"..."

Kai, who had just recently made up with Amelia and Kai was now being interrogated. It wasn't an interrogation where he was being intimidated but for some reason, he couldn't raise his head in front of them.

"And, she accepted your confession?"

"Yes..."

"Not just that, you spent the previous night with Yoko?"

"Yeah..."

Erina wasn't really speaking with the intention to berate Kai but recent events just made him that way.

"I already promised I wouldn't get jealous, didn't I?"

Erina told Kai who was insanely worried.

"Erina... You really aren't convincing when your magic power is rising like that. The surroundings are already beginning to freeze."

Just like Amelia pointed out, the room they were in had its surface hold a thin layer of ice. A nearby cup of water that Yoko was holding also froze and she had a wry smile on her face. It was no secret that Kai asked Yoko to stay behind yesterday and she decided to tell the two in the morning. Now that school was over, they decided to ask him about it and on top of yesterday's events, there was the matter with Anne.

Amelia and Erina didn't know about the future but Yoko did. She must've already realized that Kai would have mixed feelings about Anne liking him from his descriptions of her future self.

Having her inner emotions pointed out, Erina tried to calm herself down and when the ice finally stopped spreading, she sighed.

"I'm sorry, I might need a bit more time before being fine but Kai, Yoko is one thing but if you really plan for the president as well, then you better make sure we can trust her."

In response to Erina, Kai vehemently shook his head and began to explain.

"Hold on, I don't 'plan' for them. In the first place, I told all of you that I only planned to fool Anne to meet with the principal, I didn't expect it to go this far, I mean I've only tried getting close to her for a little more than a week!"

Yoko by the side snickered but once Kai turned to look at her, she immediately turned her head as if it had nothing to do with her and even began drinking from the cup with frozen water.

"Oi, don't flirt in my presence yet."

Erina glared at Kai. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, Yoko was laughing at his excuses but Erina saw it as flirting. In the first place, although he did tell Yoko about the future, it wasn't because he festered feelings for her, it was because she was related to Emi and his nightmares.

Even if Yoko held affection for him, evident by what he heard when she was about to fall asleep, right now, he only had room for Erina and Amelia.

Giving up, Kai decided to let Erina think as she pleased for now. As though seeing through his thoughts, Yoko once more laughed slightly.

Yoko thought to herself that this insanely emotional girl that Kai knows was detached and rarely lost her calm, she couldn't quite believe it. Since Kai told her about the future last night, she changed her views about many things. Although at first, she was insanely conspicuous because although Kai had many unexplained things revolving around him, time travel was just absurd.

She didn't know at what point did she become convinced but even though she believes Kai, she couldn't say so with a hundred percent certainty.

That's why until I find another reason, everything he said is true. But—

Yoko's cheerful mood cooled down.

—If that's really the case, then the burden Kai carries on his shoulders is far more severe than the guilt of destroying the clan.

The term for Kai and the others' temporary enrollment just ended and the Tournament of Swords was just about to start the day after. Although two weeks was a short time, many things happened and Arata and the others couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental now that they were going to leave.

Was it going to be like this when they graduated from the Royal Magic Academy too?

They gave their farewells to their classmates who wished them luck and Kai was confronted at the back of the building.

"...Kenji, you're really leaving."

Anne had her head down.

"..."

Although he hated Anne in the other timeline, she was innocent in this one. When faced with a girl with pure feelings for him about to cry, even he couldn't help but falter. But even though he felt bad about deceiving her, he couldn't do anything about it now. If he knew the principal was actually interested in Superbia then perhaps he may have found another way. Still, it was too late for regrets.

Now, he was her first love and she may not forget about him even in the future but she can still love someone else. It was also a good thing that he had used Kenji and not his own persona. Although that meant he can't use Kenji here anymore, he was still free to move on his own.

Although Anne really did find out that he lived in Soaring Eagle, and Erina and the others' identity were revealed, he was still left unknown.

"I'm sorry, Anne. Although I did give you the red roses, it doesn't seem like I'll be able to follow on that."

Hearing Kai, tears began to form in the corners of Anne's eyes.

"Why...? At least give me a reason..."

She had felt it when Kai didn't accept her confession immediately just a few days before, he didn't want to continue with a relationship.

"Do you not like something about me? I'll do my best to change it, please..."

⁠Kai's chest felt pained when he saw the byproduct of his actions. He sighed and placed a hand on Anne's head.

"Two years."

Anne raised her tear-stained face.

"If you still hold these feelings after two years, I'll find you and explain some things. If you will accept my situation, then I'll take responsibility."

⁠—To Anne, it sounded like Kai meant he was taking responsibility for backing out on his proposal halfway but for Kai, it held an entirely different meaning. He was taking responsibility for manipulating her and leaving her in the dark just because his impression of Anne was that she was a cruel, merciless being but the truth was that she was just a normal girl. What could've happened before the war that Anne became like that?

Hearing Kai, Anne nodded over and over.

"I'll wait for you... no matter how long it takes."

Kai sighed once more. He was cruel to his enemies and wouldn't hesitate to manipulate their feelings but since Anne had changed, then he couldn't really bring himself to abandon her. It was one thing for her to fall naturally but Kai was the one who made her like this.

Perhaps, if Kai were to never come back, then she'd really turn into that merciless being. Did something similar happen to her in the other timeline?

But, it would be best if Anne's feelings were to disperse after these two years. That was what Kai was hoping for. She's only known him for two weeks, his impression on her shouldn't be too big to last that long. But, if she were to really still have feelings for him after that time and accept that Kai already had lovers, then he'd accept her as well.

Anne hugged him with tears streaming down her face one last time before Kai left. The moment he left the academy, he canceled his transformation and hid under a cloak and mask.

Several cloaked figures were already waiting for him.

"So you'll take her as well, huh..."

Unexpectedly, Amelia was the one to talk and not Erina.

"I can only hope that her feelings will fade after two years."

Once Kai talked, one of the cloaked figures grumbled, it was Yoko. Several of them turned to face her but when that happened, she turned her head away.

Everyone's ears were quite good and even though Yoko only grumbled, all of them heard her perfectly.

"You reserved her but not me?"

Those were the words that Yoko grumbled and that was the reason why everyone turned towards her.

"...Another one falls."

Sachiko's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. Although she didn't quite explain what her words meant, everyone could tell what she was saying.

Amelia sighed and held a hand to the side of her mask.

"I kind of expected him taking in more wives when he accepted me but to think that he already has several candidates lined up already... After Erina was me, then Natsumi, Anne, and now Yoko... Ah, I forgot about the Empress of the Empire and her aide as well, I wonder who he'd lay his hands on next?"

Amelia spoke in a monologue.

Hearing her, Kai's face darkened under the mask.

It really isn't my fault...

Although he wanted to say that, maybe it was. Natsumi was one thing as she fell for him of her own volition but he kept on teasing Heliana mostly because he was influenced by their past relationship. Lucent was just a girl he tried to tease once using Heliana but her personality was a lot weirder than he had thought.

"Well, nevermind that for now. Kai, how exactly are we going to fight in the tournament?"

He had only told them that they were going to enter the competition in disguise and wipe out all of the opponents in their way at the fastest time possible. Even if there were dark horses there, they could only be on the same level as Kazuki. Though it was true that the tournament wasn't limited by age, they're probably the only ones excluding the Blind Swordsman that would have someone at S-class.

There weren't many participants because there was no age limitation and most of the youths believed that if the old sword monsters were to participate, then they'd just be cannon fodder. There are more competitors in the Kuroshi Clan's triennial tournament than the Tournament of Swords.

Since there were only a set number of participants from each town that registrations were available, there would probably only be fifty participants or a hundred participants at most and the average age according to what Kai saw in the participants from the town they registered was at about forty or so meaning that most of their opponents were middle aged.

But, even if they're the masters of their generation, Kai is still levels head. Rein, the strongest swordsman of Soaring Eagle is someone recognized by even the other continents yet Kai managed to match him in swordsmanship when they battled.

"If you face anyone other than the Blind Swordsman, defeat them. If any of you face him then be sure to give up the match. If I had to put swordsmanship on levels, Erina would be at a thirty, Wake would be at a sixty, Rein and I would be at eighty, and the Blind Swordsman would be at 150."

—He had nearly twice Kai's capabilities when it comes to swordsmanship was what he meant.

"Not just that, unlike me, he doesn't show mercy to anyone because he thinks it's disrespectful to hold your true capabilities against opponents. Killing isn't allowed in this tournament so I doubt he'd go that far but it's better to be left safe than getting injured if you can avoid it."

Everyone stayed silent and waited for Kai to continue his words.

"Our goal for the tournament is simple, blow away everyone else on our way to the championships and then defeat the Blind Swordsman. We're going to make his sorry ass go back to wherever it came from. That's why we win the tournament, beat him, and—"

Kai walked in front of the rest, turned around with a wave of his sleeve and accompanying it, his cloak.

"—above all, survive. Got it?!"

In response to his sudden motivational talk, everyone looked at each other awkwardly.

"Kai... you should have saved that speech for tomorrow."

Amelia was the one to tell Kai.

"..."

Kai lowered his raised arm and then silently left. Nobody followed him but his departing back practically had the words 'Kill me' written all over it.