Chapter 291: Kurogane Itsuki and Kurogane Ikki, Father and Son!
The atmosphere returned to silence once again.
Ikki and Itsuki seemed to have returned to the state they were in when they had first met, the two of them looking at each other without saying a word again.
Only this time, it was not an ordinary silence.
As time passed, Ikki's aura grew weaker and weaker, while the pressure coming from his father became heavier and heavier.
"Um… did you call me here because of Shizuku?"
Under the influence of the guilt gradually growing heavier in his heart, this time it was Ikki who broke the silence first.
"To receive news about my own son again after so many years, only for it to be this… Forget it. Just treat it as a whim of mine."
Kurogane Itsuki changed his words halfway through, because continuing to dig into this matter had no real meaning.
Although Ikki and Shizuku had done something somewhat out of line, it had not reached an irreversible point yet.
Now that he had given Ikki a slight warning, he could send people to keep a close eye on Shizuku afterward, and this matter could be treated as if it had never happened.
However, the change in his attitude left Ikki somewhat confused.
What exactly was his father's true meaning?
Rather, in Ikki's eyes, the fact that this father of his would actually lecture him so seriously was already something incredibly unbelievable in itself.
Kurogane Itsuki had always worn a stern expression. Ikki could not read any of his thoughts from those cold-gray eyes at all.
And yet…
'This feeling… what is going on?'
Ikki felt the emotions gradually surging up from deep inside his heart.
'Could it be that… I'm happy?'
After several years apart, he was seeing his biological father again, and the two of them were even having an ordinary conversation.
Just that alone made Ikki's heart stir with emotion.
On the other side, Kurogane Itsuki, who had changed the topic, continued chatting with his son.
"You seem to be in good condition."
"The event Hagun is holding this year… it is called the representative selection battles, correct?"
"I heard your record so far is sixteen wins out of sixteen matches."
"It seems your opponents were not only weaklings either… Impressive."
"Ah… huh??"
Ikki looked at his father blankly.
What did that sentence just mean?
Was he… praising me?
Surprise, excitement, and uncontrollable joy drowned Ikki in an instant.
At that moment, the young man finally confirmed that he truly was extremely happy.
To be able to meet his father like this, and to hear his father's voice like this.
At this moment, Kurogane Ikki finally confirmed that he still looked forward to the existence of a family bond between himself and Kurogane Itsuki.
After all, that man was his biological father.
No matter how much a child was scolded by their parents, no matter how much they were denied by their parents.
Even if that eventually turned into anger and gave birth to hatred.
At the root of it all, the child was still hoping their parents could praise them, acknowledge them, and be proud of them.
Ikki was no exception.
In truth, he understood very clearly that the hardships and torment he had endured all these years, even the various unfair treatment he had suffered during his previous year at Hagun Academy...
All of it was related to his father, Kurogane Itsuki.
Even so, his father was willing to meet him. His father was willing to speak to him.
All of this made Ikki feel overjoyed.
So, he thought this.
If it was his current self, a self different from before, then perhaps…
Perhaps this man might be willing to acknowledge him.
Thinking of this, even if it was only a possibility, Ikki could not help opening his mouth.
"Um… Father…"
"I am working very hard right now… Although my rank is still only F-Rank, I have defeated many strong opponents!"
"I do not plan to lose in the selection battles after this either. I am no longer the me from before, who could not do anything! I have become stronger!"
"I absolutely will not become a disgrace to the Kurogane Family! S-so… so… um…"
Nervousness made Ikki's throat tremble nonstop.
As if trying to encourage himself, Ikki took a deep breath, then forced himself to speak.
"If, if I can win the Seven Star Sword Art Festival…"
"When that time comes, would you be willing to acknowledge me?"
It could be said that Ikki squeezed out the last drop of his courage with everything he had. Even when he once faced Luke's aura, he had never been as nervous as he was now.
In response, Kurogane Itsuki silently gazed at Ikki.
Only after a long while did he sigh and speak.
"…I see."
"I never understood why you left my side."
"But just now, I finally understood. You thought, 'It's because I'm too weak, so I can't be acknowledged,' didn't you?"
"…Yes."
Ikki nodded nervously.
Although that was only one of the reasons he had run away from home, it was indeed the most important reason.
So, if that really was the case, then he had already become stronger now. The current him should definitely be able to…
"In that case, you are completely mistaken. Of course I have always acknowledged you as my son."
"Eh?"
Ikki widened his eyes and stood there foolishly. He had never expected his father's answer to be this.
His father actually acknowledged him?
"Y-you're lying!"
"I am not lying. Otherwise, I would not have specially met you today."
"B-but you never did anything for me!"
Ikki still clearly remembered everything even now.
"You never taught me how to use a Blazer's ability. Even children from the branch families could receive martial arts guidance, but I was completely forbidden from doing so!"
Since childhood, Kurogane Itsuki had kept Ikki outside the path of Blazers.
When others saw the family head treat Ikki that way, they regarded him as "someone the family head hated," and followed the family head in "hating" him.
After all, compared to his elder brother Ouma and his younger sister Shizuku, Ikki's talent as a Blazer was far too inferior.
In this society where Blazers stood above all else, and in this famous Blazer family, it was not strange at all for such a thing to happen.
In truth, Kurogane Itsuki himself had never once called Ikki "trash," nor had he ever said that Ikki was a "disgrace" to the Kurogane Family.
Those were merely things the other members of the Kurogane Family had arbitrarily interpreted from his actions, then arbitrarily hated Ikki's presence.
And all Kurogane Itsuki had done was simply not interfere.
Because in his eyes, it was only natural for Ikki, who had lacked talent as a Blazer, to be bullied by other Blazers.
Not just the Kurogane Family. The country, and even the entire League, was like this.
But in Ikki's eyes, that was clearly "injustice."
That was why he could not stop himself from asking clearly.
"If you acknowledge me, then why didn't you treat me the same way you treated the other children?!"
"Because there was no need."
Facing his son's question, Kurogane Itsuki merely glanced at him calmly.
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