Gakusen Toshi Asterisk 02
Gakusen Toshi Asterisk 02
---
The July sun burned with a searing heat which roasted the skin of those
under it. Even as school finished, it gave no sign of letting up.
Ayato, sweating, raced out from within the shaded foliage of the central
courtyard.
"This is bad, I don't think I'm going to make it..."
As he thought of Julis, who placed undue emphasis on punctuality, the
thought of that oh-so-familiar angry face appeared in his mind.
The reason for his tardiness was unavoidable; their homeroom teacher
Kyouko had forced some menial tasks upon him. An explanation would
suffice.
After forming a duo with Julis, and registering for the Phoenix, two weeks
had passed.
They had diligently trained together each day.
As Ayato had not only never before participated in a tag-team format
before, but was also unclear on the various rules of the Festa. The number
of things he had to learn had begun to pile high as a mountain.
Truth be told, Julis similarly lacked any team-battle experience, and the
two's efforts could only be described as the blind leading the blind.
There was yet a month until the beginning of the Phoenix, though it was
hard to claim that this was a sufficient amount of time.
"At the very least, I need to master providing close-combat support. If I
can't even do that much, I'll be roasted alive-"
As he exited from the courtyard, intent on passing through the hallway
which connected the junior high and university buildings, Ayato suddenly
felt someone's presence.
A young girl suddenly appeared, who had just so happened to have been
hidden behind a pillar, in his blind spot.
He tried to stop himself, but it was too late.
"!?"
The girl grasped the situation a second too late, and stared in horror.
A head-on collision was unavoidable at this point.
Straining his utmost, Ayato tried to turn.
His body exploded with pain at these actions which far surpassed normal
movement, but he succeeded.
Thinking the moment had passed, however, Ayato calmed down-
-Unfortunately, immediately in front of his new destination appeared a
young girl's face-
"Huh?"
"Kya...!"
This time, there was no avoiding it. Ayato and the girl slammed into one
another.
Fortunately, since he'd tried to cut his speed, he hadn't suffered too large an
impact. Unfortunately, however, the other party was just a young girl.
Ayato rolled and flipped upright, running to the side of the girl who sat flat
on her rear in front of him.
"Hey! Are you alright? Anything hurt?"
"Ah, I'm OK. I'm fine."
Replying in a small voice, an embarrassed smile on her face, the young
maiden looked up at Ayato.
"I'm very sorry!"
Ayato bowed deeply, again confirming the wellbeing of the girl in front of
him. Establishing that she was uninjured, he patted his chest in relief.
-Suddenly, he noticed something else of note, and tore his gaze away in a
hurry.
Because the girl had collapsed with her legs parted, her skirt was askew.
The image of her cute panties was unfortunately burned into his retinas,
and he reddened.
"Aaaah!"
The girl suddenly realized what had happened, and frantically adjusted her
clothing, her arms covering her body.
Her timid, tear-filled expression was reminiscent of a small animal,
although her actions only served to emphasize the full curves of her chest.
This alluring image was hard to bear.
She wore the junior high uniform, and was thus younger than Ayato. Her
limpid eyes and strong nose were adorable, and she gave the appearance of
a delicate young maiden. She was, in short, a beautiful young girl.
Her silver hair was tied in twin-tails which gently flowed down her back.
Those of the Starpulse Generation with atypical hair colors numbered not a
few, she and Saya among them.
Her form-fitting uniform outlined her graceful curves, and a real, sheathed
sword hung at her back.
"About that...I'm truly sorry. I was too rushed, and didn't watch where I
was going."
Ayato lifted his gaze, and outstretched his hand. The girl stared at it with
some hesitation before taking it.
She rose, dusted herself off, bowed her head, and gave an apology of her
own.
"N-not at all. I should be the one apologizing. I've gotten in the habit of
silencing my footfalls when I walk. Uncle is always scolding me about
that..."
It wasn't until she gave her explanation that Ayato realized.
He certainly had been in a rush, but realistically speaking, there was
simply no way he hadn't noticed someone so close. This was his first time
experiencing something like this.
That wasn't all there was to it, either. The reason the two had collided was
because they'd both reacted in time, and simultaneously dodged in the
same direction. But for her to have such reflexes-
"U-um, might I ask...?"
Seeing Ayato suddenly go silent, the girl was confused.
"Oh, uh, no, never mind. Actually, wait just a moment, something seems to
be stuck right-"
There was a small twig infringing upon her gorgeous silver hair.
"Eh...? W-what is it?"
She combed her hair with her fingers where Ayato pointed, but because she
was unable to see herself, her efforts were fruitless.
The young girl's demure actions were wonderfully cute, and for a moment,
he was tempted to simply observe for a bit longer, but he was out of time.
"Here, don't move."
"Eh...?"
Ayato gave a wry smile and extended his hand and removed the twig,
careful not to damage her hair.
"T-thank you."
The girl blushed a deep scarlet and gave her thanks. She coyly bowed her
head and went silent.
She snuck the occasional quick glance upward, but would immediately
glance back down the second she caught Ayato's eyes.
"HEY-"
Just as he was about to inquire on the matter, a loud roar sounded from the
junior high building.
"Kirin! Why're you wasting time over there?!"
"...R-right! My apologies, Uncle. I'll be right over!"
The girl gave a start before giving a second, frantic thanks to Ayato.
"W-well then..."
"Right."
He watched as the young girl ran off toward the junior high entrance where
a middle-aged man stood waiting.
His physique was quite impressive for his age, but he wasn't of the
Starpulse Generation for Ayato couldn't feel a whit of Prana emanating
from him. Although the girl had called him her uncle, it was difficult even
for members of direct family to enter these premises. This implied that this
older gentleman had his own relationship with the school.
Ayato pondered what he'd seen for a moment before remembering the
situation which had led to this very predicament.
"Ah...."
The appointed time had long passed.
Ayato felt a chill run down his back. As he prepared to race off once more,
the cellphone in his bag began to ring.
A terrifying sense of forboding ran through him...As he answered the call,
to no one's surprise, Julis' furious face appeared.
References
1. ↑ Elnath, a.k.a. Beta Tauri
2. ↑ This is in the original Japanese source, but the author made a
mistake here. He clearly states that Claudia met five pairs of eyes
earlier, which is impossible as Queen Veil's student council president
is absent.
3. ↑ A reference to the owl of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
Chapter 2 – The Dusk Owl's Secret Movement.
"Bloom proudly - Livingstone DaisyFlaming Crimson Decapitator!"
A chilling voice sounded in the training room as Julis was surrounded by a
red lotus of flame.
Circular discs appeared mid-air, spiralling like a whirlpool. Their burning
edges rotated at a high velocity, essentially literal fire wheels.[1]
"Come!"
Dust flew as the numerous fire wheels centered on Ayato. He raised his
sword in guard.
Facing that enormous blade, lined with a trace of demonic black, the fiery
chakrams came one after another in fiery, merciless succession at a speed
the naked eye could not follow. Just as quickly, however, they split, one
after another, into halves, their flames vanishing like a candle in the wind.
At that moment, two fire wheels simultaneously attacked from opposite
sides.
Silently both admiring and lamenting the precision of Julis' control, Ayato
leapt backward.
His movement, unfortunately, had been predicted. The spinning blade
above his head flew viciously downward. In unison, three more chakrams
attacked from in front as three more came from behind. This was an attack
which was intentionally staggered in order to exploit the timing of one's
opponent.
Concurrently controlling over a dozen bodies in three dimensions was
difficult beyond belief, but for Julis, this was performed with the ease of
moving her own limbs. It took a prodigious degree of spatial awareness to
pull off such a feat.
Ayato twisted his body, dodging the overhead attack, before spinning in a
circle, his sword flying in the direction of the oncoming chakrams.
His intent, however, was not to cut through them, for he thrust his sword
forward.
As the various chakrams collided with the blade of his sword, sparks flew,
and they left their designated orbit.
Flitting past his body, they left a trail of smoke as they soared past - and
nothing more.
"Fuu...."
Ayato heaved a sigh of relief, before again raising his sword, Ser-Vesta -
the Demon Sword of the Black Furnace.
"Honestly, you're always like this. Wearing such a nonchalant expression
as you make such inhuman movements."
Julis, on the other hand, continued to gape at Ayato in wide-eyed awe.
"I swear, the more I see, the more I can't help but be curious as to what I'll
see next."
At Julis' side, more than ten fire wheels continued to spin.
"No, you shouldn't be surprised by just this much, Julis."
"What do you mean by that?"
Julis had barely finished speaking before the chakrams beside her were
sent off to attack.
The scene laying itself out before him was a carefully designed formation,
a veritable garden of fireblooms.
"I wonder...how's this?"
Answering, Ayato suddenly dashed straight at Julis.
His upper body nearly touching the floor, he dashed directly at the
conflagration.
"What!?"
Taken by surprise, Julis' reactions came a moment too late.
Although she urged her fire wheels forward, it was already clear they were
nowhere near fast enough to catch up to Ayato.
Ayato dodged an incoming chakram, his goal right before his eyes - when
suddenly he noticed.
Julis grinned in satisfaction.
"You fell for it - bloom, GloriosaRending Fireclaw!"
Suddenly, by Ayato's feet, a magic circle appeared, from which burst forth
an obstructing pillar of flame. There were five in total; enormous talons of
flame which aimed to jail their intended victim between them.
(I was baited-)
Strega and Dante's powers all carried conditions which had to be met
before they could be activated. Accordingly, techniques which could see
use as a trap were innumerable; for example, Julis' technique which was
even now springing forth.
"Hehe, looks like, this time, it's my win."
From the direction of the inferno, he could hear Julis' self-assured
declaration of victory, though he couldn't see what kind of expression she
wore.
The claws of flame were even now closing on Ayato, preparing to snap
shut the jaws of victory.
Even with the situation as it was, Ayato was completely unworried, and he
calmly adjusted his breathing.
"Amagiri Bright Dragon Style, Intermediate Technique <Ten Linked
Thistles>!"
Holding his enormous sword with only his right hand, he whirled, severing
everything around him.
Flipping his sword to his left in a reverse grip, he spun in the opposite
direction.
The flame pillars enclosing Ayato suddenly flashed with two lines of
brilliant light before promptly disappearing.
"Wha-...!"
The flames hot enough to broil him alive suddenly disappeared without a
trace as Ayato appeared immediately before Julis.
Julis was so stunned she couldn't even move. As her chest was touched by
Ayato's attack, a loud sound echoed throughout the training room at nearly
the same exact moment.
"Hmph, I thought for sure today I'd win..."
Julis crossed her arms, pouting cutely.
Seated on the floor, Ayato gave a wry smile as he looked up at Julis.
This was the training room assigned specifically to Julis, within which
they were the only two people. The ceiling was vaulted, and the room was
nearly as spacious as a gym building. This clearly wasn't something
available to just anyone - a privilege reserved solely for the Top Twelve.
"Even with things planned out like this, I still can't win. I'm starting to lose
my confidence."
"It's nothing like that. I think you're plenty strong already."
"Don't try and comfort me with those hollow words. I couldn't beat you
even once today."
Julis puffed out her cheeks as she glared Ayato.
"I'm not comforting you. It's true; that last attack was pretty dangerous."
He'd been thoroughly fooled into falling for that last trap; it was an
undeniable blunder. If his weapon were anything but Ser-Vesta, he'd have
been done in.
Moreover, the rate at which Julis learned was stunning.
When they'd first begun training together, Julis had been unable to keep up
with his movements. But now, she was even making traps based precisely
on his timing. Of course, given the short time they'd spent together, her
ability wasn't enough to be a serious threat to him, but the gap between
them was slowly but surely closing.
"At any rate, you sure have a lot of techniques, Julis. That was my first
time seeing that last one."
"Heh, well, I do take pride in at least that much."
Julis expression lightened a little.
Truth be told, her techniques were varied and numerous. Just of those
Ayato had personally witnessed, there were more than a dozen types,
which included offensive, defensive, and support abilities. This was the
proof that she'd completely grasped the essence of her abilities.
"Unfortunately, I still can't win the Festa like this... Let me give you an
example. If the Festa were to separate the Strega and Dante on one side,
and everyone else on the other, who do you think would win?"
"Eh? The Strega and Dante, naturally."
The Strega and Dante were almost without flaw. The sole exception was
that their abilities required the consumption of Prana, which wasn't a
limitless resource. Nonetheless, when compared to those without their
abilities, they certainly were a force to be feared.
Nevertheless, Julis shook her head.
"Certainly they would win...the first time, but only then."
As she spoke, a complicated expression flitted across her face.
"As such a competition continued, however, the ability users would fall,
one by one. Once one's techniques have been seen through, spread and
made known, they can be countered. There are always exceptions to the
rule, of course, but at best, it's fifty-fifty."
"Countered?"
"The people here aren't stupid. If they knew of my abilities, the least they
could do would be to think up ways to counteract my flames. Like Cyrus
did, for example."
Ayato thought of the young man they'd fought a few days before.
He'd intentionally prepared flame-retardant puppets in order to deal with
Julis.
"I see now. In other words, as a Strega or Dante, it is vital not to allow
one's abilities to be known."
"Right. The more specialized one's techniques, the greater their power and
the less their general effectiveness. The first time you encounter an
opponent, of course you have the advantage. Continue to battle, however,
and you can no longer rely on that advantage. Those who stand in the
foremost ranks have a very clear understanding of this."
Although she spoke rather casually, but to stand at the top of Asterisk and
continue to obtain victory was a nearly insurmountable task. This Ayato
finally understood.
"Thankfully, my ability is ever expanding and many-faceted. This much is
necessary to see the greatest degree of usability."
"The Strega and Dante aren't the only ones at a disadvantage once the
essence of their techniques have been grasped though?"
"That's true enough. It's just that for them, the issue is especially pertinent.
Hmm, by the way - how's your body holding up?"
Julis suddenly focused on Ayato's face.
Julis likely meant nothing by it, but as she leaned in, Ayato unconsciously
reddened.
"!"
Suddenly realizing the reason for his reaction, she pulled back in a hurry.
Ayato averted his gaze.
"Um...well, not too bad, I guess. About the same as usual."
Pulling back a step, the tense atmosphere faded, and he dusted his pants
off.
"I-is that so? That's good."
Julis spoke in a deliberate tone which suggested she wanted nothing more
than to sigh.
"Hah...It looks like three minutes really is your limit."
"Just about. That really won't cut it, huh?"
"To be frank, it'll be difficult," Julis answered, with an awkward
expression.
Julis' training with Ayato wasn't just a straightforward battle.
They were also testing the limits of Ayato's ability to fight at full strength.
If it was just for a short period of time, Ayato was able to forcibly release
the bonds his sister had placed upon him. Unfortunately, "short" was the
right word; his released state could only last for a few minutes at a time.
Moreover, the recoil from forcibly unsealing himself left his body
tormented by pain and just about unable to move.
Three minutes - that was the upper limit on how long he could last without
suffering the recoil.
"At the very least, I can still fight at a normal level."
"At that level, I'm not sure that 'fight' is the right word. Then again, that's
infinitely better than simply collapsing."
When his abilities were sealed, Ayato's strength was below average as
compared to the students of Asterisk.
He was capable of releasing his abilities for just over five minutes at max,
with the cost of such an action being an inability to move for an entire day.
This cost was simply too high for such limited gains.
Julis dipped her head in thought, before slowly raising her gaze.
"Let me double-check something. You are unable to break your seal again
in your current state, correct?"
"Unfortunately not. I need to rest for a few hours in between."
Whatever energy he had remaining after doing so had to be used to sustain
normal bodily functionality.
"So even if just for a split second...it's not like it's impossible..."
For example, in the fight he'd just had with Julis, he'd only broken his seal
for the slightest instant, which hadn't resulted in any undue burden.
Perhaps it was better to describe it as having bored through the seal, as
opposed to breaking it.
Moreover, the upper limit on time was a hard restriction.
"That sort of life-or-death dodge could at the very least be used in a
surprise attack. At full power, of course."
"That's true."
He had just shown this to be the case, after all.
Thinking of life-or-death dodges, he suddenly recalled the silver haired girl
he'd run into in the hallway. As he thought of her actions, so much like that
of a small animal, he couldn't help but smile.
"It's pointless to cry over spilled milk. Let's figure out how to use your
three-minute limit as-is."
"I think that's probably for the best."
"Well, even if it's only for three minutes, but in that state, who could even
last three minutes against you? If they were stronger than me, it could
potentially be a problem, though...Hmm, we really just need to try it out
and see. But just how do we find such a person?"
"Are there really students stronger than you?"
Julis was stunned by his words.
"...Are you serious? No, you know what? Forget it. I already know what
kind of person you are."
"Haha."
"Ayato, I'm honestly happy that you think so highly of me, but when it
comes to those who are stronger than me...Although I don't really like to
say this myself, but there's definitely a number of them if you include this
entire city. At the very least, enough that you couldn't count them with
your fingers and toes."
"Really?"
Julis was very strong. Although she'd had trouble against Cyrus a few days
ago, that was only because of the extent to which he'd laid out traps
beforehand. In a true contest of strength, Ayato was sure the fight wouldn't
last long.
That said, the ability to manipulate the situation to one's advantage was
undoubtedly a kind of strength as well; that much, he wouldn't deny.
"Let me give you an example. St. Garrardsworth's student council
president is rumored to be a swordsman who stands at the very height of
swordsmanship. From what I've seen in previous tournaments, his abilities
are, at the very least, equivalent to yours when unsealed. The student
council president of World Dragon is also rumored to be an absolute
monster, but as she isn't yet of age to participate in the Festa, I don't think
we need to worry about her."
"The student council presidents of St. Garrardsworth and World Dragon..."
Claudia seemed to be the same. As expected, the student council presidents
of Asterisk were truly the strongest of the strong.
"Oh, speaking of which. I know of one such person. Last year, it was all
the news could talk about for days on end. The reigning champion of the
Lindvolus, from Le Wolfe. What was her name..."
Ayato hadn't had the least interest in the Festa, but even he'd seen her in
the news. She'd already taken the Lindvolus twice, and if rumors were to
be believed, she was posed to do that which had never before been
accomplished, and take her third as well.
"-The EreshkigalVenomous Witch, Ophelia."[2]
Julis suddenly muttered in a tone with repressed emotion.
"Right, right."
Ayato clapped his hands in recognition before noticing Julis' strange
condition.
Was she upset? Was she sad? Her face was hard to read.
"Julis...?"
As Ayato worriedly called out, Julis broke out of her reverie.
"Oh, uh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about some things."
Julis tried to brush past the issue as she she suddenly raised a finger.
"T-that reminds me. Asterisk's students aside, there are many other
unbelievable individuals. For example, the head of the Stjarnagarmr - the
strongest in Asterisk's history, as well as the most popular Strega of all -
our homeroom teacher, Miss Yatsuzaki. She is also undoubtedly at an
entirely different level from me."
"Yatsuzaki-sensei?"
"Don't be fooled by how she looks. She's the team leader of Le Wolfe's
only group to ever win the Gryps. As for why she's now a teacher at
Seidokan instead, I'm not clear on the details either."
Ayato thought of their coarse and disrespectful teacher.
Thinking back, she never revealed any openings. The students who dared
to make noise during her classes were always greeted with a punch.
To do such a thing to a student of Asterisk was inconceivable unless one
was also a member of the same Starpulse Generation.
"However, compared to our previous example, you do have one advantage.
Do you know what that is?"
"Huh? Well, no. I haven't the slightest."
"Your abilities are still completely unknown. The incident with Cyrus was
covered up and there were no other witnesses."
That was certainly the case.
"You're referring to our discussion earlier."
"Yep."
In other words, the advantage of surprise when one's abilities had not yet
"been seen through".
"The only thing that's been made known is the registration of an Ogre Lux
in your name. That much is likely already widespread. From just that
alone, however, not much can be grasped."
Julis turned her gaze to Ser-Vesta, which had returned to its dormant state,
and softly sighed.
"If only you could use its abilities while in this state..."
"Haha, that's pushing things a little."
When unable to pull out Ser-Vesta's full strength, Ayato's strength didn't
even enter the equation for Julis. Of the times when Ayato had revealed his
true strength, it hadn't once been while Ser-Vesta was in this dormant state.
"That reminds me, your sister previously used this sword before, right?"
"That seems to be the case."
"How intriguing."
"I think so as well. I never would have imagined that siblings would end
up with the same Ogre Lux..."
"That's not what I was referring to."
Julis slowly shook her head.
"Your sister was a Strega, correct? Normally speaking, the Strega and
Dante are incompatible with Ogre Lux weapons."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"It seems to derive from a sort of mana interference with the Ulm mana
dite. In all of Asterisk's history, the number of ability users who've wielded
an Ogre Lux has only been around ten at most."
"Ogre Lux weapons despise ability users?"
Ogre Lux weapons had their own wills, and would choose their own users.
This was something Ayato had already experienced firsthand.
"The reason still isn't fully understood, but it may well be as you say."
Julis shrugged with a bitter laugh.
"Anyway, I digress. The takeaway point here is that until the Phoenix starts
in a month, you need to be careful to avoid taking part in any battles, and
thus revealing your true abilities. Do you understand?"
"Got it."
His answered seemed to satisfy Julis. She reached behind her, and pulled
out her rapier-type Lux, and walked around.
"Alright then, let's start again. You need to learn how to deal with an
unranked opponent without relying on your unsealed abilities. If you don't
manage to step it up another notch, you might just find yourself cooked
enough to be served for dinner."
"...That sounds pretty harsh."
How difficult.
"To be honest, the best would be to practice with an opponent who better
matches the model, but that's not something I alone can help with..."
"Hmm? In that case, let's just find someone."
After he finished, Julis glared daggers at him.
"-Are you making fun of me? You know I don't have any other friends."
"Uh, no, I never meant-"
"First and foremost, did you already forget what I just told you? Even if
they're classmates and schoolmates, we can't let anyone know what you're
capable of. Moreover-"
Just as Julis began to break things down for him, a bell sounded.
A moment later, a window appeared.
-「You have guests. How would you like to respond?」
As the machine announced their guests, Julis and Ayato traded looks.
---
---
---
Sticking her head in through the newly formed hole-in-the-wall was the
student council president of Seidokan Academy - Claudia.
"While we do give the members of the Top Twelve these training rooms to
practice with, please try and refrain from haphazardly laying waste to
school property, OK?"
"...I know. This was just a training accident. It's not like this was vandalism
or something."
"That's good to hear."
Claudia laughed and nodded.
At that moment.
"But man, my heart just about jumped out of my chest there, Camilla. I
never would have guessed there'd be a hole in the wall. If you want to talk
about strange, then this certainly counts. I guess it's just different strokes
for different folks."
"Honestly, would you mind restraining that mouth of yours a little,
Ernesta? The last thing I need is another incident on my hands."
From through the hole, two girls Ayato had never seen before could be
seen standing behind Claudia.
Moreover, it wasn't just that he'd never seen them before. Even for Ayato,
who'd only transferred in a month earlier, this was a new sight.
The uniform the girls' wore was not that of their school's.
"-What's going on here, Claudia?" Julis asked in a tone as cold as winter.
It wasn't just Julis either. Lester had also taken a stance and was glaring
threateningly at the newcomers. Only Claudia remained undisturbed as she
clapped her hands.
"Let me introduce you guys. These two are from Allekant: Camilla Pareto-
san and Ernesta Kühne-san."
"Allekant...?"
That made the reason for Julis and Lester's poor attitudes clear.
Allekant was the school responsible for the events a few days ago. For the
principal victims of the incident, it was asking too much to expect these
two to view them as anything but the enemy.
Taking the long way around, Claudia and the two others made their way to
the front entrance, and entered normally.
"We've decided to engage in a joint Lux research effort with Allekant.
These two are in charge of planning. They've made their way here in
person to finalize the terms of the agreement."
"-Good day, everyone."
The chestnut-haired girl bowed her head as deeply as if apologizing.
She seemed slightly older than Ayato. Her proportions were on par with
Claudia's although she cut a tighter figure. She had almond-shaped eyes
and wore a tight-lipped, frigid expression.
"Joint effort...is it? I see, so that's how it is."
Julis seemed to accept the given answer even though she was clearly still
dissatisfied. Ayato was confused as to what was currently happening.
As Ayato began to ask for an explanation, Lester spoke first.
"Hey, Julis. 'That's how it is'? What do you mean?"
"You're as dense as ever, I see. In other words, this is how they're
compensating us for the Cyrus incident. I imagine that in return for
covering up what they did behind the scenes, they're going to be providing
us with technical assistance."
"What...!"
Lester was shocked.
"Well, that's more or less how things stand."
Claudia continued to smile as sweetly as before.
Although she had technically avoided answering the question, she might as
well have.
"Whatever. I did leave things in your hands. This kind of thing is your
specialty, after all. But aside from that, why did these people from Allekant
decide to visit?"
"Oh, that would be because-"
"Ooh, ooh. That would be because I wanted to see for myself!"
Energetically throwing her arm into the air was the other girl from
Allekant. Her name seemed to be Ernesta, and compared to Camilla, her
expressions were far more lively. Also in contrast to Camilla, she had a
white coat draped over her uniform, though from the sloppy way it wasn't
closed, one could get a feel for her unrestrained personality.
She seemed to be roughly the same age as Ayato and the others, or a year
or two older at most.
"No matter what, I wanted to see with my own eyes the swordsman who
chopped my puppets into pieces," she said, laughing.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
An awkward silence filled the room.
Lester and Julis' jaws had just about hit the floor, the silent Camilla
seemed to be thinking "Not again...", and even Claudia hid her expression
of surprise behind her hand.
Of course, Ayato was no exception.
This girl had just openly admitted that she'd been the cause of the previous
incident. It was impossible not to feel astonishment.
"So that would make you the rumored swordsman. Hmm, I see, I see."
Ernesta completely disregarded the atmosphere in the room and
approached Ayato, sizing him up before nodding several times with great
feeling.
"Not bad at all, I think. I like him!"
Afterwards, she beckoned the utterly floored Ayato over with a cute wave
of her hand.
She shushed him with a single hand as she said in a small voice, "Come
boy, come."
Ayato approached her, half guarded, half confused. Ernesta narrowed her
eyes, cat-like, and whispered into his ear.
"However- I wonder if things won't be different next time?"
(Next...?)
As Ayato lifted his head, Ernesta suddenly gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Uwa!?"
"Wha...!?"
"...Nn!"
"Sigh..."
Ayato frantically backed away as the expression on the faces of the three
Seidokan girls underwent a dramatic change.
"T-this girl! What do you think you're doing...!?"
"...You vixen. Die already."
Julis pulled out her weapon, and Saya aimed her laser cannon - which she
had never stowed - at Ernesta.
"Hahaha, how terrifying indeed. There's no need to glare at me like that; it
was just a greeting."
Ernesta fled to hide behind Camilla, her face revealing a mischievous
smile.
"This is a great opportunity to let bygones be bygones and start all over as
friends! To be able to meet not only Swordsman-kun, but the Gruene
RosePetalblaze Witch as well is awesome!"
"Even if you hadn't been directly responsible for the Cyrus incident, I
despise your school. Don't try and get close to me."
Julis' malice was bared for all to see, allowing one to feel the strength of
her resolution.
Reacting with such vitriol to the other side requesting to be friends, it was
clear that Julis had some sort of past with Allekant.
"Oh...How unfortunate."
"I apologize, Ernesta, she...well, her personality is pretty much what
you've seen. Allow me to greet you all in her place."
Camilla gave a bitter laugh and bowed her head in greeting.
It seemed at least this person - Camilla Pareto - had a rather earnest
personality.
Suddenly, Camilla's gaze rested upon the weapon in Saya's hands.
"Hmm, pretty interesting, that. It's a Lux with a lot of personality. It has
two, no...three mana dite cores? Its power seems to derive from forcibly
linking them together - that design sure is nostalgic."
Unbelievably, Saya's expression changed, and surprised, she turned to
Camilla.
"...That's correct. How did you know?"
"This falls within my field of expertise. That said, that design is hardly
practical."
Saya's eyebrows twitched.
"The LOBOS method for connecting multiple mana dite cores is an
incomplete design already rejected over a dozen years ago. Its power
output is unstable, its burden on the user is high, and both its volume and
mass are substantial. In order to maintain a high level of output, it requires
an excess of mana as well as a significant pause between shots. Moreover,
a way to overcome these flaws has yet to be discovered."
Camilla broke out into an unceasing torrent of words, the contents of
which Ayato understood not one half, though he at least grasped the main
point, which was that Saya's weapon had extreme limitations on usage. To
be honest, a weapon which relied on the mana overdrive phenomenon -
Meteor Arts, in other words - was something that could only ever see use
within the bounds of a duel.
"...That's very true."
Unhappy, Saya bit her lips as she returned Camilla's gaze.
"-But I still can't forgive you for insulting my dad's hard work. Take it
back."
"Your father...?"
Camilla took a deeper look at Saya's face.
"Ah...I see. You're the daughter of Professor Sasamiya then?"
Her voice was tinged with an element of both nostalgia and mockery.
"What of it?"
"In that case, I definitely won't retract my words."
Camilla shrugged and Saya's gaze grew sharper.
"Professor Sasamiya is a heretic. He's someone who was chased out of
Allekant by my group, the FerroviusLion Faction. Infinitely more
important than raw power is a weapon's suitability with the powerless
masses. This is the founding principle of Ferrovius, of which I am the
representative. There is no way I will acknowledge that warped thinking of
his."
"..."
Saya and Camilla glared at one another, neither giving an inch.
As the situation appeared about to erupt-
"A~hem."
Claudia exaggeratedly cleared her throat as she seized a hold of Saya.
"Now then, our guests, if you would. It's about time we began discussing
what we came here for, yes?"
"...You're absolutely right. I apologize for my poor manners."
Camilla gave a heavy sigh and turned.
Then, as if to lead Claudia on, she turned her back on Saya.
"Camilla's always this stubborn! Refusing to budge even the teeniest bit,
that's her," Ernesta declared with a gleeful laugh, her face alight with
childish delight as she watched the scene before her.
"-Words are meaningless. Use power to prove your point - isn't that the
way of things here?"
"...You want a duel?"
"Nyahaha! Not a chance, there's no way Camilla would accept."
Ernesta laughed aloud as she waved her hand.
"That said, we did register for the coming Phoenix."
"Phoenix?"
"If you reach the finals, feel free to demonstrate your point then."
Although Ernesta laughed as before, that act had since ceased to mirror her
mood.
"Ernesta, let's take our leave."
"Sounds good to me. Well then, everyone, until we meet again~"
Following the voice which had trailed through the entrance, she bounced
out of the room.
"...Seriously, what an infuriating woman," Julis muttered, after some time
had passed.
Her expression indignant, she picked up a beverage beside the wall.
"Even if they said they'll be at the Phoenix, no matter how I look at
it...aren't they researchers? Were they really being serious?"
"Researchers?" Ayato asked Lester.
Lester answered with an expression that showed he didn't quite understand
either.
"Allekant Academy's students are divided into those that research Lux
weapons and those that participate in the Festa. Generally speaking, these
two groups are mutually exclusive."
"Oh..."
Although the two girls were undeniably members of the Starpulse
Generation, it didn't look like they'd undergone any training either. But if
that was the case...
"...Ayato."
Just as Ayato sunk deep into thought, Saya pulled him out of it.
"Hmm? What's up, Saya?"
"I'm also going to participate in the Phoenix. I've decided."
"The Phoenix...? Well, that's alright with me, but who's your partner going
to be?"
"You, of course."
"What did you say!?"
Julis interrupted her drinking to shout a response to Saya's straightforward
reply.
"W-who do you think you're kidding here?! That guy is my partner!"
Saying this, Julis reached out to grab Ayato's right wrist. Saya, refusing to
lose, grabbed his left, and pulled him in the opposite direction.
"...Monopolizing him is prohibited."
"W-w-wait just a minute, you two! It hurts! Owwwwww!"
Even if Gandhi himself were here, chances were good he'd be unable to
separate these two girls.
"You should just continue what you were doing earlier, and partner up with
Lester!"
"I refuse."
A reply without hesitation.
"I'll pass on that as well! A psycho like her who blows away both friend
and foe I can do without! Actually, before all of that, I already have a
partner!"
"...Good point. The only person who can completely avoid my attacks is
Ayato."
"That's something you should change! Anyway, the deadline for
registering for the Phoenix is already past! What're you planning to do
about that?"
"Hmm...That is a problem."
Saya released Ayato's arm and began to think.
Julis seized the opportunity to pull Ayato to her, and as if protecting him
with her body, took up a threatening stance like a mother cat.
"Well, for now, just sign up as an alternate. Every year people drop out
anyway."
"Good. Then that's that."
Saya thumbed up her approval of Lester's suggestion.
Facing Saya, Julis guardedly questioned further.
"...And your partner?"
"Ayato."
"REJECTED!"
Julis and Saya began to quarrel once more.
Ayato sighed, and thought of what Ernesta had just said.
-"However, I wonder if things won't be different next time?"
Although her tone had implied it was a joke, he was decidedly concerned.
(What did she mean by "next time"?)
---
[modifier] References
1. ↑ Fire wheels
2. ↑ Ereshkigal (the furigana is slightly off, for more detail, please
reference the talk page).
3. ↑ A reference to Shakespeare
Chapter 3 – Gusting Wind, Bladed Thunder
"-So, do you know anything about them?"
"Hoho, I see, I see. Allekant is it?"
Lunch break, the next day. The classroom of Year 1, Class 3.
Ayato was questioning Eishirou regarding the two girls from Allekant
who'd visited the day before. Eishirou, on the other hand, nodded happily
as he skilfully sliced his apple with a dagger-type Lux.
Whenever Eishirou was low on funds, this was what he'd do for lunch.
Even this apple was a gift from his neighbors back home, who'd grown it
themselves.
"Information on those two is going to be pretty pricey, you know?"
Chewing on an apple slice, Eishirou exaggeratedly rubbed his thumb and
middle finger together.
"...Alright then. Why don't I treat you to lunch and we'll call it even?"
"Great, you've got a deal. Finally, my first good meal in who knows how
long."
Eishirou stuffed the rest of the apple slices into his mouth and pulled out
his phone.
"Right then, why don't I fill you in while we're on the way? Let's see,
Camilla and Ernesta..."
Urging Ayato onward, Eishirou exited the classroom.
Although the incident with Cyrus hadn't been publicized and he hadn't
been given the full details on the situation, for Eishirou, the names were
enough. Opening a window, the faces of the two girls from yesterday
appeared.
"First up is the foreign beauty...Her name is Camilla Pareto, a student at
Allekant Academy. She's the representative of Allekant's largest faction,
Ferrovius. Her research is focused on the development of Lux weaponry.
The team using weaponry developed by her claimed victory in last year's
Phoenix. Other Festa participants have also used weapons developed by
her. When taken in sum, her excellent final score during last year's Festa
season places her second."
"Wow, impressive."
To be sure, that forthright and perceptive personality of hers screamed of
her competence.
"Now then, the other is Ernesta Kühne - the genius of Allekant, the
brilliant and well-known representative of the Pygmalion faction. There's
not too much about her, to be honest. All that I've heard is that apparently
she has quite the peculiar personality."
Wasn't that the truth.
As he remembered the light sensation upon his cheek, Ayato reddened a
little. Even putting aside that shocking action, her other words and actions
had been just as unsettling.
"Just one thing. When she first joined, Pygmalion was both small and
weak. Its due to her efforts alone that its influence can no longer be
ignored. She's one to be wary of."
"Pygmalion and Ferrovius, is it?"
"Every school, large or small, has its own internal power struggles.
Allekant is something of a special case, though. Split into factions
according to research interests and ideologies, they vie over research
funding and students to put their efforts into practice."
Eishirou opened another window, which revealed a pie chart.
"As I'd just mentioned, the Ferrovius are the most influential power of the
Lux development groups. As you can see from the diagram, their influence
accounts for about 50% of the total."
"Pretty overwhelming."
"Although they're certainly influential, they lack a centralized system.
Moreover, Allekant's student council wields more authority than they do,
and resolutions require a two-thirds majority to pass. In order to ensure
those votes, they have to join hands with other factions. In times past, their
ally was the Tenorio faction, whose research focused on living things.
However, it seems that some years ago, the Tenorio suffered a grave
humiliation and lost most, if not all, of their influence. Since then, their
new partner has been Pygmalion."
This conversation sure had gotten complicated.
"Pygmalion...what kind of research do they do?"
"Their research focuses on cybernetics and Replicants."
No wonder.
That being the case, it looked like the person who'd supplied Cyrus with
his puppets had indeed been Ernesta. In order to combat Julis and Lester,
she'd provided him with specially designed puppets intentionally targeting
them. Viewing her as the mastermind behind the curtains of the incident
seemed pretty fair.
"So, this is a pretty stupid question, but why does Allekant allow its
students to personally undertake R&D? Isn't it better to leave that side of
things to the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, and focus on the Festa?"
"Yeah, there's a fair bit of difference there. Mana and Prana research are
related - both relate to the Starpulse Generation. To be honest, the majority
of outstanding meteoric engineers are members of the Starpulse
Generation. Since they all gather together anyway as members of the
Starpulse Generation, why not teach them at the same time? That's how
Allekant sees things."
"Isn't that a bit much...?"
"Truth be told, when Allekant was first founded, it was rather weak.
However, due to the excellent results brought forth by their research,
they're now very formidable. Moreover, when it comes to those with the
desire to do research, there's really nowhere else to go."
"Is that so? Wait, what's this...?"
Halfway through his comment, Ayato realized he was on a path he didn't
normally take.
Having left the high school building, he now found himself headed
towards the junior high hallway.
"Yabuki, the cafeteria's the other way..."
"Don't worry about it. This is one of those rare times when you're treating
me; why would I go to one of those cheap places we normally eat at
anyway?"
Grinning evilly, Eishirou gave Ayato a quick glance.
"Today we're going to dine on fine cuisine at 'Le Meurice'."
"Huh...?"
Le Meurice was a high class dining hall located on Seidokan grounds. It
was situated at the entrance to a forest, a ways off from the school
buildings. When compared to the Polaris Dining Hall Ayato normally ate
at, the prices were three times greater.
"That data was hard come-by. This still counts as pretty cheap, you know?"
"...Oh, well, OK then."
He'd been the one to offer, so there wasn't anything he could do about it
now.
Ayato pulled out his wallet to confirm he had enough on him. All the
eateries on Asterisk accepted electronic currency, but this didn't suit Ayato,
so he rarely used it.
"Hmm?"
"Eh?!"
Eishirou suddenly stopped short. Counting his money in a daze, Ayato
almost crashed into him.
"That was close, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just happened to catch sight of something interesting
is all," Eishirou answered, eyes flashing like a young child catching
glimpse of a new toy.
Following Eishirou's gaze, Ayato saw two shadows, hidden behind a
hallway pillar.
"That's-"
Ayato knew those two.
The girl from a few days ago, who he'd run into in the hallway, as well as
the middle-aged man she'd called "Uncle".
They were too far away for him to hear anything, but the atmosphere was
strange. Although their conversation wasn't quite an argument, but it was
still quite tense.
"Ho~h. Never thought I'd get a sneak peek at some info on Toudou Kirin. I
can't let such a good opportunity go to waste."
Eishirou pulled out a small notepad and, without allowing Ayato to see
what he was writing, began to jot something down.
"You know her?"
Even though Eishirou had just said he couldn't let this opportunity go to
waste, when he heard Ayato, he couldn't help but stop writing, and turned
to him with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"...Are you for real?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, the person you're asking about is Toudou Kirin-"
Eishirou was interrupted by a sudden sharp sound.
"!"
The man had suddenly-! Kirin's face was now sporting a fresh red
handmark.
"-I told you it's not something you should worry yourself over, Kirin."
"B-but, Uncle, I-"
"I don't remember ever giving you permission to speak."
The man raised his hand to strike her once more as Kirin trembled.
-However.
"-Enough. This ends here."
As the man had swung his arm down, Ayato had suddenly appeared in-
between the two, and caught the man's arm.
"Huh...?"
Kirin was astonished beyond measure.
"...And who the hell are you?"
The man frowned, and commanded a response.
He stared at Ayato with eyes both cold and contemptuous, and his voice
revealed his disgust.
"I have no idea what the circumstances are that led to this, but you should
never raise a hand against a defenseless girl."
Ayato's answer received a scornful laugh.
"Don't make me laugh. Look at all of you, fighting whenever you please,
and yet you have the nerve to say such dignified words?"
"It's a competition, not a street-fight. At the very least, it's not just one-
sided violence."
Ayato calmly met the man's intense gaze head-on.
The two stared at one another for a while before the man finally shrugged
off Ayato's hand from his wrist with a hmph!
"...Hmph. I was just dispensing discipline. This is a family matter;
outsiders should stay out of this."
"Family matter...?"
Ayato sized the man up once more.
He looked about forty or so, and even more than from his quick glance
yesterday, Ayato could tell his physique was impressive. He was of
roughly the same stature as Lester, and thick muscles covered his
shoulders and chest. He wore an expensive-looking brown suit.
From his muscled appearance, it was clear that he had both undergone
martial arts training and that he was not a member of the Starpulse
Generation.
"I am Toudou Kouichirou, the uncle of this Toudou Kirin."
Ayato turned his gaze to Kirin who nodded her head with a look of terror.
"Now that you know, get the hell out of here, brat. Anyway, to you
Starpulse Generation punks, a slap is nothing serious, after all."
"Be that as it may, pain is still pain."
His words led Kirin to look up at Ayato.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but, her gaze wavering, she kept her
silence.
Kouichirou, on the other hand, was frowning in open displeasure.
"You sure talk big for some no-name student. You, what's your name?"
"...Amagiri Ayato."
The man pulled out his phone, opened a window, and flipped through it
with practice ease.
"Amagiri...Hmph. Just some piece of useless garbage who isn't even on the
Named Charts."
It seems he'd looked up Ayato's information.
Suddenly, Kouichirou's arrogant, condescending expression turned sober.
"Hmm...Ser-Vesta, is it? Well, that's something..."
Kouichirou gave a haughty laugh and looked at Ayato once more.
"Alright then, boy. Since you can't seem to stand by and watch anymore,
what is it you want me to do?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm listening. Speak."
Kouichirou folded his arms patronizingly.
Ayato hesitated for a moment, before speaking forthrightly.
"Promise me you won't raise your hand against her again."
"Hmph, fine."
Kouichirou took the opportunity to add a malicious smile to his already
egotistical attitude.
"-But that's if you win the duel."
"Duel...?"
"Uncle, please wait!"
Kirin responded in surprise while Kouichirou, caring not the least whit,
continued to speak.
"Exactly. Is that not the way of things for Asterisk - for all of you?"
"That certainly is true...but you're not one of us?"
It was impossible that Kouichirou was a student.
"Moreover, you're not even a member of the Starpulse Generation."
"Cut the crap!"
Kouichirou cut off Ayato's words with a loud roar.
"Don't you ever mention me in the same sentence as you monsters again..."
Furious to the point where he could no longer control himself, Kouichirou
glared at Ayato before turning back to face Kirin-
"Your opponent is her."
He put his hand on her slender shoulder.
"Wha-"
Ayato was so stunned he couldn't even speak.
What on earth was going on here?
"Don't worry - even when you lose, I'm not going to make any demands of
you."
"That's hardly the part I'm concerned about..."
Which would be something occurring even before the duel took place.
"Uncle! I..."
"Shut your mouth. Just do what I say."
Facing Kirin, he silenced her with an icy gaze.
"-Kirin. Don't tell me you're thinking of defying me?"
A deep, dark voice which didn't bother to hide its malice.
Kirin's heart and body both shook, and she visibly deflated.
"...No, I never-"
"Exactly. If it's Ser-Vesta, then there's some meaning in victory here. I look
forward to it."
Having finished speaking, he turned his back on Kirin, and slowly walked
away.
"..."
Kirin, left behind, bit her lips with her head bowed.
Ayato clutched his head.
The sound raised by the disturbance had already caused several students to
gather around, who were, even now, excitedly discussing the matter
amongst themselves.
Ayato looked to Eishirou for salvation, but there was none to be found. On
the contrary, he wore a smile which beamed bright as the sun.
Ayato sighed, and turned to Kirin.
"Um, Toudou-san? I-"
"...I'm so sorry."
Kirin never raised her eyes, instead answering Ayato in a quaking tone.
"Huh...?"
"I...Toudou Kirin, challenge Amagiri Ayato-senpai to a duel."
In response to that low voice, the emblems on their chests began to glow
with a scarlet light.
"Wha- Why must the two of us fight?!"
Ayato shook his head.
Kirin looked at him with a sorrowful expression.
"I don't want this either...but I have no choice."
"No choice?"
"There's a dream I want to make happen. Uncle is doing this for me..."
A tone which struggled to suppress all emotion.
And, failing utterly, instead revealed the boundless grief hidden within.
"Please, senpai. Please just take it back, please."
Ayato pondered for but an instant before looking her deep in the eyes.
"...And if I did that, what about you?"
"Me?"
"What would happen to you?"
Kirin looked away as if to escape that searching gaze.
"D-don't worry about me. It doesn't matter how I'm treated."
"-And that's why I can't do what you ask," Ayato responded simply.
Ayato well understood that he was being unreasonable.
To fight against the very person he wanted to save, wasn't that defeating
the whole point?
But given what he had just witnessed, that scene of violence, and the
words the girl had just uttered, "It doesn't matter how I'm treated", he
refused to turn a blind eye and pretend he'd seen nothing.
"Is that so? ... Amagiri-senpai sure is kind."
Kirin gave a faint smile, and then reached behind her to unsheathe her
weapon.
"-But this is different. I cannot afford to lose."
In that moment, Ayato felt goosebumps.
Purely instinctively, he opened up a gap between them.
Her expression never changed.
Utterly reluctant, and inches from crying, she nevertheless brandished her
weapon.
He'd noticed the first they met, but this was no Lux. Although its design
was highly modernized, but this was without a doubt a real sword, and a
nihontou at that.[1]
He couldn't feel the presence of mana, and so she wasn't a Strega.
However, in addition to the feeling of being bathed in her Prana, there was
something else which warranted taking her seriously.
From Kirin, holding her sword in a combat stance, he could feel an ice-
cold, piercing aura as sharp as a razor's edge.
This was an intimidating presence Ayato had never before experienced.
"Well...I can't back down on this either," Ayato muttered as he grabbed his
school emblem.
"-I accept your request for a duel."
He gathered Prana within his body before focusing it.
He intuitively felt it - that even at his full strength, he couldn't compete
with this girl.
As Prana ran through his body, carrying with it a sparkling radiance, magic
circles began to appear around him.
Pain ran throughout his body and took form.
The chains which bound him were forcibly dispersed by the power which
swelled forth from within him.
"-Secret sword bound by the prison of stars, release your might!"
The magic fetters which had appeared around him disappeared.
As the restraints which had sealed his Prana disappeared, a wave of power
surged forth.
Utterly taken aback by the scene she was being made witness to, Kirin's
eyes opened wide, though the tip of her blade never wavered.
"Kirin, don't meet his sword directly. It'll cut right through yours."
As Ayato activated Ser-Vesta, a voice sailed over from behind him. It
seems he was aware of Ser-Vesta's ability.
That said, one of Ser-Vesta's primary advantages was that even if you were
aware of its ability, that and countering it were two very different things.
Ayato faced Kirin and took up a stance of his own.
(Let's test the waters for a bit with a feint...)
"-My move."
Kirin had barely spoken before her blade came soaring in at his stomach.
"!"
As he warded off her blow and prepared to open some space between
them, the next attack came slicing toward him.
Terrifying speed. Godlike speed.
Ayato frantically guarded with Ser-Vesta, barely managing to divert the
strike.
Seemingly intent on avoiding a direct clash with Ser-Vesta, Kirin's blade
altered direction in mid-air, and slashed instead at Ayato's right wrist.
Ayato immediately removed his right hand, and grasping Ser-Vesta with
just his left, returned her attack.
Kirin lifted her blade upward.
"-Amagiri-senpai, you're very strong. I'm surprised."
Kirin's compliment was heartfelt.
"That's what I wanted to say."
Ayato felt a chill run down his back.
Now that he'd seen her strength for himself, he recognized her speed to be
at least on par with his own, if not faster still-
"...This is bad."
The girl's strength was far beyond his expectation. This duel was quickly
becoming an impossible proposition.
---
There was a pavilion located in a corner of the central courtyard. Of all the
places on campus, this was Julis' favorite resting spot.
Whether it be lunch break or after school, as long as she had sufficient
time, she'd eventually find her way here.
Though recently she found herself spending the bulk of her time with
someone else, old habits died hard.
Julis had finished her lunch quickly - after yesterday's argument with Saya,
she'd eaten by her lonesome today. Pulling out her phone, she began to
scan the news.
"So the user of the 'Holy Grail' has finally appeared...If they appear during
the Phoenix, that might be a problem. I'll need to keep an eye on Le Wolfe
from now on just for that...wait, breaking news...?"
The palm-sized window suddenly expanded.
"Ah, Toudou Kirin's dueling someone. No wonder, that certainly is
newsworthy. Let's see, her opponent is..."
Suddenly, she overheard a burst of cheers.
Looking closely, the hallway was crowded with a mass of people.
"...Hmm?"
Strange. She seemed to have heard a most familiar name being shouted out
by the crowd. An ill-omened feeling struck her then.
Splitting the rows of onlookers before her, she made her way to the front.
And couldn't believe her own eyes.
"W-w-wha...?!"
In her surprise, she couldn't even finish her sentence.
The person dueling that Toudou Kirin was none other than her very own
partner.
(After agreeing just YESTERDAY not to get pulled into something like
this...That moron!)
Julis clutched her head in irritation when she suddenly heard a certain
someone amidst the crowd.
Joyfully recording the entire incident with his camera was a young man
standing in the very best spectator spot. Seeing him, Julis charged forward
and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
"What is the meaning of this, Yabuki!?"
"Eh?! Er, wait, what? Oh, it's the Princess."
Eishirou lifted his head in surprise before quickly continuing to record.
"Sorry, but I'm a little busy right now-"
"Give me an explanation for this!"
Julis, threatening, covered up his camera and pulled Eishirou around with
force.
"That reminds me, I still haven't paid you back for that load of crunk you
fed Sasamiya the other day. How would you like to live the rest of your
life as a chunk of coal?"
"...I get it, I get it. Geez. I'll do what you ask."
Eishirou sighed and rubbed the scar on his cheek.
"This isn't really anything worthy of note. This is because of what
happened in the hallway earlier...Whoa!"
Suddenly Eishirou turned his body. Julis reflexively turned to look as well.
Before her eyes, Kirin's blade came sweeping by as Ayato dodged by a
hair's breadth.
As her sword swung by, barely missing his forehead, his hair was thrown
into disarray by the wind created from the force of her blow.
"Fuu..."
"Man, this is just too amazing. It's not even the Festa and there's already
this kind of fight happening. Amagiri, that ass; hiding his true ability from
us," Eishirou swiped the sweat from his forehead as he said admiringly.
"...That said, you can tell that this won't end well if things go on like this."
"That's certainly true enough. Even if he's the wielder of Ser-Vesta, his
opponent's the 'Gusting Wind, Bladed Thunder', after all."[2]
Eishirou's words were pregnant with meaning as Ayato ducked low,
dodging yet another sharp slice.
Ayato took the opportunity to jump off the ground, brandishing Ser-Vesta,
but Kirin had already flipped past a moment earlier.
As she came down, she again targeted Ayato, this time with an overhead
chop.
Ayato spun away, pushing himself off the ground with a single hand.
Even without noticing the sweat dripping from his forehead or the grim
expression his face, it was clear that he was at a disadvantage.
To be honest, Julis could barely believe her eyes.
Ayato had released his seal, and she, more than anyone, understand his
abilities in that state.
Moreover, he'd undergone special training each day, and he'd finally
grasped the movements of his opponent and her sword. A single opening
was all he needed to claim victory.
Kirin didn't seem to be letting up for even a moment, though, even though
she held the clear advantage...
"Her weapon hasn't been touched once..."
Indeed. She hadn't once needed to block Ayato's attack with her weapon.
Ser-Vesta could cut through anything, a sword that couldn't be blocked.
Furthermore, Kirin held not a Lux, but a normal sword. The slightest
contact would be enough.
The terrifying thing was, when Kirin attacked, she completely predicted
what would follow thereafter.
Ayato had succeeded in warding off all of her attacks, but each and every
time, just before their swords would touch, she altered the trajectory her
sword followed without slowing down whatsoever.
"To be fair, Ayato has yet to grow accustomed to using Ser-Vesta. That's a
gap that just can't be overcome."
"He hasn't? What do you mean?"
Eishirou's words came as a surprise to Julis.
"I'm obviously unclear on the details of Amagiri's style, but just from
watching I can still tell a thing or two. Simply put, his movements are too
large. Keeping them more minimal would be to his advantage."
"I see..."
Originally speaking, Ayato's movements were unbelievably quick. The
problem was, Ser-Vesta was simply too large. Its destructive power more
than accounted for its bulky mass, but when faced with an inordinately
nimble opponent-
As she followed his line of reasoning, Julis suddenly realized. She cast a
quick glance in Eishirou's direction.
(This guy...he understood all that just from watching?)
Even Julis, ranked fifth in the school, was unable to fully capture Ayato's
movements at full strength.
It was likely the case that that was even more true for the crowd of
onlookers.
(Indeed, watching from the sidelines like this presented a better
perspective as compared to their practices which involved mutual action,
but still...)
Were his eyes just that good? Or was it-
"...Actually, wait a moment. There's something more important still - how
long has it been since they started?"
"Hmm? Around four, maybe five minutes, I'd say? What's up?"
Julis turned white as a sheet.
Ayato clearly only had a matter of moments left in his unsealed state.
It was bad enough that his true abilities had been taken notice of, but for
his time limit to be discovered as well would be a worst case scenario, to
say the least.
As she prepared to intervene in their battle, what happened next was, from
Julis' point of view, infinitely worse.
"Oh, Amagiri's going for an all-out attack."
Almost as if he'd read Julis' mind, Ayato, who'd previously carefully
defended against every attack, completely forewent defense to go on the
offensive.
Originally, their encounters had resulted in Ser-Vesta tracing out linear
paths, warding off the naked edge of Kirin's sword which would disappear
without a trace.
-However, Kirin's movements had grown even faster still.
Stepping nimbly, she slashed in as Ayato stretched forth his sword.
Ayato barely managed to dodge, his torn sleeve evidence of how close
things had come.
"Uh-oh, this isn't good."
"If things had simply continued, he'd have lost all hope of victory. This
isn't that bad a decision. "
Julis offered this rebuttal, but Eishirou shook his head.
"No, that's not quite right. He came pretty close to losing it just now."
"And that's why it was the correct decision. It gave him an opportunity to
see what his opponent was really capable of."
"Well, normally that would be the case."
"...What's that supposed to mean?" Julis asked with a worried expression.
Eishirou showed an evil smile.
"That guy, ever since he's transferred, you've been his only opponent. You
guys haven't been keeping count, right?"
"What's your poi-"
Halfway through her sentence, Julis finally realized what Eishirou meant.
Immediately turning back, she watched as the distance between Ayato and
Kirin closed even more.
"Haaa!"
A full-powered swing with Ser-Vesta failed to cut anything but the air.
Taking advantage of the opening he'd shown, Kirin countered, sending her
sword flitting across his left upper-chest.
Things had gotten far more exciting than earlier.
Originally seeming like it had barely missed him, the nihontou suddenly
slanted toward Ayato's body.
"Sh...!"
Ayato bent backwards in a dodge, before immediately recovering his
posture-
"Duel ended! Winner: Toudou Kirin!"
Ayato stared in confusion in response to the mechanical voice announcing
the end of their match.
It seems he still didn't quite understand what had happened.
Suddenly realizing what had happened, he gazed down at his chest.
"...Oh."
His school emblem had been severed neatly in half.
"Man, he sure fell for it..."
Julis looked up at the sky and sighed.
He'd completely forgotten about the existence of his school emblem,
which he didn't consider part of his body.
"And there you go - he's not used to dueling, only to real battles."
Eishirou smiled wryly and patted Julis on the shoulder.
---
[modifier] References
1. ↑ Nihontou actually refers to a category of weapons; precisely which
one Kirin uses the author leaves unclear, so I've left this as is.
2. ↑ The author does a subtle wordplay here that really doesn't translate.
Kirin's nickname is 疾風刃雷 [しっぷうじんらい] - "gusting wind,
bladed thunder" (more or less). There is a Japanese phrase which has
an identical pronunciation, but differs by only one kanji: 疾風迅雷.
This phrase means to do something "with lightning speed". I believe
the author intends for Kirin's nickname to carry the connotation of
both.
Chapter 4 – Entangled Motives
Trailing behind Kouichirou, Kirin bowed her head lifelessly.
Their current path was restricted for school-related personnel use only.
"-That took rather more time than expected."
The sound of his footsteps suddenly cut short. Kouichirou didn't turned as
he spoke in a low voice.
Kirin trembled. She wanted to open her mouth, to respond - but no words
were forthcoming.
"...S-sorry, Uncle..."
In the end, she simply apologized weakly.
"I admit he wasn't a very compatible opponent. That said, even if he was
the wielder of an Ogre Lux, he was still just some no name not even listed
in the Named Charts. To have spent that much time dealing with him...this
is going to hurt your evaluation."
Kouichirou continued to stare straight forward, dispensing harsh judgment
in an unforgiving tone.
"During the next official ranking matches, you'll be challenged by the #7.
Although they use a Lux, but it's nothing like the level we saw today. Take
care of it within three minutes."
Finally, Kouichirou turned to look behind him, holding his phone in front
of him. On its screen, data regarding the aforementioned #7 was showing.
"Memorize all of this. You need to maintain your place among the Top
Twelve this year. That's the first step. Doing so will allow you to cement
your position here at Seidokan. The only possible concern is that girl with
the gun."
"...I understand."
Kirin, head still bowed, answered quietly.
"Moreover - I've seen your midterm exam grades. To be blunt, they're not
great."
Kouichirou opened a new window on his phone, showing forth Kirin's test
scores from the month before.
Although her scores were certainly above average, and thus could hardly
be called terrible, Kouichirou's expression made his disappointment plain.
"Didn't I say you weren't allowed to take your classes lightly?"
"...Sorry."
Kouichirou licked his lips, and grabbing her hair, pulled her head up to
meet his eyes.
"Do you understand? What I want isn't just strength. You need to become
the greatest, most unforgettable name in all of Seidokan's history. Don't
you dare forget that...!"
He proceeded to grab her chin and glare directly into her eyes with an icy
expression.
"You're a useless excuse for a human being whose only redeeming quality
is you're a little bit good with swords. That's the setting here. Don't forget,
Kirin. As long as you follow my lead, as long as you do what I tell you to
do, then and only then do you have a chance at success."
"...Right, Uncle...I understand..."
Kirin's eyes drooped, and she answered in a feeble tone.
"Hmph...If you really understand, then don't you dare defy me again. You
don't have my permission to speak, only to act as I tell you to."
Kouichirou shoved Kirin away, adjusting his collar and watching as she
tumbled to the ground, never once raising her head.
The disgust-filled expression on his face could only be seen as one
observing something nauseatingly grotesque, and not the face of one
looking at one's own kin.
"...Right now, the plan is proceeding smoothly. Don't stop for a second, put
forth all your effort. As long as my plan succeeds, then you'll be able to
realize that which you've dreamt of all this while."
Kouichirou smiled sinisterly, and, leaving Kirin behind, exited by himself.
The sharp sound of falling steps gradually faded into the distance.
"...I understand..."
As Kirin sat on that dusky path, she muttered that same phrase over and
over like a broken record.
---
---
After school the following day, Ayato headed to the entrance of the student
service center. His school badge had been destroyed in the duel with Kirin,
and so he needed a replacement.
At Seidokan, one's badge represented one's identity, and was necessary for
a variety of authentication purposes such as signing the roll. A non-
functioning badge was extremely inconvenient, to say the least. This
morning he'd applied for another and was told to return after school.
"Just give that directly to the student council president."
The girl at the window pulled out a sheet, speaking in a professional tone.
"Also, please sign here and here."
"So I should just take this badge straight to Claudia then?"
"Exactly. She's currently awaiting you in the student council lounge."
"The lounge...is it?"
Slightly taken aback, he inquired further, but the window had already
closed.
There was nothing else to do but head over to the top floor of the high
school building.
His body was still sore and ached all over, but the normal activities of
daily life weren't a problem. Since he and Julis were currently taking a
break from training, he had some free time.
"Everything related to the student council's on the top floor, so there
shouldn't be a problem just heading straight there..."
Outside the window lay a vibrant blue sky.
Within the room, the air conditioning had kept the room cool and
comfortable, but as he stepped outside, he was assaulted by the heat of the
burning sun. It was best to stay out of the heat as much as possible.
Thinking thusly, Ayato glanced around, looking for the aforementioned
lounge.
The student council office was surrounded by a mass of rooms which
looked very spacious.
Pressing the intercom, Ayato was greeted by Claudia's voice.
"Welcome, Ayato. Come on in."
He entered as prompted.
And doubted his very eyes.
He seemed to have stepped out into the depths of the jungle.
In the center of the room sat an ice-cold pool of water, while the room
itself was covered with tropical plants. The walls were now glass, and
sunlight filled the room.
Beside the pool of water was a long deck chair, upon which Claudia was
stretched out. Numerous windows hovered around her, deeply engrossed in
her work.
"...Um, this-"
"Hehe. Surprised, aren't you?"
As he turned to look at her, he froze.
Claudia wore a swimsuit which was simultaneously both flattering and
daring. The bikini she wore suited her greatly but was far too provocative,
and he didn't know where to look.
Way too much skin had been exposed.
"This was left behind by my predecessor, who'd forcibly had it put in
place. Although the costs were immense, but the cost to return things to
their original state was similarly high, so there's nothing to be done but to
take full advantage."
"I-is that how it is..."
Claudia glanced at Ayato and began to giggle.
"In any case, we're in the middle of a lake, aren't we? There's no need for
such a pool, right?"
"Oh, you don't know, Ayato? Swimming in the lake is forbidden."
"Eh? Really?"
"This entire region boasts an extremely high concentration of mana. It's led
to some mutations."
The influx of mana after the Ember Tears had led to mutations in the flora
and fauna. Its effect on humanity had been the inception of the Starpulse
Generation, and naturally, other forms of life had not been left untouched.
Nonetheless, mutants with the ability to pose a serious threat to the
Starpulse Generation - and their abnormal abilities, physical or otherwise -
had yet to be discovered.
"There haven't yet been any recorded incidents, but rumored ones only.
That said, there've been reports of an enormous shadow moving about in
the water, as well as monsters in the subterranean levels. It's quite
terrifying."
Claudia sat up and waved her hands as if to say "how frightening".
He couldn't feel the least bit of fear from her.
More importantly, the way she waved her arms only served to emphasize
her chest even further, which made it awkward to look.
"T-they were just imagining things, I'm sure."
"Hmm...you're more of a realist than you seem."
Claudia seemed delighted. Her shoulders trembled slightly when suddenly
she clasped a fist to her palm.
"Right, right, you were here for this."
She handed Ayato a new school badge.
"Yeah. Thanks, Claudia. But um, might I ask where exactly you were
keeping this?"
Just a moment ago her hands had been empty.
"...That's a secret."
"A secret...I see."
He was terrified of what the answer might be, and so he let the matter rest.
"I have to say I'm quite surprised, though. I never would have guessed
you'd be dueling Toudou Kirin."
"Well, the circumstances didn't allow for much else."
He assumed Claudia already knew the rough details of the matter, so he
kept his reply simple.
"Toudou-san's uncle...right?"
Ayato lifted his gaze.
"Claudia, you know him?"
"Of course I do. He's a most troublesome individual."
Having spoken, Claudia rose, and slowly walked toward the water's edge.
Impatiently, Ayato followed after her. She dipped her feet in the water.
"It's pretty comfortable, you know? Do you want to try?"
"No thanks. I'm in my uniform, after all."
"Then just remove it."
"I don't have any swimwear."
"I don't mind. Actually, I rather welcome it."
"I mind! Anyway, Claudia, you-"
As Ayato frantically rebutted her words, she raised a hand to her mouth
and giggled.
"Fine, fine, I understand. You want to know about Toudou-san's uncle,
correct?"
As she spoke, Claudia's usual smiling face took on a severe expression.
"Toudou Kirin-san's uncle - Toudou Kouichirou-dono, is the operative
responsible for the running of Seidokan Academy. He is a member of the
Integrated Enterprise Foundation's "Galaxy" and the 7th Head of the
Integrated Entertainment Enterprise's Instructional Assessment Office. He
is the individual in charge of the scouting-related departments for all of the
Far East. The Instructional Assessment Office is also responsible for
oversight of our school's students as well as all matters pertinent to our
performance in the Festa; their authority is very wide-ranging."
"So he's someone very important, then?"
"Yes - if subtly so. He's a candidate for the elite."
"It goes without saying that this is something he desires greatly. For that
reason, he's taken his own niece as a pawn to be exploited. All of her duels
and even her daily life are meticulously plotted out by Kouichirou-dono."
"Exploited...So then, Kirin-san's only fighting because of him..."
"What makes you say that? Of course she has her own goals as well."
Claudia rejected him flatly.
"This type of showy method is just Kouichirou-dono's style. To be sure,
raising a student out of nowhere to become number one is advantageous to
his position. That said, the burden on said student is immense, and were
she to fail, his reputation would go with her. Nevertheless, this is the path
he's chosen."
"...He sure is confident. Confident in Kirin-san's strength."
Claudia nodded her satisfaction at his words.
"Very good. As always Ayato, you're quite perceptive."
"I did fight her, after all."
"Speaking of which, now wasn't that something?"
Ayato could only laugh bitterly in response.
"In any case, the position Kouichirou-dono seeks to attain is a difficult one
to obtain - whether or not Kirin-san fails."
"Why do you say that?"
Kirin's performance was directly beneficial to him; Claudia had just said as
much.
"Because Toudou Kouichirou-dono's desires are far too strong."
"Huh?"
"The Integrated Enterprise Foundation will never allow those whose
personal desires are too powerful to ever reach the top. This isn't limited to
just Galaxy, World Dragon and Frauenlob either, but to all other Integrated
Enterprise Foundation entities as well."
Saying this, Claudia scooped up water from the pool with her hands before
letting it gently trickle out from between her fingers. The sunlight reflected
through the water, glistening brilliantly, and Ayato had to squint his eyes.
"When it comes to the cadre of the Integrated Enterprise Foundation elite,
unless one has first undergone many instances of mental adjustment
programs, and having thus eliminated all personal desires, only then one is
able to attain such a position. For that reason, the upper ranks of the
Integrated Enterprise Foundation have almost no desires remaining. The
immense power they wield is for but one purpose and one purpose only -
the continued existence and prosperity of the Integrated Enterprise
Foundation itself."
"...You seem to be pretty familiar with their inner-workings."
Information on the Integrated Enterprise Foundation - to say nothing of its
elite - was all classified.
"That's right. My mother, after all, is one such individual."
"Your mother?"
Ayato was shocked.
He'd guessed that she was the daughter of a distinguished family, but he
never could have imagined that she was the daughter of an Integrated
Enterprise Foundation elite.
Even in comparison with Julis, who was a princess, Claudia was of an
entirely different social class.
"Heh. Meetings of the elite sure are interesting. Everyone looks the same;
even I am unable to distinguish which is my mother," Claudia laughed.
...No, that couldn't be described as a laugh.
"By the way, Toudou Kirin-san is the daughter of the main family of the
Toudou-style. Were you aware?"
Claudia clapped her hands and changed the subject.
"Ah...Well, no, I didn't, but fighting her, I could tell she was a practitioner
of some style or another."
The Toudou-style was a currently thriving school of swordsmanship.
Emphasizing spirituality, in order to ensure guidance of the correct path,
they stressed the necessity of those of the Starpulse Generation undergoing
mental training from an early age. For this reason, they had many students
who were of the Starpulse Generation, as well as many dojos abroad. They
existed on a scale utterly unlike the Amagiri Bright Dragon-style that
Ayato belonged to.
If she was a daughter of the main family, then her swordsmanship made
sense.
Claudia sighed and slipped beneath the water's surface.
As smoothly and silently as a fish, she disappeared and reappeared in the
center of the pool.
"So Ayato, what is it you plan to do next?"
Ayato wasn't sure where the voice had sounded from.
Nor was an answer expected.
Knowing this, Ayato didn't speak and simply shrugged.
---
---
---
---
The loud sound of boots echoed throughout the long corridor as the brown-
skinned girl urgently made her way through.
The current location: Allekant Academy's underground research division -
the most restricted and protected location on campus. Not even members
of the research division without sufficient clearance were allowed to visit
here, let alone combat-oriented students of their school, and especially not
outsiders.
As opposed to a school building, it would be more correct to label this
place a research facility. White walls and white floors spread out endlessly
in an inorganic design which prioritized functionality above all else.
Neither plants nor paintings adorned the walls - it was an atmosphere
which declared the irrelevance of all that was deemed unnecessary.
The girl stopped, and verifying her identity against a two-form
authentication system which validated both her school badge and her
biometrics, input her personal password given by the owner of the room.
Only then did the doors slide open.
"Tenorio has begun to move."
Entering the room, the brown-skinned girl - Camilla - spoke.
However, the owner of the room, surrounded by countless screens of data,
did not respond.
The room was entirely dark but for the illumination of the screens and
various instruments scattered around. Littering the floor were bags of junk
food and the broken remains of various toys.
"...Ernesta?" Camilla questioned, astonished, but no answer was
forthcoming.
Camilla stepped into the room, tiptoeing around the objects on the floor,
making her way to the over-sized chair at the center of the screens, and to
the girl sleeping there, resting snugly under a blanket.
"Hey...wake up, Ernesta. What you've been waiting for this entire time has
finally begun."
Sighing, she pulled away the blanket.
"Nya?"
Her eyes covered by a sleep mask, a line of drool hanging from the corner
of her mouth, Ernesta leapt to her feet.
"Good morning, Ernesta."
"...I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't. I was just resting my eyes, that's all."
Still wearing her sleep mask on her head, she waved her arms.
"...Is that so? Then, would you mind repeating the reason for my coming?"
"Um? Tenorio's movements, correct?"
Answering calmly, she stretched lazily.
"-Are you really awake?"
"Fufufu, whether I'm awake or asleep, I'm just as sharp as ever."
...That was certainly impressive, but hadn't she just admitted she was
asleep?
Camilla kept her thoughts to herself.
They'd already wasted enough time as it was.
"Things have already begun. If we take too long, we'll be left behind."
In order to ensure they hadn't missed a thing, preparation was vital.
At the very least, a good vantage point was necessary.
"Haha, I understand, I understand."
Ernesta stifled a yawn and called out her optical keyboard.
Manipulating it quickly, she organized the displayed data. The windows
surrounding her disappeared, leaving but one behind.
As the sole remaining window moved in front of her, Ernesta expressed
her astonishment.
"Huh? There's someone else besides Swordsman-kun?"
"You'll be surprised when you hear who it is. That's Seidokan's rank one."
Surprised indeed, her eyes opened wide.
"Hoho, well now, well now."
Ernesta's eyes glittered.
"Even if they know, they're still going ahead with it? That is certainly
exciting."
"Yes, that's why they're taking things seriously this time."
Camilla reached over to a chair near her, pulled it over, and sat down.
"Or maybe they just have confidence in the results of their work!
Swordsman-kun and friends, how are you going to deal with this?
Hehehe."
Ernesta spoke as if she had nothing to do with the matter. Camilla
frowned.
"So? Who're you planning on baiting next? Don't tell me it's the Magnum
OpusGreat Doctor?"
"There's no way that guy will show himself. For now, let's content
ourselves with the downfall of the lieutenant of the Tenorio."
Camilla's answer came as expected, and Ernesta nodded.
"We sure are being cautious, though- well, forget it. This is fine. This all
works to the end of the Tenorio in the long term."
"Exactly. Reaching too far will only cause unnecessary complications."
...After all, that bastard would only reveal himself when he felt he had no
other choice.
If that were to happen, then all this effort would be for naught.
"...Speaking of which, you sure like to gamble."
"What?"
Camilla gave a wry smile at Ernesta's truly confounded expression.
"You can't just take the safest route. That's what I mean."
"Heh, because that's the only way things'd be interesting."
Although her smile was innocent and child-like, a certain hard-to-grasp
callousness lurked hidden there.
---
Mornings in Asterisk take but a short moment before enveloping the world
in white.
The differences in temperature between the lake and the atmosphere made
for prime fog conditions. As the sun rose, the scenery would fade like a
mirage, granting the effect of an illusionary beauty which entranced all
viewers.
Today, however, the fog was particularly dense.
"Good morning, Amagiri-senpai."
Appearing from amidst the fog was a gym clothes-clad Kirin, bowing her
head demurely.
"Oh, morning, Toudou-san. Man, the fog sure is thick today," Ayato
answered, looking around in disbelief.
This was their usual meeting spot, in front of the high school building.
Of all the mornings he'd spent training here - not limited to just the few
days they'd spent together - this was his first time experiencing such a
dense fog.
"That's certainly true...I've heard that winter's even worse, though."
"Seriously? Today's bad enough as it is."
A short distance between them was all it took for her to seemingly
disappear into the fog.
"Hmm, with the fog as thick as this, running could be a little dangerous.
Perhaps it's best we hold hands?"
"T-that's fine with me..."
"Eh?"
Ayato had only been joking, but Kirin had responded seriously. Face bright
red, she took hold of his fingers with a tremble.
"...M-my bad; I was just joking..."
"Aah!? O-oh, sorry!"
She immediately released her grip.
Although there had only been the briefest of contact, the slightest sensation
of warmth could still be felt on his hands.
"No, that's not what I meant..."
The pair sunk into an awkward silence.
"...Um...Why don't we get going?"
"Y-yeah."
As Ayato offered an escape, Kirin nodded emphatically and began to run.
Their route basically followed the outermost path around Asterisk.
At this early time, there were hardly any people except for others with an
identical purpose to theirs. With all the townspeople still asleep, the city
was enveloped in deep silence.
The cityscape, drowned in fog as it was, had quite the exotic feeling.
Looking out over the water, his field of vision lasted but some few meters,
giving the feeling of having truly traveled to another world.
Nevertheless, Kirin, running lightheartedly in front of him, seemed
unmoved by the scenery surrounding them.
As they ran along the path, Ayato began to sense something off.
-Something was tailing them.
Maintaining a deliberate distance, it consistently altered speed to keep
pace.
"...Amagiri-senpai."
Kirin had also noticed, and letting up slowly, she whispered to Ayato,
shoulder to shoulder.
"...Yeah, and they're not alone."
Trading glances with Kirin, he suddenly slowed.
He felt confusion from the presences behind him.
"Four, no five. Five people?"
"Yes...but something's strange."
Kirin frowned in surprise.
"This feeling, rather than 'people'-"
Kirin muttered vaguely as the two pulled to a stop.
It hadn't been planned. There was an obstacle in their path.
"Roadwork? There wasn't any sign of that yesterday..."
Because of the dense fog, they hadn't noticed until just now. The road was
sealed off. In front of them, a sign forbade entrance.
"I don't think we can just pretend we didn't see anything and continue.
What should we do?"
"This is dangerous. There's some possibility this is a trap."
The presences trailing them maintained their distance and similarly pulled
to a stop.
Running into the roadblock, there was still a possible detour. Leading off
to the left, the alternative path wrapped around a fence-enclosed park,
which had only one entrance.
"Moreover, who knows if they're not already there, lying in wait? Toudou-
san, I'm sure you've already thought it through?"
"I can't say I haven't..."
She was the top-ranked Page One, there's no way she hadn't.
"Do you have something in mind, Amagiri-senpai?"
"Nn. You could say that."
What came to mind was Ernesta, but something still didn't feel quite right.
In any event, now wasn't the time to be considering such things.
"We could try splitting up..."
"At the very least, then we'd know who their target was."
On the other hand, if both of them were being targeted, splitting up would
only work to their opponents' advantage. They couldn't just casually divide
up their combat strength.
"You know what? Let's just stick together."
"Got it."
He wasn't sure if he was just imagining things or not, but she sure sounded
happy.
"Now then, where should we go next-"
Interrupting him, the presences behind them suddenly took action.
Seemingly unable to wait any longer, they drew closer.
They were now but ten meters away. As they neared, Ayato understood the
meaning behind Kirin's words. They definitely weren't human; the feeling
they gave off was too different. He wanted to say they were puppets or
something to that effect, but he could feel Prana coming from them.
(Are they of the Starpulse Generation...? No, this is-)
What slowly appeared from amidst the dense fog couldn't be said to be an
animal.
At first glance, it looked like a tiger or lion, or some other large predatory
cat; however, it was covered in hard scales. Its neck was oddly long, like a
reptile's, and its mouth was peppered with razor-sharp fangs. The closest
thing that came to mind? A wingless dragon.
There were five of them in total. All were clearly hostile.
"What...are these?"
"At the very least, they're not from around here."
Kirin seemed puzzled by these creatures she'd never before seen.
"But still, they're kind of cute, really."
"Ah, yeah...wait, what?"
As Ayato turned back to look at her in surprise, the dragon seized the
opening to charge.
"Uwa!"
He immediately pulled a dagger-type Lux from his pocket and activated it.
The light blade burst forth, narrowly diverting the dragon's attack.
The momentum generated by that enormous body forced him down as the
dragon lithely spun in midair before landing gracefully. Its movements
were like those of a cat.
"You okay, Amagiri-senpai?"
Looking over, it seemed that Kirin had repelled the attack of three other
dragons simultaneously.
Moreover, her sword was still sheathed in its scabbard.
"Ah, yeah. It's nothing to worry about."
The dragon raised its front paw as Ayato answered.
From what he'd seen so far, there wasn't yet cause to warrant breaking his
seal.
Easily avoiding the simplistic attack, he severed its front leg. What he saw
left him in shock.
The severed leg quivered as it dropped, almost like melting syrup.
However, rather than disappearing, it turned into a translucent goo.
The dragon didn't seem to mind its injury either, and its severed stump
wasn't bleeding. It simply stuck the slime-shaped thing back on, which
quickly returned to its original state as a leg.
"What the-"
Ayato was left speechless. The last dragon, waiting in reserve, opened its
jaws wide.
The mana in the area began to accumulate at an astonishing rate.
The dragon's mouth began to emit a brilliant light which swirled like a
violent eddy.
"No way...!"
This was clearly an ability identical to that which belonged to the Strega
and Dante - the ability to interfere with mana.
With a roaring hiss, a fireball burst forth, crashing into Ayato's sword.
It wasn't anywhere near on par with Julis' abilities, but that an animal
could manipulate mana was something unbelievable.
"Don't tell me...are these the mutants that Claudia was talking about...?"
On second thought, that couldn't be it. Had mutants like these been
discovered, the news would have long since spread around the world.
Even here in Asterisk, where defying common sense was an integral part
of daily life, the thing standing before him was simply too absurd.
Two other dragons howled and drew near.
"I don't like to take life, but I don't think I have a choice."
Even if he'd prefer to be a little more lenient, but he still wasn't clear on the
true nature of the beings before him.
Standing amid the fog, he brandished his sword and controlled his
breathing.
Focusing his Prana, and raising it, he released his strength.
As the two dragons simultaneously took a step forward to catch him in a
pincer attack-
"Amagiri Bright Dragon Style, Beginning Technique <Four Wasps>!"
As fast as lightning, Ayato twirled outward, and twisted his wrist, stabbing
his sword forward with one arm.
"Uoooooooooooh!"
A brutal cry erupted, utterly unlike any animal ever before heard, as the
two dragons were simultaneously skewered.
In the following instant, the dragons melted into goo, just like the front leg
had a moment earlier.
Exhibiting an unbelievable degree of intelligence, they slithered across the
ground to open some distance, and within the next ten seconds had fully
recovered.
Ayato didn't know what to think of the situation.
"There's no way they're actually immortal, right?"
With things having taken this shocking turn, what ought he to do?
If Julis were present, she'd be able to burn them to ash. At the very least, it
didn't look like pure swordsmanship would be enough to dispatch these
foes.
(Maybe Ser-Vesta would work...)
However, using Ser-Vesta required a full release of his seal, which would
place a restriction on his movements. That wasn't an option in this
situation.
"Looks like neither slashes nor stabs will work."
Kirin, who at some intermediary point had backed up against Ayato, said
tensely.
She held her unsheathed sword in her hands.
"They're more than likely slime-based entities; don't you think that
appearance is just mimicry?"
"That does make sense..."
"It looks like running is the best option here."
If they were to flee, it's unlikely they'd be caught, but in these foggy
conditions, if they were caught, it'd be catastrophic.
"-Shall I give this a try?"
"Eh?"
Having spoken, Kirin advanced on one of the dragons with a measured
gait.
On guard, the dragon loosed a threatening roar. After reaching a certain
distance from the dragon, she suddenly leapt into the air.
"...Sorry."
As she calmly spoke, her body had already initiated the attack.
In the following moment, the dragon's body split into halves.
"Uooooooooooooooh!"
As before, it howled as it again melted.
Kirin faced down the slime body and continued to attack. One blow
followed another, slashing it to pieces. The speed of her consecutive
attacks could only be described as divine.
Now in ten pieces, the parts of the slime that had hit the floor extended a
tentacle as the parts mid-air began to shrink.
As this was occurring, Ayato noticed something strange. One of the
segments of the rapidly shrinking slime was a spherical body, wriggling
around.
It seemed as if it was trying to escape, but almost as if unsure of where to
go, it moved both left and right, before it soon had nowhere left to go.
By the time all that was left was about the size of a person's fist, the sphere
stopped moving.
"-Finished."
-Flash-
Kirin's blade flashed as it chopped the sphere in two.
At the same moment, the rest of the slime stopped moving.
It seemed that the spherical segment was the control core.
Watching these events occur, the other dragons pulled back in seeming
fear.
"So that's the center, eh. Now that we know that, these shouldn't be a
problem..."
Kirin re-sheathed her sword, downplaying her feelings, although Ayato
sensed sorrow hidden there.
"I have to say, it's amazing that you noticed that."
"The flow of Prana through their body was strange. It's something I've
always been very sensitive to."
For the Starpulse Generation to be able to grasp the flow of Prana was
second-nature, but this was an entirely different matter. This wasn't a
matter of training or anything - to be able to accurately grasp the flow of
such minute traces of Prana wasn't anything other than God-given talent.
"...I think I start to understand just why you're so strong, Toudou-san."
Ayato gave a wry smile and picked up the severed halves of the spherical
object.
Its composition was unclear, but that it was both inorganic and artificial
were immediately obvious.
"As expected...it's Allekant."
"Allekant?"
Kirin asked with a perplexed look on her face.
"An explanation might take a while- Uwa!"
Having pulled back, the dragons loosed their fireball attacks.
Of the four remaining dragons, all had attacked Ayato.
Recognizing that Kirin wasn't to be trifled with, they focused their attacks
on Ayato.
-Their decision was correct.
"W-wait a momeeeeeeeeent!"
Now wasn't the time for a casual chat.
(No way around it, I'll have to remove the seal.)
Having decided, he jumped backward to open the distance, and landed
near the entrance to the park.
As he gathered his Prana, fireballs flew once more.
But this time, he wasn't their intended target.
The orbit they traced was far too low. Exploding with a terrific boom, they
crashed into the ground around his feet.
The cement around him began to crack.
"Eh...?"
By the time he'd realized what was happening, it was already too late.
In the next moment, a five meter circle, with Ayato at its center, caved in.
There was no way Asterisk's ground would give way to such force; the
ground had likely been excavated beforehand in setting the trap.
"Amagiri-senpai!"
Kirin rushed forward and thrust her hand out.
Ayato reached out and grabbed her hand, the only thing keeping him from
falling.
Kirin caught hold of the edge of the hole, her left hand extended
downward.
"A-are you alright, Amagiri-senpai?"
"Yeah, I owe you one."
His sigh of relief lasted but an instant.
With an ominous ~crack~, the edge of the hole Kirin was grabbing onto
for dear life gave way.
"-Wah!"
With a scream, the bodies of the pair were swallowed by the darkness.
---
"With this, the first act is over?" Nibbling her lips with a bored expression,
Ernesta proffered.
The image on the screen before her revealed the scene of Ayato and Kirin
disappearing down the hole.
"Is that giant hole really alright? If the Stjarnagarmr find it, things won't
turn out well."
"That area was already scheduled to undergo construction. For the time
being, it should be okay."
Camilla, seated next to her, focused on confirming the information before
her.
"So that was the phryganella viscous attack body. Tenorio still had a set."
"They truly can't be underestimated. I have to admit I'm pretty interested
myself."
"Yeah, mana flow control as well as mimicry techniques - it's pretty
interesting. The rest of it is absolutely worthless though. Useless from the
very beginning. For starters, if it can turn into anything, why a lizard? Why
not a penguin or a kitty?"
Ernesta picked up some sort of fabric doll from the floor, and rubbed it on
her chin.
"Those are clearly just your personal preferences...More importantly, when
Prana is used to force a change, it takes on the pre-stored appearance.
Moreover, it seems that the cores are limited to storing only one form."
Camilla referenced the window before her, full of information which had
been fed her by her spy in the Tenorio faction. The alteration and
modification of living things was Tenorio's specialty. Ernesta's absurd
comment aside, Camilla felt there was much to praise there.
As she pondered what sort of breeding could result in such a thing, she
gasped in surprise.
"So there's only one kind? There's nothing surprising about that. Or rather,
for the Tenorio who have distanced themselves from the Great Doctor,
that's the most they can do, huh."
Ernesta's interest gradually faded.
"Anyway, they sure are weak. Is there even a practical use for something
like that?"
"It can't be helped. Their goal is living weapons, after all. These are just a
byproduct of that research."
"That much is true. But still, at this stage, aren't my puppets like a billion
times stronger?"
Now that was an exaggeration if she'd ever heard one. Measuring things in
such a way was terribly childish.
Camilla, however, kept her thoughts to herself.
"To be honest, this is simply a matter of choosing one's opponent poorly.
That Seidokan rank one's title isn't just for show, after all."
"Yeah, that's certainly true. What they aim for can't be found here at
Allekant."
"Moreover, even despite our excellent performance at last year's Phoenix,
the students responsible have pretty much all graduated."
"On the other hand, that's given us the chance to make our debut."
At that moment, the image on the screen changed.
"Here we go. Act 2 begins."
"From their point of view, this next part is the real thing, right?"
"Hehe, and that's precisely why it's worth looking forward to."
---
Ayato's first feeling was that of shock. Immediately following was an icy
chill and then a difficulty breathing.
(-Water?!)
His surroundings were immersed in darkness, and all he could see were
bubbles. It seems they'd fallen into a deep body of water.
Having lost all sense of what was up and what was down, he forced
himself to calm down and relaxed his body.
Normally, such an action would cause one to float to the surface, but on
the contrary, he began to sink.
(Crap, it's the weights!)
Immediately throwing off the weights weighing him down, he swam in the
direction of the source of the faint but definite light.
"Puhaaa!"
Emerging from the watery depths with a splash, he inhaled deeply. Only
then was he able to truly calm down.
They were in a terrifyingly vast space. From far above his present location,
he could see the hole which they'd fallen in through. Unfortunately, but not
unexpectedly, there were no stairs. Asterisk's underground had many forms
and uses, and thus was this trap made possible.
It had clearly been intentional.
"But man, this really is huge."
From the surface of the water to the very top where they'd fallen in looked
to be a distance of about twenty meters. Its width was impossible to
estimate. Looking across, enormous pillars and the water's surface filled
his vision for as far as he could see.
There was nearly no illumination whatsoever, and he could just barely
make out the distinction between the walls and the ceiling.
"Oh, crap! Toudou-san!?"
Looking around frantically, he noticed a faint splash not far off.
"Toudou-san!"
Seeing her struggle desperately, she looked to be drowning; perhaps it was
the weights that were pulling her down.
Ayato promptly swam to her side as Kirin approached him with a face
nearly in tears.
"*cough* *cough* T-thank you, Amagiri-senpai...! Thanks for saving
me..."
"Are you alright? Hurry up and get rid of those weights..."
As he moved to help her, he noticed. They were already gone.
"Huh...?"
"Uu...S-sorry...Truth is, I-I can't really swim..."
"Oh...Now I see."
For someone as stunningly athletic as herself to be unable to swim was
beyond surprising.
Even for members of the Starpulse Generation, it seems there were things
they were proficient in...and things they weren't quite so proficient in.
"No, I ought to apologize. It's my fault you got dragged into this mess."
She'd only fallen in because she'd tried to save him.
"Don't say that. In any case, where are we...?" holding her breath, Kirin
asked nasally.
"My best guess is we're underneath Asterisk."
"The ballast area then," Kirin mumbled as she looked around.
"Ballast area?"
"Because Asterisk is an artificial-island, in order to keep level, it has to
utilize the lake water."
"Oh, right."
It took an intimate familiarity with the construction of the city to have such
an insight.
"In that case, there ought to be an exit that workers use-"
Kirin turned around and suddenly reddened.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing! It's just...um..."
Her stuttering clued Ayato in on what had happened.
She'd necessarily pulled in close to him. Given their extreme proximity,
her blushing was, of course, expected. They were, after all, essentially
stuck to one another.
Only the two heads were above the water. Below the water's surface,
Ayato's hand was holding her up, or perhaps more precisely, engulfed in
her cleavage.
"S-sorry, sorry! I-I think it's best I swim by myself after all...!"
"Not at all! It's my..."
Even for a member of the Starpulse Generation, to buoy up two people's
weights wasn't something that could be done indefinitely. They needed to
find the exit, or at the very least, somewhere they could rest upon, or
they'd be in deep trouble.
-At that moment.
Ayato caught a glimpse of an enormous shadow in the water beneath them.
"Toudou-san..."
"Y-yes...?"
"Hold your breath..."
Saying that, Ayato grabbed her and suddenly plunged below.
He exerted all his strength in this endeavor; they had to get away.
However, that enormous shadow wasn't something on a scale they were
capable of dealing with, and they were swept away in a current.
Just as they felt there was no escape, they suddenly erupted out of the
water.
The scene before them was hard to imagine.
"Huh..."
"Oh my...isn't that-"
Neither of the two knew what to say.
In the place where the two were now floating, the head of an enormous
dragon was outstretched.
In comparison with the dragons that had just attacked them previously, the
former was larger by far. Simply the part that extended out above the water
was already a good ten meters long. In total, it looked to be closer to fifty.
From its silhouette alone, it looked like almost like a plesiosaur.
The dragons earlier had seemed quite reptilian, but this new animal looked
to be more like a snake. Nonetheless, after seeing its body and legs, as well
as its enormous head and razor-sharp fangs, "dragon" was the only word
appropriate to describe this animal.
This dragon, however, was identical to the others in one aspect - its open
hostility toward them.
"...Guess that's how it is. Given how we'd fallen down here, guess there's
no way we could have made it back up so easily."
The reason they'd been thrown down here was so that they'd encounter this
dragon.
"Amagiri-senpai...this dragon feels a lot like the smaller ones from
before," analyzing the flow of its Prana, Kirin quickly determined.
"In other words, its true appearance is a slime?"
"More or less..."
"That's not exactly good news."
If that was the case, then standard forms of cutting and slicing would be to
no avail.
Rather than attempting to deal with it barehanded, the wisest course of
action would be to immediately activate his Lux while concurrently
releasing his seal. This situation didn't allow for anything but.
Fetters appeared from magic circles all around him as his Prana was
forcibly raised. In the darkness, this was the only source of light.
Deciding its opponent had taken a hostile action, the dragon roared and
charged.
"Kh!"
Even if he was at full-power, that didn't imply that he was capable of high
speed movement in the water.
Guarding Kirin with his own body, he bore the brunt of the blow head-on.
Slammed with great force, they were carried away by the water.
Holding his breath as he dodged the dragon's fangs, he was thrown into
one of the pillars.
A crater in the thick pillar formed from the impact.
"Owwwwww..."
"A-are you okay?!"
"Ah yeah. I'm fine, although this situation looks pretty bad."
Having reinforced his body with Prana, he hadn't taken any major injuries.
That said, things couldn't be allowed to simply continue like this.
The dragon confirmed its prey's condition from not far off. Unexpectedly,
it looked to have quite the careful personality.
"T-this is all because I'm a burden on you! Let me go!" Kirin suddenly
said.
"I-it's all my fault Amagiri-senpai got hurt...my...!"
From within his embrace, she began to sob.
"T-Toudou-san?!"
"I-I really am no good...No matter how hard I practice, in the end...No
more, I refuse to have anyone sacrifice themselves for me again..."
Kirin shook her head childishly as she spoke.
"..."
Ayato sighed, and holding her tightly, began to pat her head.
"It's alright. Don't worry."
"B-but...!"
"Usually no one can stand a chance against you, right? Since I was able to
do so, why not trust in me a little more?"
"That's-"
Ayato stared into her eyes and gently responded.
"There's something else I want to say; no, that I can't not say. Toudou-san,
you're very kind, but very strong. You are an amazing girl."
"Eh...?"
Completely stunned, she stared at him blankly.
"...G-got it."
Her face dyed a deep scarlet, she nodded emphatically.
Wiping her tears away, she raised her head with a determined look.
"Good."
Ayato again patted her head and activated Ser-Vesta.
As he poured Prana within, black words appeared, granting a tinge of
black to the white blade.
"-Now if I can just find somewhere to get a proper footing..."
As he spoke, he lightly swung Ser-Vesta, careful not to let it touch the
water.
A large space was gouged out of the thick pillar as easily as if it were tofu,
creating enough room for two to stand.
In the back of his mind, Ayato realized that he'd just destroyed a vital
foundational structure, but in this situation, he couldn't afford to be choosy.
As he gave Kirin a chance to rise, the dragon seized the opportunity to
attack.
-Without so much as turning, Ayato simply waved his sword.
As the pointed fangs came within inches of piercing, its head, severed
cleanly from its neck, flew off the into the distance.
The head melted in midair, and returning to its body, regained its original
form.
"...No surprise that it's the same as the ones above, I guess."
Watching this scene play out before him as Kirin climbed up, Ayato
frowned.
On guard after the previous attack, the dragon retreated some ten meters
distance and slowly began to circle the pillar they were situated upon. Not
an easy opponent indeed.
Again in similar fashion to the dragons from before, the dragon gaped its
mouth wide and began to focus mana.
However, as Ayato again casually swung Ser-Vesta, it all vanished like so
much smoke.
When compared to Julis' attacks, this was but child's play.
"That said, I'm not exactly making any progress either..."
This wasn't an opponent he could just blindly rush in and attack; anything
but a sure-kill was meaningless. This wasn't just any foe; if he failed to
destroy its core with his attack - as Kirin had with the slime - then there
wasn't any point.
"Toudou-san, you can follow the flow of its Prana, correct?"
"Ah, yes. It's faint, but it's there."
"Where's the core?"
"Well...it's constantly shifting its location."
What a troublesome enemy.
"...That doesn't give me any other choice then. Let's give this a shot, shall
we?"
"Give this a shot...?"
In reaction to Kirin's surprised look, Ayato raised Ser-Vesta for her to see.
"Hmm, well, this really is a difficult enemy to deal with...so it's not like we
have any other choice but to press forward."
Saying this, Ayato began to focus his Prana into Ser-Vesta.
-Meteor Arts.
Concentrating all his Prana using the mana dite as a focal point, this
technique temporarily increased the output of his weapon. When it came to
enhancing physical reinforcement, such as what he'd used to defend
himself earlier, Prana was quite easy to use. When expended in attacking,
however, its use was much more restricted. Generally, this was solved via
the use of a weapon as a medium for dispersal, but its effects were limited.
The sole exceptions were the barehanded style employed by students of
World Dragon Seventh Institute and mana dites.
Nonetheless, Ayato had never before succeeded at using Meteor Arts.
Because the sheer amount of Prana he carried within him was too vast by
far, the burden placed upon normal Lux weapons had always resulted in
their destruction. Although it was, of course, possible for him to instead
control the amount of Prana he injected, such fine control over his Prana
was beyond his ability.
And thus, until now, he'd long since given up hope on seeing it to fruition-
"You should be able to keep up, right?"
As if responding to Ayato's words, Ser-Vesta emitted a low sound.
As if devouring Ayato's boundless quantities of Prana, Ser-Vesta began to
change shape. The area containing the black words hovering over its blade
began to widen, and the entire blade itself began to lengthen tremendously.
"Amazing..."
Kirin swallowed. The rate at which Ser-Vesta grew began to accelerate,
and within moments, it had grown to ten meters in length. Its entire body
emitted a low hum, and the black script fairly danced around the body of
the blade.
Feeling a deep and instinctual fear, the dragon turned to make its escape -
but it was already too late.
"HAAA!"
Ayato swung his sword downward. The moment the blade contacted its
body, the dragon's body began to hiss. Ser-Vesta continued downward,
pushing down into the water.
In an instant, the water began to evaporate before their eyes, as if blown
away by a hurricane gale.
Steam rose unceasingly, violently soaking Ayato and Kirin's hair. The mist
settled back down around the two's feet, and calm was once more restored;
the dragon had been vaporized entirely.
"...Well, something like that, I guess?"
This was the first time in his life Ayato has expended such a vast quantity
of Prana.
This feeling of hard-earned exhaustion felt rather comfortable.
Unfortunately-
"Ugh...!"
The price for the removal of his seal came hungrily and painfully.
"A-Amagiri-senpai! A-are you alright, Amagiri-senpai?!"
Once more, magic circles appeared all around him, binding his strength
once again.
Kirin caught his body as he collapsed. That softness was beyond
description, and he blushed, but in his present state, he could do naught
else.
---
"-So the time limit for your full strength is five minutes?"
"It's as you say. Well, I could push things a bit, but ten minutes is the
absolute limit."
Ayato, leaning against the hole he'd carved in the pillar, gave a bitter laugh
as answer.
That left the two without any choice but to wait here to be saved.
After all, he couldn't so much as lift a finger and Kirin couldn't swim, so
that was the reality of things.
He was unable to reach anyone with his phone which was disturbing, but
nonetheless, given the length of time he'd been out of contact, someone
had likely noticed something was awry. Since he'd never returned after his
routine morning training, Eishirou had definitely noticed the
anomaly...probably.
"However, when I expend all my Prana, the effects occur sooner than
normal. That said, today is my first time experiencing anything like this."
"I-is that so?"
Kirin seemed a bit crestfallen.
"...Is something the matter?" Ayato inquired.
Kirin looked near to tears.
"Amagiri-senpai...just how are you able to fight to this extent?"
"Hmm?"
Even though the question had come as a surprise, Ayato found the answer
came rather smoothly to his lips.
"-Because there's someone I want to be of service to."
Absolutely.
This was Ayato's desire of late.
The wish he sought to fulfill.
"..."
"...Riessfeld-senpai?"
"Yes, that's right."
Hearing Ayato affirm her guess, Kirin lowered her gaze, seemingly
regretful.
"T-then, it's as I thought, isn't it? A-Amagiri-senpai, y-you, y-you're in love
with Riessfield-senpai, right?!"
"Huh?!"
Ayato felt entirely confounded by this startling question.
"I-it's nothing like that...! O-of course she's someone I get along well with,
but-"
"Eh? B-but then..."
Watching his stunned expression, Kirin seemed to want to say more, but
she held her silence.
"...Forget it. I'm sorry for asking something so weird."
Bowing her head and mumbling softly, an expression of heartfelt joy
floated onto her face.
"If that's true, then I..."
Her mutterings didn't reach Ayato's ears.
"Hmm? Well, I guess that's that...*achoo!*"
Just as Ayato recovered his breath, he gave a mighty sneeze.
"A-are you okay?"
"Ah, it's just that hiding here in this wet hole-in-the-ground sure is cold."
"Yeah, and our clothes are thoroughly soaked, too...*achoo!*"
Kirin seemed to be as cold as he was.
Down here, or perhaps it was better to say here where it was wet, even if it
was summer, their current locale was quite cool. If things went on like this,
they'd surely both catch a cold.
"At the very least, we need to get out of these wet clothes..."
"...R-right..."
As they traded glances, silence fell between them.
There was no way he could suggest stripping. If he really said that out
loud, he'd be forever marked a pervert. Even when it came to removing his
own clothes, there was a feeling of daunting pressure, like he'd never be
able to turn back from the path he'd started on when intruding upon the
girls' dorms...
"T-then..."
As Ayato sunk deep into thought, Kirin turned redder than she ever had
before, and began to tug at his clothes.
"...U-um, w-wearing these soaked clothes isn't healthy..."
"...Eh?"
"..."
Kirin's face looked about ready to give off steam it was so red, and she
bowed her head.
Looking back and forth for a brief moment, she-
"...C-can you turn around...?" asked in a voice so quiet it was almost
inaudible.
---
---
---
---
Kirin held her sword in a slant, and rushing Ayato, slashed across
horizontally.
Ayato blocked, his sword vertical, but Kirin twisted her wrists and slashed
down from on high.
Kirin had already entered into "Conjoined Cranes".
An unending sequence of attacks that never ceased until the opponent had
been cut.
Since the "Conjoined Cranes" required nonstop motion, it expended an
enormous amount of energy. However, Kirin, having practiced day after
day, night after night, could sustain it for some time. Until now, the only
person to have ever evaded her "Conjoined Cranes" technique had been
Ayato alone.
(This time for sure...!)
Last time she'd aimed at his side, but this time her target was his school
badge. As long as she did that, his Prana reinforcement would avail him
nothing.
It was, of course, extremely difficult to target something like that.
However, one aspect of "Conjoined Cranes" was its ability to wear away at
the opponent's concentration. Sooner or later, Ayato would show an
opening.
And so-
Kirin swung her sword, which crashed loudly against Ayato's.
In the next moment, his sword flashed with light as it flew away.
"Wha...!?"
Immediately following, she was hit by a storm of wind. Covering her face,
she leapt backward to clear some distance.
The force with which the explosion hit couldn't be understated.
A moment prior, Kirin had sensed his Prana focusing upon his sword-
(His Meteor Arts failed...?)
In order for Meteor Arts to succeed, in addition to adjustments made to the
Lux itself, adjustments to one's Prana output were necessary as well.
Pouring too much Prana into the mana dite would result in an overload
resulting in an explosion.
She was certain Ayato would never make such an amateur mistake.
(Don't tell me that was just to interrupt "Conjoined Cranes"...?)
It was a tactic that had definitely achieved its purpose, but wasn't it too
self-destructive by far?
Having lost his weapon, he no longer had any means of escaping her
attacks.
Determining the current situation in a moment's time, she once more
brought up Senbakiri in a stance.
-However.
"Amagiri Bright Dragon-style, spear technique - <Ninth Cloud Wasp>!"
"!"
Penetrating through the gusts created by the explosion, three piercing
thrusts came toward Kirin.
"A three-way attack...! No, before that, a spear?!"
Kirin cut herself off and focused her eyes forward.
There stood Ayato, a spear-type Lux gripped in both hands, mist gusting
around him.
"Shocked, aren't you? Well, it's a borrowed item, so it's a little too big for
me."
Ayato gave a light laugh as he spoke, attacking like lightning.
Kirin quickly recovered and began to deal with his attacks.
Just as Ayato had said, this was a large weapon that was even bigger than
he was. The spear's haft extended over two meters, its shining spearhead
was larger than his head.
With practiced ease, Ayato pinned down his opponent from a fixed
distance.
"...I see. However, even a clever trick is still nothing more than a trick!"
Even given what had just happened, Kirin was still quite calm. Having
assessed the situation in a flash, she seized an opening to rebound the haft
of the spear.
Although Ayato was certainly skillful with the spear, but his proficiency
with the weapon was nowhere near his skill with the sword.
Slipping in beneath the spear's range, she rushed into close quarters,
denying the advantage of the longer-reaching spear.
She once again slashed at her target, Ayato's school badge, but she was left
utterly shocked.
Ayato had tossed away his spear, and from the sheath on his back, had
drawn out a third Lux.
Activating it in a second, it revealed itself as a dagger-type Lux.
"Don't tell me...!"
"-A clever trick has to be clever to count, after all."
Holding the dagger in his left hand, he blocked her attack, and, extending
the same motion, whirled in a circle.
"Amagiri Bright Dragon-style, kodachi technique - <Reaper>!"
"Gu!"
Half-instinctively, she swung her blade to meet his, clashing them against
one another. Sparks flew from Ayato's dagger as the shock ran through her
wrist.
When it came to a contest of sheer strength, she was at a disadvantage.
Kirin quickly came to a decision, deciding to gamble it all on one last
thing.
She stopped resisting his blow, instead welcoming his attack. His blade,
aimed at her school badge, was thrown awry by the sudden lack of
resistance. Kirin barely dodged by turning her body, and she slashed
Senbakiri downward once more.
This time, she'd left him no opportunity from which to reveal yet another
weapon.
Just as Kirin was sure of her victory - Ayato extended his hand and
grabbed her collar.
"Amagiri Bright Dragon-style, grappling technique-"
"Eh...?"
Kirin experienced a feeling of weightlessness before coming to the
realization that the world had flipped upside-down.
"- <Sweeping Purification>!"
"!"
In the next instant, she was left winded as the blow simultaneously struck
her back and chest, forcing the air from her lungs.
Her face was wracked with pain as she was left unable to breathe, as she
finally came to the realization that she'd been thrown.
With tear-filled eyes, she confirmed that the school badge on her chest had
been struck dead on by Ayato's technique.
(At the very moment I impacted the ground, his elbow...)
Such a brutal and merciless attack was truly the hallmark of an ancient
battle style.
"Are you alright, Toudou-san?"
Ayato watched her in concern as Kirin forced a smile.
A certain indescribable joy welled up within her.
"...I was played. Both the spear and the dagger were just bait, weren't
they?"
From the very beginning, his goal had been the throw. For that very
reason, he'd allowed her to charge in close.
(The one who got sucked into the opponent's pace was me, wasn't it...)
Kirin understood quite clearly.
The school badge on her chest made a broken sound.
"...It's my loss."
As Kirin acknowledged her loss, the school badge spoke in a mechanical
voice, "Match ended! Winner: Amagiri Ayato!"
A brief moment of silence passed before thunderous applause and cheers
shook the building.
---
"I never expected you'd actually win. To be honest, I'm rather surprised."
The rest area of the stadium.
Facing Ayato, seated on the sofa, Julis handed him a drink.
"Haha, I'm pretty surprised myself."
Ayato gave a wry smile as he poured the beverage down his throat.
He had once more been left paralyzed by the aftereffects of breaking the
seal, and every inch of his body screamed with pain.
Although during the match, time had felt like it'd stretched, but in reality, it
hadn't even lasted five minutes.
After the match, the students of the newspaper club had crowded into the
rest area like ants. It'd taken a while before he'd finally had a chance to
take a break. They were even now waiting outside, but none of them had
personally borne witness to the reapplication of his seal, so there wasn't a
problem there.
...Then again, he'd already released his seal in broad daylight on several
occasions now; there were undoubtedly students who'd noticed something
was strange. It seemed he wouldn't be able to keep this a secret for too
much longer.
"In any case, this makes you the new #1...You've really done well."
Julis openly praised him, giving voice to her heartfelt admiration.
"Thank you. Hopefully this fixes things."
"...Fixes things? What're you talking about?"
"The last time I fought, it caused a problem for you, right? At that time,
you mentioned that if I was also a Page One, it'd make things easier at the
Phoenix."
Julis' eyes opened wide.
"Don't tell me...that's why you accepted the duel?"
"Well, that's not the only reason."
At his words, Julis revealed a gentle smile and patted him on the head.
"Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you..."
Her expression made Ayato's heart thump.
At times, Julis would show forth the kindest, gentlest expressions.
"-*Ahem*."
Deliberately coughing to interrupt the two was Saya.
"Congratulations, Ayato. That was an amazing effort, worthy of my
Ayato."
As Saya spoke, she reached an arm to seize ahold of Ayato's wrist.
"Thanks, Saya."
-In the room right now were Ayato, Julis, and Saya, these three.
Claudia had received a call en route, and after leaving her seat, had never
returned.
Lester had said "we're not friends" and promptly departed. Eishirou, too,
had raced off after the match was over, to prepare his segment for the
newspaper club. (Before leaving, however, he, of course, had first made an
appointment with Ayato for a special one-on-one interview.)
He'd borrowed a Lux from each of them, and so he had given them his
thanks.
"A-anyway, I wasn't aware you had techniques which didn't require a
sword. Why didn't you tell me?"
In order to separate Saya and Ayato, Julis had plunged her way in between
them.
"Uh, it's not so much that I was hiding it, but rather that I'm not really
accustomed to it. I didn't think it was really necessary to bring it up."
"...Only after attaining a certain level of swordsmanship within the
Amagiri Bright Dragon-style, do other types of training begin. I know
because I'm always watching Ayato."
Pulling Julis away from Ayato, Saya answered.
"Oh, that's right. Yeah, ever since we were young, Saya would watch my
sister and I practi- Um...can I ask what it is the two of you are doing?"
Saya and Julis were wrestling with one another, utterly confusing Ayato.
Suddenly, he heard a racket being raised outside.
"Ayato, is it alright if I enter?"
The voice that came after knocking politely was one most familiar to him.
"Claudia? Of course, come in."
"Fufu, my apologies for interrupting."
Claudia opened the door and stepped in.
As well as someone else.
"Eh? Toudou-san?"
"U-um, pardon for interrupting."
Standing next to Claudia was Kirin, an uncertain expression on her face.
"On the way over, I noticed she'd been caught by the newspaper club, so I
brought her with me."
"T-thank you so much!"
Kirin bowed and expressed her thanks to Claudia.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. You probably had something you wanted to say;
that's why you came all this way, right?"
"Ah...yes, that's right."
At Claudia's prompting, Kirin turned to Ayato.
"How can I help you, Toudou-san?"
Julis and Saya similarly turned to Kirin, curiosity plain on their faces.
As all eyes turned on her, Kirin shrunk timidly. Drawing in a deep breath,
however, she shouted aloud.
"U-um, Amagiri-senpai, can I join in on your training too?"
"Huh?"
Everyone was struck dumb at the unexpected question.
"W-well, last time you offered, I had to turn you down, but this time..."
Kirin's face burned scarlet as she trembled.
"Ayato, what's this? I haven't heard anything about that."
Julis' glare pierced through Ayato as he frantically explained.
"N-no, um, it's just that, if Toudou-san were to join us, wouldn't that
increase the variety of our training?"
"That does make sen-"
"No problem at all. Welcome."
Saya extended her hands in welcome as Julis roared.
"Why are you the one answering?! Or rather, you've been coming every
day since then, but I don't remember ever giving you permission!"
"Riessfeld, you sure get caught up in the little things. The world changes;
get used to it."
"If anything's changing, it's because you're destroying it, you fool!"
The two began to argue once more as Ayato shrugged.
"This kind of thing happens all the time; you okay with that?"
"A-absolutely!"
"I understand. Then-"
Ayato extended his hand to the emphatically nodding Kirin as more noise
came from outside.
"Kirin! You're here, aren't you? Come out, Kirin! Open this door!"
Realizing the door was locked, a violent roar shook the room.
"Oh my, if it isn't Toudou-dono."
Standing in front of the door, Claudia held her palm to her cheek with a
frown on her face.
Her expression seemingly inquired of the other members of the room as to
the best course of action.
Ayato couldn't decide such a thing by himself.
He turned to Kirin, who bit her lips before summoning up her courage and
nodding.
"Right then...Claudia?"
"Got it."
Claudia opened the door, and Kouichirou came charging through the
doorway with a face like an angry bull.
"Kirin, just how stupid can you get?! Not only did you initiate a duel
without my permission, you even lost! My plan's all wasted!"
He'd only just opened his mouth, but the air already thundered with his
rage.
"In any case, now you understand! You need me! Now, come! Do what I
say!"
He grabbed ahold of her wrist, but she shook him off.
"...I'm sorry, Uncle."
She spoke but this one sentence before meeting his gaze.
Her eyes revealed the careful consideration she'd undertaken, but in his
furious state, Kouichirou had long since lost the ability to take note of such
things.
"Shut up! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! All you need to do is listen to
me!"
Utterly enraged, he raised an arm.
But as his arm prepared to come swinging down, he suddenly stiffened.
Ayato had appeared between the two of them, glaring fiercely at
Kouichirou.
"-This is unsightly. Please control yourself."
"W-what did you say, you brat..."
In the face of Ayato's calm demeanor, his roar faded into a whisper.
The look in Ayato's eyes was like a drawn blade. The murderous feeling
conveyed by those eyes made his blood run cold.
Kouichirou felt a deep and instinctual fear run through him. His face
turned ashen and he began to shake.
"She's already decided to step forward of her own accord. There's no room
left here for you."
"Amagiri-senpai..."
From out of the corner of Kirin's mouth, Ayato's name leaked.
"I see. You're even more contemptible than the rumors say."
"...This is disgusting."
Julis stood behind Ayato with her arms folded, looking down upon
Kouichirou with distaste.
Saya activated her Lux.
"Y-you bastards...I-I'm not a member of the Starpulse Generation, you
know? If you dare to so much as harm a hair on my head-"
Kouichirou was unable to hide his fear, and his voice trembled as he
spoke. Finally, a light bulb going off in his head, he turned to Kirin.
"T-that's right! Listen up, Kirin! I was the one who covered up your
father's crimes! If you don't return to my side, I'll reveal everything! In that
way, both you and the Toudou-style will..."
"-Hmm? I seem to have heard something most interesting."
Speaking over Kouichirou's voice was someone who had remained silent
until just now - Claudia.
"What?! E-Enfield..."
Taking notice of Claudia for the first time, his eyes opened wide.
"I have no intention of criticizing the relationship between you and
Toudou-san. However, when it comes to 'Toudou Kirin's reputation' - that's
not something that belongs only to you."
Claudia revealed an elegant smile, but her eyes were ice cold.
"That belongs to Seidokan Academy - to the Integrated Enterprise
Foundation. If you plan to destroy it...I'm afraid I won't be able to turn a
blind eye to such actions."
"Uh, ugh..."
Kouichirou's erratic breathing was his only answer.
"I think my father would likely agree with me, but what do you think?"
"T-that's..."
"Originally your plan was predicated on the premise of an undefeated
Toudou-san claiming victory at the Festa. That plan is already
destroyed...If I were you, I'd let her go, for my own safety."
Unable to rebut her suggestion, his shoulders drooped.
Quietly, and lifelessly, he proceeded to make his way out of the room.
"U-Uncle!"
Kirin shouted at his back.
Kouichirou stopped, but didn't turn.
"Uncle, I am very grateful for all you've done. That's not a lie. For
everything until now...thank you very much!"
This was Kirin's way of life, and the way she treated everyone. Once more,
bowing with respect, she expressed her thanks.
"..."
Kouichirou didn't respond, nor did he turn back, he simply continued on
his way and exited.
"Uncle..."
As Kirin showed a sorrowful expression, Ayato took her hand.
At that warm, gentle touch, she turned to Ayato with an expression half-
laughing, half-tearful.
"I'll be in your care from now on, Toudou-san."
"...Yes. Thank you so much."
Wiping away her tears, she nodded lightly.
"Honestly...there's no helping it."
"And that's that."
"Hehe...how wonderful."
The tense air in the room vanished.
Kirin looked around, and spoke to Ayato in a trembling voice.
"U-um...Amagiri-senpai?"
"Yes? What's up?"
"W-well, there's still one last thing...or rather, I have a couple requests to
make. Would you hear me out?" Kirin, blushing to her ears, whispered
quietly.
"Requests?"
"Y-yeah. I-if you wouldn't mind, could I call you by your name?"
A whisper so quiet as to be almost imperceptible.
"Is that it? Of course you can. What's the other thing?"
"W-well, um, Ayato-senpai..."
"Yes?"
Kirin's head, still bowed, shyly looked up. Resolving herself, she finally
spoke.
"...W-would...would you also call me by my name?"
Now that was a little surprising.
He had no reason to refuse though.
Ayato laughed and nodded.
"No problem at all - Kirin-chan."
Epilogue
---