"Hmph, of course. Father and Mother would never be the type to act unreasonably."
Stella brushed back the strands of hair at her temples.
Her aura once again shifted back into one of heroic vigor as she extended her hand and clasped Makoto's.
"Then this lady shall condescend to share the same dorm room with you. However, even if we're to live in the same room, we'll need to agree on some basic rules first."
The two hands met briefly, then parted.
"Of course. To be precise, I ought to return to the dormitory with you right now, Miss Stella, so we can discuss this matter. However, ever since the battle began, it seems there has been someone waiting for me. I wonder if Miss Stella could return to the dorm first and wait a while. Once I've finished dealing with this, I'll return immediately."
As he spoke, Harumura Makoto extended his hand, pointing eastward toward the stands.
Stella followed his finger and looked.
It was a small, petite loli-like figure—but dressed like a traditional Yamato nadeshiko, with long, jet-black hair cascading to her waist. She wore a kimono patterned with cherry blossoms, over which was draped a vivid crimson haori.
The little girl stood at the edge of the wall, lightly fanning herself with an iron fan.
From the looks of it, she truly had been waiting for Makoto.
"That's Yasha-hime?"
Unlike Harumura Makoto, who knew nothing and had simply arrived at this academy, Stella, as the princess of the Kingdom of Vermillion, had done her research before coming.
Of course she was aware that the current KOK League contestant ranked third in the world, Yasha-hime, was also here at this academy.
"That's right. So please, Stella, head back to the dorm first. I'll finish things here and return right away."
"…Alright."
Once she confirmed that what Makoto said was genuine—and also considering that if a teacher had sought him out, it must be for something important—Stella did not press further.
"But since we're roommates now, just call me Stella. No need for 'Miss.'"
"That just feels too distant."
At that, Makoto shrugged, the smile on his face becoming a touch more genuine.
"In that case, Stella, just call me Makoto as well. That's what my friends and family call me."
He agreed readily, and Stella's mood seemed to brighten. With a pleased nod, she said cheerfully:
"Then Makoto, I'll head back first."
Stella departed.
The audience in the stands also began to leave one after another.
After all, to them, witnessing a duel between two A-rank knights in person was already enough to serve as a thrilling story to share with their classmates and friends.
Beside the training hall, in the park—after receiving that subtle signal from the legal-loli—Harumura Makoto came here and was now sitting on a bench.
"Well, well, you caught my hint, didn't you, little one?"
A ghostly presence suddenly appeared behind Makoto, whispering in a hushed tone.
The unique fragrance of a young girl, mingled with the scent of alcohol, instantly invaded Makoto's nose.
His hairs stood on end.
"To think the famed Yasha-hime could move with such speed… I must admit, I'm astonished."
Turning around, Makoto met the eyes of the loli who had now risen to his level and sat beside him, as though she had materialized out of thin air like a silent ghost.
No sound of footsteps, no sign of movement—she had simply appeared behind him.
"Interested in my speed, are you? This is a footwork technique called Nukiashi(Trackless Step)."
Nene swayed like a drunken courtesan, her steps unsteady, yet in an instant she vanished from behind Makoto—only to collapse directly into his arms, pressing her delicate, supple body against his while letting out a coquettish murmur.
"Nukiashi?"
Makoto was instantly captivated by her words, forgetting for a moment that she was brazenly taking liberties with him.
"That's right. It's an ancient martial footwork technique. By combining a special breathing method with unique steps, one shifts their very presence into the opponent's subconscious—slipping past their perception entirely."
Snap—
Her iron fan suddenly flicked open.
Still curled up in Makoto's arms, Nene squirmed as if seeking a more comfortable spot.
"You see, humans are not machines. They can't consciously register everything they see and hear. Even if the senses perceive it, the brain can't analyze every detail. If people really processed every single bit of input from their eyes and ears, their brains would immediately overload. To protect itself, the brain automatically filters out low-priority information—discarding recognition of unimportant details to lighten the load."
She waved her iron fan lazily, her tabi-wrapped feet tapping rhythmically against the ground.
"For example, people see stones by the roadside, but subconsciously ignore them. The same with weeds, wildflowers… Nukiashi is built upon this phenomenon. By rendering one's presence harmless and slipping into the opponent's subconscious, one bypasses recognition entirely. Even if they see you clearly, they won't register you—allowing you to approach silently to a lethal distance. So you see, my speed isn't quite as fast as you imagined."
She extended a finger as slender as boneless jade, teasing Makoto's chest while exhaling seductively into his ear.
Amazing.
Just from her explanation, Makoto could already sense how dangerous and extraordinary this footwork was.
In some ways, this technique was even more valuable than raw speed.
After all, pure speed could still be countered.
But a method that bypassed perception? Makoto had no idea how he could even respond.
"Well then, boy—interested in learning it?"
Her tone was teasing, as she twisted about in his arms, utterly unlike a teacher.
But Makoto seized her collar and tossed her aside, frowning at her.
"Are you being serious?"
Even though Makoto had never trained in ancient martial arts, he still knew enough to understand: techniques this powerful were usually closely-guarded secrets of a school.
No way someone would just hand it over to a stranger—let alone to someone whose origins were murky.
"Of course I'm serious."
Thrown aside, Nene showed no anger. Instead, she smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed to slits.
"If I cared about such things, I wouldn't have vouched for you alongside Kuu-chan. And the speed with which you just grabbed my collar only proves me right, Makoto-chan."
Once again she leaned close, and despite Makoto's guard being up, she somehow slipped into his range again.
"Makoto-chan, you have excellent talent."
The legal-loli laughed softly, mischief gleaming in her eyes. She sized him up from head to toe, her tongue slipping out to moisten her parched, rosy lips.
"And most importantly—your face is rather handsome. Not exactly the mature beauty I prefer, but your refined, boyish looks? I like those too."
"…I thought the rumors about Yasha-hime's scandals were just media fabrications. But it seems they were all true."
Makoto had researched her beforehand, since she had helped provide proof of his identity.
But what he found online was nothing but gossip:
—"Acts recklessly!"—"Frequents the garden of youth!"—"Often flirts with young boys!"
At first, Makoto assumed it was all tabloid sensationalism.
But seeing her now—it was clearly all real.
"Well, a lovely boy in his youth mustn't go to waste."
This time, Nene did not press against him. Instead, she sat down on one side of the bench and patted the space beside her.
"Rather than dwell on that, I think you must have noticed your own problem during the fight with Stella."
Makoto frowned slightly, then sat down next to her, nodding.
"You're talking about my lack of control over my own power?"
Of course he had realized that much.
But what could he do? He'd only had this ability for less than two days. To have developed it to this degree already felt impressive enough to him.
"Exactly. Not just poor development of your ability—your magic control is also very crude."
She folded her fan and tapped him lightly on the chest with its tip.
"You tried to cut through the princess's defense earlier, but failed, didn't you? So you switched tactics, feinting by placing your blade at her throat."
Her playful smile was matched with eyes sharp enough to pierce through everything.
"You actually saw that? As expected of the world's number three."
Makoto's technique, Shigure no-Kei, stopped time in a localized area—like a personal domain.
Inside, time stood still, but outside it continued as normal.
Ordinarily, those outside couldn't perceive what happened inside.
Yet somehow, Nene had managed it.
"Well, I did put in a little effort."
She stuck her tongue out playfully.
"Anyway, back to your problem. You couldn't break through her defense."
"Please elaborate."
Makoto straightened his posture, listening intently.
After all, this was directly relevant to his strength—and advice from the world's third-ranked knight was far better than fumbling about alone.
"Stella's magical defense is indeed formidable. Breaking it isn't easy. But that shouldn't be a problem for someone ranked A. That's only an issue for those D-rank failures."
Seemingly bored, Nene yawned lightly.
"Most D-rankers are rated that low because they simply lack magic. They can't properly coat their Device in mana, so their attacks never reach full power. With such weak strikes, of course they can't pierce Stella's defense. But—"
Her fan once again pointed at Makoto.
"Why couldn't you, an A-rank with such vast magic, break through? The reason is your magic control is far too wasteful. Direct attacks channeled straight from your body are fine. But whenever you try to wrap your weapon in magic, you bleed power like crazy. If you could properly coat your blade in mana, or reinforce your bullets with magic, you'd eliminate a huge amount of waste."
She poured out her words like beans spilling from a sack.
Yes—she was right.
That was exactly what Shinomiya Kuro did—she rarely used grand abilities, relying instead on magic-boosted bullets and acceleration.
After all, time-space techniques were monstrously mana-intensive.
If you didn't end the fight quickly, you'd just end up exhausting yourself.
"So, Yasha-hime… are you saying you intend to teach me?"
"Of course. That was my intention from the start."
She shrugged and hopped lightly off the bench, landing gracefully.
"Whether it's Nukiashi or mana reinforcement… But the training process may be a little rough. You'd best be prepared."