Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan - Volume 2 Read online

  "What is it, you loud person. You're already grown up so could you please not go around screaming like a kid."

  "Isn't that because Shizuku is doing something strange to Ikki!?"

  "Something strange? I don't understand. As you can see, am I not simply bonding? Right, Onii-sama? Aren't we simply siblings that get along?"

  "Y-Yeah. But the distance is a bit too close and it's embarrassing. A little further would be better."

  "See, Onii-sama said ‘Yeah'."

  An outrageous quote mining just occurred!

  "There was more after that! What is it with you and your double standards!"

  "I don't know. I don't understand what you are saying. In the first place, just think about it, Stella-san. I am certainly clinging to Onii-sama, but I am not putting in much force. First of all, even if I did force it with all my power, Onii-sama would easily be able to tear away from me. That's right, if Onii-sama really did dislike it, he would have done that. But Onii-sama won't do something so mean to a sister who yearns so much for her brother, right?"

  Right? Those jade-colored eyes of Shizuku's glimmered with moisture as she asked that, not unlike those of an abandoned puppy.

  …There's no way he could shake off something so cute.

  "Y-Yeah…. I wouldn't… do that."

  IKKIII~!!!

  "Do you get it? This is permitted skinship between siblings who love each other. Stella-san, who doesn't have anything to do with it, shouldn't butt in."

  "I-I'm not unrelated!"

  "Ooh? Then what kind of relation do you have?"

  "T-That's……"

  "In the end you are going to say something like you're his slave, right? But if you're his slave, then you questioning the actions of me, his sister, is in the wrong here. The people of your country, even though they do not serve you but your parents, they show proper respect to you, do they not? Or is it that the Vermillion imperial family only sees what's convenient for itself?"

  "W-Wro, ugh, uuuu…."

  Stella, who tried to rebut Shizuku's fierce attack only kept muttering. But what she tried to say, Ikki knew it. That's right. Their relation, it changed on that night one month ago. From simple roommates, it changed to being lovers. And Stella was a princess, even if hers was a small country. They didn't have the social standing to be able to announce such a thing in public. Of course, Ikki was also aware of that. That's why they decided to hide their relation for now.

  But there was no woman in this world that would permit her lover to have a relationship that obviously passed the borders of love, even if it was her lover's sister. And of course, Stella didn't like it either. But she could not say it. That's why she sank into vexed silence.

  And Shizuku glanced at that Stella looking a bit disappointed.

  "Coward."

  "Eh? Shizuku?"

  "It's nothing. Then, shall we go, Onii-sama?"

  "Uh―"

  Stella sent a glance filled with jealousy towards Shizuku, who was now dragging Ikki away.

  "UUU―!"

  Seems like she was crying a little. It was a bit cute.

  "Grrrr!"

  She's growling!?

  "H-Hey Shizuku. As I thought, locking arms with my sister at this age and in school as well, it's a bit… too embarrassing."

  Sensing the incoming danger, he tried to shake Shizuku off.

  Shizuku looked a bit dissatisfied, but she removed her arm immediately.

  "I understand, Onii-sama… I wouldn't want to be hated by Onii-sama after all."

  "There's no way I could hate you."

  He denied that part. He could never hate his little sister who loved him so much. And that will not change, no matter what would happen.

  At his words, Shizuku smiled a little.

  "Thank you. But still, Onii-sama―"

  She stopped speaking once and then whispered in a voice that couldn't be heard by anyone other than Ikki.

  "If you are too kind, then you won't be able to go forward even if you try."

  It seems like this good younger sister of his already guessed something.

  …Won't go forward even if I try, is it….

  Certainly, it was exactly as she said. Ikki has been Stella's lover for about a month. But their relationship hasn't progressed even a bit. Rather, it feels like it retreated a few steps. With him being her boyfriend, he felt overly conscious of her.

  He wanted to be closer. He wanted to touch her more. His wanted to step on the next level. However, he didn't know when he should make his move. How exactly should he explain this situation? Should they both discuss this situation properly like a company meeting? Or should he make his move while having a random conversation?

  I don't get it.

  Ikki who had no experience with the opposite sex wasn't able to read the timings at all.

  ―And the more hopeless fact was that Stella was the same in that field. It's like they were sailing the deep blue seas without a compass. Of course, it would turn into a disaster.

  …Like Shizuku said, should the guy be more aggressive in these cases?

  But if that made Stella hate him… no can do. He couldn't be forceful. As a result, Ikki wasn't able to touch Stella even once in the last month.

  …Haa…I'd like to get a kiss soon though….

  The fact that they felt more distant than before they started dating was a bit too lonely.

  Part 3

  "Ah! Hey look at that."

  "It's the Crimson Princess. The Lorelei and the Failure Knight are also with her."

  "They really have a different air to them, don't they? Those three."

  "What are you spouting like you actually know something? Those two girls aside, that Failure Knight's just an F-Rank with a bit of luck, that's all."

  "You, you're still saying stuff like that?"

  "Rather, did you hear guys? I heard that Vermillion and the Kurogane brother both defeated those fourth and third ranked student council members easily."

  "Seriously? Then there's only the 'Scharlach Frau' and the president left above them!"

  "Well, those two are doing excellently in Hagun Academy, and if their luck doesn't turn downhill from now on their place in the representatives is almost certain. And the Kurogane sister also has consecutive wins."

  "This year's first years are really something, huh. That tall dude behind the Witch of the Deep Sea. Isn't he also amazing?"

  "Hey you, don't call him ‘that dude'! Nagi-sama has a cool nickname, 'Black Sonia'!"

  "That's right! I can't believe you just called our Nagi-sama ‘that dude'!"

  "H-Huh…. Sorry… I guess."

  "That many talents gathered together in the first year alone…. This year, Hagun might actually do it."

  As Ikki's group headed towards the main school building from the fifth arena, they felt various kinds of gazes on them. It had already been a month since the selection battles started. The number of remaining candidates was slimming down. And among the rest, the four who reigned undefeated would obviously gather attention.

  Especially Ikki, he was attracting a lot of scrutiny. The Failure Knight who was advancing by leaps and bounds after defeating the Hunter shocked the student body of Hagun Academy beyond measure. Knights who boasted about their talents were defeated one after another by the person who was ranked F no matter how you evaluated his ability. At first, the students could not accept the scenes they saw as reality, but after the same thing happened nine times, they had no choice but to accept it. Ikki was no longer a fraud like they called him before. They could no longer see him like that.

  It was enough to raise a sense of inferiority in a few others. Now, almost all of the knights could only be perplexed at this heretical failure of a knight, and only guess just how much higher he could climb.

  Seeing that, Stella started to brag happily.

  "Fu-fun. Seems like the other idiots finally noticed Ikki's strength."

  "Of course. My Onii-sama is the most fantastic perso
n in the world, to the point where those realizing it now can be considered way too slow. But still, things have really changed in the past month. There are a lot of people coming to the lunch break lecture nowadays."

  "Certainly. I was so surprised when the third year sempais also came."

  The lecture they were talking about was the one Ikki was forced to start giving, being pestered by his classmates. It was a martial arts class. Ikki gave classes on various martial arts. Of course swordsmanship was included, but there were also kodachi techniques, spear work, and even archery.

  Only Ikki could do it. Being well versed in many martial arts after analyzing so many techniques of different enemies, he was a universal martial artist.

  Though, taking into account that Ikki himself doesn't count anything else but swordsmanship as his speciality, and that he wouldn't teach the students actual techniques along with their skills, it was simply a school class for fundamental martial arts.

  At first, it was only a few of Ikki's classmates who participated. But after all the uproar Ikki made, the students started to get a better opinion of martial arts. Now, not only the classmates, but people from outside the school boundaries also came to him for lessons. This was also one of the great changes that happened from a month ago.

  "But the biggest change that happened till now… I guess it's that."

  It had only been about a week since one particular change started. Honestly, he thought that if he ignored it, the problem would settle, but there were no signs of it ending any soon. He couldn't ignore it any longer.

  "Onii-sama, what do you mean by… 'that'?"

  "Yeah. Actually… I think I'm being stalked."

  ""HUH!?!?""

  At Ikki's confession, both Stella and Shizuku yelled out simultaneously in surprise.

  "S-S-Stalker! Y-You mean that right!? They follow you around, and they break into your rooms, and they shave their mustache and mail it to you! That kind of stalker! Right!?"

  "Stella-san, you're talking about a razor blade. What in the world would they do by sending their beard in letters?"

  "Is this stalker being careful with personal appearances? Seems to be quite the kind stalker."

  "Shuuuuut up! Don't sweat the small stuff! Rather, now's not the time to talk about that!"

  "That's right, Onii-sama. Could you please explain."

  "I first felt the gaze about a week back. Since then, it's been following me around constantly. Alice already noticed that, right?"

  "Yeah. But since Ikki hadn't brought it up, I thought it was okay not to talk about it."

  "Well at first I thought it would settle itself if I simply ignored it but… it doesn't look like that at all, no signs of leaving."

  "Do you remember doing anything that would make anyone hold something against you?"

  "Nope. I don't."

  Asked by Arisuin, he searched his memories but couldn't find anything.

  And the gaze, he really didn't think it contained malice. More on the line of regret would be appropriate.

  "…Then maybe, it's love. With Ikki, that is?"

  "Ah, that could be possible!? That! I've heard that the resentment of stalkers are usually born from a feeling of love."

  "Onii-sama is a knight who stands out a lot. And I've heard he's especially popular with girls. When gazing from afar, if a girl's eye meets with Onii-sama's, she might think that he was interested in her. Or when talking to him as a fan, she might misunderstand after exchanging words. These are all quite possible."

  "Ikki seems extremely clumsy when it concerns behaving with woman."

  "That's right. When asked for a handshake, he replies with a ‘Yeah, uh'. More like he gives a submissive kind of feeling."

  Being looked at by Stella who seems to be finding a lot of fault with him, Ikki smiled bitterly. As the three said, Ikki with his features and kind demeanor was quite popular with women. And recently, there were a lot of them coming to cheer for him before his matches. But as for Ikki, he didn't know how to handle them. He couldn't be so cold as Shizuku, who ruthlessly ignored her gathering of fans, nor could he give proper fan service and sternly draw a line between them like Arisuin. He couldn't ignore all those who were supporting him. When talked to, he stopped and kept them company, when asked for a handshake, he ended up talking. There were also a few times when he was almost late for lessons because he was busy with the girls.

  And it wouldn't be strange if one of those girls misunderstood Ikki's actions. Stella and company frowned at that possibility… but Ikki didn't think it was like that either, because from the gaze on his back, he didn't feel any malice but neither did he feel something like affection.

  If he had to say, it felt more like being photographed with a camera.

  "If it was something like being idolized then I wouldn't mind, but for someone to try to undeservedly lay her hands on my Onii-sama, well we can't have that can we. It's torture time."

  "What are you going to do with that feather duster, Shizuku?"

  "Isn't that obvious? I'll catch the stalker and have her go thorough tickle punishment."

  "…It doesn't suit you, that cute way of punishing someone."

  "…Well, the thing being tickled will be the eyeballs though."

  """THAT'S REALLY SCARY!"""

  "…Well, since all this anticipation is built up and I don't know what's the answer to this situation but, well… let's directly ask the culprit shall we?"

  Saying that, Ikki turned around towards the stone path they just passed through.

  "Ikki, could it be that even now…?"

  "Yeah. Ever since we finished jogging this morning."

  The gaze that has been on even for a week, as if observing him. That gaze was coming from a thick bush on the other side of the paving. After lightly sighing once, Ikki called out.

  "Hey, the person who's hiding there. Seems like you've been following me for a while now but, do you need something?"

  He loudly called out to the stalker who was currently hiding in the bush. As so―

  "Hyawaa! Ou―"

  *Pyon*

  As if flipping, the stalker hiding in the bush came out.

  Even though there was no malice, following someone around for a week was definitely not normal. After all this, Ikki prepared himself to see what kind of snake would come of the bush but… to his great surprise; it was a black haired Yamato Nadeshiko3. In both hands, she held some tree branches.

  "Ah, auau, wr-wrong! It's not what you think! I-I am, uuuh, uwah~!"

  She probably realized that she had been found out. The female student was confused after she was suddenly seen through like this. Soon enough, she turned around and ran away. But behind the bush, there was a small pond.

  "Kyaaaaaah!!! Gyabu!"

  *Splash*

  While she was hastily trying to get away, she tripped and fell head first. And a strange sound that seemed physiologically traumatic rang out.

  "…."

  The girl floated on the pond face-down without saying a word. And then… she didn't move anymore.

  "Wha-, Y-You, are you okay… hell, you're definitely not okay! Alice, help me carry her!"

  "Oh my, how awful."

  While Ikki and Arisuin rushed to help―

  "Such a beautiful person… is Ikki's stalker."

  "It seems like the time I finally get to use this feather duster has come."

  The intuitions of these two girls were ringing restlessly after this meeting.

  Part 4

  It was a small, gloomy private room. The only source of light was the small desk lamp on the table. And in the room, there was a girl sitting on the chair, and four robust men surrounding her.

  All of the men had grim expressions and they questioned the girl while shouting.

  "Give a straight answer! You were stalking the victim, Kurogane Ikki! Isn't that right!?"

  "You were caught red-handed! You aren't gonna spout crap like you didn't do it, are ya!?"

  The pressi
ng questioning voices and the desk lamp's light which seemed way too dim. While prevailing over all of these, the girl frantically answered.

  "N-No! That wasn't really stalking….!"

  "Enough with the excuses!"

  "Hii―"

  "It's obvious that you've been tailing him for a week!"

  "And after all that, you're still trying to make things up!?"

  "Yeah! It's time for torture! Torture I tell you!"

  "S-Stop iiiit~!!!"

  "Ha-!?"

  And finally, the girl snapped out of her nightmare. A white ceiling covered her field of vision. From the smell of medicine, she realized that this was the infirmary. It seems like she was sleeping on the sick bed here.

  At that fact, the girl relaxed.

  ‘Thank goodness, that was a dream—‘

  "Wax punishment, whipping, tear off, bondage, stone-weighted kneeling…."

  As she turned her head, she saw an silver-haired girl whispering suggestions near her ear.

  "Stake and burn, drowning death, nailed down, made to walk around town naked, triangular shaped wooden horse… ah, are you awake?"

  "That stuff you've been whispering near my ears… that…."

  "I wonder. Maybe you just saw a bad dream. Onii-sama, she has woken up."

  The silver-haired girl, Shizuku, called towards the other side of the privacy curtain. After hearing that voice, Ikki, Stella and Arisuin entered.

  "Oh my. You're already up. I was worried. That was quite the bump. As expected of Shizuku's healing magic."

  "Since it wasn't an injury caused in a match, we couldn't use the capsule, but thank godness Shizuku was there. So, does it still hurt?"

  After looking left and right, the girl completely grasped the situation. She fell head first in the pond and bumped her head, and those fellows carried her all the way to the infirmary and treated her.

  "N-No, that's… I'm okay. Thanks… for taking care of me."

  As she slowly got up from the bed, she bowed and showed her gratitude to Ikki and the others.