Introduction

“Hello, readers! Top reporter for Hagun Academy’s newspaper club, Kusakabe Kagami here!”

“...Along with her friend, Alisuin Nagi.”

“Thank you all for being such devoted fans of our newspaper! Today, we’ve got a special issue for all of you, packed full of fun little stories that didn’t make the publication cut in our main issues.”

“Hey, Kagamin? How come I’m here when I’m not even part of the newspaper club?”

“Every good reporter needs an assistant.”

“Yes, but why me?”

“Ohhh, the pain! My back still stings where you stabbed me!”

“O-Okay, okay, I’ll help! I’m sorry!”

“Oho ho, what an obedient assistant. Now then, enough of our comedy skit. Let’s reveal the first of these special stories. This one takes place right after the first Seven Stars Battle Festival selection match, when the nameless Worst One defeated the infamous Hunter.”

“That was quite some time ago.”

“Really takes you back, doesn’t it? That match was what put Senpai on the map. This particular story has nothing to do with his meteoric rise in popularity, though. But enough blabbing, I’ll let you see what it’s about for yourselves!”

Chapter 1: The Princess Gets A Culture Shock

Martial might is a crude and savage thing. One need only look at a clenched fist to intuit that immediately. There is no beauty in a fist, only the promise of overwhelming violence. A fist exists for one purpose: to defeat one’s enemies. It has no need for elegance or grace. It is a tool to survive in this harsh and uncaring world. There is no room for aesthetics.

And yet, over thousands of years, humanity has transformed basic martial might into an art form. Thus, we now have martial arts. What separates martial arts from simple violence is the ideals and knowledge that make up their core. Do you wish to defeat your foes? Protect your loved ones? Everyone fights for their own reasons, and there is a martial art suited to each and every one of them. By granting a purpose and a goal to violence, it transforms from a wild, savage force to a beautiful art.

Today, too, Kurogane Ikki was in Hagun Academy’s courtyard, putting his swordsmanship on display. His form was pristine, and watching him, one could truly see what made martial arts an art form. He was fighting five foes in an impromptu mock battle, and they all charged him at once.

“Raaaaah!”

“You’re mine!”

They were armed with a myriad of weapons, from swords to spears to axes, and those weapons were wreathed in fire, lightning, or other magical forces. They were, of course, not using normal weapons, nor were they normal humans. They were Blazers, people who could manifest their souls as weapons and use magical powers. The flames and electricity surrounding their weapons were powerful enough to kill a person with one touch. But naturally, none of them came anywhere close to hitting Ikki. He deflected them all with just a single katana.

The spear user taking part couldn’t help but think that Ikki was using some kind of black magic to parry their weapons. Though he’d thrust at Ikki with all his might, before he’d so much as realized what was happening, the point of his spear had gotten stuck in the ground. He hadn’t even felt the impact of Ikki’s parry. It was as if he’d been aiming for the ground from the start.

But while this mock battle was a nightmare for Ikki’s opponents, the onlookers were enthralled. They watched as Ikki leisurely parried the rain of blows his opponents showered upon him, looking almost as if he were dancing. There was an unmistakable beauty to his martial arts. Those who were just passing through the courtyard stopped to watch as well, and the crowd grew.

“I-I can’t get a single hit in!”

“This is way too hard! How does he keep dodging everything?!”

After a while, the five students attacking Ikki dropped to the ground, exhausted.

“All right, that’s good enough for today. Sorry for making you help me with this demonstration, guys,” Ikki said.

“I...huff...don’t mind, but I can’t believe five of us at once couldn’t even scratch you.”

“Y-You’re not even sweating. What kind of monster are you...”

The five of them were so worn out because they’d moved around more than they’d needed to, while Ikki had been able to evade most of their attacks with a single step or two. His parries had been perfectly executed too, and he’d thus expended little energy on them. Once the performance was over, ten of his classmates ran up to him.

“Wow, that was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“I never knew martial arts could look so pretty!”

“It was like you were dancing, while those guys were just floundering about.”

“Oh no, I was so entranced that I forgot to take pictures! As a reporter, this is the greatest shame of my life! Senpai, can you do that again? Please? Just one more time so I can get a good picture! Pretty please!”

“I told you I didn’t want you taking pictures, remember? It’s embarrassing to have my face plastered all over the school walls.”

“It’s okay, I won’t put them in the paper! I’ll just sell them to interested parties on the black market!”

“I’m not sure what part of that’s supposed to be okay...”

Incidentally, the reason Ikki had held a mock battle in the first place was that some of his classmates had approached him while he’d been lounging in the courtyard and begged him to teach them swordsmanship. Because Blazers had the power to manipulate supernatural phenomena, they didn’t need to learn something as mundane as martial arts, so those who were interested in them were few and far between. For most Blazers, it was far more efficient to spend their training time finding new ways to use their power or working to control it better.

There were only two types of Blazers who bothered learning martial arts: failures like Ikki who had very little magic power to begin with, and the truly strong. They were normally shunned by Blazers, which was why Ikki had been happy that his classmates were starting to show an interest in them. That was why he’d been willing to give a demonstration.

“As you guys requested, I showed you one of the most basic forms that anyone can learn. Were you able to follow along?”

“Nope. Not one bit. You just looked super cool,” his classmates replied in unison.

I should’ve known.

Martial arts weren’t easy to learn. Ikki was only able to steal other people’s techniques just by watching them because he’d spent years training to do just that. If anyone could learn martial techniques just by watching others do it, there wouldn’t have been any need for him to develop his Blade Steal ability. In truth, Ikki had expected that response from his classmates.

“I guess I can’t pick up on people’s moves just by watching them like you can, Kurogane-kun.”

“Ikki-kun’s ability is even more awesome since he can steal people’s techniques while fighting them and even figure out the driving principles behind them. That’s not human.”

“Wait, does that mean you remember every single technique you’ve ever seen used, Senpai?” Kagami asked.

“Yep. Martial arts is all I have, so I need to make my arsenal as varied as possible,” Ikki replied.

“Wow. How many styles do you know in total?”

“If we include the Imperial Sword Arts I stole from Stella the other day, 126.”

“Th-That many?!”

“I’m amazed you know that many, but I’m also amazed that many sword styles still exist in the modern day.”

“Some of the styles I’ve learned no longer have official dojos dedicated to them or have died out and are only known through whatever form manuals and other documents have survived. Back in middle school, I was desperate to get stronger, so I looked for every dojo I could and challenged them. I also went to libraries and museums to research old martial arts styles.”

Ikki’s classmates sighed as they heard that.

“Honestly, I wish you’d said that was just your Blazer power.”

“The fact that you can do all that without magic is cheating.”

“I guess if you master martial arts, it basically becomes like a superpower.”

“There’s no way we could become like you, though, Kurogane-kun.”

They all looked disheartened upon learning just how difficult it would be to reach Ikki’s level of mastery. Considering how impressive his swordsmanship was, it was understandable that they’d be deterred. He’d worked himself harder than anyone because he had to make up for his lack of magical strength. Since everyone else had Blazer powers they could rely on, they didn’t need to go as hard on their martial arts training as he had.

“You don’t have to be so pessimistic. Unlike me, you all have useful Blazer powers, so you don’t have to train as hard as I did. Just learning enough to use your Devices better than the average knight will still improve your combat abilities significantly. There’s no harm in learning the basics, so if any of you are interested, I’d be glad to teach you.”

“Hmm... You’re right, if I combine martial arts with my powers, there’s a lot I can do.”

“I’ll take your lessons, Kurogane-kun! If you’re our teacher, then I don’t mind putting in extra effort!”

“In that case, let’s start with some basic footwork and learning how to control your inner muscles. Every technique requires having a solid foundation, so we need to start by building up your guys’ fundamentals. First off...”

Ikki was glad to have found disciples, and he spent a solid thirty minutes lecturing them on the basics of martial arts. Once the lesson was finally over, he went over to a nearby bench and sat down.

“Phew...I’m beat. I’m not used to teaching other people...” he muttered, relaxing. After a few seconds, a girl came over to him.

“You’re too diligent for your own good, Ikki. You spent all that time training your classmates when you could have used it on your own training,” she said, her hands clasped behind her back as if she were hiding something from Ikki.

“Stella...”

Stella Vermillion was a foreign princess, Ikki’s roommate, and, following the events of a few days ago, his girlfriend. She turned to watch Ikki’s classmates, who were trying to put his lessons into practice in the courtyard.

“What’s the point of that exercise? It looks like they’re just trying to balance on one foot to me. Kind of makes them look like crappy scarecrows, actually. Ah, one of them fell. I can’t believe he couldn’t even last thirty seconds.”

“Ha ha ha, don’t be too hard on them. This is their first time. It’s not even really martial arts training, just a basic exercise.”

“Huh? Does that mean you aren’t going to teach them martial arts after all?”

“Nah, it’s not that. Right now, their bodies are so frail that they won’t really benefit from learning techniques, so I’m teaching them the importance of maintaining a strong core and how to use their inner muscles. In a battle, you spend a lot more time maintaining your center of gravity with just one foot rather than two—you’re constantly moving around, and you can’t move unless you lift your feet. Not being able to balance on one foot is a serious flaw for a knight, even if they have magic. But you already knew all that, didn’t you?”

“More or less.”

Chinese martial arts had a saying about how dangerous it was to rely on two legs: “Two is death.” It might have sounded like an exaggeration to call it “death,” but in truth, it was dangerous to be unable to balance perfectly without having both feet on the ground. Doing so made one slower to react to sudden changes in their situation, and it would take them longer to start moving. Keeping both feet on the ground meant leaving oneself open to attack, and that meant death. As a result, most martial art styles talked about the importance of balance, even those that were centered around weapons. There wasn’t a single martial arts stance that involved placing body weight on both legs. In other words, balance was the most fundamental of fundamentals a martial artist needed to learn, hence Ikki had started there.

“So you’re actually trying to make them all stronger,” Stella said.

“That depends on their motivation. But if they truly want to get stronger, I do want to help them.”

“Huh. Are you sure that’s a good idea? If any of them have more talent for swordsmanship than you, you’ll just be creating a really strong rival. Some of our classmates are taking part in the selection matches too, you know.”

Stella was, of course, referring to the selection matches that would determine which of Hagun’s students would be chosen to represent the school in the Seven Stars Battle Festival, Japan’s biggest student knight tournament. Both Ikki and Stella were aiming for the title of Seven Stars Sovereign, which meant everyone else gunning to enter the tournament was a potential rival.

Ikki just smiled and replied, “I’d love that. It’d mean it was worth teaching these guys, since I’ll get to face more strong opponents. Besides, who knows what life-threatening battles they’ll face in the future. I’d like them to be as prepared as possible.”

There was a chance they’d be risking their lives in the not-too-distant future. Student knights were still knights. If a Blazer terrorist started attacking people in the middle of the street, even a student knight had a responsibility to protect regular people if they happened to be there. As a matter of fact, Ikki and the others had just recently had to fight a few members of Rebellion, and those terrorists certainly hadn’t held back just because their enemies were students. Ikki and his friends had won because they were strong, but there were plenty of student knights who’d died because they weren’t ready for a real battle.

“I don’t want to see someone I know die. So if my training helps them survive in a future battle, then it’s worth teaching them martial arts,” Ikki explained straightforwardly, speaking from the heart.

“That’s so like you,” Stella said with a smile.

“How so?”

“You’re kind to a fault. That’s the Ikki I know.”

Ikki had been spurned by his parents and the adults around him because he had such little magical power. He’d been mistreated, abused, and forced to repeat a year, but despite all that hardship, his heart remained pure. Stella was proud to have such a wonderful man as her boyfriend. It was why she’d fallen in love with him in the first place. Wanting to learn even more about him, she sidled up to him.

“By the way, Ikki...you must be tired from all that talking and exercise you did, right?” she asked.

“A little. I’m definitely thirsty now.”

Stella’s expression brightened.

“I-In that case—”

Just as she was about to bring out what she was hiding behind her back, the two of them were interrupted.

“Onii-sama!”

A new girl slid into the space between Ikki and Stella and hugged Ikki’s arm.

“Whoa.”

Ikki turned to see a silver-haired girl with deathly pale skin. It was none other than his sister, Kurogane Shizuku.

“You came out of nowhere, Shizuku...” he said, and she nuzzled his chest with her cheek.

“Heh, why do you look so surprised? Is there anyone else in the world who would shower you with such love and affection?”

“Girls these days sure are bold...”

Kusakabe Kagami had hugged Ikki when they’d first met too. He still remembered how soft her boobs had been when she’d pressed them against him.

“Oh, so there is someone else who’s hugged you like this? Would you mind telling me their name?” Shizuku requested, her expression darkening as she pulled out a pitch-black notebook. Her smile was still there, but there was no mirth in her eyes.

Ikki instinctively realized that he couldn’t tell her about Kagami, else the reporter might not live to see tomorrow. He hurriedly changed the subject.

“D-Don’t worry about it. Anyway, Shizuku, you should get off me. I’m covered in sweat.”

“Don’t you understand, Onii-sama? That’s exactly why I’m clinging to you.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”

Shizuku pressed herself even harder against Ikki and gave him a seductive smile. After spending four years apart, Ikki had a hard time understanding what his sister was thinking.

“Well, that’s enough physical intimacy for now. Here you go, Onii-sama.” Shizuku pulled back and took out a cold sports drink can, which she handed to Ikki. “I heard you were teaching your classmates, so I brought you a little something.”

“Ah, thank you, Shizuku. I was just getting thirsty too.”

“I thought you might be. You must be so happy to have such a thoughtful and considerate sister.”

“Ha ha. I’m grateful, at least.”

Ikki opened the can and gulped down the sports drink.

“Does it taste good?”

“Yeah, that really hit the spot.”

“Does it taste like me?”

“Why are you asking that?!” Ikki exclaimed, nearly spitting out his drink.

“Hee hee, I’m just joking. It’s not as if I kissed the edge of the can to make this an indirect kiss. No, most definitely not.”

“That’s a very specific example you brought up...”

“Sorry, but you’re just so much fun to tease, Onii-sama. I can’t help myself. Surely you understand.”

“Please don’t expect me to agree with you.”

“Well, regardless, there’s something that’s been on my mind since I got here...” Shizuku turned to Stella, her warm expression turning into a derisive sneer. “Why are you standing there like a statue with two drink cans in your hands, Stella-san?”

“Um, w-well, I...” Stella muttered, blushing as she looked away awkwardly.

“Oh, could it be that you also wanted to bring Onii-sama a drink?”

“Wait, you did, Stella?” Ikki asked, turning to her.

“N-No! Why would I bring you a drink?!”

It was, in fact, quite normal to bring your lover a drink, but Stella couldn’t admit that was what she’d been trying to do. If word got out that she, the second princess of the Vermillion Kingdom, was dating a commoner, it would cause an uproar. The media would be on them like vultures. That was why Ikki and Stella had decided to keep their relationship a secret for now. And because it was a secret, Stella couldn’t say that she’d wanted to bring Ikki a drink, even if that was exactly what she’d come to do.

“Then why do you have two drinks?” Shizuku asked.

“I-I was just... Oh yeah! I got both of them for me!”

“I see. And here I was about to misunderstand everything. You’re only serving Onii-sama because you lost to him in a duel, right, Stella-san? It’s not as if you’re his girlfriend or anything, so there’s no reason for you to go out of your way to be nice to him.”

“Exactly! Man, I’m so thirsty I could drink a whole ocean! Even these two drinks might not be enough!”

Stella popped open both cans and downed them in one big gulp, tears welling up in her eyes. It was too late now to say she’d bought one for Ikki.

“Coward,” Shizuku muttered.

“Shizuku?”

“It’s nothing. By the way, Onii-sama, would you be willing to teach me swordsmanship as well?”

Ikki cocked his head and gave her a quizzical look.

“Hmm, but we have specialized swordsmanship instructors at home, don’t we? Full-length katanas are my forte, and you use a kodachi. I’m sure someone back at the Kurogane estate can teach you more about how to use it.”

Ikki’s family, the Kurogane family, was a famous Blazer family that had produced numerous outstanding Blazers over the generations. Unlike the half-assed Blazers who relied solely on their magical powers, they understood the importance of martial arts as well. All the children of the Kurogane family were taught martial arts that matched their Device from a young age. Shizuku was no exception. She had started learning the Kurogane kodachi sword style around the time Ikki ran away from home. There should have been no need for her to ask him for lessons. But she frowned when Ikki brought up their family instructors.

“I stopped taking their lessons when you left home, Onii-sama. I would never ask the scumbags who drove you out of the house to teach me anything,” she explained.

Ah, I see... Ikki nodded in understanding.

“Our family name would be tarnished if the world knew we’d produced a Blazer like you.” That was what his father had said when he’d locked him away and forbidden him from training with any of the family instructors. It was the reason he’d run away from home four years ago. He didn’t regret his decision, but he did feel bad that his choices had created a rift between Shizuku and the rest of the Kurogane family. But that was all the more reason for him to help his sister with her swordsmanship.

“Got it. I’ve memorized all of the Kurogane-style kodachi techniques too, so I might be able to help you out.”

“Thank you very much,” Shizuku replied, beaming.

Ikki smiled back at her, happy that his cute little sister wanted his help.

“Ikki, if you’re going to teach Shizuku, then you have to teach me too!” Stella said after finishing off the last of her sports drinks.

“Huh? But...” Ikki muttered with a frown.

“Wh-What? Do you...not want to?”

“It’s more like...I don’t think there’s anything I can teach you, Stella.”

“Th-That’s not true! You beat me, so there’s gotta be something!”

“True, but...”

Seeing Ikki’s reluctance, Stella’s eyes started to simmer with anger.

“How come you’re so nice to Shizuku, but when it comes to me...”

“No, that’s not why I—”

“Fine! I can do without your stupid lessons! I didn’t want to learn anything from you anyway! I just said it for the hell of it! Just you wait! Next time we fight, I’ll beat you so bad that you won’t know what hit you! No way I’ll lose to a siscon who’s too busy ogling his sister to train! Go die, you idiot!”

Crying, Stella turned on her heel and ran off.

Uh-oh, I must have stepped on a land mine. Ikki knew this was his fault, even though what he’d said was correct. There was a good reason he couldn’t teach Stella anything, but his attitude had made it seem like he was just trying to exclude her. I need to make sure to apologize to her later.

“Onii-sama.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you really that against teaching Stella-san?”

“Yep,” Ikki confirmed. Now that Stella was gone, he could speak frankly. “Because I can’t be sure my advice will help her.”

“Why not?”

“For everyone else in our class, including you, Shizuku, I can clearly see where you’re lacking from a martial arts perspective. I know exactly what kind of training will help you. But with Stella, it’s different. She’s well past the point where an amateur who never received any formal training like me can give helpful advice. Besides, her swordsmanship is fundamentally different from mine.”

“In what way?”

“My swordsmanship relies on technique. The strength of my cuts comes from dexterity and mobility. But Stella’s swordsmanship is about pure power. She fights with absolute confidence in her strength, and she can do that because she has an enormous amount of it. She doesn’t need fancy tricks or special techniques when she can overwhelm her opponents with brute force. All of the martial arts she’s learned have been in service of helping her maximize that destructive force of hers. That’s why she doesn’t need any of the techniques I’ve developed. In fact, it might hurt her growth to teach her the kinds of moves I use. It’s because I’m worried that might happen that I don’t want to teach her. Besides, even if my lessons did make her stronger, that’d be boring in its own right.”

If Stella grew stronger with Ikki’s help, it would mean she’d gotten stronger in a way that he understood. But Ikki didn’t want that. Stella was a prodigy among prodigies. She had more potential than Ikki could possibly imagine. And he wanted her to stay that way. He wanted her to keep being a Blazer who surpassed his imagination time and time again.

“Because she’s my one and only rival.”

Ikki loved her more than anything, but she was also his goal, the hurdle he was constantly striving to overcome. He wanted her to stay that way forever, which was why he was so reluctant to train her.

“I guess we’re the ones being left out, then, not her,” Shizuku muttered with a frown.

“Hmm? Did you say something, Shizuku?”

“No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking that pigs really do get everything.”

“Huh?”

◆

I can’t believe he keeps taking Shizuku’s side, that damn siscon! He even said he loved me, so how come he won’t spend more time with me?! You said you loved me, and I’m your girlfriend, so hang out with me! Stupid Ikki!

Stella stomped down the dorm hallway, embers flaring in flaming red hair. As she rounded a corner, someone called out to her.

“Why, hello there, Stella-chan.”

Stella turned to see Alisuin Nagi and Kusakabe Kagami.

“Stella-chan, you’re sending sparks everywhere. Did something happen?”

“Not really... Anyway, you don’t normally come to this dorm building, Alice. Did you need something?”

“I just came here to return the game I borrowed from Kagami.”

“Ta-da! The hot new otome game that has everyone in tears: Prince Academy! I went to Akiba last week and waited in line for a whole night to make sure I got a copy!” Kagami proudly held up a game box. The cover had a number of handsome boys on it, all with disgustingly long eyelashes.

Otome games were dating sim games marketed toward women. Stella knew of their existence, but she had a rather biased view of what they were.

“Aren’t those games for lonely women who can’t make friends in real life?” she asked, frowning at the game box. “Are you two really into those kinds of otaku games?”

“My, it’s not good for a princess to be unjustly biased. Isn’t that right, Kagamin?” Alisuin said, turning to Kagami.

“Alice’s right, Stella-chan. Japanese visual novels are avant-garde pieces of art. They’re cultural artifacts! Going to Japan and not trying at least one VN is like going to France and not trying the cheese! Rumor has it that people in South America got so hooked on visual novels that they stopped being addicted to drugs! That’s just how amazing these games are!”

“R-Really? I suppose my knowledge might be a little lacking.”

What a sucker, Alisuin and Kagami thought in unison. Truly, they were the kinds of friends you didn’t want to have.

“Why not give this one a try, Stella-chan?” Kagami asked, her eyes gleaming.

“Um, it doesn’t sound like my kind of thing. I haven’t played these types of games before either...”

“That’s exactly why you should—to broaden your horizons. Besides, there’s a guy here I know you’ll like. Isn’t that right, Alice-chan?”

“Indeed. Take a look at this black-haired boy over here. Doesn’t he resemble a certain someone?” Alisuin said, taking the box from Kagami and bringing it up to Stella’s face.

Upon closer inspection, Stella realized that among the various boys with colorful hair and punk rock outfits was a black-haired boy with gentle features.

“Ikki...”

“They look really alike, don’t they? This guy’s called Issei-kun. Even his voice resembles Senpai’s. Fans of the Worst One have been talking up a storm about this game because of that.”

“That’s actually why I borrowed it from Kagamin to begin with. If I tried to lay a hand on Ikki in real life, Shizuku would kill me, after all. By the way, if you play it with headphones on, it’s like he’s whispering right into your ear. It’s unbelievably seductive.”

“I can hear Ikki...whispering into my ear?”

Stella gulped as she imagined Ikki whispering promises of love into her ear. Of course, as his girlfriend, she could just ask the real Ikki to do that, but unfortunately, she wasn’t that straightforward. Not to mention that it was the first time either of them had dated anyone. She was too embarrassed to even hold his hand; there was no way she could ask him to whisper in her ear. In fact, when they were alone together, they were so awkward they could barely even talk to each other. That was why the thought of getting to experience those things through a game sounded so appealing to Stella.

“What do you say? Why not give this game a try, Stella-chan?” Alisuin suggested with a smile.

“Bweh?! I-It’s not like I’ll play a game just because it has someone that looks like Ikki in it...”

Even as she said that, Stella kept sneaking glances at the black-haired boy who looked like Ikki. Noticing her gaze, Kagami grinned.

“I see. Well, if you don’t want to, we won’t force you.”

She took the game box back from Alisuin and started to put it into her bag. But before she could, Stella’s hand shot out and grabbed the package with surprising force.

“While I may not have any personal interest in playing a game with an Ikki look-alike, I, uh, said bad things about otome games just based on rumors I’d heard, and that was wrong of me. Since you’re offering, it’s probably a good idea for a princess like me to get a better understanding of Japanese culture, so...”

She really is so easy to manipulate.

I’ve never met anyone this gullible. But that’s what makes her so cute.

Unbeknownst to Stella, her two friends were thinking dark thoughts.

“Here you go. I’ll lend you the game console as well, since I doubt you or Kurogane-senpai have one in your room. You can return them whenever, there’s no rush.”

“Th-Thank you...”

“I can tell you what choices you need to make to get onto the Issei route. From the looks of it, you don’t care about any of the other boys, right?” Alisuin said.

“Yeah. I don’t want anyone but—um, I mean, it sounds annoying to do everyone’s route! And I’m not picking this guy just because he looks like Ikki!”

“Yeah, yeah. We know.”

“Don’t worry, Kagamin and I understand completely. We both know you’re even more of a tsundere than Vegeta, Stella-chan.”

“H-Hey!”

Thus, the princess of the Vermillion Kingdom began her foray into the world of otome games.

◆

Prince Academy was set in the titular Prince Academy, a formerly all-boys private school for the sons of rich noblemen and businessmen. It had been made coed just the year before, and the protagonist was one of the first girls to enroll there. It was a classic reverse harem otome game where all of the boys were smart, handsome, and witty. Moreover, it was a pure visual novel with no gameplay elements aside from making choices at key points. The only games Stella had played before were FPSs and racing games, so for her, the text-heavy introduction was a bit lacking in excitement.

“Hey...when does the game start?” she asked after a few minutes.

“It already has,” Alisuin explained.

“Huh? But there’s no enemies for me to shoot.”

“I-It’s not that kind of video game... I suppose some visual novels do involve fighting man-eating monsters in the middle of dates, but not this one. Don’t worry, Issei-kun’s about to show up.”

Just as Alisuin said that, the protagonist, whom Stella had named Stella, bumped into Washimine Issei, the boy who looked so much like Ikki, and his sprite popped up on the screen.

“Watch where you’re going, fatass,” he said in a voice that sounded eerily similar to Ikki’s. “I’m the heir to the Washimine Corporation. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ll be in for if I get so much as a scratch because of you?”

Three choices appeared on the screen:

Apologize

Tell him, “You’re the one who should watch where they’re going.”

→ Hit him with a German suplex

Stella immediately picked the third choice, showing no mercy to Issei. The screen transitioned to a CG of the main character suplexing him, her form perfect.

“Heh heh, I’d expect no less from my protagonist. That was a perfect bridge!”

“Geh. I can’t believe you went straight for the suplex. Don’t you want to get on his route?!”

“I mean, he pissed me off. Who does he think he is?! Sure, he looks and sounds like Ikki, but his personality’s completely different! You guys tricked me! These writers don’t know the first thing about Ikki!”

“They weren’t trying to make an Ikki copy to begin with. Issei just happens to look and sound like him... Though the suplex is the correct choice here,” Alisuin explained.

“Huh?”

On the screen, Issei got back up and said in an impassioned voice, “I’ve always been searching for the one...who’d correct my twisted personality with a merciless German suplex. Please go out with me!”

“I-Is he a pervert?!”

“It seems like a joke choice at first, but that’s how you get onto the Issei route. I totally blundered my first time playing.”

“What kind of crazy backstory does this guy have for him to fall for the first girl who suplexes him?!”

“Apparently, whenever he did anything wrong, his late mother used to scold him with a German suplex.”

“Isn’t that child abuse?!”

“I’m amazed you figured out the correct choice on your first try, though. You didn’t even need my help.”

“Does that mean I’m on this boy’s route now?”

“Indeed. There’s no more choices after this, so all that’s left is to read.” Alisuin got to her feet and made for the door. “I’ll be heading back to my room, then. Games like this are best enjoyed alone.”

Stella sighed as she watched her friend leave. Honestly, she wasn’t really in the mood to keep playing. Even if Issei looked and sounded like Ikki, his personality was so different that she’d lost interest in him. She had no idea who was into weirdos like that, regardless of whether or not they looked like Ikki.

Maybe I should just give the game back to Kagami.

Just as Stella reached out to press the power button on the PlayingStation Kagami had lent her, Issei’s next line popped up.

“You’re all I can think about now!”

“Huh?!”

A voice that sounded very much like Ikki’s came out of the speakers and into Stella’s eardrums. She looked over at the screen and saw Issei staring at her with puppy dog eyes. He really looked entirely too much like Ikki.

Stella silently grabbed her headphones and stuck the jack into the port. As she kept reading, she started to learn the reasons behind Issei’s eccentric behavior. It turned out that he was the illegitimate son of a commoner woman whom the previous head of the Washimine Corporation had had an affair with. After his father died of an illness, his grandfather had ripped him away from his mother and forcibly made him the heir to the Washimine fortune. After that, his mother had died of illness as well, and he had grown to resent the Washimine Corporation for pulling them apart. They hadn’t even let him visit her when she’d been on her deathbed. As a powerless child, there weren’t many ways he could get revenge against such a massive corporation, so he’d started acting like an arrogant bastard to at least try to besmirch their name.

“Sniffle... You really had it hard, didn’t you?” Stella muttered as she listened to him bare his soul to the protagonist. She’d been annoyed by Issei’s actions at first, but now that she understood the reasons behind them, she couldn’t hate him. In fact, his circumstances reminded her of Ikki’s, and she got even more absorbed in the story.

The start of the game had been rather boring, but the more Stella read, the more she found that there was a surprising amount of depth hidden within the normal everyday lives of these students. Furthermore, she got to vicariously experience the wonders of youthful love. Walking to school together with Issei, going to the amusement park with him on the weekend, sneaking away during the field trip to go to the beach at night—all of those moments felt special, and Stella was genuinely moved by them. She didn’t get to shoot down hordes of zombies or Soviet troops, but the read was far from boring.

Indeed, the game was teaching her that the joys of life were rooted in love. That being the case, it was only natural that time spent with one’s lover would be enjoyable. On top of that, the Ikki in the game was always looking directly at Stella and no one else. Even if there was someone standing next to him, he didn’t turn to face them. His gaze was focused on her and only her (because that was how his sprites had been drawn). He also whispered words of love to her when they were alone. There was no mention of his sister anywhere.

He only cares about me. No one else... Stella was completely entranced.

The three years of school that the game covered went by in a flash, and before she knew it, Stella had reached the graduation ceremony. Once it was over, she found herself alone in the classroom with Ikki. He gave her the most earnest look she’d ever seen and proposed to her.

“I love you, Stella. I want you to stay by my side after we graduate and keep my heart in a choke hold.”

“Ah...”

She blushed as the character with Ikki’s face whispered into her ear through the headphones. Of course, she knew this was just a game, and that the guy on the other side of the screen who looked and sounded like Ikki was just a character. But it was precisely because this wasn’t real that she felt it would be okay for her to be honest with herself.

She was getting fed up with how slowly her and Ikki’s relationship was progressing. They hadn’t even held hands yet. And they were dating, for crying out loud. She wanted to go a lot further with him than just holding hands. She wanted to get intimate the way other couples did; she just didn’t have the courage to tell him that. She’d never recover if he told her she was too forward or that he didn’t like overly lewd girls, hence she was playing it safe.

In truth, though, she knew that even if Ikki were the one to initiate and ask to hold hands—or do anything else, for that matter—she wouldn’t be able to honestly say yes to him. She was well aware of just how twisted her personality was. Without a doubt, she’d come up with some kind of excuse and run away if Ikki so much as touched her fingers. Most likely, she’d say that a princess couldn’t be doing such indecent things or something.

Yeah, that’s definitely something I’d say. Man, I’m not cute at all, am I? I can’t believe Ikki fell in love with a girl like me. But maybe I can use this game to try and fix my messed-up personality bit by bit...

Through the game, she could learn how to be cuter, find ways to be more receptive to Ikki’s advances, and most importantly, become someone Ikki could love even more. After a few seconds of hesitation, she pushed the “confirm” button and started reading the protagonist’s lines aloud—with one small alteration.

“I love you too, Ikki! Marry me and stay with me for the rest of my life!”

Suddenly, there was a loud thud. One that Stella was able to hear even through her headphones.

“Wha—”

She turned around and saw Ikki sitting in the doorway, looking like he’d just fallen down from shock.

“...”

“M-My bad! I didn’t mean to peek or anything. It’s just, I heard noises from in here, but you didn’t respond when I knocked, so... Um, th-that’s one of those dating sims made for girls, right? A-Aha ha ha, I was really shocked when you suddenly asked me to marry you out of the blue. I guess you were just reading the game’s lines aloud, right? I can’t believe there’s a character with the same name as me, though. What a coincidence!”

“......”

“I didn’t know you were the type to read the protagonist’s lines out loud, Stella. You must really get invested in these stories. I feel like I’ve seen a new side of you. Uh, don’t mind me. I’ll get out of your hair and let you keep playing. Sorry for interrupting!”

“.........”

A few seconds after Ikki left, Stella finally unfroze.

“Nooooooooo!”

Her scream resounded throughout the entire dorm.

Remember, kids, always make sure you regularly check your surroundings when playing VNs, eroge, otomege, or anything that could potentially be embarrassing. Especially if you have headphones on and can’t hear what’s happening in the outside world.

Intermission

“I’m glad Stella-chan enjoyed the game,” Alisuin said with a disarming smile.

“Stop making that creepy grin,” Kagami replied.

“It’s okay, I’m sure she’s learned her lesson. Incidentally, Prince Academy, or PriAca for short, was so popular that they announced a sequel. They held a popularity contest for the main characters, and a little while after the affair surrounding Stella-chan’s relationship getting out settled down, Issei-kun got a huge amount of votes and made an unexpected comeback to take first place. So now he’s going to be in the sequel too.”

“A lot of people suspected some kind of vote manipulation was going on.”

“Even the top-rated CG was one of a topless Issei-kun wearing just a bow tie.”

“Hats off to him.”

“But fans of all the other characters got pissed off and banded together to hack the developer’s website and post a bunch of shocking images on the home page.”

“I guess the other fans donned their black hats instead.”

“Now then, let’s move on to our next story. We’ve still got a lot of ground to cover.”

“Next up is... Oh, this is a nostalgic one. Chronologically, it’s actually set even earlier than our first story. This happened the very night that Ikki beat the Hunter.”

“Yep, yep! Senpai was out cold, and Stella-chan was there by his bedside, so it was just you and Shizuku going to a bar together to celebrate his victory.”

“It was Shizuku’s first time drinking, so I was a little worried for her.”

“Two students going to a bar is the kind of scene we’d never be able to include in the anime.”

“Please stop breaking the fourth wall... And don’t forget, in this world, we’re considered adults of legal drinking age.”

Chapter 2: Shizuku’s First Time Drinking

The night the Worst One defeated the Hunter, Alisuin Nagi and Kurogane Shizuku went to visit a bar a few stations from the school. They were going to celebrate everyone winning the first of their selection matches for the Seven Stars Battle Festival. Honestly, Shizuku would have preferred to be nursing Ikki like Stella was, but against her better judgment, she’d decided to give the two of them some alone time. Knowing she’d just agonize over her choice if left to her own devices, Alisuin had invited her out to go drinking.

“This is more intimidating than I expected...” Shizuku muttered as she looked up at the large building that housed the bar they’d be going to, her expression stiffening. She’d asked Alisuin to take her somewhere with good liquor, but she’d never actually drunk before. Naturally, that meant she hadn’t been to a bar before either. She’d dressed up in a gothic lolita dress, but she wasn’t even sure that was appropriate for the atmosphere.

“You don’t need to be so nervous. I’m not taking you to a host club or anything.”

“If you had, I would have killed you.”

“Oh? Are you that against the idea?”

“I can’t stand any man other than Onii-sama being friendly with me.”

“Don’t worry, I figured you might say that, so I brought you to a regular whiskey bar.”

Taking the lead, Alisuin strode into the multistory building, and Shizuku followed after her. They climbed up multiple sets of cramped stairs, going all the way up to the top floor. The place they were going was one Alisuin visited frequently with her fans. She grabbed the shiny brass handle, opened the door, and ushered Shizuku inside.

The bar had dark, moody lighting and classy but subdued furniture. A slow jazz song was playing from the speakers. To some people, it might have seemed fusty and old-fashioned, but Alisuin knew Shizuku didn’t like boisterous establishments. As the pair stepped onto the navy blue rug decorating the floor, a waiter made his way over to them.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again today, Alisuin-sama. Welcome.”

“Good evening. Are there any counter seats open near the windows?”

“There are. Ah, I see this is the first time here for your companion. My apologies, but may I see your ID, miss?”

“Will a student ID work?”

“That is sufficient, yes.”

Shizuku reached into her bag, rummaging for her student handbook. Unfortunately, she was so nervous that as she fished it out, her fingers slipped.

“Wh-Whoops...”

She managed to grab it before it fell, then turned it to the ID screen before handing it to the waiter.

“I see you’re a school friend of Alisuin-san’s. Everything appears to be in order, so feel free to choose whichever window seats you prefer.”

Normally, people of Shizuku and Alisuin’s age weren’t allowed to drink, but Blazers were special. They had their own laws regarding the age of majority and were considered fully-fledged adults at age fifteen. Not only could they drink, they could also vote and even get married if they so wished. The logic was that if they were shouldering the responsibilities of protecting regular people from terrorist Blazers and other threats, then they also had the right to be treated like adults.

The waiter stepped out of the way, raising a hand to indicate where the empty seats were. Alisuin walked past him and picked a seat. Shizuku then did the same, glancing around the bar nervously. She wasn’t used to the atmosphere, and it was her first time in a bar, so it was only natural that she’d be a little on edge. But as she reached her seat, a sigh of admiration escaped her lips.

“Wow...”

Her jade-green eyes drank in the scenery in front of her. Countless gleaming bottles of spirits from every country under the sun lined the counter behind the bar, and the bartender was wordlessly shaking a shaker as he made a customer’s drink.

“They have lights behind the bottles to make them gleam like that. It makes for a stunning display, right?”

Shizuku had to agree. The bar’s owner clearly had good taste. The rest of the bar being so dimly lit was clearly meant to enhance the dazzling rainbow display in the center.

“It’s like I’m staring at shelves of jewels,” Shizuku said in wonder.

Thank god she likes it.

Alisuin breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been worried about whether she’d picked the right spot. While the ostensible reason for the outing was to celebrate everyone making it through the first round, what Alisuin really wanted was for Shizuku to have a good time. She’d planned this night for her, so if she didn’t like the drinks or the atmosphere of the bar, it would become a wasted trip.

“All right, let’s place our orders. What kind of alcohol do you want to try, Shizuku?”

“Um...”

Shizuku picked up the menu on the bar counter and started skimming through it.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think perusing the menu will help you much when you’re still a novice.”

The menu only had the names of various cocktails and alcohol brands on it without any descriptions. But unfortunately, Alisuin had chosen exactly the wrong words, and now Shizuku thought she was being patronized.

“H-How rude. I know a few cocktail names, at least.” Pouting, she flagged the bartender and said, “Um, can I have a dry martini, please?”

Alisuin started coughing violently. That was an extremely bitter choice, especially for someone who had no experience with alcohol.

“W-Wait! You really shouldn’t pick that for your first drink!”

While martinis were a commonly featured drink in movies, they burned far too much for a beginner. Gin was quite a strong spirit. Moreover, a dry martini had an even higher ratio of gin with less or no vermouth, so it wasn’t much better than a straight gin shot.

“Shizuku. I already know you’ve never drank before, so you don’t have to act tough in front of me. I highly recommend you don’t force yourself and start with a drink that’s easier to stomach. Please?”

Alisuin sounded like an elder sister trying to coax their younger sister out of doing something they knew they’d regret. At that, Shizuku realized she was putting on a facade for no reason and finally relented.

“O-Okay. If you say so. But I don’t know any other cocktails...”

“That’s fine. Just tell me what kind of drink you’re looking for, and I’ll order you something that fits your criteria.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“In that case...I’d like something sweet.”

“There’s various kinds of sweet drinks. Are you looking for something fruity?”

“Yes, something fruity, but that still has enough liquor in it that you can taste the alcohol.”

“You don’t want a drink that basically tastes like juice?”

“Why would I get alcohol at that point? I could just buy juice if I wanted something that tasted like juice. You brought me to such a fancy bar, so I may as well try something a bit more adventurous.”

“Fair point.”

Nodding, Alisuin turned to the bartender and told him their orders. After a minute or so, the bartender placed a cocktail glass filled with a vibrant orange liquid in front of Shizuku.

“A Valencia for you, miss. It’s made with orange juice and apricot brandy. Very easy to drink, even for those unused to alcohol,” he said. It was the first time Shizuku had heard him speak.

“Th-Thank you very much,” she replied, her back straightening reflexively.

Being addressed by someone she didn’t know had brought her nervousness back in full force. Alisuin grinned to herself, enjoying seeing the usually calm and composed Shizuku look so flustered.

She’s so cute. Come to think of it, she was pretty nervous when she first learned we’d be roommates too.

There was also the time they’d gone to the mall together to watch a movie. Ikki had wiped some cream off her cheek, and she’d been so embarrassed that she’d hidden behind Alisuin. Alisuin had actually asked Ikki later and learned that Shizuku had been like that when she was a kid. Before the world had hardened her, Shizuku had been a shy, timid little girl. While Alisuin was remembering all that, the bartender set a tumbler of whiskey and a chaser glass filled with water down in front of her and walked off.

“It looks like cloudy orange juice,” Shizuku said once he was out of earshot, staring intently at her cocktail glass.

“It is half orange juice, after all. But don’t gulp it down like you would regular orange juice.”

“I-I know that much,” Shizuku said, pouting.

“Heh heh, sorry. Now then, cheers to everyone’s first victory.”

“Cheers.”

The two of them clinked their glasses together, celebrating everyone’s victories. Then, like a timid mouse hesitantly nibbling on a piece of suspicious cheese, Shizuku took a tentative sip of her drink. The alcohol coated her tongue as it slid down her throat and into her stomach.

“Wow...” Shizuku looked down at her glass, amazed. “It’s delicious.”

“Ha ha, I’m glad you like it.”

“The aroma of the alcohol mixes really well with the fruity flavor of the orange juice.”

“That it does. If you’re just looking for something sweet, juice will do, but it’s only with a cocktail that you can also appreciate the deep aroma of alcohol. It was worth bringing you here just to let you experience that.”

Shizuku took her second sip with relish, and Alisuin leaned back, relieved. She then took a sip of her whiskey.

“Is that whiskey you’re drinking, Alice?” Shizuku asked, looking curiously at her friend’s glass.

“It is. I’m quite fond of it.”

“Can I have a sip?”

“Um...”

Alisuin wasn’t hesitating because she was embarrassed about an indirect kiss or anything. It was just that the whiskey she preferred was a very acquired taste.

“Just so you know, Shizuku, whiskey is a pretty strong drink, and this particular brand of it is pretty polarizing. People either love it or hate it, so it’s not an ideal first whiskey. If you end up really hating it, you might not want to even try other whiskeys. I’d recommend starting with a Macallan to...”

“That’s fine. I’m not interested in whiskey. I’m interested in what kind of alcohol you like, Alice.”

“Hmm...” Alisuin couldn’t find any other reason to refuse. “I suppose if that’s what you want.”

It was important for people to try new things, and it wasn’t as if a sip would kill Shizuku or anything. Alisuin pushed her glass over to the girl. But as she did, she added one final warning.

“Before you drink it, I recommend smelling it first. If you can’t take the smell, then don’t try sipping it.”

“Okay.”

Shizuku picked up the whiskey glass with both hands and brought it up to her nose to sniff it.

“Bwaaah?!” The hair on her arms stood on end, and she immediately pulled her face away, her expression dumbfounded. “Wh-What is this, iodine?!”

“Aha ha ha, that’s how most people react to this whiskey. During prohibition, people sold it claiming it was medicine.”

“I-Is this really drinkable? It doesn’t smell like something that’s safe to drink.”

“I told you, I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. You don’t have to force yourself to try it, you know.”

“I-It’s fine. I’m the one who said I wanted to try it.” Shizuku put her mouth to the rim of the glass and took the tiniest sip imaginable. “Th-That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Not very convincing when you’ve got tears in your eyes. Here, have some water.”

Alisuin held her glass of water out to Shizuku, and she took it with a frown. It annoyed her that she wasn’t able to handle the drink like Alisuin could, but she nevertheless gulped the water down.

“Geh... The taste of medicine is still in my mouth.”

“I told you, this isn’t a whiskey for beginners.”

“There’s more variety to alcohol than I realized.”

“Alcohol’s been around for almost all of human history. You can say it’s one of mankind’s oldest friends. There are as many types of alcohol as there are types of people. One of the fun things about visiting bars is looking for the ones that suit your tastes. It’s my treat tonight, so try as many different kinds as you want.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. You’ve been a very good girl today, Shizuku.”

Shizuku’s eyes widened in surprise for a few seconds, and then she smiled softly. She understood now why Alisuin had invited her out here.

“You’re right. I deserve to let you spoil me tonight. It’s not fair if only Stella gets to have fun.” Shizuku turned back to the bartender. “Excuse me, could I get a dry martini?”

So you’re still going to order one, huh? Well, if you pass out, I suppose I can carry you back to the dorm.

◆◇◆◇◆

After about an hour of drinking, Shizuku was well and truly wasted.

“So then, Onii-sama jumped into the river to save me from drowning. Even though it was the middle of winter and it was freezing. He hugged my cold body tight and told me it was going to be okay. We were both soaked through and should have been freezing, but somehow, his body still felt warm. That was when I realized that the reason I didn’t like any of the boys in my class was because the perfect boy was already at my side. None of them were half as cool or as gentlemanly as him. They were all stupid monkeys. Anyway, that gentle smile he gave me with tears streaming down his face is the second most wonderful memory I have of him. The best one is when I reunited with him after five years, of course. He’d grown so much taller, and his arms were so much stronger, but his eyes still held the same gentleness they had back then. Onii-sama was great even when he was a cute shota, but he’s way better now that he’s grown... Hey, Alice, are you listening to me?”

“Heh heh, I’m listening, don’t worry. But this is the third time you’ve told me that story.”

Shizuku’s face was flushed, and all she was talking about was how amazing Ikki was. Even Alisuin was getting tired of hearing it.

“Rgh. Okay, what story was I telling, then?”

“You were telling me about when Ikki saved you from drowning in the river.”

“Mrr... Wait, was that the story I was telling? I don’t remember now...”

Oh no.

“Hey, Shizuku. How many fingers am I holding up?”

Alisuin held up three fingers, and Shizuku frowned at her.

“Don’t treat me like I’m drunk!”

“Well, you clearly are drunk.”

“No I’m not. Don’t make fun of me. I can tell you’re holding up six fingers.”

Oh, this is really bad. That dry martini was too much for her.

Shizuku had basically taken a straight shot of gin, so it was hardly surprising that it had hit her so hard.

“Fine, this time I’ll tell you about the time Onii-sama became a Jedi and—”

When did his life become Space Wars?!

Shizuku was starting to mix fantasy and reality, which told Alisuin that it was about time for them to go home. She’d invited Shizuku out to help her forget about the fact that Ikki and Stella were alone together right now. Even though Shizuku herself had suggested leaving them alone, it had to have been a painful decision for her. Shizuku truly did love Ikki, after all. Had she stayed in the dorms tonight, she probably would have been wallowing in sadness, which was why Alisuin had been so determined to bring her out.

Sometimes, people just needed to be able to pass the time without thinking about anything. And from the looks of it, Shizuku was well past the point of being able to think. Indeed, she looked quite happy as she talked about Ikki. Therefore, it was probably about time they went home, before she got even more plastered. Just then, Alisuin noticed that there was a bit of cream on Shizuku’s cheek from the mille-feuille she had eaten.

My, this happened last time too, didn’t it? Back when they’d gone to the mall, Shizuku had gotten cream on her face as well. It probably happens often because of how small her mouth is.

“There’s cream on your cheek again, Shizuku.”

Unlike Ikki, Alisuin didn’t lick the cream off. They weren’t that close. Instead, she took out a napkin and gently wiped it off.

“Mmm.”

“There we go, all cleaned up. I’m rather jealous. Your cheek is as soft and squishy as a baby’s.”

“...You’re like an older sister, Alice.”

“Me?”

“Yep. I sometimes wish I could have had an older sister like you.”

“Oh my. In that case, all I have to do is marry Ikki, and I can be your sister-in-law.”

“Excuse me?” Shizuku said, suddenly glaring at Alisuin.

“Sorry, it was just a joke.”

Alisuin had known she was stepping on a land mine with that joke, but she still hadn’t expected Shizuku’s reaction to be so intense.

“Not even you can have Onii-sama.”

“True. He belongs to you, after all.”

“I...don’t really think that.”

Her expression clouded over, and Alisuin gave her a worried look.

“What’s wrong, Shizuku?”

Shizuku closed her eyes and said, “Can I ask you something, Alice?”

◆◇◆◇◆

“You know, Alice...today was a really good day,” Shizuku said softly. “When Stella-san acknowledged Onii-sama in front of everyone, it made me happy. There hadn’t been anyone who’d done that for him before. No one else had seen Onii-sama for what he was and recognized how amazing his efforts were.”

Shizuku was, of course, referring to when Stella had yelled out encouragement to Ikki during his match against the Hunter when everyone else had just been making fun of him. She hadn’t cared that everyone was watching. Even if it meant making an enemy out of everyone else, she’d wanted to affirm that Ikki really was that cool. Nothing like that had ever happened before. Ikki had been abandoned by everyone, even his own family. Shizuku was truly happy that Stella was the first person to approve of him. She’d known all along just how amazing he was, and she’d wanted other people to see that as well.

“I’m sure Onii-sama must have been happy to hear Stella-san’s encouragement too.”

She could clearly recall the face Ikki had made when Stella had started cheering him on. She’d never seen Ikki that happy before. And no matter how much she told Ikki he was amazing, he’d never get that happy about it. So while she was happy someone else had recognized Ikki, at the same time, it had served as a painful reminder that there was only so much she could do as his little sister. No matter how much she loved him, he only saw her as family. She’d never be able to become his girlfriend.

“Onii-sama grew up suffering, never being loved by anyone. So I want to give him all the love he missed out on. I want him to be happy. The most important thing to me is his happiness. Which is why...if Stella-san can make him happier than I can, I... I—”

Shizuku couldn’t finish that sentence.

“Shizuku,” Alisuin said softly, raising a slender finger into the air.

“Alice...”

“You don’t need to force yourself to say it. I understand completely.” Alisuin reached forward and wiped away Shizuku’s tears with her finger. “Is this what’s been on your mind this whole time?”

Shizuku nodded quietly in response. She’d been thinking that if Stella could make Ikki happier than she could, then it was only right for her to give up on her love for him. After all, his happiness was paramount to her. It was a sad contradiction. She’d always wanted someone else to notice how wonderful Ikki was, but now that someone had, it meant there was someone more suitable than her to be by his side. Because she loved him both as a sister and as a woman, she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what the right course of action was anymore.

“That’s quite a dilemma you’re facing. And honestly, I don’t know what the solution is,” Alisuin said in a gentle voice. “Only you can find it, Shizuku. This is about your feelings first and foremost.”

“I see...”

“However,” Alisuin began, her tone growing firmer, “there are two things I can tell you for certain.”

“There are?”

“Absolutely.” She smiled back at Shizuku, who was giving her a curious look. “First, that no one in the world loves Ikki as deeply as you do. And second, that any woman who can’t forcibly steal Ikki away from you doesn’t deserve to have him.”

“Ah!”

“It’s up to you what path you want to go down. But I know your love for Ikki is real, and there’s no need for you to throw that away. You shouldn’t be thinking about what’s best for others. Focus on what’s best for you. If your heart is telling you not to stop loving Ikki, then don’t. Everyone has that right.”

Alisuin’s words resonated deeply with Shizuku.

I see now...

Alisuin was right. There was no need for her to abandon her love. She’d thought that Ikki’s happiness hinged on her giving up, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. She had to see for herself whether Stella truly was worthy of Ikki. If she couldn’t overcome Shizuku as a rival, then she wasn’t fit to be by Ikki’s side. There was no reason for Shizuku to just hand over a free win. If Stella didn’t love Ikki enough to force her way past, if her love wasn’t at least as deep and precious as Shizuku’s own, then she wasn’t worthy. And the only person with the qualifications to test that was Shizuku herself.

I’ll find out for sure if you really can make Onii-sama happier than I could, Stella-san...

As she made that promise to herself, it felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Thank you...Alice...” Shizuku said, her smile untroubled.

Sensing that Shizuku had found her answer, Alisuin smiled back.

It’s amazing that you can love someone else so deeply like that. Alisuin knew how precious that was because she was no longer capable of cutting off her own feelings for the sake of someone else’s happiness. She was no longer capable of loving another person that much. All I do now is put on a mask and match my persona to what other people want.

While Alisuin was friendly to everyone, she hadn’t opened her heart to anyone. She felt like a white-feathered crow mixed in with a flock of swans. But that was precisely why she found Shizuku’s love to be so valuable, and why she didn’t want to see it vanish.

I guess I’m getting more attached than I should. Maybe I’m a little drunk too.

Smiling bitterly to herself, Alisuin downed the last bit of whiskey left in her glass.

“All right, let’s go back home.”

But she got no response. She looked over and saw that Shizuku had slumped against her right arm, her eyes closed.

“Zzz... Zzz...”

“Would you look at that.”

Shizuku had finally succumbed to the alcohol and fallen asleep. Finding the answer to the question that had been plaguing her for so long had helped her relax as well. Smiling to herself, Alisuin paid the bill, picked Shizuku up, and walked out of the bar. It was frightening how light the girl was.

“Onii-sama...” she muttered quietly in her sleep. In her dreams, she was probably being carried by Ikki.

“You really are a lady-killer, Ikki.”

Alisuin looked up at the starry night sky and made a simple wish.

I hope this kind girl’s feelings don’t go to waste.

Intermission

“Shizuku-chan’s so earnest...” Kagami said with a wistful sigh.

“She truly loves Ikki.”

“By the way, were you already planning on betraying Rebellion at that point, Alice-chan?”

“Yep. I made my decision surprisingly quickly. Can you blame me, though? Who wouldn’t want to protect Shizuku after seeing that?”

“That’s so like you, Alice-chan. All right, let’s move on to our next story! This one’s a lot more recent. It happened during the week Senpai was out cold after beating Thunderbolt Toudou Touka and earning himself a spot as one of Hagun’s representatives for the Seven Stars Battle Festival. It was one of the first serious duels between Stella-chan and Shizuku-chan.”

“Oh, I know this one.”

“You better. It’s your fault this happened.”

“I wasn’t there for the actual contest, so I don’t know any of the details, though.”

“Well, fortunately for you and all of our adoring readers, I went and got the scoop. Time for our third story: ‘Ultimate Showdown: Crimson Princess versus Lorelei’!”

Chapter 3: Ultimate Showdown - Crimson Princess versus Lorelei

The whole school knew that the Crimson Princess and the Worst One were dating now. The Ethics Committee had publicized their relationship to the whole world, in fact. But thanks to the statements made by Stella Vermillion’s father, people weren’t making a huge fuss about it anymore. That being said, it wasn’t as if everything had been neatly resolved. Indeed, Alisuin Nagi was currently racking her brain over one of those unsolved problems.

“Hmm... What to do.”

She let out a long sigh as she stared at the entrance to her dorm room. The source of their problems was on the other side of that door.

“Well, worrying won’t get me anywhere,” she muttered, turning the doorknob and walking inside.

As expected, the curtains had been drawn shut, and the room was dark even though it was midafternoon. Clothes were scattered about all over the place, as were books, empty water bottles, and candy wrappers. Sitting in the center of this trash heap of a room was Shizuku.

“I love you, Shizuku. I want you to come with me to Venice and keep my heart in your vise grip forever,” a voice said from the flickering TV screen.

“Heh heh heh. Gladly, you half-baked replacement for my brother,” Shizuku muttered back at the TV. She was wearing a tracksuit, and her hair looked like it had seen better days.

“Shizuku, you’re still playing Prince Academy?”

“Ah, Alice. I didn’t know you were coming back. Heh heh... I can’t help it. The game’s just too fun. I’d never played video games before, so I didn’t realize how much fun they could be. Who needs reality when you have this? In fact, reality should just disappear.”

When Shizuku turned to look at her, Alisuin noticed that the girl’s eyes were bloodshot and unfocused.

“But you’ve just been reading Issei’s route on loop, haven’t you?” she asked, plastering on a smile.

“Obviously? The other insects don’t resemble Onii-sama in the slightest. Even Issei just happens to look like him. Otherwise, he’s no better than the other losers. But I suppose a fake replacement is a worthy match for a failure of a sister who couldn’t even win her brother’s love. Hee hee hee hee.”

Oh god, it’s terminal.

Alisuin reflexively took a step back as Shizuku laughed maniacally to herself. This was the one problem still plaguing her. Now that Ikki and Stella had publicly come out as a couple, Shizuku had completely snapped. She wasn’t taking care of her appearance, she wasn’t cleaning her room, and today, she’d even skipped class to play Prince Academy. She’d looped Issei’s route twenty times by Alisuin’s count, and it was possible she’d read it even more than that. Plus, on top of the fact that she was making their shared living space uncomfortable, Shizuku was so depressed that Alisuin was worried she’d get sick if she didn’t start taking care of herself.

“You knew they were dating for a while. This shouldn’t be such a shock, right?”

“Yes...I did.”

“Does it just hurt more having heard it from their mouths?”

“I’m not hurting at all. As long as Onii-sama is happy, I don’t mind if Stella-san’s the one by his side.”

“Well, you certainly aren’t acting like you’re not hurting.”

“Leave me alone. Even if I become a dried-up husk of a person, Onii-sama can just go flirt with Stella-san, so it doesn’t matter. I’m not needed anymore.”

Shizuku turned back to the TV, and Alisuin could clearly see the pain her tiny back was carrying.

I guess I can’t blame her.

She’d been with Shizuku long enough to know just how much the girl loved Ikki. Naturally, Shizuku had known that Ikki and Stella’s relationship would eventually become public. She’d already implicitly approved of them dating, even. Once that day finally came, however, Shizuku had found that she was more jealous and despondent than she’d thought she would be. Reality was simply too harsh to bear.

Shizuku had, of course, told herself over and over that she needed to simply accept this and get over it. After all, Stella was the woman Ikki had chosen, and she wanted to respect his wishes. Furthermore, his happiness was paramount to her. Had Shizuku only cared about her own feelings, she would have simply rejected reality and continued to pursue Ikki. But she couldn’t do that. She prioritized her brother’s feelings over her own, which meant that if he chose Stella, then she had to respect that choice. At the same time, though, she couldn’t just cut off her own feelings that easily. As a result, she was slowly being crushed by the despair.

It’s times like these that stubbornness backfires on you, Alisuin thought sadly as she stared at her friend.

Shizuku would be better off if she just gave up on her feelings for Ikki. But Alisuin knew she had no intention of doing that. Even knowing that her love would never be reciprocated, even knowing that she’d never be able to confess to Ikki, she’d still hang on to her feelings forever. Alisuin truly loved that about Shizuku, and she respected her for it, but at the same time, it was that stubborn devotion of hers that was causing her to suffer so much. And Alisuin couldn’t just leave her to wallow in despair.

It hurts to see her like this. There has to be something I can do for her. If nothing else, she was tired of seeing their room look this dirty all the time. Consoling her won’t help, but maybe I can find something to cheer her up.

Alisuin knew there was nothing she could say to fill the hole in Shizuku’s heart. Only Ikki could do that. Instead, she said in a provocative voice, “I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you really want, but... Honestly, I’m disappointed in you. I can’t believe you’re stepping aside for Stella-chan so easily.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said you don’t mind if your beloved brother’s wife is Stella-chan, right?”

“He’s the one who chose her, so...” Shizuku replied, pouting. It didn’t matter if she accepted Stella since Ikki already had. However, Alisuin just gave her a pointed look.

“Oh, and that’s good enough for you?” she asked, and Shizuku stared at her in confusion. “If mutual love was all that was necessary for a happy married life, then no one would get divorced.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Shizuku’s interest was finally piqued, and she turned to look back at Alisuin.

“You know the saying ‘love is blind,’ don’t you? When you’re infatuated with someone, you fail to notice their flaws. And while Ikki’s unbelievably strict on himself, he’s quite soft on others. Can we really say for certain that Stella-chan is the best wife for him? Will she be able to do household chores, cook for him, and so on? Isn’t it the mother-in-law’s—or rather, the sister-in-law’s job to make sure she’s capable of all that?”

Alisuin was mostly bullshitting in order to get Shizuku out of her own depression spiral. From her perspective, a person’s love life wasn’t something that outsiders should butt into to begin with. Besides, Shizuku kept framing it as Ikki choosing Stella, but if anything, Stella was the one who’d chosen Ikki. She was a kingdom’s princess, while Ikki just happened to be from a prestigious Blazer family. She could have picked from many other suitors, which wasn’t the case for Ikki.

Alisuin knew saying that would get Shizuku riled up, as it meant there was still something she could do for her beloved brother. That was the one thing she thought might cheer Shizuku up, and she was right on the money.

“You’re right...” Shizuku muttered softly, the light returning to her jade-green eyes. “You’re absolutely right, Alice!”

There’s still something left for me to do as Onii-sama’s little sister! Moreover, it was something only she could do since no one else in the family even understood or loved Ikki. Her vagabond eldest brother and her heartless father couldn’t be trusted to handle such a delicate task. I have to be the one to do this. For Onii-sama!

“I’ll find out whether or not Stella-san can truly make Onii-sama happy!” Shizuku leaped to her feet, her eyes brimming with vitality. Alisuin had reminded her that there were still things she could do for Ikki that didn’t involve giving up on her love for him. “Thank you, Alice! I know what I have to do now!”

“Glad you’ve got your energy back,” Alisuin said with a relieved smile.

That obviously didn’t change the reality that Ikki and Stella were dating, but hopefully in the process of testing Stella, Shizuku would also become closer to her. Even if she didn’t, at least she had stopped moping. Alisuin knew that by doing this, she was just dumping trouble onto Stella, but since Shizuku would end up being her sister-in-law eventually, it was only fair that she put in some work to cheer her up too.

◆◇◆◇◆

Shizuku was quick to take action once she recovered. Because she’d been lazing around for the past few days, she had stamina to spare. She quickly showered, changed, and went out in search of Stella. Before the day was out, she’d determine if Stella was fit to be Ikki’s girlfriend. Alisuin struggled to keep up with her fast pace, but she was impressed by how quickly she’d bounced back.

“I know they say there’s no time like the present, but I didn’t think you’d actually go looking for Stella-chan right away.”

“It’s better to do this while Onii-sama is still asleep.”

“You have a point there... By the way, do you even know what kind of trial you want to give Stella-chan?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Shizuku answered with a nod. “I thought of one immediately.”

“Mind sharing the details?”

“You brought up a good point when you mentioned cooking and cleaning as examples. She’s a princess, so she probably had a spoiled upbringing. I need to make sure she can handle household chores, or else Onii-sama will end up living in a pigsty. Cooking is an absolute must as well. Any woman worth her salt needs to be able to cook. I won’t allow Onii-sama to marry a woman who can’t cook delicious, homemade meals for him!”

“Those certainly are important.”

That was especially true of the cooking bit. Chores could be handed off to servants or split between a couple, but every man wanted a wife who could cook for him—from Shizuku’s perspective, anyway.

Hmm? Hold on a second. Something suddenly occurred to Alisuin, and she turned to Shizuku. “Does that mean you can cook, Shizuku?”

“Naturally. I may not be from as noble a family as Stella-san, but I was still given a proper lady’s education.”

“I see, so you’re quite confident in your own skills.”

“Indeed. My cooking was quite well received back home. One person even said, ‘That was so delicious that I thought I was going to lose my mind. It’s truly a blessing that I can lose thirty kilos by eating your cooking.’”

Oh god, she’s been spoiled too!

“Did you say something?”

“J-Just that it’s amazing you can cook food so healthy that people lose weight by eating it!”

“Heh heh, I know, right? I’ll make some for you sometime too, Alice.”

“O-Oh joy...”

“At any rate, I’d like to use our dorm room for the trial, so would it be all right if I had it to myself until tonight?”

“That’s fine. I can go hang out with Kagamin in the meantime.”

“Sorry, and thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was the one who suggested testing Stella-chan, after all.”

After a few minutes, they reached the place Shizuku was certain Stella would be: the school hospital room where Ikki was sleeping. Four days had passed since Ikki won his duel against Thunderbolt, but the strain of using Ittou Rakshasa combined with the horrible treatment he’d received while being detained by the Ethics Committee meant he was still out cold. That being the case, Stella was undoubtedly by his side, nursing him.

“Shall we go grab Stella-chan, then?” Alisuin asked, reaching for the door handle.

“Wait,” Shizuku said, holding out a hand to stop her.

“What is it?”

“Since we’re here, we may as well also check to make sure Stella-san is taking good care of Onii-sama.”

“Ah, I see. True, that’s important as well.”

Stella didn’t need to be a professional nurse, but she needed some basic caretaking skills to meet Shizuku’s requirements for a suitable wife. She had looked after Ikki when he’d been recovering from his battle with the Hunter as well, though, so admittedly, Shizuku doubted there’d be any real problems. She quietly cracked open the door a few inches, and the two of them peeked inside.

“I’m sure you won’t mind, right?” they heard Stella say as she leaned down to kiss Ikki, her cheeks bright red.

“Ah!”

Alisuin felt the air temperature suddenly drop. She turned to Shizuku to stop her, but it was too late. Faster than even Kuraudo’s Marginal Counter, Shizuku created a line of ice spears and shot them at Stella.

“Die.”

“Aaaaagh?! Wh-What the?! Is there an assassin after me?!”

◆◇◆◇◆

“What did you do that for?! If you fired that at anyone else, you would’ve killed them!” Stella shouted angrily as she pulled out the ice spear stuck in her forehead.

“What do you think you’re doing with my Onii-sama?!” Shizuku shouted back, glaring at her. “Can’t you take care of your patient like a normal person?!”

“Uh, i-it’s not what you think. I just— Oh yeah! I was just leaning over to take his temperature with my forehead!”

“Who’d believe such a pathetic excuse?! This is a hospital room! There are thermometers everywhere!”

“Exactly, Shizuku. We’re in a hospital, so you need to be quieter, okay?” Alisuin said gently.

“Oh...no...”

Shizuku looked at the door and saw that it was riddled with holes. She could see three angry doctors glaring at her through those holes as well. She’d already been suspended at the start of the term for damaging school property, and she really wanted to avoid going through that again. Thus, she lowered her voice as she turned back to Stella.

“This is all your fault for being such a perverted, shameless woman.”

“I-I am not!”

“Then what would you call a woman who tries to take advantage of Onii-sama and do lewd things to him while he’s unconscious?”

“Th-They weren’t lewd! W-We’re dating, so it’s only natural that we’d kiss each other! A kiss is basically like a greeting for your lover!”

“You really think you deserve to be his girlfriend?”

“Huh? But even you said you accepted our relationship, Shizuku,” Stella retorted, looking surprised.

She was referring to the conversation they’d had a few days earlier, back when Ikki was still being held by the Ethics Committee. Stella had told Shizuku straight up that they were dating. Of course, Shizuku had known that for a while, and she hadn’t made a big deal about it. Since she hadn’t objected, Stella had assumed she approved of their relationship.

But Shizuku shook her head and explained, “All I said was that I knew for a while that you two were dating, not that I approved of your relationship. I have no intention of doing so either.”

“Th-That’s not fair!”

“What’s unfair about it?” Sensing that this was the perfect time to transition into the reason she’d come here, Shizuku added, “But I’m not so heartless that I’d dismiss you out of hand, even if you are a hopeless pervert. I just need to know for sure whether or not you can make Onii-sama truly happy. So I’m going to test you to see if you’ll make a worthy wife.”

“Wh-What kind of test?”

“I’ll explain in a bit. But know that if you can’t pass this test, I’ll never approve of you being Onii-sama’s girlfriend.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. Why do I have to take your stupid test?” Stella asked, shaking her head. From her point of view, there was no reason to jump through Shizuku’s hoops. “Besides, what matters here is Ikki’s feelings and mine. I don’t care if you approve of our relationship or not. It’s got nothing to do with you!”

Unfortunately, Stella had chosen the worst words possible. When it came to Ikki, every aspect of his life had something to do with Shizuku given that his happiness was her top priority.

“Oh? You say this has nothing to do with me after stealing Onii-sama away from me?” The temperature in the room dropped a few dozen degrees, but Shizuku’s voice was even colder than that. “I’m his sister. I’ve loved him for longer than you’ve even known him, and you say this has nothing to do with me?”

Even Stella was slightly intimidated by the ice-cold steel in Shizuku’s voice.

“Th-That’s right! When it comes to love, what matters is the feelings of the couple and no one else!” she shouted, rallying herself in time to not take any steps back. But Shizuku’s next words shattered her facade of confidence.

“I see. Fine, if that’s what you think, I can’t stop you. But just know that if you try to take Onii-sama without my approval, I’ll do everything I can to destroy your relationship. I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth and do everything in my power to destroy any happiness you might find. I won’t do it right away either. I’ll wait until you’re settled and think you’re safe. Then, when you’re at the height of bliss, I’ll step in and make it all come crashing down. So if you plan to steal Onii-sama away from me, Stella-san, then you had better kill me here and now.”

“Ngh...”

The way Shizuku spoke, Stella could tell she really would go that far. There was no way Stella could put up a brave front in the face of such deep-seated malice.

“F-Fine! I’ll take your dumb test!”

“A wise decision,” Shizuku said with a triumphant smile.

However, Stella wasn’t just going to take this lying down. She held up a finger and added, “But if you’re going to put so much importance on this test, you better not complain about our relationship ever again if I pass it. And you have to promise to stop trying to seduce Ikki.”

Shizuku fell silent. If she agreed to those terms and Stella somehow managed to pass, she really would have to accept that Stella was better suited to be Ikki’s partner than her and give up on him for good. At the same time, she knew that if she refused, Stella wouldn’t agree to her trials. After all, if she didn’t stand to gain somehow, there was no point in taking the tests.

“Fine by me. I doubt a pervert like you who can’t even take care of a sick patient can master my trials, though.”

Shizuku agreed to Stella’s terms, sounding utterly confident in her victory.

I absolutely cannot leave Onii-sama in this woman’s care, she thought, her resolve hardening. There was no way she was going to leave Ikki with some woman who tried to kiss him every chance she got. You’re going down.

Of course, Stella was just as fired up.

“No going back on your word now! I’ll make you regret underestimating a Vermillion princess!”

And so, the curtain rose on the greatest battle yet between the Crimson Princess and Lorelei.

◆◇◆◇◆

Afterward, Stella and Shizuku bade farewell to Alisuin and returned to Shizuku’s dorm room—the site she’d chosen for her trials. Along the way, Stella naturally grilled her on the nature of the tests.

“So, what kind of test is this going to be? Are we going to fight?”

“What are you, a barbarian? How will a duel tell me anything about your capabilities as a wife?”

“I-I’m a knight, okay?!” Stella replied, blushing.

“Well, I’m testing how good of a wife you’ll be, not how good of a knight you are. So naturally, I need to see how good you are at housework.”

“Huh? But when we return to the palace, the servants will take care of all of that.”

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean you can be a lazy woman with no skills of her own. I won’t allow such a slovenly person to be Onii-sama’s wife.”

“Mrgh.”

Stella gave Shizuku an exasperated look. Not because Shizuku had called her lazy, but because as royalty, she couldn’t really understand Shizuku’s viewpoint. From hers, taking care of all the housework and chores herself would just mean putting the servants out of a job. It would be rude to the men and women who worked tirelessly to support the royal family. At the same time, she could understand where Shizuku was coming from. As a woman, it would be pretty pathetic if she couldn’t do even basic housework.

The kanji for “wife” is written with the characters for “woman” and “house” smooshed together, after all, Stella thought to herself. When in Rome, it was best to do as the Romans did. If that was what Japanese culture saw as the ideal housewife, then those were the skills she’d cultivate.

Just then, they reached Shizuku’s dorm room.

“All right, let’s start the first test,” Shizuku said, opening the door.

“Ugh, what is this mess?” Stella groaned, looking around the room. It looked like it had been hit by an earthquake. Bookshelves were toppled over, and drawers hung open with clothes spilling out of them. There were empty snack bags and drink bottles littering the floor as well, and there was hardly any room to stand.

“Is this how you guys’ room always looks?” Stella asked, grossed out.

“How rude. I messed up our room on purpose for the sake of your test. I want you to clean all of this up.”

“Sounds to me like you just want to con someone into cleaning your room, so you’re calling it a test.”

“I-I would never do something like that,” Shizuku said, stuttering.

“Oh really? Look me in the eyes and say that again, then.”

Shizuku pointedly looked in the other direction, and Stella immediately knew she was right.

“Well, whatever. I just have to clean up the trash and put the clothes and books back where they belong, right?”

“Yes, but just cleaning up the room won’t be enough.”

“What else do you want?”

“Make it spotless within twenty minutes.”

“Wh-What?! You want me to clean all of this in just twenty minutes?!”

“Yes. That includes vacuuming and mopping.”

Stella looked around the room again. There was so much trash that she couldn’t even see the floor.

Putting the clothes and books back is going to take twenty minutes on its own...

“There’s no way I’ll have time to vacuum and mop with this much trash lying around,” Stella protested hotly.

“That’s why it’s a test. You have to show some ingenuity to get things done quickly. Even a child can clean up. Cleaning can only be called a skill when you can do it efficiently without sacrificing quality.”

“Does that make you worse than a child since it seems you can’t even manage to clean this up?”

“Insult me all you want, but the timer’s already started. Better get to work,” Shizuku said, taking her student handbook out of her skirt pocket and starting the timer.

“Geh!”

Stella had read during her studies that Japan had a culture of telling people to accomplish the impossible through willpower alone, but she’d thought that had been an exaggeration.

So this is how a traditional Japanese mother-in-law torments her son’s new wife, huh?

However, given that she’d agreed to this challenge, it would shame the Vermillion family name if she backed down now.

“Fine! I’ll clean your room in no time! Just you watch!” she shouted, getting to work.

◆◇◆◇◆

Stella started by collecting all the books and clothes. She wouldn’t be able to vacuum until they were all back in their proper place. Fortunately, the bookshelves were all labeled, so she was able to organize the books quickly. She had a good amount of practice folding clothes too, so she was able to fold them all quite neatly.

But if I take too much time trying to fold them nicely, I won’t finish in time!

The time limit was her biggest foe. Furthermore, this was a test Shizuku had devised in order to purposely fail her. That meant there’d be traps and pitfalls in each ordeal.

“Hmm? Is this your photo album, Shizuku?”

While she was cleaning, Stella picked up one of those very traps.

I’ve got you now.

As Stella picked up the album, Shizuku grinned.

“Oh my, how could I have been so careless? I can’t believe I left such an important album lying around.”

“So it is yours. You should definitely treasure your childhood memories more.”

“They aren’t pictures of me. They’re pictures of Onii-sama when he was in elementary school.”

“What?!”

A shock ran down Stella’s spine.

“They’re all pictures I took of him and had printed. It’s a one-of-a-kind album that no one else knows about. I was planning on keeping it a secret. It really was careless of me to leave that lying around.”

“A-An album filled with Ikki’s childhood photos...”

“That’s right. You can see him in his gym uniform and his swim trunks. There’s even a picture of him sleeping with his clothes all messed up. Well, since you’ve found it, I won’t steal it away from you. Feel free to look through it if you want.”

“Y-You mean it?!”

“Of course. But I won’t be stopping the timer while you do.”

“Agh!”

Yes, that was the kind of trap Shizuku had prepared. Stella had only recently gotten to know Ikki. She didn’t know anything about his childhood, and the album she was holding was full of photos from that very time. Naturally, she was dying to look through it, which was precisely why it was such an effective trap.

“Oh, if you won’t be looking through it, please return it to me. It’s my treasure, so I’ll be hiding it somewhere no one else can find,” Shizuku said, twisting the knife even further.

“Gaaaaaaah!” Ngh! I can’t believe Shizuku’s trying to bring me down with this!

Twenty minutes was already an unreasonably short deadline. Stella did have a plan in mind, but even then, it would take her the full twenty minutes to clean everything. She couldn’t afford to waste even a second. But at the same time, the album had Ikki in his gym uniform, his swimsuit, and even pictures of him sleeping.

I wanna see them so bad! Ikki wasn’t the kind of guy to bring his childhood photos with him when moving to a new dorm, so Stella hadn’t been able to see any. What kind of kid was he? Did he look like a cute, quiet boy when he was in elementary school? Or was he a rambunctious kid who got into trouble and was always coming home with cuts and scrapes?

Stella’s imagination was starting to run wild.

But I won’t give in!

“Y-You monster!” she cried, tamping down on her rampaging desires. She threw the album at Shizuku, who skillfully caught it out of the air.

“Oh? Are you sure you don’t want to look through it? You’ll never get another chance.”

“I’m sure! A good wife doesn’t get distracted while cleaning!”

“You’re drooling, you know.”

“That’s sweat!”

Stella wiped the corners of her mouth and got back to cleaning. She was certain now that Shizuku would go to any lengths to fail her. But that was all the more reason she couldn’t lose.

I won’t give you the satisfaction of falling for your tricks!

Burning with determination, Stella started cleaning up the room even faster than before. Soon enough, all of the books and clothes were back in their proper places, and Shizuku was starting to sweat a little.

She’s better than I expected.

Indeed, Stella was as good at cleaning as Alisuin, and Shizuku knew no one more organized than her. She’d assumed Stella lived a sloppier lifestyle, but clearly she’d been mistaken. It was impressive that she’d resisted the allure of the photo album too.

But in the end, twenty minutes just wasn’t enough time. It’s my win.

“Twenty seconds left. Looks like you weren’t fast enough. You managed to get the books and clothes back in their places, but you still need to vacuum, mop, and take out the trash. We can hardly call this a passing grade.”

Of course, Shizuku had expected as much. When she’d asked Alisuin how long it would take to clean everything up, she’d said she’d need at least thirty minutes. Initially, Shizuku had planned on making the time limit a fair thirty minutes, but after seeing her try to kiss an unconscious Ikki, her jealousy had gotten the better of her. She was going to make Stella pay for trying to steal her beloved brother’s lips.

Only I’m allowed to kiss Onii-sama.

To that end, she’d shaved ten minutes off of Stella’s time limit. This test had been designed to be impossible to pass.

“I still have twenty seconds, don’t I?” Stella said, running over to the window the vacuum cleaner was leaning against.

“Less than that now. Five, four, three, two—”

Before Shizuku could finish her countdown, Stella threw open the window.

Huh?

She then did something completely unexpected.

“Haaaaaaaaah!”

“Eek!”

Stella summoned a tornado of flame around her, sending it blazing through Shizuku’s room. But the fire touched only the trash and nothing else, burning it all to ash. She then had the flames carry the ashes out the window and let the wind disperse them. A second later, the timer’s alarm buzzed.

“Happy?” Stella asked, grinning triumphantly as she turned to Shizuku. “Not only is there no more trash, there isn’t a single bacteria left alive in your room. You can’t fail me now, can you, Shizuku?”

“Grr...”

I can’t believe she just burned all the trash and blew it away along with the dust! That’s crazy!

Shizuku certainly hadn’t expected Stella to take such drastic measures. It was true that burning all the flames, germs, and bugs in the room meant there was no need to vacuum or mop.

“B-But you can’t call this a cleaning skill when you—”

“A Blazer’s powers are an extension of their body. How’s using my powers any different from using a vacuum cleaner?”

“Mrrrr...” Shizuku couldn’t argue that, especially since she hadn’t outlawed using Blazer powers. “I-I suppose you pass the first test,” she said bitterly, mentally kicking herself for making such a basic oversight.

Well, whatever. That was only the first trial. There’s still more to come.

Indeed, the next test would be far more difficult than cleaning.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Now that the room’s clean, we can move on to the next test,” Shizuku said, not even giving Stella a moment to catch her breath.

“All right, what is it?” Stella asked, unfazed.

“Cooking. Nothing makes a man happier than eating a home-cooked meal from his wife. Having someone else make it just isn’t the same, which means this is the most important skill a girl needs. Indeed, cleaning is a trivial skill compared to cooking. After all, you can just let your servants handle such mundane tasks.”

“You’re the one who complained when I said that!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, cooking is the most important skill for a wife. So you’re going to make dinner, Stella-san, and I’m going to judge your dishes.”

Stella really wanted to grill Shizuku about the fact that she’d done all that cleaning for nothing, but she held it in. There was no point when Shizuku would just play dumb, and it was late enough that Stella was starting to get hungry. She figured she might as well tackle this test next so that she could at least eat something.

“Sure, but what ingredients am I working with?”

“The fridge is fully stocked. I have all the spices and seasonings you could possibly want as well. Feel free to use them,” Shizuku said, pointing to the kitchen.

On the counter was a series of neatly labeled bottles—salt, black pepper, soy sauce, mirin, cooking oil, and so on. All of the seasonings used in traditional Japanese cooking were there.

“You sure came prepared. So, is there anything specific I need to make?”

“Nope. You’re free to make whatever dishes you like out of the ingredients available. Figuring out the menu is part of your test.”

I see.

“Okay, let’s see what ingredients I have to work with, then. Is there meat?”

“Of course.”

“Perfect. I wonder what kind.”

Stella walked over and opened the fridge. She wouldn’t be able to decide on a dish until she knew if she’d be cooking chicken, pork, or beef. She pulled open the drawer that held the items that needed to be kept at a lower temperature, excited to see what meat Shizuku had gotten her. But all that lay inside was a pack of tube-shaped fish cakes.

“Shizukuuu!”

“What?”

“Don’t give me that! There’s no meat in here! Just fish cakes!”

“And fish is meat.”

“That’s way too little to work with!”

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of vegetables. It’s important to cook healthy meals for your family, you know.”

Mrrrgh! I prefer making and eating meat dishes, though!

Stella naturally burned a lot of calories each day. She needed a lot of protein and fat to keep her energy reserves up. Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t stoked about having to make a low-carb, health-conscious meal. At the same time, there wasn’t much one could do with fish cakes, so she closed the meat drawer and reached down for the vegetable drawer.

“Wow, it’s heavy. You really must have bought a lot of ingredients.”

Putting some strength into her arms, Stella yanked the drawer open. It was certainly full, but only of potatoes.

“Shizukuuuuu!”

“Is there a problem? There’s plenty of vegetables for you.”

“There may be plenty of them, but it’s just potatoes in here!”

“A good wife can come up with delicious dishes even when working with limited resources.”

“This is way too limited! Name me a single dish you can make with just fish cakes and potatoes! Some of these are going bad too!”

“I see you know enough about vegetables not to fall for that trap.”

“This isn’t even a test anymore! You’re just trying to mess with me!”

“It’s just a joke, don’t worry. There’s other vegetables underneath the potatoes.”

Frowning, Stella dug under the potatoes. To her relief, she found carrots, onions, and peas.

“You should’ve said so at the start...” she grumbled.

“You need to be able to withstand psychological attacks.”

“I haven’t even started cooking yet and I’m already exhausted.” Sighing, Stella started taking the ingredients out and laying them on the counter. “I guess with this lineup, a meat and potato stew would be the best thing to make. Except the meat’s going to have to be fish cakes instead of beef.”

There was miso among the seasonings, so Stella would be able to make miso soup as well, which would suffice for a simple dinner. Once she’d decided on the menu, she got to work. She skillfully peeled the potatoes and carrots, then diced them up into bite-sized bits. Shizuku was amazed at how quickly she got the prep work out of the way.

“I guess you’re as good at cutting vegetables as you are at cutting people.”

“Why does every compliment you give me have to be backhanded?”

“I’m genuinely impressed. Did you learn how to cook even though you’re a princess?”

“Why were you under the impression that I couldn’t cook?” Stella responded with a smirk.

“How could this be...”

“You know, a princess’s primary job is to get married and forge alliances with other nations. I learned how to do all the basic housewife tasks ages ago, and cooking is my specialty! I can do any type of cuisine too—Western, Japanese, Chinese, you name it!”

“Ngh!”

Shizuku gritted her teeth as Stella got to work on the miso soup. She hadn’t expected Stella to be so good at traditional womanly tasks like these.

But this is why I made backup plans!

Shizuku had already seen how good Stella was at cleaning, so she’d prepared one extra trap for the cooking test just to be safe.

“I see, so you’re a good cook. But that’s not enough to prove you’re qualified to be Onii-sama’s wife.”

“What now?” Stella asked, frowning.

“Not only do you need to cook dinner, you need to do it while wearing a uniform befitting a good wife.”

“And what uniform would that be?”

“This,” Shizuku said, pulling out a cute, frilly apron. It was only after looking at it that Stella realized she wasn’t wearing an apron.

“Oh, good catch. I wouldn’t want to get my school uniform dirty. Thanks.”

As Stella reached for the apron, Shizuku yanked it away.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something,” she said.

“Huh?”

“In what world does a newlywed wife wear an apron over her clothes?! Everyone knows you have to strip naked and wear just the apron!”

“Wh-What?!” Stella shrieked, her voice going up an octave.

“Oh, did none of your tutors at Vermillion Castle teach you that?”

“Most definitely not! No one told me that’s normal in Japan either!” Stella shouted, blushing to the tips of her ears.

Shizuku calmly pulled out her student handbook, typed something in, and turned the screen toward Stella. She’d searched “naked apron” on Guugle and gotten a whopping 925,000 results.

“Bwah?!”

“As you can see, this is a global phenomenon. Even Guugle-sensei says so.”

“U-Unbelievable...”

“At any rate, I won’t allow you to be Onii-sama’s wife if you’re not willing to wear a naked apron for him. Either you wear this, or you fail the test.”

“Mrrrgh...”

Stella stared at the apron, her expression stiff.

I-I can’t believe people all over the world cook while wearing just this one thin piece of cloth...

She was shocked at how far humanity’s depravity went. The apron was large enough to cover everything important in front, but it hid basically nothing from the back. Her butt would be in full view. Furthermore, since she’d be cooking, she’d have her back turned to Shizuku the whole time.

It was unbecoming of a Vermillion princess to wear such an indecent outfit in front of others. At the same time, though, she’d already accepted Shizuku’s challenge. She didn’t want to give up now. Besides, cooking was her specialty. She was confident she could make a dish so good that it would knock Shizuku’s socks off. If Shizuku was going to heckle her forever regardless, she wanted to solidify a position of superiority as soon as possible.

If Ikki can go the extra mile for his dreams, then I can too!

Ikki had continued to assert that he loved Stella even after all the horrible things the Ethics Committee had done to him. It was only fair that she made some sacrifices for him too.

“Fine! I’ll wear that apron! There’s only girls here, s-so it’s not embarrassing anyway!”

◆◇◆◇◆

Stella flung off her clothes, put the apron on, and tried to get back to cooking. Unfortunately, she was so embarrassed that it was hard for her to focus. Blushing, she bustled about the kitchen and tried her best not to think about what she was wearing. Shizuku was also blushing though, and she awkwardly looked away.

I-I wasn’t ready for this.

From Shizuku’s vantage point, Stella’s butt was in plain view. It was much bigger than the average Japanese person’s, and it bounced around every time Stella took a step. Shizuku wasn’t into women, but even she was entranced by that bewitching derriere that looked like a ripe white peach. In truth, Shizuku was starting to feel a little guilty for making Stella wear nothing but an apron.

But I won’t waver. After all, this is having the intended effect. Shizuku had known Stella wouldn’t refuse, so she hadn’t expected to fail her that way. She knew Stella was made of sterner stuff. The point of harassing her this way was to distract her. And her plan had worked perfectly. Though Stella was still working deftly, it was clear her focus was lacking compared to before. She’ll definitely fall for my real trap...

Shizuku quietly waited for the decisive moment. Eventually, Stella started adding seasonings to her stew. A bit of mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar. The moment Shizuku saw her add the sugar, she grinned.

She fell for it!

Now, Stella was bound to fail her test. Meanwhile, Stella put the lid on her stew and waited for five minutes, none the wiser to Shizuku’s trap.

“Now then, I doubt I made any mistakes, but let me do a taste test just in case.” As Stella ladled a bit of stew into her mouth, she immediately realized her mistake. “Bwugh?!”

Her eyes flew wide open as an excessively salty taste spread across her tongue.

“Bweh! Blegh! Wh-What the heck?! Why is it so salty?!”

The moment she said that, she realized there could be only one explanation. Meat and potato stew used a combination of sugar and soy sauce to balance saltiness with sweetness, but all she was tasting was salt.

Did I mix up the salt and sugar?! A second later, she shook her head. No, that’s not possible! I definitely used the container labeled “sugar”!

Stella looked around wildly in confusion.

“Oh? Is something wrong Stella-san?” Shizuku asked with a smile. In that instant, Stella figured out what was going on.

Don’t tell me...

Stella opened the container that had “sugar” written on it in permanent marker, scooped up a bit with her finger, and tasted it.

“I knew it. The container labeled ‘sugar’ has salt in it.” Stella hadn’t made a mistake, she just hadn’t realized she was being duped. “Shizuku, you swapped them out on purpose, didn’t you?”

“I would never. Perish the thought.”

“Liar!”

“Come now, is it so hard to believe that they might have accidentally gotten mixed up? Besides, if you were paying attention, you would have noticed that was salt and not sugar. Wouldn’t you say this is your fault for being distracted?”

You bitch...

Of course, Stella knew just how deeply Shizuku loved Ikki. From the start, she hadn’t expected Shizuku to approve of their relationship, since she was the one who wanted to be by Ikki’s side.

If I were in Shizuku’s shoes, I would’ve done the same thing.

It was only natural for Shizuku to go this far. If Stella wanted her approval despite that, she had to overcome every single obstacle Shizuku placed in her path!

“Shizuku, since this is a cooking test, ultimately, all I need to do is make a delicious meal for you, right?”

“Naturally. But I doubt a super salty, blood-pressure-destroying meat stew will meet that bar.”

“Heh, I see. So as long as it’s tasty, it doesn’t matter what kind of dish it is.” Stella’s grin grew wider, and she took out a strainer and rested it over the sink. “This isn’t over yet!”

She then dumped the contents of the pot into it, draining the liquid from the stew.

“What are you planning?”

“Hmph. Just wait and see.”

Stella put the remaining vegetables and fish cakes into a new bowl and ground them into paste. Then, she took more potatoes out of the fridge, boiled them, and mashed them into the fish cake stew paste as well. At that point, Shizuku realized what she was up to.

“Y-You’re turning them into croquettes?!”

“That’s right. And by adding more potatoes into the mix, it offsets the saltiness.”

The fish cake vegetable stew made for a great filling for croquettes, and the additional potatoes would absorb some of the salt from the filling. By changing up the dish she was making, she was able to overcome Shizuku’s final trap.

“You weren’t thorough enough, Shizuku. If you really wanted to fail me, you should’ve added poison to the bottles.”

I-I can’t believe she found a way out of that predicament!

Shizuku was so overwhelmed by Stella’s ingenuity and skill that she couldn’t even manage to come up with any insults.

◆◇◆◇◆

After a few more minutes, dinner was ready, and Stella set the table for the two of them.

“Here you go! Let’s hear what you think!”

“N-Ngh...”

Shizuku frowned as she saw Stella’s confident expression. The croquettes certainly looked delicious. It was hard to believe they were filled with what was originally meant to be meat and potato stew.

But she had to improvise. Surely it doesn’t taste that good!

Hoping against hope, Shizuku took a big bite out of her croquette.

“Tch.”

To her dismay, it tasted excellent. Stella’s confidence was completely warranted. The salt level was perfect for a croquette, and since Stella had found where the actual sugar was and added some, it had the right amount of sweetness too. The filling mixed perfectly with the fat of the fried outer layer. It lacked some of the meatiness Shizuku wanted out of a croquette, but that was her own fault for not giving Stella any meat to work with except fish cakes.

“Looks like I pass, Shizuku!” Stella cheered upon seeing Shizuku’s reaction.

After a few seconds of silence, in a pained voice, Shizuku finally said, “No, not yet.”

“Oh, come on. Stop moving the goalposts. I cleared all your tests, didn’t I?”

“I’m not. This is the final one, don’t worry. But it’s also the most important one.”

Indeed, there was one other thing Shizuku had been wanting to test from the very start. And it mattered far more than her cooking or cleaning skills. However, the fact that Stella had made it this far was already outside of Shizuku’s calculations. Moreover, if Stella gave the right answer to the final test, Shizuku would have no choice but to accept that she was more worthy of being with Ikki than Shizuku herself.

“Well, I’ve come this far, so I guess I can do one more. So, what is it? You want me to wash your back in the bath?”

“No, this isn’t a particularly difficult test. You just have to answer this one question.” She wasn’t expecting Stella to fail this test but it was all she had left. So she bit back her regret and said, “Stella-san.”

Her expression grew serious, and she looked directly into Stella’s eyes. Stella could tell this was different from the other tests, which had been more harassment than anything.

“Wh-What are you making such a serious face for?” she asked, a little overwhelmed.

“Can you love Onii-sama more than I do? Can you make him happier than I could?”

Shizuku...

Stella stared blankly at Shizuku, at a loss for words. She knew just how much Shizuku loved Ikki. Ikki was a kind, diligent boy who deserved to be loved by everyone. But the world had showered him with hate and neglect instead. For so long, the only person who’d protested his unfair treatment had been Shizuku, and she was determined to give him the love that he, by all rights, should have been given by the rest of the world. She was ready to give him the love of a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a friend, and a lover. And it was that very person who was asking Stella whether she could love Ikki more than that.

Stella knew just how much weight that question held. She knew just how deep a responsibility she’d bear if she said yes. But even so, she knew what her answer was. She straightened her back and looked Shizuku right in the eyes.

“Yes. I swear it,” she said without an ounce of hesitation.

Shizuku knew Stella meant it as well. The determination and sincerity in her voice were unmistakable.

“Then I won’t object any further,” Shizuku replied, closing her eyes. She looked as if she were cutting off some part of herself. A second later, she opened her eyes again and gave Stella a genuine smile. “Please look after him for me.”

Thus, the curtain fell on the ultimate showdown between Lorelei and the Crimson Princess.

◆◇◆◇◆

By the time they were done eating dinner, it was so late that Stella decided to sleep over at Shizuku’s place. At around 2 a.m., Stella crawled out of bed and started climbing the ladder to the top bunk where Shizuku was sleeping.

“Quiet as a mouse...” she whispered to herself, taking a look at Shizuku’s face to make sure she was fast asleep.

Perfect, she didn’t wake up! Stella pumped her fist into the air, then climbed back down the ladder. I saw where you hid it.

She reached under the bed and pulled out the very thing Shizuku had used to try to entrap her during the first of her trials: the photo album filled with Kurogane Ikki’s old pictures. She’d been waiting for Shizuku to fall asleep so she could look through it.

“Haaah...haaah...”

Panting in anticipation, Stella carefully opened the album, taking great care not to let the pages rustle. The album was indeed filled with pictures of young Ikki, as Shizuku had claimed.

H-He’s so cuuuuute!

He’d had the same gentle eyes and unruly hair as a child. All in all, he just looked like a small version of his current self. The cutest thing about young Ikki, though, was his rosy cheeks and tiny limbs.

Oh wow, he’s sleeping with his belly button completely exposed! I never knew he moved around so much in his sleep back then!

Stella smiled as she flipped through the pages, her jaw slackening slightly. However, she knew that now wasn’t the time to be spacing out. She could enjoy these photos at her leisure back in the safety of her room.

First things first, I need to snap pictures of every page before Shizuku wakes up.

But just as Stella took out her student handbook, Shizuku let out a small noise.

“Mmm...”

“Ah?!” Did she wake up already?!

Stella hurriedly closed the album and timidly got up on tiptoe to check on Shizuku. Fortunately, it seemed she’d just been muttering in her sleep and hadn’t woken up. She sniffled in her sleep, and Stella froze, transfixed by her expression.

“Onii-chan... Waaah...”

A single tear leaked out of her closed eyelid. At first, Stella thought she was having a nightmare, but then she realized she was mistaken.

She quietly opened the album back up and paid close attention to the pages rather than the pictures. They were all worn from constant use, and it was obvious Shizuku must have looked through them thousands of times. That was just how important Ikki was to her. Even if she’d finally worked up the resolve to step aside for Stella, it was obvious that she’d never fully be able to give up on her love for Ikki. She’d spent most of her life thinking only of him, after all. Despite that, she’d still told Stella to take care of Ikki for her. All because she knew that would be best for him. And that was why she was crying now, her tiny body trembling.

“Haaah...” Stella let out a sigh. Just how awkward can you be?

◆◇◆◇◆

The next morning, Shizuku swiftly kicked Stella out of her room.

“I’m done testing you, so go back to looking after Onii-sama,” she said, waving Stella away. It was hard to imagine this was the same girl who’d been crying in her sleep the night before.

There’s no way she got over her feelings in just one day either.

Stella could tell she was just putting on a brave front. Knowing that, she didn’t bother arguing back.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m leaving. Not like I want to hang around a nagging sister-in-law all day.”

She got to her feet and opened the door, only to find Alisuin standing right outside it.

“Oh, were you about to leave, Stella-chan?”

“Hi, Alice.”

Alisuin was finally coming back to her room after being kicked out yesterday.

“How’d the test go? Did Stella-chan manage to pass?” she asked Shizuku, her eyes burning with curiosity.

Shizuku hesitated, unwilling to openly admit that she had in fact approved of Stella. Of course, she knew she was just being selfish, so after a few seconds, she collected herself.

“Alice, I’ve decided that Stella-san is—”

Before she could finish her sentence, though, Stella butted in.

“Can you believe this girl, Alice?!” she shouted, her brow furrowing in irritation. “She switched the salt and sugar just to trip me up! And then she failed me for it!”

“Huh?!”

Shizuku turned to Stella in shock.

“Oh? Did you really do that, Shizuku?”

“Huh? I mean, I did, but I didn’t fail—”

Indeed, Shizuku hadn’t failed Stella, which was why she was confused.

Was yesterday all a dream, maybe?

“Whatever, I don’t care anymore. If you can’t stand that I’m dating Ikki, that’s your problem. I don’t care if you approve of our relationship or not. I’m not giving up on him. So if you try and get in my way, I’ll just steal him from you.”

In that instant, Shizuku realized what Stella was doing. She was lying to Alisuin as a roundabout way of telling Shizuku that she didn’t need to give up on Ikki. If she truly loved him that much, she was welcome to try to steal him away from her. She wouldn’t fault Shizuku for trying, at least.

You really are something else...

Shaking her head, Shizuku stepped forward.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she said, smiling provocatively at Stella. “No one can make Onii-sama happier than me! I’ll never give him over to you!”

“Hmph. I’d like to see you try, you stubborn brat.”

With those parting words, Stella slipped past Alisuin and headed for the hospital.

“Hey, Alice...” Shizuku muttered as she watched Stella go.

“Yes?”

“I think I understand why Onii-sama fell in love with her,” she said in a soft voice. “But...that doesn’t mean I’m just going to let her have him.”

“I don’t know what happened, but I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Alisuin said with a gentle smile. She could tell Shizuku had her old vigor back.

This is how you should be.

Stella had probably been thinking the same thing, which was why she’d done what she had. Incidentally, Ikki woke up that afternoon, but he would never learn about this particular event.

Intermission

“I could kiss Stella-chan right now,” Alisuin said, overcome with emotion.

“Do you want to die?” Kagami asked in response.

“I’m sure Ikki can tell the difference between a friendly kiss and a passionate one. He’s an understanding guy.”

“Stella-chan’s the one who’d kill you, though.”

“On second thought, maybe I won’t kiss her.”

“Smart choice.”

“By the way...how did you find out about that story, Kagamin?”

“Uncle Sam won’t be happy if I divulge that information.”

“Wait, this is serious enough to be an international issue?!”

“Let’s move on to safer topics shall we? We’re halfway through our special issue, and our next story is from when Senpai finally woke up after his duel with the Thunderbolt. It was right before we all left for the training camp. There was a little incident that Senpai and Stella-chan helped the student council resolve. Without further ado, let’s jump right in!”

Chapter 4: Her Path as a Knight

There was once a boy—let’s call him Mr. A for anonymity’s sake—whose parents both worked. The three of them would eat breakfast together and leave the house at the same time, Mr. A for school and his parents for work. Since they didn’t get to spend much time together, it was a tradition for them to at least eat breakfast as a family.

After school, the boy would go home alone, as his father was always busy with overtime while his mother was working the register at a supermarket. The two of them usually came home after 8 p.m. As a result, Mr. A was always the first person home. He wasn’t old enough to be in any clubs yet, and he wasn’t taking extra classes, so he got back quite early most days. Sometimes, he would go to one of his friends’ houses to hang out, but he had a curfew of 6 p.m., so he’d still invariably return home before his parents. When he got home, he would bring in the laundry that his mom had hung up to dry, then kill a few hours in the overly large house alone until his parents returned. That was his daily routine.

Today, as usual, Mr. A was at home waiting for his parents to come back. There was no one else around. The loud rattling of the windows was the only noise in the house. It was a very windy day, the cold gusts a premonition of the harsh winter to come. The rattling of the windows sounded almost like the howling of some massive beast. It certainly unsettled young Mr. A, even though he was used to being home alone. Suddenly, he found himself scared, despite the fact that he’d spent many days alone already. It felt as though there were a monster prowling the walls of the house, rattling the windows in an attempt to get in and eat him.

Unfortunately for Mr. A, his parents wouldn’t be home for a few hours yet. And he knew it would be selfish of him to call them and tell them to come home early just because he was scared. Plus, it would be embarrassing. He was young, to be sure, but not so young that he didn’t have any pride. Instead, he locked himself in his room on the second floor and tried to focus on his homework. Every minute felt like an eternity, but finally, after a few hours, the boy heard the lock on the front door click open.

“I’m home!” he heard his mom say from downstairs.

A wave of relief surged through Mr. A, and he slumped back in his chair. At the same time, he noticed that the wind wasn’t howling anymore. There was nothing to fear now, so the boy walked out of his room and started heading down the stairs. As he reached the first floor, he noticed that the kitchen light was on, but he assumed his mom must have turned it on. Though she worked late, she always made sure to cook dinner for the family after getting home.

Mr. A changed directions for the kitchen, eager to see his mom. But before he took more than a few steps, he heard the phone in the hallway start to ring. It was an annoying interruption. He wanted to jump into his mom’s arms right this instant, but since he was closer to the phone, she’d scold him if he didn’t pick it up. Thus, he reluctantly went into the hall and grabbed the receiver.

“Hello? Who is it?” he said nonchalantly. He was the one who had to answer the phone whenever his parents weren’t around, so he was used to talking to strangers.

“A-chan? It’s Mom. It suddenly started raining, so could you grab an umbrella and bring it to the grocery store for me?”

“Aaaaaaaaah!”

◆◇◆◇◆

A single candle provided the only illumination in the dark student council room, where Stella was currently screaming in fear. Misogi Utakata had been telling everyone the ghost story about Mr. A, and he turned to Stella with a frown.

“You can’t start screaming before I get to the end,” he said. “It ruins the fun.”

“B-B-B-But if his mom’s on the phone, then who’s the one in the kitchen?! That’s terrifying, isn’t it?!” Stella stammered, clinging to Ikki’s arm with tears in her eyes.

Touka, who was sitting on the other side of her, tried to reassure her. Unfortunately, she was as white as a sheet and was clearly just as scared as Stella.

“D-Don’t worry, Stella-san. It’s always possible the person on the phone is the fake and—”

“As it so happens, Mr. A’s been missing ever since that night,” Utakata interrupted in a theatrical voice.

Stella and Touka hugged each other in fear, screaming even louder.

If Mr. A really hadn’t been found after that, there’s no way the vice president would be able to know what really happened, right? Ikki inferred, smiling wryly, but it seemed Stella and Touka were too terrified to reach that logical conclusion.

Incidentally, it had been Utakata’s idea for everyone to gather in the student council room and tell ghost stories. Hagun’s representatives for the Seven Stars Battle Festival had already been selected, and Ikki had already received the school flag from Touka during the closing ceremony, so there was no work left for the student council to do at the moment. However, the past week had been swelteringly hot, so Utakata had suggested ghost stories as a way to chill everyone down to their bones. The reason he’d also invited Ikki and Stella was that they’d helped the student council out during the Okutama training camp.

But still, that’s a surprise, Ikki thought. “I didn’t think you were the type to be scared of ghosts, Stella. If anything, I thought you’d be excited by them. You seemed pretty eager to find the giant in Okutama, so I figured you were a fan of the supernatural.”

Stella turned to Ikki, tears still in her eyes.

“You can punch a giant, but you can’t hurt ghosts!”

“Ah, okay. Yeah, that makes sense.”

In truth, Ikki really loved that about Stella. She wasn’t scared of anything she knew she could face head-on.

“All right, Kanata, now it’s your turn to tell a story,” Utakata said, sliding the candle over to Toutokubara Kanata, who was sitting next to him. Whoever had the candle in front of them was the designated storyteller.

“Give us a good one, Kanata-senpai!” Tomaru Renren exclaimed.

“I’ll do my best,” Kanata replied, nodding to her and straightening her back.

Touka and Stella gulped nervously. But despite screaming the loudest at each story, they also appeared the most eager to hear the next one. Because both of them were so strong, they rarely had to fear anything. It was likely an unfamiliar emotion to both of them, and they craved this new sensation.

Kanata smiled elegantly at the two of them and said, “That being said, I don’t know many ghost stories, so I brought this with me instead.”

She moved aside the pizza boxes littering the table and put down a large tablet. She then flicked through her folder until she found the video she was looking for and started playing it. The camera showed a dimly lit hospital room. The curtains were drawn around the bed, and there was an anatomical human model in the corner. Ikki recognized the room layout.

“This is one of our school’s hospital rooms, isn’t it?”

“Kana-chan, what kind of video is this?”

“It’s footage from the surveillance cameras. I got it from the director the other day. You’ll understand once you watch it, so I’ll refrain from explaining.”

Everyone leaned closer to the tablet to get a better look. For about a minute, nothing happened.

“Is the anatomical model going to start moving or something?”

“Now that’s a classic cliché, Stella.”

“Maybe we’ll see some kids getting some hands on health education practice!”

“Vice President, that wouldn’t be very fitting for a ghost story, now would it?” Saijou Ikazuchi, the student council secretary, said.

“Besides, it’d be inappropriate to watch something like that in the student council room,” Touka added.

“Heh heh, don’t worry, President. I would never bring that kind of video here.” Kanata assured her. After a few seconds, she added, “Ah, it’s about to start.”

At long last, the video that had been still enough to be an image finally began to show some movement.

“Huh?!”

The desk, bed, chair, and drawers all started rattling out of nowhere. Slowly, the rattling got more violent, and the desk’s legs raised up as if it were dancing. The pillows and sheets flung off the bed, and the chair started rolling freely across the room. Meanwhile, the drawers started opening and closing as if they were a large, guffawing mouth, spilling their contents everywhere.

“Wh-What the heck is that?! An earthquake?!”

“It can’t be. If it were, the screen would be shaking too,” Ikki pointed out. The surveillance camera wasn’t shaking, and neither were the floors or the walls.

“Th-Then what’s happening?!”

As the blood drained from Stella’s face, the video took an even more fantastical turn. The pieces of furniture that had been ravaging the room floated into the air. Then, they started flying around, the chair breaking the ceiling light and the bed smashing the window.

“What...” Even Ikki was at a loss for words now.

A few seconds later, the video went black. At first, Ikki thought something had hit the camera and destroyed it, but he quickly realized that wasn’t the case. The blackness...blinked. It then moved back a few inches, and Ikki and the others realized it was an eyeball staring directly into the camera. An eyeball with an unnaturally large pupil.

“Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

Stella and Touka screamed in unison, and then the video was covered by static and ended for real.

“The surveillance camera was destroyed at that point, so we have no further footage.”

“K-K-K-K-Kana-chan?! Wh-Wh-What is this?!” Touka asked, her teeth chattering.

“I don’t know,” Kanata replied with a shake of her head.

“Huh?”

“This video footage is from ten days ago. Since then, something similar has happened in a random room on campus every night. The teachers have been investigating, but no one has managed to pin down the cause yet.”

In other words, that wasn’t a ghost story but an actual supernatural phenomenon that was occurring at school. Upon hearing that, everyone’s expressions stiffened. The very room they were all sitting in could be next. That was way scarier than any made-up ghost story.

“Normally, I’d assume it’s just a student with telekinetic powers playing a prank, but if even the teachers haven’t managed to figure out what’s going on, I’m guessing it’s not that?” Ikki asked, turning to Kanata. She nodded.

“Correct. The teachers already investigated every student with a Noble Art that resembles telekinesis and found no leads.”

Stella gulped in trepidation.

“D-Does that mean it’s an actual ghost doing this?”

“Or the work of an intruder our security systems failed to detect.”

The possibility Kanata suggested was honestly more of a threat than a ghost.

“But why do you have this footage, Kanata?”

“Well, when I told the director we’d be telling ghost stories in the student council room today, she gave me this video file and said, ‘Won’t it be scarier to witness a phenomenon that’s actually happening than to hear a ghost story that may or may not be real? Also, while you’re at it, could you help find the culprit for me?’ She truly is a kind soul,” Kanata said with a smile. It seemed she was genuinely grateful to Kurono, even though she’d just dumped an annoying task on everyone. Naturally, everyone else was less than thrilled.

“She was just looking for an excuse to push her work off onto us,” Ikazuchi muttered.

“What a dirty adult,” Renren added.

“We should have learned from The Tale of Genji. All middle-aged women are evil,” Utakata said.

“Tomaru-san, Vice President Misogi, I’m pretty sure there’s a surveillance camera in the student council room too,” Ikki pointed out.

“What?!” they exclaimed in dismay.

“I admit that she may have pushed off her duties onto us, but searching for the poltergeist terrorizing our school seems like a fun test of courage, wouldn’t you say?” Kanata asked, sweeping her gaze over everyone else.

“Fair enough. Count me in,” Ikki said. He didn’t want Kanata to feel bad since it seemed she’d prepared this thinking it would be fun for everyone. More importantly, if there really was someone who’d slipped past Hagun’s security, he couldn’t just let them roam free. While it wasn’t a regular student’s job to handle these kinds of cases, it still felt irresponsible to leave everything to the student council. Ikki turned to Stella and added, “If you’re scared, though, Stella, you don’t have to come.”

He wanted to mention that first so that she didn’t get peer pressured into joining if she didn’t want to. As always, he was kind to a fault. Stella breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took the lifeline he’d given her.

“I-In that case, me and Touka-san will just wait here while you guys take care of it.”

To her surprise, though, Touka ruined her plans.

“N-No, I’ll go,” she said with a grimace. “Kurogane-kun’s right. As students of Hagun, we can’t ignore a threat to our school. And as the student council president, I have to set an example for everyone else!”

Her lips were trembling, but Touka’s eyes were burning with determination. She was terrified, but her sense of duty meant more to her than her fear.

“I’ll come too,” Utakata said, nodding. “That bastard’s definitely hiding in the security room, I’m sure of it. My sixth sense has never led me astray before.”

“What a coincidence, I thought our culprit might be there too! I’ll go with you!” Renren said.

“You aren’t even trying to hide your true intentions anymore, are you?” Ikazuchi said with a sigh.

“Oh, shut up. What about you? What are you gonna do?”

“I can’t be the only member of the student council to sit this out, so I’ll join you.”

In the end, everyone but Stella was down to hunt this mysterious poltergeist.

“So you’re the only one staying here, then, Stella-san?” Kanata asked with a slight grin.

“Bwah?!”

This was not what she’d been expecting.

“Stella-san, you’ll keep the student council room safe from the ghost roaming the halls, right? It’ll be dark and you’ll be all alone, and in horror movies, people like you always die first, but—”

“O-On second thought, I’ll come too! As a student of Hagun Academy, I have to protecth the shool!” Stella shouted, panicking so hard that she tripped over her words.

Ikki gave her a worried look and said, “You don’t have to force yourself, Stella. If you want, I can stay back with you.”

But Stella firmly shook her head.

“I-I’ll be fine! Besides, there’s no such thing as gh-ghosts! It’s probably just someone playing a prank! Once I find out who’s behind it, I’ll teach them a lesson they’ll never forget!”

“I’d expect nothing less from the Crimson Princess,” Kanata said, her grin growing mischievous.

And so, Ikki and the others went off to search the school for the mysterious poltergeist in the middle of the night.

◆◇◆◇◆

The problem with Hagun was that it had a large campus. If they all searched as a group, it would take forever to comb every building. Therefore, Utakata had suggested, “Since this is also supposed to be a test of courage, it’d be boring if we searched as a large group. Let’s split up into three groups instead.” They’d drawn lots to see who got paired with each other, and Ikki had ended up with Toutokubara Kanata.

It was 10 p.m., which meant there were no students or even teachers roaming the halls. The only noise was that of his and Kanata’s footsteps. As always, Kanata was wearing a white dress and a wide-brimmed hat, which made her look ghostly in the dim light. The two of them searched the halls in silence.

I don’t even know what we could talk about...

Had Ikki been paired with Utakata or Ikazuchi, he probably could have found some common hobby or something to discuss. As for Tomaru and Touka, he’d fought both of them before, so that already gave them plenty of topics of conversation. Naturally, it would have been quite easy to find something to discuss with Stella too. And even if they weren’t talking, just spending time in silence with Stella was comfortable for Ikki.

Kanata was the one member of the student council Ikki really didn’t have a good handle on. He wasn’t a particularly good talker either, so starting a conversation was proving quite difficult—especially since Kanata seemed so aloof and hard to approach. She had the air of a refined noblewoman, and acted so mature that it was hard for him to imagine she was just one year older than him. It was a rude comparison to make, but she honestly seemed like more of a princess than Stella. In fairness, the Toutokubara Conglomerate was one of the largest and wealthiest companies in the world, and Kanata was its heir. Technically, Ikki was from a rather prestigious family too, but thanks to his peculiar upbringing, he had no knowledge of high society and was understandably overwhelmed by Kanata’s refined aura.

At the same time, Ikki was interested in learning what kind of person Kanata was. After all, despite being the heir to a wealthy company, she was ranked the second-strongest student in Hagun. Like the Thunderbolt, she was one of the few student knights who’d been called in to help with official Mage-Knight Federation business and had participated in missions with full-fledged knights.

Ikki also remembered the first time he ever spoke to Kanata. She’d been exuding such an intimidating aura back then that he’d mistakenly thought her pure-white dress was drenched in blood. And like him, Kanata would be participating in the Seven Stars Battle Festival. That being the case, it was possible they’d end up fighting each other in the tournament. Naturally, he was curious as to what it was that drove her, and what ideals she held as a knight. Since Ikki was the kind of person who analyzed his opponents in battle, it was especially important for him to get a better handle on what kind of person she was. And if he let this opportunity slip by, he likely wouldn’t get another chance to have a private conversation with her.

It would be a waste to end this search without at least talking about something. Thus, Ikki worked up his courage and opened his mouth to speak. But Kanata beat him to the punch.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve been alone together, Kurogane-san.”

She’d said exactly what he’d been thinking of saying too. It was then that he realized that maybe she’d found it awkward to break the silence as well.

“Sorry... I’m such a boring guy that I can’t even think of a topic to discuss.”

“I don’t mind. If anything, it would be strange to be chatting idly during a test of courage,” she said with a refined smile. But then her expression turned serious, and she added, “But there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now, Kurogane-san. I apologize if this ruins our ghost story fun, but would it be all right if we had a frank conversation?”

There’s something Toutokubara-san wants to ask me? That was a surprise. Maybe she’s interested in what kind of knight I am too? I can’t imagine any other common topic we might have to discuss.

Ikki had no reason to refuse her, so he nodded.

“Of course. As long as it’s something I can answer.”

“Thank you very much. In that case, let me cut right to the chase. Kurogane-san, does kissing feel good?”

“...Come again?”

◆◇◆◇◆

That question was so far out of left field that Ikki’s mind went blank for a moment.

“Um...i-is that what you wanted to ask me?”

“Yes,” Kanata said with a nod, blushing. She pressed her fingers together and continued in a bashful voice, “Though it’s embarrassing to admit, I have never dated a man before. However, I am quite curious as to what...kissing...feels like. Since you’re going out with Stella-san, I thought you might be able to enlighten me.”

She pulled her hat down a bit to hide her face.

“I-I see...”

Ikki ducked slightly to look into her eyes and saw that she was dead serious about this. It was a surprising question from someone he’d thought was more mature than him, especially because just asking had caused her to blush like a child. Of course at this point everyone knew he was dating Stella, so there was no reason to hide anything.

“How do I put this... It does feel good, of course... If you can manage to do it right, that is.”

“Is it such a difficult technique that it’s possible to mess up?”

“I mean, when you’re not used to it, you accidentally knock your teeth together and stuff.” Ikki’s words carried the weight of someone who’d been in that very position not long ago.

“Oh my.” Kanata blushed even harder, perhaps imagining Ikki and Stella kissing, then chuckled to herself. “But once you can kiss properly, it feels good, correct?”

“Yeah, I’d say so. More than that, though, it’s an important expression of love. Kissing someone you love feels...fulfilling.”

“Is it somehow different from hugging or holding hands?”

“Not really? It just feels a bit more...special, I suppose.”

“I see, so it’s the highest-quality expression of love.”

“That’s an odd way of phrasing it, but you can think of it that way, yeah. It makes me happier than holding Stella’s hand or hugging her, at least. So in that sense, it feels amazing.”

Ikki felt a little embarrassed to be pontificating on the virtue of kissing, and he blushed a little as well.

“I see, I see...” Kanata said, intrigued. “What exactly is the happiness you feel when you kiss Stella-san, Kurogane-san?”

“Y-You want me to go into detail?!”

He hadn’t been prepared for Kanata to dig even deeper. She looked so curious too that he doubted he could get away without answering.

“Um...do I have to answer that?” he asked, still hoping he could weasel his way out.

“I would be extremely grateful if you did.”

“Mrgh...” Ikki was the one who’d said he’d answer anything he could, and he was a man of his word. So he thought back to how it felt kissing Stella and said, “W-Well, I can feel the heat of her body when our lips touch, and that sensation is truly...amazing. Also, Stella looks really cute when she’s begging for a kiss with puppy dog eyes. It’s really heartwarming knowing there’s someone who wants you that badly... I guess, to sum it up, it’s just the happiness that comes from love.”

I-I can’t believe I just said all that.

Ikki shook his head in embarrassment, but he wasn’t the only one blushing. Kanata, too, looked quite embarrassed.

“Th-That was a rather personal story to hear. Now I’m blushing too.”

“You shouldn’t have asked, then!”

“Sorry,” Kanata said with an apologetic smile. But her eyes then turned into stars again, and she muttered, “But thanks to you, I’ve learned that kisses are as wonderful as the books describe them. I hope to be able to kiss someone that passionately someday. The way you kiss Stella-san.”

“A-Anyway, that’s all I can tell you about kissing. Let’s go back to hunting ghosts, okay? We can’t just stand around here all night.”

Ikki quickly started walking away, trying to hide his embarrassment. As he rounded the corner, he spotted Stella and Touka.

“H-Huh? Aren’t we supposed to go in together, Stella-san? Why are you hiding behind me?”

“Y-You know you’re supposed to walk behind your elders, right? And since you’re older than me, I thought it would just be polite to stay behind you, Touka-san.”

◆◇◆◇◆

“No need to be formal on my account. As the Rank A Blazer here, you should be in front, Stella-san. Most supernatural phenomena are usually grounded in weird interactions with plasma or electricity. That’s no different from what my powers are, so I’ll be more useful staying in the back and keeping an eye out for surprises. You have more raw power, so it makes more sense to have you go in first. Don’t worry, I’ve already used my electromagnetic sonar to check, and there’s no humans inside. You can burn the whole room to a crisp if you have to.”

“If you know there’s no one inside, why do we have to check the room at all?”

“O-On the off chance it really is a ghost, we need to check every room manually. Otherwise, we won’t find it...”

“I thought you said supernatural phenomena are usually plasma or whatever?! Y-You say you’ll be keeping an eye out for surprises, but you just want to use me as a shield, don’t you?!”

“Like you’re one to talk! If there’s really a ghost inside, you’ll just run away and leave me to fend for myself!”

“N-No I won’t!”

“Liar! I can tell all your muscles are tensing! Your lies won’t work against my Reverse Sight!”

“Nnngh... What an annoying power...”

Good grief. They were just arguing in circles about who would go in first to check the bathroom. They really can’t handle scary things, can they?

It was kind of funny to watch them, but Ikki wasn’t so mean that he’d leave them hanging forever. He decided to call out to them and reassure them a little.

“Hey— Mmpf?!”

But suddenly, Kanata stepped forward and covered his mouth. He turned back to her, and she angrily shushed him. Only then did she let go of his mouth.

“Pwah... What’s the matter, Toutokubara-san?” he asked quietly.

“We can’t call out to them, Kurogane-san,” she replied in a whisper.

“Wh-Why not?”

“This is a test of courage, remember? It would be breaking the rules to help them. Since we’ve run into each other, we have to surprise them instead. In fact, as the one who suggested this ghost hunt, it’s my job to make sure they’re as scared as humanly possible.”

“B-But don’t you feel bad for them? They’re already terrified.”

“It’ll be fine. If Stella-san and Touka-chan really couldn’t handle ghosts or scary stories, they wouldn’t have come to today’s gathering.”

“Y-You’ve got a point there...”

“Girls say they’re scared of horror movies and haunted houses, but they love experiencing them anyway. Right now, those two are having the time of their lives. It would be rude of us to ruin that.”

“I’m not so sure about that...”

Then again, Ikki had to admit that Kanata made a convincing argument. The point of coming to a scary story gathering was to get scared, and Stella and Touka had come. It was entirely possible that calling out to them now would ruin their fun. Ikki told himself that had to be the case, and decided to do as Kanata said.

“But how are we going to surprise them? Yell really loudly from right behind them?”

Kanata gave him a devilish grin and said, “Just leave that part to me. Heh heh heh.”

◆◇◆◇◆

“S-So you won’t go in first no matter what, Stella-san? Geh...”

“O-Of course not. No way I’m taking the lead here. Ngh...”

The two of them had been circling behind each other for three minutes now, and it seemed like they were getting dizzy. At the same time, they’d realized that there was no point in continuing their fruitless argument, so Touka offered a suggestion.

“F-Fine, then how about we do this? We can both call out at the same time to see if anyone’s in there. If no one responds, then we can assume there’s no ghost there and move on.”

“That’s a great idea, Touka-san! Let’s do that!”

That was not a great idea at all, but they decided to push their twisted logic through. The two of them turned to the bathroom.

“Is there a ghost in there?” they asked together. Of course, ghosts didn’t exist, and Touka knew thanks to her Blazer powers that there was no one inside, so it was impossible for anyone to answer.

“There isnnn’t...”

Except something did respond.

“...”

“......”

Stella’s and Touka’s pupils dilated, and sweat started beading on their foreheads.

“I-It said it’s not in there.”

“Y-Yeah. Th-Thank god... If there was someone in there, we’d be in deep trouble.”

“T-Tell me about it. I like ghost stories, but I don’t want to meet the r-real thing...”

“S-Same here. Aha ha ha...”

Their knees started trembling, and the blood drained from their faces. Something supernatural had occurred right in front of them, after all. Eventually, the two of them became unable to deny reality for any longer.

“B-By the way, I heard a voice say, ‘There isn’t.’ I wasn’t imagining that, was I?”

“N-No, I heard it too... It came from right behind us.”

“Wh-Whose voice was that, you think?”

“Maybe our voices just echoed in a weird way, and what came back to us sounded like an answer!”

“Th-That makes total sense!”

“Right?! That’s far more reasonable than something as unscientific as ghosts! Let’s turn around on the count of three, okay?”

“O-Okay. I’ll start the countdown. One...two...three!”

Steeling themselves, the two girls whirled around. All they saw was a dark, empty hallway studded with windows at regular intervals. No ghosts as far as they could see.

“S-See? It was just our voices echoing in a—”

Just then, they saw the ghost of a black-haired woman in a white dress reflected in the window. She was standing right behind them.

“I’m going into the bathroom now...”

“Eeeeeeeek!”

Screaming in terror, Stella and Touka fled the building as fast as their legs would carry them.

“Aha ha ha ha ha ha!” The ghost, aka Kanata, laughed hysterically as she watched them go. “Did you hear their screams?! I never knew humans could make that kind of sound! Aha ha ha!”

She grabbed the black wig and pulled it off, revealing her natural, gleaming blonde hair. She’d put the wig on before rounding the corner, then used her Noble Art, Diamond Dust, to crush her Device into a thousand pieces, which she’d scattered around Stella and Touka. From there, she’d used the reflections from those shards to make it look like she was standing behind the two of them.

“Were you planning on doing something like this all along? Is that why you had a wig ready?”

“But of course. As the host of this test of courage, I need to make it as entertaining as possible. Besides, I wanted to have some fun too. Aha ha ha ha ha.”

Ikki finally figured out why Kanata had purposely goaded Stella into joining this excursion. She’d wanted to scare the living daylights out of her and Touka. Everything had been for this moment.

I never knew she had a prankster side to her.

At the same time, Ikki couldn’t help but be impressed by how thoroughly she’d set this up. He was learning so much about her already. When she’d asked him what kissing felt like, he’d seen a more girlish side to her too. He was quickly discovering that you really couldn’t judge people based on first impressions.

“Oh my, my stomach hurts from laughing too much. Hmm? What’s wrong, Kurogane-san? Is there something still stuck to my hair?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that, it’s just...”

“You thought I was more mature?”

“Huh?”

Ikki was surprised that Kanata had managed to guess his thoughts so easily. She gave him a devious smile, as if she’d expected his stunned response.

“Heh heh, it seems I guessed correctly.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“No, I just get told that quite often. Probably because of how tall I am and the fact that I was taught how to act like a lady by my family. It’s why I got the nickname ‘Scharlach Frau.’ But in truth, I’m not very ladylike at all. I love teasing people, and in the past, I would get into all sorts of trouble with Utakata-kun.”

“Really?”

“Yep. One time, I replaced all of the oolong tea in the fridge with soup.”

“Th-That’s such a clichéd prank! But also really evil!”

“I was spanked quite frequently by Touka-chan as a child. In case you didn’t know, she can slap quite hard,” Kanata noted with a small chuckle.

Ikki was beginning to understand that despite the aura she exuded, she was quite the rambunctious girl. It was no wonder she’d put in so much effort to set up this scare.

She’s clearly done this before. You wouldn’t know to wait a few seconds before casting your reflection on the window unless you had experience. Either that, or she researched this extensively.

“It’s funny, it’s hard to imagine you pulling pranks as a child, but I can easily see Vice President Misogi being like that.”

“Heh heh. Are you disappointed to learn that I’m so childish?”

“No. If anything...it makes it easier to talk to you.”

Kanata smiled at that.

“I’m glad to hear it. I have less than a year here, and I’d prefer to spend my remaining time having fun with everyone rather than being an unapproachable senpai.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you were a third-year. You’ll be graduating soon, won’t you?”

“Yes, but that’s not the main issue.” Kanata’s voice fell slightly. “The truth is, I’ll be getting married after I graduate.”

“Y-You will?” That took Ikki by surprise. He also realized that something didn’t add up. “Wait, but you said earlier that you’d never gone out with anyone.”

They’d had that conversation only a few minutes ago. There was no way Ikki would have forgotten.

“Indeed, I have not,” Kanata replied with a nod.

“So if you’re not going out with anyone, who are you marrying?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

Don’t tell me...

Though he’d run away from home, Ikki was still from a prestigious family. He knew that kind of thing happened among the elite.

“Does that mean you’ll be marrying someone your family’s chosen for you?” he asked, and Kanata nodded again.

“It happens often in the upper echelons of the business world. Political marriages to merge large conglomerates together or to bring promising new businessmen into the family are commonplace. My guess is that I will be marrying either a Chinese businessman running a company in Southeast Asia or a famous French financier. Either way, once I get married, I’ll have to move to my husband’s country. That’s why I want to make the most of my time in Japan while I still can.”

“I see...”

“Heh heh, and that’s why I’m grateful to you, Kurogane-san.”

“Why me?”

“Because you answered the question that was eating away at me the most. Because of my social standing, I’m not free to love whoever I wish, but I am still curious about love like anyone else would be. I wanted to know what it feels like to be in love with someone from the bottom of your heart, and thanks to you, I now understand just how wonderful it is.”

Ikki didn’t know what to say to that. He did, of course, wonder whether this marriage was being forced upon Kanata by her family. After all, marriage was a pivotal event in one’s life, and to have your spouse chosen by others seemed unconscionable to Ikki.

He wasn’t close enough with Kanata to ask if she was feeling pressured by her family, however. They hadn’t spoken enough yet to really be friends. This kind of personal matter wasn’t something he should butt into. Even so, Ikki couldn’t help but feel that her situation resembled his.

“Toutokubara-san, has it ever felt stifling to have to do what your family wants?”

Her eyes had shone with such innocent excitement when she’d been asking him about his relationship with Stella. He didn’t want her to sacrifice herself just to appease the demands of her family.

“Stifling, you say? Hmm...”

Before Kanata could answer, there was a loud crash, and a nearby classroom window started to crack.

◆◇◆◇◆

“What the?!” Ikki and Kanata shouted in unison. The cracks started to grow larger and larger until finally the window shattered, showering the hallway with glass shards.

“Watch out!”

“Eek!”

Thanks to his honed reflexes, Ikki reacted instantly and leaped backward, grabbing Kanata and taking her along with him. The two of them tumbled to the ground, safely avoiding the hail of sharp glass.

“That was close. Are you okay?!” Ikki asked, sitting up and turning to Kanata.

“Y-Yes. Thank you very much.” Thanks to Ikki’s quick thinking, she’d come out unscathed. “B-But could you please move your hand now?”

Blushing, Kanata looked down at her chest. When Ikki had pushed her down, he’d ended up grabbing her boob with his right hand.

“Whoa?!” The moment he realized that, he hurriedly pulled his hand back. “S-Sorry! It wasn’t on purpose!”

“Heh heh, don’t worry, I know.” Kanata was well aware of how good a person Ikki was. She knew he wouldn’t grope her on purpose. “I’ll keep this a secret from Stella-san.”

“I’d really appreciate that...”

“But I’m afraid our fun little test of courage has come to an end now,” she added with a sad sigh, looking at the broken window.

Windows didn’t just break of their own accord. Whoever was behind this poltergeist incident was likely in that room.

“Let us dance, Francesca.”

Kanata got to her feet and summoned her Device, a translucent rapier that looked like it was made of glass. She held it in her right hand, bringing it close to her chest with the point raised toward the ceiling. She brought the palm of her left hand above the blade’s tip and thrust into it.

Francesca was so brittle that it shattered against her palm. The shards scattered through the air, glinting in the moonlight. Scharlach Frau was ready for battle. A few seconds ago, she’d been acting like a teenage girl, but now she had the serious expression of someone who’d survived numerous battlefields and now found herself on a new one.

“Can you take point? I’ll support you from the rear,” she said, turning to Ikki.

“Got it!” he replied. Kanata’s optimal fighting range was midrange. Meanwhile, he was a close-range fighter, so it made sense for him to go in front. “Come to me, Intetsu!”

Ikki summoned his own Device and leaped through the window. The furniture inside the classroom was whirling through the air, much like in the video of the hospital room Kanata had shown everyone. There was a single figure standing inside the tornado of spinning desks and chairs. They were covered by a white curtain, so Ikki couldn’t make out their features. Tiny slits had been cut into the curtain, though, and through them, Ikki could see a pair of shining eyes. They were the exact same eyes he’d seen in the video.

That’s our guy!

“Surrender now and we won’t hurt—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the figure hurled all of the chairs and desks in the room at him. It was clear that they had no intention of surrendering.

“Fine, have it your way!” Ikki yelled, leaping forward. He didn’t bother cutting down any of the furniture heading his way since he knew Kanata would take care of it for him. She had said she’d support him, after all.

Her Diamond Dust shredded the desks and chairs into sawdust seconds before they collided with Ikki. Her Noble Art allowed her to control the fragments of her sword, in much the same way this intruder was controlling the furniture. Right now, those shards were spinning around Ikki like an invisible drill, slicing anything that got close to him to ribbons.

“Ah?!”

The intruder staggered backward in shock. They then turned on their heel and tried to jump out the window on the other side of the room—the one that led outside. However, they were on the third floor right now, and the courtyard below was paved. Even a Blazer would suffer some damage from a fall of that height. But the intruder didn’t fall after jumping out. No, they floated gently in the air instead. It seemed they could control their own body with their telekinesis powers as well.

Crap, are they planning on flying away?!

Ikki didn’t have any skills that would let him catch a flying foe. If he tried jumping out of that window, he’d just fall to the ground. He started to slow down, but then Kanata called out to him.

“Don’t stop, Kurogane-san! Keep chasing them!”

“Okay!” Ikki shouted back. She sounded confident enough that he decided to put his faith in her. I’m counting on you, Toutokubara-san!

He leaped out of the window without hesitation and found that his feet were touching something hard and solid.

I see...

Looking down, Ikki saw that he was standing on footholds made of shards of glass. Kanata had brought her Diamond Dust together to make platforms for him. He kept leaping forward and up, and each time, Kanata created a new foothold for him right at the apex of his jump.

Wow. I can’t believe she’s able to predict my movements well enough to accurately create these footholds each time.

It took a lot of flexibility and experience to make snap judgments like these and then carry them out without hesitation. It also took impressive observational skills to judge the strength of Ikki’s leaps and know where to place the footholds. Ikki could see why Kanata was ranked the second-strongest Blazer in Hagun.

The intruder stared at Ikki in shock for a moment before once again trying to use their telekinesis to obstruct his advance.

“Too late!” Ikki roared. Their delayed reaction had given him enough time to throw Intetsu at them before they could blast him with psychic energy. They were forced to direct their telekinesis at Intetsu to avoid being run through by the gleaming black blade, which gave Ikki an opening to attack. “Haaah!”

Ikki leaped off of Kanata’s platform with enough force to shatter it and closed the distance between him and the intruder in one fell swoop. He jabbed them in the vitals, intending to knock them out.

“I’ve got you now!”

He then grabbed their arms and pinned them behind their back, just in case. Unfortunately, they were now higher up than the tallest school building on campus. It was a fifty-meter drop to the ground. And since Ikki was restraining the intruder, he wouldn’t be able to use any techniques to break his fall and soften the impact. However, he also knew he didn’t need to worry. He had a partner backing him up right now.

“Diamond Storm.”

Kanata directed all the shards of her sword toward the ground. She then started shredding it to pieces and churning it up, turning the hard concrete into a soft, powdery film that cushioned Ikki as he hit the ground.

“Impressive...” Ikki muttered before turning to look at the person he’d captured. They weren’t moving, so it seemed his jab to the vitals had knocked them out as he’d hoped. They were quite small, and for a moment, Ikki thought it was a kid. But then he pulled the curtain off, and his jaw dropped open in shock. “Wh-What the?!”

◆◇◆◇◆

“Huh?! The culprit’s...a-a monkey?!” Stella shouted, looking at the caged monkey that Ikki had captured a few minutes earlier. Indeed, the poltergeist that had been terrorizing the school was a wild monkey. “Has anyone heard of monkeys using Noble Arts before? Or any other animal?”

“It’s far rarer for animals to become Blazers than humans, but it’s not completely unheard of,” Touka replied.

Blazers had the power to impose their will upon the world via the mana they possessed. One could also think of it as a person’s ability to influence the course of history. But it wasn’t just humans who’d left their marks on history. Occasionally, creatures other than humans had appeared with superpowers.

“Modern historians believe that the fabled legendary beasts people talked about in myths might have been animals with the powers of Blazers,” Touka explained.

“Huh, I didn’t know that. This monkey sure caused us a lot of trouble, though... Hmm?” Stella looked down and noticed that one of the monkey’s legs was bandaged. “Is he injured?”

“Seems like it. That injury was already there when I caught him,” Ikki answered. He hadn’t seen it at first, but upon closer inspection, he’d noticed that there was a bite mark on the monkey’s hind leg. “He was probably exiled from his pack because of his unique powers. He’s pretty young, so the only reason he’d be on his own is if his parents abandoned him.”

“I guess he was just trying to protect himself, then.”

Animal society was far harsher to outcasts than human society. This monkey had likely only ever appeared at night because he was afraid of humans. Now that they’d treated his wounds and fed him, he was as docile as a pet. He’d only been messing up rooms inside the school to protect himself from perceived threats.

Stella frowned at the monkey, and for a second, Ikki thought she wanted to punish him for scaring her so much.

“Well, I suppose I can forgive you. You better be grateful I’m such a merciful person,” she said, and Ikki was once again reminded that she wasn’t so petty that she’d punish a blameless animal. She did flick its forehead, though.

“Ook, ook.”

The monkey grabbed her finger like it was trying to give her a handshake.

“H-He’s so cute...” Stella said, her frown melting into a smile. Now it was Utakata’s turn to frown, though, and he turned to Touka.

“What are we going to do, Touka? If all he’d done was destroy property, it wouldn’t be a huge deal, but he attacked Kanata and our cute kohai. Federation law states that any supernatural creature that harms humans needs to be put down.”

“Yes... And since Japan is part of the Mage-Knight Federation, that law applies here as well.”

“What?! W-We can’t kill him! He was just trying to survive!” Stella exclaimed.

Of course, this wasn’t as big a problem as Utakata and Stella feared. Ikki smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Stella. Toutokubara-san’s already taken care of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“One of the companies her family runs specializes in studying and caring for creatures with supernatural powers. She called them once we found out our poltergeist was a monkey, and they’ll come to pick him up. Technically, it’s illegal to bring a creature who harmed humans under protection, but...technically, neither of us were harmed either.”

Kanata had said that her family’s company was willing to bend the rules a little since no one had gotten hurt.

“I-I see... Thank goodness.” Stella breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she turned to Ikki and added, “Kanata-san’s family really is amazing. Not only do they run the orphanage Touka-san’s from, they do this kind of work too.”

“Yeah...” Ikki mumbled, nodding thoughtfully. He thought back to what Kanata had told him right after he’d captured the monkey and they’d contacted her family to get him placed under protection.

“Yes. Please do. Yes. Thank you very much. Until next time.”

“How’d it go?” Ikki had asked, and Kanata had nodded.

“Perfectly. Father said he’ll speak to the company on my behalf to ensure this monkey isn’t mistreated.”

“That’s great news. I’m the one who caught him, so I’d feel bad if we had to kill him afterward.” Ikki gently patted the unconscious monkey’s head. “I’m amazed your family even runs a facility that looks after supernatural creatures, though.”

Depending on the power they possessed, creatures with magical abilities could be extremely dangerous. A regular facility couldn’t safely house them; one would need to be built to exacting specifications. You’d also need a lot of land to mitigate risk in case of a breakout. Most importantly, you’d need to hire a squad of Mage-Knights to be ready to suppress any rampaging beasts.

All of that naturally came at a massive expense, which was why the protocol was to kill magical creatures that’d harmed people. It cost more to safely house them than some third-world governments raised in a year. Ikki had been amazed that the Toutokubara Conglomerate was willing to spend that much on supernatural creatures. But according to Kanata, it was only natural for her family to invest their wealth in welfare work like that.

“Heh heh, you see, the Toutokubaras are an ancient noble family that’s been around since before the French Revolution. We’ve inherited their spirit of noblesse oblige and adhere strictly to it even to this day.”

Noblesse oblige was the idea that the rich should care and provide for the poor. It was the obvious thing to do, but very few wealthy people actually put it into practice. The Toutokubara family had moved all the way from France to Japan, even changing their family name in the process, but it seemed they still held fast to that principle. Naturally, there were those who criticized them as hypocrites, but they continued serving the people as best as they could. Kanata was genuinely proud of her family for that.

“You asked earlier if it felt stifling having to do what my family asks. You were probably wondering if I resent them for making me marry someone I don’t know, right?” Kanata had asked before looking Ikki directly in the eyes. “I’d be lying if I said it never felt painful having to give up on my desires for the sake of my family. If I could, I would want to fall in love with someone naturally and stay here in Japan with Touka-chan and the others. I want to live my life as a Mage-Knight, not the wife of some nobleman. But I respect the spirit of the Toutokubara family too much to put my desires over their needs. I want to continue the work that my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father tirelessly devoted their lives to.”

“There are countless problems in this world that can only be solved with money,” she’d continued. “The orphanages that wish to take care of children who lost their parents or were abandoned by them need money to function. Likewise, it takes vast sums of money to care for animals like these, who were granted powers they never asked for and have nowhere to go. All of these are problems I would never be able to solve on my own. But the wealth and prestige of the Toutokubara family can, and unlike so many other wealthy families, we have the will to do so as well. So I don’t consider it a sacrifice that I have to marry someone I don’t know to help our family prosper. I’m simply doing our family’s work.”

Kanata was willing to choose the good of the many over the happiness she could win for herself by continuing to be a Mage-Knight, and without any hesitation either.

“This is the path I, Toutokubara Kanata, choose, as a proud member of the Toutokubara family,” she’d said in a resolute voice.

It was then that Ikki had realized that he need not have worried about Kanata. She was far stronger than he’d known.

“They really are amazing people...” he muttered, returning to the present and turning to look over at Kanata. He had nothing but respect for her and the path she’d chosen. Unfortunately, he stared for a few seconds too long.

“Ooh, what’s this? Why are you staring so passionately at Kanata, Kohai-kun? I know! Could it be that while you two were alone, you did something you can’t tell Stella-chan about?” Utakata asked, grinning wickedly.

Naturally, Ikki protested.

“What?! Wh-Wh-What are you saying, Vice President Misogi?! Of course I didn’t— Wait.” Ikki stopped himself upon realizing that something technically had happened between them that he couldn’t tell Stella. The fact that they were the ones who’d freaked Stella and Touka out in front of the bathroom.

“Oh, Iiikkiii. Why did you suddenly cut yourself off?” Stella asked, her eyebrow twitching and flaming embers appearing in her hair. She was clearly pissed.

“Ah, wait, it’s not what you think, Stella. You’re making a grave misunderstanding.”

Ikki knew he’d have to come clean, so he turned to Kanata with a pleading look in his eyes. “Toutokubara-san, is it all right if I talk about what happened?”

She just smiled and put a finger to her lips.

“Shh. That’s supposed to be our little secret, remember?” she answered, giving him a suggestive wink.

“Wha—”

Seeing the playful twinkle in her navy blue eyes, Ikki realized that he’d asked the wrong person for help.

Sh-She’s enjoying watching me squirm...

In retrospect, he should have just come clean without bothering to ask her first. But it was too late.

“Ikkiiiiiii!”

Stella summoned Lævateinn to her side, her eyes burning with fury. There was only one thing Ikki could do now.

“I-I’m sorry!”

He had to run away until she calmed down.

“Ah, he ran,” Kanata said.

“Hold it right there! Just what secret are you keeping from me?!”

“I’ll tell you! I promise I’ll tell you, so just calm down and put the sword away!”

“How am I supposed to calm down after what I just saw?!”

Incidentally, thanks to the events of that night, rumors started going around the school that there was a ghost of a girl with a giant sword who roamed the grounds at night.

Intermission

“If Shizuku learned about this, she’d throw a fit,” Alisuin said with a grin.

“Do you think Shizuku-chan’s scared of ghosts?” Kagami asked.

“I’m not sure... Now I want to do a test of courage with her to see.”

“Make sure you invite me if you do!”

“By the way, I never even knew there was a poltergeist messing up rooms in our school. You must not have known either since you didn’t write an article about it, right, Kagamin?”

“Oh, I knew. But the director stopped me from writing about it in the paper.”

“My, is that so?”

“Yep. I think the director figured out pretty early on that it was an animal causing the ruckus. That’s why she asked Toutokubara-senpai to take care of it. If she was the one who caught it, her position as school director would require her to kill it.”

“Heh heh, our director sure is kind.”

“I know, right? Anyway, let’s move on to our next story. This fifth story is about the training Stella-chan went through with Saikyou-sensei after she lost to the Gale Emperor. We don’t get to see any of it in the main story, but here we’ll learn the secrets of what Stella-chan was doing during that week!”

Chapter 5: Stella’s Sleepless Night

With a week to go until the Seven Stars Battle Festival, Stella once again found herself at the training facility in Okutama. Most other fighters participating in the tournament were resting in preparation for the battles to come. As a result, the only people here were Stella, who’d realized she wouldn’t be able to beat the Gale Emperor at her current level of strength, and the person who’d be teaching her, Demon Princess Saikyou Nene.

“Hah! Hah!”

Stella ran through the dense forest, chasing after Saikyou. Saikyou was a good thirty meters ahead of her, her crimson kimono flashing in and out of view between the trees.

“Hup!”

Saikyou leaped from branch to branch, easily maneuvering her way around the foliage. It irked Stella how easily Saikyou made her way around the dense terrain.

“Try and land even a single hit on me. That’s your first task,” Saikyou had said before the start of today’s training. At first, Stella had thought she was being underestimated. Saikyou might have been the third-ranked King of Knights fighter in the world, but Stella was a Rank A Blazer too. She’d figured it would be easy to get just one hit in. But she’d quickly learned that Saikyou was far more formidable than she’d realized.

Stella had been chasing after Saikyou for half a day now, and she hadn’t gotten close to hitting her. At the rate things were going, she wouldn’t even get close enough to slash at her by the end of the day. So she decided to change tactics. She gathered mana around Lævateinn.

“Dragon Fang!”

A burst of flames shaped like a dragon shot out of the tip of her sword and headed straight for Saikyou. This particular Noble Art moved quickly and chased after its target.

“Ha ha, nice.”

The trees and bushes along the dragon’s path were consumed by the flames, and Saikyou quickly realized she wouldn’t be outrunning it. But that didn’t mean she’d be getting hit either. She whirled on one foot, spinning to face the oncoming flame dragon. Using the force of her turn, she slammed a roundhouse kick into the dragon’s jaw.

Her power allowed her to manipulate gravity, which gave her kick the density it needed to scatter even flames, and Stella’s Dragon Fang was completely neutralized. Not only that, but she also used the shock wave from the explosion to propel herself high into the air and even farther away from Stella. However, Stella had expected as much. She knew Saikyou wasn’t so weak that a single Dragon Fang would get her.

“Oh?” As Saikyou reached the apex of her jump, she realized what Stella had actually been going for with that Dragon Fang. Below her was no longer a forest. She was now right above a huge lake. “Wow, I actually let her bait me.”

If she fell into the lake, she wouldn’t be able to run around, which was what Stella’s real aim had been. But of course, Saikyou wouldn’t go down that easily. She created a gravity force field under her feet, allowing her to stand safely on the surface of the water rather than sinking into it. However, Stella had been prepared for that as well. She knew a lake would be no impediment to a gravity user. The reason Stella had lured Saikyou to the lake wasn’t that it would ruin her footing, but rather that there’d be no more trees or bushes in her path.

“I’ve got you now!”

Stella arrived at the lakeshore a second after Saikyou landed and leaped right into the water. The moment she landed, she brought her flames up to full force at her feet. The rising steam served as a foothold that buoyed her, and she started running across the water as well.

“Well, well. I see you’re able to apply your powers in unconventional ways.”

Saikyou had the upper hand in the claustrophobic confines of the forest since she was small and agile. When it came to raw speed, however, Stella was faster. Saikyou couldn’t outrun her on a flat plain like a lake.

“Haaah!” Stella closed the distance between them in seconds. As she did, she shot four fireballs at Saikyou. They landed on all sides of her, sending large pillars of water into the air and restricting her movements and vision. “Take thiiis!”

Stella slashed through the water pillar in front of her, confident that Saikyou wouldn’t be able to see the attack coming.

Wait, there’s no resistance!

Despite her confidence, Stella could tell that her blade had cut through only water. There was none of the resistance that came from tearing muscle or crushing bone. As the spray dissipated, she looked around wildly.

“Wh-Where’d she go?!” she cried.

Saikyou had been behind that water pillar a second ago, but now she was nowhere to be seen. A second later, Stella heard her voice from directly behind her.

“What’s this? Looking for someone?”

“Ah!”

Stella whirled around and saw that Saikyou was standing on her sword, her feet perfectly balanced at the tip.

“Attacking after restricting your opponent’s movements and vision was a good idea,” Saikyou complimented her. “But there’s something sorely lacking in your swordplay.”

“Th-There is?!”

“Yep.”

Saikyou reached out toward Stella’s face. Stella was still so shocked at learning her swordplay was lacking that she just stood stock-still while Saikyou flicked her on the forehead.

“Agh!”

The flick was powerful enough to send her flying. She skipped across the surface of the lake like a rock and crashed into a tree on the opposite shore.

“Mrgh...” Stella groaned in pain, her head spinning as she struggled to get to her feet.

“Die, Boobzilla!” she heard Saikyou shout.

Not good!

Saikyou leaped high into the air and used gravity to both increase her weight and accelerate her fall. In doing so, she landed a devastating kick on the defenseless Stella. There was a thunderous boom, and a massive dust cloud kicked up as Stella was driven deep into the ground.

“Ngh!”

Stella had managed to get her sword up just in time to block, which had dispersed enough of the force of the blow that she was still barely conscious.

“Ooh, that was an impressively fast block,” Saikyou said with genuine awe.

“Did you just call me ‘Boobzilla’?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” With that nonchalant reply, Saikyou jumped off of Stella. “All right, let’s stop here for today. The sun’s starting to set anyway.”

Stella shook her head as she got to her feet and shouted, “N-Not yet! I can still keep going!”

“No you can’t,” Saikyou said, smiling faintly. “Even a baby gazelle’s legs don’t tremble that much. You’re at your limit. That much is elementary, my dear Watson.”

“Geh.”

“If I push you any harder, you won’t be able to get back to the lodge on your own, and I really don’t want to carry you.”

Stella couldn’t argue against that. With all their running around, they were now a few dozen kilometers away from the lodge. What little energy Stella had left would be needed to make it back.

“Good luck getting back. Bwa ha ha ha ha.”

With a hearty laugh, Saikyou leaped away, leaving Stella to fend for herself. But there was one thing Stella had to know before she vanished.

“W-Wait! At least tell me what’s wrong with my swordsmanship!”

If she didn’t know what was lacking, she wouldn’t know how to fix it. That would keep her up all night. Unfortunately for her, Saikyou wasn’t interested in answering.

“Remember what I told you when I agreed to train you? I won’t teach you anything. You’ll have to reflect on your abilities and find the answers for yourself. If you can’t figure it out on your own, it just means the Crimson Princess wasn’t all that hot to begin with.”

“Ah!”

With that, Saikyou disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Stella sat by the lakeside for a while, mulling over her words.

“What am I lacking...”

Even after an hour of thinking, she was no closer to finding the answer.

◆◇◆◇◆

It was past midnight by the time Stella finally made it back to the lodge. It took another hour for her to take a bath and crawl up to her room and into her bed. She was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally. Despite that, though, she found herself unable to fall asleep.

“Why can’t I sleep...” she muttered an hour after getting into bed.

It was a rhetorical question. She knew exactly why she couldn’t sleep even though she was dead tired. She hadn’t felt the warmth of the boy who was always by her side even once today. Normally, they always kissed each other goodnight before going to sleep. On top of that, Ikki’s soft breathing as he slept always helped lull Stella to sleep as well. Tonight, though, she was sleeping alone. As a result, she didn’t have her usual sleep aids.

“Ugh...”

She couldn’t believe she was missing him already when they’d only been apart for a day. She never knew she could be so starved for someone’s touch. At the very least, she wanted to hear his voice. She reached for her student handbook, which she kept near her pillow.

It was in the mountains, but this lodge got enough traffic that there was a cell tower nearby, which meant Stella had reception. She could call Ikki if she wanted. But just as she picked up her student handbook, she dropped it again.

“No! You can’t, Stella Vermillion!”

The whole reason she’d come here alone was that she hadn’t wanted to show Ikki this pathetic side of her. Since she hadn’t been able to land a single hit on Saikyou all day even though Saikyou hadn’t been using her Device, if she called Ikki now, she’d just end up complaining to him. This was just the first day of training too. There was nothing more embarrassing than crying to her boyfriend that Saikyou’s training was too hard when they’d only just started. At the same time though, her performance would drop tomorrow if she wasn’t able to get proper rest.

“Guess I’ve got no choice. I need to use my secret weapon.”

Stella got out of bed and opened her suitcase. In truth, she had suspected that she’d start pining for Ikki while training with Saikyou, so she’d brought a little something with her.

“That’s right, I swapped out Ikki’s futon sheet with mine!”

This way, she could sleep while surrounded by Ikki’s scent.

Sometimes my ingenuity amazes me.

Stella pulled off her bed sheet and put on the one she’d brought with her. She then wrapped them around herself and took a deep breath.

“What?!” She jumped out of bed, shocked. “N-No! This isn’t Ikki’s sheet!”

Every dorm room in Hagun had the same type of bedsheet, so it was impossible to tell them apart by sight, but Stella knew this wasn’t Ikki’s scent. It was Shizuku’s!

“Mrrrgh... I can’t believe she would do this to me.”

She’s always one step ahead, I’m going to have to kill her if I ever want to be free.

But after a few seconds, Stella grinned to herself.

“B-But that’s not enough to beat me, Shizuku! You screwed up!”

Shizuku’s mistake had been using her own sheet to replace Ikki’s.

“If you were smart, you would have used Alice’s sheet! I love Ikki so much that even his relative’s scent is enough to remind me of him! Heh heh heh, you underestimated me, Shizuku!”

Stella once again wrapped the sheet around herself and sucked in a deep breath. Shizuku’s milky-sweet scent entered her nostrils, and she focused only on the parts that overlapped with Ikki’s. That helped her pretend she was sleeping in Ikki’s warm embrace, which let her relax.

“Ah...”

Her imagination was so vivid she could even envision Ikki’s soft breathing next to her, and a shiver ran down her spine.

“Hee hee hee...” My powers of imagination terrify even me.

A smile spread across her face, and she realized this was the first time she’d fantasized about Ikki like this. It was, of course, perfectly normal to fantasize about your lover, regardless of whether you were a guy or a girl. But he had always been beside her until now, so she’d had no need to. She could just have the real Ikki whenever she wanted. On the other hand, though, there were some things she was simply too embarrassed to ask the real Ikki to do—things that she could easily fantasize about instead.

The Ikki in my mind will do anything for me. So I should enjoy this to my heart’s content!

Stella started thinking about what wonderful dreams she might have if she took her clothes off and slept naked.

“No, wait, I can’t do that! That’s too dirty!”

Blushing, she shook her head. Her heart was pounding so hard that she thought it might burst. There were some things she couldn’t bring herself to do, even in a fantasy. She knew if she crossed that line, there’d be no going back. But at the same time, the devil on her shoulder was reminding her that this was just a fantasy. There was no harm in imagining whatever she wanted. It wasn’t as if the real Ikki would ever know or be bothered by it.

But still...

“Don’t forget, everyone sleeps naked with their partner. You’re the only one who doesn’t,” the devil whispered.

But!

Trapped between her embarrassment and her desire, Stella spent the whole night agonizing over whether to take the plunge.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Whoa, you look awful. Did you not get any sleep last night?”

“Not really...”

Indeed, Stella hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. Seeing how exhausted she looked, Saikyou gently patted her shoulder.

“I get how you feel. Must be hard to sleep after being told your swordsmanship is lacking and not knowing why. But if you’re spending that much time agonizing over your abilities, I’m sure you’ll find the answer soon. It’s important that you figure it out yourself, so good luck.”

“Ha ha ha... I’ll do my best.”

Even if Saikyou tortured her, Stella would never let her know she’d totally forgotten that she was meant to be reflecting on her swordsmanship.

Intermission

“So, she didn’t do much training at all, huh?” Alice sighed.

“She sure didn’t,” Kagami answered.

“What was even the point of her going to the training camp?”

“At the start, it almost seemed like it would be a serious training story too.”

“That aside, I thought Shizuku had been sleeping naked the past few weeks because of the recent heat wave, but now I know the real reason...”

“Shizuku-chan and Stella-chan really do get along well, don’t they?”

“They sure do. I feel like everything would be solved if Ikki would just make both of them his wives.”

“Knowing Senpai’s personality, though, that’s probably never happening. Now then, it’s time for the final story we have for our special edition. This is actually from before either of us even enrolled in Hagun. It’s the story of how the Worst One managed to pass the entrance exam a year ago.”

“Yuri-chan was his examiner, right?”

“Yep. It’s how the legend of the Worst One began. I hope you all enjoy Episode Zero!”

Chapter 0: Chivalry of a Failed Knight - Episode 0

As spring break came to an end, Hagun Academy’s campus was once again filled with the sounds of students milling about, chatting with each other. Amid the hustle and bustle was a young boy lending a shoulder to an older woman. He had straight black hair and gentle features. That boy was none other than Kurogane Ikki, the school’s only Rank F Blazer. And since he’d been held back, this was his second year as a first-year. The older woman he was helping had beautiful features that were marred only by the deep circles under her eyes. She was Ikki’s homeroom teacher, Oreki Yuuri. She’d started vomiting blood in the middle of homeroom, so he was bringing her to the infirmary.

“Sorry you have to help me over, Kurogane-kun... Cough, cough!”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. Try not to talk, though, please. You’re already deathly pale.”

“D-Don’t worry, I’ll be perfectly fine after I get a two-liter blood transfusion.”

“The fact that you need that much blood means you’re not fine at all. You have a weak constitution, so please don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Ngh... But this is an important day for all the new first-years. I wanted to celebrate it with everyone.”

That was why she’d tried to act so energetic even though she’d known her body wouldn’t be able to handle it. She hadn’t wanted to ruin the new students’ big day.

Oreki-sensei never changes, Ikki thought with a shake of his head.

She was always putting her students first. He’d experienced that for himself the year before. In truth, he respected her immensely for it, so he couldn’t bring himself to admonish her for not paying more attention to her health.

Well, since I know she’s prone to collapsing, I just have to be ready to help her out whenever she does.

Just then, they reached the infirmary.

“All right, we’re here.”

As he pushed the door open, the astringent scent of medicine entered his nostrils.

“Haaah, what a wonderful smell. The smell of medicine always calms you down, doesn’t it?” Oreki asked, turning to Ikki.

“I can’t say I agree...”

Unlike her, Ikki hadn’t spent half of his life in the hospital.

“It doesn’t look like the nurse is around,” he said. “I’ll go call them.”

“Cough... It’s fine, don’t bother. I know how to treat myself at this point. In fact, I know more about how to treat my condition better than most doctors.” Oreki staggered over to the shelves and started rummaging through them. “Let’s see, I need aspirin, indomethacin, cilostazol, and... Wow, they have nitroglycerin here? Nice, I love the taste of this one. Would you like some as well, Kurogane-kun?”

“I’ll pass...”

“It’s a delicacy, you know.”

Oreki sat down on the bed and started downing various drugs like they were candy. Initially, Ikki was worried she’d just picked out whatever tasted good rather than what she needed to treat herself, but her complexion started improving after a few minutes, so he was forced to accept she knew what she was doing.

“What should we do about homeroom? Everyone’s probably still in the classroom,” Ikki asked.

“Well, I already told everyone what they need to know, so could you tell them they’re free to leave when you get back?”

“Sure. I can take over from here, so you just rest. I know you’re sturdier than most people, but you’re still sick, so don’t push yourself.”

“Cough, cough. I know... Sorry for worrying you,” Oreki said with a small smile. “You know, this feels kind of nostalgic. You helped me to the infirmary after your entrance exam too, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I was thinking about that day too,” Ikki replied. The two of them had met for the first time when Ikki had come to take Hagun’s entrance exam. He’d been on his way to the sixth training field, where the exam was going to be held, and come across Oreki having one of her usual fits. Like today, he’d helped her to the infirmary so she could get treated. “I never imagined the person I found collapsed along the way would be my examiner, though.”

“Thank you so much for helping me out back then. If you hadn’t brought me to the infirmary, I wouldn’t have made it in time for everyone’s exam. But you really surprised me, you know. You might have been shocked to discover that this sickly lady was your examiner, but I was far more shocked by what you said during the exam. I doubt I’ll ever meet anyone else who’ll be that bold at an entrance exam.” Oreki closed her eyes, reminiscing. “I can’t believe it’s already been a whole year since then...”

She could still remember that cold, wintry day like it was yesterday. The day she’d met and fought against the Rank F knight Kurogane Ikki.

◆

Every nation valued its Blazers highly. Therefore, they all wanted to ensure that they trained their prospective Mage-Knights as well as possible. That meant that most Mage-Knight schools didn’t have an entrance exam. So long as one was a Blazer, they were allowed in.

The seven top Blazer schools in Japan were no different, with the exception of Hagun Academy. Hagun paid for the room, board, and tuition of all of its students, but in return, prospective students had to prove that they deserved to be admitted. Oreki Yuuri was one of the teachers who’d been assigned to look over a group of twenty applicants and determine which ones were worthy.

“Cough... All right, everyone, I’m going to have you all show me your Blazer abilities. When your name’s called, show off your skills in whatever way you desire.”

The students dutifully lined up and stepped forward when Oreki called their names. One of the students had twin swords as their Device and was able to melt a lump of iron with the flames they called forth, another flew across the training field with the power of wind, and yet another was able to create a calming scent that healed the bodies and minds of those who smelled it. The students’ abilities were quite varied, and none of them could be called “normal people.” Despite their youth, they all possessed superhuman powers.

Hmm... Most of the kids in this group aren’t very promising.

However, Oreki sighed as she examined them, munching away at the pills on her desk. Most of the people who’d displayed their powers thus far were Rank E, or at best Rank D. Of course, most Blazers entering high school were one of those two ranks. Hagun accepted around 250 new students a year, and among them, maybe five were Rank C. The school considered itself lucky if it got even a single Rank B Blazer in a given year. And there hadn’t been a single Blazer who’d been Rank A upon entering Hagun, because unsurprisingly, Rank A Blazers were an extreme rarity. Moreover, among Hagun’s students, only World Clock Shinguuji Kurono had managed to make her way to Rank A before graduation.

Hagun split its applicants into groups and put different teachers in charge of each one, so it was entirely possible for a group to have no Rank C Blazers in it whatsoever. But while that was expected, Oreki still couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. She and all the other teachers had once been student knights, after all. They all had lingering attachments to the Seven Stars Battle Festival, and they all hoped that their school could eventually produce a champion since they had failed to win the tournament themselves. Oreki wanted nothing more than to encounter a hidden gem among these new kids. But so far, no one she’d tested had looked very promising.

Oh well. Maybe one of the other groups will have someone special...

Of course, Oreki didn’t let her disappointment show outwardly. She didn’t want to discourage the kids. Looking down at her list, she called out the next name.

“Next, we have Kurogane Ikki-kun. Please step forward.”

“Okay,” Ikki said in a voice that echoed clearly as he stepped forward. Oreki could tell from the way he’d enunciated that he had martial arts training.

“Ah, you’re...”

As she looked up at him, she realized that he was the same boy who’d helped her when she’d collapsed from blood loss earlier. He’d told her he was taking the entrance exam, but she hadn’t expected him to be in her group.

“Thank you for your help earlier. I was able to make it to the exam on time because of you. Here, have a candy,” she said, placing a pill onto his open palm.

“A-Aha ha, that’s quite a...unique candy. Thank you, I think...”

His expression stiff, Ikki pocketed the pill.

What an obedient kid.

Oreki hadn’t expected him to play along with her joke. Smiling a little, she looked down at the documents detailing his abilities. As she read through, her eyes widened in surprise. He was the son of Kurogane Itsuki, the famed Iron Tyrant who presided over the Japan branch of the International Mage-Knight Federation.

Kurogane’s a rare enough name that I assumed he was from the Kurogane family, but I never imagined he was the younger brother of the Gale Emperor. I didn’t even know he had a younger brother.

Oreki had assumed Itsuki’s only son was Kurogane Ouma, who was currently enrolled in Bukyoku Academy. But regardless of whose son Ikki was, she still had to judge him fairly.

“All right, let’s see what your abilities are,” she told Ikki.

After a few seconds of silent contemplation, Ikki asked, “You said we’re free to showcase our abilities however we please, right?”

“Hmm? Yes, that’s right. I want you to show me your powers in the way that you think will best convey your worth as a Blazer,” Oreki replied with a nod. Internally, though, she felt kind of bad for him.

I guess...I’ll have to fail him.

She had already come to a conclusion on whether to let Ikki enroll. Back when he’d lent her his shoulder, she’d sensed how much mana was in him. She could sense it again now, and there was alarmingly little. If she wasn’t focusing, she wouldn’t be able to sense it at all.

It was rare to come across a Blazer with such little mana. Based on just his mana pool, he’d be Rank F for sure. Probably among the weakest of the Rank F Blazers as well. If his ability was exceptionally useful, maybe he’d be upgraded to low Rank E. But to get into Hagun, you had to be upper E-tier or better.

He seems like a kind boy, and he helped me out earlier, but I can’t bend the rules for him.

“How will you show me what you’re capable of, Kurogane-kun?” Oreki asked, hiding her inner disappointment.

“Oreki-sensei, I’d like to duel you to prove my worth. I’m confident I can win,” Ikki said in the same calm voice as always, looking Oreki right in the eyes.

The other kids started muttering excitedly among themselves.

“D-Did he just say ‘duel’?!”

“Is he insane?! A kid can’t beat a teacher at one of the big schools!”

“He definitely challenged her to a duel, though.”

“Is he even a Blazer? I don’t sense any mana from him.”

“It’s barely anything, but he does have some. There’s no way he can beat an active Mage-Knight with that tiny mana pool, though... Is he reckless, or just stupid?”

The kids’ surprise was understandable. All of Hagun’s teachers were active Mage-Knights, professional Blazers who’d received their licenses from the Federation. Meanwhile, Ikki and the others weren’t even student knights yet. They were just regular Blazers. It was ridiculous to think they stood a chance against Oreki, yet Ikki had confidently claimed that he’d win.

“What do you think you’re trying to pull?!” one of the guards shouted, stomping over toward Ikki. He thought Ikki was just messing around and was ready to throw the boy out of the training field.

No one was taking Ikki’s challenge seriously. No one except Oreki, that was.

“Hold a moment,” she said, holding a hand out to stop the guard.

“Oreki-sensei?”

“It’s fine. You can stand down.”

She then turned back to Ikki and looked him over once more. He’d kept his gaze fixed solely on her the whole time.

How pathetic. I’ve been away from the battlefield so long that I didn’t even notice the fire in his eyes. Oreki pushed away her bangs and grinned slightly. The burning determination she could see in Ikki’s eyes was as sharp as a blade. He looks kind, but he’s dangerous, all right.

It was clear to her that Ikki seriously intended to beat her in a duel.

“Kurogane-kun. We knights can summon our Devices in phantom form so that we don’t physically harm our opponent, but you’ll still feel the pain of being cut. You know that, don’t you? If we fight, you’ll have to suffer quite a bit. Surely you don’t want that. You shouldn’t need to fight me to showcase your abilities either.”

“If I just show you what my powers are, I won’t be able to pass, will I?”

“Ah!” Oreki’s eyes widened in shock. I thought I was hiding it pretty well, but...

“Even if you don’t say anything, I know. I understand better than anyone just how weak my magic is. It’s not enough to make the cut for a school as prestigious as Hagun.”

“Hmm... If you know that, why bother taking this entrance exam at all?”

“You could say...family circumstances require me to take this exam. My family doesn’t want me to go to a Mage-Knight school. But I swore to myself I would after graduating middle school. I didn’t make that promise lightly. I even ran away from home to be here. So I can’t afford to back down. Since they had their image to worry about, my family gave me food to eat and a roof over my head while I was in middle school, but now that I’ve graduated, I can’t count on that support anymore. That means the only Mage-Knight school I can hope to attend is Hagun, which pays for all of its students.”

I guess that explains why I never heard about Itsuki’s other son.

The Kurogane family probably didn’t want the world to know that they’d produced a Rank F failure like Ikki. It would tarnish their name. Oreki could understand why they wouldn’t want to pay his school fees if he was trying to get into a Mage-Knight school.

Scholarship systems existed for poor Blazers to get into good schools, but they were all handed out by the Federation. Since Itsuki was the head of the Japan branch, that meant he was the one in charge of approving the scholarships in this country. There was no way he’d let Ikki qualify for any of them, hence Ikki’s only choice had been to aim for Hagun, which paid for all of its students’ expenses.

“But your mana isn’t high enough to make it into Hagun, Kurogane-kun,” Oreki said simply. However, Ikki didn’t back down.

“I know. That’s why I have no choice but to carve open a path for myself today.” As he said that, he summoned a jet-black katana into his right hand. He glared up at Oreki and added, “If I can defeat a teacher like you in a duel, will that prove that I’m worth paying for?”

Beating a teacher would definitely prove Ikki was stronger than his ranking implied. Every teacher at Hagun, including Oreki, had graduated from a Mage-Knight school and gotten their license from the Federation. Furthermore, only Blazers ranked D or higher could get teaching licenses. Beating a teacher meant Ikki was at least as strong as a Rank D Blazer.

“A knight’s job is to fight. So I think it’s only fair that I get to show my worth by fighting,” he concluded.

“You have a point there...”

“O-Oreki-sensei, are you sure about this?! Something like this is completely unprecedented!”

“I was the one who said these children could show off their abilities in the manner they choose. You’re right that this is unprecedented, but Kurogane-kun hasn’t broken any rules. Can I ask you something first, though, Kurogane-kun?”

“What is it?”

“Why did you challenge me to a duel? You could have picked any of the adults here. All of the guards are official Mage-Knights as well, so beating any of them would have sufficed to show that you’re worthy of attending Hagun.”

“That’s true, but I’d prefer to fight you, Oreki-sensei.”

“Is that...because you think you’ll have an easier time beating an ill woman?”

Ikki had seen her collapse, so he knew she was sickly. Initially, Oreki thought Ikki saw her as an easy mark, but after seeing the look on his face, she realized she was mistaken.

“Ha ha ha.” He laughed out loud and said, “Spare me the fake humility. You and I both know that you could beat everyone else in this training field even if they came at you all at once. And you wouldn’t even break a sweat doing it.”

“Heh.”

Oreki snickered, and a second later, everyone in the arena started to scream.

“Gaaaaaaah!”

Both the kids applying to Hagun and the guards writhed around in pain until they fell unconscious, foaming at the mouth. Only Ikki remained standing. He looked over at Oreki’s left hand and saw that there was a bloodred cutlass in it. She’d summoned her Device and used her Blazer ability.

“Violet Pain. I can make everyone around me feel the pain this sickly, frail body feels. Everything from the constant tearing of my muscles to the cracking of my bones to the festering burning in my organs. As you can see, it’s quite effective.”

Oreki endured so much pain on a daily basis that most people couldn’t even remain conscious after experiencing it for a few seconds. Even the burly security guards had squealed like little girls as they’d passed out. Of course, the fact that Ikki was still standing meant that he’d managed to stay sane through that overwhelming pain.

“But I guess you can endure that torment, Kurogane-kun,” she noted. Not only had Ikki withstood the pain, he hadn’t even flinched at it. His gaze was as fierce as ever.

“I’m the one who challenged you to a duel. I’ve long since prepared myself for pain.” He wasn’t deflecting Oreki’s Noble Art. Every breath he took hurt enough to make his lungs feel like they were going to burst. But he just smiled fearlessly at her and said, “You’re not the only one accustomed to suffering.”

“Heh heh. I see there was no need to test you. You’ve shown me your resolve, Kurogane-kun. In which case I have no reason to stop you. Rank C knight Jolly Roger Oreki Yuuri accepts this duel.”

“Thank you, Oreki-sensei.”

Ikki dropped into a stance and pointed Intetsu at Oreki.

◆

Oreki made the first move, rushing straight at Ikki with a mana-enhanced leap.

Let’s see if you have the skills to back up your resolve! she thought as she swung her bloodred cutlass down at Ikki.

“A wide swing like that won’t ever hit me!” Ikki shouted, expertly deflecting the cut with Intetsu. However, Oreki hadn’t thought a straightforward frontal attack like that would connect either.

“I wasn’t expecting it to.”

Her true aim had been to force Ikki to use his own sword to block, giving her an opening she could exploit. She’d continued advancing even as her first attack had been deflected, and now the two were close enough that their fists could reach each other. Her shorter cutlass had the advantage over Ikki’s katana at this range. She’d be able to get her attacks out much faster than Ikki now.

“Haaah!”

“Ngh!”

Oreki followed up with three consecutive slashes, and while Ikki managed to just barely get Intetsu up in time to block each one, he was clearly being pushed back. Japanese katanas were meant to be wielded with both hands, and they boasted decently long range compared to other sword varieties. But that meant they were at a disadvantage against shorter blades like cutlasses, which were designed for one-handed use.

Furthermore, Oreki was adept at swordplay. Her cuts were quick and precise, and she controlled her blade like it was an extension of her arm. She flicked her wrist like a conductor, and her deadly crimson blade lashed out to strike Ikki once more. Cutlasses were weighted at the tip to increase their slashing power, but that made them slightly unwieldy. It took a true master like Oreki to fully bring out their potential.

“Wow! I guess if you want to be good enough to become a teacher at one of the famous Mage-Knight schools, you need to understand swordsmanship as well as your own Blazer powers,” Ikki said.

“I appreciate the compliment, but I’m afraid you’re mistaken,” Oreki replied. “There are plenty of teachers even at Hagun who don’t know how to wield their Device effectively and rely solely on their powers. I just happen to be a weirdo who enjoys swordplay.”

There was little need for Blazers to learn martial arts and swordsmanship. In fact, it was considered a waste of time by most, given that their powers were literally superhuman. Meanwhile, swordsmanship was something even regular humans could master. Naturally, Blazers therefore assumed such martial arts couldn’t hold a candle to their magical powers. At best, mastering martial arts would give one a slight edge against another Blazer whose magical strength was about equal to theirs. Most knights considered it inefficient to spend time practicing martial arts, and so they eschewed it. It was far more useful to work on new ways to utilize one’s powers or control them better.

“I initially got into martial arts as a way to focus my mind, but I found that I enjoyed it quite a bit, so I ended up mastering what techniques I could. It’s really nothing special,” Oreki added. At the same time, inwardly, she was starting to feel a little disappointed. I thought he’d put up a better fight in a straight sword battle, at least.

Ikki had challenged someone stronger than him despite knowing his magic was lacking, so she’d hoped his martial skills would be up to par to make up for that. Most knights who boasted that they could beat higher-ranked Blazers did, in fact, tend to have superb martial abilities. They all clung to the faint hope that perhaps that would help bridge the gap between them and those who had been born stronger than them. Oreki had assumed Ikki was one of those youngsters.

But from what I can tell he hasn’t spent any time training in a dojo.

There was no proper form to Ikki’s stance, and he wasn’t giving off the aura of a martial artist either. He was blocking purely on reflex, as far as Oreki could tell. It was admirable that he was able to manage even that much considering he was constantly being subjected to the extreme suffering of Violet Pain, but seeing as he’d challenged a teacher of all people, she’d been expecting more.

If you know you’re lacking compared to your peers, you have to try that much harder if you want to walk the path of a knight!

“What’s wrong? You won’t be able to win just by defending! Or are you in so much pain that you can’t manage anything else?”

Despite Oreki’s taunts, Ikki remained on the defensive. He had no other choice, since Oreki wasn’t giving him any openings to counterattack. His only hope for breaking out of this situation was to use his Blazer powers.

I won’t just sit here and wait for that, though!

Oreki swung at Ikki again, and this time, when he deflected with Intetsu, his sword was knocked away. She’d gone from light swings that only had the power of her wrists behind them to a much heavier attack that utilized the force of her lower body as well. Ikki’s defense naturally crumbled as he was met with a heavier slash than he’d expected. Taking advantage of the opening, Oreki swung her cutlass right at Ikki’s neck. Since their Devices were in phantom form, he wouldn’t die, but he’d be instantly knocked out by a hit to the vitals. It was starting to look like their duel would end without Ikki managing to do a single thing.

But that’s just what a duel is. I’m not going to go easy on you simply so you can show me what your powers are.

In battle, those who gave their opponents time to do as they pleased were second-rate, and Oreki was anything but. Not to mention that it was Ikki who’d requested this duel. Oreki had no reason to go easy on him. But to her utter surprise, he leaned back and easily dodged the attack she was sure would land.

“Huh?!”

For a moment, Oreki froze in surprise. Not because Ikki had dodged, though. Anyone with good enough reflexes would have been able to manage that. No, what had shocked her was the expression she’d seen on Ikki’s face as he’d done so. It hadn’t been surprised or panicked. It didn’t look like he’d just dodged on reflex and gotten lucky. On top of that, his movements had been so natural that they couldn’t possibly have been reflexive.

“I knew it,” Ikki said. “I had a feeling you’d change things up right about now.”

“What do you mean by that? Are you saying you predicted that I’d try to end the match here?” Oreki asked in response.

“Yep. I could tell you were getting impatient. I’m sorry I was fighting so passively. But for me, this is both a duel and an entrance exam. And in order to show you my specialty, I needed a bit of time to prepare.” As he said that, Ikki swapped from a two-handed grip to holding Intetsu in just his right hand. His stance was identical to Oreki’s. “Fortunately, I don’t need to keep you waiting any longer. I’ve memorized all your techniques, Sensei.”

With that outrageous claim, Ikki swung his sword with a flick of his wrist, just like Oreki had been doing earlier.

“You imitate my style well, but if this is the best you have to show, I must say I’m a little disappointed! That’s nothing but a circus trick!”

Oreki’s technique was meant to maximize the power of her Device, which was a cutlass. Those same techniques weren’t nearly as effective when used with a longer katana. As a result, Ikki’s versions of her moves would be inferior.

Oreki didn’t even bother going on the defensive, instead opting to meet Ikki’s sword head-on with her cutlass. Sparks flew as the two blades collided, and for a moment, it looked like they were evenly matched. But Oreki was confident her swing would win out in the end. A second later, though, she realized she’d been mistaken.

“Wait...he’s faster than me?!”

She should have been able to move her cutlass faster than his katana, but she’d found that she was the one with the slower attack.

Not only that...he’s pushing me back!

“How...”

“There’s one thing you’re mistaken about, Oreki-sensei.”

“What?!”

“While it’s true that I’m using techniques similar to yours, I didn’t copy your swordsmanship wholesale. I adapted it to match Intetsu better, and I improved on the areas where it was lacking while I was at it. That’s why I’m pushing you back.”

Wh-What on earth?!

“Y-You improved it?! That’s not something you can do in just a few seconds! Even stealing someone’s technique after only a few blows is nigh impossible!”

Ikki just smiled awkwardly and said, “That’s why I called this my specialty. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been observing other people’s training to try and steal their techniques. No one was willing to teach me anything, after all. After doing that for years, I’ve reached the point where watching someone for three minutes is enough for me to learn all of the techniques from the sword school they belong to, as well as analyze the history of that school and how those techniques have evolved. I can also break down what their weaknesses are and how they can be improved upon.

“I don’t have a sword style of my own for that exact reason,” he went on. “Rather than sticking to one style, it’s more efficient to come up with techniques on the spot that can best deal with my current opponent. I know pure martial artists look down on that kind of fighting style, though, so I can’t be too proud of it.”

Ikki had said it like it was nothing, but Oreki was speechless. Initially, she’d thought he was full of openings after looking at his stance. His form had been nonexistent as well. But it had been a mistake to think that was because he was unskilled. He hadn’t been using any proper martial arts form because he hadn’t needed one.

Indeed, martial arts forms were nothing more than a midpoint. Martial artists practiced and refined their forms as a means of reaching the pinnacle of martial might. Those who’d already reached it had no need for forms, as being tied down to them simply limited their options.

I can’t believe he’s come this far at such a young age!

As far as Oreki knew, the only other person who’d attained such martial mastery was the War God Nangou Torajirou. A shiver ran down her spine.

“Haaah!”

With a fierce battle cry, Ikki knocked Oreki’s cutlass back, then followed up with another lightning-fast slash. Oreki knew she wouldn’t be able to pull her sword back in time to block. Ikki’s swordsmanship was that of a true master, far beyond her own.

Intetsu bit deep into her shoulder, but since it was in phantom form, it left no physical injury. Instead, the amount of stamina and energy Ikki shaved away with that single slash came out as a flash of red light. Blazers referred to that flash that looked so much like a spray of blood but wasn’t as “bloodlight.” But while Oreki’s body wasn’t actually cut, she still felt the pain as if she’d been sliced through. Had this been a duel between regular humans, that blow would have easily decided the match.

“Aaagh?!”

However, after cutting through Oreki, it was Ikki who let out a scream of pain and dropped to one knee.

◆

Even though he hadn’t been hit by anything, a burning pain ran through Ikki’s shoulder the moment he cut Oreki.

Wh-What just happened?!

He knelt down, visibly shaken. But he didn’t have any time to think, as Oreki launched another slash at his neck while he was defenseless.

“Ngh!”

This time, his dodge wasn’t graceful at all. He reflexively threw his body back and barely got out of the way of her swing.

“Wow, you managed to evade that. I get the feeling I won’t be landing a single hit on you from close range.”

Oreki let out a small sigh. There was still a glowing red line on her body from shoulder to torso where Ikki had cut through her. Upon seeing that, he realized what must have happened.

That’s exactly the same place I’m feeling pain right now... I see.

“I was careless,” he said. “I thought Violet Pain just made me feel the illnesses your body does, but that’s not all, is it? You can share the pain of the wounds you receive in battle too, can’t you?”

“Well done. You get a perfect score on your analysis,” Oreki replied. That meant the pain of every hit he landed would be reflected back to him.

Her power’s a lot more trouble than I expected. I have to be careful about how I attack.

“But it’s not as if you can afford to stay on the defensive forever either, right?” Oreki asked with a knowing smile.

“Please stop reading my thoughts.”

“It’s obvious what you’re thinking from how much you’re sweating.” As she’d said, there was a lot of sweat beading on Ikki’s forehead. “Ever since the duel began, you’ve been experiencing all of my pain thanks to Violet Pain. I’ve been with it since childhood, so I’m used to it. I can handle pain far better than most people, to the point where most things don’t even register to me. But you don’t have that kind of resistance. You’re just pushing through with sheer willpower, and that can only last so long.”

She was right on the money. The amount of pain Ikki was struggling through was enough to make most adults faint on the spot. He couldn’t grit his teeth and bear it forever. In fact, he knew he’d reach his limit quite soon.

“I admit, you were able to beat me in a sword fight,” Oreki continued. “But we aren’t swordsmen, Kurogane-kun. We’re Blazers, people who wield superhuman abilities. Swordplay alone won’t be enough to beat me. Isn’t it about time you showed me what your Noble Art is? Or do you plan on trying to beat me in a battle of endurance?”

“Definitely not. I know I won’t be able to outlast you.”

It was the height of folly to drag this battle out. Ikki knew he didn’t have the resistance to pain that Oreki did. But if he just blindly rushed at her, he’d lose. After all, each attack he landed would hurt him as well, leaving him open to a counterattack. The only way he could win was to hit her with a single attack that was guaranteed to end the match. He’d have to do it while she wasn’t braced for the pain either, or she might hang on to consciousness long enough to knock him out as well.

It’ll be tough, but...I think I can do it.

Confident that his plan would work, Ikki quickly made the decision to use his Noble Art. He closed his eyes and envisioned his body in excruciating detail. He sucked in power from every single cell in his body, from those residing in his fingertips to those in his hair follicles. A second later, he was wreathed in a faint blue glow. That light was mana that had been condensed to the point that it was visible. By gathering every last drop of strength he possessed and using it all up in the span of a single minute, he was able to grant himself an explosive amount of strength.

That double-edged use of mana was the Noble Art Ikki had devised to give him a fighting chance against those whose natural powers far exceeded his own: Ittou Shura. Once he pulled the trigger, even he couldn’t cut it short. It would stay active until his mana was completely exhausted. If the battle went on for more than a minute, he’d become unable to fight.

“Here I come, Oreki-sensei. Using everything I have, I’ll prove my worth to you!” Ikki shouted, charging at Oreki.

◆

Oreki gasped in surprise when she saw the mana emanating from Ikki.

I can’t believe he’s using his mana like this!

The amount he was exuding was far more than she’d sensed from him earlier. That meant he was drawing power from the depths of his soul in order to augment his abilities—power that no one was meant to draw.

It was easy enough for someone to say they were willing to use up everything in one decisive clash. Actually drawing out every last bit of strength like that, however, was nigh impossible. Every living creature reserved some of their energy to keep vital functions like their heartbeat going. But Kurogane Ikki had converted the majority of even that reserve energy into strength. It took an ungodly amount of resolve and willpower to accomplish such a feat. Oreki couldn’t fathom what he’d been through to give him such an ironclad will. At the same time, though, she became certain of one important fact.

I need to defeat him here, no matter the cost!

She couldn’t allow Ikki to become a knight. He was without a doubt strong. Far stronger than any of the other candidates Oreki had seen today. But that wasn’t enough to make it in the world of Blazers. In this world, there were people so monstrously strong that even shaving away his own soul and converting it into strength wouldn’t give him the power he needed to win. If he walked the path of a knight, he’d run into those monsters eventually. Because he was strong enough that he’d stand out compared to the average Blazer.

Worst of all, having seen his unbreakable will, Oreki was certain that Ikki wouldn’t back down even in the face of those monsters. Their short duel had been enough to show her what kind of person Ikki was. No matter how badly he was beaten, he’d never stop believing in his own worth. He’d challenge those monsters time and time again, no matter how battered his body, heart, and soul became, burning his very life force all the while. She could just imagine how much despair he would feel once he finally came across a wall he simply couldn’t overcome.

She refused to let him feel that profound despair. As a teacher, her pride wouldn’t allow it. It was an adult’s job to guide children. Sometimes that meant gently pulling them along, and at other times, it meant pushing back against their wishes when they were about to go down the wrong path.

I can’t afford to lose this duel!

For the first time, Jolly Roger Oreki Yuuri got serious. She wasn’t Ikki’s examiner anymore—she was a teacher and a Mage-Knight whose pride wouldn’t allow her to lead this boy to despair.

Now that he’d powered up with Ittou Shura, Ikki was far faster than before. He dashed across the training field so quickly that the average knight would have lost sight of him. But Oreki was no average knight, and she was able to follow his movements perfectly. Ikki had been right when he’d said no one else there was even close to a match for her.

With impeccable timing, Oreki swung her cutlass horizontally, intending to slice right through Ikki’s torso. Because of how fast he was going, she knew he wouldn’t be able to stop or change direction. And indeed, as soon as he got in range, she did cut through him. But immediately after, his outline blurred, and he vanished.

“What?!”

Oreki couldn’t process what had just happened, but a second later, she saw the real Ikki a dozen or so meters behind where she’d expected him to be. She hadn’t messed up her timing, though. She was sure of it. She realized then that she must have slashed at an afterimage he had created.

Using some extremely complicated footwork, Ikki had projected an image of himself in front of where he actually was. This was one of the few original techniques he had devised—Flicker Mirage. Naturally, that meant Oreki was completely defenseless as he entered into slashing range. He swung with all his might, intending to end the match then and there. Oreki had no way of dodging or blocking.

But I’m not done yet!

She’d staked her pride as a teacher on this duel. She couldn’t let this poor boy run down the path to ruin. So no matter what, she wasn’t going to let their battle end here.

“Huh?!”

Ikki gasped in surprise as Oreki did something completely unexpected. She kept her cutlass swing going and sliced her own right arm, causing pain to lance through it. Since it was in phantom form, it didn’t actually cut her arm off, but it hurt just as much as if she had. And because of Violent Pain, she shared that pain with Ikki. It lanced through his arm as well, and his fingers went numb, causing Intetsu to slip from his hands.

In truth, Oreki had read this far ahead. She’d known Ikki would manage to evade her attack and planned for it. After just a few clashes, she was already confident she’d never be able to land a solid blow on him. While she hadn’t known about Flicker Mirage, she’d expected him to have some technique capable of preventing her attacks from hitting. That was why she’d gone for a swing that could hit her if it missed him. She’d been confident that he wouldn’t predict such a crazy tactic, and by slicing her own arm, she’d be able to disarm him. After all, though their Devices were in phantom form, the pain was a hundred percent accurate.

Even Oreki struggled to bear the pain of chopping her own arm off. But she bore it all the same, all for the sake of a boy she’d just met. Without hesitation too. It was because she wanted to protect Ikki. She was more than willing to suffer any amount of pain for those she wanted to protect. She considered her students her children, and there was no mother who wouldn’t go to any lengths to protect her kids. The pain of cutting off her own arm to disarm Ikki was something she was willing to endure because it was the only way to protect his future.

I’m sorry...but I’ll be taking the win!

Without Intetsu, Ikki was defenseless. He wouldn’t be able to stop Oreki’s next swing. Since he’d put his all into that last attack, he couldn’t even stop his empty arm from swinging down. Taking advantage of that, she swung her cutlass back around, intending to slice through his neck. A bright flash of crimson illuminated the arena, taking the place of a spray of blood.

◆

As the flash faded, it was Oreki who slumped to the ground.

“Huh?”

What just happened? How am I the one on the ground while Kurogane-kun is still standing? And why is my cutlass in his left hand?

But after a few seconds, her brain finally processed everything her eyes had seen in that moment, and she pieced together how this situation had come about. Thanks to the extra power afforded to him by Ittou Shura, Ikki had managed to to use the force of just his fingers and his wrist to wrest Oreki’s Device out of her hands and cut her down before she could react. It had all happened in a fraction of a second, but Oreki knew what martial art technique that had been. During her training, she’d heard of a technique to steal your opponent’s weapon when you were unarmed.

“The Willow Reversal... To think you’ve even mastered that skill...”

“I had the opportunity to see a video of it once, so I memorized it and adapted it to better work for what I wanted. I never thought I’d actually end up using it, though,” Ikki said, sweat dripping down his chin. He was still standing, but it was clear from his pained expression that it was taking everything he had.

Regardless, he was the one on his feet, while Oreki had fallen. She’d been taken by surprise and thus hadn’t had time to brace herself against the pain. Her consciousness would fade in a minute or so. She’d been well and truly defeated. That meant there was something she needed to say before she passed out.

“Congratulations, Kurogane-kun. You pass the entrance exam. That was a splendid duel.”

“Thank you very much.”

“But there’s one thing I need to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Can I convince you to give up on becoming a Mage-Knight?”

Ikki’s expression stiffened upon hearing that.

“Are you saying you won’t let me enroll after all?”

“No. As an examiner, I have no reason to disqualify you. It’s just, personally speaking, well, I don’t think it would be good for you. As a teacher, I approve of young kids like you chasing after their dreams with all their might. Honestly, I want to cheer you on and support you. Even if you don’t manage to achieve your dreams, the experience of giving something your all will be of great value to you going forward.

“But you’re different, Kurogane-kun,” she continued. “You’ve pushed yourself so hard that you might actually reach heights that anyone else with your limited mana would never be able to. But that’s precisely why the path you’ve chosen is so dangerous. Pushing past obstacles that would normally stymie your progress means that you’re forcing yourself far beyond your natural limits. That Noble Art you just used is a good example. That’s not how your magic’s normally meant to be used, is it?”

“So you noticed...” Ikki replied, smiling sadly.

Indeed, Ikki’s actual Blazer power only allowed him to expend mana to double his physical abilities. But by forcibly gathering up all of his mana and expending it in one big burst he was able to increase his strength tenfold instead. The cost of that was severe, though, and once Ittou Shura ended, he was left so drained that he could barely sustain his vital functions.

“You’re shaving away your life force each time you use that Noble Art,” Oreki explained. “If you keep on doing that, you’ll eventually cross a dangerous line. That’s why, as a teacher, I don’t want to see you in my class. Having seen how much effort you’ve put into pursuing this dream already, I know you can go far in any other field. There’s no need to force yourself to try and make it in the one you’re least suited for. Especially not if it costs you so dearly. So please, reconsider enrolling.”

As a knight, Oreki knew that she was saying something shameful. It was wrong of her to try to force her wishes onto Ikki after losing to him in a duel. But as a teacher, she had to speak her mind. She didn’t want to see this gallant young man head to his own ruin.

“Thank you for worrying so much about this arrogant boy who recklessly challenged you to a duel.” Ikki could tell that Oreki’s words had come from a place of kindness. That she was bearing this shame for his sake and not her own. And so, he told her resolutely, “But even so, I want to be a knight.”

Oreki closed her eyes in resignation. She’d known from the start that he’d say that. He did awkwardly look away, knowing that he was spurning her kindness, but it was clear that his decision was unchanged.

I guess crying won’t move him either, then. He’s so manly, it’s infuriating.

“The path you’ve chosen will be full of thorns,” she warned.

“I know. But there’s a reason I’m willing to risk my life for this. Besides, I don’t want to chase after a dream I know is attainable. If it doesn’t seem beyond my reach, what’s the point of striving for it?”

Seeing the resolve shining brightly in his eyes, Oreki realized she’d been mistaken. Ikki wasn’t a boy who needed to be given guidance. He was already a knight carving his own path in the world.

◆

“All right, I’ll be heading back to the classroom, then,” Ikki said to Oreki, who was still reminiscing about their first meeting a year prior. That brought her back to the present.

“Oh, okay,” she replied. “Let everyone know they’re free to go home for me.”

As Ikki turned his back to her, she thought back to what he’d been through over the past year. His life at Hagun had been filled with even more suffering than she’d anticipated. He’d gone through setback after setback, and thanks to the interference of his family, he’d been forced to repeat a year. Even though he was far stronger than most students in the school, he was unfairly being held back. But despite it all, his back was still unbent. He still stood straight and proud, looking only ahead without a hint of hesitation.

“Hey, Kurogane-kun,” Oreki said before he passed through the door.

“Yes?”

“Even now, I think it’s a mistake for you to aim to become a Mage-Knight.”

“Sensei...”

“So, using everything you have, I’d like you to prove me wrong.”

She couldn’t stop him even if she wanted to. He wasn’t a child anymore, after all. He knew himself, he’d seen the world, and still he chose to take this thorny path. Knowing that, she decided to cheer him on not as a teacher, but as a friend.

Ikki blinked in surprise, then turned back and declared, “I intend to.”

With a smile and a nod, he walked out of the infirmary, his steps lighter than before. As she listened to his footsteps fade away, Oreki muttered, “Good luck,” before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Conclusion

“Ah, I see now. I always thought Ikki and Yuri-chan were surprisingly close, but now I know why.”

“Yep. I’m pretty sure the reason Senpai still calls Yuri-chan ‘Oreki-sensei’ is because he respects her from the bottom of his heart. Well, that, and it’s just in his nature to be polite.”

“That aside, I can’t believe Yuri-chan is the kind of person who just busts out her Noble Art like that.”

“She actually got scolded a bunch for that afterward.”

“I would hope so. I can’t imagine the other students taking the entrance exam were all that happy about it.”

“Now then, I hope you all enjoyed these stories I painstakingly investigated for you. That’s all we have for this special edition of the Hagun Academy Bulletin. The Seven Stars Battle Festival has only just begun, though, and things are heating up. I hope you all look forward to Senpai’s, Stella-chan’s, and Shizuku-chan’s upcoming matches. Bye for now, and see you again next time!”

Afterword

I wonder how long it’ll be before I have a cat so I can gush about them in these afterwords.

Hello, everyone, it’s catless Riku Misora here. Thank you all for picking up volume 0 of Chivalry of a Failed Knight.

My parents and I were really busy over the new year, so I still haven’t managed to get my cat. Fortunately, things with my parents have finally calmed down, so I’ve started looking at nearby animal shelters. It turns out they’re surprisingly thorough with their background checks and they make sure any potential owners are capable of properly providing for a pet before letting people adopt. Some of them even do trial periods to make sure the cat is able to adapt to its new home before letting someone officially become their owner. I was moved after I learned just how much they treasure their cats.

On an unrelated note, this is the first series I’ve written that’s managed to get a side story volume published. Of course, the main series is still in the middle of the Seven Stars Battle Festival. Honestly, it was nice to have a change of pace and write more about the characters’ everyday lives since the main story will be focusing on battles for the next few volumes. I actually forgot I was writing a battle school story for a bit while working on these side stories, lol.

Next volume, we’ll get to find out if Ikki-kun will be able to protect his chastity from the perverted painter who’s after his nudes. Who knows, we might get into doujin-tier developments if Ikki doesn’t stay strong. Look forward to seeing how well he handles himself next volume, everyone.

Also, those of you who read the blurb on the book jacket probably already know this, but I have to mention it again here: Chivalry of a Failed Knight is actually getting an anime! Hell yeaaaaah! It’s been four years since I became a light novel author, and I’m really glad I finally made it! It’s all thanks to my editor, who helped me polish my scripts to make them the best they could possibly be; my wonderful illustrator, Won-san, who accepts all of my horny requests to draw the characters in indecent poses; and the wonderful artist doing the manga art, Soramichi-san.

Last but not least, a big thank you to all of my readers. It’s because of your support that I was able to get this far and make a short story volume! Thank you all so very very much.

We’re still only halfway through the Seven Stars Battle Festival, and I’ll do my best to make it a hype tournament for you all. I can’t be losing to my manga and anime adaptations, after all! See you again in volume 7!