by Yuu Miyazaki
The car had stopped at a quay near Seidoukan Academy. It was less than ten minutes by foot to the school.
“…”
But Ayato didn’t move. He stared at the wide blue sky beyond the lake as if something had sucked out his soul.
After they left, the car sped off, as unfriendly as its primary passenger.
“Ayato…are you really all right?” Julis asked gently.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” He clenched his fists.
“Haaah…”
As the car started again, Korona let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Mr. Amagiri seemed nice, but Miss Riessfeld was scary,” she remarked.
Dirk glowered at Korona and grunted disinterestedly. “You’re a weak judge of character as usual. That Glühen Rose is easy to read, but guys like him are the worst type to face in a fight.”
“Oh…is that right?”
“Never mind. This was worth the trip.”
“Huh? But…”
To Korona, it looked like Dirk had been the one giving up all the information. Ayato had answered his question, but the reply had been worthless to them. The exchange had seemed far from balanced.
“There’re lots of ways to use information,” Dirk said. “In some situations, it pays to feed it to someone.”
“I see…,” Korona murmured, even though she didn’t really.
“Anyway, if the information upsets him, that’s good enough for me,” Dirk spat, and he slouched into the sofa.
“Oh, I forgot to report this earlier,” Korona said, “but when I went to pick up Mr. Amagiri and Miss Riessfeld, there was an adorable little girl with them. Oooh, she was just like a doll… I wonder who that was?”
“What did you say?” Dirk’s eyebrow twitched.
“She wasn’t in the files you gave me…but she was little, and she had no school crest, so she couldn’t have been an Asterisk student— Oh, right! She was wearing a maid outfit. A maid, can you imagine?! It really did suit her, though. She was so cute,” Korona gushed with a goofy smile.
“Tell me everything about her.”
“Huh? …Are you into maids, sir?” Korona asked blankly.
Dirk clicked his tongue, viciously annoyed. He didn’t need to voice the warning.
“Oh, um, sorry, I’m sorry! Just kidding! A joke!” Korona waved her hands in denial, then filled him in on the situation when she’d picked up Ayato and Julis.
Dirk listened, deep in thought. “Hmph. I see…,” he finally muttered.
Something dark and dangerous glittered in his eyes. Korona felt a nasty chill slide up her spine.
CHAPTER 5
HIS SISTER AND HIS OLD FRIEND
“So, as we can see from their previous matches, the Li twins’ greatest strength is the variety of their Seisenjutsu techniques. In particular, they’re true masters of illusion. Just as his alias ‘Phantom Builder’ suggests, the brother Shenyun is adept at making things that aren’t there appear real. Likewise, the sister Shenhua—the Phantom Vanisher—makes things that are there disappear.”
“Okay…”
Julis and Ayato were in one of the private training rooms at Seidoukan Academy.
Upon returning to campus, they had begun their strategy meeting for tomorrow’s match as originally planned. Julis had opened several pictures of the Li twins’ matches in the Phoenix so far.
“And, as one might expect from twins, their teamwork is exceptional. They execute perfect combination attacks, hardly exchanging any words or even eye contact. They really are a dangerous pair. On top of all that, if we take Song and Luo at their word, we have to assume that they’re formidable strategists—hey, Ayato? Are you paying attention?”
“Huh?” Ayato’s head snapped up. “Oh, sure. Sorry.”
Julis regarded him with some suspicion and continued.
“In terms of martial arts only, Song and Luo are probably stronger. But overall, these two are unquestionably the better team. The textbook strategy of eliminating one first would be the most effective, but their Seisenjutsu is especially powerful in defense. So to deal with that…”
“…”
Julis paused there and waited for Ayato.
But while he wore a perfectly earnest expression, his eyes were focused on neither the air-windows nor Julis.
His thoughts were clearly somewhere else.
“Haaah…” Observing him intently, Julis let out a grand sigh. “You’re worried about your sister, aren’t you?”
He flinched. “That’s not…”
His attempted denial trailed off.
“I could say I know how you feel, but I won’t. I don’t know what kind of person your sister is, or what your relationship with her was like. But I think I understand how much you care for her.”
“Julis…”
“But isn’t that just another reason to give your all to win the Phoenix?”
Puzzled, Ayato frowned. “Do you mean…that I should win, then use my wish to find my sister?”
“That’s right. But to do that, we need to win the tournament, and that’s no easy task. You don’t think you have enough clues to find her on your own, do you?”
Indeed, there was no record of Haruka in the Seidoukan Academy databases, and their newest clue was nothing more than an eyewitness account of a now defunct underground event.
“You said earlier that you didn’t want to look for her if she didn’t want to be found. Do you still feel the same way?”
“…”
Instead of answering, Ayato only bowed his head.
Julis held in another sigh. She didn’t want to say this, but she had to.
“Ayato. You can let me have it if I’m wrong—but are you afraid?”
“Afraid?” he said dubiously.
She silently watched him for a moment, then slowly went on. “Your sister placed that seal on you and disappeared without a word. I know you want to see her again. But that would also mean learning why she did what she did. And you care about her so much, maybe you’re afraid to find out.”
“…!” Ayato looked up with a gasp.
“You know,” Julis said softly, “I think you’re scared of the idea that she might have abandoned you.”
He winced. That hadn’t occurred to him before.
“Maybe you’re right…,” he murmured, trying to process that possibility. “Yeah, now that you mention it, maybe I really am afraid.”
Julis nodded. “That’s understandable. It hurts when someone dear to you tosses you away. You shrink back from the very prospect. It’s only natural.”
Even as she spoke, she felt a pang shoot through her heart.
For an instant, an image flashed through her mind—a friend with whom she’d parted ways.
That dear friend who had changed so completely…
Julis gave her head a tiny shake, suppressing the swell of emotion inside her.
“At the same time, if you have any intention of finding out the truth, this would be your chance to do it,” she told Ayato. “You should give it some thought.”
“Yeah… Thanks.” He nodded, though he still sounded listless.
“All right, then. I think that’s enough for today.”
“Huh? But what about our strategy…?”
“In the state you’re in now, I doubt we’ll come up with anything useful, no matter how much we discuss it,” Julis said. “It’s a waste of time.”
“Um…sorry.”
He seems aware of it himself, at least. She smiled awkwardly at his candid apology. “We’ll be cutting it close again, but let’s make time to talk before the match tomorrow. We’ll pick up where we left off then.”
“Got it.”
She watched Ayato as he nodded weakly and left the training room. Then, after a bit of hesitation, she reached for her mobile.
It was frustrating to admit, but she had done all she could.
She had to ask for the help of someone else.
She entered the number, and in a few moments,
an air-window popped up with a familiar face.
“It’s me,” Julis said. “Sorry to call you out of the blue, but I have a little favor to ask.”
When Ayato returned to his room, there was no sign of Eishirou.
He had said he still had work left over, so maybe he was taking care of that. Or he could be out on the town…
Wherever Eishirou was, solitude suited Ayato just fine right now. Welcoming his roommate’s absence, he turned off his mobile and decided to lie down on the bed.
He looked at the high, distant summer sky nearing the end of the day outside the window. He stared absentmindedly for a while, then exhaled deeply, as if to expel the dregs of stale breath from his body.
“Am I scared…?”
Julis is probably right, he thought.
He hadn’t even noticed the uncertainty lurking in his heart.
Of course he had faith in his sister. She was strong, and sincere, and above all filled with love and kindness. She would not abandon him, no matter what. He believed that firmly and deeply.
Still…
At the same time, there were doubts in him that he couldn’t fully erase.
Why had she placed this seal on him?
Why did she disappear?
Why didn’t she tell him anything?
By focusing on his trust in his sister, Ayato had tried not to dwell on those misgivings.
Even if he had, he would have found no answer. Worrying accomplished nothing, he’d told himself.
Looking back, he didn’t think taking that attitude was a mistake. And yet, in a sense, maybe it really was only a way to run from the truth…
In the midst of his reverie, Ayato suddenly noticed a peculiar presence outside his window. “Hmm…?”
The visitor didn’t feel hostile, but they were searching for something…
“…”
Cautiously, Ayato quietly opened the window—and realized he had felt a similar presence before.
When? Was it that time he’d walked Kirin back to her dorm…?
“Boo,” the intruder said, hanging upside down from above the window.
“Gah!” Ayato yelped in surprise. He had guessed who it was the moment before she appeared, and still her bizarre greeting startled him. “Saya, didn’t I tell you not to scare me like that?”
“But your mobile was off.” Saya performed a neat flip into the room. This girl was like a cat.
“Oh, I just wanted to think alone for a bit—wait a sec, Saya! This is the boys’ dorm!”
“Yep. I know.” She tilted her head as if to ask, So what?
The opposite sex was prohibited from entering the boys’ dormitory, and vice versa.
It was one thing to arrange a visit according to school protocol and meet in the lounge as Kirin had. Trespassing, however, was strictly punished for both the girls’ and boys’ dormitories. Just as the girls’ buildings had a dormitory watch, a group of boys also patrolled the buildings and maintained order.
There was, however, one difference. For girls’ dorms the intruders were punished, but for the boys’ dorms it was the person hosting the illicit visit—in other words, the boy who occupied the room. Generally, the excuses from the boys went unheard.
“…Okay, Ayato. Sit.”
As Ayato wondered whether Saya knew what would happen if he was caught with a girl in his room, she plopped down on his bed and patted the space next to her.
Resigned, Ayato sighed and did as he was told. “So, why are you here?”
It had to be something important to bring Saya all the way to the boys’ dormitory.
And apparently, she was finally familiar enough with the campus to walk around without getting lost.
“…”
But she did not respond to his question, and simply looked him in the eye.
“Wh-what’s the matter?”
“…I should be asking you that.” Without breaking her gaze, Saya spoke in her usual monotone, but he detected a hint of reproach.
“Huh?”
“…Ayato, what are you so worked up about?”
Startled, he did a double take. “Oh. Julis must have said something, huh?”
Saya nodded. “I got a call a little while ago. Riessfeld is really worried about you. She wouldn’t ask me to talk to you otherwise.”
“Julis asked you to…?”
That was a little surprising.
Ayato knew his partner was not one to ask favors of other people lightly—especially not of Saya. He must really be making her worry.
Aware of this, Saya bowed her head slightly. “Riessfeld’s a better person than I gave her credit for. I misunderstood her.” Emotion colored her voice, a rarity for her. Then she met his eyes again. “But never mind that… Ayato, do you really think Haru abandoned you?”
“I…” Ayato found himself unable to answer the direct question. He tried to string together a rebuttal, but it wouldn’t leave his mouth.
Could she have…? What if she did…? The pessimistic whispers stubbornly clung to the corners of his mind.
As she watched him, Saya knit her brows together as if his waffling offended her, and she slowly lifted her hands.
Then—
“Dummy!”
With a loud smack! she slapped Ayato on both cheeks like she was catching a bug.
Ayato’s eyes went round at the sudden impact. His face didn’t hurt, but it did feel hot between her hands.
“I’m absolutely sure of it,” Saya told him sternly. “Haru would never abandon you, ever.”
“Saya…”
Maybe her assertion was nothing more than an unfounded, careless attempt to comfort him. Saya knew Haruka well, but Ayato was the only one to see her the day she disappeared.
And yet, just hearing someone say it so confidently lifted Ayato’s spirits.
“Besides,” Saya continued, “if Haruka really did lose—I don’t believe it, but if it’s true—maybe it’s not that she didn’t contact you, but that she couldn’t.”
“!”
“So, this is no time to lose yourself in doubt,” Saya gently admonished him.
“Yes. You’re right, Saya.” Ayato nodded firmly and returned his friend’s earnest gaze.
If he did nothing because he was afraid of the truth, he would learn nothing. He would have only regrets.
So he had to do what he could.
“…Good. There’s my Ayato,” Saya said, smiling warmly as she caressed his cheeks. A breeze from the window gently ruffled her blue hair.
It was the first time he’d seen a look like that on Saya’s face. Ayato’s heart responded with a particularly loud thump.
For the briefest moment, an intense sensation struck him, something he’d never felt with her before.
“…Ayato?”
“Oh, um, nothing! I’m fine!” Ayato didn’t even understand what was happening. He waved both his hands and backed away from her.
Saya regarded him quizzically, then suddenly clapped her hands together.
“Oh, speaking of Haru—do you remember when the two of us challenged her to a match?”
“Of course. How could I forget?”
It had come back to Ayato in a dream only the day before…
“Sorry! Were you waiting long?” Haruka, still in her school uniform, apologized to Ayato and Saya when she saw them ready to go.
“No, it’s fine, sis,” Ayato replied.
“…’s not a problem,” Saya said.
They were in the usual clearing. Dusk would soon fall.
Ayato gripped his well-used wooden sword, and Saya had already activated two Lux pistols.
“Anyway, you’re okay fighting us two on one? If we can land a clean hit on you—”
“Mm-hmm, I know. You want to come on the upcoming training expedition, right? I’ll put in a word for you with Dad—but only if you beat me.” Haruka drew her own wooden sword and gave it a few practice swings.
She was usually an easygoing girl, but she changed the
moment a weapon was in her hand. The tension gathering in the air around her made it hard to breathe.
Ayato and Saya both swallowed anxiously and took a step backward, overcome by Haruka’s presence.
“Well, then. You two seem to be ready,” Haruka said. “Shall we begin?”
Ayato and Saya silently exchanged glances and nodded. They had already gone over the basic plan.
After the two sides bowed to each another, Saya and Ayato split up and slowly repositioned themselves until they were on opposite sides of Haruka.
Haruka held her sword ready, out to the side, and did not move. Her eyes warily followed her two opponents, but she did nothing else.
Ayato had faced Haruka many times outside the dojo, but she almost never made the first move. Her style was to let Ayato attack as much as he wanted, gauge how strong he had become, and then swiftly end the match with a counterstrike.
He had never once landed a clean hit on Haruka.
But this time, it’s two against one. It’ll be different, I know it…!
Ayato told himself that and steadied his breathing.
Haruka’s stance gave them no opening to attack. But he wasn’t about to just stand still.
“Hyaaah!” With a piercing shout, Ayato brought his sword down from a high stance. At the same time, Saya fired a volley at Haruka from the opposite side.
It was a perfectly timed pincer attack, but Haruka evaded Saya’s bullets of light with barely any movement at all and effortlessly deflected Ayato’s blow.
Undeterred, Ayato realigned his sword for a second thrust, then a third.
“Hmm. Your technique is much better,” Haruka said casually. “You’ve been working hard on your fundamentals.”
“Because—that’s—all—I’m—allowed—to—do!” Ayato yelled between attacks.
Under his rapid-fire assault, Haruka easily defended and calmly delivered a critique. She fought with confidence and perfect composure. Although Saya placed her shots to complement Ayato’s attacks, Haruka easily dodged them.
But so far, things were going as expected. Ayato had not believed he would land a blow on Haruka, even with supporting fire.