Editing Kenshin no Keishousha:Volume 1 Chapter1

==Chapter 1 - The Sword Academy==

Tokyo Swordia————

Formerly this city was known as the Tokyo metropolis, but currently in the 21st century, the otherworldly Swordies have ruled over the city since the Great War seventy years ago.

Tokyo Swordia was divided into two regions. In other words, the Swordies resided within the Specialized Central Region while humans inhabited the Outer Human Region.

Being the dominant social class, the Specialized Central Region where all the Swordies lived controlled all political and economic functions. To everyone else in the world, they had the most elegant districts. In contrast, the Outer Human Region felt quite unbalanced with the quality among the districts being starkly different.

It was already past ten in the evening, yet it was quite rambunctious on this particular bustling street in the Outer Human Region which had rows upon rows of bars lined up for construction.

Slightly away from the ruckus within the corner of this region sits an old-fashioned hotel.

Located underneath the hotel was a parking garage. Parked within its depths was a van with its engine running and the shadows of multiple figures gathered around the vehicle. There were five of them in total, and all of them were wearing what appeared to be white robes. 

One of the members, who was currently breathing heavily, appears to have been wounded. Although medical aid was being received from a friend, it seems the bleeding could not be stopped.

"Looks like I’ve already caught up."

For some reason, these words startled the others as they turned towards the sound of the approaching footsteps.

These robe wearing people all reacted in unison, directing their gaze towards the figure that showed up. 

"If you want to escape you should be giving it everything you have, not dilly-dallying around in this sort of place."

A young teenager wearing a red long coat appeared within the parking garage.

From the opening in the front of the long coat, one could see that the somewhat short teenager possessed a slender figure.

Along with his disheveled black hair, there remained a childish facial complexion. However, under the fringe of his hair, his eyes carried an exceptionally sharp expression.

"Well, if you guys were to scatter in disarray you would all be interrogated. That said, you guys also killed four police officers which is quite unacceptable to be honest. You bastards, I'm pretty strict when it comes to losing my comrades. I will keep on pursuing you all even if you were to run to the ends of the earth."

"Are you one of the Sabers?"

One of the robed members shouted in a sharp tone. Unwavered, the teenager wryly smiled in response.

"As you can see."

The teenager————Kurou, pointed to the silver sword insignia on his long coat with his index finger.

The so-called Sabers were Tokyo Swordia's public security force. They were a separate entity from the police force.

"I'd appreciate it if you guys would allow me to make a peaceful arrest. However, if there is any resistance————"

Kurou placed his hand on the hilt of the katana strapped to his waist. Just by looking at its composition, one could tell it was definitely not an ornament or a counterfeit. Instead, it was a thoroughly used and authentic blade.

"This is the end for all of you, followers of the sun."

Even without inquiring, Kurou already knew their true identity.

The so-called Sun Cult was just as its name indicated. The religious organization was comprised of followers who worshipped the teachings of the sun.

In the last couple of years, these thugs would frequently engage in terrorist activities. The number of victims from these terrorist activities have already reached triple digits. These Sabers, who were part of the public security force, have made the Sun Cult their number one priority.

Because the van of the Sun Cult followers arrived at a police checkpoint tonight, they decided to forcefully break through. During their escape, they killed four police officers and are currently still fleeing.

Since the Sabers sent out a dispatch request, Kurou, being a member, caught up to them here.

"Hey——, what is this, it hasn't started yet? Fortunately I leisurely walked over here."

Unexpectedly, an extremely clear voice sounded.

Behind Kurou came another guy that entered the parking garage. He too kept a sword by his waist and also wore the exact same long coat marked with the silver insignia.

"Are you an idiot? You’re currently on the job, you better get over here quickly Lars."

"Yeah yeah, you're so stringent as usual Kurou."

He elatedly smiled. Lars was also a member of the Sabers.

Within the Sabers, he and Kurou worked together as a pair. Although he was about five centimeters taller than the short-statured Kurou, his face also seems to have retained a puerile complexion. In fact, he was only a teenager who was fifteen years of age. 

His appearance was well-kept and his hair was practically white. However, he claims the color was “platinum”.

Even though Lars followed an alternate path when chasing the criminals, the two pretty much found them at the same time.

"Despite being Sabers, there are only two of you against the five of us! We have complete control here!"

One of the cultists, who was tending to a comrade of his, spoke up in an acute voice. In response, the other cultists all whipped out their katanas.

In Japan, it was to be expected that ordinary people were prohibited from carrying firearms. In fact, the Sabers, police, and even the military's main weaponry was the sword. Likewise, the weapons of the terrorists were no exception.

It was very hard to see clearly into the shadow of the van, but it was without a doubt the voice of a female cultist————she was a very young teenage girl. Upon closer inspection, she was the only one who wasn't wearing a robe. Instead, she wore a white veil along with a blue nun getup.

Her eyes were filled with tears, yet she unyieldingly glared at Lars.

"Hey Kurou, is this the opponent you’re responsible for?"

"It's not really a responsibility......"

Kurou wryly smiled and advanced forward.

He knew this girl, her name was Kido Akari.

She was a member of the Sun Cult's combat forces. However, for some reason they encountered each other numerous times during Kurou's missions. Even though those encounters have all been due to chance, it was true that there did exist some underlying reason for this. 

"Akari, every time......we seem to encounter each other. Gradually I'm starting to believe this isn't an ill-fated relationship but rather destiny at work here."

"That seems to be the case. Why does it have to turn out like this......"

Akari lowered her gaze as she spoke————

"Hmm? What's wrong? You seem to have some deeply mixed emotions."

"There's no such thing!"

Inadvertently, her piercing glare fixated on Kurou.

"If it is destiny, then that destiny would also include me slaughtering you, you Swordie dog!"

"A dog......"

"Plus, you Swordies are not even part of this world, how could we accept a nation inhabited with you people!"

Akari pulled out her katana and got into her stance. Despite having a bit of flair to it, Kurou understood Akari's strength. Based on her technique, she was probably incapable of defeating any of the Sabers.

"Akari, you can choose to fight, however if this wounded person is left unattended to like this then he will die. This kind of emergency care right now is just prolonging his pain."

"Guh......!"

Akari tightly bit her lips.

Perhaps she realized that Kurou wasn’t just trying to complicate matters.

"Hey, you guys can withdraw. Sorry for arriving late."

"Hmm......?"

Kurou slightly tilted his head at the sound of this sudden voice.

With her presence pretty much undetected, at some point a female figure appeared alongside the followers of the sun.

She wasn't wearing the white robe of the Sun Cult. Instead, her attire consisted of a skimpy mini-skirt, a tightly fitted suit, and there was a bizarre sword suspended along her waist.

"Allowing me to deal with these Sabers idiots should be fine. Let me take care of the cargo and that one other thing in the van. The streets are filled with police checkpoints so you'll be instantly caught if you escape by car."

"......Understood, we are counting on you."

After Akari finished speaking, the rest of the Sun Cultists nodded. From the looks of it, they had no intention to continue causing trouble. Akari and the others glanced back at the van every so often before running away.

Both Kurou and Lars had already lost interest in the Sun Cultists who already fled.

Kurou once again inspected the woman.

The woman's age was probably between twenty and twenty-five years old. She had gleaming short brown hair and although she was quite an attractive person, this was not the appropriate time to be taking note of these sort of things.

"Are you a Swordie?"

"Just like the ones you've seen."

The woman nodded in response to Kurou's question. She then retrieved the sword by her waist in one swift motion.

It was a slender double-edged longsword. The sight of this type of sword wasn’t rare, but————

"Ho, is this the light blade?"

Kurou muttered in admiration.

Known as the light blade, the drawn out sword was enveloped by a faint white light. When the light blade was activated, the sword becomes incredibly hard to bend, break, and furthermore it was very keen-edged.

"Ah so you are a Swordie, and a pretty powerful one as well."

Kurou once again muttered.

The Swordies are considered to be residents from the mystifying world of Swordia.

These otherworldly people and earth's human beings practically look the same. Even though many of them possessed hair and eye colors not found in normal humans, but other than that they were essentially alike.

Despite Swordies and humans having nearly identical physique, the Swordies' physical capabilities were quite outstanding. Their strength and speed were both exceptional.

Furthermore, the most frightening thing was their overwhelming natural disposition to the ways of the sword. Hence, all Swordies were inherently sword specialists.

To add to that, if one becomes a first-class user they could engage in battle with a light blade empowered sword like this woman.

"It ends right here wanted criminal number FZ405333!"

Suddenly a voice rang.

Just like Kurou and Lars, these guys were also wearing red long coats. There were six of them and each held a sword in their hands.

They were all Swordies and members of the Sabers————in other words, they were also Kurou's colleagues. Presumably they too arrived by tracking the followers of the sun.

"This woman is a wanted criminal. In the past she killed two of our members. Clearly a Swordie, she's actually a lunatic for helping out the Sun Cult."

The one member with the beard spoke up. Kurou also recognized this man. He was one of the older members of the Sabers and possessed excellent finesse.

"You guys can step down. It's too much of a burden for newcomers to face a light blade user."

The man with the beard stated without even looking at Kurou. He then raised his sword and the other five members followed suit.

From the looks of it, they wanted to steal all the glory. Whether it was the bearded man or the other members, it seemed none of them could utilize the light blade. Even so, with it being six to one perhaps they could win.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me how many people I face. Bring it on."

The Swordie woman brazenly smiled as she replied.

Haa——. The bearded man yelled out and charged towards the Swordie woman with the other five members.

The majority of the Sabers members were adept at fighting. The bearded man and the other members probably had numerous experiences fighting enemies with swords. The six of them stormed in simultaneously and while doing so, they had to avoid slicing their own allies in battle.

No one should ever take the enemy lightly due to superiority in numbers. For the sake of killing this one woman, the six men all risked their lives in the attack.

"Haha."

However, the woman was unfazed.

After the woman had seen through the incoming attack from the group of six, she slashed at the bearded man who led the attack, cutting his head off with just one swing of the sword. In quick succession, her sword sliced through a person's torso and then the face of another person.

From the perspective of a normal person, the three of them would seem to have been simultaneously killed. It would be hard for anyone to discern such a high caliber technique.

There was blood vigorously spraying out of the bodies of the men. The part of the body that suffered the violent hit had been greatly carved out.

The woman hardly stopped there. She then slashed at two others diagonally from the shoulders and pierced the last person in the heart————the group of six were now all dead.

Her abilities were indeed extremely impeccable.

"What was that? That was way too easy. Battling against men isn't fun after all."

The woman muttered with an ennui expression. Actually, she probably felt extremely bored. Even though six people attacked her, she still eliminated them instantly. It really was way too easy for her. The difference in their abilities was profoundly visible.

"Hey, that's pretty impressive."

Lars apathetically spoke. At some point in time he retrieved his cellphone in order to look something up.

"Hmm, that woman has a very high bounty, it's at one million. If we were to consider the six members of our group that were killed, the bounty will probably continue to rise."

"Lars, you should have said something earlier!"

"What are you getting all tensed up over. You don't need to worry about anyone stealing your glory now. Oh, by the way, the million is only if you capture her alive. If you captured her dead you would only get three hundred thousand. Well then, good luck."

Lars wryly smiled as he turned off his cellphone.

"Understood. Hence, let me be your opponent. I'll be in your care."

Kurou joyously spoke and proceeded to swiftly pull out the katana by his waist.

"......A katana? You rascal, you're clearly one of the Sabers, why would you still use that kind of thing?"

Having said that, the criminal ringleader’s eyes opened widely, staring intently at Kurou.

"You bastard......could it be, you are a human?"

"Even if I were to say 'just like the ones you’ve seen', you probably wouldn't understand. Well, I guess only humans would use katanas anyways."

Kurou calmly stated as he motioned his katana.

"Hahaha! Originally I had thought the Sabers were just a group of idiotic men. I never would've thought that a human would also be accepted as a member. Has the lack of talent already reached this extent?"

"Jeez, it really annoys me that you would call it a group of idiotic men. I really can't tolerate this abuse towards humans like me."

The Sabers included non-combative members as well. This tiny organization didn't even have a thousand members yet.

The composition of the Sabers consisted entirely of Swordies except for Kurou. On the flip side, the police were practically all humans. It probably would have been more natural if Kurou were part of the police.

There was some reason behind Kurou's recruitment into the Sabers. It wasn't because of a lack of talent, however Kurou wasn't about to kindly explain to that extent.

"Nevertheless, from the looks of it you are clearly a Swordie assisting these humans."

"If I were to be on the Swordies' side, most likely I’d only be able to face the boring swordsmanship of the humans. I want to battle the powerful Swordies. Is that white-haired boy a Swordie? If you don't battle, this human is going to die."

"I'll consider it, but I'm not too worried over my financial situation."

Lars pretended to joke around, even deliberately shrugging while he was at it.

"......Well, forget it. In the end, both of you will die. Before that happens though, please entertain me for a bit."

"Oh trust me you won’t be bored at all."

Kurou faintly smiled and prepared his stance. Although it was rather mundane, the sword was held straight and centered in his stance.

The criminal ringleader also smiled in the same manner. It was a smile of mockery. She never thought she would ever have to battle against a human.

Kurou inched around trying to maintain his distance. He would never underestimate his opponent. From now on, it will be the relentless pursuit of survive and kill. 

"Hey human, I got something to say first. You better not bring your human values into this."

"You mean just because you're a woman? Haha, of course I won’t."

This was the monster who instantly killed six people. Even so, this human boy was still able to think in such a manner.

These sorts of things were only humanity's fallacious logic after all.

From the Swordies' point of view, it was considered utter nonsense.

Basically for the Swordies, when comparing the athletic abilities of men to women, women were vastly superior, even in swordsmanship.

From the perspective of the swordswomen, Swordie males were existences of a lower class. Although the Sabers members who were easily eliminated by her had received training and had numerous combat experiences, for this outstanding swordswoman who was also the criminal ringleader, it could hardly be called a fight against the six of them.

Stored within the Swordies was something known as light energy. In terms of physical strength, light was a more superior energy source than what humans were capable of using.

In general, a woman's light quantity was vastly plentiful. The greater the quantity, the more physical power one possessed. Precisely due to this, Swordie women were able to utilize far greater combat strength.

Members of the Sabers were practically all male Swordies. If they were up against human terrorists, the male members would be enough to deal with them. However, if the criminal was a female Swordie, many times the situation would develop into a grim battle.

Humans wouldn't even stand a chance. Regardless of gender, it was impossible to overcome a female Swordie. This knowledge was one that everyone knew. Because of this, the male members didn't want the Sabers to delegate this task to Kurou, a diminutive human.

"I am knowledgeable in some matters regarding the Swordies. You don't need to worry."

"Well then, try to put on a frightened expression as best as you can, human."

The criminal ringleader calmly waved around the sword with her hand, perhaps to add psychological pressure. The intensity of the light blade appeared to have increased. The so-called light blade technique was the emittance of light out of the body and transferring it to the sword. If a person didn't have the appropriate levels of light, it would be impossible to use this move.

The criminal ringleader casually walked towards Kurou. Even though this was underestimating her enemy, she still did not leave any openings exposed. Her eyes were brimming with murderous intent as the tip of her sword flashed by.

A gust of wind blew over————causing a roaring sound.

The criminal ringleader’s wielding of the sword violently stirred up the air————which caused a nearby concrete pillar to be splendidly sliced into two chunks.

Cutting this pillar, whose girth needed two arms to wrap around it, could never be accomplished by humans. She used superlative force, demonstrating the power and skill of the Swordies.

The criminal ringleader smiled. By deliberately chopping down the pillar, she probably wanted Kurou to coward in fear.

"......"

However, Kurou didn't flinch at all. He still maintained his sword in an upright position and never even moved his body.

"Hmph, what a grotesque little kid you are."

The criminal ringleader then shot out like an arrow, raising her sword once again.

Simply put, the Swordie's sword was both swift and thunderous as it came down at him. This blazing attack could slash apart anyone involved in the organization, crushing them into pieces. Then in a gruesome scene, that corpse would be turned into fine powder.

A Swordie's sword literally meant a one hit kill.

However, that was only if————they hit.

"......!?"

An impatient expression was clearly visible on the face of the criminal ringleader.

From the very first attempt, the criminal ringleader’s one hit killer sword strikes were completely evaded by Kurou.

In rapid succession, the blade, which was so sharp it easily cut through the air, came at Kurou's neck and chest at full force.

He did not initiate an attack, he only kept continuously dodging her attacks. Their blades never clashed either.

If a Swordie's sword were to clash with that of a human's, the human’s sword would be sent flying or perhaps the blade would be sundered. Which would it be......

However, to be capable of continuously evading a Swordie's sword strikes and such, this was practically unbelievable for a human. Human eyes were unable to capture a Swordie's sword maneuvers, thus being unable to completely elude the strikes.

"What the heck you bastard! Just how can a human evade my sword!"

"Hehe, I'm not an alien though. Don't be holding any doubts during battle."

Kurou even wryly smiled. Even though the swings barely brushed past, to be able to see through those strikes that could cut through his entire flesh numerous times without giving off even a single drop of sweat was really quite exceptional.

"I think it's about time......to make my move!"

For the first time Kurou took the initiative. Even though he went at blinding speed from a human's perspective, to a Swordie's dynamic strength it was ridiculously slow.

"Idiot......!"

A smile even surfaced on the face of the criminal ringleader. Regardless if he were to cock the blade over his head or slash downwards, in her eyes it would all seem like a slow motion reflection.

However————

"What......!?"

The moment Kurou swung his sword with all his might————

“W-What......!?”

Her right hand was cut off from the base and blood began spurting out everywhere. The hand which had held the sword, fell to the ground. The shine of the light blade also vanished.

From the looks of it, her shock seemed to have surpassed her pain. She stared at Kurou without even covering her hand which was spraying out blood.

Compared to humans, a Swordie's physical capabilities were vastly superior. Even an injury of this extent wouldn't kill them. As long as a competent medic diagnosed them, the hand could be reattached.

"How could a human's sword......I, that sword, what in the world was that!?"

"Starting from now, you'll have plenty of time to contemplate over this."

This criminal ringleader had slaughtered numerous Sabers and police members. Whether or not she should ever be allowed to step foot in this world again was questionable. There was probably plenty of time to ponder over this later.

"Eh?"

Kurou inadvertently tilted his head.

The right cuff of his long coat was severed. His expression indicated that this must have been the first time he failed in such a manner.

"Haha, this long coat is quite expensive. If they have to replace this long coat again, the boss will surely take a dig at me."

"......You bastard, that bracelet is——"

Due to Kurou's shirt cuffs being cut, the criminal ringleader directed her vision towards his wrist. Looped on there was a white metallic bracelet.

Engraved on the bracelet was an emblem consisting of a sword and the markings of a plant's vines.

"A Sword God's engraving! That's right, you are——it was mentioned that the Sword Saint accepted a disciple, that person is......!"

"Sounds like you have a pretty good understanding. Well, this thing is just a decoration."

Kurou lightly stroked the bracelet.

Blademaster Hyouka————was the Swordie's strongest swordswoman and the mentor who taught Kurou his sword skills.

To Kurou, the fact that he will become the successor wasn't really a big deal.

"Kurou, it isn't over yet. This criminal ringleader is an extremely important battle asset to the Sun Cult. Since the Sun Cult intentionally sent her here, that must mean......"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Perhaps they even have a lot of accumulated treasure on them."

Kurou directed his vision to the van which still had its engine running. If only he had heard the conversation between the Sun Cult followers and the criminal ringleader, then he would have known what was stowed away in the van.

"Hey, one-million, what kind of cargo is in the van?"

"Do you think I'd give a damn about that?"

"I suppose so."

Even if the van was stuffed with suitcases full of money, the criminal ringleader probably couldn't care less. She was a being who only showed interest in a sword fight against Swordies.

Lars slowly approached the van.

Gripping the hilt of his sword, he suddenly pulled out his sword in a surprise attack. The sword struck countless times, leaving the backdoor of the van in pieces which were carried away by the wind. Even though he was a boy, a maneuver of this caliber was still extremely simple for any Swordie.

"Goodness gracious, can't you open it through normal means?"

"You never know what might be inside......eh?"

Lars replied to Kurou's frustrated tone while gazing suspiciously at the inside of the van.

"What the heck, there's a person inside. Hey, please come out, we'll just let you go."

Lars stated something beyond expectations. It appears not only was there luggage, there seemed to be a Sun Cult follower sitting there as well. In actuality, tonight's results with just the one criminal ringleader was more than enough.

"Hey, are you listening? You wouldn't want to be slaughtered by him."

In that instant————

The back of the van overflowed with a radiant light, blocking Kurou's vision.

This was different compared to the white light rays from a Swordie's light blade. What was emitted was a glorious golden color————

"Lars!"

When Kurou yelled out, Lars had already backed off from the van by a couple of meters. Since he was a Swordie and a member of the Sabers, he was extremely agile when dealing with abnormal situations.

Kurou redirected his gaze from Lars back to the van. Because the light pouring from the van was so overwhelming, it was impossible to keep your eyes open. Despite this, having not felt any degree of heat was rather strange.

"What in the world......?"

Under the glare, Kurou saw something unbelievable.

Coming out of the blinding light was a girl.

No wait, the girl was enveloped by the rays of light————

She was about the same age as Kurou, somewhere between fifteen or sixteen years old.

She had long black hair, thoroughly pale skin, and a thin white dress.

Was she not wearing any undergarments? Those ample mounds that was her chest shook substantially with every step she took.

Furthermore, there was an awfully tacky set of handcuffs worn around those snappable looking thin hands.
[[File:Kenshin v01 032.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
The girl walked in front of Kurou without even a second thought.

"......"

The girl remained silent, extended her hands which were handcuffed, and unwaveringly stared into Kurou's eyes. Her expression never changed.

Without warning, the light vanished.

As he recovered his vision, the girl————gradually revealed a smile.

Kurou pretty much reflexively swung down with the sword he had drawn out from before.

A snapping sound was produced when the handcuffs lock got cut by the blade and was sent flying. Her arms, which now have regained their freedom, powerlessly drooped down.

"Ah......"

Just when the girl was about to say something, she trembled and collapsed. It happened so abruptly, like the severing of a thread.

Kurou instantly reacted by supporting her fallen over body. He carried her by her surprisingly skinny shoulders and hips which felt like they could be broken with the slightest impact.

What in the world was going on? What is the best course of action to take? Who is this teenage girl?

At his wit's end while holding on to the girl, Kurou was at a loss over what to do————




The Sabers' headquarters was constructed near the center of Tokyo Swordia within the Specialized Central Region.

In this center region, there were rows upon rows of towering ministry buildings and large businesses.

Situated within that area was the plainly designed ten-story building that was the Sabers' headquarters. The Sabers was established five years ago when the terrorist activities of the Sun Cult started. Since the organization had not been around for that long, unfortunately the headquarters could only be constructed in this unadorned style due to the insufficient budget assigned.

A teenage figure showed up at the headquarter's entrance early in the morning. It was Kurou.

Only a few hours had passed since battling against the criminal ringleader. After the mission was over and the report documents were submitted, he went to a certain office in the Outer Human Region. Just when he was about to take a nap there, he was called over by headquarters.

As Kurou suppressed a yawn, he entered through the front doors.

Located in the main hall was the front desk with a female receptionist sitting idly by. There were also employees holding books while conversing and the cleaning staff tidying up.

Everyone in here was a Swordie. Not every Swordie made a living off wielding a sword. In fact, far more of them took on normal jobs instead.

Kurou, who was the only human within the building, was currently taking the elevator to the highest floor.

After Kurou stepped out of the elevator, he took a detour to the lounge before going to his destination. Inside there were numerous benches set side by side and a vending machine that dispenses drinks.

Once Kurou bought some juice from the vending machine, he stood in front of a window. All of the walls within the lounge were made into windows, allowing him to clearly see the situation outside the building. He was really fond of the scenery here.

Tokyo Swordia was established seventy years ago by the Swordies after the Great War.

The place was integrated as district 23 after the war——and was one of the eight districts of the Chiyoda ward. It was then changed once again into its current Specialized Central Region, a place that encompassed all political and economic functions.

There were also high-rise building areas within the Outer Human Region, but here the greenery was in copious amounts. It even felt like regardless where you were, there would be an obsession to grow greenery in any bit of space that was present. 

What could be considered as a thirst for forestation, appears to be some sort of homesickness.

The lush, beautiful, and vast world that was Swordia, was located in another world, one different from Earth. It was the homeworld of the Swordies.

It happened during the Second World War on Earth seventy years ago. At the time of the deadlock, right when each country's military strength began to dwindle————the door was opened.

Within this world, who knows how many of those massive, bizarre doors, or portals rather, linking Earth and Swordia were opened. Swordia's massive army rushed through with one goal in mind and that was to invade.

Following that, the Great War changed in a way that humanity could never have predicted. 

For the Swordies whose main weapon was the sword, everyone thought for sure they would be instantly slaughtered by the firearm equipped infantry, tanks, battleships, and aircraft.

However————that wasn't the case.

An abnormal atmosphere arose due to the influence of the massive portals. The earth's environment immediately turned chaotic as the skies and seas became turbulent. Not only were aircraft and battleships unable to move, each individual nation's front lines collapsed since sea, air, and ground transportation abilities were lost.

The Swordies were able to receive supplies from Swordia using their portals which spanned all over the world. Moreover, the elite Swordie troops were unfazed by this abnormal atmosphere.

What ensued was a wondrous sight————

The Swordie army achieved victory and every nation had no choice but to retreat their deployed armies.

The unthinkable had finally become a reality after the conclusion of the war. Although the reasons were quite unclear, after the Swordies claimed victory they instantly shut down all of their portals. Despite inhibiting the disruptive climate, the Swordies did lose their means of returning home.

The place that the Swordies then decided to settle on was————Japan.

When Swordie troops first appeared, it was during the end of the Great War. However, in the past there would be an extremely few number of Swordies who would occasionally arrive in Japan through tiny portals and associate with the people there.

They wanted to turn this country which they were familiar with into their new homeworld.

Following that, the Swordies were successful in placing Japan under their control after the country was weakened by the Great War. The Swordies then implemented a sweeping reform of the government structure and gained a foothold within the country.

Of course, it was an extremely chaotic period throughout this. The Japanese would revolt from time to time. There was even civil strife among the Swordies before the new government was established. However, this was quickly resolved within a short time frame————

Upon achieving dominance over the country, the Swordies added the name of their already forsaken homeworld as their capital.

That was how Tokyo Swordia came to be.

Nevertheless, these facts were quite irrelevant to Kurou who was born in a distant time period from the war.

"Alright, time to go."

He left the lounge after he finished drinking his juice. Standing in front of the door that had the "head director" office sign hanging on it, he casually knocked on the door and stepped in without even waiting for a response.

"Pardon me."

There was already a guest in the head director's office.

Kurou apparently noticed the young female member as well. While sitting in front of the director's desk by the window, she was holding on to the report records while discussing some matters.

Kurou instantly noticed something.

The woman's hand was slightly shaking as she held on to the report. A dreaded look clearly surfaced on her face and even the sword by her waist was clattering. It was truly a pitiful sight.

In addition, leaning against the director's desk was a young woman. She was the boss of the public security force, although that title of hers didn't really match her ten year-old or so complexion. She continued to listen to the report without interrupting. 

"————That's all for my report, Director."

"Very well, thank you."

The female member was startled upon hearing the director speak. She proceeded to deeply lower her head and rushed out of the room as if she was trying to escape. Moreover, she ran right past Kurou like she didn't even notice him.

"......What's going on."

"Ah, you're here Kurou-kun, please come this way."

"Alright."

Kurou replied as such and stood in front of the desk.

At this time, a huge wave of pressure assaulted him.

It was as if his body was about to collapse from this sensation that seemed to be binded to his body. He was under the false perception that if this were to continue, his body would probably be crushed into pieces.

If the user was powerful, a Swordie's light could manifest in other physical forms instead of just the light blade.

The woman in front of him possessed light that had overwhelming power. The force could be felt just by standing around her. No one would blame them for being petrified in front of this female member.

Kurou gritted his teeth, stood up straight, and braced himself in face of this impalpable strength.

"You seem to have calmed down. Are you able to speak?"

Kurou lightly nodded.

Whenever anyone stood in front of the director it always turned out like this. For Kurou, as long as he readied himself he could retract the intimidation to a more manageable level.

"Anyhow, it's like people make me out to be a demonic boss considering how I cause everyone to tremble."

The director of the Sabers, Manaka, wryly smiled.

Manaka was a young woman who was twenty-four years-old.

Although the life span of a Swordie was quite similar to that of a human, they were able to delay the effects of aging since they were existences of light. There were many individuals capable of continuously maintaining a youthful appearance of around the age of twenty or so despite being already fifty years-old. Manaka looked like she was only a teenager. This was most likely due to her powerful light force.

Her long blue hair was a rare occurrence even as a Swordie. Tied on both sides of her head were two delicate and inconspicuous ribbons, which suited her quite nicely.

She was wearing the female uniform of the Sabers. It was a black shirt paired with a tight-fitting mini-skirt and a simple suit. Under the suit, her white blouse stuck out at the chest region. As it turns out, her ample bosom was quite noticeable.

A strong willpower could be felt in her green eyes, neat appearance, and her well-proportioned stature. It would be fitting to say that Manaka was a splendid beauty.

However, if you were to judge her based on her appearance it could end up to be quite catastrophic.

Among the Swordies, there exists the Seven Swords who were deemed to be the strongest sword users.

Headed by the Sword Saint, the titles of the other members were the Sword Emperor, Kingsbrand, Dragonblade, Sword General, Sword of Heaven, and Absolute Blade. The Swordies possessed these seven individuals.

Manaka was the director of the Sabers as well as the one who held the title of the Sword General out of the Seven Swords.

The overwhelming combat strength of the Seven Swords was capable of matching an entire army. In fact, the activity displayed by the Seven Swords during the Great War was incomparable. Even until now with the Seven Swords symbolizing the Swordie race, they were also authoritative figures reigning over all swordsmen.

"That said, there wasn't really anything that needed reporting early in the morning besides that tsujigiri<ref> Tsujigiri (辻斬り): is a Japanese term for a practice when a samurai, after receiving a new katana sword or developing a new fighting style or weapon, tests its effectiveness by attacking a human opponent, usually a random defenseless passer-by, in many cases during nighttime.</ref> incident from before in the Outer Human Region."

"Yeah, I heard the rumors. It appears five or six people were already murdered."

Those murdered from the tsujigiri incident were all humans, therefore the criminal was most likely a Swordie. The Sabers had to take care of this incident, which was classified under terrorist activities. From the looks of it, they have already dispatched many female members who were highly skilled in using a sword. 

"Yes, that's exactly the incident's report. However, the full story still isn't clear to me————well that seems to be it. It's really troublesome to have made no progress in the middle of a case."

Manaka stated as such. She leaned her entire body against the back of a chair and remained silent.

"......Ummm Director, was there something you needed me to do?"

Kurou reluctantly spoke. To have called over someone specifically and then not say a word, this would be quite troubling to any recipient.

"You don't need to speak in such a reserved manner. It's quite displeasing."

"Even if you say so, you are still my superior."

"No need to worry. To me, you are just the disciple of my older sister."

"......"

Kurou's master was the Sword Saint and the Sword General was her younger sister.

In other words, the sisters ascended to the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Even though they were among Swordies, it was an exceedingly rare occurrence to see such an extraordinary sister pair.

"Kurou-kun, how's the job treating you? Have you already gotten the hang of things around here?"

"Just barely. It's still the same as before, just me working individually."

Kurou nonchalantly stated.

Just a moment ago, the female member's attitude exemplified Kurou's position within the Sabers.

What should be constituted as a Swordie-only public security force had a foreigner mixed in. Clearly a human, they felt awkward battling alongside someone like him, plus they were highly pretentious.	

It wouldn't be wrong for Kurou to assume that all Sabers members were like this.

"Other than during a mission, no one will even talk to me except Lars."

"Well, Lars is the same. He would be perceived as unusual within this organization as well."

Manaka wryly smiled and shrugged.

"Even though it has been over a year, you still feel the same. Well, there are many Swordies with big egos around here."

Aren't you one of those Swordies too? Kurou snarkily thought to himself.

However, Manaka was also a pretty bizarre individual among the Swordies. She would have an indifferent expression in regards to her delicate position when dealing with Kurou. It was mainly due to her informal attitude, not just because she was his master's sister.

"That said, it's been a year......starting from when my sister left here, a year has already passed."

"......"

Sword Saint Hyouka————her whereabouts became unknown a year ago.

Manaka became Kurou's new guardian after the Sword Saint left. Although he was within Swordie society, a minor still needed a guardian. 

Except, Kurou never easily accepted having another person being his guardian. He decided to join the Sabers with Manaka for the sake of earning money to buy food.

No matter how capable a person was, there would be many obstacles for a human entering a Swordie organization. Because the Sabers was a young organization, there was enough flexibility to let Kurou enter the team. Of course, Manaka's mediation played a huge role as well.

"Well, regardless of what's going on with my sister, if it's her, she wouldn't lose her life to any accidents or things of that nature. Aside from that, let's get right to the main issue at hand."

"There's an issue?"

Kurou had just begun to think Manaka had called him over just to converse.

"Ah right, does it have anything to do with the girl from yesterday's situation?"

"Girl? What are you talking about?"

"......You should read the report once more. Although it's a hassle, I clearly documented it in there."

Yesterday night, a peculiar girl appeared from the Sun Cult's van.

After that, she was handed off to the other Sabers members that came over. Once the criminal ringleader was handed over as well, there was probably going to be a not so pleasant interrogation session awaiting her after she received treatment. However, the Sabers probably wouldn't do anything rash towards a defenseless girl.

"There was no way I was going to read the report that was just submitted yesterday. It's not my duty. Furthermore, I'm speaking to you as your guardian rather than as your superior. In other words, it's about your Dagger."

"The Dagger!"

The so-called Dagger was another name for a Swordie's ID. On the hilt, a special household emblem would be engraved on it. Until a Swordie was ready to assume personal responsibility, the Dagger would be entrusted to a guardian for the time being.

Out of Tokyo Swordia's ten million population, Swordies only make up ten percent of it. Although there was a degree of discrepancy among the Swordies, anyone could attain "nobility". This meant an increase in various privileges with respect to status and property. The Dagger symbolized this privileged social class.

"Kurou-kun is a Sabers member who records these incidents. Moreover, you possess the mark of being the Sword Saint's successor, something no one could have ever imagined. I would think the prerequisites for receiving the Dagger are more than fulfilled......"

"Is there still a problem then?"

Despite being a human, there was still the possibility of him obtaining a Swordie ID. Many decide to pay the huge sum of money to those who oversee the handling of Daggers at the Emblem Management Institution, however there were exceptions.

Kurou, who displayed his mastery in swordsmanship and submitted an ID application form, was currently one of the exceptions.

"After all Kurou-kun, you haven't even received any formal compulsory education. For you to have received the basic rights of a city resident is already quite the accomplishment."

"......I suppose so."

It was pretty much a given that his master Hyouka's abilities in swordsmanship carried safeguards. Even within the Sword Saint's history, she was particularly outstanding. 

However, her temperament was a bit of an issue. "Speaking of practice, we should live in seclusion deep in the mountains", she harbored these types of outdated methods. Just like that, she took her pupil away from the village and into the mountains to train. During that time, Kurou couldn't attend primary school or middle school. 

"I understand where you're coming from......ultimately, this is the course of action they want me to take."

"The Emblem Management Institution's verdict was very simple. They just want you to attain a Swordie's education."

"What!?"

"Today is April 25th. Even though the new school year has already begun, it should be no problem for the institution to turn a blind eye towards something of this magnitude. Starting today you'll be enrolled in a Swordie academy to attain your diploma."

"......!"

"Well, that's all I have to say. Good luck!"

Looks like there won't be any room for rebuttals.

However, Kurou had always aspired to attain his Dagger.

The nation was under Swordie control, that was the reality.

If he were to continue living here, Kurou would want to live a comfortable lifestyle.

Because of this, he decided to resume life among the Swordies.




The Sword Academy————

Although it was an academy for Swordie children, it had received much praise as a higher education institution by prestigious individuals.

Despite humans and Swordies being segregated into separate schools, the difference in their education system was quite minimal.

The Sword Academy was the equivalent of a high school in human society.

However, only those who were highly adaptable with a sword could enroll in the academy since there was more to the school than just academics.

For the sake of honing their swordsmanship, an optimal environment was created. This environment was known as the Sword Academy.

The academy was situated in the northwest section of Tokyo Swordia's Specialized Central Region, near the border to the Outer Human Region. There was a forest and numerous parks and such nearby. Plus, it was an extremely tranquil location.

The students were walking along the road to school quietly as they headed towards the school gates.

"Haa......"

Kurou sighed deeply as he arrived at the school gates.

Today he was not wearing his intimidating Sabers long coat, instead he was wearing a school uniform.

He wore a red tie at the collar of his beige suit.

Along with that, he also carried a heavy backpack filled with textbooks.

The tie hung all the way down to his waist and he also kept the scabbard to his sword suspended from his belt. However, there were no other students who carried a katana on them.  

On the second day when Manaka called him over to headquarters, Kurou woke up early in the morning and hurriedly made his way to school.

Ever since yesterday, the days of fighting off terrorists were long gone. Now he was just a student. Although it was for obtaining his Dagger, to the working civilian, it did feel like a step backwards. 

It was quite beyond expectations to be forced to enroll in the prestigious Sword Academy for his studies.

Even though Kurou felt he was being made a fool of by the people around him, there was no escape.

“Come on Kurou, put away that gloomy expression. Let’s get a move on.” 

“......Jeez.”

Kurou couldn’t help but direct his focus onto Lars who patted him on the shoulders.

He was also the same, wearing the same Sword Academy uniform as Kurou. What was he thinking enrolling into the academy as well.

However, both of them were teenagers who would turn sixteen this year. It could be said that compared to getting in street fights every night, it would be more ordinary to go to school.

“The Sabers work wasn’t so bad, but for it to be filled with so much killing is really quite a bummer————, if we’re here, at least there are plenty of girls. You must actively look towards the future Kurou.”

The Sword Academy was the Swordies' highest educational system standard. There were many outstanding fledgling swordswomen. A female becoming a swordswoman would of course be more outstanding so the student body was practically all girls. Despite there being a small population of guys studying there, they haven’t seen a trace of their existence yet.

“You’re right......we should monopolize all the girls.”

“You’re getting way too ahead of yourself!”

Lars habitually replied with a snark remark towards Kurou’s statement which completely revealed his desires. However, this portion of the conversation was clearly heard by the girls passing by.

The girls whispered amongst each other while coldly eyeing Kurou and Lars as they walked past them. 

“Kurou, looks like we’re not really welcomed here.”

“That’s always been the case for me.”

Kurou referred to himself in this manner. It was true though, it has always been like this for him. Because of that, there was no point in minding such matters. 
 
Moreover, it was just as Lars said, it probably felt pretty exciting to be in an environment filled with cute girls.

A commonly passed around rumor in Tokyo Swordia was that the female students of the Sword Academy were all beautiful individuals. Although Kurou had never put in any effort to confirm this, it would seem the rumor was true.

The uniforms for the girls were the same as the guys in terms of the suit and tie. There was a discrepancy between grades though. The ties were split into three colors, red, green, and blue.

There were also some people who chose to wear a belt. However, since their swords were all kept away, none of the students carried a sword on them. It seems that even though it was a prestigious sword academy, most of the times the students would avoid carrying their sword within the school.

Kurou had visited other Swordie schools before. Seeing these otherworldly girls wear a tie to school was quite intriguing. 

It was said that the other world where Swordies lived resembled medieval Europe.

The people would live in wood constructed houses and wear clothes made out of silk and linen. Their diet was comprised of bread and soup and their means of transportation consisted of walking and horseback riding. Those in the upper class would ride in carriages.

Compared to earth, this kind of civilization lagged way behind. 

However, after the Great War and gaining control of Japan, the Swordies adapted to and absorbed the cultures of earth at an alarming pace. In a sense, there was no moral integrity in the way they handled things. 

The Swordies now live in reinforced concrete houses and wear clothes woven from chemical fibres. Whether it was Western food, Chinese food, or sushi, they would eat it all. Of course, they now drive cars, fly planes, and shop at convenience stores as well.

The girls at the Sword Academy wore beautiful ties. Their fair, succulent thighs were moderately exposed from the miniskirt.

Ignoring the rights or wrongs of the drastic cultural changes to the Swordies for now, to Kurou, he had no reason to shun Swordie girls. 

“Alright Kurou, stop gazing and let’s go. There will be countless girls for you to gaze at in the future.”

“Alright.”

Kurou nodded and walked through the school gates alongside Lars.

At the same time he offered a prayer in hopes that there will be much exhilaration awaiting him. 




The classroom was silent.

“My name is Kurou. Although I transferred into this class at an odd time, please take good care of me.”

In front of the blackboard, Kurou did his best to maintain a smile as he greeted the other students.

“......”

There was no response. All the students within the classroom remained quiet.

Kurou was not disheartened either. He sustained his smile and proceeded towards the designated seat the teacher assigned.

How troublesome, Kurou was seated in the middle of the classroom.

There were only girls around him. Furthermore, all the girls within his line of sight did not wish to even look in his direction. Rather, it felt as if the surrounding area was saturated with a subtle sense of tension.

Judging from the looks of it, everyone held a firm resolve to ignore Kurou.

Class immediately started as soon as the extracurricular activities ended.

The first period was mathematics. Even though Kurou had not gone to school before, he had at least learned basic math skills and such from his master. Despite this, he lacked confidence in himself when it came to understanding any mathematics related topics.

With this kind of tense environment, how could anyone even consider going to class. 

“Haa——......”

In order to prevent anyone from hearing him sigh, he suddenly turned towards his side. Sitting alongside the window was the other male student, Lars.

Lars introduced himself in front of Kurou and the others. He did not receive any reactions either but he completely brushed that matter aside. Even right now he maintained that apathetic expression of his during this tense atmosphere as he looked out the window.

There was nothing Kurou could do about it. He could only try to bear through this sort of abnormal atmosphere.

Kurou understood that within the Sword Academy, which was comprised of many capable swordswomen, the other students would definitely not be receptive to the idea of a human being weaved in. That was because they already find Swordie men to be intolerable, yet Kurou was actually a notch lower than that————a human.

However, Kurou was already used to this type of response. He had been treated similarly while he was with the Sabers. That was why he showed hardly any interest for this current predicament. 

With that said......

“Ah.”

The girl sitting in front of him dropped her eraser and the eraser bounced towards Kurou’s seat.

“Hey, you dropped your————”

The moment Kurou was about to bend over to pick up the eraser, the girl sitting in front of him moved at a blinding speed. After she swiftly picked up her eraser, she returned her attention to the blackboard as if nothing happened.

“......”

Typical of Swordie girls————from the moment she took action to her expressionless demeanor, it was all done with breakneck speed.

Although Kurou was quite accepting of things up until now, he did feel a bit crestfallen.

To be openly rejected by girls of the same age clearly vexed him a great deal.

Moreover, the Sabers female members were practically all older than Kurou. Since he held little interest in older women, he was callous towards being ignored by them.

However, his interest spiked when it came to girls around his age. Plus, the girls in his class were all beauties. If possible, he wished to improve relations with them.

In spite of that, seeing the attitude the girl sitting in front of him had, he knew his chances of improving relations were slim.

Kurou once again heaved a sigh as he pondered.

At the very least, he felt that living a type of school life where he would not be shunned was pretty much out of the question.

“Haa~Haa”

Kurou had already lost count of how many times he sighed today.

Currently it was period three, sword class, during the first day of his transfer.

During the morning, the extracurricular activities along with period one mathematics and period two language class all came to a stagnant end. At the end of it all, Kurou became thoroughly isolated by the girls around him. 

The Swordie students wouldn’t even look him in the eye, even the teachers would only engage in formal conversations with him the entire time. Of course, the teachers were all Swordies.

All the girls would evade him as he walked along the hallways. Regardless of where he was, he always heard derisive words being spoken behind his back.

Apparently there was a large barrier between Swordies and humans.

“Oh my god.”

As for his options, he could do nothing besides bemoan to himself as such. Since the class did not involve lectures, he figured there might be a change of pace during sword training. However, nothing exciting really came to fruition.

Sword training took place in a special classroom that differed from a gymnasium.

The girls wore an ordinary yet easily maneuverable attire that consisted of a t-shirt along with tight purple ballet pants while the guys wore t-shirts and shorts.  

“However, the equipment we use is surprisingly rough.”

Kurou calmly waved the wooden blade around.

Sword training utilized wooden blades instead of the safer bamboo blades. It was known as a wooden sword to the Swordies.

A Swordie’s physique wasn’t as hard as iron but their light reinforced bodies practically received no damage from bamboo swords. It seemed that wooden swords were incapable of delivering a fatal wound to them as well.

As a result, the students would use wooden swords in class......

“I really wish they would step in the shoes of a human and rethink this. If I were to be struck by a heavy blow with a wooden sword I’d be dead.”

“Well, isn’t this for the sake of your goals? You can probably just endure that kind of thing for now.”

Lars, who had his wooden sword rested on his shoulders, laughed as he spoke. He was unlike Kurou. Being a Swordie, he probably would not die from an attack by a wooden sword. Because of that, he appeared to be completely carefree.

“However, having this number of people wielding swords at once is really quite a sight.”

Lars commented while looking at his surroundings.

Sword training comprised of two conjoined classes with about sixty students in total. The teacher who was instructing everyone only occasionally stepped in. This training appeared to be just letting the students find their own mistakes while at the same time honing their own techniques. Besides Kurou and Lars, the other students found suitable sparring partners as they engaged in practice.

There was no one who feared practicing with a wooden sword. Every student gradually became well-versed in swordsmanship. This was quite understandable considering how outstanding the students who gathered at this school were.

“Hey, that kid doesn’t seem to have a sparring partner.”

“......!”

He searched left and right amongst the girls walking by. As soon as the girl realizes the person she was about to greet was Kurou, she would definitely make a lightning fast escape.

“......That’s quite hurtful of you. That being said, do you think I’d be easily thrashed by her?”

“I’m not quite sure myself. However, your situation seems to have been spread around the school.”

“What are you talking about? Where did you hear this news?”

Kurou sharply glared at Lars. Lars was always like this, doing this kind of stuff behind his back.

“From an active Sabers member. That’s all that needs to be said right? However, these overconfident Swordie girls would probably hesitate as well if they knew you were the Sword Saint’s pupil......” 

“So you’re saying there’s no way they’d underestimate me.”

Kurou directed his vision towards the Sword Saint’s successor marking carved onto his bracelet.

Well, that was to be expected. Although he was a student, a human would just be seen as a weak existence in the eyes of the other students. However, if he was the Sword Saint’s disciple, then it would be uncertain as to what his strength would be. Even if he were to lose, there would be nothing shameful about that.

“Even if you have no partners, as long as you come to class you will certainly find one eventually. Furthermore, the top five ranked first year students have the same Swordsman title as us. As for the upperclassmen, there seems to be a Sword Princess. Additionally, there appears to be classes where we combine with the upperclassmen. Perhaps we may get a chance to battle against the Sword Princess.”

“The Sword Princess......”

As soon as a Swordie could assume responsibility in taking care of certain things, they would be able to attain the title of Swordsman. This was on record and was a qualification acknowledged by the country. It was pretty much all given at the discretion of the school teachers or mentors. There were many who attained the title by the age of 18. As long as you were a Swordie, this title was pretty much a given. With just the swordsman qualification, you could enlist in the army, become part of the Sabers, or qualify for any position that required wielding a sword.

The rank above a Swordsman was a Sword Princess. Only one out of ten thousand people could attain this title. They were guaranteed to be powerful. If it were one of them, perhaps the Sword Saint’s disciple would not instill any fear at all.

“That’s right, it’d be pretty interesting if we could battle someone with the rank of Sword Princess!”

“I apologize for not being a Sword Princess, but if you’d be willing, I would like to be your opponent.” 

The class hushed down immediately.

A girl who wasn’t in Kurou’s classroom walked straight towards him. It must have been someone from a nearby class.

Her long and glamorous blonde hair was tied towards the left of her head, resembling what was known as a ponytail. Her facial features were extremely well-kept and those substantial eyes of hers exuded a fearsome willpower. The color of her eyes was sort of a blend between blue and emerald green————which formed a very lovely halcyon green hue.

This unimaginably cute and slender beauty was practically fairy-like. 

The swells on her chest were enormous and their shape was quite satisfactory. She was snappily thin at the waist. Those legs of hers that were encased by those tight ballet pants were extremely soft, also her feet seemed pretty tiny......

“Alright, very nice.”

“What are you talking about?”

Towards Kurou thinking aloud to himself, the blonde girl sharply snapped back.

The girl’s speech patterns possessed boy-like qualities.

“Ah, it’s nothing. You want to be my opponent? In that case————

“P-Please hold a sec Sefi-sama.”

Between the girl known as Sefi and Kurou, another girl came between them.

With an audaciously short haircut that practically left her forehead exposed, she was a truly vivacious girl.

“To think Sefi-sama would actually consider this thing as her opponent! This guy is a male human you know!”

“Referring to me as “this thing” is really disrespectful! I even feel like I’d turn into a coddling father!”

“As if I would care over such a thing!”

Kurou’s rebuttal was instantly shot down by her one line.

“Y-Yeah that’s right, no good will come out of this if your opponent is him......”

Another girl came forward and spoke with a weak voice. For Swordies, it was uncommon to see them wearing glasses like she was, plus she also kept her hair free flowing. However, this girl seemed to be a very well-behaved person. 

“Let me take care of my own business. The two of you are to stay back.”

“B-But Sefi-sama......for the princess of the four generals and a human......”

“Quit your squabbling Neena. I won’t forgive anyone who interferes, even if it’s you.”

Once she had reached this point, the one known as Neena finally backed off. At the same time, the girl with the short hair also parted a step back. 

The so-called four generals referred to the four that commanded the Swordie army back during the Great War as well as their descendants. 

These people became the ones with the most power within the Swordie government. Their positions only alternated with hereditary supercedings. 

To sum it all up————Sefi, who was known as the princess of the four generals, could be considered as the one closest to the nation’s highest status. Although she was only a student, her position did not allow her to play around with humans.

“I believe you said your name was Kurou. For now, I’m a Swordsman just like you. Perhaps it may be inadequate, but would you accept my battle invitation?”

“I’d be honored Princess-sama.”

Kurou smiled as he nodded.

He placed his wooden sword in an upright position as he faced Sefi.

Sefi did the same and centered her sword upright as she attentively gazed at Kurou’s eyes. 

As soon as their sights were locked on to each other————

Sefi suddenly made the first move. Without any hesitation, she ferociously charged in.

During a Swordie competition, there did not exist a starting signal such as “ready, set, go”. As soon as both felt the other was prepared, the competition would start right away. Before then, neither side would make a surprise attack.

Sefi swung her wooden sword straight down from above her head. Woosh, the sound of ruffled winds could be heard. The wooden sword winded forth with enormous momentum. Kurou only slightly stepped aside to avoid Sefi’s threatening first strike. That strike appeared to have enough power to blow someone away with just the ensuing wind pressure. 

Sefi once again slightly readjusted the hilt of the sword, this time for a horizontal slice. Even this maneuver was dodged by Kurou as he leaned back. A fierce gale violently blew towards Kurou, kicking his hair up. 

“Tch......!”

A click of the tongue came from the girl’s cute lips.

Sefi’s sword once again whizzed by. Faced with this diagonal attack to his right, Kurou evaded with dance-esque movements. Afterwards, he readjusted his sword upright as if nothing happened.

"You're very capable Princess-sama."

"Are you taunting me?"

Sefi ruthlessly glanced over. Even that menacing expression was captivatingly cute. It was said that Swordie women were at the peak of their beauty during combat. The situation right now made that saying quite understandable.

"......!"

Confronted with another one of Sefi's attacks, Kurou once again dodged it.

There was already no leeway to be leisurely admiring her. Although he could maneuver around the lithe wooden sword like he had learned from practice, if a Swordie's force happened to impact him in the head for example, his skull would probably be shattered.

"How scary."

Kurou slightly grinned.

The sound of whispering by the other students around them could be heard. 

"What do you think will happen?" "Sefi-sama is really giving it her all......" "That person would never take it easy on anyone." "Is that guy really a human?"

How frightening, Sefi’s abilities must be among the highest here yet she was unable to score a direct hit on a diminutive human. The students being at a loss for words was to be expected.

“......Hey, why aren’t you attacking?”

Sefi muttered her obvious suspicion. 

“I’m not looking down on you. As for my methods————I don’t think I’m required to say.”

Kurou had positioned both his hands on the wooden sword before, but now he only had his right hand hold on to it.

Using an unhurried pace, he shifted around as he closed in on Sefi.

“......!”

Sefi shuffled back as if she was a little kid startled by the bark of a dog.

Regardless of that, once Kurou was at the appropriate distance, he firmly gripped the wooden sword and swung downwards. The people around him could clearly see the path of the sword.

However————

“Guah!”

Sefi’s wooden sword met Kurou’s on impact————snap, the portion of the wooden sword that came apart fell on the ground following that snapping sound.

“......I guess that’s it. Thank you for your time Princess-sama.”

“Wait, please wait a sec!”

Kurou did not respond to Sefi’s holler. He turned around and marched off.

In front of him, Lars folded his arms and silently smiled. He saw through the whole thing.

“Princess-sama.”

“W-What?”

Kurou suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Sefi was still holding on to the broken wooden sword, but for some reason her face was completely flushed red.

“Please battle with me again next time. No one else is willing to battle me.”

“......I don't want to.”

Sefi suddenly turned around. Her attitude was different compared to her threatening demeanor from before. This time she displayed a rather cute expression. 

From the looks of things, regardless if she was the princess of the four generals or a wielder of a sword, she was still just a fifteen or sixteen year-old girl. 

Kurou once again smiled as he walked off.




Within the showers, the sound of running water could be heard.

The scalding water ran down Sefi’s fair skin.

This was one of the girls dormitories within the Sword Academy. All of the dorms within the Sword Academy’s grounds were outfitted with showers, bathrooms, and even kitchens.

At the end of every day, Sefi would take a shower within the immaculate shower room. She seemed to enjoy the temperature of the burning hot water greatly. 

However, despite taking a hot shower at the moment, she was not in the least jubilant. She was really down in the dumps right now. 

“......”

As the warm water trickled down Sefi’s head, she tightly bit her lips.

Everyone must have noticed————

Sefi recalled today’s sword training.

“There’s nothing you can do about the wooden swords breaking occasionally”, her friends responded in this fashion.

However, despite everyone being a student, she was one of the select Swordie girls. There was no way she could have miscomprehended the situation.

The break in Sefi’s wooden sword was definitely not by chance. It was purposefully fractured by that transfer student named Kurou.

But that wasn’t all.

Sefi gave it her all in each of her sword maneuvers. The way she wielded her sword could have even killed Kurou. However, he completely dodged her moves with little difficulty————furthermore, she spared no effort in using her wooden sword to defend against a human’s exceedingly torpid attack.

There was no doubt that the surrounding spectators viewed it like this.

Can’t I win against him, it looks like————

Sefi clenched her first. She wanted to forcefully punch the wall within the shower room......but she stopped herself right there.

Even if she destroyed the wall, the facts would still stay the same.

The fact that she had already lost.

“Haha, really now.”

Sefi turned off the running water and walked out of the shower. Her long blonde hair swayed as she moved.

She boorishly wiped her hair and body with a towel and after putting on her white colored panties, she walked out of the shower room.

Despite the beads of water dripping onto the ground, Sefi did not mind in the least bit. She hurriedly marched off with just a towel wrapped around her shoulders. Due to her wealthy background, she would have servants waiting upon her at home. As a result, she wasn’t too concerned with what she did. 

Oh right, I guess I should do that.

Sefi suddenly recalled something.

Sefi had a routine of reading books for an hour before she went to sleep every day. Today should be no different. If there was the leisure time for it, her mood will most certainly improve. It would be best to go to sleep with a better state of mind.

With that said, time to make the preparations————

“Eh......?”

After opening the door at the end of the hallway and entering the living room————Sefi became speechless.

“Oh......Eh?”

“W-W-W-W-W-Wh......Why are you......”

Kurou, who was sitting on the living room couch nonchalantly, caught sight of Sefi.
[[File:Kenshin v01 002.jpg|thumbnail|right|400px]]
His mouth was wide open and his eyes were locked in a stare. He seemed to be completely in shock.

As Sefi was rendered speechless, her eyes flickered as she gazed at Kurou————suddenly, she realized the current state of her body.

Other than the towel wrapped around her shoulders and her panties, she wasn’t wearing anything else. Her naked appearance was completely exposed right in front of a boy————

“Kya————”

She wanted to lament but Sefi tried her best to endure this. She was absolutely prohibited from screaming at this time of day.

Sefi used her two hands to cover her body as she glared at the completely rigid Kurou.

“P-Please turn away! Can’t you at least do that Rou!”

After Sefi walked out of the living room to change into her clothes in another room, she immediately came back.

This girl’s dorm was pretty much like a high-scale apartment with additional rooms in it. It was very luxurious.

Sefi took a seat next to Kurou on the couch.

“Well Rou, what are you doing?”

“Trying to sneak into a girl’s dorm!”

“Don’t be so arrogant you pervert!”

Sefi glared at Kurou with an indignant expression. Kurou on the other hand merely spoke honestly knowing that whatever he was going to say couldn’t distort the truth.

“Haa......jeez, someone like you ought to……”

Sefi heavily sighed.

Her hair was tied into a ponytail. She wore a light pink sweater along with a black miniskirt. 

“Why weren’t you in your sleepwear? Then you wouldn’t be all exposed.”

“I don’t have anything of the sort. Even if I did, I wouldn’t wear it in front of outsiders!”

It was quite regrettable. Who would have thought that after taking a shower, someone would change back into daily attire and have people expect this sort of development.

“After seeing me like that......you still wish to humiliate me!?”

“Wasn’t it Princess-sama who provided me with this fanservice without my permission when I came here by chance?"

“It wasn’t by chance! You clearly went overboard and snuck in, yet you’re still saying things like that! Furthermore, please don’t call me ‘Princess-sama.’”

“......Understood, Sefi.”

Kurou smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

After glaring at Kurou for a bit————Sefi chuckled.

“How many years has it been......the last time we met was two years ago right?”

“It was 1 year, 311 days ago.”

“That’s way too accurately remembered! How despicable!”

Kurou thought to himself, “With that said, Sefi isn’t the type to joke around with.”

“You’re always messing with people......you were like this in the past as well.”

“No, I’d say this aspect has taken a turn for the worse.”

“Up to no good as usual!”

What Sefi had said was accurate.

Despite being the princess of the four generals, she was also a prestigious swordswoman————in fact, she was Kurou’s friend from quite some time ago as well.

Ever since Kurou was a child, he would follow the Sword Saint deep into the mountains for days upon days of training. At times there would be guests visiting and Sefi was one of them.

More accurately, the one who had business with the Sword Saint was actually her sister. Sefi’s sister, Silfi, was a friend of the Sword Saint and Sefi would follow her sister into the mountains in order to battle against Kurou.

Although there would only be a few encounters between them each year, Kurou and Sefi could be described as childhood friends. She probably felt the same way as well.

People would address the princess by honorific only. However, Kurou felt that their relationship was quite close considering she would call him by a pet name.

Even though someone had snuck into her room and despite being seen completely naked, she didn’t alert anyone. From this vantage, the friendship between him and Sefi was clearly visible. A friendship that hasn’t withered away even with the two year separation.

Of course, the two of them pretended not to know each other during class, but this was because they took each others’ standing into consideration. 

“Ha, I have so many things I want to say. However, you are really quite capable to be able to sneak in here. Tentatively, this dorm has security installations.”

“I came in properly through the entrance as well as came into this room through the door. However, things like security cameras and locks don’t really count as safety features to me. Sneaking into a dorm filled with fledgling Swordie swordswomen isn’t really that hard.”

“That’s because you came to my place......other than swordsmanship, you still have this despicable skill.”

Confronted with Sefi, who was at wit’s end, Kurou only lightly chuckled and then stayed silent.

Sneaking into buildings was something taught to him while he was with the Sabers. Because that wasn’t an ability to be proud of, Kurou wished to put an end to this topic.

“Anyways, why did you come to our school Rou————”

“Umm.”

As Sefi underwent a change of mood when she asked, Kurou’s tummy growled.

“Ah hehe, it’s because I needed to test my intrusion plan. That’s why I haven’t eaten anything today.”

“......You’re really a handful. What am I supposed to do with you.”

With a hopeless expression, Sefi shook her head. Ever since just a moment ago, she had maintained a despairing look.

“Oh yeah, now is the perfect time to do that.”

“That?”

“Yup, doing this for just one person isn’t really feasible but if it’s Rou then it’d be perfect. After sneaking inside a girl’s room, you don’t really have the right to complain."

“H-Ha......”

That, what was she referring to?

While Kurou was distressing over this, there was nothing he could do against Sefi inching her face closer to him, perhaps due to his fear.




“Ah Sefi......surely it isn’t, who would have thought you could do this kind of thing.”

Kurou sighed.

Although it was said that girls could undergo drastic changes within a short time frame, who would have known that Sefi had reached techniques of this magnitude.


“Oh it’s nothing really, but I suppose it isn’t too shabby right? Oh, what’s with that gratified expression of yours......”

Sefi revealed a flirtatious smile.

Even though that typical stern expression of hers was quite nice, the expression just now really suited Sefi. Normally, there would definitely be somewhat of a childish complexion on her but right now she possessed the look of a mature adult. Women were really quite intimidating because of this.

“But you’re really capable......Sefi. For it to be this tasty, it really is quite unbelieveable.”

“Oh really, the ingredients are of the highest quality.”

“Haha, highest quality eh.”

Kurou smiled as he stuffed two onigiris into his mouth.

There was a table by the couch where the two were sitting. On top of it were some onigiris, a full bowl of minced meat soup made out of pork and vegetables, soft and sweet scrambled eggs, as well as cold vegetables topped with dressing.

These were all prepared by Sefi. Ever since she was young, she had always shown interest in cooking. Kurou couldn’t even keep count of how many times she would treat him to her cooking. Compared to two years ago, her technique had improved substantially.

“However, I’d be screwed if people here found out that I was cooking. People associated with the four generals shouldn’t be cooking and such. This is supposedly a servant’s task————getting taught in these matters was particularly troublesome. In my old house, although I would secretly discuss cooking topics with the maids I had good relations with, we would never touch upon actual cooking. Rather, we would use “that” as a secret signal for substituting out words.”

So this secret signal really did have some sort of profound meaning behind it. Kurou snarked to himself.

“Hmm? In that case, you didn’t bring any servants with you? If it’s just one person living within a dorm, you should be permitted to bring servants right?”

The children of many prestigious households were within the Sword Academy. As a result, there was this rule in place.

The people who worked the kitchens here were most likely servants brought along from the student’s household.

“It’d be much more peaceful if I stayed here by myself. I’d only have the household maids bring over some ingredients since I can’t even go out to buy that kind of stuff.”

“What a troublesome life.”

The life of the princess of the four generals seems to be filled with hardship.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about this. You can’t change a person’s background no matter what you do. With that said, what about you Kurou? Let me hear about the details of your circumstance.”

“I have already mentioned it before though.”

Kurou gulped down some of the minced meat soup.

When Sefi was preparing her dishes, Kurou practically recounted the entire process of enrolling into the Sword Academy. However, beyond that he didn’t give much of an explanation for it.

“During this two year period I haven’t heard anything about you. Although I do know that the Sword Saint’s whereabouts became unknown......you holding up ok?”

“It’s been fine for the most part. Even though master was a strange person, she is very famous. To have accepted a human as a disciple and along with her disappearance, no one should be too surprised.” 

“Ah, I see......”

“I don’t have a problem with it either. The training was pretty much over anyways.”

Kuro gently rubbed the bracelet under the cuff of his uniform. Since the continual training, he had received the mark of a successor after being confirmed as one of the candidates to be the next Sword Saint.

“However, is that fine with you? As long as Kurou still has the successor’s mark, there probably aren’t many people who can take responsibility for you.”

“To become one of the symbolic Seven Swords of the Swordies, and having the most powerful throne being passed down to a human? Most of those with power would find it inconceivable. If only I could carefully request my master once she comes back to remove the successor’s mark.”

“Does Rou feel as if this is the best solution?”

“There’s nothing good or bad about it.”

Kurou revealed an anguished smile.

“My hope is to receive my Dagger after graduation and work for the Sabers or some place like that. Then I want to construct my own house and settle down with a family. That’s all there is to it.”

“.......Kurou, you haven’t changed one bit. Always so down-to-earth.”

Sefi revealed an unspeakably subtle expression.

She understood Kurou didn’t have any wild ambitions. She also knew he wasn’t really obsessed with swords. Although that wasn’t really a positive thing in her opinion......

“However, I can’t say for sure that is my path either.”

“......”

Once again, Sefi clearly revealed a dejected expression.

The so-called princess of the four generals was Tokyo Swordia’s highest position, which belonged to Sefi.

Despite being a human, Kurou decided to live among the Swordies.

Therefore the two of them being depressed was sort of understandable. However, at least Sefi had a decent amount of freedom and she seemed to feel guilty about this.

“I’m sorry Sefi.”

“Eh?”

Sefi was surprised at what Kurou said.

“I shouldn’t be going easy during sword training anymore. However, I can’t really say I was just playing around but perhaps there was the intention to mess around for a bit at the time. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten the chance to fight against Sefi, I almost didn’t want it to end. No wait, this description doesn’t quite suit it either......”

“......You——idiot, I know I can’t win against Kurou. We battled together countless times before, I already knew there was no way to catch up to you during that two year gap.”

Sefi was very strong, but she was also quite straightforward.

Although she wasn’t willing to admit defeat, she did possess an objective reasoning in understanding the truth. Regardless of it being from a swordsman or a normal person, this was a positive quality to have. Kurou really liked this about her.

“Could it be that you came here just to talk about this? Even after you teased me like that, you still wish to disgrace me......”

“Based on your attitude, you must be extremely angry right?”

“Of course. In my mind, I’ve already killed Kurou ten times.”

“At the very least control that number.”

“However, the wooden sword broke because I was weaker than Rou. I’m angry mostly at myself having easily lost like that.”

Sefi tightly clenched her fist.

Seeing her like this, Kurou suddenly got in front of her.

When Kurou and Sefi first met, they were only ten years-old. By that time Kurou had already been training with the Sword Saint for four years.

If it was a Swordie girl of the same age, there was no way he would lose. Due to the Sword Saint’s nightmarish training, he had already attained such finesse.

Every time Sefi lost to Kurou, she would clench her fists and pound the ground. Despite being just a kid, attacking the ground with the arm strength of a Swordie resulted in the ground caving in which led to Kurou shaking in fear. As a human, if he was hit with that kind of force then he would probably die with one hit.

Kurou would put his life at stake during training and the primary reason for that was probably because of Sefi.

“......What are you doing staring at me with such a stupid expression?”

“Ah, no......”

Kurou dubiously smiled and extended his hand towards Sefi————

“Sefi has grown up quite a bit.”

“......!?”
[[File:Kenshin v01 070.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
Sefi, whose breasts were suddenly groped by Kurou, trembled all over. Following that she scooted to the edge of the couch.

“W-What are you trying to do......!?”

“W-What’s going on......!?”

Due to the soft texture coming from within the sweater, Kurou could not help but feel astonished.

No way, this kind of thing was......

“Why would Rou be surprised!? What the heck are you trying to do to me!?”

“It’s just that it felt bigger than it looked......perhaps it’s because the way I touch them is different from before.”

“What in the world are you calmly analysing!?”

Sefi shouted as she used her hands to cover her chest.

“However, it appears that you are wearing something underneath your sweater. If you were to wear even less, that’d be much more exciting.”

“You’ve already felt a girl’s chest, yet you still complain!”

“Didn’t Sefi mention this before? ‘If there is a weakness then go all out fufufu.’”

“That’s something I said when I was young! There was no intention to have my body felt! And what’s with the “fufufu”, no way I would’ve said something like that.”

“No, you did say it before.”

“Eh, really?”

Sefi was dumbfounded.

Her tone actually felt quite languid. At times she would even speak in a frivolous manner but she would never notice it herself. Perhaps the latter might have influenced Kurou.

“Nevertheless, Sefi’s all grown up. Perhaps your figure will turn out to be quite splendid.”

“This conversation is quite obscene, please stop. Although, that means Kurou hasn’t matured yet......this kind of sexual harassment.....we aren’t at the age where we can just joke around like that anymore.”

“Yes I know.”

Kurou smiled as he nodded. He ate an onigiri, finished up the minced meat soup, and after he finished up the rest of the cooked dishes, he lifted Sefi’s skirt.

“Didn’t I just say this before? What are you trying to do now!?”

Kurou nimbly ran away from Sefi who stood up in anger. The glimpse of her white panties was now deeply ingrained in his mind.

“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s just that when I see Sefi I start boiling with lust.”

“Eh, um, so it’s like that. If that’s the case then I guess it can’t be helped......”

“......”

Quite an unexpected reaction.

Of course, Kurou had planned on joking around a bit but who would have thought that this would become a reason for forgiveness......it was probably because he showed admiration towards her charms by saying it excited him.

“Eh, hold on a sec! I had just told you to stop openly engaging in sexual harassment! That said, your insanity is already on another level!”

Sefi seems to have finally caught on to Kurou’s false reasoning. If that wasn’t the case then perhaps even Kurou would have felt there was a bit of wrongdoing.

“If it’s here then it doesn’t matter, just don’t do this type of thing outside. As the number three ranked student in swordsmanship, if my skirt were to be lifted in front of everyone then————”

“Haha, compared to your family history, Sefi is even more into swords.....eh, did you say number three?”

“Yup, but that’s just my placement during the entrance exam. There are still two students placed above me.”

“Ah.”

He had guessed that among the people he saw during sword training, none of them possessed swordsmanship that surpassed Sefi’s. Although two classes were conjoined, since there were only ten class groups for year one students they must have been in the other grades.

“However, for Sefi’s abilities to only be placed as third!”

“For the time being......”

Kurou tilted his head slightly.

Sefi’s tone of voice was a bit ambiguous as if she harbored some sort of grudge.

“What’s wrong? Was there some favoritism during the examination?”

“N-No it’s not like that. To lose means I was weak. Since next time there will be an elimination tournament for the school, I’ll avenge myself then.”

“Hoho, an elimination tournament?”

Having heard some explanations regarding the school activities from the schoolteachers, there seems to be multiple elimination tournaments held to determine the standings for the Sword Academy.

“So what you’re saying is I have to participate as well?”

“Of course. All of the students are forced to participate. Even though there is a test, a poor result in the elimination tournament will get you removed from school.”

This was probably Sefi warning him not to take it easy. Because Kurou only wanted to graduate, he wasn’t really too focused on earning a high grade.

“However, Rou will probably win. At the very least, I can’t beat you.”

“......”

Sefi displayed a subtle sign of dispiritedness. 

“Even though you are just joking around, other than you, no other boy would be able to sexually harass me since I’d be able to snap their arms off before they could even touch me.”

“That sounds quite scary.”

“Humans seem to think that all Swordies can do is just put their strength behind wielding a sword, but that isn’t the case. The sword is a much finer piece of equipment.”

Sefi swiftly extended out her right hand.

“The enemy’s vision along with the minute quivering of their body, their breathing motion, and the sound of their joints, all of the five senses must be used to respond to the enemy and judge their movements. However, I can’t predict Rou’s movements. By the time I notice them, I’ve already been sexually harassed.”

“Very powerful words there.”

“There’s probably no other way to put it. For now, Rou can do whatever he wants since I can’t stop you. From lifting up my skirt to wielding that wooden sword against me, it’s almost as if you could do it in your sleep.”

“These are old-school techniques, haven’t you already seen them multiple times?”

“No matter how many times I see them, even after having you explain to me I still can’t prevent it from happening. It’s really quite unbelievable.”

Sefi did not seem to be reprimanding Kurou, nor was she unwilling.

She simply believed that Kurou was an inconceivable person.

“......No, there’s no point in even interrogating Rou in regards to this aspect. Oh well.”

Sefi wryly smiled as she shook her head.

“It would be really helpful if you could manage that. Well then, I should probably get going. Thanks for your hospitality, the taste was delicious.”

“Umm, Rou.”

Just as Kurou was about to step out of the window, he stopped.

“Be careful. There’s going to be a lot of trouble awaiting you in the future since there are maniacs encamped here who put their lives on the line wielding their swords. Even though you are prohibited from pulling out your sword within the school————everyone still carries their sword regardless.”

Other than sword training, there was no need to carry a sword within school. However, since there was also class practice with real swords, the students would leave their swords in their rooms or a cabinet within school. If a sword was required, it seems they would carry their swords on them.

“No matter what, in here you are considered an outsider Rou. Although no one would blindly attack you, within this blood boiling age group, there will be times where you’ll be rendered helpless in some situations if it’s just you by yourself regardless of how strong you are.”

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind.”

He already clearly understood that his own school completely rejected him. There were many who were spiteful towards him just because he was a human and thus it’s understandable that some of them might try to do something provocative. 

“Then I guess I’ll have to try my best to protect my life during these three years. As compensation, I’ll have to take Sefi’s bra or panties......would that be alright......” 

“No......”

“Is that so......”

Although they were childhood friends, there appear to be limits as to how far one can go.

From another person’s perspective, this kind of conversation would probably seem way too puerile.

“Goodnight Sefi.”

“Goodnight.”

Sefi gently smiled after replying to Kurou.

Kurou exited through the window. Even though Sefi’s room was on the third floor, it was easy to descend from for someone as capable as Kurou.

He climbed down the walls in a manner akin to that of a ninja and having witnessed Sefi’s gentle smile, he felt a warm feeling in his chest.




It was currently the early morning of the next day.

Kurou yawned as he passed through the school gates.

By the way, the academy did not require all students to live within the dormitories. As a result, Kurou came to school from his house.

Although it was mentioned as his house, it was actually just the Sabers’s lounge that he had moved into without permission. Since the head director was his guardian, there were no complaints over this. He only had a bed within the narrow room, but at least the time it takes for him to walk from his workplace did not even add up to a minute. In addition, he saves himself from paying for room and board which made Kurou extremely jubilant.

Actually, Kurou kept himself as a Sabers member even up till now. Despite his pay being reduced, he was at least making money. Manaka did let Kurou go to school, however she probably didn’t plan on him continuing to work. Although Kurou did need to pay for living expenses, he was rarely seen staying with the group.

Kurou paid no heed to his surroundings as he leisurely entered the campus.

“Let me help you carry your backpack.”

“Haha, there’s no need.”

Just as he was about to head to the stair entrance on his way to class after putting away his backpack......

“......Hold on!”

“Hmmm?”

The girl tilted her head slightly.

The girl who offered to help carry Kurou’s backpack closely tailed him.

“What’s wrong with you? Why did you suddenly take my backpack!?”

“It’s because this is my job.”

The girl was expressionless in her reply.

She wore a black and green maid outfit along with a white katyusha on her long hair. Even though her outfit was extremely gorgeous, she did give off an impression of being very delicate.

“Hey, are you.....”

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t you the girl who appeared from the back of the Sun Cult’s vehicle.....?

“That’s right. What about it?”

The girl still showed no expression at all.

“What do you mean what about it! This can’t be right, why are you here!?”

“Haha, I forgot. I should have said this from the start.”
[[File:Kenshin v01 079.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
The girl remained stoic as she spoke and when she was done speaking, she kneeled down.

Kurou didn’t even have time to stop her. The girl placed both her hands on the floor and deeply bowed her head.

“My name is Sakurai Hinako. Starting today————I’ll be serving you.”

Since she lowered her head so deeply, her expression wasn’t visible.

However, if she was joking around, this would be quite over the top. For a girl to be wearing such an eye-catching outfit, there was no way she should have been permitted to enter school grounds.

Kurou gazed intently at the black hair of the girl who still had her head lowered like this.

It appears that she wasn’t going to lift her head up unless Kurou told her to. The girl remained motionless.

Turning a blind eye towards this would seem optimal, even Kurou was contemplating this unfavorable course of action.

However, Kurou already realized that there was no way he could brush aside this girl. He also recognized that this was just the beginning of his troubles.

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==Translator's Notes and References==
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