It's quite late today; I only managed to sleep at one this morning, and I had originally planned to get up at six, but I slept straight through until eleven. It must be because I was so exhausted these past few days… Well, enough with the chatter. Today is another desperate plea for votes. Five hundred is within sight; let's push those Monthly Tickets over the top! Give me the passion and the drive!

……

The Zanma-ken Ni no Tachi that Lin Luo unleashed, its destructive power… or rather, its quality, certainly couldn't match Konoe Eiin's. While he managed to imitate it, Konoe Eiin was, after all, the supreme fighting force of this world. It was impossible for him to achieve flawless imitation like he did with Setsuna; managing about sixty to seventy percent similarity would already be quite remarkable.

Of course, there might be a gap in the core quality, but in every other aspect, it was identical to the true Ni no Tachi.

Like a roaring white dragon, the slash of light tore across the arena, instantly cleaving half of the massive stage in two. The momentum didn't lessen as it shot into the adjacent lake with incredible speed. With a great BOOM, the lake's surface was immediately split apart, and two towering columns of water shot into the sky due to the sheer impact force, reaching dozens of meters high.

Then, it was as if it started raining from the heavens.

Setsuna wasn't just embarrassed; she was stunned. Not just because of the name, but because of the sheer might of that strike. Although she had never witnessed the Ni no Tachi, as a swordsman of the Shinmeiryu, she could judge the fundamental quality of some of the school's top-tier techniques, especially the Zanma-ken Jīngyō Ni no Tachi.

Without a doubt, this was unequivocally the Ni no Tachi. To achieve this level of devastation using only a wooden sword meant the power was far greater than she had imagined… or perhaps, the opponent's ability to mimic approached that of the true Ni no Tachi.

Lin Luo recalled his sword, turned, and walked toward Setsuna through the downpour, smiling. "How was that? With your ability, even just a glance should let you see a bit of what it is—this trial version of the Demon-Slaying Sword."

"This is… very good, very powerful," Setsuna managed to say dazedly. But she quickly snapped out of her shock, remembered something important, and her face flushed. She stammered to Lin Luo, "Um… the name… I think it would be better to change the name. What you just used was truly too…"

"Is that so? I thought it was quite good; I crafted it specifically for you," Lin Luo shrugged, saying seriously. "Look, you've already become Mokona's partner. Even if it's only provisional right now, making it permanent is just a matter of asking. And a Magus and their Partner are for life, so that naturally becomes your anniversary. Shouting that battle cry every time you fight will surely multiply its power tenfold."

"Th-that's not happening! Teacher, stop talking nonsense. Big Sister Mokona and I are just… just…" Setsuna’s face was crimson, and she roared with embarrassment, but mid-sentence, she suddenly recalled the kiss signed during the contract—and certain subsequent events that followed—and her voice dropped immediately, her expression filled with shame.

I... I am such a shameless person. How could I think of such things!

Seeing the expression on her face, Lin Luo gave a knowing smile. "Alright, since you don't like that name, I'll come up with a new one."

Setsuna nodded.

"Hmm…" Lin Luo pondered for a moment, then laughed, "The new name shall be… The Commemorative Blade of Fully Experiencing the Desire to Be Intimate, Meet Honestly, Kiss Passionately, and Unrestrainedly Vent with Big Sister Today—the Full Experience Version!"

WHOOSH!!

As the words translated into a visual image, and Setsuna envisioned those intimate, affectionate scenes in her mind, her already bright red face grew even deeper, as if freshly painted. Countless plumes of steam erupted from her head, and then, with a bang, she collapsed.

She fainted clean away.

"Tsk, can't even handle this much imagination? That'll cause quite a bit of resistance when it comes to yuri, huh? Well, I guess I need to 'teach' her more thoroughly." Lin Luo reached out, scooped up Setsuna's fallen body, and mused thoughtfully.

Since Setsuna had already conceded the match earlier, and now she was unconscious, the winner of this bout was naturally Lin Luo.

Asakura Kazumi announced the result, she was somewhat displeased. Because of that one strike Lin Luo landed, the entire arena was subjected to a downpour, and she had nowhere to hide, ending up completely soaked, even the clothes underneath becoming damp. It was supremely uncomfortable.

"You look rather alluring like that," Lin Luo looked over at Asakura Kazumi and grinned. As the fourth great presence of the "Three," she was well-endowed, and the soaking water instantly highlighted the curves of her figure.

"You don't need to tell me that! Get off the stage already!" Asakura Kazumi snapped back angrily. The rain was still falling, and if Lin Luo and Setsuna didn't leave, she couldn't leave either, stuck as the announcer.

Seeing her like this, Lin Luo felt immense satisfaction. This woman had used him for gossip many times; finally, he had gotten his revenge.

Laughing heartily, Lin Luo turned to leave. Of course, since Setsuna had fainted from her own delusions, he couldn't just leave her behind, so Lin Luo simply swept her up in a cradle carry as he walked.

Although this posture was somewhat suggestive, he was the teacher and she was the student. What was wrong with a teacher carrying an unconscious student? So Lin Luo felt entirely justified in his actions. On second thought, while little Setsuna's figure wasn't exactly voluminous, being drenched by the water and curled up in that sleeping-beauty pose actually presented quite a view... Damn it, I shouldn't have played with swords just now; close combat would have been much better.

Lin Luo felt a pang of regret.

"Wow! A princess carry!" When the audience witnessed Lin Luo's action, countless gasps erupted from the stands—admiration, jealousy, emotion, shock—a whole spectrum of reactions.

"Teacher Lin Luo actually picked up Student Setsuna! And it’s the legendary princess carry! There’s chemistry! My fujoshi senses are tingling; there must be something between them!" In the section dedicated to the "Three," a wave of gossip swept through the girls.

"I sensed a few days ago that the relationship between Setsuna and Teacher Lin Luo was a little different. So that's it, they probably have a secret affair."

"This is terrible, an illicit romance between a teacher and a student… I actually want to cheer for them."

"Haha, the relationship between little Setsuna and the Teacher is getting better and better."

"Mokona, why do you look completely unbothered? In fact, you look quite happy?"

"Of course I'm happy, because Teacher and little Setsuna have become good friends."

"No, no, that’s a princess carry! That’s beyond just good friends! Didn't you go on a date with Teacher Lin Luo the day before the school trip? You should be jealous right now, jealous!"

"Why should I be jealous?"

"Because it’s a love triangle, of course! Your good friend and the person you like are being intimate; shouldn't you be jealous?"

"I won't be." Mokona smiled, her tone completely devoid of sourness. "I like Teacher Lin Luo very much, and I like little Setsuna very much too. If those two could also like each other and be deeply in love, that would be the best outcome."

Everyone present was left speechless. They felt that her values were vastly different from their own, and also… Mokona, are you bisexual?

As Lin Luo and Setsuna left the stage, the "rain" miraculously stopped. A rainbow appeared over the arena, which was pleasing to the eye and added a touch of mystery to the ambiguous atmosphere.

A few minutes later, Lin Luo carried Setsuna back to the contestant lounge. Although he couldn't avoid some sidelong glares, things were generally fine; after all, it was only natural for a teacher to carry an unconscious student, so nobody could really say anything.

Of course, Lin Luo took slight advantage of the situation during the walk, such as squeezing her a little here and there.

Setsuna fainting was just momentary excitement. Back in the lounge, she quickly woke up. When she heard from others that Lin Luo had carried her back, her face instantly flushed bright red, and then thinking about that bizarre name, she felt the familiar urge to faint again.

The arena stage had been half-destroyed by Lin Luo's sword, requiring some time for repairs. About thirty minutes later, it was time for the second match: Negi Springfield versus Konoe Gūnal.

Originally, the battle between these two was supposed to happen in the finals, but due to the entry of Lin Luo and his group, they were pitted against each other in the semi-finals. While it might seem early, it could also be considered fortunate, because if they hadn't met here, Negi would have no chance of advancing further; none of the remaining four opponents were someone he could stand up to.

This match wasn't a fight; accurately speaking, it was a meeting ceremony. Gūnal, who was Albert of the Crimson Wings, as the supreme fighting force of this world, possessed the ability of his magical item, the Book of Half-Life… which could create magical books from collected life experiences. Activating these books could reproduce the physical abilities and external appearance of a specific person.

Furthermore, there was an even more specialized ability: the complete recreation of a person's personality, memories, and emotions.

Naturally, this ability was consumable, lasting only ten minutes, after which the magic book would lose its power and become an ordinary volume.

In this "battle," Gūnal used this ability to fully recreate Nagi’s personality from ten years ago.

"Is that Nagi…" Looking at the red-haired youth fighting Negi on the stage, Lin Luo couldn't help but frown, his feelings somewhat complicated.

Evangeline also stood up abruptly, staring at that figure in shock.

"Let's go take a look," before Evangeline could make a move, Lin Luo took her hand and led her over. "Even if it only lasts ten minutes, the fight with Negi should end in less than five minutes. We'll at least have time to exchange a few words."

"You…" Evangeline froze, seemingly unable to understand why Lin Luo would do this.

"Because… isn't this your wish?" Lin Luo turned back to her with a smile.

"What an… idiot," Evangeline gave a wry smile, but her steps grew firm, no longer hesitant as before.

Perhaps certain things were beginning to change, but exactly what, no one knew.