Emmm...
White Night fell silent.
In truth, his physique was simply too powerful. Add the passive boost from Life Chronicle... even Xiao Ai still wasn't enough, and he had already held back quite a bit.
"White Night!"
Through their Mental Link, Bronya received it at the same time and couldn't help reprimanding him.
But White Night's thoughts were still drifting. With his physique, what kind of person would be able to handle him? Then, unconsciously... Bronya's figure flashed through his mind.
"Emmm..."
For a moment, both sides fell silent. It seemed... it wasn't entirely impossible? No, no, no, no, this wouldn't do! My integrity, you bastard, hold the line!
On the other end, Bronya also suppressed the restless stirrings in her heart. "Ahem~ All right, Bronya will be heading out soon. White Night, be a little more careful over there."
"If Bronya notices anything unusual..."
—You're dead!
After saying a few words, Bronya quickly cut off the connection. They might joke about it normally, but if they were really going to do it... she still needed a little time to prepare herself mentally.
In Osaka, there was a somewhat old-fashioned wooden house called "First Magnitude Star."
This place had been selling okonomiyaki for a very long time, and the whole shop had an old, nostalgic feel to it. But more importantly... it was owned by the Morohoshi family.
When Bronya arrived, Ikki and the others were already there. She raised a hand in greeting, then looked at Morohoshi Yudai. "Morohoshi, drumming up business for your family again?"
"Ahaha~"
Morohoshi scratched his head and laughed it off as if nothing had happened. "I'm a merchant from Naniwa. How could I let a profitable opportunity slip by? But White Night didn't come this time?"
"That guy is keeping his girlfriend company. After all, how could these trivial matters compare to his own girlfriend?"
"Huh! That brat White Night already has a girlfriend?!! Damn it, and he didn't even tell me." Morohoshi muttered a few complaints, then turned his gaze toward Bronya.
"It's a secret~"
Bronya raised an index finger and made a shushing gesture. Passing Morohoshi, she entered the shop. "Koume, have you been doing well lately?"
—Welcome~
Inside the shop, Koume wore a kimono and apron. She took out a small notebook to show Bronya, then smiled at her gently.
"You still look quite healthy."
Bronya nodded and rubbed Koume's little head. Though she wasn't as professional as Kiko, she still knew what she was doing. "All right, Koume, the usual."
—Please wait.
She still communicated through her notebook.
Bronya said nothing about it. If one had never suffered another's pain, what right did one have to persuade them? Empty words were meaningless. This sort of matter required the right opportunity.
After waiting for a while, a serving of okonomiyaki with a rich sauce aroma was brought to the table. "As expected, it's still that familiar taste. Koume, prepare another takeaway portion for Bronya."
After finishing lunch, Bronya picked up Xiao Ai's portion and prepared to leave. But before that...
"Come to think of it, did Morohoshi tell Koume?"
???
Koume tilted her head, looking utterly confused.
"Looks like he didn't. Morohoshi's next opponent is Bronya."
Bronya placed one hand on Koume's shoulder, leaned closer, and whispered, "Bronya knows Koume is still conflicted, but he has been waiting for Koume for far too long."
Giving her two light pats, Bronya walked away. "Morohoshi, Bronya is leaving first. And for tomorrow's match, make sure you get plenty of rest."
"Isn't that obvious!"
Morohoshi helped out with the shop while waving Bronya goodbye, his fighting spirit burning brightly.
Back at the hotel, Bronya did not avoid anything and directly opened the room door. After all, it was herself.
"Xiao Ai still hasn't gotten up?"
Setting down the packed lunch, Bronya naturally began tidying up the room while opening the windows for ventilation. "Looks like White Night went a little too far last night."
"After all, this is Xiao Ai..."
As she spoke, White Night also got up to help. He could tell that Xiao Ai had actually already awakened...
She was probably too embarrassed, so she was pretending to be asleep.
White Night and Bronya needed no communication. With perfect coordination, they gathered up the clothes scattered across the floor.
"Good morning, Xiao Ai."
That unique voice. Bronya had specially prepared clean clothes for Xiao Ai and placed them within easy reach.
Then, she turned and sat on the edge of the bed. A fair little hand brushed aside the long hair hanging naturally down as she leaned over Edelweiss. "Time to get up~"
"..."
No response.
"It's not good to deceive yourself~"
Her warm breath brushed Edelweiss's ear, causing her cheeks to flush unconsciously.
"Fine, Bronya won't hold back, then."
Her small hands reached beneath the blanket. Bronya lifted Edelweiss around the waist and carried her into the bathroom in a princess carry. "Xiao Ai needs to pay attention to personal hygiene."
"Isn't it because of you..."
Out of options, Edelweiss finally "woke up." She opened her mouth to scold her a little, but...
Although she knew they were the same person, asking her to say it to Bronya... didn't feel quite right. Her voice gradually weakened. "All right, all right, I can do it myself..."
A faint struggle.
Having someone else help her bathe was far too embarrassing! But it seemed to pull at her injuries, and Edelweiss frowned slightly.
"It seems Xiao Ai can't manage by herself."
Bronya lowered her head and pressed her forehead against Edelweiss's. Her voice was exceptionally gentle, and she could feel the other woman's breath.
"Mm..."
A soft cry like that of a little beast.
Unconsciously, Edelweiss curled up slightly. After that, she stopped struggling and allowed Bronya to gradually lower her into the bathtub.
Emmm...
"Sure enough, there's no share for me again."
On the other side, White Night looked through the packed lunch. As expected, his portion had been forgotten again. "Forget it, forget it. It's no big deal. I'll go get something to eat first~"
Seven Star Sword Martial Festival, Opening!
The Seven Star Sword Martial Festival gathered far too many people, and the entire city shone with an extraordinarily fervent atmosphere.
However, because of Xiao Ai's identity, White Night could not exactly date her openly in public.
Normally, it would have been fine, but at a time like this, emmm... who knew what kind of people had slipped in? There would definitely be people who recognized Xiao Ai, so they could only keep a low profile.
Thus, White Night spent the entire day in the hotel, telling Edelweiss stories from his past.
—Sometimes, what mattered was not what you were doing, but who was with you!
Even though their date had fallen through, White Night, Bronya, and Edelweiss still felt incomparably warm staying together in the hotel.
The next day:
In the early morning, crowds surged toward the bay like a tide. Even midsummer could not stop their enthusiasm.
Emmm...
(There was actually an opening ceremony too. But after taking a look, it was purely there to pad the word count, so I cut it.)
◆The Sixty-Second Seven Star Sword Martial Festival officially began!
The matches were divided into four zones: A, B, C, and D. There were sixteen matches in total, with four matches in each group.
Perhaps because of White Night, the groupings were slightly different from those in the original work.
Zone A, First Match:
Morohoshi Yudai VS Bronya!
"First, emerging from the red gate is the champion of the previous tournament! A third-year student of Wuqu Academy, contestant Morohoshi Yudai!!!"
"He is a hero from the West! His extraordinary and genius-level spear technique..." (Anyway, it was just hype, so skipping it.)
"Before the final elimination match of the elementary school league, he suffered an unfortunate accident."
"He was severely injured, and both his legs were crippled. It was enough to end his career as a knight, and for a time, he left the path of knighthood in despair. But now..."
—"This man has returned!"
"He overcame injuries so severe that he could not walk again, climbing from the depths of hell to the pinnacle of this nation!"
"A man who knows all the glory and setbacks of knighthood, yet remains unyielding—the Seven Star Sword King, Morohoshi Yudai!"
"Today, he will challenge for the Seven Star Sword Martial Festival's first-ever consecutive championship and descend upon the battlefield once again—!!!"
The next instant, earth-shaking cheers shook the ground!
"Yu—dai!!!"
"Yu—dai!!!"
"..."
Bearing such enormous expectations, Morohoshi Yudai manifested his Spirit Armor, Tiger King, on the field and raised it high with all his strength, as if piercing the sky!
—Leave everything to me!
Though he did not speak, the meaning had already been fully conveyed. At that moment, the atmosphere of the arena boiled to its peak.
"Wooooooh—!!!"
Immediately after...
"Following contestant Morohoshi Yudai, the blue gate has also opened!"
"Though her reputation is not well known and everything about her is shrouded in mystery, there is one person you have surely heard of—Yakushi Kiriko."
"She is Yakushi Kiriko's younger sister, known together with another individual, White Night, as the Twin Fangs of Lightning—the wielder of Dark Lightning, Bronya!"
"It is worth mentioning that contestant Morohoshi Yudai's severe injuries were treated by Yakushi Kiriko. According to rumors, contestant Bronya also took part in it."
"So at this moment, could this be a reunion ordained by fate?"
To be honest, when Bronya appeared, the cheers in the arena remained enthusiastic, but they were indeed somewhat weaker.
"A reunion ordained by fate..."
Bronya, dressed in Secondary Silver Wings, slowly walked to stand opposite Morohoshi Yudai. "It does seem that way?"
"Unfortunately, Morohoshi, your journey ends here."
"That remains to be seen."
Morohoshi held his spear and took up his stance.
—He surveyed all directions with disdain! An intense, intimidating aura spread out, making even the people in the stands hold their breath.
Before you continue