newbobooks #155 - Will win
#155 - Will win
When Zunzun confirmed that he and Kurogane Ikki would decide who was the victor of Hagun Academy in the final battle of the selection tournament, the entire academy was completely沸腾 (fèiténg - seething/boiling over).
According to the chairman.
This battle will be broadcast on all social media platforms.
Normally, the school's selection battles wouldn't be known to reporters or the public, but due to this year's seed players being too outstanding, and the board of directors wanting Chairman Kujou Kurono to show results, they 'reluctantly' agreed.
This statement was ambiguous.
After all, when the chairman notified Zunzun, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up. No one would believe she didn't want to show off her strength.
"Nervous?"
"Why would I be?"
"Maybe this will expose your trump card."
"I'm afraid not. Even if my trump card is exposed, my opponent will definitely not have a way to break it. I have that much confidence."
Zunzun's mouth wore a contemptuous smile.
Arrogant.
Anyone who saw this scene would think so, but Kujou Kurono knew that he had the strength to back it up.
She was sincerely grateful that she had made the decision to let Zunzun enroll, despite the opposition.
"Enemies who are defeated by me are never considered opponents. I give them time to catch up, until they can no longer see my back."
Zunzun's declaration was extremely domineering.
The chairman couldn't help but sigh and rub her forehead.
This kid was good in every way, high颜值 (yánzhí - face value/good-looking), strong, and there was no problem with him taking over Toudo Touka's position as president as Hagun's poster child, but his occasional bouts of chuunibyou (中二病 - 'middle school second year disease' - a Japanese term for someone who acts out in childish ways) were unbearable.
Is it really because he's at that age?
Although Zunzun always said that the Crimson Demons were like that, she had never heard of any Crimson Demon rumors.
Besides, what are the Crimson Demons?
Is he teasing her?
Oh well, chuunibyou is fine, compared to the poster children of other academies, chuunibyou is already good. Besides, chuunibyou can be explained as a personality trait, maybe it will be popular.
Her mind was brainstorming.
"More than that."
Zunzun raised his head and looked at Kujou Kurono, saying, "Chairman, you haven't forgotten what you promised, have you?"
"Of course, provided you win the academy championship. But I don't want you to do that, the risk is too great."
"There's no need for the chairman to worry about that, I'm confident."
"...I think your Device skill isn't increasing luck, but making your confidence explode. Are you a honey badger or something?"
At this moment, the phone rang.
From the few scattered sounds, she could barely make out that they were discussing matters related to the final battle. Kujou Kurono waved her hand, and Zunzun understood and walked out of the room.
Arriving at the academy.
His gaze inadvertently fell on the newspaper column.
On it was written [The Academy's Strongest Dark Horse Battle! Weakest Defeated VS Strongest Undefeated! Who is the Real King!]... Such sensational headlines were actually there almost every day, and over time, the students had become immune to them.
But this time was different.
Kurogane Ikki, who was originally not valued in the academy, and even留级 (liújí - repeating a grade) and evaluated as a 'Failed Knight', had unexpectedly become a dark horse after this year's academy system reform, and even defeated the academy's second-ranked Scarlet Princess, Tokiwadai Kana, and strode proudly into the finals.
Zunzun, on the other hand, had never been injured along the way, defeating the swordsman killer from outside the school, and also defeating the school's strongest student council president, Toudo Touka.
It was impossible to say who was more eye-catching, but who was stronger would soon be revealed.
Zunzun was also looking forward to it.
He really wanted to know if Kurogane Ikki's Ittou Shura could break through his defense and injure him.
While he was casually strolling through the campus.
"Zunzun, you're back too late! The cafeteria is going to close soon!".
"...Ikki?"
Zunzun stared blankly at Kurogane Ikki, who was still in the academy. Not only him, Stella, Kurogane Shizuku, and Arisouin Nagi were all together, seemingly waiting for him to have dinner together.
They looked extremely harmonious and friendly.
No, buddy.
Why are you still here?
"Wait a moment. Ikki, hasn't anyone come to you?"
"Who?"
"The committee or something."
"...Huh?"
Kurogane Ikki was confused.
Kurogane Shizuku also asked curiously, "Why would the committee look for brother? He doesn't seem to have done anything wrong, right?"
"No, it's just..."
Zunzun looked at Stella, whose eyes were equally clear and stupid.
The normal process shouldn't be that the affair between Stella and Kurogane Ikki is exposed, and what should have been a scandal eventually turns into a丑闻 (chǒuwén - scandal), and then Kurogane Ikki is taken away by the committee for interrogation, confined for three days, and returns to the arena to start the Ittou Shura competition... Huh?
Where's the scandal?
Zunzun suddenly turned his head.
He looked at the academy's news corner.
There should have been news of the affair between the foreign princess and the Failed Knight, but now it was the news of the Weakest Defeated versus the Strongest Undefeated, and there wasn't even a whisper in the academy, let alone a social uproar.
Wait.
Will Kurogane Ikki be taken away, will he be imprisoned, will he take the drugs, will Ittou Shura be activated?
Where's your promise? Where's your stretcher?
Self-developed!?
Zunzun fell into thought.
Arisouin Nagi stroked his cheek and said, "We just went to see President Toudo, her body has completely recovered, and she should be able to participate in the loser's bracket smoothly. That's great, she will definitely be able to get a spot in the selection tournament."
"That's right, after all, she is the strongest student council president in the Cross-Area. Even I may not be able to break through her strongest domain."
Kurogane Ikki nodded seriously.
Toudo Touka?
Loser's bracket!?
Zunzun suddenly remembered that this year's system has changed!
In previous years, as long as you lost once, you would be completely out of the running for a representative spot.
But this year, due to Zunzun's intervention, the board of directors asked Chairman Kujou Kurono to change the rules.
No luck, completely relying on strength to speak.
The Kurogane family's temporary restriction on Kurogane Ikki was useless, because even if he lost a match, he could completely go to the revival match, and still have a chance to become a representative.
What, you say direct imprisonment?
The original Kurogane family didn't dare to do that, and released Kurogane Ikki at the last moment, so now they wouldn't dare to mess around even more.
In addition, this duel has become a public battle, and everyone's eyes will be focused here. Constantly harassing him will only make others discover the clues, so they simply don't care.
Without the Kurogane family messing around behind the scenes, without those troublesome things happening, Kurogane Ikki is naturally safe and sound.
Zunzun inadvertently resolved this crisis?
What a joke!
Then my Ittou Shura is gone?
Bad!
Now I'm really the final BOSS who's easiest to beat!
Zunzun's expression changed for a moment.
"Zunzun?"
"...You should thank me, Ikki. Because of me, you didn't suffer."
"Oh, oh... Thank you?"
Kurogane Ikki was confused.
But he was really grateful to Zunzun, because he was the first person to become his friend, the first person to train with him, and also the first person to let him see more sword skills scenery.
"Although I don't know what's going on, but as a reward... let's go all out in the final!"
"Oh."
Zunzun nodded listlessly.
He didn't seem very interested.
It wasn't that he looked down on Kurogane Ikki, but after a long time of fighting and training, he knew very well that Kurogane Ikki, with his current strength, couldn't beat him at all, even with Ittou Shura.
Unless he becomes inhuman.
...I misspoke, it's crossing life and death to become an Oni and using Ittou Rasetsu, or using Shadow Trace - Kurogane Ikki's skill to cut off fate.
No, no, no, impossible.
There are only three days left until the final match, and Kurogane Ikki can't master Shadow Trace at all, or rather, he doesn't even have a concept of the 'trace' in Shadow Trace.
"Even so..."
After Zunzun sighed deeply, he looked at Kurogane Ikki seriously and said, "I will use all my strength to let you see the gap between you and me."
"I couldn't ask for more!"
Kurogane Ikki was enthusiastic.
In the next three days, Zunzun didn't go to train.
He stayed with Vice President Misogi Utakata, because their Devices were both causality interference type, so they had a lot in common, and he also learned a lot from her.
And another person...
In the forest square where they usually train, a figure was dancing lightly.
Moonlight lightly sprinkled from the slight gaps between the trees, and in this faint moonlight, the figure waved the blade in his hand, flashing silver light after silver light.
This night was calm.
But the continuous sound of breaking wind cut through the silence of the night, as if telling of the surging waves of tomorrow.
The figure was showing a beautiful sword dance, but his movements quickly stopped.
"Is that Shizuku?"
Kurogane Ikki asked towards the entrance of the square while panting.
There was someone's presence there.
As if responding to his call, a girl appeared from the darkness at the entrance, her silver short hair reflecting in the moonlight, not losing its brilliance even in the night.
Just as Kurogane Ikki guessed, the person who came was his sister, Kurogane Shizuku.
"Still practicing? Brother, you should stop. It will affect tomorrow's duel."
She was talking about the final battle of the selection tournament.
Three days passed in a flash. Students and office workers would definitely lament that three days passed too quickly, but Kurogane Ikki, who wanted to fight Zunzun, always lamented why time was so slow.
Kurogane Ikki had fought Zunzun many times.
But that was training.
He had never had a battle like the selection tournament where he went all out, so he was now so excited that he couldn't sleep. Just like Toudo Touka, he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.
Kurogane Shizuku seemed to see through his heart.
"Is brother already impatient?"
"Ah, how I wish I could fight Zunzun now."
"...Will you win?"
"I will win."
Kurogane Ikki clenched his fists.
He will use his weakest to defeat Zunzun's strongest!