Epilogue
The afternoon of Monday, the day after the duel with Kugasaki.
Skipping school, I, Hiroto Shinohara, was lying in bed in my room—not in the island’s hospital.
True to Kazami’s announcement, I was taken to the hospital right after yesterday’s duel ended, but the diagnosis was merely minor injuries. Though the numerous cuts made it look pretty bad, there were no fractures or serious bruises. As a result, I didn’t need to be hospitalized, but I was told I should rest for a few days. And so, here I am, spending the entire morning like this.
“—Master, the tea is ready.”
At that moment, Himeji knocked quietly and entered the room.
Dressed in her usual maid outfit, she approached slowly, placed a teacup on the side table next to the bed, and, still holding the tray to her chest, let her silver hair sway as she asked, “It’s hot, so would you like me to blow on it for you?”
“Huh!? N-No, I’m fine. I can handle that much myself.”
“But the doctor said you should rest as much as possible.”
“If I were in such critical condition that I couldn’t even breathe, maybe I’d ask for help, but…”
Saying this, I propped myself up slightly and took the cup Himeji had brought. …By the way, she’s been like this since yesterday. At first, she gave me a half-lidded look, saying, “I’d prefer you not cause me so much worry,” but after that, she’s been practically glued to my side. She even tried to follow me into the bath, so I panicked and called Kagaya-san for backup.
Well, it’s mostly my fault, so I can’t really complain…
“…Tasty.”
Taking a sip of the faintly sweet straight tea, I murmured my impression. Himeji’s lips curved ever so slightly at that, but then, as if remembering something, she changed the subject. “By the way…”
“Just now, Kugasaki-sama sent over some get-well gifts. I thought they might be joke items, but it’s apparently just a fruit basket. I’ll peel them later.”
“Kugasaki did? Huh. He’s got a surprisingly normal side to him.”
“Normal, you say…? Well, Master, would you like to read the letter that came with the gift? It’s an epic work exceeding one hundred and fifty sheets of stationery.”
“…Uh, er, um…”
“Incidentally, here’s a condensed version summarizing only the key points, based on my judgment. It’s three lines.”
“I love you, Himeji.”
The focus and stamina to write something novel-worthy in one night are impressive, but if I had to read all that, it might drive me crazy. Offering heartfelt praise to my overly competent maid, I decided to check Kugasaki’s letter (short version).
—Considering the results this time, it seems I have no choice but to acknowledge that you are worthy of being a seven-star. However, if asked whether you or the goddess is superior, it goes without saying. The goddess is the pinnacle, the supreme. The one and only, the absolute. Therefore… you are, at best, my worthy rival.
“…………”
“…Um, it might seem incredibly condescending, but this is likely Kugasaki-sama’s way of complimenting you. Like Rina, he’s the type who sees himself as the center of the universe.”
“Ah… no, that’s fine, but… I have a feeling he’s going to keep hounding me.”
If he challenges me to another duel next time, I’ll have to dodge it more skillfully, I thought to myself. I have no intention of losing easily, but either way, it’s going to be a hassle. For Company’s sake, I’d prefer to avoid a rematch if possible.
As I shook my head slowly, lost in thought—
“…Hm?”
Suddenly, the device on my nightstand vibrated faintly. Glancing at the screen, I saw a notification from the messaging app.
“Uh… wait, what?”
Reaching for it to check the content, my finger must have brushed it wrong, and the screen switched. It showed my profile page, Hiroto Shinohara’s. That was fine, but there was something odd—where only the “red” star I’d taken from Saionji had been displayed before, now there was another star added.
And judging by its color, it was unmistakably the “indigo” star Kugasaki should have had.
I’d heard that, since I was faking being a seven-star, my star count wouldn’t increase no matter who I beat… but for some reason, this phenomenon contradicted that information.
“…………”
Narrowing my eyes slightly, I thought, …Well, whatever. The principal or someone probably knows something about this. I can just ask at an appropriate time.
Shaking it off, I checked the message. It read:
Shinohara, are you home right now? I happened to be passing by, and I was wondering if I could stop by for a bit. …It’s not like I’m visiting to check on you or anything!
“A day later, huh, Shinohara. How are you feeling?”
—Minutes later, Saionji entered the room, wearing the same hooded jacket she’d used for disguise two days ago.
She could’ve come as she was, but I told her it was just me and Himeji in the house. Hearing that, she immediately removed her hood, revealing her flowing red hair, and after a moment of hesitation, took off the jacket entirely.
Underneath was the familiar Sakura Academy uniform, but seeing her in my room like this felt strangely fresh. I averted my eyes slightly and responded.
“How am I? Like I said in the message, it’s no big deal.”
“Right, I heard. But knowing you, I can’t tell if you’re telling the truth. That’s why I came to see for myself. …Well, I’m glad you look okay.”
Saying this, Saionji sat on the left side of the bed, right next to me as I lay there. Noticing this, Himeji remembered something and said, “I’ll prepare tea for Rina too,” before leaving the room.
And then—right after, Saionji shifted on the bed and suddenly leaned closer.
“By the way—hey, Shinohara. There’s something I wanted to tell you.”
“Something you wanted to say? What is it?”
“First, it’s about your talent. …You were hiding your true strength, weren’t you? In yesterday’s duel, at least in that final reversal, you didn’t use a single cheat. Others might not notice, but that was a one-star pulling off a giant-killing. …Seriously.”
“What’s with that ‘seriously’? Are you praising me or sulking? I can’t tell.”
“It’s complicated. If I were in your position, I don’t think I could’ve won that duel. So I genuinely think you’re amazing… but if I praise you too much, you might get cocky.”
“…That’s not genuine at all.”
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “Hmph,” Saionji pouted, but she didn’t seem angry.
“So? You said ‘first,’ so is there something else?”
“Huh? Oh, the other thing is, well, yesterday’s conversation. You got all fired up after hearing my story, right?”
“? Well, yeah, I guess.”
Not quite grasping her intention, I nodded honestly.
Then, with a mischievous grin, Saionji pressed on, smirking.
“So, what was that about? You said it was ‘your type,’ right? Did seeing me work so hard for my best friend make your heart skip a beat? Did you fall for me? Come on, come on, come on, what’s the deal, Shinohara?”
“Ugh… You’re so annoying…!”
Unable to handle her overly excited interrogation, I snapped back with a blunt retort. …Though the broad strokes of what she said were true, that made it even more irritating. This girl was definitely a pro at provocation. And—
(She’s unnecessarily sharp, damn it.)
Why did she have to bring that up again? Ninety percent of the time, it was probably just to tease me, but if she was aiming for something, that was impressive.
Truth be told, there was a reason I resonated with Saionji’s “lie.” Sure, I found it appealing on a simple level, but it wasn’t just that. The word “kidnapping” she used back then… it overlapped slightly with something else. Something trivial, like a “memory” of the girl I came to this island to find—my childhood friend and first love.
That’s honestly why my emotions flared up.
(But… well, there’s no need to tell someone like Saionji—or anyone else—that much.)
Telling her, or anyone, “I chased my childhood friend, my first love, all the way to Academy Island” would be beyond embarrassing. What kind of face would I even make?
“…So, what about you?”
“What do you mean, ‘what about me’?”
“I mean, no matter how much you say it’s to grant your friend’s wish, no normal person would come up with the idea of ‘kidnapping.’ Is it that ‘genius’ thing again?”
“Oh, um… Hehe, that’s a secret. It’s tied to my first love, after all!”
“…Huh… Hey, can you grab the eraser on the desk?”
“? Sure, go ahead—Wait! You’re not interested at all! Hey, why aren’t you asking anything back? I naturally handed you the eraser because you were so casual about it!”
“No, I mean, your first love or whatever… Do I need to hear about that? Isn’t touching the eraser’s edge more useful?”
“Of course not! I need it! It’s worth at least an unknown variable x! The story of my first love, who’s billions of times cooler than you!”
“How badly do you want to talk about it…? And even if they were five quintillion times cooler, I wouldn’t care about someone I don’t know.”
“W-What, Shinohara, are you jealous? Hehe, you don’t like hearing me talk about other guys, do you!”
“Where does that confidence come from…? If that’s the case, then let me tell you. My first love—my childhood friend—was billions of times cuter than you. Don’t get cocky.”
“Wha—!”
The moment I said it, Saionji’s ruby eyes widened, and she glared at me. …Well, I was aware I’d exaggerated a bit in retaliation. But she really was an incredibly cute girl. Her face’s details were blurry now, so all I remembered was that she was “cute,” but that meant (in terms of looks alone) she could rival the stunningly beautiful Saionji.
…Though, what would that even prove?
(Uh… Yeah… Considering the ‘lies’ Saionji and I are entangled in, we’ll probably have to keep working together, but honestly, this is way too stressful. Our compatibility seems absolutely terrible.)
Sighing quietly to myself, I thought this. …Even though we were technically “accomplices,” starting a bickering match like this was something else. Maybe the noble attitude she showed during the duel with Kugasaki was just a one-off bonus.
“Ugh… Being mocked by you, Shinohara, is just too humiliating.”
Ignoring my inner thoughts, Saionji muttered with a pout, shaking her head in exasperation. When I gave her a sidelong glare, she mirrored the expression, and for a while, we stared at each other up close. Then, as if on cue, we both huffed and looked away.
At that moment, Himeji returned to the room. The second she opened the door, she froze, standing perfectly still and staring intently at us.
Then, for some reason, she pouted ever so slightly and said,
“Um… You two really get along, don’t you.”
“Where?!” we both shouted in unison.
I was starting to place full trust in Himeji, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what she saw to reach that conclusion.
#
—Astounding! Hiroto Shinohara’s Stunning Four Straight Wins!
Yesterday afternoon, a highly anticipated match that captivated over twenty thousand viewers took place. ‘Phoenix’ Seiran Kugasaki vs. ‘The New Strongest’ Hiroto Shinohara—the clash of a five-star against a seven-star, a battle between high-rankers.
(Omitted) The outcome is hardly worth mentioning. Riding the momentum from defeating the ‘Empress,’ Hiroto Shinohara once again overcame a formidable opponent. Despite the mishaps during the duel, it was a breathtaking reversal that left every spectator in awe.
With this, Hiroto Shinohara has won four duels in his first week at the academy. This unprecedented pace is unheard of in Academy Island’s twenty-year history.
His demonic cunning and transcendent demeanor have already begun to cultivate a fanatical following. Now, let’s dedicate this article to analyzing his duel style—
“…Well, it seems things are getting quite lively.”
In the principal’s office of Meisei Private Academy—a room forbidden to ordinary students—Natsume Ichinose read the latest LNN article and murmured this quietly.
“…………”
The one who should have responded—or rather, who ignored her and turned away—was the maid girl who had just entered the room. Usually emotionless, she now seemed slightly irritated.
So, instead of engaging, Ichinose opted for a formal greeting.
“It’s been a while. And sorry to keep you waiting, Vexien-sama.”
“…Hey, do you think adding ‘-sama’ makes it polite?”
“No. I was just feeling jealous of the closeness between my best friend and my master, so I have no spare feelings to direct toward you. I have more pressing concerns.”
“I see, bad timing, then. My apologies. …Well, anyway, take a seat.”
“…Fine.”
Prompted by the room’s owner, the maid girl—Shirayuki Himeji—sat gingerly on the plush sofa. Though the principal’s office sofa was luxurious, it was a bit too high-class for Shirayuki, making her slightly uncomfortable.
“So—why are we here today? I thought the post-duel cleanup was already done.”
“Right, that’s correct. So, consider this just a sharing of information.”
Saying this in a leisurely tone, Ichinose placed a teacup in front of Shirayuki with a soft clink. Shirayuki glanced at it with her clear emerald eyes and, out of courtesy, took a sip. …It was annoyingly delicious. She’d have to ask for the brewing method later.
Grinning as if she could see right through Shirayuki’s thoughts, Ichinose sat on the opposite sofa, crossing her legs boldly. Then,
“Hey, Shirayuki, here’s a question. Your master—Hiroto Shinohara—has fought four duels so far. What do you think his current rank is? Not the fake one, but his actual rank.”
“Huh? Well… As long as he’s faking being a seven-star, his stars shouldn’t increase, so isn’t he still a one-star? You’re not saying he’s now a four-star just because he won four times, are you?”
“Heh. No, neither. Hiroto Shinohara’s official rank is currently two stars.”
“…Why?”
Tilting her head in confusion, Shirayuki wondered, …Is that even possible? Given that he’s deceiving the system to reign at the top, there’s no way his stars should increase further.
“Actually, I only learned about this with this case. …There’s a rule about colored stars, right? When a duel loser has a colored star, that star is always taken.”
“Yes.”
“But in a case like this, that creates a contradiction. Systematically, Shinohara can’t gain stars, but Kugasaki’s ‘indigo’ star has to be taken by Shinohara. Normally, this triggers an ‘exception process’—if someone who can’t gain stars beats a colored star holder, one of their normal stars upgrades to match the colored star. The total number of stars doesn’t increase, but a ‘regular star’ ranks up to a ‘special star.’”
“…I see. But—”
“Right. That’s the thing, Shirayuki. In Shinohara’s case, even that doesn’t work. He’s a single-colored one-star. He doesn’t have any normal stars. And—in this scenario, no processes apply, and he simply gains one star outright. …Heh, truly a special case among special cases. In short, Shinohara is now a two-star with a double-colored set of red and indigo.”
“…Huh.”
Letting out a half-hearted response, Shirayuki listened to Ichinose’s slightly heated explanation.
“Heh, what’s wrong? Not interested? I’m pretty excited about this.”
“Unfortunately, I’m a girl. …And while a double-colored star is rare, even at two stars, he still needs Company’s assistance. So, I don’t understand why you’re bringing this up.”
“Is that so? Then think a little further. —What if a two-star with no ‘regular stars,’ like him, wins another duel against a colored star holder?”
“? Um… Based on what you just said, he’d become a triple-colored three-star.”
“Right. And what if he did that four more times… no, five?”
“All colored seven-star holders, and then one more star increases…? N-No, but…”
Finally realizing what Ichinose was getting at, Shirayuki hesitated, searching for a denial. …But no matter how hard she thought, no “but” followed. The premise of continuously collecting the dozen or so colored stars in circulation on the island was absurd, but if we were just theorizing, it was indeed possible to exceptionally increase stars even from seven-star status. An unprecedented eight-star could be born.
Seeing Shirayuki’s understanding, Ichinose’s expression twisted into a predatory grin.
“I believe that’s the ‘condition.’ You know the rumor on this island, right? ‘Among the star-hunting game participants, the most exceptional student will be granted the qualification to be the Saionji family heir, and the principal who produces that person will become the next chairman.’ So far, it’s just a fantasy since no genius has met that condition, but… what if ‘exceptional’ means a rank of seven stars or higher?”
“…You mean Master could be that person? That… no, it’s impossible.”
“No, it’s not impossible. Even if he uses cheats, his record is four wins in four battles. And two of those were against the ‘Empress’ and Seiran Kugasaki. It’s nothing short of astonishing. Heh… Hey, Shirayuki. Do you think that’s just coincidence?”
Faced with Ichinose’s relentless probing, Shirayuki finally fell silent.
Come to think of it… it’s true that Company uses cheats to keep him from losing, but in all his duels so far, they haven’t done anything beyond what a real seven-star could achieve. In other words, if he were a genuine seven-star, he’d only be using the power he could rightfully earn.
And—the “talent” he showed in the latter half of Myriad Twenty-Seven Style Game completely surpassed Shirayuki’s expectations. His flexible thinking and creativity in incorporating cheats as a strategy—if that was his true ability, then the earlier hypothesis wasn’t just a hypothesis anymore. It could become reality.
“…Could it be you saw all this from the start? When you recruited Master?”
“Heh, who knows? For now, it’s true I wanted him at Meisei so badly I’d have falsified his test scores. His entrance exam results were indeed terrible, but what I want from Shinohara isn’t grades. His true value lies elsewhere.”
“True value… So, you’re using Master—”
“Exactly. For my ambitions. …But don’t misunderstand. There’s no malice in it, and Shinohara’s already aware of it.”
“…Aware?”
“Right. It’s mutual exploitation. He has a ‘purpose’ for coming to this island and wants to stay here, even if it means faking his status. And I, for my part, don’t want to let go of an irregular like Shinohara. …See? Our interests align.”
“…………”
Hearing this, Shirayuki took a small, sharp breath. And secretly thought—ah. Maybe she had still been underestimating him. After all, just a few days ago, she couldn’t have imagined anyone standing on equal footing with this vixen.
“—Still, you know, not everything will go smoothly.”
Narrowing her eyes at Shirayuki’s unease, Ichinose continued in a deliberately dramatic tone.
“After all, if that ‘eight-star condition’ is correct, every time Shinohara gains a star from now on, his enemies will multiply. Some are already starting to move, and it’s only a matter of time before it surfaces. If that happens, he might fall short of his goal and fail to achieve whatever purpose brought him to this island. He could be crushed. It’s an incredibly daunting situation, but—what will you do?”
Saying this, Ichinose fixed Shirayuki with a testing gaze, her lips curling mockingly, as if she could see right through everything. It made Shirayuki want to shrink back… but there was no problem. After all, as she’d said before, the answer was already decided.
Taking a deep breath,
Meeting Ichinose’s eyes straight on, Shirayuki said in a voice free of doubt, “Then, rest assured. —I’ll always be by Master’s side, no matter what.”
