The light gray three-piece suit fit Ikki's well-trained body perfectly, complementing both his build and temperament.
"Does it really suit me?" Ikki, who rarely wore suits, looked himself over skeptically.
Arisugawa smiled and clapped. "It suits you! It suits you! It suits you perfectly! It completely brings out your figure, Ikki."
"Is that so?" Ikki looked at Arisugawa, who was also wearing a suit.
With his slender frame, elegant demeanor, and handsome face, Alice looked like a host in that outfit.
"By the way, where's Miohua?" Ikki looked around the room.
"Looking for me?"
The bathroom door opened, and Luo Mio walked out.
When Arisugawa saw Luo Mio, his eyes lit up and he clapped.
"Absolutely perfect, Miohua!"
He wore a light blue tie over a deep blue shirt, with a white formal suit jacket over it. His light gray dress pants were fastened with a white belt, his red-rimmed glasses had been removed, and his gray braided ponytail was styled as usual.
Ikki looked at Luo Mio approvingly. "It fits you very well, Miohua."
After hearing Ikki's praise, Luo Mio rolled his eyes and said narcissistically, "Who do you think I am?"
System: Your teacher's Character Carrier is handsome. What the hell does that have to do with you?
Luo Mio: ...
Luo Mio: When I ask you something, you won't answer a damn thing, but when it comes to roasting me, you're more proactive than anyone else?
System: What, you want to fight me over it?
Luo Mio: ...
Fine. I'll remember this. Just you wait.
"Ring-ring-ring..."
Arisugawa's Student Handbook started ringing.
"Shizuku says we should hurry over," Arisugawa said after putting down the Student Handbook.
"Welcome to the banquet, Mr. Todou, Mr. Arisugawa, Mr. Kurogane."
At the banquet entrance, a beautiful hostess gave the three of them a slight bow.
"These are your passes for entering the banquet. Please keep them safe."
The hostess handed the three of them a business card each.
Each card bore its owner's name, academy, and Blazer rank.
"Please proceed to your seats."
The hostess made an inviting gesture.
After entering the banquet, Luo Mio said to Arisugawa, "Hey, Alice, did you see that? That hostess was batting her eyes at you just now."
As the most handsome of the three, Arisugawa had drawn the gazes of countless young women on the way here.
Arisugawa said with a slight headache, "But I'm a girl at heart."
After hearing that, Luo Mio and Ikki tacitly moved a step away from him.
"Hey!" Arisugawa glared at them both.
"Still, this banquet hall is pretty big." Luo Mio glanced around the venue.
The spacious banquet hall accommodated all the contestants from the seven major academies.
"Ah, I see them." Luo Mio spotted a group in one corner of the banquet hall.
Stella and Shizuku stood there in beautiful formal dresses, along with Touka and the Student Council members.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Luo Mio walked over and greeted everyone.
"You're too slow." Stella looked at him with dissatisfaction.
"We just arrived as well, Brother." Shizuku's delicate hand clasped Ikki's left hand as she looked at him fondly. "It fits you very well, Brother."
Seeing the affection in Shizuku's eyes, Ikki scratched his head. "You look very good too, Shizuku."
Her black vest had a matte sheen, with delicate lace ruffles embroidered along one side like flower petals. Her low-necked dress exposed her fair, tender shoulders, while her elegant makeup harmonized with her youthful face, making Shizuku exceptionally beautiful.
And the only one capable of dressing Shizuku up so beautifully was Arisugawa.
"Thank you for the compliment, Brother." Shizuku gave a ladylike curtsy.
Watching from the side, Luo Mio suddenly jabbed an elbow into Ikki's right side.
As if finally realizing something, Ikki looked toward the slightly jealous Stella behind him.
"Of course, Stella is very beautiful too."
Her exquisite face wore light makeup, while her crimson evening gown exposed her snow-white shoulders. Her scarlet hair had been let down over her back, and beneath the vivid red skirt, her slender legs wore high heels. Since she was a Princess by birth, every movement she made carried the elegant air of royalty.
After hearing Ikki's praise, Stella's pretty face reddened, and she snorted. "Naturally."
"It fits you very well, Miohua."
Touka's voice sounded from behind Luo Mio.
Touka wore an immaculate white backless dress. Her usual glasses had been removed, and her chestnut double braids had been undone and restyled into a side ponytail draped over her right breast. The lightly embellished lace lily pattern on her chest and her elegant white high heels made her look like a refined, mature woman.
"You too, Sis. You look absolutely beautiful!" Luo Mio gave Touka a thumbs-up and praised her with a smile.
"Thank you."
"It's been years, Miohua." Behind Touka, Student Council Vice President Mibarai Awa, dressed in a black suit, greeted Luo Mio.
Luo Mio said to Mibarai Awa, whom he had played with since childhood and who was two years older than him, "Ah, long time no see, Brother Awa."
"Long time no see to you too, Sister Kanata." Luo Mio turned to greet the beautiful blonde woman beside Mibarai Awa, dressed in a ladylike gown.
Kuden'en Kanata smiled elegantly. "Yes, it's been a long time, Little Mio."
Then the other two Student Council members behind them, Usamaru Renren and Saishiro Rai, also came over to greet Luo Mio.
Usamaru Renren then looked at Ikki. "So you're the Kurogane Ikki Touka mentioned."
"Hello, Senior Usamaru." Ikki gave a slight bow.
"If Touka hadn't mentioned you, I wouldn't have known our academy had a student with swordsmanship as outstanding as yours." Usamaru Renren stared at Ikki.
Ikki scratched his head modestly. "I've merely achieved a little in swordsmanship."
"No need to be so modest. I can sense that sharp sword aura around you." Saishiro Rai waved a hand.
"By the way, where are Hagun Academy's other contestants?" Luo Mio interrupted the conversation and asked Touka's group.
"Everyone else is up ahead." Mibarai Awa pointed deeper into the banquet hall.
"Then let's head over."
Luo Mio and Ikki walked at the back, while Touka's group led the way ahead.
Before they had walked far, they found all of Hagun Academy's contestants gathered in one spot deep inside the banquet hall.
Not long after they entered, a discordant voice rang out.
"Oh my, isn't this Kurogane Ikki?"
Luo Mio and Ikki looked toward the source of the voice.
A young man dressed in the same light gray suit greeted Ikki with a smile.
Luo Mio's eyes shifted.
This guy seemed to be...
Ikki stared at the approaching youth. "Long time no see, Kirimura."
Kirimura Seiya... Ikki's classmate from last year.
A second-year student with a somewhat nasty personality, and also Hagun Academy's representative in last year's Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival.
"I never expected you to enter this year's Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival." Kirimura Seiya smiled, then curled his lips slightly, his tone dripping with mockery. "With that pathetic power of yours?"
"!"
"!"
Stella and Shizuku, who had been walking ahead, immediately turned hostile as they glared at Kirimura Seiya.
Faced with Kirimura Seiya's mockery, Ikki remained silent, his expression calm.
As Kirimura Seiya addressed him, students from Hagun Academy and the other academies nearby also looked over.
"Hey, did you see the person Hunter was talking to?"
"Yeah, an F-rank."
"That's Hagun's F-rank?"
"An F-rank actually came to compete in the selection matches?"
"Pff-hahahaha..."
"Hey, keep your voice down when you laugh."
The surrounding onlookers whispered malicious laughter, mockery, ridicule, and taunts through their eyes and mouths.
"These bastards!" Stella's fiery temper flared instantly, and just as she was about to step forward, Touka grabbed her.
"Senior Touka..." Stella asked in confusion.
Touka shook her head and pointed at Luo Mio.
At that moment, Luo Mio also stepped forward.
"Oh my, isn't this the famous Hunter, Senior Kirimura?"
Kirimura Seiya's eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he looked at Luo Mio approaching him.
I remember him. He's the one who had a simulated battle with President Todou that day, and he's her younger brother.
"Is something the matter, Junior?" Kirimura Seiya put on a smile again.
"Actually, I watched last year's Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival. Why did you forfeit in the second match, Senior Kirimura? I clearly admire you so much." Luo Mio blinked his somewhat feminine-looking eyes innocently at Kirimura Seiya, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Everyone with eyes knew why he had forfeited, but being forced to say it aloud made Kirimura Seiya's expression turn slightly ugly.
"Senior, why aren't you saying anything?" Luo Mio pressed on.
"Ahahaha..." Kirimura Seiya laughed awkwardly.
At that moment, a commotion rose from the crowd at the banquet entrance, and the surrounding students shifted their gazes in that direction.
Seeing everyone's attention turn away, Kirimura Seiya slowly let out a breath, then shot Ikki a vicious look.
Ikki paid Kirimura Seiya no attention and instead looked toward the banquet entrance.
Six figures passed through the crowd and arrived on the other side of the banquet hall.
When they saw those six figures, Luo Mio, Ikki, Stella, and the others narrowed their eyes.
They were the six from Akatsuki Academy who had attacked Luo Mio's group that day and later appeared on screen to make their declaration.
"Ah, aren't these Classmate Kurogane and Classmate Miohua? Long time no see." Amamiya Shion of Akatsuki Academy smiled gently when she saw Luo Mio and Ikki.
"Yes, long time no see, Classmate Amane." Ikki's tone was indifferent.
"Come on, don't be so cold."
"Don't get so excited, Bad Luck." Tadara Yui, dressed in formal attire and wearing a mask, walked over from behind her.
"That murderous look in your eyes really isn't concealed at all, Classmate Tadara." Luo Mio looked at her.
"Well, I am an assassin, after all." Tadara Yui shrugged and spread her hands.
Clang—!
Before you continue