But practicing behind closed doors forever eventually hits a plateau.
Especially now that Haruki Aizawa had made breakthroughs in all four domains of the Ghost Slayer Arts, there was no longer any need for him to remain immersed in solitary, bitter cultivation. Combat against the strong was the fastest way to increase his skill proficiency.
Since Shizuku Kurogane was Ikki's sister, her strength shouldn't be too lacking. He was genuinely looking forward to testing himself against a powerful Blazer.
"What's wrong? Not coming?"
Haruki stepped onto the dueling platform of the training hall, looking down at Shizuku from above.
"..."
Meeting Haruki's calm, pitch-black eyes, Shizuku felt an instinctive shiver run through her. For a moment, she felt as though she had made a terrible mistake. However, she quickly steadied herself, refusing to sink into self-doubt before the fight even began.
"Excuse me, then."
Steeling her resolve, Shizuku walked to the other side of the platform. Every training hall in Hagun Academy was equipped with specialized dueling areas, open twenty-four hours a day to allow students to freely settle disputes or hone their skills.
Haruki watched her silently, his posture relaxed as if inviting her to take the first move. Shizuku blinked, then her expression shifted to one of irritation.
What is with this guy?! Does he look down on me that much?! I'm still a B-Rank Blazer!
It was true; Shizuku's official rank was B. Her stats were: Attack D, Defense B, Mana Capacity C, Mana Control A, Physical Stamina E, and Luck C. If it weren't for her physical stamina dragging her down, she would have likely been an A-Rank—the true rising star of the Kurogane family.
As a high-ranking Blazer, she possessed a pride similar to Stella's. Facing Haruki's perceived provocation, she didn't hesitate. She summoned her Device instantly.
"Scatter the sea foam—Yoishigure!"
In a flash, a short sword appeared in her hand. It bore a resemblance to Ikki's Intetsu but was smaller and more elegant. Unlike Intetsu, which had no special properties beyond physical enhancement, Shizuku's Yoishigure possessed the ability to manipulate water by drawing moisture from the air.
"Noble Art—Water Prison Bullets!"
The moment she summoned her blade, Shizuku activated her power. A massive volley of water spheres condensed in the air around her. Each sphere carried the destructive force of a cannonball, and the sheer volume of the attack blanketed the entire platform.
Shizuku was confident. Against a Blazer with low defense, this barrage would be impossible to withstand. Even a skilled opponent would be pinned down by such a wide-area suppression.
But to her utter shock, the moment the water bullets reached Haruki, they simply... vanished. It was as if the mana she was controlling had suddenly been hijacked by the person standing in front of her.
Shizuku's realization grew even more horrifying. As seconds passed, she watched her own water bullets begin to follow Haruki's movements. The currents that were meant to strike him turned back toward her, forming into liquid blades. Their speed and power had increased exponentially.
"How is this possible?!"
Paralyzed by shock, Shizuku forgot to defend herself. She was struck by her own redirected water blades and sent flying off the dueling platform. The match was over in a heartbeat.
Haruki Aizawa had defeated Shizuku with ease.
This wasn't because he was an untouchable god compared to a B-Rank Blazer. In terms of raw power, the gap wasn't an infinite abyss. The reason the duel ended so quickly was that Haruki was her absolute counter.
Shizuku's greatest strength was her Mana Control—an A-Rank stat. Aside from that, her stats were average. This meant her "burst" potential was far lower than someone like Stella. Shizuku's edge was surgical precision, but Haruki's Wave Arts were the ultimate authority over energy.
In the philosophy of the Wave, everything in the world is a vibration. The Wave Arts focus on manipulating these vibrations, and Mana is one of the easiest frequencies to influence. When Shizuku tried to suppress Haruki with precise mana control, she was essentially trying to out-math a supercomputer.
Not only could Haruki disrupt her mana, but he could also harmonize with the water she created. Thanks to his peerless learning ability, he deciphered her control method in an instant and turned her own technique against her.
Looking at the silver-haired girl lying unconscious, Haruki decided he couldn't just leave her there. She had, after all, served as a helpful "test subject" for his Wave practice. He walked over to her and prepared to carry her back to her dorm.
However, when he pulled out her Student Handbook to check her room number, his expression turned slightly strange.
"So that's how it is..." he muttered, looking at the room number on the screen.
Shizuku Kurogane slowly drifted back to consciousness. Until the moment she blacked out, she hadn't understood why her own water bullets had turned against her. But more than her confusion over the loss was the crushing realization of how fast she had been beaten.
She scrambled to her feet, intending to find Haruki for a rematch, only to realize she was back in her dorm room. Even more shocking, Haruki was sitting in a corner of the room. He appeared to be meditating, but he opened his eyes the moment he sensed her waking up.
"You're awake? I took you to the infirmary for a check-up. You aren't injured," Haruki said calmly.
"Th-thank you? Wait—no! Why are you in my room?!" Shizuku asked, her voice rising in alarm.
Because she was a member of the Kurogane family, her enrollment paperwork had been delayed, meaning she was unaware of the academy's radical new meritocracy rules.
Haruki explained without a hint of emotion. "Because this is also my room. To put it simply, it seems we are roommates."
Haruki had realized this the moment he saw her ID. It made sense; his official rank was C, and hers was B. Under the school's new "strength-pairing" system, they were a perfect match for a shared unit.
"R-Roommates?!" Shizuku felt like her world was ending. She instinctively clutched her body and backed away on the bed, but Haruki didn't even look at her. Once he confirmed she was mentally sound, he closed his eyes and went back to his training.
To Haruki, it didn't matter if his roommate was a man or a woman. This world was just a mission objective. Once he finished the system's task, he would be gone. He was a traveler here; he had no intention of forming deep bonds.
Shizuku, however, couldn't ignore him. She watched him warily from across the room for a long time, eventually realizing that he truly had zero interest in her. She exhaled in relief, but then curiosity took over.
She noticed the air around Haruki growing heavy. Even though he was just sitting there with his eyes closed, the atmosphere seemed to ripple as if an invisible substance was being slowly reshaped. As someone with A-Rank Mana Control, she was sensitive to these subtle shifts.
"What... what are you doing?" she couldn't help but ask.
"You can feel it?" Haruki opened his eyes.
The girl hesitated, then nodded. "I can feel you manipulating energy in the air. But you haven't summoned your Device. How are you doing that without a weapon?"
"That's a good question," Haruki said. "Actually, I've been wondering why Blazers feel the need to manifest a Device before they can control mana."
"What?"
"Mana is just an extension of spiritual energy. It's a manifestation of the soul. If your spirit is strong enough, you should be able to manipulate that energy directly. Do Blazers really need the 'crutch' of a Device to use their power? Or is it possible that the very first Blazer who created a Device set everyone else on the wrong path?"
Haruki's words sent a shock through Shizuku's system. She had never questioned the fundamental laws of her world. To everyone she knew, being a Blazer meant having a Device. The idea that a Device might actually be a limitation was revolutionary—borderline heretical.
Haruki didn't dwell on the philosophy, however. He looked at Shizuku with an uncharacteristic intensity. "Kurogane-san, your Mana Control rank is exceptional. Would you be interested in helping me refine my techniques?"
"???"
Shizuku stared at him, stunned. She didn't know whether to call him socially oblivious or incredibly thick-skinned. She had just challenged him to a duel out of spite, and now he was asking her for a favor?
Chapter 29 – Terrorist Attack
"I refuse!"
Shizuku had challenged Haruki out of hostility toward anyone who might overshadow her brother. There was no way she was going to help him get stronger.
Haruki didn't mind her rejection. Mastering the Wave Arts was a long and complex journey; while having a mana-control genius like Shizuku to act as a "tuner" would have sped up his progress, he wasn't going to force it.
He simply went back to ignoring his petite roommate. He closed his eyes and sank back into his perception of the world's vibrations.