The invitation to join the student council had come so suddenly that no one in the group knew how to react.
Saiseki Rai, seeing their surprise, stepped forward. "It was originally planned that the president would personally invite you after conducting her own assessment. But my companion's curiosity got the better of her, so we came to observe.
If we've caused you any trouble, we sincerely apologize."
He gave Usamaru Renren a gentle pat on the head as he spoke.
Usamaru slapped his hand away. "Don't act like it was just me! You were curious too! Don't dump it all on me!"
Watching their playful banter, Charles finally understood what had happened.
In short, these two "problem children" of the student council had gotten curious about the new, famously powerful first-years and had used the excuse of a scouting mission to come spy on them.
Charles hadn't come to Japan for the sake of enjoying school life, so naturally, he wasn't interested in joining the student council.
What surprised him, however, was that the rest of the group also politely declined the invitation.
While joining the student council was considered a badge of honor—proof of one's elite status at Pojun Academy—it made sense that everyone had their own reasons for turning it down.
Neither Usamaru nor Saiseki pushed the issue. They simply asked everyone to think it over and said they'd accept answers later.
After that, life returned to a steady routine. Classes, training, and matches—Charles settled into a regular, if uneventful, rhythm.
The internal selection tournament continued without a hitch, and soon, each of them had completed six or seven matches.
According to Shinguuji Kurono, to secure a spot in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival, one had to go undefeated—no losses allowed.
So far, only Charles's little group remained unbeaten among the first-years.
Of note, Ikki Kurogane had also kept a perfect record. As a result, his infamous title of Worst One had been replaced with a new nickname: Another One, the Uncrowned Sword King.
And his last match had been against none other than Usamaru Renren.
It had taken Ikki just five seconds to subdue her and claim victory.
Usamaru's ability, Infinite Acceleration, was undeniably powerful. She could continuously stack speed beyond what the human eye could follow—most opponents were defeated before they even realized what had hit them.
But her greatest flaw was that if her acceleration was interrupted, she had to start over from zero. On top of that, once her speed exceeded a certain limit, even she couldn't react in time.
The moment she entered Ikki's range of attack—his so-called crossover distance—he caught and restrained her in one move. With no room to counter, she could only admit defeat.
As for Stella, she had completely overpowered Saiseki Rai, whose ability was based purely on brute force—yet another demonstration of an A-rank's overwhelming might.
Another weekend arrived, and Charles and Stella resumed their usual training routine.
These days, Stella no longer collapsed after a run like she used to. If she were tested for physical ability again, she might even rank A.
After finishing their long-distance run, Charles handed her a sports drink he had prepared. Stella took it without hesitation, gulping it down.
Charles had long noticed her metabolic rate was off the charts. Her daily meals equaled six or seven people's worth.
The cafeteria had even given her a dedicated rice cooker just to keep up.
Charles suspected it had something to do with her not-yet-fully-awakened power. If she was, as he suspected, a concept-type Blazer tied to dragons, this kind of appetite and metabolism would make perfect sense.
Since she called him "teacher," Charles felt responsible—hence the energy drinks.
In the beginning, she used to get flustered when he handed them over. Now it had become routine.
Draining the bottle, Stella wiped her mouth and said, "By the way, where are Ikki and Shizuku today?"
Charles answered, "Remember that upperclassman, Ayatsuji Ayase? Apparently something happened with her family. Ikki went to help. Of course, Shizuku tagged along."
"Jeez, Ikki always sticks his nose into other people's business. He's got enough of his own problems already," Stella grumbled.
Charles waved a hand. "Well, this involves the so-called 'Last Samurai'—one of his idols. He couldn't resist."
Two days ago, Ikki had noticed someone following him. He assumed it was trouble—only to find it was third-year student Ayatsuji Ayase.
She was shy and introverted, barely able to speak while looking someone in the eye. She hadn't followed him for anything weird—she just admired his swordsmanship and wanted to learn from him.
Ikki never turned down a request for help, so despite Shizuku's obvious irritation, he began coaching her in sword techniques.
…Including correcting her stances and form by touching her thighs. Honestly, it was a miracle Ayase didn't faint from embarrassment.
During their sessions, Ikki also learned about Ayase's circumstances.
Unlike Ikki, Ayase had learned swordsmanship through a proper family style. Her teacher was none other than her father, Ayatsuji Kaito.
Kaito was known as the Last Samurai, a non-Blazer who had displayed extraordinary skill in kendo tournaments.
But apparently, something had happened to him—he was hospitalized and hadn't regained consciousness.
Ikki had been helping her since then, but Charles wasn't particularly interested in the details.
After the run, Charles and Stella began sparring.
Stella didn't need to master sword techniques—she just needed to tap into her true power. But combat ability had to be trained. Awakening strength and mastering it were two very different things.
She swung her Dragon Sin Sword again and again, attacking Charles relentlessly.
Her monstrous strength—enough to suppress even Saiseki Rai—was neutralized effortlessly by Charles.
He even had enough composure to point out openings in her technique mid-battle.
With no classes or matches on weekends, the training dragged on until the sun was high in the sky.
Finally, Stella let her Device dissipate and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. Charles quickly turned his head. Her breathing was causing noticeable movement. Was this scientifically possible?
Pulling her up, Charles took her to the cafeteria. Despite looking half-dead, one meal was all she needed to bounce back.
Watching her pile up empty trays and finish off the giant rice cooker, Charles thought, Thank god she's a princess. No one else could afford to feed her.
But… Charles glanced at her flat stomach. Where did all that food even go?
His gaze moved upward. …Ah. Maybe that's where it went.
The two of them left the cafeteria and began walking back to the dorm.
Stella was chatting happily, not noticing that someone was about to come around the corner.
Charles noticed, though. He quickly pulled Stella back before she collided with the other person.
But the newcomer, startled, fell flat on her back.
Not because she wasn't watching where she was going—but because she was carrying a stack of documents taller than herself, which completely blocked her vision.
Surprised, she tripped over her own feet, sending papers flying everywhere.
All Charles could see was her back: chestnut hair, tied into a thick, three-strand braid.
Then, Stella suddenly covered his eyes with one hand.
"Hey! Charles, what are you staring at?! And you—your panties are totally showing!"
"Ah! I'm so sorry! I'll clean it up right away! W-Where are my glasses…?"
A vein throbbed on Charles's forehead. Honestly, she hadn't done anything wrong. If anything, she'd fallen because they startled her.
Is this girl… just naturally clumsy?
"Found them!"
The girl's cheerful voice rang out. Once she'd put her glasses back on, Stella finally lowered her hand.
The girl adjusted her glasses and brushed dust off her clothes. Apparently, she had been crawling around because she'd lost them.
Charles and Stella quickly bent down to help her gather the scattered documents.
As Charles handed a stack back to her and looked up, he finally saw her face—and realized that the girl they had just randomly bumped into…
…was one of the most famous students at Pojun Academy.
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