Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan - Volume Zero - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Stella's Sleepless Night 

Part 1 

It was one week before the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, a period for the contenders to rest in preparation for the tournament, but Stella Vermillion was at a lodge in Okutama managed by Hagun Academy. Having been defeated by the Sword Emperor of Wind, she knew that she could not win to the end of the Festival the way she was now, so she came to beg for special training from the interim instructor Nene Saikyou. 

"Ha… ha…!" 

Deep in the forest, Stella ran through overgrowth, chasing after the kimono-clad figure of Saikyou thirty meters ahead. 

"Yo-ho!" 

Saikyou flew through the thin branches, advancing with nimble movements. Stella was irritatedly aware that her own movements like those of an orangutan. 

Well, if you can get a single hit on me, it's a sign of success, huh?? 

Those were Saikyou's words before this training began. At first Stella thought Saikyou was underestimating her. As the current rank number three of the international King of Knights, Saikyou was obviously strong, but Stella was also an A-rank knight. She should be able to land a single hit… or so she thought, but reality was cruel. She had not gotten so much as a touch after chasing Saikyou for half a day, and even now Saikyou was drawing farther away. Having made no progress so far, Stella changed her approach. She infused Lævateinn in her hand with magic power— 

"Dragon Fang!" 

—and a huge gout of flame in the shape of a dragon appeared. It was Stella's fastest and most maneuverable Noble Art for pursuit. 

"Haha, amazing." 

Devouring the trees and shrubs, the dragon went straight for its target with such high speed that even Saikyou would not be able to escape. But not being able to escape was different from being caught. Saikyou turned in midair toward the flame dragon over her shoulder—and roundhouse kicked the pursuing flame dragon on the side of its face. 

The kick, enhanced by Saikyou's control of gravity, blasted the flame dragon apart with one strike. And in that moment, Saikyou took a huge distance from Stella by riding the produced flame and blast of wind, ascending higher than the crown of the trees above. 

Had Stella blundered terribly? No. Stella held no illusions about Dragon Fang catching Saikyou. 

"Oh?" 

Saikyou also realized Stella's true goal instantly. The blast had launched her toward a large lake in the middle of the forest. 

"Uh oh, you were directing me here, huh?" 

At this rate, she would fall into the lake where she could not continue escaping. That was most likely Stella's aim, Saikyou guessed. But… she would not play along so easily. Saikyou promptly summoned the power of gravity into the soles of her feet. Instead of breaking the surface of the water, she landed on that surface and slid across like she was walking. 

Saikyou's feet were not stopped… but that was fine. This opponent wielded gravity, so Stella easily predicted that she would not sink into the water. The reason Stella had chased Saikyou to the lake was not to seal her escape, but to remove the forest foliage that were blocking Stella's own path! 

"I'll catch you here!" 

Saikyou was a moment too slow. Stella shot forth from the forest and jumped onto the lake surface without hesitation. As she touched the waters she used her ability, dashing forward by turning the liquid under her feet into expanding steam and using that as footholds. 

"Huh, quite a creative use of your power~" 

The petite and agile Saikyou had an advantage in racing through the forest, but Stella's plain footspeed was superior. Over the open lake, Saikyou had no chance of outrunning her opponent. The distance between them closed up in an instant. 

"Ha!" 

Stella launched four bullets of flame as she ran, which arced at the surface of Saikyou's front, back, left, and right, striking up a giant barrier of water that stole away Saikyou's escape and her field of vision. 

“Yaaaaa!” 

A shout and a flash. In the split second that Saikyou could not see Stella, Saikyou and the water around her were cut through. 

I don't feel any contact…! 

But the response to Stella's sword was fluid water, not the resilience of flesh or the hardness of bone. The water fell back down to the surface, and Stella shuddered. 

"N-Not here!?" 

Neither shape nor shadow of Saikyou could be found. Where did she go? Stella searched for her target with flustered eyes darting, and at her neck— 

"Oh no~? Who're you looking for~?" 

That mocking voice sounded from behind. Stella turned in panic, and there Saikyou was, standing with her single-toothed clogs atop Stella's still-raised sword. 

"An attack that robs your opponent of her field of sight. You've got a tactical sense worthy of praise. B-u-t… your sword lacks a certain decisiveness, Stella-chan." 

"L-Lack…!?" 

"Yup." 

Nodding, Saikyou gently pulled at Stella's cheek. Stella stiffened at what she had just been told, and could not react— 

*whack* 

"Agh!" 

—to a flick on her forehead. It blew her away across the water like a rock skipping over the surface, until she finally hit the opposite shore, almost fainted from the agony of collision. 

"Get crushed, big boobs!" 

Oh no—! 

Saikyou had launched herself upward with force and speed augmented by gravity manipulation, so high up that her back was against the sun, and Stella could not see the killing blow or get up and move away from a direct hit. The impact a moment later kicked up dust and emitted a mountain-crushing roar, leaving Stella's body sunk deep into the earth. 

"Kuh…!" 

But despite the significant damage, Stella managed to barely maintain conscious. She had blocked the descending kick with her sword at the perfect time. 

"Ho? What amazing reflexes, huh~?" 

"…I heard someone's personal grudge in that last part." 

"Dunno what you're talking about." 

Playing dumb, Saikyou jumped back from Stella's half-buried body. 

"…Well, that's about as much as you can take, right? The sun's setting too, so let's end it for the first day." 

Saikyou did not press the attack further, but Stella pushed herself up and protested. 

"W-Wait…! I can still go on!" 

But Saikyou only returned a warm half-smile. 

"No you can't. You're like a baby gazelle, just barely on your feet, right? Hardly what I'd call able to go on." 

"Ugh." 

"And if I bully you any more than this, how're you getting back on your own? You better believe I'm not gonna carry you." 

Stella could not reply to that. The middle of the forest was dozens of kilometers away from the lodge. She would not have the strength to walk that distance after any more fighting. 

"Well, do your best crawling back. Wahaha!" 

Saikyou started walking off, leaving Stella alone. But Stella had one thing she needed to ask. 

"W-Wait! What is my sword missing!? At least tell me that!" 

If she didn't get an answer, this training would end on an down note and she would have to live with this murky feeling on her chest, so Stella begged… but Saikyou refused to answer. 

"Didn't I already say I'm not teaching you anything? That was the condition. During this training period, you should be examining yourself. Think and improve. What do you lack? If you can't figure it out, then that's the kind of knight you are." 

With those scathing words hanging in the air, Saikyou disappeared into the thickly shadowed trees. Stella, alone on the shore of the lake, did as Saikyou commanded. 

"What… do I lack…?" 

Right now she could not even guess. 

Part 2 

It was the dead of night, just after the midnight hour, when Stella finally returned to the lodge. Getting in the bath before creeping back to her room took about an hour, and just doing that left Stella exhausted. Her energy and willpower were completely spent, so Stella immediately got in her futon, and fell into the muddy embrace of slumber… but…. 

"I can't get to sleep…." 

Stella was still awake even an hour after she entered her bed. Why was that, when she was so tired? The reason was easy to guess. She had not felt the warmth of the boy who was usually nearby. At bedtime, they would usually exchange a playful kiss before entering their bunks. Hearing the slight sounds of breathing above her, basking in the happiness of knowing he was there, she would fall into slumber easily. That was how Stella got good sleep, a habit she was not satisfying at all tonight. 

"Uuu…." 

It was only a single day of separation, but even in the middle of summer, she could not help but feel a chill within. She hungered for the touch of the boy she loved, for the feel of his lips and face. If nothing else, she wanted to hear his voice. 

Suddenly, Stella's gaze was drawn to the student datapad she laid next to her pillow as an alarm clock. Though this place was in the mountains, it was regularly visited. Electricity was available, which meant she could make phone calls. She could hear his voice. 

But… Stella stopped her reaching hand. 

"No! You can't do that, Stella Vermillion!" 

She did not want to show Ikki her weakness after being defeated by the Sword Emperor of Wind. That was why she had come here. Yet she had been trounced today by the Device-less Yaksha Princess, and if she called him now, who knew how weak her voice would sound? It was only the first day, and she was too humiliated to cry, but at this rate the dawn would come. 

"No helping it. Let's use my trump card." 

Stella got a travel bag from under her bed. Yes, she had anticipated becoming not homesick, but Ikki-sick. So to deal with that— 

"I'll get under the blankets Ikki and I use!" 

By this method she would be able to sleep wrapped in Ikki's scent despite their separation. Quite pleased with her own cleverness, Stella quickly shook off the blankets she was using, exchanging them for the ones she brought, and wrapped herself in them before drawing a deep breath—then jolted up from surprise. 

"Th-This isn't right! This isn't Ikki's blanket!?" 

Since the blankets were those of their dormitory, all the students of the academy used the same type. Identifying them by sight was impossible, but not by smell. This scent was… no mistake, it belonged to Ikki's little sister, Shizuku! 

"Grr… it can't be, did she make the first move…!?" 

That girl never overlooked anything. Yes, she had to be killed at some point. But… Stella gave a fearless smile. 

"How-ev-er, don't think you've won, Shizuku! You messed up!" 

How had Shizuku messed up? She had used her own blankets for the switch. 

"If you were going to do it, you might as well have used Alice's. If you love Ikki as much as I do, then it's easy to take his little sister's smell as his! Hehehe, that disdain of yours gives me the win!" 

Stella quickly wrapped herself in her bedding and breathed deeply. What entered her nose was the remnants of Shizuku's milky sweet fragrance, which was close enough to Ikki's that Stella could use it to strengthen her image of holding him tight. A surprisingly vivid image, if she would say so herself. Stella's body shook from the sensation filling her heart, as if Ikki was breathing next to her. 

https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:Rakudai_V0_136.jpg 

"Hehe, ah…." 

This was good, even beyond her expectations. Stella suddenly noticed that this was the first time that she was daydreaming of Ikki this way. Boy or girl, love meant anyone would act this way while imagining the one they loved, but in Stella's case the real Ikki was always right nearby, somewhere she could touch if she stretched out her hand. That was a happy thing, but there were times she could not do so. Some things were too embarrassing to ask for. 

But… the Ikki in my mind can do anything. Which means— 

Which meant that this was a chance to enjoy herself, right? For example—if she took off her clothes right now and wrapped herself in the bedding, how wonderful a dream could she see— 

"N-No! I can't do that! Not something so vulgar!" 

Turning red at the thought despite herself, Stella shook her head wildly. Her heart was beating like it was going to explode. She could not do this even in a daydream, or else she would not be able to pull back again. Stella knew this, so she stopped herself… but then… what was so bad about it? The demon in her heart whispered, after all, that it was just her imagination. It was not like she was bothering anyone, right? 

No, but…! 

This was something that all lovers did. She was the only one holding back. 

But…! 

Stuck between reason and desire, Stella lay in anguish. Taking the leap was too audacious, and yet letting it go was too disappointing, so as a result…. 

Part 3 

"Whoa, those are some bags under your eyes. Did you not sleep at all last night?" 

"…Yeah, well." 

Stella had been boiling in wicked thoughts, and ended up not getting any rest. Seeing her in such exhaustion, Saikyou patted her on the shoulder. 

"Well, I know how you feel. If someone told me I lacked something, I wouldn't be able to sleep either. But if you're thinking this over so seriously, I'm sure you'll figure it out quick. And this way the things you'll realize will have meaning, right? Work hard, work hard." 

"…Hahaha, I'll do that. Yeah." 

Stella could not admit she had forgotten all about it.