by Yuu Miyazaki
He knew the former was hurt pretty badly, but he had heard that Kirin’s condition was even worse. There was no danger to her life, but even with the treatments available at the therapy center and a Genestella’s recuperative capacity, it would be several days before she was discharged. She really must have fought hard to rescue Flora, he thought.
“…Ayato!” Saya, who had been waiting in front of the prep room door, trotted up to him. “Congrats on the championship. That’s my Ayato.”
“We couldn’t have done it without you,” he said. “Thanks.”
Saya shook her head, uncharacteristically embarrassed. “…It wasn’t just me. Kirin and Yabuki helped, and even MacPhail.”
“Lester did?”
“Yup.” Saya pointed behind her, to where he could see Lester’s back in the shadow of a pillar.
“Thanks, Lester,” Ayato told him. “You really helped us out.”
“D-don’t be thankin’ me! I only pitched in because Yabuki threatened me!” Lester shouted back bluntly, staunchly facing away.
“Ha-ha… Hey, wait. Where is Yabuki?” Ayato looked around.
There was no sign of Eishirou.
“The little rat ran off in the middle of the fight! Calls me in to help and then runs off… He’s gonna regret it when I catch up with him.” Lester’s voice trembled with anger. He seemed to be genuinely upset—not that he was unjustified.
“…Sorry, Ayato. We couldn’t catch the kidnapper.” Dejected, Saya hung her head.
“You don’t have to apologize. Everyone is safe. That’s what matters.”
Ayato had already heard from Claudia that although Saya and Kirin had defeated the kidnapper, he’d disappeared.
He must have gotten away while the rest were busy dealing with Kirin’s injury and reporting to Claudia. Ayato was unconcerned about that.
Of course, if they could apprehend the culprit, they might have been able to press Le Wolfe for scheming behind the scenes. But Ayato was just glad his friends were safe.
“Oh, so we’re headed to the therapy center,” Ayato said. “What about you guys?”
“…Me too. Kirin was acting tough, but that injury was more than a scratch.” Saya’s brows drew together with concern. “I want to see how she’s doing.”
“I’m going home. I don’t have time to run around with you people.” Still not turning toward Ayato, Lester waved and began to leave. But he paused. “Right— Well anyway, I’ll just say…congrats.”
Then he left—rather hastily, it seemed to Ayato.
“Oh, Mr. MacPhail has to be so aloof,” Claudia said with a soft laugh. “Well, let me arrange transportation to the therapy center. Just a moment.”
She took out her mobile to contact someone.
While they waited, Saya and Ayato were chatting about the championship match when something down the corridor caught her attention. “…Hmm?”
Ayato followed her line of sight to find Camilla and Rimcy heading toward them.
“…What do you want?” Saya asked.
“I’m here to retract what I said to you before,” Camilla said.
Saya’s eyes went wide. “…I don’t see why. It was Ayato and Julis who beat you. We lost.”
“I’m not referring to the championship, but the semifinal match from yesterday. You, and Dr. Sasamiya’s Lux, outperformed Rimcy here. That’s clear to anyone who watched.”
“…But we couldn’t beat Ardy,” Saya mumbled in frustration.
Camilla continued without missing a beat. “I’m sure you’ve figured this out, but Ardy’s barriers emulate the powers of an urm-manadite. With some confidence, I can call that defensive system my greatest work—but Ardy, after combining, is something entirely different. In that state, he draws energy directly from the urm-manadite to use its powers. It’s virtually the same as using an Orga Lux. But the guiding principles of our Ferrovius faction are incompatible with something as unstable as an Orga.” She sighed, shaking her head regretfully. “And so on a personal level, I can’t accept that match as a victory.”
“But—”
“I’m not the only one who feels that way,” Camilla said, cutting off Saya’s protest and then stepping aside to make way.
It was Rimcy who stepped forward. “Saya Sasamiya, I wish for a rematch against you.”
“A rematch…?”
“Well, the current rules don’t allow for our little ones to duel,” Camilla added. “So who knows when that might be…”
Saya took this in with blank surprise, but then the corners of her mouth softened into a smile. “All right. Then I’ll suspend your retraction until that day comes.”
“…What do you mean?” Now it was Camilla’s turn to be startled.
“I have my pride, too,” Saya replied. “I can’t accept that as a victory, either.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll crush you into the ground.” Saya smirked.
Camilla smiled thinly in return. “…I see. Then we will strive to fly even higher.”
“Indeed.” Rimcy alone maintained an aloof expression, but Ayato thought he sensed her fierce fighting will.
The underground blocks of Asterisk were the domain of the Infrastructure and Maintenance Department. Frequent regular inspections made them less than ideal hiding places for criminals and the like—but there were certain exceptions.
For instance, a fugitive with a thorough knowledge of the routes and schedules of said inspections could find them useful. They might not be any place to hide out long-term, but they were perfectly suitable as escape routes.
Wading in the knee-deep water, his arms hanging limply, the man picked his way through the labyrinth of sewers. There were lights on the walls, with a fair amount of distance between them, but the illumination was too weak for him to see very far.
Undeterred, the man walked at a steady pace, then abruptly stopped.
“I’m impressed that you made it this far with those injuries.”
“…”
The echoing voice was bright and airy, in contrast to the surroundings. “You’re Grimalkin’s Gold Eye Number Seven. Your name is—oh, yeah—Werner, right?”
Werner turned to see a boy with a friendly smile standing in the dark. “That scar on your face—I know you. You’re one of Shadowstar’s ninjas.”
“Oh, you’ve heard of me? I’m flattered.” With no hint of caution, the boy casually approached the man.
“Of course I have. In our profession, anyone who stands out quickly becomes the subject of rumor.” There was an inorganic chill to Werner’s emotionless voice. “I hear you don’t care for rules. You must be quite a headache for Seidoukan.”
“Well, I’ve got no comeback for a pro like you,” the other said blithely with a wry smile. “Still—isn’t it boring to just do as you’re told?”
“Who are you working for?”
“I wonder?” A hint of hostility came into the boy’s voice.
In the next instant, a spike shot out of the boy’s shadow to pierce him through the chest—or so it appeared.
Only his impaled uniform hung in the air. The boy had vanished.
“That was a displacement jutsu.”
“!”
Werner heard the boy speak from behind him, but he could not turn around. A hot shock ran through his torso, and lukewarm fluid surged into his throat.
He collapsed into the dingy water with an impressive splash.
If there had been enough light, one would have seen a fluid dyeing the sewer red.
The boy flicked the blood from his kunai knives.
“Now you know why I turned down the offer from your organization,” he told the man belatedly. Picking up his uniform with the gaping hole in it, he scowled. “Crap… This was brand new…”
In the basement block of Allekant Académie’s research lab…
“Oh, wow, you’re a mess. Looks like we’ll have to renovate your guts from the frame out.” Ernesta, in the midst of repairing Ar
dy, spoke jubilantly—totally at odds with what she was actually saying.
“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Yes, I’d imagine so!” Opposite the reinforced glass window in the workshop, the limbless Ardy bellowed with laughter.
“But, y’know, if we want a material that can withstand the urm-manadite output, we have to make it from scratch. Even if we talk to the folks in the Sonnet faction, it’ll take some time… Ardy, you’re gonna have to put up with a temporary body for a while, okay?”
“Hmph! Nothing for it, I suppose!”
“Okay, so let’s start by— Now what?”
Just as Ernesta was about to get to work rebuilding him, a call reached her mobile.
“Well, well…” With a grin, she cut off the audio connection to the workshop before opening an air-window. “My esteemed Tyrant, how are you on this fine day? What can I do for Your Excellency?”
The portly young man on the screen answered her greeting with a noise of disgust. “…Tch. You’re such a piece of work.”
“Oh, come on! You’re the one who sent me a gift that turned out to be empty when I opened it.” Ernesta squirmed, fidgeting playfully.
“Shut up, bitch,” Dirk spat. “You failed to cash in on the opportunity, and your stupid pile of scrap metal’s to blame.”
“It’s not like I asked for that opportunity, you know.”
“Hmph. Whatever. I just want an answer on what we discussed the other day.”
“An answer?” Ernesta said, looking blank.
“Are you going to team up with us, or not?”
“Oh, that. Obviously the answer is nein. ” She made a big X with her arms. “You guys just aren’t my type.”
“The feeling’s mutual.” Dirk glared at her with open displeasure. “But…are you sure you’ll be able to finish that third Puppet on your own?”
“—”
The air around her grew tense. Ernesta maintained a smile, but her gaze sharpened. “Hmm—I see. Not bad. I didn’t even tell Camilla about her. You guys at Le Wolfe really are good at this game, huh?”
“Can’t find the right urm-manadite, can you? No surprise, since no one’s more tightfisted than Frauenlob when it comes to urm-manadites for use in the field. Bet you’ll have a hard time getting it from the research institute.”
“…”
“Well, things might be different if you’d won the Phoenix.”
“And? Le Wolfe isn’t any different when it comes to urm-manadites, is it? I wouldn’t wanna be stuck with an empty gift again.”
“Who said anything about us getting it for you?”
Ernesta frowned suspiciously, but she quickly guessed what he meant and smiled stiffly. “Oh, so the people behind your schemes?”
“No one’s backing us. We lend each other a hand when the situation calls for it. We’ve got interests in common, nothing more.”
“Uh-huh…,” Ernesta responded vaguely, then thought for a while.
“So? Can I have a damn answer already?”
“Okay. I’ll hear you out,” she said at length.
Even then, the irritated scowl remained plastered on Dirk’s face. “Good. I’ll contact you later.”
The air-window blinked off. Staring at the space where it had been, Ernesta let out a long sigh.
“Well, who knows what kind of trouble this’ll bring…,” she murmured, but before she knew it, her mouth had curled into a grin.
“A-Ayato— Ouch!”
As Ayato came into the room, Kirin jumped up from the bed at the sight of him—or she tried to, before grabbing her side in agony.
“Kirin, no, you shouldn’t get up!” Ayato ran to her.
“N-no, I’m fine—something like this will heal in no time.” She smiled even as tears of pain welled in the corners of her eyes.
“…It’s a serious injury. Don’t move around,” added Saya, coming in after Ayato.
“She’s right. Your body needs rest,” Claudia agreed.
“Oh, Saya, Miss President—thank you for coming.”
“Anyway, you’d better stay lying down,” Ayato finished.
“A-all right…” Kirin had to do as they all said.
There was another bed in the room, but it was empty.
“Huh?” Ayato wondered. “I thought Julis was supposed to be here with you…”
“Yes, she’s in another room right now. The city guard wanted to talk to her and Flora.”
“Oh. Actually, I’m supposed to talk with them later, too.”
Which was to say, they needed a report. He should probably head over to speak with them after meeting Kirin.
“Uh, um—Ayato?” Kirin looked straight into his eyes.
“Yeah?”
“My belated congratulations to you. I saw a video of your match. It really was amazing!”
“Ha-ha, thanks. But we couldn’t have won without you guys, Kirin. You did a great job.”
He gently patted her head.
“N-no, I didn’t, really…” Kirin’s cheeks reddened, and she bashfully hid her face in the light blanket.
“…You should be proud,” Saya added. “It was only because of you that we were able to beat that Dante. That sword-drawing technique at the end was awesome.”
“A sword-drawing technique?” Ayato said, impressed. “Wow… I didn’t know the Toudou style had one.”
Kirin hid herself even deeper in the blankets. Now she was only visible from the eyes up. “Um, it—it’s a technique that was developed in one of the branch dojos, and it’s not taught in the main school. It was the first time I was able to execute it in a real fight…”
“I see… We have branch dojos, too, but nothing like that.” Ayato could only imagine the logistical troubles with a school the size of the Toudou style.
“Oh! Ayato! What was the last technique you used in the championship?!” As soon as the topic turned to swordplay, Kirin popped her head up, eyes shining.
She did seem like a different person when they talked about swords. “You mean Hellmoon? I can’t say too much, because it’s a secret of the school, but—it’s a move to cut through the enemy as you run past each other, without breaking stride.”
It was a technique that required high dexterity, so the Ser Veresta’s usual size would have been a problem.
“I see… It sounds like a technique from one of the old styles.”
“Most of our master techniques were developed with multiple enemies in mind, but that one is a little different.”
“By the way,” Claudia said, abruptly cutting off their swordplay shop talk. “I have a question for you, Ayato. Do you mind?”
“Oh? Um, sure— What is it?”
“I noticed at the award ceremony… When did you become friends with Queenvale’s student council president?”
“Wha—?!” Ayato was startled, but Saya and Kirin looked at him with even greater surprise.
“The president of Queenvale… Wait, whaaat?!” Kirin squeaked.
“…Sigrdrífa and Ayato?” Saya blurted.
“W-well, we’re just friends—or acquaintances, really, we just met—” Ayato flailed.
Claudia smiled her usual smile. “Oh, so you do know each other.”
“Uh…”
Man, I walked right into it.
“You trapped me, Claudia,” he sulked.
Her shoulders shook with an impish giggle. “Sorry. But I just had to know.”
“I want to know, too!” Kirin exclaimed. “How do you know Miss Sylvia, Ayato?”
“…Seriously, Ayato, I don’t even… Seriously!” Saya grumbled.
“Well, uh, the thing is…,” Ayato started. But he’d promised Sylvia—he couldn’t tell his friends what had really happened. How do I talk my way out of this one…?
Keenly aware of the three girls’ eyes on him, he tried to think, and then—
“What in the world are you people doing…?”
The door opened, and Julis and Flora joined them.
“Oh, hi, Julis. Are you done with
the questions from the city guard?” Ayato asked her, desperate for a diversion.
“Mm-hmm. I told them in great detail what an evil, sadistic man Dirk Eberwein is,” Julis said with a satisfied look.
“That’s good, I guess—but I heard they were keeping you here, too. Is it okay for you to be walking around like this?”
“In my case, it was just prana depletion. I’ll only be here for a day, and I’ve already recovered a good deal. Sure, I have some bruises and fractures, but nothing that—hmm? What’s wrong, Flora?”
Flora stood still at the entrance, staring at the floor.
Julis called to her again, and she raised her head with determination on her face.
“Everyone, I—I’m so sorry for causing you so much trouble—!” Flora bunched the hem of her skirt in her fists, on the verge of tears.
“Flora, it wasn’t your fault at all—don’t worry about it,” Ayato said, rushing to comfort her.
“B-but it was a really important match for Master Amagiri and Her Highness—and Miss Toudou got hurt so badly…”
“I—I don’t mind, either!” Kirin protested, but fat tears welled up in Flora’s eyes.
“Oh, sweetie…” Julis spoke to Flora as if to calm a baby. “Stop trying so hard, Flora. You’re mature for your age, but you’re only ten. You can cry when you want to cry.”
She tapped Flora affectionately on the head.
“But, but—”
“It’s all right.”
“Y-Your Highness—” Finally, the tears overflowed. She scrunched up her face and wailed. “Princess Juliiiis! I was so scaaared!”
Flora clung to Julis and burst into sobs.
“Yes, I know. You were really brave, Flora. You’re all right now.”
Flora screwed up her face with tears and snot, and she looked just like a girl her age. Julis continued gently stroking her back until her sobs subsided.
“So—Ayato, do you have a minute?”
After Flora had cried herself to sleep, Julis laid her down on the empty bed and pointed to the door.
“Sure, I’ve got time,” Ayato said, “but where are we going?”
“Oh, just right over here.” Julis led him a short distance outside the hospital room.
