Chapter 129: A Challenge to Battle!
"Hey, Kuraudo, why'd you suddenly wander off?"
"Come on, we were about to play games."
"Eh? Isn't that Ayase? Long time no see."
"Couldn't beat him yourself, so now you're bringing backup? How pathetic."
More than a dozen people dressed like delinquents followed behind Kuraudo.
From their words, Shiro learned they were also among those occupying the Ayatsuji family's dojo.
"Not bad, Ayase. You hooked quite a few big fish for me this time."
Kuraudo looked at Ikki with great interest.
"Wha—! Let me make this clear. This is between the two of us. They have nothing to do with it!"
Ayase stood in front of Shiro and the others, watching Kuraudo warily.
She had already caused her father to end up in the hospital. She did not want to drag Shiro and the others into this too.
"Ahahaha! Don't say that. These guys are swordsmen too, right? The moment someone becomes a swordsman, they're already involved with me!"
Kuraudo's gaze passed over Ayase and swept freely across Shiro's group.
"Hey! Why did a bastard like you steal someone else's dojo?!"
Stella could no longer endure his arrogant face and jumped forward to question him.
"Hah? Why? I just wanted to show off."
"Show off...?"
"That's right! I wanted to show off my strength and my power! Whenever someone catches my eye, I make sure to show them exactly what I can do!"
Kuraudo bared his shark-like teeth and laughed loudly.
The sensation of trampling others with his power brought him immense pleasure.
What he loved most was fighting swordsmen to the death. The tension of crossing blades and the feeling of every hair standing on end were things no one else could offer him.
That was why, from the beginning, his attention had settled on Ikki, who seemed to have walked the furthest along the path of the sword among this group.
"Hey, black-haired guy! Fight me tomorrow!"
Kuraudo pointed at Ikki and shouted.
"I refuse. I have no reason to fight you."
"Hah? A reason to fight? You can make as many of those as you want."
With that, Kuraudo threw a punch at Ikki's face.
This was his usual method of provocation. Once the other person fought back, the incident could be treated as a mutual brawl.
For student knights raised in a protected environment, a criminal record was no small matter.
Smack—
However, Kuraudo's arm was caught in midair.
The one gripping it was the white-haired man he had ignored earlier.
"Never thought I'd misjudge someone. You're actually the strongest one here, aren't you?"
Until now, Kuraudo had not sensed the slightest fluctuation of presence from Shiro.
There were only two possibilities.
Either Shiro was an utterly ordinary person, or he was so powerful that he could completely restrain his presence without letting even a trace leak out.
After discovering an unexpected powerhouse, Kuraudo's eyes lit up as though he had found new prey.
Had they not been standing in a public street, he might already have drawn his sword and attacked.
He pulled his arm free and looked heatedly at Shiro.
"I changed my mind. If you don't want the Ayatsuji dojo demolished in the middle of the night, come fight me tomorrow evening."
After defeating Kaito, Kuraudo had obtained ownership of the dojo from Ayase.
Even if he returned now and ordered his followers to tear the place down, she could do nothing to stop him.
Kuraudo had intended to preserve it so Ayase would continue challenging him.
However, the moment he saw Shiro, he changed his mind.
Simply being watched by Shiro made him feel as if the blood in his body could no longer flow.
He might only encounter an opponent of this level once in his entire life, so he had no intention of letting this chance slip away.
After saying that, Kuraudo left with the dozen delinquents behind him, leaving Stella stomping her feet in anger.
"Damn that bastard! If there weren't so many people around, I would've taught him a lesson!"
"I'm truly sorry. I dragged you into this after all."
Ayase approached Shiro and quietly apologized.
"You don't need to accept Kuraudo's provocation. I'll find some way to deal with the dojo myself."
She understood Kuraudo's personality very well.
Once he set his sights on someone, he would keep causing trouble by any means necessary unless that person fought him as demanded.
Thinking that she had involved yet another person, Ayase lowered her head, her mood sinking.
"It's all right. Shiro is very strong."
Shizuku comforted her.
"Exactly. There's no way someone like Kuraudo can beat Shiro. Besides, we're already friends, aren't we?"
Stella nodded in agreement.
Everyone's gaze then turned toward Shiro.
He spread his hands and answered helplessly,
"He challenged me to my face. It isn't my style to let that go unanswered."
"Besides, judging from what you said, even if I don't go tomorrow, Kuraudo will just find some way to annoy me every day, right?"
"Everyone..."
Since Kaito became vegetative, Ayase had not felt this kind of warmth in a long time.
Her pretty face flushed faintly, and tears gathered in her eyes.
"Save your thanks until after Ayatsuji Kaito-san is cured. For now, take us to the hospital."
"Yes!"
Ayase accepted the tissue Shizuku handed her, wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and answered loudly.
...
Following Ayase, the group arrived at the hospital.
They took the elevator to the fifth floor, passed through a long corridor, and stopped before a private room.
When the door opened, the air carried a mixture of disinfectant and various medicines.
At the center of the room, an elderly man with graying temples lay on a white hospital bed.
His condition was visibly terrible.
Both cheeks were deeply sunken, and his arms were as thin as withered branches.
Several IV bags hung beside him, containing nutrient solutions and other medicines that barely maintained his body's basic functions.
"Has Ayatsuji Kaito-san's condition already become this bad...?"
Ikki spoke with sorrow.
He possessed the skill known as [Perfect Vision], allowing him to easily understand another person's physical condition.
In his eyes, Kaito already had one foot beyond death's door.
Unless they brought in an internationally renowned healer, an ordinary person could do nothing for someone in this state.
His childhood idol and a master swordsman had been reduced to this, still tormented by illness even while unconscious.
It was a deeply sorrowful sight.
…
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