The Asterisk War, Vol. 7: Festival Symphony

by Yuu Miyazaki

  That was the kind of skill that was impossible to learn in any short length of time, but based on what he had just seen, Kirin didn’t seem to have even needed it. Which meant that she had learned the Reverse Rakshasa purely as a fighting technique.

  That’s almost too impressive…

  Ayato had long suspected that Kirin might one day surpass him in swordsmanship, but he couldn’t help but wonder whether she already had.

  “…Hmm. I need a power-up, too.”

  “My, my, you seem very eager, Miss Sasamiya.”

  “I won’t be of any use to Ayato if I’m left behind,” Saya replied, activating one of her Luxes. “…I’ll participate in the next one.”

  Claudia let out a small laugh. “Hee-hee. In that case, shall we decide on the teams?”

  The five of them continued training day after day, until Ayato found himself advancing into second year at Seidoukan Academy.

  CHAPTER 3

  SCHOOL FAIR RHAPSODY I

  Throughout the room deep in the Hall of the Yellow Dragon at the Jie Long Seventh Intitute…

  “I can’t agree!”

  …Hufeng Zhao’s enraged voice echoed.

  “Why do we have to team up with them?!”

  Sitting at the place of honor at the head of the beautifully crafted rosewood table, her feet dangling over the edge of her chair, was Hufeng’s master, Xinglou Fan, calmly ignoring his ardent protestations.

  The twins, Shenyun Li and Shenhua Li, stood behind her solemnly.

  “Hufeng, are you unhappy with my decision?”

  “Of course I am!” Hufeng bellowed without the slightest hesitation.

  “…You’ve become quite direct, haven’t you?” Xinglou murmured, though she seemed more impressed than angry.

  When Hufeng had first become Xinglou’s disciple, he had perhaps been too humble, often finding himself unable to voice his concerns about anything that his master might say. But now that his abilities had been recognized and he was in a position to unify the Wood sect—all while also serving as Xinglou’s personal secretary—that humility had vanished without a trace.

  Having to deal with Xinglou’s unprecedented behavior twenty-four seven, he could no longer afford to be modest or nervous. Of course, he still paid her every respect as his master, but that was a different matter.

  “Well, I don’t particularly mind,” interjected the person sitting next to him, a woman named Cecily Wong.

  Her long, wavy hair was light brown in color, and she had well-proportioned, sculpted features. Cecily already stood out in Jie Long, where the majority of students came from countries around Asia, but on top of that, she was the daoshi who led the Water sect; Xinglou’s second-most-high-ranking disciple; the fourth-ranked student at the institute; and had been given the alias the Flower of a Thousand Thunderbolts, Raigeki Senka. To Hufeng, she was of course his superior in the order of Xinglou’s students, but the pair had a friendship that went back much further than that. They had even reached the semifinals of the last Phoenix as tag-team partners.

  “When it comes to conjuring tricks and illusions, at least, these two are much better than I am. Don’t you think it’s best to have the strongest people on our team?”

  “You’re not thinking this through, Cecily. Just because someone’s strong doesn’t mean they’ll be a good team member. And with three daoshi—no, four counting Elder Brother—the team would be unbalanced.”

  Cecily hadn’t changed. She still didn’t look at the big picture and hated having to consider problems. She was the kind of person who would prefer to completely purge a messy room rather than tidy it up properly.

  Well, not exactly, he corrected himself. She wouldn’t purge it herself. She would get someone else—probably him—to do it for her.

  “Oh? So that’s it, Hufeng. Are you upset that no one from the Wood sect was selected? I see, I see. Well, why don’t you just come out and say it? You’re too cute,” she said with a sickly sweet smile, pulling him toward her plentiful bosom and stroking his head gently.

  “Wha—?! C-cut it out, Cecily!” Hufeng, having turned scarlet, tried to break free, but Cecily, being a daoshi, was too strong for him.

  “It’s okay, Hufeng. You know that I’m pretty good at martial arts, too, right?”

  “I—I know! That’s not what I was trying to say! Let me go already!”

  Cecily wasn’t a bad person by any means, but Hufeng couldn’t stand the way she enjoyed treating him like a child.

  “You’re as close as ever, I see.” Xinglou smiled innocently.

  At that moment, the door behind her swung open, and a tall man strode into the room.

  “…Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  He had quick eyes, a sharp-looking face, and a body that even beneath his clothes was obviously well honed. The way he carried himself, he gave off a dangerous aura, his bearing leaving not so much as a single opening or weakness.

  “Th-this is Elder Brother—!” Hufeng leaped to his feet, attempting to introduce him with the customary bow.

  “…There’s no need for that. Sit.”

  Hufeng, overawed by the piercing glint in the man’s eyes, could do only as he was told.

  Xiaohui Wu.

  The Jie Long Seventh Institute’s second-ranked student, also known as the Celestial Warrior, Hagun Seikun. He was Xinglou’s first disciple, having accompanied her when she first came to Jie Long, and in abilities, he surpassed both Hufeng in martial arts and Cecily in Seisenjutsu.

  Xiaohui usually secluded himself deep within the Hall of the Yellow Dragon and only rarely appeared in public. It had been quite a while since Hufeng had either seen or spoken with him directly. It was rumored that he was the only person whom Xinglou let train with her, but neither Hufeng nor Cecily could know whether that was true.

  Xiaohui stood in front of the table, slowly putting down the tray he had been holding in his hands. There seemed to be a set of Chinese tea implements arranged on it.

  “U-um, Elder Brother…?” Hufeng called out to him in bewilderment.

  “…”

  Xiaohui, however, without even glancing in his direction, merely motioned for him to be silent. He was focusing only on the tea implements in front of him. With a practiced yet deliberate hand, he poured hot water into a glass steeper. The dried leaves danced around softly as they unfurled into bloom.

  They waited in silence until Xiaohui gave a slight nod. After that, tea was poured into cups and passed along to everyone assembled.

  With that done, Xiaohui sat in the seat opposite Hufeng and sipped at his tea. “…Hmm.” He nodded. His face showed no expression, but he seemed satisfied.

  Hufeng, at first taken aback, finally returned to his senses. “Wh-what are you doing, Elder Brother?” he cried out, jumping to his feet. “You should let someone else worry about serving tea! I’ll do it!”

  “No. If our master wishes it—”

  “Master!” Hufeng swung his gaze around sternly.

  But Xinglou was drinking from her own cup with complete composure. “Hmm?”

  “How can you give that kind of task to him?!”

  “Xiaohui’s tea is the best.” She laughed merrily.

  “Well, there’s no denying that.” Cecily, sitting at Hufeng’s side, didn’t seem to mind, either.

  “Stop complaining and try it,” Xinglou said.

  “B-but…”

  “Just try it.”

  “O-okay…”

  As instructed, Hufeng timidly lifted the cup to his lips.

  “—!”

  A rich, mellow fragrance wafted into his nose. Hufeng didn’t know much about tea, but this was a refreshing, invigorating aroma that he had never experienced before.

  “I-it certainly is delicious…”

  “…Hmm.” Xiaohui nodded, seemingly pleased.

  “You two, how long do you intend to stay like that?”

  “A-ah…”

  “Um…”

  Shenyun and Shenhua murmured
vaguely to themselves in unison, before cautiously taking their seats.

  The twins weren’t acquainted with Xiaohui, so his performance had probably left them taken aback, too, Hufeng thought, feeling the slightest bit closer to them.

  “Now then, allow me to announce it once more. Out of all my disciples, I’ve selected the five of you to participate in the upcoming Gryps. Don’t disappoint me.” Xinglou’s tone of voice was as light as ever, but there was a forcefulness lying beneath it that went beyond words.

  Everyone except Hufeng immediately placed their right fist in their left palm as a gesture of obeisance.

  “…Understood. I have no further complaints.” Hufeng, resigning himself, adopted the same pose as the others. “But can I at least ask why you want to add the twins to the team?”

  “Why, to compensate for everyone’s weaknesses, of course.”

  “Weaknesses? What weaknesses?”

  “You and Cecily are both too honest. The team will need people who are able to do what has to be done.”

  “…I see.”

  Hufeng couldn’t argue with that. He was well aware that he preferred to engage his opponents head-on, and Cecily’s fighting style both began and ended with brute force. He couldn’t really say that either of them excelled at cunning strategy like the twins did.

  Hufeng suddenly realized that Xinglou had left someone out.

  “Master, what about Elder Brother?”

  “Hmm? Ah, don’t worry about him.”

  “Okay…”

  “Oh-ho! In that case, don’t neglect your training, everyone.” Xinglou nodded cheerfully, springing down from her seat. “It’s time for me to be going.”

  “You’re going out…? Don’t tell me you’re planning to—”

  “Yes. It isn’t long before the main act. I have to finish my own preparations, too.”

  Behind his words, Hufeng had been trying to advise her to give it up, but Xinglou didn’t seem interested in listening.

  “Preparations?” Cecily repeated. “Does she mean for the school fair?”

  “Indeed. This is unheard of…” Hufeng sighed, resting his head in his hands.

  It was said that spring was the season during which students at Asterisk were at their most lively.

  Of course, many students at Asterisk aspired to distinguish themselves at the Festa, but at the same time, the number of those who had given up on their dreams and decided to enjoy their youth was not at all inconsiderable. For such students, the school fair held each spring was a cause for celebration greater even than the Festa itself.

  Or so explained Eishirou.

  Ayato nodded, genuinely impressed. “Wow… I see. So that’s why it’s so lively, huh?”

  Outside the classroom window, an army of students was taking advantage of lunch break to set up a small town of stages and stalls. The fair was due to open in two days’ time, so they were putting all their effort into this last burst before the finish line.

  “Lectures by famous graduates, presentations from all the clubs, competitions between schools, parades, theater performances, you name it. This kind of thing will be running nonstop throughout the whole city.”

  “But aren’t school fairs a Japanese tradition?”

  “Ah, well, at first only Seidoukan did it,” Eishirou explained between bites of his melon bun. “But now everyone’s gotten in on it. And besides, next to the Festa, the school fair is the city’s biggest draw for tourists.”

  Since there were no class changes at Seidoukan, they had all advanced into second year with the same classmates and homeroom teacher. The only thing that seemed to have changed at all was their seats. Ayato couldn’t help but feel a little strange having Eishirou sitting behind him now.

  “After all, it’s the only time of year when all six schools open their campuses to the general public. People can only really have a peek at them now, so of course they’re going to be popular.”

  “I guess that means that we can go to the other schools too, then, right?”

  “Ah… But it’s just the grounds and some of the buildings that are open, you know. If you try to wander off, your little friend there will give you quite a warning,” Eishirou said, pointing toward the school crest on Ayato’s chest. “Nonstudents are all given similar crests when they arrive, for the same reason. And the punishments for not wearing them or for dueling are a lot more intense during the fair. You should be careful.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Ayato had already heard countless warnings from the academy on that point.

  “Well then, I’d better be getting back to work.” Having finished his lunch, Eishirou licked his fingers before jumping down from the desk that he had been sitting on.

  “Work? Now? What about the afternoon classes?”

  “We’re nearing the last act, Ayato. This will be the biggest event in all our club’s history, you know.”

  Eishirou’s hands had been so full over the past few days with his event for the school fair that he hadn’t even returned to the dormitory to sleep.

  And what was more, the event wasn’t even being held at Seidoukan.

  The school fair extended out of each of the six schools and into Asterisk’s urban area. It seemed that the event that Eishirou’s newspaper club was working on was going to be held there.

  Whatever it was, it seemed that Seidoukan, Allekant, and Jie Long were jointly in charge of organizing it, while publicity and advertising were being handled by each school’s journalism club, like Eishirou’s.

  “It’s pretty rare for events to be held in the city, you know, and not to mention organized by three schools. It’ll be a big deal, so look forward to it!”

  “That’s all well and good, but I don’t suppose you could tell me what it’s actually about?”

  It sounded like the kind of event that required participants, but Eishirou still hadn’t given him any details.

  “It’ll be more interesting to find out day of, I think.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. You weren’t entered into it without any notice.” Ayato forced a smile as he glanced at his friend with a slightly reproving gaze.

  Eishirou broke into a wide grin. “Heh-heh, I should be thanking you, huh? Just putting the name of the winner of the Phoenix on it will make this thing more popular than you can imagine.”

  Ayato had only let Eishirou associate his name with whatever the event was because his friend had seemed so desperate, but he was starting to get worried. He hadn’t thought it would be on such a large scale.

  “But are you sure it’s okay? Like I told you earlier, I have some other plans, too. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to do it.”

  He owed Eishirou a lot, so he wanted to help him if he could, but he was worried that might be difficult depending on what exactly he wanted.

  “Come on, Ayato, can’t you do something? I’m begging you!” Eishirou put his hands together with a loud clap, his head bowed as if in prayer.

  But his friend’s affected mannerism only put him more ill at ease. “Anyway,” he began, trying to change the subject. “You’re pretty passionate about it. You can’t tell me why?”

  Eishirou was always highly motivated when it came to the newspaper club, and there was no denying that this seemed to be a major event—but still, it wasn’t normal just how much he was putting himself into it.

  “Ah, well… To be honest, it’s the club prez who’s so ardent about it, not me. She’s the one who was contacted by the Society for the Study of Meteoric Engineering to get the newspaper club involved.”

  “The club president? You mean that girl with the bob cut?”

  He couldn’t really remember her face, but he was sure that he had seen her once in an air-window somewhere.

  “Yeah. The prez is graduating this year, so she wants to end everything with a big fireworks show. And so I, her faithful servant, am doing everything in my power to help.” Eishirou might have been trying to hide his true feelings with h
is jokes, but he couldn’t stop a blush of embarrassment from rising to his cheeks.

  This was the first time that Ayato had seen that side of him.

  Perhaps because Ayato had guessed his true motives, Eishirou’s expression suddenly turned desperate. “Ah, so that’s how it is,” he began, scratching at his head with his fingernails. “I’m kind of in the prez’s debt, so if I can’t pay it back, she’ll come for me in my dreams, I’m telling you! So please, Amagiri!”

  “I mean, I do want to help, it’s just…” Ayato was taken by surprise at Eishirou’s charitable side, but he still couldn’t break his other promise.

  “Well, why don’t you tell me what this previous engagement of yours is…?”

  “Wha—?! Uh, you know…”

  His “previous engagement,” as Eishirou had put it, was with the famous songstress Sylvia Lyyneheym.

  To thank her for her help in rescuing Flora, he had agreed to go on a date with her during the school fair.

  He hadn’t heard anything from her since the beginning of the year, so he’d been starting to think it had all been some kind of joke, until—

  “Hey, Ayato? So, about the school fair, sorry for keeping you waiting. It took a bit longer than I thought it would to arrange some time off. Anyway, I’ve managed to schedule in a holiday, so let’s spend these three days together, okay?”

  So said Sylvia the other day, having called him from out of the blue.

  …But he couldn’t tell Eishirou that.

  “A-anyway, I’ll try to talk it over with them. But I might not be able to confirm anything until the last minute.”

  He would be spending three days with Sylvia, but he hadn’t heard from her what they would be doing over that time. Seeing as Ayato hadn’t been able to contact her since that call, she was probably overworking herself in the days leading up to the fair just to be able to take that break.

  She had told him when and where to meet, so maybe she’d known that she wouldn’t be able to contact him again until the fair.