by Yuu Miyazaki
It was the opening ceremony of the twenty-fourth Gryps.
Madiath Mesa was giving his speech at the podium, overlooking the contestants at the front of the arena.
Just like during the opening ceremony of the Phoenix, the students who would be participating in the tournament stood in long rows, separated by school, in the center of the upgraded stage. The huge floodlights installed on the ceiling of the dome illuminated the Executive Committee chairman’s position in the middle of the platform.
“We all recognize the achievements and continuing successes of prior champions. Take Commander Helga Lindwall, for instance. There is not a person here who would deny that her strength remains undimmed even today. But if we compare the mean values of our contestants’ prana, you, who are participating in this tournament, shine unmistakably brighter than the first generation to which she belongs.” Madiath was speaking in his usual calm, lively voice, holding the audience captive with his words.
The galleries, empty until just a short while ago, were now completely full, overflowing with spectators bottling up their raging enthusiasm as they followed Madiath’s every word.
“Moreover, there has been a remarkable evolution in strategy since that time—and in the development of Luxes. The recently unveiled Rect Luxes serve as a symbol of that progress… If you will forgive me for this digression, I sometimes find myself wishing such technology had been available during my own time as a student standing where you are today. Although, whether I would have been able to control it is a different matter.”
A buoyant murmur spread through the stadium at the joke.
Above the galleries, Madiath’s wry smile was being projected on several huge air-windows.
“Right…,” Ayato murmured, a question popping into his mind. “The chairman was a winner at the Phoenix, too, wasn’t he?”
“He was. What about it?” Julis answered in a low voice.
“I was just wondering who his tag partner was.”
“Hmm…” She pressed a finger against her temple, her eyes shut tight as if rummaging through her memories. “I’m pretty sure it was a woman, but I don’t remember her name. It’s been a long time since I watched the recordings.”
“I see… That’s okay.”
Judging by Madiath’s age, Ayato and the others probably hadn’t even been born yet when he had won. Given Julis’s diligence, Ayato wouldn’t have been surprised if she had watched the matches of every prior champion of the Phoenix, but remembering them all clearly would undoubtedly be too much for anyone.
“Why? What are you thinking?”
“No, it’s nothing.” Ayato waved the question away, returning his gaze to the podium.
He himself didn’t know why the question had sprung to mind so suddenly.
“It is in consideration of these changes that we judged that the existing Festa facilities also needed to be changed, in order to keep pace with the evolving nature of the tournament. As such, we embarked on this large-scale upgrade, which, despite the somewhat forced deadline, I am pleased to announce has been completed according to schedule.” Madiath paused there for a moment, casting his gaze toward the galleries. “The installation of the new protective gel will increase the safety of all our spectators, without compromising the enthusiasm and excitement that are hallmarks of this event. Moreover, it will allow our contestants even greater freedom to explore bold, daring strategies.”
The galleries responded with a roar of enthusiasm.
Madiath’s speech was, as usual, well received. Even among the students, there were not a small number who looked to be holding themselves tall in pride and excitement.
For Ayato, however, who knew the real reason why the stages had been refurbished, the words came across as mere sophistry. The student council presidents of each school, standing at the head of each block of students, seemed to be aware of the actual motivation as well—as Ernest and Xinglou Fan were wearing cold expressions.
Watching Madiath’s composed demeanor, Ayato couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of unease.
He had listened to the chairman’s speech during the opening ceremony of the Phoenix last summer, too, but this time, he felt as if he had caught a glimpse of some ominous void residing deep inside the man. Ayato found himself shuddering as he imagined that unfathomable cavity spreading yet wider behind that affable, spirited face.
It wasn’t that there was anything strange about Madiath’s appearance.
If he had to put it into words, what had changed was how Ayato saw him.
Perhaps Helga’s warning had taken root, he thought.
“Hmm…”
Whatever it was, now wasn’t the time to worry about it.
Ayato caught his breath, reminding himself that their first match was scheduled for that very afternoon, and tried to shake off all unnecessary thoughts.
“Saya, before we head in, I’m gonna go buy a drink,” Ayato said. It was after the opening ceremony, and his team was making its way to the prep room. “Can you let everyone know?”
“…Got it.” Saya, walking alongside him, nodded.
The other three girls were busy discussing something several yards ahead.
“If Kirin could use her sword-drawing techniques in a group battle, we might be able to use them to increase our total number of coordination patterns.”
“I’m sorry… I don’t think I’ll be able to pull them off, not unless it’s a one-on-one duel. And they’ll take too long to get ready…”
“It wouldn’t be impossible to bring about such a situation, but if it takes too long against an opponent who is too skilled, it could prove fatal.”
Judging by what Ayato could make out, they seemed to be confirming their strategy for the upcoming match. He didn’t want to disturb them.
“Can you get me something, too?”
“All right. Apple juice?”
“Not the one from concentrate.”
“Got it.” As he set off for the vending machine corner, Ayato waved his hand to show that he had understood what she wanted.
He decided to take a peek at the nearby entrance. It was jammed full of the students who had been gathered on the stage until just a few moments earlier. While Ayato’s match was at the Sirius Dome, many of the others would be taking place in the other arenas throughout the city, and the contestants, of course, all had to be shuttled to their destinations. Yet, not everyone would have a match on the first day—many would be wanting to return to their respective schools.
“Ayato!” A familiar voice suddenly called out his name.
He turned around, looking for the source, when he noticed a hand sticking out from behind a pillar, beckoning to him.
The person behind the unexpectedly childish action was, as he had guessed from the voice, Sylvia.
They had called each other several times since the end of the school fair, but it had been a while since they had last seen each other in person.
“…It looks like the student council presidents really have it tough, getting called out here even when you’re not participating,” Ayato said with a grin.
“Well, it’s part of the job. My schedule’s free at the moment, so I have to at least make an appearance at the ceremonies. It looks like Xinglou came as well.”
“Right, I heard that she usually sends a representative.”
Now that he thought about it, Xinglou Fan, whom he had first met during the school fair, had indeed sent someone else as Jie Long’s representative to the closing ceremony of the Phoenix.
“Her representative is pretty famous, too, you know?”
“Huh? Really?”
“She’s from Gaishi, the seventh office of the Ryuusei Kyuushi, an organization under the direct control of Jie Long’s student council president. Basically, it’s their special ops unit.”
“…She’s a special ops agent? And famous?”
Wouldn’t that interfere with her work?
“Anyway, she isn’t one of Xinglou’s studen
ts, but she does seem to have some kind of relationship with her. And they’ve got pretty similar personalities.”
“Similar? You mean…?”
“Right. She’s a fanatic for battle.”
He would have to remember to steer clear of her, Ayato thought.
“Ah, by the way, Sylvie. What’s with that outfit?”
She was dressed in a disguise, just like during the school fair.
And yet, she had been wearing her uniform during the opening ceremony.
“I’ve got the rest of the day off. I thought I’d take a look around the Rotlicht.”
In other words, she was going to try to find more information on her missing teacher.
“The city is crawling with tourists during the Festa, so it’s a lot easier to blend in… Ah, don’t worry, though, I’ll watch your match,” she added with a wink.
“Ha-ha, sounds like you’ll be busy.”
“…Hmm, aren’t you taking it a bit too easily, though?” She raised a finger as she drew closer to him. “I mean, it’s not like I think you’ll be eliminated in the preliminaries or anything, but you can’t afford to let your guard down in the Gryps, you know?”
“Y-yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. But more importantly—” His heart skipped a beat as her purple eyes stared into his, and he glanced away. “You should watch your back, too. You’ve been going out a lot lately, haven’t you?”
“Well… I guess so,” she answered slowly, her voice so low he almost didn’t hear it. He must have hit the mark.
Ayato hadn’t accompanied her on those outings, but she had given him rough reports. She had been going out into the city in disguise more and more lately, especially since the beginning of summer vacation.
Of course, her goal was always to find a clue as to the whereabouts of her music teacher, Ursula Svend.
“You didn’t find anything, did you?”
Sylvia, regret visible on her face, shook her head. “No, nothing. I suppose that’s why I’m getting so worked up about it lately…”
“I see…”
If she could recognize it by herself, there was no need to remind her to be careful.
“But you know… I’ve been thinking, and I believe I’ve realized something.”
“What?”
“You heard how she was talking back then. I think she’s probably being controlled by someone. I mean, that wasn’t the Ursula I knew.” There was a piercing glint in her eyes, a cold anger lurking behind her words.
She was referring, of course, to the person whom she had taken for Ursula during the Gran Colosseo at the end of the school fair.
“I know there are abilities that can rob people of control over their bodies, but I’ve never heard of something that can alter their memories or personality. I mean, the amount of mana that would be required for that would be beyond what any Strega or Dante could physically handle.”
It was a known fact that mind control abilities were inhibited by prana, meaning that they weren’t particularly effective against Genestella.
“If such a thing was possible, it would have to be—”
“An Orga Lux,” Ayato finished for her.
Sylvia nodded. “At least, that’s the most likely possibility.” She let out a deep sigh, her shoulders slumping tiredly. “I’ve looked into it, but I can’t find any record of an Orga Lux with that kind of ability.”
The research and development of Orga Luxes was, naturally, a closely guarded secret, but thanks to treaties agreed to among the IEFs, every piece of urm-manadite used in such weapons was carefully cataloged and tracked. At the very least, it should have been possible to find out which pieces of urm-manadite were where.
“It does seem to be the most likely possibility,” Ayato admitted.
Moreover, the woman whom Sylvia had taken for Ursula had been able to temporarily deactivate the Ser Veresta. No matter how he thought about it, that wasn’t normal.
As far as Ayato was aware, it might not be beyond the realm of possibility for irregular Stregas or Dantes, such as Xinglou or Orphelia Landlufen, to do such a thing, but the most natural explanation was that it had been done by a Lux.
“Yep. So I’m going to look into it a little… Ah, sorry! You’ve got a match, and here I am distracting you! You need to focus on the Gryps, Ayato!”
“…All right. But if something happens, you can call me whenever you want, okay?”
“Ha-ha, thanks.” Sylvia flashed him an apologetic smile. “Ah, I almost forgot. I wanted to give you this,” she said, taking something out of her bag.
“What is it?”
“Lunch.” Sylvia giggled.
“…Huh?”
Sylvia smiled at him mischievously. “I told you, didn’t I? That I’d make lunch for you next time?”
Now that she mentioned it, she had indeed said something like that while they had been touring the school fair.
“You made it yourself? For me?” He gaped. He knew how busy her schedule was.
There would be an uproar if word was to get out that the world’s most famous songstress was cooking lunch for him, he mused. If her fans were to find out, they would no doubt curse him for the rest of his natural life.
“Take it. I am fairly confident in my cooking, you know… Or are you not allowed to eat something cooked by someone from a rival school?”
“O-of course not!” Ayato waved his hands, quickly accepting the lovingly wrapped box.
Sylvia smiled gladly. “G-good…” She glanced at the floor, letting out a quiet sigh. “Haaah… This is nerve-racking…”
“Sylvie?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.” She turned back toward him, waving her hands with her usual bright smile. “I’d like you to tell me what you think, though…”
“Ah, that might be…” Ayato carefully glanced around.
They were both fairly good at hiding their identities, so it was likely no one had noticed them yet, but he would be bound to attract attention if he was to start eating so close to the entrance hall. That wouldn’t be good.
“I’m joking!” Sylvia giggled. “It was a joke!”
“Huh…?”
She stepped back, seemingly unable to control her laughter. “Anyway, I’ll be back soon. Good luck at your first match!”
“A-ah, right. Thanks.”
Ayato watched in silent astonishment as Sylvia hurried off toward the galleries.
By the entrance of the Sirius Dome, next to a vending machine a little distance away, two girls stood watching, their eyes wide in astonishment, until finally they found the courage to speak.
“…Hey, Tuulia.”
“…What, Miluše?”
“…Did you see that?”
“…I saw it.”
“…That was… That was Sylvia, wasn’t it?”
“…It was her, all right.”
“…”
“…”
They fell silent once more before slowly turning to face each other—their smiles a mix of surprise and delight—and jumping up to give each other a midair high five.
CHAPTER 3
ECCENTRIC GIRLS
It had been a long time since Ayato had been in one of the Sirius Dome’s many prep rooms.
“Oh? I see. That certainly does look delicious.” Julis was staring at him reproachfully with her arms crossed.
“…And we were wondering where you were.” Saya’s gaze seemed to be boring into his back.
Considering that he had been so late returning and that he would be unable to hide the box of food he’d been given, he had resigned himself to his team members’ displeasure. But no sooner had he told them that it had come from Sylvia than their gazes turned colder still.
This time, even Claudia admonished him: “The match is about to start. Did you think that wouldn’t have an effect on our teamwork?”
“I didn’t mean anything by it…”
Sylvia’s food was so delicious, however, as to quickly put an end to everyone’s complaint
s.
Spiced meatballs, potato salad, and open sandwiches topped with smoked salmon and all kinds of vegetables. It was a simple meal but clearly one into which a lot of time and care had been put.
Ayato could see no reason to fault Sylvia’s confidence in her cooking.
He only wished he could take the time to eat it all somewhere more comfortable.
“Um, why don’t we turn on the TV?” Kirin interjected, trying to lighten the mood. “They should have started introducing the teams…” She opened a large air-window, and—
“Mico Yanase here, announcer for ABC, covering all the thrills at the main stage again this year! Captain Shizuna Hiiragi from Stjarnagarm, a graduate from Le Wolfe Black Institute, will be offering us commentary and analysis!”
In the center of the air-window was the face of the same announcer who had covered the Phoenix.
“It’s great to be here.”
The commentator, on the other hand, a woman with black bobbed hair and sleepy eyes, was different from the last time.
Claudia seemed to purse her lips in mild surprise. “Oh my, I do believe that she’s one of Ms. Yatsuzaki’s former teammates.”
“Huh?”
If that was true, then she was a former champion of the Gryps herself.
“Commentators are normally selected from those who have done well in the Festa. It isn’t particularly strange,” Julis explained.
“…Then Ms. Yatsuzaki might be invited, too?” Saya asked.
“It’s different for anyone working at one of the six schools. Obviously.”
Such a person might, after all, face accusations of partiality.
“However, we truly are indebted to Ms. Yatsuzaki, so we will have to do our best to repay her,” Claudia said.
“That goes without saying. We’ll be fine as long as we do as well as she did, right?” Julis answered, flashing them a fearless grin.
They had been training under Kyouko’s strict guidance for several months now. Due to the finite limits of her abilities, they hadn’t been able to use mock battles each time, but nonetheless, by the time the end of summer came around, they had been able to hold their own against her and her dolls. That, Ayato hoped, would be good enough.
