A Little Orthopedic Shock for the Princess! Seeking the True Name of a Noble Phantasm!

On the first day of school, what should have been a relaxed adjustment period was thrown into turmoil by an unexpected "reunion."

After the class's rushed self-introductions, Oriki Yuri announced that they were dismissed.

Kashu, Stella, and Ikki Kurogane returned to the dormitory building together.

Ikki Kurogane still walked at the front with a heavy heart, his brows tightly furrowed and his face as bitter as though he had been steeped in misery.

Stella quietly slowed her pace, moved closer to Kashu, and lowered her voice.

"What exactly are you planning? We can't keep delaying the school selection matches."

At her words, the corner of Kashu's lips lifted into an amused smile.

"What's this? Is the renowned Miss Vermillion worried she won't make the list?"

"W-Who's worried about that?!"

Stella's cheeks reddened. She then took a deep breath, trying to calm her heaving chest, which only made her already impressive curves more eye-catching.

She glared indignantly at the ever-composed Kashu and was about to speak when a considerable commotion suddenly erupted ahead.

Kashu and Stella looked up at the same time, only to see Ikki Kurogane, who had been walking ahead of them, sitting flat on the ground.

A petite girl was tightly pressed against his chest with an intoxicated expression, greedily breathing in his scent.

Stella: (⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)

The blushing princess raised a trembling hand and pointed at the tightly embracing pair, her voice cracking.

"T-Those two... could they be lovers?"

"But isn't that girl a little too young? Could he be... a lolicon?!"

As she spoke, she swiftly pulled out her mobile terminal, apparently intending to immediately order a pork cutlet rice set for Ikki Kurogane.

Kashu reacted quickly, grabbing Stella's hand before she could make the call, a meaningful smirk on his face.

"Easy there, Miss Vermillion. Let's hear the 'suspect's' testimony first."

"Hey! How did I become a suspect?!"

Rubbing the back of his head where he had hit it, Ikki Kurogane cried out in near tears.

"Shizuku is my sister! My biological sister! We haven't seen each other in years—I was shocked too, okay?!"

Upon hearing this, Stella froze and looked at Kashu with deep suspicion.

"Um... are siblings in Japan normally... this close?"

Kashu gave a helpless laugh. "Miss Vermillion, if I didn't know you were a princess from another country, I'd almost think you were deliberately telling dirty jokes."

At that moment, Shizuku Kurogane, who had been immersed in her own world the entire time, finally seemed to come back to her senses.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes overflowing with tenderness as she gazed lovingly at her brother Ikki Kurogane, whom she had not seen for years. Then—

Without hesitation, she leaned in again and planted a kiss squarely on Ikki's lips!

Stella: Shocked

Kashu narrowed his eyes and unhurriedly pulled out his mobile terminal. With a few taps of his fingers, he began searching for the name "Shizuku."

Name: Shizuku Kurogane

Class: Hagun Academy, First Year, Class Four

Age: 15

Blazer Rank: B

Attack Power: D

Defense Power: B

Mana Capacity: C

Mana Control: A

Physical Ability: E

Luck: C

Device: Yoi Shigure

Hmm! Her surname really was Kurogane!

A cryptic smile played on Kashu's lips as he looked down at the still-struggling Ikki Kurogane. His voice was light, as though drifting down from the heavens.

"Mr. Ikki, would you like to go to the police station and file a report first? Or should we head to the hospital and book an appointment with an orthopedic specialist?"

Ikki Kurogane: Flips table

After a chaotic mess, Ikki Kurogane finally managed to explain the farce of "deep sibling affection."

Even so, the looks Kashu and Stella gave him remained full of scrutiny, as though they were examining human trash. Clearly, they did not find his explanation very convincing.

Sensing that they might waste the entire day if they kept dwelling on this matter, Kashu decisively extricated himself and headed for the chairman's office.

Kurono Shinguuji had been waiting for quite some time. The moment she saw Kashu enter, she skipped the pleasantries and tossed him a thick stack of documents.

"These are the admission reports for every student from the first year to the third year. Are you sure you want to screen them all again?"

Kashu accepted the weighty stack, casually straightened it, and asked in return.

"What else should I do? Does the chairman have a more convenient method?"

"Even an F-rank Blazer can produce a dark horse like Ikki Kurogane. Who can say there aren't other undiscovered gems at Hagun Academy?"

A trace of barely noticeable embarrassment flashed across Kurono Shinguuji's face. She then raised a hand, indicating that Kashu could do as he pleased.

She was more than happy to take it easy and serve as nothing more than a background figure who issued orders.

Kashu sat down on a nearby sofa and first pulled out the files of himself, Stella, Ikki Kurogane, and Touka Toudou, setting them aside.

These were the core members he had already chosen in his mind.

As he slowly flipped through the reports in his hands, he asked Kurono Shinguuji without looking up.

"How is the plan to add more IPS Regeneration Capsules progressing?"

"You brat—"

Kurono Shinguuji felt her temples begin to throb again. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Don't tell me you think IPS Regeneration Capsules are some discarded junk you can find lying around on the roadside?"

IPS Regeneration Capsules were not something one could obtain so easily.

They were cutting-edge medical miracles that the International League had only developed after years of research and countless efforts.

Whether it was severed limbs, ruptured internal organs, or even fatal head trauma—

As long as the injured person still had a breath left, a Regeneration Capsule could complete treatment in an extremely short time, without leaving even the slightest scar.

"The International League has always distributed resources equally among its affiliated academies. Every application I submitted before was rejected without exception."

Kashu looked up at Kurono Shinguuji's troubled expression and helplessly spread his hands.

"If the number of Regeneration Capsules can't be guaranteed, then the format of the later matches must be adjusted. Otherwise, it would be far too harsh on the core members who need to fight consecutively."

Naturally, Kurono Shinguuji understood this. She could only keep her bitter expression and wave her hand.

"I understand. I'll try using some of my personal connections later. Maybe I can secure another one or two units."

A flash of surprise passed through Kashu's eyes.

He had not expected this chairman, who appeared so unsuited to networking and maneuvering, to possess such deep connections.

"Alright. Then I'll leave it to you."

As he spoke, he gathered the remaining admission reports into a neat stack and stood.

"There's one more matter: intelligence on the other six academies."

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. I don't want to step onto the arena without knowing anything about our enemies' abilities."

After Kashu left, Kurono Shinguuji skillfully lit a cigarette, turned her office chair, and faced away from the door.

She gazed at the rolling clouds beyond the window, her figure carrying a weariness and world-worn exhaustion that could not be concealed.

Sigh... She had more than had enough of being this damn chairman!

Inside the Hagun Library.

Kashu opened an ancient book titled Overview of Devices and carefully studied its contents.

Indeed, he was not a Blazer, and naturally did not possess a so-called Device.

However, the term "Device" had only been formally established after the founding of the International League.

Over the long years before that, people had given them many different names—

"Holy swords," "demonic bows," "cursed instruments," "noble phantasms"...

As manifestations of the soul, they could respond to their wielder's heart and wield all manner of strange abilities, faithfully reflecting the wielder's very essence.

The Hagun Academy library preserved countless cultivation insights left behind by exceptionally gifted Blazers.

They generally believed that the human soul was not immutable.

If a Blazer encountered a major upheaval at some point in life, then the symbol of their soul—

Their Device—would likewise undergo a transformation.

After carefully comparing the records in several documents, Kashu slowly closed the book in his hands.

His right hand curled as though gripping something, and the strange platinum greatsword, still sheathed, appeared before him.

He calmly stared at the bizarre weapon, its blade and sheath seeming to have fused into one, and murmured softly.

"A sword-shaped noble phantasm that cannot be drawn... I should have realized its true form long ago."

Its inability to be drawn might itself be a restraint—or perhaps it was the prelude to some deeper power.

The blade suddenly released a clear hum, while the sheath began to shake violently.

At that moment, the noble phantasm whose true name remained unknown had been touched at the core of its deepest secret by Kashu, responding to its wielder's inquiry in its own unique way.