Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan - Volume 4 Read online

  "I've changed?"

  "You've become… a little pushier, a little more assertive than before."

  …A little more manly, a little more impressive….

  At Stella's statement, Ikki showed a surprised expression for an instant. And immediately, he blushed and scratched his jaw, then answered.

  "…I guess you noticed, Stella?"

  Ikki's answer showed that he was aware of his own change.

  "Sorry. I've been trying to be more courageous."

  "I-It's not like I dislike this! I was just wondering what caused it."

  "I don't think it really had a cause…."

  At the questions being piled on him, Ikki started his explanation that way.

  "It's just that, ever since my proposal to you, I've felt an attachment to you growing strong inside that surprised even me. n feeling that I can't do anything about. That this person is my precious girl."

  He spoke of the reason for the change that Stella was wanted to know about. The confession he made after the fight with Raikiri, it had become a huge turning point for him. Up to that point, Ikki had intended to love Stella more than anyone else, but after their strong feelings had been confirmed with exchanged words, the desire to her for himself had grown stronger than can be compared to what he felt before. The feeling that he wouldn't surrender this girl to anyone had grown stronger.

  As a result, a self-conscious had been born inside of him. A man's strong self-consciousness that he would protect his woman. And that self-consciousness had given Ikki an assertiveness he had not had up to now.

  "To the point that I want to embrace you right this minute. …But I don't think saying that is very chaste, right?"

  Ikki spoke what was in his heart, though he sounded a bit embarrassed. At Ikki's confession, Stella felt her chest pounding like a drum.

  Ikki….

  That throbbing, it was a sweetness emerging from so deep inside her chest that it was itchy.

  Why? The reason was obvious. The one she love was declaring something right now that words wouldn't be enough for.

  You're mine. I won't let anyone else have you.

  And at the same time, the overwhelming pressure from their surroundings fell away.

  She's my woman. Don't touch her.

  At this realization, Stella had to hide her softening cheeks.

  Ikki, you're so cute….

  Honestly, it was adorable. Even though he was immature, he was trying to monopolize his woman with all his might. She couldn't help it when he was that cute. Ikki probably wouldn't enjoy being thought of that way, but as far as Stella was concerned, Ikki was so cute that she was getting giddy.

  She had to reward this no matter what. As someone's girl, as his girl. So Stella―took his arm with her own hand, and pulled him into an embrace.

  "S-Stella?"

  "If we do this, everyone will understand better that I'm your girl, right?"

  Smiling, Stella pressed Ikki's arm to her cheek. She no longer cared about the stares falling on her from all around. More than such trivial things, the boy who was trying to monopolize her with all his might had created a far stronger feeling.

  But for Ikki, who was trying to hold her hand and walk with a prim face to the end, Stella's act of clinging to him had created a situation where he couldn't calm down. Though since he was the one who said he wanted this, he couldn't tell her to get off because he was embarrassed either.

  "Th-That's right. Good idea. Yeah…."

  Ikki continued to walk while staying as calm as possible, but his cheeks were glowing with embarrassment, and the hand he was holding Stella with had become damp with sweat.

  "Hehe…."

  At such a bluff, Stella couldn't help but find him charming.

  …Somehow, I'm really happy right now….

  With her mouth falling into a smile, Stella entrusted the walk entirely to Ikki. Anyone around them who saw this would probably think they were an idiot flirty couple. Stella seriously figured that it wasn't something they could do anything about. After all, they were in love.

  Hold me firmly, my prince.

  This embarrassing thing didn't leave her mouth, but was only whispered inside her heart.

  But at that moment―

  "Hmm?"

  Ikki's steps abruptly stopped.

  Did he find somewhere to eat? That was her first thought, but Stella instantly realized this wasn't the case.

  Ikki's line of sight was in the opposite direction from where they were going, and his face had a very grim color.

  Part 6

  "What's wrong?"

  "…That person just now."

  Ikki, looking straight at the back of a man dressed in work clothes who had passed them, answered like this.

  "Wasn't something strange about the way he was walking?"

  "Maybe he was hurt?"

  "No―"

  Ikki thought that at first too, but….

  It's probably not the case.

  Inhaling a shallow breath, he raised his concentration. Staring at the departing backside, he took in the man's physique, height, and width. He compared the muscles attached to that frame to his preconceived notions on how bodies were put together. Yes, the man was walking strangely. The steps were not going left and right in a regular way. But there was no feeling of injury or other hindrance. He could see that the various joints were driving the man forward normally.

  But it was so lifeless. The man was walking as if his body was out of order.

  I can see there's something wrinkled at its side. The right pocket?

  A hand was thrust into the right pocket at the waist. In the wrinkles gathered in the work clothes, there wasn't just the hand. The right hand was clutching something, stored away in the pocket. It was somewhat long and wide. For example―a survival knife, or something like that.

  …From his clothes, he might be an electrician.

  It was common for an electrician to carry a knife in order to peel the tough outer covering of electrical cables. The knives that electricians used were very large, but his own knowledge of such things was meager, and maybe this was just an individual's preference. But just as he thought this, Ikki noticed it clearly for an instant.

  From the brim of the cap the man was wearing on his head, something inside of it glimmered. It was the bloodshot eyes of a wild beast focused on its prey. They were very much the eyes of someone full of hate.

  It might be the bloodshot look of someone who was just lacking sleep. In addition, the thing in the pocket might also have been an ordinary work tool. Both of those possibilities were perhaps more likely than Ikki's worst-case guess. But―there was no way he could put the worst case out of his mind. His premonition wouldn't lessen.

  "…Okay."

  "Ah, Ikki, where are you going!?"

  "Wait for me a bit."

  Ikki pulled away his right arm that Stella was holding, and he rushed over to the man who was dressed in work clothes.

  He could start with talking, and find a way to check what was in that pocket. If he was just making a rude misunderstanding, that would be good. He'd just need to apologize. If his apology wasn't accepted, well, he could accept getting into a little trouble. Since that was the case, if he could allay the worst-case thoughts that had stolen his attention….

  Thinking that, Ikki called out―and at that moment, the man in the work clothes suddenly stopped walking.

  The place he stopped was the shopping district's tenth street. It was in the middle of very busy foot-traffic. Why did he stop in such a place with nothing to look at? The answer was―

  "The hell!? What're you doing stopping in the middle of street, old man!?"

  The moment some middle-school aged kids bumped into the man, it became obvious.

  "Heeee―"

  Leaking a weird whistling shriek, the man moved. He started to pull whatever was in his pocket out with his right hand quickly. In that unending moment, Ikki beheld time flowing past with his focused concent
ration and enhanced motion perception.

  He had correctly identified the thing glittering through the tiny gap he had peeked through into the man's pocket. It was a blade's edge glaring and sparkling savagely, a thick survival knife. In the middle of the intersection, there was only one reason to pull out such a tool.

  The worst possibility that Ikki had suspected had come true. And as he felt his prediction hitting the mark, Ikki moved.

  With his concentration slowing the world down around him, he was faster than anyone. Lunging forward through the pedestrians coming and going, Ikki ran to arrest the man's hand holding the blade. The distance to the man was less than five meters. The man hadn't yet pulled the knife out half-way, and the group of middle-schoolers in front of the man hadn't yet realized the danger.

  I can make it…!

  With Ikki's speed, there was plenty of time. Running, he could strike the man from the back and render the man unconscious. Before the knife-blade was fully pulled out, he could settle the matter. Though it might create a small ruckus, he could stop a tragedy from happening. It was all from what Ikki immediately sensed in the moment they passed each other by, but thankfully Ikki's quick-wittedness had caught it. Indeed, up to now it was all what Ikki considered the worst possible possibility.

  But the next moment, something he hadn't foreseen occurred.

  "Waa! Wait, wait! Don't do it!"

  The high voice a girl who sounded at her wit's end resounded, and before Ikki could arrive at where the man was, that owner of that voice clung to the man's arm.

  Eh…!?

  It was timed just before the knife could be taken completely from the pocket.

  If a normal person wasn't staring from the start at the pocket the man was vigilantly watching over, she wouldn't have the timing to interrupt that action with only common reflexes. Only someone who had the kind of physical ability that Ikki regularly honed could do it. That was why Ikki had not foreseen anyone having such timing. Someone attacking the man when his guard was down perfectly. And all the more untimely, it was a girl who was next to the man, who was now in the way of Ikki's attack.

  He couldn't charge. Having no choice, Ikki immediately canceled his body's acceleration and came to a halt.

  Meanwhile, the situation progressed. The girl, with a somewhat high voice, yelled at the man who had a look of shock at the abrupt interruption.

  "You can't, mister! Even if your company laid you off or you're under tons of debt, to consider taking someone with you in suicide would be…!"

  But her yell was heard by everyone in the vicinity—

  "H-Hey! This guy has a knife!"

  "Eh—Whoa!"

  "Eeeeek! He's going to kill someone!"

  Though the thing hadn't yet been fully pulled out of his pocket, everyone could understand the implication of having it. The shine peeking out from the man's right pocket caused an uproar. While the people closest to him recoiled, and the contents of the bags they were carrying spilled all around, everyone raced to get away from the intersection. In the middle of that, the young girl who had grabbed onto the man's arm…

  "Since you failed to do what you were trying to do, won't you come with me to the police? Something like this would make your mother in the countryside mourn, you know. It'll be fine. As long as you're alive, good fortune will come your way eventually, right!?"

  Smiling with a beautiful face that was only sweating just a little, she spoke with a soft voice. She was probably trying to calm the man.

  But the man did not accept it.

  "You fucking brat!"

  "Uwa!"

  The man who had been hindered roared with an angry voice, and shook off the girl with all his might. The slender girl was easily heaved away, and fell on her back.

  A shadow fell over her. It was the shadow of the knife that the man was swinging down with an extremely upset expression on his face—

  Wh-What should I do!?

  At that moment, Ikki who was watching the chain of events from within the flow of people fleeing the area hesitated in deciding his next action.

  Properly speaking, it was the kind of situation where he shouldn't hesitate, but go in and save the person. But—there was one factor that made Ikki hesitate. It was none other than the girl who had barged into all of this.

  No—this was no girl. He didn't misread that charming voice or those pretty features. But the clothes were—Kyomon Academy's boy's uniform.

  And he knew that face. He hadn't recognized it at first, but after looking at it carefully, he remembered. After the selection battles ended, his classmate Kagami had shown him a list of this year's Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival representative students. This person's face was in a photo.

  Ikki had forgotten the name, but this was a Blazer who was at a level of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. In that case—

  That kind of person wouldn't barge in this without a plan.

  That kind of person wouldn't appear nonchalantly and spout cliche words from a police drama. That kind of person must have some means and ability to take control of the situation. And since he didn't know what kind of ability this boy had, there was a possibility that he could be a hindrance if he intervened. Ikki thought that about the boy.

  So I have to leave this situation to him, right?

  But as Ikki came to that judgment, the boy with blond hair facing the descending knife—covered his head and yelled out.

  "S-Someone save me—!"

  You had no plan—!?

  While screaming in his mind at the boy's cry for help, Ikki immediately began to move. He didn't have enough time to rush in anymore, but the belongings of the fleeing passengers were scattered all over the ground.

  Ikki swung one foot forcefully at a tube of lipstick, aiming to hit the swinging knife.

  "Guah!?"

  Taking an unexpected impact, the knife flew out of the man's hand and fell to the ground. At the same time, Ikki charged up and struck the man in the face with his fist.

  "Gah!"

  The man fell face up on the ground with blood flying from his nose in an arc, and he stopped moving. Ikki's fist had rendered the man unconscious with one blow.

  To anyone watching, it was probably a truly skillful performance. But…

  "Ha… haa… haa… haa…!"

  The performer himself was sweating frantically.

  Too close…! This person really didn't think before putting himself out there…!

  If Ikki hadn't flown to the boy's aid, the boy would undoubtedly have been killed. At that moment, the boy had been defenseless against the knife swinging down on him. To say nothing of martial arts, he hadn't even used a Blazer's magic to protect himself, only panicking, freezing up, huddling up against the blade-wielding opponent. Honestly, the young boy's reckless behavior had been more terrifying than the man who tried to attack people randomly in the street.

  "Ikki!"

  "Ha… Stella. Can you call the police to arrest this attacker?"

  "Y-Yes! I'll do that!"

  After asking Stella who had arrived late to go inform the authorities, Ikki turned toward the young boy who was still lying on the ground. Ikki kind of wanted to make a word of complaint, but the boy had done what he did to stop a tragedy. Therefore, no complaint erupted from his throat, and Ikki asked the boy as he extended a hand.

  "Are you hurt?"

  "…Ah, no. Thank you. You saved me."

  The boy gave a sudden smile, and offered his thanks as he took Ikki's hand.

  "Huh?"

  Suddenly, his eyes grew large as he looked at Ikki's face.

  "…Hmm? Is there something wrong?"

  "Ah-Ahh! You, are you Ikki Kurogane-kun by any chance!?"

  "Err, yes. That's right, but—"

  What was the matter? The moment that Ikki answered the strangely excited boy's question—

  "Wow! Wow! It's really you It's really you, Ikki-kun!"

  And no sooner than the boy got up, he grabbed Ikki in a hug.

/>   "E-Ehhhh!?"

  "H-Hey, what are you two doing—!?"

  At the unexpected embrace, both Ikki and Stella raised their voices in confusion. But the boy continued to hug Ikki without concern for their surprise.

  "I'm so moved! Even though I hoped for it, to meet you by chance like this, I'm really lucky after all!"

  As if they were friends meeting again after ten years, the boy was beaming and jumping up and down with his whole body. The blue eyes wavering underneath long eyelashes were spilling tears of deep affection. The boy seemed truly and sincerely happy to meet Ikki.

  But because of this, Ikki was in chaos. Why was a boy this happy to meet him?

  "Who are… y—"

  But before Ikki could ask, Stella was quicker. Forgetting to call the police, she who couldn't endure this any longer rushed over and grabbed the shoulder of the boy with a cute face who was embracing her boyfriend and tore him off with sheer strength. And she stood in front of the boy as if covering Ikki protectively.

  "Who do you think you are!? From your clothes you look like a boy, but are you gay!? Are you gay too!? Even though we already have one such character!"

  Stella scowled at the boy as if to intimidate him. The boy was astonished at being pushed away suddenly, but immediately understood that he was facing Stella who was Ikki's girlfriend, and sympathized with why she was angry.

  "Ahh, I'm sorry, Stella-san. No, I'm not gay. I'm just excited and happy to meet Ikki-kun."

  After this explanation, he turned to both of them and introduced himself.

  "How do you do? I'm a first-year student at Kyomon Academy, Amane Shinomiya. Like you, I'm a representative at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, and—I'm a huge fan of the Crownless Sword King!"

  Part 7

  After that, Stella and Ikki gave their report to the policemen who came to arrest the attacker, and returned to their original goal of getting something to eat. They entered a hamburger franchise restaurant. All three of them.

  The third person was Amane Shinomiya, Ikki's self-proclaimed fan who they had just met. He came because he wanted to treat the two of them for saving him from danger.

  "Nnn—♪ It's my first time coming to a place like this, but this potato is delicious, even though it's full of grease that spreads through your stomach and has tons of salt."