章 56: I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [56]
"Welcome, new students! I'm your homeroom teacher, Yuuri Oreki…"
Though her words were enthusiastic, her voice sounded drained and exhausted. She had an attractive face, but it was completely bloodless, with dark, heavy circles under her eyes, giving her the look of a fragile beauty who seemed ready to faint—or even cough up blood—at any moment.
And yet, for some reason, her weary tone carried a strangely captivating allure.
This teacher, distinct in every way, stood on the platform, microphone in hand, delivering her talk with the occasional exaggerated gesture.
The twenty or so students in the class all shared the same expression as they watched her: intense worry.
"She's a fresh new teacher taking on homeroom duties for the first time. Please call me Yuriko-chan! Now, there won't be any lectures today, but I need to tell you all about the selection for the 'Seven Stars Sword Art Representative Battle'…"
"Is this really okay?" Stella whispered, voicing everyone's unspoken concern. "It feels like this teacher could pass out from excitement at any moment."
A few classmates nodded quietly, clearly sharing her apprehension.
"Ahaha… but she's a good teacher," Ikki replied with an awkward smile.
Okita Souji was seated next to Stella, with Ikki on the other side of her. And for the record, Stella had specifically made Okita sit there.
A bit much, don't you think?
With her elbow propped on the desk and her head in her hand, Okita looked quite bored, but she was still paying attention to Yuuri Oreki's explanation of the "Seven Stars Sword Art Representative Battle."
After all, it was a key part of the story.
The "Seven Stars Sword Art Festival" was an annual martial arts event hosted by the seven academies, designed to determine the strongest student knight among them, with the champion crowned as the "Seven Stars Sword King."
Each academy sends six representatives to compete.
The "Seven Stars Sword Art Representative Battle" Oreki-sensei was explaining was, as the name implied, a competition to decide those six representatives. Each student would participate in about ten matches, and only the best performers would qualify to represent Vermilion Academy in the festival.
In fact, this selection battle had only been introduced this year. In the past, representatives were simply chosen based on their raw power stats.
Vermilion Academy had always performed well at the festival, often producing the "Seven Stars Sword King" and earning a reputation as the strongest academy among the seven.
However, in recent years, Vermilion Academy's representatives had begun to perform poorly in the festival, once even failing to make it past the quarterfinals.
As a result, the previous headmaster was dismissed, and the new headmaster, Kurono Shinguuji, implemented sweeping reforms.
One of these reforms was a shift away from prioritizing stats in favor of real combat ability, giving rise to the Representative Battle.
As long as you could win—and win often enough—you had a chance to represent the academy, regardless of how low your stats were. Even an F-ranked knight had a shot at competing for the title of "Seven Stars Sword King."
While listening to Oreki-sensei's detailed and earnest explanations, Okita glanced over at Ikki Kurogane.
She could sense something had changed in him.
As Oreki-sensei described the details of the competition, Ikki's gentle demeanor was replaced by a look of fierce resolve.
It was like a sailor, lost at sea for years, finally spotting an island—a treasure island. His spirit, honed by hardship, was now as solid as rock.
Okita only remembered the broad strokes of the original plot, including Ikki's motivation for participating in the "Seven Stars Sword Art Festival."
Apparently, because of his F-rank, Ikki had been repeatedly held back, with some even actively trying to keep him from graduating as a "Magic Knight." It wasn't until Kurono Shinguuji took over as headmaster that Ikki got his chance.
If Ikki could become the "Seven Stars Sword King," Kurono could grant him immediate graduation.
And if he won, it would silence those who looked down on him for being F-ranked.
It was destined to be a thorny path, yet one that had never been clearer for Ikki.
There might be formidable opponents and hostile forces, and those who targeted him might resort to all kinds of underhanded tactics. But for the first time, success was no longer a distant dream but a future within his reach.
So, he would hold tight to his sword, ready to cut through the brambles before him.
"So fierce, so dazzling…"
Yuuri Oreki continued her talk from the podium, while Okita's previously lazy gaze sharpened.
"The light of that sword in that moment… I'm really looking forward to seeing it."
"…and with that, the first match will take place next week. The schedule and matchups will be sent to each of your student handbooks, so keep an eye out."
Yuuri Oreki's unique weary-yet-cheerful voice filled the room as she continued her explanation, until Stella suddenly raised her hand.
"Sensei."
"No, no, no. I won't answer unless you call me Yuriko-chan!"
Yuuri tossed Stella a playful wink, and Okita watched in astonishment as Stella's hair ribbon seemed to droop in defeat.
"Yu… Yuriko-chan…"
"Yes? What is it, Stella-chan?"
Yuuri's mood seemed to lift, though her voice remained as languid as ever.
"How many matches will each of us have to compete in?"
"Each student will need to compete in around ten matches, so think of it as a match roughly every three days."
Other students, following Stella's lead, asked their own questions, and upon learning that choosing not to compete wouldn't affect their grades, several of them immediately began considering forfeiting.
Finally, Oreki-sensei wrapped up the orientation with a closing statement.
"Alright, everyone! For the next year, give it everything you've got. Now, together!"
Evidently, the teacher was more excited than her fragile appearance suggested, even attempting to rally the class with a cheer.
And then… they all watched as Oreki-sensei proudly said, "Heh heh, oh!" and proceeded to cough up a three-meter spray of blood.
The classroom erupted in chaos, and Okita shot up from her desk, shouting.
"Sensei! Are you alright? Hold on, I'll take you to the medi—urp!"
"Eek! Okita, why are you coughing up blood?!"
---
T/N: I'm guessing Yuriko-chan is a nickname! I made the mistake of changing Rikki from the earlier translations of I Just Want A Single Ending, so unless someone let's me know I'll be keeping it!
✧ Webnovel Readers, It's Holiday Time! ✧
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