Volume 5 - CH 2

It was the day after the party; in other words, the day before the Festival's opening. Ikki, Shizuku and Arisuin were heading towards the hotel lobby, having planned to eat dinner out on the last day before the tournament. The trigger for this had been something that happened last night at the party. The party had for lasted about an hour after Ikki had returned, having changing out of the clothes Sara had torn.

「Say, Kurogane. Have you decided where you'll be eating for tomorrow's dinner?」

As the festivities were winding down, Moroboshi had suddenly asked this of Ikki and Shizuku.

「Well, I haven't, but I think eating at the hotel restaurant would do.」

「Oh, come on, that no good! You finally came all the way here to Osaka, so you should try the local food!」

Ikki hadn't thought very hard about his answer, and from Moroboshi's frank reply it seemed Moroboshi agreed.

「Mm, that's true. But what's good to eat in Osaka?」

「There's the teppanyaki[1]. The takoyaki[2] ain't bad, but that's just a snack. For meals, I guess okonomiyaki[3] is best.」

「But Onii-sama, we've already had okonomiyaki in Tokyo at Rangetsu[4].」

「Idiot! That's like saying you've had Nagasaki Champon[5] after having only gone to Ringer Hut[6]! It lacks that local flavor… alright, that's settled, we're having okonomiyaki for dinner tomorrow. I'm bringin' you guys to the best okonomiyaki place here in Osaka!」

「Uh, um-」

「I'll meet you guys in the lobby at five, then!」

…and that was how their present schedule had somehow come to be.

"Really, what a scarily overbearing person. Are all Osakans like that?"

"Well, no, I don't think that's the case…."

"Nonetheless, I'm glad you invited me along. I've never had okonomiyaki before, so I was thinking of trying some since we've come all the way out here."

"Really? Then you could have just told us."

"I would have felt bad about bringing you two with me. You have to prepare for your matches tomorrow, you know?"

Indeed, this would normally be the case. The Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was not a league-style tournament. One loss meant the end of the road, and as such each match had to be approached with utmost focus. On the day before they would have their first battle, most people would want to stay focused, and would hence normally shy away from such invitations to go out.

"But I didn't think that someone competing tomorrow would invite you two out."

And it wasn't just anyone competing the next day who invited them, either. It was the two-time winner of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, someone who bore pressure on his shoulders in a different dimension from that which Ikki or any other contestant for that matter did, and Ikki's opponent, no less.

"He sure has an absurd amount of nerve. Doesn't he ever feel embarrassed?"

"If he did, he wouldn't have invited us."

"Well, it doesn't matter to me since I'm not the sort to get nervous, but will you be fine, Onii-sama? You're too nice, so if you find it hard to refuse him I can do it for you."

Her tone held a note of concern, because this had happened to Ikki before during his representative selection battle with the 'Hunter'. In that battle, his nervousness had gotten him off to a terrible start. Shizuku hoped that if only for today, no one would disturb her brother or get in his way till the battle began. As such, she could not but sound a little prickly when she spoke of Moroboshi.

"It's fine. This does feel a little forced, but if I was against it I would have said so."

Ikki said, asserting he was here of his own will, instead of merely going with the flow. This was the truth.

"Honestly, he's right. It's rare that we would be out here in Osaka, away from Tokyo. I'd really like to try some of the iconic local cuisine. And anyway…."

"Anyway?"

"As opposed to sitting in my room meditating alone, sharing a table with the Seven Stars Sword King seems more fun."

Simply put, Ikki was interested in Yuudai Moroboshi as a person. If Ikki wanted to know about Moroboshi's strengths or his abilities, there were many methods available. By contrast, there were very few opportunities to get to know him as a person, to get a taste of his views, his way of life.

This, the Worst One felt to be far more important than simply maintaining his focus.

Arisuin commented, flabbergasted.

"I… don't think you would lose to him in terms of having some serious nerve."

It should have been reasonable, even normal to feel awkward going out for a meal with someone you would fight the very next day, but it seemed like such simple ideas did not apply to Ikki.

"Hey, over here, over here!"

As they stepped out of the lobby and the hotel entrance, they found Moroboshi waiting for them in front of a fountain.

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

"No, you're right on time."

Moroboshi replied as they hurried up to him.

"I just couldn't wait, so don't worry about it."

Then he glanced at Arisuin.

"Oh, and who's this cool guy here?"

Even though Arisuin had once been a representative, and hence should have had his photo circulated, it seemed that Moroboshi did not recognize him even as Moroboshi continued looking in his direction. He had not come to the party either, after all.

Shizuku stepped forward while gesturing towards said person.

"This is Nagi Arisuin. He's my friend and a fellow student at Hagun Academy."

"In any case, you didn't mention how many people you were inviting. Is this fine?"

"Don't worry, it's cool! The more the merrier. Anyway, you might already know about me, but here goes. I'm Bukokyu's Moroboshi."

Introducing himself thus, he stuck out his right hand to offer Arisuin a handshake.

"You're too kind. I'm Alice."

Seeing no reason to deny such a polite introduction, Arisuin took his hand.

"Hehehe, you sound rough, but you're actually quite the gentleman. I like that in a man."

"…Whaaa!?"

Moroboshi, like any other man would if he were told that by a man he had only just met, shuddered at the smoldering look in Arisuin's eyes.

"Uhh… I'm sorry," he asked, his expression rather bewildered. "But is this some sort of joke?"

"Oh no, I'm being serious, you know~? For I am a maiden in a man's body."

"Oh… oh. So that, that's how it is, huh. Must be tough…."

"My, such firm hands."

Arisuin murmured as his long, sleek fingers stroked the back of Moroboshi's right hand.

"Just as one would expect from someone as stalwart as the Seven Stars Sword King."

"Uwaaaaaaa!"

Moroboshi all but leaped back in terror.

"Alice. Stop teasing him."

"Ha ha. Sorry. Don't worry, Moroboshi-san, I was just joking~"

"Eh… ah, ahaha. I see, I see, so it was just a joke. I've just never met an okama before, so I was kinda shocked."

"Don't worry, I won't lay a hand on a straight man."

"…So you weren't joking about the okama part…."

Ikki thought with a touch of nostalgia.

This really takes me back to the time when I first met Alice.

Moroboshi's reaction was like a repeat of his own just a few months ago.

Well, I've gotten pretty used to it, but at the start it was a real surprise.

Moroboshi cleared his throat. He did seem more adaptable, though.

"W-Well, I guess it's all good. Gay men, straight men, we all eat the same stuff, yes?"

Having been restored to his usual self, Moroboshi then turned to Ikki.

"By the way, the Crimson Princess isn't here either. Has she not arrived yet?"

"Mm. She will, in all likelihood, only just about make it here tomorrow."

"I see. That's too bad, then."

Moroboshi sighed, seeming genuinely disappointed.

Ikki understood his feelings. After all, it was also with that intent to see those that he would soon do battle with that he had gone to the party yesterday. The A-rank knight Crimson Princess… of course she would be someone that the Seven Stars Sword King would want to mee—

"Man, I was looking forward to see her wring me dry of cash. She sure looked like she could eat—"

"Eh? Moroboshi-san, did you just say somethin—"

"Ah—nah, nahaha! Nah, it was nothing, jus' talkin' to myself!"

That wasn't nothing, Ikki thought. His eyes were shifty, his behavior suspicious. He had almost certainly said something under his breath earlier.

But Moroboshi gave him no time to think too hard about it.

"Well, would ya look at the time! Shall we go?"

Stepping forward, he motioned for them to come along.

"There aren't as many people as in Tokyo, but the commercial strip's plenty crowded at this time—mind you don't get lost!"

The commercial strip was a ten minute ride away from the train station closest to the Bay Dome[7], and with Moroboshi leading the way right out of the train gates, the four of them plunged headfirst into the bowels of its arcades.

「Ah! It's Moroboshi!」

「Oh, it's actually that idiot Moroboshi! The hell are you doing? Don't you have a match coming up?」

「You're the idiot, you little shit! The match is tomorrow, 'innit?」

「Hoshi-chan, we're looking forward to your victory this year too!」

「Couldn't get a seat at the Dome this year, but we'll be watching you from the TV in the strip!」

"Ahaha, leave it to me!"

「Yuu-chan, we're going to play mahjong with Taku-san today, you wanna come along?」

"Sorry, I'm showing some guests from Tokyo around the place. Next time!"

「Hoshi, you win this year, I'll treat you to some otoro[8] next time!」

"Seriously? You'd better remember that later, old man!"

「But if you lose, better get ready. Imma stuff a whole tube of wasabi up your nose!」

All sorts of people called out to him as he passed through the streets. Giving support, pep talks, even teasing him—they engaged him in different ways, but their expressions were warm and familiar.

"Moroboshi-san is really popular."

Shizuku mumbled, a little taken aback at the scene before her.

"Even Stella-san didn't create this kind of commotion when she was out on the street."

"Well, Stella was popular, but she was also an exchange student. There's no way she could match the current Seven Stars Sword King in terms of local popularity."

The Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was broadcast on national TV, and as such it was a given that participants would have or gain their own fans, whether within their own schools or outside. As the one who dominated that stage, the Seven Stars Sword King would naturally have many more of these than was the norm.

"Multiple victories in a row at the Festival is a feat no one has achieved before, and what's more, he's a homegrown hero, so of course people's hopes would be on him."

"Haha, he really is somebody, to be able to bear the weight of his hometown's expectations by himself without showing it."

Ikki agreed with them.

"Indeed, he really is a great guy. To be able to receive and take on the expectations of all these people, even after having gone through something like that."

"Onii-sama, what did you mean by 'something like that'?"

"Eh? …Oh, right. So you don't know about it?"

Ikki frowned both inwardly and outwardly at Shizuku's reaction. 'That' which he had let slip was a fairly famous episode in Moroboshi's past—it was famous enough that from Arisuin's expression, he had also heard of it. For Shizuku to not have done so could only be because she took no interest in others. Or perhaps she had, due to that disinterest, once heard of it but forgotten soon thereafter. As such, there was no real need to hide it, but was it really a good idea to say this with the man himself within earshot? They could still be painful memories even now.

What should I do?

Fortunately for Ikki, Moroboshi was presently answering the cheers of his fans, so Ikki began explaining the incident to Shizuku, in a voice that was necessarily lower than usual.

"Actually, Moroboshi-san once had to retire during his elementary school days."

That was in his sixth year. At that time, he had received national acclaim as the "Star of Naniwa"[9], but had been severely injured in an unfortunate train accident shortly before the grand finals of the U-12 tournament.

"His injuries were so severe that there were many complications even after the use of the iPS Capsule. The doctors said that he would probably never walk again."

As they could guard themselves with magic power, Blazers would be fine in the case of most accidents. But there were limits to what a Blazer's magic could take, and an incident on the scale of a derailed train was one of these.

"Of course, he couldn't take part in competitions in that state, so he was forced to forfeit the U-12 league, even retiring from the scene altogether."

"Such a thing happened? …Yet, he can walk and fight normally now, huh?"

"Yes. So it seems."

Indeed, even as he walked in front of them, there seemed—no, there was no uncertainty in the footfalls of the hero who had taken the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival the previous year.

"In other words, he is someone who managed to make a comeback after fighting through a rehabilitation process from disabilities that people said were impossible to overcome."

Yuudai Moroboshi had not walked a straight path unto glory. He had fallen into the depths once, but after four years of constant struggle, he had made it back to the stage of battle, and now stood at the summit. No, his road had not been smooth at all.

"Extraordinary. That isn't something a normal person could have done."

"…Indeed, that is so. To be able to make a comeback from those injuries…."

"Hmm, that's true, Shizuku, but I was talking about something more than just that."

"Eh?"

That he had made this comeback was impressive, but Ikki meant something more. Ikki gazing at the smiles on the people's faces as they spoke with Moroboshi.

"This scene in front of me is by far more impressive. No one here fears that he might be defeated. Not a single person asks after him, 'Is your body fine?' There is only one thing they have in him, and that is absolute trust."

They had not the slightest doubt in their minds that their Star of Naniwa had successfully made a full recovery. He had not only made an impossible turnaround from that state, but managed to create in its place unswerving faith.

"I think that is something even harder than simply reaching for the top."

If the opportunity came, Ikki thought enthusiastically, he would ask him. What made him go that far? What was the essence of that which drove him, that which motivated him? For whatever it was, it must have had everything to do with his strength.

Shizuku sighed deeply from beside him.

"…And so, this great person is going to be your first opponent. You really have no luck, Onii-sama—I wonder, what manner of crimes did you commit in your previous life?"

Arisuin smiled.

"Perhaps he spent all his luck on getting a good sister and a cute girlfriend."

"Well, if that's the case, I'm perfectly fine with having used my luck in that manner…—hmm?"

Cutting himself off, Ikki alone in their group stopped dead in his tracks. Amid the milling crowds, he had felt his spine tingle. As though someone was looking at him. Glaring at him. He turned. The feeling passed, the gaze broken, and dissipated with nary a whisper into the evening bustle.

"Onii-sama? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

So saying, he quickened his footsteps, catching up with the other three. He had certainly sensed something, but it would be futile to pursue, and even more pointless to worry about it.

As he thought on that, the group exited the commercial strip.

"Over here, over here, everyone!"

They had reached their destination.

"This here is the best okonomiyaki place in Osaka, Ichiban Boshi[10]!"

Going through the commercial strip in a straight line, the first thing one would see upon leaving it was the shop Moroboshi recommended. A red noren[11] reading "Ichiban Boshi" hung over the entrance of the two-story residential building, its dark wooden walls giving it a dignified feel. It had most probably been built before their time, even before their parents' time.

"This place's architecture has some amazing style."

"Nahaha. You mean it's fallin' apart, don't you? It's okay to say what you mean. But it can't be helped, since this store's been here since the Taisho era[12]—though apparently back then it was a sukiyaki place."

"I like the old look of the building, though. It's so nostalgic, isn't that great?"

"Wait, Alice, aren't you a foreigner?"

"I have Japanese blood… I think. Probably! …Oh my, what's that?"

Arisuin had fixed his eyes at a certain part of the building. Wondering what he had seen, Ikki followed his friend's gaze. A nameplate and a rusted postbox at the side of the entrance came into view, and on that nameplate were the words—Moroboshi.

"Eh, 'Moroboshi'? …Then, is this by any chance your place, Moroboshi-san?"

The expression on Moroboshi's face told them he was caught.

"Aaaah. Looks like I was found out. I was gonna keep it secret and then give you all a surprise after going in, but oh well. Aye, this is my place."

Arisuin's eyes widening in surprise.

"So that means you were just bringing customers to your own shop? You're pretty shrewd."

Moroboshi passed the veiled accusation over with a laugh.

"Nahaha. Well, of course. I am a merchant of Naniwa, after all."

Indeed, he was a strong example of the oft-spoken mercantile spirit.

"Don't worry, though, I meant it when I said that my place has the best okonomiyaki around! Ain't no way I'd let guests from so far away eat something that isn't tasty. You get to eat good okonomiyaki, our store earns some money—you're happy, we're happy. Ain't that great? Ain't that the best?"

Shizuki said with a questioning look.

"That ending was really shady, and everything fits together too unbelievably well. Is it really okay to trust this person? Wouldn't it be better to go find some other place right now?"

Ikki could understand her feelings.

"But we don't really know this city, so why not?"

"Well, if you're alright with it, Onii-sama, then I have no objections."

"Well then, let's go in. I can smell something delicious from out here, and it's making me hungry already!"

"So it's decided, eh?"

Having come to unanimous agreement, the four passed the threshold of the noren, and with a little difficulty pushed the old, rickety sliding door open.

"Oh-"

"Wow…."

Immediately, their noses were assaulted by the wafting aroma of sauces, their appetites titillated by a fragrance many times stronger than what they had experienced outside.

"This smells great…."

Even Shizuku, who did not take a particular interest in food, could only say this.

"That's true. Also, this place seems quite popular."

Even though it was early for dinner, just as Arisuin had said, the turnout was impressive. Nearly every table was filled, and all around them calls and orders were being shouted. Leaving aside whether this was indeed Osaka's best, it was almost certain from the number of customers alone that the food could not possibly be bad.

"Heyyy, Moooom!"

Moroboshi yelled over the din just as their attention had been captured by the sights and smells of the restaurant. A middle-aged lady flipping a large number of okonomiyaki raised her head and turned, giving him a sharp look through widening eyes.

"Eh, why are you 'ere? Din'cha say you'd be at the hotel till the tourney was over?"

"I dropped by to see ma beloved mom's face."

"Bullshit! Don't kid around, you're givin' me goosebumps!"

"Did'ja have to say it like that? How am I supposed to be filial towards this kind o' mother?"

"I'm never gonna retire anyway, so I don't need no brat to wipe my ass!"

"Oi, this is a restaraunt. Don't be sayin' that kind of stuff!"

"Eh, shitty brats will be shitty brats, ain't it so, everyone?"

The customers laughed uproariously at their back-and-forth. Unadorned and unpretentious was the atmosphere of Osaka's downtown.

"Alright, what did'ja really come here for?"

Moroboshi jerked his thumb behind him to indicate Ikki and the others.

"I was bringin' some Tokyo-ites I met at the hotel around. Since they're out here, I was gonna let them eat the best okonomiyaki in Osaka!"

"Oh, so that's how it is."

It seemed that she had understood the gist of it, despite their conversation's brevity. Stopping what she was doing, her face still glistening with sweat, she gave them a warm smile.

"Welcome. I'm Yuudai's mother. Thank you for having come all this way."

"Ah, thank you, you're too kind."

"Now, I don't know if we's the best in Osaka, but I will give it m'all, so please wait expectantly."

"Right, we're looking forward to it."

"But it sure is crowded today. Are there any seats left?"

"There's just one. You can sit there. Koume~show these guests to their table."

Moroboshi's mother called from behind the kitchen. In response to that, a young girl dressed in Japanese-style clothing and an apron approached Ikki and company. She looked a little young to be staff at a restaurant, and her bob-cut made her look like a middle-schooler.

"Ara, what a cute little one. Is she by any chance your sister?"

"Aye. That's my sister Koume. Unlike me, though, she isn't a Blazer."

She looked neither like her mother nor like Moroboshi—perhaps she had gotten her looks from her father.

"Koume, show the guests to the table in that corner."

Koume nodded, and moved ahead of them. Then her gaze met Ikki's, and her eyes widened, her expression changing to one of surprise and bewilderment.

Hmm?

Moroboshi was quick to follow up even as Ikki began falling to thought.

"Looks like she's surprised to see my opponent tomorrow come here."

"Ah, I see."

Her surprise passed in only an instant, as she schooled her expression back into a welcoming smile. Impressive, as expected of a merchant house's daughter. Koume bowed elegantly, and then from the depths of her kimono's sleeve she retrieved a sketchbook.

She then flipped to a page that read, in rather cute lettering, [Welcome~!], showing it to Ikki and the others.

"Eh…?"

The three of them could not help but express their surprise at this unexpected development. After all, there weren't many among service staff who would communicate through writing instead of speech. Again, seemingly anticipating this response, Moroboshi stepped in just in time.

"Don't worry about it, it's just that she can't speak."

Ikki nodded in understanding.

"Ah, so she writes instead…."

"That's right. But it's not a physical problem—apparently it's a psychological one."

Moroboshi said this brightly, as though to assure him that it was not a big issue.

「I'm more ladylike this way.」

Mischief was apparent in Koume's writing.

"Oh, that's rich, you unruly lass."

So saying, Moroboshi reached down to ruffle her hair, at which she only looked pleased. Ikki had been concerned at first to hear that she could not speak, but seeing them enjoy their exchanges he naturally began to smile.

"You two get along well."

"Well, she is my one and only cute little sister."

At that, Ikki suddenly felt a tap on his back. Turning, he saw Shizuku, who said only these inexplicable words.

"I'm also a 'one and only cute little sister'."

Um, what am I supposed to do now?

Neither comprehending her intent nor knowing what else to do, Ikki began to imitate Moroboshi.

"Uuu…"

His sister's response was a contradiction; she seemed to itch, yet seemed happy about the touch that caused it-was she trying to outdo the Moroboshi siblings? His sister's line of thought sure was hard to grasp.

"I wonder what's up, though."

Moroboshi mused as he looked at the state of the diner.

"It's pretty crowded in here, and we came early, too."

Koume scribbled rapidly on her sketchbook, explaining the situation in brief.

「These are all people who have come here in order to see the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. Most of them are fresh faces.」

Seeing this, Moroboshi came to a decision.

"Huh, so it is… hmm. Then it might be better if I joined. Sorry for only bringing you all here, but it looks pretty busy, so I gotta go help my mom out."

"You're not going to eat with us?"

"That was my intention, but there's quite a lot of people here, so…."

It was as he said—even though the restaurant was by no means small, there were almost no seats left unfilled. White smoke rose from corner to corner in the kitchen, its iron griddles in full operation. Even a bystander could see that this was a busy time.

"Understood. We'll be fine, go help out your family."

Ikki was a little disappointed that he would not be able to speak to Moroboshi, but making him accompany them would also make him feel bad.

Moroboshi bowed.

"Sorry… and I brought you all here too. It's my treat today. If you want anything, just give Koume your order, and it'll be on me."

"Eh, weren't you trying to reel us in?"

Seeing Shizuku so surprised, Moroboshi gave a grin like that cat that got the cream.

"It was all a joke—we Kansai people don't mean what we say if we say it while smilin'."

So he had always intended to treat them to a meal—they'd been had by him up till now. Nonetheless—

"That's no good, we can pay for ourselves."

They had barely known him for a day, it would be mean to ask someone they had only just met to pay for the meal. Thus, Ikki meant to decline.

"It's fine. It's not that expensive 'nyways."

"But, still—"

"I said it's fine. I'm a third year, an upperclassman. Y'all should just listen to your elder, y'hear?"

…In the end, he made them accept. Yuudai Moroboshi was just that forceful a person.

"Well Koume, the rest is up to you."

Satisfied at his sister's nod that Ikki and company would be attended to, he tightened his bandana and headed for the kitchen. After seeing her brother off, Koume once again flipped the pages of her sketchbook.

「Allow me to show you to your seats~」

It seemed like a server's commonly used lines were already pre-written, they thought as they followed her to their seats.

「Please sit here~」

"Thank you."

Pleasantries exchanged, they sat down and began to order as they wished. These were all recorded down in Koume's sketchbook, and after a check to make sure she had them correct, were taken with her into the kitchen. All that was left to do after she left was to relax and wait for the menu to arrive.

But just then, they overheard this conversation going on from behind them.

"Whaaat. So Kiriko-san isn't going out with Moroboshi?"

"That's what I've been telling you, no? In the first place, he isn't even my type at all."

It was the voices of two women, and one of them was a voice Ikki had heard just the previous day. Exchanging a unspoken 'could it be?' with Shizuku and Arisuin, they turned around—

"Eh?"

"Ah!"

"My my."

—only to find that occupants of the other table had noticed their presence in turn. Looks were exchanged all around from five different people.

"Yakushi-san!"

And as he had anticipated, it was the 'White-Robed Knight' Kiriko Yakushi and Bukyoku Academy Newspaper Club's Yagokoro, whom they had met before at the training camp.

It was an unexpected reunion in an unexpected place. If they had met at the hotel restaurant, such a meeting might have been passed over, but to meet a fellow Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival representative in the same eatery when the center of Osaka had them by the numbers was quite a remarkable coincidence—or so Ikki had thought, until further conversation proved otherwise.

"Eh, so you were the one who treated Moroboshi-san when he was seriously injured, Yakushi-san?"

"Yes. It's quite the coincidence, no?"

She was here more to meet Moroboshi than to have okonomiyaki, it seemed.

"Well, it is unexpected, but in the first place, you are the same age as him, right? Was it really okay to treat him without a medical license?"

"He's fine, so it's fine, right?"

Is that really the problem…?

Ikki definitely didn't think that was the issue at all, but prying seemed akin to kicking a hornet nest.

"So you've just come to check up on an old patient, Yakushi-san?"

Thus, he did not pursue, but rather asked after her reason for being here today.

"It's less of a check-up, and more of a house call."

"Eh—"

Hearing the words "house call", Ikki was seized by unease, and he asked in concern.

"Is Moroboshi-san not yet fully healed?"

Kiriko shook her head and assured him.

"Ah, he's fine. I patched him up properly. However, it was a little reckless, so this is my way of conducting individualized aftercare. After all, I shouldn't be taking any risks with my patients, should I?"

"Ah. So in other words, you're here out of your own goodwill."

"Yes, that's it."

"That's great to hear."

Ikki felt a weight lift off his chest at her dismissal of his fears.

It would be too much of a pity if he were to do battle with the Seven Stars Sword King, only for the latter to fall because of some past injuries.

"So I wanted to come over to the hotel room to conduct the aftercare, but he wasn't in. I heard from Jougasaki that he'd gone back to his home, so I hailed a taxi and came here. It seems I got here early, too early in fact, which was my mistake—Ms. Paparazzi here got all suspicious as a result."

So saying, Kiriko shot a look Yagokoro's way.

"Haha, somehow, it feels like you had quite the disaster on your hands."

"Really."

"Aw, c'mon! You were hoverin' round his place like that although he was s'pposed to be all healed up already. It totally had th' look of a patient-doctor romance! Y'know, there was the smell of gossip all around it—like surströmming[13]! Y' couldn't have made me any more suspicious!"

"That's rich. Just look at the guy, he has eyes like a beast. Totally not my type. I prefer boys with sweet faces like Kurogane-kun over here."

"Whaaat—!?"

Ikki yelped, caught off guard by the outrageous comparison.

"Haha~♡."

Kiriko purred, as if sensing Ikki's inexperience in this regard.

"If you like, your big sister here can give you a pre-match checkup after this, with lots of… extra service. How about it?"

White-Robed Knight ・ Kiriko Hakushi

Haha~♡

Hey, if you like, your big sister here can give you a pre-match checkup after this, with lots of… extra service. How about it?

So saying, she gave him a heated look, while positioning herself such that he had an unobstructed view of her cleavage through the open top of her white doctor's gown. It had quite some impact—while she was no match for Stella in terms of proportions, she possessed the charm of a mature lady, and that aided her case greatly in her assault on Ikki's eyes.

Anyway, what on earth is a medical check-up with 'extra service'!?

In any case, he would likely come up positive for high blood pressure.

Shizuku as she moved from Arisuin's side to shield her beleaguered brother.

"I'm sorry, but as far as vulgar women go, Stella-san is enough."

"Couldn't you have put it a little better?"

Inwardly, Ikki heaved a sigh of relief knowing that Stella was not here.

Yagokoro spoke up, addressing Arisuin.

"So, Moroboshi brought you guys here?"

"Well, that was sharp of you."

"I knew it."

Arisuin, having no reason to, had made no move to hide it. But from the certainty in her tone—

"Does he by any chance bring people here often?"

"Hmmm, well, I wouldn't say often, but he does sometimes bring strong people from other schools over when they come for friendly matches and the like. It's kinda his way of welcoming opponents from afar t' Osaka. I mean, that's half the reason I was here today—I thought I might hear something interestin'. But t'think he would bring his opponent for the first one 'ere. He's quite the idiot."

"Indeed, it really isn't normal."

"You're one to talk, you accepted his invitation."

"…Haha, I know I'm a little dense."

If he wasn't a little stupid, an F-rank like him would never have even thought about aiming for the Seven Stars Sword King.

So, he "welcomes opponents", huh?

"Haha… still."

Kiriko half-mumbled from behind Shizuku.

"he isn't quite as dense as you seem to think."

"What's that s'pposed to mean?"

"Just what it says on the tin. While he did invite Kurogane-kun and his friends here to welcome them, he has ulterior motives."

"Ulterior motives?"

Yagokoro's brow furrowed at the disquieting implications of that term. "You mean like using the fact that he treated them to this meal as leverage in tomorrow's battle? He's not the type to consider these petty tricks."

"Haha. That's so, that's certainly so. In fact, he's quite the opposite."

The opposite?

Whatever could 'the opposite' mean? But even as he pondered the meaning of those words—

"Whoa! You guys gave me a shock, what happened here?"

—Moroboshi cut off that train of thought inadvertently as he came in with their orders in hand.

It was with some surprise that Moroboshi took in the crowd before him as he walked in, a plate of food in either hand.

"Koume said that the doctor was here. So you're here too, huh, Yagokoro."

"S'rather rude of you, to 'whoa!' a maiden to her face."

"It must be all sins you commit normally catching up to you, Ms. Paparazzi. Hope you weren't a nuisance to Kurogane, the doctor and the others?"

"Of course not."

The sheer self-righteousness of Yagokoro's statement left Kiriko looking thunderstruck.

"Eh—"

Man, this is the one person I refuse to be called dense by.

After all, she herself could no longer be described as merely being "dense".

"You're one to talk about being a nuisance. It just goes against common sense to bring your next opponent to your place the day before your match."

"I didn't force them, so why not?"

"Well, I wouldn't know… you do look scary, so for all you know they might've been unable to refuse even though they wanted to."

Moroboshi laughed at her allegation.

"Don't be stupid. Someone who would be that scared of me wouldn't be here at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. Eh, Kurogane?"

"Well, I wouldn't say we were forced."

Hearing Ikki's reply, Moroboshi gave a pleased expression, as if to say "There, you see?" But his face clouded over swiftly.

"Still, I wish I could sit down and talk—so many interestin' people are here, after all."

He muttered ruefully as he laid out the dishes onto the two tables with a practiced hand.

"Gotta be truly down on my luck t' have work to do at a time like this."

Presently Ikki's order, a butatama okonomiyaki[14], had been placed in front of him. An impressively portioned meal, about the size of a small pizza.

"Right! Three butatama and two seafood deluxe, sorry for th' wait!"

"Wow. As expected, it smells great…and the bonito flakes are practically dancing on top, too."

Having been born overseas, Arisuin was excited to see real okonomiyaki for the first time. As for the rest, they too were spurred by the food's fragrance and the dancing bonito flakes to pick up their disposable chopsticks.

Ikki for his part was still concerned about the ulterior motives that Kiriko had mentioned earlier, but the atmosphere seemed wrong for that sort of conversation.

And I couldn't possibly ask Moroboshi-san himself if he has any such intentions, either.

Well, he would just decide what to do after eating first.

Having turned his thoughts thus, he picked up his own disposable chopsticks. Then, as he gazed upon his order, he noticed that something was different from the time they had eaten okonomiyaki in Tokyo.

"The tables at this restaurant don't have iron plates, huh."

"Well, if we did that the gas bill would be stupidly expensive, and 'nyways the okonomiyaki would be overcooked on one side. I mean, havin' 'em creates a better atmosphere, but we don't do it here. We serve the food at its best, and we'd like our customers to eat it that way."

As expected of the ones who prided themselves in being Osaka's best—they really had thought of everything. In that case, he decided as he began to cut his meal into appropriately-sized pieces, he would not waste this ideal state that his food was in.

"Right then, let's eat."

Paying this courtesy to Moroboshi, who was treating them, he brought the food to his mouth.

It had barely passed the threshold of his tongue when—

Ooohhh!

—his eyes widened, shining with praise. Indeed, this was an utterly different beast from the one they had in Tokyo. Its tastiness was on a whole other level. And surprisingly, this aroma did not come primarily from the sauce or the pork, but rather from the dough base. Also, the cabbage therein too was superb, having both a fresh sweetness and an rich aftertaste.

"Wow, this is delicious! Don't you think so, Shizuku?"

"…Yes. It's completely different from the food in Tokyo. There you could only taste the saltiness of the sauce, but here it's sweet. It feels like the sauce's saltiness brings out the sweetness of the base. It's a little too much food for me, however."

It seemed that Shizuku and Arisuin, too, rated the food favorably. Especially Shizuku; it was quite unlike her to be this eloquent. It was also uncommon for her to give such praise to food, being fairly well acquainted with the subtleties of gourmet food as she was. The other two also feasted upon their okonomiyaki with relish. Seeing this, Moroboshi looked truly pleased.

"Nahaha. It's good, innit? It's because there's a secret ingredient in our cooking. Did you catch it, Kurogane?"

"A secret ingredient, huh…."

Being asked that question, Ikki focused on the sensations of his tongue, thinking as he chewed. The main flavor of the okonomiyaki came from the fresh, strong sweetness of the cabbage, and a gentler sweetness in the dough base. The unique aspect of this dish was how this sweetness was then brought out and emphasized by the salty sauce. But that was not all; there was still that rich flavor, that which left a sweet aftertaste even long after he had chewed and swallowed. This could not be the cabbage's sweetness, not the sort that flowed down one's throat in an refreshing manner.

So, this secret ingredient is probably behind that rich flavor….

"…Hmmm, would it be cheese?"

After much tasting, he found the way sweetness stayed to be somewhat similar to cheesecake, and answered this way.

Moroboshi was impressed.

"Wow, you've got a good tongue. That's absolutely correct. Our okonomiyaki has cheese as a secret ingredient."

Just a little of course, as the taste of cheese was not primary in the dish. But, as Moroboshi had said, it had only taken that little amount of cheese to multiply the richness and flavor of the meal.

"That had to be it, or so I felt."

"I was somewhat troubled when I heard you were 'reeling us in', but with this I'm completely satisfied. Coming here with you was a great idea."

It was as Arisuin had said. Moroboshi hadn't been bluffing—the difference between this and the food from Tokyo was like the distance between heaven and earth. It was great that they had come here, Ikki thought. And because he thought this, he could not help but ask Moroboshi again.

"Um, Moroboshi-san, is it really okay for you to be treating us to such delicious food?"

"It's fine, it's fine. If I took money from y'all after dragging y'all here, my mum would kill me. So don't sweat it, just take it as a welcoming a rival from far away."

"But I still feel bad about being treated…."

He had no basis of comparison on which he could call Ichiban Boshi's okonomiyaki the best in Osaka, but it was undoubtedly delicious. Ikki was grateful to him for having taken the time out, on the day before the day of their Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival match no less, to bring them here. That he had then paid for their feast only made him feel even more apologetic.

A smile crept across Moroboshi's face at Ikki's consideration.

"Well then, you can pay me back during our match."

"During the match?"

Faced with Ikki's confused query, Moroboshi nodded.

"Exactly. Good food is good motivation, y'know? So just take the day to rest up, and then meet me in the match tomorrow in your best condition, better than you've ever been. Provin' my strength by defeating an opponent at their strongest—now that's well worth the meal I treated!"

At that moment, Ikki realized something. If he looked closely, he could something lurking in Moroboshi's eyes under that friendly smile of his. Fighting spirit, almost bordering on killing intent, enough to make the hairs of his arm stand on end.

「He's quite the opposite.」

Just as he discovered that which Moroboshi had hidden, he understood the true meaning of Kiriko's words.

Indeed, Moroboshi did not seek petty gain in battle from treating the opponent kindly, but rather the opposite. Welcoming his opponent as best as he could and allowing them to re-energize themselves, so they could meet him in battle in peak condition. Victory that came of his opponent's poor form or carelessness meant nothing in his eyes. What he desired was a life and death battle with an opponent at their best. A victory in such a battle had meaning, value—this was the chivalry of the Seven Stars Sword King.

"In a battle at the highest stage, neither I nor my opponent should leave with any regrets. Therefore, tomorrow, let's battle to our heart's content with all our might. How 'bout it, Crownless Sword King?"

With all our might. With the words "all our might", the Seven Stars Sword King, he who stood at the top of the student knight of Japan, had acknowledged the F-rank knight Ikki as an opponent worth going all-out against.

Ikki welcomed this. Like Moroboshi, he too believed there was nothing better than to match his opponent with everything he had. Being no more than an F-rank who just popped up out of nowhere, he had fully expected to be looked down upon. But the one who stood at the top was willing to come at him seriously.

It was great that I came here today.

Having understood Moroboshi's true intentions, Ikki felt so deeply. The strong foe before him had acknowledged him as a rival, as someone that demanded his full strength to deal with. As a knight, as a fighter, there was no higher honor. Therefore, there was no reason at all to reject this "ulterior motive".

"If it's like this, then I'd be glad to be treated to the meal. I will return that favor in full tomorrow."

"Lookin' forward to it!"

Ikki and the others spent about an hour more at Ichiban Boshi before leaving. Moroboshi had expressed the desire for them to wait till he was free, but he never seemed to free up as the customers never dwindled but only increased in number. Their continued presence would only slow the turnover of customers—thus, regrettably, they had to depart.

"Haa. I haven't eaten this much in a long time. My stomach is so full."

"Yes, it's a little uncomfortable."

"Onii-sama and Alice even ate two pieces. That's just too much. You two aren't Stella-san."

"Well, I'm sure Stella-chan wouldn't just have eaten two…."

If Stella had heard that, a fight would have started.

Even though Stella had only really been training with the Yaksha Princess for slightly over a week, Ikki recalled quite a few arguments of that sort with fond nostalgia. If she was here, it would surely be more lively…. Having been together all the time in school, being parted made him miss her all the more.

When this Festival is over, we'll come to Moroboshi-san's place again.

Next time, they would bring Stella along. She would certainly enjoy it. So he vowed to himself, even as loneliness blew through him like a chill wind. Then he turned to Kiriko, who was walking beside him and asked in concern.

"Anyway, Yakushi-san?"

"What is it?"

"Is it okay to have not done your check-up on Moroboshi-san and left together with us instead?"

This had been bothering him for a while now. Though her original intent had been to run a check-up on Moroboshi, she had only ended up eating and then leaving together with Ikki and the others. Perhaps she might have forgotten?

Kiriko for her part seemed unperturbed, and replied straight up.

"Oh, but I've already done the checkup."

"Eh? When?"

"Haha. For a water element user of my level, it is possible to grasp a person's blood and lymph flows even through their clothing. If I wish it, I can read a person's intent via those flows, and even influence them to take control of someone else's body."

"That's amazing…!"

Ikki thought aloud.

"So this was how you were able to seal Tatara-san's movements yesterday?"

"Indeed. It was originally supposed to be a rehabilitation assist, but this technique is also useful for punishing idiots… and anyway."

"Anyway?"

"Controlling people at will feels reeeally great."

She had a radiant smile, but her words were pure horror. Ikki vowed in his heart at that moment never to be treated by her.

"So, what are the results of your check-up, then?"

He was, after all, to be Moroboshi's opponent. That he was concerned was only natural.

Kiriko replied with a note of pride in her voice.

"Don't you worry, he's almost stupidly well, as would be expected of someone who was once treated by me."

"In other words, he's never been better?"

"Yes… you're going to have a hard time in the first round."

She sounded like she pitied him, but Ikki did not consider his situation pitiful. If anything, he was anxious that if Moroboshi were not at his best, there would be no worth in "returning the favor".

As they talked, they once again left the commercial strip, reaching the train station.

"Well, looks like this is where I step off, I dun' stay at the hotel, after all."

"Do you need us to walk you back?"

Arisuin voiced concern that Yagokoro was returning home alone, but she declined.

"It's fine, it ain't that late. I'm a student knight too, y'know?"

With that, she stepped out of their circle, before stopping and turning around.

"Oh, that's right. I had something I wanted to ask you, Worst One."

"You look oddly serious. What is it?"

Yagokoro made a face torn between wry acknowledgement and embarrassment.

"Well, y'know, I would write any scoop s'long as it was interestin', but this rumor was just way too crazy, so I thought I gotta get it from the horse's mouth."

For even Yagokoro to call this rumor too crazy, it must surely be scarily so. Feeling a cold sweat break out, Ikki prompted her almost timidly.

"What… sort of rumors?"

"Aah, umm… they say you defeated Twin Wings in combat, is that true?"

Ikki's eyes did their best sunny-side-up egg impression.

She referred to his battle against the strongest swordsman in the world, 'Twin Wings' Edelweiss, who he had fought on the deserted school grounds not long before. There had been no eyewitnesses, and as such no news made of it. As such, he had not imagined that anyone else would have known about this. Seeing his reaction, Yagokoro pressed forward first.

"Eh! What's with dat reaction!? Is it real then? Did you really win!?"

"No, wait, wait-wait-wait! Calm down a bit, please! Yes, it's true that I did cross swords with Edelweiss, but—"

"S-So you did!"

"That's why I said, calm down—!"

Grabbing Yagokoro by the shoulders, he somehow managed to calm her down from her almost predatory state, before proceeding to refute that rumor.

"I won't deny that I did indeed fight her—the rumor is correct, but only up till there. I did not win. I lost consciousness during the battle, and the next thing I knew I was lying was a hospital bed. In other words, I'm only alive because she held back on me."

He could not bear to think of what would happen if this misunderstanding got out.

"I-I see, so as I expected, it was false, huh…."

Yagokoro also seemed to accept quickly that the rumor was merely that.

"Yeah, that was probably it. Still, that you fought her and survived in itself is big news, ain't it? I know you gotta leave now, and I'm sorry, but could'ja tell me some details about the fight?"

Her face positively beamed at having unearthed this unexpected big scoop.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"Wh-Why!? I'm not gonna mock you for losin', y'know?"

"No, I'm not refusing for that reason. Simply put, I don't remember."

"You don't… remember?"

"Yes… I remember being beaten really badly, and at some point I lost myself—the last moments were especially muddy."

This was the truth. All he remembered was his last-ditch Dokuga no Tachi being repelled with ease, and Intetsu shattering to pieces. Following this, he had no memory of how he had attempt to fend off Twin Wings. Thus he could not recall it—the moment when his sword had landed a hit on the world's strongest swordsman. Though he had heard of it from Kurono after she rescued them, it all felt too surreal, as though it had happened to someone else.

"So, well, you see, all I can tell you is that I lost."

"So that's how it is…."

Kurogane Ikki was not one to lie, this much Yagokoro knew even from their short acquaintance. Thus, she shrugged. It was disappointing, but she would not pursue the matter further.

"As I feared, though, this information alone won't make for a juicy enough scoop… say, do you mind if I fill in some… details?"

"I would."

"Come on, you'll lose magnificently!"

"No."

"Ooh. You're so stingy."

With this came her best glare, but Ikki refused to give any ground. If he left her to dramatize the story as she liked, who knew what would come of it. Before long, Yagokoro backed down first in the face of his firm stance.

"Well there's nothing for it, then. I'll just have t'give up on making this into an article."

"I'd be thankful if you did that."

"…But, to be honest, my estimation of you has gone up after hearing about this, Worst One. Now I'm really lookin' forward to see the match between you n' Moroboshi. Then, that's all, eh? Bye!"

Sending Ikki her support thusly, Yagokoro headed off by herself in the direction of the bus stop. Shizuku spoke up first after the seeing-off.

"Let's go back together, shall we? We do stay at the same hotel, after all."

Ikki, however, declining that suggestion.

"I'll pass. I'll walk back instead of taking the train."

"Why would you do that? It's still quite the distance, you know."

"It's, well, I guess two pieces really was too much for me. I'd like to do a bit of light exercise to help with the digestion."

And on top of that—

"I guess Moroboshi-san's fighting spirit has infected me too. I can't seem to sit still, so I guess I need to walk it off."

There was also that reason. In any case, Shizuku understood that while the hotel was a ten-minute train ride away, that distance was nothing her brother couldn't handle, and so she accepted it with only one mild reminder.

"So that's how it is. I understand—but tomorrow's match is an important one, so please be careful not to overtax yourself."

"I will keep myself in check, of course."

"Do you want me to come with you, Ikki?"

"…Nah, it's fine, Alice, you can just go with Shizuku."

"Ah, alright then, I understand."

"Then, I'll see you all tomorrow at the match."

Ikki waved, before heading off through the alleys in a different direction from Yagokoro.

"Onii-sama is really happy."

Shizuku could not help but notice this, and she said so in a pleased voice.

"Yes, it seems that he was really struck by the Seven Stars Sword King's fighting spirit. It was to be expected, I suppose, seeing as that fighting him in optimal condition was in fact his ulterior motive."

"Onii-sama was also unusually provocative in his reply."

"He probably couldn't contain his excitement. As an F-rank, he has been ridiculed, unacknowledged, and yet he continues to believe in his own potential. Having the chance to test himself against the Seven Stars Sword King alone would have been enough motivation for a battle maniac like him. And now he knows that his opponent, too, desires that battle. He must be so happy and proud he can barely sit still… that's actually really cute."

No doubt Ikki looked forward to meeting Moroboshi in battle tomorrow when both of them were at their best in both body and mind. To Shizuku and Arisuin, this was what they could see in Ikki's bright expression.

"But, this much won't be enough to win."

Kiriko spoke suddenly, causing them to gape slightly.

"Eh?"

"Won't be enough to win… do you mean Onii-sama?"

"Yes, that is what I mean."

"Wh-Why would you say that?"

Shizuku seemed chagrined that the White-Robed Knight would suddenly claim that her brother would lose.

"I would say that it's an issue of mentality."

Kiriko narrowed her eyes.

"I think that Kurogane-kun is a splendid knight. While being an F-rank, he aimed for and made it to the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival—so he certainly has both the drive and the strength. Even when facing the Seven Stars Sword King, he did not show any sign of fear, but rather challenged him head on—that he has ambition thus also plain to see… but I feel that he is taking it this lightly."

"Lightly… you say?"

Shizuku stared daggers at Kiriko, perceiving this as an insult to her brother. Arisuin moved to calm her down, even as he spoke what was on both their minds.

"You said Ikki is taking this too lightly. How different is Moroboshi from him then, if they share the same feelings on the matter?"

If they had different feelings on the matter, why would Moroboshi have said something like "I wish to fight you when you're at your best"?

But Kiriko simply shook her head lightly at his words.

"…That's not true. I think you've misunderstood the man called Yuudai Moroboshi quite severely. Beneath what I called his ulterior motives is something very different from Kurogane-kun's ambition. Halfhearted feelings that those would never have allowed him to overcome those injuries. That which supports him is something else altogether. It's something even more unique than the mere desire to fight those above you, or to chase after a beautiful victory. It is a most grievous sense of duty. If Kurogane-kun only holds on to such self-congratulatory ideas like wanting to fight a battle he can be proud of, or aiming for greater heights—he cannot defeat Moroboshi. I'm sure of it."

Ikki did not take the path back to the hotel after having parted from Shizuku and the others. Instead, he headed for a park away from the busy streets, away from the bustle of the night. None of that could be heard here, only the insects.

"Would you like to come out now? No one will hear us here even if we cause a disturbance."

The one he addressed was the source of that murderous intent that he had felt in front of Ichiban Boshi. That same gaze had continued to follow him since earlier. This was the real reason Ikki had chosen to return to the hotel alone—to speak to the owner of that gaze. Even with the Seven Stars Sword King among them, this person had unswervingly fixed an bloodlust upon Ikki alone, without anyone noticing. This alone spoke volumes of this pursuer's skill.

A moment later, his estimations were proven correct, as a figure emerged from the shadows and stood in front of him. Ikki gasped.

"To think that it would be you…."

The newcomer's Japanese-style clothing fluttered in the night wind. His sleek-lidded eyes flashed like naked blades. Yet, he and Ikki would have been spitting images of one another, if not for the cross-shaped scar that marred his face.

"…Ouma."

Indeed, this was none other than Ikki's brother by blood, and the sole A-Ranked Knight among Japan's student knights: Ouma Kurogane, the Sword Emperor of Wind.

Having shown himself, Ouma said not a word as he cast a piercing stare in Ikki's direction. It was hardly an amicable look, but rather one filled with killing intent, or perhaps enmity. Whichever it was, his mere gaze was enough to exert a prodigious pressure. The two of them were around the same height. Yet face-to-face, Ouma seemed to loom two, even three times his size—such was the substance of his mere presence.

Steeling himself, Ikki managed to not be swallowed up by the pressure his brother's gaze exuded.

"So, what might you need? Judging by that time in Hagun Academy, I don't suppose you're here for some brotherly bonding, are you?"

In dealing with Ouma, it was best to begin by asking for the agenda, for he was not someone to do anything—much less appear in front of him—without one.

Ouma spoke, breaking his silence.

"Of course, I came here to meet the likes of you only for one purpose. I have something that I must say."

"Something you must say?"

Ouma nodded slightly, then with a voice that echoed not in his ears, but in his very guts—

"Withdraw from the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival at once, Ikki."

His tone and words brooked no disagreement. Ikki gaped at the sudden command. Why did he have to withdraw from the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival?

"May I hear a reason?"

"Did you not understand what you were told? How carefree."

Ouma's brows furrowed, his annoyance at his brother's words plain.

"Your existence is a stumbling block to the Crimson Princess."

"…What?"

Having heard his brother's mind, it was Ikki's turn to frown.

"Since when have I been a stumbling block to Stella? I'd like it if you didn't reproach me without any basis."

"It's the truth. Thanks to your deceptions, you worm, the Crimson Princess has been foolishly wasting her time these few months competing at your level after being bested by you."

"Deception?"

"Techniques, tactics, all the means with which you attempt to catch the opponent off guard, those petty tricks with which you have bluffed and scraped your way to victory—that is your deception. Strength is not something that is found from such vulgarity, and she can never hope to become strong or anything like that by following the back of such a vulgar man. To tell the truth, she disappointed me during our battle when we assaulted Hagun. Someone of the same caliber as I should not have only amounted to that."

All this feigning the appearance of strength and thus conning Stella—he laid at Ikki's feet. Having so decided, Ouma rounded on him.

"Therefore disappear, fool. The Crimson Princess is too good for someone like you."

"I see, so that's how it is."

Ikki gave a light sigh at Ouma's words. Having heard up till here, he could understand why his brother had claimed that he was blocking Stella's progress. Simply put, Ouma was judging him on the basis of his own value system.

To him, strength was not the technique one used to win, but the power one has. That the person with more power would win was a given—techniques capable of subverting this law were nothing but trickery.

Really, what harsh words.

It really was harsh. After all, Ouma's ideals were nothing but a complete rejection of his existence as a F-rank knight aiming for the top. It was quite like Ouma as a purist of strength to speak this way, but Ikki was not about to by any means accept this ideal.

"I finally understand why you think that I have become an obstacle to Stella's progress, big brother. However, I have no reason to go along with your values. Even if is as you say, that your values are the truth, that I am a fake… Stella loves me, and she desires to have one more battle with me. To me, that is all. Everything. Your words do not hold a candle to our promise, Ouma. They do not move me."

He rejected Ouma's request unceremoniously. His brother in response did not look too disappointed, and indeed seemed to have anticipated this refusal to submit.

"You're a fool. Do not misunderstand me. I am not asking—I am ordering you. If you won't listen, then I will simply use force to bring you to heel. That's all there is to it."

With a single slow motion—as though finding the task too tiresome—he materialized his own Device, the nodachi Ryuuzume, longer than the average Japanese sword by a shade. The air itself around them seemed to freeze over with tension, as frightful birds fled their trees overhead. They knew—they knew that the moment this sword was drawn, all within the park lay inside the palm of Ouma's hand.

Ikki, too, knew this. But even though he did he did not waver in the least. A smile unafraid crept upon his lips.

"Well, this is good—I don't hate that it's easier to understand this way."

As he said this, he materialized his own Device, Intetsu.

He was already resolved. From the time that Ouma had shown himself, he had known that there was no way their exchange could end peaceably. Those words had then sealed that fate. Ouma had said that the time Ikki and Stella had spent together up till now had been worthless. To Ikki, meeting her, the days they had spent together—these things were precious. He could not simply smile and let such words pass. For the sake of Stella, who loved him, he would not rest till he made Ouma pay for saying them.

"Whether I am merely a stumbling stone for Stella or not—come ascertain it with your blade!"

"Don't you dare snarl at me in my own words, ragged mongrel!"

Thus did the extra-tournament battle between the Kurogane brothers erupt.

Within the city, the battle between the the Sword Emperor of Wind and the Worst One began suddenly.

It was Ouma who made the first move. He lifted his hand, Ryuuzume glowing with pale, baleful fire in the darkness—

"Ha!"

—and swept horizontally at a rapidly closing Ikki. Ten meters separated the two. It was a distance no blade's reach could cross, or would cross. And yet—

"Tch!"

Ikki's body, already held close to the ground in his charge, now went lower still as he dived flush to the ground in a panic. Not a moment too soon—a frigid gale passed over him, scything through the rows of trees behind him in its wake.

A blade of steel might not cross that distance. But a blade of wind was a different matter. This was the Noble Art Shinkuuha[15], a popular offensive technique among wind users that tore through air, creating a small corridor of vacuum. Naturally, Ouma was capable of using it.

"Haa!"

Ouma struck out with Ryuuzume once again, sending another blade of vacuum hurtling toward Ikki. A slash capable of cutting through air. While it lacked the sheer offensive strength of a fire-user's ranged abilities like Stella Vermillion's own long-range technique Dragon Fang, its supersonic speeds and the difficulty of dodging an invisible strike made it a deadly ability in its own right.

But such a pedestrian technique would not be able to tame the Worst One. Ikki continued to advance without losing an iota of speed, juking his way through the gaps between the vacuum blades, dodging them all by a hair's breadth. From his movements it was obvious that he had seen through the supposedly invisible Shinkuuha. But how? The trick lay in that which Ikki had fixed his gaze on. His eyes were not on the unseen blades, but theRyuuzume Ouma wielded. Though it boasted supersonic speed, Shinkuuha could only go a straight line down the trajectory drawn by its user's Device. Therefore, following it and evading it was simple if one observedRyuuzume's angles of attack. It was much like dodging bullets, where one could easily evade them by reading the timing of the bolt's movements, and the position of the muzzle. For someone with Ikki's reflexes and motion perception, they simply could not hit.

"Hmph…."

Weaving past the corridor of vacuum slashes, Ikki was closing in. As though judging that bringing Ikki down was beyond mere Shinkuuha, Ouma too charged and swung at Ikki's neck—not with a sword of wind this time, but with a sword of steel.

"Kaaaa!!"

"Tch…!"

He's fast!

Despite wielding a bladed weapon whose weight equaled that of a spear, the sharpness and speed of Ouma's slash with his nodachi by far surpassed Ikki's.

This was not a difference in skill—indeed, both sides were about equal in that regard. The difference lay in Ouma's ability. Manipulating the wind, he had rendered air resistance null and void, giving his white blade the advantage in speed over Ikki's black one. Without Ittou Shura, there was no counter to such speed. Having judged in that moment, Ikki took up a defensive stance—

*Swish*

—and then he felt a chill freeze the blood in his veins as that sound reached his ears.

"Ooooooh!"

Forsaking defense, he threw himself backward to avoid Ouma's strike. The blade struck the sandy soil of the park—and did not stop there, carving a seemingly bottomless chasm in the earth below, etching that fissure-like wound deeply into the ochre-colored ground. Ikki broke into a cold sweat at the sight. Stella too could shake the ground with her strikes, but Ouma's were a cut above her's. After all, shaking was a phenomenon caused by the dispersion of energy—a sign of excessive waste and imperfection in the user's magic control. A true strike of concentrated energy created no such perturbations. Where it went, it silently yet thoroughly blew everything away. That was Ouma's strike, which had cut through the earth like a knife through hot butter.

How much energy would have had he gathered, how much force and mass simulated in order to do something like that? How many hundreds of kilograms? How many thousands? He did not know, but one thing he did. His brother's strike, much like Stella's, was a brutal blow. And not one he could take head-on.

But—

This extraordinary offensive strength, it can only be created by that body.

"You've changed a lot since we last met all those years ago, Ouma. No, I should say you've changed too much. What's the secret behind that body?"

"Oh?"

Ouma cracked a predatory grin at Ikki's words.

"To think that you would notice my anomaly in our first crossing of blades. Though it is trickery, your wounding of Twin Wings is evidently not just for show… however, there is nothing you can do with that knowledge. This anomaly is pure strength alone, unlike your deceptions."

Indeed, that slash was a tough customer. He was by no means a stranger to attacks that he could not defend against. He had once fended a similarly earth-shattering blow from Stella by negating her demon-like physical strength with a soft defense. But that had only been possible because of Stella's inexperience. A blade wildly swung cuts not the falling leaf. That was the principle behind it; deflecting wild strength was but a simple matter.

Ouma's blade-work was different. Its path betrayed not the slightest hesitation or deviation—it would surely slice even a falling leaf clean in twain.

Like this, even using Ten'i Muhou would be fairly dangerous.

How would he deal with this demon's blade? Using Ittou Shura would allow him to close the speed gap, but given the one-minute time limit it had it was still too soon to use it. He needed to force Ouma's to show more of his hand first.

In that case, what indeed would he have to do? As he drew on his past experience to come to a solution—

"I see you're thinking of some pointless things."

Ouma's mocking call from a distance snapped his train of thought.

"I've said it before. There is nothing you can do."

Then, Ouma made his move. Was it Shinkuuha once again? No. He did not make to slash, but instead raised his blade on high, as though meaning to pierce the moon.

"Also, I don't intend to waste much time on someone of your level. Let's just put a time limit on this—all this scurrying about is depressing."

He then began his incantation.

"Bind and shut—Mukou Kekkai[16]."

The pale emerald fire shrouding Ryuuzume burst forth in vibrant flame, and in an instant a savage gale swept across the battlefield. The sands rose and churned, blinding the eyes as the howling winds drew them into its twisting updraft. Ikki clawed at the ground with both hands, barely managing to keep himself from being thrown up into the air as well.

Kuh! He's obstructing my vision…!

The sandstorm and the twister as one had stripped him of both sight and mobility. He could not but acknowledge that this move was effective, but he quickly realized painfully that even that line of thinking was naive. A man who pursued strength as purely as Ouma did would never use a technique that was simply meant to reduce his opponent's fighting capability.

Mukou Kekkai had a more terrifying, more direct ability, and that was—

"This…!"

I can't… breathe!

—the forced removal of oxygen. The updraft Ouma had created was robbing the battlefield of it, drawing it up high into the sky, denying Ikki the luxury of time.

"You have ten minutes. About one if you fight; that's all you have left. I have no patience for you to be conserving that miserable strength of yours. Come at me with all you have."

Ikki, hearing Ouma's commanding tone, steeled himself. Indeed, he had no time to conserve his power, exactly as his brother had said. Moreover—

This isn't an opponent I can hold back against.

He did not know what had happened to his brother during the time when Ouma whereabouts had been unknown, but it was clear that he was many times stronger than Ikki had remembered him. This compounded with his preexisting power deficiency meant that Ouma was not an opponent against which he could hope to hide an ace. Recognizing this, Ikki aborted his attempt to see through Ouma's strength, and ignited all the magic flowing through his body.

"Ittou Shura."

A burst of azure fire wrapped around his body as his sword spirit burst forth, like a rushing wind yet sharp enough to cut flesh. The trees in the park again shook, their leaves falling like raindrops. Having experienced many battles, Ikki's spirit had come to possess a very physical pressure.

Yet Ouma was not in the least shaken by that level of pressure. Rather than be in the least intimidated by Ittou Shura, he seemed to be annoyed—as one presented with something dull.

"A highly focused release of all one's power within a short period of time used in order to defeat with explosive force an opponent whose total reserves you cannot match… this is the height of deception. Just looking at it makes my skin crawl…. Come. Allow me to blow this stumbling stone away."

With almost leisurely movements, he settled into a battle stance. Stoic and unmoving, he evoked the image of a mighty mountain. Deep-rooted in the earth, an absolute presence. Ikki was almost overwhelmed by this feeling alone. But he had already played his trump card. He had a minute left, no more. Even a second's waste was fatal against this foe. Therefore—

"Haaaaaa!"

The knight in black initiated the decisive attack, his posture low to the ground like a shadow. In response, the Sword Emperor of Wind too made his move, his blade sweeping forth like a hurricane towards that shadow's head.

But when cloaked in Ittou Shura, Ikki was swifter than any wind!

I can do this!

He intended to end this in the first strike using the decisive difference in speed. Deflect Ouma's blow, avoid him, and strike at his body in a flash.

Don't be afraid.

His eyes fixed on the white blade bearing down on his head. Ouma could split the earth with this blow. If he allowed fear to cripple his deflection, he would be decapitated in a single strike.

Focus!

He sought maximum concentration to avoid this executioner's guillotine. The precision to deflect this falling blade. He could do it. He had to be able to. With all that he had honed himself with so far, he could surely do it. So, without fear—

Gooooo!

Encouraging himself thus, Ikki summoned up his utmost focus and charged at the oncoming blade. In that instant, all too suddenly—

…Eh?

—he stopped.

What… is this!?

Ikki's eyes widened in shock at the sudden anomaly in his body that occurred as he and Ouma were about to cross swords. This was the precise moment that he had concentrated all his energies unto. The moment when he should have parried Ouma's attack, and then gotten within his guard. Yet at this decisive moment—it was as though the connection between his mind and body was suddenly severed. He was conscious. Yet his body would not move.

What… is happening!?

He had no time to be surprised, however. He was the only one who had stopped. Ouma's blade was upon him in a flash.

Shit!

He barely managed to get his guard up before it made contact with his neck.

But he had taken Ouma's earth-splitting physical strength head-on.

"Gaaaah!"

Ikki was blown dozens of meters of away as though hit by a heavy truck, smashing against a stone wall.

"Gah-hak!"

A gout of bloody mist came forth from his mouth—the impact had reached his internal organs, wounding them. The bones in his arms were broken up to the elbows from taking that slash squarely. But, at this moment, both those things were irrelevant to Ikki.

What was that, a moment ago…!

At the moment of the decisive clash, he had frozen up mysteriously. Why had he stopped? Ever since he had taken up the sword, this had never happened before. But even as Ikki was driven to distraction by this mysterious occurrence within his body—

"Hmph."

Ouma spoke, his voice rankling with impatience.

"what are you so surprised about? Surely you do not think that you could continue as-is after having fought the world's strongest swordsman? Even if your body is fine, she left her mark on your spirit."

"…Eh!?"

"To think you couldn't even accept her gift, and yet dared to bark at me. You who know not your place—"

Even as Ouma reviled him thus, he gradually settled into an offensive stance. He lifted his hand, blade held parallel to the ground. In an instant, Ryuuzume burst forth in a nimbus of as-yet unmatched light as its blade was clad in wind. The result was one of extraordinary scale as the revolving winds devoured the atmosphere around them, threatening to suck all the surrounding objects into its grasp. Layer upon layer of cutting gale coalesced, forming this single blade of air. A blade of a whirlwind, capable of slicing all in its path.

Yes, this was the Noble Art that had felled both the Crimson Princess and Raikiri.

"For a con-artist like you, Kusanagi is overkill. However, it would be just as distasteful were I to fail to slay you by not completing the task. Therefore, take this special favor gratefully—and die."

Having delivered his parting shot, Ouma swung, sending his greatest technique at the severely wounded Worst One.

I can't take this technique on…!

He had to avoid it, by any means necessary. He was concerned of course, by the meaning behind the 'gift' of Edelweiss' that Ouma had spoken of. Still, he chased it from his mind for now, ordering his body—still wracked with damage done by the impact—to flee the oncoming threat with all its might.

But he froze up again—just like before. His brain desperately appealed to his body to flee, but his flesh was frozen, unresponsive. Were his bodily functions disabled by the damage? That possibility arose first in his mind. But checking his wounds, he dismissed it—they was severe, yes, but not the point where he would be immobile.

Then, why? He couldn't understand. He couldn't understand. But at this rate he would take the blow squarely.

Kuh!

He had to think of something. But nothing came to his mind, the only part of his body that had not yet stopped, even as its gears churned at full speed. He was about to be swallowed whole by the titanic force of that wind blade—

"Tear 'em to shreds, Tora-Ou!"

A young man wielding a yellow spear interposed himself between the Worst One and the blade of compressed wind that threatened to slice him to smithereens just as it would anything else. Well-built and with eyes like a predator's, it was the Seven Stars Sword King, Yuudai Moroboshi.

"Tear 'em to shreds, Tora-Ou!"

With a cry that pierced the skies, he thrust the golden spear at the descending tornado. Golden light shot forth from the point of the spear, the radiance swiftly taking the shape of a tiger's head—jaws open and fangs bared. The golden tiger created of magic power seized the oncoming wind blade in its wide open maw, bit down—and Ouma's trump card, the Kusanagi that had so easily taken down the Crimson Princess and the Raikiri—first rate student knights in their own right—was literally torn to pieces. Split asunder down the middle by the tiger, the blade of wind dispersed and ultimately dissipated into nothingness.

"You 'kay, Kurogane?"

Moroboshi asked as he stood between the brothers as Ikki's shield.

"Mo, Moroboshi-san, why are you h—?"

"You forgot somethin', so I came to give it back to ya."

So saying, he tossed an object towards Ikki's chest—his student datapad.

"The doc said you were headin' back on yer own. I was just takin' it easy, following the road back to the hotel… and then somehow just stumbled on some outrageous sibling argument."

Moroboshi then turned from Ikki to Ouma.

"Yo, long time no see, Ouma. Haven't seen your face around since the we were in elementary school."

"Moroboshi, the Star of Naniwa… or should I say, the Seven Stars Sword King?"

"Ha. I don't wanna be called no Seven Stars Sword King by you. You weren't even at that year's Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival."

Moroboshi spoke, referencing their old rivalry in elementary school.

"Winning that title don't mean a thing to me… well, let's leave that one aside for now."

As they exchanged words, Moroboshi scanned the surrounding area and frowned at the sorry state it was in. The deep crevasses carved into the ground. The trees felled by the whirlwind. The broken stone wall.

"Ain't this a little overboard for a sibling argument? Someone might've died if I din' step in!"

"That would be the Noble Art that can negate all other Noble Arts—Tiger Bite[17]. You managed to shatter Kusanagi and even Mukou Kekkai."

"Aye, dat's how it is. In other words, your power over wind ain't got nothin' on me. Now that you know that, lemme ask you… you gonna continue this silly fight? You keep makin' a ruckus in my home turf, you'll be up against me."

Threatening Ouma in a voice sharp as a dagger, Moroboshi thrust his spear, infused with the power of the Noble Arts-negating Tiger Bite, at him.

"No. I no longer desire to continue."

Closing his eyes, he recalled Ryuuzume. Moroboshi's Tiger Bite had been able to destroy his trump card Kusanagi with ease. Did he find his odds against Moroboshi's assistance too unfavorable? No. To know when to back off was never his strong suit. His reason for continuing the battle was just gone. What little interest he had possessed before left his cold eyes as he fixed them upon Ikki, who was still collapsed behind Moroboshi.

"If he cannot not accept the gift of Twin Wings, then there is no need for me to finish him off here—he will be defeated by you tomorrow. All the better. The Crimson Princess will surely wake up if she sees his pathetic form."

Throwing this last barb, he turned on his heel and melted into the darkness from which he had come. As he left, he muttered a last few words.

"Still, to have forgotten something, huh? …What a lucky man."

Moroboshi gave an exasperated sigh as he watched Ouma leave.

"Well, his appearance has changed quite a bit since elementary school, but ain't his cold attitude still the same?"

Once Ouma had completed disappeared, he then turned back to Ikki, who was now slumped against the stone wall.

"Well, what was that about? Heard y'all mention Stella-chan or somesuch. This some kind of lover's quarrel? You two brothers fighting over the same girl, like in the drama serials?"

Ikki smiled bitterly at Moroboshi's flippancy as he stood up haltingly.

"Please stop, I nearly died back there. Still, you really saved me. Thank you very much for that… and for the datapad as well."

"All good, all good. Don't sweat it… more importantly."

His eyes narrowed, and he continued in a more serious tone. He was only concerned about one thing.

"Well, what's the matter with you, Kurogane? I only looked from afar, but your movements were weird. Didn't look like it was due to your injuries either…."

He had seen Ikki when he had seemed to not flee from Kusanagi. Unfortunately, the answer to his question was something Ikki himself wanted to know, more so than anyone else.

"Honestly, I don't know what happened or how…."

It had come completely unannounced—he should have conditioned himself perfectly in preparation for the tournament. So he could nothing but shake his head.

"Is that so… but really, you looked exactly like a deer in the headlights of a really big speeding truck. Well, that can't be it, can it?"

After all, no knight who could appear at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival would be scared out of their wits by an opponent's technique, much less someone like Ikki, the 'Worst One' who had been brave enough to smile even when matched up against the Crimson Princess and her Katharterio Salamandra. That could not be so. Yet—

Moroboshi's casual words caused something to flash across Ikki's mind.

「Surely you do not think that you could continue as-is after having fought the world's strongest swordsman? Even if your body is fine, she left her mark on your spirit.」

These were the words that Ouma had said to him at the end of their battle. Now that he thought about it, it was indeed exactly as his brother had described it. He had fought against the world's greatest swordswoman, and lived. Been defeated by her, yet was whole. Could it have possibly been this convenient? He had come back from having one foot in the grave—but it seemed like not a thing had changed… was this line of thought perhaps a little too naive?

An ill premonition sent him into a cold sweat. This happened often in the world of fighting, with a good example being boxing. After having suffered a severe loss, some fighters would develop an extreme irrational fear of an opponent's punches and as a result freeze up in panic during the few seconds where blows were exchanged. This trauma-induced mental condition was known as "Punch Eye". Naturally, those afflicted by this condition could not continue fighting.

Some would call them broken. Could it be…that without knowing it, he had been broken? Indeed, he had checked out on the tests done after the battle with Edelweiss. He could still perform up to his usual standards in training. But none of these situations had put his life in any danger. Thus, he had not realized it till now, only to have it come out into the open when faced with the genuine killing intent that Ouma had exuded. It was a frightening thought, and unfortunately, it was not all baseless talk. Rather, it was just as Ouma had said—for him to have come out unscathed from a battle with the strongest swordswoman was unnatural. Should not it have been expected that some part of him, whether body or spirit, had been shattered during the fight?

Seeing the blood drain from Ikki's face, Moroboshi spoke up, concerned.

"What's up? You've got a scary face on… did you think of something?"

"…No… not particularly…."

He did not tell Moroboshi what his thoughts were. He could not possibly do so. He could not show his next opponent his weakness. And more importantly—

「I look forward to fighting you when you're at your best.」

—Moroboshi had looked forward to their battle so much. He would not tell him, even were his lips ripped open. Ikki forcibly quashed the uneasiness within him.

All the while, Moroboshi continued to eye him, until—

"That so? …Well, leaving that aside, let's get you to a doctor real quick, eh? Just sit down for a bit."

Dropping his pursuit of that point, he whipped out his own datapad and began dialing for an ambulance.

"Sorry about this…."

Was this really thanks, or was it an apology? Muttering these words whose true meaning even he knew not, Ikki placed his shattered hands over his chest. Ittou Shura had long since been dispelled, and the fatigue had by now risen to claim his entire body. Thanks to that, his entire body had been numbed and therefore he did not feel the pain of his wounds.

What's happened… to me? To my body…?

And yet the fear that arose in his heart of having broken somewhere as a knight did not decrease in the slightest.

Later, after having received treatment and returned to his hotel room, Ikki continued his self-examination. Diving deep within his consciousness, he examined both his body and his soul, leaving no stone unturned. But he could not find any apparent trace of affliction. Rather, he could not but conclude that he was in optimal condition. Was he really broken? If not, that freeze-up, what was it?

He did not know, and because he did not know, he could not even begin to overcome it. That boded ill. To challenge the Seven Stars Sword King while sitting on this ticking time bomb he did not even understand was reckless. This was not an opponent he could beat if his body were to refuse to move at critical junctures. He had to conquer it somehow.

But as though mocking the anxious worrying in his heart, it came.

Light. The morning. The day where it would all begin….

「It is said,

Conflict is evil, for from it is born hatred;

Peace is good, for from it is born kindness;

Violence is a sin, for by it we harm our fellow man;

Conciliation is a virtue, for by we care for them;

「If mankind were sensible, we would surely think this way.

「But, despite this, humankind nonetheless yearns for strength!

To be stronger than all others! To be bolder than all others!

Overwhelming power, before which none can stand! Absolute power, with which you shall do as you please!

「Let them speak, who have never longed for this. Let them open their mouths, who have never desired it.

All who were born into this world have dreamed—and gave some up when they lost their way.

Now, those who dream of staking their lives to challenge themselves and their peers have gathered here, at this festival!

「For Hokkaido—Rokuzon Academy.

For Tohoku—Kyomon Academy.

For North Kanto—Donrou Academy.

For South Kanto—Hagun Academy.

For Kinki—Bukyoku Academy.

For Chugoku-Shikoku—Rentei Academy.

For Kyushu-Okinawa—Bunkyoku Academy.

And last but not least—our debutant, Akatsuki Academy.

「Thirty-two have been chosen from among the eight schools, each one a magnificent knight.

Even so, only one may claim the title of 'Seven Stars Sword King'—the name of Japan's number one student knight!

Therefore, we shall decide the better man with sword in hand, for is that not the chivalric tradition?

「…Our thirty-two young, noble champions.

The time is now! If only at this time, none shall reproach you!

Fight as you wish, as you will—fight with everything you have!

With this, I declare that the sixty-second Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival… has begun!」