Far removed from the center of Osaka, on the city’s reclaimed coastline, existed a group of vacant buildings. A result of urban development from decades prior, the buildings had been successfully built, yet had failed to attract the enterprise they required. Standing tenantless and almost completely untouched, they were a continual reminder of immense failure.

That failure, however, had been miraculously undone, and the ashen ghost town was bursting with life. Stalls lined the streets, accompanied by the clamor of residents from every island that made up Japan. What could have brought so many people to such a desolate area? There was only one answer: in a mere two days, the Coastal Dome would host the annual Seven Stars Battle Festival, a tournament of student knights.

The Festival was a massive event, attracting more attention from the general public than even the King of Knights League. Around the time of the event each year, securing a room in a nearby hotel—let alone tickets to the event itself—was nigh impossible. Moreover, due in no small part to being embroiled in the Akatsuki Academy controversy following the attack on Hagun, the Festival that was preparing to take place had attracted more attention than any that had preceded it. The result was, inevitably, a far greater level of difficulty in finding accommodations.

Even two days before the start of the Festival, Japanese citizens and foreigners alike flooded the area, filling it with greater vigor than it had ever seen. But spectators weren’t the only people rushing in. Many of the Festival’s contestants had arrived long before the opening ceremony, using the competitors’ lodgings to rest. One such person was Hagun Academy’s team leader, Ikki Kurogane, carrying with him his academy’s flag.

“Hmm. It just doesn’t feel right.”

In a refined hotel replete with fitting furnishings, Ikki shook his head as he looked upon himself in a full-length mirror. He wasn’t wearing his usual student uniform: he’d donned a dark-blue tailcoat suit with matching bow tie and leather shoes so shiny that they sparkled, leaving him looking swanky from head to toe.

Of course, he wasn’t wearing it because he enjoyed it. He was faced with certain circumstances that all but required him to wear such an outfit. That night, the night before the eve of the Festival, the Seven Stars’ management committee was holding an invitational buffet for the students who had come to the Coastal Dome early. Ikki had selected his formal attire to attend that very function, but completing the look was a difficult, ongoing process.

Considering what this is for, I can’t just go in there wearing my normal clothes. Ikki was unused to such formal wear, so no matter which of the committee-provided outfits he chose, he just didn’t feel right. He found it so unlike him that he was worried people would laugh. Maybe my spiky hair is part of the problem.

With that in mind, Ikki attempted to part his usually bristled hair to the side with a comb.

“Oh. Well, better than before, at least.”

The slight satisfaction he felt upon looking at himself again lasted for only a moment. His neatly combed hair quickly jumped back into its original position, as if defying him. I walk my own path, it taunted. You’ll not make demands of me.

“Stubborn, aren’t you?” he grumbled. He wouldn’t wish his hairstyle on his worst enemy. Frustrated by his inability to find a look he liked, he removed his tailcoat.

No, that’s not the one.

Though Ikki figured there wouldn’t be much issue if he just wore the highest-class attire he could find, such fancy clothing was so ill-suited to who he was that not only did it feel like poor manners for him to wear it in public, but he also couldn’t stand to see himself wearing it. After much time spent lost in thought, he grabbed a three-piece suit from among the clothing lent to him.

“Maybe this would be best.”

It was clearly the boring, safe option, but Ikki didn’t have the fashion sense nor the skill to accentuate his individuality. To make matters worse, he was running out of time, as there wasn’t long until the party began. His best option was to change back into the three-piece suit, which he quickly did. Shortly after, he heard a knock at the door.

“Big Brother, may I come in?”

Outside was his younger sister and fellow contestant in the Seven Stars, Shizuku Kurogane. Considering how long he was taking to get ready, she had probably come to check up on him.

While scoffing at himself for taking longer to get ready than a teenage girl, Ikki glanced at the full-length mirror to ensure that he was presentable before answering her question. In doing so, he found that his lower half was fully covered, but that the buttons of his shirt were not yet fastened, leaving his stomach exposed. He would have hesitated if he were opening the door for a friend, but as the person on the other side was his sibling, he figured it wasn’t a problem.

“Hey, sorry,” he responded through the door. “I’m pretty much ready, so you can come in.”

“Coming in.” The door opened almost immediately, ushering in the silver-haired girl. “I’ve finished getting rea…dy…?”

Shizuku froze in the doorway, almost forgetting to finish her sentence. Her jade eyes were wide open, as if she were surprised by something. Confused about her reaction, Ikki raised an eyebrow, but his attention was quickly diverted to something else: Shizuku’s attire.

Wow. She looks amazing.

Shizuku was attending the party as a fellow competitor, so she too was wearing an outfit given to her by the committee. Her dress was made of a high-quality fabric of an almost perfect black, with elaborate lace frills adorning the bustier like flower petals. The neckline was open to reveal the entirety of her shoulders, creating a striking contrast between the dress and her snow-white skin.

It was the sort of outfit that would normally be too mature for someone who looked as young as Shizuku. Instead, however, her tastefully applied makeup made her look much older, erasing any traces of incongruence. Her roommate and friend, Nagi Alisuin, had most likely coordinated the outfit. In fact, that was practically a foregone conclusion. Ikki honestly applauded the beautiful outfit worn by his sister, whose ladylike maturity was on full display.

“I know it’s clichéd, but you look gorgeous, Shizuku.”

“Gyah!”

The moment he said that, Shizuku’s face turned bright-red. A drop of fresh blood rolled out of her tiny nose, and she fell backward.

“Sh-Shizuku?!”

“Eek! Emergency!”

Alice leaped in to support Shizuku’s falling body with her right hand, using her left to grab a handkerchief, holding it against Shizuku’s nose such that no blood would get on her dress.

“What’s wrong, Shizuku?! Are you okay?!”

Shocked at his sister’s sudden fall, Ikki ran over to check on her.

“A-Ah… Ahhh!”

It was the worst decision he could have made. Every step he took caused her to quake more and the handkerchief to turn redder. Her reaction shouldn’t have come as a surprise, however, as Shizuku Kurogane loved her brother as a member of the opposite sex. She had no way to handle the feeling of her ever-so-beloved brother, his abdomen bared by his ruffled clothing, calling her gorgeous. He, not realizing the genderlessness of eroticism, merely continued to run toward her.

“Ikki, don’t come any closer! And cover up your abs first!”

Alice, on the other hand, understood what was happening to Shizuku right away, and halted Ikki’s advance.

“Huh? Huh?!”

“Hurry! Before her dress gets bloody!”

“Uh, okay! Got it!”

Ikki still didn’t know what was wrong with himself, but after being driven back by the incredible urgency in Alice’s voice, he rushed to fix his clothes. Once he had done that, Shizuku was finally able to calm down.

“Haah, haah… I’m sorry you had to see that. But Big Brother, that was a little too sexy for me.”

“I don’t really get how, but sorry. I didn’t find any outfits I liked, so I wasn’t quite done getting ready.”

“Do you not like that suit? I think you look very spiffy in it.”

“Y-You think so? I feel really uncomfortable wearing it. It’s like I’m a kid pretending to be an adult.”

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Alice joined in from behind her friend. “You have such broad shoulders that a suit is perfect for you.”

The suit Alice wore seemed perfectly tailor-made for her tall figure. She was so well-dressed that she looked like a member of a host club—at least, what Ikki imagined a member of a host club would look like, considering he’d never met one. Regardless, it didn’t mean much to Ikki to be complimented by her when she looked so much better than he did.

How could Alice have been so much taller than him when he was a year older than her, anyway? Considering that she’d lied about her past, though, maybe she was actually a year older than him? With those thoughts swirling around in his brain, Ikki pointed at Alice’s suit and posed her a question.

“Does this mean you’re coming to the party, too?”

“Who, me?” She shook her head in denial. “I’m not a representative anymore. I am meeting up with Kagamin for the private reporters’ party, though.”

“You’re like Kusakabe’s assistant now, huh?”

“I have to repay my debt, and this is just the start. I can’t say no to her,” Alice shrugged in response to Shizuku’s question.

The debt Alice sought to repay was related to Akatsuki Academy’s attack on Hagun. As she had been a member of that organization, she was once an enemy. She had even gone so far as to directly attack Kagami, albeit with her weapon in Phantom Form. To make amends for what she’d done, she was allowing Kagami to use her as her right-hand woman. Ikki, however, figured it was just Kagami’s way of being nice.

The attack on Hagun by Akatsuki Academy had been carried out with all the perpetrators’ weapons in Phantom Form, but as Prime Minister Bakuga Tsukikage was the one pulling the strings, the reason for that was clearly that he didn’t want to hurt his constituents. Despite the lack of physical scars that had been left, however, the sheer terror the victims felt had left mental scars that were difficult to erase—it had led two of Hagun’s Seven Stars representatives, the Hagure sisters, to drop out of the tournament for fear of what they would face. Moreover, Touka Toudou and Utakata Misogi had been left comatose by a single blow from the Gale Sword Emperor. They were temporary comas induced by incredible fatigue, so everyone knew that there was no real danger to their lives, but comas nonetheless.

As a former member of the group responsible, Alice felt an immense sense of responsibility that was goaded even further by her humility. To keep her from ruminating on it too much, Kagami had given her a nominal punishment. But Alice was keen to the inner workings of others’ minds, and was well aware of Kagami’s consideration for her. Still, she acted as though she were unaware and continued to pay her dues.

Maybe it’s because Alice sees Kagami as someone she can really lean on.

Ikki believed that it would have been incredible if their relationship could return to the way it had once been, but his thoughts were interrupted. The clock hanging in his room chimed a dull tone, informing him that it was 6:00 p.m. It was time for the party.

“Wow, time flies. Let’s get going, Shizuku.”

“Yes, Big Brother.”

“Wait a sec, you two.” Alice stopped the pair before they could depart. Just as Ikki went to ask the reason, she used the camera in her electronic student handbook to snap a picture of them. “Since you two dressed up so nice, I wanted a memento.”

She skillfully operated her handbook to send the picture to both of its subjects. Upon seeing it, Shizuku flushed with joy.

“Wow! Thank you, Alice! I’ll treasure it forever!”

Forever? Jeez…

Ikki was much less excited. He just didn’t feel comfortable being in formal clothes, and he looked all the more hilarious next to Shizuku, who wore her outfit perfectly. Maybe he would appreciate the photo more when he got older.

“I don’t expect Akatsuki to be at the party, but be careful anyway.”

“We appreciate the thought.”

Despite Ikki’s mixed feelings, the two walked onward to the venue after thanking Alice for the message she’d sent alongside the image.

◆◇◆◇◆

The representatives’ party was being held in a reception hall on the top floor of the hotel being used as the students’ lodging. It was on such a high floor that taking the stairs was infeasible, so Ikki and Shizuku used the elevator instead. The entire way up, Shizuku gazed at the photo Alice had taken with a pleased expression.

“Heehee.”

“Do you really like it that much?”

“I do. I’ve already set it as my lock screen.”

“Did you now?”

If I have to go to another party like this, I’m definitely wearing my uniform, Ikki swore to himself with a chuckle. He never wanted to wear another outfit as ill-suited to him as the one he had on.

“I can’t stop myself from laughing when I think of how I’ll get to brag to Stella about this.”

Despite his promise to himself, however, Ikki knew that he would be made to wear one again at some point in his future.

“Don’t get her too worked up.”

“No promises. Besides, it’s her fault for not being here.”

Shizuku was correct; Stella still hadn’t made it to Osaka. Originally, the plan was for Hagun’s representatives to all be present at the party, but according to Director Kurono Shinguuji, Stella was staying behind to continue her training with the Demon Princess for as long as she possibly could.

During the fight with Akatsuki Academy, Stella was defeated in battle by the Gale Sword Emperor, Ouma Kurogane. Adding insult to injury, she was defeated in a battle of raw power, the area she prided herself on the most. It was a major blow to her confidence—one that she was struggling heavily to recover from. Her training with the Demon Princess was probably an attempt to grasp at some thread of confidence by fighting the strongest Mage-Knight in all of Hagun.

“Do you think this training will make Stella stronger?” Shizuku lobbed a question at Ikki, her voice betraying signs of uncertainty. “The Seven Stars is only two days away. This time is meant for students to rest off their fatigue. I can’t imagine any point in wasting that time for some superficial training. I can somewhat understand her impatience, but I think she may have made her decision too lightly.”

No, the emotion that tinged her voice wasn’t uncertainty. Shizuku was deeply concerned for Stella, expecting that the last-minute training would only make things worse. She feared that Stella wouldn’t be able to start the Festival off on the right foot.

“You’re sweet, Shizuku.”

“Wha—?!” A fire seemed to blaze in Shizuku’s cheeks as she looked away. “I-I’m not worried about her one bit. I only brought it up because you were excited about getting to fight her. The only person I’m worried about is you.”

Shizuku’s annoyed protests were only further proof of their own falsehood. Even if the girls were constantly at each other’s throats, Ikki could see the friendship that had forged between them. That didn’t mean it was something she wanted him to point out, though.

“So, can she get stronger with so little time left before the Festival?” Shizuku asked again.

“I think it’ll be tough; there’s just no time. It might just make her even more fatigued, to the point that she won’t be in top form for her battles.”

Ikki shared his honest feelings with Shizuku, admitting that he too was apprehensive about Stella’s decision. Short-term, focused training did sometimes lead to results, so it was possible that she would benefit from it, but that was almost exclusively true for amateurs.

It was Ikki’s belief that mastering something was like climbing a mountain. The climb from the base to the first checkpoint was gentle enough that one could run the length of it, hence amateurs could achieve dramatic strength gains in a short time. Once the climber had gotten seventy to eighty percent of the way to the peak, however, things would change. Just as a mountain became steeper as one got closer to the summit, the peak of strength became more difficult to reach as one ascended toward it. Every step, every yard required exponentially more effort despite being the same as the last, but giving that effort was a necessity if one was to reach the top.

“Anyone can tell that Stella isn’t an amateur,” Ikki continued. Following his belief, for someone of her power level to become stronger would require appropriate time and effort. Her week of rigorous training wouldn’t be enough to help.

“Yeah… Honestly, what was she thinking?” Shizuku muttered half-sympathetically and half-annoyedly, her eyebrows drooping slightly. Even Ikki thought it was reckless, confirming her fears, so her reaction was natural.

“That would only apply to her if she were a normal person, though.”

“Huh?!”

Ikki wasn’t finished with his thoughts. Both he and Shizuku agreed that what Stella was doing was reckless, and neither of them would have made the same decision, but there was more to it than that.

“Think about it. This the Crimson Princess—the Stella Vermillion we’re talking about. With potential like hers, she’s probably not even at the first checkpoint yet.”

“Ah…!”

Ikki knew better than anyone that talent was not divided equally among all people. Every person’s strength peaked at a different height, and Stella’s peak was the highest of them all. The sheer size and majesty of her mountain was far greater than that of Ikki’s or Shizuku’s—high enough to pierce the clouds, insurmountably steep, and beyond the measure of any scale they possessed.

“She can still make explosive gains this week.” Ikki loved Stella deeply—he was closer to her than anyone else in the world. That was why he was certain that she would be more powerful than she’d ever been when she returned. “I think she’ll prove that for herself two days from now.”

“I hope you’re right, because… I’d like to fight her as well. It would be very disappointing if her fire went out because she overexerted herself.”

Just as Shizuku responded with a somewhat more cheerful tone, the elevator finally reached the hotel’s top floor.

◆◇◆◇◆

When the metallic elevator doors opened, a porter greeted the siblings with a natural, amicable smile.

“Ikki and Shizuku Kurogane from Hagun Academy, yes? The party is just up ahead. Please, make your way inside.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Ikki and Shizuku walked the crimson carpet toward the door ahead of them. Even on their approach, the clamor of numerous conversations could be heard beyond it. The party was already in full swing.

Are all the schools’ representatives in that room?

Ikki gulped audibly. The mere thought sent his heart into a frenzy.

“You look excited, Big Brother.”

“All my life, I could only dream of coming here.”

It was no secret that Stella was his ultimate goal, but it wasn’t just her that he was excited to fight. Beyond that door were some of the most powerful warriors from all over the country, all of them a cut above him, a Rank F knight. Each one was an opponent he could truly test his mettle against. The thought of finally getting to battle them made his blood boil; he became impatient with excitement.

Why had he put on a suit, his least favorite type of outfit, and come to a party that he wasn’t even required to attend? It was because the Worst One wanted to see the people he would fight in the flesh, and he wanted to see them as soon as he possibly could.

“Then again, it’s not like any of them would care about a Rank F like me.”

The upcoming Festival had two Rank A knights as representatives: Stella and Ouma. It only made sense for everyone’s focus to be on them. That, however, actually worked in Ikki’s favor—he decided that he should consider it his golden opportunity.

Every single foe he would face was among the best student knights in Japan; there was no question that they were all leagues above him in terms of actual strength. The Worst One’s fights hinged solely on how well he could leverage his failure’s talent to defeat someone stronger than him. He had no qualms with the idea of an opponent underestimating him because of that and charging in foolishly.

With those thoughts in his mind, Ikki pushed open the door that separated him from the excited hustle and bustle of the party. There, in a matter of seconds, all of his expectations were proven wrong. The very moment he entered, the commotion quickly turned to silence as gaze upon gaze struck him like a shockwave. Their attention and silence were brief, however, with the noise returning as quickly as it had disappeared. When it did, though, it was different.

“That’s Worst One! He’s the guy who beat Raikiri!”

“I knew he’d have quite the air about him. Nice and sharp, like a well-honed blade. I love it.”

“He’s definitely at the national level. Maybe even higher!”

“You can tell just by looking at him that he’s tough—he gives off that sort of aura. What was Hagun’s last director thinking, flunking a guy like him?”

The voices that Ikki could pick out made it all too clear that the gazes that seemed to pierce through him had done precisely that.

“Wow.” Next to Ikki, Shizuku quickly judged the mood in the room and broke out into a smile. “I guess once people get this strong, they can ascertain your true strength with one look.”

Maybe I was the one doing the underestimating, Ikki said to himself, chuckling just quietly enough for Shizuku not to hear. What a naïve idea it was that others might let their guard down around him.

The people before him were more than just the top students in the country: they were warriors who had come to the Seven Stars undaunted by the threat posed by Akatsuki Academy. Not one of them would be foolish enough to let their guard down because of something as arbitrary as ranking.

Everyone at the party could ascertain their enemy’s strength with ease. There was such a stark contrast between them and his opponents during Hagun’s selection battles that it forced him to recognize exactly where he was: a place where he could finally test the true limits of his potential. He was where Japan’s best student knights would all vie for the top.

I’ve finally made it.

“Ah! B-Big Brother!” While he trembled with excitement at his realization, Shizuku suddenly tugged at the hem of his suit jacket.

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“L-Look!”

Shizuku pointed to a table housing food for the partygoers. Standing in front of it was a girl, her eyes darting around the room as if she were searching for someone. The moment he saw her, Ikki understood why Shizuku was so shocked.

That’s…!

The girl’s blonde hair was disheveled, with various colors of paint mixed in. She was topless despite being out in public, her ample breasts hidden only by a dingy apron. By no stretch of the imagination was her appearance what one would consider “normal”, making her entirely unforgettable. She was, without a doubt, a member of the group that had attacked their school.

“Akatsuki Academy’s Bloody da Vinci—Sara Bloodlily!”

“She’s got some nerve, coming to this party after all they’ve done.”

Akatsuki Academy’s student body was made up of powerful terrorists who worked under the Rebellion. As a result of Tsukikage and his government’s information-spinning, however, very few people knew of that connection. Regardless, what Shizuku said was correct: it was incredibly audacious of her to show her face after what she and her group had done to Hagun Academy.

Their act sent tremors through not just Hagun, but all of Japan’s Mage-Knight schools as well, leading several students to drop out of the Festival. All seven schools held some sort of grudge toward them because of that, made evident by the fact that all of the participants were refusing to acknowledge Sara’s presence. The ill-will everyone held for them was so great that Ikki had been sure that none of the Akatsuki students were going to attend the event.

They’re either ridiculously strong or completely fearless.

The moment Ikki finished his thought, Sara’s eyes fixed on him.

“Huh?”

As if she’d found the person she’d been searching all over for, she immediately made a beeline toward him. She then stared directly, wordlessly at Ikki, standing close enough to him that he could hear her breathing.

“Hmm…”

Wh-What is she doing?!

“Um, can I help you?”

Ikki was bewildered by Sara’s abrupt advance. The distance between them was so small that he could see himself reflected in her eyes; surely she must have wanted something from him. The two hardly knew each other, though, so he had no idea what it could possibly have been. Nonetheless, Sara continued to stare at his face.

“…Good,” she whispered, both her face and voice emotionless. She then began touching Ikki all over his shoulders and chest as if she were giving him a pat-down.

“Wha—?! H-Hang on a second!”

“Ex-cuse me! Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

“Quiet. I’m focusing.”

Ignoring Ikki and Shizuku’s protests outright, Sara traced a finger over Ikki’s clothing, the contours of his body. It was dangerous for him to let a woman like her—a terrorist who had already carried out an attack—feel him up the way she was. He knew as much, and yet…

She’s serious about this. I can feel how hard she’s focusing.

…he sensed no malice or other negative emotion in her actions. She seemed so focused, in fact, that he hesitated to stop her. Because of that hesitation, instead of forcefully pulling himself free of the girl, Ikki waited. He decided to try to figure out what she was so seriously searching for. Before he could, however, Sara ripped open his shirt from under his suit jacket.

“Whoa, what?!”

“B-Big Brother?!”

That was more than enough to prompt Ikki to finally leap away from her. He covered his bare chest and demanded answers from her.

“What are you doing?!” he cried.

“You’re perfectly sufficient now,” she muttered incomprehensibly, her cheeks red as if she were feverish.

“‘S-Sufficient’ how?! Seriously, what is going on?!”

“Back when we first met, it was love at first sight. Your features invoke a sense of beauty and gentleness, but there’s such distinct power hidden beneath them. The straightness of your spine makes your posture terrific. And even better, your muscles are well-honed without being needlessly large. It’s all just so magnificent. You may be my ideal man.”

“H-Huh?!”

The sudden string of compliments had Ikki at a loss. He hadn’t the slightest clue what was going on. Was she confessing her love to him or something?

What on earth is happening?!

Under the weight of Sara’s gaze, Ikki was paralyzed. Things had escalated too quickly for him to keep up with, and he was struggling to figure out how to respond. No. He was already dating Stella, so he knew exactly what his response would be—if only he were able to give it.

Sara’s expression was one of complete, deadly seriousness. Every member of Rebellion was scary, but her even more so than any of the others he’d encountered. For someone who could cast aside doubt and be direct at all times, Ikki’s inability to react was incredibly out of character.

“You’d make for the best nude model. Perfectly sufficient. So, I’ll need you to come to my room and strip for me.”

“What?! No! I refuse! I never signed up for this!”

“Wrong answer. I refuse your refusal.”

“How selfish can you be?!”

“If you won’t take your clothes off willingly, I’ll just tear them off of you.”

As Sara spoke, magic began to emanate from her entire body, and her Device—a palette and paintbrush—took form in her hands.

Wait, she’s serious?!

She earnestly intended to rip the clothes right off of Ikki, to the point that she had taken up arms. Even so, Ikki couldn’t start a fight with her; they were still very much at a party. Instead, unsure of how to stop her, he began to panic.

“Get away from my brother, you pervert!”

“Gah!”

Shizuku wasted no time in sending Sara rocketing sideways. She then stood in front of her brother, protecting his modesty.

“Big Brother, are you okay?”

What she’d done was incredible. Where she could have merely kicked Sara, she had instead performed a flying dropkick to launch the molester away. She was certainly a reliable ally.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ikki responded to Shizuku’s concern with a nod. “I think she just tore a button off my shirt.”

“Grr!” That answer caused all of her hair to stand on end. “She won’t get away with this.”

“Sh-Shizuku?”

“I’ve never gotten to jump on you and tear your clothes off! Not even once!” Perhaps Shizuku wasn’t as reliable an ally as she seemed. She gave Ikki, who couldn’t decide whether to be thankful or afraid, only a sidelong glance before letting her rage get the better of her. She materialized her own Device and turned her attention toward Sara. “You! I’ll kill you!”

“What the—?! Shizuku, no! Don’t use your Device here!”

The situation was dire, leaving Ikki no time to spare. He leaped behind Shizuku and pulled her into a full nelson, stopping her dead in her tracks. With her low body weight and physical strength, she had no way to free herself, rendering her unable to cause a tragedy. That, however, created another issue.

Ugh, I can feel everyone staring at us…

The amount of noise they three of them had made was more than enough to draw the attention of the entire room. Ikki’s best course of action was to take Shizuku and make his escape, which worked out since he needed to change clothes anyway. Just as he made that decision, the soprano tone of someone’s voice, exaggerated as if to threaten those who heard it, reached his ears from nearby.

“Heheheh. Of course you’re the cause of this mess, Bloody da Vinci.”

◆◇◆◇◆

On turning to look at the source of the voice, Ikki found a girl with an eyepatch and a crimson dress, a maid standing behind her. As he had with Sara, he remembered the pair’s faces. They were also members of the group that had attacked Hagun.

“I remember you. Kazamatsuri, originally from Rentei Academy, right?”

The eyepatched girl returned a nod.

“Heheheh, I suppose you could say that you’re correct. That name and this attire are merely temporary, however—meant only to fool the Dimensional Administration Bureau. My true name cannot be spoken in any human language.”

“What my master means to say is the following: ‘Yes, it’s nice to meet you.’ It would seem I have not introduced myself, either. I am my master’s personal maid, Charlotte Corday. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Oh, um, that’s very polite of you.”

With graceful carriage, Charlotte greeted Ikki and Shizuku with a bow. Her self-introduction reminded Ikki that she was the only one whose face he hadn’t recognized during the attack. The others were all students who had taken representative spots at their respective schools—Ikki had seen them in pictures Kagami had shown him—but as Charlotte was an attendant, she was far from being a representative. In fact, she wasn’t even a Blazer.

“Apologies for my compatriot, Worst One. She has been possessed by her Muse, turning her into an endless fount of inspiration. Forgive her, for she means no harm. Lorelei, stay your blade. The battle has already ended.”

“What the—?” Ikki and Shizuku looked in the direction Sara had been launched. There she lay, with her limbs sprawled out atop the carpet. “Did she pass out?”

“Charlotte,” Kazamatsuri said, “carry her to the Casket of Rebirth.”

“Very well. Excuse me, Lady Sara. I’m going to carry you to an iPS Capsule now.”

“Blrgh…”

As Charlotte picked her up, Sara swooned and before finally losing what little remained of her consciousness. Though she had been hit with a flying dropkick, it had been delivered by Shizuku, who was probably one of the lightest and physically weakest people among all the competitors in the Festival. Ikki and Shizuku didn’t bother to hide their surprise at how weak she was for supposedly being one of the strongest people in the underworld.

“The Bloody da Vinci is an artist, not a warrior,” Kazamatsuri explained. “Someone like her will always be weak. Not even her arrival at this venue was of her own power; denizens of hell seized her legs along the way and tried to drag her in with them. It was angels in white that carried her here.”

“What my master means to say is the following: ‘When Sara came to Osaka, she tripped over the sidewalk and fractured a bone. She was brought here in an ambulance.’”

“Are her bones made of glass or something?”

“That is why her nickname is Bloody da Vinci.”

“That meant her own blood?! She suddenly sounds really lame!”

“Was the Rebellion short on fighters, by any chance?” Shizuku whispered quizzically to Ikki, to whom the same thought had occurred. They couldn’t fathom how someone like her had gotten into the Seven Stars Battle Festival.

“Heheheh, you seem to be missing the point.” Beast Tamer Rinna Kazamatsuri laughed derisively at them. “Indeed, the Bloody da Vinci is horribly weak. But that does not mean that she is nothing more than weak. The fact that she was chosen for our grand strategy is proof that she can excel.”

“Uh…”

“Though art can be grouped into categories like ‘realistic’ or ‘abstract’, it’s no more than a replica of the reality created by that annoyance known as God. The Bloody da Vinci’s art, however, is an exception. Her art creates reality. Compared to her, God is little more than an amateur. You’d best not attack her carelessly.”

Kazamatsuri’s words reminded Ikki and Shizuku of the glimpse of Sara’s skills that they’d seen during the attack. Her puppets, made in the image of the Akatsuki members, were nothing short of flawless recreations that had looked, spoken, and even acted exactly the same as the attackers themselves. That flawlessness was the reason Ikki had seen through their trap, but that didn’t make them any less perfect.

She’s not the kind of enemy I should make light of—especially since we’re in the same tournament block.

How her art would affect a battle was still unknown, and that made her all the more ominous. He had to make sure he stayed on his guard. If all went well for both of them, they would face each other in the third round of the Festival. Though Ikki’s caution had abated due to her surprising weakness, he once again braced himself.

“However, I must admit that the Bloody da Vinci has good taste. Now that I see you up close, you’re very aesthetically pleasing, Worst One.”

With actions reminiscent of a small mammal, Kazamatsuri looked up at Ikki from her low vantage point.

“Huh?”

“A mask not pointlessly peremptory, yet backed with unimaginable strength. That’s just what I like. Why don’t you become my butler once you graduate? You’ll be paid handsomely.”

“Hrk! You’re after my brother too?! I won’t allow it!”

“I’m not just gonna up and join the terrorists no matter how much you pay me.”

“You need not join the Rebellion. I will be satisfied with you simply tending to my belongings at my mansion.”

“Don’t be fooled, Big Brother! This is obviously just a pretense! She’s planning to use your master-servant relationship to force you to do obscene things! I certainly would!”

Uh-oh. I think my sister might be more dangerous than the terrorists.

Leaving her strange comments aside, Ikki knew his answer to Kazamatsuri’s invitation, and wasted no time in giving it.

“Sorry, but I have to decline your kind offer. I can’t stand wearing a suit.”

“Hmm… Proper work is probably unsatisfying for someone whose battles always end so favorably. But so be it! Capitulate to me, and you will forever have all the victuals you desire!”

“Master, you mustn’t continue to coerce him,” Charlotte interjected. “Master Ikki is clearly confused.”

Kazamatsuri being a member of a terrorist organization was a major factor in Ikki’s choice to decline, of course, but there was more to it than that: Charlotte had worn the same unperturbed expression throughout the groups’ entire meeting, but with her master’s demand that he join her, she began looking upon him with jealous rage.

Had I said yes to that, Charlotte would definitely have killed me somewhere down the line.

No matter how good the pay, Ikki had no intention of working somewhere where he was in danger of being assassinated.

“Rgh, fine,” Kazamatsuri reluctantly pouted, apparently not quite ready to give up. “But if you ever change your mind, feel free to contact me. I’ll always welcome someone as capable as you, Worst One.”

She handed Ikki her card. He had no desire whatsoever to be a butler, but turning down someone’s card would have been rude, so he took it and thanked her.

With their exchange ended, Kazamatsuri and Charlotte lifted Sara’s lifeless body and carried her away from the party venue. Ikki saw the three of them off, then looked at the card and chuckled. It had not just her name, but also her phone number, email address, and even her mailing address.

“Can’t say I planned on getting a terrorist’s card today.”

“They’re quite the odd bunch. Even though they’re criminals, they came to this party, started stripping you, and even tried to recruit you. Do you think everyone in the Rebellion is just as strange?”

“I mean, Alice is pretty out there.”

The people who were chosen as representatives of society’s underbelly certainly differed from the commonplace image of dark assassins. Though Ikki knew that one’s true strength couldn’t be judged from their appearance alone, after having been through so much hardship at their hands, he had imagined that they would have been much more terrifying. In fact, he couldn’t shake some measure of disappointment.

“Don’t lump me in with those idiots. You’ll make me mad.”

Ikki’s thoughts were interrupted by an objection from behind. When he and Shizuku turned toward the voice that dripped with anger, they found a girl with long black hair, her eyes hidden by a vulgar mask.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Look at you all, having so much fun. You don’t even realize that you’re not so respectable yourselves,” the girl, her face partially hidden by a mask, muttered angrily in the direction of the reception room door Kazamatsuri and the others had left through.

“I suppose you’re Yui Tatara from Akatsuki Academy?”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re the idiot who was wearing that heavy coat in the middle of summer.”

Shizuku had had no idea who the stranger was until Ikki mentioned her name. The coat had blocked her view of the girl’s face before, but as soon as he said something, she realized that the heights matched perfectly.

“I’m no idiot,” Tatara responded in an unhappy tone. “The dumb ones are the assassins who let the whole world see their faces.”

Finally, one of them said something that makes sense!

Shizuku was somewhat shocked. Compared to the other two, Tatara was a much more normal killer—insofar as a killer was capable of being “normal”, at least.

“So we can assume you’re an assassin, then? Even if the public sees you as just a normal student?”

The bluntness of that question caused Tatara to laugh contemptuously.

“Geheheh. You’ve heard it all from the Black Assassin already. Tsukikage’s ability to spin the information that goes around Japan is perfect, too. No matter how much you complain, the world will see it as nonsense—no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

“Rgh…”

That answer made Shizuku’s eyebrows tense up in anger, for Tatara’s claim was undeniably accurate. The fact that Akatsuki Academy’s students were all Rebellion members should have been communicated by Kurono through the proper channels, yet it had not been communicated to the world at large.

Japan’s government actively manipulated any information that was made public, but worse than that, the idea that their own prime minister was connected to terrorists was simply too absurd for anyone to buy into. As a result, the only people who knew and believed the truth about Akatsuki were those connected to the events that had put them in the public eye.

For people like Shizuku—people who knew the truth—the situation was beyond irritating, as they had been caught wholly in their enemy’s scheming. It was enough in and of itself to annoy her, but to be told as much in such a teasing manner made her all the more unhappy. Tatara took notice of the change in Shizuku’s expression, so she put some food on a plate and offered it to her.

“Keheh. Don’t look so upset, now, Kurogane girl. My bad for pulling your leg. But I’m off work today, so let’s have fun at this little get-together.”

Her behavior on its own seemed friendly, but she made no attempt at hiding the contempt that dripped from her lips as she spoke. Where her words ended, so too did her apology. It did nothing but make Shizuku even more furious, but falling for such an obvious trap would bother her yet more, so Shizuku told herself to just let it go.

“Thank you.” Just as she tried to take the plate, it flew through the air and crashed onto the marble floor. Ikki had smacked the plate out of Tatara’s hand. “B-Big Brother?”

Shizuku’s eyes went wide at his sudden action. She wasn’t the only one startled by his actions, either; all of the students around them were watching with fascination.

In response to the attention, Ikki wordlessly glared at Tatara, his eyes filled with a cold light. He seemed like an entirely different person than he’d been just minutes before, but what had caused such a sudden change? Shizuku looked over at the scattered food and immediately understood the reason for what he’d done.

“Th-That’s…!”

On the plate that Tatara had her offered had been a bone-in chicken leg. Inside the meat, faintly reflecting light, was a razor blade, likely only protruding from it due to the impact of the fall.

That couldn’t possibly have found its way into the chicken while it was being cooked; someone had clearly placed it inside with malicious intent. Only one person would have done that: the terrorist standing in front of them. Having expected as much from her, Ikki had knocked the plate away.

“That’s one hell of a seasoning, Tatara.”

“Geheheh, shame. I coated that thing with enough alkaloids to drop an elephant.” Unafraid of the daggers in Ikki’s glare, Tatara laughed so hard that her shoulders shook. “And just when I was starting to think I’d done a good job of hiding it. Oh well, at least you’ve got good instincts, unlike your sister here.”

“I don’t need your praise. There’s so much spite oozing out of you that it was obvious you were up to something.”

Ikki’s words weren’t a sign of humility. Shizuku didn’t realize it, but he’d known from the get-go that Yui Tatara was different from the three they’d spoken to earlier. Those girls may have been strange, but there had been no reason for him to feel malice coming from them. That was where Tatara differed—malice was the sole emotion that Ikki could find within her.

Even more suspicious, though, was that when she’d been putting food on the plate, she had used her body to hide what she was doing from Ikki and Shizuku. That alone had made it easy for Ikki to come to the conclusion that she was up to no good, leading him to remove the food from the equation. The result was just what he’d expected.

“I thought you said you were off work today,” he continued in a sharp tone.

“Geheheh, yeah, I am. I just wanted to kill a girl or two to blow off some steam. Man, I was so close, too.” Far from being embarrassed that her evil had been revealed, Tatara was unabashed, even cursing the fact that her plans were foiled. “I’ve never had a job that was this much of a pain in the ass. ‘Attack the school, but don’t hurt anyone’? Seriously? I’m not like them; I’ve been killing ever since I learned to walk. You don’t give an assassin like me a job like that. I’m going mad from the frustration! I can’t wait two whole days. I gotta kill someone right now!”

Tatara smiled disconcertingly, revealing one of her canine teeth. In her right hand, ominous magic collected until it took form, becoming a chainsaw with horrifying, shark-like cutting teeth.

“H-Hey, is she for real?!”

“Is she seriously tryna start somethin’ here?!”

The venue was filled with the crowd’s screams as they bore witness to Tatara’s savagery. Ikki didn’t reply, however, instead standing in front of Shizuku to guard her. He knew that Tatara wasn’t the kind of person who could be swayed by words, and most of all, he wasn’t the kind of person to let someone off the hook after attacking his sister. Ready to meet her attack, he took up Intetsu.

“Stop this, Another One.”

“Gh!”

Upon hearing someone address him from behind, he immediately stopped himself, though perhaps it was because the person’s very voice had forced him to. It was not a shout, nor did it seem to be backed with anger. Instead, it was gentle, yet it had a compelling pressure to it. There was a distinct sense of presence within it—one that didn’t take no for an answer.

It was a voice that Ikki recognized. He had never heard it in person, but he’d heard it over the television countless times.

“You didn’t claw your way here just to pick meaningless fights, did you? C’mon.”

“Moroboshi!”

Just as he’d thought, the source of the voice was none other than the conqueror of the previous year’s Seven Stars Battle Festival, and the person who would first cross blades with the Worst One in the upcoming one: Yuudai Moroboshi, the Seven Stars King and a third-year student at Bukyoku Academy.

◆◇◆◇◆

A shrewd, coercive glare like that of a carnivore. Nearly six feet tall—a height that rivaled Alice’s—with a perfectly complementary muscular stature. A large, intimidating man befitting of the bandana he wore. That was Yuudai Moroboshi, the greatest of Japan’s student knights, whose voice alone froze every last bit of bloodlust that had permeated the air. And he wasn’t the only one approaching Ikki and the others; two other students followed behind him, all three clad not in formal attire, but in Bukyoku’s unique school uniform.

Ikki knew them as if they were celebrities. The boy, whose uniform, glasses, and posture were all perfectly tidy down to every last detail, was Byakuya Jougasaki. Next to him stood Momiji Asagi, a girl with a bandage on one cheek and eyes as mischievous as a little boy’s. Both of them were third-year students at Bukyoku, and had respectively taken the second- and third-place rankings at the prior year’s Festival. Indeed, the three who stood between Ikki and Tatara were those who’d stood on the podium the year before.

No wonder I feel so stiff.

The three of them were all clearly anything but ordinary. Just them being beside one another was intimidating enough to give the illusion that the reception hall had shrunk. None could ignore the immense presence emanating from them.

“You’re one loud girl, with all your talk about killing. I know you’re excited to fight in the Festival, but why don’t you calm down a little?”

They had obviously been watching the scene unfold for some time. Moroboshi didn’t seem to blame Ikki in particular, instead looking down at Tatara as he chastised her.

“Seriously. It’s impossible not to doubt someone’s character when they bring out their Device in a place like this. Then again, with a Device like that, I guess your character’s already in question.”

Following him, Jougasaki censured Tatara for her actions as well. Even so, she showed no signs of accepting that she was the one to blame.

“You stupid show-off kids don’t realize that character isn’t a weapon. Want me to show you what a real weapon feels like?”

Starting the engine of her chainsaw-like Device, Tatara pointed its spinning teeth at the boy standing at the front of the group, Moroboshi. But he merely maintained his cold glare.

“Don’t be so quick to show your teeth,” he sighed contemptuously. “You’re all bark and no bite.”

“Hrgh!” His reply was more than enough to get the already-violent Tatara seething, and she let out a strained laugh. “Geheheh, damn brat. Fine, then. We’ll see just who the weak one is right now.”

She stepped closer to Moroboshi as she spoke. Malice no longer dripped from her words, as it had transformed into clear murderous intent.

“Kh?!”

Suddenly, as if electrocuted, she came to a stop ten feet away from him. He let out yet another huffing sigh as he watched her.

“Pressing your luck just for show, I see. But that’s as close as you’ll ever get. Step into my force field and bang! It’s lights-out.”

Ikki looked to find that, at some point, a slender yellow spear had appeared in Moroboshi’s hand. That spear, its handle adorned with tiger fur, was the Seven Stars King’s Device, Tiger King.

“When’d you pull that out?!” Tatara shouted in surprise, stepping backward. She wasn’t the only one taken aback, either; Ikki was as well.

Incredible. She can’t even get close to him. Even his trained eyes had failed to notice Moroboshi materializing his Device, but what amazed him most of all was that despite him not holding it offensively, he was still impossible to confront. No matter how one approached, it was terrifyingly evident that they would be met with a counterattack. The Seven Stars King’s legendary Predator’s Sense… and I’m seeing it in real life!

He had absolute control over the space around him, blocking even Raikiri’s entry. No matter where or how one attacked, it was as if Moroboshi could discern and respond to it right away. His complete lack of openings was something he was extolled for.

Even Tatara was forced to hesitate before jumping in. That was natural, though, for the space around Moroboshi was the space around Japan’s strongest student knight.

“Gahahaha! Man, this year’s freshmen are really assertive, huh? Good stuff.”

Bukyoku’s students weren’t the only ones who had made their way over to check out the commotion. A shadow covered Ikki and the others, speaking with a voice loud enough to give the impression that its owner was using a loudspeaker. Both belonged to a man well over six feet tall and almost three feet in breadth, with a bearded face that was unusual for a student. The giant who had joined them was a third-year student from Hokkaido’s Rokuzon Academy and a quarterfinalist from the previous year’s Festival: Renji Kaga, the Panzer Grizzly.

“But we can’t waste food,” Kaga admonished. “Farmers like me worked their hardest to raise these chickens so that they could one day be eaten and enjoyed. It’s not rewarding if that doesn’t happen.”

When he was in elementary school, Kaga had supposedly singlehandedly reclaimed nearly two hundred fifty acres of land—enough to house twenty Tokyo Domes. Using his humongous hand, the legendary boy lifted the chicken leg with the poisoned razor hidden inside.

“Wait. That chicken…!”

Before Ikki could stop him, he had thrown it into his mouth, bone and all. His massive jaws clamped down on the food, tearing through chicken, bone, and razor blade alike. Every bit of it was shattered between his teeth before being swallowed with ease.

“Gahaha! You Akatsuki can kill an elephant, but you can’t kill me!”

“I-Is this guy even human?”

Ingesting deadly poison yet not showing a single sign of illness, Kaga actually prompted Tatara to go pale. However, her shock would not end here.

“Fwoo♡”

“Hngh?!”

Suddenly, she felt something blowing on the back of her ear. Massaged by that breath, she finally realized that she was being held by another girl.

“Aww, that’s a good girl. Stay still, now; I’m examining you.”

“Gaah?!”

Tatara quickly, forcefully shook herself free from the girl who’d attempted to grope her. She had escaped the threat, but horror still colored her face. As an established assassin within Rebellion, she was fully aware that her strength was real, but she had let her guard down and been seized by an assailant. It came as no surprise that she was panicked.

“Wh-What the hell do you want?!”

“Teehee♡ Well, well, aren’t you a lively patient? We should be glad that you are.” While Tatara’s voice quivered with anxiety, the lab coat-wearing woman’s plump lips grinned. “Buuut, based on your blood pressure and body temperature, you seem tense. Your small build and rough skin mean you’ve got a bad diet, too. Give me your hands.”

The moment she said that, Tatara’s hands disobeyed her will, dropping her chainsaw.

“Wh-What have you been d-d-do—?!”

Just as she’d been commanded, she formed a bowl shape with her hands and reached them out to the lab-coated woman, who looked at Tatara’s hands.

“Take your calcium, vitamin C, and your collagen. Along with that, here’s a special incense I prepared just for you. Light it before you go to bed and it’ll soothe your pride just like that.”

With a smile, she placed various pills, capsules, and finally a small parcel packaged with a cute ribbon into Tatara’s hand-bowl. Of course, Tatara neither wanted nor needed any of them. She tried to throw them all onto the floor, but…

I-I can’t move!

“The hell did you do to me?!”

“Hmm? Teehee♡ What’s got you so surprised? It’s a doctor’s job to do to her patient whatever is necessary, so of course I have the tools for that.”

Tatara sweat profusely as she screamed with rage, yet the woman still remained pleasant.

“Shizuku, do you know her?” Ikki asked, unable to take his eyes off the bizarre exchange.

“Yes, of course I do,” she replied with a slight nod. Though not the type of person to research strong knights—the party they were at was full of people she knew nothing about—the woman in the lab coat was different. She was a student, but she was also the best doctor in all of Japan, as well as a knight as strong as any other in the room. A peerless water mage, the woman had all but forced Shizuku to accept her strength. “Third-year student at Rentei Academy: the Medico Knight, Kiriko Yakushi. She didn’t attend the Seven Stars in her first or second year, so I assumed she wouldn’t this year, either.”

“More importantly, did you notice when she grabbed Tatara? Could the ability she used be…?”

“You guessed right, Big Brother. It’s much the same as my Aoiro Rinne, though I’m not yet able to vaporize my clothes like she can.”

She’d figured out that much, but she was unable to determine what Kiriko was doing to rob Tatara of her freedom of movement. Perhaps she was using some sort of blood manipulation technique? Despite her supposition, however, it was an ability that was still beyond her capabilities.

It’s unfortunate that I’m stuck in block D with her.

Like Shizuku, Kiriko was a water mage, and a very skilled one at that. The difference in ability between the two of them would be reflected in the results of their match. Shizuku could only hope that she would be defeated before the third round, where they would otherwise be pitted against each other.

Suddenly, from among all the national-level knights brought over by the commotion, Ikki picked out a familiar face.

“Hey, bitch. Who gave you permission to touch Worst One? Out with it!”

A blond-haired boy emerged from the crowd, violently grabbing Tatara by the collar. It was Donrou Academy’s ace, a boy who had crossed blades with Ikki when he was helping Ayase Ayatsuji with her troubles. When they’d fought, he’d used his Marginal Counter, an ability that relied on his natural reflexes rather than his magical power, to put Ikki through the wringer. He was none other than Kuraudo Kurashiki, the Sword Eater.

“Kurashiki. It’s been a while.”

“Heh, I knew you’d make it this far. I’ll be paying you back for what you did to me back then.” Kuraudo returned his attention to the girl hanging from his fist. “It’s not just me, either. Everyone here’s been waiting to see what this guy can do. Mess with him and you’re gonna get your shit kicked in.”

His voice seethed with intimidation. Affirming his words, the foremost warriors in the country stared holes through Tatara. Even she, with her violent nature, couldn’t handle the pressure. Several of those present had made it to or beyond the prior year’s Seven Stars quarterfinals; attacking them in the situation she was in would have been far too disadvantageous.

“Tch! Lemme go!”

Though she had no control of her hands, Tatara kicked at Kuraudo until she was freed. Then, her lips distorted in anger, she left the scene, for that was the only option she had.

◆◇◆◇◆

After Tatara left the reception room, Ikki expressed his gratitude to those who had gathered.

“Thank you, everyone. I was just about to take her bait.”

While he bowed in humility, Moroboshi’s threatening frown turned into an affable smile.

“No worries, man. Anyone would be seeing red if someone went after their sister. In fact, you did a good job not smacking the hell outta her right then and there. If it were me, I’d have bashed her skull in before she coulda even summoned that toothpick of hers,” he laughed, as if telling Ikki he had nothing to worry about.

“That’s nothing to be proud of, Yuu,” Jougasaki, standing next to him, sighed in annoyance. “The Seven Stars King has to be a good role model for every knight to follow. Why don’t you try being more level-headed?”

“Ahaha! You love your sister a little too much, Boshi,” Asagi commented.

“Say what now?! What do you expect from a big brother?! And counting the attack on Hagun, this is the second time that girl’s done something like this. Not even God gives third chances, so why should regular people like us bother giving second ones? You get me, right, Kurogane?”

“Haha… Sure, I get you. Akatsuki has really given us more than their fair share of trouble.” Ikki nodded in agreement. “Still, though, I can’t say I completely hate them.”

“Hm? What’s that mean?”

“It’s true that these aren’t exactly favorable circumstances, and I definitely can’t say that I like them. But because they’re participating in the Festival, we’ll be able to fight people from a world we’d normally never get to even see. I’m grateful for that part of it, at least.”

By dragging out people from the underworld, the upcoming Festival was going to be unlike any other. And that was just what Ikki wanted, for it gave the competition not just more ferocity, but more purity as well. After all, it was a competition to measure the strength of all young knights. From that perspective—and only that perspective—Ikki appreciated Akatsuki’s involvement.

“…Heheh. Hahahaha!” Moroboshi’s roaring laughter filled the venue. “Talk about a coincidence! You look like you’d never hurt a fly, but we’re in complete agreement. I thought I was the only one here with that hot-blooded spirit.”

The Festival, just two days away, would be truly worthwhile, as Moroboshi had always wanted a deathmatch with the Gale Sword Emperor. The sheer act of dragging Ouma to the Festival was reason enough to thank the Akatsuki. However, a student from Hagun, someone directly harmed by their actions, wouldn’t normally take part in such a conversation.

This must mean he understands the truth, he reasoned.

“‘People from a world we’d normally never get to even see’, you say? So the rumor is true; Akatsuki Academy’s students truly are outlaw mercenaries.”

“That little brat from before wasn’t normal, either. She just did whatever she wanted.”

“None of that matters.” Though Jougasaki and Asagi were uncomfortable with the information they’d just confirmed, Moroboshi curtly rejected their fears. “No matter who they are, it doesn’t change what we have to do. Right, Kurogane?”

“Right,” Ikki answered with a subtle nod and gentle smile. “We knights shouldn’t expect fairness or equity from our enemies.”

That was just the answer Moroboshi was hoping for. As he’d expected, Ikki understood the true nature of their existences as student knights. They were not mere athletes; they would one day shoulder the burden of protecting their country. To cry about unfairness would very much be to displace blame. Until a knight understood that truth, they would be nothing but an athlete regardless of how much power they had at their fingertips—they would never defeat a true knight.

“Rivalries and battles are both inherently unequal,” Ikki continued. “That’s not any different even for us student knights. No matter who our enemy is or how they got here, the responsibility of commenting on what is or isn’t fair falls on the people managing this tournament. Our only job is to defeat that enemy.”

That belief was the reason that, though he lamented her actions, he had never disparaged Ayase Ayatsuji as a coward or attempted to get her disqualified from their selection battle. He despised unfairness and inequity just as much as anyone else, but he did not reject them. Knights were warriors, not athletes; they could not expect fairness from their enemy.

Their short conversation was enough for Moroboshi to ascertain just how insightful and broad-minded Ikki was. With that new knowledge, Yuudai Moroboshi, the Seven Stars King, accepted that as an opponent, Ikki would not be lacking.

“Heheh… When I heard that a flunk beat Raikiri, I was pretty disappointed. I was so excited to finally, perfectly break through her undefeated Noble Art. But hey, it’s not all bad; a new, interesting foe has taken her place, after all. Can’t wait to meet you in the ring the day after tomorrow.”

“When we do, I’ll fight you with all I’ve got.”

As Moroboshi’s fighting spirit overflowed, Ikki returned his own challenging gaze. Much like how Moroboshi was gauging his opponent’s broad-mindedness during their encounter, Ikki, too, was sizing up the Seven Stars King. In doing so, the two arrived at the same conclusion: the first round of the Festival would bring them face-to-face with death. A clear sense of foreboding was accompanied by unease, but also by anticipation that far outstripped it. Sharing those feelings, the two giants continued to stare each other down, dauntless.

“Oh, so, hey.” Suddenly, Moroboshi’s tone changed, losing all signs of tension as he pointed at Ikki. “I think you oughta go change your clothes now. I can see your tits.”

“Wuh?!”

Ikki finally remembered the state his suit had been put in, and how he’d been baring his chest for all the world to see.

“Unless you’re one of those guys who goes around showing off his pecs?”

“A-Absolutely not!”

Set off by the teasing, Ikki refuted and covered his chest. People among the crowd giggled at his overt reaction. By that point, the threatening mood created by Tatara had evaporated, allowing the bustling fun of the party to continue.

◆◇◆◇◆

In the smoking room next to the reception hall, a man in a dark-red suit looked through the window upon the uproar caused by Tatara and her compatriots.

“I see you have many undisciplined students, Mr. Tsukikage.”

The man, with graying hair and narrowed eyes behind tinted glasses, was the prime minister of Japan and the one responsible for the creation of National Akatsuki Academy: Bakuga Tsukikage. He turned toward the voice that spoke his name, exclaiming with glee once he had confirmed who it was.

“Oh, if it isn’t Takizawa! It’s been so long.”

When Kurono Shinguuji heard the name “Takizawa”, she shuddered ever so slightly. The tone of his voice as he spoke her maiden name was much the same as that of the Tsukikage from her days as a student—much the same as it had been when she’d admired him. To calm her nerves, Kurono lit a cigarette and took a puff of it. After that, she corrected him.

“It’s Shinguuji now, sir.”

“Ah, yes. How long has it been since the wedding? Have you been doing well all this time?”

“I have, thank you. I had a safe childbirth.”

“Good, good. Yes, that’s wonderful to hear.”

Tsukikage seemed truly happy as he smiled, the wrinkles lining his face deeper than Kurono remembered. He was honestly overjoyed that she was in good health. Kurono had no doubt about that, judging by his expression, but that only further soured her expression.

He really hasn’t changed. Neither his kind face nor his warm smile; everything was just as it had been long ago—just as it had been when she’d admired him. It filled her with puzzlement and irritation. But then why did he do something like this?

If only he had changed, even just a little bit. If only he had looked upon her with clear hatred or malice. Then, at least, maybe she wouldn’t have had to be tormented by that question. But Kurono suppressed her emotions as best she could and directed her own hateful glare toward her former teacher.

“I’m deeply loath to have to meet you again under these circumstances.”

She was no longer his student; she was the director of Hagun Academy. For having hurt her students, the director of Akatsuki Academy was an enemy, a foe who could never be forgiven. That fact was immovable, so there was no need to carry on with their farcical small talk. The only need was to press him until he revealed why he had chosen such an awful course of action.

Kurono understood her role well. She made that role perfectly clear, whereas Tsukikage, whose position in everything was entirely unknown, would not. In response, Tsukikage spoke with acceptance of her hatred.

“Haha. It’s only natural that you’re mad, what with me having used your academy as a stepping stone.”

In other words, he accepted that what he had done had harmed her. His words also served as a confession that he had performed those actions with full knowledge of that fact. Having dragged that much out of him, she pressed yet further.

“Why did you do this?”

“The same as I said at the press conference: Blazers are the forefront of national defense, yet Japan entrusts the majority of their education to foreign powers. Even the issuing of Mage-Knight licenses is wholly under their control. We can’t issue those licenses, let alone revoke them freely. Could one call this a healthy situation? I would say not. For the sake of those who will inherit this country, I’m working to correct that mistake.”

Despite Kurono’s blunt questioning, Tsukikage offered no new information. He merely repeated the things he’d said back during his press conference.

“I really don’t think that’s the whole story. You’re hiding something.”

“Who, me? No. Shinguuji, just as you embraced Bukyoku’s way of doing things and made radical changes to Hagun, I assumed you would understand my radical changes to Japan.”

“Sorry to say this, but your actions are far beyond my own comprehension. Yes, Bukyoku Academy has had great results since Director Makunouchi’s takeover and their shift to rules and methods that stray from the Federation’s. It’s also true that the Federation’s main branch has had its eyes on them because of that. However, their actions were within the realm of common sense; yours are far from it. Especially when it comes to hiring terrorists to meet your goal.”

“‘Terrorists’? As someone in my position, I must tell you that I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re saying.” Kurono’s sharp refusal was met with a worried smile and feigned ignorance. Direct questioning was clearly futile. Just as Kurono began to accept defeat, Tsukikage spoke with a voice cold enough to send shivers down her spine. “But what’s wrong with lawlessness if it means destroying mistaken laws?”

“Kh!”

That was all she’d needed to hear. She hadn’t gone to see him thoughtlessly; she had made plenty of predictions and taken numerous things into consideration. Countless possible reasons for Tsukikage’s actions had swirled around in her brain before their meeting.

“Sir… I thought that might be the case.”

Kurono’s meticulous hypothesizing had allowed her to understand what Tsukikage was saying, along with the true goal implied by his decision to use lawless methods. That goal, however, was the worst development that she could have possibly envisioned.

“And what is ‘that’?”

“I’ve always thought it was strange. Establishing a national academy, choosing terrorists as your students, going to the Seven Stars, being so steadfast regarding the positioning of this national academy. All of this seems far too roundabout for the mere goal of taking back our right to educate Blazers.”

At its core, taking back Blazer education would have been a simple task given Japan’s comfortable position within the Federation. Boasting both the third-largest economy in the world and an acceptance for religions with differing belief systems, the country acted as a glue that bound together lands that worshipped different deities. If the country earnestly set about negotiations, getting what they desired wouldn’t have been difficult to accomplish. The Federation would face a much greater loss in Japan’s departure than they would in any demands they refused.

“Taking back our right to educate Blazers falls under the category of things that we can achieve diplomatically. It’s unprecedented for the head of a nation to associate with terrorists and declare war on his own citizens for the sake of rebelling against something so basic. You’ve gone too far for that. It’s always bothered me, but this conversation has made it all but certain that the causality is actually the reverse. You didn’t choose lawless methods for the purpose of taking back the right to educate Blazers, you used taking back that right as an excuse to justify the use of lawless methods.”

“What makes you think that? Surely you must have a reason.”

“I can’t claim to know your personal motives, nor do I have the information required to theorize about them. But now that we’ve come this far, I can only think of one reason for your actions: you didn’t want to open up negotiations with the Federation. Had they compromised and you accomplished your goal of getting Blazer education back, Japan would have ended up still being stuck as part of their organization. If that happened, your true motive of irreparably destroying relations between Japan and the Federation would be impossible to achieve!”

Kurono was certain that that was Tsukikage’s true goal. The fact that the Rebellion was a key part of Akatsuki Academy had been communicated to the Federation’s main branch by Kurono herself. As a result, any negotiations or compromise between the two was unlikely, as that would mean the Federation was submitting to terrorists.

Tsukikage had known—or perhaps merely hoped—that his heavy-handed methods would lead to that exact situation. Everything he had done was for the sake of his true goal, a decisive end to Japan-Federation relations.

“Heheheh. Well done, Takizawa. You’ve always been a bright one.” Shockingly, Tsukikage made no attempt to deny Kurono’s confident accusation. He spoke with a malicious grin uncharacteristic of himself. “Trying to hide the truth from you when you hit the bullseye that precisely would only serve to embarrass me, so yes, I can tell you that you’re correct for the most part. As you said, my final goal is to permanently sever any remaining ties between ourselves and the Federation.”

“Why would you do that?! Have you, of all people, sold yourself out to some other nation?!”

“Of course not. I’ve not sold out to anyone; I do this all for the good of Japan. You see, Japan shouldn’t be part of a gathering of weaklings such as the Federation. We have the power to maintain sovereignty, and to not make use of it would serve only to have us cleaning up the messes of other nations, by no means benefiting our own.”

“Tch!”

Kurono grew visibly angrier because of Tsukikage’s words.

To an extent, he was correct. The International Mage-Knight Federation was essentially an alliance between nations. Those under its banner would send personnel and resources to any members attacked by a non-member, making for a fast and efficient support pipeline. Much like with healthcare, a member not afflicted by the ailment known as war would be unable to receive any benefit, instead working solely for the benefit of others.

Vietnam, Iraq, Israel—in the past half-century, Japan had been made to send support to other nations despite having never gone to war itself, which was no light burden to bear. There was a deeply rooted belief amongst the general public that Japan was getting the short end of the stick in that regard. The Anti-Federation party, led by Tsukikage and the current ruling party, had gained incredible traction over those fifty years, presumably thanks in large part to that historical background. As such, Tsukikage’s claim was not a new concept to Kurono. But that didn’t mean she would ever agree with it.

“Are you sure you’ve thought this through?! This is an island country—it’s severely lacking in both land and resources! Do you really think we can keep our independence when we’re sandwiched between the likes of China, Russia, and America?!”

If nothing else, it was true that remaining in the Federation would continue to put Japan under a heavy burden, and the “short end of the stick” analysis did seem to have some merit. However, it was also true that the country was being protected under the Federation’s umbrella, and Kurono couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen to a country left out in the rain. That was why she deeply feared Tsukikage’s plan—it threatened to transform Japan and the world at large in unthinkable ways. Unlike her with her worries, however, Tsukikage’s confidence was unshaken.

“We absolutely can. I swear to take back our rightful glory and territory.”

“And you’ll stop at nothing, I assume?”

“That’s correct. One hundred percent. That is the reason for Akatsuki Academy’s existence. They will dominate this tournament, and the masses will no longer desire the control of the Federation. My plan can no longer be stopped.”

“Rgh…”

“Heheh. Your expression tells me that you still don’t understand. But that’s fine; I don’t need your understanding. Freedom of thought is important, after all. You’re quite free to criticize, and you’re free to despair as well. However, I am the leader of this country. I will choose our path, and no one will interfere.” Tsukikage’s tone as he ground his cigarette into a nearby ashtray clearly displayed his rock-hard willpower. Then, as he walked toward the smoking room’s exit, he spoke to Kurono as if scolding a misbehaving child. “This is beyond the scope of a mere educator like yourself. Know your place and learn to not be so meddlesome.”

It was then that Kurono understood that Tsukikage had chosen a different path. He had no intention of ever stopping, made evident by his heavy footsteps as they moved further away. She had no power to stop him, either.

“Maybe it is too much for someone in my position to combat, but that’s only if Akatsuki Academy wins the tournament. I’ll shatter your ambition without even lifting a finger—my students will make sure of that.”

Without turning toward him as he made to exit the room, Kurono told him of her own heartfelt conviction. She was not loud, but her voice resounded with a powerful tone. Tsukikage froze for a mere moment with his hand on the door knob.

“I can’t wait… for your students to fall. It will only serve to make Akatsuki look even more superior.”

He left her with those words as he exited the room.

Finally, Kurono Shinguuji understood Tsukikage’s true goal. That didn’t mean she would tell Ikki and the others a word of what she’d learned, however. She would wait until after the tournament and force them to unknowingly bear the future of their nation, for what she was doing was nothing more than behind-the-scenes gambling on the outcomes of their matches.

They shouldn’t know about the disgusting off-field speculation going on here.

The students had to fight purely for themselves. If they did, they were sure to win. She was sure of that because she had once competed with the Demon Princess for the very summit they were hoping to reach. No matter how strong the students of Akatsuki were, they were lacking something vital: passion for the stage known as the Seven Stars Battle Festival. Without that, winning was nigh impossible. It may have been feasible at a different stage of battle, but at the Seven Stars Battle Festival, victory without passion was unimaginable.