The Asterisk War, Vol. 8: Idol Showdown

by Yuu Miyazaki

  “Well then, Ms. Hiiragi, let’s cut straight to it. Which teams do you think look promising this time around?”

  “The favorites to win are, of course, Gallardworth’s Silverwinged Knights—Team Lancelot in particular. Not only are they being led by Ernest Fairclough, their Runesword-wielding Pendragon, four of the team’s members did extraordinarily well in the last Gryps. Their only new member is Percival Gardner, known by many of her fans as Agrestia, wielding an Orga Lux popularly known as the Holy Grail. There hasn’t been a single team from Gallardworth with members wielding both the Runesword and the Holy Grail that hasn’t taken the championship.”

  “The Runesword is, of course, the Lei-Glems, and the Holy Grail is the Amalthean Goat. It seems that a lot of students from Gallardworth, and their Orga Luxes, are given nicknames, like how Laetitia Blanchard is also known as the Saint, right?”

  “That’s one of Gallardworth’s many traditions. Now, these two Orga Luxes will be incredibly difficult to contend with. Moreover, the other three members—the Witch of Shining Wings, Gloriara, who is the aforementioned Laetitia Blanchard; along with the Black Shield, Gareth; and the Royal Spear, Rhongomiant—will provide excellent support. Together, they really do make for a formidable team.”

  “Just looking at the odds, Team Lancelot really is towering above everyone else!”

  Ayato wasn’t surprised to hear that Ernest’s Team Lancelot was already being singled out as the likely champions.

  “Well then, how about Gallardworth’s Team Tristan?”

  “Unlike Team Lancelot, this one’s made up entirely of new members.”

  “Team Tristan was the runner-up during the last Gryps, but most of its members from back then have already graduated. Won’t that be a problem for them?”

  “That’s true, but Gallardworth’s sixth-ranked fighter, Elliot Forster—also known as the Shining Sword, Claíomh Solais—is said to be almost on par with Ernest Fairclough when it comes to swordsmanship. Meanwhile, their seventh-ranked fighter, Noelle Messmer, the Witch of Holy Thorns, Perceforêt, is incredibly skilled, too. If they can all work together well as a team, there’s no reason they wouldn’t have a good shot at the championship, either.”

  “I see, I see. There’s little wonder Gallardworth has scored the most victories in the Gryps. Well then, what about their opposition?”

  “I would expect Seidoukan’s Team Enfield to put up the most resistance.”

  “Wow! That’s us!” Kirin burst out in surprise.

  “Of course.” Claudia smiled as if it went without saying. “Looking it at objectively, we are one of the favorites.”

  Certainly, looking only at their ranks, they had both Seidoukan’s current and previous number ones, and the school’s second- and fifth-ranked fighters. Moreover, the Ser Veresta and the Pan-Dora were famous Orga Luxes in their own right.

  “Team Enfield includes the winners from last year’s Phoenix, along with another two who made the top four tag teams. And the other member, Claudia Enfield, the Commander of a Thousand Visions, Parca Morta, is not only Seidoukan’s second-ranked fighter, but she also wields the Orga Lux Pan-Dora, which is said to have the power of precognition. They’re one of very few teams we can expect to hold their own against Gallardworth.”

  “Well, that does sound interesting!”

  “That said, there is an unknown entity this year. Jie Long’s Team Yellow Dragon includes the Ban’yuu Tenra’s top disciple, whom it seems has finally been allowed to take part in the Festa. We should expect him to be quite the dominating figure, I’d say.”

  “You’re talking about Jie Long’s second-ranked fighter, Xiaohui Wu, right? Like the Ban’yuu Tenra, Xinglou Fan, he’s hardly ever appeared in public. It sounds like we should expect great things from him!”

  “The team’s other members are the winners of the Phoenix four years ago, Hufeng Zhao, the Peerless Thorn, Tenka Musou; and Cecily Wong, the Flower of a Thousand Thunderbolts, Raigeki Senka; along with one of the strongest teams from last year’s Phoenix, the Li siblings. They should make a very powerful combination. Moreover, the team name, Yellow Dragon, can only be used with the permission of the Ban’yuu Tenra—and only then if she judges them worthy of representing Jie Long. I don’t think anyone would question calling them one of the favorites.”

  The faces of all five members of Team Yellow Dragon appeared in the air-window. Ayato had met three, and he had seen videos of matches featuring the wavy-haired girl, Cecily Wong. The man with the rough, masculine features was still, however, a mystery.

  “So he’s the Celestial Warrior, Hagun Seikun…”

  “Yes. There’s practically no useful data about him,” Claudia answered. “If we have to fight them, we’ll just have to hope that we can get a measure of his strengths and weaknesses from their earlier matches.”

  He was Xinglou’s top disciple, so he would no doubt be incredibly strong, just as the commentator had said.

  “We shouldn’t underestimate Cecily Wong and Hufeng Zhao, either. If I had to be honest, if those two had participated in the last Phoenix, I don’t know whether we would have won.” Julis, her expression grave as she stared at the images in the air-window, clenched her fists.

  Ayato, who had seen Hufeng Zhao’s abilities for himself during the school fair, had no reason to disagree. As far as physical combat was concerned, Hufeng was probably a step above him.

  Cecily Wong, on the other hand, was an expert in seisenjutsu, and Julis, though a Strega, seemed to be quite worried about her. Judging by the recordings of her matches, she seemed to excel in lightning techniques, but her prowess in the martial arts couldn’t be overlooked, either.

  “Those twins will no doubt be just as much a problem as they were during the Phoenix. If nothing else, their abilities will make them extremely effective in group combat.”

  Shenyun Li, the Phantom Builder, Gen’ei Souki, excelled at using seisenjutsu to make things that weren’t there appear real—while Shenhua Li, the Phantom Vanisher, Gen’ei Musan, excelled in using it to make things that were there disappear. There was no mistaking that such abilities would naturally be more effective supporting team members than used on their own in a tag battle.

  “What a nuisance,” Saya murmured.

  “…You can say that again.” Kirin nodded in agreement.

  “As for this year’s dark horse, I’d keep my eye on Queenvale’s Team Rusalka. They made their debut at the last Gryps and managed to advance all the way into the top eight. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can pull off this time.”

  “Rusalka is, of course, also a rock band, and so they’re always busy doing something. They haven’t fought together as a team since the last Gryps. As a graduate of Queenvale, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us this time!”

  “…Personally, I hope they haven’t grown too much,” Claudia said, her expression clouded as she faced the air-window.

  “You’ve been brooding about them for a while now.” Julis sighed. “To be honest, I don’t think we need to be that worried… I mean, at the very least, they aren’t going to be as much of a problem as the other three.”

  All five had watched as many recordings of the other teams’ previous matches as they could find. Given that Rusalka had made it into the top eight in the last Gryps, there was no denying that they were a strong team. However, even taking into account whatever growth they might have shown over the past three years, Ayato doubted whether they would be as much of an obstacle as the favorites from Gallardworth and Jie Long.

  “But we’ll need to keep an eye on Miluše, at least,” Ayato pointed out. “She’s Queenvale’s number three, after all.”

  There might not have been any data on Rusalka’s team matches since the last Gryps, but there was a decent amount from the official ranking battles. All five members of Rusalka, it seemed, had challenged Sylvia individually, and all five had been soundly defeated. As long as they hadn’t intentionally thrown the matches, that ought to be eno
ugh to gauge their skills, Ayato thought.

  “Does that mean that, even though they aren’t strong on their own, they’ve got good teamwork?” Kirin asked timidly, her hand raised in the air.

  Claudia, however, slowly shook her head. “No. They certainly do have good teamwork, but I’m more worried about—”

  “Their Orga Luxes,” Saya finished for her.

  “Exactly.”

  “Hmm… The Lyre-Poros, was it?” Ayato asked after a moment.

  Team Rusalka was famous for their Orga Luxes, which doubled as musical instruments. It was said that the heart of the Lyre-Poros was originally a single urm-manadite core that had been divided into five pieces. As such, it was essentially one weapon wielded by five people, meaning that it required five separate users—each with high compatibility ratings—just to be able to be controlled.

  Ayato opened an air-window and searched for data on the band.

  Each of the five instruments had unusually complicated names. Miluše, it seemed, wielded a guitar component known as the Lyre-Poros Calliope, Päivi a drum component known as the Lyre-Poros Erato, Monica a bass component known as the Lyre-Poros Melpomene, Tuulia another guitar component known as the Lyre-Poros Polyhymnia, and Mahulena a keyboard component known as the Lyre-Poros Thalia.

  “Judging by these recordings, it looks like they work by manipulating sound…”

  As he had expected, the team’s strategy during the last Gryps looked to be based around both attacking and defending through the use of sound waves. There didn’t seem to have been any teams able to use the five parts of the Orga Lux together before Rusalka, so there was no other information available.

  “…” As she watched the recording, Claudia’s expression turned grave.

  “What is it?”

  “…No, don’t mind me. There isn’t much point worrying about a team that we might not even have to face. Let’s focus on more pressing concerns.”

  “Ah, okay…”

  Ayato couldn’t say he wasn’t worried about an Orga Lux that seemed to have even Claudia so visibly concerned, but it wouldn’t be a problem unless they had to actually fight them.

  In the live broadcast from the Sirius Dome, the announcer and the commentator had already moved on to the next teams.

  “Yes, exactly! Also from Queenvale, we have Team Melvielle and Team Kaguya, which I’m willing to bet we should all keep a close eye on! Especially—”

  “Team Kaguya?” Ayato found himself echoing the name.

  “What?” Julis turned toward him.

  “No, it’s nothing. Someone I know is in it, that’s all.”

  “…From Queenvale? You mean someone who isn’t Sylvia Lyyneheym?” Julis’s gaze turned cold.

  He had said too much, but it was too late to take it back.

  “Oh? I looked into Team Kaguya myself, but this is the first I’ve heard about a friend of yours being part of it,” Claudia cut in. “Might I ask who it is?” There was nothing outwardly strange about her smile, but there seemed to be an unusual level of pressure behind her words.

  “She’s really just an acquaintance… It’s Yuzuhi Renjouji. She’s a student at our dojo.”

  Kirin’s eyes snapped open. “Your dojo…? You mean, she knows the Amagiri Shinmei style?”

  “Well, technically, at one of the branch dojos. You remember, right, Saya? The Yatsuka Dojo?”

  “…Ah, the archery one.” Saya put her hands together as if only now remembering.

  “You know her, too, Saya?”

  “…No, I just know about the dojo. Haruka and Ayato’s father went there sometimes.”

  “Anyway, I’ve never been suited to archery, so I don’t have much to do with them. And I’ve only met Yuzuhi a few times when we were kids.” Ayato paused, a slight frown wrinkling his brow. “Unlike me, Yuzuhi is a first-class archer. She was one of the best—even when we were kids. I’m a bit worried about how much she might have improved since then.”

  “She must be good—to make you say that…” Julis, too, broke into a frown.

  “I see… I had thought Sophia Fairclough would be the only real challenger in Team Kaguya, but it looks like I’ll have to reevaluate them,” Claudia mused.

  “Fairclough…? You mean, like Ernest?” This time, it was Ayato’s turn to be taken by surprise.

  “Yes, his younger sister. She’s quite talented with a sword. They say that she’s just as good as her brother, Pendragon… Or maybe even better. She does have a weakness, though—”

  “Hold on,” Saya interrupted, raising her hand to her temple as if she had a headache. “It’s too much. I can’t remember all this.”

  Saya had a hard time remembering things she didn’t have a particular interest in, a trait that was most apparent during class.

  “Well, there are a lot of promising teams competing this time around, after all. Don’t overdo it,” Claudia said, patting Saya on the head. “I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated with any relevant information. All you need to do is focus on the teams that we’ll definitely be facing.”

  “Th-thanks…” Kirin, too, placed a hand over her chest in relief.

  “And it looks like Allekant’s Team Androcles will be entering with a new kind of unannounced weapon. It’s apparently different from the new Rect Luxes, so I’m really looking forward to watching its debut. And my own former school, Le Wolfe, has contracted soldiers from the private military company HRMS to form Team Hellion. Word has it that company president Liberio Pareto selected all five personally and is even loaning them the Orga Lux Vershe-Velun, the Sword of Devouring Hunger—”

  Even though the live commentary introducing the various teams had yet to finish, Claudia closed the air-window before turning toward her teammates. “Now then, shall we go over our strategy for our first match one last time?”

  At the same time, in Team Rusalka’s prep room at the Canopus Dome, the site of the tournament’s first match—

  “It’s time for an Emergency Meeting on How to Unseat Sylvia Lyyneheym!” Miluše announced triumphantly.

  The girl had been fidgeting with excitement throughout the trip from the Sirius Dome. Now that they had finally arrived, she puffed out her chest grandly as if launching into a long-awaited announcement.

  “…Um, what’s going on?” Mahulena asked nervously.

  “Ha-ha! Listen up! You’ll never guess what—”

  “We caught Sylvia in a secret rendezvous with a guy!” Tuulia cut in smugly.

  “Whaaat?!” the three other members—Päivi, Monica, and Mahulena—all cried out simultaneously.

  “Hey, Tuulia! That’s not fair! I was going to say it!” Miluše protested, swinging her arms around wildly.

  “Heh-heh, the early bird gets the worm.” Tuulia smirked, easily dodging her.

  “Argh! Not fair!”

  “Come on, stop fooling around already and tell us what happened!” Monica called out as she rose to her feet. “I mean, did you really see it?”

  “We saw it, all right! It’s a huge scoop!”

  “We even got it on video!” Miluše added before opening a small air-window with her mobile and playing back a recording.

  They had been some distance away, so their voices hadn’t been captured clearly, but the video distinctly showed the figures of a girl and a boy having some kind of intimate conversation behind a pillar.

  “Whoa… That’s definitely Sylvia!” Päivi, her gaze fixed on the air-window, nodded enthusiastically.

  It was hard to see through her disguise at first glance, but even Mahulena could recognize those distinctive facial expressions.

  “Right, right?” Tuulia burst out, pointing at the air-window. “And look, she’s giving him something!”

  “…What is it?” Mahulena asked.

  “Listen carefully!” Tuulia winked at Miluše, who then turned up the volume.

  There was a lot of distortion and background noise, but—

  “She cooked lunch for him?!”

  “Sp
ot on!” the two girls cried out in unison, jumping up to give each other a high five.

  Miluše turned to Monica. “No matter who we sell this to, there’s no way they can call it fake, right?”

  “…Indeed, we could even skip the media clubs and take it straight to the big online news outlets… Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! This will be a huge scandal! We’ve really hit the jackpot this time!” Monica, forgetting for a moment her usual poise, cried out exuberantly, her lips twisted in a frightening grin.

  “R-right, yeah…” Miluše drew back a little at the forcefulness of her response.

  “…Huh?” Päivi, still watching the recording, tilted her head to one side. “Isn’t this…the Murakumo?”

  “Wha—?!” Mahulena exclaimed as everyone scrambled back in front of the air-window.

  “We were only looking at her, but now that you mention it… That is a Seidoukan uniform, isn’t it?”

  “I-it is him! It’s that Ayato Amagiri!”

  Mahulena couldn’t help but wonder why it had taken them so long to recognize him.

  Ayato Amagiri, known as Gathering Clouds, Murakumo, was Seidoukan Academy’s number one—and a top celebrity in Asterisk. He had been a favorite topic among Festa aficionados even before seizing the championship but particularly so ever since defeating Allekant’s autonomous puppets in the final match.

  “…Wow, I wasn’t expecting it to be this big… So I guess that means her…d-d-date during the school fair—that was…!”

  “This’ll be the biggest scandal ever…!” Miluše cried out, clenching her fists triumphantly.

  “…Huh? H-hold on, hold on a second.” Monica, having returned to her usual feigned innocence, took a toy-shaped mobile device from her pocket. “Hey, look, look at this,” she said as she opened a cutely decorated air-window.

  It was a gossip site. Monica scrolled through the articles as though intimately familiar with them. There were headlines like THE MURAKUMO’S PASSIONATE LOVE: PRINCESS RIESSFELD!, PHOENIX TAG PARTNERS ALSO PARTNERS IN LIFE, and WHY IS THE MURAKUMO ACCOMPANYING PRINCESS RIESSFELD ON HER TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO LIESELTANIA?