Who Isn't a Herrscher

Luo Mio rolled his eyes at Stella.

"Otherwise, I'll have you guys come to the restaurant for lunch today."

Upon hearing him, Stella's eyes continuously scanned the entire restaurant.

Luo Mio sighed and looked at Stella speechlessly, saying, "If you keep looking like that, you'll scare them away."

"Sit down, and we'll head towards the corner on the right."

After speaking, Stella and Shizuku subtly glanced in that direction.

They saw a sneaky, long-haired figure secretly watching them.

"That person is even wearing our Hagun Academy uniform."

"Who is that person?"

"Ayatsuji Ayase," Luo Mio said, taking a sip of soup.

Everyone was shocked.

"Miohua, how do you know that person's name?" Ikki asked with some surprise.

Luo Mio glanced indifferently at the figure in the corner and said, "I saw the contestant information Aunt Kuro organized in the Chairperson's office before, so I just casually glanced at it."

Stella said with a blush, "That's way beyond just casually glancing."

"I remember..." Touka said, discreetly glancing a few times, "She should be a student in Class 3-1 of our academy."

"Then..." Stella started to get up but was pulled back by Luo Mio.

"What is it?"

"I'm telling you, if you go over like that, you'll scare them away, okay!" Luo Mio said speechlessly.

"Then what should we do?" Stella pouted.

Luo Mio then looked at Touka and said, "Then, Sis, I'll have to ask you for a favor."

Hearing Luo Mio's request, Touka said with a chuckle, "You... alright, I'll do it, especially since it concerns Ikki."

Then Touka stood up and walked straight over.

"What's this?" Stella looked on in confusion.

Shizuku reminded her from the side, "Look carefully."

They saw Ayatsuji Ayase, sitting in the corner, seemingly completely unaware of Touka approaching her.

"This is from before..." Arisugawa's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing this.

"Drawing Foot," Ikki explained to Arisugawa, "Touka's move is called Drawing Foot. It's a technique that combines ancient martial arts breathing methods and footwork."

"So, the principle behind this technique..."

"As living beings, humans cannot discern everything they see and hear in detail like machines. Even if they see and hear something, their consciousness won't necessarily process it seriously. If the brain had to identify and analyze everything one by one, it would be overwhelmed."

"Therefore, the human brain prioritizes shoving unnecessary information into the 'unconscious'."

"Touka's move is to infiltrate one's existence into another's 'unconscious,' bypassing their perception. Even if you walk right into their line of sight, they will subconsciously give up on identifying you. That's why it appears as if you're staring intently at someone, but they can't sense you at all."

While Ikki was explaining to Arisugawa, Touka had already reached Ayatsuji Ayase.

"Excuse me, are you Ayatsuji Ayase?" Touka asked with a bright smile.

"Huh?!" The other person first froze, then exclaimed in shock.

"Eek!!!" Touka's sudden appearance clearly startled her, and she flusteredly stood up.

And the moment she stood up, likely due to being startled, her heel accidentally caught on the table and chair, causing her to fall backward.

"Thump!"

Ayatsuji Ayase, who had fallen to the ground, let out a pleasant sound of her head hitting the floor.

Chapter 37: Conversation and Kurashiki Kurato

"I am so sorry for startling you like that."

In the hotel's medical room, Touka looked apologetically at the beautiful black-haired girl with delicate features lying on the bed.

She hadn't expected her sudden appearance to startle Ayatsuji Ayase so much that she tripped and fell.

Seeing a student from Hagun Academy apologizing with such sincerity, Ayatsuji Ayase quickly waved her hands.

She said somewhat shyly, "It-it's nothing, it-it was m-me, I just panicked."

Behind Touka, Luo Mio covered his mouth and chuckled softly.

"Like a ghost..."

Touka's forehead twitched.

Indeed, as Luo Mio said, using Drawing Foot in this situation made her seem no different from a ghost.

However...

Touka turned and glared fiercely at Luo Mio with her golden-brown eyes.

(I'll settle the score with you later!)

Seeing the golden lightning and fierce gaze in Touka's eyes, Luo Mio coughed awkwardly and looked away.

Ikki, on the other hand, looked at Ayatsuji Ayase's extremely nervous expression.

She doesn't seem like a senior student...

Still, he politely said, "Uh, Ayatsuji, senpai..."

"Yes! Wh-what is it?"

Ayase responded instantly to Ikki's words.

However, as she answered, she shifted her gaze elsewhere, and her entire head and body turned away. Her flexibility was quite remarkable.

"Uh... senpai?"

Ikki said, a little dumbfounded, as he watched Ayase turn her head.

"Alright, Ikki," Luo Mio said, standing behind him and addressing Ikki. "Can't you see Ayase-senpai's ears are red?"

Luo Mio's reminder made everyone else realize.

Beneath Ayase's black, elegant hair, her flushed ears were revealed.

Ayase slowly turned her blushing face, lowering her head and murmuring, "Talking to a stranger, and having to look them in the eye, makes me feel very shy."

Ikki and those behind him were left somewhat speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Touka observed through her Lightning Eye that Ayase's shyness wasn't an act; she was genuinely embarrassed to talk to and make eye contact with strange men.

Understanding this, Touka stepped forward in Ikki's place and asked her, "Then Ayase-san, why were you secretly following Ikki-kun?"

Hearing the girl ask her, Ayase finally dared to look at Touka and replied, "Well, I, I..."

Me?

Ayase seemed to gather all her strength, her face flushed, and looking at Ikki, she said, "I want to ask, Kurogane-kun, to guide my swordsmanship!"

Huh?

Ikki was stunned at first, then stared at Ayase, contemplating.

Swordsmanship... the surname Ayatsuji...

Ayase, under Ikki's intense gaze, shyly lowered her head.

Beside Ikki, Stella looked at him with a hint of jealousy.

"Ikki..."

Hearing Stella's jealous tone, Ikki realized his staring had been impolite.

He apologized to Ayase and then asked, "Could it be that Ayase-senpai is the daughter or a relative of Ayatsuji Kaito?"

"Yes, I am Ayatsuji Kaito's daughter."

Stella quietly wondered, "Ayatsuji Kaito?"

"I'm not sure," Arisugawa replied, shaking his head.

Luo Mio added from the side, "Ayatsuji Kaito, the swordsman known as the 'Last Samurai'."

"The reason you haven't heard of him is that he's not a Blazer, and most Blazers aren't interested in martial arts. However, anyone who has touched swordsmanship knows of him."

"Tenryū Gozen, East-West Unification Tournament, Musashi Cup, Judan Battle... he participated and won every major tournament in the world of swordsmanship."

"Even in his prime, he suppressed countless criminal Blazers without being one himself."

Stella asked doubtfully, "Then why, as the daughter of the Last Samurai, does Ayase-senpai need Ikki to guide her swordsmanship?"

Hearing Stella's confusion, Luo Mio looked at Ikki and Ayase, who were conversing, and said, "Ayatsuji Kaito had an accident two years ago and was hospitalized."

"My father was hospitalized due to an accident," Ayase said quietly, her expression darkening.

"Since my father was hospitalized, I've been practicing Ayatsuji Ittō-ryū alone. However, I recently hit a bottleneck and couldn't improve no matter what. Then I saw Ikki-kun's match and knew you were one of the few swordsmanship experts at Hagun, so I wanted to ask for your advice."

"But I had no idea how to approach a strange man, so..."

That's why she had been following Ikki for a whole week.

Everyone present felt speechless.

However, Ikki looked at Ayase and said gently, "Of course, I can accept Ayase-senpai's request. After all, we are both swordsmen, and sparring with each other might help senpai."

"Really?"

"Yes."

And just as Ikki and Ayase were discussing swordsmanship.

"Ayase, I heard you were injured and in the infirmary, so I came to see you," a rough voice boomed as the infirmary door opened.

Upon hearing this voice, Ayase's eyes instantly flashed with anger and hatred, bordering on murderous intent!

Luo Mio and the others looked towards the infirmary entrance.

A tall man, about 180 centimeters in height, with dyed hair, his three-white eyes behind sunglasses were filled with ferocity and brutality. A rouge-colored top was loosely draped over his body, his chest open to reveal a skull tattoo.

"Oh my, Ayase, you actually have friends?" the man's rough voice taunted.

Touka's eyes narrowed slightly.

(I remember this person is...)

Ikki also looked at the man.

(Such a striking appearance and aura, I remember he's...)

The man casually glanced at everyone in the infirmary, then looked a bit longer at Ikki and Touka before saying, "Since you have friends, I won't disturb you any further."

Then, the man roughly slammed the infirmary door shut.

Stella looked at the door with confusion and asked, "Who was that? Is he Ayatsuji-senpai's friend?"

"No, he's not," a hoarse voice slowly came from Ayatsuji Ayase.

Luo Mio glanced at the infirmary door and slowly said to Stella, "Stella, I don't think I've told you yet."

"Hm?"

"Why the Last Samurai, Ayatsuji Kaito, was hospitalized two years ago."

"Eh?"

"He was challenged and defeated by the man who was just here, 'Sword Eater' Kurashiki Kurato."

"!"

"'Sword Eater' Kurashiki Kurato..."

Chapter 38: One Week