Chapter 104: Saikyo Nene's Phone Call
It was a somewhat sweet, cloying voice.
The instant Torajirou Shiro heard it, he recognized its owner.
"Nene?"
Beside him, Edelweiss perked up her ears.
The name Nene could only make her think of one person: an active KOK League fighter, the world's third-ranked [Yaksha Princess], Saikyo Nene.
Why did Shiro know her?
Holding that curiosity in her heart, Edelweiss continued listening.
"Where are you now? Do you need yours truly to pick you up?"
Nene suddenly threw out a baffling question, leaving Shiro somewhat confused.
"Hah? What do you mean, where am I?"
"Don't tell me you're planning not to come! Back then, yours truly confidently boasted to Kuro-chan that someone even better than the person she had her eye on was coming."
"Like I said, coming where?"
"Hagun! Hagun Academy! Didn't you say before you left that you were coming to Hagun Academy this year?!"
Shiro finally remembered.
Before leaving on his journey two years ago, he had indeed said something like that. However, because of the matters involving adventurers and Edelweiss, he had long since forgotten about it.
More importantly, with Shiro's current strength, he could directly enter the KOK professional league without issue, yet Saikyo Nene wanted him to run off and attend school with a bunch of student knights?
And so, Shiro spoke to the person on the other end of the phone.
"Mm, I'm not planning to go anymore. Going to Hagun Academy now won't help me much."
At present, the only two people in Hagun Academy who Shiro considered worth paying attention to were Saikyo Nene and Shinguuji Kurono, who had supposedly just become the academy's director this year after retiring as the former world number three. She was also the "Kuro-chan" Nene had mentioned.
As for the other student knights, unless their abilities were especially unusual, Shiro could defeat them without even relying on his Blazer ability.
"So, if there's nothing else, I'm hanging up. I have something important to do recently."
Compared to going to school with students, figuring out how to defeat Edelweiss was far more attractive to Shiro.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
The person on the other end of the phone clearly panicked.
"I'll be direct. Even if you only register your name and don't attend classes, that's fine. As long as you can participate in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival selection later, feel free to name any condition you want!"
The Seven Star Sword Art Festival was an annual martial arts festival jointly held by seven schools across the world in order to determine the strongest student knight. The winner of the Seven Star Sword Art Festival would receive the title of Seven Stars Sword King.
Shiro had paid attention to last year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival because of Todou Touka. Unfortunately, last year, Touka had only made it to the semifinals before being defeated.
However—
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
So wrong it was almost eleven out of ten.
Why was Nene so obsessed with him participating in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival, to the point that she would even say he could name any condition he wanted?
Shiro looked suspiciously at his phone, as if he could see the expression on the other side through it.
"Hey, Nene. You didn't use me as part of some wager, did you?"
A voice like an evil spirit came through the phone and wrapped tightly around Saikyo Nene's neck on the other end.
"Ahaha... What are you talking about? How could yours truly possibly use her beloved kouhai as a wager...?"
Saikyo Nene's voice trembled slightly.
Even Edelweiss, who was eavesdropping from the side, could feel the guilty conscience from the other end of the phone.
"If you don't tell me, I'm hanging up."
"Wait! I'll talk, I'll talk, okay? Yours truly did make a little bet with Kuro-chan..."
On the other end of the phone, Saikyo Nene recalled her conversation with Shinguuji Kurono earlier today, and anger immediately surged up again. She placed her smooth, white jade-like foot on the table, then leaned her petite, soft body backward.
"Kuro-chan just became the academy director this year, didn't she? To reform the school, she fired most of the teachers. Since there weren't enough staff and yours truly has a teaching license, she dragged me over earlier to act as a temporary teacher."
"For this year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival, she chose to keep an F-Rank knight. That itself isn't a problem. After all, a person's potential can't be judged purely by their Blazer rank, and it's normal for Kuro-chan to have someone she values."
"But!"
When Saikyo Nene reached this point, her tone suddenly became agitated. She treated the table in front of her like a certain someone and kept stomping on it with the soft sole of her foot, which reflected the light above her head, making repeated thumping sounds.
"She actually said that compared to you, whom she has never met, she trusts the person she discovered more!"
"Does she not know that you were personally train— educated by yours truly?!"
With a loud crack, the table in front of her finally could not withstand the attacks of the world's third-ranked fighter. After letting out a tragic cry, it split in half.
After hearing this, Shiro understood how the matter had started.
And after thinking of the relationship between those two, Saikyo Nene being this angry was understandable.
Saikyo Nene and Shinguuji Kurono had known each other since their student days and had been fighting ever since. But throughout those constant battles, Nene had never truly achieved victory.
In order to defeat her, Nene cast aside everything and became a Desperado. But just as she was filled with fighting spirit and preparing to keep slaughtering her way toward the other woman, Kurono ran away.
Awakening as a Desperado meant abandoning one's fate as a human.
Kurono feared that if she became a Desperado, the things important to her would leave her. So she withdrew from the KOK A-League and chose to marry her husband, and the title of world number three was transferred from Kurono to Nene because of that.
This matter had become a knot in Nene's heart.
No matter what, she wanted to have a proper rematch with Kurono.
Yet now, that half-assed woman who had fled before the battle actually trusted her own eyes more than someone Nene had personally raised.
That was practically mocking all of her efforts until now.
"So you made a wager to see whose chosen person can win?"
"That's right. If you can win the title of Seven Stars Sword King, Kuro-chan has to fight me with her full strength. That should also put an end to what happened back then."
"Fine. I'll come over after a while. But after I arrive, when I need you, you have to get serious and serve as my sparring partner."
It was rare for Shiro to see Nene's fighting spirit burn this fiercely. In his impression, she had always looked like a pure-looking bitch, but it seemed she was truly looking forward to this battle.
If he only stayed on the sword peak, he would never defeat Edelweiss.
It was about time to leave.
Besides, compared to the sword peak, having Saikyo Nene act as his sparring partner had another advantage.
Her Blazer ability was gravity manipulation.
By training with her, he could obtain a gravity field that could be controlled according to his will.
More importantly—
Shiro looked toward Edelweiss.
If he defeated the world number three recognized by the League, would that mean he was not far from the world's greatest swordsman either?
"Thank you, kouhai~ Come here, give me a kiss~ Mwah~"
Ignoring Saikyo Nene's teasing, Shiro suddenly noticed a blind spot in their previous conversation.
"Wait. Your previous requirement was only for me to participate in the selection, right? What if I just join for fun and fight casually? Or do you have some way to make sure that once I participate, I'll definitely get serious and aim for the championship?"
"My body?"
Beep, beep, beep.
Before Edelweiss's face could grow even darker, Shiro hung up the phone in time.
…
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