[59] A Little Thought of One's Own

Around noon, after finishing lunch, Eiji arrived early at the seventh training ground.

He hadn't gone to train this morning, only completing his usual morning run. After that, he visited the infirmary to adjust his physical condition and rested for half a day, replenishing his energy and spirit to prepare for the preliminary match this afternoon.

When Eiji arrived at the training ground, there were only a few scattered figures in the spectator seats.

It was currently lunch and nap time, and the first match wouldn't start until 12:30.

During the selection battles, there would be nearly a hundred matches held every day across more than a dozen arenas, with each arena hosting at least seven or eight matches.

The first match in the seventh training ground this afternoon would be Eiji Nangou versus Kanata Totokubara.

Given his high popularity, by then, the spectator seats would likely fill up. Whether it was competitors coming to verify if his achievements were genuine, girls simply captivated by his looks, or even spies from other schools, they would all gather here.

To avoid being disturbed, Eiji didn't stay in the spectator area. Instead, he walked through the passageway to the competitor preparation room.

Competitors were required to wait in the preparation room ten minutes before the match started. Since there was still half an hour before the first match began, it wasn't a problem to go there early.

"First-year Class 1, Eiji Nangou, confirmed. Here's your student handbook."

At the counter in the preparation room, a female staff member smiled with a look of admiration as she scanned Eiji's student handbook on the machine and handed it back to him. She didn't ask any unnecessary questions, showing good professionalism.

"Since this is your first match, I'll explain the rules to you. This selection battle adopts the same format as the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, featuring one-on-one duels. There's no time limit, and you can forfeit. The inherent armed devices will also be used in their physical forms, not their illusionary forms."

"Although the arena will be equipped with regeneration pods and several teaching staff members, there may still be life-threatening situations depending on the circumstances. If you fully understand the above and are still willing to take responsibility for the consequences, please press the 'Agree' button on your student handbook. If you don't agree, press the 'Disagree' button, but this will be considered a forfeit, and your name will be automatically removed from the next draw, making you unable to participate in the selection battles again."

Eiji didn't hesitate and quickly pressed the "Agree" button.

The female staff member gave him a surprised look.

Student knights were not allowed to release their inherent armed devices in their physical forms before the age of 15, so most student knights would hesitate a bit when faced with such a life-threatening match. It was rare to see a student knight like Eiji who didn't hesitate at all.

Eiji walked around the corner, pushed open the door, and entered the preparation room.

The preparation room was simply decorated, with only a few storage cabinets, benches, and a full-length mirror on the wall. At the far end was a small door, exuding an unusual presence.

Behind that door was the stage for the selection battle.

To become the Seven Stars Sword King and reach the pinnacle of student knights in Japan, one couldn't afford to lose a single match from this moment on. The slightest carelessness or mistake would render years of effort futile.

"Haa… haa…"

Eiji adjusted his breathing, gradually calming his slightly nervous heart.

His senior sister had said she wanted to meet him on the stage of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival.

If that was the case, then he had to constantly surpass his limits and pursue the pinnacle of strength. Only then could he defeat all the powerful enemies standing in his way.

"I have no talent, except for the sword—"

Eiji reached out his hand, summoning a shimmering silver katana with ripples like water. He gripped it tightly.

As long as he held the sword, his heart would inexplicably calm down, as if everything was within his grasp.

He sat on the bench, placed the shining katana on his knees, closed his eyes, and began to build up his momentum.

To others, his figure, which had seemed delicate before, now appeared full of aggression, sharp and formidable.

All that was left was to wait for the sound signaling the start of the match.

***

Kanata Totokubara came from a prestigious background, but that also meant she was burdened with a fate that didn't allow her to act freely.

As the eldest daughter of the Totokubara conglomerate, the second-largest economic entity in Japan, she enjoyed wealth and status that most people could never attain in several lifetimes. However, this also came with the responsibility of an arranged marriage.

Getting married right after high school graduation was her family's decision.

She was already in her third year of high school, which meant that by the beginning of next year, when she graduated, she would be married off to Europe to become the next matriarch of a certain prominent family.

She didn't oppose her family's decision.

The Totokubara family was different from other families. They were European nobles who had migrated to Japan during the French Revolution, with a history spanning several centuries.

Influenced by the ideological trends of that time, the Totokubara conglomerate, unlike other nobles who were solely focused on wealth, heavily supported charitable industries. They established numerous orphanages, nursing homes, and special needs centers across the country, earning praise from the entire nation.

"The wealthy should use their wealth to help the poor" was the philosophy the family adhered to.

Kanata was proud to be part of this family, and thus she respected their decisions, willing to suppress her personal desires and sacrifice her marriage for the sake of the family's growth.

However, even so, she still had some small thoughts of her own.

It was just that fate made it impossible for her to realize these thoughts.

"First-year Class 1, Eiji Nangou, and third-year Class 2, Kanata Totokubara, the match is about to begin. Please enter the arena."

Not long after entering the preparation room, the announcement came over the broadcast.

Kanata stood up from the bench, pushed aside the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind, opened her parasol, and walked toward the small door at the end of the preparation room.

After passing through the small door and walking down a dimly lit passage, she arrived at a blue gate.

Stepping through the gate, the scene before her suddenly opened up.

The noisy chatter, cheers, and electronic announcements from the broadcast assaulted her ears, and the bustling battlefield came into view.

She walked along the path on the grassy field and entered the massive battle ring, which was a hundred meters in diameter, standing opposite the young boy.

The boy had an extraordinary appearance, with facial features and a physique that exuded a near-perfect will, radiating an exceptional charm.

Especially those deep black eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything in the world. When they looked directly at her, Kanata felt as if everything about her had been laid bare.

Under those eyes, she felt as though she had been stripped naked, with nothing left to hide.

That's right.

Although Kanata was burdened with the fate of an arranged marriage, she still had some small thoughts of her own.

"—If possible, just once, I'd like to experience a relationship of my own will."

***

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