"I wonder if Shirou understood my hint and came to watch my first battle!" Sitting in the waiting room, Stella was not thinking about her upcoming opponent but about Shirou, whom she had only met a few times.
Although they had only met briefly, Shirou had left a deep impression on her heart.
Her first meeting with Shirou was when she accompanied Shizuku to watch her brother's match. (Previously, when they met in the corridor, Stella's attention was on the unusual Shizuku, and she didn't notice Shirou!) At that time, as soon as she saw him, Stella felt as if he had already walked into her heart. His hair, the same color as hers. His swordsmanship, the same style as hers.
His desire for victory, the same as hers. Looking at him, she felt as if she was seeing herself. A more perfect, ideal version of herself. Just looking at him made Stella feel as if the flames within her had grown hotter. Could this be love at first sight? She asked herself. (Though the flames grew hotter due to the blessing of the Fire God Loki!)
She found it hard to accept such a thing; it was only their first meeting, after all. Moreover, her purpose in coming to Japan was not to fall in love and find a husband. She was here to become stronger. So, she suppressed her inner feelings, not going up with Shizuku that day to introduce herself.
When they met again, it was during morning training.
Looking at him, who was gentle with others while chatting and laughing, Stella's heart surged once more.
She wanted to say something, but it ultimately turned into a challenge. And then she completely lost.
However, despite the loss, Stella wasn't overly frustrated. She just hadn't expected Shirou to be able to project others' experiences and see their past.
This made her blush!
This sudden defeat made her realize her own weakness.
She had originally intended to give up on this inexplicable feeling and focus on improving her strength.
But at the mall, faced with the dilemma of being forced to strip, he stepped forward. This undoubtedly moved Stella again. Now, whenever she recalled his cold eyes looking down from upstairs, her heart couldn't help but flutter. Improving her strength could wait. Now, she just wanted to have a sweet romance.
"Will Shirou come?" Thinking back to her impulsive hint that day, Stella couldn't help but hang her head in dejection. She should have been more assertive. If only... Sigh! Stella sighed, feeling hopeless about the prospects.
"Forget it, focus on the match!" The next moment, Stella's expression became serious. She was determined to win this battle.
________________________________________
"Thank you for waiting, everyone! The most anticipated match of the first day of the selection tournament is about to begin! As the absolute protagonist of this battle, the Crimson Princess, Stella Vermillion, is about to make her appearance!"
With the announcer's shouts, amidst the cheers of the crowd, Stella, wearing her Hagun Academy uniform, slowly walked out of the waiting room. Her face was stern, her eyes cold, as if she wanted to freeze everything. Her demeanor was such that even her opponent couldn't help but take a step back.
"Stella, good luck!" Hearing this familiar voice, Stella quickly turned her head. And then she saw Shirou waving at her from the stands.
"Shirou!" Silently uttering his name, the cold aura around Stella instantly vanished, replaced by scorching flames.
"He actually came! He understood my hint! He must care about me deeply!" Embracing these thoughts, Stella's fighting spirit soared. Her surging magical power was completely ignited, turning into ceaseless burning flames.
"Shirou is watching! I must win beautifully!" Secretly setting her goal, Stella summoned her Scarlet Princess' Levatin Sword and loudly declared, "I won't hold back, senpai!"
"Go, Momotani!"
"You'll definitely win in close combat!"
"Show her how strong the upperclassmen are!"
"Loud cheers from the cheering section! Heavy Tank
Momotani! His popularity, ranking among the top ten in the school, is truly no joke!"
"Using his rare armor-type Noble Phantasm, Goliath, he performs gravity tackles, having slammed countless Blazers out of the arena to this day! Will we see Momotani's special move today?!"
Cheers from the cheering section, the announcer's expectations all focused on a burly man nearly six feet three inches tall. Stella's first opponent, Takeshi Momotani. Takeshi Momotani wore armor, layer upon layer of heavy plating. He lowered his body behind the starting line, taking a stance ready to charge at his opponent. But it was merely a stance; he remained motionless at the starting point.
"What's wrong, Momotani? Charge at her like always!"
"That guy even lost to a C-rank. She's a piece of cake for you!"
Friends and classmates rose, cheering loudly, many supporting him. But Takeshi Momotani himself couldn't muster any will to fight.
"How can I possibly win against a monster like that?!" He looked at the infinitely spreading sea of fire before him, his entire body bristling with fear.
A blazing scarlet flame dress enveloped Stella. Flames, with her as the center, spread throughout the entire arena. The Princess Dragon's Breath scattered will-o'-the-wisps, burning the air. This scorching heat, even from a distance of over ten meters, still penetrated his armor. Takeshi Momotani only truly understood Stella's extraordinary presence and the terror of her total magical power when facing her head-on. Fighting someone like her was like leaping into a volcano. Takeshi Momotani couldn't help but think this as he looked at the scene before him.
"Come on, senpai! I will respond to your attacks with my sword. Let me experience your fighting spirit!" Hearing Stella's declaration, Takeshi Momotani couldn't help but smile bitterly. In this situation, how could he have any fighting spirit?! This wasn't Illusion Mode; being burned by flames wouldn't just consume stamina. If he were to be ignited, it would be no laughing matter!
"I surrender!"
"W-w-what?! Momotani-senpai surrendered without even moving a step from the starting line!"
"Wahahaha! What a loser, so embarrassing, but so smart!" Nene Saikyo, the petite teacher in a red kimono sitting at the commentary desk, laughed raucously at Momotani's decision, making a comment that was hard to tell if it was praise or ridicule.
"Smart? What do you mean by that, Saikyo-sensei?"
"Nonsense! How could anyone possibly win against a monster like that?! If someone told you to immolate yourself and die right now, could you do it? Of course not! But to surrender without even moving a step, that's truly lame, ahahahaha!"
"Th-that, Saikyo-sensei, please choose your words carefully!" The female student doing the live broadcast couldn't help but frown and remind her.
"Wahahaha, scary! So terrifying, I should run away quickly!" The female teacher named Nene Saikyo frantically jumped out of the commentary desk and strode away.
"Ah! Please wait, Saikyo-sensei! There are still matches to come. Eh? She ran too fast. Honestly, who called such a person to be a commentator anyway?!"
"What a troublesome teacher!"
Hearing the broadcast nearby, Stella sighed at the announcer's hardship, then put it out of her mind. Instead, she looked towards Shirou, who was sitting in the stands. Prompted by Kagami Kusakabe beside him, Shirou, who had just noticed Stella looking at him, quickly diverted his gaze from his notes and looked at Stella on stage. He hadn't watched any of Stella's duel with Takeshi Momotani. After all, a one-sided crushing match like that was the least interesting! But then he noticed that Stella's gaze seemed a bit off! Why did that look seem so familiar? Had he seen it somewhere before? Shirou secretly pondered.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter