"Junior brother, Katana, what are you still doing here?"
Touka opened the door and poked her head in. Seeing the two sitting properly, she didn't think much and just smiled as she said,
"Today is the day for the award ceremony for the representatives. Hurry up and get to the auditorium!"
It was now early July.
About a month had passed since Eiji returned from the Type-Moon World, and the first semester at Hagun Academy was nearing its end, soon to enter summer break.
The entire selection tournament had just finished yesterday, and today was the day of the commendation ceremony.
"Oh, Katana, you should go to the auditorium first."
Touka came in and suddenly remembered something, smiling at Katana.
"Hm...? Okay."
Katana raised her eyebrows in surprise, then nodded calmly.
Before leaving, she glanced at Eiji with a slightly worried look in her eyes.
Could it be that Touka found out?
"Senior sister, did you want to talk to me alone about something?"
After Katana left, Eiji's face remained calm, but inside he was panicking.
"Junior brother, you probably have something to say to me, right?"
Touka sat beside him, staring seriously.
"Hm? What could there be to say?"
Eiji looked confused.
Damn it, did senior sister really find out?
"Still pretending you don't know?"
Touka's face darkened, glaring angrily at him.
"Uh... alright, you got me."
Eiji was speechless but had to admit defeat.
He knew this day would come sooner or later, but never expected it to come so quickly without any chance to prepare—now he could only rely on improvisation!
"It's good that you admit it! Turns out Akaza originally designated me for that, really. Why didn't you tell me earlier? I wouldn't have stopped you…"
Touka nagged at him relentlessly.
"Hm? You mean about that?"
Eiji froze.
"Yeah."
Touka nodded matter-of-factly, then suddenly furrowed her brow.
"Could it be you're hiding something else from me?"
Touka realized things were not so simple.
Lately, Eiji had indeed become mysteriously secretive, disappearing from sight frequently, and whenever asked, he was evasive.
"To be honest, senior sister, there are many things I'm hiding from you!"
Eiji turned serious, deliberately turning to lift Touka's chin, eyes full of affection.
"You probably don't know, but actually, I love you far more than you think!"
"Oh dear, junior brother... How can you say that out loud?"
Touka's face blushed crimson, giving him a coquettish glare.
Though embarrassed, her smile refused to fade.
Such an easy-to-handle senior sister.
In that instant, Eiji recalled what Freya once said.
He couldn't captivate people like Freya because unlike her, he lacked charm in words and behavior—he was more of a troublemaker who knew how to annoy people.
In other words, trying to be romantic in front of a fool just doesn't work.
But if he deliberately acted deeply affectionate, no one could resist.
So maybe… should he learn how host boys do their job?
Such a bold thought flashed in Eiji's mind.
"By the way, junior brother, I actually came here with serious news!"
After a long while, Touka finally snapped out of her junior brother's sweet talk.
"Someone's looking for you!"
"Who? So important that senior sister had to come personally?"
"The branch chief of the League!"
Touka's expression turned very serious.
"That's the father of junior Ikki and the others—Kurogane Itsuki!"
***
The sun was already high in the sky.
The teachers and students of Hagun Academy gathered in the auditorium, ready to present awards to the representative contestants.
Thanks to this, the meeting room in the faculty building was unusually empty, with no one in the hallways.
Kurogane Itsuki stood by the large floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the vast student campus outside, his face unreadable—no hint of joy or anger—making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Knock knock knock!
"Please come in."
As the door opened, a man and a woman entered the meeting room.
"Thank you for your hard work, Toudou-san."
Kurogane Itsuki turned around and looked at the two behind him, his eyes flickering slightly.
Eiji's popularity was very high now.
After the final battle of the selection tournament aired on TV, this brave and clever youth, who valued loyalty, had captured the hearts of the whole nation with his extraordinary charm.
He risked everything for his friends, directly confronted the branch chief, exposed his conspiracy, and with his outstanding strength and charm—not only in appearance but also in character, flawless to the point that anyone who knew him would say you've been tricked.
Kurogane Itsuki had, of course, long known about this young man who had become a nationwide sensation in just a few days, his popularity now overwhelming.
"Please have a seat. This should be our first meeting, Nangou-san."
He gestured for them to sit.
There was no trace of arrogance despite his high position; as the highest commander, he was quite polite.
"What do you want with me?"
Ordinary Blazers might struggle to stand firm before the highest commander, but Eiji showed no courtesy—didn't even greet him—and sat down directly, bluntly asking.
Touka did not sit, instead standing behind her junior brother.
"Thank you for taking care of my son."
Kurogane Itsuki's expression was cold.
A meticulous middle-aged man, his face showed no emotion, as if all feelings had been wiped away—almost like a machine.
"Are you looking for trouble?"
Eiji's eyes darkened.
"Junior brother."
Touka lightly patted his shoulder.
After all, this was the branch chief of the League, a highly esteemed position. Over the years, he had greatly contributed to maintaining domestic order and social stability.
"Why think like that?"
Kurogane Itsuki seemed a little surprised.
He didn't quite understand Eiji's logic, so he asked, though his expression remained cold, giving no sign of confusion or anger.
"Wasn't it you who instructed to slander Ikki?"
Eiji stared intensely at the middle-aged man opposite him.
"You must have some grievances against your son. I cleared Ikki's name—doesn't that bother you?"
If so, then this so-called gratitude is just an excuse to pick a fight.
"I see. Looks like you've misunderstood me a lot."
Kurogane Itsuki closed his eyes briefly, seeming to consider his words carefully.
"It was indeed my instruction to have Akaza deal with Ikki's matters, but I never thought you were a nuisance. Those are two unrelated issues. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for taking care of Ikki."
***
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