Chapter 391: An Unexpected Forfeit!
...
Afterward…
"Pervert! Sadist! You're not even human!"
"I can't believe you did something like that to me in public!"
Edelweiss had changed into an entirely new outfit. It was not only her pants. She had replaced everything from top to bottom.
As for the reason, that should have been obvious.
Luke had held back a bit, knowing they still had shopping to do. Even so, being teased and left helpless in public had been far too stimulating for Edelweiss.
Luke had also taken away her original clothes, leaving her no choice but to cooperate while hiding behind the Seisenjutsu barrier. She had to endure the humiliation and perform a series of poses that left her mortified.
By the time it ended and she had changed, Edelweiss was so embarrassed that she kept venting her frustration at him.
However, the Valkyrie clearly did not know how to curse people. She merely repeated the same two lines, sounding less angry and more like she was pouting.
That could not be blamed on her. Before meeting Luke, no one had ever dared to treat Edelweiss like this.
Forget teasing her. A slight frown from her would cause panic, so she had never needed to learn how to curse anyone.
That only made Luke find her even cuter.
Still, cute or not, he could not let her keep nagging him forever.
Just as Luke was about to change the subject, a sudden sound interrupted them.
Ring, ring, ring—!
Luke took his student handbook from his pocket. After checking the caller, he gestured for Edelweiss to wait a moment.
Not wanting to disturb him, Edelweiss stopped complaining and quietly let him hold her hand.
"Sorry, but I might not be able to keep our agreement for now."
The instant Luke answered, Kiriko's apology came through the phone.
Her voice was unusually low, and Luke easily detected the anger she was trying to suppress.
Before he could ask, Kiriko explained first.
"I withdrew from the tournament."
"The hospital's vice director called me just now. Some hospitalized patients suddenly worsened, and I need to return and take command."
Yakushi General Hospital was founded by Kiriko herself, and she served as its director.
The vice director who called was Kozuehara Mio, the person responsible for the hospital while Kiriko attended the Seven Star Sword Art Festival.
Since Kiriko trusted her, Vice Director Kozuehara was clearly no ordinary doctor. At the very least, she was capable of managing the hospital independently.
If Kiriko urgently needed to return, the situation must truly be beyond their ability to handle. Otherwise, they would never have interrupted her tournament.
During their previous conversation, Kiriko had told Luke about the conditions under which she agreed to participate.
Rentei Academy had practically begged her to compete, and Kiriko had been unable to refuse.
However, as a doctor, she would only leave the hospital if every patient was stable and unlikely to worsen during her absence.
For this reason, Rentei mobilized its entire student body. Every student knight with healing abilities was temporarily sent to the hospital to assist.
Rentei's director had even hired two professional Mage-Knights with medical expertise at a high salary to remain there temporarily.
Even then, Kiriko personally examined every patient before leaving.
Only after determining that no one would worsen during the Festival did she depart with peace of mind.
Yet now someone's condition had deteriorated.
Could Kiriko's diagnosis at the time have been wrong?
After thinking briefly, Luke asked,
"If it were only one or two patients, your hospital's current staff should be able to handle it."
"If it's serious enough that you must return immediately, it can't be only one or two. How many patients are in critical condition?"
Kiriko fell silent for a moment before answering.
"…All of them."
That answer also silenced Luke.
His first reaction was, 'Impossible.'
Kiriko's medical ability was recognized throughout the country and even the entire League.
One or two cases could be called an accident, but every patient in an entire hospital worsening at once was simply absurd.
But immediately afterward, Luke seemed to realize something.
He glanced at Edelweiss beside him before asking in an unreadable tone,
"Who was your opponent?"
"Shinomiya Amane…"
"So it really was him."
"You know his ability?!"
Kiriko was immediately shocked.
Aside from apologizing, another reason she had called Luke was to warn him about Shinomiya Amane's ability.
"Honestly, if you already knew, why didn't you warn me… Ah, right. You never looked at the tournament bracket…"
Kiriko sounded completely helpless now.
However, she did not complain further. Even if she had known Amane's ability beforehand, she honestly could not think of a way to counter it.
Wish Fulfillment…
That ability was practically impossible to solve.
At least in Kiriko's eyes, there was no method capable of overcoming it.
Kiriko was surprised that Luke knew Amane's ability, while Luke was also somewhat surprised that she had discovered it.
But after thinking briefly, Luke guessed what had happened.
"The one who uncovered the true nature of his ability was Ikki, right?"
"That's right. Without Kurogane-kun, I probably wouldn't have understood the cause of this incident."
After saying this, Kiriko suddenly paused.
She seemed hesitant. Only after several seconds did she ask Luke another question.
"Are you… confident?"
Luke understood what she meant.
At the banquet before the tournament began, Kiriko had told him that if both of them defeated their opponents, they would meet in the second round.
Now that Kiriko had withdrawn, Shinomiya Amane would naturally become Luke's next opponent.
"I had someone investigate his records. In every publicly recorded match within Kyomon Academy, Shinomiya Amane won without fighting."
Kiriko was extremely worried about Luke's next match.
Perhaps it was gratitude because Luke had agreed to help her, or perhaps it was frustration from being forced to withdraw.
Either way, she truly hoped Luke would teach that boy a painful lesson.
But Kiriko herself understood that defeating such a terrifying ability would be anything but easy.
Although Amane could not freely weave cause and effect, merely being able to control the final result already made his power nearly impossible to overcome.
"I watched your match against Kurogane Ouma. I admit that you're truly strong."
"But Shinomiya Amane's ability is abnormal. He—"
"Don't worry. His ability won't work on me."
Luke interrupted Kiriko.
This was not blind confidence.
He had already learned about Amane's ability from Edelweiss, and he had solid grounds for being completely certain.
…
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