Who Isn't a Herrscher

He sniffed the rich aroma, ah, tonkotsu ramen!

Taking a sip of the soup, Luo Mio couldn't help but let out a low hum.

Delicious and rich broth...

Hiss...

"Hiss... Speaking of which, where's Shizuku?" Luo Mio slurped his ramen, looking behind Arisugawa and asking.

After all, normally Arisugawa would be following behind Shizuku, acting as her escort.

"You don't know?" Arisugawa looked at Luo Mio, confused.

"Huh?"

"Stella-chan has a match today."

"Oh, really?"

Arisugawa glanced at Luo Mio with confusion, then saw the Student Handbook lying on the bed, turned off, and seemed to realize something.

"Ah... I see, you've had it tough." Arisugawa said with a wry smile, then continued, "Actually, Stella's match was announced last night! The match is at 12:30 PM today, in Arena Number Ten."

"Heh..." Ikki was a little surprised.

After all, Stella and Shizuku were like fire and water.

Arisugawa seemed to sense Ikki's surprise and said, "Don't let Shizuku's demeanor fool you, Stella is the only friend she truly acknowledges."

Luo Mio overheard their conversation and glanced at the time, 12:11 PM.

"Then..." Luo Mio immediately turned to the TV screen, opened the match broadcast, and selected Arena Number Ten.

"The match starts at 12:30, right?"

Arisugawa nodded.

"Then it seems we still have some time to wait... Slurp~."

"By the way, who is Stella's opponent?" Ikki asked Arisugawa.

"It seems to be a third-year student from Guanlang Academy."

"Eh..."

Hearing Arisugawa's words, Luo Mio's heart stirred, and he asked, "Do you know the opponent's name?"

"That... I'm not sure." Arisugawa shook his head, then asked Luo Mio in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Luo Mio slurped his noodles and shrugged, saying, "A third-year student from Guanlang Academy, I'm just afraid Stella might be facing that 'Sword Eater', Kurashiki Kurato!"

Arisugawa frowned and asked, "Is that Sword Eater very strong?"

"Well, that guy was a quarter-finalist in last year's Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival!"

"Quarter-finalist... But Stella-chan is an A-Rank Knight, she shouldn't lose to a quarter-finalist, right?"

Luo Mio shook his head upon hearing Arisugawa's words.

"If that guy goes all out, he can even fight against 'Seven Stars Sword King' Morohoshi-senpai!"

"!" Arisugawa was shocked.

Ikki, holding his Student Handbook, said to Arisugawa, "Well, don't worry. According to the match schedule, that 'Sword Eater' had his match this morning."

"Phew." Hearing Ikki's words, Arisugawa breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he was a strong opponent who could even contend with the likes of Morohoshi Yudai!

"Ah!" Luo Mio glanced at the screen and said, "The match is about to start!"

After the commentator announced the end of the match.

"Stella is really strong!" Ikki said, watching Stella's retreating back as she left the arena after her victory.

Arisugawa nodded in agreement, "Yes, she completely dominated her opponent from the start of the match!"

Then he looked at Luo Mio, "Just like Miohua, she's an A-Rank Knight, and both of their first matches were crushing victories!"

Luo Mio heard Arisugawa's words and said helplessly, "As an A-Rank Knight, I'm afraid to even go out these days!"

Arisugawa chuckled as he stood up and said to the two of them, "Alright, alright, I'll go pick up those two young ladies and take them back to the hotel now."

Luo Mio waved his hand, "Have a good trip~."

At three in the afternoon, Luo Mio stood in the preparation room and said to Touka, "Sister, is everything alright?"

"Don't worry." Touka smiled and replied, then looked at Luo Mio and covered her mouth, chuckling, "I'm just surprised, I didn't expect Miohua to wear something like this when going out."

Luo Mio's mouth twitched upon hearing this, and he said speechlessly, "Stop talking about it, Sister!"

Luo Mio had let down his usual tied-up hair, letting it fall behind him. He had a light makeup on his face, with a touch of eyeshadow around his eyes, a slightly applied lipstick, and alluring black sheer pantyhose. He had also borrowed a female uniform from Buku Academy from Asagi Kaba, who was looking at him with a gossipy expression.

That's right, cross-dressing!

Due to the reporters secretly lurking around the hotel entrance, Luo Mio didn't dare to go out in his original clothes. He eventually had no choice but to follow Arisugawa's suggestion and change into women's clothing...

Luo Mio could still remember the delight in Shizuku's eyes and the constant picture-taking by Asagi Ka!

As his best friend, Ikki also averted his gaze, unable to look directly.

Luo Mio even heard a fleeting chuckle from Fu Hua in his consciousness.

System: Zero times and countless times...

"Alright, alright, it's your turn to shine!" Luo Mio said to Touka, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Inside the hotel, in a private room.

"Congratulations, Senior Touka, on your first victory!" Stella raised her drink, congratulating Touka.

"Thank you, Stella."

Arisugawa looked at everyone and said, "Now, only Ikki hasn't had his first match yet, right?"

Everyone then looked at Ikki.

"Are you okay, Ikki?" Stella asked with concern in her eyes.

Ikki shook his head and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Arisugawa smiled, "When they announce tomorrow's schedule, Ikki should be up then."

Shizuku proudly raised her head and said, "If it's Elder Brother, he'll definitely defeat his opponent!"

Touka also smiled gently, "We've all seen Ikki-kun's strength, so do your best!"

Luo Mio nudged Ikki with his elbow and teased, "Don't lose your first match! Everyone outside knows that you and I are best friends now."

Hearing everyone's encouragement and support, Ikki smiled shyly.

Afterward, everyone waited for the match schedule to be announced!

They looked at the TV screen in the room.

"Hagun Academy First-Year Student · Kurogane Ikki VS Hagun Academy Second-Year Student · Kirimura Seiya"

Chapter 27: Daily Life and the Arrival of the Second Match

The next morning, Luo Mio woke up and saw that Ikki's bed was empty. His thoughts drifted back to last night when the match schedule was announced.

Arisugawa looked at the screen with a grave expression and said, "I didn't expect it to be him."

Stella also looked at the opponent's name with disgust and said, "To think it's that disgusting guy."

Kirimura Seiya, who lost to Luo Mio in the first round, would face Ikki in the second match.

Luo Mio looked at the screen, silent.

No matter how the timeline was changed, Ikki would still face Kirimura Seiya...

Then Luo Mio looked at Ikki, only to see Ikki staring at the screen with a complex expression.

As Luo Mio was getting ready, there was a knock on the door.

Looking through the peephole, he saw Shizuku and Arisugawa standing at the door.

After entering the room, Shizuku saw that only Luo Mio was there and said, "Elder Brother isn't here..."

Luo Mio leaned against the wardrobe and said to Shizuku, "He's probably in the training room provided by the hotel with Stella right now."

To ensure that the participating students could maintain their best condition at all times, the committee had converted some of the hotel rooms into training rooms for students to spar.

Arisugawa asked Luo Mio, "Do you think Ikki has a chance to win this match?"

Luo Mio glanced at Arisugawa, then saw Shizuku also staring intently at him.

He sighed, "If it's based on the current situation, his chances of winning this match are fifty-fifty."

"Fifty-fifty... half and half..."

"That's right."

Shizuku frowned adorably and asked in confusion, "But Elder Brother's strength is enough to defeat that idiot princess. Against Kirimura Seiya, shouldn't his chances be quite high!"

Luo Mio shook his head at Shizuku's question.

"You're right, Ikki's strength has indeed caught up to Stella's."

"But that's only within the realm of clashing swords."

"If they were to fight purely in the clashing realm, Ikki's strength would already be on par with national-level competitors."

"However, Kirimura Seiya's ability, Hunter's Forest, is a perfect counter to Ikki's One Blade Asura in terms of compatibility."

Arisugawa pondered after hearing this, "Miohua is right. In terms of compatibility between the two, Kirimura Seiya's Hunter's Forest indeed perfectly counters Ikki."

"Furthermore, Ikki doesn't have a wide-range Blade Dance Technique like Stella and Shizuku, nor does he possess a Lightning Eye like my older sister to sense others' neural signals."

"What's more, when that Kirimura Seiya fought me, he probably held back a move or two."

"Then..." Hearing Luo Mio's analysis, Shizuku said with a worried expression, "Isn't this match putting Elder Brother in a very dangerous situation?"

Luo Mio walked up to Shizuku and flicked her forehead.

"Smack!"

"What are you doing!" Shizuku clutched her forehead and glared at Luo Mio.

"Are you underestimating your brother too much?"

"But..."

Facing Shizuku's worry, Luo Mio said nonchalantly, "Alright, alright. Stella and Ikki are in the training room alone right now~ A man and a woman alone in a room!"

"!"

"Excuse me!"

Following that, Shizuku got up and left the room.

Arisugawa saw Shizuku quickly leave the room, shook her head with a smile, and then looked at Luo Mio, "So, you sent Shizuku away, what did you want to tell me?"

Luo Mio's lips curved up as he said, "As expected of Alice, you noticed?"

Arisugawa shrugged her shoulders.

Luo Mio looked at the door Shizuku had left through and said, "It's not difficult for Ikki to defeat Kirimura Seiya, as long as he can perceive it."

"Oh?"

Luo Mio turned back to look at Arisugawa and slowly said, "'Blade Steel', Ikki's only skill that can counter the 'Hunter's' Hunter's Forest!"

"Huh?"