I Will Fully Support Junior Brother (Revision)

Hoshiharu indeed only sustained minor injuries this time.

Under the advice of Touka and Nene, Hoshiharu understood the concept of deformation speed and learned a new use for Absolute Speed.

The so-called deformation speed refers to the rate at which an object changes shape.

The slower the deformation rate, the harder the object becomes.

Conversely, if the deformation rate is very fast, the object becomes very soft.

Therefore, Hoshiharu set the deformation speed of his body to be slightly faster than his Device.

It was this Absolute Speed that gave him the speed to surpass his opponent.

Then the problem arose.

What if the opponent's speed was initially slower than his?

What would be the result if he used Absolute Speed and set his speed to be just slightly faster than his opponent's?

Through experimentation, Hoshiharu proved that under such circumstances – his speed would slow down.

It was extraordinary.

But it was logical.

Because the essence of Absolute Speed was to increase his own speed beyond that of his opponent, but it didn't specify whether it would make his speed faster or slower.

If he set an object slower than himself as the target, he could also slow down his speed.

The deformation speed setting was based on this principle.

In other words, by setting the Device as the object and letting his deformation speed be only slightly faster than the Device, his body could become extremely hard and impervious in a short amount of time.

The Device is a magical crystal with a very high density, making it much harder than ordinary steel.

Because Hoshiharu set his body's deformation speed to match the Device, his hardness was equivalent to the fragments of Kanata's sword, allowing him to penetrate Kanata's sword domain.

In those brief two or three seconds, the hardness of his body was on par with the fragments of that sword. If those fragments cut him, they naturally couldn't inflict any damage.

But don't forget that the speed Hoshiharu could maintain was related to his own magical power.

Whether it was making himself slower or faster, as long as he used Noble Art, he had to pay the price of magical power.

When setting the deformation speed, the amount of magical power affected the hardness of his body and how long this indestructible state could last.

After experimenting, increasing his body's hardness to the level of a Device, Hoshiharu's F-level magical power could only maintain it for a maximum of three seconds.

If only increased to the level of ordinary steel, Hoshiharu had also tested it and could maintain it for about seven or eight seconds.

However, this technique also had significant limitations.

Namely, after his magical power was exhausted, he would immediately revert to his original form. During this period, the injuries he received would follow one after another, and the accompanying pain would be enough to drown his consciousness.

In the final analysis, setting the deformation speed was equivalent to delaying damage, not reducing it, and it was also a type that absorbed all accumulated damage at once.

But for Hoshiharu...

What is this pain?

The pain he had suffered all along was a thousand times more than this, how could he not bear it?

Moreover, this actually had an advantage.

Kanata's sword domain was enough to cut the human body into a mist of blood, but if it hit the impervious Hoshiharu, because it couldn't penetrate the skin, it could only cut part of his flesh and blood tissue without damaging his internal organs.

So, even though Hoshiharu's blood was splattered everywhere at that time, it was actually a skin injury, which is what made the broken bone in his right hand interesting in the end.

In short, Hoshiharu only suffered minor injuries in this battle.

But the pain was truly excruciating.

In the hospital.

Touka was sitting beside the bed, peeling an apple in her hands.

She divided the apple into four parts, removed the core, and cut the flesh into small rabbit shapes, then handed it to Hoshiharu's mouth.

"Ah—"

Hoshiharu bit it gently, then chewed and swallowed it.

Seeing this, Touka's smile softened.

"...Junior Brother, I've been thinking."

Soon after, her face hesitated for a moment, then she became firm and took the initiative to look at Hoshiharu.

"All this time, I have underestimated you."

"?"

Hoshiharu raised his head and slowly made a question mark.

His cheeks were full of fruit, looking like a hamster, which made Touka laugh.

"All this time, I've been treating you as someone who needs to be protected, so when you got hurt, I was very eager to scold you and wanted you to take better care of your body and not act recklessly."

Touka sighed and slowly explained her thoughts.

"It wasn't until I watched your match today that I realized you have already become a true knight."

Noble Art Kurono was actually largely controlled by Hoshiharu.

He was able to defeat her at that time, besides underestimating his opponent, he also had Noble Art to hold her back, and the reason why the opponent was defeated by him at first glance was that Kurono was not too aware of it at that time.

Until today, Hoshiharu faced Kanata, who was extremely restrained in terms of Noble Art and theoretically almost impossible to win, but he still surpassed everyone's imagination and finally won.

Only then did Touka understand.

In fact, Hoshiharu had grown and become an excellent knight. Even if he was in trouble, he could still bounce back.

There are no good knights who cannot swim against the current.

From this perspective, Hoshiharu was actually quite capable of taking care of his own business, so Touka didn't need to worry too much.

"So, from now on, I will fully support Junior Brother!"

Touka spoke to Hoshiharu very seriously.

Until now, she had treated him as a weak person who needed to be protected.

She didn't know that Hoshiharu had already become a strong man. What she needed to do was not worry about his health or abilities, but give him full support.

What Hoshiharu needed more was her tolerance, not her guilt.

"Senior Sister..."

Hoshiharu was a little surprised, as if he was slightly touched.

"Since you said so, of course I will accept it fully!"

Hoshiharu immediately nodded.

He didn't fully understand what Touka was saying.

But it didn't stop him from nodding.

In fact, he quite enjoyed Touka's scolding. It was proof that she cared about him. It was very useful for someone like him who had always lacked love.

The two of them faced each other, looking directly into each other's eyes, and the atmosphere in the room gradually became more charming.

Hoshiharu felt the current atmosphere was very good, and the relationship between him and Touka had long been suitable for further development.

"Ahem!"

But at this moment, a light cough was heard from outside the door.

"!"

Touka immediately woke up, then backed away at the speed of light, her face turning red, and her expression full of being caught and confused.

"Touka, could you allow me to speak with your Junior Brother for a bit?"

Entering through the door was Kanata.

She wasn't wearing her usual wide-brimmed hat and umbrella, but entered Hoshiharu's view with her beautiful face.

"Oh... Um! Of course!"

Touka stammered in response, then hurriedly passed Kanata, walked out of the hospital, and left as if fleeing.

Hoshiharu: (???)