by Yuu Miyazaki
Then, of course, all eyes turned to Lester. He stood there looking confused for a moment, then awkwardly scratched his cheek and mumbled, “Well, fine…if you really need me to.”
Ayato explained his situation as the newcomers warmed up.
“I see. So your big sister sealed away your powers…” Saya let out a sigh, looking perhaps more serious than usual. “You were pretty wild as a kid. I thought you’d settled down an awful lot. Now I understand why.”
“Um, I don’t think I was ever that much of a rascal…”
“But Haru isn’t the type to do something like that without a good reason. I’m sure she must have had one,” Saya said, giving him a solemn gaze.
Ayato was touched to see that she really believed that. “Yeah. Thanks, Saya.”
“Besides, you’re just as cool as ever. No worries there.”
“Well, thanks for that, too, I guess,” Ayato laughed sheepishly.
The feeling of Saya wrapping her arms around him was familiar and comforting. At the same time, it made him conscious of their height difference, which was new, and his heart quickened a little.
“Ahem!” Julis interrupted. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get started…”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
For some reason, Julis seemed to be on edge.
“I know you only just formed your tag team, so let’s keep this simple,” she said. “Luckily for us, both teams have members who are clearly suited to fighting in the front or in the back. So let’s work on support. When the front fighters engage in close-range combat, the rear flanks should keep each other in check while providing support to their respective front ranks. Got it?”
“…Roger.”
Julis and Saya met each other’s gaze with a force that seemed to throw off sparks.
“Wow, you two are really focused,” Ayato remarked in awe.
Sensing the tension, Lester already had his Bardiche-Leo activated. “Quit fussing over the girls. What about you? Are you ready?”
“Huh?”
“From what you told us just now, you can’t go full strength again today, right?”
“That’s about the size of it.”
“Too bad, ’cause I’m not about to go easy on you.” As Lester stood, grinning, Ayato heard something in his voice that sent a chill down his back.
“Don’t be too hard on me, either,” was all he could think to say in response as he activated his standard-issue Lux sword.
The instant the buzzer rang, signaling the start of the match, Lester rushed ferociously at Ayato. He should have expected it from those videos of Lester’s matches, but facing it for himself was a whole new level of intimidating.
“Here I come!” Lester attacked with a sweep of his ax.
Ayato parried with his sword, only to be pushed back. That physical strength was astounding.
Meteor Arts might have been useful against Lester’s brawn, but unfortunately for Ayato, he didn’t have the skill.
“We’re just getting started!”
As Ayato somehow got both feet on the floor again, Lester rushed in with a second attack before he could even regain his stance.
The blade of light swung down at him. Ayato dodged it by a hair’s breadth and lunged at Lester. It was the textbook strategy against a long-reach weapon like the Bardiche-Leo. Lester was ready for it, and used the momentum from his attack to slam his shoulder into Ayato.
“Oof!” Overwhelmed by the sheer difference in physique, Ayato had no choice but to place some more distance between them—only to be attacked a third time.
“What’s the matter? Is that all you got?!”
At this rate, he’ll just keep pounding me… As that thought crossed Ayato’s mind, a cluster of fireballs intervened.
“Almost had you!” Lester clicked his tongue in frustration.
It was one of Julis’s techniques—the Primrose, if Ayato recalled correctly. The flames swarmed around Lester, dancing through the air like huge fireflies.
“Whew…! Thanks, Julis.” He suddenly understood why Lester had such a hard time fighting her.
Her powers allowed her to attack her opponent regardless of distance. On top of that, a cumbersome weapon like the Bardiche-Leo made it difficult to respond to a rapid-fire flame barrage.
“Damn it! Can never pin you down… Hey, pip-squeak! Are you going to do your part or wh—”
Lester turned toward Saya in irritation, then simply froze.
Julis and Ayato, too, stood there gaping.
“…I’m about to.” Saya readied her gun—or rather, her cannon. The barrel was easily over seven feet long.
A number of stat display air-windows opened around it, and the core emitted a brilliant light that indicated Meteor Arts.
“Type thirty-nine Lux laser cannon, Wolfdora—Strafe,” Saya murmured nonchalantly, and with a rumble, a stream of light poured forth.
“Whoa—wait!” Lester shouted.
Ayato hit the floor. A massively wide beam of light swept through the space above his head. Lying prone, he saw Julis and Lester doing the same. They had managed to get down just in time.
The cylinder of light fanned over them, then slowly faded.
Ayato gingerly turned to see that the laser had blasted an enormous hole in the wall as easily as a caterpillar gnawing through a leaf. The buildings of Asterisk—and especially arenas like this one—were built with considerably fortified material, which still did nothing against the destructive power of Saya’s arsenal.
Lester was the first one to come to his senses. He jumped up and strode toward Saya, a vein in his forehead angrily pulsing. “Th…that’s overdoing it, you idiot! Are you trying to kill me, too?!”
“If you don’t dodge it, that’s your own fault. The old Ayato wouldn’t have had any problem.” There wasn’t a hint of shame in Saya’s voice. Standing there innocently, she even seemed slightly puzzled at Lester’s anger.
“Sasamiya. You’re something else…” Julis couldn’t even muster anger. She hid her face in her palm.
“My, my. You certainly did a number on the wall,” a serene voice rang out from the very same hole in the wall. It was a voice they all knew.
The face peeking in from beyond the wall belonged to none other than Claudia, the student council president of Seidoukan Academy.
“Please keep in mind that while we allow Page One students like yourselves the use of this training room, it is still a school facility.”
“…We know,” Saya said. “This was just an unexpected accident that occurred in the course of our training. It’s not as if we meant to destroy the wall.”
“Of course. I see.” With a kind smile, Claudia nodded magnanimously.
But then—
“Ooh, ohmygosh, wasn’t that a fright, Camilla! Who’d have expected the wall to explode like that? I thought our school was the dictionary picture of weird, but other places can get interesting too, huh?!”
“Oh, whatever. Settle down, will you, Ernesta? Please try not to give me more trouble than you already have.”
Through the hole in the wall, Ayato saw two women he didn’t recognize step out from behind Claudia.
It was not only their faces that he didn’t recognize. After all, he had transferred here less than a month ago, so there were many of those. The thing most unfamiliar to him about these two was their uniforms.
“What’s the meaning of this, Claudia?” Julis asked, low and cold.
Ayato turned to see that like Julis, Lester was also on alert with a sharp glare. Claudia seemed not to notice their alarm and lightly clapped her hands.
“Oh, I’d better introduce you. May I present Miss Camilla Pareto and Miss Ernesta Kühne, from Allekant Académie.”
“From Allekant…?” Ayato asked.
That would explain the wariness from Lester and Julis. Allekant was the school that had allegedly pulled the strings in the incident with Silas. For those two—who were direct victims of his actions—it was no exaggeration
to say that Allekant was an enemy.
Claudia and the two newcomers walked around to enter the room through the now-useless entrance.
“Our school and Allekant have entered into an agreement to cooperate on Lux development. Miss Pareto here is in charge of the project. We invited her to our campus today to make that agreement official.”
“…Hello.” The bronze-skinned woman gave them a token nod.
She seemed a little older than Ayato. She had a figure as enchanting as Claudia’s, with a finely toned build. Her deep-set eyes and small, serious mouth made a somehow chilly impression.
“Joint development…? Hmph. I see. So that’s what you did,” Julis spat scornfully.
Apparently she had some grasp of the situation that eluded Ayato. He opened his mouth to ask her.
But Lester beat him to it: “Hey, Julis. What d’you mean by that?”
“You’re as slow as ever. This is some sort of compensation for what happened with Silas. Seidoukan is probably getting Allekant to share technology in exchange for not accusing them publicly.”
“What…?!” That was all Lester could say.
“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.” Claudia simply smiled gracefully, neither confirming nor denying, but that was enough of an answer.
“No matter,” Julis said curtly. “You’re in charge of dealing with that incident. I suppose this sort of subterfuge is your strong suit, anyway. But why are the Allekant specialists here?”
“Well, that’s because—”
“Hee! Because I said I wanted to come see!” the other girl in the Allekant uniform interjected, hopping up and down with her hand raised. The girl called Ernesta seemed much more expressive than Camilla. Unlike her companion, she wore what appeared to be a lab coat over her uniform. However, she also boasted an ample bust, the bouncing of which only served to emphasize her assertiveness.
She seemed about the same age as Ayato and his classmates. At least, he didn’t think she could be older than them.
“You know—I just had to get a look at you with my own two eyes. The sword-fighting boy who cut up all my cute dollies.” She grinned brightly.
“Huh?”
“Wha—?”
An indescribably strange silence enveloped them.
Julis and Lester let their jaws hang open, and Camilla held hers shut in speechless dismay. Even Claudia put her hand to her mouth in shock. Ayato was no exception.
This girl had all but declared herself the mastermind. It was impossible not to be surprised.
“So you’re the one I’ve heard so much about. Hmm, yes. Yes, I see!” Ernesta, completely ignoring the atmosphere of the room, closed in on Ayato and peered at him intently, nodding several times to herself as if quite impressed. “Mm-hmm, not bad at all. I think I like you!”
Then, while Ayato stood stunned, she beckoned him closer still.
With one hand at her mouth, she was calling to him: “Psst.”
When he cautiously leaned down, Ernesta narrowed her eyes like a cat’s and whispered in his ear, “But I won’t make it so easy next time.”
Next time…?! he thought. Before he could raise his face away from hers, Ernesta’s lips lightly met his cheek.
“Huh?!”
“What?!”
“—ugh!”
“Oh my…”
Ayato jumped back, startled, while the eyes of the three girls from Seidoukan practically glowed with rage.
“Wh-why, you! What do you think you’re—?!”
“……This thieving cat must die.”
Julis drew her rapier, and Saya turned the barrel of her Lux cannon (which was still active) on Ernesta.
“Eee-hee-hee, so scary! No need to get all prickly, it’s just a little greeting!” Ernesta fled to hide behind Camilla, but then poked out her head and laughed mischievously. “Why don’t we let bygones be bygones and play nice? I’d really like to be friends. Not just with Mr. Sword Fighter here, but with the Witch of the Resplendent Flames, too.”
“Unfortunately, even aside from the business with Silas, I happen to despise Allekant. No thanks.”
The anger in Julis’s voice was something deep and fierce. Ayato could understand not caring to be friends, but seeing her so openly display her antipathy, he wondered if there was something else at work.
“Aww. You’re no fun!”
“Sorry, Ernesta is…well, you can see how she is. Allow me to apologize on her behalf.” Camilla bowed her head slightly with a strained smile.
She seemed to be possessed of a more sensible character—compared to Ernesta Kühne, at least.
Then Camilla’s gaze fell on the Lux that Saya held. “Hmm, now this is interesting. A very unique Lux. Two manadites in the core… No, three? It looks like they were forcibly linked to increase output… There’s something familiar about this design concept.”
Saya looked surprised—a rarity for her—as she stared back at Camilla. “…That’s right. How could you tell?”
“But of course. This is my specialty, after all. I have to say, though, that it’s hardly very practical as a weapon.”
Saya’s eyebrow twitched.
“The LOBOS transition method, which involves the linking of multiple cores, is an imperfect technology that was abandoned over a decade ago. The output can’t be stabilized, and it places a large burden on the user. Not only will the Lux itself be bulky, but to maintain the high output, one must induce mana excitation overload, which requires long pauses between attacks. It doesn’t look like you’ve improved on those flaws.”
Ayato couldn’t understand half of what Camilla went on about, but she seemed to be pointing out just how difficult Saya’s Lux was to handle. If every attack required mana excitation overload or Meteor Arts, it would be like fighting using only special moves.
“…All of that is true.” Even as Saya bit her lip in frustration, she glared straight at Camilla. “But I won’t let you speak badly of my dad’s gun. I demand you retract your statements.”
“Your father’s…?” Camilla studied Saya’s face. “Oh—would you happen to be Dr. Sasamiya’s daughter?”
There were hints of both familiarity and derision in her voice as she said that name.
“What if I am?” Saya said.
“All the more reason for me not to retract my criticism.” Camilla shrugged, and Saya’s glare turned even more piercing. “Dr. Sasamiya was dismissed from Allekant and our Ferrovius faction for his renegade views. Lux technology is power, and power must be granted not to individuals, but to the masses. That is the fundamental ideology of Ferrovius, and as its representative, I must reject his heresy.”
Saya and Camilla glared at each other, neither budging an inch. The air felt as heavy as a powder keg waiting for a spark.
Claudia rather theatrically cleared her throat, not a moment too soon. “My dear guests. Shall we attend to the matter that brings you here today?”
“Yes, let’s. My apologies.” With a heavy sigh, Camilla disengaged her gaze. She followed Claudia and turned her back on Saya.
“Wait. I will hear you retract your statements.” Saya kept glaring, but Camilla walked away without a reply.
“Camilla can be pretty stubborn once she gets like that! She’s not real big on changing her mind, I gotta say.” Ernesta, who had been taking in the scene with great interest, could barely restrain her delight. “Sooo…if you really insist, I guess you’ll have to do it by force! I mean, we do have rules for that.”
“…You mean, duel her?”
“Hee! No way, Camilla would never accept a duel challenge!” Ernesta waved her hand with a high laugh. “But, you know, the two of us are signed up to compete in the Phoenix.”
“The Phoenix?”
“If you keep winning, we’ll end up facing each other sometime.” While Ernesta’s eyes were full of mirth, she did not appear to be joking.
“Ernesta, time to go,” Camilla said from the doorway.
“Yeah! I’m c
oming!” Ernesta called, then skipped her way out of the training room. “Well, see you around, guys!”
“What a joke,” Julis muttered after a pause. “The both of them.”
She was beyond anger, simply astounded. She fetched the drink she’d left by the wall.
“They said they were fighting in the Phoenix,” Lester said. “But they’ve gotta be research class, right? They’re out of their minds.”
“Research class?” Ayato asked.
Lester looked astounded as he replied, “Students at Allekant are split up into research class, who work on developing Luxes and the like, and the practical class, who actually compete in the Festa. The researchers don’t actually fight…usually.”
“Huh…” Those two girls did appear to be Genestella, but they didn’t carry themselves like trained fighters. So then why…?
“Ayato.” As he was lost in thought, Saya tugged at the hem of his shirt.
“Hmm? What is it, Saya?”
“I’m going to fight in the Phoenix, too. I’ve decided.”
“The Phoenix? Well, sure, that’s fine, but it’s a tag team tournament. Who are you going to team up with?”
“With you, of course.”
At Saya’s casual declaration, Julis began to choke violently on her drink. “Excuse me?! He’s my partner!”
As Julis pulled hard on Ayato’s right arm, Saya wrapped herself around his left in response and tugged.
“…Monopoly is not allowed.”
“H-hold on, you two… Ow! Hey, that really hurts!”
He was being yanked to and fro like a toy in a children’s fight, but when the contenders were two Genestella, it was no laughing matter.
“Why don’t you team up with Lester? Like you did just now!” Ayato protested.
Saya’s response was immediate. “I don’t want to.”
“Me neither! No way am I tagging up with someone who’ll just blow me away along with the opponents!” Lester exclaimed. “Besides, I already have a tag team partner!”
“…Yes. That’s important. The only one who can dodge my attacks properly is Ayato.”
“That’s something for you to work on!” Julis scolded. “Besides, the deadline to register for the Phoenix is past! What do you plan to do about that?”
