The conference room door slammed shut with a bang.
Until his departure, Kurogane Itsuki remained silent, simply watching as he disappeared from sight.
"My junior was a bit agitated. I hope you won't hold it against him, Branch Chief."
Touka bowed slightly to Kurogane Itsuki, apologizing on Eiji's behalf.
"However, I can understand his feelings. He must be saddened by the relationship between you and Ikki."
But then, Touka abruptly shifted her tone.
She didn't seem to find Eiji's words inappropriate at all—her bow was merely for his abrupt departure, which had been discourteous.
"What do you mean?"
Kurogane Itsuki withdrew his gaze from the door and turned to Touka, his eyes filled with inquiry.
"Junior is an orphan," Touka replied solemnly.
Kurogane Itsuki froze for a moment before falling into thought.
"He treasures the people around him deeply. If someone close to him and a stranger were tied to railroad tracks, he wouldn't hesitate to save the one he cares about."
"He has no family, so he values the concept of family all the more, believing that the bonds between family members are the most precious things in the world. That's why he can't comprehend your choice to abandon your family for the sake of maintaining order."
Because he had no family, he cherished those around him even more.
Naturally, he would feel deep disgust toward someone who discarded their family.
What made it even harder for him to accept was that Kurogane Itsuki had once possessed such bonds—only to cast them aside himself.
That's right.
From the very beginning, the person Eiji truly despised wasn't Akaza. That guy was nothing more than a clown.
After his schemes were exposed, he was stripped of his Blazer qualifications by the League headquarters for abusing his authority and misconduct, landing him in prison two days ago.
The one Eiji truly loathed was Kurogane Itsuki.
A man who had something Eiji considered invaluable—yet chose to throw it away.
Was order important?
Of course it was. But compared to family, it meant nothing.
That was Eiji's belief.
And so, he and Kurogane Itsuki could never see eye to eye.
"By the way, I'm also an orphan," Touka added with a faint smile.
"So I understand Junior's perspective, but I can't grasp yours, Branch Chief."
In a way, Touka and Eiji were like kindred spirits, drawing warmth and understanding from each other.
That was the fundamental reason their bond was so strong.
Soon after, Touka left as well.
Only Kurogane Itsuki remained in the conference room, lost in thought for a long time.
***
In the auditorium.
Shortly after the two arrived, the award ceremony officially began.
Eiji, Toudou Touka, Kurogane Ikki, Kurogane Shizuku, and Stella took the stage one after another to receive their medals.
"After deliberation, Toudou Touka has been appointed as the leader of the Hagun Academy delegation for this year."
With those words, Kurono handed the flag symbolizing Hagun Academy to Touka.
This meant that all matters concerning Hagun Academy during the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival would be handled by her.
Touka had been the delegation leader the previous year, so she was already well-practiced—a key reason Kurono chose her.
"Where's Alice?"
Ikki glanced around but didn't see the last member of their group.
"He took the day off today."
Kurogane Shizuku whispered the explanation to him.
As the six representatives were officially decided, prolonged applause echoed through the auditorium.
These six individuals represented the top six strongest students of Hagun Academy this year, and would carry the school's hopes for victory in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival.
Meanwhile...
Several kilometers away from Hagun Academy, on a highway.
The slender and tall beautiful youth, Arisuin Nagi, walked alone down the road. At one point, he took out his phone.
"Hello, is this the Black Assasin?"
"The target has been decided—it's at Hagun Academy where you're undercover! You'd better cooperate fully with this mission. Don't disappoint me, hehe!"
"I understand."
Arisuin Nagi hung up the phone.
All traces of his usual playful demeanor vanished, leaving only utter coldness in his eyes.
***
Time passed, reaching mid-July.
The rainy season ended as summer arrived, with white cumulonimbus clouds hanging in the sky.
Hagun Academy's first semester concluded amidst the busy selection matches, and the long-awaited summer vacation finally began.
Most students returned to their hometowns during this period. That said, they all knew the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival would be held in August, eagerly anticipating this year's fierce competition while brimming with confidence in their school's representatives.
A minority of students remained on campus, either to enjoy the conveniences of city life or to train using the school's facilities.
However, Eiji and the other festival representatives didn't fall into either category.
For major tournaments like this, intensive training camps were always held beforehand—especially crucial for Blazers, whose profession revolved around combat.
The Seven Stars Sword Art Festival was a nationally televised event, with broadcasters and reporters attending. Rumor had it the broadcasting rights in previous years had sold for over a billion yen!
Originally, Hagun Academy's training camp this year was supposed to be held in the Okutama mountains.
Unfortunately, the recent attack by the Puppeteer had changed things.
Being targeted by an enemy who could strike from hundreds of kilometers away only bred unease—there might still be surveillance remaining in Okutama. Thus, Kurono Shinguuji made last-minute adjustments.
This year, Hagun Academy would conduct joint training with Kyomon Academy at a training facility in Yamagata.
In other words—a combined training camp.
"Haah!"
The spacious arena, designed for mock battles, was paved with heat-resistant materials.
Unrestrained by concerns of damaging the grounds, Stella fully unleashed her scorching flames, pushing waves of fire toward the girl opposite her.
Yet beneath the surge of golden lightning, the flames couldn't reach their target.
Indeed.
This was a mock battle between Stella and Touka.
The princess from the small Nordic nation of Vermillion had come to Japan seeking greater heights of strength, only to discover that even tiny Hagun Academy housed extraordinary talents.
Determined to grow stronger, Stella had set her sights on surpassing Touka.
She secretly vowed to surpass the academy's strongest student during this seven-day joint training camp!
Boom!
The crimson flames and golden lightning clashed relentlessly, filling the arena with deafening roars and scorching heat that made training impossible for others.
"Amazing! As expected of the Crimson Princess—she's actually evenly matched with Raikiri!"
At the edge of the field, several people excitedly recorded the scene with their cameras.
***
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