“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m doin’ just peachy. Yeah. I think tomorrow’s battle’s the last one for the whole school. Huh? Yer comin’ all the way to Tokyo? Ya made a banner for me, too?! Yer jumpin’ the gun!

“By the way, this year’s Seven Stars’s in Osaka… Yep. Whether I win ’r lose, I think I’ll come ’n visit for a while after the selection battles either way. Yeah. All right, bye. Thanks for the veggies. Tell everyone else I said thanks as well. Take care o’ yerself, Mom. See ya.”

After saying goodbye, Touka turned off her student notebook’s phone function. Her sweat adhered to the liquid-crystal display, which showed the total call time of fifty minutes. She had been on the phone for far too long.

“How’s the matron doing?”

Utakata, sitting on the student council room’s sofa, asked about the person on the other end of the call before taking a bite of a fist-sized tomato. That person was the matron who ran the Wakaba House.

“Pretty well. Almost as healthy as she used to be, actually.”

The matron of the orphanage—the elderly woman Touka called “Mom”—had fallen victim to a heart attack the year before. At the time, Touka would spend whole nights crying, and even the usually easygoing Utakata had been pale with worry. Based on how she sounded on the phone, however, her condition had settled to the point that she actually sounded much better.

“So they already made a banner for you?”

Touka hadn’t even secured the last of her victories, let alone been chosen as a representative yet, but the matron and the orphans had already made a banner to wave at the Seven Stars. It left Touka speechless.

“I swear, they’re always so hasty.”

“That’s just how much they believe in you. You’re their hope—the hero of Wakaba House, Raikiri.”

Utakata opened the box of vegetables the house had sent and handed a photograph over to Touka. The children in the photo were smiling, mud covering their faces as they harvested vegetables. On the back of the image, they had done their best to write words of encouragement using letters they had just learned.

To the children of Wakaba House, Touka was most certainly a hero. Parentless like them, a child of the House like them, she was fighting—and winning—with dignity in front of the entire world.

She was admired by all the orphans. They wanted to be shining beacons of hope, just like her. She continued inspiring them to dream, and to keep chasing their dreams.

Touka was well-aware of the effect she had on them, of course, so she refused to lose. She couldn’t bear to. Their hopes weren’t a source of pressure for her; rather, they gave her greater strength. That was the strongest part of Touka Toudou, the great Raikiri.

I’ll read this later.

Touka held the letter lovingly against her heart before putting it into her bag. Then, she directed her attention to the cardboard box full of vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants—it was full of summer vegetables harvested by the orphans. Much of the harvest was scraggly and misshapen, but it filled her with an indescribable warmth.

“Wow! Look, Uta! This eggplant is so big and juicy! I bet it’d go great in eggplant curry.”

“Yeah. It’s so dark, thick, and juicy, right? Heheh.”

“C-Come on! Quit that creepy old man shtick!”

“Hahaha! There’s so much here that it’ll rot before we get through it all, though. We should take some to the cafeteria tomorrow.”

Utakata’s innocent words caused Touka’s face to quickly cloud over. She had remembered something unpleasant.

“…Tomorrow, huh?”

Earlier, Touka had been contacted by Director Kurono Shinguuji with an update regarding her opponent for the next day. Specifically, that her new opponent would be the man entangled in worldwide controversy: the Worst One. Touka couldn’t help but feel that there was something foul afoot.

When pressed about it, Kurono was open with the truth. The sheer adversity that Ikki was being forced to confront was beyond description. The malice enveloping him had put him into the worst condition possible, and they intended to pit him against a fighter like Touka while in such a condition.

Needless to say, Touka was reluctant at best.

“Are you gonna accept the duel, Touka?”

Utakata knew how she felt. He asked his question in an apprehensive manner, as her face still clouded over with distaste, to which she looked down.

“I don’t have any say in the matter. Like the director said, this is nothing more than my final selection battle.”

Though Ikki was going into their duel with everything on the line, it was just another selection battle to Touka; a mere change in opponent wouldn’t force her to risk anything else on this battle. In addition, extenuating circumstances had forced the school to change selection battle opponents many times, so Touka didn’t have much room to protest.

“But you hate that you have to do it, right?”

“Yeah…”

A girl as kind-hearted as her couldn’t so easily ignore the lump in her throat, regardless of whether she had been given a choice. That was why she took one single measure.

Knock, knock.

Right on schedule, a visitor knocked on the door of the student council room.

“Who’s here at this time of night?”

“I asked her to come. Come on in!”

“Thank you.”

The girl who opened the door was reminiscent of a porcelain doll. Shizuku Kurogane, the one known as Lorelei, who had fought so desperately against Touka once before.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Talk about an unexpected visitor,” Utakata said.

“‘Unexpected’ is what I should be saying. Imagine my surprise when the person who ruined my selection battle record called me here this late at night.”

“Haha, true, true. Hey, want a tomato? They’re really sweet.”

“I already brushed my teeth, so no, thank you. I assume you didn’t have me come over here just to offer me tomatoes, so what do you want from me, President?”

Shizuku hurried the subject along. She knew she was being childish, but she couldn’t quell her discomfort when faced with the person who had crushed her dream of going up onto the international stage with her brother. Touka could more or less grasp how she felt, so she got straight to the point of why she called Shizuku.

“Well, the director just spoke with me, and… I decided I should tell you about it, since it affects you as well.”

She told Shizuku about the sudden change in her matchup, and how Ikki was being forced to bet his own future on their battle. With every awful truth that was revealed to her, Shizuku’s expression grew more and more furious.

“Rgh! Damn lowlifes!” Shizuku’s jade eyes shone with rage as she swore at the people responsible. “So, are you going to fight my battered and beaten brother?”

“Even if I’m the student council president, I’m still just a student. I objected as best I could, but I don’t have the power to change my matchup.” Touka was reluctant to fight Ikki, but it wasn’t her decision to make. That was why she had summoned Shizuku—“I had no choice” wouldn’t solve the problem. “That’s why I have a request for you, a member of his family.”

“Do you, now?”

“Yes. Shizuku, could you please ask your brother to withdraw from the battle?”

“…What?”

“I’m told that he’s doing really badly; pneumonia at best, and possibly much worse. To put it bluntly, he’s absolutely not in any condition to fight. In the few days that we’ve known each other, I’ve seen what kind of knight Ikki Kurogane is, and I can tell that he’ll drag his battered body to the arena if he has to. He’s seriously going to try to win against me, because he’s certain that he can win and determined to do it.

“I’m not the type to pull any punches against a foe, either. The moment he enters the arena, I plan to fight him with my entire heart and soul. If some unfortunate accident happened as a result…”

She’s actually serious.

A shudder ran through Shizuku’s whole body. Behind those glasses, the light shining in Touka’s eyes made it all too clear that she hadn’t exaggerated at any point; it wasn’t out of the question that she would accidentally kill Ikki. Touka had summoned Shizuku because she knew that very event could come to pass.

“Please, I need you to stop him. I believe you’re the only one who can do it, because you’re his only family.”

Shizuku didn’t respond immediately. She considered what she was meant to do, and what would be most right for her to do.

“Let me sleep on it.”

Still unsure, it took all her strength to squeeze out those few words.

◆◇◆◇◆

When Shizuku left the room, Touka sighed, exhaling all the unease within her.

“Whether I win tomorrow, or Kurogane withdraws from the battle… Will I be able to go to the Seven Stars with pride in my heart?”

She remembered the picture of the orphans’ smiles, along with the attached message. Could she fight a battle that would live up to their honest expectations of her? She couldn’t shake the anxiety the question created.

“Touka.” While she worried, her hand was enveloped in a small warmth. Utakata had grasped her hand with his and was looking up at her from his much shorter height. “I know it feels like everything’s gotten ridiculous because of some selfish adults’ circumstances, but you have to focus on yourself. Fight a fight that you can be proud of, because that’s what we all love about you. I’m sure that’s what Ikki wants too.”

Utakata was confident in that belief. No matter what anyone else thought, it didn’t matter; Touka just had to do what was right for her.

After Utakata spoke, Touka’s lips finally curled into a smile. Her duty was to put her all into what she could do.

That’s all I can do, after all.

“You’re right. Thanks, Uta. Okay!” she cried, slapping her own cheeks.

Pain shot through her, pushing out all of her worry and distress. It wasn’t time for her to be worried.

If he’ll crawl his way up to fight me, then I’ll offer no mercy. Touka would fight Ikki mercilessly, with every ounce of might and honor within her as a knight. And she would win. She was sure to. I’ll win and move on to the Seven Stars with pride in my heart!

When the long night was over, Hagun Academy greeted the final day of its fateful Seven Stars Battle Festival selection battles.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Whew. Summer’s only just started and it’s already this hot. This one’s gonna be a scorcher.”

The morning of the final selection battle, the stationmaster of a train station near Hagun Academy wiped the sweat from his brow as he swept. The sky was clear and blue, pouring the sun’s inescapable, oppressive heat all over the land. It was just the type of weather that made his tight, dark-blue uniform difficult to put up with.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of an approaching train, so he looked up to see a local train arriving at the platform. It slowly approached, and once it stopped, the doors opened. The stationmaster took three steps back, getting out of the way of the alighting customers.

Not that anyone would be getting off here at this time of day.

The only place accessible from the station was Hagun itself. Students might venture elsewhere on weekends, but there was no reason for the students of Hagun, a school with a mandatory dorm policy, to be at the station on a weekday morning.

Hm? A single man, bent over limply emerged sluggishly from the open door. An old man? Rare for someone to be here on a weekday.

Who was that man? The stationmaster directed his gaze at the old man with vague interest. He was at a loss for words; it was actually a young man—maybe even just a boy—who’d alighted. The boy should have been at an age where his energy was at its peak, but instead, he slowly crept out of the train, hunched over.

The stationmaster wasn’t shocked merely because it was a boy, though; he was astonished by the awful state the boy, Ikki Kurogane, was in.

“Haah… Haah…!”

His frantic gasps were hoarse, and words couldn’t describe how pale his face was. Behind his disheveled bangs, his murky eyes showed no signs of life. Worst of all, the amount of sweat that coated his forehead and dripped from his jaw was immense. Even with the intense heat, train cars were cooled; a healthy person wouldn’t sweat inside one.

“H-Hey, are you okay?!”

“Yeah… Y-Yes, sir, I’m… fine.”

“You don’t look fine! I’ll call an ambulance. Oh, hey! You’re that guy!”

The stationmaster was startled when he saw Ikki’s face. The boy standing before him was, according to the papers, the one who had seduced and toyed with Princess Vermillion. Clear disgust showed on the stationmaster’s face for a moment—disgust that Ikki didn’t fail to notice.

“Thanks for your… concern, but… Sorry, I’m in a hurry, so…”

He bowed slightly to the stationmaster before walking past him, exiting the station.

“Ah…”

Ikki slowly disappeared into the distance, his steps shaky. Watching him, the stationmaster was bewildered.

He seemed like a really polite kid.

The media had painted him as a boy whose own family had admitted was a notoriously problematic child, but after seeing him in person, the stationmaster was unsure that he was even the same person.

◆◇◆◇◆

Leaving the station, Ikki continued onto the road leading to Hagun. It was sloped gently, and the distance was just over half a mile. It was the same road Ikki jogged with Stella every morning.

Normally, the hills would be no issue for him, but given his condition, it was a Herculean feat just to trudge through them. His lungs felt as if they would burst from even the smallest breath. They refused nearly all of the oxygen offered to them.

It hurts so much…

He at least wanted to breathe, so he opened his mouth and gasped for air, but a sharp pain in his inflamed lungs forced him to expel all the air he’d just inhaled.

“Ack! Gah! Hagh!”

His lips were dyed a bluish purple due to the extreme lack of oxygen in his blood. The world was so indistinct as a result of the fever and suffocation that Ikki might as well have been unconscious. In place of his weakened ego, the drug’s hallucinogenic properties had given him cowardice.

I’m supposed to fight Raikiri like this? I’ll never beat her. It was impossible. Tantamount to suicide, even. That much had become all but clear; a hollow man with a hollow sword couldn’t bring down someone like her. I just wanna go to bed…

Complaints floated through Ikki’s mind as he slowly climbed the hill, all alone except for the absurd heat and the cicadas’ chirps. Surrendering himself to oblivion seemed an alluring prospect.

“Ah…”

He tripped on a tiny pebble, falling down into the asphalt without even attempting to catch himself.

No… He had to get up. If he didn’t get up, he wouldn’t make it to the battle in time. If he didn’t make it in time, he would lose. If he lost… I wonder what would happen next.

He could feel his mind dissolving into goop. The confusion from the drug and the haze from the high fever made Ikki unable to pinpoint what he was doing or where he was going.

Somewhere in the pool that once was his brain, Ikki noticed something impossible in the periphery of his vision: snow. At some point, the sky had darkened, ushering in a flurry of large snowflakes. That was impossible, though; it couldn’t have been snowing in the middle of summer. He couldn’t believe it.

So cold… Ikki was chilled to the bone. Come to think of it, didn’t it snow back then, too?

The cold made him remember the day that his family had gathered to celebrate the new year. The day he had run away from home, unable to stand the pain anymore. Nobody had gone out to find him. Nobody had worried about him. He had just laid there, curled up in the snow, alone.

I’m still… the same as I was that day.

What was he doing? Unwanted, unsuccessful, unable to change anything. Ikki had remained curled up in that snowstorm for all that time.

What was it he was trying to do, battered as he was? He didn’t know. He couldn’t remember anything. All he could feel was the helpless sluggishness of his body and the weight of his eyelids, until his consciousness disappeared into the cold depths.

◆◇◆◇◆

The final day of selection battles saw much fewer battles than usual; the only people fighting were the twelve remaining undefeated students. As a result, there were more spectators than ever, especially in the first training field, where the duel between Raikiri and the Worst One would be fought. Students all throughout the stands raised their voices in surprise.

“Wow, so many people!”

“Well, duh. Everyone’s been clamoring to see the Raikiri and Worst One matchup.”

“Huh? Are those cameras down there?”

“Probably the news. You know what’s been going on.”

“Yeah, the scandal with the Worst One and the Crimson Princess. But I thought the media wasn’t allowed inside the school.”

“The Federation has a major part in this, so maybe they made an exception?”

“Maybe. Hey, do you guys believe those articles?”

“They’re definitely dating. Neither of them has denied it, and even if they had, they were suspiciously close.”

“Come to think of it, didn’t she confess to him during his fight with The Hunter?”

“Not that article! I’m talking about the one where Worst One’s family testified. They said he’s been a piece of crap since he was a kid and that now he’s some playboy or something.”

“Oh, that one.”

“I don’t think I believe it.”

“Me neither, actually. My Device is a katana, just like his, so I go to his sessions during lunch and learn swings and maneuvers from him all the time. He always seemed so nice”

“I go to those too! In the courtyard, right? He started giving those lessons because his classmates kept bugging him.”

“Yeah, that’s it. I’ve met him in person, so I don’t believe a word of what those papers say. After all, even though it doesn’t help him at all during selection battles, he keeps patiently teaching us. I definitely can’t imagine him trying to trick the Crimson Princess.”

“But the testimony came from his family, y’know? Shouldn’t that mean it’s true? It’s not like they have any reason to lie about one of their own. Like, I’m sure they’d lie to cover for him, but definitely not to make him look bad.”

“Hm, I dunno.”

Looking down on the general bustle of the crowd—and the questions and doubts relating to Ikki mixed in—from the very top of the bowl-shaped arena, an amazed Nene Saikyou spoke to Kurono Shinguuji, who stood next to her.

“Huh, I guess not all the kids blindly believe the news like sheep.”

“Yep. Those who know Kurogane especially lean away from the official story.”

“You can tell at a glance that he’s harmless.”

“But the truth doesn’t matter anymore.” Kurono had a sour look on her face. What was right or wrong, truth or lies, fact or fiction regarding the Ikki controversy was riding on this battle. No matter how right Ikki was, and no matter how wrong Akaza was, the only way for Ikki to prove himself was through his sword. “I can’t believe they seriously did it. Bunch of bastards.”

Even Kurono hadn’t imagined they would pull such a stunt. She groaned at her naïveté for thinking that they just had to hold out until Stella’s father arrived.

“Mhmhm. I’ll take that as a compliment.” The two of them heard a peculiarly delighted voice nearby. They both looked in the direction of the voice to find a keg-shaped man wiping sweat from his forehead. “Hello, ladies. Hot out here today, isn’t it?”

“Chairman Akaza.”

When Akaza appeared, their well-shaped faces both twisted into scowls. He certainly wasn’t someone they would welcome with open arms.

“What do you want from us, you red fox?” Saikyou asked with a prickly voice.

“Now, now, no need to bare your fangs,” Akaza replied with a smile. “I want nothing; I just happened to meet a man who wanted me to find you two. Here you are, sir.”

He had brought a small, old man in a kimono and hakama pants to see them.

“Oh, there you are! With a campus this big, it’s just impossible to find anything.”

“Ugh, it’s this old shit!”

The first to react was Saikyou. That was, of course, because the man before them was the God of War, Torajirou Nangou. At ninety-two years old, he was one of the greatest Mage-Knights in Japan. He was also Saikyou’s teacher.

“Ohoho. My lovable apprentice, I see you’re as foul-mouthed as ever. I find that pretty cute, truth be told.”

“‘C-Cute’? D-Don’t be such a creep!”

“You’re blushing, Nene. Seems like someone’s secretly happy.”

“Wh-Why would I be happy about being creeped on by a dried-up old shit like you?!”

She’s so dishonest.

No matter how hard she tried, Saikyou’s words alone wouldn’t lessen the redness in her face. She had a long history with the man, and held him in greater esteem than she did anyone else in the world.

“Good to see you again as well, Kurono. Last time I saw you, your belly was bulging quite a bit. I assume the delivery went well?”

“Yes, fortunately.”

“Good, good. But, heh, now that you’ve given birth, you’ve gotten a fair bit sexier. Especially around your hips here—”

“You old shit! Who do you think you are, coming here and leering at my friend?! I’ll kill you!”

“Ohoho. Nene, you’re not getting any younger. Maybe instead of screeching at me, you should learn from Kurono how to have sex appeal. It’ll be too late before long.”

“Oh, trust me, Master Nangou. It’s already far too late for her.”

“I-I-It is not! I’m just trying to have fun! It’s stupid to tie yourself down to just one man! Why are you on his side, anyway, Kuu?!”

Because you’re always cuter when he’s around.

Kurono felt the urge to tease her even more, to make up for all the times she was decidedly uncute. Not that she would tell Saikyou that, though.

“So, Master Nangou, why are you here today?”

Saikyou yelled at them in indignation for ignoring her, but that made Kurono ignore her even more as she spoke to Nangou. Her question was essentially just lip service, as Kurono could more-or-less grasp why he had come.

“I’m here to watch Touka’s crowning moment, of course. Yes, I could’ve waited until the Festival, but how could I not drag myself here when her opponent is a Kurogane?”

Thought so.

Nangou wasn’t just Saikyou’s master; he was Touka’s as well. He had noticed how resourceful she was not long prior and had been teaching her swordplay ever since. Raikiri, Touka’s signature move that had become her nickname, was his own Otogiri optimized to fit her.

Beyond that, however, there was an even more important reason for his visit.

“Mhmhm. Master Nangou, you were a contemporary of the great hero Ryouma Kurogane. Some even call you lifelong rivals. I’m not surprised you’re interested.”

Nangou was ninety-two years old. He and Samurai Ryouma had been comrades in World War II, but they were rivals nonetheless.

Selection battle matchups weren’t normally circulated outside the school, but due to the mass media’s influence, the matchup between Raikiri and the Worst One had been leaked to the public. Once he knew that his beloved disciple and his old rival’s descendant would be competing against each other, there was no way Nangou would miss the opportunity to witness their battle.

“Oh, but Master Nangou,” Akaza began with a mischievous smile plastered on his face, “I believe this battle may just be interrupted.”

“What?!”

Kurono’s eyebrows tensed up at the indescribable malice that lay in his voice. Almost simultaneously, an announcement echoed through the venue.

“May I have everyone’s attention. The time has come for the battle between Touka Toudou and Ikki Kurogane to start, but Ikki Kurogane has not yet arrived at his waiting room. According to the selection battle rules, if he does not arrive within the next ten minutes, it will result in a loss by default.”

“As I recall, Chairman Akaza, you were supposed to bring Kurogane here by car. You told me I didn’t need to come and meet him.”

“Mhmhm, well, I am sorry. I juuust happened to forget, see. Deepest apologies. But the Federation branch office isn’t very far from here; I’m sure he could make it by himself if he took the train. Well, he didn’t seem to be in peak condition, so who knows? Maybe he dropped dead along the way? Mhmhm!”

Jackass.

The discomfort welling up within Kurono caused her to clench her fist hard enough to stop the blood from flowing through it. She felt a smaller hand touch hers as it trembled. Saikyou looked up at her frowning friend and held a fan over her own mouth, whispering so that only Kurono could hear.

“Don’t lose your cool, Kuu. No matter what the details are, Kurogane accepted this duel. Now’s not the time for us to butt in; we’ll act once it’s all over.”

“Yeah. You’re right,” Kurono said, unraveling her fist with the knowledge that Saikyou was just as angry as she was. The two women were determined that, regardless of Ikki’s victory or defeat, the red fox would not leave in one piece.

Meanwhile, the red fox in question watched the arena with glee as the timer ticked down, unaware of their desire to end him. Everything was going according to his plan—Ikki would be banned from the Federation, and if everything was brought to a close in a way that pleased Itsuki, he would be promoted from Chairman of the Ethics Committee to Head of Public Relations. To a brighter, more open world, unlike the underground part of the Federation building.

Then I can finally be free from the role of the bad guy. The Ethics Committee, often criticized for being akin to secret police, had been a position of glory back in the military police era. Since then, however, it had gained a much darker connotation. An upright man would never choose to live in obscurity the way they did, and Akaza was no different. Apologies to you, Ikki, but I’ll have to crush you beneath my feet.

He didn’t care what happened; even if Ikki were killed, it meant nothing. It wasn’t his problem.

◆◇◆◇◆

Ikki’s mind remained in that snowstorm. While he lay huddled amidst the falling snow, he remembered how it all began. It was a day much like the current one—one that chilled him to the bone.

That was the day Ikki Kurogane was truly born. He had met Ryouma Kurogane, and for the first time in his life, he had been told to believe in himself. It had made him so happy.

Several months after, Ryouma had died of old age, but his words had lived on in Ikki’s heart. He had hoped to one day, when someone else had hit the wall known as talent and had given up, unable to progress, be the kind of person who could have offered words of encouragement to them. Ever since that day, he had continued to fight his hardest.

If not for that encounter, Ikki wouldn’t have existed as the man he was. His meeting with Ryouma was his pride. However, a voice just like his own whispered into his ears.

“Was that meeting really for the best? Didn’t it just wreak more havoc on your life, causing you endless pain and solitude?”

Ikki’s muddied mind forced images of the past up to the surface. Back in elementary school, despite the blood that had covered his skinned-raw hands, Ikki had kept swinging Intetsu. At the time, he’d had no idea if what he was doing was right or if he could truly become stronger. He’d known so little at that point that he’d used manga as serious reference material.

No matter how many dead ends he’d reached, nobody would teach him, so Ikki had instead hid in the brush and watched the branch family kids train, then imitating them.

He remembered just how lonely it had been. Ikki had constantly been reminded that he would never experience the kindness and stern discipline the Kurogane family’s hired instructors would offer the other kids.

The next thought that floated to the surface was a certain dojo. Having graduated to middle school, Ikki had visited dojos to hone his martial arts skills. He and one such dojo had arranged a one-on-one match, but as soon as the gong signaled the start of the battle, all of the other disciples had jumped on him from behind and pinned him down.

“When I’m through with you, you’ll never be foolish enough to storm a dojo ever again,” his opponent, the master of the dojo, had said, taking Ikki by the hand.

He then forcefully snapped Ikki’s pinky finger, with every other one of his fingers having suffered the same fate. Nobody at the dojo had made so much as an attempt to save him; they had all laughed raucously, as if they had been having a wonderful time breaking all of the little boy’s fingers. The pain and terror from that near-lynching were still branded into Ikki’s mind.

One last memory came to his mind—one from merely a year earlier.

“C’mon, now. If you don’t fight back, you’ll never prove your strength! I, The Hunter, have named you my opponent, so fight me, dammit!”

Kirihara had been filling Ikki with holes like he was swiss cheese, while the teachers had just glared at him.

“Sorry, Kurogane. I can’t really be your friend anymore.”

Following that, a friend had abandoned him.

“Here you are now, groveling yet again,” the Ikki-like voice whispered. “This is all thanks to Ryouma Kurogane’s irresponsible encouragement. If you had just toed the line like your father told you to, none of this would have happened. You wouldn’t have had to drag your dying body to a battle that only spells death.

“Living beyond your means will only lead to unhappiness. People have a set domain based on the resources available to them. Anyone who chooses to push their way out will only be met with pain and solitude.

“So, have you had enough yet? Have you realized how pointless it is? Then just relax. Live your life unbound by the foolish words of a dead man. Sleep here, and soon, it will all be over. You will never made to suffer by the hand of Ryouma Kurogane’s words again. Now…”

Rest. All he had to do was rest. Continuing the way he was would only lead to more pain. If he just went to sleep, all would be well. He could relax.

Ikki knew that. He knew that, and yet…

“AaaAAHHHHHHH!”

His festering throat unleashed a cracking roar as he lifted his weak body from the asphalt. Through the snowstorm, he moved step by step, climbing the hill anew.

“Stop this,” the voice called to him. “Why do you insist on hurting yourself?”

Ikki himself didn’t even know the answer to that question. His mind and memories, lost somewhere in the murk, were failing to even conjure up thought. Only one thing was visible at the very edge of his consciousness: a red flame.

No, it was red hair that, like a flame, gently wavered and scattered sparks as it went. Whose hair was it? Who was behind those flames?

In his condition, Ikki couldn’t even remember that much. However, there was an incredible, unbearable stirring in his heart when that image arose. Though he knew not who it was, just the fluttering off that hair lit a fire in his frozen heart and spurred his exhausted body to act.

“Just rest. There’s no way you can beat Raikiri, and nobody expects you to be able to. When you arrive, what will you do? What can you do the way you are?”

Ikki didn’t know. In fact, he wasn’t even sure of where he was going or what he was doing, but trusting in the warmth in his heart, Ikki finally remembered something.

Oh, right… I made a promise.

“…to…gether. …knight…hood.”

He remembered not exactly what it was, but it was a promise he held dear, made with a person he held dear.

That wasn’t all, either. He also heard voices. They were incomprehensible, but the commotion made up of many familiar voices spurred him forward.

So I have to go…

That was Ikki’s answer. The voice that had once tried to beguile Ikki with comforting words sighed, thoroughly annoyed.

“Really? You’re going to keep hurting yourself?” Its pitch-black face warped into a distorted grin. “Well, it’s pointless.”

Ah…

Just as he arrived at Hagun Academy’s front gate, Ikki’s knees buckled and he fell once again. No matter how strong his drive, his body couldn’t keep up. He couldn’t move forward. He couldn’t even stand. The man known as Ikki Kurogane had reached his absolute limit.

“It’s over for you.”

He fell inanimately, like a marionette with its strings cut, and fell to the ground, unable to rise again.

Or so he thought. but as he fell, a warm, gentle force caught him. The force then spoke, stifling some sort of emotion.

“Welcome back, Big Brother.”

That voice, as pretty and clear as a bell’s chime, pulled the name of one person from the pile that was Ikki’s memories. It brought back the name and the memories of Ikki’s beloved little sister.

“Shizuku…”

◆◇◆◇◆

After saving Ikki from his fall, Shizuku hoarsely explained everything to him.

“After what Touka said to me last night, I couldn’t stop worrying.”

Should she have stopped him? Honestly, Shizuku wanted to stop her poor brother. He’d had enough. He’d tried and tried, more than he’d needed to. Shizuku didn’t want Ikki to hurt any more than he already did. She didn’t want him to suffer.

“Give up on knighthood and go back home.”

Home may have been a cage for Ikki, but at least Shizuku would be with him; she wouldn’t let him be alone anymore. She could love him as a mother, a sister, a friend, a partner, and more. She could give him anything he wanted, so she wanted nothing more than to let him rest.

“But when I was thinking about it, I realized I just couldn’t bring myself to stop you. When you’re here at school, you smile. You look so happy.” Back home, that was unthinkable. Though Ikki would occasionally smile for Shizuku, he had never truly smiled for himself. He had finally gained a smile for himself; how could Shizuku take that away from him? “So I made a little bet. If you came here of your own volition, I would take you to your duel and shout my support for you at the top of my lungs.”

Along with Shizuku’s voice, there was a clamor of other voices.

“There you are, man! You can win this!”

“The battle hasn’t started yet! Hurry!”

“You’re not far from the arena, Kurogane! You can do it!”

“Ikki! Fiiight!”

“One final push! Show us your grit!”

Those voices belonged to people Shizuku had run to and gathered for the sake of reaching her brother. Friends, classmates, his students, past opponents—so many people were waiting for him at the front gate.

Ikki stared at the gaggle, dumbfounded, as Shizuku continued.

“Big Brother, I won’t ask what they told you or how they cornered you, because I can imagine it well enough on my own. But please, never forget that you’re not alone. You were at first, perhaps for far too long. Now, however, all these people are here to support you. Stella and Alice couldn’t come because of their own battles, but they’re praying for your victory. The Worst One is our hero. So…

“I want you to fight. Fight, and win!”

◆◇◆◇◆

Shizuku’s cries of support definitely reached Ikki’s consciousness despite it being lost in the snowstorm. He took another look through his misty vision.

“I want you to fight. Fight, and win!”

His silver-haired sister was there.

“The next edition of the Bulletin needs you on the cover! Don’t lose now!”

A cute girl with glasses was there too.

“Kurogane, this is the moment of truth!”

A tall girl, one of his students, was there.

“I believe in you. As your teacher, I know you’re not the kind of boy to lose like this.”

“Yeah, Pres is strong, but you beat me. Show her what you’ve got!”

“Yep! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

“Ikki! We know you can win!”

His other swordplay students, upperclassmen who always supported him, classmates, the teacher who had gotten him into the academy, past rivals he’d fought with the Seven Stars on the line—all of them were calling Ikki’s name. The sight of it birthed conviction in his heart.

Yeah. I finally get it.

Ikki finally knew what drove him forward after his body had reached its limit. It was their voices, and the emotions behind them. Those who loved him, those who admired him, and even those whose dreams had been crushed by him. Everyone present had entrusted their feelings to Ikki in some way. Thus, they called out to him. Their voices and feelings pushed him forward.

When Utakata had told him, “The two of you simply carry different weights”, Ikki had thought he was carrying nothing. But that was wrong. Ikki had surpassed his own limit and realized the weight he carried; the weight of the dreams entrusted to him by others.

I guess I became that kind of person at some point.

Ikki felt a fire growing within himself when that conviction arose. The warmth of it spread through him via the movement of his blood, returning his strength. His collapsed pile of thoughts and memories returned to form, and the haze in his mind cleared.

It was time for him to fight. How could he just give up when so many people were entrusting their feelings to him? And most of all, though she was absent, he still had his promise with Stella, the girl with that hair of flame.

“So let’s go, together, to the peak of knighthood.”

He could clearly recall their vow. If he was going to make it happen, he couldn’t lose to Raikiri.

“Thank you. Shizuku, Kusakabe, Ayatsuji, Tomaru, Saijou, Ms. Oreki, and everyone.”

Before he realized it, the snowstorm was gone. Ikki thanked them and left Shizuku behind, moving under his own power again. He stood tall as he advanced toward the duel, with the strength he gained from his friends. Fear no longer had any place in his heart.

“There’s no way you can beat Raikiri, and nobody expects you to be able to.”

Those words were spoken by the weakling inside Ikki. Finally, he had a clear rebuttal: I can beat her. He and his opponent were equal knights, bearing equal weight.

If he was honest, she was a very powerful opponent; maybe too powerful for him in his current state. The more he thought about it, the more disadvantages he saw weighing him down.

Even so, he would do everything he could. It was his duty to do so, for the sake of everyone who gave him the strength to keep on going.

“Then off I—”

Suddenly, a voice echoed high into the summer sky.

“Ikkiii!”

An incredibly powerful, beautiful voice, lovelier than any melody.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Stella…!”

“Thank God! You really… made it…”

The fiery-haired girl who yelled and dashed over to Ikki began to pant heavily, murmuring something. Shizuku, behind Ikki, gasped in shock at her sudden appearance.

“H-Hey, Stella?! Weren’t you supposed to be in a battle?!”

Indeed, that was the source of her surprise. Stella was a candidate for the Seven Stars Battle Festival, as she had maintained an unblemished win streak throughout her selection battles. Like Alice, who was also absent, she should have been in the middle of her battle. Why was she at the front gate?

Stella didn’t answer the question with words, instead using her actions. She presented an object with such excitement that she might as well have thrown it into Ikki’s face.

“Ikki, I kept our promise. I’m a Seven Stars rep now!”