The Asterisk War, Vol. 5: Battle for the Crown

by Yuu Miyazaki

  “No, it’s fine. I think I have enough. Hold on.” His companion looked down and began mumbling to herself.

  Ayato couldn’t tell what she was doing. But people often had their own rituals to activate their abilities, so it was probably something of that nature.

  “There, that should do it.” She clapped her hands and looked up. “But first, I need you to promise me one thing. Okay?”

  “What kind of promise?”

  “Promise me that you won’t tell anyone what you’re about to see.”

  “…Okay. I promise.”

  That seemed easy enough.

  “Good. I’ll get started. Let me see a map. The larger, the better.”

  Ayato took out his mobile device. He adjusted the air-window to the maximum size and displayed a map of the redevelopment area.

  “Okay, this is—,” Ayato began, then fell silent as the girl removed her hat and unbound her hair.

  She touched her headphone-shaped accessory, and the color of her hair gradually changed.

  It turned from chestnut to bright purple—the color of the sunrise unfolding at that very moment. Her subdued, quiet aura transformed into something dazzling and powerful.

  It was then that Ayato recognized her breathtakingly sculpted face. To be fair, there probably wasn’t anyone in Asterisk, or even the entire world, who would fail to recognize her now.

  The supreme songstress. The greatest pop idol in the world.

  The student council president and top-ranked fighter of Queenvale Girls’ Academy, alias the Witch of Fearsome Melody, Sigrdrífa, semi-finalist of the last Lindvolus.

  “Sylvia Lyyneheym…” Ayato whispered her name in awe.

  Sylvia smiled at him, then stretched out her arms as if spreading a pair of wings. From behind, the newly risen sun bathed her in brilliance.

  “Thought and memory, thou winged twins, fly, oh swiftly fly, and bring me the voice of a sweet child imprisoned.”

  A clear, strong voice, completely unlike before, intoned a mournful melody like a folk song.

  Of course Ayato would recognize this voice. He had little interest in the trends of the day, but even he knew her name, her face, and her singing voice.

  “Beyond the clouds of dawn, upon the winds of twilight, from the edge of nightfall, lead us onward…”

  As a storm of mana raged around her, Sylvia’s song deftly manipulated and rearranged it.

  She was the most famous singer in the world, and thus the most famous Strega. Even the Witch of Solitary Venom, Erenshkigal, two-time champion of the Lindvolus, couldn’t surpass her in terms of fame.

  And Sylvia’s abilities were versatile.

  Usually, Dantes or Stregas would employ their own core images to activate their powers. Not even someone with multi-faceted abilities like Julis could escape the limits of her mental imagery of fire and flowers.

  But Sylvia Lyyneheym, it was said, could change her image freely by using song as a medium. Which meant that right now, she could use her powers for seeking.

  In a way, her abilities were reminiscent of Seisenjutsu, which was a result of the pursuit of versatility. But her power was the complete opposite in nature. Whereas Seisenjutsu was a set of codified techniques, Sylvia achieved versatility by making her images fluid. In singing songs specific to an image, she could manipulate mana to give shape to all kinds of phenomena—although there were some limitations, such as prana consumption and her aptitude for different abilities.

  The only type of skill she could not use was healing. But not even Seisenjutsu had successfully codified healing. Perhaps it was fundamentally different from other powers.

  “Black emissaries of thought and memory, fly down to me and reveal now the truth…”

  When Sylvia finished singing, two black feathers floated above the map, slowly revolving. They spun for several moments, but their circled grew tighter and tighter.

  “Mm-hmm… It looks like she’s outside the Rotlicht, in one of the northern corners,” she announced nonchalantly.

  Ayato still couldn’t believe his eyes, but he quickly recovered. The girl in front of him might be the greatest superstar in the world, but if her powers were genuine, he had no time to waste marveling at them. “That’s where Flora is?”

  “Yeah. Pretty sure, unless they’ve taken some really strong measures against detection. I could narrow it down a little better if I had more time…”

  “No, this is more than enough. Thank you—thank you so much.” Ayato bowed his head in gratitude.

  They had been searching blindly until now, so narrowing down Flora’s location was a tremendous step forward. They didn’t have much time left, but now there was hope.

  Sylvia gave him a small, delighted laugh. “I’m glad I was able to help. Well, I’ll get out of your hair. Actually, I’d better, or I’ll get an earful from my manager.” Looking satisfied, she placed her hat back on her head.

  “Miss Lyyneheym, wait!” Ayato had so much to ask her, and so much gratitude to repay. But he didn’t have the time now. “Can you tell me how to reach you?”

  “Wha…?” Her face went blank with surprise at his request.

  At first, he couldn’t understand her reaction, but soon he did. “…Oh.”

  He had asked her without thinking—her, the world-famous songstress. She can’t just go around giving out her phone number, he scolded himself.

  But Sylvia studied Ayato’s face for a bit, then finally burst into laughter. “…Pfft! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! I like it! It’s been a while since anyone’s made such a direct move on me.”

  “N-no, I wasn’t trying to make any moves…!”

  “Call me Sylvie. That’s what people I actually like call me.”

  With that, she took out her mobile device and turned it toward his. Ayato’s phone chimed as it received the contact.

  “My personal contact,” she explained. “Get in touch anytime. Although I’ve been busy lately, so I might not be able to answer.”

  “Uh, okay…” Ayato stood bewildered by the simplicity of the exchange.

  “Actually, you’ve fascinated me for a while. And after seeing you in person, I think I’m even more intrigued,” she said brightly, pulling her hat deeper over her eyes, and tapped him lightly on the chest as she passed by him. “Good luck, Ayato. I’ll be praying for Flora’s safety, too.”

  After parting from Sylvia, Ayato immediately sent the data on Flora’s supposed location to the others.

  Their response didn’t take long. Multiple air-windows opened, first from Julis and Saya, then Eishirou.

  “It’s fantastic that we have a place to look,” Julis said, “but how did you narrow it down to this location?”

  “Um, well—sorry, I can’t tell you.”

  Her question was only natural, but Ayato couldn’t break his promise to Sylvia.

  “Hmph, all right. I am curious, but we’re short on time.”

  “…Anyway,” Saya added, “now that we’ve narrowed things down, we’re almost there.”

  “Right,” Eishirou chimed in. “I know that part of town, so I should be able to help.”

  Julis nodded. “It’s settled, then. Let’s all meet at—”

  “But, Ayato and Julis,” Saya interrupted. “You two shouldn’t come along.”

  “Huh?”

  “What?”

  Both responded simultaneously in surprise.

  “What are you talking about?!” Julis cried. “Why should we have to stay back?!”

  “…You two have to fight in the championship,” Saya explained. “You’ll never make it if you meet us over there.”

  “That’s true, but…”

  The demands of the kidnapper precluded them from forfeiting the Phoenix. And although they had a clue now, there was no guarantee they would be able to rescue Flora. They knew they still had to follow the kidnapper’s instructions.

  And yet…

  “The championship isn’t until noon,” Julis insisted. “We still have time!”

>   “No, Sasamiya is right,” Eishirou said, surprising Ayato. “If the kidnapper is at this location, too, then we should keep the group small. Besides, if you get spotted before we rescue her, you’d have a hard time explaining yourselves.”

  “And it’s reckless to fight in the championship like that,” Saya added. “You should get all the rest you can.”

  “Grr…!”

  “But…!”

  They both saw the logic of their friends’ words, but it was unbearable to come so close and ultimately be unable to help.

  “Ayato, Miss Julis—it’s all right! We will definitely rescue Flora!” This time, it was Kirin who spoke.

  “…” Julis had no reply. After a long pause, she let out an equally long sigh of defeat. “Fine. Then we’ll focus our energy on the championship.”

  “Right,” Ayato agreed.

  Saya and the others were in the right, so Ayato and Julis would be selfish to push the issue. They had to yield.

  “…Good. We save Flora, and you two avenge our loss. Then everyone’s happy.” Satisfied, Saya nodded.

  “Oh, that’s right,” Julis said. “You two are counting on us.”

  “To be honest, it’s a pretty tall order,” Ayato said with an awkward smile.

  He meant to lighten the mood, but the truth was, it would be no easy task to defeat the Puppets without the Ser Veresta. Without a solid plan, they might not even be able to put up much of a fight.

  “Nothing to worry about,” Saya said. “As soon as we save Flora, you’ll be able to use the Ser Veresta.”

  “If we make it in time,” Eishirou added playfully, inviting a glare from Saya.

  Seeing them both, Ayato felt the tension leave his body.

  They were all giving everything they had to their respective tasks.

  And what Ayato had to do now was…

  CHAPTER 6

  TO EACH THEIR OWN FIGHT

  “Number Seven, report.”

  The irritated voice over the phone demanded only the pertinent information.

  “No problems here.”

  Gold Eye Number Seven of Grimalkin replied curtly with only that pertinent information.

  “Good.”

  “And on your end?”

  “On the surface, things are going smoothly. No one’s contacted the city guard, and there’s no sign that Shadowstar’s gotten involved. But it’s not just the kids we have to worry about. Seidoukan has that sly vixen, too. Can’t really picture her staying out of this one.”

  The Grimalkin-issue mobile devices never opened air-windows. It was possible to transmit images, but they spoke only through audio. And this particular device made contact with only one person: the student council president of Le Wolfe Black Institute.

  “Truth is, we also got word that someone’s been asking around about the brat. Well, I don’t have jurisdiction over there, as you know, so I can’t say how true that is.”

  “…”

  Despite popular belief, which held that the entirety of the redevelopment area was under the Le Wolfe Black Institute’s control, the actual situation was more complicated. Multiple mafia outfits held the real control, and their high-ranking members consisted of dropouts from various schools and criminals from outside Asterisk.

  Of course, former Le Wolfe students made up the largest faction by far, and the ranks of those organizations included many current students as well. Organized crime and Le Wolfe had a strong connection. Historically speaking, it was true that the school had a fair amount of clout in those circles.

  However, those circles did not get along well with the current student council president, Dirk Eberwein, and as a result, the relationship between the Rotlicht and Le Wolfe had cooled significantly. In fact, due to the active influx of students in anti-Dirk factions, some outfits were all but openly hostile to him.

  Dirk had allowed all this to unfold.

  The Grimalkin man did not know the reason why, nor did he want to know. That was not part of his duties. All he had to do was execute his missions to perfection.

  He collected the information he needed for the assignment, but decisions belonged to a Cat’s owner.

  And so, as per usual, he asked his owner for instructions. “What if someone tries to interfere?”

  “We’ve got a hostage. Use that. If they don’t back down, you can get rid of her.”

  The man glanced at the girl sitting in a corner of the room. Perhaps she’d fallen asleep. Outside of occasional stirring, she didn’t move at all.

  “If we leave him to his own devices, that kid is gonna cause problems. We have to show him we mean business.”

  “Understood,” the man answered crisply.

  No matter how cruel the order, his heart never faltered. Though it was more accurate to say he’d never had one to start with.

  He felt a change in the atmosphere around him. “…”

  “What’s the matter?” the voice asked suspiciously, perhaps sensing it from his silence.

  “That interference we just discussed? I think it’s coming.”

  With that, the man ended the call and looked up to the ceiling.

  “…Are you sure this is it?” Saya asked skeptically, gazing up at the building.

  “Well, this was the most suspicious place I could find. That’s all. I think the odds are pretty good, though.” Eishirou shrugged, but his eyes were dead serious.

  “You really have a lot of connections, Yabuki,” Kirin said. “I’m impressed.”

  At the compliment, he grinned bashfully. “Aw, I’m not that impressive.”

  “…So that must mean you spend a lot of time here,” Saya said.

  “Uh… W-well, you know, it’s complicated…” Eishirou awkwardly averted his gaze.

  His recreational habits aside, the breadth of Eishirou’s connections was beyond question.

  While Ayato had narrowed it down, they still didn’t know Flora’s exact location. For Saya and Kirin, it was their first time in the Rotlicht. Many of the stores were closed for the day, and the larger twenty-four-hour casinos were most likely the only businesses bustling with activity. The streets were quiet, and the two had had difficulty gathering information. But Eishirou was easily able to find relevant clues at the shops where he was apparently a familiar face.

  “So, what was it about this place that made it suspicious?” Kirin asked.

  “Well, there used to be a pretty well-known casino in here. But it’s been undergoing renovations recently.”

  Kirin regarded the building again. It was very large—five stories. It faced Main Street, but it was set farther from the curb than the other buildings, hidden in a dark crevice.

  The lights weren’t on at the moment, but the exterior, adorned with electric signs that would have added to the city glow at night, was relatively new. The building hardly seemed in need of renovation.

  “From what I’ve heard, some patron went berserk,” Eishirou went on. “It may look fine on the outside, but it’s a mess inside.”

  “Wow… Pretty scary,” Kirin said.

  “Tenants turn over fast around here, and someone’s always doing renovations. There’re companies specializing in it,” Eishirou explained. “But in this building, the work’s been stopped for a few days.”

  “…Stopped?” Saya frowned.

  Eishirou smirked as he explained the intrigue. “There was some trouble with the company in charge. The crime outfit running this place is in a hurry, so I’m sure they’ll find someone else to finish the work.”

  “…But until then, it’s abandoned,” Saya said.

  “More or less.”

  The girls exchanged a glance, then nodded silently.

  “So, why don’t we take a look inside?” Eishirou said.

  “B-but how…?” Kirin asked.

  They had been searching mostly in tenements until now and had encountered no difficulties entering—although strictly speaking, it was trespassing, and the city guard would come down hard on them if they we
re caught. But things wouldn’t be that easy here. Even if it was in the middle of renovations, a casino would have some sort of security system.

  “Hey, just leave it to me. Keep an eye out, okay?” Eishirou withdrew his mobile device and connected it to the terminal next to the front entrance.

  With a practiced hand, he typed at his optical keyboard, and the door opened with a hydraulic hiss.

  “There. Piece of cake.”

  “…”

  Saya and Kirin gaped at Eishirou’s nonchalant attitude.

  “Looks like the original security system went kaput when the inside was wrecked. The one they have in place now is just a cheap stopgap. They probably thought this was enough to get them through the renovation. Lucky us.”

  “But still…,” Kirin began.

  “…You’re a little too good at that,” Saya finished.

  As they eyed him suspiciously, Eishirou rushed to defend himself. “N-no, no, seriously, this is nothing! I found the tools on the Net, and I’ve only tried it a few times before…”

  “…”

  Kirin and Saya still had their doubts, but this was no time to press the issue. It was almost noon. The championship match was about to begin.

  “Well, c’mon, let’s go in!” Eishirou said, brushing aside their suspicions. The two partners grudgingly followed.

  “Whoa…” The inside of the building was in much worse shape than Eishirou had imagined.

  The gambling equipment had already been removed, and the large central hall, with its high ceiling open to the second floor, sat sad and empty with bare walls and pillars. For some reason, the ridiculously gaudy lights were left on, casting eerie shadows on the floor from the pillars.

  There were several large holes in the ceiling, but it was hard to imagine that they were from the construction. That must have been caused by the rowdy patron. Clearly the renovation was necessary.

  “It doesn’t look like there’s anyone here,” Kirin said as she cautiously scanned the interior.

  “I took a peek at the floor plans,” Eishirou supplied. “This place should have six floors—five aboveground and a basement level.”

  There was a wide staircase at one end of the great hall leading to the second level. Behind it were stairs heading down. Off to the side was an elevator, but trying to use it would be a bad idea.