As he thought of Julis, who placed undue emphasis on punctuality, the thought of that oh-so-familiar angry face appeared in his mind.
The reason for his tardiness was unavoidable; their homeroom teacher Kyouko had forced some menial tasks upon him. An explanation would suffice.
After forming a duo with Julis, and registering for the Phoenix, two weeks had passed.
They had diligently trained together each day.
As Ayato had not only never before participated in a tag-team format before, but was also unclear on the various rules of the Festa. The number of things he had to learn had begun to pile high as a mountain.
Truth be told, Julis similarly lacked any team-battle experience, and the two's efforts could only be described as the blind leading the blind.
There was yet a month until the beginning of the Phoenix, though it was hard to claim that this was a sufficient amount of time.
"At the very least, I need to master providing close-combat support. If I can't even do that much, I'll be roasted alive-"
As he exited from the courtyard, intent on passing through the hallway which connected the junior high and university buildings, Ayato suddenly felt someone's presence.
A young girl suddenly appeared, who had just so happened to have been hidden behind a pillar, in his blind spot.
He tried to stop himself, but it was too late.
"!?"
The girl grasped the situation a second too late, and stared in horror.
A head-on collision was unavoidable at this point.
Straining his utmost, Ayato tried to turn.
His body exploded with pain at these actions which far surpassed normal movement, but he succeeded.
Thinking the moment had passed, however, Ayato calmed down-
ーUnfortunately, immediately in front of his new destination appeared a young girl's faceー
"Huh?"
"Kya...!"
This time, there was no avoiding it. Ayato and the girl slammed into each another.
Fortunately, since he'd tried to cut his speed, he hadn't suffered too large an impact. Unfortunately, however, the other party was just a young girl. Ayato rolled and flipped upright, running to the side of the girl who sat flat on her rear in front of him.
"Hey! Are you alright? Anything hurt?"
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"Ah, I'm OK. I'm fine."
Replying in a small voice, an embarrassed smile on her face, the young maiden looked up at Ayato.
"I'm very sorry!"
Ayato bowed deeply, again confirming the wellbeing of the girl in front of him. Establishing that she was uninjured, he patted his chest in relief.
ーSuddenly, he noticed something else of note, and tore his gaze away in a hurry.
Because the girl had collapsed with her legs parted, her skirt was askew.
The image of her cute panties was unfortunately burned into his retinas, and he reddened.
"Aaaah!"
The girl suddenly realized what had happened, and frantically adjusted her clothing, her arms covering her body.
Her timid, tear-filled expression was reminiscent of a small animal, although her actions only served to emphasize the full curves of her chest.
This alluring image was hard to bear.
She wore the junior high uniform, and was thus younger than Ayato. Her limpid eyes and strong nose were adorable, and she gave the appearance of a delicate young maiden. She was, in short, a beautiful young girl.
Her timid, tear-filled expression was reminiscent of a small animal....the alluring image was hard to bear.
Her silver hair was tied in twin-tails which gently flowed down her back. Those of the Starpulse Generation with atypical hair colors numbered not a few, she and Saya among them.
Her form-fitting uniform outlined her graceful curves, and a real, sheathed sword hung at her back.
"About that...I'm truly sorry. I was too rushed, and didn't watch where I was going."
Ayato lifted his gaze, and outstretched his hand. The girl stared at it with some hesitation before taking it.
She rose, dusted herself off, bowed her head, and gave an apology of her own.
"N-Not at all. I should be the one apologizing. I've gotten in the habit of silencing my footfalls when I walk. Uncle is always scolding me about that..."
It wasn't until she gave her explanation that Ayato realized.
He certainly had been in a rush, but realistically speaking, there was simply no way he couldn't have noticed someone so close. This was his first time experiencing something like this.
That wasn't all there was to it, either. The reason the two had collided was because they'd both reacted in time, and simultaneously dodged in the same direction. But for her to have such reflexesー
"U-Um, might I ask...?"
Seeing Ayato suddenly go silent, the girl was confused.
"Oh, uh, no, never mind. Actually, wait just a moment, something seems to be stuck rightー"
There was a small twig infringing upon her gorgeous silver hair.
"Eh...? W-What is it?"
She combed her hair with her fingers where Ayato pointed, but because she was unable to see herself, her efforts were fruitless.
The young girl's demure actions were wonderfully cute, and for a moment, he was tempted to simply observe for a bit longer, but he was out of time.
"Here. Don't move."
"Eh...?"
Ayato gave a wry smile and extended his hand and removed the twig, careful not to damage her hair.
"Th-Thank you."
The girl blushed a deep scarlet and gave her thanks. She coyly bowed her head and went silent.
She snuck the occasional quick glance upward, but would immediately glance back down the second she caught Ayato's eyes.
"HEYー"
Just as he was about to inquire on the matter, a loud roar sounded from the junior high building.
"Kirin! Why're you wasting time over there?!"
"...R-Right! My apologies, Uncle. I'll be right over!"
The girl gave a start before giving a second, frantic thanks to Ayato.
"W-Well then..."
"Right."
He watched as the young girl ran off toward the junior high entrance where a middle-aged man stood waiting.
His physique was quite impressive for his age, but he wasn't of the Starpulse Generation for Ayato couldn't feel a whit of Prana emanating from him. Although the girl had called him her uncle, it was difficult even for members of direct family to enter these premises. This implied that this older gentleman had his own relationship with the school.
Ayato pondered what he'd seen for a moment before remembering the situation which had led to this very predicament.
"Ah...."
The appointed time had long passed.
Ayato felt a chill run down his back. As he prepared to race off once more, the cellphone in his bag began to ring.
A terrifying sense of foreboding ran through him... As he answered the call, to no one's surprise, Julis' furious face appeared.