Chapter - 6

With eyes sparkling, he pulled out a gigantic piece of paper and begged Ikki.

"Eh, Y-You want me to sign on that expensive paper?"

"Yep! Please?"

"Err, it's not like I would refuse…."

Ikki was perplexed at Amane's request. After the duel with Stella at school he had become somewhat popular, so it wasn't like there weren't people asking him for a handshake or to sign their notebooks. But there weren't anybody who brought paper for an autograph so diligently. Because of that, a mere commoner like Ikki would of course become nervous. To be treated like a celebrity this way, wasn't it strange?

"Being presented such splendid paper, I don't think my signature would be good on it…."

But Stella opined as though she was completely uninvolved.

"Isn't it fine? It's just writing your name."

"Stella… but still."

"He idolizes you to this degree. Shouldn't you respond at least that much? Besides, the value of your autograph is for the person receiving it to decide."

"Ugh…."

It was certainly sound reasoning. Amane only wanted Ikki to sign, and brought paper that reflected how important Ikki's signature was for the request, so it was unreasonable for Ikki to doubt his own value.

Therefore Ikki accepted the splendid paper with a soft "I understand."

"But I really can't do much more than sign my name. Is that okay?"

"Don't worry about it!"

So after Ikki double-checked, and Amane reaffirmed with that he should sign, he wrote his full name with unskillful characters.

"Whoa—! Thank you, Ikki-kun! I'll frame it and treasure it for the rest of my life—!"

Receiving Ikki's autograph, Amane jumped up and down in rejoicing and hugged it close to his chest. Seeing a happiness not unlike that of a child who was bought the toy he really wanted, Ikki gave a wry smile.

Did I ever think anyone would put my name inside a frame and treasure it for life…?

He was happy that someone idolized him to that extent, but Ikki who wasn't used to such treatment felt self-conscious more than anything, and started sweating. Until he met Stella, things like praise and respect were far beyond reach for him, so perhaps this feeling couldn't be helped.

However, contrary to Ikki's mood,

"At any rate, you really like Ikki, don't you Amane? Would you tell us what exactly about him made you a fan?"

Stella asked Amane for this, and the topic turned more and more toward Ikki.

"I like how he fights. The way he's taken down every adversary put in front of him with just a sword is smart and stylish."

"But recordings of his selection battle fights weren't allowed outside of school, I heard."

"That's true, but every school has a few 'benefactors' who upload them. Especially Bukyoku and Hagun, it seems. The schools with currently popular students having matches invariably leak information. So Ikki-kun's main match was appreciated by everyone! Downloaded to datapads, broadcast hundreds of times, I've memorized his words completely! –With my great weakness, I will break your invincibility…!"

"Buh!"

Seeing a picture of himself reciting those words from the match against Raikiri with a sexy expression, Ikki just barely managed to cover the spray of ginger ale from his mouth with a napkin.

"That signature phrase is mesmerizing! Ah, but I like the version you gave during your fight with the 'Hunter' too!"

"L-Look, can we not listen to that? Stop? Please stop! Hey!"

"With my greatest weakness, I'll catch your greatest strength―!"

"Nooooooooo!"

"When you destroyed, no, caught Hunter, you looked really elegant, you know?"

"Wa—no, please let me off! I was really stressed at the time! During the fight I was just out of sorts! So please forgive me, I beg you!"

No longer able to stand the itch of humiliation, Ikki clung to Amane. His face was so red it could burst into flame at any moment. But Amane looked dissatisfied by Ikki's restraint.

"Eh—why? I think you look really cool. Don't you agree, Stella-san?"

And Stella, who Amane was trying to bring into the conversation—

"Y-Yes, that's true. Yep. Ikki sure is cool. …Heh heh heh."

—was half crying, trying to keep the laughter off her of face.

"Stella, your words don't match the expression I see."

As he thought, Stella turned her face away rather than object. Well, since he understood her feelings, Ikki didn't object strongly. If he had to say so himself, how could he say such brazen words? Stress was a fearful thing.

But in this place, Ikki's fan continued to talk about the things that made Ikki fascinating, even though Ikki was writhing from the descriptions of his own conduct.

"Even though you look so cool fighting… I like how you look dealing with the fight even more than that, Ikki-kun."

"How Ikki looks when he's dealing with the fight?"

"Yep. My way of saying it might be impolite, but frankly Ikki-kun seems to have given up on the attributes of a Blazer, right? At least, he wasn't blessed in that way. But Ikki-kun doesn't let that show. No matter how strong his opponent is, or what the gap is between him and that opponent, Ikki-kun makes his challenges with pride and dignity. As if he believes in his own worth. That's dazzling to me."

And so Amane informed them the reason he was captivated by Ikki. At that confession, Ikki once again felt surprise and embarrassment.

He really was watching carefully, huh?

Believing in his own worth. The attitude he had when he strugged which Amane was describing, it was surely Ikki's core truth.

"Ah, haha. …Saying that in front of the person himself is embarrassing after all, right? My face is getting a little red, you know."

"…Hearing it is even more embarrassing, though."

"Haha. Sorry, sorry."

Smiling as if glossing over it, Amane left his seat with a sigh.

"Well, it's time for me to go back."

"Oh my. At any rate, we're going to the training camp, right? Then let's go together."

"There's no way I can keep up with you two running even after you've just eaten. Besides, I haven't finished buying the things my upperclassmen asked for."

Amane declined Stella's suggestion. And before he left, Amane turned to Ikki.

"Thank you for the autograph. I'll be cheering for you from the bottom of my heart that you'll push through every difficulty and take the summit of the Seven Stars!"

Yes, he gave those words of encouragement with a smile. It was very strange to hear those words of support from someone he might meet and fight in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, but it would be boorish for Ikki to retort that in the face of being shown such clear favor.

He's cheering for me in such an honest way, if I don't respond properly….

Ikki opened his mouth to thank Amane for that support with a smile of his own—

—Huh…?

At that moment, inside himself, he felt an unease—and lost his train of thought.

"Ikki-kun…?"

"…Ah, no. I'll do my best. Thank you."

After Ikki was silent for a while, he managed to squeeze out a few words in response. To Ikki who had suddenly sunk into silence, Amane showed a slightly puzzled expression, but…

"Well, let's meet again~"

Was he satisfied by Ikki's response? Amane gave a small grin and left that place by himself.

"Hehehe. In the end, you became the type who can get fans outside the school, Ikki. It's unbelievable compared to how you were in the beginning."

After Amane left, Stella laughed delightedly as she finished off her remaining potato. In reply, Ikki nodded slightly.

"…That's true."

"And Amane seems to have quite the crush on you."

"You look very happy about that, Stella."

"Yes, I certainly am. I'm happy that the strength you beat me with has been recognized, but more than Amane expressing that so openly and heatedly, I'm happy that he recognized what's wonderful about the one I love. Ikki, you're not dissatisfied, are you? About having a fan who understands you properly and supports you?"

"…Yeah. I don't have a problem with it. …I can't have a problem with it."

"Ikki…?"

Suddenly, Stella felt a strange faltering in Ikki's response, and looked at his expression. Ikki was staring toward the exit that Amane had left through and making a somehow strained expression.

No, it wasn't—just at the level of being strained. Ikki was… clearly, visibly sweating. Even in this store with a functioning air conditioner.

"What's wrong, Ikki? You're sweating so…."

"Hey, Stella."

As if pushing Stella's question aside, Ikki asked Stella.

"In your eyes, what kind of person is Amane-san?"

"What kind of…. His manners are good, he has a cute face, and more than anything he watches you properly. A person who feels splendid, I think."

To Stella's reply,

"Yeah… that's right. One would normally think that… right…?"

Ikki's voice came out like a moan, and he furrowed his brow.

That's right. …Because there's nothing to dislike.

Amane Shinomiya. With charming looks like a girl from somewhere. With gentleness that couldn't turn a blind eye to possible tragedy, but held back an attacker even at the risk of his own life. He, more than anything else, idolized and respected Ikki. Everything about him was what was likeable in a human being.

He had to be likeable. But—despite that—

I can't hold together an impression of liking him without it breaking into pieces…

Moreover, at the moment when Ikki was returning the smiling Amane's encouragement as Amane was departing, he felt it. Against Amane's smile, he needed to exert quite a lot of effort. Amane's words. Amane's expression. Amane's puppy-like good-will. All of it was naturally likeable. All those things that Ikki thought he should like, in reality none of them resounded in Ikki's heart.

It was incomprehensible. Ikki himself couldn't understand why he held no favor for Amane. And so, that shapeless and uncanny truth clung to Ikki's heart like tar.

The eerie unease couldn't be helped, so Ikki took out his student datapad, and attempted to call someone. The phone call was connected immediately.

「Ye~s, hello! It's rare for you to call me, Senpai. Is something the matter?」

"Ah, Kagami-san. Do you have a little time right now? There's something I need to ask you."

「Sure, it's no problem. I'm just having tea with Alice-chan and the others right now. What do you want to ask?」

"Kagami-san, you haven't just been investigating Hagun, but also the contenders from other schools, right?"

「Sure, of course. I've checked through basically every school's representative team.」

"Then do you know what kind of person Kyomon's representative Amane Shinomiya is?"

「What kind of person, you say. That's a very vague question again, you know?"」

"Ah, yes, I know. Hmm."

Saying such a thing, Ikki had the same thought. It was an inquiry that was too much like what a guy would ask another guy. However, in order to sweep away that ominious feeling, wouldn't knowing anything he could about Amane be good? Since he didn't know himself, Ikki was worried for a short while. Kagami guessed Ikki's distress over the phone and opened her mouth to speak.

「Ahh, it's fine. If it's about Shinomiya-san, I can tell it's something between boys.」

"Is that so?"

「There's not much information. He's not a contender who appeared in the middle-school league. What I know is that he's a Blazer of the rare causation-manipulation system, and the story is that he was endorsed with high opinion as a representative. How should I put it? The truth is there are a lot of those kinds of contestants this year, you know? There's a pattern of nameless first-years who don't have experience in the middle-school league being selected as representatives. So with regard to Shinomiya-san being one of them, there's not much of an impression–that you pulled out his name and asked about him makes me a little interested. Did something happen with Shinomiya-san?」

To the question being thrown at him, Ikki wavered in explaining the ominous sensation he had felt. Since he himself didn't know the reason for it, he didn't want to denigrate another person, and more than anything else, he couldn't put that ominous feeling into words.

"No, I just met him unexpectedly during my run. And because of that, I just felt like I wanted to know what kind of person he is."

In the end, Ikki dodged the question that way.

「Huh… I thought he wasn't coming to the training camp, but he did come to the mountain?」

"It seems he came in order to deliver provisions to his upperclassmen."

「In that case, I should be on the lookout and gather some information on him~I guess? Heh heh heh.」

"Ahaha… well, you can do that. Sorry for the abrupt call."

「No, no. Sorry I couldn't help much. Tell me if you figure out something interesting~」

"Yeah. Thanks. Talk to you later."

Giving his gratitude, Ikki ended the call. In the end, he didn't obtain any great information. If Kagami who always had an ear out for such things didn't know, then there probably was little information on Amane available.

"Aren't you overthinking it? You probably just have a fatally bad compatibility with Amane. Maybe you killed each other in a past life, or fought for the same lover. Or maybe it's true from both sides."

"Maybe that's how it is."

"Well, I think everyone has someone he can't get along with."

Can't get along with. It would be good if his discomfort went that far and no more. However, since he himself couldn't explain the reason for the weird feeling he had about Amane,

"Yeah. …That's right. It's probably just that."

He had no choice but to agree. But even if he told himself to agree, he couldn't wash away the eerie feeling those false words left clinging to his heart.

What settled in his heart, that he couldn't put into words, was—an evil omen. An awfully unpleasant premonition. This is what Ikki thought as he looked at the restaurant exit that Amane had exited through: that he had met something tremendously fearsome just now.