She isn't very impressed... at first.

Not wanting to deal with more unwanted attention, Shuichi felt it best to move towards a different section of the casino yet again. He’d already managed to amass a significant total, nearly 1,000,000 yen. He decided to look for a new game to play.

As he searched, he began to realize that he had no idea which way he’d come from. The dense clusters of tables and machines combined with the rather labyrinthine structure of the building meant he was completely disoriented. Not helping matters was the fact that there didn’t appear to be windows anywhere to help him distinguish the outer walls of the building from the inner ones, and that also meant he had no natural way of telling the time. Checking his phone, he blinked with surprise as he noticed that he’d spent nearly two hours in the casino already. He had won more than enough to cover the fare back home, but the next bus back into the city had already come and gone, based on what the first driver had told him earlier. “Nothing wrong with killing a bit more time, I suppose.” With that remark to himself, he sought out the roulette tables, brimming with newfound confidence.

Sure enough, after placing a few smaller bets on red and black, evens and odds, he began to drill down towards betting on specific numbers. Every time, his bets came good, earning the shock and awe of the dealer and various security staff, who began gathering around the table and scrutinizing him heavily to ensure no foul play.

However, even after switching dealers twice and moving to three different roulette tables, they could find no evidence that the lucky office worker was cheating, but nonetheless kept watching him closely. All the while, his winning streak and earnings continued to pile up slowly but steadily. Suddenly, his concentration was broken by a new arrival.

“ Excusez-moi , but are you Shuichi Saihara?” A woman’s voice rang out softly behind him. He looked up from the table and turned around. The various security guards stepped aside, flanking the source of the voice on both sides.

Before him stood a woman roughly his own height with shiny, jet-black hair with two enormous drill-shaped twintails, and a white bonnet. She wore an impressively elaborate black and white long-sleeved Gothic Lolita dress and petticoat with a red necktie, complemented by knee-high black stockings and red high heels. Her skin was extremely pale and devoid of any blemishes–likely thanks to copious amounts of foundation–and her red eyes were sharp and steely. She strode towards him with an unwavering air of grace and confidence that reminded Shuichi much of Ms. Tojo, though this mysterious woman’s face bore an inscrutable smile. Arriving in front of him, she crossed her arms elegantly, at which point he got a good look at a rather dangerous-looking claw ring on her right index finger: a long, silver piece of jewelry ending in a sharp point just behind her fingertip.

He gulped, unsure what to make of the woman’s sudden appearance. “Uhm… yes? Can I help you?” Despite his incredible luck, he was certainly no gambler at heart, and he couldn’t stop his voice from cracking a bit.

“My name is Celestia Ludenberg. I am the director and proprietor of the Versailles Casino Resort, the premier gambling establishment of this fine city. I have been following your incredible lucky streak, and wondered if you might come with me for a talk.” She performed a graceful curtsy, then looked at him expectantly. He felt as though her every gaze was inspecting him, analyzing him.

He hurriedly stood up, collecting his casino card and withdrawing from the roulette table. “Actually, I was just thinking I’d been staying longer than I should, I’ll just–” As he turned away from Celestia to leave, the security staff formed a circle around him, trapping him. “E-eh?!”

“Ah, my apologies. Perhaps I did not make myself clear enough. I would very much appreciate it if you would accompany me. Needless to say, your remarkable luck over the past two hours or so is… suspicious, to say the least.” Her voice remained perfectly calm, but it also carried a forcefulness that would have made him stop dead in his tracks, if the circle of impeccably-dressed gentlemen surrounding the two of them hadn’t already.

“I assure you, if your skill is legitimate, then you have nothing to worry about. My faithful butlers need not accompany us either, if that would make you more comfortable.” She waved her hand, and immediately the staff dispersed, as if they had been commanded by a drill sergeant. She strode forward from beside him and beckoned him to follow: “Shall we?”

And so he followed, watching as his host’s twintails bobbed up and down as she walked. Shuichi could hear a hint of disgust in her voice as she began to speak once more, in a somewhat hushed tone.

“I really do not enjoy the activities on this floor, to be perfectly honest with you. Most of the people who play these games are common folk, and barbaric at that. I have no distaste for drink and smoke, but we can often keep these people around simply by offering them such vices periodically. And not to mention, who needs to shout and whoop and holler when you win or lose? Some of them even talk to the dice or their deck of cards, or have their own ‘personal’ slot machine, as if that has any sort of real impact on their odds. Pathetic. The only ‘lucky’ deck of cards is a loaded one.” The woman had shifted from talking to Shuichi to muttering to herself quietly, brooding at the sight of the patrons.

Wiping the look off her face after only a few moments, she turned to her guest as they continued on their way. “My apologies. I do not intend to disparage my clientele, but the world of gambling I come from is… very different. Adaptability is incredibly important in this world, but it can be a bit difficult to adjust to how most people enjoy themselves; thus, why I prefer to stick to the upper floors. That is far closer to my world.”

As the two of them reached the elevator near the center of the hall, Shuichi continued to sweat; not out of nervousness at the allegations he might be cheating - simply carrying a lucky charm with him shouldn’t be considered cheating by any stretch of the imagination - but because he got the distinct feeling the director seemed much more interested in him rather than his gambling abilities.

Celestia swiped a black keycard on a small sensor next to the buttons, and the console lit up. She pressed the ‘up’ button and stepped back, turning to face him. She said nothing, but the young man could feel her inquisitive gaze on him, a smug look on her face.

The few short seconds it took for the elevator to arrive felt like an eternity, but at long last there was a quiet ding and the doors slid open. Stepping inside, Shuichi saw that the elevator walls were composed of mirrors, creating a disorienting illusion across the inside of the cab. The doors closed without a sound, their shiny metal the only visual reference aside from the handrails lining the walls. The box began to slowly climb while they sat in complete silence, save for the far-off sounds from the floors above and below.

However, before they could reach the second floor, Celestia reached into her coat pocket, pulled out a key, and twisted it in a small slot next to the control panel. Most of the lights went out, and with a quiet whirr, the cab came to a stop. With an unsettling grin on her face, she approached the black-haired young man and spoke in a grave tone that did not match her expression.

“Mr. Saihara, I'd like to ask you this question once and only once. Have you been using any… fraudulent or underhanded tactics to secure your incredible winnings so far? Hiding cards, manipulating the machines remotely, coercing or infiltrating our staff? If you have been cheating in any way, I will give you this sole opportunity to confess, and I will allow you to peacefully leave the casino and never return again. In fact, because I am in such a gracious mood, I will even allow you to keep your winnings, ill-gotten though they might be.”

The boy said nothing, but promptly shook his head vehemently. In response, the gambling queen brought herself even closer to Shuichi, her voice sounding sweet like honey, but hiding a deadly venom underneath.

“I see. You claim, therefore, that your success so far is legitimate? In that case, I am sure you will not mind if I accompany you for the remainder of your stay here, hm? The second floor will be your ticket to potentially greater winnings, if your luck holds out.” At this point, she began running her hands across his shoulders suggestively.

“I certainly hope you have not been lying to me, Mr. Saihara. Your reputation as a lover precedes you, and I would certainly be disappointed if I had to... get rid of a specimen like yourself.” She brought her right hand up under his chin, lightly pressing the blunt end of her claw ring into the soft tissue just under his jaw, causing him to gulp nervously and close his eyes.

“I-I, uhhh…” Shuichi stammered, unsure how to respond to this intimidating woman. A violent shiver ran down his spine as he prepared for whatever she planned to do. Then, much to his surprise, she pulled herself away, and quickly walked back over to the control panel.

“Very well then; let me see the scope of your abilities. I think this will be an insightful experience for both of us.” With another turn of her key, the lights came back on and they resumed their journey to the second floor, like nothing had ever happened.

Shuichi let out a deep breath that he hadn't realized he was holding, and he could have sworn he saw Celestia smirk upon hearing it. With another quiet ding, the doors opened to the second floor.

Crossing the threshold, Shuichi was glad that he was still wearing his business suit from work: everyone else on this floor seemed to be dressed in formal attire. There seemed to be multiple different attractions on this floor, different from what was on offer on the ground floor. Billiards, craps, baccarat, poker, and even what appeared to be a small stadium of some kind.

Turning around, the female gambler met Shuichi’s gaze. “Welcome to the high-limit floor, Shuichi. We have a plethora of things to do. There are games, of course, but also a live fencing tournament, as well as any number of refreshments available. Where you go, I will follow. And of course, I will be keeping an eye on you. Hehe~” She giggled softly, though based on her partner’s face, he was still very unsure what to make of the situation.

“Ms. L-Ludenberg–”

She cut him off immediately. “Please, call me Celeste. I insist.”

“Celeste… how did you know my name? And for that matter, why bring me up here? Couldn’t you just inspect my skills downstairs?” He asked, finally finding the courage to speak up.

She placed a hand over her chest. “Two excellent questions. First, I have heard rumors about someone called the ‘Ultimate John’ over the course of the past two weeks; someone who matched your description quite closely. Like I said earlier, your reputation precedes you, even out here. Of course, the fact that your name was printed on your debit card certainly made things a lot easier.

“As for your second question… truth be told, I have seen many, many cheaters in my life, as you might imagine. Many people have managed to cheat the games downstairs through various means over the years, though very few of them are foolish enough to do it more than once in their lives.” She grinned happily as she watched the man’s eyes widen as he pondered the implications of her last remark. “But since the upper floors are much more, how do you say… exclusive, they tend to be much harder to manipulate.”

She walked closer to him yet again. “If what you did downstairs is the real deal, then you are a very interesting one indeed. But… I am not so easily convinced that you are anything more than a good-looking con man with a reputation for lechery. So, I encourage you to prove yourself to me here.” She stepped away, striding to the center of the floor and throwing up her hands in a flourish. “Have fun to your heart’s content, dear boy! And remember what I said about lying to me...”

“R-right. I’ll do my best, miss Celeste.” He gripped the Hope’s Peak pin tightly in his pocket. “Please, please, please do not fail me now!” He whispered.

He approached a craps table, and after a few sharp claps of Celestia’s hands, three similar-looking sharp-dressed men hurried over to act as the dealer, boxers, and stickman.

“Now, since it will be just the two of us here, the rounds will likely be rather short. If you will play shooter, I will place bets on your rolls.” Celeste said, egging him on. “You do know the rules, don’t you?”

“Er… y-yeah, you just roll the dice, right?” Shuichi guessed, having never played the game before.

She stifled a laugh, her cheeks puffing out slightly. “Pffff… yes, you just ‘roll the dice,’ as you put it.”

Shuichi took two dice from the provided five, choosing them at random. With dice in his enclosed grip, he started rattling them around, praying that his lucky charm would help him out. With an uncoordinated flourish, he tossed the two dice onto the board: a five and a six, totalling eleven.

“A win off the bat, how unexpected! I’ve lost my first bet.” The gambler remarked, though not looking remotely upset about the fact. “I suppose it might be wise for me to give you more credit, given your performance earlier.”

He wasn’t sure whether to feel flattered or offended, so he chose neither and continued playing. Another eleven, and another instant win. The following round was slower, as he rolled a six, setting the point. Luckily, after another two unsuccessful throws, another six came up, earning him a third consecutive win.

“How does he do it, I wonder?” The gothic woman looked on with mild bewilderment as she thought to herself silently. “He has no idea what he’s doing and yet he pulls out wins as though he’s been playing since the day he was born. This is most perplexing…”

After about a dozen rounds, Celeste called the game to a close. The casino staff dispersed into the crowds, and the two of them looked at each other, neither sure how to react to what had just transpired.

“How incredibly interesting,” Celeste pondered some more. “At this rate I may have to accept his skill as genuine. Let’s see how well he holds up, though…” She smiled and spoke up. “You have certainly caught my attention. A lossless streak in craps is by no means a probable occurrence, much less from someone who, with all due respect, still seems to have a rather shaky grasp on the rules, to put it mildly.”

“Uh, thanks. Beginner’s luck, maybe?” Shuichi shrugged. “But you were calling nearly every point right away. You even got better odds than me most of the time.”

She chuckled heartily. “But of course. It simply wouldn’t do for me to lose face in my own casino. I am the Ultimate Gambler, after all. I have spent many years perfecting my craft, so believe me when I say I do not lose easily. That being said, there is one attraction in particular where I still find plenty of thrills: the fencing tournament. Shall we?” She stood up from her chair, tucking it back into the craps table, and Shuichi did the same. “This will be your moment of truth. Should you succeed, I will acknowledge your gambling ability, and offer you the privilege of partaking in perhaps the greatest test of luck and skill in the entire world!” She continued to boast as they walked towards the stands next to the stadium.

Shuichi was not sure what to expect as he approached the small arena where the fencing tournament was being held. This being the second floor, most of the spectators were fairly quiet, though he could definitely hear gasps and other reserved reactions to the goings-on down there. The stands were solid marble and granite, while the inner area where the match was taking place was a darker stone of some kind: a deep, textured gray color. The two fencers were roughly equal in height, though one seemed to have brown hair peeking out the back of their face mask, while the other’s head was clean-shaven. The crowd seemed to be fairly evenly split on the two contestants, various cheers arose when either made a move.

“I believe many of the spectators turn to this game in particular as more of a stress-reliever than a money-maker, but there is indubitably money to be made here.” She nodded to herself, as Shuichi continued to look on at the round already in progress. “I find particular thrill in this game, because while I of course win the vast majority of the time, I am still sometimes surprised by an unexpected upset, or a come-from-behind victory. Even my luck is not perfect, after all. I wonder who will have the most successful bets by the time the tournament is over?”

The next round began, between a stocky red-haired man and a thin, lanky woman. Shuichi and Celeste both placed their bets on the woman. Sure enough, after only a minute the stocky man miscalculated a block, and was struck on the shoulder. “So far so good…” Shuichi thought, glad that his lucky charm was still working its magic. The next round, he and Celeste continued betting on the lanky one, this time she was pitted against a shorter girl with dark brown hair. The shorter girl’s stature meant the taller one was on the defensive for a large portion of the match, lasting several minutes. But once again, the lanky woman managed to catch her opponent off-guard, securing a victory. The following round, Shuichi decided to change his bet on a whim; he had a feeling that the newcomer, a well-built man with darker skin, was the one who’d win. Much to his surprise, Celeste changed her bet as well. They exchanged amused glances. “Why’d you change your bet?” He asked.

“I could ask you the same. I like to think I have a decent sense of how things will play out, but you… ho-ho...” She chuckled. “As you have yet to master the art of the poker face, you look as though you have some sort of strong reasoning behind your decision. Do tell me, if you don’t mind.”

“Well… I was just thinking that she seems tired, that’s all. She’s fought in the last two rounds, and her body language just seems exhausted. I think she’s bound to make a mistake eventually.” He answered, his voice somewhat confident. After all his training with Maki and Mukuro in the evenings, he had gotten rather used to detecting changes in their posture, movements, even breathing, in response to being exhausted after various different training regimen.

“I see… how interesting indeed! I was thinking exactly the same thing. You’ve surprised me yet again, Shuichi Saihara.” Her eyes fixed on his, her normally cold and inquisitive look softening for a moment into genuine admiration for his logical reasoning. “Perhaps you do have a skill for this kind of life after all.”

“Thanks… I guess?” He wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but he was sure about one thing: his lucky streak was unbroken, and his confidence was bolstered by his host’s approval. Indeed, after the next round his bet switch was justified: though the round lasted for a while, the unnamed woman eventually took a blow when she faltered, and fell to her knees after the match was decided.

“Well chosen, Shuichi,” Celeste congratulated, clapping her hands together politely. “But I am afraid your test is not over yet.”

Shuichi turned back to the fencing ring and saw that the two previous duelists stepped out of the ring and were replaced by two more fencers. This time the two were nearly identical and dressed from head to toe in white fencing uniforms and masks. Aside from miniscule differences in height and build, the only differences between the two appeared to be that one had a blue emblem on their chest and the other a green emblem.

“Now, it is time for the final round of the day. Tell me; who do you think will win?” Celeste asked, a playful intrigue beguiling her words.

“Uh… this one might be a bit more difficult…” Shuichi felt the urge to just flip a coin and trust his luck to carry him through this again, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it. “Is there anything you can tell me about the contestants before the start?”

“Oh? Your confidence isn’t starting to disappear, is it? Such a shame… cowardice does not look well on you.” Celeste put her hand in front of her mouth and laughed again. “Very well; I suppose that it would not be fair if you went into this without the same information as everyone else, though I do not know how much good it will do you. The fellow with the green emblem is the reigning national champion, and has a four-month undefeated streak. As for the one with the blue emblem, they are a complete unknown.”

“Unknown?” Shuichi repeated. “You mean, this is their first time fencing?”

“No; they are unknown in that no one here even knows who they are,” Celeste explained. “We don’t know their name, record, face, or where they came from. All we know is that they showed up this morning offering a great deal of money to the casino and the champion for an opportunity to duel anonymously and, well… when someone offers up that much money for such a simple request, it would be rude to deny them, no?”

“So, in other words, I could go with the safe bet, or the wild card…” Shuichi began to sweat as he looked the two figures up and down again. “I think I’ll go with… the wild card.”

“Ohoho? An interesting choice,” Celeste giggled as one of her butlers took note of Shuichi’s bet. “Tell me; did you take it just for the thrill of rooting for the underdog, or is it because you know everyone will bet against them and you could potentially reap even greater rewards if you win? Because I’ve seen more than a few people lose fortunes with romantic logic like that.”

“No, it’s just… you mentioned that the fencer with the green emblem is the best duelist in Japan. But for all I know, the challenger could be the best wherever they’re from,” Shuichi explained.

“Hmm, yes; very clever!” Celeste praised, her lips curling into a small smile. “It is far more likely that the challenger is just some overconfident rich kid who thinks that just because they had a fancy teacher that they can jump right into the big leagues. Are you sure you do not want to switch your bet?”

“I… I’m sure,” Shuichi, trying to sound as confident as he could.

“Hmm… very well. Then I will place my money on the newcomer as well,” Celeste said before telling one of her butlers to put her down for a large sum of money.

“Eh?! But… didn’t you just say that picking them was a bad idea?” Shuichi asked.

“That, I did; but I must admit that I fall prey to romanticism myself sometimes.” Celeste smiled again, but there was something to how overly cheerful her voice sounded that told Shuichi that she was lying. “Now then; you may begin whenever you are ready, my dear guests.”

The fencers picked up their rapiers and bowed briefly to each other before the match finally began. At first, the two stood there as still as statues, each seeing which would make the first move and reveal something to the other first. The image of two samurai staring each other down in a field entered Shuichi’s mind, but he knew they couldn’t keep that up forever since they were supposed to be everyone’s entertainment, after all.

In the end, it was the champion who made the first move, stepping forward and delivering a swift jab to their opponents chest before jumping backward. The newcomer was calm, though, and merely ducked underneath the blow before resuming their previous position. The champion cocked their head, clearly intrigued, but did not hesitate long before making their next move.

The champion began approaching from the newcomer’s left side, clearly hoping to gain an advantage by approaching their less-dominant side. The newcomer responded by stepping in the opposite direction, and soon the two were circling one another in the ring.

But then, out of nowhere, the newcomer switched her rapier to her other hand and lunged at the champion. The other fencer was surprised, but they still managed to move fast enough to block it. The sound of metal hitting metal rang out as their blades clashed, and for a few moments their fighting was so furious, no one could see their emblems anymore and the crowd forgot which duelist was which.

But then, just as quickly as the fighting started, it came to the end as one of the two fighters dropped their rapier and they fell backwards onto the floor. The winner didn’t even need to strike quickly to finish the match, they just lightly tapped their tip to the loser’s shoulder.

“Touche,” the newcomer announced in a feminine tone. She said something else shortly thereafter, but it was in a language that most of the people there did not understand - most of them except for Celeste.

“Wait, that dialect… was that…?” Celeste pondered silently to herself, but her thoughts were quickly drowned out by the sounds of the roaring crowd around her.

“They won?! I… I won?!” Shuichi gasped, not realizing that he’d been holding his breath since the match started. “Yes!” Shuichi exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air as he finally began to understand why people found sports gambling so thrilling. On top of that, with the amount of money he put down on that duel he’d just managed to nearly quadruple it. His grand total was now 50 million yen, enough for the office worker to buy just about everything he ever wanted, and then some. He heard a few cheers from other spectators who had also bet on the same fencer as he did. He looked at Celeste, who after a moment looked away from the ring and began clapping rather emphatically.

“Well done! Absolutely splendid! You, sir, have surpassed my every expectation. I congratulate you on your win, Shuichi.” He could have sworn he saw a flash of a mysterious emotion behind her eyes, but he couldn’t be sure what it was, due to the seemingly joyful grin on her face. “Would you mind accompanying me to the penthouse? There is something very important I must ask of you.”

Feeling like he was at the top of the world, Shuichi nodded confidently. Delighted, Celestia rose from her seat and grabbed ahold of his hand with the most delicate touch. Her palms were smooth and soft, she clearly took very good care of her skin. Still riding the high of victory, the two of them strode hand-in-hand to the elevator once more. Again, she swiped her card on the panel and the doors opened.

In the elevator, this time Shuichi was much less surprised when Celeste grabbed her key and shut things down for a second time, leaving the two of them alone in the dark cab, with only the emergency floor lighting to see by. “Tell me, Mr. Saihara, are you curious about me?” As Shuichi blinked and his eyes adjusted to the much dimmer lighting, he felt something soft press against him. After he was able to see, he found Celestia hugging herself against him, her elaborate dress crinkling and tickling his legs. She opened the conversation with that unexpected question, before running her hand up his chest, then cupping his chin in her palm.

Shuichi backed up instinctively, but she clung to his body tightly, and soon they both bumped into the back wall. From this close distance, he could easily make out a beautifully sweet scent, a floral fragrance that filled his nostrils but wasn’t overpowering. “C-c-curious about… you, Celeste? Wha-what do you mean, exactly?” She had been making so many strange advances on him that he wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to **** him, fuck him, confess her undying love, or some combination of the three.

“Hmhmhm… I simply thought you might be interested in learning how I came to rule the Japanese gambling world. It is not a tale that many have heard directly from the source, after all.” Not waiting for his answer, she began her story while still clinging to Shuichi; she very much enjoyed watching him squirm.

“It started back on a trip I took with my family to the birthplace of my ancestors, the kingdom of Novoselic. There, we toured the castle, met with my relatives, the royal family, and were provided bed and board in the Novoselic castle as esteemed guests. It was a magical week but, unfortunately, I was too far removed from the family tree to be allowed to stay. But, needless to say, our trip left a profound impression on moi , and I made it my life’s goal to enjoy the same luxurious European life as any self-respecting royalty.” She began staring off into the distance as she recalled.

“However, if such a lifestyle were easy to obtain, everyone would have done it by now. To secure the kind of immense wealth necessary to fulfill my dream, I naturally took to gambling. That necessitated leaving my family and relatives behind so that I could move to the only region in Japan where gambling is mostly legal: here, in the special administrative zone. It was still dangerous, of course; immensely so. I competed against yakuza, land tycoons, and any number of vile individuals. But, with enough time and devotion, I managed to oust every opponent and become the ruler - the Duchess, as they call me - of the entire gambling world. I have the life I’ve always dreamed of: enough to make myself, my friends, and my guests happy, and I’ve created a thriving business to boot. And even after nearly a decade in the gambling trade, although the thrill may have faded, it never truly goes away. Especially…” She pulled her hand away from the nervous man’s chin, instead gingerly reaching around his back and squeezing his rear, watching him shudder as she did so. “…when someone like you comes along, to shake things up and give me a truly invigorating experience. And on that note, let’s continue things in a more appropriate setting, non ?” She peeled herself off of Shuichi, leaving his body warm where she’d been in contact with him.

“Actually, I, uh… have a question before we go,” Shuichi spoke up. “You said you took a trip to Novoselic, but you were born here in Japan, right? And that you’re only distantly related to the royal family, right? Then… a name like ‘Celestia Ludenberg’ has to be a pseudonym. Would you mind telling me your real name?”

The woman immediately tensed up, pausing in her stride. After a few moments of silence, she replied with an unexpectedly cold tone. “You truly are much more perceptive than one would assume by looking at you. Come along, and perhaps, perhaps... when all is said and done I might grace you with the name that no one but my parents and childhood friends have heard.”

Back on the second floor, the mysterious fencer who had just beaten the reigning champ struggled to get through the throngs of people that surrounded them. Some of the people were cheering their victory, while most of the others were calling for their head - but either way, they formed a human wall that was unfortunately blocking their way.

Celeste’s butlers eventually managed to get the situation under control, though, in no small part thanks to their muscles, and the fencer managed to make their way into the small women’s locker room.

“Phew… that was exhilarating!” the fencer said to herself, once again in a foriegn language. “I was afraid that the lessons I learned about combat when I was younger were starting to fade away, but it is good to see that my skills are just as sharp as ever! It is also good to see that the Japanese people are all so friendly and enthusiastic!”

The woman pulled off her fencing mask and revealed her light blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and perfect smile, at which point she wiped the sweat that had gathered on her forehead during the fight.

“It is a shame that I cannot stay longer, but I know my father will be suspicious if I do not go to the recital tonight,” she said mournfully to herself. “Oh well… at least I won’t have to stay at home for that much longer…”