I think it's time to start a new route… I wonder which one I should pick?
As I drifted through my thoughts, reading the descriptions of each girl in the game, one of them caught my attention.
With an incredible design, long black hair, a gaze that sent shivers down my spine, and an intimidating yet impressive aura—Eliza, the "tough" type character who knows martial arts and terrifies the strongest guys in school with her superhuman strength and cold, threatening eyes.
Although this kind of character is fascinating, I believe they only exist in fiction. After all, finding a girl capable of defeating men is such a difficult mission that the only place one could start looking would be the professional world.
It would be impossible to find a 17-year-old girl who could defeat a man trained in martial arts. That's perfectly natural, considering our biological differences—testosterone production, bone structure, and the roles each gender has played throughout our evolution.
That's why I find it amusing that this stereotype exists in fiction, though I suppose it's also understandable. There are some women out there scarier than some men, giving off the impression of being stronger.
Anyway, I think I've gone off-topic—it's time to start this route!
For a little over five hours, Shido kept playing through the route.
I really underestimated this one… Not because it was hard to pick the right affection options—actually, that was the least of my problems. The route was packed with mini-games: fighting matches, soccer, basketball, volleyball—you name it.
I know this game is currently the most popular in its genre, and I can see why. Each route feels unique and original, but… was it really necessary to add so many mini-games?
It was pretty easy to guess the right choices since if you failed a mini-game, the correct option would appear grayed out while the others just lowered the affection level. Basically, it forced you to score nearly perfectly to advance.
– These mini-games are really tough, and some feel like they were intentionally made bad just to increase the difficulty. I guess I'll stop for today and continue tomorrow
The next day, after breakfast, I headed to school, and as soon as I entered the classroom, I noticed a different atmosphere than usual.
– Mashiba, what's going on? Why does everyone look so excited?
"Didn't you hear? A new student's joining today! Some people saw her already—they say she's a total beauty from head to toe!"
The only thing that could cause this level of excitement was, without a doubt, a beauty. After all, our class didn't have anyone particularly striking compared to the other sections, which always had someone famous for their looks. I wonder what she's like.
Soon enough, I found out when our teacher told us to take our seats to welcome the new student.
Everyone watched as she walked through the door. She was fairly tall for a girl—around 1.70 meters, I'd guess—and had a stunning figure. Her long, flowing purple hair framed a beautiful face… though her eyes were another story entirely.
They say the eyes are the window to the soul. Usually, that's just a poetic phrase, but if it were true, the only thing I saw in hers was—power.
I can't quite explain it, but her crimson-red eyes seemed to glow, awakening the spirit of a fierce warrior. I once trained with some of the world's best fighters. I learned from them, studied their eyes—German, American, Russian, Latin American, and more. Each had their own kind of intensity.
That's why I couldn't mistake it—she was the same… or worse. Her gaze radiated fear, commanded respect, and challenged anyone who dared approach her.
♤ My name is Sena Kurogane, and I only respect those I consider strong. That's all.
Kurogane… where have I heard that before?
She wrote her name on the board as she spoke, then walked to her seat—right next to mine, by the back window.
Despite her beauty, the entire class avoided her eyes, looking down in fear. That's when I remembered the name Kurogane...
There was once a man so strong he could supposedly kill lions barehanded. His name was Igor Dragovich[1] but no one believed it. Everyone thought it was impossible for a human to beat a lion without weapons. To expose him as a fraud, a world-class fight promoter arranged a match against the reigning heavyweight champion, a man who had defended his title ten times—the only one Igor ever agreed to face.
Igor once said he'd only fight someone who had defended the heavyweight title at least ten times. Anything less, he called "certain death." But here's where myth turns to legend—why would a world-class promoter organize a fight just to please what seemed like a lunatic? That's the mystery. No one knows. Neither the champion nor anyone else dared oppose the idea.
From that day on, every fighter who dreamed of being the strongest defended their title relentlessly, hoping to reach those ten defenses—for the chance to face that man.
Normally, I'd think it was just a tall tale—if it weren't for the fact that it was told to me by a world champion who had already defended his title seven times. He used to say he couldn't wait to reach ten, just to face Igor.
Now that I think about it, maybe the reason I didn't look away from her gaze was because I'd already seen men who gave off a similar aura...
♤ Hey
– Eh? –I replied dumbly, caught off guard.
♤ What's your name?
– My name? Uh… It's Shido. Kurosaki Shido.
♤ Shido… I'll remember that.
Ehh?! What was that? Why did she ask for my name? Does she think I'm strong or something? Sure, I didn't flinch under her gaze, but that doesn't mean I'm strong…
The class continued, though the entire room was still tense. Even the teacher stammered while speaking, but no one mentioned it the whole time.
It wasn't until Sena left the room after class that everyone finally relaxed.
– Hey, Mashiba, are you okay? You look kinda shaken.
"Uh… I don't know. When I looked into her eyes, I felt this… massive pressure on me. Didn't you feel it too?"
– To be honest, I don't know why everyone reacted like that. I just thought she looked serious—but really cute.
"Ah, yeah, now that you mention it, she was really cute. Heh." –He tried to hide his fear by laughing it off, changing his mood.
– Well, I think I'll go grab lunch at the cafeteria. See you later!
"Okay, see ya!"
I hurried out of the classroom to look for Sena, because if my suspicions were right, then there was a high chance… Sena Kurogane was Igor Dragovich's daughter.
[1] Also named Igor Kurogane.