On an early morning in still-chilly April, two figures stood outside Hagun Academy. One was Ikki Kurogane; he was wearing a jersey and standing in front of the main gate, sipping from a sports drink bottle while moving his shoulders up and down lightly. The other was Stella Vermillion; she was quite a distance away and panting from fatigue, running towards the main gate.
Ikki had no magic talent so he set intense training routines for himself, and ran about twenty kilometers every morning to maintain his physical fitness. Those twenty kilometers weren't some light jogging; he sprinted at full speed and changed the rhythm often to strain his heart and lungs. Stella, who had become his roommate three days ago, also joined him in this daily routine.
On the first day, Stella collapsed along the road. On the second, she threw up. Because of that, Ikki started to match his pace for today, the third day.
"Didn't I say not to mind me!?"
But when he dropped his speed, Stella shouted at Ikki with an intensity he hadn't seen before, so he ran as usual today too. And today, though there was quite a delay, she made sure to reach him.
…As I thought, Stella really is amazing.
As she staggered to the gate, Ikki admired Stella's figure. She possessed great talent in magic, but also trained herself physically. He had to acknowledge that she continued to improve without relying solely on her talent.
"Haa, haaaa―! Goooaaal…."
"Well done."
"I-I'm fine… th-this much is―"
She was so exhausted that her clothes were damp with sweat. That was some amazing willpower. Ikki watched Stella breathe heavily, and offered her the beverage he had just been consuming.
"Here, want some?"
Stella stared at the bottle with a bewildered expression.
"Eh, that's… indirect kiss…."
"What's wrong? …Oh, sorry. You can't take a bottle that a boy used."
"I-I didn't say anything was wrong with it! Just the opposite!"
"Opposite?"
"N-N-Nothing, you idiot! Give it to me!"
Ah, of all places, she drank from where I put my mouth.
Stella took the bottle with her face even redder than running had made it, and Ikki wasn't fast enough pointing that out. Feeling apologetic, he ducked away from Stella's gaze to look at Hagun Academy's main gate, where there was a signboard indicating the upcoming school formalities.
"The opening ceremony, finally."
It would be deeply personal for Ikki. Last year had passed him by, but this year was different because Kurono Shinguuji, the new board chairman, was giving all students the chance to learn. He could feel his anticipation rising. And also―
"You look pretty happy, Ikki."
"Do I? Actually, there's someone I want to meet."
"…I don't suppose you're talking about a girl?"
Huh? I feel killing intent.
"Umm, it's true she's a girl, but―"
"Farewell."
"Wait, wait! Put down Lævateinn and listen to the rest! I'm talking about my little sister!"
"Sister? Come to think of it, you said something about a sister during the duel."
"Yeah. She's entering as a first-year. I haven't contacted her after running away from home, so I'm kinda happy to see her after so long."
She was a girl with silver twin-tails, always following Ikki around with small unsteady steps. She was a spoiled and lonely cry-baby, but also his cute little sister who hadn't scorned him when his brother, mother, father, and relatives all did. For Ikki, Shizuku Kurogane was his only family. How much had she grown in four years?
"I'm looking forward to it."
"I have one question about that sister. You're sure she's actually connected by blood, right?"
"Oh, she's just a normal blood-related sibling you'd find in any family. Why?"
"Then I'll forgive you."
Why was he being forgiven? Ikki didn't quite get it, but his policy was to avoid things he couldn't understand. Ikki looked at the signboard again and thought about the days to come. The fights that decided the right to perform at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival that were about to begin.
"Haha, that's true, but she's a good teacher."
"You know her?"
"Well, a little bit."
Ikki smiled, and turned his attention back to the teacher's speech.
"Since today's the first day, there aren't any lessons! But I do have something to share about the representative selection battles for the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. Everyone, can you take out your student datapads?"
As instructed, Ikki took out a palm-sized liquid crystal terminal from his breast pocket. The Hagun Academy student pad was an all-in-one tool that could be used as ID, wallet, cell-phone, internet terminal, and much more.
"Okay, like Miss Director said in the opening ceremony, Hagun Academy was using an attribute score system to select the Festival representative up until last year, right? But from this year forward, selection by attribute scores has been abolished! The system was changed to a tournament with the whole school participating, and six people will be chosen based on results from actual battles! Wow, violence! The selection battle executive committee will send messages to your datapads, so you should come to the designated place when the dates and times are confirmed, okay? It's a loss by default if you don't come, so be careful―♥"
Stella suddenly raised her hand.
"Sensei."
"Non non. If you don't call me Yuuri-chan☆ then I won't reply."
"…Yu-Yuuri-chan."
"Yay! What is it, Stella-chan?"
"How many matches will these selection battles involve?"
"I'm not sure, but each student should go through roughly ten matches or more. After the matches start, you'll definitely have one match every three days, so be ready―♪"
Ikki felt a bit relieved after hearing that, since Ittou Shura's once-a-day limit made consecutive battles quite severe. But while this arrangement was good for Ikki, it was much less convenient for his fellow students.
"Hey, you can't be serious."
"Too troublesome~. Then I won't be able to go out!"
"I don't really want to participate in the Festival anyway."
Displeased voices sounded across the classroom, but of course not everyone was as interested in the Sword-Art Festival as Ikki. For one thing, illusionary forms weren't used there, making the fights dangerous. Some people didn't want to risk injury just to raise their rankings. Graduating peacefully and acquiring mage-knight qualification, finding a high-salary job and attending to it with normal diligence―there were many students who sought that straight a path.
One of those students spoke up.
"Are there any penalties for losing or abstaining?"
"Nope~♪ There's no penalty, and no black marks on your grades either, but there are bonuses if you win~☆ And of course, you can also abstain, and people who aren't interested in joining the Festival should write the executive committee a mail saying they won't participate. You'll be removed from the roster immediately. But you know…."
Oreki looked at Ikki's direction for a moment, and smiled gently.
"Even if it might be very tough, I still think this is a wonderful system that gives each of you an equal chance to win the Sword-Art Festival and become a Seven Stars Sword King. That's why I want you all to participate ambitiously if you can. I'm sure everyone will treasure the experience."
Ikki nodded gratefully at the gaze aimed towards him. He knew Oreki from when she was his entrance examiner, and he was now attending Hagun because she evaluated Ikki properly.
As his mind wandered toward that event from a year ago, he recalled something.
Wait, doesn't Oreki-sensei―
"So everyone, please do your best from now on! LET'S ALL ABUUAAABUFUUU!!!"
―have an extremely weak body? But by the time he remembered it, Oreki was already vomiting blood onto the floor.
"Yu-Yuuri-chaaaaan!?"
His classmates screamed at the bright red explosion from the teacher's mouth, and Ikki jumped from his seat to support Oreki.
"Ah, she's okay, she's okay. Everyone please calm down. You don't have to worry so much. Oreki-sensei is just very unhealthy."
"No, that's worrying too! How can there be so much blood!?"
Coughing violently, Oreki showed her distressed students a fragile smile.
"Oh, I'm quite fine, as Kurogane-kun said. Your teacher… has been spewing a liter of blood each day since she was a child…."
"What's fine about that!?"
"…Well, I've been living with this body for over twenty years. It'll be fine again in a week. Haha… amazing, isn't it?"
Ikki sighed.
"Please don't be proud of something so sad. Erm, I'll take her to the nurse for now, so why don't you guys clean up the pool of blood over here?"
"Gotcha. Leave that to us!"
After seeing a peach-blonde girl nod, Ikki leaned Oreki on his shoulder and headed towards the infirmary.
After seeing a peach-blonde girl nod, Ikki leaned Oreki on his shoulder and headed towards the infirmary.
On the way, he asked his teacher about something that had been worrying him for a while.
"Oreki-sensei, you seem to be in quite the mood today. Was that to welcome the incoming students?"
*Cough cough* "…Yes, it's the opening day after all… so to congratulate everyone and fire up their spirit, I pushed myself."
So that was why, as he thought. It was something his gentle teacher would do.
"Oreki-sensei, there's something important I'd like to say."
"What is it?"
"I think you ended up disturbing them instead."
"Urgh…."
It was harsh, but it was for her own good. People had to act their age.