You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
When they went to karaoke that evening, Toudou Touka truly realized just how astonishing her Junior Brother's stamina had become.
In the past, when they went singing, her Junior Brother would give up after just a few songs while she, calm and confident, would declare it was no big deal. Now, the situation was completely reversed, Touka was the one getting exhausted and ready to call it a night, while her Junior Brother seemed like he could keep going forever.
"Senior Sister, how's the campus selection tournament going right now?"
After finishing one song, Ryoji finally brought up serious business.
"It's on track, more or less. Nothing unexpected so far." Touka, leaning comfortably in his arms, answered after some thought.
Not only Ryoji, but also others like Kurogane Ikki, Stella, Kurogane Shizuku, and Arisuin Nagi all remained undefeated, each one a strong contender for the championship. Within the Student Council, only Totokubara Kanata had suffered a defeat (at Ryoji's hands once); the others all maintained an unmatched presence.
However, as time went on, these undefeated contestants would inevitably face each other, and some would eventually have to leave the stage in defeat. The Hagun Academy selection tournament had drawn significant attention, with many TV stations purchasing broadcast rights.
"Your physical ability must be at least Rank A now, Junior Brother. That alone will exceed everyone's expectations," Touka analyzed seriously.
At the current rate, it was practically certain that her Junior Brother would be one of the six students selected to represent the school. Unless he faced someone like her or Stella, losing seemed nearly impossible.
Even if he did face them, the outcome would be hard to predict. With his greatly enhanced stamina, he could unleash his special ability far more freely; even she couldn't say for sure she could withstand his full-power strike, Lightning Flint.
For now, it seemed his luck with the tournament brackets wasn't bad, there likely wouldn't be a situation where sibling disciples had to fight each other.
Ryoji, of course, wasn't worried about himself. His strength now was nothing like it used to be. What he was worried about was his Senior Sister.
He had already forgotten most of the Chivalry of a Failed Knight storyline, but he still vaguely remembered the fiery climax of the anime's first season. If he recalled correctly, his Senior Sister... might be eliminated.
That thought filled Ryoji with unease.
"Senior Sister, one more song!"
"Eh? Still not done yet?"
Thanks to his training with Freya, Ryoji now had more than enough confidence in his singing ability. From today onward, no one could ever say he was "too fast" again!
…
The next morning.
"Here."
In a dense forest on campus, Totokubara Kanata handed a sealed envelope to a doll-faced girl.
"No, no, I can't take this! I really did it of my own free will!" Hagure Botan waved her hands frantically, refusing over and over.
"Didn't we already agree on this beforehand?" Kanata, ever the composed rich lady, pushed the envelope into her hands anyway. "You're already a third-year student. Giving up this tournament means you won't get another chance to participate in the next Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. This is compensation for that."
The Festival was held once a year. That meant a student could participate at most three times in their life.
"Really, it's fine! I don't need it!" Hagure Botan's expression was firm and unwavering. "As one of the executives of the Broken Wings Angel-sama Fan Club, being able to help Angel-sama is already my greatest honor! Taking money for it would just make me feel awful!"
"Besides, with my level of ability, I was never really likely to make it into the final six anyway. If we really had fought yesterday, there's no way I would've been Angel-sama's match."
Hagure Botan's strength was actually quite good. As a C-Rank Knight, she was ranked within the top ten students of the academy. But against Ryoji, the man who had even defeated the academy's second-ranked Kanata, she knew full well she had no chance.
Under those circumstances, taking money would only sully her sincere feelings, and she'd lose her pride along with it. Besides, she had already received something far more precious than a million yen, a signed autograph from Angel-sama himself.
"Alright then. If you insist."
Seeing that Botan was firm in her decision, the Kanata Ojou-sama gave up trying to persuade her further. With a bright, satisfied expression, Hagure Botan left the forest path.
"...Sigh."
Watching the doll-faced girl disappear into the distance, Kanata let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh. Over the past month, she had already done this kind of thing more than ten times. Her sigh wasn't because of the money spent, a few million yen meant little to her, but because every time she tried to offer payment, the recipients always found a way to refuse. Out of twelve opponents, she'd only managed to pay three. The remaining nine, without exception, were girls who insisted that accepting money would "taint their devotion to Angel-sama."
…
"...Rustle."
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps pressing down the grass came from behind her. Then, a pair of arms appeared around her waist, making her jolt in surprise. She almost pushed the person away, until a familiar fragrance filled her nose, and she relaxed.
"You scared me half to death."
"Sorry, sorry, I wanted to surprise you."
Ryoji pulled the rich lady into his arms, resting his chin gently on her shoulder. Kanata's figure was tall and elegant; when the two of them embraced, the posture looked completely natural. Combined with her refined grace, the two actually seemed more compatible than Ryoji and Toudou Touka did.
"Thank you, for everything you've done for me." Ryoji turned her around, ducking under the shade of her parasol.
"I've already broken my principles several times for your sake," Kanata said softly, her cheeks tinged with pink. "You think a single kiss is enough to settle that?"
A moment later, her parasol slipped from her hand and fell soundlessly to the grass. She leaned against his chest, one hand covering her lips, the other pressing lightly against him, her emerald eyes glimmered with teasing warmth.
Ryoji froze for a moment. But inwardly, he groaned. His Senior Sister, that "human juicer," had drained him thoroughly last night, he was still sore from it. And on top of that, he'd just finished "reporting in" to Freya before coming back. At this point, crossing the line with Kanata would probably kill him.
"Let's go on a date!"
"Today? What about Touka?"
"Senior Sister's busy with Student Council stuff!"
"And your classes?"
"I'm skipping them!"
"You really are... unbelievable."
(End of Chapter)