Haruki's hand clamped around the man's wrist like a pressurized vice. He looked down at Kirin's uncle with eyes as cold as a deep-sea trench.
"What do you think you're doing?" Haruki asked.
"Eh...?" Kirin's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as she saw Haruki intervene.
"Who do you think you are?" The man, Kouichiro Toudou, narrowed his eyes. He was surprised by the sudden interference, but he showed no fear. Instead, he looked at Haruki with a gaze of pure, aristocratic contempt. In fact, he seemed to view the Genestella students of Seidokan as nothing more than trained animals.
"My name is Haruki Aizawa," Haruki said, his voice level. He didn't let go. "I know you're her uncle, but that doesn't give you the right to strike a girl who has no intention of fighting back. If you don't stop, I'll be forced to return the favor."
"You? Strike me?" Kouichiro let out a jagged, mocking laugh. "A brat from Seidokan? You're just another 'Star Pulse' freak. Go back to the pits and bash each other's heads in for the crowd's amusement. If you lay a finger on me, I'll have the City Guard throw you into a black site before the sun sets."
"Is that so?" Haruki's lips curled into a faint, dangerous smile. "I'd like to see them try."
The next second, Haruki's hand moved in a blur.
CRACK!
The sound of the slap was like a gunshot. Kouichiro didn't even see it coming. He was launched three meters into the air, spinning 180 degrees before slamming face-first into the pavement.
"You... you..." Kouichiro scrambled up, clutching his bleeding mouth and a broken front tooth. He stared at Haruki in pure shock. "You're insane! You've just signed your own warrant! You're going to prison for life!"
"What warrant?" Haruki asked, tilting his head with mock confusion. "The security cameras in this sector happened to malfunction right before I walked up. And I doubt these middle schoolers saw anything either, right?"
He looked at the surrounding students. They took one look at Haruki—the "Sword Ghost" who had just backhanded an executive—and then at the man they all secretly hated. They nodded in unison.
"I didn't see anything," one boy said. "He just tripped and fell."
"Yeah, he hit the ground pretty hard," another added, suppressed grins breaking out across their faces.
Kouichiro's face turned purple with rage. Facing a broken camera and a wall of silence from the witnesses, his threats were toothless. He could only simmer in his own bile, realizing that in this moment, his "authority" was a joke.
"You damn monsters!"
Kouichiro glared at Haruki, his hatred for Genestella boiling over. He wanted to scream, to call for blood, but his survival instinct told him that if he pushed Haruki again, he might not survive the next strike.
He straightened his expensive suit and spat out a glob of blood. "Fine. You win this round, brat. But don't think for a second I'm done with you. I am Kouichiro Toudou, Chief of the Seventh Investigative Branch of Galaxy. When I find a way to dismantle your life, I won't be as 'gentle' as you were."
Haruki didn't blink. Corporate titles and political weight meant nothing to a man who had faced the end of the world. He ignored the threat and stepped forward.
"You think walking away ends this?" Haruki asked. "I want an explanation. Why were you hitting her?"
"What?" Kouichiro sneered. "I'm her uncle. It's family discipline. You're an outsider, Aizawa. Stay out of Toudou business."
"Family discipline? You mean you're using your status as her guardian to treat her like a punching bag?"
"Exactly! And she's a Genestella—her body is tougher than steel. A couple of slaps are 'painless' to her. She's lucky I even bother to educate her."
"Painless? Is that what you think?" Haruki's aura sharpened, the temperature around him dropping.
"What else would it be?"
"In that case," Haruki said, his voice a low, terrifying whisper, "I guess I didn't hit you hard enough."
Kouichiro flinched, instinctively raising his hands to cover his head. But Haruki didn't move.
Kirin Toudou had stepped between them. She looked at Haruki with a pleading, watery gaze, her voice trembling. "Aizawa-san... please. Don't hurt him anymore. He... he knows he's wrong now."
"I doubt it," Haruki said, shaking his head. He knew the type. A man like Kouichiro wouldn't learn from a beating; he would only wait for a moment of weakness to strike back twice as hard.
Haruki looked at the girl. Her submissiveness was the real problem. She was the Rank 1 fighter, a master of the blade, yet she let a "Normal" dictate her value.
"Toudou-san," Haruki said, "let's make a bet."
"A bet?"
"Under the laws of Asterisk, I challenge you to a formal duel. If you win, I'll do whatever you ask. But if I win... I want a promise from you."
"A condition? What kind of condition?"
"That from this day forward, you never allow anyone to strike you without striking back. Not even him. You will use your strength to protect your own dignity."
Haruki's words were a direct challenge to her entire worldview. He wasn't trying to change her uncle; he was trying to force her to find her own spine.
Kirin stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock. She had never even considered the possibility of defying her family.
Beside them, Kouichiro had been busy looking up Haruki's profile on his terminal. His eyes suddenly narrowed. "Haruki Aizawa... a transfer student with no rank? Wait... you're the one who synced with the Ser-Veresta? The one who fought Julis to a draw?"
A predatory grin spread across the uncle's face. If Kirin defeated the owner of the legendary Black Furnace Demon Sword, her "market value" for the Foundation would skyrocket. And as her manager, he would reap the rewards.
"I accept!" Kouichiro shouted, speaking for his niece. "Kirin will duel you, Aizawa! And when she wins, you'll hand over the Ser-Veresta and crawl out of this academy on your knees!"
"Uncle! I...!" Kirin tried to protest, but Kouichiro silenced her with a glare.
"Shut up! This is for the family's honor! Do you want to disobey me?"
"No... I..."
Kirin lowered her head, biting her lip. She looked at Haruki, her expression one of profound apology and misery.
Haruki, however, was satisfied. The path to a duel with the Rank 1 was finally open. He would solve her problem and sharpen his blade at the same time.
The news of the duel between the mysterious transfer student and the Rank 1 exploded across the campus network. Within thirty minutes, the student body was in a state of feverish excitement.
"I'm so sorry, Aizawa-san!" Kirin whispered as they entered the training facility. She was shaking, her eyes downcast. "You shouldn't have been dragged into this because of me."
Haruki looked at her. "Honestly, Toudou-san... I stopped caring about your uncle the moment we stepped into this arena."
"What?"
"I challenged you because I want to see your sword," Haruki said, his gaze fixing on the ancient blade at her waist. "Everything else—the bet, the drama—it's secondary. To a swordsman, the only thing that matters is the exchange of intent. Use your blade to tell me who you really are."
Haruki drew Onikiri.
The arena was packed. Even Julis had arrived, her face a mask of shock as she watched her partner prepare to face the strongest student in the school. Claudia Enfield sat in the VIP box, a cryptic smile on her face.
The defensive barriers hummed to life. This was one of the few stages in Seidokan capable of withstanding the impact of a Page One battle.
"Haruki!" Kouichiro shouted from the sidelines. "Why haven't you activated your Pure Stellar Lux? Use the Ser-Veresta!"
"I don't need it," Haruki replied without looking back. "For a true swordsman, that thing is just a distraction."
"What!?" Kouichiro roared. "You're insulting us! Kirin, crush him! Show him what a real Toudou can do!"
Kirin didn't move. She took a deep breath, her hand resting on the hilt of her katana. As she looked at Haruki, her fear began to recede, replaced by a sharp, crystalline focus. She felt the "vibration" of the man in front of her. She realized then that everyone else—including her uncle—was blind. They saw a transfer student. She saw a mountain of steel and killing intent.
"I understand, Aizawa-san," Kirin said, her voice finally steady. She drew her blade, the silver steel singing as it cleared the scabbard. "I will show you my everything."
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