Chapter - 5

After Tatara made her exit from the reception room, Ikki turned to thank those that had gathered.

"Thank you very much, everyone. A little longer, and I would have succumbed to her provocations."

At the sight of his bowed head, the tremendously sharp expression that Moroboshi had earlier when facing Tatara shifted into a sunny smile.

"It's all good! It's only normal to get mad if someone goes after your little sister. And you never drew your sword―if it was me, I would have drawn before she did."

Then he laughed, as if to say 'don't worry about it'. At this, Jougasaki sighed.

"That's not something you should be proud of, Yuu… as the number one student knight in Japan, the Seven Stars Sword King, you need to be an example to the rest. Could you please be a bit more level-headed?"

"Ahaha. Well, Hosshi is a siscon."

"Who's a siscon!? Anyone would do that as an older brother! And this is the second time those guys have come to Hagun looking for trouble, you know? Even a Buddha would get pissed the third time, so why not mere humans like us on the second? Don't you think so too, Kurogane?"

"Haha… certainly, they've only given us a hard time so far."

Ikki nodded, agreeing with Moroboshi's views on the various attacks.

"However, I don't only feel anger and resentment towards them."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"It's true that they've given us a horrible time of it, and I don't bear them any goodwill. But thanks to their participation, we are able to cross swords with Blazers that we wouldn't be able to in normal battles. With respect to that alone, well, I would thank them."

He meant what he said. A Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival in which they would be able to go up against people from a world that would not normally be open to them was exactly what he wanted. This way, the level of competition to decide the strongest knight at this year's Festival would be higher. So, if only for this one point, Ikki held some goodwill towards Akatsuki. Upon hearing this, Moroboshi began to laugh loudly.

"…Heh heh, hahahaha! You look like you wouldn't hurt a fly, but you say some interesting stuff! What a coincidence―I feel the same way!"

Indeed, he and Ikki felt exactly the same way. That this Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was worth competing in. He had wished for a death-match with the Sword Emperor of Wind for a long time now. As such he had Akatsuki to thank, if only for pulling Ouma out into the fray.

"Still, I hadn't thought that there would be someone else here who was as hot-blooded as me."

And to think that it would be a student from Hagun Academy, who had actually come to harm by Akatsuki's hands. A normal person wouldn't have been able to say such things, but he had been able to―

…That means that he also understands―

"People with whom crossing swords normally would be unthinkable, you say…? So it seems the rumor that Akatsuki are underworld mercenaries is true, huh."

"That shorty from earlier wasn't ordinary either. Just doing whatever she wanted… really!"

"Eh, is that even important?"

Having heard this, Jougasaki and Asagi expressed their dissatisfaction. Moroboshi however dismissed the news with indifference.

"No matter who they are, how we do things isn't gonna change, eh, Kurogane?"

Ikki nodded and replied with a friendly, gentle smile.

"Indeed. As knights, we shouldn't expect any sort of justice or fairness from our enemies."

That was the answer that Moroboshi had hoped for. As he had suspected, Ikki understood the essence of being a student knight. They were not merely sportsmen. They would eventually be warriors responsible for the country's defense. To take offense simply because the illegality of an opponent was barking up the wrong tree, and those who could not understand this―regardless of how strong they were―were in the end only sportspeople. They stood no chance against true knights.

"In the first place, there is nothing just about an enemy, nor anything fair about combat. As student knight, that is par for the course in our battles. No matter who they are or what means they used to participate in this Festival, that has nothing to do with us. The discussion of their illegality can be left to the adults organizing this event. We only need to defeat the enemy in front of us."

Ikki was very aware of this. That was why he had not exposed Ayase Ayatsuji's rule-breaking in order to win by forfeit, or criticize her for cowardice when they had fought, even though as a friend he lamented her actions. He disdained foul play, but neither did he reject it per se, and thus would not ask for fairness from an opponent. He was not a sportsman. He was a warrior.

The Seven Stars Sword King Moroboshi Yuudai was able to get Ikki's measure from what little conversation they had had, and having ascertained that, he gave him his acknowledgement.

"Haha… to be honest, I was disappointed when I heard that Raikiri had been defeated by some repeater―I was planning to completely shut out her trump card this year. But the fellow who came up to replace her is pretty interesting."

This man was a worthy opponent.

"I look forward to meeting you in the ring two days from now."

"I'll give it everything I've got."

Moroboshi's fighting spirit surged as he said this, and Ikki met his challenging gaze firmly as he replied. Of course, Moroboshi was not the only one measuring his opponent. Ikki had done the same, using the conversation to get the measure of the present Seven Stars Sword King. The answer he had received was also the same. This first battle was likely to be a life-or-death crisis for him, he sensed. This filled him with an uneasiness, but also with much greater anticipation. So there they stood, gazes locked, two men who shared the same beliefs, neither giving an inch―

"Ah, right. That."

Moroboshi spoke offhandedly, reminding Ikki with the tension gone from his voice.

"Isn't it about time you went back and got changed? Your chest is visible."

"Buh!?"

Ikki finally remembered. All this time, he had been standing here with the front of his suit totally open, like some kind of creepy deviant.

"Or did you want to show off the body that you're proud of? You into that kind of thing?"

"Th-That's not it at all!"

Ikki denied, going beet red as he attempted frantically to cover his exposed chest, much to the laughter and amusement of those around him. At that moment, the atmosphere that had crackled with tension due to Tatara's appearance utterly dissipated, and the peaceful time of recreation that was the dinner party resumed.

In a smoking room next to the reception area, a dark red-suited man watched the commotion Tatara and the others were creating from a window, his eyes seeming to narrow behind his tinted glasses. Who was he?

"I see you have some awfully ill-mannered students, Tsukikage-sensei."

Indeed. This man was Tsukikage Bakuga, at once both Japan's current prime minister and Akatsuki's sponsor. Hearing his name being called, he turned, and recognizing the voice's owner replied in a voice that seemed pleased.

"Oh, if it isn't Takizawa-kun. It's been a while."

'Takizawa-kun'. At being called by that name, Hagun Academy's Board Chairman Shinguuji Kurono stiffened a little. The sound of his voice as he said her maiden name reminded her of her school days, of the Tsukikage-sensei she had admired. It was almost like he'd never changed. Lighting a cigarette shakily, she took a puff to calm herself. Only then did she correct him.

"It's Shinguuji now, Sensei."

"Ah, that's right. We haven't seen each other since your wedding. So, how has it been? Have you been well?"

"The delivery went without a hitch. Thank you for your concern."

"That's good, that's good. Nothing is better than to be well, yes."

A smile crept over Tsukikage face, deepening more lines than she remembered had been there. He seemed genuinely happy for her good health, this much she had little reason to doubt. But it was precisely this that led to her troubled expression.

Sensei… really hasn't changed.

His gentle voice, his warm smile, were all now as they were then. As they were in the days when she had looked up to him. If only he had changed. If only he would display enmity, show malice, how good that would be. If only he did this―

Why would that Tsukikage-sensei do these things?

―she would not need to be tormented by such doubts. But she suppressed these feelings, and spoke up.

"Personally, it was not at all my intention that we should meet again under such circumstances."

Her enmity filled the countenance that she directed towards Tsukikage. Right now, she was no longer his pupil. She was the head of Hagun Academy―and he was the head of Akatsuki Academy, the ones who had hurt her students. An unforgivable enemy. A hated foe. This was the unshakable truth, and thus there was no need for farce or frivolity. She only needed to seek confirmation. Confirmation as to why he would do such things, and the true meaning behind those actions. She knew her role perfectly well. So as opposed to Tsukikage, whose stance in all this was unknown, she made her position clear.

Tsukikage responded, acknowledging her enmity as well-founded.

"Haha. Well, of course. Of course you would be angry. I did use your school as a stepping stone, after all."

In doing so, he was admitting that not only did he know that his actions would cause harm, but that it was precisely because he knew it would cause harm to her and Hagun that he had acted. Having obtained this testimony, she pressed on in her questioning.

"Why did you have to do something like that?"

"It is as I said at the press conference. Blazers are the keystone of our national security, and yet we have left the bulk of their training to a foreign institution. This is to say nothing of our having given over the right to issue licenses to our knights, we don't even have the freedom to revoke those licenses. Under these circumstances, it is hard to call our country healthy, don't you think so? As the one who bears the nation on his shoulders, I am merely acting to right these wrongs."

There was nothing new in his reply, only what he had told the media at the press conference before.

"I don't think this is truly all there is to it. You're hiding something, Sensei."

"Oh no, of course not. As someone who took up Bukyoku Academy's path and instituted ground-breaking reforms in your own school, I had thought you would understand what I am trying to do here, Shinguuji-kun."

"I'm sorry, but that your actions exceed my field of comprehension. It's true that Bukyoku Academy managed to reap significant results under Makunouchi's directorship from the adoption of its own school culture, rules and methods of teaching that strayed from the League's guidelines. It is also true that he became regarded as a thorn in the League's side because of this. However, everything he did was still within the confines of common sense. What you've done is decisively different, Sensei. You've hired terrorists! That's something against the law!"

"What, terrorists? I'm afraid that given my position, I'd have to say I don't know what you're talking about."

In the face of her strong retort, Tsukikage merely gave her a wry grin, feigning ignorance to the end. Realizing that further direct questioning was fruitless, a seed of despair began to spring up within her.

"But you know, lawlessness is good."

Tsukikage spoke with his voice eerily cold.

"Lawlessness is needed in order to destroy these misbegotten laws."

That was all she needed. Kurono had not come here utterly unprepared. She had done her homework, researching and hypothesizing. Mulling over the various possibilities and motives that lay behind Tsukikage's present actions. As such, she could put it all together.

"Sensei, you… that's it, isn't it?"

His previous words. His stance on using extralegal methods. Those were missing pieces of the puzzle she needed to discover his true motives… and they pointed toward the worst scenario she had come up with.

"What do you mean by 'that's it'?"

"'Taking back the right to train our Blazers'… I always found this phrase strange. Setting up a national academy, choosing terrorists from Rebellion as its students, using them to make a splash at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, and thus making the national academy's position unassailable―all to do that? It's just too extreme."

Given Japan's position within the League, the goal of taking back the right to train Blazers by itself was not a difficult thing to ask. Japan was the third-richest country in the world, an economic powerhouse. It was also tolerant of different religions and value-systems, and as such had come to play a key role in bringing nations of different faiths together by serving as a go-between. In short, it was an indispensable nation, one the League Mage-Knight Nations could no longer do without. Thus if they negotiated for something on the level of taking back the right to train Blazers in earnest, they would almost certainly get it. If this request was rejected and Japan thus left the League, the latter stood to lose more than they would gain.

"Regaining the right to train our Blazers is not beyond our diplomatic options. As such, it is simply abnormal for the leader of a nation to have to hire terrorists and stir up civil unrest in order to do so. These means are too extreme for the end, and that always disturbed me. But what you said has led me to believe that the order of the argument should be reversed. In other words, you don't need to use extralegal methods to obtain this goal. You only need to use this goal as an excuse to use extralegal methods."

"And why would I do this? What reason would I have?"

"I wouldn't claim to understand your personal motives, Sensei, but that is irrelevant to my hypothesis. But at this point, you could only have one reason for doing this. You don't want to negotiate with the League, because that would mean that in exchange for regaining our sovereignty over Blazer training, Japan would continue to remain a part of the League. If that were to happen, your real goal, Sensei―to drive an irreparable wedge between Japan and the League of Mage-Knight Nations―would all come to naught!"

Kurono was sure that this was Tsukikage's true objective. Her report to the League branch office on the relation between Rebellion and Akatsuki had no doubt reached headquarters by now. And as for the League, they would not now acquiesce to come to the table of negotiation with Japan. After all, that would be giving in to terrorists. Tsukikage had used the means he had knowing this would happen. Indeed, he had used them in hopes that this would happen, all so he might achieve his true objective―a decisive split between Japan and the League of Mage-Knight Nations.

"Hahaha. As I would have expected of you, Takizawa-kun. You were always very smart."

He confirmed her beliefs with surprising levity.

"Now that you've gotten this far, it would be embarrassing to continue hiding it. The gist of it, well, is as you have said. My endgame is that we would cut all ties between ourselves and the League of Mage-Knight Nations."

"But why? …Has some country out there managed to buy even one such as you over?"

"Of course not. I have not sold out or anything of the sort. What I have done, I did it all for the nation…. Japan does not need to remain under a collective of weaklings like the League of Mage-Knight Nations. This country has the power to maintain its sovereignty. And even if we were to remain, it would be of no benefit to ourselves―all we would be doing is cleaning up after the messes of others."

"…Tch."

At his words, Kurono's expression darkened a shade. There was a measure of truth to what he had said. The League of Mage-Knight Nations was, in essence, an multilateral cooperative. When member states were invaded by non-member states, it would serve as a pipeline ferrying supplies and troops swiftly to the affected area―not altogether different in nature from medical insurance. In other words, if a country was not afflicted with the disease of war, not only would it not reap the benefits of this arrangement, but also have to continue paying to support other countries. Vietnam, Iraq, Israel―throughout the last 5 decades, Japan had not once engaged in a war with another nation, but had nonetheless had to provide troops and resources time and time again. This burden was by no means light, and the belief that this arrangement was disadvantageous was prevalent among the citizenry. It was against this political backdrop that the pro-secession faction that Tsukikage now spearheaded had grown powerful. Thus, Kurono could understand his point of view. And yet―

"Have you thought about this seriously!? Do you really believe that this country, lacking in natural resources as it is, can stand as an equal of the three great powers―China, Russia and America?"

She thought otherwise. Indeed, the burden of maintaining its seat in the Federation was great. Calling it a disadvantageous arrangement was not wrong. And yet the League's aegis had indeed protected Japan for the last fifty years―this was the truth. What would become of them if they lost that shield? That was beyond her imagination―and it was for that reason that she was terrified of Tsukikage's actions, these actions that might result in massive changes to not only Japan, but also to the global superstructure.

Unlike her, however, Tsukikage seemed completely unperturbed. His voice filled with certainty.

"Of course. I shall surely reclaim the glory and the territory that this country should possess by right."

"And for that, you'd use any means necessary?"

"Indeed. Akatsuki was created for this purpose, and they will surely take this Festival. And with that, the people will no longer look to the League of Mage-Knight Nations. This plan of mine can no longer be stopped."

"Haha. You look like you do not understand. But that is fine. In any case, I did not require your understanding―freedom of thought is a citizen's right, after all. You can criticize me. You can be disappointed in me. But I am the leader of this nation. Its direction is mine to determine. I will not allow anyone to get in my way."

One could feel the strength of his will, looming like a mountain, as he said those words. And having concluded so, he extinguished the embers of his cigarette stub upon the ashtray, leaving her these words as he made for the exit of the smoking room.

"This is no longer a situation in which a single educator like you can meddle. You would do well to understand your position."

He spoke as he passed by her, as though he were a teacher again, lecturing his errant pupil. That was when she understood that their paths had already diverged. His receding footsteps told the same story―that he no longer wished to remain here, and that she had no power to stop him.

Nonetheless.

"It's true, Sensei, that your ambition isn't an affair that a teacher like me can do anything about."

She addressed him, though her back remained turned.

"But only if Akatsuki Academy does emerge victorious in this Festival."

Her voice reverberated strongly in the room despite its softness.

"In that case, I can still crush your ambitions through my students, without having to do anything myself."

Of this, she was certain. Tsukikage's hand turned the doorknob, and then he stopped.

"I'm looking forward to it. To their performance as Akatsuki's supporting cast, that is."

Leaving these words behind, he departed from the room.

So it was that Kurono Shinguuji discerned the true intentions that Tsukikage held. But until the end of the tournament, she did not divulge any of what she had learned here to Ikki and the others. She did not put the fate of the country in their hands, for this would have been no different from gambling on the result of the tournament.

It's fine. They don't have to know of these under-table dealings or these ulterior motives.

They only needed to fight for themselves. If they did so―they would surely be victorious. Kurono had been here before at the summit, and while there she had fought a furious battle with the Yaksha Princess, so she understood this―that as strong as Akatsuki's members were, they had one decisive flaw. They did not hold any passion for the stage known as the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival.

To expect to be the last man standing? Absurd. It might have been possible for other battlefields, but not this one. For the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, emerging victorious without that passion was simply impossible.