Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan - Volume 4 Read online

  "Hey, isn't that Kyomon's 'Icy Laughter'?"

  "It's true. Did she come to scout out the Worst One?"

  "I'm off."

  "I'll definitely get her comments―wow, Komiyama-san is already gone!"

  "Wait for me, Komiyan! I won't forgive you if you monopolize this! Nagi-san, I'll come back to interview you, hey!"

  After getting Arisuin's agreement to a shrewd stopgap promise, Yagokoro ran chasing after Komiyama.

  But Kagami didn't follow them just yet. She stayed with her companion, Arisuin. After all, it would be bad to leave him behind like that, so Kagami asked Arisuin.

  "Alice-chan! I have to go too, so will you wait for me here!?"

  But Arisuin didn't answer immediately. He was looking downward with a thoughtful expression, as if his thoughts were somewhere else.

  "…Alice-chan?"

  "Eh? Ah, sorry Kagamin. I was lost in thought for a moment there. What was it you said?"

  To Arisuin who had responded after the second time, Kagami relayed the matter of interviewing Icy Laughter again. Arisuin quickly returned an unconcerned smile.

  "Of course it's fine, Kagamin. Good luck with the interview. I'll be here."

  "…Yeah. See you later, then!"

  Saying that, Kagami ran after the two who had already left.

  As she did so, she thought of what Arisuin had been concerned about. Why had he been lost in thought? It had already been several months since they met, but this kind of thing had never happened before. Arisuin failing to listen to what another person was saying? Not even once.

  Could it be, Alice-chan is nervous right before the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival too?

  If not that, then the topic they were discussing before Arisuin had gone quiet―the talk about Ouma Kurogane, maybe he was concerned about something there?

  But after pondering it a little, Kagami thought―

  Well, everyone has a blank moment here and there.

  In any case, she had to seize the chance to interview Icy Laughter. Kagami immediately put her doubt out of her mind. Fortunately, Komiyama's interview had only just started by the time Kagami caught up.

  "Hello! I'm Komiyama from Donrou's newspaper club. Mikoto 'Icy Laughter' Tsuruya-san, after seeing the mock battle just now, what do you think of Ikki Kurogane, the Worst One―I mean, the Crownless Sword King? He has surpassed the nation's best eight, like yourself, right?"

  A sudden interview. But a member of the media would probably be used to confronting even someone as important as Tsuruya. In this not very surprising situation, she didn't make an unpleasant face either.

  "Hmph. You shouldn't be so hasty, Mr. Reporter."

  With a well-rehearsed expression, she gave a slightly meaningful smile.

  "What are my thoughts on him? There's no point in me talking about it, I think. For us knights, only the outcomes of battles matter. And the stage of battle is already in place―whether he surpasses us or not, it will become clear soon enough. In that way, cruel as it may be, it will be expressed more clearly than with words."

  Announcing this, Tsuruya let slip a small gap between her lips. That smile, colder than anything, left the three interviewers shaking with chills racing through their spines.

  "Haha. Well, excuse me―"

  Stating her intentions to the three who had become frozen in horror at her smile, Tsuruya turned toward the exit of the practice arena. Her simple answer made it very apparent to the three reporters, but her dignified departing back also left not the tiniest doubt in her confidence and strength.

  "That's the dignity you'd expect of the best eight, huh?"

  "What an impressive presence. I thought I was frozen a little."

  Yagokoro and Komiyama let out voices of admiration. Kagami had the same feelings, but her faith in Ikki was greater. Because Ikki had brought down Sword Eater who was also one of the best eight, and even Raikiri who was one of the best four.

  Because of that, there's no need to lose my composure.

  But still―

  The nation's best eight wasn't a bunch of people as easy as Kagami thought. Tsuruya, who had left the practice arena, had spoken to a fellow representative schoolmate on her way out.

  "Ah, Mikocchan. What did you think of Hagun this year? If it's you, I think you can win without trouble."

  She responded with a smile that embodied the name Icy Laughter.

  "Absolutely impossible."

  It was a clear declaration. Yes, Icy Laughter Mikoto Tsuruya was much stronger than Kagami and the others thought. And so, she could measure the strength and capability of herself and others accurately. For that reason, far away from the three in the arena, the true self of Icy Laughter could be perceived.

  She knew she could not win against the Worst One.

  "I mean, he was even surrounded by three professional knights, you know? It's impossible for me."

  Speaking with a lamenting voice, Tsuruya leaned against a nearby wall. In her ears, she could hear the hustle and bustle of the practice arena.

  「Hey, isn't that Torajirou Nangou!?」

  「The coach they brought in for the Worst One is the God of War! That's way too extravagant!」

  "Impossible…."

  Slumping against the wall, Tsuruya slid down to the ground. She only wished for one thing.

  "Ahh, why can't I avoid fighting against that gang of monsters…!?"

  ―In this way, the heretical existence known as the Worst One had become well-known.

  Yuudai Moroboshi, the Seven Stars Sword King.

  A-rank knight Stella Vermillion, the Crimson Princess.

  Fellow A-rank night Ouma Kurogane, the Sword Emperor of Wind.

  Listing the favorites for the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival championship, these were the ones who had made their names.

  How far can he progress fighting against this bunch of warriors? How much of an uproar can a crownless F-rank knight create?

  Team members and spectators, everyone had started looking forward to his efforts.

  Part 4

  Kyomon's training camp had no schedule. The coaches that were summoned there opened special classes, but whether to participate depended on each representative's preference. This was because each Blazer has his or her own ability. The variety was great, and successful training methods were also highly divergent, so making a grand schedule framework would be inefficient. Therefore the students all decided on their own training programs individually with the help of their friends.

  Accordingly, Stella asked Ikki to go running with her before dinner. From the training camp to the shopping center ten kilometers away, it was a round trip of twenty kilometers. For the two of them, it wasn't a distance that could be called much training. If one of them were asked, he or she would call it closer to relaxation.

  Stella was running to distract herself from the chagrin of losing to Raikiri before. However―

  "Uuu! Ahh! It really bothers me after all~!"

  At a bench that the two of them were taking a break on, in a park near the shopping district that was their turning point, Stella stamped her feet in childish frustration.

  "You haven't been refreshed from running?"

  "I haven't! I haven't at all!"

  They had gone at twice their usual pace, and she had washed her face at a water fountain in the park, but Stella's mood hadn't cleared up one bit.

  ―Honestly speaking, Stella had also felt it vaguely, a hunch that Touka was stronger than she was, from the incident in Okutama or seeing the match with Ikki. But now that this outcome had been forced in front of her eyes, it was vexing.

  "I mean, I knew before going to the fight, but that person is really too strong."

  "Touka-san's close range is practically at the upper boundary of power, you know. Charging with a frontal attack is a difficult tactic to use."

  "But Ikki, didn't you make use that tactic?"

  "…Well, I had no choice. At any other distance, I'd lose."

  Her sweethe
art smiled humbly, and Stella felt a tinge of envy. Against Raikiri, who she couldn't do anything against, this boy smiling with a mild demeanor had won by breaking through from the front magnificently. Touka and Ikki's one-cut match: that instant exchange had been burned into Stella's eyes. It was splendid, and at the same time frustrating. She still didn't have enough experience to reach him.

  "At any rate, for that kind of person to only reach the top four last year, Japan's level is really high."

  "Well, there's always the luck of the draw in who you face at a tournament, so I think there might be those even higher than the four that Touka-san is a member of. At the quarterfinals, there are certainly those who forfeit because of grave bodily injuries."

  "That's why I don't have an excuse for losing! There are already two people who've beaten Touka-senpai, you and the current Seven Stars Sword King, so I can't be be losing here. My goal is to beat you and everyone else to become the Seven Stars Sword King. Plus―there's an opponent I'm a little worried about."

  "An opponent you're worried about?"

  "The one who's from Bukyoku Academy, just like the Seven Stars Sword King. Ouma Kurogane."

  The moment that name left Stella's mouth, Ikki's expression stiffened noticeably. At that reaction, Stella was convinced.

  "Like I thought, he's the same Kurogane as you and Shizuku, right?"

  "Yes. He's my older brother."

  "I didn't know that you had an older brother. No, in the first place it was also the first time I learned that there was an A-rank knight like me among Japan's students."

  "Well you see, for the two years that he entered knight school, no, even the five years as a student in middle school, his situation was almost completely unaccounted for."

  "Eh? Did he disappear?"

  "No, that's not true at all. It only happened occasionally, but it seems he got in touch, and he was seen in public too. But it seems he would go somewhere for a day or two. And he did not join any competitions for five years. He was champion in the primary school league, and there were many people who took notice of him, but with five years of not showing what kind of talent he had, society lost interest in him. As to what kind of attention he has, I think Shizuku has more at the moment. So it's only natural that you wouldn't know about him, Stella."

  "I get it. If he's been absent from public matches for five years, that would only be expected."

  But if that was the case―

  "I wonder why someone like that would reappear here? Ikki do you happen to know anything about it?"

  Stella asked Ikki this, and he shook his head.

  "No, I have no idea."

  "Even though he's your own brother?"

  At those words, Ikki gave a troubled and bitter laugh.

  "On top of me becoming forced out of the family, my brother Ouma had also been forced out as well, so we never had any contact. To me, he's someone even more distant than Father. Because of that, he's someone I truly don't know at all. It's just that, well, if I had to say what impression I have of him, he was an incredibly stoic person."

  "Stoic?"

  "Being born meant becoming strong… he was that sort of person."

  "…Isn't that like you, Ikki?"

  To Stella who said what she was thinking, Ikki shook his head again.

  "You can't compare me to that. Ouma had no interest in anything besides getting stronger. He had no interest in a younger brother weaker than himself. He had no interest in a younger sister weaker than himself. He had no interest in a father weaker than himself. …He even declared in an interview that his reason for not entering the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was because 'no opponent there is worthy of me'."

  "He's sure has a lot of confidence in himself."

  "But he has the strength to match. And for my brother Ouma who cares about nothing except getting stronger to appear at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, he surely has no other motive but to become stronger. So―this is only my guess, but I think Ouma's goal is you, Stella. An A-rank student like himself. You're not someone he'll come across in the world often. If I were him, I would definitely be thinking about fighting you."

  At those words, Stella also agreed. It would be a lie for her to say that she wasn't interested in a fellow A-rank student. If she could, she would try to have a match with him. The likelihood that her opponent would think the same was high.

  "By the way Ikki, from what you've seen, what do you think Ouma's strength is like?"

  "It's exactly as he said."

  "Like he said?"

  "'There's no opponent there worthy of me.'―his true strength matches his boast."

  At Ikki's air of tensions as he stated this, Stella felt a chill in her spine. In a word, what Ikki had said was that Ouma Kurogane had a strength where, to say nothing of Raikiri, he could even disregard the current Seven Stars Sword King.

  The tension that had spread from Ikki's words, it had him personally remember the pressure of his brother taking part in competition. Just speaking of the past when Ouma was a boy, he was no ordinary person. And if Ikki had to meet such an enemy in competition―

  For Stella as well, it was becoming less and less a situation where she could lose to someone of Raikiri's level.

  "I've decided. Before this training camp ends, I'll absolutely become strong than Touka-senpai!"

  The training camp had five days remaining. With one mock battle a day, today meant a total of six fights to do. She would win more than she'd lose. In a loud voice, Stella declared her goal. And since Stella was able to give a precise goal, her body throbbed from her conviction. She was already not in the mood for resting in the park. Stella bounced up from the bench, and hurried Ikki.

  "Ikki! Let's go back to the training camp quickly! After dinner, we'll do more training―"

  But at that moment.

  *Growl~*

  An extremely cute noise came from Stella's stomach. Furthermore, whether there were any kids playing outside at this hour, the park was deserted, which meant the sound reverberated indiscriminately throughout the area―

  "Ha ha, what an adorable sound."

  She was laughed at by Ikki. Stella's face reddened like an apple in embarrassment.

  "I-I can't help it! I was moving a lot today! And it's just before dinner right now―"

  "Yeah, that's true. Becoming hungry is proof that you've been working hard, Stella. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

  "R-Right. It's good that you understand."

  "But enduring hunger that long isn't good either, so let's go get something to eat."

  Saying this, Ikki stood and took the hand of Stella who was red-faced and staring down in shame.

  "Ah."

  Stella was surprised at her hand being caught suddenly. But Ikki didn't pay any attention to that.

  "If we go toward the shopping district, we should be able to find something, so bear it for a moment."

  With a smile, he pulled Stella's hand and started walking.

  Part 5

  The shopping district at dusk was favored by middle school students on summer break and housewives there to buy dinner for their families. Into the midst of that, Ikki and Stella walked hand in hand.

  As they did so, they head whispering voices.

  「Aren't those two the princess of Vermillion and the child of the Kurogane family who've been in the news lately?」

  「Ahh, those stories about the princess being cheating on and molested?」

  「I heard those were false rumors.」

  Topics about the association between the two of them came up one after another, and it wasn't just Stella, but also Ikki whose face was now widely known in society. It wasn't just their faces either, but the details of their relationship as well. That was why the two of them stood out as they walked, even though it was unpleasant.

  「Look, look! They're holding hands! It's really true that they're going steady!」

  「I mean, looking at her in reality, that princess is outrageousl
y beautiful.」

  「How nice… I wanna go out with a girl like that….」

  At the inquisitive gazes piercing from all around them, Stella's ears grew a little red. She had become reasonably used to being stared at in school as a couple, but being looked at as girlfriend and boyfriend by people off-campus was still embarrassing no matter how she thought of it.

  Guessing that Stella was thinking this, Ikki spoke.

  "Hey Stella, if you're embarrassed, we can let go with our hands?"

  It was consideration after noticing that Stella was blushing due to the gazes from all around them. But Stella―

  "I'm… n-not embarrassed… at all…."

  ―told a lie.

  She was certainly embarrassed, but she really loved holding hands like this.

  "It's that's true, then okay. But don't strain yourself."

  Did Stella understand the subtleties of that situation? Ikki smiled a little bit, strengthened his grip a little bit, and once again started walking and pulling her along.

  Looking at Ikki's face in profile, Stella thought,

  "What's this? Ikki has changed a little."

  The boy Stella knew as Ikki Kurogane was by any standard not what one would call assertive. Like herself, it was the first time he had liked someone or dated someone, so it was a relationship where the two of them timidly stepped into the role of sweethearts.

  But recently, the atmosphere around Ikki had changed―he had become unusually proactive. For example, him grabbing Stella's hand just a while ago. They had enjoyed that sort of physical contact before, but up until now, it was hard to say who was usually the one to put a hand on top of the other's. But lately, it had been different.

  This hand is… solid… firm…―

  It wasn't a spontaneous touch, but rather Ikki's assertive grip. And right now, he wasn't worried about the gazes around them but was holding her hand with dignity. Knowing Ikki's usual virtues of care and sincerity, Stella who was slightly anxious couldn't help but be shocked by this change. What exactly caused this change in his mentality? Therefore, Stella spoke to Ikki about this openly.

  "Hey Ikki, you've changed a bit recently."