Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume2 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 1===

"Mugugug..."

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Claire Rouge was stuffing a cream bun down her throat.

It was a sight unusual for her, who took it as a creed— that nobles are always elegant.

"Don't binge, you'll get fat you know."

Kamito glared with his eyes half-opened and Claire struck the table in frustration.

"But, but, urggggh!"

"Claire. That's my jam bun."

Est protested calmly.

They were at a salon café inside the academy.

From the opened terrace, soft daylight was shining in.

The three of them were sitting at a round table near a window and having a slightly late lunch. 

Inside the bamboo basket, placed right in the middle of that table, was a pile of jam, melon, sausage and many other different kinds of buns.

Any student could use the café and on top of that the freshly baked buns were free. Coffee and black tea also had free refills.

There was also an eatery in the academy, but because it charged a fee equal to a high-class restaurant in the imperial capital, neither Kamito, who was not even a noble, nor Claire, who had her fortune and territory confiscated, could afford it.

"Our team ranking dropped again."

Claire laid, prostrated, on the table and groaned.

"It can't be helped. We were matched up with a superior team. "

"That may be true... but strength-wise, we are definitively better than them."

Claire gnawed her lip. Although they were at a disadvantage in numbers, she seemed to be unable to come to terms with losing to lower rank opponents.

It was certain that as elementalists they were superior.

The reason they lost was their inability to execute proper coordination with each other. Claire overestimated her strength and chased her enemies too far in, and Kamito too could not rely on her in a dire situation.

It was not possible to win with just the queen piece— in other words, their situation was something like that.

"Despite that it's not the time to be stumbling about now..."

There was a reason Claire was impatient to the point like she was binge eating the buns.

The regulations of the Blade Dance held in two months were different from the individual battles three years ago, if they didn’t put together a five-member team, they wouldn’t be able to take part in it. In addition, only the top three teams decided by the inter-school competition could participate from Areishia Spirit Academy.

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Kamito, who started attending the school just a while ago, had no achievements that could raise his ranking.

To raise it, one had to win a formal practice match like the one from this morning or complete a task assigned by the academy; however, he had done neither.

Defeating the giant spirit the other day, dueling with Sylphid Knights captain Ellis Fahrengart or even battling the frenzied demon spirit, those were all informal battles and did not reflect on the rankings.

On the other hand, Claire, who should have towered above the rest and been superior as an elementalist—

Had shockingly the lowest results in the class.

There could be only one reason for that. ''It was because she was doing every mission alone''.

She failed when she attempted the missions that should be originally completed by a team and she was defeated when she challenged upper classmen alone in a championship match. As long as she did such a thing, no matter how strong she was, there was no way her ranking could raise.

There was a reason Claire was isolated from the rest of the academy.

Rubia Elstein.

Four years ago, while she had the position of Queen serving the fire Elemental Lord, she betrayed him, disappeared, and brought about an unprecedented great disaster to the empire. Because of that others started calling her The Calamity Queen.<!--TL-revisit one day-->

As her younger sister, Claire was looked at with contempt and fear by the majority of the academy students.

Claire's reason for participating in the Blade Dance was to restore the Elstein family name and —above all else— to find out the truth regarding her elder sister Rubia Elstein.

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—It's not the time to be stumbling about now.

Blood-oozing emotions filled Claire's rough words.

"For now, we should also find comrades quickly. I understood it during this morning's match. If we stay as we are now, we not only won't be able to win the Blade Dance, but wouldn't even get into the top three ranks, which is required for the participation." 

The boy, called the strongest blade dancer three years ago, accepted his greatest weakness honestly.

At first, he just came to the academy due to Greyworth's request, but now he clearly had a reason to regain his strength from three years ago.

Darkness spirit Restia—his former contracted spirit.<!--I know, I know. TL-revisit one day-->

That reason was to take her back with his own hands.

The girl who, for the first time, brought light to Kamito's life, which was shrouded in darkness before.

And also the girl who gave a heartbroken Claire the frenzy spirit and tried to drive the giant spirit mad in the middle of the town.

He met her again, but she was vastly different from the one Kamito once knew.

—What on earth happened to her?

So, for the sake of knowing that, he absolutely had to meet the participation requirements for the Blade Dance.

"Kamito, what's wrong? You're making such a serious face."

"Did you forget to put sugar into your coffee?"

Claire and Est peered at his face with a worried look.

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"No, sorry, it's just..."

"By any chance, is it about your former contracted spirit?"

She was surprisingly sharp at times like this.

Kamito quickly averted his eyes from the ruby pupils that peered in his own.

"...Well… Fine. But tell me everything when you feel like it."

Claire did not try to pry deeper. Despite her arrogance, there were, occasionally, times when she showed consideration.

"...Ah, I understand."

Kamito nodded when-.

"Ah, everyone, having lunch?"

A cool but elegant voice was heard.

The boy turned around. And there—

A magnificent, platinum-blonde haired and beautiful girl was standing.

Her very appearance was of a noble high-class lady.

Her milky white skin was smooth like silk and her emerald eyes locked a faint glow in them.

The way she brushed her hair aside with one hand at her side looked strangely good.

Rinslet Laurenfrost.

She attended the Raven Class, just as Kamito and was Claire's self-proclaimed rival.

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Due to her rivalry with Claire, she was trying to make Kamito her manservant. She was a troubling young lady.

Right beside her was—

"Fufu, what a delicious smell."

A girl dressed in a maid uniform. She had a gentle smile on her lips as she stood there.

She was wearing a long skirt with a lot of neat frills attached. Her hair was cut into short bobs and she had a lovely white brim on her head.

She was Rinslet's personal maid, Carol.

Kamito didn’t know why there was a maid in the academy, but she was the only one he saw here. So, it would certainly have been an exception made for the Laurenfrost family.

"...Why did you come here, Rinslet?"

Claire swallowed her bun and sternly glared at the blonde.

"I just happened to pass by. What a very simple lunch you have, just buns."

Rinslet swiped her hair over her shoulder and looked down on the three of them calmly.

"Milady is saying that she wants to eat together with everyone."

"Wh... Carol, what are you talking about!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Poka!* *Poka!* Rinslet's face turned bright red as she started hitting Carol's shoulders.

As expected of her exclusive maid, it was a magnificent interpretation.

"Sit down both of you. You came all the way here after all, so let's eat together."

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Kamito suggested only to have Claire step on his foot hard.

"Ouch, what are you doing?!"

"Nothing? I just thought you lack loyalty...Idiot."

"I...it's n...not like I particularly want to eat together with you all!"

"Milady is saying it'll be nice to sit next to Kamito."

"Carol!"

Carol soothed the embarrassed girl and got her to settle down.

Rinslet, sat next to Kamito and averted her eyes as she asked.

"...H...How are your injuries?"

"Ah, they’ve mostly healed. All thanks to the healing spirit."

It was about the injury he got from the time he fought the giant spirit. Probably because he overdid it, it'll take a little longer to heal than he thought, but as expected, the academy spirit's medical care was excellent.

"Fufu, Milady has been constantly worrying about Kamito-sama."

"Carol, d...don't say anything unnecessary!"

Rinslet snapped with a grinding noise.

"However, it is also natural that Milady would be worried. After all, Kamito-sama is under one roof with Milady Claire, so it wouldn't be odd if something were to happen.

"Wha...What are you saying, you stupid maid! There's no way such things would happen."

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This time it was Claire who snapped.

"...What kind of worry is that?"

Est was munching on a melon bun and beside her Kamito just sighed wearily at their antics.

This was how Rinslet and Carol ended up having lunch together.

Even Claire, who appeared upset at the beginning, eventually started talking about this morning's match. Then about which stores cake was more delicious, how boring the introduction lection about the foundation of spirit learning was, and just like that, normal girl-like conversations were beginning to bloom.

Somehow these two were on pretty good terms. It was especially surprising for Claire, who was isolated from the rest of her peers at the academy. It could be said that Rinslet was her only friend.

"That reminds me; it seems that a newly admitted student is joining the Raven Class."

"Our class? Despite the fact that Kamito just came in recently?"

"Yeah, I hear it's a daughter of noble of high social standing."

"Hmm, but even if we're talking about social status in this academy, there's the Fahrengart family and the Laurenfrost family... Isn't it like a bargain sale of nobles?"

"Hey! Would you please not lump the militaristic Fahrengart family with the true pedigree Laurenfrost family?"

"I don't care about such things... What's wrong, Kamito?"

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At any rate, Raven Class was famous for gathering the ''most troublesome students''.

He just thought that if people like Claire and Rinslet were to increase in numbers, it would be... worrisome.

"In the practical skill entrance examination that took place in the morning, she seemed to be using a holy spirit."

The maid, Carol, pulled out a memo from her cleavage.

Carol's maid memo pad— aka "Carol's Notes," was stuffed with data on the academy students and teachers... Kamito did not understand clearly what on earth she used it for.

"Hmm, a holy spirit user?..."

The holy spirit was one of the five grand element spirits, but there were not that many elementalists who used it.

It was extremely prideful and chose its own user.

Among princess maidens, it was said that it only opens its heart to especially pure noble girls.

(Even in the competition three years ago, a holy spirit user gave me  a tough fight...)

After all, a holy spirit had an extremely bad compatibility with the darkness spirit Kamito was contracted with.

But then again, at that time, Kamito's strength completely surpassed the opponent elementalist's, that was why he did not lose.

"Ah, by the way, it seems like it's a very lovely big-breasted girl."

"Carol, from where on earth did you procure such information?"

"Ah, Kamito-san, are you interested?"

Carol placed her hand near her mouth and smiled.

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"Hmm, you are very concerned about the information of a big-breasted admitted student, huh?"

"Eh?"

Gogogogogogogo......!

Kamito turned around and Claire raised her eyebrows glaring at him.

"Really, men are just idiots!"

"Kamito, do you have no distinction<!--I think it should be better to use another word, but can't come up with any.-->? Are you just a beast without reason?"

Somehow, even Rinslet and Est were glaring—

Gyuuuuuuuuu!

Kamito's cheeks were pinched by the three of them.

(This is unreasonable...)