughtdownhissword.ButKaito'sswingwasbeautiful,incomparablewith
Kuraudo'sbarbaricswing,andfaster.Thatspeedwasthesameaslight's.Evenifhewassick,hehadbeen
stillknownastheLastSamuraiinthepast.Theextraordinarygenius.Theveryideaofcomparinghissword
playwithanamateur'swasfoolish.Kuraudo,whohadmissedonhisveryfirstattack,couldnotescapethe
fateofbeinghitbythatswing.
Orsoitwassupposedtobe.
"Hahaha!"
*Thump*
Kaito'shandsbecamenumbafterreceivingtherecoilofhisownattack.ItwasnottheheadofKuraudothat
hefelthehadhit.ItwasthewoodenswordofKuraudothatwaslaunchedatKaito'sattack.Herepelledit
withhisownsword.Kaito'sbonecrackedbecauseofthatimpact.
"Youseemtobesurprised,oldman.Didyouthinkyouwouldbeabletowrapituplikethat?"
"Yes.Totellyouthetruth,Ididn'tthinkyouwouldrepelit."
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Thatwastrulyasurprise.Onecouldsayitwascompletelyunexpected.ButKaitoisn'tjustsome
inexperiencedswordsmantobeshockedbyeverymoveofhisopponent.
That'ssomeinstinctshe'sgotthere.
ItseemshehadpredictedKaito'scounter.Thatreactionspeedcouldnotbeexplainedanyotherway.Itwas
beyondthespeedofhumans.
However,itwasnotaproblemevenifhestoppedamove.Kaitostillhadtricksuphissleeves.
"Here!I'llreturnthefavor!"
Again,heswungdownhisswordjustlikebeforewithoutanybeauty,withthesamespeedandatthesame
place.
Obviously,thatpowerwastrulydreadful.Therewasnodoubtthathiswoodenswordwouldgetcrushedif
hereceiveditupfront.
Evenso,Kaitoreceiveditwithhiswoodensword.Washenotabletoescape?No,thiswasKaito'splan.If
hiscounterswerenotgoingtowork,thenhedidn'tneedtododgetheattacks.
Themomentthetwowoodenswordsclashed,beforehiswoodenswordcouldbreak,Kaitomovedhiswrist,
andchangedtheangleofthewoodenbladewithwhichhereceivedtheattack,andlettheimpactofthe
attackout.
Becauseofthat,Kuraudo'swoodenswordslidoutandhelosthisposture.
Dodgeandreceivingarejustapartprimitivedefensemechanism.Martialartsexistonahigherlevel.It
createsgroundbreakingdefensivetechniques.
Inotherwords,thatwasadeflection.Itinvolvesreceivingtheopponent'sattackandthenusingthatsame
attack'spowertoparryitoff.Withittheopponentfloatsheloseshisbalanceandadecisiveopeningis
forciblycreated.Andthistimeforcertain,Kaitoseizedthatopening.
"Haha."
Themomentwhenthejudge,Ayase,confirmedthestateofaffairs
Thisfeeling.
Afterfeelingtheresistancefromthestrike,Kaitofelthisheartthrob.
Whatisthisfeeling?
"AsexpectedofInstructor!Yourmovementsdidn'tseemlikeasickperson!"
"Fatheramazing.!Asexpected,Fatherisamazing!"
Thedisciplesraisedtheirvoicesindelightafterseeinghimscorethefirstpoint.Tothat,Kaitosmiledat
themconcealingtheinexplicablebadfeelingthatwaswellingupinsidehisheart,andthenmovedhisgaze
backtowardstheenemy.
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Kuraudowasstandingupwhileholdinghisside.
"HahahaAsonewouldexpectoftheLastSamurai,thisisthefirsttimeI'vereceivedsuchsharpblow.
Howeveristhisallyou'vegot?Ifso,you'lldie,oldman."
Evenafterreceivingthefirststrike,Kuraudostilldidnotlosehisfightingspirit.Thelightinhiseyes,still
burningandhungry,piercedKaito.
"Asif.Itstartsfromhereon,brat."
"Goodthen,I'llbecomingatyouseriously,too!"
Whilesmilinglikeabrute,Kuraudoonceagainclosedthedistancebycharginginwithpurelegstrength,
andforthethirdtime,swunghissworddownwards.
Hedoesn'tlearn!Suchanamateurishmove.
Certainlyhepredictedandparriedthecounter.Thosemovesweresomething.But,hejustswingshis
attacksaroundwithemotionsandbrutestrength.Thatkindofswordplay,withjustpowerbehindit,didn't
poseanythreattoanexcellentswordsman.
I'llenditwiththis!
Kaito,onceagain,tookthestancefordeflectionwithhisswordathisleftside.He'ddeflecttheattack,and
finishit.Kaito,Ayase,whowaswatchingfromtheside,andSugawara,too,believedthat.
Atthatmoment,Kuraudo'swoodensworddisappearedlikemist.
Wha!?
Inthatinstant,thesoundofKaito'sribsbreakingechoedinsidethedojo.
KaitofelldownafterbeinghitinthetorsobyKuraudo'swoodensword.Heviolentlyconvulsed,but
Kuraudogotafairpointin,towhichnoonecouldcomplainabout.
However,Ayasedidn'thavethecomposuretocalmlyannouncethepoint,becauseonthefloor,Kaitowas
sufferingfromlunghemorrhagewhileholdinghisside.Theamountofbloodbeinglostwasexcessive.It
wasobviousfromonelookthathisinternalorganshadruptured.Realizingthat,AyaseranovertoKaito
withapaleface.
"Father!Areyouallright!?"
"Don'tcome!"
But,Kaito,whilestillspewingblood,stoppedAyasewhowasapproachinghimwithaloudandstrong
voice.
"Thematchhasnotendedyet!Ifyoucan'tjudgefairlythenstepback!"
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"Thisisnotthetimetobesayingsuchthings!"
"AYASE!"
Kaito,whowasstillspewingblood,shoutedatAyasewhowasstillcomingtowardshim,havingignored
hiswords.Ayasewasscoldedandshoutedatmultipletimesinthepast,butthistimeitwasentirely
different.Shefeltfear,asthoughherheartwasdirectlyattacked.Hisshoutwaslikeawildanimal'sroar.
"Thisismybattle!Don'tinterfere!"
"AaFather!?"
AyaselostherstandingatKaito'sseriousshoutthatshehadneverheardbefore.
"Don'tworry!I'lldefinitelywin!"
Kaitostoodupwhilespillingbloodfromhismouth.Hisredeyeswerefixatedatjustonepoint,towards
Kuraudo.Hisburningfightingspiritseething.
"HereIcome!Boyyyy!!!"
Kaitodashed.
"Haha!Theresultwillbethesamenomatterhowmanytimesyoutry."
Kuraudotookhimheadon.Forthethirdtimetheirswordsclashed.However,itwasjustonesidednow.
Kaitohadalreadysufferedafatalwound.Withhisoffenseanddefenseitwasbecomingclearthathehad
rustedduetonothavingheldtheswordforseveralyears.
Hewasbeingpushedback.Hewasbeingpushedbackmercilesslybyrandomswings,whichdidn'tcontain
evenanounceofbeautyortechniqueandwereonlyswungwithpure,bruteforce.Now,hecouldnoteven
attack,andhewasjustbarelyparryingtherandomattacks.
And,todelivertheendingblowtoKaito,now,whoseentirebodywascoveredinwounds,Kuraudoonce
againreleasedthesameattackthattookonepointfromKaitobefore.Aimingforthetorso.
Kaitoquicklytookadefensivestancetothat.Astanceintendingtoreceivetheattack.However,justbefore
clashingwithKaito'swoodensword,Kuraudo'swoodenswordonceagaindisappearedlikemistandhit
Kaito'sbody.
Thistimeitwasswungdownonhisskull.
Itwasincomprehensible.Howdidasword,swungtowardsthetorso,comefromabovethehead.That
actionhadprobablysurpassedtheabilitiesofhumans.Wasitsomekindoftrick?Theycouldnot
understandit.Noonecouldtellwhatitwas.
However,thewoodensword,whichswungdown,certainlyexistedaboveKaito'sheadandmercilessly
crushedhisskull.Orsoitwassupposedtobe.
"What!?"
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Thatstrikewhichwassupposedtobethedecisiveblowdidn'tstrikeKaito'sskullandendedupfalling
towardshisnape.Theattackbrokehiscollarbone.Kaitobarelyavoideditsothatitwon'tbecomeapoint.
"Kuh.Youcan'tcallthisapointboy!"
"Haha,you'rejustsomeonewhofailedtodie!Don'tstruggle!"
AfterkickingKaitointhestomach,andwideningthedistancebetweenthem,Kuraudoonceagainresumed
hisviolentbarrageofattacks.Evenifanattackonthecollarbonedidn'tcountasapoint,itdidn'tchangethe
factthatitdrainedKaito'sstamina.Kaito'smovementswerenowdulledtothepointtheywere
incomparablefrombefore,andtheylackedtheirusualbrilliance,andthenuncountableblowswere
deliveredtoKaito.
Thesharpattacksofthewoodenswordbrokehisbones,cuthisskin,andsplashedhisbloodalloverthe
dojo.Eventheneventhen,Kaitodidn'tlethimhittheplacesthatwouldgiveawaythepoint.Evenwhen
hiswholebodywascoveredinblood,hestillstoodonhistwolegsandcontinuedtofight.
Why!?
AyasecouldnotcomprehendKaito'sactions.Itwasobviouswhowasgoingtowin.Evenso,whydidn't
theystopfighting?Whydidn'thesurrender?
"Stopstopalready!"
Soundsoffleshbeingsmashedechoed.Andeverytimetheyechoed,Kurauo'sreddyedwoodensword
splatteredblood.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Kuraudo,whowascoveredinblood,laughed.Hislaughterresounded.
Now,Kaitowasjustbeinghitaround.Itwasnolongeraboutvictoryordefeat,itwasnolongeraboutthe
match.Ayasebrokeintotears,andcouldnolongerseewhatkindofexpressionKaitowasmakingorifhe
wasevenconsciousatall.
Ifshedidn'tstopthis.
Ifshedidn'tstopthis.
Ifshedidn'tstopthis,herfatherwouldbekilled!
Ayaseunderstoodthat,but,evensoshecouldnotmove.EvenwhenKaito'sbloodsoiledherclothes,and
evenwhenKaito'steethbrokeandgotstucktohischeek.Shewasnotabletogatherpowerinherwaist
becauseofKaito'sroarfrombefore.
"Stop,pleasestopit!Idon'tneedthisdojo!JustpleasestophittingFather!"
Ayasecouldonlyscream.But,Ayase'sscreamdidn'treachthetwowhowerestandingonthevergeof
death.Kaitostilldidn'tsurrender,andKuraudodidn'tstopswinginghissword.
""
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Inaninstant,Kaito,whoseentirebodywascoveredinblood,unleashedafinalstrike.Heaimedhiswooden
swordfrombetweenhiseyestowardsKuraudo,andadvanced.
"Ooooooooooooooooo!!!"
"!"
Didhesensesomethingfromthedyingpreywhocouldonlydefendpointerblows?Kuraudo'sexpression
stiffened.ButKuraudodidn'tretreatratherheswunghiswoodensworddownwithallhismight.Heaimed
forKaito'sheadwhowasadvancingtowardshim.
Eventowardsthenearingwoodenswordsthatwastearingtheair,Kaitodidn'tstophisadvances.No,rather
hedidnotevenmovehiswoodenswordthatwasheldbetweenhiseyes,andhedidn'ttakeprecaution
towardsthelightinglikeslashthat'scomingdownfromabove.
Itwassuicidalattack.Themeaningofthatseeminglyrecklessconduct
Thatstanceis!
Ayaseknewit.ThatwastheresultoftheLastSamuraiAyatsujiKaito'sentirelife,thesecrettechniqueof
Ayatsuji'ssword.Theonlyhiddentechniquecapableofbreakingthissituation.
ButthereisnowayKaito,whohadbecomeweakduetoillnessandinjuredinthebattle,wouldbeableto
useit.
"Ssstttttoooooooppppppppp!!!"
ThemercilessattackbrokeKaito'sskullandconsciousness.
"Ah."
Thesecondpointwastaken.Themomentthatwassettled,Kaito'sbodyfelltothefloor.
"Aaaaaaaa!!!"
AyaserantowardsKaito,halfcrazed.Shecalledouttohimnumeroustimes,butKaitodidn'trespond.
Kaito'smouthwasjustspillingoutfreshblood.
"No,nooooo!"
"Hmm,thisisboring.Thisgotsettledprettyquickly."
Witha*Clack*,KuraudothrewthewoodenswordhewasusinginfrontofAyase.Itwasdyeddarkfrom
blood,andtherewereafewcrackshereandthereduetohavingbrokensomanybones.Uponseeingthe
stateofthewoodensword,Ayase'sconsciousnessgotcoveredinredbecauseoftheamountofkillingintent
shewasemitting.Thathardwoodenswordhadcontinuedtohitherfatheruntilitbecamelikethis.
"Youfienddddd!!!"
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Havinglostallreason,AyasechargedtowardsKuraudoaftermaterializingHizume.
ButthearmthatwasabouttoswingHizumewascaughtbyKuraudoandheeasilyliftedAyase'sbodyup.
"Don'tloseyourtemperlikethat,Ihavenointerestinweaklings."
"Letmego!Letmegooooo!"
"Firstofall,thisisn'tthetimeforyoutogoatitwithme,amIright?"
Aftersayingthat,KuraudothrewAyaseontoponKaito'sbody.
"Tch!"
WiththatAyase,too,rememberedwhatsheneededtoprioritizeanddo.
"Sugawarasan!Ambulance!Callanambulance!Hurry!"
"OOkay!"
AyasegaveoutorderstoSugawarawhowasstandinginacornerofthedojo.MeanwhileAyasefranticaly
triedtowakeKaitobycallingouttohim.Afterlookingatthosetwowithacoldandboredlook,Kuraudo
lefttheplace,leavingafewwordsbehindwhiledeparting.
"Packupallofyourluggageandleave.Thisplacedoesn'tbelongtoyouguysanymore."
Ayasegrittedherteethinbitterness.Atthatmoment,Kaitoletasoundresemblingamoanfromhischest.
"Sorry."
"Father!"
ShelookedatKaito,buthewasstillunconscious.Hewasjustlettingoutwordsofapologylikeweaksighs.
Part3
Twoyearsago,onthatday,Ayasehadlosteverything.Thedojo'ssign,itsland,andeverythingelsewas
stolenbyKuraudoandshehadnotmetwiththeotherdiscipleseversince.
And,Kaito,too,havingbeencruellybeatenhadfallenintoacoma.Hehadstillnotwokenup.Kaitowas
stillinsidethatnightmarishday,andhestillcontinuedtoapologizetillthisday.
Sorry,sorry.
Tohisdisciplesthathewasnotabletoprotect.AndtoAyasebecauseheleteverythingofAyatsujisingle
bladestylegetstolen.
Fathermightnotableholdonuntilthiswinter.
Thatwasthediagnosisthatthedoctorhadgiven.Shehadalreadymadeupherresolvewhenhisillnesswas
diagnosed.Shealreadyunderstoodit.
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Butshejustcouldn'tallowherselftoleaveherfatherinthatnightmareforeternity.Thataloneshecould
neverallow.That'swhyinthesepasttwoyearsAyasehadchallengedKuraudo,whohadbecomethenew
masterofthedojo,numeroustimes.Toreclaimthedojothatherfatherriskedhislifetoprotect.
However,therewasnowaythatAyasewouldbeabletowinagainstKuraudo,whomevenKaitocouldn't
beat.AyasewasputdownnumeroustimesbyKuraudowhowastreatingherlikeakittenthatwastryingto
playwithalion.
Atfirst,hewashavingfunshowinghiscomradesthesightofapitifulwomanwhowasdesperatelytrying
todefeathim.Maybehegotboredofit,butrecentlyshewasbeingturneddownwithoutbeinggivena
chancetofacehim.Now,theonlywaytofighthimwasforhertoappearintheSevenStarsSwordArt
Festival,andbeatKuraudowhowillappearthere,too.
AyaseandKuraudowereboththirdyearsnow.ThelimitofKaito'slifewasapproaching.Thecoming
SevenStarsSwordArtFestivalwillbeherlastchance.Ifsheloses,herfather'ssoulwouldforeverbe
caughtinthedarknessofdespair.Shecan'tforgivethat.
Thentheonlychoiceleftwastouseanymeansnecessarytowin.Togetresults.Shewouldprioritizethat
aboveanythingelse.Themeansdidnotmatter.Shedidn'tthinkitwastherightthingtodo,butbyno
meanswasshewrongeither.Iftheweakwantedtowinagainstthestrong,thenheorshedidnothavethe
luxurytochoosehisorherways.Thatwasthereality.
"Iwillreclaimthedojoatallcosts.EvenifKuroganekunneverforgivesme."
Then,finally,shecouldsaytoherfather,whowaswanderingdeepinsidethedespair,thatitwasfine
now,andhedidn'thavetoapologizeanymore.
Oncemore,Ayaserecalledeverythingandsettledherfeelings.Shewouldnolongerwaver.Shewouldno
longerhesitate.Evenifshecouldn'tboasttoanyone.
Shewouldwinatanycost,andgetthedojoback,becausethatwaseverythingtoAyatsujiAyase.
Part4
"Thankyouforwaiting!It'stime,sowewillbestartingthefirstmatchinthesixthtrainingarena!I,Isogai
oftheBroadcastingClubalongwithOrekiYuuri,ahomeroomteacherofthefirstyear,willbeyour
commentatorsforthismatch!Orekisensei,youseemtobeinagoodconditiontoday!"
"It'sbecauseit'sstillthefirstmatch~Iwillbecomethesameol'Yurithateveryoneloveswhenwegetto
aroundthethirdorsomatch~But,it'sstillgood.I'vegotaboutaliterofbloodinreserve~"
"Isee!Itseemstherewillbearainofbloodinthebroadcastingcorneragain!Wellthen,everyone,wewill
carryouttheawaitedintroductionsofparticipants!"
ThefemalestudentoftheBroadcastingClubbeginsintroducingthefirstplayer.
"First,fromthebluecorner,withhisperfectgameshavingwontenoutoftenmatches,andtheonewhois
nowthecenterofattention,theFRankknight,KuroganeIkki!"
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TheaudienceburstintocheersthemomentIkkishowedupinthestadium.Thefanswhocametocheerthe
FailureKnightonwerefemalestudents.
"Thestadiumgotfilledwithshoutsthemomentheshowedup!Hehasamazingpopularity!"
"Kuroganekunhaslotsoffemalefans"
"EventhoughheissostrongwithbeingaFRank,itfeelslikeheisn'tbeingrewarded!"
"DoesSenseiunderstandthisfeeling?"
"Alittlewhileagonoonetooknoticeofhim,andhewasjustanobodywhohadrepeatedthesameyear,
butafterthechangesinHagun'ssystem,hestoodoutafterdisplayinghisabilityinactualcombatand
weaponry.Now,theFailureKnightisconsideredtobeonepossiblecandidatefortheSevenStarsSword
ArtFestival!Whatkindoffightwillheshowustoday!?And,todaytheonefacinghimhasappearedfrom
theredcorner!Withthesamesplendidrecordoftenwinsoutoftenmatches,andwishingforhereleventh
victory,theDRankthirdyearknight,AyatsujiAyase!"
AfterIkki,Ayaseappeared,herblackhairfluttering.
"Forsomestrangereasonsheisalsofromahousethatpracticestheartofthesword,whichisveryrare
thesedays,likethecontenderKurogane.Theybothhadwontheireverymatchwithswordtechniques.
FromtheinformationprovidedbyKagamisanfromtheWallNewspaperClubitseemsthatsheisactually
adiscipleofcontenderKuroganewhohadbeengivingherlectures!Inotherwords,today'smatchis
betweenamasterandhisdisciple!Willthedisciplebeabletoovercomeherstrongmaster!?"
"*Cough*ThiswillbecomeacriticalmomentforAyatsujisan."
"Yes.UnlikecontenderKuroganewhohadfoughtoffcompetitorsliketheHunterandRunner'sHigh,
contenderAyatsujihadwonagainstlowerERankknights.Realisticallyspeakingshewasextremelylucky
tohavecontinuallywontenmatches."
"WhatkindofBlazerisshe~?"
"WehavelittletonoinformationregardingcontenderAyatsuji.Wedon'thaveanydatabecauseshedidn't
participateinlastyear'scompetitivematchesevenonce,andlikeIsaidbefore,shehadwonhermatches
withswordskillsalonethisyear.Thatiswhywedon'tknowwhatkindofabilitysheishidingupher
sleeves!TheexistenceofthetrumpcardthatcontenderAyatsujiishidingwillincreasetheexcitementof
thismatch!Wellthen,bothofthemarenowonthestartingline!"
Thetwoofthemfacedeachotherwithadistanceoftwentymetersbetweentheminthemiddleofthering
thatwasaboutahundredmeterslong.Likeithadbeenannouncedalittlewhileago,bothofthemwere
comradeswhohadpracticedtheswordandhadspenttimetogether.But,atpresent,therewasnolonger
sucharelationshipbetweenthem.
Suchascaryface.
Ayasethought,lookingatIkki'sexpression.ShehadneverseensuchastrictandgrimexpressiononIkki's
facebefore.Hewasmad.AtAyasewhohaddirtiedherselfwithaconductcalledfoulplaythatamartial
artistshouldneverlayhishandson.
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ButAyasedidn'tfeelsorry.Becauseshehadalreadydecidedtowalkdownthispath.
Ratherthisismoreconvenient.
Ikki'smanahadnotcompletelyrecoveredbecauseofAyasepreparations.HeshouldnotbeabletouseIttou
Shuraanymore.Ontopofthat,Ikkiwasclearlystraininghimself.Thatwasnothisusualposture,shecould
easilyseethat.
Angerrobbedhiscomposure,andlackofcomposurealwaysconnectstothedeclineofpotential.Sincethe
differencebetweenthemwasobvious,shehadtoremovewhateverwasremovableofIkki'sfightingpower.
Thatiswhy,thiscanbesaidtobeapleasantbyproductofheractions.
FurthermoreAyasehadatrapthatcouldverywellbecalledatrumpcard.Shehadalreadyprepareditat
dawnbeforethefaceoffwithIkki.
Nowthathehaslosthiscomposure,hemightjustjumpintothattrap.
"Nowthen,Everyone,pleasecheerthemon!MATCHSTART!"
Part5
Themomentthebuzzertostartthematchwashit
"!"
Withthereactionspeedofasprinter,theswordsmanwiththeblackkatanarushedtowardsAyase.Bending
hisbodylow,asprintlikeagalethatusedhisentirebody'sspringsandnotjustlegstrength.Itwasa
completesurpriseattack,raisingthecurtainsofthematch.
Ayase,whohadn'tyettakenagoodholdontheredJapaneseswordHizume,wouldnotbeabletocounterit.
But,thatwasonlyiftheywerejustswordsmen.ThetwoofthemwereBlazers!
"Youfellforit!"
Alongwithhervoice,Ayase'sdeviceHizumereleasedaredlight,resemblingfreshblood,fromthebladeof
hersword.
BloodflewfromIkki'sentirebody.
"Guhh,ahhhhh!"
Ikkifellwhileshoutinginpain.Uponexamining,Ikki'sentirebodywascoveredinwoundsmadebylong
slashes.
"Wh,whawhawhawhawhatwasthatjustnowwwwww!?SuddenlycontenderKurogane'sbodyhasbeen
hackedup!Justwhattheheckhappened!?"
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"What!?Whathappened!?ThereisbloodcomingoutoftheFailureKnight!"
Theaudiencewasstirredbythesuddenturnofevents.Nooneunderstoodwhathappenedinthatmoment.
However,onlyaBlazercandosomethinglikesliceanddiceanopponentwhowasfaraway.Thatwasthe
abilityofAyatsujiAyase'sDeviceHizume.
MyabilityistoopenthewoundsgivenbythebladeofHizume.
Bymanipulatingthewoundsgivenbyherswordatwill,herabilityallowedhertomakeanykindofsmall
woundintoafatalone.Inotherwordsitwasanabilitytodeepenvitalwounds.
However,thiswasonlywhenitwasusedonhumans.Herabilitycanalsobeusedontheatmosphere.By
manipulatingthepartsoftheatmospherethatwerecutbythebladeofHizumeshecouldinstantly,oraftera
certaintime,createbladesofvacuum.
ThatwasherNobleArt,MarkoftheWind.
Beforedawn,andbeforeshewenttomeetwithIkki,Ayasehadcometothissixthtrainingarena,which
wastobecomethestageforhermatch,andlaiddownthelandminesofslashesbycuttinguptheentirering
withHizume.
I'velaidoutmorethanahundredofthesemarksalloverthering.EvenifKuroganekunisamasterin
seeingthroughthings,thereisnowayevenhecandefendagainstattacksthatcan'tbeseen!Inreality,he
justeasilyfellforoneofmytraps.
Ofcourse,thiswasagainsttherules.Itwouldn'tbeaproblemifshemarkedaroundduringthematch,butit
wascompletelyagainsttherulestosetuptrapsonthestagebeforethematchhadevenbegin.
But,becausethekamaitachicouldn'tbeseen,itwashardtonoticethetrick.ShewasworriedthatOreki,
whowasamageknight,mightbeabletoseethroughit.ButOrekistillhadn'tcalledoffthematchdueto
foulplay.Then
Icandothis!
ShehadoutwittedOreki.Ayasecertainlyfelttheattackhit.
ThevacuumbladescreatedbyMarkoftheWindwasabyproductofconceptualmagic.Honestly,itlacked
thepowertokilltheopponent,andthuswasnotadecisivemove.ButaslashofHizumewasadifferent
story.WithAyase'sability,thematchwouldbedecidedifIkkireceivesevenascratchfromthebladeof
Hizume,becauseshecouldmakeanykindofwound,nomatterhowsmallitis,openupandteartheflesh
untilthebonetomakeitfatal.
Inotherwords,Ayase'sgoalwastocornerIkkiwithMarkoftheWindandthenslashhimoncewith
Hizume.
IfIcandothat,thenI'llbeabletowin.
Theproblemwas,whencouldshechargeintodeliverthewound?
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Ikkiwasnoaverageswordsman.Ayaseunderstooditthebestduetodirectlytakingclassesfromhim.Ifshe
madeonewrongmove,she'llgetdefeatedinstead.Shehadgivenhimsomedamagewiththatsurprise
attack,butthatdidn'tmakehimfalldown,itonlystoppedhischarge.Hestillhadhisguarduptoatleast
fendoffattacksevenwhilehewaswounded.
That'swhy,it'stooearly.Itcan'tbehelped,andhisactionswouldmeanonlyonethingifKuroganekun
doesn'tchargeatmenow.
Hischargehadbeenstopped,andinreturnitendedupwithhimreceivingheavywounds.Therewasa
breatherforawhiletoreconfirmhisemotionsandposture.Then
"Oh,contenderKuroganetookastepback!Hashedecidedtoretreatandreconfirmthesituationbeforethe
unknownslash!?"
I'llaimforthat!
"Gahhhh!?"
"Ahh!?Howcouldthisbe?ContenderKuroganewasslashedfrombehindthistime!Whatisgoingonin
thatring!?"
Ayasehadcreatedaprisonoutofslashes.Therewasnowheretorun.Ikkifinallyfelltohiskneesafter
suddenlybeingslashedfrombehind.
Acompleteopening,andthatwasforAyase
Aonceinalifetimechance!!!
She'llenditherewiththatinmind,AyaserushedforthtowardsIkki.
"ContenderAyatsujitakestheoffensethemomentContenderKuroganefelltohisknees!Thisisbad!He
won'tbeabletodemonstratehisprizedswordtechniqueinthatposition!"
Ayasehadthechoicetodragoutthebattlesinceshehadcreatedtheprisonofslashes,butshewasafraid.
KuroganekunwasabletobeateventhatHunter.
Andhedidn'tjustbeathim.TheimportantthingherewasthefactthathemanagedtobeatHunterafter
receivingallofhisattacksandevenbrokethatfamousAreaInvisible.
InthatfightIkkiwasnotabletoseeHunteruntiltheveryend.Despitethat,theWorstOnestillcaught
Hunteranddefeatedhim.Ikkihadfrighteninginsight.Withthatitwouldn'tbeoddforhimtotraceAyase's
thoughtsbackandseethroughtheplacesthathadMarksoftheWind.
Shewouldn'tthinkaboutitifitwassomeoneordinary,butKuroganeIkkijustmightdoit.Evenifshe
draggedoutthematchandchippedhisstaminaofflittlebylittle,it'dbebadifhemanagedtorecover
mentallyduringthat.
ThefrighteningpartabouttheWorstOnewasn'thisphysicalstrengthbuthismentalpowerthatsupported
hisinsight.
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That'swhyI'llchargeinnow!It'dbefineifIjusthurthimabit!Thematchwouldbedecidedwithjust
that!
"Haaaaaaa!!!"
"AndcontenderAyatsujifiercelyattacks!Rush,rush,ruuuuush!Sheisrainingdownslashesbythescarlet
bladeatcontenderKurogane,whoisonhisknees!Isblockingtheattacksinthatunstablepositionthebest
contenderKuroganecando!?Willhegetslicedbytherainofslashesjustlikethat!?No!?WhWhata
thing!ContenderKuroganeiscompletelydefendingagainsttherainofredslashesdespitebeingata
disadvantageandinanunstablepositionwiththebladeofIntetsu!Heisnotlettingevenasingleslashfrom
thebladewhichkeepsfallingdownonhimfromabovepass!"
Kuh!
Shecouldn'treachhim.Eventhoughallsheneededtodowasscratchhimalittlebit,thatlittlebitseemsso
faraway.AyasewasastonishedatIkkiwhowas,despitebeinginadisadvantagedposition,blockingallof
herattacksbyusingtechniquesthatreliedonthewristsalone.
AsexpectedoftheknightwhowasevencalledtheCrownlessSwordKingbysome.Hewon'tletherwin
easily.Moreover,Ikkistoodupwhileblockingtherainofslashes.
"Haa!"
"ContenderKurogane,whileblockingtheswordstrikesfromhisopponentinthatposition,standsupand
finallycounterattacks!"
Helaunchedawideandbigslashtoherhead.
Itwasn'tIkki'sstyletostrikewithpoweralone,butthatwasallapartofhisplan.
Thiswasnotacounterattacklikethecommentatorhadsaid.
Evenifhewasabletomakeacomeback,therhythmthatwaslostbecauseofreceivingtheattacksinthat
disadvantageouspositionwon'tcomebacksosimply.Ikkiwishedtocreatesomedistance,thusthewide
swing.Ifhisopponentdodgedit'llobviouslyincreasethedistancebetweenthem,andeveniftheopponent
receivedtheattackit'llstillshakeheroffbecauseofthepowerofthestrikeanddistancewouldbecreated
betweenthem.
It'dbeadvantageousforIkkinomatterwhichofthetwoshechooses.Itwasanattackwithaplanbehindit.
However,Ayasehadreadthatplanofhis!
Here!
Shereadhismovementsandunderstoodthatthiswasachancetowin.Ayase'sAyatsujisinglebladestyle
wasaschoolthatspecializedinthecounterbydeflection.
ItisnormallyimpossibleforsomeoneofmyleveltoactuallycounterastrikefromaseriousKuroganekun.
Ikki'sswordsmanshipwastooagile.Ifsherecklesslytriedtomakeamove,she'llbetheonegettingburned.
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Butthisstrikefromabovewasadifferentmatteraltogether.
Thisintimidatingstrikewasjusttogainsomedistancefromagluedopponent.Thoughitwasviolentand
roughitdidn'thavethatagilityandsharpness.
Ifitwasthisstrike,thenevenIcancounterit.
Shedecideditinaninstant.AyasereadiedHizumeandslidthehammerlikestrikeoutside.Simultaneously,
Ayaseputstrengthintoherlegandmovedherbodyforward,aimingforacounter.ShepassedbyIkki
whoseupperbodywasafloatandswungHizumeaimingforthetorso.
Igothim!
Ayasegaineddefiniteconfidenceinherjudgment.
Butratherthangettingthesensationofcuttingabdominalflesh,whatshefeltwastheresistanceofhaving
hitsomethinghard.
Hewasabletoguardit!Why!
Eventhoughshehadslidhisbladetotheside,howwasheabletoguardinthattiming?
TheanswerlayinIkki'shand.
HeblockedAyase'scounterstrikewithIntetsu'shilt.
"Oooooooo!Themomentwhenwethoughthewascountered,contenderKuroganeblockedthecounter
withthehiltofhissword!Whatanamazingtrickplay!"
"KuroganekunusedthesameguardinhismockbattlewithStellachan.Guardingattacks,whichcouldn't
beguardedwiththeblade,withthehilt.Adefensethatusesboththebladeandthehilt,asalwaysthecross
rangeisimpregnable."
Kuh!NowthatIthinkaboutit,Kuroganekunwasabletoguardinthisstrangemanner,too!
UponOreki'sexplanation,Ayaseclickedhertongue.Whatamazingpowerofconcentration.Butwhyishe
abletomaintainsuchconcentration?Eventhoughhehadlosthiscomposure
"!?"
Thinkingaboutit,Ayase,wholookedatIkki'sexpression,wasstunned.
Hisexpressiondidn'tcontainevenanatomofangerorimpatiencethatheshowedbefore.Ikkihadregained
hiscomposure.HewaslookingoveratAyasewitheyessotranquilthatitremindedoneofafountainthat
doesn'tcreateevenasingleripple.
Itcan'tbe.Iwasluredin!?
Ayasereactedimmediatelytochillsshefeltonherback.Shekickedoffthegroundandgaineda
considerableamountofdistancefromIkki'sattackzone.Shewasonguardthinkinganattackfromhim
wouldfollow,butIkkididn'tchaseher.Ayasewasjuststandingstillinoneplacebuttherewerenoattacks
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thatfollowedher.Shethoughtshewaseitherunderamisunderstandingormaybeshewasbeing
excessivelycautious.
Eitherway,it'sbacktosquareone.
Therewerestillmanytrapsleft.Shedidn'twishforaprolongedbattlebutitwouldbemeaninglessifshe
wentforadecisivebattleonlytogetbittenherself.
Asshehadthought,shehadtobemorecarefulnext
"Iamglad."
Inthatmoment,thesamuraiwiththeblackkatana,whowasheropponent,sighedasthoughhewasrelieved
atsomething.
"Eh?"
Glad?Aboutwhat?Thatsheopenedupdistancebetweenthem?Ayasewastryingtothinkhardaboutthe
meaningofthosewords.
"AsIexpected,AyatsujisanisapersonjustlikehowIimaginedyoutobe."
HerthoughtsfrozebeforeIkki'ssmilethatwasfilledwithhappiness.
Part6
TherewasawomanwhoworeagentlesmileuponhearingIkki'swords.Shewashishomeroomteacher,
andshewasoneofthecommentatorsandsupervisorsofthismatch.ItwasOrekiYuri.
ThismorningshewaslisteningtoIkkiforhisreasonsfordamagingschoolpropertyashishomeroom
teacher.
"Sensei,inmymatchtoday,whichSenseiwillbesupervising,myopponentwillundoubtedlycheat."
"BU!!!"
Orekispurtoutcoffeeandhernosestartedbleedinguponthesuddenrevelation.
"Wh,eh!?I'llstopmynosebleedmeanwhilepleaseexplainyourself!"
There,OrekiheardallabouttheincidentbetweenAyaseandIkki,whichoccurredlastnight.ThatAyase
calledIkkiout.Aftercallinghimout,howshejumpeddownfromtherooftoreduceIkki'sstrength.About
howhebroketheschoolbuildingusinghisabilitytosaveher.
"SuSuchathinghappened?"
Ifthisstorywastruethenitwouldbearedcard.Expulsionwouldbebitfarfetched,butthisactwill
definitelyremoveherfrommatches.
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"BuButhowdoyouknowthatshewillcheatinthematch?"
"WhenIseveredthefenceshewasnotdoinganything,butIdefinitelyheardthesoundofalongswordin
thatmoment.Bydeducingfromthat,thoughIdon'tknowtheexactmechanismbehindit,IthinkAyatsuji
san'sabilityispositioningslashesatvariousplaces,whichcanbefiredoffrandomly.Ifshehasthatkindof
abilitythenitwon'tbeamistaketoassumethatshehasprobablyplacedtrapsalloverthesixthtraining
groundwherethematchisgoingtotakeplacetoday.Afterallshetriedtofakeasuicidetokillmytrump
card,andforsure,shewilluseanymeansnecessarytodefeatmeinthematch."
"Wellofcourse,forsomeonewhodidsuchathing,Idon'tthinkshewillusefairplayintheessential
match.Mumumu~butattemptedsuicideandobstructionthoseare,infact,bigproblemsyouknow."
"But,withjustmytestimonyitwon'tcountasproof,right?"
"Yeah.SenseitrustsKuroganekun,butduetomyowncircumstancesIwon'tbeabletomovewithjusta
testimony.But,Igotthebigpicture.Senseiwillbeonthelookout,too.IfIfindanysignsoffoulplayI'll
stopthematchimmediately.Soyoucanrelaxnow,Kuroganekun."
"No,pleasedon'tcalloffthematchforfoulplay."
BloodgushedoutfromOreki'snoseagain.Oreki,whilefeelinganemicandextremelydizzy,blockedher
nosewithtissueandaskedIkki.
"Eh?What,whatdoyoumean?Icompletelydon'tunderstandwhatyou're
saying!?Then,whydidyoutellmeaboutthishereandnow?"
"IfyouaskedmeaboutthereasonwhyIbroketheschoolbuilding,I'd
havenochoicebuttotellyou.Furthermore,evenifOrekisenseididn't
hearthisfrommeyouwouldhaveprobablynoticedAyatsujisan'sfoul
play,andwhenyoudid,youwouldstopthematchimmediately.ButI
don'twantyoutostopthematch."
"Why!?Iffoulplayreallydoesoccur,thenKuroganekunwillwinby
defaultduetoAyatsujisan'sforfeit.Youdounderstandhowmuch
importantitistowinjustasinglematchinthisrepresentativeselection
contest,don'tyou?"
"Yes,Ido.IfIdon'tremainundefeated,Iprobablywon'tbeselectedasa
representative."
"Yes,tobeblunt,fromyourcurrentdevelopment,ifyoudon'tattainacompletevictoryyouwon'tbe
selectedastherepresentative.Youunderstandthat,andyetyouwishformenottocalloffthematchfor
foulplay?"
"Yes,pleasedon't,Sensei."
Orekicouldn'tcomprehendit,becauseIkkishouldbecravingforvictorymorethananyone.Orekiknew
Ikkifromthetimewhenhetookhisentranceexam,sinceshewastheoneresponsibleforhisentrance
exam.ShehadneverseenastudentwithasstrongadeterminationandsenseofpurposeasIkki's.
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Orekiwasgreatlysaddenedbecausesomeonelikehimhadwastedanentireyearbecauseoftheirrationality
oftheworldofadults.Then,theschoolsystemhadchangedandhehadfinallygottenanequalchancethis
year.Heshouldwanttowinevenifhehadtouseunderhandedmethods.Despitethat,whywashelowering
hisheadforsomeonewhobroketheultimatetabooasaknightagainsthim?
"Won'tyoutellmethereason?"
"BecauseIwanttobelieve."
"Youwanttobelieve?"
"Yes.IhadalwaysbeenthinkingfromthetimeImetherduringmidnight.Asafriendtoldme,ifIcut
mytieswithherhereandnow,I'llsurelywinthematchduetoherfoulplay.Butwouldthatreallybe
alright?IthoughtagainandagainbutIcouldn'tfindananswerbutIunderstoodonethingclearly."
"Whatisit?"
"MyfeelingthatIdon'twanttocuttieswithher.ThatiswhyIthoughtIwillbelieveuntiltheveryend
thatAyatsujisanhasbeencorneredbysomethingandduetothatshehaslostsightofherself."
Ikkiknew.Whenevershegotclosertoherfather'sswordbyaslightmarginshewouldmerryaround
happilylikeasmallchild.IkkiknewthatsmileofAyase.Ayase'swordsfromhersayinghowshelovedhis
handswhichhadroughenedfromwieldingashinai.Hecouldnotbelieveallofthatwasalie.
"That'swhyI'vedecided.IwouldbelievetheusualAyatsujisanandnottheoneIsawlastnight."
Whenpeoplearedesperatetheybecomeblinderthantheythink,tothepointwheretheylosesightof
themselves.Ikkiknewthatbecausehehadexperiencedithimself.Andtheonlythingthatcouldsave
peoplelikethatwerewordsfromsomeonetheyhelddear.
Thatwaswhy,ifAyasewaslikehimwho,atthetime,wasnotabletohearthecriesofhisownheartdueto
beingtoodesperate,then
"Iwanttohelpher.That'swhy,Sensei,pleaseallowmethislastchancetoconfirmhertrueintentions."
Goodgrief,thereisnoknightwhowillbeabletorefuseafterhearingsomethinglikethat.
Alwaysbewithjustice.Behonestevenagainstyourenemy.Anidealselfthateveryoneaimingtobe
knightsdreamabout.
Orekiwasthesame,thatiswhysheacceptedIkki'srequest.OfcourseshesawthroughAyase'sfoulplayat
thefirstglancebutshedidn'tcalloffthematch.,becauseshehaddecidedtoleavethematchandtheheart
ofthelonegirltohim.
Shewouldnotinterfere.OrekisilentlywatchedoverIkki.
Dohelpher,yourpreciousfriend
Part7
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Tobefrank,everythingwasinthepalmofIkki'shandfromthestart.Healreadyknewthereweretrapsset
alloverthering.Hehadalreadyseenthroughthefactthatshedidnotwanttodragthisbattlelong.That
wasthereasonIkkijumpedtowardstheslashesofhisownfreewilltomakehergoontheoffensiveaiming
foradecisivebattle.
AllofthatwastotalkwithAyasethroughclashingtheirswords.
Ishouldhavedonethisfromthestart.
Ikkismiledbitterlyathisownfoolishness.
Ahyes,that'sright,thereisnowayamanlikehim,whocouldn'tevenrecognizethefeelingsoftheone
closesttohim,hislover,foranentiremonth,couldeverunderstandAyasewithwordsalone.Intheend,he
onlyhasthesword.Hecouldonlyunderstandthetruefeelingsofotherpeoplethroughthesword.
But,now,withcertainty,IkkisawAyase'struefeelings.
"Iamglad.AsIexpected,AyatsujisanishowIimaginedyoutobe."
"Whatdoyoumean?"
"Imeant,Ayatsujisanwasnotsomeonewhocouldactlikenothinghappenedafterdoingsomething
wrong."
"Iwaswonderingwhatyou'dsayahahaha.Afterbeingbeatentoapulp,yousurehavesomenerveto
saysuchnonsense.Isn'tthisabittoomuch?Nomatterwhat,aren'tyoubeingtoomuchofaniceguy?"
AyaseglaredintoIkki'seyestalkingandscorninginthesamemannerasshedidlastnightontherooftop.
But
"It'snotnonsense."
Ikkiwon'tbedeceivedbythatfalseexpressionanymore,becauseswordsdon'tlie.
"Yourswordplay,steps,rhythm,breathing,everysinglethingismessedup.ForgetaboutwhatItaught
you,youarenotevenabletoperformwhatyoualreadyknewfrombefore.Eventheexecutionofacounter,
whichisyourspecialty,isshaky.That'swhyitwasparriedwithsuchease.Youcan'tdeceiveyoursoulno
matterhowmuchyoutrytomakeyourselflookbadinyourhead.Swordsmanshipismadeupofheart,
technique,andbody.Therewon'tbeanyrealpowerinaswordifyourheartwavers.Ayatsujisan,you're
aproudperson,moresothanyouthinkyourself."
"IIt'snothinglikethat!"
UponIkki'sdeductionAyasesuddenlyraisedthevolumeinhervoice.
"Iamnotwavering!I'veexperiencedittwoyearsago!Itdoesn'tmatterhowproudlyyoufight.Ifyoulose
everythingwillbeover!Thereisnomeaninginmereprettywordsthatwon'tbringanyresults!Because
youcan'tprotectifyoudon'twin!That'swhyI'lluseanymeansnecessarytowin!Nomatterwhatmethods
IhavetouseI'llwin,andtakeeverythingback!"
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RatherthanbeingarebuttalagainstIkki,thosewerewordsmeanttopersuadeherself.Ikkiunderstoodthat.
Bybecomingthatdesperateshewasclosingherearstothescreamofherheart.Justlikehispastself.
"Then,thereisonlyonethingleftformetodo."
Thatwastoletherhearthescreamofherownheart.Thatwastheonlythingtodonow.That'swhyIkki
pointedthetipofIntetsutowardsAyase.
"WithmyweakestI'llmakeyouregainyourpride."
Sohedeclared.
Part8
"Ooh!ContenderKuroganeloweredhisupperbody!Justlikeinthebeginning,it'stheattackstance!Even
afterreceivingthosemysteriousslashesthereisnosignofnervousnessonhisface!TheWorstOneplans
onattacking!Itcan'tbethathealreadysawthroughthemysteriousslashes!?"
Ayaseimmediatelyreactedtothataction.Shesteppedbacktofurtherthedistance.Herreactionhad
composure,buthermindwasgreatlydiscomposed.
Iaminthewrong!?Screamofmyheart!?
Whatkindofblabberisthat?Thereisnowaysuchathingispossible.
NomatterwhatIhavetodo,IjusthavetotakebackthedojotorelieveFather!
Shewasnotwavering,nortryingtodeceiveherself.Ikkiwasjusttryingtoleadherastray.Ayasestrongly
persuadedherselfwiththosewordsandtriedtoavoidthinkingdeeply.
Ifyousaythatmuch,thenverywell,I'llendthismatchwiththesamemistakeyoutalkedabout!
Thedistanceshehadcreatedbybacksteppingwasthirtymeters.Andinbetweenwastheminefieldof
slashes.ShehadcompletelymemorizedthespeedofIkki'schargeinthebeginning.Nexttimeshe'dbeable
toactivateMarkoftheWindwithmorelethaltiming!
"HereIcome,Ayatsujisan."
Inthatinstant,Ikkiraisedhisupperbodyandranforward!
Here!
Uponthataction,AyaseopenedthewoundsofMarkoftheWindthatwereinfrontofIkki.Thegapinthe
atmospherethatsuddenlyopenedwastheguillotineofvacuumthatcutseverythingittouches.Hewon't
comeoutunscratchedifittoucheshim.But
"Wha!?"
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KuroganeIkki'sbodyrushedforwardlikeabullet,incomparabletothespeedheshowedinthebeginning,
andleftAyase'sbladebehindbeforethevacuumopened.ThatsuperspeedwasthesameasIttouShura!
"Whatspeed!ContenderKuroganefinallyuseshistrumpcardIttouShura!"
Wh,why!?Thattrumpcardshouldhavebeensealed!
Oreki'svoicereachedabaffledAyase.
"Well,thatisnotIttouShura"
"Eh?Isthattrue,Orekisensei?"
"Thatisjustlikeeveryone,heisonlyspeedingmanaemission."
Manaemission!
Ayaserealizedhermistakeatthosewords.
Manaemissionwastoreleaseone'smanatoaccelerateandenhanceoneself.Itwasanenhancement
techniquethatmanyotherBlazersusedunconsciously.Ofcourse,Ayaseuseditaswell.
"Kuroganekundoesn'thavemuchmanaunlikeotherstudents,soifheusesitlikethishewillrunoutof
manaafterusingitonceortwice.Thatiswhyhedoesn'tuseitnormally.But,'doesnotuseit'isdifferent
from'notbeingabletouseit'.Heprobably,forsomereason,can'tuseIttouShurathistime.That'swhyI
thinkheisusingthisasareplacement."
AsOrekihadsaid,'doesnotuseit'isdifferentfrom'notbeingabletouseit'.NormallyIkki'doesnotuseit'
becausehedoesn'thavemuchmana.But,nowsincetheamountofmanarequiredtouseIttouShurawill
notrecoverintime,hedoesn'thaveareasonnottousemanaemissiontoenhancehimself.That'swhyhe
usedit.Byreleasingallofhisexistingmana,althoughonlyonce,hewasabletoproducespeedthatwasnot
inferiortoIttouShura!
IwastooconcernedaboutIttouShura!
Whatafatalmistake.Ikkihadalreadysteppedintoarangewherehisswordcancutherbyusingjusta
singlesuperspeedstep.
MarkoftheWindwon'tmakeitintime.
Shewascompletelyoutwittedmentally.
However,thisisn'ttheend!
Hehadbrokenintoherrange.Shecouldnotavoidaclashofswords.Butonlyjustonce,shehadtoendure
thisclashwithallshehasandopenthedistancebetweenthemoncemore!Then,Ikki'smanawouldhave
runout.Hewon'tbeabletoperformabulletlikestartthen.
Mychanceofwinningexiststhere!Ihavetoovercomethisclashatallcosts!
AyaseswungHizumewhilescreamingintensely,andslashedatIkkiwhowasbeforehereyes
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Thatbladeslashedthroughemptyair.
"Eh."
Ikkiwas,forsure,beforehereyes
Ayase'sslash,whichwasswungwithallhermight,hadonlyscratchedthetipofIkki'snose,whileshewas
runningtowardsher.Itdidn'treachhim.Hadshemiscalculatedthedistancebetweenthem?No.Certainly,
Ikkiwaswithintherangeofhersword.But,thatIkkidisappearedlikeamirage,andanotherIkkifrom
behindhimwasrunningtowardsher.
Ayaseblankedout.Shecouldnolongerunderstandwhatwasgoingon.Butthatconfusionwasnot
meaningless.ThiswasoneoforiginaltechniquesKuroganeIkkipossessed,atechniquerivalingtheseventh
secretsword,Raikou.Withradicalfootworkhecreatesanafterimagebeforehimselfwhilerunningto
confusethedistancebetweenhimandhisopponent.
"FourthsecretswordMirage."
Atthatmoment,thebladeofIntetsuswungwithallofhismightslashedthroughairandAyase.
Part9
"It'soverrrrr!ContenderKurogane'sattackwasacleanhit!"
Uponthevoice,whichdislodgedfromtheaccumulationofscenes,theaudience,too,raisedloudcheers.
"ContenderAyasehasfallentotheground!Howeversheisnotbleeding!Whatisgoingon?"
"*Cough,cough*Yes,thatisbecausehechangedhisdeviceintoIllusionaryFormthemomentbefore
slashingher."
"Then,doesthatmeansheonlygotexhaustedanddidnotnecessarilyreceivedafatalblow?"
"Yes,thatiscorrect."
"Butwhydidhedosuchathing?Doesitmeanthathedoesnotwanttohurtwomen?"
"That'snottrue.Iwasslashedbyhiminthepast.Probably,fromthestarthewasjustaimingtotireher
outbecausethistimearound,winingisnotKuroganekun'sonlygoal."
Orekiwhisperedtoherself,andlookeddownuponthering.
ThefallenAyasewastryingtogetupbyputtingstrengthintoherlimbs.Ayase,whiletrembling,raisedher
headandglaredatIkkiwhowasstandingbeforeher.
"Whatareyoutryingtodohere?"
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"Aboutwhat?"
"Don'tplaydumbwhyareyounotcuttingmedown!?"
"Idon'thaveto.Ayatsujisancan'tfightanymore."
Makingfunofme!
Shewasmadelightof.ThinkingofthatactionasinsultAyaseflexedherlimbs.Onedoesnotreceiveany
physicaldamageifsheiscutbyaDeviceinIllusionaryForm.Onlyherstaminagetsdepleted.Ayasehad
confidenceinherstamina,tothepointwhereshecaneasilykeepupwithIkkiandStellaontheirmorning
runs.Afatigueofthisleveldidnotmeananythingtoher.
"Huh?"
That'showitshouldhavebeenbutshecouldnotfeelanypowerinherbody.
"Why?"
Shehadtostandup,shehadtowinthisfight,orelseeverythingwillbeover.Shewon'tbeabletosaveher
father.Why,why?
Myheartwasitthiscold?
Herheartwasn'tstirring.Shecouldn'tfeelherfightingspirittostanduponcemorebymusteringthelastof
herstrength.
Ayaserealizeduponfeelingthatfact.Thathersoulwasrejectingsuchafightwhichdidn'thaveprideinit.
Isee.Thisisthescreamofmyheart.
Whenpeoplewerecornered,theywereonlyabletostandbackupbecausetheyhavepridewithintheir
hearts.Thattheycouldstilldoit.Thattheyshouldstilldoit.Nottogiveup.Theyencouragedthemselves
likethat.
Ayase,too,hadbeendoingsoallalong.Nomatterhowhardthetrainingwas,nomatterhowmuchher
handsgotblistered,shewasabletoendureitallbecauseshehadprideinherselfwhowieldedtheswordof
Ayatsuji.
ButfortheAyasewhorejectedthatsamepride.
"It'sjustasKuroganekunsaid."
Shenolongerhadthepowertostandup.
"It'smyloss."
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"Wow,thereisthesurrendersignfromcontenderAyatsuji!Thematchendswiththis~~!Asexpected,it
wastheWorstOne,contenderKurogane,whowon!Withthis,contenderKuroganehaselevenconsecutive
wins!TheelevenconsecutivewinsheearnedbydefeatingfamouspeoplelikeHunterandRunner'sHigh!
WecannowsayitwithconfidencethathewillbearepresentativefortheSevenStarsSwordArtFestival!"
Glancingovertheexcitedcheersoftheaudience,Ayaseletoutadrylaugh.
"Souncoolforgetaboutabandoningit,Icouldn'tevenmaintainit."
Thewordsthatcameoutofhermouthweremeantasasneeratherownhalfheartedself.
But,thatsneer
"Youarenotuncool."
Ikkirejecteditstrongly.
"Eh?"
"Youwandered,weremistaken,andintheendlostsightofyourself,butyouhadnotthrownitawayyet,
andthatisAyatsujisan'sstrength."
AndIkkiaskedwhileextendinghishandtothefallenAyase.
"Ayatsujisan,pleasetellmewhatwastakenawayfromyoubythatSwordEater?Whatwasitthat
pushedyousofar?"
"Whatdoyouplantodoafterhearingsomethinglikethat."
"I'llgetitback."
Therewasnotevenabitofhesitationorfalsehoodinthosewords.IfAyasereliedonhim,Ikkiwouldfight
forherwithoutanyhesitation.Sheunderstoodthat,andpreciselybecausesheunderstooditthat,shesaid
"Icannottellyou,becauseitdoesn'thaveanythingtodowithKuroganekunafterall."
Shecouldnotlethimfightagainstsuchamonster.Shecouldnotletsuchakindmangethurtbecauseof
someonehalfheartedlikeherself.
Fatherisenough.Ican'tletsuchathinghappentohimtoo.
ThatwaswhyAyasewasconcealingeverything.But
"Then,I'lljustinvestigatethematter."
"Eh?"
"I'llinvestigateeverythingbyfollowingyouaroundandresearchingyou."
"Wha,whatareyousaying."
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"I'llinquireabouteverything,andgeteverythingbackforyou.Ayatsujisan,too,stalkedmebefore,sowe'll
beequalwiththis.Thus,Ihavenoreasontolistentoyourcomplaints,doI?"
Incomprehensible.What"we'llbeequalwiththis"?Thiswasnotbalancingdebt,justincreasingit.
"Why?"
Ayasecouldn'tstopthetremblinginhervoice,norcouldshestopthemiserabletears.
"EventhoughIbetrayedKuroganekun.EventhoughIdidsuchhorriblethings.Whyareyoutrying
tohelpme?"
Ayaseaskedwithatremblingvoice.Ikki'sanswerwasfilledwithclarity.
"Idon'tneedareasontowipemyfriend'stears."
"!"
ForamomentIkki'sfigureoverlappedwithKaito'sinAyase'seyes.Thefigureofherfatherthatclimbed
thestageofbattleforthesakeofhisapprentice.Ikkiwasthesameashim.Evenifhewasspatonorjeered
on,hewouldnottakeouthisswordforthingstriviallikethose.But,ifhispreciouscomradesarehurt,he
wouldnothesitateintheslightesttodrawhissword.
Ah.Yeah,that'showitwas.
Sincewhenhadshelostsightofit?This,righthere,wasthefigureshehadbeenchasingsobadlyafterin
thatdojo.Ayaselookedatherownhands.Theywereblisteredhandsthatcouldn'tbesaidtobeprettyeven
asflattery.JustlikeherfatherandIkki,theywerethehandsofaswordsman.
That'sright,IjustwantedtobeacoolswordsmanlikeFather.That'swhyIwieldedthesword.
ShewasconfrontedbyKuraudo'sviolentstrengthjustonce,andlostthesightofherselfintheimpatience
oftryinggetthedojoback.Whereherpridewas,Ayasehadfinallyrememberedthatandsqueezedher
hands,strongly.
Atthatmoment,Ayase'sheartfinallydecided.
"Kuroganekunpleasehelpme!"
Thethingsheshoulddonowwasnottogoagainsttheteachingsofherfather,andbetrayherownprideand
baskinselfpitylikeadamselindistress.Itwastoaskthisgentleyetstrongboyforhishelp,andbelievein
hisvictory.
That'swhyAyasetookIkki'sextendedhand.
"Ijustwantedtohearthosewords."
Uponthosewords,IkkismiledlikehewasreallyhappyandstronglygrippedAyase'shand.
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Chapter4:DecisiveBattle<FailureKnight>VS
<SwordEater>
Part1
ItwasmidnightofthedayIkkibattledAyase.Asinglesilhouettecouldbe
seenintheforestclearingwhereIkkiusuallytrained.Thesilhouette
swungadimlyglowingKatanaunderthemoonlight.
Awindlessnight,butthesoundofthebladeswayinginthewindcouldbe
heard.Itwasabeautifulformoftraining,asifdancing.
Butthatmovementsuddenlycametoastop.
"Stella?"
ThesilhouetteKuroganeIkkiturnedtowardstheentranceoftherecess
whilewipinghissweatandasked.Hefeltapresencethereasexpected,a
girlwithglossyfireblondehairstoodthere.ItwasStellaVermillion.
Shefrownedabit,butaskedfrankly.
"You'restillatit?Ifyou'renotcarefulthenit'sgoingtoaffectthebattle
tomorrow."
f=44&t=9843&start=360#p246711)
ThebattleStellamentionedwasaduelwithKuraudo.AfterIkki'smatchwithAyaseyesterday,Ikkiand
Stellaheardeverythingfromher.Fromthebeginningtilltheend,andwhathappenedtwoyearsago.
HowAyatsujiKaito,theLastSamuraihadbeenbeaten.
Andafterhearingeverything,IkkifirmlypromisedAyasethathewouldduelKuraudotomorrowbettingthe
dojo.Tomorrowabattleevenharderthantoday'smightbewaiting.Thenthewisestdecisionnowwould
betorest.Ikkialsounderstoodthat,buthecouldn'tcalmdown.
"Wasitashock?"
"Well,yeahForme,Kaitosanmight'vebeensomethinglikeanidol."
ForIkkiwhowasabandonedbytheadultsoftheKuroganehouse,peoplelikeKaitowerethesameasa
swordsmanshipmasterforhim.Watchingtheirmatches,hestole,analyzed,andpracticedtheirtechniques
overandoveragain.ItwassomethingwhichbecamethefoundationofthecurrentIkki.Sohearingthepast
eventsfromAyasewasashocktohim.Decayedbydisease,inamatchwithnomagicinotherwords,in
amatchnotbetweenknightsbutswordsmen,hewasonesidedlybeaten.
"Asexpected,Kurashikikunreallyisn'tapushover."
"Areyounervous?"
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"Yes,becauseheissuchatoughopponent."
KurashikiKuraudo,theaceofDonrouAcademy.Athirdyear.Hewasinthebesteightofthelastfestival.
Informationaboutafigurelikehimcouldbeeasilyfoundifsearched.HisdevicewasOrochimaru[1],a
whitesawbladewiththeabilitytoexpanditslength.Itkilledthemeaningofdistance.Hecouldthrustat
theopponentwithbulletlikespeedevenfromalongdistance,andifthatwasdodgedhecouldstillmow
downtheentirering.Ifhisopponentcameincloserange,hecouldshrinkOrochimarutoashortswordand
overwhelmhisopponentwitharotatingbarrage.
SerpentBoneBlade,Kuraudo'sNobleArtwhichhadanabsolutereachnomatterwhatthedistancewas
didn'thaveanyblindspots.Itwasn'taflashymove.Butthissimplemovehadanannoyingamountof
offensivepower.Theconstantchangeindistancebetweentheopponentwasdifficulttodealwithfora
swordsmanlikeIkki,whospecializedinswordfights.
Thushewascalled'SwordKiller',andlikethenicknamestated,hisabilitywasthenaturalenemyfor
swordsmen.AndhebeatKaito.SoIkkihadafeelingthatKuraudohadsomethingelseuphissleeve.
"But,that'ssomethingIunderstand."
Eversincehefeltthatbarbaricaurawiththatsavageexpressionofhisattherestaurant.Butthatwasn'tthe
reasonIkkicouldn'tcalmdown.
"Stella.AfteryouheardAyatsujisan'sstory,whatdidyouthink?"
"Shegotmixedupwithatroublesomemutt,andIpityher."
"Isthatall?I."
"Youdon'thavetosayit."
Stellainterruptedhimandmuttered.
"Probably,we'rethinkingthesamething.That'swhyyousaidit,didn'tyou?"
"Isthatso.Yeah,that'sright.IknewStellawouldunderstand."
Ikki'sfacelituphappily.Hewashappythathisloverwasthinkingthesamethingashim.
"Butwhateverthetruthis,itshouldn'tconcernIkki,right?Whatyouhavetodohasn'tchanged."
"Yeah,that'sright."
Nodding,Ikkionceagainswunghisswordinthedarkness.
Bodyconditionisfine.Noproblemswithvitalityeither.Allthat'sleftistowait.Aftertomorrow,
everythingwillbeclear.
ThetruththatAyasehadyettorealize,theeventsthathappenedtwoyearsago.
Part2
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Ontheeveningofthenextday,IkkiandStellaheadedfortheexAyatsujidojogroundsbeingguidedby
Ayase.
"Thisroad,itbringsbackmemories."
Ikkimutteredwhilelookingattheoldfamiliarhouseslinedup.
"Cometothinkofit,didn'tKuroganekuncomechallengingourdojoonce?"
"Yeah.ButIwasturnedawayafterbeingtoldtheydidn'tdostufflikethatanymore."
"That'sfromIkki'smiddleschooldays,right?Youwenttomanyplacesandvisitedalotofdojos."
"Might'vebeenamischievoussideofme.WhenIcouldmanagethetime,Iwouldgoaroundthecountry
andmakechallenges."
"That'salotofwillpower.ButKuroganekun,wasn'titdangerous?Amiddleschoolstudentgoingaround
challengingdojos,weren'tyoueverbeatentoapulpbecauseofthatcheekyattitude?"
"Therewasthattoo.SometimesIwouldgetbeatenfromalldirectionsbydisciplesuntilI'mhalfdead.But
itcouldn'tbehelpedsinceIdidsomethingrudelikechallengingtheirdojo.Thechallengercan'tcomplain
nomatterwhatthechallengeddoestohim,that'sanironcladrule."
That'sright.Heknewitwasdangerous,andthenumberoftimeshewasalmostkilledcouldn'tbecounted
withjusthisfingers.Butatthattime,hejustwantedtobecomestrongnomatterwhat.Sincetheadults
aroundhimdidn'thelphimatall,hewantedtoexperienceeverything,absorbeverything,andgainallthe
strengthhecould.
Butstill,Ididn'tdostufflikeattackthepupilsandforcefullychallengethedojoswhenIwasrefused.
Whilereminiscing,thethreeleftthehighwayandenteredavacantspacemixedwithgrovesoftrees.Before
themwasasolitaryhousesurroundedbylongwalls.
"Thiswasmyhomeonce."
Butnow,itwasappropriatetocallitanabandonedsamuraimansion.Thetileswereoutofplace,thewood
supportingthegaterotandcollapsed.Theareaaroundwaslitteredwithcigarettebutts,snackboxes,poly
bagsetc.Thewhitewallsnowhadtastelessandcolorfulgraffiti.
"Whattastelessscribbles.I'veheardthattherearepeoplewithawesomegraffitiskillsbutthis,thisistotally
ano."
"Idon'tthinkthat'swhereyoushouldbesurprised.Whatamess."
Ayasewhoguidedthemherehadapainedexpression,asifshewaskillingoffthedisappointmentshewas
feeling.Herpreciousplacewasdamagedtosuchanextent,ofcourseshewould.
Ihavetogetitback.
Ikkiresolvedhimselfyetagain,andtookoutawoodenswordfromhisbag.
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"KuroganekunmayIask,howareyougoingtogetbackthedojo?"
"Ofcourse,I'llgostraightinandchallengethedojomaster.There'snootherwayright?"
Afterhearingwhathappenedtwoyearsago,IkkithoughtthatKuraudo'swayofdoingthingswas
surprisinglymodest.Ofcourse,attackingthestudentstogettherightofchallengingthedojowasn'texactly
modest,butintheend,everythingwassettledunderasupervisedduelbothpartiesagreedto.Inother
words,bothgoodandevil,truthandfalse,everythingwasentrustedtothatduel.Soathirdpartybutting
theirnoseintheresultswouldbeveryrude.It'saninsulttowardsKaito.
"That'ssolikeIkki."
"IunderstandButKuroganekun,pleasebecareful.ThatmanSwordKillerisverystrong.Certainlyat
thattimemyfatherwasill,buthewasstillstrongenoughthatIandtheotherpupilscouldn'teventouch
him.Buthestilllost."
"Iknow.He'stheaceofDonroutoo.NotsomeoneIcangoeasyagainst."
Ikkitookadeepbreathonce.
"Then,let'sgo."
Resolvinghimself,heheadedtowardsthegateoftheexAyatsujidojo.
Beforethenowdecayingandalmostcollapsedgateofthedojo,aboutfivepeople,probablyhighschool
studentsincrudelookinggarbwerekneelingdownandchattinginacrudemanner.Amongthem,therewas
theskinheadtheysawattherestaurant.Withoutadoubt,theywereKuraudo'slackeys.
"Pardonme,butcouldIhaveamomentofyourtime?"
"Huh?"
Iwonderwhythesetypesofpeoplestarteverythingwithathreat.
"AAh!Aren'tyouthatcowardfromtherestaurant!"
ItseemsliketheskinheadrememberedIkki.Heimmediatelyrecognizedhim.
"Eh?Youmeanthatguyyoutalkedaboutrecently?"
"Yeah,yeah!Thatcowardwhocouldn'tsayanythingevenaftergettinghitbyKuraudo,hecouldonly
shake!"
"HAHAHA!Looksweaktoo.He'swearingtheHagununiformbutisthisguyreallyaBlazer!?"
"Nn?Ratherisn'tthatAyasechaninthebackwhoa!Who'sthattotallyhotredheadchick!?"
OneoftheidleboysnoticedStella'spresenceandwithawrappedsmile,heapproachedStella.
Ontheotherhand,Stellaglaredathimasiflookingataspinelessinsect.Redsparksstartedtoappearinthe
air.
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Ah,that'sbad.
Beforeburntcorpsenumberonecouldbeproduced,Ikkigrabbedtheshoulderoftheguywhowas
approaching.Hewasdoingitoutofgoodwill,buttheatmospherearoundthemsuddenlychangedabruptly.
"Hey!Thehell'swiththehand,mate?"
"Iwastryingtosaveyoufromdyingherebut,wellhearmeout.I'vecometochallengeKurashikikuntoa
duel.Pleaseguidemetowhereheis."
Atthat,theireyesallturnedroundforamoment,
"""HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!"""
Andtheystartedanoutburstoflaughter.
"Heyheyhey,youserious!Aduel!?Achickenlikeyou?Thisispriceless!"
"Inthefirstplaceyou,doyouevenknowwhatduelmeans?"
"Hihihi!Damn,thisistoomuch~"
"KukukukuhHey,bro.It'sunfortunatebutKuraudodoesn'thavethehobbyofduelingsmallfrycowards
likeyou.Sowhynotfightusinstead?Ifyoubeatusthenwe'lltakeyatohimgooddeal,right?"
"Haha,fightfight!This'sgonnabegood."
Sayingthat,oneofthemmaterializedaDevicethatlookedlikeanarmyknifeandtouchedIkki'scheeks
withtheflatwhilelaughing.
Atthatprovocation,Ikki.
Ah,sotheseguysareDonroustudentshuh.
Andso,sincethecircumstancesfavoredhim,hesuddenlygrabbedthethug'swrist.
"That'sfinebyme."
*Crunch*
Heshowedasmilethatcouldalmostbecalledheartless.
Part3
"So,becausethatbrownhairedassholewastooannoying,Irippedoffhistrousersandlefthimrollingon
themainstreet."
"Gyahaha,seriously!"
"Noway~Kyahaha!"
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IntheexAyatsujidojohalls,someboysweresittingonthefloorwhilechatting.Thesubjectsoftheir
chatterwerethesameasalways.Whofoughtwithwho,whocheatedwho,whodiditwithwho,andsoon.
Kuraudowasn'treallyinterestedinallthatsohesataloneatthesofa,awayfromhisfriendswhilesmoking
tobacco.
Theseguyssuredon'tgettiredtalkingaboutthesamethingeveryday.
Theywerecolleagueswhoagreedwithhisview,butthiswastheonlythinghedidn'tunderstandabout
them.
I'drathertakepartintheselectionmatchestheystartedinDonrouandHagun.
Becausethenhecouldspendamorestimulatingtime.Whilesighinghereleasedsomesmoke,andlookedat
itwhileitfumedtowardstheholeintheroof.Theeveningskywaspeekingin.Nowthathethoughtabout
it,it'sbecometwoyearssincehestolethisdojo.
Afterallthistime,maybeIshouldsellit.
Ashewasthinkingwhilereleasingtobaccosmoke
"Hey,Kuraudo."
"What?Gotastomachacheorsomething?"
"Doyouremembertheguyswhoyoumessedwithinthatrestaurantrecently?Youknowthosetwowith
Ayasechan."
"Aah,whataboutthem?"
"IthoughtI'dseentheirfacesbeforebutyesterday,Isuddenlyremembered."
OneoftheguysshowedKuraudohisdatapad.TherewasanarticletitledMockBattle!ARankKnight
'CrimsonPrincess'DefeatedbyFRankKnight'WorstOne'!andsomepointedoutlinkstothereference
videosonthedisplay.Thereferencevideoswereofcourse,thatofStella'sandIkki'smockbattle.
"IheardfromafriendatHaguntodaythatthisguyevendefeatedthatRunner'sHigh!Andonegroupgave
himthisexaggeratednickname,CrownlessSwordKing!Maybemaybewemessedwithsomeonereally
bothersomehere."
Hewassweatingwithabluefaceafterlearningthetrueidentityofthepersonhemessedwith.Butasfor
Kuraudo
"Haha."
Afterwatchingthatvideo,hehadabroadgrinshowingallthirtytwoofhisteeth.
"Iseenow.IthoughthewasonlyatthelevelofAyase,butIdidn'tthinkhe'dbethisstrong."
Kuraudofelthisinternaltemperatureriserapidly.Well,itcouldn'tbehelpedifhispentupenergywanted
toexplode.
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Interesting.
Hewantedtopostponeittillthefestivalsbut,nowitwasbettertojustgotoHaguntoday.Orshouldhejust
useAyasetogettohim?Whilehewasmakingthatwickedplan
"Ah?"
Kuraudoheardthefootstepsthatwerenearingthedojohallwhiletreadingthesoil.Itwasquitetheclean
soundbyclean,meaningthatthepostureofwalkingwascorrect.Amonghiscompanionshere,therewasn't
anyonewhocoulddothat.
"Haha.Heyhey,nowthisisinteresting."
"Eh?Kuraudo,whatareyou."
Foramoment,thefootstepsstoppedinfrontofthedoor.Thenitwasopenedquiteforcefully.Theguests
thatcamewerejustasKuraudoexpected.KuroganeIkki,StellaVermillion,andAyatsujiAyase,thethree
fromtherestaurant.
"Pardonus."
"Uwah!Whatamess.I'msurprisedyouguyscouldliveinthistrashcan."
"WWhothehellareyou!"
"Wait,fromtherestaurant!"
HiscompanionswererestlessattheunexpectedguestsbutKuraudojustsatonthesofalikealwaysand
glaredatIkki,whohadawoodenswordinonehandandavinylbagintheother.
"Whatacoincidence.Iwasjustthinkingofgoingtoyourplace."
"Isthatso?Thankgoodnesswedidn'tmisseachother."
Ikkiwascompletelyrelaxedeventhoughhewasinenemyterritory.Hehasguts.
"So,why'dyacomecoward?"
"Idon'tthinkyourstupidenoughtonotknowwhatIwantafterseeingallthisbutI'mhereasasubstitute.
InplaceofAyatsujisan,I'llbetakingthedojoback."
"Haha!Iwaswonderingwhatyou'dsay,butlaame~!Idon'tknowwhatthatwomanbrainwashedyouwith,
butthisdojoissomethingIgotwithafairandsquareduel.Ifyou'reaswordsman,thenofcourseyouknow
whatthatmeansright?"
"Ofcourse.That'swhy,Iwon'ttellyoutojustreturnit."
Sayingthat,heapproachedthesofa.
"Kurashikikun,I'mchallengingyoutoaduel."
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HethrustthewoodenswordrightinfrontofKuraudo'snose.
"Dojochallenge,huh?"
"ThesamemethodasKurashikikun.You'renotthinkingofrunningawayareyou?"
Oh?Sohe'sgonnaprovokemetoo,huh?
Hewasalmostadifferentpersonfromwhentheyfirstmet.Butitdoesn'tmatterwhyhehadachangeof
heartsinceit'sinteresting.
Kuraudograbbedtheswordtipinfrontofhisnose.
"Haha.A'right.I'llacceptit."
Withhisgrip,hesmashedthewoodensword.
"However,it'llbethesameashowIdidit.You'regoingtohavetofightallthesethirtyidiotsalonebefore
yougettofightme.Startfromthere."
"Idon'tmind.Thegirlsareherejusttowatch.Whenchallengingadojo,Ihavetoabidebythedojomaster's
rules.Becausethat'sthepropermannerofdoingit."
"Seemslikeyouknowadojochallenger'setiquettehuh.Fine,waitabit.I'llgocalltheguys."
Kuraudoaccessedthecellphonefeatureinhishandbooktocalltheguysoutsidebut
"No,there'snoneedforthat."
"Huh?"
"Ithoughtyou'dsaythat,soIalreadyfinishedallthatupbeforecominghere."
Sayingthat,heturnedthevinylbaghehadupsidedown.DonrouAcademystudentdatapadsstartingfalling
downonthefloorwhilemakingnoises.Andamongthem,onestartedtoring.Thatonewas,infact,the
recipientKuraudojustcalled.
"Allthat'sleftarethesevenpeoplehere."
Showinghistrophies,hemadeaboldsmileatKuraudoasiftauntinghim.
"TThisbastard!Ridingonhisluck!"
"Killhim!"
Afterlearningthattheircompanionshadbeendonein,theseventhugstherestartedtomaterializetheir
Devicesoneafteranother.
ButKuraudohaltedthemand
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"Youguysgetdown."
"Kuraudo?"
"ThThere'snoneedtobescared!Let'sganguponhimandkickhisass!"
"Settledown.You'reintheway."
"Hii!"
Hiscompanionsgulpedandpaled.TheywerepressuredbythemaddangerdwellinginKuraudo'seyes.
Isee,eveniftheseguysallattackatthesametime,itwon'tevenbesportforhim.
Thenthat'lljustbeawasteoftime.
"Achangeofrules.Theduelwillbebetweenyouandme,afightwithrealweapons.Theonetodieloses."
Declaringthat,KuraudotookouthisDevice,thewhitenodachiOrochimaru.
Generally,itwasforbiddenforstudentknightstousetheirabilitiesoutofschool.Buttherewereafew
exceptions.One,whentheyweremixedupinsomesortofincident.Andalso,inaprivatedojoifthedojo
ownerpermittedit.Nowwasthelattercase.AndIkkihadnoreasontorefuse.
"Youhavemygratitudeforaccepting,SwordEater."
Replying,IkkialsomaterializedhisIntetsuandgotintostance.Foramoment,Kuraudofeltallthehairon
hisbodystandingupwithachill.
Heunderstood,thiswastherealdeal.Thisfeeling,hehadn'tfeltitsincetheLastSamurai.
Swordsmenreallyarethebest.Thetensionwhilefacingthemisonanotherlevelthenfightingsomerandom
idiot.
Apiercinggaze.Adullyshiningbladetip.Everything,asifhollowingouthisinsides.Awellinguptension
thatcouldn'tbehelped.Thiskindoffeeling,hecouldn'tgetenoughofthatevenintheFestival.
Kuraudocasteverythingoutatthatstimulation,and
"Nowthen,let'sgo!!!"
Withthatrage,heslashedatIkki.
Part4
Firstoff,Kuraudodashedaheadwhichimmediatelykilledthedistance.Hekickedthefloorwithhis
magicallyfortifiedlegsanddrewnearIkki.
"Haha!"
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Aflashofiron.Heswunghisnodachiwithitssawbladewithhisrighthandwhichrippedthroughthewind.
Hewasfullofdefectsandopenings.Averycrudeandsloppywayofhandlingasword.Itwasquiteeasyto
defend.However,thoughhedidn'thavethebasicknowledgeonhowtohandleanodachi,heswungitwith
aflashwithonlyhisarmstrengthalone!
Ratherthanslashing,itlookedmorelikehewasmowingitdown.
Asloppymotion,butwhy'stheswingsosharp!?
Once,twice,thrice.Intetsuwhichcontinuedtoblockthehitsstartedtocreak.Ikki'sarmsscreamedinpain.
Evenhisanklesfeltliketheywerejabbed.
Whatridiculouspower!Asifhewasabeast.Hisswingswerelikeawildbeastbaringhisfangs.Nologic,
notheory,nosmarts,heoverpoweredmenwithhisbrutestrengthalone!
Butthatkindofarmmovementwillcompletelyunbalancehimandhisrecoverywillbelate!
Afterreceivingtheattackforaboutthreetimes,Ikkicarriedhisbodybackwardwithhislegsandattacked
Kuraudo'sflank.Aloudburstofsound,apressurepassedbythetipofhisnose.Kuraudowhoswungthe
nodachiwithonehandhadhischestareawideopen.
There!
Thereasonhedodgedtheswingbyahair'sbreadthwasforthecounterattack.IkkiattackedKuraudonot
intendingtoletthechanceescape.ButtheskulltattooonKuraudo'schestlookedasifitwaslaughingat
thatcarefulcounter.
"!?"
WhatIkki'shandsfeltwasasteelresponse.AsteelbladestoppedIkki'sperfectlytimedcounter.
"Haha,toobad."
Thebeastlaughed,stickingouthistongue.Certainly,itwasregrettable.Ikki'stimingwasperfect.Tobe
abletoblockitevenwiththattiming,it'snotsomethingpossiblebynormalhumanreflexes.
Unlesshepredictedhiscounterandplannedtoguardfrombeginning.
Nothat'snotit.Itcouldn'tbethathe!Butthat's.
Suddenly,anextremelydangerouspossibilitypoppedupinIkki'smind.
"Ha!Haha!"
Buthedidn'thavethetimefordeepthoughts.KuraudopushedbackIkkialongwithIntetsuwithonlya
onehandedpushwiththenodachi.
Withthat,thebattledistancechangedfromthatofasword'stoaspear's.Noneoftheirswordswouldreach.
Washeresettingthedistance?
No,wrong.
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"Chaseandkill,Orochimaru!"
ItwasstillwithinthereachofOrochimaru.Kuraudo'snodachiextendedlikeasnakeandchasedafterIkki
withtheintenttokill.
"!"
IkkireflexivelyblockedwithIntetsubut
"HAHA!I'mnotdoneyet!"
Kuraudo'sattackhadnotendedyet.Hisnodachiimmediatelyshrankandthenheuseditlikeawhiptoslash
atIkki,againextendingtheblade.Rightnow,theirdistancewasonewhereonlySwordEater'sattacks
wouldreach,aonesidedbattle.Ikkihadnochoicebuttotakeadefensivestanceinfrontofthoseattacks.
"Kuh!"
Ikki'sblackbladewaschippedofflittlebylittlewhileraisingsparksagainstthelongdistanceattacksofthe
whitesawblade.
Hisarmswerealsogivingoffatthoselongdistanceattacks.
"Yeah!DoitKuraudo!"
"Turnhimintoapileofdirt!"
Kuraudo'saudiencewhocheeredwhenhetooktheupperhand.Ontheotherhand,AyasewhowasonIkki's
sidehadapaledface.
"Atthisrateyourguardwillbebroken!Kuroganekun,takesomedistance!"
"That'suseless.IfIkkimovesbackthenthatnodachiwilljustexpandthatmuchtoadaptwithitsothere's
nomeaninginwideningthedistance.Rather,thatwouldbemoredisadvantageousforhim."
"Kuh,thatmeansthesituationcanonlyworsen?"
"Yes.HoweverIkkiisn'tthetypeofguytositbyidlywhilethathappens!"
TheCrimsonPrincesswhostronglypromisedthishadhitthemark.Ofcourse,sinceshewasthewoman
whoknewtheWorstOnethebest.
Ikkiwhowasonlydefendingwiththatwidegapsuddenlyleanedforward.Usinghisfeet,hepushedhis
entirebodyahead.OfcourseKuraudowouldn'tletthathappensoeasily.Thisdistancewasperfectforhim,
aonesidedbattlewhereIkkicouldn'tattack.Soheswunghisswordagaintoprotectthatdistance.
AwhitesnakeslicedthewindwhilechasingafterIkki.ItwasthehowltobreakopenIkki'scranium.But
Ikkileanedevenmoreforward.Adash!OnlymadepossiblebyIkkisincehehasatrainedbody.
Ikkinimblyavoidedtheblade,anddashedtowardstheopponenthehadcometodefeat.
"Hedidit!"
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Ayasewhosawthatsplendidevasionshookherfist.But
"Haha!"
ButSwordEaterwasn'tsomeonesosoftthathe'dlethisopponentapproachhimjustbecausehisattackwas
evaded.Orochimaruwhichhadlostitstargetforamomentturneditssharpsnakeheadaroundasif
possessingawill,andonceagainattackedtowardsIkki'sexposedback.
"TThatswordcanalsodothat!?"
Ayaseshouted.
Orochimaru'struevaluewasn'titsabilitytoextenditslengthbutthefactthatitcouldmovelikeitsmaster
ordered.Asifthebladehadamindofitsown,itchangeditsdirectionandchasedafterIkki.After
acknowledgingthatIkkidodgedit,Orochimaruturneditsbladetowardshisback.Asaresult,Ikkiwouldn't
beabletoescapebeingskewered!
"Aa,ifitwasKurashikikun,Ithoughtyouwoulddothat."
Buttherewasjustoneopening.
"Wha!"
Ikkididasidestepwithminimummovementanddodgedthebladechasingafterhim.
That'sright,Ikkiwasn'tjustfightingdefensively.Hewasn'tthatsubmissiveofaperson.Therewould
definitelybeadeeperschemeinhisbattles.WhenhewasdodgingKuraudo'sattacksbyanarrowmargin,
hewasactuallyanalyzingandsealingKuraudo'smovement,action,andcombinationpatterns,allthewhile
disclosingtherootsofthepersoncalledKurashikiKuraudo.
PerfectVision.
ThepoweroftheWorstOnethatevencaughttheinvisibleHunter.Thepowertoreadtheactionsofabeast
andwiththatknowledge,returnaperfectcounterattack.ThecounterhereleasedafterreadingKuraudo's
attackswasthefastestpossibleattackbyaJapaneseswordathrust.
Anattackaimingtogougeouttheeyesoftheskullunderthatuniform.Kuraudowasalsofullofopenings
withthatsurpriseattack.Therewasnowayhecouldturnhisswordaroundnorevadetheupcomingattack
atthispoint.Thatwasn'tsomethingahumancouldpossibledo.
Thusbull'seye.Ikki'sattackhitKuraudo'schest!
Thatwassupposedtohappen.Butjustbeforeithit,theskullinfrontofIkki'seyessuddenlyvanished.
Huh!?
Whathappened?Forhimtolosesightofhistargetwiththattiming?Hecouldnotunderstand.Didhejust
losesightofKuraudolikethemist?
No,that'snotit.Ikki'ssensesimmediatelyrangoutinafrenziedalarm.Italmosthurt.
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Danger,Danger,DANGER,DANGER!
.Heducked!
Justbeforetheattackhit,Kuraudobenthisupperbodybacksomuchthatitwasalmostparallelwiththe
floor,andthushedodgedtheattack.AsifhewasmockingIntetsufromdirectlybelowit,helookedup
and.
"HaHA!"
HeattackedIkkiwithOrochimaru.
"Ugh!"
IkkiblockeditwithIntetsujustbeforeitslashedhisneck.Becausetheattackwasveryheavy,hisshoulder
gotdislocatedbuthedidn'tlettheattackthrough.Hisexpressionalsobecamebad.Butthereasonforthat
wasn'thisdisadvantageouspositionorthepoweroftheattack.
AsIthoughtthisguy!
Kuraudostoodupstraightwiththemomentumofthatattack,andonceagainbeganhisbarrage.
Ikki'sbreathingwasamesscomparedtowhenhewasjustdodgingamomentago.Hecouldn'taffordtogo
toofarhere.HeraisedIntetsuupinordertoblockthedowncomingnodachi.
Butthemomenttheirbladesshould'vecrossedwithahaze,Kuraudo'snodachidisappeared.
This
Thisisbad!
Ikkieventhoughhewaskindofroughedupalreadythrewhisbodybackwardswithallhisstrength.Right
atthatmoment,aflashappearedatthespaceIkkiwasjustin.Theairwastornapart.
"!"
Becausehesuddenlyjumpedbackwards,hisstancewascompletelybrokenbuthemanagedtogeta
footholdandregainhisbalance.AyaseandStellawhowerewatchingtheirexchangejustnowhaltedtheir
breathing.
Ikki'suniformattheabdomenarea,therewasahugeslit.ItmeantthatifIkkididn'tjumpbackjustnow,
theywouldhavebeenseeinghisentrailsspillingout.
"Haha!Goodjobdodgingthatjustnow."
"WhaWhatwasthat!?"
"Kuroganekun!"
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"Yeaaaaaaaaah!"
"Hewould'vebeensplitintworight~?"
"Yeah,asexpectedofKuraudo!Thatguyisn'tevenworthhistime!"
"Gethim!"
Disturbanceandbewilderment.Expectationsandexcitement.Therewasachangeintheenergyofthe
cheeringpartyofbothsides.ButIkkididn'thavethetimetopayanyheedtothat.
"Isee,sothat'sit."
Becausehehappenedtorealizeit.Anunthinkablepossibilitywhichwasinthecornerofhismindever
sinceKuraudododgedIkki'sfirstperfectcounter.Butthatworstpossiblepossibilitywasinactuality,
reality.
"Sothisisyourrealpower,whichdefeatedtheLastSamurai."
Part5
"There'sbeenonethingI'vebeenconcernedaboutsinceIheardhowKaitosanwasdefeatedbyKurashiki
kuntwoyearsagofromAyatsujisan.WhywasKaitosandefeatedsoonesidedly?Evenifhewasill,he
wassomeonewhograspedforthecrownintheworldofswords,theLastSamurai.Thebattlewouldnever
bethatonesidedathisowncourt.Therehastobeasuitablereason."
AndthatwasthefactorIkkinoticedaboutKuraudo'sstrength.
"AndI'venowconfirmedthat."
Evadinganddefendingagainstattacksthathadalmostabsoluteperfecttimings.Disappearinglikehazeand
attackingfromacompletelydifferentangle.Allofthesewerethefruitofonecertainability.
"Whatareyoutalkingabout!?Istheresomekindoftrick!?"
Ayaseimmediatelypressedatthetopic.Forher,thismightbetheanswertowhyherfatherwasdefeatedso
onesidedlytwoyearsago,atrulyimportantmatter.
DidKuraudousesomekindoftrickery?ButIkkideniedthat.
"No,there'snodeceitnortrick."
"Haha,seemslikeyou'venoticed.Sayit,I'llmatchtheanswer."
KuraudowhohadalargegrinaskedtorevealthetrueidentityofhispowerthatIkkihadmanagedtosee
through.
"It'ssomethingKurashikikungotdirectlyfromhisroots:reflexivesensitivity."
"Reflexivesensitivity."
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"Ikki,thatisn'tthatthesamenormalreflexgearallhumanshave?"
"That'shalfright,halfwrong.Ifputintowordsthenitwouldbethat,buttheefficiency,andspeedareall
toogreat.I'mtalkingaboutthetimeittakesforahumantocompletethesensoryprocess,asin'sense',
'comprehend'and'respond'.Forthemostpart,it'spointthreesecondsforus.Theysayaprofessional
sprinterhasatimeofpointfifteenseconds.Andnomatterhowmuchyoutrain,thisnumbercan'tcrossthe
bounderofpointoneseconds.Thatiscommonsense.HoweverforKurashikisanwhojustdodgedthat
counter,itseemslikethetimeforhimispointzerofivesecondsorlower."
""!?""
StellaandAyasebecamespeechlessatthatfact.Well,itwasobvioustobesurprised.Thereactiontimefor
IkkiandStellawasabout0.13seconds.Kuraudo'ssenseshavelongcrossedthehumanboundary.Inother
words,thetimeittakesforIkkiandStellatoperformoneaction,Kuraudocandoabouttwoorthreeactions
inthatsameamountoftime.
"Andwiththatcommonsensedefyingreactionspeed,hecandodgeourattacksthatmightseemabsolutely
impossibletododgewithperfecttiming,orhecanchangethedirectionofanattackjustbeforeitclashes
withoursandmakeitcomefromacompletelydifferentangle.Thereasonwhyhisswordseemedtovanish
halfwaywasbecauseofthat."
"HahahahahaHAHAHA!BINGO!"
Kuraudowidenedhiseyeswhilelaughingmadly.
Yes,hisswordwasn'tanart.Itwaspureviolence.Andwiththatviolence,theSwordEatertramplesall
down.
Becausereactionspeedwasthebaseofallsportsandactions.Nomatterhowmuchonetrains,orhowmuch
onepolisheshisstanceitdoesn'tmatterhowmuchexperienceonehas,itallbecomesmeaninglessbefore
it.Nomatterhowmuchofanabsurdsurpriseattackisthrownathim,hecandealwithitafterseeingit.No
matterhowsomeonechargesathimrecklessly,hecanchangehisguardafterseeingthat.Itallowed
somethingirrationallikeseeingtheopponent'schoiceofrock,paper,orscissorsbeforemakinghisown:
thatwasthetruevalueoftheSwordEater.
Techniquesandexperience,schemesandtactics,anightmarethatrendersalloftheseuseless.Superhuman
reflexes,andreactionabilitybornfromthat,addingthetwoandthuscreatingMarginalCounter.
"You'rethefirstonetoseethroughmyMarginalCounteronthefirstmeeting!I'llcommendyou,Worst
One!AsIthought,you'rethebest.Butsowhat!?Evenifyouknowhowitworks,canyoudoanything
aboutit?"
"."
Hearingthat,Ikki'sexpressionclouded.
Yes.HisPerfectVisionwasmeaninglessbeforearock,paper,scissorgamewheretheopponentcouldsee
hismovebeforehand.AndIttouShuraonlyfortifiedhisphysicalabilitiesandnotthetransmissionspeedof
hisbrain.Inotherwords,itwasexactlyasKuraudosaid.IkkihadnomethodoftearingthroughMarginal
Counter.
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"Haha.Youcan'tcanyou.MyMarginalCounterisn'tan'art'.It'saspecialtrait.Ididn'tcheatandstuff.
Andjustthisain'tthelimitofmyMarginalCounter!"
Sayingthatasifhowling,heattacked.AndwhatcametowardsIkkiwasanattackasifitwasaimingfor
twoareasatthesametime!
"Hebigami[2]!"
Asifbitingit,theswingbyhisrighthandattackedboththeleftandrightsideasifbitingin.Aphantom
likethat,unrealisticasitmaybecameinwithridiculousvigorandspeedwhichwasimpossibletodefend
against,attackingbothsidesatthesametime.
Evenifhemanagedtodefendagainstoneoftheattacks,theotherwouldjustriphimapart.Thenhehad
onlyonethingtodo.Ikkiusedallhisstrengthtoleapbackwardsandtriedtoevadeit.Beingatwofold
attackdidn'tmatterifhejustescapedit'srange.
"There'snowayI'dletyoudothesamethingtwiceriiiiight!?"
Orochimaru'sbladeextendedandimmediatelychasedafterIkki.Therewasnolongeranymeaningin
distance.ThesawbladescameinfrombothleftandrightandintersectedonIkki'sbody.
Butrightatthatmoment,Ikkitookaction.Withaclang,thesoundoftwobladesclashingreverberated
andsparkscontainingmanaflewout.WithIntetsuwhichIkkihadinhisrighthand,herepelledthe
Orochimarucomingfromtheright.Butthatwasamistake!Ikki'sreflexesweren'tfastenoughtobeable
toblockthesecondattackcomingfromtheleft!Thesawbladecomingfromtheleftstruckhisbody!
Thesawbladerippedoffthefleshfromhisbodywhichflewintheair,andbloodspilledonthefloor
dyeingitredthatwassupposedtohappen.
"What?"
Butthatdidn'thappen.Whatspilledwasn'tbloodbutsparks.Why?TheanswerwasinIkki'shandwhich
defendedagainstHebigami.
"You!"
Afternoticingit,Kuraudoraisedahowl.Ikkiwasn'tgrippingthehiltof<Intetsu>,butthebaseoftheblade
andthusintentionallyreducedhisreach.
"That'sright,kodachi[3]techniques!AsexpectedofIkki!"
"Kuroganekuncanuseakodachi?"
"HecaneventeachShizukuwhohasakodachishapeddevice,soofcoursehecanuseit!"
Ikkihatedteachingwrongthingstoothers,knowingthatnatureofhis,Stellawasconvinced.Andherguess
wascorrect.Ikkiwasn'tonlywellversedinswordsmanship,hewasalsoproficientinarchery,grappling,
unarmedandmanyothers.Evenifitcouldonlyraisehisstrengthonaminusculelevel,hedesperately
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practiceditandusedallthetimehisbodywouldallowtopursuethosemethods.Becausehewaswellaware
ofthefactthathewasweakerthananyone.Andhewasnowbringingouteverythinghehadlearnedback
then.
ThefactthatwasabletodiscernthepositionoftheHunterafterbeingstruckbyhisarrowwasalsoaresult
ofthat.Thatwastrueforhisdisplayofdefenseandoffenseinthismatchtoo.Becauseoftheshorterreach,
thekodachihadlessoffense,butsinceitcanberotatedfaster,theblockingabilityrises.Ikki,utilizingthat
defensedeflectedKuraudo'sgodspeedattack.
"Itmeansthatyou'renottheonlyonewhocanchangehisreach."
Ikki,afterdefendingagainstHebigamiwithIntetsuimmediatelysteppedinandstartedthecounter.
"Haha."
KuraudolaughedafterseeingIkkichallengehim,despitethatfactthatIkkihadalreadywitnessedhis
overwhelmingattackspeed.Eventhoughthiswasjustoneexchange,foramageknightwhoreliedheavily
onmana,thiswasonceinalifetimedecision.KuraudocommendedIkkiforthat.But
Butyoucan'twin.Notwithjustthis.
Itwasskilledofhimtosuddenlyswitchtoakodachitechnique.Butintheend,thereachisstillshort.
Sohe'llteachthatguy.Asoneofthebesteightofthewholecountry.Assomeonewhoresidesatthe
summitoftheSevenStar.
Strengthisn'tjustgorgeousswordtechniquesthatenchantspeople.Strengthisn'tsomeburningfeelingyou
havewhenyoufightforafriend,
It'ssomethingsimplerit'ssomethingfarmoredreadful.There'sjustonefixedanswertothat.
It'sjustsimpleoverwhelmingviolence.
"HAHHAAAA!"
"Wha!"
Foramoment,Ikkiincludingthosewhowerewatching,StellaandAyasewereatalossforwords.The
snakelikeattackthatwasreleasedatIkkiafterhesteppedintocounterattackithadfourheads!An
impossiblefourfoldattack!
Hecanstillgofaster!
Acompletesurpriseattack.ButIkkididn'tlosehiscoolandblockedtheattack,comingtoseverhishead
andtoattackhisleftflank,withkodachitechnique.
Howeveritwasn'tenough.KuraudoreleasedfourattacksatIkkiinstantly.Ikkicouldonlyblocktwo.The
remainingtwoslashedatIkki'schestwithacross.
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"Argggggh!"
"Ikki!"
"Kuroganekun!"
"II'mfine,Icanstillfight."
Alargeamountofbloodwasspilling.Thewoundprobablyreachedthesternum.ButIkkistillpoured
powerintohiskneesandrefusedtogiveup.Hecontinuedtogazeattheopponentbeforehim.
"Oh!Youavoidedafatalwoundbyusingthemomentumofthefirstandsecondhitstomovebackwards.
Craftyain'tya?Butthatallendsnow!"
KuraudoextendedhisOrochimaru,thatwasnowdyedinfreshblood,likeawhip.
"Whatcanyoudofromthatdistance?I'llturnyaintomincemeat!"
Heattackedfromadistancewhereonlyhecouldtaketheoffensive,andslashedatthewoundedIkki.
Part6
AtfirstwhenIkkiblockedOrochimaru,Ayasethoughtthathecoulddefinitelywinthis.Whenhedeflected
Hebigamiwithkodachitechnique,shethought'Hecandothis!'Buteachtime,SwordEaterjustroseeven
higher.Hejumpedovereveryoneoftheirexpectationsandhypothesis.Likeanightmare.
ThecurrentIkkicouldgoheadtoheadandwinagainsteverylastoneofthecurrentfestivalcandidatesat
Hagun.HewastheCrownlessSwordKingwhoevendefeatedtheCrimsonPrincesswithoutsustaininga
singlewound.EventhatIkki
Hecan'tdoathingevenincloserange.
PerfectVisionlosestoMarginalCounter.WithIttouShura,MarginalVisionleavesalltheactionsuseless
aftertheinitialdashwhenusingthat,sothere'snomeaninginusingit.Rather,itcouldbefatalifheusedit
carelessly.
IttouShurawassomethingIkkiusedbyutilizingallhisresolutionanddetermination.Ifhetrieditwhileat
hiswit'send,he'llendupburningallhispower.Hecan'tstophalfway,norcanhedominusculeregulations
likeholdingbackandextendingthetimelimitabit.Andifanopponentwhocanmaketwotothreeactions
inthetimehecanmakeonegoesfulldefensive,defeatingthatopponentinjustoneminutewouldbenigh
impossible.
He'scompletelyoutofoptions.
AllhecoulddowaskeepdefendingagainstOrichimaruandHebigamiwhilestandingontopofthepuddle
madeofhisownbloodandbearthatdeepgash.Acompletelyonesidedbattle.
AyasegulpedwhilebitingdownherlipsandseeingthefigureofKuraudocontinuinghisbarrageonIkki.
Strong!Thisman,hecan'tbedefeated!
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Sothiswasthenationallevel!Inthebesteightofthelastfestival,thiswastherealstrengthofSwordEater.
AretheresuchmonstersatthesummitoftheSevenStars!?
Shecouldn'tseevictory.Nowayoutwasvisible.Hetrampleddownalltacticsandtechniquessentathim
whilemocking.
Beforethat,Ikkikeptgettinghurtastimedraggedon.HekeptdefendingagainstOrochimaruand
Hebigamitimeandtimeagainwithhisacuteobservationandkodachitechniqueswhichweredullingas
timewenton,andthenumberofstrikeshecouldn'tdodgeordefendagainstincreased.Andeachtimethat
happened,thesawbladechippedawaythemeatonhisarmsorthighs.
Atthisrate!
Anominousdjvu.ThesightofIkkirefusingtostaydownevenafterbeinginjuredtosuchanextent
overlappedwiththesightofKaitotwoyearsago.
"!"
Ayasecouldnolongerbearit.
"Vermillionsan!Pleasestopthismatch!Atthisrate,Kuroganekunwillbreak!"
"IfIstopitnowthenyouwon'tgetthisdojobackyouknow."
"Idon'tcare!Kuroganekunismoreimportant!"
"That'strue.Butstill,no."
AyasewasshockedatthewordsfromStella,whowaswatchingherloverbechippedapartlittlebylittle
whilehavingherarmscrossedunderherbreastslikeitwasnothing.
"Why!?Aren'tyouhisgirlfriend!?Thenhowcanyousaythat!?Oristheresomekindofwaytoturnthis
situationaround!?"
"Noway.IfitwasmeIcould'verestrictedhimwithmyflames,butIkkidoesn'thavethatoption.He
doesn'thaveamethodtoattackfromthatdistance.Andontopofthat,hisonlywayofattacking,his
defenseandoffenseincloserangeasaswordsman,hecan'tdothatfromthatdistance.Thesituationis
quitehopelessIguess.Honestly,Ididn'tthinkthatskullguywouldbesostrong."
ThereplyingStellawasserenityitself.Butlookingclosely,herfingernailswerepiercingintothewhiteskin
ofhercrossedarms.Adropofbloodsmudgedonheruniform.She'senduringit,theurgetodashoutright
thisinstant.
"Thelabelofbesteightinthecountryisn'tajoke,Ihavetoadmitafterseeingthis.Thatmanisstrong.At
thisrateIkkiisgoingtolose."
"Idon'tgetiteventhoughyouunderstandallthatwhyaren'tyoustoppinghim!?"
"There'snowayIcandothat."
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"Why!?"
"BecauseIkkihelookslikehe'shavingsomuchfun."
"Eh?"
AyaselookedatIkki,thinking,whatthehellwasStellasaying?Andshewashitbyshock.
He'slaughing?
Ikkihadasmileonhisface.Anditwasn'ttheusualkindandinnocentsmile.Asifabeastbaringhisfangs.
"Cometothinkofit,hewassmilinglikethatwhenfacingmyKatharterioSalamandra."
"WWhy?Eventhoughhemightbekilled?TThere'ssomuchbloodwhy?"
"Isn'tthatbecauseit'ssofun?"
Shecouldn'tunderstand.Shewasn'tyetatthatlevel.But,Stellaunderstood.Andprobably,herfatherdid
too.
"HeySempai.Afterhearingyourstory,therewasonethingmeandIkkijustcouldn'tfigureout.Wejust
weren'tsatisfied."
"Weren'tsatisfied?"
"DidtheLastSamuraireallysinkintoregret?"
"HHuh?Whatareyousaying?That,isn'tthatobvious!"
AyasesuddenlybecameexcitedatStella'sunexpectedwords.
"Ifonly,ifonlythatguydidn'tappear,thenwewouldstillbelivingpeacefully!Myfatherwouldn'thave
fallenintoacoma!Ourdojowouldn'thavebeenstolenaway!Thepupilswouldn'thavetobehurteither!
Thatguy,hedestroyedourpeacefuldailylife!That,ofcourseFatherhadregrets!"
"Butthat'snothingbutSempai'ssubjectivityright?"
"Wha!"
"Justtrythinkingaboutitalittle.Amanwhooncewantedthecrownintheworldofswords,hewaseven
calledtheLastSamuraibecauseofthatabsurdlyhighambitionapersonlikethat,wouldhetrulybe
happyinalifewherehecouldn'tevenusehissword,andwoulddecayasaninstructor?Isitreallyadaily
lifehewouldwanttocontinueforever?Ifitwasme,thenIdefinitelywouldn'tbeabletobearit."
"!"
"Certainly,thenuisanceofthefightisundeniable.Andthemethodsthatskullguytooktochallengeyour
fatherwasn'tcommendableatall.But,therewasapersonwhowouldgothatfarjusttochallengeyour
father.Asaswordsman,isn'tthissomethingtoreallybegladabout?"
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Noway.There'snowaythat'spossible.Afterall,Fatherwasalwayssmiling.Hewouldtakecareofthe
pupilswithkindeyes,andpassoffhisswordtothenextgeneration
Thisismybattle!Don'tinterfere!
"!!!"
Atthatexactmoment,somethinginsideofAyase,somethingthathasbeenlooseforalongtimefellinto
placeperfectlywithaclick.Andthen,sheunderstoodeverything.
Duringthatfight,thereasonwhyKaitolookedsodreadful,andwhyhesoundedsomuchlikeawilddemon
thatevenAyasehadneverseenorheardhimlikethat,whenAyasetriedtostoptheduel.Whyheintended
tocontinuetheduelwiththatobviousoutcome.
Shehadn'trealizedittillnowshehadn'trealizedKaito'struefeelings.
Forsolong,shehadthoughtthatKaitoacceptedaduelhedidn'twanttoforcefully,andwasdefeatedfullof
regret.
But,that'swrong!Absolutely,wrong!
Certainly,hehadintendedtofightforthepupilsthatwereinjured.Hewantedtofighttoprotecttheplace
hisdaughterlivedin.
However,thatwasn'teverything!
ThefuelthatdroveKaitobackthen,ithadbeenafeelingfarsimplerthandecorumormorals,ithadbeen
farmorepure.
Hewantedtofight.
Hewantedtofighttheopponentbeforehim.
Hewantedtodefeattheamazingguybeforehim.
Itwasjustthesimplenaturalinstinctsofawildbeasttofight.Becausethatfightwas,forKaitosanwho
wasriddenwithillness,amomenthehadalwaysyearnedfor.Hedesireditevenifhissoulshouldburn
away,asinglemomentofpassion.
Aaahsothat'sit.
Sorry.
Thatword,itwasn'tsomethinghesaidtous.
Ifit'snow,shecouldunderstand.ThosewordswerenotaimedatAyaseorthepupilshesaidthosewords
toKuraudo.Nomatterwhatthereason,therewasaboywillingtochallengeaillnessriddenfossilofthe
pastlikehim.ButhefailedtoshowhimeverythingoftheAyatsujisinglebladestyle.Sohewasasking
Kuraudotoforgivetheweakhim.
Really,thatoldfool.
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Toactuallyspeakthewordsthatmightaswellbehislastwordstohisenemy.Shealwaysthoughtofhimas
amoreintellectualtypeofperson.Butwhat?Heturnedouttobeanastonishingegoist!Almostlikeaboy
whojusthatestolose.
Butstill.
Thenwasmyfatherhappyintheend?
Atthatmoment,aloudandconspicuousclangrangoutthroughthehall.
Part7
Theloudestclashingsoundtillthensuddenlyrangout,andthehallfellintosilence.
"Haa,haa!Haa!"
Inthatsilence,Ikkiwaspantingroughly.Thebloodlossfromthecountlesswoundshesustainedgreatly
drainedhisenergy.ButIkkiwasn'ttheonlyonewhowaspanting.
"Ugh!Haa,haa,haa."
EventhoughKuraudohadn'treceivedawoundyet,hewasalsobreathingheavily.Thebattleseemedtobe
completelyonesided,butwhywashealmostexactlyastiredasIkki?
Theanswer,Stellaimmediatelyfigureditout.
"That'sit!Sothat'stheweakpointofMarginalCounter!"
"Eh?WhatareyoutalkingaboutVermillionsan?"
"Justcarefullylookatthefaceoftheskullguy,you'llunderstand."
Beingtoldthat,AyaselookedatKuraudo'sface.Hewassweatingalot,andfromhischin,dropsofsweat
werepouringdownasifoverflowing.
"Isee!It'shisstamina!"
"Yes.It'squitesimplenowthatIthinkaboutit.ThatoverwhelmingcommonsensedefyingMarginal
Counterofhisboastshigheractioncounts,butinreturnthestaminaconsumptionisreallyharsh.Ikki
immediatelyrealizedthatandplayedfortimewhilesustainingtheminimumamountofinjuryhecould,in
ordertobringdownhisstamina!"
Asifconfirmingthat,Kuraudosuddenlygnashedviolently.
Damnmimic!Thiswassupposedtobegoingwithmypace,butbeforeIknewitIgotcaughtinthat
bastard'sgameofendurance!
Eventhoughhewashalfdeadandcouldbarelyholdhissword,heimmediatelysawthroughtheweakness
ofKuraudo'sMarginalCounteranddrewhimintohisownpace.Asaresult,Kuraudo'senergywasalmost
completelyexhausted.
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Yes,it'sexactlyasStellasaid.Ikkiwasn'tthetypeofguytojustquietlysitaroundwhilehewasbeing
attacked.Inhisarsenal,thereweremanymethodstowearouthisopponents.
Almostlikewitchcraftwhatanannoyingbastard.
Kuraudogotthechillswhenhetriedtothinkofhowmanylayersofplanningthissimpleattackingand
blockingmatchhad.
Ontheotherhand,AyasewasfullofadmirationforIkki.
"AsexpectedofKuroganekun!Hecanevendothatfromaplacewherehisswordsdon'treachthe
opponent!Ifit'sthis,thenhemightbeabletowin!"
ButwhenAyasewasswingingherfistsinhappinesswiththepossibilityofaturnaround,Stellashoweda
severeexpression.
"Maybe,maybenot."
"Eh?Whatdoyoumean?"
"Thisgameofendurancewashislastcard.Hedidn'thaveanyotheroptionsashecouldn'tchangethe
distanceatall.That'sall.AndIkkiisalsooutofstamina.Heiswaypasthislimit.Inaprotractingbattle,the
possibilityofhimlosingishigher."
Itwasjustsomethinghedidasalastresortinthathopelesslydisadvantageoussituation.Soitwasn't
somethingthathadmuchmeritsforthisside.Theonlythingthatcouldbesaidwas
"Well,nomatterwholosesandwhowinsthenextblowwillprobablybethelast."
Thatwastheonlytruth.
"Thisbastardtherehastobealimittostubbornness!"
"Haa,haaunfortunately,Ireallyhatetolose.Andit'sbeenawhilesinceI'vebeenthrownaround
thismuch.It'ssofunitwouldbeashametojustendit."
"Haahaahaafun,isit?Hahahahaha!Youtoohuh,you'reprettymuchscrewedupinthehead,too!"
"That,Icouldsaythesameaboutyou!"
"Yeah,butit'stimetoendthattoo."
Kuraudocorrectedhisbreathing,andstraightenedhisback.AndhebrandishedOrochimaru.
"Thenextwillbringyoudown."
Hedeclaredthattothewarriorcoveredinblood,standingbeforehim.Withthenextstrikehe'dkill.
Andacceptingthatdeathchallenge,Ikkihappilyraisedtheendsofhislips.
"Yeah,that'sright.Iwasthinkingthattoo."
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Heaimedtheblackbladebeforehiseyes,pointingthetipdirectlyatKuraudo'schest.Thetwoknights
exchangedthepledgeofbringingacertaindeathtoeachother,andthen
"Lastly,canIasksomething?"
"What?"
Beforeendingthematch,IkkiaskedsomethinghehadtohearfromKuraudonomatterwhat.
"Thegreatswordmasterthatwebothlongforwashesmilingjustlikehowwearerightnow?"
Atthatquestion,Kuraudo'seyessuddenlyturnedwide.
"Haha,don'tasksomethingsoobvious."
Herepliedasifspittingitout.
"There'snodamnwaythatsomeonewhoiscalledtheLastSamuraiwouldn'tenjoyanexcitingdeathmatch
asfunasthisone."
"Isthatso."
Hewantedtoknowthat.Andhewantedtheanswertobethataswell.That'swhy,Ikkisaidit.
"Thankyou."
Hedashedoutwhilebaringhisfangs.
Part8
Whilespillingbloodfromthemanycutsacrosshisbody,Ikkijumpedoutwithashortposture.
Hisreddyedbodywashalfdead,halfalive.Butthespeedofthatdashrightnowisthehighestsincethe
startofthebattle,almostlikeagale.
Whataridiculousbastard!
Kuraudodidn'tfeelruefulwhencommendingthatIkki.Then,heshouldalsothrowawayallhesitation.He
decidedtopourallhissoulintothenextattack,andshrankOrochimarutothesizeofaonehandedsword.
Shrinkingthereach,butprioritizingthespeed.Afullspeedattackcontaininghisall.Utilizingthefullof
MarginalCounter,anultimatetechniquethatonlySwordEatercouldunleash!
"YamatanoOrochi[4]!"
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Afullpowerattack.Andatthesametimeheswungtheswordeightheadsappearedastheattack!Dimly
glowinginabonecoloredradiance,theeightheadedserpentassaultedthedarkhairedknightwhilebaring
it'sfangs.
Ikkiwhocouldn'tstopthefourfoldattackcouldn'tpossiblystopthis.He'llbemurderedwithoutadoubt.
But,eventhoughthatwasafact.Butstill!
TheWorstOnedidn'tstop.Withoutashredofhesitation,hedashedtowardsthecomingeightheaded
serpent.Withthebladepositionedparalleltohiseyesight,andwiththetippointeddirectlyatKuraudo's
chest,hejumpedforwardwithoutanyintentionofdefending.
Wasitselfabandonment?Wasitarandomfrenziedattack?
Wrong!
No!Thisis
Fromthebladepositionedparallelwithhiseyesight.Andfromthedepthsofthepairofeyesthatreleaseda
blindingradiance.Kuraudofeltachillasifhiswholebodywasbeingcutapart.
Heknewthis.Inthepast,therewasamomentwherehefeltthesamesensation.Thatwas,duringthematch
withAyatsujiKaito.Duringtheverylastmoment.Atthattime,thealmostdeadKaitowastryingtodo
something.JustlikethecurrentIkki,hehadhisswordpositionedlikethat,andhejumpedforward
abandoningalldefense.
Kuraudohadalwaysponderedwhatthatwasuntiltoday,thatfeeling.Buthecertainlyfeltitrightatthat
moment,thatsensation.
Danger.
Fromamanwhowashalfdead,amanwhocouldcollapseanymoment,hefeltanunreasonablefearthat
wellupfromhisverydepth.Andrightnow,itwasthesameandexactlybecauseso!
Interesting!!!
Kuraudodidn'tstophissword.Evenatthisverymoment,hecouldevadewithhisMarginalCounter.But
still,hedidn't!Hefaceditheadon!
OfcourseIwill!!!
Kuraudoalwayslongedtoseethis.Hewantedtoseethecontinuationofthatduel,eventhoughhethought
itwasnolongerpossible.Maybe,justmaybeKaitomightrecuperate.MaybeAyasewouldalsomasterthe
swordcompletelyandcometochallengehim.
Withthatmarginalwishinmind,hehadalwayswaitedatthisplace.Thatwaswhy,hewouldn'tstop.There
wasnoreasonforhimtostop.
"Itwasworththewait!Thesetwolongyears!!!"
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Immediatelyafter,theirtwofiguresintersected,andfreshbloodflewintheair.
Part9
ThesplashofbloodthatrosesohighthatitreachedtheceilingwasKuraudo's.Therewasamassive
slantwisegashonhishugebuiltbody,startingfromtherightshouldertilltheendofthelowerleft
abdominalarea.
AndasforIkki,hesustainednowounds.
Why?YamatanoOrochiwassomethingthatdidn'tallowdefendingnor
evading.Intruth,Ikkitookontheeightserpentfangswithhisbody.But
whywasheunharmed?
Thereason,Ayaseunderstooditimmediately.
NNodoubtthat's.
Inthepast,Ayasehadwitnessedthistechniquejustonce.WhenAyase
decidedtoenterHagunAcademy,itwasthesecrettechniqueofthe
Ayatsujisinglebladestyleherfatherhadshownher.
Atthattime,whenAyaseattackedherfatherwithHizume,shecertainly
didhithisbody.But,shewasn'tabletocuthim.Theresponse,itwasasif
hewascuttingthesakurapetalsdancingthroughtheair.Herfathersaid
this
Acounterattackwillbedelayedifoneusesthebladefordeflectioninordertoperformaninterception.
Becausewheneveroneshiftstheenemy'sswordtoevade,thenone'sownswordwillalsoshiftfromthe
placehewantstoattackaproportionaldistance.Thenwhatshouldbedoneinordertoperformaperfect
counter?
Kaito'sgaveananswertothatquestion.Allonehadtodoistaketheopponentsattackwithone'sbodyand
warditoffwithoutshiftingtheopponent'sswordalongwiththeplaceonewantstoattack.
Apeerlessstancetoevadetheenemiesattackbytakingthemostminimumpossiblemovement,dispelling
everythingofthematerialworldwhilefeelingeveryphysicalexistencearound.
"Ayatsujisinglebladestylefinalsecret,Ten'iMuhou[5]!"
ButwhywasKuroganekunabletouseit?EvenKaitoonlyusedthistopsecrettechniqueinfrontofher
once,sowhy
"Ah."
ThensherememberedsomethingIkkihadsaidatthatfamilyrestaurant.
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"It'sallbecauseofAyatsujisan'shardwork.Evenalone,Ithinkyouwouldhavenoticedit,youwould've
reachedthatsecretwhenthetime'sright."
Ikkineversaysanythingheisn'tsureof.Ayasewhohaddirectlyreceivedhistrainingknowsofhissincerity
thebest.
"Noway,didhealreadyknowitthen!"
"BladeSteal."
"Eh?"
"Ikki'sswordstyle.He'sabletostealeventhedeepestsecretsofaswordstyleafterobservingit.This
happenedinmycasetoo."
Yes,atthattime,IkkihadalreadyseenthroughtheAyatsujistyle.ThedestinationwhereAyase'ssloppy
sword,aswordthatwastrainingdesperatelytochaseafterherfather'sback,wouldreach.
Confirmingthat,Stellashowedadelightedlook.BecausesheknewthatthiswasIkki'struedreadfulness.
Hewasn'tsatisfied,eventhoughhehadsomuchpower.Stockingonpowerandtechniquesevenifitwould
helphimonlyalittle,andusingit,inordertoreachanewheight.Thatunstoppableambitioniswhatmakes
theWorstOnetheCrownlessSwordKing.ThatwasthetrueessenceofKuroganeIkki,theCrimson
Princess'slover.
"God,that'samanworthchasingafter,really."
Stellamutteredthatinanamazinglylowtone.Butatthatmoment,
"AAAAAH!"
Somethingthatnoonetherecouldbelievehappened.Kuraudo,whilebearingthatobviouslyfatalwound
howledlikeamadbeastandsustainedhisstance,refusingtolethisbodyfall.Thehugeamountofblood
flowingfromhiswoundformedabloodpuddlebeneathhisfeet.Butevenso,Kuraudodidn'tlethisknees
bend,andhedidn'tadmitdefeat.
He'sstillstanding!
Atthis,evenIkkicouldn'thidehissurprise.But
"Isee.Sothisiswhatthatoldmisterwantedtousethen."
TherewasnofightingspiritharboredinKuraudo'seyes.
"HahaAwesome."
Asifyearningforthebattlethatoccurredheretwoyearsago,helaughedcheerfully.Andthen,heonce
againturnedhisattentiontowardsIkkiafterliftinguphisblooddyedbody.
"WorstOneyourname?"
"KuroganeIkki."
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"KuroganeWe'llcontinuethisattheSevenStarsSwordArtFestival."
Sayingthat,heheadedtowardstheexitofthedojo.Itseemslikehenolongerhadtheintentiontofight.
Guessingthat,Ikkiasked
"Kurashikikun,thisdojo"
"Dowhateveryouwant.Cuzthere'snoreasonformetowaitanymore."
Thatwashisanswer.
"WWaitKuraudo!"
"Heyyouguys!We'releaving!"
"YYeah!"
HislackeysfollowedKuraudoonebyoneandleftthedojo.Andjustwhentheirfigurecompletely
vanished,
"Whoa!Getagrip,Kuraudo!"
"Thisisbad,he'scompletelylostconsciousness!"
"Someonehurryupandcallanambulance!"
"Waitabit!I'lldriveustoschool."
"Kurauudo!Hangon!"
Theirpanickedvoicesechoedfromthedistance.
IkkibanishedhisIntetsuwithasigh,thoughthereseemedtobesomeadmirationdwellinginthat.
"Notlettinghisenemiesseehisweakness.He'ssurprisinglystubborntoo."
"Justlikeyouright?"
"Uwaah!"
Beingsuddenlypushedback,hefellonhisbackside.
"WWhatareyoudoing,Stella!"
"Don'tgospoutingthatpretentiousstuffwhileyoucan'tevenstand."
"Uuu."
Certainly,thecurrentIkkicouldn'tevenstandupagain,letalonewalk.Becausehewasfoundout,he
avertedhisfacewithapout.
"Younoticed."
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"Ofcourse!Jeez,gettingbeatuplikethiseverysingleday!Ifyouhadthatawesometechniquethenwhy
didn'tyouuseitsooner!"
"Don'taskfortheimpossible.It'sthesecretattackofthegreatLastSamurai.There'snowayIcoulduseit
withoutpriorpreparation.IfIdidn'twearoutKurashikikuntomakehisswordattacksgoabitdull,thenI
would'vebeenturnedintomincemeat."
"Thenatleasttrytoavoidthoseinjuriesabitmore!"
Sighing,StellatossedherbagatAyase.
"Sempai,Ibroughtafirstaidkitjustincase,canyoupleasestopthebleeding?Agirlfromadojolikeyou
shouldbeabletoright?InthemeantimeI'mgoingtocallasenseiandmeetup,wecan'tgetonthetrainall
coveredinbloodlikethis,canwe?"
"YYes,Igotit!"
Replying,Ayasetookthebag.Inside,thereweremanyfirstaidmaterialslikebandages,disinfectionliquids
andsoon.BeforeStellafinishedcallingtheschooltogetacar,sheshouldbeabletocompletesomeofthe
treatment.Ayasesteadilybeginningthetreatment,andwhiledoingso.
"Kuroganekun.Thankyou."
ShetightlygrabbedIkki'shandsandgaveherheartfeltgratitude.
"Becauseofyou,IthinkI'vefinallyunderstoodwhatmyfatherreallyfelt.IthoughtIwastheonewho
understoodhimthemost,butlookslikeIdidn'tunderstandhimatall."
"That'snottrue."
"Eh?"
"ThereasonIwasabletowintodaywasthankstothefactthatAyatsujisanwasabletoperfectlyremember
Kaitosan'steachings.Idon'tthink,otherthanAyatsujisan,anyoneelsecould'vedonethat.Youunderstand
himthemost.Because,youaretheLastSamurai'ssuccessor."
"."
Wasitreallyso?Ayasedidn'tknowthatforsure.Butshe,certainly,prayedforthattohappen.
"Then,I'llhavetogetstronger.StrongenoughsothatIcanproudlycallmyselfhissuccessor,strong
enoughtobeatthatboymyself."
Ayase'seyeswerenolongercloudedliketheywerebefore.Sheprobablywillneveragainloseherway.
Becauseshehadfoundaplaceforherself,aplacewhereshewasproudtobe.
IkkishowedarelievedsmileatthisAyase.
"I'llbelookingforwardtoit."
Heprayedsothatthewishofthegirlwouldonedaycometrue.
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References
1. Orochimaru,:"GreatSerpentCurl"
2. Hebigami,:"SerpentBite"
3. Kodachi:Asmallsword,ashortlengthkatana.
4. YamatanoOrochi:Aneightheaded,eighttaileddragonofJapanesemythology.
5. Ten'iMuhou,:"HeavenCladNullShroud"
Epilogue:GlacialSmile
Part1
OffCampusDuel!SwordEater,theAceofDonrouCrushedby
WorstOne!
Theverynextdayaftertheduel,anewspaperplasteredwithanarticle
titledthatwasspreadaround.Therewereevenphotosofthedueltaken
secretly.Theonetowritethearticlewasnoneotherthanthenew
NewspaperClub'sKusakabe.ShefirstsuspecteditafterhearingIkkiand
Ayase'sconversationduringtheselectionmatch.Sothenextday,she
tailedthethreeofthem,includingStella.
Forajournalist,thislevelofstalkingskillisamust!
Thatseemedtobethecase.AndIkkicouldonlyclickhistonguesincehe
didn'tfeelashredofherpresenceevenonceduringeverythingthat
happened.
f=44&t=9843&start=375#p246791)
ThisarticlewasalsoabigblowtoHagun.Ofcourse,sincetheopponent
wastheaceofanotherschool,evenifitwasanoffcampusduel,it
couldn'tpossiblybeaflukeagainstoneofthewholecountry'sbesteight.
Eventheguyswhostillharboredabitofdoubtdidn'thaveanychoicebuttoshutupandacceptIkki's
abilities.
Andsomewhereamongallofthem,someoneaskedthis
Whoisstronger?Hagun'sstrongest,thecurrentstudentcouncilpresidentRaikiri[1]ToudouToukaorthe
WorstOne?
Nooneknewwherethatquestioncamefrom,butthatquestionsparkedafireinthestudentsofHagun
Academy.Raikiriisamongthebestfour!Ofcourseshe'sstronger.No,ifit'sWorstOnethen,hemightbe
abletobeather.Noway.Yesway.No.Yes!
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Argumentslikethatbrokeoutthroughcampusandbythetimeaweekhadpassed,everyonewishedforthe
answerbadly.
Part2
AweekaftertheduelwithSwordEater.Itwasevening.IkkiandStellafinishedtheirdailytraininginthe
forestrecessandwerenowrestingonthebench,sittingsidebyside.
Andduringthat,IkkigotamailfromAyase,thecontentsitsaidthatherfather,Kaitosan,hadregained
consciousness.
"Eh?Sempai'sfatherwokeup!?"
"Seemslikeit."
"Whatamazingtiming."
"Yeah,Ayatsujisanalsoseemstobesurprised.Lookhere"
IkkishowedStellathemailcontents.
Fatherhasregainedconsciousness!!!!!!!
"Wow,it'strue.She'ssurprisedallright!ThereareasmanyexclamationmarksasthereareDrgonBalls."
"Well,it'sfineifshe'slively."
Actually,aftertheduelthatday,theyhadn'tseenAyaseevenonce.Becauseafterthatday,whenthey
returnedtoschool
'I'vemadeKuroganekundoeverythingthistime,soI'llatleastdecidewhattodofromnowmyself.'
Sayingthat,shewenttotheselectionmatchexecutivecommitteeandconfessedthatshehadcheatedonthe
match.BecauseofOrekisensei'sinterventionherexpulsionwasavoidedbutherentryintheselection
matcheswerealldeletedandshewassuspendedfromschoolfor7days.ThatwaswhyIkkiwasgladtofind
outshewasstilldoingwelldespiteallthat.
"Butsinceherfatherwokeup,it'llbehardforhertoreturntoschool."
"Yeah."
Becausehewasinacomafortwolongyears.Hisbodywasprobablyveryweak.Therehabilitationwould
betough,that'sforsure.
Besideshehasacardiacdisease.Ayaseshouldalsowanttospendabitmoretimewithhim.
"Shewon'tcometopracticeanymorewillshe?"
"It'sabitlonely."
"Butitcan'tbehelped."
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Rather,itshouldbeamattertobehappyabout,sinceKaitofinallywokeup,eventhoughthedoctorswere
sayinghewouldn'tlasttillwinter.
"Itmightbeshort,butIwantthosetwotospendameaningfultimetogether."
"Yeah."
AsheprayedthatwithStellabesidehimwhilelookingupattheeveningsky,hisdatapadsuddenlyrang
out.Someonecalledhim,andspeakofthedevil!ItwasAyatsujiAyase.
"Oh!Nowshe'scallingdirectly.Hello?"
"SoyouareKuroganeIkkikun.IheardaboutyoufromAyase.Iwantyoutomarryheratonceandsucceed
mydoj"*Bang**Ugh*
"Whatthehellareyoudoing?Youjustwokeupaftertwoyearshere!SorryKuroganekun,theidiotsaid
somethingrude.Icalledyoubecausehewantedtosaythanksbut."
"Hahaha!Youdon'tneedtohideitAyase.Youlovehimright?ImeanKuroganekun.Aparentcan
understand.WhenyouweretalkingaboutKuroganekunyoulookedjustlikeawifetalkingfondlyabout
herhusband.Justlikehowyourmotherusedtobe!"
"Aaaaaaaah!Ahhhhh!Don'tsaysomethingsoweird!!!"
"Youdon'thavetohideit.Papajustwokeup,soaboutyoutwo"
"Justsleepforanothertwoyears!!!"
"UghArgh!"
"KKKuroganekun!FForgetthat!TTalktoyoulater!"*Click*BeepBeepBeep
"Well,somehow,itfeelslikeKaitosanwilloutliveallofus."
"Iwasthinkingthesamething."
Butwell
"Butsomehow,everythingfeelsresolvedright?"
"Yeah."
ThedojowasreturnedtoAyase,andKaitoalsowokeup.Ayasemightnotcometopracticeanylongersoit
wasabitlonely,butwell,itwasn'tlikethis'llbethelasttimetheyseeher.ThecaseabouttheAyatsujidojo
wasfullofupsanddownssincetherestaurant,butsinceit'scalmeddownthatwasgood.
"But,it'sabitquietnowsincewehaveonelessperson."
"Rather,we'retheonlyoneshere."
"Wellthat'sthattoo."
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Today,bothShizukuandArisuinwereabsentjustlikeAyase.
"That'srare,AliceisonethingbutforShizukutobeabsentis."
"Yeahmaybeshe'stired."
"Thatmeansit'sjustthetwoofusright?"
"."
StellainterlockedherhandswithIkki's.Shewaslookingupathimwithhope,andrubyeyesthatseemedto
beharboringaslightfever.Eversincethepool,theirrelationshiphasbecomemorelikelovers,thoughit
stillremainedplatonic.
Sosignalslikethis,theywerealreadygoingwithit,bothsides.Sittingonthebench,theyclosedtheir
distancelittlebylittleanddrewneareachother.
"Stella."
"Ikki."
"Ikki"
""Eh?""
Bothofthemsuddenlyturnedaroundatthatoneextravoice.
"Smooch~Eh?You'renotgoingtokiss?"
ItwasArisuinwhotriedtomixinwiththeirkissfromtheside.
""UWAAAAAAAH!!!""
AndasforStellaandIkki,theyfelloffofthebenchalmostinstantly.
"AAlice!WWhatareyoudoing!"
"Ohno~Withthatpassion,Iwasthinkingifwecoulddoathreesome~"
""NOWAYINHELL!!!""
"It'sajoke,ajoke~Aww~Bothofyouwerered,itwassocute~Ahaha."
Wastheirreactionjustthatweird?Arisuinhadtearsinthecornerofhiseyesandhadabigsmile."Butstill,
BigSisissurprised~Closingyourdistancelikeahedgehogsoslowly,coulditbethatyou'restillgreen
"
"WWWehaven'tgonethatfar!!!"
"Ah,isthatso?Butthat'ssomefastprogress.Nowyoucanflirtwitheachothersowell."
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"RatherAlice,younoticedthatweweredating?"
"Well,yeah,somewhat.ButIconfirmedittoday~"
"Ugh."
Stellashowedabitterexpression.Arisuinwasasocialablecharacter,sohewaspopularamongboththe
girlsandboys.Soiftheywerefoundoutnow,itmightgetbadthatwasprobablywhatshewasthinking.
Isn'ttheresomewaytofoolhim?Stellawascomplainingwithhergaze.
No,butthat'simpossiblenow.Butiftheyproperlyexplainedthesituation,thenhemightkeepitasecret.
SohedecidedtoconfesseverythingtoArisuin.
"HeyArisu,aboutthis"
"Iknow,beatease.Idon'tplanontellinganyone."
Arisuinmight'veguessedtheirsituationonhisown.Heputhisindexfingerbeforehislipsandwinked.As
expectedofthepersonwhoevenmadethathumanhatingShizukuopenup,heknewhowtohandle
humans.
"I'lljustenjoyitfromaspecialseat~"
Iswhatitfeltlike.Heshouldbekickedbyahorse.
"Damn,itwasamistaketobefoundouthere,butIguessShizukunotbeinghereisfortunewithin
misfortune."
"Right.Bytheway,haveyouseenher,Alice?"
"Yeah.IwasjustlatesinceIwasplayingUNOwiththefansbutShizukusaidshe'dbetrainingonherown
today."
Trainingalone.
"Oh,that'sstrange.ForShizukutonotbewithIkki.Andatherownvolitionthatis."
"Yeah,she'sprobablypreparingherself.Hernextopponentisanopponentthistime."
"Huh?Hernextopponenthasbeendecided?"
"Ohmy,youguysdon'tknow?"
DoesStellaknow?Arisuinlookedatherbutshedeniedit.Ofcourse,Ikkidoesn'tknoweither.
"Alice?WhoisShizuku'snextopponent?Andwhatdoyoumeanhernextopponent'isanopponent'?"
Ikkiasked,worried.AndArisuinshowedadifficultexpression.
"She'sthestrongest.Thenumberoneofthisacademy."
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Part3
Atthesametime,thesixthtrainingarena.
Itwasusedasanarenafromtwelveo'clockuntilfiveintheafternoonduringtheselectionmatches,but
afterthatitwasusedasatrainingareaforbattleroyalsthatanyonecoulduse.
OfcoursetheywoulduseIllusionaryForm.Itwasdifferentfromlessonsandwithoutanyhardandfast
rules.Sopeoplewhodidn'ttakepartintheselectionmatchesalsoparticipated.Forthatreason,soundsof
battlesbustledoutthroughoutthearenaeveryday.
Buttodaywasdifferent.Itwascompletesilencethatruled.Theheatofabattlecouldn'tbefelteither.Only
theabsolutezeroatmospherecouldbefeltthatoverpoweredthesixthtrainingarena.
Well,ofcoursethatwouldbethecase,because
"WWhatthehell'swithher."
"Monster."
Becauseeverylastoneoftheknightswhobattledherehadturnedintoicesculptures.
"Sheactuallytookoutfiftypeopleallalone!"
Intheaudience,astudentspokewithashakenvoice.Themeaningofhiswordscouldbetracedbacktoten
minutesago.
Afirstyearcametothetraininggroundsandsaidthistoallthatwaspresent:shewantedtofaceallofthe
peopletherealone.
Theoneswhoreceivedthisridiculouschallengewereallfeelingadmonished,probably.
Buttheresult...?Totalannihilation.Notasingleoneofthemcouldtouchher.Theonlyonewhostoodthere
was'Lorelei'KuroganeShizuku.
"Notenough."
Shesighedwhileviewingthefrozenprairieshehadcreated.Shethoughtthatifshefoughtwithfiftyof
them,it'datleastbecomesomepracticebut,itwasn'tenoughatall.WasHagunreallyofsuchalowlevel?
Thismuchisjuststressingit.
"However,youarenotgoingtodisappointareyou?"
Shelookeddownatherdatapad.Onthedisplaywasamailfromtheexecutivecommitteenotifyingabout
hernextopponent.ItwasthenumberoneofHagunandinthenationaltopfourfromlastyear.
TheopponentforKuroganeShizukusama'stenthmatchhasbeendecidedtobeToudouTouka,third
yearclassthree.
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Finally!Shizukuhadaweirdlymesmerizingsmileonherface.
Shecouldfinallystopfightingwhileholdingback,takingcarenottoend
upkillingheropponents.Thisfarceisfinallyending.
Shewantedtofightanopponentwhereshecouldgoallout.Shehadbeen
thinkingthatforalongtime.
Thiskindofthing,Iwonderifit'slikeOniisama.
Well,ifitwasambitionsthenit'dbeclosertoStella.But,asan
opponentTodouhadnoshortcomings.Shewasanopponentwhomshe
hadtofightwithallherstrengthinordertowin.
Atlast.
Atlastshecanfightwithallherstrength.
Atlastshecanbreaksomeonedownwithallherstrength.
"Fufufu,ahahahah!"
Eventhoughthesurroundingtemperaturewassocolditpiercedtheatmosphere,shecouldnotstopthe
explosiveexcitementcomingfromwithinher.No,ifitwasafevershecouldn'tcooldownthenit'sbetter
nottotryinthefirstplace.
Shizukucontinuedtolaugh,asifentrustingherbodytothepassionofthebattletocome.
References
1. Raikiri,:"LightningCut"
Afterword
ThankyouforreadingthesecondvolumeofRakudaiKishinoEiyuutan.
Misora,theauthorhere.
Thehumidsummerhasfinallyended.Haseveryonespenttheirsummerwell?Misorahascollapsedthough.
Hecollapsedontheroadside.It'shyperthermia'sfault.
Thecoldsweatswon'tstop.Andmybodykeepsshakingsoit'squiteamess.Luckilytherewasahospital
nearbyandsomehowaftergettingthere,Icollapsedinthewaitingroom.So,saved!Somehow.Buttothink
I'dincreasethecountoftherumoredhyperthermiaI'vebeenhearingaboutonthenews.
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Ithinkit'sbetterforpeoplewhogooutforalongtodrinksportsdrinksratherthantea.Eh?It'salready
October?Thatdoesn'tmatter.It'snotimportant.
Wellthen,aboutthebookright?Volumethreewillbetheclimaxoftheschoolselectionbattles.Withthe
selectionmatchesreachingtheirend,alongcomesthebattlesofhigherorder.
TheappearanceoftheHagunStudentcouncilpresident.
ThecraftytricksoftheKuroganehouse,whoaremakingamove.
Rivalsandoldenemies,twodecisivebattlesatthesametime.
WillIkkibeabletowinhislastmatchandwintothetickettoparticipateintheFestival?
Pleasereadthe3rdvolumeofthisinschoolswordactionserieswithpleasure.Ithankallofthosewhohave
helpedmewriteandpublishthisbook.
"Pleaseriptheclothesnearhertitsinthefrontcover!IthinkI'llbeabletoreciprocatetothisweird
order.Wonsanisagod!Thankyouforthetreat.
AndIamalsogratefultothereaderswhohavestuckwiththisbook.Really,thankyouverymuch.
Wellthen,letusmeetagaininthe3rdvolume.
BacktoVolume1 ReturntoMainPage
References
Obtenidodehttp://www.bakatsuki.org/project/index.php?
title=Rakudai_Kishi_no_Eiyuutan:Volume2&oldid=398769
Estapginafuemodificadaporltimavezel6nov2014,alas06:44.
ContentisavailableunderTLGTranslationCommonAgreementv.0.4.1unlessotherwisenoted.
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