by Yuu Miyazaki
The pride and will of a warrior shone in her eyes.
“But I based those hypothetical scenarios on her previous matches,” she went on. “Claudia lost in the Gryps team contest, but she didn’t seem worn out herself. Which means—no one has ever seen her fight at full strength.”
“Claudia at full strength…”
Ayato remembered when she had attacked him that night. She had been dreaming then, so she couldn’t have been going all-out.
“Hey, weren’t you headed somewhere, Ayato?”
“Oh, that’s right…!” He checked the time to see that he didn’t have much to spare. “Sorry, Kirin. I have to go.”
“Okay. Take care.”
Ayato waved and hurried on to the main gate.
“Ooh. That was really good!” Flora declared, grinning in satisfaction, upon clearing her plate of omelet rice.
“Oh, look at you. You’ve got ketchup on your face.”
“Aw…”
Next to her, Julis wiped the edge of her mouth clean.
They made a sweet picture together, like actual sisters.
The café that Eishirou had recommended was on a back street, just one block over from a main avenue. The unassuming facade was painted black and easy to miss, but once a potential visitor noticed it the atmosphere of mystery lured them in.
The interior was brighter than Ayato had expected, and classical music played softly. There weren’t many seats—maybe twenty or so between the tables and the counters. Ayato, Julis, and Flora occupied one of the tables.
“Well, it’s true. Both the fare and the ambience are good,” Julis said. “I hate to admit it, but Yabuki was right.”
“You should tell him yourself. He’d be glad to hear it.”
Ayato and Julis had also finished their meals, and each had a cup of coffee in front of them.
“That, I can’t do. He’s caused trouble for me more than a few times. We’re far from even.” Julis turned away to sulk.
Although she had improved in recent days, her basic treatment of relationships still revolved around who owed what to whom. And in her view, Eishirou was still deep in the red.
Ayato suppressed an urge to smile at her stubbornness and turned to the other girl instead. “So—you wanted to ask me something, Flora?”
“Oh, yes! Just a second, please…!” Flora dug into her clutch to produce a cute notebook. The notebook went well with the maid uniform she was wearing again. “Here it is! Hmm, let’s see…”
Flora flipped through the pages—but suddenly stopped.
“Hmm?” Wondering at the pause, Ayato then noticed her gaze had drifted to the next table.
“Here’s your house special fruit parfait.” An impeccably uniformed waiter was serving an enormous dessert.
The variety of fruits made for a colorful treat particularly appealing to girls. The guests at the table, who looked like Queenvale students, squealed in delight.
“What, you want one of those, too?” Julis asked with good-natured exasperation.
“…Uh-huh.” Flora nodded bashfully.
“It’s fine with me.”
“Yay! Thank you!”
Julis called the waiter over and ordered.
When the parfait arrived, she watched Flora and her sparkling eyes with a gentle smile.
Then she noticed Ayato, and the smile turned to a piercing glare.
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Oh, um—” Ayato stammered for a moment, but then he realized he had no reason to be embarrassed and told her honestly. “I just didn’t know you have a soft spot for kids.”
“Does it surprise you?”
“A little bit.”
Ayato knew how tough Julis could be on herself and others, so this side of her was strange to him.
“Well, I can’t help it,” she told him. “These children don’t get much pampering. The nuns can’t afford it, and by Flora’s age, they’re already taking care of children younger than themselves. I’m one of the few people who can, so I’m determined to spoil them silly. They’re all like little sisters to me.”
Julis gently caressed Flora’s head.
A doting sister… I guess Haruka spoiled me, too.
Remembering his own sister, Ayato felt his heart twinge.
He was strangely emotional these days. The Urzaiz sisters had a similar effect on him.
“Besides, an orphanage won’t have nice desserts like this,” Julis continued. “It’s a rare treat for her.”
“Oh, but the sisters always say the money you’re sending us really helps!” Flora interrupted with whipped cream all over her face.
“Wow, you send money home?” Ayato asked.
“It—it’s nothing, really. It’s not like I have anything else to spend the Page One stipend on.”
Page One students received not only free tuition but a fixed monthly sum from the school. This detail had surprised Ayato, and the amount was more than a student would need. It was no wonder the competition for rank was so fierce.
“Your Highness, Your Highness!” Flora tugged at Julis’s sleeve.
“What is it?”
“Try it!”
As Flora held out the spoon, Julis smiled with resignation and opened her mouth.
“Hee-hee-hee!” Flora giggled contentedly and spoon-fed the princess.
“Hmm… Yeah, this is good.”
“Uh-huh! It’s so good it makes your toes curl!”
The whole exchange seemed completely natural. They probably shared things this way all the time.
Besides, the parfait was much too large for Flora to finish by herself. Splitting it seemed just right.
As Ayato thought, Flora suddenly turned to him. “Oh! You should have some, too, Master Amagiri!”
“Wha— Huh?!”
“Really? I can have some, too?”
“Of course! Her Highness and the sisters always say that good food is better when you share it! Right, Your Highness?” Flora gushed innocently.
Julis, for some reason, lowered her bright red face. “Well, yes, that’s true, but…but I just used that spoon, and…,” she mumbled.
But Flora strained to lean across the table and held out the spoon to Ayato. “Here you go! Open up, Master Amagiri!”
Smiling awkwardly as Julis had moments ago, Ayato opened his mouth and found it filled with a soft, sweet substance. “…Mm, you were right. This is good.”
“Uh-huh!”
The perfect balance of dense cream and tart fruit created a harmonious combo that Ayato could easily finish by himself. Both the entrees and the desserts were of exceptional quality, and he could see why the place was so popular.
“Thanks, Flora,” he said.
“Hee-hee!” Flora giggled happily. Meanwhile, Julis regarded him with an inscrutable expression on her crimson face.
“Um…Julis, is something the matter?”
“N-no! It’s nothing! Anyway, Flora, didn’t you have something to ask him?! Get it over with!”
“Okay.”
Flora started flipping through her notebook again with the spoon still in her mouth.
Perhaps because she worked at the palace, she had better manners than most girls her age. Still, the adorable impishness she couldn’t entirely hide was probably the real Flora.
“At last, the topic at hand.” Julis sighed tiredly and reached for her coffee.
“Umm, first was— Oh, here it is!” Flora turned to Ayato again and read from her notebook, stumbling a little. “Now, my first question. Um, ‘How far has your relationship with Her Highness progressed?’”
“Pfft?!” Julis promptly choked on her coffee. “Wha— Wh-wh-wh-wh-what kind of question is that?!”
Without knowing she had leaped to her feet and shouted, she lowered herself back down under the stares from other patrons. Then she leaned toward Flora and whispered, “You didn’t come up with that question, did you?”
“No. His Majesty gave me a list of things to ask ‘the man wh
o might one day become his younger brother.’”
“Ooh, that brother of mine…!” Fury blazed in Julis’s eyes. “Flora, let me see that. What other questions do you have there?”
“Oh, I can’t! His Majesty said to keep this a secret because you’d get mad…!”
As Julis snatched the notebook from her, Flora flailed and twisted in her seat to retrieve it.
What kind of person is her brother…? Ayato wondered.
“It’s a secret, is it?! You’ve already given it away!”
“Oh, no! You’re right!” Finally realizing this, Flora gasped and covered her mouth.
“I’m confiscating this,” Julis said.
“B-but you can’t! His Majesty gave me this task! Please let me do it!”
“Request denied.”
While Julis and Flora butted heads, another girl shyly approached their table. “Um, excuse me. Sorry to interrupt. May I have a moment?”
“Oh, sorry. We’ll keep it down…”
Ayato assumed that a waitress was warning them to be quiet, but then he realized this was not the case—the girl was clearly a student.
“Um, you’re Ayato Amagiri, is that right?”
“Yes…”
“I’m sorry to trouble you, but would you please come with me?”
Surprised, Julis and Flora stopped arguing as Ayato sat confused at the sudden request.
“Oh, p-pardon me. I’m Korona Kashimaru, the secretary to the student council president,” the girl in the Le Wolfe uniform said, bowing to them. “The president is waiting for you.”
“The student council president—?” Julis’s expression tensed in an instant, and her eyes darkened with suspicion. “What does the Tyrant want with my partner?”
“Eep…” Korona backed away from Julis and her demand, apparently ready to burst into tears.
“Hold on, Julis,” Ayato interjected. “I asked to see him.”
“What? What’s going on?”
“Well…” Ayato quickly explained how he had asked Irene to arrange a meeting between himself and Dirk Eberwein. “…I didn’t think I’d get to see him the very next day, though.”
“But…are you sure? The Tyrant is the man who ordered Irene Urzaiz to knock you out of the tournament. It’s not really safe to contact him…”
“I know. I understand the risks.”
“Mm.” Julis mulled this over, then turned a sharp gaze on Korona. “Fine. In that case, I’ll go, too.”
“Huh? B-but the president asked for Mr. Amagiri…”
“Is there a problem?” Julis asked, her tone verging on murderous.
“Eeeep!” Korona yelped, backing up even farther.
Ayato remembered that in the business with Irene, Julis had been much more upset than the actual victim of the scheme.
Korona’s mobile device activated suddenly with a darkened air-window. “Doesn’t matter. Bring her, too, Korona. Might as well get a glimpse of the famous Glühen Rose.”
The voice was deep, intense, and knifelike. Ayato gathered that the speaker was Dirk himself—and he had been listening to their conversation all along.
“Y-yes, sir. Will do, sir.” Korona hastily bowed toward the air-window, then nervously addressed Ayato and Julis. “I—I’ll show you the way. Please follow me…”
If Korona’s frozen expression was any indication, Julis really must have scared her. She didn’t look at all like a Le Wolfe student. It was almost funny.
“Sorry, Flora, but something came up, as you can see,” Julis said. “Can you make it back to the hotel on your own?”
“Uh-huh! I’ll be fine!” Spoon still in hand, Flora nodded energetically.
“I’m sorry, Flora,” Ayato added. “Let’s meet up again later.”
He waved lightly to Flora and followed Korona out of the restaurant.
Korona walked briskly ahead, periodically glancing back at Ayato and Julis. Before long, they had passed through the commercial area and into a main street in the residential district.
At a corner sat a large black car. It looked like a limousine, with big tinted windows so that no one could see inside.
“In here, please.”
When Korona opened the door, it was more spacious and comfortable than Ayato had expected. Where a standard car would simply have seats, this one was outfitted with leather sofas and a massive table, almost like a small living room.
A young man with dull red hair sat farthest from the door. He was short and stout, and impatience simmered dark and deep behind his glare.
“Get in.”
At Dirk Eberwein’s command, Ayato and Julis exchanged glances, then nodded and stepped in.
Of course, they took every precaution. Ayato tried to sense the presence of others in the car, but there did not seem to be anyone besides the driver and Dirk.
As they sat across the table from him, the car started and Dirk spoke.
“So you’re the Gathering Clouds, Murakumo… Hmph. Not all there, are you? It says something about Seidoukan that a guy like you is ranked first.”
“And yet someone handed down an order to crush him. Who do you suppose that was, Tyrant?” Julis’s reply held a razor-sharp edge.
Dirk shrugged with a theatrical lack of concern. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’ve got some nerve! Irene Urzaiz said so herself! You’re the one who—”
“Julis, it’s no use.” As she rose out of her seat, Ayato restrained her with one hand. “Irene told us that, but we don’t have any proof.”
“But—!”
“Besides, if we don’t leave it alone, she’s the one who’ll get in trouble.”
“—!”
Julis bit her lip in anger and fell back onto the sofa.
Korona, anxiously shrinking in on herself, sighed with relief.
“Huh. So you do have a brain in that skull.” Dirk’s large eyes narrowed slightly.
“I’m not here to ask you about that.”
“Right. But before we get to that, let me tell you one thing.” Slouched in his seat, Dirk jabbed a finger at Ayato. “I’m under no obligation to answer your questions. You keep that in mind.”
“Then…why did you come here?” Ayato asked.
“Good question. You could call it a whim.”
“The esteemed—and probably very busy—student council president came all this way on a whim? I don’t buy it.”
“…”
Ayato let out a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. “We both have something to offer each other. Isn’t that right?”
“…Exactly. If you want something, you have to offer something. That’s the only way deals work.” Dirk deliberately uncrossed and re-crossed his short legs. “All right, you’ve passed the first test. What do you want to ask me?”
“I want you to tell me everything you know about my sister—Haruka Amagiri.” Ayato’s gaze remained steady.
“Haruka Amagiri, huh…? Unfortunately for you, I don’t actually know a whole lot. I just saw her once, is all.”
“Where?”
“The Eclipse” was Dirk’s blunt reply.
Julis reacted with shock. “What?!”
“You know about it, Julis?” Ayato said. Whatever Dirk had just mentioned, he’d never heard of it.
Julis nodded reluctantly. “Well, a little. I’ve only heard rumors. Some lowlifes who weren’t satisfied with the Festa made up their own contest for more exciting battles—no rules, and completely illegal.”
“No rules…” A shiver ran down Ayato’s spine.
“You couldn’t forfeit,” Julis went on. “Matches ended when one of the fighters lost consciousness—or their life. It was an underground event, so obviously the scale was much smaller than the Festa. Still, some of its biggest fans were rich fat cats, so it did well as a business. But it—”
“But the Eclipse was abolished long ago,” Dirk finished. “The leader of Stjarnagarm was dead set on taking it down. When I saw Haruka Amagiri
, she was one of the contestants. At the time, I was in the audience.”
“My sister…fought in it?” Ayato said.
“Yeah. I remember it clearly because she was using that damn Ser Veresta. Not too many would bring an Orga Lux to the Eclipse.”
“So…how did it go?”
Dirk answered him blandly. “She lost.”
The news hit Ayato like a blow to the head.
The world tilted and warped. The earth seemed to crumble away, and emptiness crept up to consume him.
He’d never known a feeling like this. Like being swallowed by a bottomless pit.
“Hey, Ayato. Are you all right?”
Julis was lightly shaking his shoulder. He came to with a tiny gasp.
“Well, it didn’t look like she died,” Dirk said. “I don’t know what happened to her after that, though. That was the only time I saw Haruka Amagiri.”
“Okay…”
Uttering the brief reply took all Ayato’s effort.
“Now, it’s my turn to ask you a question.” Dirk did not show the least concern for the other boy’s turmoil. “What’s your relationship to Madiath Mesa?”
“Huh…?” For a moment, Ayato stared blankly, uncertain what he had just been asked. “Madiath Mesa…? The chairman of the Festa Executive Committee? Him?”
They had no relationship. Ayato had never spoken to the man or even met him.
But he did remember that their eyes had met momentarily at the opening ceremony…
“Guess you’re not just playing dumb,” Dirk snorted. “That’s all I needed to know.”
He snapped his fingers and the car slowed gently to a halt. After a pause, the door opened.
“Our chat’s over. Get out of my face.”
“Hold on,” Julis said, glaring balefully at Dirk. “Something’s been bothering me. How did you know where we were?”
“Hmm?” Dirk replied irritably.
“We only decided to go to that café a few hours ago. If we’d made a reservation, that would be one thing, but how did you find out in such a short time—”
“Idiot,” Dirk cut her off. “I’ve got no obligation to answer that.”
“Nngh…!” Julis nearly snapped at him, then realized that any further conversation with someone of Dirk’s disposition was a waste of time, and simply stepped out of the car. Ayato followed her.
