Let's rewind to the morning. After receiving a long-awaited message from the Kurogane family, Ikki returned home with a restless heart. Passing through the familiar lands and buildings, Ikki finally saw his father, Kurone Gen, again. There, the two talked a lot. About Shizuku's problems, and also about Ikki's own problems.
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"You seem to be doing quite well."
"W-what do you mean?"
"I'm talking about Hagun's selection battles this year. I heard your record so far is sixteen wins and zero losses."
"
Ah, yes, a total of sixteen consecutive wins."
"Your opponents don't seem to be only weak ones, impressive."
"Huh?" What did that last sentence mean? He couldn't be, praising him, could he?
"What do I do, I'm so happy!" At this moment, Ikki finally confirmed it. He was indeed very happy. He could still face his father like this. He could still hear his father's voice like this. That's right, Ikki still loved Kurone Gen. No matter how much a child is scolded or unacknowledged by their parents, a child cannot hate their parents. Even if parents dislike a child, the child can only admire their parents. Ikki was no exception.
Ikki knew very well that many of the difficulties he had encountered were related to his father. But, even so. His father came to see him. His father spoke to him. All of this made Ikki incredibly excited. So, Ikki thought to himself. "If that's really the case." If it was his current self, different from his past self, perhaps this person would be willing to acknowledge him.
'Since you can't do anything anyway, then don't do anything at all.' Ten years ago, Kurone Gen only said these words. But would he give him a different answer now? Ikki thought of this and took the initiative to speak:
"T-that, Dad."
"What is it?"
"Um, I, I'm working very hard now. Although my rank is still F-rank, I've still won against strong opponents, and I don't plan on losing from now on either."
"I'm no longer the useless me from before. I've trained desperately, and I feel like I've become very strong, and I will absolutely not become a disgrace to the Kurogane family. So, so."
Nervousness made Ikki's throat tremble, and he quietly, almost like a gasp, took a deep breath. "If, if I can win the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival, then, will you acknowledge me?" Ikki squeezed out his last drop of courage, begging his father, Kurone Gen. Kurone Gen, in response, silently gazed at Ikki.
"I see." Then he closed his eyes.
"I never understood why you left my side. But now, I finally understand. You thought 'it's because I'm too weak that I can't get acknowledgment,' didn't you?"
"Yes!" Ikki nodded. Although it was only one of the reasons he ran away from home, he genuinely thought that. So, if that was truly the case, he had already become stronger. If it's my current self, then surely.
"Then you are completely mistaken. I naturally acknowledge you as my son."
"Huh!?" Ikki's eyes widened, and he stood dumbfounded.
He had absolutely not expected his father to say such words. What did his father just say? He acknowledged him?
"Y-you're lying!"
"I am not lying, otherwise I wouldn't have gone out of my way to see you."
"But, but. Dad never did anything for me! You never taught me how to use a Blazer's ability, even the children of the branch family received martial arts guidance, but I got nothing!" That's right, Ikki still remembered all of it. He stayed in that home, suffering to the point of almost suffocating. Kurone Gen isolated Ikki from various things, and others, seeing Kurone Gen's ways, also joined in bullying Ikki as "the master's disliked object." This pain, this anguish, this loneliness! Just thinking back, Ikki's heart clenched. So Ikki couldn't help but ask for a clear answer.
"If you acknowledged me, why didn't you treat me like other children!" Kurone Gen showed no expression whatsoever.
"Because there was no need, so I didn't teach, that's all. A person without talent can only learn mediocre skills, which is a waste of time for both the teacher and the learner." Kurone Gen replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "If it were just a waste of time, that would be fine. The worst part is like you now, getting results with mediocre strength."
"!?"
"W-what do you mean?" Ikki couldn't understand the words he heard and asked back. Kurone Gen slowly closed his eyes, then in that low voice, heavy as lead, he slowly articulated the meaning of his words:
"The Kurogane family has a long history. Since the era when Magic Knights were called 'Samurai,' the Kurogane family has been leading Japan's Blazers. Our responsibility is to organize all the Blazers in this country. But gathering knights into a group and making them work together wholeheartedly is a very difficult task.
Because each of these knights possesses superhuman strength. If everyone possesses overly powerful strength, it's impossible to treat them like ordinary people. And to house these people in a 'system' requires 'hierarchy.' Establishing this public and obvious order of 'hierarchy,' and assigning appropriate ranks to individual strengths, allows everyone to realize their proper role, thereby maintaining the harmony of the organization.
An organization is made up of gears of different sizes. Each gear has a suitable task, and they must act appropriately for the organization to function correctly. From the upper ranks to the lower, each has its proper duties. If the lower ranks despise the upper ranks, presuming 'I am superior to them,' then the lower ranks will act deviantly from their duties, which is absolutely unacceptable.
Therefore, Ikki, people like you only poison the organization. Someone who was supposed to 'be unable to do anything' 'forced out results,' causing the lower ranks to maintain unrealistic delusions, believing they too can achieve great things. As this delusion grows stronger in their hearts, their actions will deviate from the path. And most of their actions will only cause unnecessary consumption for themselves as gears, or for the organization itself.
Rank is certainly not absolute, but in most cases, it is quite accurate, and examples that overturn rank itself are too rare. We must avoid such unnecessary consumption. That's why I told you, 'Since you can't do anything anyway, then don't do anything at all.'"
Kurone Gen's words were unusually cold. Kurone Gen's actions certainly stemmed from a certain ideology. For the first time today, Ikki witnessed firsthand and thoroughly understood Kurone Gen as a person. To fulfill the duty passed down through generations of the Kurogane family, he himself became living discipline, imposing unshakeable iron rules upon himself and others.
This was his father, the Magic Knight known as 'Iron
Blood.'
But.
"W-wait a minute!" But this was truly.
"So, Father didn't tell me not to do anything because I would become a disgrace to the family?"
"Of course not, the family itself isn't important at all. The Kurogane family's duty is to protect this country, to guard the peace among knights. And for that purpose, even those who can't do anything have their due responsibilities! Ikki, since you wish for my acknowledgment, then give up the path of a knight now."
"!?"
"Since you can't do anything anyway, then don't do anything at all. From past to present, this is the only thing I've ever expected of you." Ikki heard these words and finally confirmed that his father's words were serious. But this truth was truly difficult for Ikki to accept. Because.
"What does this person truly see me as?" His father truly never disliked him. But perhaps, if it was just because his talent couldn't meet his expectations that he was scorned, Ikki might have felt a little better. Because that would mean Kurone Gen held at least some expectations for him. However, reality was not like that. Kurone Gen held no expectations or emotions whatsoever for Ikki.
"This is truly too humiliating!" The issue was no longer whether Kurone Gen disliked him. To him, he was simply like a roadside stone. Whether it was goodwill or malice, he didn't even bother to harbor emotions; he considered it foolish. To Kurone Gen, Ikki was such an existence. Ikki knew and confirmed this fact, and a desolate sorrow instantly enveloped his entire body. This was truly too pathetic!
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