Chapter - 21

The final matches of the selection battles. The number of matches today was less than usual. For the matches happening, they included only the twelve fighters who were undefeated up to now. Therefore, it didn't need to be said that there were many spectators. In particular, the number of people who came to the first practice arena where the confrontation between Raikiri and the Worst One was dreadfully enormous.

The students who came to watch raised their voices in astonishment here and there and everywhere.

"Wow, so many people, huh?"

"Of course there are. Everyone's here to watch the showdown between Raikiri and that Worst One."

"By the way, is that camera I see inside?"

"Because of the news reporters. You know, that story."

"Right, the scandal about the Worst One and the Crimson Princess. But aren't reporters forbidden inside the school?"

"The League was extremely influential in this matter, so maybe there was an exception?"

"Hey… you guys, do you believe that story?"

"There's no doubt they were together. Neither of them denied it, and afterward they were getting along incredibly well."

"And after the match with the Hunter, the Crimson Princess was the one who made a confession with all her heart, you know."

"That's not true! Look, the Worst One's family were the ones who brought the evidence, weren't they? That the Worst One was an unrepentant and notoriously abusive in the past, and is playing around with girls even now?"

"Oh, that?"

"…I don't believe it."

"Truth is, me neither. My Device is a Japanese sword, and I learned how to swing it and do footwork from that guy during lunch breaks, you know."

"Oh, I saw that too. He was doing that in the courtyard, I think. He began doing that with classmates who were pestering him."

"Right, right. I saw that person there, so I can't believe that what the newspapers wrote is true. After all, during this important selection battle season, he was so polite while teaching people even though he got no benefit. How could someone like that be trying to trick the Crimson Princess?"

"But the evidence comes from his own family. In that case, it has to be true, right? Because what reason would they have to lie? They're his own relatives. They might lie to protect him, but there's no reason to make up lies to harm him, right?"

"Yeah, it's hard to imagine that."

Mixing with the activity of the noisy crowd, questions and suspicions about Ikki were exchanged. From the spectator seats, the best place for grinding out such conversations, Nene Saikyou―the petite woman dressed in a kimono who was staring down at the arena―spoke in admiration to Kurono Shinguuji who standing nearby.

"Hm~ph. It looks like the other kids aren't swallowing the news reports whole, huh?"

"Indeed. The people who've had first-hand acquaintance with Kurogane seem the most likely not to do so."

"You can tell he's harmless at a glance, that kid."

"But the truth of it is already inconsequential."

With a sour expression, Kurono spoke that reality.

Indeed, the chain of events surrounding Ikki, the right and wrong of it or the good and bad, was already entrusted to his victory in this duel. Therefore how much Ikki needed to be reformed, how much Akaza's group was wrong, Ikki's method of verifying his righteousness was already limited to victory.

"Really, they really did it, you know. Those bastards."

Even Kurono hadn't anticipated things unfolding this way. He should've endured until Stella's father came? Kurono groaned at her own naivete. And then….

"He he he. Let me accept your compliments."

A deliberately delighted, cloying voice was heard from beside the two of them. The two of them turned as one toward that voice, and there a sweltering barrel of a man was standing and wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Good afternoon. My, today is certainly hot, isn't it~?"

"Committee Chairman Akaza…."

At Akaza's appearance, both Kurono's and Saikyou's handsome faces grimaced together. Naturally, since this wasn't someone they could possibly welcome.

"What do you want from us, you red tanuki?"

Saikyou asked this bluntly with a barbed tone, and Akaza laughed as if saying "Wait, wait, please don't bare your fangs."

"No, no. I have nothing I want from you, but having met Sensei by chance, I just wanted to lead him here so you could talk, you know? Ahh, over here, Sensei."

A petite old man wearing a kimono decorated with a family crest was brought in front of the two of them.

"Ah, we found you at last. In a place as spacious as this, I wouldn't know where you were or what you were doing, ha?"

"Geh, the geezer!"

Saikyou was the first one to react to this person's appearance. And it was justified.

The old man's name was Torajirou Nangou, the God of War. He was a ninety-two year old mage-knight, the oldest in Japan, and the man who was Saikyou's teacher.

"Ho ho ho. My lovable pupil's mouth is as sharp as ever. Well, that's what's cute about you, isn't it?"

"C-Cu… don't say disgusting things!"

"Your face is red, Nene. How about accepting it honestly?"

"Y-You dried-up old geezer, hearing stuff like that from you doesn't make me happy!"

Nene's face as she said that, its bashfulness couldn't be hidden by those words.

Sheesh, that girl can't be honest.

Even though it was already known that this old man was the one Nene had known the longest, and the one she respected the most in the world.

"Kurono-kun, it's also been a long time for us, hasn't it? We haven't met since your belly was big, but did your childbirth end without any problems?"

"Yes, thankfully."

"That's good, very good. However, hnn~, after experiencing childbirth, you've become much more voluptuous, Kurono~. Around the hips, especially―"

"Geezer! Did you come over here just to leer at my friend!? I'll kill you!"

"Ho ho ho. Nene, you're getting along in years too, so instead of making such shrill noise, you should follow Kurono's example and acquire some knowledge of adult appeal. Otherwise, you'll lose your chance to get married, you know?"

"Nangou-sensei, even if you don't worry about it, surely this girl had lost that chance a long time ago."

"I-I-I can still get married! I'm just having fun with all my might as a single woman! It's just that it would be dumb to be bound to one man! Or rather, why is Kuu-chan on his side!?"

Because Nene is cute whenever Nangou-sensei is around.

It made Kurono want to tease Nene against her better judgment. There were too many moments of Nene not being cute, usually. Well, she wasn't going to tell the person herself that.

"Anyway, Nangou-sensei, why are you here today?"

Disregarding Saikyou's indignant "Don't ignore me!", Kurono asked that of Nangou. Well, this was just being polite. Kurono could guess the main outline of the reason he had come here.

"Of course, I came here to watch Touka's grand performance. …Well, it would be fine to wait until the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival itself, but I had to show up since her opponent is someone of the Kurogane, don't I?"

Like I thought.

Indeed, Nangou was Touka's teacher at the same time he was Nene's. He saw the quick wits of Touka who followed an ancient style, and afterwards taught her his own sword style. Touka's current signature Raikiri was also an arrangement of the old man's own technique, Otogiri, for her use. And the reason even more important than that―

"He he he. And because it's the honorable Nangou-sensei's lifetime rival born in the same era, the great hero Ryouma Kurogane, isn't it? It would only be natural to take an interest."

Nangou was ninety-two years old. He was someone who fought alongside the great hero Ryouma Kurogane in the Second World War, and at the same time they were rivals. Ordinarily, the schedule of selection battles in the school was not shown outside, but the fight this time was given as news outside. If he knew that his own favorite pupil and the blood relative of his rival were fighting against each other, it would only be natural for Nangou would show up to see the outcome with his own eyes.

However―

"…But wait, Nangou-sensei. There's a chance that the match today might not happen."

Suddenly, Akaza pasted a repulsive smile on his face, and said that.

"What?"

Kurono's eyebrows moved suddenly at those words. Because she felt an ill-will that did not match his tone of voice. And at almost the same time―

「A notification for everyone in attendance. Although the time has arrived for the match between contender Touka Toudou and contender Ikki Kurogane, contender Ikki Kurogane has still not arrived in the waiting room. As per the selection battle regulations, in the event that contender Kurogane does not arrive in ten minutes, he will be given a loss by default due to absence, so please give us your understanding.」

That announcement echoed within the venue.

"…If I remember correctly, Kurogane was brought here by Committee Chairman Akaza in the same car so there is no need to fetch him. Wasn't that what I was told?"

Certainly, Akaza had told this to Kurono yesterday, and forestall her from taking Ikki. But despite that talk―

"He he he. No, I'm very sorry. I compleeeeetly forgot. I'm sincerely regretful. However, the distance from the League branch to here is not that far. A single person can use the electric train to get here, can't he? …Well, his physical condition seemed extremely bad, so I hope he didn't collapse along the way? He he he."

This son of a bitch….

At the discomfort boiling up inside, Kurono clenched her blood-congested fists.

A small hand took that shaking fist. It was Saikyou's hand. She was looking up at Kurono with her eyebrows raised, and admonished Kurono with a small voice, her lips hidden behind her folding fan.

"Don't be short-tempered, Kuu-chan."

Kurono was silent.

"The details don't matter, since Kurobou accepted the duel. What goes on here isn't important. The things that should be done, all of them come afterwards."

Saikyou was equally pissed off. Knowing that, Kurono unclenched her fist quietly.

"Yeah, that's true, huh?"

And so, the two of them resolved themselves. This battle, whether Ikki won or whether Ikki lost, they wouldn't let this red tanuki leave here alive.

Whereas the red tanuki, Akaza, as if not feeling the killing intent from the two of them, happily looked out at the ring where the match was not starting. Up to this point, everything was going well. Banishing Ikki from the League: if Akaza produced the result that Itsuki desired, Itsuki had given a firm promise to promote Akaza from the position of chairman of the Ethics Committee to chairman of public relations. That wouldn't be in the underground levels of the branch. He'd be on the bright, visible surface. If that happened….

Then I'll bid farewell to this villain's role today.

The Ethics Committee that was criticized as secret police was a department that held glory during the military police era, but at present it only carried out dark deeds. Decent people would not want to languish in obscurity in this kind of post. Akaza was the same, therefore….

It's regretabble, but I'll crush Ikki-kun completely.

For that outcome, it would be fine even if Ikki died. It wasn't like that was his responsibility