At the start of the first round, the character controlled by Eriri launched a fierce assault, and the fight looked almost completely one-sided. (Continued)

"Wait, wait, you there!"

The speaker was a petite, sharp-eyed senior girl with a confident air.

She spread her arms to block his way.

From her shoulder badge, she seemed to be a Disciplinary Committee Member.

"Is there something you need, senpai?"

He had no choice but to stop and deal with her.

"Don't you think there's something wrong with you? You there... Wait, aren't you that Hasegawa?"

The Disciplinary Committee Member studied him closely, then suddenly recognized him.

Given how well-known he was at Shuchiin these days, it wasn't surprising she'd recognized him.

"That's right, senpai. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."

He tried to get away.

"No!"

The Disciplinary Committee Member shook her head and said sternly, "To prevent any dangerous incidents, weapons are strictly prohibited on school grounds. I suspect you've brought one with you!"

That was why she'd stopped him.

"I'm a good guy who happens to carry a sword. That should be fine, right?"

Hasegawa Izumi looked entirely confident.

"..."

"Hasegawa-kun, this isn't a game of Werewolf. Please don't make things difficult for everyone!"

The senior girl, who was a Disciplinary Committee Member, froze for a full three seconds before managing to squeeze out those words.

As the two talked, more and more onlookers gathered around them.

"It's just a wooden sword, senpai. You know that, right? I have a match with the Kendo Club today, so I brought it to school."

He had no choice but to appeal to her feelings and reason.

"A wooden sword? Well... let me check."

The Disciplinary Committee Member glanced around and thought it over. She wasn't too strict about it, and once she confirmed it was a wooden sword, she let him pass.

It was only a small incident, but it had happened in full view of everyone. They all learned that Hasegawa Izumi had come prepared!

Word spread through the school, and everyone began to worry for the Kendo Club.

In the past, Hasegawa Izumi had slapped everyone in the face with his performance time and time again. Each time, he'd shown astonishing ability and left them in awe.

Now, even as he challenged the Kendo Club, the undisputed king of the school, people had unconsciously begun to worry more about the club than about him.

When he entered his classroom...

"Whoa."

Some of the girls in his class gasped.

It felt strange, but after enduring one shock after another, everyone had more or less managed to accept it.

Only now did the girls notice that when the lawless madman did those ridiculous things with such a serious expression, he also had a peculiar kind of handsomeness that inspired admiration.

Of course, very few dared to approach him.

"He seems so hard to get close to... When will I get another chance to talk to him?"

Nakano Miku, seated in front, sneaked a glance back and brushed aside her bangs, which were blocking her view.

She'd already finished reading The Art of War, but still had plenty of questions she wanted to explore.

In her eyes, Hasegawa was like a treasure trove, full of secrets waiting for her to uncover. But she couldn't quite summon the courage to approach him.

It would've seemed rude to keep practicing with a sword during class, so after sitting down, Hasegawa Izumi propped the Sword of Seeking Defeat against the wall behind him.

"Sage..."

Two minutes later, Takanashi Rikka walked into the classroom. Just as she was about to greet the Sage, her eyes were drawn to the Sword of Seeking Defeat.

"Sage, is this the ultimate weapon you prepared for the Kendo Club?"

She crouched beside it, examining it closely with delight in her eyes.

"Not entirely. I'll have use for this sword sooner or later, so I took the opportunity to forge it."

Hasegawa rested one hand on the back of his chair and turned to reply.

"Then what's its name?"

Takanashi Rikka looked away from the sword and asked.

The next second, she learned its name.

"Seeking Defeat."

Absolute strength, and the loneliness born from it...!

Everyone who heard the name couldn't help but grow solemn.

"What a bold guy, and what a bold name for a sword!"

"How dare he give it a name like that?"

That was what the others thought.

"The Sage is so cool, and the sword's name is so awesome!"

That was what Takanashi Rikka thought.

Takanashi Rikka then returned to her seat. She was fascinated by this Noble Phantasm, but she understood that a sword was most dangerous when it remained sheathed. Not wanting to interfere with the Sage's battle, she refrained from playing with it.

Before long...

Their Homeroom Teacher, Tsukumo Nanase, came to the front of the classroom.

"Okay, okay, Golden Week is over, so it's time to get back into the swing of things. Midterms are in two weeks. It'll be your first exams since starting school. You don't want your parents scolding you, do you? So please take your studies seriously from now on."

She clapped her hands and urged them with a warm smile and a gentle, pleasant voice.

"Yes~!"

A feeble response came from the class.

It wasn't post-holiday lethargy. Their attention was entirely focused on the battle that would take place after school.

"Ah."

Tsukumo Nanase sighed and said nothing more. She only glanced at a certain someone before beginning her lesson.

After class...

"So it's called 'Seeking Defeat'... Does that mean 'all I seek is defeat'? Is Izumi-chan experiencing what they call 'the loneliness of a master'?"

Fujiwara Chika came over, also drawn to the mysterious object wrapped in bandages. After asking about it, she shared her thoughts.

"That's right. This is what they call 'it's lonely at the top.'"

Hasegawa Izumi shook his head slightly and gazed out at the blue sky and white clouds, unable to resist a sigh.

Being strong was a good thing, but once you became too strong and realized there were no worthy opponents—or even anything left to interest you—it got a little boring.

Absolute strength bred loneliness... It was hard to shake that feeling.

Still, he believed that in this ever-changing world, someone extraordinary would eventually emerge—someone who could give him a truly satisfying fight!

If that day came, and such a person appeared, he would never forget them.

A storm was brewing.

A tense atmosphere spread silently, cutting the effectiveness of the day's lessons at Shuchiin by at least half.

At first, nobody had paid any attention to this challenge. It was just a joke, a suicide mission—until the result was laid out before their eyes.

Only then did they understand just how powerful that man was.

Now, they had a new understanding: this was actually a revolution!

When a member of the lofty Pure Academy crowd was trampled underfoot by an obscure Mixed Academy Student, unable to fight back, everyone's ideas would gradually begin to change.

So the people on top were just ordinary people after all. Before a truly strong person, they were just as weak as anyone else!

Of course, some people might think that, but they were getting ahead of themselves.

To Hasegawa Izumi, everything he was doing now was merely for his own satisfaction.

He simply wanted the Far East Magic Society to gain enough popularity, then select trustworthy kindred spirits to face the raging storms of the future.

The other details didn't matter.

He was a simple and pure person like that—

Or so he believed.

The afternoon wore on, and the end of the school day approached.

"Ding..."

The bell rang, and the subject teacher left. Shuchiin, which had been lifeless moments ago, immediately erupted into activity.

"Izumi-chan, are we going over now?"

Fujiwara Chika hurried over from her seat, her bright smile framed by a very dark bow.

Clearly, she was extremely interested in this revolution, in which she herself was even taking part.

There were plenty of things about Shuchiin that annoyed her, too!

"Let's wait a little longer. We should give them time to prepare. And... a protagonist's entrance needs to be planned. It has to be awe-inspiring, or else you'll end up as just another extra."

Hasegawa Izumi leaned against the wall, completely unhurried.

"This is when you have to maintain your strategic composure! Only the weak get impatient. The strong are free to choose what they do."

Takanashi Rikka also spoke with great authority.

"I've learned so much!"

Fujiwara Chika nodded with complete seriousness.

She felt these strategies might come in handy when she ran for prime minister someday.

Meanwhile, the Kendo Club was in a completely different state.

"Has that guy still not shown up?"

"He's still in the classroom, I think. He said he wanted to give us time to prepare."

"Is this some kind of psychological tactic?"

The club members, already dressed in their Kendo Uniforms, whispered among themselves.

"Does it even matter?"

Just then, a figure pushed aside the beaded curtain and emerged through a side door, slowly walking toward them.

The speaker was their club's Vice President, Kojima Hideo. He had short hair slicked back and eyes sharp as blades, giving him a rather fierce air.

As the son of the National Police Agency's Commissioner General, the Vice President was someone the members greatly feared. When he'd first enrolled, he'd defeated everyone in the Kendo Club except the President. He'd also placed in the top four at the national tournament, making him a renowned powerhouse among the school's athletic clubs.

"Vice President, when will Busujima Senpai come out?"

A second-year member with some seniority asked cautiously.

"What's the rush? The President wouldn't panic like you lot. She's still meditating in the courtyard, calm and collected, waiting for her opponent to arrive."

Kojima Hideo glanced at the senior member.

"All right, it's time to open the doors and let those spectators enjoy Hasegawa's spectacular defeat! In my eyes, the President has no equal among her peers! She's the strongest!"

After that impassioned declaration, he headed toward the Kendo Club's entrance.