Chivalry of a Failed Knight Vol. 2

“Ah… Hah…”

“Compared to men, women have remarkably flexible joints—this is especially true for the hips. The pelvis needs room to expand during pregnancy, so women’s hips protrude somewhat. In practical terms, they have a much wider range of motion, especially laterally. It’s an advantage only women have, so if you can get used to moving your body through your hips, you’ll be faster than ever in no time.”

While lecturing Ayase about her own body, Ikki traced his hand from her thigh to the back of her knee, drawing a line through her muscles. Her knees wobbled, unused to the sensation of a man’s touch, which made Ikki feel a bit guilty for what he was doing. He didn’t let it affect him, though, and continued his adjustments.

“All right. This is about how your stance should be.” With his work completed mistake-free, he glanced at Ayase. She was as red as a lobster and looked like she was ready to cry. “Do you think you’ll be able to do this on your own?”

“I-I think so…”

“Uh, sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that.”

“N-No! It’s fine! I asked you to, anyway, so don’t worry about it!” Ayase wiped away her tears and forced a smile. “Besides, your hands are like my dad’s. They’re big and strong, but gentle too.”

“Hah, sure. Though I didn’t think you’d say something like that about gross hands like mine.”

The skin on Ikki’s hands was thick from years of holding a sword. No matter how much his skin tore or his blisters popped, he kept on swinging. He didn’t think his hands were worth complimenting.

“They’re not gross,” Ayase said, shaking her head in response to his self-deprecating statement. “It’s very manly to have hands like those. The best boys are the ones who are driven.”

“Huh?” Ikki was at a loss for words.

“Ah…” When she realized what she had just blurted out, Ayase went into a panic. “Oh, um, I didn’t mean it like that or anything, I swear! Just, like, from a general point of view!”

“Y-Yeah, I get it. Don’t freak out like that, though. You’ll break your posture.”

Ikki calmed her down and got her back into position. He couldn’t bear to watch his work go to waste, especially when he had been so nervous about it.

“Oh, but… This feels a little stiff, Kurogane.”

“Your body can’t get rid of all its bad habits with just one adjustment. You’ll have to get used to it through repetition. For now, just get used to how it feels.” Ikki materialized Intetsu and stood in front of Ayase. “Parry my slash like you did before, but this time, be mindful of the angles of your elbows and knees when you counter. Make sure to feel yourself moving through your hips, too.”

“G-Got it!”

Ayase’s expression fiercened as she readied Hizume and focused herself. Once she had fully prepared herself, Ikki attacked at the same speed and angle as before. And just like before, Ayase parried the blow with her sword and launched a counterattack at his torso. The basic actions were the same, but thanks to Ikki’s adjustments, she had performed them with much greater speed.

Ayase was speechless. Unable to believe what she had just done, she looked back and forth between Ikki and Hizume, her mouth agape.

Phew. Looks like I got it right. Ikki heaved a sigh of relief, happy to see that his modifications were correct.

Previously, Ayase had been fighting using only her upper body. With a man’s upper-body strength, one could smoothly transition into their next action without much trouble. Women, on the other hand, typically couldn’t match men’s upper-body strength, so they would end up planting their feet on the ground. As a result, their bodies would stiffen, ultimately delaying their follow-up. Ikki was aware of that difference, so he decided to change her stance to allow her lower body to take the impact.

Women’s flexible joints and the way their inner thighs were constructed made their lower bodies ideal for absorbing impacts, most of which could be counteracted through leg strength alone. Doing so didn’t require any extra effort, meaning the body wouldn’t stiffen up, allowing for smoother action. Achieving that result was the entire purpose of the adjustments Ikki made.

“W-Wow… That’s so cool! This is amazing, Kurogane!” Having finally understood the major implications of his minor changes, Ayase smiled broadly and took Ikki’s hand, shaking it wildly. “I spent my entire second year worrying about this, and you solved it just like that! They ought to give you a PhD in swordsmanship!”

“I’m just glad my teachings worked out,” Ikki replied humbly.

I’m really not worthy of a title like that, though. He wasn’t at the point where he could give every one of his students such concrete direction. It was his first time ever mentoring someone so closely, but seeing Ayase jumping for joy and cheering because she was finally able to break through that wall made him glad he tried.

Fwoom!

He was actually more nervous helping her than he was during a real battle, and it made him ten times more tired than training. It was all worth it in the end, though.

Fwoom!

Being a teacher might not be so ba—

Fwoom, fwoom!

“Hey, Stella?”

“Yes, Doctor Sword?”

“Why’s it so windy all of a sudden?”

Ikki turned toward the source of the point-blank, blustery assault on his face. It was Stella, swinging Lævateinn around with a very unhappy look on her face.

“Goodness, I do beg your pardon. I just couldn’t help but get mad when I saw a pervert groping a girl’s thighs and calling it ‘training’. I guess it’s affecting my swordplay now. Maybe you should make some adjustments for me, too?”

“Oh, s-sure.”

Ikki nodded in fear, considering he didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

I’d rather not intrude on her style, though…

Stella’s style was befitting of someone with her level of power; she could just mow down her enemies indiscriminately. Ikki’s style, however, was meant for those without power. The two were fundamentally different.

He didn’t see any way things would turn out well, but if he didn’t just smile and nod, he’d never hear the end of it. With no other choice, Ikki began thoroughly examining Stella’s sword swings.

Oh?

Her swings may have appeared rough at a glance, but on closer inspection, Ikki could see she struck with form that wasted no power whatsoever. Every part of her lower body, from her hips to her toes, worked in perfect harmony.

She may have thought she was swinging randomly, but Stella’s superhuman sense for movement led her to subconsciously adjust her joints and muscles. Whether she knew it or not, her form was perfect; not a single motion was wasted. It was yet another reminder that her Rank A status wasn’t for nothing.

Ikki simply couldn’t find any fault in the work of art that was her style, so he couldn’t play along with her whim.

“Wow, Stella. There’s really nothing I can do to help you.”

“Why nooooot?!”

“Whoa! Why are you getting mad at a compliment?!”

“Because! You dummyyyyy!”

Even Ikki’s all-seeing eyes were useless against a woman’s heart. No surprise there, though; the brain behind those eyes was made purely for battle.

◆◆◆

“Why does she get all the attention?!”

Tired from chasing Ikki around, Stella sat on a bench in the clearing and pouted. Shizuku, having just finished her magic control training on a nearby bench, looked at her with a tired expression.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to touch your faaaaaaaaaat thighs.”

“Th-They’re not fat enough that you need to say it like that! They’re just pleasantly thick! I can’t help that I’m muscular!”

Stella raised her voice in indignation at the insult, but Shizuku was unfazed. She simply continued to make a statue of her brother out of clay.

It really does look like him, Stella thought. It’s kinda cute. I want it.

“Don’t be so touchy, hon. Unlike Ayatsuji, you’re a master swordswoman. Ikki honestly doesn’t have anything to teach you.”

“Mm.”

Alice was right, and somewhere deep inside, Stella knew that. If she were honest, she didn’t need Ikki’s help, but that wasn’t the problem at hand. It wasn’t exactly pleasant for her to watch her significant other touch someone else up and down like that.

Maybe I’m just narrow-minded. Maybe Ikki wouldn’t care that much if I touched another guy’s abs or arms, she thought. No, wh-what am I thinking?! I can’t actually touch someone else! I’d never do that to anyone but Ikki! These hands are for him alone!

It was a dreadful thought. Forcing them out of her mind in an attempt to get the goosebumps to stop, Stella turned toward Shizuku.

“Hey, Shizuku? Are you okay with that?”

“Okay with what?”

“Ikki, y’know… touching another girl.”

“Seriously?” Shizuku replied, uninterested. “Big Brother is just teaching Ayatsuji swordplay. Unlike a certain pig, she’s not making goo-goo eyes at him. If you’re going to snap at him for it, you must be no more than a wild animal.”

Taking some acrylic paints out of her bag, Shizuku began painting the figure she’d made. Her technique was masterful, though it had nothing to do with her training.

“You’ve snapped at me plenty of times,” Stella retorted. “You think you have a right to talk to me like that?”

“I do.” Shizuku stuck her tongue out at Stella, annoying her to no end. “Stella, I think you’ve misunderstood something.”

“What?”

“You seem to think I want him all to myself, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. My love isn’t so cheap and selfish; the most important thing to me is my brother’s happiness. If his partner makes him happy, I don’t really care who it is. As long as she doesn’t betray him or disappoint him, I’ll gladly give her my blessing.”

Stella was surprised by this declaration, because she thought Shizuku only loved Ikki romantically.

“I doubt anyone could love him as purely as I do, though.” Shizuku shot Stella a challenging smirk before looking back toward the clearing where Ikki and Ayase’s mutual training was still going on. “Big Brother has been happier since he met Ayatsuji. The rest of us aren’t strong enough for specialized lessons, and you’re too strong for them. I’m sure he’s been waiting for an opportunity like this; it’s adorable how much he loves to teach. In fact, I’m glad Ayatsuji came.”

“You’re really mature for your size.”

“And you’re too immature for your ridiculous sizes. Your legs are fat, too.”

“They’re not fat! You’re just too skinny!”

As long as Ikki’s happy. Stella prioritized Ikki’s happiness too, of course. But I want to be the one who makes him the happiest.

Unfortunately, though, things could never be that simple. Ever since they’d gotten together, they couldn’t so much as be near each other without getting nervous, much less do anything lovers do.

It was even worse at night, when they were alone together. Whenever their eyes met, Stella seized up in fear and looked away. Out of respect for her, Ikki never tried to invade her personal space.

She didn’t think their slow-moving relationship was so bad, though. Even when she was unbearably nervous, just being near Ikki made her heart flutter. Still, she was ready to take their relationship to the next level, especially considering that she often heard that men hate women who make them wait.

“We haven’t done anything that couples do for the whole month we’ve been dating. Why don’t we just go back to the way we used to be?”

Just imagining it brought tears to her eyes. If it actually happened, she wouldn’t be able to handle the pain.

Please, no…

Was that a subject the woman in the relationship should bring up, though? Would he think she was being too forward and be disgusted by her? She couldn’t bring it up herself, and even worse, if Ikki brought it up, she wasn’t confident that she could give him an honest response. Every option scared her.

Stella knew better than anyone that she was difficult to deal with. She would just come up with some excuse like “A princess doesn’t do that” or “A princess should do this”. Just the thought of it made her sigh.

How could she dive into battle without a second thought, yet be so afraid to even dip her toes into romance? It amazed her that any other couple—her parents, for example—could do it so easily. Everyone else was just too brave.

I just want to kiss him.

Helpless thoughts swirled around Stella’s mind as she stared at the rosy evening sky and sighed for the umpteenth time in the past month.