"Be careful, junior~"
A lively figure charged toward Ikki as Usamaru Renren launched a fierce kick.
"Clang—!"
Countless flashes of blades flickered through the air, leaving afterimages behind. White Night appeared behind Usamaru Renren.
He bent slightly, wrapping Magic Power around his left hand to form a sheath, then slowly returned his sword to its scabbard. The lingering blade gleams suddenly erupted, filling the entire area!
Puppet Strings snapped one after another. Usamaru Renren lost control and fell naturally under gravity.
A deep-blue machine materialized in midair. Heavy Rabbit's massive mechanical arm caught Usamaru Renren. "Bronya was not too late, was she?"
"Boom—!"
Amid golden Thunderlight, Toudo Touka arrived as well... though she was a little late.
"It's all right now, Ikki. You're safe."
Seeing that, White Night abandoned any thought of stepping in. With Toudo Touka here, there was no need for him.
So White Night walked toward Ikki, slung Ikki's arm over his shoulder, and helped him over to Stella. "Leave this to Toudo Touka. You should get some rest too."
"A Puppeteer needs a medium for every movement. Through threads of Magic Power..."
Toudo Touka spoke slowly, Narukami resting at her waist as terrifying lightning brewed within it. She advanced step by step, her blade gradually leaving its sheath. "Raikiri—!"
In an instant, Toudo Touka flashed behind the puppet army. Heavenly lightning answered from above, crashing down from the vault of the sky. Between heaven and earth, only a single golden bolt remained.
Prelude
"Clang—clang—!"
The golden greatsword, wreathed in flames, collided with the deep-blue light sword. Bronya held the Silver Falcon and blocked Stella's tremendous strength. "You are especially fired up today, Stella."
"Is it because of what happened before?"
"Ah, yes. Clang—!"
As she spoke, Stella swung the Dragon Sinner Sword, clashing with the light sword once again. Her slender hand tightened slightly; she was clearly not as calm as she seemed. "I don't want to... Clang—!"
"Be dead weight! I want to become stronger, much stronger! Strong enough to stand beside Ikki instead of being protected by him."
"Haah!"
With a loud cry, Stella swung her greatsword down fiercely. Blazing fire soared into the sky, seeming to undergo some subtle change.
"The will to grow stronger?"
But it was still not enough. Bronya continued to hold her sword in one hand, steadily receiving Stella's strike. Their blades crossed, scattering showers of sparks.
"Bronya can already feel it."
Bronya's silver-pink eyes met Stella's. Then she exerted force with one arm and violently knocked the greatsword aside.
Her nimble body retreated with several swift leaps, her silver-white spiral hair flowing behind her. "In fact, Bronya does have a way to help Stella."
Stella had just begun to show excitement at the news when the next words came.
"But Stella's Magic Power control is too poor. The current Stella is not qualified to touch that power."
As she spoke, Bronya put away the Blue Flame Silver Falcon. Her tone was calm, yet utterly merciless. "Go find Shizuku. At least with her help, Stella can improve."
Elsewhere:
"Ikki, clang—! Are you trying so hard today because what happened before shook you up?"
Ikki remained silent as memories surfaced in his mind. If White Night had not arrived in time, then the consequences... Yes. He never wanted to experience that helplessness again!
"White Night, you must still be hiding some of your strength, right? Can you show me how far I am from a true strong person?"
"...You figured it out, huh~"
After a brief silence, White Night's swordsmanship became much sharper, though it remained within Ikki's defensive range. "That's right. I came to Broken Blade Academy for my own reasons."
"But if you think I am going to teach you, you are overthinking it. Clang—! In swordsmanship alone, I am not much stronger than you. The bigger difference lies elsewhere."
"Clang—!"
The two figures crossed paths, Sword Qi crisscrossing in every direction and leaving the ground covered in dense sword marks.
"Magic Power, physical ability... those things cannot be copied. For you, the only option is probably to keep developing One Blade Arrogance and elevate yourself through it."
When training ended, White Night, Ikki, and the others regrouped and headed back toward the dorms. As usual, they joked and played around, their shadows stretching long beneath the setting sun.
With anger bottled up inside her, Stella unconsciously hit harder during the selection matches. Although she switched to Fantasy Form, she still intimidated many people.
After that, many students forfeited their matches, which only made Stella more irritated.
"I do not know why, but it feels like my power has increased a lot, while my control has gotten worse."
Walking along one of the academy paths with Ikki, Stella unconsciously complained about her recent feelings. "I have already worked so hard. Why can I still not keep up?"
"Because Stella is genuinely strong."
"Maybe... it is also because of someone~"
Stella's pretty face flushed as she gazed lovingly at Ikki. "Hey, Ikki, do you remember that promise? That we would definitely become representatives in the Seven Star Sword Martial Festival..."
"And face each other again in the finals."
Of course Ikki remembered. He naturally continued the latter half of her sentence. "To fulfill that promise, we cannot lose a single match in the upcoming selection tournament!"
"Mm, the two of us together."
Stella raised her head and met Ikki's gaze. Then... their feelings deepened, and they naturally drew closer. Under the setting sun, the gap between their shadows was swallowed by darkness...
"About time, right?"
In the student dormitory, Bronya wore an oversized T-shirt, dressed very casually, with most of her left shoulder exposed.
She sat cross-legged on the floor, her pale little hands frantically working the game controller as she suppressed White Night's character. "Should we not tell Ikki about that?"
Um... White Night said nothing, his attention fixed on the screen. Then...
K.O.
As expected, he still lost to Bronya. White Night put down the controller in disappointment and fell backward onto the floor. "That matter, huh..."
"Indeed, One-Hit Rakshasa versus Raikiri is an extremely important turning point for Ikki."
White Night used his waist and abdomen to sit upright. "Then as for Toudo Touka, he should at least understand what she bears."
"If he lacks that awareness, it will be difficult for him to truly elevate himself. Bronya, do you remember..."
"Bronya has already looked into it."
A student handbook was handed to White Night. Displayed on it was an Orphanage under the Kidenbara Zaibatsu. "Bronya is not as irresponsible as White Night."
"It will probably be the day after tomorrow. The student council will be visiting the children." Bronya continued her explanation from the side.
"Well, I have got you, don't I~" White Night did not feel the slightest embarrassment.
—With Yin-Yang Dual Souls, White Night had voluntarily taken on the danger. Whenever someone had to risk death, it was him! Naturally, Bronya handled the everyday matters.
There was nothing worth mentioning about their ordinary days, and the day after tomorrow mentioned by Bronya soon arrived.
"Ikki, do you have time today? You still have not properly thanked them for what happened last time, have you?"
White Night caught up from behind and casually patted Ikki's shoulder like a troublesome friend. "How about we visit the student council? They should not be busy today."
"Bronya approves."
Following behind them, Bronya slowly walked over as well. "Of course, it would be better if White Night's behavior were more composed."
"Wouldn't that be tiring~ Just do whatever feels natural. I will think about the rest when I feel like it."
White Night released Ikki's shoulder, spread his arms recklessly toward Bronya, and walked backward for a few steps. Then he turned around and headed for the student council room first.
"...Let's follow him." Ikki and the others looked at one another before following after him.
"Well, if it isn't junior?"
Outside the student council room, Usamaru Renren was the most energetic, waving one arm in greeting.
"Yeah, Usamaru, but what are you all..."
Ikki raised his hand in return, then looked at the group and found that they had already locked the door, looking ready to head out.
"This?" As vice president, Miyuki Sawarabi might have been worrying in terms of combat strength, but when it came to external communication...
She greeted Ikki. "It is a routine gathering, I suppose. Would you Kurogane students like to come along?"
Ikki, Your Secret Is Out
"Long time no see, Touka."
"Touka, are you doing well? I missed you so much."
"Touka..."
At the Orphanage, a large group of children gathered around Toudo Touka, surrounding her as they enthusiastically greeted her.
"Mm-hm, everyone is full of energy~"
Toudo Touka bent her knees slightly, leaned down, and opened her arms to the children, embracing them one by one. There was a faint maternal radiance about her.
"Touka and I grew up in an Orphanage much like this one in xxx."
At the side, Miyuki Sawarabi explained to the others. "So whenever she has free time, she comes here to visit the children. As for why we invited you this time..."
"Ah, I have seen that big sister on television!"
At that moment, one of the children recognized Stella, drawing the other children's attention. In no time, a crowd of children had gathered around Stella.
"She is a foreign princess."
"Big sister, big sister, come play with us."
"..."
The children chattered one after another, brimming with energy. Miyuki Sawarabi smiled as well. "See? I knew the children would be happy."
"Add Bronya too." Bronya crouched down as well, joining them through her powerful affinity.
???
Seeing Bronya blend in so easily, White Night's expression turned strange... Good grief, what kind of skills have you been picking up without me knowing?
Shaking his head, White Night turned to Miyuki Sawarabi. "How about joining them too, Senior Miyuki?" With your height, you would not look out of place at all.
"I will pass. There are so many children at the Orphanage, and I still need to lend a hand preparing their lunch."
Miyuki Sawarabi waved her hand and declined White Night's suggestion. White Night gave up after that. Even jokes had their limits.
At the Orphanage, even the tall Sui Cheng Lei joined in, playing somewhat childish games with the children.
Meanwhile, White Night, Touka, and the others began preparing ingredients... Amid a series of chopping sounds, an ordinary kitchen knife nearly danced into afterimages in White Night's hands.
"Wow, White Night, you are so skilled." Miyuki Sawarabi stood on a wooden crate, slowly cutting vegetables.
Without even lifting his head, White Night continued working. "Could not be helped. There is someone at home I need to take care of, so I got used to it over time."
All along, White Night had prepared the family's three daily meals, as well as snacks. Whenever the hospital was busy, he even had to prepare an extra late-night meal for Yakushi Kiriko.
"Toudo, those glasses of yours are..."
"Ah, my eyesight is a little poor, so I need glasses to assist me. But they do not affect my strength, so do not underestimate me just because of them~" A faint flash of lightning seemed to pass through Touka's eyes.
"So that was why..."
"Senrigan. That is my Blade-Cutting Skill. Kurogane should be able to sense it, right?"
"Yes, I know."
White Night had explained this before, so Ikki could understand. "You borrow electrical signals to see through what people are thinking, which is why Shizuku was completely seen through back then."
Before you continue