Chapter - 6

It was the day after the party; in other words, the day before the Festival's opening. Ikki, Shizuku and Arisuin were heading towards the hotel lobby, having planned to eat dinner out on the last day before the tournament. The trigger for this had been something that happened last night at the party. The party had for lasted about an hour after Ikki had returned, having changing out of the clothes Sara had torn.

「Say, Kurogane. Have you decided where you'll be eating for tomorrow's dinner?」

As the festivities were winding down, Moroboshi had suddenly asked this of Ikki and Shizuku.

「Well, I haven't, but I think eating at the hotel restaurant would do.」

「Oh, come on, that no good! You finally came all the way here to Osaka, so you should try the local food!」

Ikki hadn't thought very hard about his answer, and from Moroboshi's frank reply it seemed Moroboshi agreed.

「Mm, that's true. But what's good to eat in Osaka?」

「There's the teppanyaki. The takoyaki ain't bad, but that's just a snack. For meals, I guess okonomiyaki is best.」

「But Onii-sama, we've already had okonomiyaki in Tokyo at Rangetsu.」

「Idiot! That's like saying you've had Nagasaki Champon after having only gone to Ringer Hut! It lacks that local flavor… alright, that's settled, we're having okonomiyaki for dinner tomorrow. I'm bringin' you guys to the best okonomiyaki place here in Osaka!」

「Uh, um-」

「I'll meet you guys in the lobby at five, then!」

…and that was how their present schedule had somehow come to be.

"Really, what a scarily overbearing person. Are all Osakans like that?"

"Well, no, I don't think that's the case…."

"Nonetheless, I'm glad you invited me along. I've never had okonomiyaki before, so I was thinking of trying some since we've come all the way out here."

"Really? Then you could have just told us."

"I would have felt bad about bringing you two with me. You have to prepare for your matches tomorrow, you know?"

Indeed, this would normally be the case. The Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was not a league-style tournament. One loss meant the end of the road, and as such each match had to be approached with utmost focus. On the day before they would have their first battle, most people would want to stay focused, and would hence normally shy away from such invitations to go out.

"But I didn't think that someone competing tomorrow would invite you two out."

And it wasn't just anyone competing the next day who invited them, either. It was the two-time winner of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, someone who bore pressure on his shoulders in a different dimension from that which Ikki or any other contestant for that matter did, and Ikki's opponent, no less.

"He sure has an absurd amount of nerve. Doesn't he ever feel embarrassed?"

"If he did, he wouldn't have invited us."

"Well, it doesn't matter to me since I'm not the sort to get nervous, but will you be fine, Onii-sama? You're too nice, so if you find it hard to refuse him I can do it for you."

Her tone held a note of concern, because this had happened to Ikki before during his representative selection battle with the 'Hunter'. In that battle, his nervousness had gotten him off to a terrible start. Shizuku hoped that if only for today, no one would disturb her brother or get in his way till the battle began. As such, she could not but sound a little prickly when she spoke of Moroboshi.

"It's fine. This does feel a little forced, but if I was against it I would have said so."

Ikki said, asserting he was here of his own will, instead of merely going with the flow. This was the truth.

"Honestly, he's right. It's rare that we would be out here in Osaka, away from Tokyo. I'd really like to try some of the iconic local cuisine. And anyway…."

"Anyway?"

"As opposed to sitting in my room meditating alone, sharing a table with the Seven Stars Sword King seems more fun."

Simply put, Ikki was interested in Yuudai Moroboshi as a person. If Ikki wanted to know about Moroboshi's strengths or his abilities, there were many methods available. By contrast, there were very few opportunities to get to know him as a person, to get a taste of his views, his way of life.

This, the Worst One felt to be far more important than simply maintaining his focus.

Arisuin commented, flabbergasted.

"I… don't think you would lose to him in terms of having some serious nerve."

It should have been reasonable, even normal to feel awkward going out for a meal with someone you would fight the very next day, but it seemed like such simple ideas did not apply to Ikki.

"Hey, over here, over here!"

As they stepped out of the lobby and the hotel entrance, they found Moroboshi waiting for them in front of a fountain.

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

"No, you're right on time."

Moroboshi replied as they hurried up to him.

"I just couldn't wait, so don't worry about it."

Then he glanced at Arisuin.

"Oh, and who's this cool guy here?"

Even though Arisuin had once been a representative, and hence should have had his photo circulated, it seemed that Moroboshi did not recognize him even as Moroboshi continued looking in his direction. He had not come to the party either, after all.

Shizuku stepped forward while gesturing towards said person.

"This is Nagi Arisuin. He's my friend and a fellow student at Hagun Academy."

"In any case, you didn't mention how many people you were inviting. Is this fine?"

"Don't worry, it's cool! The more the merrier. Anyway, you might already know about me, but here goes. I'm Bukokyu's Moroboshi."

Introducing himself thus, he stuck out his right hand to offer Arisuin a handshake.

"You're too kind. I'm Alice."

Seeing no reason to deny such a polite introduction, Arisuin took his hand.

"Hehehe, you sound rough, but you're actually quite the gentleman. I like that in a man."

"…Whaaa!?"

Moroboshi, like any other man would if he were told that by a man he had only just met, shuddered at the smoldering look in Arisuin's eyes.

"Uhh… I'm sorry," he asked, his expression rather bewildered. "But is this some sort of joke?"

"Oh no, I'm being serious, you know~? For I am a maiden in a man's body."

"Oh… oh. So that, that's how it is, huh. Must be tough…."

"My, such firm hands."

Arisuin murmured as his long, sleek fingers stroked the back of Moroboshi's right hand.

"Just as one would expect from someone as stalwart as the Seven Stars Sword King."

"Uwaaaaaaa!"

Moroboshi all but leaped back in terror.

"Alice. Stop teasing him."

"Ha ha. Sorry. Don't worry, Moroboshi-san, I was just joking~"

"Eh… ah, ahaha. I see, I see, so it was just a joke. I've just never met an okama before, so I was kinda shocked."

"Don't worry, I won't lay a hand on a straight man."

"…So you weren't joking about the okama part…."

Ikki thought with a touch of nostalgia.

This really takes me back to the time when I first met Alice.

Moroboshi's reaction was like a repeat of his own just a few months ago.

Well, I've gotten pretty used to it, but at the start it was a real surprise.

Moroboshi cleared his throat. He did seem more adaptable, though.

"W-Well, I guess it's all good. Gay men, straight men, we all eat the same stuff, yes?"

Having been restored to his usual self, Moroboshi then turned to Ikki.

"By the way, the Crimson Princess isn't here either. Has she not arrived yet?"

"Mm. She will, in all likelihood, only just about make it here tomorrow."

"I see. That's too bad, then."

Moroboshi sighed, seeming genuinely disappointed.

Ikki understood his feelings. After all, it was also with that intent to see those that he would soon do battle with that he had gone to the party yesterday. The A-rank knight Crimson Princess… of course she would be someone that the Seven Stars Sword King would want to mee—

"Man, I was looking forward to see her wring me dry of cash. She sure looked like she could eat—"

"Eh? Moroboshi-san, did you just say somethin—"

"Ah—nah, nahaha! Nah, it was nothing, jus' talkin' to myself!"

That wasn't nothing, Ikki thought. His eyes were shifty, his behavior suspicious. He had almost certainly said something under his breath earlier.

But Moroboshi gave him no time to think too hard about it.

"Well, would ya look at the time! Shall we go?"

Stepping forward, he motioned for them to come along.

"There aren't as many people as in Tokyo, but the commercial strip's plenty crowded at this time—mind you don't get lost!"

The commercial strip was a ten minute ride away from the train station closest to the Bay Dome, and with Moroboshi leading the way right out of the train gates, the four of them plunged headfirst into the bowels of its arcades.

「Ah! It's Moroboshi!」

「Oh, it's actually that idiot Moroboshi! The hell are you doing? Don't you have a match coming up?」

「You're the idiot, you little shit! The match is tomorrow, 'innit?」

「Hoshi-chan, we're looking forward to your victory this year too!」

「Couldn't get a seat at the Dome this year, but we'll be watching you from the TV in the strip!」

"Ahaha, leave it to me!"

「Yuu-chan, we're going to play mahjong with Taku-san today, you wanna come along?」

"Sorry, I'm showing some guests from Tokyo around the place. Next time!"

「Hoshi, you win this year, I'll treat you to some otoro next time!」

"Seriously? You'd better remember that later, old man!"

「But if you lose, better get ready. Imma stuff a whole tube of wasabi up your nose!」

All sorts of people called out to him as he passed through the streets. Giving support, pep talks, even teasing him—they engaged him in different ways, but their expressions were warm and familiar.

"Moroboshi-san is really popular."

Shizuku mumbled, a little taken aback at the scene before her.

"Even Stella-san didn't create this kind of commotion when she was out on the street."

"Well, Stella was popular, but she was also an exchange student. There's no way she could match the current Seven Stars Sword King in terms of local popularity."

The Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was broadcast on national TV, and as such it was a given that participants would have or gain their own fans, whether within their own schools or outside. As the one who dominated that stage, the Seven Stars Sword King would naturally have many more of these than was the norm.

"Multiple victories in a row at the Festival is a feat no one has achieved before, and what's more, he's a homegrown hero, so of course people's hopes would be on him."

"Haha, he really is somebody, to be able to bear the weight of his hometown's expectations by himself without showing it."

Ikki agreed with them.

"Indeed, he really is a great guy. To be able to receive and take on the expectations of all these people, even after having gone through something like that."

"Onii-sama, what did you mean by 'something like that'?"

"Eh? …Oh, right. So you don't know about it?"

Ikki frowned both inwardly and outwardly at Shizuku's reaction. 'That' which he had let slip was a fairly famous episode in Moroboshi's past—it was famous enough that from Arisuin's expression, he had also heard of it. For Shizuku to not have done so could only be because she took no interest in others. Or perhaps she had, due to that disinterest, once heard of it but forgotten soon thereafter. As such, there was no real need to hide it, but was it really a good idea to say this with the man himself within earshot? They could still be painful memories even now.

What should I do?

Fortunately for Ikki, Moroboshi was presently answering the cheers of his fans, so Ikki began explaining the incident to Shizuku, in a voice that was necessarily lower than usual.

"Actually, Moroboshi-san once had to retire during his elementary school days."

That was in his sixth year. At that time, he had received national acclaim as the "Star of Naniwa", but had been severely injured in an unfortunate train accident shortly before the grand finals of the U-12 tournament.

"His injuries were so severe that there were many complications even after the use of the iPS Capsule. The doctors said that he would probably never walk again."

As they could guard themselves with magic power, Blazers would be fine in the case of most accidents. But there were limits to what a Blazer's magic could take, and an incident on the scale of a derailed train was one of these.

"Of course, he couldn't take part in competitions in that state, so he was forced to forfeit the U-12 league, even retiring from the scene altogether."

"Such a thing happened? …Yet, he can walk and fight normally now, huh?"

"Yes. So it seems."

Indeed, even as he walked in front of them, there seemed—no, there was no uncertainty in the footfalls of the hero who had taken the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival the previous year.

"In other words, he is someone who managed to make a comeback after fighting through a rehabilitation process from disabilities that people said were impossible to overcome."

Yuudai Moroboshi had not walked a straight path unto glory. He had fallen into the depths once, but after four years of constant struggle, he had made it back to the stage of battle, and now stood at the summit. No, his road had not been smooth at all.

"Extraordinary. That isn't something a normal person could have done."

"…Indeed, that is so. To be able to make a comeback from those injuries…."

"Hmm, that's true, Shizuku, but I was talking about something more than just that."

"Eh?"

That he had made this comeback was impressive, but Ikki meant something more. Ikki gazing at the smiles on the people's faces as they spoke with Moroboshi.

"This scene in front of me is by far more impressive. No one here fears that he might be defeated. Not a single person asks after him, 'Is your body fine?' There is only one thing they have in him, and that is absolute trust."

They had not the slightest doubt in their minds that their Star of Naniwa had successfully made a full recovery. He had not only made an impossible turnaround from that state, but managed to create in its place unswerving faith.

"I think that is something even harder than simply reaching for the top."

If the opportunity came, Ikki thought enthusiastically, he would ask him. What made him go that far? What was the essence of that which drove him, that which motivated him? For whatever it was, it must have had everything to do with his strength.

Shizuku sighed deeply from beside him.

"…And so, this great person is going to be your first opponent. You really have no luck, Onii-sama—I wonder, what manner of crimes did you commit in your previous life?"

Arisuin smiled.

"Perhaps he spent all his luck on getting a good sister and a cute girlfriend."

"Well, if that's the case, I'm perfectly fine with having used my luck in that manner…—hmm?"

Cutting himself off, Ikki alone in their group stopped dead in his tracks. Amid the milling crowds, he had felt his spine tingle. As though someone was looking at him. Glaring at him. He turned. The feeling passed, the gaze broken, and dissipated with nary a whisper into the evening bustle.

"Onii-sama? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

So saying, he quickened his footsteps, catching up with the other three. He had certainly sensed something, but it would be futile to pursue, and even more pointless to worry about it.

As he thought on that, the group exited the commercial strip.

"Over here, over here, everyone!"

They had reached their destination.

"This here is the best okonomiyaki place in Osaka, Ichiban Boshi!"