"Hey, Noah, have you heard of him?" Stella whispered to the boy beside her.
After all, seeing Ikki get so excited, the man might be a big shot in this country.
If she said outright that she had never heard of him, she might be seen as arrogant.
She knew of the famous figures in this island nation, like Samurai Ryoma and the War God, as well as the Yasha Princess and the World Clock.
But as for the Last Samurai, she had never heard of the title or the name Kaito Ayatsuji.
Noah didn't care and stated bluntly, "Never heard of him."
"Hey...!"
Stella fell silent.
She had asked him quietly, but Noah clearly had no intention of giving the senpai any respect.
He really is too blunt!
Noah's single sentence changed the expressions of the people present.
Ayase Ayatsuji, in particular, showed an angry expression.
Ikki noticed the souring atmosphere and explained, "Ah, you two are from overseas, so it's normal not to know him. Kaito-san isn't a Blazer. He's an ordinary person."
"Eh? Is that so?" Stella was surprised.
Blazers are much stronger than ordinary people.
Even the weakest Blazer is beyond an ordinary person to mess with, those slightly stronger can crush conventional firearms and ignore armored defenses.
No matter how formidable an ordinary person is, it's impossible for them to dodge bullets or cut through steel with a sword.
For a 100kg adult man, no matter how much he trains his grip strength—using Kendo as an example—the attack power of his swing fundamentally depends on his shoulders and wrists, supplemented by the correct posture and a good sword.
This is the absolute limit of a swordsman.
Since there's no way to shatter rocks, there's no way to split waterfalls.
And if this level of attack hits a magical defense, it wouldn't inflict any damage and would only injure the attacker.
Someone who has the talent for the sword but isn't a Blazer?
That is a cruel joke fate played on that man.
"Kaito-san is an incredible genius swordsman. I've admired him since I was a child. In fact, I even went to challenge him once, but I was kicked out because I was too young..." Ikki exposed a piece of his own dark history with some embarrassment.
At this moment, Ayase understood.
This person respects her father, perhaps even more than she does.
"Kurogane-kun, you actually did something like that? I feel like I've heard my father mention it before, hahaha." Ayase covered her mouth and laughed.
When she first stood up, almost everyone thought she was a bit gloomy.
Her thick bangs covered her eyes, she kept her head down, and she slouched slightly. She was obviously beautiful, but gave off a very plain and earthy vibe.
Now, with this smile, she became much more attractive.
Seeing Ikki staring at her blankly was enough to prove this point.
"Onii-sama!"
Shizuku hugged Ikki's arm with a dark face and pulled him back a few steps.
Ayase turned her face away, her cheeks flushed.
To ease the tension, Ikki cracked a joke.
"Well, I was just thinking, now that I've grown up, if I go challenge him again, Kaito-san shouldn't be able to use the same excuse to reject me, right? Hahaha."
As soon as he said this, the expression on Ayase's face froze. Her eyes dimmed, she clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth.
Seeing her hateful look, Ikki thought he had taken the joke too far and apologized.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Senpai. I was being arrogant. I didn't mean to look down on Kaito-san swordsmanship, I just wanted to learn a thing or two..."
"No."
Ayase fell silent for a moment before calming down.
She replied, "No, I don't mind that much, Kurogane-kun. It's just that my father has no way to respond to your feelings."
"What! Did something happen to Kaito-san?"
"About that... Actually, my father had an accident during a previous duel. He's still in the hospital and hasn't regained consciousness," Ayase said with a face full of sorrow.
Besides sorrow, one could feel a trace of leaking killing intent within it.
She took deep breaths, trying to calm the complex emotions in her heart.
"Enough, stop talking about your family matters. Isn't it about time you confessed why you were stalking my brother?!" Shizuku demanded.
"..."
"I... yes, sorry."
"Don't apologize, hurry up and tell the truth. Are you targeting my brother's chastity! Speak!"
"Pfft—!"
Stella spat out a mouthful of juice.
Is this topic really that explosive? Is this something she can listen to for free?
Noah silently picked up a tissue and helped wipe her mouth, causing her a burst of embarassement as her face turning red.
But at the same time, he turned his gaze toward the upperclassman.
"No, it's not like that!" The upperclassman waved her hands in panic.
She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and blurted out, "Actually, I just want Kurogane-kun to teach me swordsmanship!"
If it were normal times, she would retort.
But since her father fell, there was no one left who could guide her.
Thinking back now, her father always said, "I'm not a Blazer, all I can teach you is swordsmanship."
In those words, besides his love, one could feel a father's heartache.
"Eh? Senpai, you want to learn swordsmanship from me?" Ikki was surprised, and glanced at Noah, who remained unmoved.
Ayase nodded.
Her eyes sparkled as she said, "I watched every single one of your matches, Kurogane-kun, including the one before school started. I admire the way you win using only swordsmanship!"
Perhaps because both were swordsmen, she felt a strong resonance with him.
"What's there to admire about someone like me..."
"No! Just looking at the change in your title shows it. Many people have bright eyes. You shook off the title of 'Worst One' with just a sword, and won the title of 'Another One'. In my eyes, you are a knight worthy of respect!"
Worst One.
That was Ikki's past stain.
Worst, because he's failing exams and repeating a year.
Worst One was the derogatory nickname others gave to Ikki, who was always at the bottom of his grade.
But today, this title is a thing of the past.
The new title has been proven by Ikki with his own strength.
No longer the Worst One, but Another One.