Encounter with a Fiery Princess

by Yuu Miyazaki

  “Both of us…?”

  Julis and Saya looked at each other for a while, then laughed in resignation.

  “…I accept.”

  “Very well. Let’s not waste any more time arguing.”

  “Whew.” Looking profoundly relieved, Ayato wiped a drop of sweat from his brow.

  And so the three of them toured the campus together.

  “This is the club complex. Most of the clubs aren’t all that active, but you might find yourself here if you have a complaint for one of the media clubs.”

  “…Mm-hmm.”

  “This is the Committee Center. You’ll need to go through them for requests and adjustments for fringe benefits.”

  “…I see.”

  “And the dining halls—well, I suppose you must have found them by now. Anyway, there are seven places to eat on campus, including the cafeteria. But the one in the basement here is usually less crowded, so it’s better to go there.”

  “…I didn’t know that.”

  “Sasamiya, you do understand that I’m not giving you a tour?” said Julis, as the three of them took a break on a courtyard bench.

  Saya had been carefully taking in all the details of Julis’s campus tour. “…I have no sense of direction.”

  “I’m amazed you would offer to show someone else around,” Julis sniffed.

  Saya coughed humbly.

  “That wasn’t a compliment.”

  “Oh, it’s okay,” said Ayato with his usual carefree smile. “I learned a lot, too. Really, thank you.”

  “W-well, all right, but…”

  “I know, I’ll go get us something to drink. What’ll you have? My treat.”

  “Hmm. Iced tea, then.”

  “I’ll have apple juice. Not from concentrate, hopefully.”

  “Got it.” Ayato took off, making his way around the sizable fountain and back toward the high school building.

  Actually, the vending machines at the middle school building are closer, thought Julis. I’ll have to show him later…

  As Julis smiled wryly to herself, Saya interrupted her musings. “…Riessfeld, there’s something I still want to know.”

  “What?”

  “Why did you promise to show Ayato around?”

  “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that… Fine, I’ll tell you. It’s because I owed him a debt. That’s all it is.”

  “What debt was that?”

  Julis hesitated for a moment but reluctantly told her the truth. “He saved me from an outside attack during a duel.”

  “A duel? Riessfeld, you dueled Ayato?”

  “Yes. You didn’t hear?”

  Duels by Page One students were always fodder for gossip, and Julis was sure that videos of it must have made the news last night. Apparently, this particular classmate of hers wasn’t interested in the rankings.

  “But I’m not going to tell you why we dueled,” said Julis. “That’s a private matter.”

  “…Who won?”

  “There was some interference. The duel was declared void.”

  “…That’s funny.”

  “What is?”

  “If you really fought Ayato, you shouldn’t be in one piece.”

  The unexpected remark caught Julis off guard. She wondered if Saya was joking, but her eyes were quite serious.

  “You must not have a very high opinion of me.”

  “You’re strong, Riessfeld. I know that,” Saya told her, calm and straightforward. “But on the same level as me, at best. And that’s no match for Ayato.”

  Hearing that, laid out as if it were such an obvious truth, Julis felt her heart clench.

  “Oh?” she retorted. “That’s a bold statement.”

  The air tensed like a string drawn taut.

  To the best of her knowledge, Saya’s name was not among the Named Chart. And Julis kept track of the other strong students in her class. Never talking to others much, she couldn’t be sure, but she didn’t think Saya had even participated in the official ranking matches.

  Of course, rankings were not the sole indicator of strength. Julis herself had said as much to Ayato earlier. And there were more than a few students who disliked attention enough to keep their abilities hidden until just before the Festa.

  Whatever the case, this was not an insult Julis could overlook.

  “Very well. Care to try me?”

  Without a word, Saya stood up and placed some distance between them.

  Julis, interpreting this as assent, stood and placed her hand on her school crest.

  “I, Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld, challenge thee, Saya Sasamiya, to—” Julis began but instinctively leaped back.

  Not half a second later, there was a light dry sound as several arrows of light flew one after another into the bench.

  It was a side attack. So, not from Saya, but—

  “The fountain!?” How long the person had been there, Julis had no idea, but a sharpshooter dressed in black stood waist-deep in the water, holding a crossbow-shaped Lux. “Hmph. Another ambush?”

  Most likely the same culprit as last time, she thought. With a mocking laugh, Julis focused her prana and called forth the fire from within.

  “Burst into bloom—Longiflorum!” She generated the spear of fire midair and released it as she landed.

  It was a perfectly timed counterattack, but the blazing spear that should have impaled her target was intercepted by a dark shadow that leaped into its path.

  “Another one…! But—someone able to ward off my flames…?”

  Like the sniper, the newcomer was also clad in black. The giant ax-shaped Lux he wielded with both hands must have served as a shield.

  Judging from their shared lack of sartorial judgment, they had to be working together. The one that had been hiding in the fountain was rather squat, while the second one was a muscular giant of a man, well over six feet tall.

  That physique and choice of weapon reminded her of someone—but this was no time to figure out whom. Considering how well they hid their presence, these were not enemies to be taken lightly. Julis could get all the answers she needed out of them after beating them down.

  But just as she was about to focus her prana to attack—

  “…Boom.”

  And the giant went flying sideways with an earthshaking explosion. He went some forty or fifty feet before falling to the ground in a tailspin, then lay completely motionless.

  “Wha…?” Bracing herself against the wind from the blast, Julis was dumbfounded to see Saya with an enormous gun, larger than her own stature. It was hard to say, actually, whether Saya was holding the gun or whether she was an attachment to it.

  “What is that?”

  “Type thirty-eight Lux grenade launcher, Helnekraum.”

  “You mean it shoots grenades…?”

  Saya nodded and casually trained the muzzle on the fountain. “…Burst.” The gun glowed faintly. Her prana rose dramatically and poured into the huge gun, and the manadite shone even more brightly. This could only be…

  “Meteor Arts!?”

  The stocky attacker was scrambling out of the fountain, trying to get away—too late.

  “…Kaboom.” Released with a murmur rather than a shout from Saya, the projectile of light exploded at the moment of contact with its target.

  A deafening roar sounded and the fountain was completely obliterated. Water gushed up from the base to rain down on the surroundings like an oversized shower.

  The scale of the explosion might be comparable to her Amaryllis, Julis thought, but this was superior in pure destructive power. “You are more violent than you look.”

  “…Not as much as you, Riessfeld.”

  Julis had no rejoinder for that.

  “I’m not going to thank you,” she said instead. “I could have handled them myself.” The attackers were skilled, yes, but she was confident in her ability to drive them off.

  “No need. They were just in our way,” Saya replied in her usual blunt man
ner, then turned to Julis. “…Shall we continue?”

  Julis was confused for a moment, then nearly burst into laughter when she realized that Saya meant their duel. “No, I’ll pass. You really are strong. I apologize for underestimating you.”

  “…Okay, then.” As easily as that, Saya deactivated her Lux.

  I’m probably not one to talk, Julis thought, but this girl’s an odd one, too.

  “Well, then, shall we hand over these miscreants to the disciplinary committee?”

  As if on cue, a black-clad figure emerged from underneath the rubble, pushing his way out of the wreckage. Julis and Saya promptly took combat stances again, but the surprisingly nimble attacker was already disappearing into the woods. Then they noticed that the giant was gone, too.

  “Hardy, aren’t they?” said Julis.

  “…I’m amazed.”

  From the force of that impact, an ordinary opponent would have had difficulty even moving.

  “Well, there’s not much we can do now that they’ve gotten away. If we chase them without being careful, we might fall into a trap. Anyway, Sasamiya, you destroyed school property. You should report it.”

  “…Me?”

  “Yes, you. You blew up the fountain.”

  “…Too much trouble. I’ll leave it to you, Riessfeld.”

  “Why me? This is serious.”

  “Hey!” As the two of them went back and forth, Ayato came running from the direction of the high school buildings. “I heard this huge noise and… Wait, whoa—! What happened here!?” he exclaimed, seeing the pulverized fountain.

  “Well, something came up. Right, Sasamiya?”

  “…Yes. Something came up.”

  This wasn’t much of an explanation. But neither of them particularly wanted to go through the trouble of explaining from the beginning. So they left it at that.

  “I’m not sure what happened, but… Augh!” Ayato was looking around, puzzled, when his face suddenly went scarlet and he stared awkwardly off to the side.

  Julis cocked her head at him—and immediately understood.

  Everything nearby was completely soaked with the water spraying from the ruins of the fountain. Julis and Saya were no exception. This resulted in the thin fabric of their summer uniforms clinging closely to their skin and, of course, becoming entirely translucent.

  In a panic, Julis looked down to see that her undergarments showed clearly through.

  “Wha—? You—d-don’t you dare look! You’ll pay if you open your eyes!”

  “I’m not looking! Not looking!”

  “Hmm, see-through. How very erotic.”

  “Ugh, Sasamiya! Cover your shame! Wait—wh-why aren’t you wearing a bra?” Julis’s eyes widened in surprise as she turned to look at Saya, whose uniform also clung tight to her body.

  Both of them were equally soaked through—but there was one fatal difference.

  “…It’s sad to say, but I don’t need one yet.”

  At Saya’s utterly unruffled tone, Julis clutched her head in dismay. “Anyway—go get us something to cover up! Now!”

  “Uh—right!”

  It was only a matter of time before the commotion of a fountain getting blown up compelled all the gawking idiot students of Seidoukan Academy to gather.

  As she watched Ayato run off, Julis heaved a terrific sigh.

  CHAPTER 5

  THE SER VERESTA

  The next day, Ayato went to the student council office to see about the Orga Lux compatibility test. Claudia greeted him with a smile.

  “I heard what happened yesterday, Ayato.”

  The news that Julis was attacked again had been reported to the disciplinary committee on the same day. Naturally, Claudia had learned of it as well.

  The story was also making the rounds on the Net news, but every feature spoke of “Julis repelling mysterious attackers.” There was no mention of Saya’s name or even the fact that someone else had been there. It would seem that Page One students received different treatment than their unranked peers did.

  Well, the way things work here is plain enough, thought Ayato.

  “Do you think the attackers will be caught?” he asked.

  “Hmm—to be honest, I’m not very optimistic,” she replied. “We’ve asked the disciplinary committee to conduct a full investigation, but there’s not much evidence to speak of.”

  “Even in Asterisk, that’s obviously a crime, isn’t it? Shouldn’t the police be taking care of it?”

  The disciplinary committee was, after all, only a student organization. An investigative body with official authority had to be better suited to the task.

  “That’s the sticky part,” said Claudia. “There is an organization in Asterisk that acts as the police force—the Stjarnagarm. But they’re too good at their jobs.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Their jurisdiction is limited to the urban area of Asterisk, not extending to the properties of the six schools—at least, that’s how all of the schools interpret the law. The schools don’t allow them on campus except in extreme circumstances.”

  The opinion of the schools was the opinion of the integrated enterprise foundations, and the latter was law in Asterisk. Which meant that so long as the schools didn’t allow it, even this so-called Stjarnagarm couldn’t set a single foot on campus.

  “I guess you wouldn’t want them poking around where it doesn’t hurt,” said Ayato.

  “We don’t want them poking around precisely because it would hurt,” Claudia admitted matter-of-factly. “If it were up to me, I would ask for their help. But in this case, my authority has little weight. If only Julis were more cooperative, we might have more options at our disposal…”

  “Geez. I don’t know why she’s so stubborn.”

  After reporting the incident to the disciplinary committee, Julis rejected any further involvement. She was adamant that she needed help from no one. The committee even offered a personal security team, but Julis turned them down flat: “Bodyguards who are weaker than me would hardly be any help.”

  “That girl is probably doing all she can to protect what she’s holding in her hands,” said Claudia. “Maybe she thinks that if she tries to grasp something else, she’ll drop what she has now.”

  “Holding…in her hands…?”

  “Well, that’s a different subject altogether. In any case, I can’t overlook this matter. Which is why I wanted to ask you a favor—” As Claudia leaned forward, a sharp rapping at the door came. “Oh, I do apologize. I forgot that we were expecting another visitor. We’ll continue this later.”

  Claudia operated the controls at her desk, and the door opened to let in a group that Ayato was not expecting. The feeling was mutual, as the newcomers all looked at him with surprised faces.

  “Applying for Orga Lux usage is a rather cumbersome process, so I wanted to get it done in one go if possible. Now, let me introduce you…” Her friendly offer of introductions was, in fact, completely unnecessary.

  The visitors were none other than Lester and his sidekicks.

  Claudia quickly noticed the tension and tilted her head curiously. “Oh, are you already acquainted, by any chance?”

  “Well, in a manner of speaking,” Ayato muttered.

  “Wh-what are you doing here?” Randy, the pudgy one, pointed at Ayato, slack-jawed.

  As for Lester, he shot one irritated glance at Ayato and avoided further eye contact.

  “I’ll have Ayato and Mr. MacPhail both take the compatibility test today. The two of you,” she said, addressing the sidekicks, “cannot enter the vault—as I believe you’re aware. Is that clear?”

  “Oh. Yes, of course.” The thin one, Silas, nodded.

  “Let’s get this started already,” Lester growled. “I don’t have all day.”

  Claudia chuckled softly. “So impatient. But I agree that we should use our time efficiently. Shall we, then?” She stood up and led the way out of the student council office.

  As they wal
ked down the gleaming hallway, Ayato asked Claudia the question that had been on his mind for a while. “So what is the procedure for taking out an Orga Lux?”

  “Oh, the procedure itself is simple. We measure your compatibility rating with the Orga Lux of your choice, and if it exceeds eighty percent, it is lent out to you.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes.”

  That seemed anticlimactic. The urm-manadite crystals in Orga Lux cores were said to have value beyond any sum of money. Ayato wondered if it made much sense to lend out such objects to students so lightly.

  “Heh. You don’t know a damn thing,” Lester jeered, close behind Ayato. “Being entrusted with an Orga Lux is easier said than done. Not just anybody can apply, to start with. You have to be highly ranked or fight well at a Festa…or be on a special scholarship. And then you better hope you’re lucky enough to come across an Orga Lux with a compatibility rating above eighty percent. And even if you are allowed to use one, whether you can wield it well is a whole other question.”

  The compatibility rating was an estimate for how well an individual could draw out an Orga Lux’s power. Unlike ordinary Luxes, which could be activated and controlled by anyone, Orga Luxes were finicky and harder to handle.

  Urm-manadite was manadite of extraordinary purity able to generate, to some extent, special powers similar to those of Stregas and Dantes. The compatibility rating test served as a measure of whether a user could fully wield those powers. In the end, it came down to individual suitability, and no amount of effort on the part of the user could change the basic value.

  “Considering that you’re trying for the third time, your words do carry some weight,” Claudia remarked.

  Lester had been speaking boastfully, but at that, he scowled and spat, “I’ll get it this time.”

  “Yeah, Lester! You were just unlucky before,” Randy piped up. “You’ll make it this time for sure!”

  “Heh. Course I will.”

  The flattery seemed a little forced, but it was enough to restore Lester’s mood.

  “So you can try as many times as you want?” asked Ayato.

  “With permission, yes,” said Claudia. “It does little good for the school to let an Orga Lux sit unused. Although it’s still true that the vetting process is strict—unless you happen to be a Page One.”