"Huff, huff, huff!"
In the small forest path, the clang of swords was no longer heard. All that remained was the heavy breathing of the two combatants, still poised for battle. Shirou and Ikki Kurogane were both drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked, and even the ground was damp. But even though they were utterly exhausted, their eyes still gleamed brightly, burning with fighting spirit.
The onlookers' eyes were no longer filled with shock, only numbness. Looking up at the bright sky, they had only one thought: What kind of monsters were these two? Yes, dawn had broken. The battle, which began in the dead of night, had continued until daybreak.
The fierce clash between the two had not yet yielded a victor. The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger. Some spectators had even gone back to catch some sleep and returned, but the battle was still ongoing. Such a prolonged fight made everyone around them's scalp tingle. Was this the deathmatch of swordsmen?
Terrifying, truly terrifying!
On the field, Shirou and Ikki Kurogane, with only each other in their eyes, were about to charge again when the voice of the Director, Kuraono Shinguji, suddenly rang out. "Are you two planning to skip class today?"
Interrupted by the sudden voice, the two, withdrawing from their state of absorption, finally noticed the massive crowd surrounding them. At this moment, the thought of fleeing flashed simultaneously in both Shirou's and Ikki Kurogane's minds. Fleeing might be shameful, but it was often effective.
However, they were restrained by Kuraono Shinguji, who appeared beside them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Well done, Emiya, Kurogane!"
"Come on, first, take a look at your masterpiece!"
Under the Director's urging, the two looked at their surroundings. Trees and trash cans severed in half. Seats shattered into several pieces. The ground was riddled with potholes. Looking at their joint masterpiece, Shirou quickly explained, "Director, Ikki and I were just practicing our swordsmanship!"
"That's right, we were just practicing swordsmanship!" Ikki Kurogane also quickly explained; he certainly didn't want to be accused of engaging in a private duel.
"Practicing swordsmanship?" Hearing their explanation, Kuraono Shinguji's eye twitched continuously. Your idea of practicing swordsmanship ends up like this?! Kuraono Shinguji truly wanted to give each of these guys a gun and just shoot them. But considering their strength and the upcoming Seven Stars Sword Art Festival
representative selection, she forcefully suppressed her anger and said, "Let's assume you were practicing. But you'll still have to pay for the damage to public
property."
"I'll pay for this loss!" Hearing Kuraono Shinguji's words, Shizuku Kurogane immediately stepped out from the crowd and shouted loudly.
"Fine, as long as the compensation is paid!" With that, Kuraono Shinguji turned to leave, but before she did, she loudly declared, "All of you, disperse and go catch up on sleep! I will not approve any leave requests for today's classes!"
"Eh! How can she do that?!"
"I already wrote my leave request!"
"Mine was already handed to the teacher!"
Hearing Kuraono Shinguji's command, all the students couldn't help but groan. After all, they had also stayed up all night to watch this match! As Kuraono Shinguji departed, the surrounding onlookers also gradually left. However, many students remained in the vicinity.
"Brother!"
"Emiya-kun!"
Ikki Kurogane was embraced by Shizuku Kurogane, and Shirou was surrounded by the female students in their class. As for Stella, who had come with Shizuku Kurogane, she stood on the periphery, looking a bit helpless. She really wanted to communicate with these two powerful knights, but the current situation made it impossible for her to interject.
Looking at the somewhat anxious Stella, Arisuin Nagi, who was nearby, smiled and advised, "Don't worry, Ikki Kurogane and Shizuku are siblings. You'll have plenty of opportunities to get to know them later." Hearing Arisuin Nagi's comfort, Stella finally calmed down.
"Thank you, Alice!"
"Don't mention it, we're good friends!"
"That's right!"
________________________________________
"Ah, I feel so miserable!" Squashed in the middle of a group of girls, the exhausted Shirou was extremely helpless.
"Everyone, calm down!" Quickly comforting the girls around him, Shirou said with a smile, "I'm all sweaty right now, so please don't stand so close."
"I think you all have been here for quite some time. Take this chance to quickly go back and catch up on sleep and wash up."
"Lack of rest will make your skin rough!" Hearing Shirou's comforting words, everyone finally remembered that Shirou had also not rested for a day. And he had fought such an intense battle yesterday, so he must be very tired right now. Thus, persuaded by their own peers, they finally released Shirou. Then, Shirou left the scene with Ikki Kurogane, who seemed somewhat flustered by his sister's enthusiasm. As the two left, the surrounding girls were still discussing how thoughtful Shirou was.
________________________________________
"You're quite the smooth talker! You just wanted to go back and rest yourself."
"Please call that emotional intelligence, alright? You make it sound like I deceived their feelings."
"Didn't you?"
"Of course not!"
And so, the two who had left returned to their dormitory, chatting along the way. After this battle, their relationship grew even closer. After all, for swordsmen, there's nothing that helps them understand each other better than crossing swords. After this exchange, Ikki Kurogane believed that the man before him was a very
good friend.
"Don't call me Kurogane, just call me Ikki!"
"Then you can call me Shirou too!"
Thus, after a sparring match, the two, who were merely roommates, became close friends.
"By the way, as close friends, can you delete the video of me and Shizuku?"
"The video?"
"That's right!"
"Of course I can't delete it!" Holding up his student handbook, Shirou shook his arm and said with a smile,
"This is the beginning of our friendship, practically a symbol of our friendship!"
Looking at the mischievous smile on Shirou's face, Ikki
Kurogane's face turned ashen.
"May this world be destroyed!"
________________________________________
Thanks to Shirou and Ikki Kurogane's duel, most of the students at Hagun Academy slept through class that day.
The teachers, for their part, did not make things difficult for them. If it weren't for the Director's orders, they themselves would have wanted to take a leave of absence. After all, it wasn't just students who came to watch yesterday's match; many teachers were there too.
However, as professional knights, for these teachers, staying up all night was not an unbearable thing.
In fact, Shirou and Ikki Kurogane, the instigators, were currently listening intently to the knowledge being imparted by their teachers. And around them, a large number of their classmates were slumped over, catching up on sleep.
And as soon as class ended, Shirou and Ikki Kurogane would tacitly rest their heads on their desks. This was not because they were too sleepy, but to avoid their classmates' incessant questions. Yesterday's match had made the two stars of Hagun Academy.
Since arriving in class in the morning, the two had been constantly surrounded by classmates, asking all sorts of questions. It's worth noting that this time, Ikki Kurogane's brilliance was finally no longer overshadowed by Shirou. He too was now among the ranks of those surrounded by female classmates. This was also why he mimicked Shirou's habit of sleeping after class.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter