svetikya #147 - You're hurting my eyes.
#147 - You're hurting my eyes.
As they stepped out of the pool, the sky was gradually tinged with twilight.
Feeling hungry, the four decided to have dinner in town before returning to the dorms.
They randomly chose a family restaurant.
Zunzun ordered steak, Kurogane Ikki had udon noodles, and Ayatsuji Ayase chose a salmon set meal.
As for Stella…
She ordered a four-person set meal and three steaks, and might even order a few desserts after the meal.
“F-Famelion-san, your appetite is really quite large…”
“It can’t be helped. If I don’t eat this much, my body won’t listen to me.”
“You eat so much, yet your figure is so slender… I can’t accept it.”
Ayatsuji Ayase was somewhat distraught.
Even Stella was aware that she was a glutton, and her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, but she continued to eat. She chewed heartily on the calorie-laden dinner.
“It’s okay, Ayatsuji-senpai, haven’t you heard the saying?”
“What?”
“If you don’t mention it, it’s zero calories!”
Zunzun also chewed on his steak with large bites.
No, no, no.
That’s not how it works, right?
Kurogane Ikki wanted to retort, but he knew that if he opened his mouth, it might embarrass Stella, so he chose to silently focus on eating.
Ayatsuji Ayase watched Stella devour her food and couldn't help but laugh. “I feel like Famelion-san doesn’t resemble a princess at all.”
“What kind of princess is a glutton?”
Zunzun added fuel to the fire.
“…Hey! If you have something to say, just say it!”
Stella chewed on the steak, looking as if she was gnawing on someone’s flesh.
Ayatsuji Ayase quickly waved her hand and said, “I’m not saying anything bad about you, I just think you’re approachable, and the way you eat is no different from us.”
“Of course, I’ve also learned table manners, but this place isn’t suitable for that kind of occasion, is it?”
Stella looked around.
It was dinner time, and the family restaurant was packed with people.
The clattering of cutlery and dishes, the footsteps of staff and customers walking around, the parents with children and the children’s cries, and the students who didn't care about others’ laughter and chatter.
The surroundings were filled with noise.
If one were to dine elegantly in such a place, they would only be regarded as a weirdo and pointed at.
“Whether it’s table manners or swordsmanship, you must be able to use them freely according to the time and place to truly master the skill. That’s right, just like Famelion Royal Swordsmanship!”
Stella glared sharply at Zunzun.
Clearly, she was still dwelling on the matter of her swordsmanship being mocked at the swimming pool.
She thought she would be countered, but Zunzun seemed to not have heard it, and ate his steak by himself. This made Stella even more depressed, and in a fit of anger, she ordered three more plates of steak.
“Hahaha… I’m really ashamed.”
Ayatsuji Ayase laughed heartily. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so happy.
That’s right, since her father was hospitalized…
“Haha, that’s really something. I was thinking this face looked familiar, and sure enough, it’s Ayase.”
Suddenly, a rough male voice rang out.
In that instant, Ayatsuji Ayase’s eyes widened in surprise, and her originally cheerful expression instantly changed.
In front of her was a man.
About 180 centimeters tall, with dyed hair, and even with sunglasses, he couldn’t hide his menacing sanpaku eyes.
The unbuttoned shirt revealed a skull tattoo on his chest, and the skull seemed to be sneering, putting pressure on the surrounding customers. Whether it was the staff or the customers, they all dodged away.
“I was wondering why I haven’t seen you lately, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Haha, what a strange combination.”
“Isn’t this Ayase? Long time no see~”
“Hey, Zangetsu is talking to you, are you pretending not to see him? You’ve gotten arrogant, huh!?”
Following the skull man, about ten young men who looked like hooligans gathered around Zunzun's table, making a ruckus.
They seemed to know Ayatsuji Ayase.
But Ayatsuji Ayase never dared to look at that group of people, only lowering her head… biting her lower lip, as if enduring something.
This scene already explained everything.
Zunzun paused with the knife and fork in his hands, and slowly said, “I’m saying, you guys, don’t act tough in front of me, you’re hurting my eyes.”
“What the hell are you?!”
“Say another stupid word, and I’ll kill you!”
The lackeys began to provoke Zunzun who was sitting inside, but Zunzun never even glanced at them from beginning to end, and instead focused on the steak in front of him.
Kurogane Ikki knew it was his turn to step in.
“I’m sorry, you’re causing trouble for my companions, could you please leave?”
Even though it was a polite request, he was facing a group of hooligans, and he was also subjected to insults and provocations.
But Kurogane Ikki also ignored these people, he only needed to face one person—the skull man named Zangetsu.
Then, the skull man looked at him playfully and asked a strange question.
“…You’re a swordsman, aren’t you.”
“Can you tell?”
“Ha, I noticed it without realizing it, because you guys have a unique aura.”
The skull man said.
At the same time, he reached out and grabbed a beer bottle and a glass from the next table, poured the beer into the glass and slid it in front of Kurogane Ikki.
“Buddy, sorry to bother you guys’ meal. I saw a familiar face, so I couldn’t help but strike up a conversation with you guys. This represents a little of my apology, accept it.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Although he wanted to retort that this wasn’t your beer, it was better not to provoke him at this time.
Kurogane Ikki judged as such, and reached out to pick up the glass on the table.
At this moment.
The skull man suddenly raised the beer bottle and swung it forcefully at the back of Kurogane Ikki’s head. With a “smash,” the beer bottle shattered and scattered everywhere.
Kurogane Ikki, having been struck so violently, collapsed onto the table.
“Ikki!”
“Kurogane-kun!”
Stella and Ayatsuji Ayase exclaimed.
The skull man casually tossed away the broken beer bottle, licked his tongue, and provoked, “I like beating you swordsman brats into unrecognizable shapes the most, let’s have a fight! Take out your Device!”
He took out a nodachi.
The blade was serrated, pure white throughout but without any metallic luster, like bone.
It looked familiar.
It looked like Abarai Renji’s Zabimaru.
And the crimson-colored jacket that this skull man was wearing was the uniform of the same knight school located in Tokyo—the Vorpal Academy.
Clearly, he was also a Blazer.
“You bastard—!”
Stella stood up abruptly, her hair beginning to emit sparks of phosphorescence due to her anger.
“Stop, Stella.”
Kurogane Ikki grabbed her hand that was about to summon her Noble Art: “There’s no need to make a scene, he just accidentally slipped his hand.”
“W-What are you saying!?”
“I just got a little hurt on the head, and my clothes got wet, it’s not a big deal.”
At this time, a stream of blood slowly dripped from Kurogane Ikki’s head.
This made it seem even more absurd.
Being provoked, picked on, and even injured, wasn’t he going to fight back? Stella didn’t say it, but her eyes revealed this thought.
Kurogane Ikki was equally helpless.
Bringing out a Device in a place like this, or even causing a free-for-all, isn't something that can be resolved with just a suspension. Stella would definitely be expelled, which is why she tried to stop it.
But this was instead met with ridicule.
“Hahaha—”
“Hey, hey, really? He can still laugh after being hit in the head!”
“Even if he's scared, isn't that a bit too undignified?”
Temporarily avoiding the situation was mistaken for cowardice, as if he didn't dare to meet the strong man's eyes.
But Ikki Kurogane still didn't react, only wearing a faint wry smile, intending to let the matter pass.
The skull-faced man suddenly spat on his face.
“You!”
Stella's anger rose again, but Ikki Kurogane restrained her even more forcefully.
Even now, Ikki remained calm and composed. Seeing his attitude, the skull-faced man revealed a bored expression.
“Ha! Utterly boring. Fighting with such a coward would only lower my standards. Hey, let's get out of here.”
He turned and walked out of the store.
“Bye-bye, coward~”
“You're too lucky. Kurashiki isn't interested in bullying weaklings.”
The followers mocked.
Originally, they should have left as well, but suddenly a bald man saw Toudou inside.
That's not right.
Just now, the kid outside was being humiliated, but the one inside was acting like a quail. How could that be allowed?
Especially after he saw Toudou's appearance, he had thoughts he shouldn't have.
“Hey, you guys…”
“What?”
“That one!”
The bald man pointed at Toudou, not saying a word, but the other small-time thugs immediately understood what he meant.
After looking at each other, they all saw the evil desire in each other's eyes.
“Hey, kid, even though Kurashiki isn't going to bother with you, we didn't say we'd let you off.”
“That's right, that's right.”
“But it's not impossible to let you off, as long as you lend us this guy to play with. Don't worry, we'll send him back to you tomorrow morning. Hehehe…”
A bunch of brainless idiots.
Perhaps in their eyes, because the skull-faced man provoked Ikki Kurogane and he didn't dare to retort, he was obviously a cowardly man without any balls. So, snatching someone away would be easy.
The bald man couldn't wait to reach out.
Just her profile already made his heart flutter. If he saw her face—
“Uh…!”
He saw a face that could stop his heart.
But the bald man felt that his heart stopping wasn't because of her appearance, but because of her slightly glowing crimson eyes.
Just being glanced at made him feel a sense of impending doom, a chill ran through his body, and he withdrew his hand with lingering fear as if he had been electrocuted.
“Hey, why are you chickening out?”
“I, I…”
Under the urging of his companions, the bald man woke up from his dream-like state and shuddered, opening his mouth but saying nothing, his face panicked as he staggered out of the restaurant.
“Hey! …What's wrong with this guy?”
“Tch, forget it, let's go too.”
The remaining two hurriedly chased after him.
What happened?
Ikki Kurogane and the others were completely bewildered.
Stella said angrily, “Ikki, you actually let that bastard do as he pleased. You deliberately didn't dodge that beer bottle just now, didn't you? What were you thinking?”
“If I dodged, I might have angered them. I couldn't let them cause trouble here, could I?”
“That's true… but even without his Device, Ikki could beat those small-time thugs to a pulp, right?”
“That's hard to say.”
“What do you mean?”
“The man in the middle with the skull tattoo is quite strong. I probably couldn't win against him empty-handed.”
Ikki Kurogane was so humble.
At this moment—
“That's right, just as you thought. After all, he was in the top eight of last year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival.”
“!?”
A young man with an unusually cheerful tone suddenly interrupted their conversation.
Ikki Kurogane and Stella revealed expressions of shock at the same time, because the owner of the voice suddenly appeared in front of them. He didn't make any noise, and they couldn't even feel any presence. It was as if a movie being played was suddenly switched to another film.
The newcomer had messy, dark silver hair and dull gold eyes. He was petite and looked like an elementary school student.
It was the Student Council Vice President.
Utakata Misogi said with a smile, “Haha, you guys are really unlucky to be entangled by him. That guy is the Swordsman Killer, Kurashiki Jin, the trump card of the Goryuu Academy. He's a mad dog. No matter who the target is, anyone targeted will be bitten and covered in wounds.”
“Hehehe… indeed.”
Accompanied by an overly obvious presence, another actor entered the stage.
This was a tall woman.
Even though she was in the store, she was wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat and holding a parasol.
Although her eyes were covered by the brim of the hat, from the contours of her chin and the beautiful waves depicted by her gorgeous golden hair, one could imagine how proper and beautiful the face under the brim of the hat was.
However, the others were facing a formidable enemy.
Because although her attire was a pure white bell-shaped dress, like a noblewoman, the overly rich fragrance of blood lingered at the tips of their noses, and no amount of perfume could cover up this smell.
The Student Council Secretary, Kidehara Kanata.
The second-ranked Knight in Hagun Academy, known as the Scarlet Lady.
She whispered softly, “If you guys also started causing trouble, I would have to suppress everyone here.”
“However, someone might have already been punished.” Utakata Misogi looked out the window through the transparent glass of the family restaurant.
On the street, a dump truck was rushing towards the bald man from just now.
Although it was hard to see clearly because of the lights, one could still see a figure being thrown more than ten meters away like a torn rag, falling heavily to the ground.
The street was in chaos, with screams and wails rising and falling.
“Wow—, that's terrible.”
“I didn't use my Device, though.”
“I understand, the bottoming-out rebound mechanism, right?”
“Vice President, you really understand.”
“Hehe, I understand very well!”
The two smiled knowingly. Unlike the fake smile with a mask just now, Utakata Misogi was now smiling very sincerely. Toudou really suited his taste.
After that, Utakata Misogi showed off a little.
He healed Ikki Kurogane's wound and left with Kidehara Kanata.
Seeing the two leave, Ikki Kurogane looked at the setting sun shining through the window and the disastrous car accident scene, and couldn't help but sigh.
This night was truly like the Witching Hour.
But what made him even more concerned was Ayatsuji Ayase's reaction just now, that appearance was as if—
Ding ding ding!
Before he could ask, the student handbook sent a message, and it was to both him and Ayatsuji Ayase, and a very bad premonition arose in his heart.
Opening it, he saw.
[Ikki Kurogane's thirteenth selection battle opponent has been officially decided. The opponent is third-year student Ayatsuji Ayase]
Seriously, the timing is too bad.