Clang—!
A crisp metallic clash rang out.
The blood-red blade traced an arc in the air like a crimson moon, colliding at the intersection of the black and white twin pistols, grinding out countless sparks that scattered across the ground.
In the blink of an eye, Kurono had already retreated ten meters.
"I see. So you had another card hidden away?"
Kurono steadied her stance, her eyes fixed solemnly on Harumura Makoto.
No—more precisely, on the long sword gripped in his right hand.
About a meter and a half in length, its guard shaped like two overlapping trapezoids, the blade gleamed like blood jade.
Along its edge ran black wave-like patterns, dark and ominous.
"This is the device you've been concealing?"
"That's right. The Blade of Time, Ametsuki. Honestly, I was hoping to catch you off guard and end the fight outright. But it seems that was wishful thinking."
Makoto let out a faint sigh.
From the moment he entered this academy, he had been preparing for this exact situation.
He knew there would inevitably be a test of strength.
That was why, since awakening this power, he had only ever revealed Kūretsu—its spatial interference abilities.
It was all to deepen Kurono's impression that his capacity lay solely in that single pistol and spatial manipulation.
Then, at the critical moment, he would unleash his trump card—the Blade of Time, Ametsuki. By exploiting the information gap, he could seize victory.
"Idiot—it worked. You think I was going all out just now?"
Kurono rolled her eyes at him, exasperated.
"Your time manipulation works on yourself too, doesn't it? Otherwise your strike just now couldn't have been that fast. What's the maximum amplification you can apply to yourself?"
"Not entirely sure, but right now I can manage about sevenfold." Makoto thought for a moment, then answered honestly without trying to hide it.
"In that case… your base physical ability must be extremely strong."
For the first time, Kurono looked genuinely surprised.
In fact, this startled her more than his concealment of a second armament.
That swing just now, in that instant, had reached about 0.03 seconds.
Even with tenfold strength amplification, an ordinary person couldn't possibly move like that.
Even she, an A-rank Slayer with physical ability at the peak, couldn't reach that speed with sevenfold enhancement.
"Not bad, I guess. My physical strength does seem to be higher than average."
Makoto shrugged, then continued:
"So… does this mean I passed the test?"
"We'll call it that. Though I didn't get to see everything, this much is enough."
With that, Kurono dismissed her twin pistols, signaling that there was no need to continue.
"Mm."
Then, as if remembering something, she pulled a card from her pocket and tossed it to Makoto.
"You mentioned you don't have money on you, right? That's your dorm room key card. It also has meal credits stored inside. Use it for now. I'll handle the rest of your paperwork in the next couple days. And someone who could sneak into my office so neatly shouldn't need me to show them where the dorms and cafeteria are, right?"
Makoto caught the card between his fingers, then slipped it away with a magician's flourish.
"Of course. No need to trouble you further, Director."
"I'll take my leave then."
…
"Hey, Kuu-chan—just now, I heard something very interesting. Where exactly did you find such a fine man?"
In an instant, Saikyō Nene appeared silently at Kurono's side.
"It's rare. Normally you'd cling to someone like that immediately, but you actually let him go?" Kurono crossed her arms and shot her a glare.
Her attitude toward Nene was… familiar, yet tinged with annoyance.
"He really is a fine man. I haven't seen talent this extraordinary in ages. I'd bet his physical assessment could even reach S-rank."
As mentioned before, Blazers' ability rankings go from F at the lowest to A at the highest.
The so-called S-rank isn't higher than A—it simply means current instruments and methods cannot fully measure it, so it is classified as S.
"With that kind of potential, even my master would be tempted to take him as a disciple."
Kurono took Nene's words seriously.
"Is he really that strong?"
After all, specialties matter.
Her speed was great, but only when fueled by her ability. Without it, she was average.
But this infuriating little woman beside her was different.
Nene was a true master of martial skill—her teacher none other than the legendary hero of Japan, the "War God" Torajirou Nangou.
"Of course. With physical gifts like that, plus a conceptual interference ability like yours, though his swordsmanship is still a blank slate… For an educator, finding such raw talent is irresistible, isn't it?"
Nene fanned herself lightly, excitement gleaming in her eyes.
"By the way, Kuu—you still haven't told me. Where exactly did that fascinating boy come from?"
"I picked him up."
"…What?"
Turning away, Kurono repeated it flatly.
"I said I picked him up. You heard him earlier—sneaked into my office, then asked to enroll."
"Oho~, So he's like that Kurogane boy after all."
Nene's eyes sparkled, clearly intrigued.
"No. Not the same. At least Kurogane had some kind of official status. This one doesn't even have identification."
Kurono frowned at the thought.
"…I see."
Nene raised her brows slightly in surprise.
"But in a way, that makes him less trouble than Kurogane, doesn't it?"