ella with eyes filled with love from her words, and replied.

"I guess. In the past, I would've been depressed, but now I already have a girl at my side who told me that she'll become my family."

Right, he was already different from when he was abducted by the Ethics Committee. Even if his father severed their relationship, he still had a partner. That was why even though Itsuki's suggestion had shocked him, he did not panic. He knew that he had a place next to the girl standing beside him.

"Ah, uuu～"

On the other hand, Stella turned her blushing face away from his straightforward trust. She knew she was showing a really silly face right then. Ikki smiled at her.

"And also, to be honest, I think that such a day will eventually come.. rather, leaving the Kurogane was something I'd have to bring up with Father. This is a problem that I can't avoid, can't run away from."

That was how it would be after going against the Kurogane, something he would have to settle in the end.

"..Ikki, you're going to cut ties with him?"

"That's what I intended."

"Intended?"

His ambiguous word made Stella tilt her head.

"I was going to.. but for Father to bring it up himself..."

He could not give an immediate answer, even though he clearly understood that there was no alternative. That being the case, Ikki mocked himself.

"For some reason.. even now, I can't really hate him. Is this what being unable to part from your parents means?"

"Ikki..."

"But it's fine. I'll give him my answer soon... No, the answer's already there. What's left is to say it. My path and my father's will never meet. Since we'll be parallel no matter how far we walk, I need to properly reach a conclusion."

"Is that so?"

The voice of a third person came through the gap of the door that was knocked more open from the impact of the pillow Stella had thrown. It belonged to the girl who left the medical room before, whose neat facial features were wasted by her clothes and who was now standing outside the door, Sara Bloodlily.

"You're back?"

"I waited outside since it seemed you were talking about some complicated things."

"..I wish you'd use that common sense a little more on your choice for clothes."

Taking a glance at Sara's topless-apron body, Stella sighed in resignation.

"Sara-san. Did you want to say something?"

"..Not really."

Sara quietly shook her head to Ikki's question and walked in through the door. She had definitely muttered "Is that so?" before, which meant she probably had some opinion on Ikki's issue, but she didn't seem willing to voice it. In that case, Ikki wouldn't ask any further. They weren't friendly to the point of asking her opinion on his own matters, since she wasn't someone he'd open his heart to.

Besides─

"On another topic, Crownless Sword King."

"I refuse."

"I-I haven't said anything～"

"Even so, I can tell from your eyes!"

Though her face was expressionless like a doll, her pupils shone with desire and curiosity. They were the same as that of a wild beast, like back when they met at the party. As such, Ikki shot Sara down before she could ask.

Having her initiative taken away, Sara was at a loss, but, she wasn't chasing Ikki with half-hearted interest. She had her own matters that she would not compromise, so she pulled herself together.

"Actually, I wanted to say it's fine if you don't want to be my model. But you rejected that. Which means..."

"No means no, even if you bring out an elementary school excuse!"

Ikki did not pull back. Rather, he could not pull back. No matter how famous an artist she was, he was too embarrassed to be stark naked in front of others. It was not a matter he could accept with a straight face.

"No matter what you say, I'll never be a nude model!"

"..Uuu～"

"Even if you give me that reproachful look, no."

"Uuu―uuu―"

"No matter how much you do it, no!"

Sara's shoulders drooped at Ikki's total refusal.

"..I understand."

"Are you finally giving up?"

"I'll come again when you're asleep."

"You didn't understand anything! Not that it surprises me!"

Ikki held his head and raised a sad cry. This couldn't go on any longer. Sara, even if he locked the room.. no, even if he was inside a block of reinforced concrete, she had the ability user to make a door and enter. When such a person was targeting him, he couldn't sleep peacefully, despite being in the middle of such an important event. His relationship with his father Itsuki was one matter, but he also had to end his strange relationship with this girl. He had to make her give up, as soon as possible.

So Ikki grabbed Sara's shoulder as she was leaving the medical room "to come again when he's asleep", and pulled her back.

"Wait a minute, Sara-san! No matter how many times you come, I─"

But..

"..Ah."

His mouth froze. In the instant Sara turned back, her apron, which was the only thing covering her upper body, had its strap fall off..

*Boing*

Two melon-like white breasts bounced out.

"Oh."

"EEEEEKKK!?"

The one who gave a high-pitched scream was not Sara, but Stella. She quickly sprang behind Ikki and covered his eyes with her hands.

"I-Ikki! Wh-Wh-What are you doing!?"

"N-No! I didn't do it on purpose! After I grabbed her shoulder, it just..!"

"Ah～, my apron strap snapped..."

Unlike the two people making a ruckus with blushing faces, Sara was not shaken in the least, and murmured as she picked up the fallen apron. The strap of the apron had clearly torn away.

"I think that it probably broke when you were pulling around randomly earlier. That's why it's your fault."

"Ooh. S-Somehow when you say that, I get the feeling that I might've pulled the strap."

Then it was probably Stella's fault.

But no, no matter how Stella thought about it, Sara was in the wrong for wearing clothes that would fall off if one strap was torn. Though Stella judged that this was not time to complain about that.

"Anyway, cover yourself with that sheet over there first! Then give me the key to your hotel room! Since it's my fault, I'll fetch you a change of clothes!"

"Don't have one."

"Did you lose it? Then tell me your room number and I'll inform the service workers."

"It's not that, I don't have any other clothes."

"Whyyy―!? Isn't that weird for a girl!?"

"It's because washing is troublesome."

"That's beyond simply being lazy! And you called yourself delicate! You're the one who's like a gorilla! Ahh geez! Then I'll give you one of my dresses as compensation, change into that!"

"Taking a dress as compensation for this kind of worn-out apron makes me look like a greedy woman. It's too shameful, so no."

"There's a mountain of other things that you should be ashamed of! I'm sure that you can't take part in the next match wearing something like that! It will totally cause a broadcasting incident!"

"It's alright. Since the strap is only a little torn, I can tying a knot as an emergency fix."

Saying so, Sara sloppily tied a knot with the torn strap, reconnecting it, and adjusted the apron back to normal.

"..See?"

And she gave a smug look at Stella. At the same time, Stella felt a severe headache.

N-No good..! This girl is overlooking the most vital point..!

The problem was not whether she could still use that shoddy apron. The problem was that such clothes would cause a broadcasting ethics violation at the smallest jostle. She didn't seem to understand that at all. She would probably wear that torn apron without any concern and appear for the match with Ikki. And if she made any vigorous movements there? Of course a sloppy emergency fix would not be reliable. First, she would doubtlessly be exposed. If it ended with just that, it would still be fine. If that girl's foolishness was broadcast to the whole country, it would be a good thing to Stella.

But what if, by miniscule chance, the exposure were to dull Ikki's focus and affect the outcome of the match.. if it caused him to lose...

I absolutely won't accept such a stupid result!

It was no joke. Stella had indirectly caused Ikki to have a disadvantageous third round. She couldn't let the anxiety increase anymore. Therefore...

"I've decided.. Ikki and I will go get a jersey, so you wear that first. Then, we'll go to the department store wearing that."

"The department store? You and me?"

"I'll also bring a friend who's well-versed in fashion. We'll buy you clothes there."

"..Why? It's already fixed, so I don't─"

In that instant, something with a huge weight flew past Sara's ear with a sonic boom and stabbed into the wall of the corridor.

It was?L?vateinn.

Shocked from the sudden hostility, Sara cowered, and Stella showed her a first-rate smile.

"If you jump around wearing those worn-out clothes, various things will also bounce out, you know～? Well? If you insist? If you still iiiiinsist on wearing that to the ring in the match against Ikki, even though I'm asking you nicely like this, in order to prevent the slimmest chance of a broadcasting accident from happening.. I'll burn that apron into your skin until it sticks on and can't be removed again. Would you prefer that?"

Stella's eyes were not smiling at all, and Sara was rendered incapable to scream, desperately shaking her head.

"Okay. Be a good girl and wait, alright? My smiling face is very cute so you may not know, but I'm currently in the worst mood possible, so I don't know what I might do if you run away, got it? Do you understand?"

Nod nod nod nod. Sara nodded with a pale face. After Stella confirmed this agreement, she left the medical room with Ikki, who was having a cold sweat from her coercion.