Chivalry of a Failed Knight Vol. 2

“A-Aaahh! N-No, this isn’t what it looks like! I-I… Waaah!”

Clearly unprepared to be called out like that and astonished that she had been exposed so easily, the girl turned and dashed away. She didn’t seem to have noticed the small pond behind her former hiding place, however.

“Aaahhh! Glrgh?!”

In her panic, she tripped over the rocks that surrounded it and fell straight in, head-first.

Bonk! The group heard a noise that made them think the worst, then watched in silence as she slowly floated to the surface back-first. She wasn’t moving at all.

“H-Hey, is she okay?” Ikki asked. “She definitely doesn’t look okay! Alice, help me get her out of the water!”

“Oh, my. This is bad,” she said, and ran over with Ikki to help.

“Ikki’s stalker was that gorgeous?!”

“Seems the time to use my feather duster has come much earlier than expected.”

Stella and Shizuku’s womanly intuition signaled danger.

◆◆◆

A small, dark room. The only light was provided by a small desk lamp. Surrounding the sole girl, who sat in a chair in the middle of the room, were four men with furrowed brows, reinforcing their already-intimidating appearances.

“Tell us the truth!” they yelled at the girl. “You were the victim’s stalker all along, weren’t you?!”

“They caught you red-handed! Don’t say you didn’t do it!”

“N-No! I wasn’t stalking him…” Overwhelmed by the sudden interrogation—and blinded by the lamp—she struggled to think of how to respond.

“You’d better not be coming up with some excuse!”

“Eek!”

“It’s clear as day that you’ve been following him around for an entire week!”

“And you’re still gonna play innocent?!”

“To hell with it. Let’s get to the torture!”

“S-Stooop!”

“Huh?!”

She awoke from the nightmare world, a clean, white ceiling over her head. From the smell of medicine around her, she could tell that she was in the infirmary. Someone must have brought her there.

Good. It was just a dream, then, she thought, calming herself down.

“Candle torture, flagellation, denailing, the rack, the pillory…”

Turning her head, she saw a silver-haired girl whispering to herself.

“Immolation, water torture, crucifixion, public execution, the wooden horse. Oh, you’re awake.”

“What were you just whispering?”

“Who knows? You were probably just having a bad dream. Big Brother, she’s awake!”

The silver-haired girl, Shizuku, called out toward the opening in the privacy curtain, and Ikki, Stella, and Alice walked in.

“My, you’re already awake? I guess even a nasty bump like that can’t stand up to Shizuku’s healing powers,” Alice commented.

“We couldn’t put you in a Capsule since the wound wasn’t from a duel. You’re lucky Shizuku was here. Does it still hurt at all?” Ikki’s genuine concern put her at ease.

When she saw their four faces, she finally understood what had happened. After she lost consciousness in that pond, they brought her to the infirmary and treated her.

“N-No, I… I’m fine. Thank you for helping me.”

She stood straight up and quickly bowed her head to the group. Such a polite stalker. She was avoiding eye contact, though, instead looking in every other direction she could.

“Well, it’s basically my fault for surprising you,” Ikki admitted. “I’m just glad this didn’t end up any worse. But, uh, why won’t you look at us?”

“D-Don’t worry about it. I-It’s a personal thing.”

Her voice was panicked. Not only was she avoiding eye contact, but her body was trembling as well. Possibly because she felt guilty about following Ikki around, she looked profoundly uncomfortable.

There’s no way to know unless I ask, I guess, he thought. “Well, if you’re not hurt, I’d like to ask you a few things. First off, could you tell us your name?”

“I-I’m Ayase Ayatsuji, a third-year.”

An upperclassman? That’s surprising. Considering her clumsiness when we first met and her clear discomfort now, she doesn’t seem older.

Ikki figured he should be polite regardless. Changing his tone, he jumped straight to the question that was bothering him the most.

“Okay, Ayatsuji. Sorry for asking you again, but why were you following—Uh, excuse me?”

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

“Now your entire head is facing away from us. Really, is something wrong?”

Ayase was looking at the wall behind her, while the rest of her body was still facing Ikki. Her neck was creaking audibly under the strain.

“D-Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing! I’ve never had someone try this hard to avoid eye contact! What’s so interesting about that wall?!”

“I-I just… I’m embarrassed.”

“Huh?”

“I-I can’t just make eye contact with a boy I don’t even know.” Ayase’s voice was as quiet as a mouse, and her face was so red it looked like it had caught on fire. “How are you able to look a girl you just met straight in the eyes, Kurogane?”

“Um… I think it’s pretty normal to look at someone when you’re talking to them.”

“N-Normal? Really? Wow, I could never do that. Even if it seems rude, I just can’t keep looking forward when people are looking at me.”

Ikki never thought someone would admire him for something he thought was common courtesy. But she didn’t seem to be lying; Ayase would occasionally glance at him, but the moment their eyes met, she would look away again. She was obviously doing her best to look him in the eye, but apparently the embarrassment was too much for her to handle. She must have been exceptionally shy, especially given that she was older than him.

Jeez. I wish she would just look at me. Without seeing her face, it would be hard to tell if she was lying. Ikki pondered his next action for a short time.

“Then why don’t you talk to us girls?” Stella asked, standing with Shizuku in Ayase’s line of sight. The two of them were probing her with their doubtful expressions. “Out with it. Why were you following Ikki around? What were you planning?”

“Well… um…”

“There’s only one reason a girl would follow a boy around,” Shizuku stated. “You were giving my big brother lascivious looks!”

“Really?!”

“N-No! I wasn’t, I swear!”

Maybe it really wasn’t a grudge or love, Ikki began to think. But then why in the world would she stalk a flunk like me?

As Ayase frantically gesticulated in her attempts to plead with Stella and Shizuku, Ikki took notice of her hands. They were covered in calluses as a result of swinging a bamboo sword thousands upon thousands of times.

Those calluses… and the name Ayatsuji… Suddenly, a light bulb lit up deep within Ikki’s mind. “Excuse me, Ayatsuji. Are you related to Kaito Ayatsuji, by any chance?”

Ayase opened her eyes wide and turned to face him. “H-He’s my father, yes. How did you know that?”

“I saw the calluses on your hands. Those are the hands of a swordsman. And you’re definitely athletic since you were able to keep up with Stella and me while we were jogging. Between all that and the name Ayatsuji, it finally clicked. I didn’t know he had a daughter, let alone that she was enrolled in the same school as us!”

Stella was confused by Ikki’s sudden excitement. “Hey, Alice. Who’s this Kaito Ayatsuji guy?” she asked.

“Who knows? I certainly don’t.”

Stella didn’t understand Ikki’s sudden excitement, and while Alice was equally confused, Shizuku was able to answer the question for them.

“He’s a non-Blazer popularly known as the Last Samurai. Many Blazers don’t care about martial arts, so it’s no surprise that you don’t know about him. But all swordsmen know about the man named Kaito Ayatsuji. He’s just that famous.”

The Imperial Tournament, the International Competition, the Musashi Cup, the Grandmasters’ Tournament—he was a world-famous swordsman who had won countless competitions, a master who took any and all glory for himself. In his prime, he was able to suppress many Blazer criminals all by himself, even as a non-Blazer.

“Blazers have magic to protect themselves from anything, with even gunfire leaving a bruise at worst,” Shizuku continued. “Kaito Ayatsuji, for as strong as he was, didn’t have an advantage like that. He probably lamented not having been born a Blazer more than anyone else in the world; Mage-Knight society didn’t take very kindly to a non-Blazer being so powerful, so despite his incredible swordsmanship, he isn’t too well-known nowadays.”

“But you know about him, Shizuku,” Stella said.

“Unlike most other Mage-Knight families, ours knows just how useful proper swordsmanship can be.”

Once she grew tired of the family that so abused her beloved brother, Shizuku stopped taking the Kurogane family’s martial arts classes. Even so, the name of the Last Samurai still lingered in her mind. Ikki, however, was so dead-set on the path of the sword that he was sure to know that great hero’s name.

“I used to study Kaito’s videos when I was a kid. In fact, this one time in middle school, I went to his dojo and challenged him directly.”

“Oh? Really?”

“He turned me down, though, saying he didn’t take random challenges. But I’m so glad I’m meeting his daughter! How is Kaito doing now? I haven’t heard his name in a while, so it’s been tugging at my mind.” Ikki was still obviously excited, but Ayase’s face clouded at his question.

“Well, actually… He was injured in a duel. He’s in the hospital.”

“Oh, I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“N-No, it’s not a problem. I’m glad someone as incredible as you cares about my father so much. Plus, this is actually related to why I was following you around.”

“How so?”

“Since my father and mentor is hospitalized, I’ve been working on the Ayatsuji Single-Blade Style on my own, but I’m starting to hit a wall.” It was only natural that she couldn’t match her mentor’s movements without his help.

“Then, I heard about you. It’s hard to find a good swordsman, but when I heard there was a first-year who was one, I thought that maybe I could figure it out if I could just talk to you, or something…” Her voice trailed off and she started avoiding eye contact again. “B-But ever since I was a child, I’ve never been able to talk to any boys besides my father and his other disciples, so I just didn’t know how to talk to you…”

“Is that why you’ve been following me around for an entire week?”

“It’s embarrassing, but…” Ayase nodded, her eyes pointed to the ground.

Wow, she’s really reserved. If she were a bread roll, she’d be the one you put in your desk drawer and forget about until she eventually got covered in mold.

The gang, save for Ikki, was speechless. That was why she had to stalk him?

In the silence, Ayase bowed her head to Ikki again. “I-I’m really sorry for following you around so much! I won’t blame you if you think I’m weird, but I swear, I’ll never come near you again! Just… don’t report me to the police, please.”

“Uh, I wasn’t really thinking of calling the police.”

As a matter of fact, quite the opposite was true: the swordswoman he’d just discovered piqued his interest. She wasn’t just any swordswoman, either; she was the Last Samurai’s favorite disciple! He was incredibly interested in seeing her swordplay. “Actually, Ayatsuji, if you’d be willing, I’d love to train together with you.”

“Huh…?”

“We’re both trained swordsmen, so maybe we could give each other tips. And I want to experience the Last Samurai’s style in person. Videos are limited to a single angle, so I can’t learn much from them.”

“Really?! Thank you! I’m so excited!” Grinning from ear to ear, Ayase instantly leaped off of the bed and took Ikki’s hands in hers. She had avoided looking at Ikki before, but now, she was staring straight at him. As soon as she realized what she was doing, however, her face went beet-red and she jumped ten feet back. “Oh, s-sorry! It’s so unladylike to just grab people like that!”

“Haha. I think that’s a bit of an overreaction just for grabbing someone’s hands.” His mind jumped to his little sister, who’d kissed him straight on the lips, and his princess girlfriend, who’d put on a swimsuit and bathed with him. “So, how about it? Matches are over for the day, so I was thinking we could train until dinnertime.”

“Yes, please. Also, you don’t have to be so formal. You’re going to be my teacher, after all; it would be strange for you to act like that toward your student.”

“Please. I’m not good enough to be called your teacher, really.”

“You are! You tried to make me feel better by saying we could give each other tips, but honestly, I don’t have a single piece of advice to offer you. I’m just a novice.”

Ikki chuckled as she exposed his attempt at politeness. There were definitely things he could learn from her, but he didn’t need advice from her given that he could steal her style just by watching her. Continuing to try to be humble would probably come off as disrespectful, so he went for a compromise.

“All right, fine. I won’t be super formal anymore, but I can’t just be completely casual. It’s just really weird to talk to an upperclassman without being at least a little polite.”

“Okay. I’m looking forward to learning from you.”

Ayase Ayatsuji was no longer a stalker. She had become a disciple.

◆◆◆

After class, Ikki Kurogane trained his swordplay in a forest clearing behind the school. The lack of concrete and the shadows cast by the tall trees were deeply calming, making it the perfect place to move around during the muggy Japanese summer.

His training began with a simple warmup, followed by practice swings with Intetsu. Once he got comfortable, he began striking imaginary shadows, simulated from within his mind. Next to him, Stella was training with Lævateinn in a similar manner, and on a nearby bench, Shizuku and Alice trained their magic control by molding a special type of clay without using their hands. There was little to no conversation within the group. Even Stella and Shizuku, who were usually fawning over Ikki, were completely focused on their training.

That was par for the course when the gang trained together, but the past three days had one difference: a new member had joined them. That was, of course, Ayase Ayatsuji.

“Hup! Hah!”

Ayase swung her scarlet Device, Hizume, through the air, tracing arcs as she went. She was no longer hapless and clumsy; a stark contrast from how she had acted before. She was fiercer—her eyes wide-open and focused, her visage surprisingly valiant. Her fear of men disappeared entirely when she held her weapon.

She had agreed to Ikki’s offer of mutual, equal training. Though he was the superior swordsman, he could estimate Ayase’s ability and limit his own to match her. Then, he could measure her true skill.

Unsurprisingly, the Last Samurai’s daughter had a very good grasp of the basics. She could keep up with Ikki and Stella during their jogs, and her core was also well-honed—no matter how much he forced her to twist and bend, her balance and form remained intact.

She was mastering her martial arts as well. Her footwork and swordplay flowed perfectly, never requiring her to stop midway through an action. Her form must have been drilled into her brain through thousands of repetitions.

That didn’t mean she was pigeonholed into one style, though. Ikki would often attack her in sneaky ways meant to specifically counteract her style, but she was able to defend herself swiftly and skillfully, responding with impressive speed.

Never forgetting her style, yet never held hostage by it. When it came to real battle, Ayase was a very impressive swordswoman. It was plain to see that she had put incredible effort into her studies. At the same time, though, Ikki could see why she was struggling.

“Hold on a second, Ayatsuji.”

“Hm?”

Ayase’s Hizume had just parried one of his blows and was already trained on his torso, but hearing him speak, she stopped her attack on a dime.

“What is it, Kurogane? I’m not tired yet.”

Ayase stared blankly at him, surprised by the sudden interruption. Her gaze was still a bit unsteady, but it was better than when she would turn her neck 180 degrees. Training together for the past three days must have helped her get used to him.

“I can tell that the Ayatsuji Single-Blade Style is a passive style based on counterattacks,” Ikki said.

“Oh, um, yes. Did you figure that out just from sparring with me?”

“I never had a master, so I’ve learned to watch and steal. Thanks to that, I think I’ve figured out why you feel like you’re not making progress.”

“R-Really?!”

“Yeah. I think it’s because you think you’ll never be as good as your father.”

“Right!” Ayase nodded excitedly. “No matter what I do, I can’t move as smoothly as my father, even though I can remember his movements exactly.”

“You’ve got it all wrong.”

“I do?”

“Trying to perfectly imitate your father is the source of your problem.”

“Are you saying it’s my father’s fault, because I learned from him?”

Ikki saw anger flare up in Ayase’s eyes. She didn’t want to be told that her mentor was the problem.

She really trusts him, Ikki thought. He was a little envious of her for having a father that she could take such pride in, but he swallowed it down and shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. Kaito was definitely an amazing swordsman; there’s no doubt about that.”

“Then why shouldn’t I try to imitate him?” she asked bitterly.

“Because you’re not the same sex,” he explained.

“‘Not the same sex’? Does that really have anything to do with it?”

“It does. Men and women have inherently different bone structures, which means their muscles are different as well. Consequently, a man’s optimal movements are different from a woman’s. The more you try to perfectly mimic his actions, the more you’ll experience this incompatibility.”

“Ah…”

After Ikki’s simple and polite explanation, the fire in Ayase’s eyes was replaced with the light of understanding. It wasn’t that he was making fun of her master, it was the very fact that he was so incredible that was the problem. Swordplay as an art was created by men, after all, so her father’s style being better suited for men wasn’t a huge surprise. The closer she copied him, the more apparent it became.

“I have an idea of how you can reform your style, but if you pride yourself on perfectly mimicking your father, I won’t force you to do it. You don’t have to, after all, and how you feel is more important than meets the eye. In the end, you should do what you want to do. Just know that if you choose to reform your style, there’s no turning back.”

Ayase was forcing herself to use a style optimized for men. It led to her straining certain parts of her body, wearing down her power and speed. If she took Ikki’s advice, she would be smoother and more in-control than ever.

Once she became used to her newfound fluidity, however, Ayase wouldn’t be able to go back to her old, stiff swordplay. She would be too focused on that fluidity. Thus, Ikki wanted to confirm whether or not Ayase was truly willing to accept his instruction.

She looked toward the ground for some time, wrestling with the decision. After much inner turmoil, Ayase fixed her gaze on Ikki, resolute.

“Please, teach me! I desperately want to be stronger!”

She looked him directly in the eyes as she earnestly beseeched his aid. She may have been conflicted, but her desire to grow stronger won out in the end. Realizing he had nothing to worry about, Ikki lightly touched her arm and smiled confidently.

“All right. Leave it to me,” he said.

“Eep! K-Kurogane?!” The sudden skin-on-skin contact turned Ayase’s face red, and she let out a tiny squeak.

Ikki was serious about helping her, though. If he was going to reform her style, he couldn’t make mistakes just because he was distracted; they couldn’t be taken back. As her teacher, he had to make sure he did everything correctly, so he didn’t bother to be embarrassed.

“We’re going to be changing your form. Direct contact may be embarrassing, but we’ll just have to accept it.”

“O-Okay. I will.” Ayase bit her lip, her face so red that it looked like she’d start spewing steam.

Though he hadn’t broken a sweat during their training, a cold sweat had formed on Ikki’s brow as he touched Ayase’s body while grimacing. She could tell just how serious he was from his expression, so she suppressed her embarrassment and surrendered her body to Ikki’s touch. If Ikki was going to try so hard for her sake, she couldn’t let his efforts go to waste because of her selfish shame.

“I’m only going to move you fractions of an inch. Make sure you focus on these changes so you can remember them.”

“Okay… Mm.”

With a touch as gentle as a glassworker’s, Ikki adjusted Ayase’s posture.

He lowered her shoulders and brought her arms closer together, then brought his hands between her ample thighs, broadening her stance.