『The object is completely out of control! Please evacuate!』
From the intercom came a cry of desperate urgency.
『The heat it's generating is rapidly increasing in temperature!』
Even without the announcement, Ayato could tell that things were taking a turn for the worse.
If things continued, being roasted by an open flame wouldn't just be a metaphor anymore.
"Ser-Versta's blade is originally a construction of heat. Because it was used by someone unfitting, its powers are beginning to leak."
"What should we do?"
"You mean what should we do when an Ogre Lux rages out of control? I'll be frank; I have no idea. Although I've read about it happening before, this is my first time experiencing it. We should probably run?"
"While that sounds good to me..."
Currently the room felt like an intense sauna.
Beads of sweat, large and small, ran down his face. He felt Ser-Versta's "gaze", as it were, upon him; its tip pointed toward him.
It looked like it'd selected Ayato as its target.
Though Ayato had faced down human opponents before, this was a sword. Such a circumstance was beyond expectation.
"Doesn't look like I have a choice."
Ayato stared down Ser-Versta, and began to gather Prana. As the light began to accumulate, his body was wracked with pain, and his lip quivered.
Ser-Versta met Ayato's stare, before suddenly rushing forward in a surprise attack.
It flew towards his head in an incandescent flash of acceleration, the brutal heat forcing Ayato to squint his eyes. He grabbed hold of its hilt, at which point it changed direction to take aim at his body.
Ayato promptly leapt to the side, the long scar on his uniform evidence of how close things had come.
"...I'm guessing this is the price you have to pay to deal with these things?"
"Oi!"
At Ayato's words, casually out-of-place, Lester unconsciously shouted a warning.
Ser-Versta flew upward before reversing direction and stabbing downward, toward Ayato.
This was a flawless, unavoidable attack, or so it seemed until Ayato dodged at the very last moment, taking hold of its hilt once more.
"Hot!"
As you might expect, its heat had transferred through its hilt.
Even with his body protected by Prana, he still felt his hand be seared.
Refusing nonetheless to let go, Ayato stabbed Ser-Versta into the ground.
"...I'm sorry, I hate it when people just can't take a hint; like you, I think."
As Ayato finished speaking, the heat in the room disappeared in an instant.
Ser-Versta was now completely silent, as if its former actions were all an illusion.
"Fuu..."
Everyone was left too stunned to react, except for Claudia, who applauded.
"Just what I'd expect from you Ayato, well done. His compatibility rating-?"
『N-ninety-seven percent!』
"Great."
Claudia nodded in satisfaction, and turned to face Lester.
"That's how it is. I'm sure you're rather dissatisfied, but I believe you have no complaints?"
"..."
Lester stared at Ayato with disbelief in his eyes, before biting his lips in frustration, clenching his fist, and punching the ground.
✱
"Alright, there we go."
Claudia helped Ayato apply antibiotics and ointment and placed a bandage over his wound before letting his right arm go.
"Are you sure you don't want to visit the infirmary? That kind of injury is something you should have them take a look at."
"Thank you very much, this is more than enough."
Ayato tried to clench his right fist; the pain was already mostly gone.
After what had just happened, Claudia's concern was natural.
"Even if you say that..."
The two of them were once more in the student council room.
When Ayato had taken ahold of Ser-Versta, he'd suffer some minor injuries. In order to ensure he received some degree of treatment, Claudia had forced him to follow her back to the room.
The two were currently sitting on the guest sofa. Claudia, for some unknown reason, was practically glued to his body as she offered treatment. Ayato raised what he felt was the pertinent question.
"Is it really alright for me to use it?"
After the disturbance had been safely resolved, Ser-Versta had been registered for Ayato's use.
Since the entirety of the registration process took two or three days, however, he didn't have it with him.
"With a compatibility rating of 97%, who's going to complain? Is it that you're not happy with Ser-Versta?"
"Not at all. To be able to succeed the sword once used by my sister, I am more than pleased. It's just that..."
"You're worried about what McPhail-kun might think?"
Ayato thought back on the expression of supreme vexation on Lester's face as he'd left.
"Well, he clearly was the one who selected it first, but now it's being given to me."
"That can't be helped. While friendship and cooperation are hardly discouraged, remember that this city's true nature is one of competition. In order to maintain one's dignity and reputation, there are times when you simply have to accept things as they are."
"I sure hope he sees it that way."
Whether it was their first meeting or this one, Ayato's impression of Lester had not been a good one.
"Did something happen between the two of you?"
"To be honest, not just me. This involves Julis as well..."
Ayato explained the events of two days prior, when he'd become the third party in Julis and Lester's dispute.
"Haha. Lester's obsession with Julis is rather well-known."
"If he can forget any ill will toward me, then that'd be great. It's just that, with what happened to Julis yesterday, I'd like to avoid adding to her burden."
"...You think that the perpetrator of the attacks might be McPhail-kun?"
In response to Claudia's question, Ayato laughed.
"I never said that. It's true that Julis' attacker from yesterday was also large in stature, but to assume it was Lester from just that would be too much."
"But doesn't he have motive? After losing to Julis, and having her reject his requests for a duel, he definitely resents her greatly. That's something anyone can tell you."
"And that's exactly why I think it's not him. Lester bears a vicious grudge against Julis, and yet she always comes out the victor. He wants to demonstrate his superiority over her, something he can't accomplish if he hides and ambushes her; such a thing would be meaningless. Aside from that, I also don't feel like that way of doing things matches his style. I'd say he much prefers a straight-up duel with a crowd of onlookers watching."
"Then why would this create a problem for Julis?"
"Whoever the attacker is, they're targeting the chinks in her armor. That, of course, is only natural; Julis is profoundly strong. Were they to go after her directly, the probability of success would drop immensely. On the other hand, even if it is Julis we're talking about, once she begins a match, she has no choice but to focus all her attention on her immediate opponent."
"Perfect timing for a sneak attack."
"It wasn't until her duel with me or her match with Saya that she was ambushed. If provoked enough, there's the possibility she might battle Lester once more, opening herself up to attack."
"I see. What amazing insight."
Claudia nodded in admiration.
If it wasn't his imagination, her actions were those of a teacher, praising a student for doing well.
In other words, everything he'd said was within Claudia's realm of expectation.
The entire time, Claudia had maintained a perfect posture while facing Ayato.
"Ayato, given your good judgment, I have a favor I'd like to ask of you. Could you spare some time later this evening?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, sure. Is now not a good time?"
"What I have to discuss with you is private. I'll notify you of the exact time and place later on."
If it was just a matter of privacy, their current location ought to be just fine-
Ayato's thoughts were cleanly seen through by Claudia.
"The walls have ears. A place like this, where intrigue is made manifest, cannot be considered a secure location."
✱
Later that night, just before curfew, Ayato's cellphone sounded.
Unwilling to allow Eishirou to overhear their conversation, he quietly snuck out.
Thankfully, the high school buildings were all unlocked.
『"I'm sorry for calling so late. After we separated, I had another meeting to attend to."』
A space screen appeared, through which a voice came through.
"It's fine with me, although are you sure it's not too late?"
Even if the doors weren't locked, it was still past the time they were allowed to leave their dorms.
『"You're right, which is why the location's a bit troublesome. I'm going to need you to come over here in person."』
"And where would that be?"
『"My room."』
"...When you say room, you mean your room in the dorms?"
『"That's right. My room is on the south-eastern side of the building, on the top floor. I'll leave my window open, so come on up,"』 Claudia said candidly.
"Last time I visited, I mucked things up rather badly."
Moreover, at least the last time he could claim ignorance. This time he would be in knowing violation of school policy.
『"Not to worry, I'm different from Julis. I'm not going to fight you."』
"...That's not what I was referring to."
There was no two ways about it; the student council president inciting others to violate school guidelines wasn't a good thing.
『"Alright then. I'll be waiting."』
"W-wait! Claudia!?"
The other party had already ended the call.
Furthermore, she'd rejected all his objections. Ayato held his head in his hands. He hadn't imagined things would go down this path. Admittedly, though, he'd been given a glimpse into Claudia's mindset, as well as seen the evidence of her trust in him.
Left without any other alternative, Ayato made his way over to the female dorms.
"If I get seen by Julis this time, there won't be anything left of me to find."
At first glance, the girls dorms were none too secure. This was only the case, however, because the school's choice of a security system couldn't be taken lightly.
For members of the Starpulse Generation, traditional security systems weren't something all that difficult to bypass. That said, were they to be too strict, they would interfere with the quality of daily life. Instead, Seidoukan Academy opted for a different route.
After considering these points, it was decided that within the girls dormitory an alert system would be placed.
Any girl within the dormitory could trigger the alarm, immediately notifying the nearby guard station. This alert trigger could also be installed on the Mana Dite of each girl's Lux. For example, a girl might report that she'd "returned to find her room a wreck", from this inferring that "some unknown party had forcibly entered."
After receiving an incident report, the security guards required only an average of two minutes before arriving and dispensing harsh and unrelenting discipline.
Thinking of this, Ayato whispered a silent thanks in his heart for the silver-lining of the incident earlier, namely that Julis had not called for security.
Speaking of which, although Julis's alert system was definitely active at the time, she'd had the confidence to resolve matters on her own without outside assistance.
"Looks like I'm here. I've already been here once before, so I at least feel more familiar with the setting, but...doesn't doing this make me just a common pervert?"
Arriving at the dorm, he scaled an unnoticed wall like a gecko, taking care not to make a sound, before at last reaching the top floor and the designated room.
He lightly tapped on the window, but it was unnecessary. True to her word, Claudia's window was unlocked.
This exposed the flaw in the alert system - if a girl wanted to let a boy in, it was trivial to do so.
Though Ayato had his own thoughts on the morality of what he was doing, it seemed highly unlikely the security guards would look kindly upon his actions.
"Claudia? I'm coming in."
Ayato gave advance warning, but no response was forthcoming.
Since hovering at the window's edge was rather difficult, he took the prerogative in entering despite not having received an answer.
The room was far more spacious than his own room, and elegantly furnished. Even if this was technically a "dormitory room", it felt infinitely more like a room in a high-class hotel. The various decorations and odds and ends littered about the room were similarly high-class, giving one an appreciation for their owner's sense of aesthetics.
Said owner was nowhere to be seen, though.
"Don't tell me she's not here..."
On the side was a door to another room, likely the bedroom. As he considered entering, the door suddenly opened wide.
"Oh my, welcome. I apologize, I just finished showering."
"..."
From the newly appearing Claudia, wisps of steam gently rose. Moreover, she was currently only wearing a bathrobe.
This bathrobe was made of an appropriately light material, and her chest visibly swayed with each movement.
Furthermore, since the hem of the bathrobe was rather her short, her thighs were clearly visible. Her skin was flush with a soft warmth, radiating a needless sensuality.
"I'm going to change. Please feel free to look around as you please."
Claudia's hair was still slightly damp, and in the light, seemed to glitter bewitchingly. As she carelessly passed by Ayato, his body stiffened.
"...How the hell am I supposed to stay calm like this!?" Ayato wanted to scream that aloud, it wasn't like he'd be able to avoid the situation with just that.
Furthermore, such cries would only make the situation worse.
"Thanks for waiting. Please, have a seat."
"...Got it."
The two of them maintained their silence as they entered the bedroom.
Ayato had had some sense of foreboding, but even he could never have expected that Claudia's "changing" had only resulted in the addition of a coat over her bathrobe. She took a seat on her bed.
"I don't really know how to put this, but you really should put on more clothes..."
"This is what I always wear in my room."
He felt it unbearably rude were he to simply continue to look at her, attired as she was.
Not that he believed she'd change anything just by his asking.
Sighing, he took a seat on the sofa. Claudia took the opportunity to prepare a wine glass into which she poured a ruby-colored liquid.
"There's plenty for you as well. Would you like some?"
"I'd prefer not to swallow mysterious substances if at all possible."
"Haha. Very wise of you."
It was better to stay away from that kind of thing.
"But still, this is quite the room. Is that one of the privileges of being a student council president?"
"No. Rather than the student council president, this is a privilege of being a Page One. All of the Top Twelve have a room like this, and what's more, living expenses are rather preferential as well."
"I see, so Claudia is also a Page One."
Claudia gave a lonely smile.
"I'm hurt. Should I take that to mean that Ayato hasn't the slightest interest in my affairs?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"Forget it. This position of student council president can be pretty troublesome at times; it's rare that I can speak freely."
"Then why did you accept the appointment?"
"Because I like troublesome things."
Claudia revealed a deep and profound smile, and gracefully crossed her legs.
The captivating sight unknowingly entranced Ayato for a moment, but he nonetheless maintained a calm disposition as he spoke.
"In other words...the favor you wanted to ask concerns these 'troublesome things'?"
"I guess the sooner we discuss things, the better. Please take a look."
Claudia fiddled with her phone, opening a space screen in the air. On the screen appeared the visages of several students.