Chapter 139: The Countered Secret Technique!
"Did you really say, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west'? That was so cool, Kurogane-san! You're my idol from now on!"
"Did Kirihara-san really treat you that badly? Don't worry, I've already cut ties with him! Tell me if he bothers you again, and I'll teach him a lesson!"
"Kurogane-san, could I have your autograph?"
After lunch, Ikki was about to leave for his afternoon selection match, but his classmates surrounded him so tightly that he could barely move.
The academy was vast, filled with students who had traveled from all over the world.
Yet it was also small. Any news that circulated for a single morning would soon reach every student.
Kagami's article was long, but it was written so well that Ikki's life story felt like a light novel.
The foreshadowing, development, climax, and satisfying moments had all been arranged perfectly.
After the first person read it, they immediately forwarded it to a friend through their student handbook.
One person became ten, ten became a hundred, and soon it had spread throughout the academy.
Many students had even secretly read it during class.
Naturally, those people received their teachers' loving discipline.
Ikki's popularity within Hagun Academy soared overnight.
"Sorry, my afternoon selection match is about to begin. I need to leave now."
After refusing the twentieth request for an autograph, Ikki fled the cafeteria at top speed.
He had never expected becoming an "idol" to be so exhausting.
Even when he accompanied his father outside as a child, he had never been surrounded by this many people.
Ikki could not bring himself to reject those who approached him with goodwill, so his only choice was to escape.
He even used [Nukiashi], which he had learned from Shiro, to get away.
In short, he regretted everything.
...
Shiro, Stella, and Alice had arrived early at the Ninth Training Field and secured seats in the audience.
Since Ikki had attracted most of the students' attention, the three abandoned him to the crowd and hurried over while good seats were still available.
"Shiro, why are you suddenly interested in watching Shizuku's match?"
Stella reached into the snack bag Shiro was holding, grabbed a handful of potato chips, and began crunching away beside him.
During their previous selection matches, Shiro would merely glance at the opponents shown in their student handbooks before leaving.
He had never bothered to watch their battles.
In his own words—
'What's interesting about watching children get bullied?'
Yet this time, not only had he come in person, but he had also bought plenty of snacks. He was clearly interested in Shizuku's match.
"Hm? You didn't know?"
Shiro slapped away Stella's hand when it began creeping toward the bag again.
"Both contestants in this match are my friends."
Hearing that, Stella followed his gaze toward the screen displaying the competitors above them.
[Lorelei — Kurogane Shizuku]
[VS]
[Raikiri — Toudou Touka]
"Saikyo-sensei, both contestants are highly anticipated B-Rank knights of our academy. Who do you believe will win this battle?"
"Oh my~ Are you asking me to spoil the outcome~? Unfortunately, even I find this match difficult to predict~"
Nene opened her folding fan and concealed her doll-like face.
In truth, if nothing unexpected occurred, she already knew who would win.
As Nene finished speaking, Touka charged toward Shizuku with [Narukami] in hand, transforming into a streak of light wrapped in lightning.
Sizzle—
Shizuku created a barrier of pure water and blocked Touka's dazzling thrust.
The lightning on Touka's blade collided with the water barrier and evaporated part of it, but the slash itself was firmly stopped outside.
However, that alone could not halt Touka's advance.
If one strike could not break through, she only needed to swing more.
The first strike, the second, the tenth, the hundredth—
Nearly a hundred slashes erupted at speeds invisible to the naked eye, leaving Shizuku no time to breathe.
"Toudou-san is Shiro-san's senpai, isn't she?"
Watching the fierce battle onstage, Alice spoke with certainty.
"No. Touka joined later than I did. She may be older, but she's actually my kouhai."
Shiro shook his head.
He had begun learning basic martial arts from Torajirou Nangou as soon as he could move. Touka was the one who joined afterward.
"Wait, then does that mean...?"
A terrifying possibility appeared in Stella's mind.
If Touka was Shiro's kouhai, then she could also use—
"Correct. Touka is the fourth person in this academy capable of using [Nukiashi]."
Sizzle—
At that moment, Touka finally evaporated Shizuku's pure-water barrier completely.
It was like the twilight before dawn, or the silence before a storm.
The moment Shizuku's barrier shattered, both girls saw the unwavering resolve in each other's eyes.
It was the determination to win.
The spectators held their breath, afraid that blinking for even an instant would make them miss the decisive exchange.
In the next moment—
Crackle—!
Thunder tore through the silence of the training field.
Touka's katana pierced Shizuku's chest with lightning speed.
'The sensation is wrong.'
Touka realized it immediately and leaped backward.
The instant she escaped, an enormous ball of ice crashed into the place where she had just stood.
Boom—!
Fragments of ice scattered everywhere.
Shizuku's true body slowly descended from above.
"A-A water clone! Kurogane created a water clone while forming the pure-water barrier, then used the steam to conceal her real body! What incredible control!"
On the battlefield, Touka watched Shizuku before shifting one foot and disappearing from her sight.
[Nukiashi]—a secret technique that used specialized footwork to slip into the opponent's subconscious.
When someone pointed a gun at you, anyone would focus on its dark muzzle.
Who would pay attention to what kind of earrings the gunman wore?
To counter [Nukiashi], one had to control both brain and body, moving freely while defying instinct and natural reflexes.
It was a technique that required years of training to master.
Shizuku's accumulated experience was still far from sufficient.
Behind her, outside her vision, Touka rapidly closed the distance with her katana in hand.
A single ordinary slash would end the match.
Just as every spectator believed Shizuku's journey would end there—
Whoosh—!
An icicle grazed Touka's cheek, leaving behind a shallow cut.
Crimson blood slowly flowed from the wound.
For the first time, surprise appeared on Touka's face.
At the same time, Shizuku's voice reached her ears.
"My apologies, but I've already watched a certain someone use [Nukiashi] countless times."
"If I still hadn't learned how to deal with it, I'd be wasting all the time he spends training us every day."
…
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