#this summary doesn't even touch on how zany and slapstick HxB is

[arinlangdon]

and now for something completely different

here’s an AU based on a Super Obscure series that nobody has ever heard of: Hayate X Blade!

imagine an academy with an elite and... unique... athletics program, where students can participate in swordfights for money and glory. at the tolling of the bell, swordbearing students stream from classrooms to roam the campus in pairs and challenge other pairs to duels.

each fighter wears a star on their uniform, and the goal is to strike, or “steal”, their opponent’s with their sword before their own can be stolen. with enough duels won, one can advance in rank and earn ever greater money prizes. as the dean is fond of saying, “any wish will be granted, if you have enough stars.”

Arin Langdon needs that money, and quick; their mother has recently been saddled with a huge amount of medical debt and the collection date is rapidly drawing near. the amount one can earn if they defeat the dean of the school is staggering, and it’s just enough clear that debt.

the only problem? Arin is also a swordfighting novice.

while they’re gifted with eagle eyes, incredible strength, and keen reflexes, it’s not nearly enough to bridge the gap between them and the veterans. luckily for them, their estranged best friend is a skilled swordswoman who has been training basically from birth, and with her brother’s recent departure for university, she is now free to take a new sibling-in-arm. after a tension-filled reunion, she comes to understand the gravity of their situation and swears to train them.

thus, they exchange pair rings: she becomes Arin’s wife Heaven Star, the offensive half, and Arin her Earth Star, the defensive half. but pairing up with a newbie brings FMC back down to the lowest rank. so for her sake and their mother’s, and fueled by devotion and guilt, Arin trains hard, and together with FMC, they begin to fight their way to the summit of Whitethorn Academy.