To all of Ikki's requests, Haruki Aizawa gave the same answer every time: a ft refusal.

  Ikki was deeply perplexed. He even began to suspect that Haruki was afraid his sword techniques might be "stolen" by Ikki's Bde Steal, so he went as far as promising not to use the ability during their match.

  In response, Haruki had to crify. It wasn't out of fear that he refused to cross bdes with Ikki.

  The true reason was that Haruki didn't want to "break" Ikki's sword.

  True swordsmen cannot simply duel on a whim. A "sword" is a rigid, uncompromising thing; a swordsman's technique is built entirely upon an absolute, unwavering confidence in themselves. If that "sword" is shattered in a duel—if that confidence is utterly crushed— the consequences are often catastrophic. At best, their conviction crumbles, making it hard to continue; at worst, they lose the ability to swing a bde entirely, forever losing their status as a warrior.

  Haruki had gained the inspiration for his Bloodlust path from Ikki's Ittou Shura. In his mind, he owed the boy a debt of gratitude. Even if Ikki himself was unaware of it, Haruki felt a sense of responsibility toward him.

  Whether for Ikki's own sake or to repay that hidden favor, he would not point his bde at the boy without cause.

  But if the day ever came where Ikki possessed a conviction that Haruki truly acknowledged—or if fate forced them into a situation where they had to fight—then a csh between them would be inevitable.

  The day of the Hagun Academy entrance ceremony finally arrived.

  After finishing his usual morning routine, Haruki headed toward the main school building. Ikki Kurogane and Stel Vermillion followed him like a pair of subordinates, walking right at his side.

  "Why are you two still following me?" Haruki asked, gncing back.

  "Well, Haruki-kun, we're in the same css," Ikki expined with a helpless smile. "We're all students in Css 1-1..."

  "Me too," Stel added, her expression suggesting she wasn't thrilled about it but had no choice.

  "Fine." Since they were cssmates, it made sense they were taking the same path.

  The trio entered the building and immediately saw the notices regarding the ceremony posted at the entrance.

  "The entrance ceremony... it's finally here," Ikki muttered, looking sentimental. He had many bitter memories at Hagun, but those were in the past. Now, he only had the resolve to become a true Magic Knight.

  "You seem excited."

  "Because after a whole year, I'm finally going to see my sister," Ikki said warmly.

  "Sister?"

  "Yes. She's the daughter the Kurogane family actually cares about, and she's a freshman this year. I haven't heard a word from her since I left home four years ago. Just the thought of seeing her again makes me happy."

  Haruki detected a hint of deep-seated family trauma in Ikki's tone. It reminded him slightly of Sakiko back home, though Ikki's situation seemed rooted in a very different kind of conflict.

  "Freshmen! Congratutions on your official enrollment!"

  Inside the Css 1-1 cssroom, a female teacher with long grey hair named Yuri Oreki addressed the students. Much of her speech was standard fluff, so Haruki tuned it out and began his mental meditation.

  He only snapped back to attention when a specific keyword hit his ears: Seven Star Sword Art Festival.

  "I have an announcement regarding this year's representative selection matches for the Seven Star Sword Art Festival," Oreki-sensei said. "Please take out your Student Handbooks."

  Haruki pulled out his ID card. Though called a "handbook," it was actually a sophisticated digital device simir to a high-end smartphone, capable of everything from receiving official notices to mobile payments. Now, Haruki's profile included a new tab beled "Selection Matches."

  Oreki-sensei continued, "Until st year, representatives were chosen based on their evaluated ranks and ability scores. However, starting this year, that system is abolished. We are moving to a Real-Combat Selection System open to the entire student body."

  "Simply put: every student will be assigned opponents for duels. Winners advance, losers drop out. The final six standing will be our representatives for the festival."

  "Schedules and opponent assignments will be sent to your Handbooks periodically. You must arrive at the designated venue on the specified date. Failure to show up will result in an automatic forfeit. Please stay alert."

  The cssroom erupted. Some students were thrilled, while others looked annoyed.

  "Sensei, how many matches are we talking about?" one student asked.

  "I can't reveal the full bracket yet, but expect at least ten matches. You'll have a duel roughly every three days."

  This news drew a wave of groans. Not everyone wanted to participate; many students knew their limits and felt that a mandatory tournament was a waste of time.

  Haruki felt indifferent toward the rules. He only cared about his actual opponents. Since he didn't know who he was fighting yet, he closed his eyes and sank back into his world of swordsmanship.

  After css, Haruki intended to head straight to the training grounds, but a commotion broke out around Ikki.

  It turned out that after his duel with Stel, Ikki had become an overnight celebrity. Word that a "Rank F" had defeated an "A-Rank Princess" had spread like wildfire. Many students looked at him with admiration, but just as many looked at him with btant hostility or envy.

  The moment css ended, students from other rooms swarmed him—some asking for advice, others demanding duels to prove he was a fluke.

  Seeing Ikki's predicament, Haruki was gd he hadn't fought Stel in public. Had he drawn that kind of attention, his training time would have vanished.

  "To the training grounds," Haruki muttered, slipping out of the cssroom unnoticed.

  He arrived at the academy's facilities and began practicing his Wave techniques. Currently, while he had mastered his physical bdework, the supernatural branches—Wave, Ghost Power, and Bloodlust—were still in their infancy.

  Ghost Power required harvesting spirits, which were rare in this world. Bloodlust was too destructive to use in a public facility. That left Wave as his primary focus.

  Through constant refinement, Haruki's mastery over resonance was growing. He could now perceive the vibrations of his surroundings with his eyes closed and use those vibrations to strike. His earlier feat of shattering Stel's fmes was just the tip of the iceberg. He wanted to find the limit of what a "Wave" could do.

  As he was deep in practice, he noticed a girl entering the training area. She had short silver hair and wore the Hagun freshman uniform. She didn't look like she was there to train; she was scanning the room as if searching for someone.

  The moment her eyes nded on Haruki, they lit up. She walked straight toward him.

  "And you are?" Haruki asked, lowering his practice bde.

  "My name is Shizuku Kurogane," the girl said, her voice formal but sharp. "Are you the Haruki Aizawa my brother keeps talking about?"

  "Brother? You're Ikki Kurogane's sister?"

  Haruki recalled Ikki mentioning his sister's enrollment that morning. Looking at her, he could see the family resembnce—particurly in the shape of her eyes. However, Shizuku possessed an air of confidence and presence that Ikki often cked. It reinforced Haruki's suspicion that their status within the Kurogane family was worlds apart.

  "Why are you looking for me?" Haruki asked.

  "I want to duel you!" Shizuku said bluntly.

  "A duel?"

  "That's right. I want to defeat you and prove that the person my brother praises so highly is nothing special!" Shizuku's eyes burned with resolve.

  As a daughter of the Kurogane family, Shizuku had always been close to Ikki. She admired and loved him with a devotion that bordered on obsession. She had defied her family to enroll at Hagun just to be near him.

  But when she finally reunited with her brother, she found that his every other sentence was about "Haruki." Over the past few days, Ikki had become a vocal admirer of Haruki Aizawa. Even though Haruki refused to spar with him, Ikki's observations of Haruki's training and physical discipline had convinced him that the transfer student was a peerless warrior.

  To Shizuku, her brother was the strongest person in the world. She knew better than anyone the blood and sweat Ikki had poured into his craft. She refused to let his efforts be overshadowed by some newcomer. She had come to "expose" Haruki and restore her brother's position as the top priority in Ikki's own mind.

  "If you want to fight, I don't mind," Haruki said calmly.

  "You're... just going to agree?" Shizuku blinked, caught off guard.

  Based on what she'd heard from Ikki, Haruki was usually indifferent to challenges. He had turned down Stel and refused Ikki. She had expected to have to goad him into it.

  But Haruki's attitude was simpler than people thought. He didn't mind fighting; he just didn't want to get dragged into meaningless drama. He hadn't fought Stel because he didn't want the Chairperson's eyes on him at the time. Sparring with a freshman in an empty training hall was different. It was just more training.

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