Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume3 Chapter7 (section)

=== Part 1 ===
It was evening. The plaza of Academy Town was bustling with crowds of people.

Sweet smells tickled his nostrils. At the shrine, delicious-looking baked sweets were piled up like a mountain and princess maidens dispatched from the academy were showcasing a blade dance that entertained the spirits.

"However, where did that girl go?"

As his gaze fell towards the chocolate that Claire had thrown aside—

Kamito breathed a sigh, exasperated.

Together with Ellis and the other two<!-- Wasn't it 3 people? Or did you meant some other people than the Knights? -->, they had given chase after Claire. But halfway through, the time for the change of patrols came and they had to give up. With that, they started their rounds around the Wind area.

"....."

Ellis, walking right beside him with a complicated expression, stared at the chocolate that Kamito was carrying.

"What is it, Ellis?"

"N-No, it's nothing.... It looks like there's no problem in this area."

Ellis coughed, and looked away.

Indeed, there did not seem to be any signs of suspicious activity in this area.

Although there might have been brawls between drunkards and pickpockets, those kinds of troubles were left for the town's vigilante corps to deal with. Rather, what Kamito and the others needed to look out for were the matters that the townspeople, who were not used to interaction with spirits, incurred the anger of the spirits unknowingly.

During the rituals of worshiping the spirits, those kinds of incidents occurred frequently.

"This is almost like.... a da-date."

"Hm, did you say something?"

"Nothing at all, concentrate more on patrolling!"

Ellis' face was flushed a deep red as she got angry.

"So-Sorry...."

Kamito apologized.

(.....Wait a second, isn't Ellis the one who isn't concentrating?)

Since awhile ago Ellis, who was not able to calm down, was stealing glances at Kamito's face from the side now and then.

Somehow, her manner of walking seemed unsteady and uncertain.

Their shoulders coming so close together that he was not sure whether they were touching, and then her screaming "Fuwaa", once again moving away from him — that kind of thing was repeated over and over.

Because of that, they bumped into the people that they passed by, many times.

"Ellis, walking like that is dangerous."

Unable to watch any longer, Kamito grabbed Ellis' hand,

"......W-W-What are you doing, you insolent person!"

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"No, since a while ago, you were somewhat unsteady, and it got dangerous... Your hand is also a little hot. Would you happen to have a fever or something?"

"...～Wh-Whose fault do you think it is?!"

As Ellis' hand was joined with Kamito's, she hit his shoulder.

"I'll have you bear responsibility for taking my first time!"

"Wh...!?"

At those words of Ellis, whose face was colored in bright red,—

The people, going back and forth on the street, turned around with their faces lighted up.

They glared at Kamito with a scornful-like look and murmured in a soft voice together.

"Ellis, don't utter something that would invite misunderstandings!"

"I-It isn't a misunderstanding! Really, I-it's my first time joining hands with a man!"

"...!?"

That was it— Kamito suddenly understood.

Thinking about it, Ellis was also a young lady with a prestigious noble background.

Now that he thought about it, Claire and the others seemed like they were hesitating about joining hands with him when they were departing yesterday. To them who were the daughters of nobles, joining hands with a boy might be an act more embarrassing than he imagined.

"...Sorry. My bad."

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Just as Kamito was about to release her hand—

"Ah, no, I don't mind, and I didn't mean to scare you."

As Ellis embarrassedly looked away, she tightly squeezed his hand back.

It was the soft feeling of a girl's hands. The reason hard calluses were formed here-and-there was surely the proof that she seriously practiced her martial arts.

Just like that, Ellis walked on stiffly like a spring-action toy.

"I-It's... a guy's hand"

"Of course, it is."

Upon hearing Kamito's reply, Ellis giggled, seemingly happy, for some reason.

He was instantly startled by that facial expression of the usually dignified Ellis.

"It's more embarrassing than I thought... to hold hands."

"Ahh, that is true."

Scratching his cheek with one hand, Kamito vaguely nodded.

To be honest, he was a little absent-minded.

From a moment ago, Ellis' large breasts were pressing on his arm.

Although, he didn't directly touch them because her Knights breastplate was there, the sensation of their elasticity was being transmitted whether he liked it or not. The reason his eyes unconsciously moved to her willful body beneath her armor was something that couldn't be helped for a boy in puberty.

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(W-With such a stiff personality, her body sure is soft...)

With his heart beating hard and full of excitement, the two walked down the main street filled with the hustle-and-bustle of the festival for a while.

The beautiful stone-made street was lit up by the illumination of the spirit crystals.

Pointing at the soft-toy bear ornamented at the display window, Ellis' eyes had sparkled, and she was gazing at a gorgeous party dress in front of a clothing shop.

When Kamito brought up yesterday's maid's outfit incident to tease her, her face turned bright red as she flared up.

"Hmph! After all, I'm not suited for those sort of beautiful clothing!"

"There's no such thing. Ellis in her usual knight clothing is also attractive but I also want to see Ellis wearing clothes like these."

"...What-What are you talking about?"

Pouting her lips, Ellis bashfully looked downwards.

Those actions were not of the usually dignified knight, they seemed to be those of an ordinary girl.

Looking at her like that——

Kamito suddenly had something he wanted to try asking.

"Hey, Ellis, why did you plan on becoming a knight?"

While she was the daughter of the top military families, the Fahrengart family, he had felt that her obsession towards the way of life of a knight wasn't just because of that reason.

"......"

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Ellis slowly turned her face toward him.

"At first, it was because of the admiration towards my esteemed sister."

"That Velsaria Eva?"

"That's right. My esteemed sister was a splendid knight. She was a person who was disciplined with herself, hated injustice, was earnestly polishing her sword skills, and was always aiming for a way of life like attaining the objectives of the people."

As if gazing at somewhere far away, she looked up at the sky that was dyed by the faint sunset.

"From when I was a child, I had always been thinking of wanting to be a knight like my esteemed sister. As the successor of the Fahrengart family, I want to be a spirit knight that protects many people. So, when I joined the academy, I immediately made an application to the Sylphid Knights that she was serving as Captain of."

Suddenly, Ellis's reddish-brown pupils darkened.

However— She continued.

"When I joined the academy, my esteemed sister had already changed. As if she was spurred on by something, she had turned into someone merely pursuing power. Of course, I can't say that way of life is absolutely wrong. Pursuing for superior power is also the proper way of life as an elementalist. However, at the very least, that person now isn't the knight I admired."

"What had changed her like that?"

Kamito asked—

Ellis tightly bit her lips,

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"It's probably ''the match with Ren Ashbell three years ago''."

"...!?"

Without thinking, Kamito had raised his voice.

"I'm also not sure what happened. However, with that match, it is a fact that my esteemed sister had changed."

"..."

Kamito dropped his sight onto his left hand tucked into a leather glove.

The spirit seal, which tied him with his former contracted spirit, was engraved over there. 

It was the left hand that defeated Velsaria and won through the Blade Dance three years ago.

It was the left hand that had cut down many Wishes for the sake of victory.

(—The me three years ago had not been looking at anything.)

He was just merely fighting for her sake.

He had earnestly accumulated victories and brought down many opponents with a pure heart. 

There were practically no opponents whose faces he remembered. At that time, he didn't have the leisure of thinking about things like what kind of thoughts the opponents defeated by Ren Ashbell had when participating in the Blade Dance

He recalled Velsaria Eva's icy-like pupils.

(...Was it me who changed Ellis' respected knight?)

Ellis dropped her line of sight from the madder-red sky, and turned towards Kamito.

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Her reddish-brown pupils harbored strong will.

"I want to show my esteemed sister it, the way of the knight I believe in. Although I am still inexperienced now, I am thinking of wanting to seize the thing that lies beyond power someday. For that reason, I'm participating in the Blade Dance."

For the sake of the way of the knight I believe in—<!--just leave this like this for now-->

Ellis, who said that in a dignified manner, was dazzling to Kamito.

"Ellis, don't you hate Ren Ashbell?"

Kamito had inquired spontaneously. 

If the occasion that changed Velsaria was assumed to be the match from three years ago—

It couldn't be helped that she was hated by Ellis— So, he thought.

However, Ellis lightly shook her head.

"Of course, I also had resented her when my esteemed sister was defeated. However, while looking at Ren Ashbell winning and winning, I noticed that I was getting captivated by her."

"I don't get it. She should be similar to the other elementalists, merely dancing a blade dance for the Wish. It's not like she has a splendid goal like Ellis—"

"Wrong" 

Ellis interrupted with a harsh voice.

"...?"

"Her blade dance was a blade dance more noble than anyone's. If that was not the case, it would be impossible for her to satisfy the Elemental Lords, and above all, why do you think the girls, who were watching her at that venue, are now still attracted to her?"

"..."

Kamito spontaneously gulped at the threatening look of Ellis who was like scolding him harshly.

"It was precisely because the appearance of her dancing the blade dance was noble that I was charmed and attracted to her. Surely, she wasn't swinging her sword for herself— but for someone."

"For someone..."

Kamito— 

Stared motionlessly at his left hand that exchanged a contract with the darkness spirit girl.

He felt like he was saved a little with Ellis' words.

For someone— That was correct. The reason Kamito participated the Blade Dance was for her.

Losing himself, he swung his sword for the sake of granting her one and only desired Wish.

Even if, for example, that result was something disgusting.

Performing a blade dance for his precious her— at least that was certain.

The girl in front of him had said so.

"Ellis, thank you."

"...? What is this about?"

Ellis frowned suspiciously.

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"No, nothing."

Kamito laughed bitterly as he looked away from Ellis.

—Then, his gaze stopped at one store.

"Ellis, could you accompany me to buy a little something?"

"W-We're on duty, you know."

"I have decided on what to buy. It shouldn't take more than a minute."

"...It can't be helped. What are you buying?"

"Um, something..."

As Kamito scratched the back of his ear, he walked towards the store.