“Haah, haah, haah!”
Ikki ran through the deserted Bay Dome, not even having bothered to change his clothes or put on slippers or anything. He passed the empty reception desk, flew through the waiting room, and burst out of the gate leading into the ring.
As he stepped into the moonlit arena, he saw Stella waiting for him. She was standing sentinel at its center, her hair swaying in the gentle breeze blowing in from the sea. Panting, he jumped up into the ring and walked over to her. As he drew close, he noticed that her gaze was focused solely on him, and that there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“Stella...”
“You sure woke up late, Ikki.”
“I—”
“I waited the whole day for you.”
A wave of despair washed over Ikki as she said those words.
So I did miss the finals. The Seven Stars Battle Festival...is over.
Everything had ended while he’d been asleep. The whole time, Stella had waited here for him to come fulfill his promise. He knew he had to apologize for failing to keep it.
“Aaargh!”
But all that came out was a half scream, half sob. Burning hot tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, and after a few seconds, he finally managed to squeeze out a single word.
“Dammit!”
He was angry not at Amane, but at himself for being so pathetically weak that it had taken him a whole day to recover. He despised his body for being so slow to heal.
I was this close!
“Raaaaagh!”
All he’d needed was to take one last step, and he hadn’t had the grit to see it through. He’d ruined everything. The realization weighed so heavily on him that he couldn’t even bring himself to say sorry. But to his utter surprise, Stella smiled.
“That’s what I wanted to hear. Not an apology, but how you felt.”
“Stella?”
Before Ikki could ask her what she meant, she turned back to the stands.
“Did you hear that, everyone?!”
A second later, in response to her shout, thousands of voices roared in unison.
“Yeaaaaaaaaah!”
Light flooded the stadium as cheers and applause battered Ikki from all sides. He’d been so focused on Stella that he hadn’t paid any attention to the stands until now, but as he looked around, he realized that they were filled. The Seven Stars Battle Festival should have been over, and yet the crowd was enthusiastically cheering him as though his match was just about to begin.
“Wh-What’s going on?” he asked, flummoxed.
Stella looked over at the giant stadium screen, and he followed her gaze. Standing right below it was a bald old man. The chairman of the Seven Stars Battle Festival Management Committee, Kaieda Yuuzou.
“Everyone has been waiting for you to awaken,” he said, looking down at Ikki.
“But Chairman Kaieda, the finals are already—”
“They aren’t over. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
The crowd started shouting all at once.
“You bet your ass they ain’t!”
“I’ve been waiting ages for the finals! No way I’m going home until we get this match!”
“This Seven Stars Battle Festival isn’t over until the Crimson Princess and Another One duke it out!”
Among the yelling, Ikki could also make out the voices of his friends.
“Onii-samaaa! You can do it! Win this one last fight!” Shizuku cheered. He turned to see that her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
“Kurogane-kun! Stella-san! Give us a fight for the ages!” Kanata shouted from next to her.
“Don’t worry about the crowd or anyone else, Kurogane! We’ll make sure no one gets hurt, so let loose!” Moroboshi yelled from the other side of the arena.
His family, his friends, the rivals he’d fought on his way here—they all wanted Ikki to have the duel he’d fought so hard for.
“Guys...”
“Everyone refused to leave until you and Stella-kun had your match. The two of you have fought so spectacularly that no one would accept a win by default. That’s something to be proud of,” Kaieda said with a smile.
Stella turned back to Ikki and summoned Lævateinn, pointing it straight at his nose. Her blazing red eyes were focused solely on him.
“All that’s left is your response. What do you say, Ikki?”
“Ah!”
A gasp escaped his lips, and his eyes welled up with tears again. This time, though, they were tears of happiness. The crowd wasn’t pitying him or saying those things out of kindness. They genuinely wouldn’t be satisfied until Ikki and Stella had their duel. It was truly uplifting.
Naturally, Ikki knew what his answer would be. But in lieu of words, he wiped away his tears, summoned Intetsu, and struck it against Lævateinn. Sparks flew as steel met steel, soul clashed with soul.
Even though he’d struck Lævateinn with all his might, it hadn’t budged an inch. It felt as though his sword had slammed against a solid lump of metal, not a slender sword. The ringing in his arms told him just how much stronger Stella had gotten, and he started trembling with excitement.
That’s what I’m talking about!
He’d fought many battles and overcome many fearsome foes, but as always, Stella was on a completely different level. There was no way the tournament that had been his goal for so long could end until the two of them had fought!
“We’ve confirmed that both parties are still interested in fighting, so with my authority as chairman of the Management Committee, I hereby announce that the Seven Stars Battle Festival finals will be held tomorrow at 7 p.m.! Fighters, prepare yourselves so that you’re able to fight in peak condition!”
“Of course!” Ikki and Stella shouted together.