If she could make a deal with someone like him
Shinoa's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden scream.
"Ahhh!!!" Hijiri shrieked, startling Shinoa.
"What's wrong?" Shinoa asked, instinctively glancing toward the dueling arena.
Stella and Ikki were still locked in a fierce battle, neither side gaining a clear advantage. Nothing seemed to have changed on the battlefield, and there was no immediate danger.
So why was Hijiri screaming?
Shinoa, confused, looked at Hijiri, who was blushing furiously, her face as red as a tomato.
Covering her eyes, Hijiri stammered, "Th-the livestream in the chat group!"
"Livestream?"
Following her lead, Shinoa opened the livestream in the chat group.
"???"
The scene that appeared on her screen left Shinoa utterly dumbfounded.
~~~
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Chapter 163: Stella's Anger, Stella Won!
On the glass platform, Shizue Izawa and Kurono Shinguuji sat watching the match, with Rei Ao positioned right behind Shizue.
All three maintained an outwardly serious demeanor, their focus seemingly on the duel below.
Meanwhile, the chat group was in complete chaos.
Frieren: "Rei Ao, your desires truly know no bounds. You're watching a match, but you're also"
Rei Ao: "You don't understand. This is a battle."
Rei Ao: "Fighting and spectating at the same timeisn't it thrilling?"
Rei Ao: "If you don't believe me, ask Shizue."
Shizue Izawa: "Ah! S-strange it's such a strange experience."
Mai Sakurajima: "I I give up. I don't even want to comment anymore. This guy is just a shameless pervert."
Tohru: "Ughhh, how unfair! If I'd known, I would've asked to join the travel too!"
Tohru: "I just learned a new position I wanted to try out. I bet Rei Ao would love it."
Rei Ao: "Oh? Well, we'll save that for later. I'll be looking forward to it."
Tohru: "Deal!"
Rei Ao: "By the way, Mai, did you learn it too?"
Tohru: "She was very eager to practice, you know~"
Mai Sakurajima: "Shut up, Tohru!"
Tohru: "Hehe."
Megumi Kato: "Hmm, this feels oddly normal now."
Megumi Kato: "But Shizue wasn't even Rei Ao's girlfriend not too long ago, right?"
Rei Ao: "She confessed to me just recently, so I accepted. Simple as that."
Akame: "Not surprising."
Frieren: "Yeah, it's Rei Ao. Nothing surprising about that."
Frieren: "But Shizue looks like she's in pain. Were you too rough with her?"
Rei Ao: "First, I'm not violent. Second, being 'rough' is just an unchangeable characteristic."
Shizue Izawa: "Ah!"
Shizue's face flushed so deeply it seemed like blood might spill.
Her heated body pressed tightly against the cool glass, and the knowledge that this was all being live streamed only deepened her overwhelming shame.
The livestream wasn't limited to just the main chatroom.
In Rei Ao's world's chat group:
Yui Yuigahama: "Um is Rei Ao-kun always like this?"
Yui no longer knew how to describe her feelings. She had heard stories about Rei Ao before, but now, witnessing his interactions with Shizue and Kurono firsthand, her heart felt like it couldn't take it.
Yukino Yukinoshita: "At least since I joined the group, yes, this has been the norm."
Yumiko Miura: "Ugh, he's always been like this. Yui, now that you've seen the truth, you should steer clear of him if you can't handle it."
Yui Yuigahama: "Eh?!"
Yui felt like her best friend's advice wasn't out of concern for her but rather an attempt to push her away from Rei Ao.
Yui Yuigahama: "Yumiko, are you planning to leave him?"
Yumiko Miura: "Of course not! I I'll make sure to rein him in! Yes, I'll stop him from bullying other girls!"
She said this with righteous conviction.
Sonoko Machida: "Hmm Yumiko sounds like she just wants to keep him all to herself."
Kobayashi: "Ah, this chat group is so chaotic."
Little Saint: "Hehe, Mommy should hurry and join the family too! Then I can call Rei Ao my daddy without hesitation."
Hiromi Kato: "I don't even know where to begin critiquing this"
Hiromi felt utterly drained.
Her younger sister's boyfriend was far too bold, and it was almost too much to bear!
"This kind of double act? I haven't even seen it in movies!"
A coworker in Hiromi's office noticed her flushed face and asked with concern:
"Hiromi, are you feeling unwell? Your face is so red."
Hiromi forced a strained smile and waved it off.
"No, no, it's just a bit warm in here. Haha ha"
Kasumigaoka Utaha: ""
The relationships between the people in the chat group seemed so complicated.
Meanwhile, in the art club, Eriri involuntarily squeezed her legs together, her breathing quickening.
What had she seen?
It was a scene strikingly similar to the poses in her doujin illustrations!
For a moment, she didn't even feel embarrassed. Instead, her mind raced with realization.
"So so that's how it is"
She finally understood why some poses were hard to draw. The flow of the muscle linesthis was how they moved!
"Huh?!"
In the arena, Stella suddenly hesitated mid-action.
Ikki Kurogane, who had been under relentless pressure, keenly seized the opening and unleashed a secret sword technique.
"!!!"
Stella's pupils shrank as she hastily raised her sword to block, but the sheer force sent her flying.
Though she managed to stabilize herself, her gaze, flushed red with embarrassment and fury, locked onto the darkened glass of the special observation deck.
"How dare youhow dare you do such a thing during my match!!"
Watching the livestream, Stella was incensed. Her anger and shame boiled over.
Naturally, her opponent, Ikki Kurogane, bore the brunt of this fury.
"You bastard!!!"
She screamednot at Ikki, but at Rei Ao.
Simultaneously, a massive burst of flame erupted into the air, forming a scorching dragon that roared across the arena without hesitation, charging straight at Ikki.
"Guh?! She's taking it this far?!"
Ikki was dumbfounded.
This was an indiscriminate attack that engulfed the entire arena. The magical barrier protecting the audience automatically activated to shield them.
"Roar!!!"
The flame dragon bellowed.
In the next instant
"Boom!!!"
The arena shook violently as blinding flames consumed the battlefield. The interior of the barrier was filled with searing heat and light.
When the flames finally subsided, the audience was greeted by the sight of a scorched battlefield.
Stella stood proudly amidst the devastation.
Ikki Kurogane, though alive, was in a pitiful state. His body heaved with labored breaths as he leaned on his sword, its blade scraping the ground to support him.
"Surrender," Stella said, her eyes narrowing.
Ikki struggled to rise. He didn't want to admit defeat.
But Stella, impatient, added:
"You might still have some tricks up your sleeve, but so do I. And let me remind you, this isn't the Seven Stars Sword Art Festivalthere's no need to expose everything here."
Ikki froze.
She was right. This was merely an intra-school match, not the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival to determine the Seven Stars Sword King.
All he needed to do was secure his qualification for the festival.
After a moment of thought, Ikki let out a bitter laugh.
"I concede."
[Congratulations to Stella Vermillion for winning this duel!]
"Oooohhh!!!"
The arena erupted into cheers.
"The Crimson Princess!"
The crowd shouted Stella's title in celebration.
Even so, Ikki's performance had left an impression. Many spectators began to see him in a new light.
After all, for an F-rank Blazer to hold his ground against an A-rank for so longit was no small feat.
Chapter 164: Self-Serving Indulgence, Shizuka Marikawa
"The Crimson Princess!!!"
The entire arena was cheering for Stella.
"Hmph."
But there wasn't a trace of joy on her face. With a cold huff, she turned and left the arena without hesitation.
Ikki Kurogane also left, his head hanging in defeat.
The loss weighed on him. If he couldn't defeat Stella, how could he hope to compete in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival and achieve his goal of becoming the Seven Stars Sword King?
His current strength wasn't enough. To reach his goal, he needed to become much stronger.
"Brother, sigh."
From the preparation area, Shizuku Kurogane sighed as she watched Ikki's defeat.
Though she regretted his loss, her thoughts were mostly elsewhereon Rei Ao.
She clenched her fists and looked toward the observation deck.
"Rei Ao-kun, watch me! Watch my strength!"
Like Stella, she wanted to show her best self in front of the person she admired the most.
As for Stella herself, her shame and anger had overtaken her reason.
She had been trying to show her abilities to him, yet Rei Ao Rei Ao had dared to do that during her match.
Fuming, she stormed toward the special observation deck.
But she couldn't get in.
The door refused to budge no matter how hard she tried.
Thankfully, her rationality stopped her from blasting it open with flames.
Instead, she shouted, "I know you're in there! Open the door!"
"Creak!"
The door opened.
Before Stella could react, an unseen force shoved her inside, and the door closed behind her in an instant.
"What do you want, shouting like that?"
Rei Ao, holding Shizue by the legs, turned to face Stella with a calm expression.
Shizue covered her face, too embarrassed to meet Stella's eyes.
"I"
Stella froze as she took in the scene.
The moment she realized what was happening, her mind cleared, and she quickly turned away, her face burning red.
"Youyouwhat the hell are you doing?!"
Turning her back didn't help; Shizue's soft, stifled sounds still reached her ears, making her situation even more unbearable.
"What am I doing? Just multitaskingfighting while watching your match," Rei Ao replied nonchalantly.
To him, and to both Shizue and Kurono, everything felt perfectly enjoyable. Especially Kurono, who, though not directly involved, occasionally assisted in her own way.
"I you"
Stella didn't dare turn back, her mind a whirlwind of emotions.
Why had she stormed in here so impulsively? Now it was beyond awkward.
"You didn't come here just to scold me, did you?" Rei Ao said, still entirely unbothered.
"I've got rewards to claim from my trades. If there's nothing else, don't interrupt me."
He casually redirected his focus back to Shizue.
"Shizue, don't you think we've got a big, bright light bulb in here?"
"Ah y-yes, maybe" Shizue stammered, her voice trembling.
"Huh?!"
Stella's mind blanked.
A light bulb?
How had she suddenly become the third wheel? Weren't they the ones acting shamelessly?!
[Attention! The next contestants, Shizuku Kurogane versus Touka Toudou, please enter the arena!]
The announcement of the next duel echoed through the arena.
"Hm?"
Rei Ao paused.
Touka Toudouthis was a match worth watching.
Without missing a beat, he repositioned Shizue against the glass to continue his "multitasking."
Then, without turning around, he addressed Stella:
"You're not here just to be a light bulb, right? I've got a match to watch. Do as you like."
"You!!!"
Stella was livid. She couldn't stop anything that was happening, and Shizue's soft noises only made her feel like ants were crawling all over her skin. Even her legs felt weak.
"Ugh! Fine, I don't care about you anymore!"
She huffed in frustration before storming out of the room.
"But no matter what, you better watch my next match! I'll definitely win! Hmph!"
After shouting her final words, Stella fled, embarrassed beyond belief.
Stella wasn't the only one eager to show off her abilities.
Now stepping onto the arena was Shizuku Kurogane. She sent a message to the chat group:
Shizuku Kurogane: "@Rei Ao, Rei Ao-kun, please watch my performance."
Rei Ao: "Good luck."
When Rei Ao saw that Shizuku Kurogane's opponent was Toudou Touka, he knew that Shizuku had little chance of winning, but he still offered her encouragement.
Toudou Touka was a second-year student at Hagun Academy and held the title of the strongest student council president.
She had chestnut-colored hair styled into twin braids and wore glasses.
[Demon]: Toudou Touka
[Level]: 21
[Abilities]: ,"Raikiri", "Takemikazuchi", "Inherent Device: Narukami"
Though her strength as a pseudo-Blazer was only at B-rank by this world's standards, Toudou Touka's combat ability far surpassed that of Stella, whose strength relied heavily on her flames.
This earned her the title of Strongest Student Council President.
[Demon]: Shizuku Kurogane
[Level]: 17
[Abilities]: "Shouha Suiren", "Aoiro Rinne", "Inherent Device: Yoishigure"
Shizuku was also a B-rank pseudo-Blazer and was nicknamed the Witch of the Deep Sea.
However, her overall power was significantly weaker than both Toudou Touka and Stella.
The battle unfolded exactly as Rei Ao expected.
Shizuku was completely overwhelmed by Toudou from beginning to end.
Despite giving it her all and providing a visually impressive performance for the audience, she ultimately couldn't overcome her opponent.
"You've lost."
Toudou Touka's katana rested against Shizuku's neck, signaling her defeat.
[Congratulations to Toudou Touka for winning this match!]
Hearing the announcement, Toudou sheathed her blade and walked away without a word.
Shizuku stood motionless, her head lowered, her body trembling slightly.
She had declared her determination to show her best to Rei Ao, yet she had been utterly defeated.
"I must look so pathetic right now"
Biting her lip, she couldn't summon the courage to look toward the special observation deck. Instead, she fled the arena in despair.
Watching from the deck, Kurono Shinguuji observed keenly.
"Rei Ao, Shizuku's feelings for you aren't ordinary."
Rei Ao nodded.
"Of course I know."
With his experience in dealing with the affections of many beautiful girls, there was no way Rei Ao couldn't see it.
Shizue, her face still flushed and her body trembling slightly, took a deep breath before speaking softly:
"What do you plan to do about her, Rei Ao-kun?"
"Let her calm down for now," Rei Ao replied without a hint of urgency.
"Besides, there's still a match to finish watching and my transaction with Kurono that hasn't been completed yet."
He smirked at Kurono.
"So, Kurono, what do you think counts as 'banging' you?"
