Gakusen Toshi Asterisk - Volume 17 - Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

DREAM’S END

“Haha… Oh dear…”

Madiath bent down to retrieve the Raksha-Nada, then collapsed to his knees. Blood poured endlessly from the cross-shaped wound in his chest, rapidly pooling beneath him.

It looked like he didn’t have the strength to keep standing.

“Hah…hah…!”

With his side cut open, Ayato, on the other hand, was on the verge of losing consciousness at any moment. His hands and feet were numb, his vision blurring from the blood loss.

Despite all this, he was able to make out the end of the championship match displayed in the air-window—to see the moment that Julis won the Lindvolus.

“I never thought Miss Orphelia would lose…,” Madiath murmured.

His voice held regret, but at the same time, it sounded as though a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Ayato summoned what little strength he had left and pointed the Ser Veresta at the older man.

“If you want to keep going…”

But before he could finish those words, Madiath closed his eyes and shook his head.

“As much as I would like to…unfortunately, I doubt Miss Orphelia will heed our instructions any longer.”

Ayato was of the same opinion.

Orphelia’s expression in the air-window was missing its usual resignation. Already, she was a different woman from the person she had been at the start of the match.

Julis had done it.

Ayato couldn’t be prouder of her.

“Ayato, I’m done here.”

The next moment, Saya stepped out from the audience seating, flashing him a peace sign.

It looked like she had disarmed the bombs in time.

“…! Ayato?!”

Perhaps it was the relief, or maybe he’d just reached his limit, but Ayato fell to the ground, the world spinning around him.

Saya leaped out from the audience stands in a panic and rushed over.

“Your wounds…!”

She held him up, visibly swallowing as she looked over his injuries.

“I’m okay… More importantly, you have to let everyone know…”

“You idiot!” Saya cried with tears in her eyes, slapping him on the forehead. “There’s no way you’re okay!”

“She’s right,” Madiath interjected, feigning innocence. “You’ve suffered damage to your internal organs. Get him to a hospital as quickly as you can. See that he’s treated by a healer. Otherwise, it’ll be too late.”

“And who do you think did this to him…?!” Filled with anger, Saya whipped her handgun in his direction.

But Ayato reached out, gently lowering her hand along with the gun clutched tightly in her palm.

“…Same to you, Madiath Mesa. You’re in better shape than me, but that wound will kill you if you don’t get it treated. Let’s go to the hospital together.”

“Oh dear, are you trying to save me now?” Madiath said with an astonished smile. “You really are hopelessly naive.”

“We’ll be handing you over to Stjarnagarm, too, of course.”

“Ha-ha-ha. That will be a problem. I don’t think I’ll be able to stand one of the good commander’s lectures. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

With those words, Madiath pulled out a mobile and activated a small air-window.

“…!”

Saya’s expression stiffened.

“Saya?”

“…Ayato… That’s probably the detonation switch.”

“What…?! But I thought you’d defused all the bombs… Ngh!”

Ayato tried to pull himself up, but the pain dragged him back to the ground.

“There’s no way you could have known this, but there’s a basement level beneath the stage—a waiting area for full-time fighters. Back in the day, I made use of it quite often. As it happens, I placed one more bomb down there.”

He wasn’t joking.

Madiath Mesa wasn’t the kind of man to bluff at a time like this.

“Oh, don’t worry. Even if it goes off, all it will do is destroy this stage. It isn’t powerful enough to take down the walls. Things would be different if the manadite-infused bombs in the audience galleries were to go off, but there’s no chance of that now, is there?”

Ayato glanced at Saya, who confirmed this with a small nod.

“In that case, why…?”

“I’ll take care of myself, at least.”

“…You don’t mean to take us with you?” Saya asked.

“What kind of person do you think I am?” Madiath responded, dismayed.

“A villain,” Saya answered at once.

“I won’t deny that… But I hate putting good potential to waste. There’s no point getting you both caught up in any more of this.”

“…”

Ayato’s gaze met Madiath’s for a short, yet seemingly endless moment. Try as he might to discern the other man’s true thoughts, he couldn’t work him out.

Madiath was the first to avert his gaze, glancing down to one side and heaving a deep sigh.

“Come on now, get going,” he said. “Given all the commotion up there, the hospitals must be in quite a mess. If you don’t hurry, you really will lose your life. Or do you want to end it here with me?”

“…Let’s go, Ayato,” Saya said, lifting him by the shoulders and dragging him to the elevator within one of the pillars.

Just before they stepped inside, Ayato glanced back once more.

Madiath had already turned away.

He was probably looking toward the past—letting it consume him to the very end.

He had no need for the future.

That was what Madiath decided the day he lost Akari.

He could see no value in a future without her.

Even now, his feelings remained unchanged.

“Well, I suppose this is a fitting end for a pathetic man unable to let go of his regrets…,” Madiath murmured to himself, alone on the Eclipse stage.

Taking revenge against the era itself might have sounded like a good idea, but in the end, it had all been to satisfy his own ego. Even if the plan had succeeded, it wouldn’t have brought him any comfort. He had known that from the beginning.

Still, he hadn’t had any choice but to press on.

No one could possibly understand him, nor did he want them to.

No. He would have liked for Haruka to understand, if only a little. But in the end, that was just another selfish wish. She wasn’t Akari.

“…Now then.”

Madiath removed his mask, tossing it away before casually reaching out to tap the air-window.

The events of that day flashed once more before his vision.

“My wish—”

Oh, Akari… I really did want to hear what came next.

“Gah! Ga-hah…! Ugh…!”

Dirk coughed, gasping for air—and when he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a familiar face.

“Th-thank goodness…! Are you all right, Mr. President? N-no, right, I know you’re not okay, but anyway…!” she stammered, hurriedly moving her hands as large teardrops spilled from her eyes.

Dirk was about to give her the usual tongue-lashing, but he stopped himself and grimaced, clenching his teeth at the intense pain in his stomach. All the fat down there had kept Wernher’s knife from hitting anything vital, and the bleeding had already stopped, so the wound wasn’t immediately life-threatening, at least. If he had taken another blow, however, there was no way he would have survived.

Still enduring the pain, he glanced around and realized that he was on the shore of a lake. Looking farther ahead, he spotted the city of Asterisk in the distance and the wreckage of a half-destroyed airship partly submerged in the water nearby.

After Wernher’s attack, he must have lost control of the airship and crashed into the lake. If so, it was hard to believe he’d survived. Maybe his luck hadn’t entirely abandoned him.

“…And? What are you doing here, Korona?”

Dirk had ordered his secretary, Korona Kashimaru, to leave for a business trip to Solnage’s headquarters two days ago. A regular student would have had to undergo various cumbersome official procedures, but as Korona was a member of the student council, she could cut past all that red tape. She should have left the city the previous day at the latest.

“Oh, well… Actually, um, er… You gave me the assignment so suddenly, and it took me a while to get ready… N-no! I—I’m sorry! I did get ready in time! But then, probably because I was so busy preparing…I ended up oversleeping… By the time I woke up, the plane had already left…”

Her voice grew softer and softer as she made her excuses, but Dirk couldn’t muster the energy to yell at her. Asterisk’s floating international airport had connections to major cities all across the world, but it was by no means large. There were usually only one or two nonstop flights to Solnage’s headquarters each day. If a passenger were to miss one, their departure would usually be delayed until the following day—in other words, today.

Which meant…

“W-well, I was going to catch the flight today…but, er, there were all these terrorist incidents. So in the end, I couldn’t leave…”

“I get it, I get it. That’s enough. Anyway—who brought you here?” he asked sharply.

The next moment, two more figures emerged, as though oozing from the shadows of a nearby tree.

“Heh, that’s the Tyrant for you. Shrewd.”

“This wouldn’t be much fun any other way.”

The first was a small young man wearing a hood over his eyes. Dirk couldn’t read his expression, but from his manner of speaking, he seemed like the kind who looked down on people, making fun of them.

The other was a large, dark-skinned, dark-haired young man. At first glance, his stubble and gentle features might have made him seem friendly, but Dirk wasn’t so stupid as to miss the dark emotions lurking inside.

“You’re… Gose Kevut, right?”

“Heh, so you know me. I’m honored.”

The young man—Gose—was the user of the Lost Lux, with which he had fought Ayato in the opening round of the Lindvolus.

He was also a member of Azdaja, an organization formed from the remnants of the defunct integrated enterprise foundations Samandal and Severclara.

First things first, if Korona had been left behind in Asterisk, there was no way she could have escaped the city alone. It was also beyond her skills to rescue him from a crashed airship. Someone had to have helped her.

And there was no way that agents from Azdaja would offer that help out of the goodness of their hearts. They had to have some hidden agenda.

“Oh, right! These two helped me save you, Mr. President! Asterisk was a mess, what with all the terrorist attacks, and I was running to and fro not knowing what to do when we ran into each other…”

Korona, who probably lacked the faintest inkling of anything going on beneath the surface, bowed her head to them innocently. Of course, this was no coincidence. The two men knew that Korona was Dirk’s secretary, and they had deliberately sought her out.

“…Hmm. Well, good job tracking me down. I thought you Azdaja lot were a bunch of losers, but here you are.”

In the end, even Eishirou and Melchior, both of whom had been desperately pursuing him, had been unable to pin him down.

The two men, however, merely exchanged glances and shrugged.

“I’m afraid you overestimate us.”

“Yeah. We didn’t have a clue where to find you. That’s why we asked her.”

“Eh…? What’s that now?” Dirk raised an eyebrow. “There’s no way she could’ve known where I was.”

Korona may have been his secretary, but he entrusted her with little more than simple chores. The other members helped out with policymaking and implementation, but Dirk had never allowed them to handle any of the truly important matters. Since he didn’t trust anyone but himself, after all. With Korona’s Strega abilities, it wasn’t impossible for her to locate him, but seeing as her divination techniques relied on very strict conditions, it should have been fairly difficult for her to get the exact information she needed.

And yet…

“Eh? Um, I’m not sure what they’re talking about… I mean, I was the one to find you, but, er…”

“…What?” Dirk asked with a glare.

Korona let out a little shriek and cowered before him.

The small airship that he had flown in this time was different from the one he used for meetings with the Golden Bough Alliance. It was registered in the name of someone unrelated to Dirk, with no connection to Solnage, either. It should have been impossible for anyone to tie him to it.

“I—I mean, I kept calling you, but you wouldn’t pick up…and given the situation, I thought something might have happened…so I read your fortune.”

“You read my fortune?”

“Y-yes! So I worked out your situation, your whereabouts, and a bunch of other things… That you’d be up in the sky at the worst possible timing… And when I looked up, I saw an airship about to crash into the lake! I thought, ‘Oh my God, the president must be up there…’ Huh? Mr. President?”

Falling silent, Korona tilted her head to one side in wonderment.

It was true that Korona’s ability was based on divination and fortune-telling, though she herself seemed unaware of it. Predictions that would never come true. And she could activate it once a day, and only in the evenings. If he was to believe her now, this wasn’t the result of said ability, but simply the regular fortune-telling that she tinkered with for fun.

In other words, it really was just a coincidence that she had managed to work out his location.

At that moment, the young, robed man with the low hood quietly approached Dirk. “We were impressed, too,” he whispered in his ear. “We knew your secretary had some amazing talents, but even we didn’t know her full capabilities. She’s amazing.”

For a second, Dirk thought the boy was mocking him—but apparently not.

This kid was under the mistaken impression that Korona really had tracked him down with that innocuous fortune-telling ability of hers.

“Bah… Hah-hah! Hah-hah! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Eh? M-Mr. President?”

“Wh-what?”

Korona, the boy, and Gose were all watching him, dumbfounded.

No way.

Seriously?

This combination of coincidence and shallow misunderstanding had triumphed over all Dirk’s elaborate strategies and schemes; the efforts of Eishirou, Melchior, and all the others; and the plans and ambitions of Varda and Madiath? These people had arrived at the truth? What was that if not utterly absurd?

How could he not laugh in the face of this farce?

It was truly ridiculous—preposterous even.

Once he had finished laughing, he pointed his mobile at Korona.

“Hey, Korona. I’m not gonna be coming back for a while. So you’re acting student council president at Le Wolfe for the time being. I’ve already authorized you to carry out my duties and sent you all the necessary data. Check it out.”

“Huh…?” Korona blinked, not fully comprehending his words. “Eh?! Eeeeehhhhh?!”

Finally understanding what he had just said, she cried out in a panicked voice, “I-i-impossible! Impossible! M-m-me?! Student council president…?”

“Just shut up already! Hey, kid. Put her to sleep, would ya?”

“I don’t take orders from you,” the boy muttered. Nevertheless, he lightly tapped Korona on the neck.

“Ngh?! Yawn…”

And just like that, Korona fell limp, sound asleep.

“Hmm… I don’t really care, but are you lot sure you’re fine with this?” Dirk asked.

Gose looked at him questioningly, and Dirk clicked his tongue.

“You know what? Let’s cut right to the chase. You’ve come here to scout me, haven’t you, you Azdaja dogs?”

All at once, he could feel the temperature drop sharply as both Gose and the boy revealed their true colors.

“Heh… You’re quick on the uptake.”

The world Dirk had found himself in was dark, miserable, and cold.

No matter how far you went, there was no escape—not that he had any intention of running away from it.

“Fine. I don’t really like it, but we’re all losers here. Let’s join forces.”

That day was the first and only time in his relatively short life that Dirk Eberwein laughed out loud.

The week after the championship match at the Lindvolus—and the wave of terrorist attacks that swept over Asterisk—was turbulent.

From the outcome alone, it seemed safe to say that the Golden Bough Alliance’s plans had been successfully thwarted.

Despite the scale of the destruction, the series of disturbances—which had since come to be known as the Golden Noontide in reference to the Jade Twilight Incident—had miraculously ended without a single fatality. This was due in large part to Stjarnagarm’s quick response and to the active efforts of students from the city’s six schools to bring the situation under control. By the evening of the championship match, all the puppets rampaging throughout the city had ceased functioning. Nonetheless, it had been a tragic affair—the number of injured was in excess of ten thousand, and several individuals were still missing, Madiath Mesa and Dirk Eberwein among them.

The fact that the Golden Noontide coincided with several other terrorist attacks taking place throughout the world also left a lasting impact on people’s memories. There had been several large-scale attacks, along with dozens of small- to medium-sized ones, which had unfortunately resulted in more than a few deaths.

While this information was withheld from the public, there was a strong possibility that those attacks had been instigated by the Varda-Vaos. The fact that they had continued to take place even after the Varda-Vaos’s destruction suggested that, just as the Orga Lux had said, once a train was set in motion, there was very little that could be done to stop it. Or perhaps there was something inside the terrorists themselves that spurred them on even after they were freed… That said, if the Orga Lux had survived, the number of attacks would surely have been several orders of magnitude higher—perhaps even several dozen orders of magnitude. Credit for preventing that lay with Claudia and her team, even if the matter had been handled in secret.

While Stjarnagarm had dealt with the incidents in the field, disclosure of information was ultimately the joint responsibility of the integrated enterprise foundations. For that reason, only the most general of outlines had been made public.

The instigators were a terrorist organization going by the name the Golden Bough Alliance, though their motives remained unclear, since no statement of responsibility had been issued either before or after. (There were several statements of dubious authenticity which surfaced, presumably hoping to take advantage of the situation, but there was little need to discuss them.)

However, it was difficult to believe that the incident in Asterisk was unrelated to the others taking place around the globe. So the public was left to assume that, like those, it had been a call for the liberation of Genestella and the expansion of their rights. The members of the Golden Bough Alliance were presently under investigation, with the likeliest suspects identified. Several had already been successfully neutralized. As such, there was little likelihood of further attacks… That was the gist of the information released by the integrated enterprise foundations. It was vague and lacking in substance, to put it mildly.

In reality, the integrated enterprise foundations had a fairly accurate picture of what the Golden Bough Alliance had been hoping to carry out. This was based on testimony from Orphelia, who had been responsible for executing their plan, and Ayato and the others, who had learned it directly from the individuals involved.

The only exception was the Varda-Vaos. Despite numerous testimonies, the existence of this unbelievable Orga Lux, possessed of its own free will and capable of hijacking people’s bodies and rewriting their personalities, had never been proven. In the end, there was no physical evidence. The integrated enterprise foundations could confirm that its victims had been subjected to brainwashing, and they were willing to acknowledge the existence of someone wielding such abilities, but that was as far as they would go. Galaxy, which had made its top priority the covert eradication of all records of the Varda-Vaos’s actions, must have been relieved by this outcome. Nonetheless, according to Claudia, the other integrated enterprise foundations were aware of the true situation, which was why she had taken care of the shattered remnants of the Orga Lux herself.

“This way, we have a hidden ace up our sleeves should we ever need it, don’t you think?” she had told the others.

It was true that they all knew too much. While Claudia had made a deal with Isabella to guarantee their safety, she was only one of the top executives, and there was no telling if the integrated enterprise foundations might end up changing their mind about Ayato and everyone else who knew the truth about the Varda-Vaos—just as they had already tried to eliminate Claudia once before. In that respect, the fact that Claudia was holding on to all the physical evidence should act as a decent deterrent.

But back to the topic at hand…

According to Claudia, the integrated enterprise foundations insisting on keeping things vague despite knowing the full truth was the result of what she called a “high-level political deal.” Madiath Mesa, one of the ringleaders, had been affiliated with Seidoukan; Dirk Eberwein, another ringleader, along with Orphelia Landlufen, who had been stopped in the act, had hailed from Le Wolfe; Ursula Svend, physically the third ringleader, though controlled by the Varda-Vaos, had been affiliated with Queenvale; Percival Gardner, an active perpetrator, though brainwashed, was a student at Gallardworth; while Ernesta Kühne, who provided the autonomous puppets that carried out the attacks, was from Allekant. A full five of Asterisk’s six schools and their parent integrated enterprise foundations were involved to one degree or another. Any attempt to hold the other organizations to account would quickly lead to finger-pointing. Of course, Galaxy and Solnage, from whom the masterminds hailed, were more to blame than the others, but that was only a matter of degree. And besides, the very fact of their involvement couldn’t be publicly revealed. So for the mutual benefit of all parties, it was agreed that details regarding the suspects and individuals involved would be withheld. The only party that held any real advantage was Jie Long, which had nothing to do with the Golden Bough Alliance—but if they were to oppose the decision, it would be five against one, and their protests would be easily quashed. From their perspective, it was better to put their competitors in their debt.

As a result, Ayato and the others, who had effectively thwarted the Golden Bough Alliance, received no praise for their achievements. But then again, they hadn’t done it for recognition. In fact, Isabella, Helga, and Haruka had each given them a sound scolding for taking action on their own.

On the other hand, there were benefits to handling everything with the utmost secrecy, and the fact that those involved in the Golden Bough Alliance hadn’t been publicly exposed meant that there was room for compromise. In particular, there was a strong sense that the two individuals most affected by the Varda-Vaos’s brainwashing—Ursula and Percival—were ultimately victims, and thanks to Claudia’s intercessions, their punishment was considerably lessened. Ayato and the others had to sign multiple nondisclosure agreements with the integrated enterprise foundations, but all in all, that was probably a small price to pay.

Next, moving on to more personal matters…

Ayato was unconscious when Saya pulled him from the Eclipse stage, carrying him on her back. He wasn’t particularly large physically, but if she hadn’t been a Genestella, it would have been difficult indeed.

However, shortly after leaving the arena, Saya found Kirin, who had also lost consciousness. One can only imagine the extraordinary hardship she must have endured carrying two people both larger than herself with her small frame, sometimes being forced to drag them along the ground. It was unlikely that a Genestella without her experience wielding powerful oversized Luxes would have managed.

But for Saya, the most difficult part was what came next.

“…I don’t know the way.”

Yes. Saya Sasamiya had always had a poor sense of direction, and with the underground block’s labyrinthine layout, it was virtually impossible for her to escape alone. Since normal means of communication didn’t reach this far underground, Ayato might well have breathed his last as she wandered aimlessly about.

But someone unexpected came to her assistance—Eishirou Yabuki.

Eishirou was supposed to be out tracking down Dirk Eberwein, and while he claimed to have come within spitting distance of him, apparently his quarry took off in an airship before he could catch him. After that, he received fresh instructions from Claudia to assist Ayato and their group. Dirk’s escape could have proven fatal to their efforts, but thankfully, Julis managed to save the day by bringing Orphelia around at the conclusion of their match.

However, by that time, Saya had already left the Eclipse arena and was wandering the passages of the underground block. Under normal circumstances, Eishirou wouldn’t have had an easy time finding her.

When she asked him as much, he averted his gaze. “Well…you know that hacking tool I gave you…? I made a few modifications to it…”

In short, it seemed that he had left in some embedded code that could be used to detect the device’s location. The fact that it could transmit even from within the nearly impenetrable underground block meant it probably contained special advanced technology. And it wasn’t only Saya whom he was keeping tabs on—apparently, Ayato, Julis, Kirin, and Claudia were all being monitored through different means. No wonder Eishirou had always seemed to know where they were.

Naturally, Saya was furious. But since it was also the only reason they had been saved, she bit her tongue and kept her complaints to a minimum for the time being.

“I’ve really grown up. Well done, me,” she said with a satisfied nod.

Incidentally, she sent Eishirou flying with a well-aimed full burst the very next day.

The hospital was overflowing with people injured in the terrorist attacks, but Ayato, who was mortally wounded, was given the highest priority for treatment—and miraculously, he narrowly survived. Kirin, not as badly injured as Ayato, was given first aid and likewise seen to by a healer.

Around the same time, Sylvia and Minato were also brought into the hospital. While seriously injured, their wounds weren’t life-threatening, and so they received only normal treatment.

Sylvia had fallen into a temporary coma after being possessed by the Varda-Vaos, and a full day passed before she awoke. Ursula, whose body had been hijacked by the Orga Lux for some time, was in an even deeper coma—it took her a full five days to open her eyes, and Sylvia waited attentively by her bedside the whole time. When she finally awoke, Sylvia literally leaped for joy, tears rolling down her cheeks. Ursula, however, seemed to have little memory of her time under the influence of the Varda-Vaos and was visibly confused.

However—

“Oh, but I think I heard your song in my dreams,” she said, causing Sylvia to break into a fresh round of tears.

And so today, one week after the incident—that is, one week after the championship match of the Lindvolus—the previously postponed award ceremony was finally due to be held.

“Cheers!”

The reception took place at Hotel Elnath after the award ceremony and was an unusually grand affair.

That was due in part to the great success of this year’s Lindvolus, but perhaps more importantly, the executive committee was seeking to distract attention from the Golden Noontide incident and show proof of the city’s recovery.

Under regular circumstances, only the Festa participants themselves—and of course, the student council presidents of the six schools—would be permitted to attend. This time, however, each participant was permitted to bring along one guest. Thanks to that, Kirin and the others were able to join.

“Well, now. Isn’t it a little bold of the executive committee to hold a big event like this right after such a huge incident? Or maybe they just have no sense of crisis.” Saya looked amazed as she glanced around the boisterous hall, filled to bursting with more than five hundred guests.

“I understand your concern, as both Madiath Mesa and Dirk Eberwein are still considered missing. But the executive committee wants to move past the incident as soon as possible, so they’re offering up fresh distractions,” Claudia explained. “And of course, they can’t let the Lindvolus end without a bang. The vice-chairman—no, the chairman now—is desperate for a change of mood.” With that, she brought her glass of nonalcoholic champagne to her lips with a hint of a smile.

Stjarnagarm had dispatched a team to the Eclipse arena immediately after hearing from Ayato’s group, but by then, the stage had already collapsed. Subsequent investigations revealed that the destruction was caused by a large explosion, but Madiath’s body was never found. Given the scale of the explosion, however, it was highly unlikely that any physical remains had been left behind. Officially, Madiath Mesa was listed as missing, but in all likelihood, he would eventually be declared deceased.

“If he survived, he’d have a hard time getting away from the integrated enterprise foundations. Especially without the Varda-Vaos,” Sylvia added, picking up some of the baked sweets on the table and throwing them into her mouth.

“B-but I’m glad we can meet again like this…!” Kirin said, still looking nervous and a little out of place.

Over the course of the past week, Helga had interrogated Ayato and the others one-by-one, and so they hadn’t had an opportunity to talk things over as a group. But even though they had all been instrumental in thwarting the Golden Bough Alliance, that hadn’t necessarily put them in a good position. Ultimately, it was Claudia’s impeccable negotiating prowess and Helga’s sincere and steadfast statements on their behalf that brought their predicament to an end.

“Yes, it’s nice to be back together.” Ayato nodded. “So let me say it once more—congratulations on winning the Lindvolus, Julis,” he said, raising his glass.

“…O-oh. Thank you, Ayato.” Julis, embarrassed, averted her gaze.

“…Well, I guess I should say it, too. Congrats, Julis,” Saya offered.

“Yes, yes, congratulations, Julis,” Claudia chimed in. “And thank you. I never thought we would see a grand slam during my time as student council president. And it’s been so long since we last won the season.”

“Oh, well,” said Sylvia. “And I was sure I’d be the one to show Orphelia what’s what… Anyway, congratulations!”

“I’m really, really happy for you!” added Kirin. “It’s a shame I couldn’t watch it in person, but it truly was a wonderful match!”

With that out of the way, everyone raised their glasses once more.

“Ha-ha… I mean, I caused you all such a headache, all because of my own selfishness… I feel a little guilty being congratulated like this—”

“No one here thinks that,” Ayato interrupted.

Julis glanced up, mild surprise in her eyes. Then, slowly, she shifted her gaze to take in the others.

They all wore gentle smiles.

“Right… Right. In that case, let me say this: Thank you, everyone. It’s because of you that I managed to save Orphelia.”

Her words were straightforward and to the point—typical Julis.

And that was why everyone understood her feelings perfectly.

“It would have been nice if Orphelia had dropped by, too… But I wasn’t really expecting it.”

Orphelia had collapsed with a fever immediately after the end of the match and was now being looked after in the hospital’s isolation ward. After all, her body was constantly emitting toxic miasma, and it was thought at first that a dedicated room would be needed to house her. It seemed, however, that both the amount and the concentration of her toxins were rapidly diminishing. Stjarnagarm had conducted several interrogations with her as she was treated, and she had responded honestly and earnestly to all inquiries.

While their plans hadn’t come to fruition, Orphelia was still a core member of the Golden Bough Alliance and the linchpin of their scheme. Even if she hadn’t been hospitalized, she probably couldn’t have joined them at the reception.

“I wish I could have brought Ursula, too,” Sylvia pouted.

While Ursula remained under supervision by the integrated enterprise foundations, her treatment was less severe than Orphelia’s. It had been medically confirmed that she was subjected to such extensive brainwashing that her free will had been completely suppressed. The real reason she hadn’t been able to join them was that Director Korbel hadn’t given her permission to leave the hospital.

“Excuse me for interrupting.”

At that moment, several figures in the uniform of Saint Gallardworth Academy approached.

“Allow me to express our gratitude for everything you’ve done for a valued member of our school, and to apologize on her behalf for all the trouble she’s caused you,” Elliot Forster, at the front of the group, said with a deep bow of his head.

Needless to say, he was referring to Percival. She was apparently still in a coma at the hospital. Her psychological trauma from the Varda-Vaos’s mental interference was more extensive even than Ursula’s.

The leaders of the various schools had largely been kept in the dark about the Golden Bough Alliance, but they must have pieced together at least a basic outline of events on their own.

“There’s no need to go that far. She’s a victim, too…,” Ayato began.

“No, please!” Laetitia Blanchard interrupted, appearing before them. “Allow us to thank you! If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask!”

Despite her words, her attitude wasn’t exactly that of someone humbly offering gratitude.

“Oh dear… Even when saying thank you, you’re as pushy as ever, Laetitia.”

“Claudia. Weren’t you the one acting recklessly this time? Of course, I can only imagine, seeing as you won’t offer up any details.”

“Heh-heh. I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

With that, the two exchanged friendly smiles.

In addition to Laetitia, Noelle Messmer, Ernest Fairclough, and the former members of the Life Rhodes all seemed to be present.

“Well…from what I hear, it was Miss Toudou who stopped her. We can’t thank you enough,” Elliot said, bowing his head once more.

“N-not at all! I did what I could, that’s all…!” Kirin answered, shaking her head in embarrassment.

“…You defeated our very own Percival Gardner, after she activated the Holy Lance, no less.”

“I suppose I was just lucky… To tell the truth, I really thought I might lose.”

She wasn’t being humble—that was a simple fact. Kirin wasn’t the type to quibble over the details of a fight.

Elliot stared firmly into her eyes in apparent understanding, before turning to leave. “I would like to cross swords with you myself one day,” he said, and then he was gone.

“Ha-ha. It’s good to be young, isn’t it? Thanks to you all, my protégés are growing up fast.” Ernest—though still young himself—offered them a polite bow before following after Elliot. “Perhaps I’ve still got work to do before I leave the center stage…,” he whispered to himself. Ayato couldn’t miss the sharp glint of an expert swordsman in his eyes as he made his way out.

“What are you talking about? Aren’t you still relishing the limelight?” Sylvia murmured after them.

Ayato and Kirin were in complete agreement.

“Nya-ha-ha! How is everybody?!”

“Oh no, Ernesta! Quiet down, please! You’re embarrassing us.”

The next group to arrive was from Allekant, and its members were as lively as ever.

Among them were Ernesta Kühne, Camilla Pareto, and the autonomous puppets Ardy, Rimcy, and Lenaty.

“Saya! Let’s play! Come on, let’s play!”

As soon as she saw her face, Lenaty jumped for joy like an excited puppy.

“Not here,” Saya complained, trying in vain to push Lenaty away. “Besides, I don’t have any working Luxes left. It’ll probably take me a full week to fix them all.”

The young puppet remained particularly fond of Saya.

“Ha-ha-ha! Our little sister is lovely as always!”

“Yes indeed. If the incompetent tinhead standing beside me was even one millionth as cute, my days would be so much more peaceful.”

This kind of exchange between Ardy and Rimcy was also business as usual.

“My sister told me you were both a great help during the incident. Thank you,” Ayato said.

He had heard directly from Haruka about how the two puppets had given their all to help defend the airship landing during the attack.

“Don’t mention it! We were just following our master’s orders!”

“That’s right. There’s no need for thanks. If you really want to show your gratitude, it’s our master who deserves it.”

If that was how they saw it, he wouldn’t argue.

Ayato turned to Ernesta. Camilla was holding her in place by the scruff of the neck like she was a stray cat.

“Ah, don’t worry about it, really,” she said, waving her hands. “I just did it to protect myself.”

Yep, leave it to Ernesta to come right out with her hidden agenda. Come to think of it, she had been this way from the moment they met.

“That’s right. The fact that she can even show herself in public like this is thanks to her desperate efforts to protect herself.”

“Though it hasn’t put her above criticism, it would seem,” Claudia remarked.

Indeed, even now, people all around the room were watching Ardy with disquieting looks.

That was inevitable, of course, seeing as he looked exactly like the puppets that had rampaged throughout the city during the Golden Noontide incident. No matter how hard the integrated enterprise foundations fought to suppress the details, they couldn’t hide that. The precise connection hadn’t been made public, but both Ernesta and Allekant had been the subject of intense criticism. There could be no doubting that Allekant was taking the majority of the heat this time around.

“It’s all right. I knew this would happen,” Ernesta stated.

“…What do you mean?” Saya, still clinging to Lenaty, looked up at her probingly.

“Nya-ha-ha! That’s…a secret! All I’ll say is I’m taking a long-term view!”

Ernesta was ever bright and cheerful, yet never hesitated to launch into a new scheme. That was a core part of her personality.

“Oh, right, Saya,” Camilla cut in. “Won’t you drop by my lab at Allekant sometime? Your S-Module…it inspired me. I’ve been working on something interesting myself. It’s not even at the prototype stage yet, but…”

“Oh. That sounds interesting.”

Once Camilla and Saya promised to meet up again soon, the Allekant party took their leave.

“Ho-ho-ho. What a lively gathering. So many guests and visitors.”

“…!”

The next to arrive was a group of Jie Long’s fierce fighters, led by the Ban’yuu Tenra Xinglou Fan.

Among them were the members of Team Yellow Dragon, which had fought so well during the Gryps—Xiaohui Wu, Hufeng Zhao, Cecily Wong and the twins Shenyun Li and Shenhua Li, who had also done so well during the Phoenix.

“Dear me, it’s rare for Your Highness to drop by a place like this.”

“Indeed. I’m a little surprised.”

Both Sylvia and Claudia, acquainted with Xinglou Fan as student council presidents, wore looks of mild astonishment.

“Oh? This Lindvolus was special. And it gave my students from the Liangshan a good workout,” the figure with the face of a young girl answered with a laugh.

The Liangshan was where Xinglou had given students from other schools special training to prepare them to fight in the Lindvolus. Among these students, the most noteworthy was—

“Especially Julis. You showed me a better fight than I was expecting in the final match. You’ve truly reached new heights.”

“…It’s all thanks to you. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve such good results by myself, no matter how much I trained. Thank you,” Julis answered, extending her hand.

With a grin, Xinglou reached out to give it a firm shake—but then her expression clouded over. “Hmm… I thought it might be. It seems I was right.”

“There’s no fooling you, is there?” Julis answered, lowering her gaze as a forlorn smile spread across her face. “Well, that’s how it is. Apologies, but I don’t think I can keep my promise. Of course, if you don’t mind facing me as I am now, I’d be happy to oblige…”

“No, you are released.” Xinglou let out a deep sigh, giving her head a small shake. “I saw quite a lot in the match. That should be enough.”

…What on earth are they talking about?

Ayato, unsure what was going on between the two of them, was about to speak up, when—

“U-um, Sylvia!” Hufeng called out, unable to contain his excitement any longer. He was a huge fan of Sylvia’s. “Those new songs you performed during the Lindvolus, they were wonderful! Especially the ones from the quarterfinals! That one about friendship was amazing…! Are you going to perform them live sometime?!”

“Really, Hufeng…?” Cecily’s gaze was warm, as though she was watching over a younger brother, but at the same time sulky, with a hint of something more.

“Kirin Toudou. As I told you before, I owe you a debt. If possible, I would like to face you again at some point.”

Xiaohui, on the other hand, was hoping to get Kirin to commit to a rematch.

“I—I’d like to…but I wonder if I can give you what you want right now…”

Kirin had exhausted the stored energy of her Orga Lux, the Fudaraku. If Xiaohui would be satisfied with a contest of pure ability, she might be able to give him that, but what he really wanted was to fight her at her full strength.

“I don’t mean now. It can wait until we’re both in top form.” Xiaohui must have realized her predicament, too.

“First the Claíomh Solais, now the Celestial Warrior. You sure are popular, Kirin,” Saya teased.

“I-it isn’t like that…!” Kirin blushed, turning to look up at Ayato.

Yes. Now that everything was over, Ayato had to give his answer. Not just to Kirin, but to everyone.

“Really, you guys?”

“Why are you two acting like such good pals all of a sudden?”

A short distance away, the twins were looking on, their displeasure evident as they helped themselves to small plates of food. Ayato was relieved to see that they, at least, hadn’t changed at all. He couldn’t imagine them any other way.

“We’ve found them! There they are! This place is way too crowded!”

“Hey, Yabuki! Don’t wander off on your own! Hold on, how are you not bumping into people?! Hey!”

The next to appear were Eishirou and Lester. Followed by—

“So this is where you’ve been hiding! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“S-sis! Wait for me!”

The sisters, Irene Urzaiz and Priscilla Urzaiz.

The two groups reached Ayato and the others at almost the exact same moment.

“…Yo, Irene Urzaiz.”

“Oh, it’s you…Lester MacPhail.”

Lester and Irene exchanged hostile glances.

They had met before, during the Phoenix and again at this latest Lindvolus. Irene had won the former, Lester the latter. One win, one loss each, with both matches lasting five minutes. As a result, neither of them had conceded to the other.

“Sis! Do I need to remind you that fighting is off-limits here?” Priscilla said, stepping forward, unintimidated by the explosive atmosphere.

“Ugh…! I—I get it, Priscilla. It’s not like I came here to pick a fight.”

Despite appearances, it was the younger sister, Priscilla, who was the stronger of the two. Irene reluctantly withdrew, while Priscilla turned to Ayato and the others with a bow.

“I apologize for the sudden interruption. And MacPhail, please excuse my sister’s behavior.”

“S-sure …”

There was nothing Lester could say to that, and he likewise fell back.

“Um, congratulations again, to all of you,” said Priscilla. “It really is amazing scoring both a grand slam and winning the entire season.”

It was a simple compliment, offered with no jealousy or calculation.

That was probably why Julis simply took it in stride. “Oh, thanks,” she answered.

“You were incredible, too, Priscilla,” Ayato said, nodding. “In your match against Sylvie.”

“Yep. It was a good match.” Saya nodded firmly.

“What?! You were watching…?”

“Of course. You’ve gotten much stronger, Priscilla.”

“…”

Priscilla clasped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the words.

“Thank you…!” she whispered.

Irene reached out and silently put her arm around Priscilla’s shoulder.

While Priscilla may have been a Genestella, until just a few short years ago, she had been an amateur with no combat experience. Ayato had nothing but admiration for the rapid growth that had allowed her to take on Sylvia so capably—even if it was largely thanks to the irregular training she had received at the Liangshan. It must have taken extraordinary effort.

“I can’t rely on my sister to protect me forever.”

Ayato remembered the day she said those words at the school fair. And she really had made good on them.

“So, Julis. You’d better not forget your promise to me,” Lester said, stepping forward after dutifully waiting for the Urzaiz sisters to finish.

“Right… Yeah. Call me whenever you feel up to it. I’ll fight you, as promised.”

“All right! Looking forward to it!” Lester slapped his fist, positively beaming with joy.

“Huh? You challenging the Glühen Rose to a duel, Lester MacPhail?” said Irene. “Didn’t you watch that final match? This is the woman who beat Orphelia Landlufen. What makes you think you can keep up with her?”

“Shut up! We’ve got our own thing here! Quit butting in!”

“Huh? You mouthin’ off to me now?!”

Once more, Lester and Irene exchanged fierce looks.

“Really, there’s never a dull moment with you guys. You’re always causing trouble,” Eishirou said with a grin, hands clasped behind his head as he shot Ayato a sideways glance.

“Are you talking as a Shadowstar agent? Or as part of the newspaper club?”

“Nah, just sharing my impressions as your friend,” he answered, still smiling.

After that, an endless stream of acquaintances and friends stopped by to chat with Ayato and the others.

There were Helga and Haruka, patrolling the venue as part of its security contingent; Minato and Yuzuhi, along with their teammates; Violet Weinberg; their teacher Kyouko Yatsuzaki; Saya’s junior Nueko Kuzukara; Fuyuka Umenokouji, who had left Xinglou’s group to greet them personally; the various members of Rusalka (though how they managed to enter the venue was anyone’s guess); and even Zaharoula, the chief commentator at the Lindvolus.

After chatting with everyone, Ayato and the others finally found time to catch their breath and sneaked out into the garden adjoining the main hall. Not only friends and acquaintances, but even strangers had begun to seek them out, which meant that it was time for them to leave.

“Whew. Finally free,” Julis said with a yawn as she stretched her arms.

“Ha-ha. Good work today,” Claudia said with a mischievous smile. “Keep in mind that this is the fate that awaits anyone who pulls off a grand slam.”

“I’m already sick of it…,” Julis replied.

“Don’t say that! We at Seidoukan plan to lean on your accomplishments to the best of our ability—for publicity purposes.”

The midwinter air was bitingly cold, and their breath became white clouds of mist before their eyes.

A large moon hovered above the lights of the hotel.

“Come to think of it,” said Saya, “there was so much food inside, but I didn’t have time to sample any of it… Talk about unfair.”

“Oh, in that case, sh-should we make something for dinner once we get back to the dormitory, then?” suggested Kirin.

“Oh, that would be great.”

“It won’t be very fancy, though…”

Saya, no doubt starved, continued to hold her stomach with a sorrowful expression, while Kirin tried to soothe her, a wry smile on her face.

As they continued their casual conversation and slowly made their way through the dimly lit garden, Sylvia, who had been trailing near the end of the group, deep in thought, came to a sudden stop.

“…Sylvie?” Ayato called out.

Turning away for a moment, she let out a long, deep breath before looking back up. “Well, I wasn’t sure about this, but seeing as we won’t have many more opportunities… Heck, let’s do it.”

Then, looking directly into his eyes with a bashful smile, she said: “I love you, Ayato. Do you think we could be special partners, maybe?”

“…!”

Caught off guard, Ayato’s body stiffened involuntarily.

Sylvia’s figure was breathtakingly beautiful in the soft light of the garden path—it was almost as if she were floating.

“…Oh, a c-confession? Now?”

“In front of all of us? I’m impressed.”

“…You’ve really done it this time.”

“W-w-wow…!”

Everyone else seemed just as surprised, and all of them had stopped cold where they were.

“I mean, you’ve all already confessed your feelings, right? I can tell that much. I don’t want to be the only one here who hasn’t even reached the starting line.”

Sylvia’s words were straightforward and sincere—so Ayato had no choice but to accept them earnestly.

Indeed, now that everything had been settled, it was time to give them his answer.

In fact, he had already made up his mind long ago.

But when it came to actually saying it out loud, his voice caught in his throat, and a strange sensation took hold of him.

He looked deep into the eyes of Julis, Claudia, Saya, Kirin, then Sylvia, and slowly opened his mouth.

“I…”