Chapter 10

"Asterisk" - Speech

"Asterisk" - Speaking in whisper

Asterisk - Thoughts

-Asterisk- - Dreams, flashbacks

"Asterisk" - Machines and electronics

Asterisk - Names of weapons, titles

As a child, Claudia had always assumed she would walk the same path through life as her parents. She was a prodigy by every definition of the word, gifted with exceptional intelligence and physical ability. She was particularly astute when it came to carefully reading the people around her, easily intuiting what they desired and despised.

Moreover, she was endowed with such a fine control over words and mannerisms as to be able to create within others any impression of herself that she so desired.

Indeed, she ought to have been sufficiently qualified for such a future out of both raw ability and breeding. (Her family status was particularly important in the European integrated enterprise foundations.)

It shouldn't have been at all surprising to see her rise to the upper echelons of the IEF realm to sit among the handful of people who held in their hands the power to change the world. That was, if she hadn't been born a Genestella.

One day, things would change. The number of Genestella—or rather, the percentage of Genestella within the general population—was increasing, albeit slowly. In a few decades perhaps, or at the very most a few centuries, a time would come when the world's Genestella would shake off the shackles of being a feared minority.

But that time had yet to come. In today's world, Genestella were regarded as little more than freaks of nature. No matter how talented they were, no matter their achievements, there was no place for them in the upper reaches of the system.

Claudia's parents, Isabella and Nicholas, had, of course, understood that immediately, and so had Claudia by the time she was ten.

And yet, upon that realization, she hadn't succumbed to discouragement or despair.

She had no particularly strong desires, nor was she chasing any particular goals. She existed in a place far removed from such things as wants or passion. That was the kind of person Claudia Enfield was.

"Hiiyah!" A razor-sharp sword swept before her. Her opponent's gleaming golden locks danced through the air as she lunged forward, mimicking the way her own golden mane appeared before her eyes as she leaped out of the way.

"A formidable attack by contestant Blanchard! But contestant Enfield has dodged it by a fraction of an inch! Such a fierce contest for the final match of this Rondo Versailles!" There were many fighting tournaments that ranked below the Festa, but the Rondo, held in several western European countries, was among the most famous.

Entry was restricted to those under thirteen years of age, and there were far stricter safety requirements than the Festa.

All contestants were obliged to wear padded armor, only specially designated weapons were permitted—each of them Luxes with their power output set to their minimum level—and there was a complete prohibition on the use of special abilities.

In short, it was the closest thing to a Festa intended for children. That was also why a point system had been introduced—one gained points for landing a strike on an opponent's armor, with the winner being the contestant who scored the most.

There could be remarkable differences in the rate of physical growth among Genestella—particularly with regard to physique, muscular development, and the amount of one's prana.

While the situation tended to even out by the time children reached puberty, before that, the differences in prana levels were particularly evident, which meant that a person's ability to adequately defend themselves could be limited.

As such, safety measures were a necessity for such tournaments.

That caution wasn't, however, due to concern for the children's own well-being. Rather, the intention was to avoid damaging the goods up for appraisal. Most tournaments that ranked below the Festa didn't have much commercial value. Rather, they functioned more as opportunities to show off new talent to the various schools in Asterisk.

…You need to be at a high level to be shipped off to those exhibition shows that pass themselves off as schools, Claudia reflected as she dodged her opponent, who continued to flow toward her gracefully, as if in the middle of a dance.

That opponent—Laetitia Blanchard—had, like her, made it all the way to the final at the age of nine.

"Grrr, why won't you stay still?!" Laetitia raged, thrusting her blade upward. Claudia, though, parried the blow with her own short-sword-type Lux, before letting out a kindly laugh.

"You're improving, Laetitia."

"Rargh! Why are you always so calm?! Take this!" Her sword carved through the air at an unexpected angle, coming straight for Claudia's chest. The two had crossed swords countless times before, but this was the first time Claudia had seen Laetitia use such a move.

Laetitia curled her lips in faint smile, as if assured of victory.

However— "What?!

" Claudia swung her body with all her strength, letting the attack rush right past her, before she used her own sword to lash out in a quick flurry at the armor protecting Laetitia's legs, arms, and chest. Almost immediately, the sound announcing the end of the match echoed across the stage. Claudia, flashing her stunned opponent a gentle smile, deactivated her Lux.

"Sorry. That last move was a close one."

"Argh…!" Laetitia bit her lip, her face turning red in indignation. "Yyou just got lucky! Don't let it get to your head!"

"Luck? I see… You're probably right. Including the practice matches, that's seven in my favor now. You must be having an unlucky run, Laetitia."

"Rrgh… Th-that's…"

"But victory always requires some degree of luck, so might I suggest factoring that into your strategy next time?" Laetitia, angry and at a complete loss for words, looked upset enough to break down in tears. Claudia, however, still smiling, held out her hand.

"…That said, luck may be in your favor next time, too. If that happens, please don't be too hard on me."

"—!"

Laetitia turned around for a moment to wipe her eyes, before spinning back toward Claudia to take her hand. "Th-that's right! It's unladylike not to praise one's opponent… Congratulations, Claudia.

But next time, I'm definitely, definitely going to win!" she declared, her grin a little forced.

Her smile was unable to completely conceal her feelings, but it wasn't clear whether that was from the inability to tolerate the humiliation of defeat or her jealousy and envy toward the victor. It was clear, however, that her praise was honest. Claudia had to admit that she liked that side of Laetitia. The two girls shook hands to the cheers of the crowd.

Even if the Rondo didn't have much commercial value, it was, in its own way, afforded a great deal of attention. So many spectators had come to watch, in fact, that there hadn't even been enough seats for everyone.

"This year, we've seen the same two contestants fight off in the final as we did last time! And like last year, the winner is once again contestant Enfield!" Claudia broke into an amused smile at the commentator's voice.

"And besides, you weren't able to use your abilities, so I don't really think of myself as having beaten you," she whispered to Laetitia afterward. Laetitia was a Strega, capable of creating and controlling brilliant wings of light. She was still honing it into specialized offensive and defensive forms, but there was no mistaking that even in its current stage, it was an incredibly powerful ability.

The fact that using such abilities during the Rondo was prohibited meant Laetitia had fought with something of a handicap. "I-I'm not so shameful as to blame my loss on the rules!" she stammered. Laetitia herself was no doubt aware that it wasn't entirely luck that had decided the outcome; but her pride, it seemed, wouldn't let her admit that out loud.

"Besides, one of these days, I'll face you in a more suitable place, and then I shall defeat you!" she continued.

"Are you thinking of Asterisk, then?"

"Well, I mean, you'll be there, too," Laetitia replied, as if it were a predetermined fact.

"Yes, that's right… I suppose." Claudia herself wasn't entirely clear where she saw herself in the future. There was no doubt that the majority of people who participated in the Rondo hoped to one day enter Asterisk. For better or for worse, the Academic City in the Far East was the only place in the world where being a Genestella had any real meaning.

That said, it wasn't as if Claudia herself was particularly fixated on it. Whether it was entering the Rondo or polishing her skills, she had merely found herself caught up in the flow of events. She felt no more and no less about it than that. Looking at her own talents objectively, there was no mistaking that she would be able to distinguish herself at Asterisk.

At the same time, however, she also knew there were countless people hidden throughout the world with greater talent than she had. Moreover, crossing that wall wouldn't be an easy task, no matter one's determination and training.

If she did have the motivation to climb, there might have been some meaning to her going there. Unfortunately, however, she wasn't so foolish as to think she could challenge the way the world was put together. "

By the way, Laetitia… I've been wondering for a while now, but what is it you're doing with your manner of speech?" Claudia asked, changing the topic.

"Huh? U-uh, that's…" The other girl looked away, blushing. Laetitia usually had a slightly informal, childlike way of speaking. Now, however, her tone was unusually polite, almost overdone.

"Y-yes, well… The other day, I met a certain brother and sister… They were so wise and noble, I thought—well, I thought that they were so wonderful—and that I'd like to be like them, too, if I could, and get closer to them…," Laetitia explained, fidgeting nervously.

She must have been inspired to change her own character, Claudia thought. Given her somewhat naive way of thinking, that wasn't particularly unusual, and yet— "Do you perhaps mean the Fairclough siblings?"

"O-oh!" Laetitia said, her eyes lighting up. "Do you, ah, know them, perhaps?"

"Not at all. I've never met them. I have heard rumors, though." While they might not have appeared in public events such as the Rondo, it was a well-known fact that there were two siblings, brother and sister, from the famous Fairclough family, both of whom excelled in swordsmanship.

Moreover, in spite of their lack of public appearances, there was enough consistency to the rumors about their skills that they did seem to be the real deal.

"Ah, so that last technique of yours… Did you learn it from them?"

"W-well, you could…say that…," Laetitia replied, scratching at her cheek, her expression somewhere between bashfulness and pride.

"A-anyway, they said they'll be going to Asterisk, too, to Gallardworth, like me." Both the Fairclough family and the Blanchard family belonged to the same faction within Elliott-Pound, the integrated enterprise foundation that operated Saint Gallardworth Academy.

"You'll be going to Seidoukan, right? I'll look forward to seeing you in Asterisk," Laetitia said with a defiant grin, very much like the matter had already been determined.

"Hmm… One would think so, wouldn't they?" Claudia's answer, however, was accompanied by her usual vague smile. Things might end up happening that way, or they might not. For her, it made little difference.

"If I can, I want to be by your side forever," Saya said shyly in the light of the setting sun. Yukio, standing across from her, merely stared at her in mute astonishment.

"It's okay. You can give me your answer later… I just wanted to tell you," she added, before quickly turning around and rushing back in the direction of the girls' dormitory.

She quickened her pace, until finally she reached an area out of Yukio's line of sight.

There, she stepped off the path and hid in the shadow of a tree.

Leaning against the trunk, she put her hands together and raised them to her chest with a sigh. Her face, with cheeks flushed and eyes shut tight, was truly innocent.

(Few Days Later After Eshirou's Father kiddnapped Claudia)

"…You're saying that the Nights are making a move?"

"I guess Galaxy finally ran out of patience." "Hmph. It's none of my business," Dirk Eberwein spat, reclining in his chair in the Le Wolfe Black Institute's student council room, his usual frown carving deep wrinkles across his forehead.

"Dear me…," Madiath Mesa, on the other side of the air-window, said with an affected shrug. "If they do manage to get rid of her, it'll make Seidoukan a hell of a lot easier to deal with. I can't see them finding a replacement like her any time soon."

"I see. So even you value her abilities, in your own way," he joked. Dirk glared into the air-window. "If that's all you wanted to talk about, I'm hanging up. I'm afraid I don't have as much free time on my hands as you do."

"Now, now, hold on a minute. You're as hot-headed as always, I see," Madiath said, trying to soothe him. "No, the real issue is this: I only heard it a short while ago. It seems that our Miss Enfield knows about Varda."

"What…?" Upon hearing this, even Dirk's face paled in color. Both Dirk and Madiath were members of a select group known as the Golden Bough Alliance, which, along with certain high-ranking executives in Galaxy, were supposed to be the only people with knowledge of the greatest secrets, including the existence of the only Orga Lux capable of acting independently, based on its own will—the Varda-Vaos.

Everyone else who knew about it had either been quietly taken care of, or else they had their memories erased by the Orga Lux itself, the primary ability of which was mind control. "She must have brought it up either to try negotiating with Galaxy or else to threaten them. Something like that anyway."

"She's out of her mind." Trying to do something like that with an integrated enterprise foundation was practically the very definition of suicide.

"Indeed, that's what I'm worried about. Do you really think that someone whose abilities you respect so much would have made such a foolish mistake?"

"…What do you mean?"

"What I'm saying is that everything that's happened so far might all have been as she intended." Madiath paused for a second.

"Think about it. Galaxy brought in the Nights to deal with a student at their own school. That doesn't make any sense. If they had wanted to do something, they could have punished her under some made-up pretext and dealt with it all internally."

"So she started it all during the Festa, when Galaxy couldn't afford to do anything half-baked, and even went so far as to give the other foundations an opportunity to hold them back… What a snake."

"Considering the circumstances, the best option for Galaxy would simply be to make her disappear. In other words, assassinate her." Looking at it that way, there was a kind of logic to their actions. And yet…

"But that still leaves the biggest problem. Why would she do it?" From Claudia's perspective, she was only hemming herself in. There was no logical benefit to be had.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that… But there is one thing I can say for sure." "Yeah?" "She's human, just like us. It doesn't matter what her wish is—she's willing to sacrifice anything in order to fulfill it… Or rather, she doesn't even take those secondary matters into consideration to begin with."

"…Hmph."

"Don't lump me in with you," Dirk wanted to spit back. "Well, that's the situation, so we'd better keep an eye on her."

"What's the point? She's practically dead already." Night Emit wasn't only ancient, it was one of the most distinguished groups of its kind in the Far East. It didn't matter how great Claudia's abilities were—there was no way she would be able to escape.

"Indeed." Madiath laughed. "And yet, I've got a feeling we shouldn't take that for granted." He flashed Dirk a suspicious smile before ending the call.

"…" Dirk, left alone, crossed him arms and sank deep into thought.

Finally, with a click of his tongue, he opened another air-window. "Make sure Korona gets here quickly—before evening. And start spreading a rumor—indirectly. Seidoukan's student council president seems to be missing."

"…I see. Thanks, Julis. I'll call you later. Make sure you… Right, I'll leave it to you." Yukio closed the small air-window and let out a tired sigh.

"She isn't in her dorm room," he muttered in a low voice. "And according to Julis, it looks like there was a fight of some kind…"

He was sitting alone at a four-person table in the back of a gloomy diner on the outskirts of the commercial area, a cup of mud-like coffee in his hand.

"Just as I thought," a voice from behind him said. She too had spoken so softly that he could barely make out the words, but the voice belonged to the student council vice president of Saint Gallardworth Academy, Laetitia Blanchard.

Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as the young lady, her elegance quite at odds with the somewhat cheerless diner, lifted her cup of tea to her lips.

There was no denying that she stood out, but there was nothing he could do about that.

"Anyway, I'm surprised you knew this place. It's certainly suitable for off-the-record talks… Although the clientele leaves something to be desired." Laetitia spoke as if she was somehow impressed with the place and yet at the same time taking issue with it.

"No, I only found out about it from someone else…," Yukio explained, looking down into his coffee.

It was the same diner where he had gone with Irene for information on Flora's kidnapping during the last Festa.

It was, after all, a rather shady establishment, so it was little wonder that Laetitia found it suspicious.

In other words, it was more suited to students from Le Wolfe than from Gallardworth.

"Well, you're helping me out, so I won't pry. I'm not very familiar with these kinds of places, and yet…"

"…And yet?"

"I'm not impressed that you frequent such a dubious place. I've heard that you often go to the Rotlicht as well. If you're going to be 81 friends with Claudia, you really need to think about improving your character a little."

"I came here for a specific reason last time…," he tried to explain, but Laetitia wouldn't hear it. "The Enfield family is just as distinguished in Europe as the Blanchard family. If you go around behaving in a way unbecoming of that name, it won't just reflect poorly on you—you'll drag Claudia down as well. And if that happens, I'll never forgive you."

"Right…" For some reason, Laetitia seemed to be taking offense at all the wrong things. It was clear, however, from the way she was speaking, that she truly was worried for Claudia.

"Listen up, Yukio Amagiri! If I'm being honest, I still haven't accepted you. I'm only asking for your help now because I don't have any other options. Keep that in mind!"

"Right… So what did you want to tell me?" he prompted. If he let her keep going on like that, she might never tell him.

"Yes… Ahem. Very well," she said, clearing her throat. Ayato had only suggested the diner in the first place because she had said that she wanted to speak to him in person. After all, it sounded like they couldn't afford to talk over the phone.

"I want to find Claudia as quickly as possible as well," he told her. She seemed to hesitate for the briefest of moments, before answering: "Then you need to hear this. It might prove vital to save her." In that case, she needed to come out with it, Ayato thought.

"…Just so you know, it was Claudia herself who told me this, and she made me promise not tell anyone else. I always intended to honor that promise, but now… Now I guess I don't have any choice."

"What is it?" But instead of answering him, Laetitia asked a question of her own: "Before that, do you know what Claudia's wish is—why she came to Asterisk?"

"Well… She wants to meet Ladislav Bartošik, the professor who was involved in the Jade Twilight Incident." Claudia had said as much during their winners' interview several days ago, so that should have been public knowledge. Ayato personally, however, couldn't help but wonder if her real goal wasn't something else.

"Indeed. I saw her say that during the interview. But you know… That's completely different than what she told me once before."

"What…?" Ayato was about to turn around, when, perhaps sensing this, Laetitia continued: "Let me start from the beginning. She and I used to be rivals, always competing against each other for victory in tournaments throughout Europe… In the end, I wasn't ever able to beat her, though…"

"Right…" Laetitia's voice was filled with chagrin, muffled, as if she were biting on a handkerchief. "Ahem. Anyway, during one tournament, she was in unusually high spirits. And she told me that she had finally found a wish that she wanted to have granted."

"She was in high spirits? Claudia…?" Ayato had only known her for just over a year, but he had yet to see that side of her. "Yes. I was surprised, too. I asked her to tell me, but she wouldn't say anything more about it. I ended up getting so angry that I made a bet with her that if I won the next match, she would have to tell me everything."

"…But didn't you just say you weren't able to beat her?" In that case, she must have lost that bet.

Perhaps she had taken offense at those words, as she continued in a serious, quick voice: "R-right, but don't interrupt! She was clearly acting strange during that tournament. I heard afterward that she had just gotten her hands on the Pan-Dora. She couldn't use it because of the tournament's regulations, but still…"

"The Pan-Dora…? Wait, hold on. I thought you said this happened when you were both still kids?" Orga Luxes were only supposed to be used inside Asterisk.

Of course, there were always exceptions, such as when Ayato had gone to Lieseltania, so it wasn't impossible to take them outside the city, given that the user undertook the proper administrative procedures. Moreover, a winner in the Festa might use their wish to take private possession of an Orga Lux, but even in such cases, ownership would only last for the user's lifetime, before reverting to the relevant foundation. Giving one to a child who wasn't even a student at Asterisk, however—that was an extraordinary exception.

"I was surprised to hear it, too… But then, given her mother's position, it probably wasn't all that difficult. Even then, the woman was already close to the top at Galaxy. Moreover, I don't think she had it all the time. They sent it back every now and then for analysis." Laetitia paused there, sipping from her cup of tea. "Anyway, that's how it was. She clearly wasn't in a good way, and the final ended in a draw."

"A draw…?"

"Neither of us won, and neither of us lost. So after making me promise never to tell anyone, she offered to tell me half of her wish," Laetitia said with a small sigh. "Her wish—Claudia's wish—was to dedicate herself fully to her destined partner." "…Huh?" Ayato inadvertently let that out, taken aback by what he had just heard. "Dedicate herself? To her destined partner?" He had no idea what kind of person she had been as a child, but that kind of thing certainly didn't match the Claudia he knew. "Well, I was just as confused when I heard it. At first, I thought she was pulling my leg, so I asked her about this destined partner. And she told me that she hadn't met him yet." Ayato could understand why she would think Claudia had been joking.

"But then she went to Seidoukan and rose to the position of student council president… And then, watching her actions, it suddenly all made sense to me. That destined partner she was talking about—it has to be you, Ayato Amagiri."

"What?!" he exclaimed, spinning around. Realizing what he had done, he quickly turned back to his own table, lowering his voice: "…How did that happen?"

"To tell you the truth, at first, I thought you must have tricked her, but now…"

"I—I didn't do anything like that…"

"Don't worry. I'm not that bad a judge of character. I can tell from what you've done so far that, if nothing else, you're not a bad person at heart." Despite her words, there did seem to be a touch of displeasure in her voice. "Anyway, she put a huge amount of effort— and not just her own—into finding you and recommending you for a special scholarship. You, with no achievements, nothing at all to your name. That was the only time she had ever done anything like that— so I knew right away, it had to be you."

"…" Ayato remained silent. He, too, had long wondered why the opportunity had come to him of all people. He had tried to ask her about it the first time they had met. After all, he wasn't the kind of outstanding student who would be considered a candidate for a scholarship—let alone be offered one. Claudia had said there had been a lot of opposition, but she had pushed through with his candidacy regardless. But in that case, how had she known about him to begin with? "…This is just a guess, but I think she must have seen you in those nightmares that she has from using the Pan-Dora." "The Pan-Dora…? But I thought her memories of those faded away when she woke up?" He was sure she had said something like that.

"That does seem to be the case. But she must have said something like this as well, that some fragments and impressions remain. What do you think? Even if they are just fragments, would they really be so strong as to completely change someone's outlook on life?" In the back of his mind, Ayato remembered something Claudia had said back when they had first met.

"At last… We meet at last." She had embraced him from behind, in the middle of the student council room. Thinking back, her actions then had been completely at odds with her usual self. She had spoken with a fragile, helpless voice—a voice that he hadn't heard again since.

"Basically, she must have met you in her dreams and fallen for you… Then she decided to come here, to Asterisk, meet you, and dedicate herself to you. That must have been her wish. To be honest, I think it's a pretty stupid one, but that's a different matter." Personally, Ayato found it somewhat difficult to accept, but when he looked at it objectively, he couldn't deny that it all made sense.

"But then why does she have to participate in the Festa…?" If Laetitia's conclusions were true, then there would have been no need for Claudia to fight in the Gryps or make an enemy of Galaxy.

"Exactly!" Laetitia let out enthusiastically, as if she had only been building up to this point. "She only told me half her wish—so the other half has to be related to what's going on now."

"The other half… Do you think it has something to do with Professor Bartošik and the Jade Twilight Incident?" Ayato couldn't see much of a connection between the two issues.

"That's what I want to ask you… Ayato Amagiri, what do you know about it?"

"…Me?" But there was no way he could know any more about the incident than she already did.

"I hadn't even heard of the professor until Claudia brought him up," he answered with a shake of his head—though he knew that Laetitia couldn't see it. "Really? You're not hiding anything?"

"No, I swear."

"Hmm… Fine." Laetitia's voice seemed to be filled with disappointment. "Anyway, all that aside, you must be one of the most important keys to this mystery. I'm sure of it."

"Well… I guess so." He didn't feel so sure himself, but based on everything she had said, he couldn't deny the possibility that she might be right. "So you need to find her and convince her to give up on it. You're the only one who would be able to do it."

"That's…," he began, before falling silent, at a loss for words. Did he even have the right to make her give up on her wish, he wondered, especially given everything she had done to come this far?

"Even assuming that she manages to pull through this, once the integrated enterprise foundations start to do something, they never give up. You understand that, right? In this world, to oppose the integrated enterprise foundations is basically to sign your own death warrant. No matter what that wish of hers is, it can't be worth more than her life." It was clear from Laetitia's sincerity that she was truly concerned about her. That was enough for Ayato.

"…All right," he said with a nod. There probably were wishes that people would be willing to stake one's life on, he thought. But even so, he didn't want to lose Claudia over it.

"…In that case, I'll believe in you. Take this." A small silver charm dropped onto the sofa where Ayato was sitting.

"What is it?"

"Claudia gave it to me as a birthday present a long time ago. It's supposed to bring good luck… Although, it was a pretty unpleasant present."

"Unpleasant…?" Ayato had no idea what she was talking about. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, please give it to her. She can think of it as my revenge, if she wants."

Ayato stepped out of the diner into a dark, early fall day. The sun was hidden behind thick clouds, and the damp wind carried a distinctive aroma. According to the weather forecast, rain was expected later in the evening.

"…Anyway, I need to find Claudia," he muttered to himself as he hurried toward the road leading back to the school. What could have motivated her to do this?

He had no choice but to ask her directly. If, as Laetitia had said, he was one of the keys to the mystery, he had to find her no matter what it took.

Just as he had come to that realization, his mobile began to ring. He hurriedly opened an air-window, only to be met with an unexpected face.

"Huh? Sylvie?"

"Ayato, I heard what happened. It sounds serious."

"Ah, yeah. It is… But how did you find out about it?"

"I am a student council president, you know, and here at Queenvale we do have our own intelligence organization, Benetnasch. They aren't half bad." Just like Laetitia had at Gallardworth, it looked like the other schools were starting to catch on to the situation, if belatedly.

"That's it! Can you use Benetnasch to try to work out where she is right now?" he asked, a glimmer of hope having revealed itself. Sylvia, however, merely shook her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Ayato. They didn't say anything about her current whereabouts, and I doubt they would tell me even if they do know." Just as a part of him had expected, the higher-ups at Queenvale also considered the best approach to be to let things play out. They would, of course, know about Sylvia's friendship with Ayato, and so there was little chance that they would divulge such information to her.

"But you know, I've been thinking about it myself, and—" But before she could finish speaking, the air-window suddenly went black.

"…Huh? No signal?" That was not a message he expected to see in the middle of Asterisk. With the exception of certain areas, such as the underground block where Saya had found herself several days ago, there should have been good reception throughout the entire city.

Wondering what was going on, Yukio lifted his gaze to his surroundings and paused in shock. Without him realizing it, the scenery around him had completely changed. The streets were devoid of passersby, and the buildings around him were in a dilapidated state. He was in the redevelopment area.

"How did I…?" He should have been going in the other direction, back toward Seidoukan, and yet, he had found himself here. Not only that, now that he had stopped in the middle of the street, a thick fog had begun to rise up around him. It was clearly an atypical mistake. He put himself on guard, scanning his surroundings, when a ghostlike figure began to emerge from the mist.

"—?!"

"…It's a concealment technique, one that interferes with the target's sense of direction. It's practically impossible to counter if the target doesn't realize what's happened to them."

"Huh? That voice… Yabuki?!"

"Yep, right on the mark." The figure continued toward him through the fog, until finally Yukio could make out his roommate's features. He was wearing a hood, and while his eyes were completely hidden, Yukio could make out a faint smile. "What are you doing here?"

(More Days Later)

"Ah…! I've been waiting for you…" Claudia's jubilant smile was covered in mud and blood. A moment later, she was engulfed in a black whirlwind as the silhouette of a figure wielding a giant sword came soaring to her aid.

"Claudia, are you okay?" Ayato called out as he shielded her from her opponent. He wanted to tend to her wounds as soon as possible, but first, he would have to deal with the danger standing across from them.

"I can't say that it doesn't hurt… But at least my life isn't in immediate danger anymore."

"Right. That's a relief." In that case, the worst seemed to be over. But when he thought about what would have happened had he arrived even a moment later, he couldn't stop a violent wave of anger from welling up inside him.

"Boy… You must be the MuraKorikumo?" the old man asked softly. Yukio nodded, raising the Ser Veresta toward him.

"And you must be Bujinsai Yabuki?"

"Oh, so you've heard of me?"

"From your son." Bujinsai scratched at his chin in apparent embarrassment.

"Yes, I see. You share a room with that idiot son of mine, don't you? Does he give you any trouble?"

"Please, step aside." Even knowing that the old man would never agree to it, he had to ask.

After all, Bujinsai was his friend's father.

He could barely hold down his rage at the thought of what he had been about to do to Claudia, and he would, of course, never be able to forgive him for it, but it would be best for everyone if they could resolve the situation peacefully.

"Ha! You're direct, I'll give you that. Not a bad quality… But I'm afraid I can't oblige." Bujinsai's lips curled into a broad smile as he began to spin his staff in a circle. Yukio's sense of warning continued to grow more urgent.

"…Then, can you at least give me a minute?"

"Hmm?" The man frowned. Yukio's sense of warning abated slightly. Taking this to mean that the request had been agreed to, he bent down to face Claudia— without, of course, letting down his guard. "Yukio…" Claudia, her eyes damp with tears, stretched a hand out to his face. Placing it softly in his own, Yukio used his free hand to take something out of his pocket.

"Claudia, a friend of yours wanted me to give you this."

"Huh…?" Confusion spread across Claudia's almost-feverish face. "What…?"

"It's from Laetitia," he added, placing the silver amulet into her hand. She was so exhausted that she almost dropped it, so Ayato instead put it into her breast pocket.

"I think it's supposed to be a good luck charm."

"N-no, I know that… But why…?" She seemed genuinely confused, but before Ayato could ask her why, he sensed a sudden foreboding emanating from just a short distance away. Bujinsai, it seemed, wasn't willing to wait any longer.

"Sorry, Claudia. It'll be over soon."

"Um…" Claudia reached out to him as if to hold him back, but she quickly relented, flashing him her usual smile.

"No, it's nothing. Good luck, Yukio." Yukio returned the smile, before turning back to Bujinsai.

"My apologies. I don't mean to interrupt your final tryst, but I've got a lot on my plate. I can't afford to waste any more time."

"…That's okay. Because this won't be the last time," Yukio replied casually.

Bujinsai immediately launched into his attack, casting a flurry of tobikunai in Yukio's direction, along with a volley of shuriken arcing down from above.

Yukio deflected the blades with the Ser Veresta, about to rush toward his opponent, but during the short instant he'd taken his eyes off him, he had disappeared.

"—!" If he hadn't fought Eishirou, if he hadn't already been familiar with this strategy of circling around one's opponent's back, that would have been the end of it.

His forward dive to dodge the oncoming strike was all but reflexive, and while he plunged headfirst into a pool of water, that was by far the better of the two options.

Had he not done so, his head might have been sliced clean from his body.

"Oh?" Bujinsai, his staff having carved through nothing but air, glanced toward Yukio suspiciously.

"Don't tell me you saw that coming…?" He seemed to have realized how he had done it.

"So be it. In that case, I'll take your head from the front." Bujinsai's body swayed back and forth, melting into the rain, until all of a sudden, he was standing directly in front of him. He's fast!

Yukio quickly raised the Ser Veresta to counterattack—when he remembered what Eishirou had told him earlier:

"Are you listening, Yukio? If you're gonna fight my father, let me give you a word of advice. It's practically impossible to land a blow on him. The same thing goes when trying to dodge his attacks. So—"

Ayato readied the Ser Veresta in a defensive stance, concentrating his prana. "Ugh…!"

"What?!" The attack, aimed squarely for Ayato's neck, reached its target, but fortunately, Yukio's head was still in place. He had focused his prana on several places throughout his body to increase his defense—the areas not protected by the Ser Veresta, such as his neck, hands, and feet. The older man's strikes were so precise that they ended up being easily read. Bujinsai recoiled slightly, giving Ayato an opening to slash back with the Ser Veresta and put some distance between them. He lifted his free hand to his neck. It seemed to be bleeding, but the wound wasn't deep.

"I see. Knowing that you couldn't dodge it, you decided to withstand the blow. I suppose that's only possible thanks to that incredible amount of prana you seem to have." It was as Bujinsai said—Ayato's defense had consumed such a large amount of prana that if a regular Genestella had attempted it, they would have quickly run dry.

"You must realize that you're only sprinkling water on parched soil. You seem to have some idea about my techniques, but if you pour everything into defense, how will you strike back? Sooner or later, you'll have exhausted everything you have."

"…" Bujinsai's words were spot-on.

Even if he was able to hold out for a short while, without changing his strategy, there would be no way to defeat the older man.

However— "Just in case, I prepared two strategies before coming here. Do you want to see them?"

"Oh?"

"Then again, they both involve outright attacks, so maybe strategy isn't the right word." Ayato tightened his grip on the Ser Veresta, before lashing out with his first one. Bujinsai jumped backward diagonally, jumping against the side of a nearby crane and onto the platform above. Ayato chased after him the same way, swinging the Ser Veresta to the side. Bujinsai spun through the air, before landing on the roof of a warehouse—and swung his staff toward Ayato's head just as he landed beside him. Again, Ayato concentrated his prana to endure the blow, before lashing out with an attack of his own. He sliced upward from below, then downward from above, as his opponent tried to dodge. The older man's staff-shaped Lux might have been of unusual construction, but it was unable to block against the Ser Veresta. He could do nothing but throw himself in the opposite direction, just as Ayato followed through with another lunge. This first strategy that Ayato had prepared was to drastically increase the number of his attacks. It stood to reason that even Bujinsai couldn't keep using his techniques indefinitely. In that case, no matter how many times he managed to dodge them, Ayato simply had to keep pressing the assault, up until his opponent exhausted himself. 152 "Heh…heh… You're certainly pushing it, calling this a strategy," Bujinsai goaded, continuing to launch his own attacks while dodging Ayato's blade. Even so, Ayato concentrated his prana and withstood them all, frantically swinging the Ser Veresta at his opponent. His body was taking on one injury after another, and blood was beginning to soak into his clothes, but he couldn't afford to falter. "Amagiri Shinmei Style, Middle Technique—Ten-Thorned Thistle!" But Bujinsai effortlessly dodged the surprise swing. "Ha-ha, I know that move!" "Wha—?!" During the brief window in which the technique had left him open, the older man lunged out at him with the palm of his hand, throwing him from the top of the roof. He landed flat on the ground, and while he wasted no time pulling himself to his feet, Bujinsai was already there to meet him. He's much more powerful than I was expecting… To begin with, their techniques were at a completely different caliber. If it was to come down to brute physical strength, Ayato would have probably had the lead, but taking into account their respective tactics and the timing of their attacks, the advantage undoubtedly lay with Bujinsai. On top of that…

"Oh? So you noticed? That's right—I'm familiar with your Amagiri Shinmei style."

"…I see…" Whether he had mastered the fighting style or not, there would have been no way that he would have been able to take advantage of the opening left by the Ten-Thorned Thistle if that was his first time seeing it.

"My clan has been around for a long time, boy. We've kept records of every opponent that we've faced over the centuries, all passed down and recorded for posterity. And in that time, we've faced several users of your style." The Amagiri Shinmei style was an old school of swordsmanship, so it wasn't altogether unusual that that should be the case. And it explained how Bujinsai had seen through not only the technique itself, but also the trajectory of his attack. But in that case, it would probably be difficult to defeat him simply by increasing the number and rate of his attacks.

"Now then, why don't you show me this second strategy of yours?" Bujinsai asked, as if reading his thoughts. "

I don't need you to tell me that…!"

"Oh…?"

"Haaaaaaaaah!" With an almighty cry and his hands gripping the Ser Veresta as tightly as he could, Ayato poured his prana into the blade. He was using Meteor Arts. According to Eishirou, the Yabuki's techniques involved affecting their opponents' subconsciousness to disrupt their actions. In that case, he would use an attack so large that it wouldn't matter even if his aim was disrupted.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaa!" Yukio poured his prana and mana into the sword, instantly triggering mana excitation overload in its urm-manadite core, causing the blade to extend to more than five yards in length, before swinging it down in front of him.

"Hmph…!" The blade, however, made contact only with an afterimage of his opponent. Bujinsai, it seemed, had effortlessly evaded the strike.

Ayato had succeeded in cutting through only the streetlight behind him, which came crashing down into the lake. The rain, still pouring around them, evaporated as soon as it hit the long blade of the Orga Lux, causing a haze of white steam to rise up around them.

"I see you've turned to a brute-force approach. Do you really think that gigantic thing will be able to reach me?" Bujinsai scoffed, casting a flurry of at least a dozen more tobi-kunai toward him.

"Ugh!" In its current state, the Ser Veresta was too large to knock them all down.

His only option was to leap to safety.

But as if having already anticipated that, Bujinsai suddenly appeared right in front of him.

"I won't let you get away this time. Even if you do try to withstand it, I'll just have to whittle your prana down bit by bit…" The old man's eyes glowed darkly as he approached ever closer.

This was the chance that Yukio had been waiting for.

Letting go of the Ser Veresta and concentrating his prana into his stomach to endure the powerful slash, he clasped his hands around his opponent as strongly as he could.

This is the only way to bring down a faster, more skilled opponent…!

"What?!" It was the same strategy he had used in a duel against Kirin.

The Amagiri Shinmei style was originally developed to be used by those dressed in full battle armor, and so the purpose of its grappling techniques wasn't to strike one's opponents or knock them aside, but rather to pin them down.

After all, once an armored opponent was pushed into the ground, further resistance was all but impossible.

As such, he had resorted to one of his school's oldest and most inelegant moves: "Amagiri Shinmei Style Grappling Technique—Twisted Vine!" He grabbed Bujinsai's arm, pushing himself toward his opponent as he kicked his legs out from under him.

He was, in short, throwing his whole body on top of him, so it wouldn't matter too much if Bujinsai managed to interfere with his movements.

"Ngh…!" If Bujinsai was as knowledgeable about the Amagiri Shinmei style as he appeared, he would probably know how to free himself from his situation, so Ayato immediately moved into his next attack, concentrating his prana into his fist and slamming it down into the soldier's chest.

"Amagiri Shinmei Style Grappling Technique—Divine Hammer!"

"Koff…!" Yukio had put so much strength into the strike that the air around him trembled, the shock coursing straight through Bujinsai's body and shattering the ground into a small crater beneath him. It was a more advanced version of the technique that he had used against Eishirou, made more powerful by his having poured his prana into the attack. This should do it… "—!" But as soon as Ayato, thinking he had snatched victory, relaxed his guard, Bujinsai's eyes suddenly snapped open. Ayato's body immediately turned stiff, leaving him unable to so much as lift a finger. A binding technique…?! Left completely defenseless, Bujinsai drove the palm of his hand into Yukio's stomach.

"Ngh!"

158 The attack sent him flying through the air, crashing into the ground before he could have any chance to prepare for the impact.

"Serves you right, you damn kid…!" Bujinsai spat out a ball of blood before wiping at his mouth with his fist.

"Now you've gone and done it. I wasn't going easy on you or letting down my guard, but I suppose some part of me wanted to see what you could pull off. I guess I'll have to be more careful." The man's words, finally shedding their false dispassion, rang with indignation.

"Argh…" Yukio forced himself to move, albeit only slightly, but most of his body remained frozen in place. The best he could do was force himself to his feet, though unsteadily. "It's over for you. The immobilization effect hasn't worn off yet. I'm impressed that you can do this much, but now…," Bujinsai trailed off, balancing his staff against the ground, and effortlessly cast eight separate tobi-kunai toward him.

"—!" Ayato was in no condition to dodge them. Barely managing to raise his hands to protect his face, he poured his prana into his body in an attempt to withstand the blows. If he couldn't free himself from this binding technique, he was finished. Continuing to let his prana flow through his body, he glanced between his clenched fingers covering his eyes and caught his breath at the sight of his opponent.

"…I wonder how much you can endure?" Bujinsai murmured, another round of tobi-kunai already clenched between his fingers. He can't mean to do it like this…?! The man intended to engulf him in a storm of steel.

Each and every one of Bujinsai's endless shower of blades found their targets, tearing into Ayato's flesh, rasping against his bones. Ayato gritted his teach, trying to weather the pain, but he could feel his prana decreasing at a frightening pace.

But just before it could reach him— "Ayato!" Claudia leaped in front of him.

"Claudia!" he cried back, but he was too late. Fresh blood flowered amid the cold, dark rain. extend to more than five yards in length, before swinging it down in front of him.

"Hmph…!" The blade, however, made contact only with an afterimage of his opponent. Bujinsai, it seemed, had effortlessly evaded the strike. Yukio had succeeded in cutting through only the streetlight behind him, which came crashing down into the lake. The rain, still pouring around them, evaporated as soon as it hit the long blade of the Orga Lux, causing a haze of white steam to rise up around them.

"I see you've turned to a brute-force approach. Do you really think that gigantic thing will be able to reach me?" Bujinsai scoffed, casting a flurry of at least a dozen more tobi-kunai toward him.

"Ugh!" In its current state, the Ser Veresta was too large to knock them all down. His only option was to leap to safety. But as if having already anticipated that, Bujinsai suddenly appeared right in front of him.

"I won't let you get away this time. Even if you do try to withstand it, I'll just have to whittle your prana down bit by bit…" The old man's eyes glowed darkly as he approached ever closer. This was the chance that Yukio had been waiting for.

Letting go of the Ser Veresta and concentrating his prana into his stomach to endure the powerful slash, he clasped his hands around his opponent as strongly as he could. This is the only way to bring down a faster, more skilled opponent…!

"What?!" It was the same strategy he had used in a duel against Kirin.

The Amagiri Shinmei style was originally developed to be used by those dressed in full battle armor, and so the purpose of its grappling techniques wasn't to strike one's opponents or knock them aside, but rather to pin them down.

After all, once an armored opponent was pushed into the ground, further resistance was all but impossible. As such, he had resorted to one of his school's oldest and most inelegant moves: "Amagiri Shinmei Style Grappling Technique—Twisted Vine!" He grabbed Bujinsai's arm, pushing himself toward his opponent as he kicked his legs out from under him.

He was, in short, throwing his whole body on top of him, so it wouldn't matter too much if Bujinsai managed to interfere with his movements.

"Ngh…!"

If Bujinsai was as knowledgeable about the Amagiri Shinmei style as he appeared, he would probably know how to free himself from his situation, so Ayato immediately moved into his next attack, concentrating his prana into his fist and slamming it down into the soldier's chest.

"Amagiri Shinmei Style Grappling Technique—Divine Hammer!"

"Koff…!" Yukio had put so much strength into the strike that the air around him trembled, the shock coursing straight through Bujinsai's body and shattering the ground into a small crater beneath him.

It was a more advanced version of the technique that he had used against Eishirou, made more powerful by his having poured his prana into the attack. This should do it…

"—!" But as soon as Ayato, thinking he had snatched victory, relaxed his guard, Bujinsai's eyes suddenly snapped open. Ayato's body immediately turned stiff, leaving him unable to so much as lift a finger. A binding technique…?! Left completely defenseless, Bujinsai drove the palm of his hand into Ayato's stomach. "Ngh!" 158 The attack sent him flying through the air, crashing into the ground before he could have any chance to prepare for the impact. "Serves you right, you damn kid…!" Bujinsai spat out a ball of blood before wiping at his mouth with his fist.

"Now you've gone and done it. I wasn't going easy on you or letting down my guard, but I suppose some part of me wanted to see what you could pull off. I guess I'll have to be more careful." The man's words, finally shedding their false dispassion, rang with indignation.

"Argh…" Yukio forced himself to move, albeit only slightly, but most of his body remained frozen in place. The best he could do was force himself to his feet, though unsteadily.

"It's over for you. The immobilization effect hasn't worn off yet. I'm impressed that you can do this much, but now…," Bujinsai trailed off, balancing his staff against the ground, and effortlessly cast eight separate tobi-kunai toward him.

"—!" Yukio was in no condition to dodge them. Barely managing to raise his hands to protect his face, he poured his prana into his body in an attempt to withstand the blows.

If he couldn't free himself from this binding technique, he was finished.

Continuing to let his prana flow through his body, he glanced between his clenched fingers covering his eyes and caught his breath at the sight of his opponent.

"…I wonder how much you can endure?" Bujinsai murmured, another round of tobi-kunai already clenched between his fingers. He can't mean to do it like this…?! The man intended to engulf him in a storm of steel.

Each and every one of Bujinsai's endless shower of blades found their targets, tearing into Yukio's flesh, rasping against his bones. Yukio gritted his teach, trying to weather the pain, but he could feel his prana decreasing at a frightening pace.

"Haah… Haah…!" But there was nothing he could do. He couldn't even get his body to move as he wanted it. When finally it came to an end, dozens, perhaps even hundreds of the small throwing blades had struck Yukio's body.

The blades seemed to be composed of some mysterious substance, as they quickly began to soften away in the rain, melting into a puddle of a strange black liquid building up at his feet.

Yukio fell to his knees, letting the strange liquid splash all over him.

His prana had reached its limit.

His whole body was covered in wounds. "…I guess it's time." Bujinsai, staring down at him, raised his staff to deliver the final blow. Bujinsai approached slowly, without revealing even the slightest opening.

This… This is bad… Yukio's vision was growing blurred, and though he strove to muster what remained of his strength, he couldn't bring his body to move.

And then— "Yukio! Get ahold of yourself! You've got more in you than this!" —Claudia's voice, strong and clear, came rushing toward him. Her words were filled with confidence. She wasn't merely trying to console or encourage him.

And with that, before he knew it, he had brought himself to his feet amid the darkness. Or more precisely, he was overlooking himself from above, watching another version of him lift himself up.

This is… Though at a loss, he immediately understood. He had experienced this before. He was looking at an image—an image of the chains that bound him.

Like last time, there were three locks attached to the chains.

The first lay shattered, the second unlocked.

And the third…remained clasped shut.

He slowly unfolded his clenched hand, revealing a glimmering key.

He understood it immediately.

The key was still incomplete.

It needed more. Even so, he didn't hesitate to insert it into the third lock.

Even if it was incomplete, even if it wasn't enough, even if, like when he first broke the first lock, it only lasted for a short length of time, if he could just break free now…

"Now then, let's finish this." Bujinsai raised his staff toward the stormy sky as he prepared to bring it down upon Yukio's exposed neck.

It had taken longer than he had intended, but now he would finally be able to clear away this final obstacle.

All that would be left would be to take care of the target, and his work here would be complete. Or at least, that was how it should have happened.

"—?!"

And yet, the strike, which should have sheared its target's head clean from his shoulders, cut through nothing but air.

Yukio, who had been kneeling weakly on the ground, had completely disappeared. Taken aback, Bujinsai spun around—only to see the boy standing calmly a few yards away.

"When did you…?! No, more importantly…" Bujinsai inadvertently took a step backward, staring at Yukio, who continued to stand motionless in the rain.

His face was unreadable, tilted toward the ground, while a powerful force emanated from his body.

His prana had been on the verge of depletion, his body covered in injuries and bleeding profusely and Freezing body cells, and now he was unarmed as well.

And yet— I've got a bad feeling about this… A cold sweat began to run down Bujinsai's back.

He wanted neither to admit it nor to believe it, but his instincts told him he was in danger.

I'm not going to let some kid get the better of me!

Trying to shake off his uneasiness, he cast four tobi-kunai toward Yukio to distract him while shortening the distance between them.

The binding technique was another application of the Yabuki clan's secret Void Tide ability, intended to put the subject into a state of extreme tension so they found themselves unable to control their body.

Its biggest weakness was that the user had to be looking into the subject's eyes at close range.

Bujinsai couldn't work out why it had stopped working, but if he could just activate it once more, he would be able to finish everything once and for all.

"…" Yukio, in total silence, moved his body slightly to dodge each of the airborne blades one by one.

Bujinsai, of course, had taken such a possibility into account.

The tobi-kunai had been no more than a distraction—and one that had given him the opening he needed to get close enough to— "Gah…?!"

Before he could properly react, however ,Yukio's clenched fist slammed into his chin. I-impossible…! How can he be this fast…?! He hadn't even had a chance to use the Void Tide technique. There was no obvious reason for his opponent's change. But despite that, his level of skill had undergone an unfathomable transformation. What the hell just happened…?!

In his confusion, Bujinsai quickly leaped back to safety. Only then did he realize what he had done— He had lost sight of the boy. And at that very instant, his long-cultivated intuition warned him of a fast-approaching source of danger coming from directly behind him. That's… That's our technique…! "Rending the five vital organs and crushing the four limbs—" Bujinsai spun around, but the voice continued to echo in his ears.

"Amagiri Shinmei Style Grappling Technique—Nine-Fanged Hammer!"

At that instant, a tempest of nine consecutive strikes slammed into him, breaking both his arms, crushing his legs, and gouging into his liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—the final blow delivered with unimaginable force.

"Gargh?!" His body went flying into the base of a large crane, the shock strong enough to practically impale him on the machinery. "Ugh… I-impossible! How could this…?" His broken voice filled with resentment, he could do nothing but watch as Yukio slowly stepped toward him.

It was a strange feeling. He didn't feel as if there was any new power welling up inside him, but rather like he had returned to how his body was supposed to be. He had merely followed his instincts, and just like that, he had overpowered his opponent.

"…But it's not over yet," he murmured.

Even having been subject to the Nine-Fanged Hammer, Bujinsai didn't appear to have lost his will to fight.

He probably wouldn't be able to stop him unless he knocked him unconscious, Yukio thought.

He stepped forward, preparing to deal the final blow—when he suddenly fell to his knees, letting out a terrible scream as an overwhelming pain began to take hold.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" His time was up. Magic rings appeared around him, spewing out fresh chains that wrapped about his body.

"N-no! Not yet…!" Yukio let out a mute curse. But his sister's ability was too powerful.

There was no way he could resist it. Bujinsai began to smile, an expression of relief and dead assurance. He cast a fresh tobi-kunai toward him

. In his current state, Yukio could do nothing to dodge it, nothing but watch as the black blade approached, as if in slow-motion.

He had fought to the bitter end, but his efforts, it seemed, had come to nothing.

But just before it could reach him— "Yukio!" Claudia leaped in front of him.

"Claudia!" he cried back, but he was too late. Fresh blood flowered amid the cold, dark rain.

"Claudia!" Yukio ignored the intense pain running through his body as he swooped down to take her in his arms.

One of Bujinsai's black throwing blades was lodged deep into her chest, blood seeping profusely from the wound to soak her tattered uniform.

"…Are you okay, Yukio…?" Claudia asked weakly, stretching out a hand to brush his cheek as she flashed him a gentle smile.

"I'm okay…! But you, Claudia, you're…," Yukio began, before finding himself at a loss for words. She was in a perilous condition.

"Ah… Sorry, Yukio… Please don't make such a face… You haven't done anything wrong… But I guess… I guess it's no good—me saying that now… I'm sorry,Yukio, truly…"

Despite her situation, despite what she was saying, her face wore a look of contentment that Yukio had never seen before.

"I'm… It was selfish of me… But finally… I've been able to reach this point in time…"

"Claudia! Hang in there!" Ayato pressed against the wound to try to stem the bleeding, but it didn't help. "Right… You probably don't know…just how long I've been waiting for this… For this moment…that I saw in my dreams…" She was growing weaker by the moment, her voice hoarse. Her eyes had already lost their focus. Tears had begun to trickle from the corners of her eyes, all but indistinguishable from the pouring rain. "Ah… I'm so happy, Ayato… To me, this… This wonderful moment… No matter how much time passes… This feeling… Forever…" But with that, the hand that was brushing against his cheek lost its strength, falling silently to the ground. "Claudia!" Ayato cried out again. But it looked like she had only lost consciousness. The wound was serious, but if he could get her to the hospital right away, there might still be time. Director Jan Korbel's reputation wasn't unearned.

However— "Heh-heh… I guess luck is finally turning my way…" Bujinsai chuckled, his shoulders trembling as he staggered forward.

"Tch…!" Yukio glared back at him.

"Our target was always that young lady." His eyes glimmering dangerously, the old man bent down to retrieve his staff, all without shifting his gaze away from the two students.

"But now that it's come to this, I won't be satisfied until I take your head, too…" Bujinsai, it seemed, was in no mood to let him go. He seemed to have suffered grave injuries of his own, but Yukio had reached his limit. Yukio had no idea how long he would be able to resist him, but he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. I've got to get out of here, no matter what it takes, and get Claudia to the hospital…

"Hmm…?" Before Bujinsai could reach him, however, a black-clothed figure suddenly appeared behind him, whispering something in his ear.

"—"

"What…?" The old man's face twisted in displeasure, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Tch, fine! We'll pull back!" Seemingly no sooner had he finished speaking than he, along with the blackclothed figure, disappeared into the rain-drenched night.

"…I don't get it… I guess we made it…?" At that moment, an air-window suddenly snapped open in front of him.

"WELL, LOOKS LIKE BEATING THE CRAP OUT OF THEIR HEALERS TAUGHT THEM A THING OR TWO. AND THOSE LITTLE LADIES HAVE HAD A BIT OF FUN AS WELL, BY THE LOOKS OF IT. OUR FRIENDS PROBABLY CAN'T KEEP THIS PLACE SEALED OFF FOR MUCH LONGER, HEH."

"Wha—?!" Yukio startled as the words flowed silently past. Glancing around, his gaze found its way to a masked woman emerging from behind a nearby warehouse. He readied himself as best he could for more trouble, but the woman hurriedly raised her hands as if to say that she had no intention of fighting him.

"LOOK, CLEARLY THERE'S NO USE IN ME TELLING YOU TO RELAX, BUT CAN YOU AT LEAST HEAR ME OUT? YOU CAN TRUST ME, YOU KNOW?" The words flowed across the air-window, overwriting those that had been there a moment ago.

"Who are you…?" On closer inspection, the woman looked to have suffered several injuries of her own—and rather serious ones at that. Just managing to stand up straight must have been quite an ordeal for her.

"I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR IT ANYWAY. THE BOAT THAT I USED TO GET HERE IS NEARBY, AND THERE'S A CAR WAITING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CANAL. LET ME GET YOU BOTH TO THE HOSPITAL."

There was no mistaking that, in his present condition, Yukio would have a hard time getting Claudia there on his own, and it was impossible to tell just how long it might take.

"…All right. Thank you," he replied, making up his mind. The woman nodded.

"THEN LET'S GET GOING. SHE DOESN'T LOOK TOO GOOD." Yukio could see that for himself.

Holding Claudia in his arms, he followed after the woman as she led the way.

"AH, RIGHT. I SAW YOU FIGHTING HIM JUST BEFORE. I GOT A REAL KICK OUT OF IT, WATCHING YOU BEAT THAT OLD MAN AROUND. YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD, YOU KNOW?"

"Ah…"

"…I THINK I'M GONNA HAVE TO HAVE A GO AT YOU ONE OF THESE DAYS MYSELF." Fortunately, these words appeared in the air-window only for the briefest of moments, vanishing before Ayato could have a chance to read them.

"'Fall back'…?!" Silas repeated in dismay. At the sound of his voice, the melee in which ally was all but indistinguishable from enemy came to a sudden halt. Julis, breathing heavily, glanced toward Saya and Kirin to see whether they knew what was going on, but the two were just as confused as she was.

"Wh-what are you talking about…?! That's the first I've heard of it!" Their opponents, however, seemed to be just as bewildered. Julis and the others were surrounded by Shadowstar's hooded operatives, along with several black-clad figures that had entered the fray—no doubt members of the Yabuki clan.

When they had been facing Shadowstar alone, Julis and the others had been able to take the upper hand—probably because the student-run intelligence organization's first priority was simply to keep them tied down—but as soon as the Yabuki clan had gotten involved, the situation had undergone a sudden reversal, and they had found themselves on the defensive. In spite of that, thanks to their training for the Gryps, they had been able to hold out.

Even in the middle of the throng of combatants, their coordination had been enough to keep them from getting caught in too awkward a position, at times trusting their companions to cover them as they fought their way through the mass of fighters.

That said, it was undeniable that they had been seriously outnumbered from the very beginning. Moreover, their opponents were each highly capable individuals in their own right.

At the current rate, it was only a matter of time until they slipped up and made a mistake, or weariness got the better of them—until, of course, their opponents had descended into confusion at the sound of Silas's flustered voice. "You're telling us to pull back, now that we've finally gotten the upper hand?! That's, that's…!"

"—" The figure standing beside him in silence was undoubtedly a member of the Yabuki clan.

Compared to Silas, he remained perfectly calm, giving a signal to the other Yabuki members, who promptly melted away into the shadows.

"Argh! Fine! We'll fall back as well…!" Silas, his face red, stomped his feet in anger.

The containers that had been floating in the air throughout the fight came crashing down one after another.

This time, however, Silas wasn't trying to throw them at the three girls—he had simply released them from his hold.

Julis covered her face with her arms as water filled with concrete shards flew around them.

It must have only taken a few seconds, but by the time she opened her eyes, the Shadowstar operatives had disappeared as well.

Only Julis, Saya, and Kirin remained. They glanced at one another briefly before sinking to the ground in exhaustion

. "Ah… Does this mean we did it…?" Kirin murmured.

"…That was tiring." Saya sighed, deactivating her Lux and lying faceup on the ground.

The three seemed to be in the middle of a huge puddle of water, but seeing as they were all already wet, it didn't really bother them.

It was too late to worry about something so trivial.

"No, we came here to save Claudia. Until we can make sure she's okay, we can't…" Julis fell silent, staggering as she tried and failed to lift herself to her feet.

"A-are you okay?" Kirin asked.

"Ah, yeah… I'm fine." Julis held up a hand to reassure her, holding the other one against the ground to prop herself up.

During the fight, she had used several large-scale abilities in quick succession, and her prana seemed to be almost completely depleted.

It would have been wise to conserve it as much as possible, given that they still had the semifinal tomorrow, but their situation had been such that she hadn't really been given much of a choice. All of a sudden, her mobile began to ring.

"—! Yukio?!" she cried. Her companions leaned forward to catch the conversation.

Julis opened the air-window as quickly as her fingers could move, Yukio's weary face appearing before her.

"Julis, are you guys all right?"

"Well, it looks like we pulled through. But forget about us for a minute. What's going on on your end? Where are you now? Is Claudia…?" The questions came pouring out of her one after another. "We're at the hospital," Yukio replied. "Claudia's—"

It was close to midnight when Claudia opened her eyes.

"Where…am I?" she asked, her eyelids opening slowly.

"Not heaven, I'm afraid," Yukio, who had been waiting by her side the whole time, teased. A smile rose to Claudia's lips as she tilted her neck toward him. "I know that much. With everything I've done, I'm destined for hell, not heaven."

"I guess you must be okay, if you can say things like that." Yukio breathed a sigh of relief. "We're in a special care unit in the hospital. There was a doctor here, just a short while ago, a healer…"

"…Ah, no wonder my chest feels better."

For Yukio, it had been his first time watching a healer at work. He couldn't help but be impressed by how effective the treatment had been.

Still, given how much of the doctor's prana the process had consumed, he could understand why such techniques were only employed in the most serious of situations.

That was why, despite the fact that he himself had suffered considerable injuries of his own, he had received conventional medical treatment. That said, Director Jan Korbel had seen to everything himself, so he should probably be grateful, he mused.

"The healers here truly are excellent… Hatefully so." She spoke softly, but Yukio couldn't fail to catch her words.

"Can you tell me what's going on, Claudia?" he asked, his expression grave. Claudia looked away, lowering her eyes. The room descended into a long, drawn-out silence.

Yukio decided to give her time, and as he had expected, she eventually relented: "What do you want to know?" she asked softly. "Everything," Yukio replied without hesitation.

"…I see." She sighed in defeat, sitting up. "Very well. I can't say that you don't deserve an explanation. But you must have already realized it? That dying today, there, that was my one true wish." Claudia's voice rang with disappointment. Her tone was enough to tell him beyond all doubt that she wasn't joking. As she had guessed, Yukio had indeed realized it, somewhere deep inside. He hadn't wanted to believe it, hadn't wanted her to confirm his worst suspicions. Hearing it come from her own lips, he couldn't hide his shock.

"…Why on earth would you wish for something like that?" He had to force the words out. Claudia gave him a dejected laugh.

"I don't think you would understand. No, not just you. I don't think anyone on this planet, anyone but me, would be able to understand," she whispered, letting her eyes drift shut.

"I was still a child when I received the Pan-Dora. Living through those nightmares every night, life seemed to lose all meaning and value… No matter how much you fight it, everyone dies one day. No matter how happy a life you might live, in the end, it doesn't add up to anything. There's no changing that. I came to realize—not through words or logic, but with my body—that it isn't how you live that's most important. It's how you die."

Yukio wanted to disagree with her, but he forced himself to remain silent. At the very least, only someone who had experienced the nightmares caused by the Pan-Dora could hope to understand the meaning that lay behind her words.

"And then, one night, I met you, Yukio… The Pan-Dora introduced us, in my dreams."

"Me?" Laetitia, it seemed, had been spot-on. Claudia opened her eyes, her expression a mixture of sadness and embarrassment.

"My hero, leaping into danger to protect me, fighting to save my life… But in the dream, I still ended up dying." Her moist eyes were staring into his own.

"I'd been waiting for you, ever since I had that dream. Yearning for you… I suppose I fell in love with you…"

"Claudia…" Ayato was at a loss as to how to respond. So instead, he urged her to continue. "It was today? That's what you saw?"

"Yes. In the middle of all that rain, in Seidoukan's harbor block, I took that blade for you, and I died in your arms… And the dream ended. I knew then what my wish was, the one dream that I wanted to come true, the vision that I wanted to make reality."

"…" Yukio listened on in silence.

"I've died more than a thousand times since then, but never in a better way than that. No. The more I died, the more certain I became. I already knew the truth." Claudia paused there, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

"The Pan-Dora was behind everything."

"Huh…?"

"Do you remember what I told you, that it has the worst personality? Showing me such a vivid, ideal death…and making me fall in love with you… It's enjoyed itself, toying with my life."

"That's…" Yukio was at a loss for words.

"Do you want me to give you an example? I've been killed by so many people in my dreams, over and over again. People close to me, at that. There's been my mother and father, of course, Laetitia and Julis, Miss Sasamiya and Miss Toudou, even Eishirou Yabuki… But, Yukio, I've never been killed by you, not once. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"But if you knew what it was doing, then why…?"

"Hee-hee. Isn't it obvious?" Claudia asked with a soft laugh. "Even if you can look at it all logically, love isn't something that you can just make yourself stop feeling," she said with a smile, tears welling in her eyes.

"My wish was to turn that dream into reality—that was all. I put everything I had into it. That's why I came to Seidoukan, why I became student council president, why I had you transferred here on a special scholarship, why I entered the Gryps, why I fanned the flames at Galaxy until they decided to send someone to kill me, everything… It was all to make that vision come true."

"…But it didn't," Yukio said, taking something wrapped in a handkerchief from his pocket.

It was the silver charm that Laetitia had entrusted him with and that he had in turn given to Claudia—split in two.

"According to Director Korbel, if it had been even a centimeter or so deeper, you might not have pulled through. This charm might have saved your life."

"That's… That's the kind of miracle you might expect in a cheap drama." Claudia laughed, before catching her breath.

"To tell you the truth… I had a bad feeling about it, when you gave it to me. It didn't happen, in my dream." So that was it, Ayato thought. That's why she made that face.

"…That's everything. Now, Yukio . Feel free to take me to task. I'm ready for it."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because… You know… Because I, thanks to no more than a foolish, selfish dream, used you, deceived you, and everyone else as well. I deserve to be punished." There was a slight tremble to her voice.

"…" Yukio stood up in silence, walked over to the window, and pulled back the curtain. The rain, it seemed, had come to an end, and the moon had come out to illuminate the city.

"Well… There is a part of me that can't help but feel upset. I mean, no matter how dear a wish it was for you, I wanted you to live," he said, staring up at the moon.

"And it wasn't just me. I'm sure the others all felt the same way. Especially Julis. I can already imagine just how red with anger she'll be."

"…Yes." At this, Yukio glanced over his shoulder, fixing her in his gaze. "But before that, there's something I want to ask you."

"There is?"

"Yes. What do you want to do after this, Claudia?"

"Huh? A-after this?" she repeated, glancing around nervously. The question, it seemed, had taken her completely by surprise. Ayato, having never seen her act that way before, found himself smiling in amusement.

"That's right. Fortunately—although it feels strange to say this—we managed to completely shatter your dream this time."

"…You

They both descended into silence. After a while—Yukio didn't know how long—there came a knock at the door. "Yukio, Claudia. Can we come in?" Julis said, her face projected on an air-window by the door. Saya and Kirin were standing behind her. Yukio turned to Claudia. "You'll have to explain everything to them now, too. And then, after that… Make sure you're ready for it, because we'll all give you a scolding together."

"Yes, I know. But still…" Claudia looked uneasy, but Ayato smiled back at her in reassurance. "You'll be fine. They'll probably say the same kind of thing I did. In fact, I'm willing to bet on it," he responded. Finally, Claudia nodded. She seemed to be wearing her usual smile— but no, there was something slightly different about it. "All right," she answered.

*"Phew…" Claudia, finally left to herself in the moonlit hospital room, let out a deep sigh. In the end, Julis and the others had given her a sound telling-off for upward of an hour. Saya, in her usual simple and cool fashion; Kirin tenderly—and to Claudia's surprise, with tears in her eyes. They took her to task for her selfishness and betrayal, but they were also relieved and overjoyed that she had survived. Even Julis, whose fury at hearing the truth had blazed like a wildfire, couldn't keep a tinge of sympathy from coming through in her voice.

"…I don't think I've ever been so thoroughly scolded before," Claudia said to herself. Even so, she was grateful to them. They had all accepted what she had said, accepted her. "What should I do from here…?" she murmured, echoing what Ayato had said a short while earlier. The future stretching out in front of her was a terrifyingly blank swath of canvas. How ironic, she thought, for someone with the power of precognition. "Well, at any rate, I'll have to set things straight on that front first," Claudia murmured, pulling out her mobile from beside her pillow. How many years had it been since she had called her by her own volition? After a short moment, the face of her mother—Isabella—appeared in an air-window.

Eishirou was sitting idly in the treetops, staring up at the moon, high in the now-clear sky. How much time had he been idling away like this? he wondered, before letting out a deep, tired sigh. "Ahhh, now I've gone and done it…" He had gone too far this time. He didn't regret what he had done, but only a fool wouldn't be able to see the coming reckoning. After all, he had practically stabbed his father in the back. Well, strictly speaking, he had stabbed him on the sly, but there was no way that he wouldn't have been noticed.

"Maybe I should just leave it all behind…" But if he did that, he would have to leave the academy, too, and that was something he would definitely end up regretting.

No matter how far he searched, he doubted he would find another city as crazy as this one, and it was impossible to grow tired of watching all the things that Yukio, Julis, and Claudia got themselves into… Not to mention the club president.

"But what can I do now?" Eishirou, who normally tried to live his life as leisurely as possible, found himself racking his brains, searching for an answer—when his mobile began to ring.

"Ugh…" The sound leaked out of him as soon as he saw the number, but he couldn't afford to let it keep ringing. He opened an air-window, Bujinsai's taciturn face appearing before him.

"Hey there, Pops. I was really sorry to hear that the mission didn't work out." Even Eishirou was impressed at just how casually he was able to talk, given the situation.

"Be quiet. Do you know just how much damage you've done to us, to our name?" Judging by his tone, his father was clearly in a foul mood, but there was no sign of his thorough beating at Yukio's hands.

"What's all this? I don't have a clue what you're going on about…," Eishirou responded, playing dumb.

"Where do you want me to start…? What's most galling is that you gave Eika's location to that kid from Jie Long." It looked like his father knew everything. Eishirou had indeed forwarded Alema everything he had about the Yabuki's positions, including the whereabouts of Eika and the other healers.

"It's one thing to defy me, but to rat out your sister like that… My disgust for you goes beyond words."

"But they weren't injured too badly, were they?" Alema had already been seriously wounded herself.

No matter how weak the clan's healers might be when it came to fighting for themselves, the worst that Alema could have done to them would have been to knock them out cold in a surprise attack. "Nonetheless, it's unforgivable. According to the clan's rules, I ought to go over there and sever that head of yours right now…," he said, making a sour face. "But unfortunately, our employers seem to be quite happy with you."

"Huh…?" His father's words came out of the blue.

"Galaxy? With me?"

"So we can't touch you. But don't you ever think about coming home again." He had no desire to do so in the first place, so that wouldn't be a problem. "All right. I'll engrave that on my heart."

"…Hmph!" Bujinsai continued to glare back at him, until, finally, the air-window snapped shut. Eishirou sat there in baffled silence. Galaxy's satisfaction with him was incomprehensible. Instead of punishing a pawn that had turned against its masters, they had instead saved his skin.

He remained that way for a long while, pondering why they might have done that for him, but no matter how he tried to approach the problem, he couldn't hit on even one logical answer. There was only one possibility, but it didn't make any sense.

"Nah, that can't be right…" No matter how much she might have been concerned for her daughter's safety, one of Galaxy's highest executives wouldn't go that far. It went against everything the position called for.

"…Oh well. I guess I'd better head back," he muttered, casting the thought out of his mind as he leaped down from the treetops.

"…Yes, yes, that goes without saying! You should do your best, too, and be sure to make it to the final!" a voice echoed from just outside the room. Before long, Laetitia opened the door fully, striding back into the office with a strangely satisfied expression.

She was even humming to herself.

"You look pleased, Laetitia. Good news?" Ernest asked. Taken by surprise, Laetitia, her face turning as red as a fully ripe apple, shook her head from side to side.

"I-it's nothing! R-really!"

"…I see. Well, in any event, this furor surrounding Miss Enfield

seems to have resolved itself. Sinodomius has confirmed that the Nights have left the city." Ernest watched her with a faint smile, putting his hands together and crossing his fingers.

"O-oh, really? That's good to hear."

"I take it that her injuries aren't too serious, then?"

"She was seen to by a healer, so there's no need to worry about that… Ah!" Ernest tried to suppress his mirth at having so easily coaxed the information out of her.

"There's no need to hide the fact that you've been in contact with her. You didn't say anything that you shouldn't have, I assume?" Laetitia wasn't that foolish. She understood that regular communications could be listened in on by Sinodomius, and she wouldn't have said anything that could be used against her.

"O-of course not…," she mumbled, the words so muffled as to be almost incomprehensible. She looked, more than anything else, embarrassed. "Ah, and tomorrow's match—well, today's, I guess. Anyway, it seems that we've already won our semifinals bout by default."

"Oh… I see."

"There was no helping it, given the situation. The Executive Committee must have taken it as a last resort… Fortunately for us,we'll now be able to enter the final in perfect condition. I do wonder about our opponents, though…"

"…" Laetitia absorbed his words in silence, her expression grave. They might have overcome this incident, but Team Enfield's next opponents were incredibly powerful.

"There's every possibility that it will be Team Yellow Dragon that we face in the final. That is what the odds would suggest." Jie Long's Team Yellow Dragon was practically the complete antithesis of Ernest and Laetitia's Team Lancelot.

It might be an incredibly powerful assortment of fighters, centered around Xiaohui Wu, the famous Hagun Seikun, but the way Ernest saw them, they were completely devoid of charm. He just couldn't see anything interesting about a single one of them.

"As for me, I would prefer that Team Enfield make it through."

"Of course they will!" Laetitia answered confidently.

"They'll make it! I'm sure of it!"

"Laetitia…" Though somewhat surprised by her assurance, Ernest nodded back at her. "Yes, you're right. I'll be looking forward to it." At any rate, they would know for sure by this time tomorrow. Ernest tightened his linked fingers, as if to smolder the flames burning deep inside him.

"Yes, well done. It's turned out wonderfully, Alema," Xinglou said cheerfully, her small legs shaking giddily from atop her oversized chair. "Thanks to you, tomorrow's match should be very fun indeed." They were in Xinglou's audience chamber at Jie Long Seventh Institute.

"…I'M NOT VERY PROUD OF IT MYSELF, THOUGH." Alema, her body covered in bandages, let out a pitiful sigh. She had achieved her goals, but Bujinsai had soundly defeated her. And what was more, he had left her in her present state. "Now, now, don't take it to heart. I did tell you that his Void Tide techniques would be a hassle, didn't I? Even among my disciples, probably only Xiaohui and Fuyuka would be able to do anything about them."

"IS IT OKAY TO CALL FUYUKA YOUR DISCIPLE? SHE'S ONLY A GUEST HERE."

"She thinks of herself that way, so I don't mind," Xinglou said with a dry laugh. Alema stared at Xinglou in astonishment, before suddenly remembering something that Bujinsai had said to her. "RIGHT, I HEARD SOMETHING EARLIER."

"Oh?"

"IS IT TRUE THAT YOU'RE NOT EVEN HALF AS STRONG AS YOU USED TO BE?" At this, Xinglou broke into a broad grin. "Oh, did the Yabuki head say that?"

"I DON'T KNOW IF I REALLY BELIEVE HIM, THOUGH." Of course, it would all be so much more interesting if it was true.

Still, despite having seen for herself only a fragment of Xinglou's true strength, she couldn't quite bring herself to fully believe him.

"Let's see, he's half correct, I suppose."

"HALF?

"In my current body, I'm probably only thirty or forty percent of what I was during my prime, at least as far as martial arts are concerned. However, my abilities and techniques are a different matter. I'm overflowing with mana now, and my power and accuracy go beyond anything I've ever had before."

"…I SEE." Though finally able to believe it, Alema found herself reminded of just how powerful the young girl sitting before her really was.

The two had sparred together countless times, but Alema hadn't seen her use those techniques even once. "AH, IT'S GETTING MY BLOOD PUMPING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT…!"

"Oh-ho, you never change." Xinglou nodded in satisfaction before clapping her hands together. "Yes, that's it. Shall I show you something as a reward for your good work?"

"OH, LIKE WHAT?" "A little plan I'm working on for the Lindvolus. If things work out, maybe I'll let you in on it." Xinglou beckoned for her to come closer. "You see…"

"HEH-HEH…" As she heard her out, Alema broke into an uncontrollable grin. "AWESOME! THAT SOUNDS AMAZING!"

"Doesn't it just? I've already selected several people for it. Well, they won't do anything until the new year."

"HA-HA! I CAN'T WAIT!" Alema clenched her hands together. "Ah, but I should warn you. Don't let Hufeng know. If he was to find out, he'd stop at nothing to bring it to an end."

"GOT IT!" At that moment— "Master, there's something I want to discuss… Oh. Has something happened?"

Hufeng, having entered the room unannounced, glanced back and forth between the two in confusion.

"No, nothing to worry about," Xinglou answered. "So… What is it?"

At this, Hufeng put his right fist in his left palm in a gesture of obeisance. "I would like your permission to use that Orga Lux in tomorrow's semifinal!"