Let's Do Our Best Together, Kirin

Seidoukan Academy, central courtyard.

It was midday. Though Seidoukan Academy was filled with oppressive heat everywhere else, the central courtyard alone carried a hint of coolness beneath the lush, verdant trees surrounding it, making it especially pleasant.

Azer and Toudou Kirin walked side by side through the tree-lined courtyard, strolling along the path. At first glance, they looked like a pair of siblings with a close relationship, and the atmosphere between them was fairly harmonious.

Of course, judging solely by the girl's behavior, some might have mistaken her for feeling uncomfortable.

Though she walked beside the boy, she fidgeted nervously, seeming quite tense. Every so often, she would secretly lift her head to sneak a look at his expression, only to blush bright red afterward. Her emotions were changing so visibly that it was almost obvious.

As though he had not noticed any of this, Azer continued leading the girl onward.

His destination was a corner of the central courtyard he had grown fond of lately.

It was fairly secluded, rarely visited, and had a gazebo. It was one of Azer's usual haunts.

Whenever he got up for a morning run or practiced swordsmanship, Azer would make this place his destination. It not only allowed him to avoid the more crowded areas, but was also quiet enough.

Thus, Azer led her there with practiced ease and entered the gazebo.

"Come on, have a seat."

Azer sat on a stone bench, patted the seat beside him, and beckoned Toudou Kirin over.

"O-okay!"

Toudou Kirin still looked terribly nervous. After sitting beside Azer, she seemed even more restless, her back held ramrod straight and fully accentuating the ample curves of her chest.

"..."

Azer accidentally caught sight of it and immediately regretted having her sit beside him.

She's this close... How am I supposed to keep myself from looking?!

"Senior?"

Perhaps Toudou Kirin had sensed the turmoil deep within Azer. Seeing the senior beside her, who had initially seemed so composed, suddenly grow restless as well, she revealed an incredulous expression.

"Ahem!" Azer feigned a cough, forced himself to smile as naturally as possible, and spoke to Toudou Kirin. "It may be a little late to say this, but allow me to thank you."

"Thank you for accepting my invitation, Toudou."

Upon hearing that, Toudou Kirin hurriedly waved her hands and shook her head.

"No, please don't say that, Senior!" Toudou Kirin said in a fluster. "I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for being willing to invite me and partner with me!"

As she spoke, Toudou Kirin paused. Then, she actually stood up and solemnly bowed to Azer.

To the girl, everything Azer had done was nothing short of salvation.

She had always said that as long as she followed her uncle's instructions, she could save her father. But who knew how much time and effort it would take to make that man a high-ranking executive in Galaxy?

According to Toudou Kouichirou, in order to achieve that goal, Toudou Kirin not only had to become Ranked First in the academy—she had to become an unprecedented Ranked First whose name would go down in history.

It was obvious how much pressure that would place on the girl.

Thus, Toudou Kirin had never truly been able to see a bright future. She had never known exactly how far she had to go, how long she had to persist, or how much effort she had to put in before her wish could be fulfilled.

But now, Azer's invitation had undoubtedly allowed Toudou Kirin to see a future—to see hope.

How could Toudou Kirin not feel grateful?

"I-I'll work hard not to hold you back, Senior!"

Toudou Kirin could only awkwardly bury her gratitude in her heart and stammer out those words.

"You don't need to worry about that." Seeing this, Azer smiled. "I believe you won't hold me back. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to invite you."

Why had Azer invited Toudou Kirin?

Because she was strong enough!

Seidoukan's Ranked First, whose swordsmanship even surpassed that of the original story's male protagonist. She had even defeated him once. Among the potential partners he could choose, Toudou Kirin was undoubtedly one of the best choices.

Therefore, once Azer decided to participate in the Phoenix Star Martial Festival, he immediately set his sights on Toudou Kirin.

"Since we've decided to enter the Phoenix Star Martial Festival, we have to win."

Only then would this first experience of his new life be exciting enough—fulfilling enough.

"Yes!" Toudou Kirin immediately answered loudly, but she soon became somewhat uneasy again and asked softly, "Then... what should we do, Senior?"

What Azer had said in the lounge had indeed given Toudou Kirin a great deal of confidence. It made her feel that this Phoenix Star Martial Festival was the stage most likely to grant her wish.

But if they thought the championship would be easy to claim because of that, they would be looking down too much on the level of the Star Martial Festival.

"Although there are no utterly unmatched powerhouses in this Phoenix Star Martial Festival, victory grants a wish. With bait like that, the strong from every academy will definitely come one after another and become our opponents."

Thinking of the situation in the original story, Azer explained it to Toudou Kirin.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Ranked First students from each academy won't participate in this Phoenix Star Martial Festival. But just as I said in the lounge, we still need to watch out for those who are at the level of Page One's Twelve in every academy."

"Especially those ranked near the top. At Lefevre Black Academy and Jielong Seventh Academy, almost everyone in the top three has the strength to compete for Ranked First at Seidoukan."

"The same goes for Seidoukan Academy and Arle Kant Research Institute. The former will probably send some swordsmanship experts to team up for this Phoenix Star Martial Festival, while the latter is famous for producing dark horses. They took the championship in the last Phoenix Star Martial Festival, and this time, some unexpected formidable opponents may appear again."

If everything developed as it had in the original story, then the powerful enemies he might have to face in this Phoenix Star Martial Festival would definitely come from Lefevre Black Academy and Arle Kant Research Institute.

Seidoukan Academy and Jielong Seventh Academy posed less of a threat. The most troublesome people from both would not be participating in this Phoenix Star Martial Festival.

As for Queenveil Girls' Academy...

Well... a few cute little girls would probably come over to act adorable.

There was nothing much to say when dealing with people from that academy. He just needed to punch them once and make them squat there crying for a while.

And then...

"Those opponents from the other academies are certainly troublesome, but if we're talking about the toughest formidable enemies, it should be them, right?"

Azer's words made Toudou Kirin's expression tense.

"They... who are they?"

Toudou Kirin asked cautiously.

Then, Azer gave her an unexpected answer.

"Amagiri Ayato, and Yulis-Alexia von Lisette."

Hearing those two names, Toudou Kirin froze.

"Amagiri Senior and Lisfeelt Senior?"

Toudou Kirin's face was full of astonishment.

"That's right." Azer smiled faintly at her expression. "As long as nothing unexpected happens, they will absolutely be our greatest obstacle to winning the championship. No question about it."

After all, they were the team that had actually won in the original story—the genuine male and female leads...

"To deal with these formidable enemies, we'll need to train properly starting tomorrow. At the very least, we need to develop enough teamwork and coordination." Azer said, "There's still one month before the Phoenix Star Martial Festival officially begins. It's not an abundance of time, but it's not desperately short either. Let's work hard. The championship will definitely be ours!"

"O-okay!" Azer's words stirred Toudou Kirin's heart, filling her with confidence in the future. "I'll do my best! Az..."

Suddenly, Toudou Kirin stopped, her face turning red.

Then, she gathered her courage, looked at Azer, and said something.

"I'll do my best! Azer Senior!"

Hearing that, Azer first froze, then laughed and said the same.

"Let's do our best together, Kirin."

The moment Azer finished speaking, Toudou Kirin smiled as well.

That smile was utterly adorable.