Chapter - 7

It wasn't painful. Stella's lung capacity actually surpassed that of even Ikki's. If she tried, she could even stay underwater for 10 minutes. She was already on a superhuman level.

…It's so quiet.

It wasn't as if there weren't any people at all. There were other customers who were swimming, and the merry voices of the children echoed around. But underwater, there was nothing, When she looked up, the surface of the water felt far… as if the world itself was in a faraway place.

On the other hand… she could hear her own pulse. The sound of her pulse that she couldn't hear outside because of all the noise and racket, the flow of her blood, her neural tracts; she could grasp all these much clearer now that she had shut out the random thoughts and noises.

「When you're underwater, you will feel much closer to yourself.」

This was what Ikki had meant. And for a knight as strong as Stella, she could understand this even without him saying it. To be able to understand this sensation, being able to feel your consciousness pass.

For example, the action of swinging a sword. That would be a combination of swinging the hand that was holding the sword, connecting the movements with the fingers, signals in the neural tracts, the expending of physical strength, swinging the sword is the same of 'willing' all of these. In other words, this could make a huge difference. If she couldn't control these minutes… no, nano-seconds worth of details and actions of her body, then she wouldn't be able to use them in real battles.

But Ayase couldn't do it. If she could, then she wouldn't have forcefully tried to use that artificial form in the first place. That was obvious. She would have realized where the stress was born from, and where the loss occurred. Before, the reason why her condition got better was because Ikki had corrected her form. However, the condition of one's body changes every day. When that happens, the only thing that can be done is to assimilate with that properly. When one is able to do that, only then can they reach their true potential.

For that reason, this training was certainly productive for Ayase. But for Stella, it was unnecessary, because she was at a level where all of that would be done automatically by her subconscious. That's the reason why all her swings were adjusted to the very best possible form the other day, even though she was purposely trying to mess up.

But… I'm still too naïve.

Splashing onto the surface, Stella muttered.

Until now, Stella had been training herself more earnestly and sternly than anyone. She thought that she had pushed herself to the limit. But that was not true. Ikki's Ittou Shura, that was the absolute limit. She had not yet reached that place. Bringing out her all, and using it up within one minute, that was impossible for her. And that's exactly why she lost to Ikki in technique. Stella had better lung capacity than Ikki, of course, her strength, mana, firepower; everything was far above Ikki's. But she was still pushed back and beaten. Because their way of living was also different. Even though Ikki was now standing on the earth, he was in a place even deeper than the water where Stella was, a deep dark sea where even the light could not reach.

And that was Ikki's world…. If she could reach that place, then she might be able to see something she has yet to discover.

Stella closed her eyes slowly. She was submerged underwater and all light vanished. Only the burning fire within her remained. Only she was there. She was within the darkness and the silence, on the receiving end of the vision of herself. But that was not even near the end of it, that depth was far from enough. Deeper…. Even deeper…, towards the great depths of consciousness where the 'Crownless Sword King' resided.

"By the way, is Vermillion-san dating Kurogane-kun?"

"Guehghgh. *Cough*Cough*"

Stella drowned.

"It hurthsh, it hurts, my nose, it went *tsun*…*cough*cough*!"

While pressing down her nose, Stella cursed her incompetence. Even though she dived so deep in her consciousness, she could still hear voices. That was enough proof that her training wasn't nearly enough.

Ikki could block his sense of sight and hearing with his sheer will.

Rather, if she could control herself to that extent, Ittou Shura would just be a joke. Once again, Stella realized how far the place she was aiming for was.

"S-Sorry Vermillion-san. Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm alright…."

"But that exaggerated reaction… as I thought…."

"T-That's! N-N-No that's not it! The second imperial princess of the Vermillion Empire dating that commoner! That's impossible…!"

"You're really not going out?"

"Of course not!"

"Then you wouldn't mind even if I deepen my friendship with Kurogane-kun?"

"Come again?"

Her reply automatically turned into a question.

"W-W-Wait a goddamn minute! Didn't Sempai say that you only wanted him to teach you swordsmanship!? And that there weren't any mushy feelings!?"

"That was in the beginning. But hey, you know how Kurogane-kun is like a warrior, somewhat cool. He even listened to the request of a stalker like me…. Even though he's younger, he's like an adult, right? He's also very kind when giving lessons, oh, and precise too. For me, he's like the ideal man. And recently, I've gotten used to talking to him. If he's single, maybe I should tell him that I lo―"

"N-Nooooo!"

Stella screamed unconsciously and interrupted Ayase's proclamation.

"No! No! Neveeeeeeer!!! Ikki's my boyfriend! So nooo!!!"

She waved her hands around in the water like a kid throwing a tantrum. She didn't want to hear someone other than herself say they 'loved' Ikki. That's why, with eyes moist with tears, she drowned out Ayase's words with the ruckus and glared at her.

"As I thought…."

Seeing Ayase grinning with an amused expression, Stella finally realized that she had been tricked.

I-I messed up big time!

"I had a hunch that the mood at the appointment place was a little too lovey-dovey, but for it to be actually true…!"

"Ugh… uuu… Sempai, using such underhanded methods. I thought you were supposed to be more stupid."

"Vermillion-san, that was quite rude."

"Saying that after tricking me that way… you're definitely going to have to keep this a secret! It this gets out then it's going to be a nightmare."

"I know, because Vermillion-san is famous."

"…But, that stuff before… was it all a joke?"

Ayase nodded without indecision.

"I truly think he is wonderful as a man, but I definitely don't see Kurogane-kun like that. That would be a great betrayal towards Kurogane-kun who is teaching me the sword with such devotion. I had a hunch but…. Ahh! I'm jealous! I want to fall in love too~"

Ayase touched her blushing cheeks with a *pon* and her eyes glittered, as if she were a maiden having a dream. Stella found it quite unexpected to see her like that.

"I thought Sempai hated boys."

"That's a horrible misunderstanding. I love boys."

"Sempai. You shouldn't say stuff like that in a place like this. Just now, about six people had some light reaction."

"Anyway, I don't hate boys. Rather, I'm just too conscious of them all. That's why I get embarrassed. My roommate says that I seem gloomy."

This is the first time I've seen a person who said that without hesitation.

"Ahh~ But that's so lovely. I wanna fall in love too…"

"Then why don't you?"

"I-Impossible! Definitely impossible. If a virgin like me dates a boy… ahh! It's so embarrassing I'll die just thinking about it. So I just have to be satisfied with manga and light novels."

"What an awkward inclination."

"By the way, do you guys do naughty things when you're alone?"

"Koghku!"

Stella choked at that sudden fastball.

"W-W-What the hell are you asking so suddenly!"

"I really want to know how it feels like to be a real couple!"

The image of Ayase with her insanely sparkling eyes overlapped with the image of one of those media girls. Stella's image of Ayase being a stiff kendo girl shattered with a clattering noise. The girl in front of her was no different from any other girl, a monster with an interest for sensual love affairs.

"We haven't done it. Moreover, I haven't even registered in his family so that's way too soon."

"Is that so? In mangas for girls they do naughty stuff all the time without all that marriage registering and stuff, so I thought…"

"Yeah, that's right!? Speaking generally, isn't negotiating marriage before doing that obvious!?"

Stella was right to the point of being sad.

"But from the way you're saying it, you really want to do this and that with Kurogane-kun, right?"

S-She's really a person who just pushes right in. But, now after she's already gone through all that, there was no point of hiding it. Her unease might also lessen through talking about it. That's why, even while being deeply submerged in water, Stella expressed her inner desires.

"T-That's, I wouldn't go that far as to say that much but… I'd like us to be little more like real lovers, and do the things real lovers do…"

"Then why don't you just go with that feeling?"

"…If I could do that, then I wouldn't be suffering so much."

"Why?"

"I mean…, for a girl to suggest that, it's indecent."

"Is that so? But I thought wanting to flirt or do naughty things with your lover was natural. On the contrary, wouldn't it be unnatural if you didn't?"

…Huh?

Now that she thought about it that was exactly right. It was only natural for one to have desires about tying a deeper bond with one's lover. And it was the same thing for both men and women.

"But still, I think we should maintain the pace… and if I become too pushy, he might think that I'm a lewd girl, or hate me…."

"Well let's just say that there is such a pace, and Vermillion-san tries to break it by being pushy, but would Kurogane-kun be so cold-hearted as to hate you just because of that?"

"H-He won't!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"T-That's… huh?"

It was just as she said. There was no reason to object. Why didn't she realize this sooner? Stella tilted her head while looking at Ayase. Could this be? That 'blindness of love' thingy?

"I think it's more appropriate not to waste the time you get to spend with the person you love. We humans are beings with 'life', so no matter what, there will be a time when we have to part ways."

Ayase, with a drifting, adult-like gaze, spoke.

"…Just now… Sempai acted like an actual senior for the first time."

"By the way, and this is just my guess, but I think Kurogane-kun also wants to do naughty stuff with Vermillion-san."

"Why's that?"

"Vermillion-san was observing the pool when she entered so she might not have noticed it, but when you came in wearing that bikini, Kurogane-kun was staring at Vermillion-san with those super perverted eyes. His gaze felt so indecent, it was funny to watch."

"―!?"

God…. That was a mistake Stella would regret for her entire life. She should have noticed it. She grieved over the fact that she didn't notice it.