10 years later
After finishing his daily run, Ikki Kurogane returned to his student dormitory room and opened his door only to find a beautiful half-naked girl inside it.
Ikki' Eh.'
Crimson hair that seemed to embody waves of burning fire. Scarlet pupils on a beautiful foreign face opened wide in shock at the sudden intruder. Unblemished skin as white as snow, clad in black lace underwear.
Ikki' Beautiful.'
Ikki couldn't think of another word to describe her. Her beauty was like a painting of a goddess, evoking a solemness that left no room for lust. She simply captured the eye of anyone who laid eyes on her
Ikki' But why was such a girl in my room. Maybe I came in the wrong one.' He went outside to check but it was room #405 of the first student dormitory. The two-and-a-half by three-and-a-half-meters-wide dwelling with a bunk bed was undoubtedly Ikki's, so the person making the mistake was most likely this girl, but.
Stella" Eeeee"
Ikki' Uh oh. If the girl screams in this situation, accusations would surely fall on me.'
Ikki" Please wait a minute. I understand what you want to say. It may have been an accident but I won't make excuses for what I clearly saw."
Ikki didn't try to blame anyone for this disaster. He could imagine the bitterness of being seen naked by a stranger. This was a situation that as a man, he ought to fix! So he said.
Ikki" That's why I'll take my clothes off too, and let's call it even."
Stella" P.P...PP, PEERVEEEEEERTTTTT." That loud slap could be heard all through out the academy.
Blazers.
They were irregular people, found one-in-a-thousand, who could each materialize his or her soul as a weapon called a Device.
In ages past, they were called magicians and witches. The strongest among them could shape the flow of time using abilities that science didn't explain, and even the weakest were extraordinary.
Though they were human, they possessed a supernatural power that surpassed human limits, a power unattainable by the common man through training or technology.
Nowadays, national militaries and even local police forces required Blazers. Yet great power brought responsibility befitting its status.
One expression of such responsibility was the mage-knight system, the arrangement where Blazers must graduate from an internationally approved vocational school to receive license and social status as mage-knights―in other words, approval to use their abilities.
Hagun Academy was one of seven mage-knight academies in Japan, a school said to span more than ten times the area of Tokyo Dome. Here, young Blazers spent day after day diligently polishing their skills as student knights.
Unlike many other academies, Hagun has no intuition fees or other kinds of expenses that the students need to pay, making it ideal for poor students. However, Hagun is also stricter on taking in students, as new students require at least a general level of abilities and capabilities.
Compared to the other six academies, Hagun Academy hasn't produced any strong assets in the past recent years and is on a losing streak in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, a competition sponsored once a year by the seven schools to select the strongest apprentice knight
Outside Hagun academy
Eikichi' So this is Hagun academy huh. Sigh, why do I have to come to school when I could be snuggling in bed with my cute and adorable edelweiss.'
Kuruma' And who's fault is it for losing at rock paper scissor Against that big sis of yours.
Eikichi" Che, don't remind me you stupid fox. sigh guess I should visit big sis Kuronos office before I go and move my things to my dorm.
Directors office
There, a beautiful woman in a suit was sitting on a sofa and smoking a cigarette. Kurono Shinguuji, the new chairman of Hagun, had finished hearing Ikki's explanation on the chain of events, and she replied in a tired voice.
Kurono" I see, so you were trying to atone for the accident of seeing her half-naked by stripping yourself. Are you a moron?"
Ikki" I thought it was an equitable, gentlemanly idea."
Kurono" You were definitely some sort of gentleman."
Ikki" No, I wasn't trying to be a lewd gentleman. Well, now that I think about it, I guess I did suddenly go on a rampage."
Kurono" Hah. In other words, after seeing her charmingly naked body, you lost control and took off your clothes without thinking?"
Ikki" It might be how things happened, but could you please not phrase it like that? Aren't you making me sound like a really dangerous guy?"
Kurono" Even if you say so, Kurogane, try to imagine that scene after putting yourself in her shoes. In a dormitory with hardly any people because of spring break, you're suddenly interrupted by an unknown boy while changing clothes, and then he throws his clothes off too. How might you see him?"
Ikki" Like a really dangerous guy. Sigh, I certainly did something unforgivable on Stella-san's first day of studying abroad. I really hope she won't start hating Japan because of this."
Kurono" What, you know about Vermillion?"
Ikki" I was too startled to recognize the face when I ran into her, but I remembered just a while ago. Her name was Stella Vermillion, and she was a princess of the Vermillion Empire, a small European nation. It was big news in the media that she was studying abroad in Japan. A prodigy said to appear only once in a decade! Stella Vermillion-sama 15, the second imperial princess of the Vermillion Empire, enrolls at Hagun Academy after getting record marks!"
As the two were talking they never noticed a boy standing right behind kurono.
Eikichi' Ikki Kurogane. This is the boy grandpa Ryouma wanted me to take care before he passed away. Get rid of anything that could pemenatly kill him. other than that he's on his own. Sigh, Hated by his family, and looked down upon like trash. But at least he still remembers your words and is working hard to prove himself.'
Kurono" But it's become a real hassle. I invited the girl to Japan despite all the formalities involved in enrolling her here, and something like this happened on her first day. If the matter's not handled well, it could turn into an international incident. So even though you're not at fault, I'll still have you take responsibility. It might feel unreasonable, but take it like a man."
Ikki" I wonder why be a man gets used only in this sort of situation." Ikki could only sigh. and at that moment.
Stella" Excuse me."
The door of the chairman's room opened.
All three people look at who it was that was entering.
The door of the chairman's room opened, and the person being discussed, Stella Vermillion, entered.
Unlike before, she was properly dressed in a tasteful dark vest and skirt. The school uniform for Hagun Academy suited her quite well because it brought out the red of her fire-like hair.
But what drew Ikki's And Eikichi's eyes was her chest. That huge area, adorned by a ribbon, emitted a strong presence that instantly reminded Ikki of her half-naked figure.
While her chest reminded Eikichi of edelweiss chest.
Ikki's breath stopped after seeing the girl's expression. She had probably been crying. The skin under her eyes swelled with resentment.
Ikki" Sorry."
That was why an apology came from his mouth. Men shouldn't make women cry. Even if it wasn't his fault, the terror she felt at that moment had been real.
Ikki" What happened was an unfortunate accident and I wasn't trying to peep on you. But I saw what I saw, so that's why I'll take responsibility as a man. Bake me or grill me, you can do whatever you like."
Stella" How resolute. Is this what they call the spirit of a samurai?"
Ikki" More like the spirit of a poor speaker."
The hostility from when she first entered the room disappeared. After seeing that favourable expression, Ikki also lightened his demeanour.
He had thought an imperial princess would be moody and hard to please, but now she seemed like someone who'd accept a proper conversation.
"Ikki, in deference to your gallantry―I'll forgive this matter if you perform harakiri."
But in reality, it was only true in his head.
Kuruma' Haha, I'm starting to like This girl.'
Eikichi' Of course you would.'