"Sorry for the wait, Julis. Hope you didn't have to wait long."
"Not at all; I just arrived myself. I was hoping to praise you for getting here early, though... Hey, what's with that face? That stupid look on your face is making you look even more stupid than normal, you know?"
It was a bright, sunny Sunday.
Arriving at the appointed location, the school's outer gates, Ayato was stunned by Julis' appearance.
She wore a stylish, dark-red miniskirt and thigh-high stockings. She held a parasol lightly in one hand. She looked drastically different from how she normally appeared, and radiated a youthful, feminine appeal.
Julis was a beautiful young girl, but her usual gallant words and actions detracted from that feeling. Now dressed in normal clothing, it was impossible not to notice her stunning good looks.
"...Is there something on my face?"
"U-Uh, sorry! Er, no...it's just that you seem so different from normal."
"R...really?"
"Yeah, your look really suits you."
"Wha–– I-idiot! Don't say such embarrassing things!" Julis looked around frantically as her face flushed a deep scarlet.
"Th-This is just something sent from home. I just thought I should dress in something suitable for the occasion. I-It's not like I chose this especially for you or anything..."
Although the flush of her face could be perceived as anger, this interpretation contradicted the complicated expression on her face and her coy manner. Pulling herself together, she returned her gaze to Ayato, and spoke in a tone filled with interest.
"I'm not quite sure how to say this, but...you really don't have any clothes, do you?"
"Oh, that. Yeah, to be honest, I've never really been one to follow fashion. These clothes are pretty old."
Ayato wore a T-shirt and a three-quarter sleeve jacket as well as a pair of well-worn jeans.
"I didn't say they looked bad on you...wait a sec."
"Hmm?"
Julis leaned in, extended a hand, and patted down his hair.
"Uwah! What's wrong?"
"Your hair was sticking up. Honestly, you're just like a child. Pay more attention to how you look, ok?"
As she spoke, Julis smiled innocently.
Ayato, on the other hand, felt his heart skip a beat.
"Alright, let's go!"
Unaware of Ayato's inner turmoil, Julis fairly skipped along in glee.
✱
Asterisk's urban district was separated into two parts, an outer residential district and a central district.
The outer district utilized a monorail line which connected Asterisk's harbor, residential district, and each of the six schools.
In comparison, the central district's main form of transportation was a subway system. This decision was made in order to ensure that students' battles would not interfere with public transportation, even in the worst case.
The central district was further subdivided into the business district and the administrative district. In the center were located several amphitheaters.
Julis and Ayato were currently in the central district, and more specifically, the central stadium for the Festa.
"This is the self-proclaimed largest and most important arena in Asterisk. The greatest battles of the Festa are all fought here."
Julis stood in front of the gigantic oval-shaped building as she explained.
It boasted a maximum seating capacity of one hundred thousand people. When the Festa is held, all contestants will gather here.
"Although its outward appearance is meant to mimic the Roman Colosseum, they are two very different structures. There are three other large amphitheaters, and seven mid-sized ones. When it comes to the small ones, who knows how many there are?"
"Wow."
"According to regulations, battles occurring in the city center must be held within one of these arenas. In practice, however, that's not always the case."
"...People actually fight in the middle of the city?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't that really dangerous?"
Take, for example, Julis' wild attacks during their duel earlier. If it had taken place in the city instead, it'd have turned their surroundings to scorched earth.
"Those who live here have already prepared themselves for such occurrences. Spectators are the same. Only those who have given express written agreement to these conditions are allowed into the city. That said, if a store suffers any collateral damage, they'll be compensated for their losses."
"That sounds really harsh. Then again, all that aside, I guess it's pretty hard not to be drawn in by this place."
"To be able to set up a store here in Asterisk, founded and managed directly by the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, is an unparalleled form of advertising. Moreover, this central district is the heart of all activity during the Festa."
"To be frank; I don't think I'd like to live here."
"I agree." Julis smiled wryly.
"So what would you like to see next? Would you like to keep looking around here?"
"No, that's plenty, thank you."
"Alright then, why don't we swing by the hospital as we make our way towards the administrative district. The healers in Asterisk are Strega and Dante with healing abilities; they're also responsible for things during the Festa. To keep things fair, though, they don't intervene unless things are really serious. If it's only something on the level of a fracture, you're stuck with normal medical practices."
The number of Strega and Dante with healing abilities was very small.
In order to ensure that each of the six schools would have equivalent opportunities to receive treatment, there was an agreement that all Strega and Dante with these abilities would serve in this central hospital under the direct supervision of Asterisk itself.
With the exception of difficult-to-treat cases, threats to life, or injuries with potentially permanent effects, students were required to undergo treatment at the hands of these special healers.
"After that...why don't we pass by the redevelopment district. The slums are located in that area, so it's not the safest of locations. Getting lost there can be dangerous."
The slums existed for several reasons, among which included those who had been denied admittance into the city and members of the Starpulse Generation who were currently fleeing the authorities; a true thieves den.
While it was true that it was hardly the safest of locations, it was equally true that such places were to be found anywhere large concourses of people gathered together.
"That reminds me. Saya once mentioned that she'd gone shopping only to find herself in a rather shady area. It was a large, rundown building with lots of sketchy shops within."
"...That's definitely the redevelopment area then. On that note, wouldn't you normally just shop at a normal store? Why would you go there to buy something?"
"Saya is hopelessly bad with directions."
At those words, Julis' face twisted into a malicious expression.
"He~h, speaking of which, how is it that you're always showing up in the strangest places? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black."
"..."
That was certainly the case.
Truth be told, when Saya and Ayato played together when they were young, they would frequently get lost.
"Anyway, next up is..."
"Hey, Julis. I did ask you to show me around, but how about we do lunch first?"
As Ayato watched Julis ponder a map, he offered an alternative.
The timing was just about right.
His stomach seconded his proposal.
"Mm...well, I guess it is about that time..."
Julis seemed slightly uncomfortable, however.
"Something wrong?"
"Oh, no...I don't have any problems with lunch, it's just that the restaurants around here are, well..."
"If the ones around here are a problem, why don't we just head over to the business district and choose one there? Is it a problem with money?"
He'd heard that when it came to the restaurants in the area, they could be rather expensive. That said, given the nature of this place, he wasn't exactly expecting to find a convenience store.
"No, it's not that- What to say?...I'm sorry!"
Julis suddenly bowed her head and apologized.
"It's not that I've never eaten around here before, but...if you're going to ask where we should eat, then I don't know where we should go."
"Oh, hmm..."
"I promised I'd show you around; such a failure is humiliating...b-but I'll look one up online right now!"
Flustered, Julis frantically pulled out her phone and opened a window.
It seems she was browsing a review site.
As Ayato looked on though, his jaw just about hit the floor.
Every restaurant she was looking at was super high-class. When compared to the prices you'd find wandering around the district, the differences were like night and day.
Moreover, they all required prior reservation.
"...Um, yeah, to be honest, those are all a little..."
"I-I know that their prices aren't normal! But these are the only places I know... If I have a choice at all in the matter, going somewhere I've never been before is a little scary..."
Looking closely, these were all world-famous restaurants.
Furthermore, they were all three Michelin star restaurants!
"Haha, alright, I get it. It's fine; let's just walk around, and we'll choose whatever place looks good, ok?"
"I-is that really alright?"
"If you're fine with it, then that's all that matters."
"My opinion's not the important one here. A... are you really not mad?"
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"Why would I be mad?"
Ayato was confused by Julis' disheartened question.
"Because...this is clearly all my fault."
She seemed quite serious.
Seriously, was there any need to worry about such trivial matters?
"I've wanted to ask this before, but don't you ever tire of taking things so seriously, Julis?"
"...Even if you say that, this is just how I am," Julis sulked.
"You're burdened by so many things. It makes me worry whether you'll be crushed under the weight of all that responsibility."
"It's definitely not easy, but that's just my way of life. If you ask me, you're the one we need to worry about. So casual, and unburdened by responsibility. Are you sure you wouldn't like to take things more seriously as well? It'd do much to plant your feet on the ground."
Though her words were casually spoken, they pierced Ayato to the core.
"Hah...Well, let's just make our way over to the business district, OK?"
Ayato changed the topic.
Nor did Julis opt to continue that line of questioning. Instead, the two walked along the busy road toward their destination.
"Wow, that's a lot of people."
"Yeah, it's a day off, after all."
The clean, neatly-paved asphalt streets were littered with students. Although they were of course dressed in casual clothing, they all had their school badges pinned to their chests. Even if it was a day off, they still felt the obligation to do so.
The business district had specified times during which vehicles were denied entry, and so the streets were filled with pedestrians.
Shops filled both sides of the streets, and restaurants were to be found aplenty. From the signs and advertisements he could see, it seemed their prices were fairly normal.
"Alright then. Let's choose one around here."
Ayato turned to Julis...who had gone missing.
"...Huh?"
Gazing around, he saw a head of rose-colored hair standing a ways off.
"What's up? You gave me a heart attack."
Julis stood in a daze, only coming to when she heard Ayato's voice from behind her.
"Are we eating here?"
"Here..."
I would think most princesses wouldn't select a hamburger joint to eat at, right?
Julis was staring at a local branch of a large hamburger chain. Though it was, in a sense, as world-famous as the restaurants she'd been looking at earlier, in every other sense, they were worlds apart.
"It's not like I care, but...is this place really alright?"
"Yeah, here!"
At first, he assumed it was due to the curiosity of a princess, encountering a hamburger place for the first time, but the smoothness with which she ordered a set meal revealed the incorrectness of that assumption.
Ayato ordered a burger, fries, and a medium coffee for himself. The two of them selected a seat by the window to eat together.
"I know this is my second time asking, but... Julis, you're really a princess, right?"
"...Why do you ask?"
Her actions in making her selection and ordering had been undeniably practiced. In any case, the way in which she nibbled at the hamburger she held with both hands was certifiably adorable.