Chapter 55
Byakuya was the first to come up with a very pretentious excuse.
"Same to you."
Haruto followed closely behind, his simple four characters conveying a more sophisticated and profound sense of simplicity.
#!
Byakuya's forehead veins immediately bulged.
If this weren't a classroom, Byakuya didn't need to maintain the Kuchiki Clan's decorum in front of everyone, he would have already started arguing with Haruto by now.
"Call--"
Byakuya tried his best to calm himself down.
"The usual?"
"A game."
Haruto held up one finger.
"... OK."
Just now in the dormitory, Haruto and Byakuya made a deal to have three matches, which was considered as payment for the latter helping him get the Hyōga Seiran.
These three matches were supposed to be all-out battles, but with everyone watching, Byakuya definitely wouldn't unleash Senbonzakura—
Shunpo, however, is unrestricted.
With these conditions, Haruto, who has made significant progress, is no longer out of reach of Byakuya, although he is still some distance away.
Haruto knew his chances of winning against Byakuya were slim, but he still wanted to try his best to win... at least to know where the gap lay.
After all.
Being a class monitor is a demanding and stressful job, and Haruto really doesn't want to take on any trouble, not to mention that Ms. Mutsuki will definitely ask him to teach the fifth grade class later.
Teacher Mutsuki has such a good memory; she certainly hasn't forgotten what happened at the training ground.
However, apart from him and Byakuya, none of the other students were confident of victory. Haruto was quite interested in the food that Captain Hikifune had prepared, and he might even be able to use this opportunity to talk to him about Heavenly Bedding Pill.
Otherwise, for a student like him, taking the initiative to approach Captain-level figure would be virtually impossible.
Certainly.
Isane can definitely win.
But since none of them were planning to show their faces in public— Isane and Nanao's personalities weren't a good match— Haruto naturally wouldn't leave troublesome matters to the girls to solve.
Half a month later.
The best solution would be to have another match with Byakuya.
But before that...
Haruto looked at the student who had just recommended Byakuya.
――――
Volume 1: Chapter 36, Will you do it or not?
I don't think I've seen you before?
The students in Class One were mostly a fixed group, and among the many students, he was the only new face.
"Haruto."
The other person bowed politely in return.
"I am the ninth head of the Sunai Clan, Sunai Nezumi."
"..."
While Haruto was still wondering if he had ever heard of this surname before.
"He's the one Munechika transferred from Class Two."
Ayaka, the little know-it-all, has already given Haruto the answer from behind:
"The Sunai Clan has become one of the more active lower-ranking noble families recently, and they are said to be closely following in the footsteps of the Mikazuki Clan."
"I see."
Haruto nodded.
The Shin'ō Academy did not have such an exchange rule before.
It's likely because after the new system was implemented, the importance of Class 1 was no longer so prominent—how to weigh the pros and cons was a matter for the nobles, and as for whether Principal Mitarai received any benefits, the answer was self-evident.
"An active lower-ranking noble family... Has their family just been promoted?"
After asking the question, Haruto put Sunai aside and started chatting with Ayaka — Sunai Nezumi's outward composure was still very good; she didn't fly into a rage over this matter.
"Yes."
"Then why is it already the ninth generation?"
"I don't know. The speed at which they change heads of the family is incredibly fast; that's part of what makes them famous."
Ayaka shrugged. It was already quite remarkable that she could recognize the other party's status as a lower-ranking noble at a glance; she didn't know the specific reason.
"Shouldn't we take advantage of the popularity to quickly promote products?"
"?"
No, I meant—
Haruto cleared his throat, pretending he hadn't said anything.
Are you proud of your identity?
Haruto suddenly shifted the topic back to Sunai, who, not quite used to Haruto's way of speaking, nodded subconsciously.
"Certainly."
Do you have any children?
Haruto's unreliable questioning style left Sunai somewhat bewildered:
"... No."
"Very good, I wish you a speedy rise to the Tenth Generation."
Haruto ended their conversation in a rather ambiguous way; whether Sunai understood or not was none of his concern.
Although the disguise was quite good, to put it bluntly, he was just Munechika's henchman. His role in Class 1 was most likely just to gather information and cause trouble for Haruto.
"Byakuya."
Haruto ignored Sunai's barely suppressed expression and turned back to Byakuya, saying:
"It seems a bit wasteful to waste an opportunity on this guy, and the Spiritual Arts Academy's training grounds don't allow us to fully showcase our abilities."
"How so?"
Byakuya was among the first to adapt to Haruto's Haruto imaginative ideas.
Three moves?
Haruto tentatively extended a finger.
"Can."
Byakuya agreed to Haruto's suggestion.
"So..."
"Mutsuki- sensei, Byakuya and I are going to the Grand Martial Arts Arena. Could you please grant us access?"
Mutsuki shook her head and said:
"No need for all that trouble. Principal Mitarai has already set the Grand Martial Arts Arena to be open all day. You can just go straight there."
Mitarai must have already anticipated that today, students from each grade would find a venue to elect a class representative.
Not every class has a representative with such absolute authority as Class 1, Grade 6; most students are actually in a state of not respecting anyone else.
That would be great.
Haruto nodded, then asked the group of relatives and friends beside him:
"Although the timeframe is estimated to be short..."
"Do you want to go take a look?"
"Certainly!"
Kiyone was the first to raise her arm and shout – having been outmaneuvered by Ayaka, she was determined to turn the tide in this round.
――――
Class 6-1 set off in a grand procession.
Regardless of their individual attitudes towards Haruto and Byakuya's match, there was certainly no one in the class who wasn't curious about it.
When they were almost at the Grand Martial Arts Arena—
"It's quite lively."
Haruto and Byakuya were walking at the very front of the group.
Before they even entered through the main gate, they could already hear the clanging of metal being hammered inside, as well as the sounds of flames rising and exploding.
Haruto turned his head and said with a smile:
"Principal Mitarai was quite prescient; there are indeed quite a few people who share our ideas."
"It's just a publicity stunt."
Byakuya snorted dismissively.
"..."
Haruto accepted Byakuya's statement:
Judging from the sounds, it was clear that the two fighters didn't need to come to the Grand Martial Arts Arena; they could have decided the outcome in any training room.
When the two entered the Grand Martial Arts Arena, several matches had already ended, with only the central area, occupying more than half of the arena, still in the midst of the battle.
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"
On one side were standard-sized Shakkahō.
The degree of refinement of the flames reveals a lot: with the user's skills, entering Class 6-1 in the future will not be a problem; and most importantly, he used Eishōhaki to release the Shakkahō, and he can still maintain this level of skill under such circumstances. After entering the Gotei 13, he will inevitably be a Seated Officer.
She's just as good as Haruto's classmates.
But in comparison—
"Hadō #54: Haien!"
The flame in the other hand, though smaller in size, possessed a bewitching purplish-red light, and the casual, elegant flick of the wrist made this near-advanced Hadō Kidō of the same attribute far more threatening than the Shakkahō on the other side.
That is indeed the case.
"Bang!!"
The two fireballs collided head-on, instantly detonating the Shakkahō Haien. The remaining flames, amidst the billowing smoke from the explosion, shot towards the user of the Shakkahō like venomous snakes!
For students, Haien is a very dangerous Hadō.
In cases of significant differences in Reiatsu or lack of external assistance, it is highly likely that the person will be incinerated in a short period of time along the point of impact.
Despite the small amount of remaining flames, based on Haien 'Haruto assessment of the two of them, any fire that landed on them would at least result in moderate burns all over their bodies.
So--
"Clang."
Haruto extended his left hand downwards, hooking the tsuba (handguard) with his middle finger and gently flicking it upwards, instantly revealing the Zanpakuto's two-finger-width sharpness.
"Ōkasen"
It's not just the lyrics.
With his mastery of Kidō becoming increasingly proficient, Haruto can now use a mere thirty-odd Hadō, and one that doesn't even require his full strength, so Haruto can even forgo the instantaneous incantation for the numbered part.