Asterisk was shaped like a six-pointed star, with each of the six academies, including Seidoukan Academy, occupying one of its six outer points.
Leaving the academy grounds and following the main street, one would soon enter the urban district.
The urban district was divided into two main sections:
Outer Residential Zone – Connected by a light rail system that ran in a circular route, linking the harbor area, residential districts, and the six academies. Students frequently used this line to travel around.
Central Zone – Primarily serviced by an underground metro and divided into the commercial and administrative districts.
Whenever the Festa was held, tourists from around the world flocked to Asterisk, which was why the commercial and administrative districts occupied massive amounts of space. Even dueling stages were scattered throughout these areas.
As a Duel City, the most common infrastructure in Asterisk was, unsurprisingly, combat arenas.
There were:
Three large-scale arenas
Seven mid-sized arenas
Countless small-scale arenas
And, of course, the largest and most famous of them all—
Sirius Dome.
By the final stages of every Festa, all remaining matches were held exclusively at Sirius Dome, making it Asterisk's de facto center.
After all, during the Festa, almost every visitor came to Asterisk for this reason.
Thanks to this, Sirius Dome remained one of the busiest places in the city year-round, even outside of Festa season. It had become Asterisk's top tourist attraction.
To accommodate both the Festa's demands and the influx of tourists, the commercial district had been developed into a thriving metropolis of its own.
Being the weekend, the commercial district was significantly more crowded than usual.
Neatly paved stone streets were filled with students, all dressed in casual clothes, though they still wore their school badges—the only indication that they were academy students.
In Asterisk, wearing a school badge was mandatory even on holidays.
The reason was simple—this was a Duel City.
Even on days off, hot-blooded students often challenged each other to duels for various reasons. If they didn't wear their school badges, an official duel couldn't be properly registered.
Thus, this rule existed to facilitate proper dueling procedures.
Fortunately, today seemed peaceful.
The streets were bustling with endless streams of people, but no one had challenged anyone to a fight—yet.
By the time Kaiser's group arrived, it was already almost noon.
"S-So many stores…"
Kirin Toudou, who had finally relaxed a little, looked around in awe, her large eyes filled with curiosity.
"There really are a lot… and so many people too," Ayato added, his gaze darting around in fascination.
For someone new to Asterisk, he was behaving exactly like a country bumpkin visiting the big city.
"This district is mainly restaurants. Every store has a menu with prices posted outside, so no one walks in only to be surprised by expensive meals," Julis suddenly interjected.
She had been quiet for a while, probably out of embarrassment over their earlier conversation, but now, she had finally found a way to regain some dignity.
"The place we're looking for is closer to the Outer Residential Zone, a bit far from the metro station. It doesn't get too crowded, but it has excellent online reviews—even students from Queenvale Academy frequent it."
Hearing this, Kirin looked toward Julis with curiosity.
"Queenvale Academy for Girls?"
"That's right. So, it should be worth trying."
The moment Queenvale Academy was mentioned, both Julis and Kirin reacted with a somewhat strange expression.
Seeing this, Ayato tilted his head in confusion.
"Is there something special about Queenvale?"
Of course, Ayato knew of Queenvale Academy.
As one of Asterisk's six academies, it was famous worldwide—even children recognized its name.
The six academies—Seidoukan Academy, Saint Gallardworth Academy, Jie Long Seventh Institute, Le Wolfe Black Institute, Allekant Academy, and Queenvale Academy for Girls—were all funded by the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, and each had its own unique culture.
For example, Seidoukan Academy's symbol was the red lotus, representing an unyielding spirit. The academy promoted freedom and independence, resulting in lenient regulations.
Because of this, many Strega and Dante students chose Seidoukan, as they wouldn't have to worry about being treated as experimental subjects.
As for Queenvale Academy—
Its symbol was the Nameless Goddess, and its school culture emphasized brightness and elegance.
However, in order to enroll, students needed not just combat ability and academic achievements—
But also…
Beauty.
That's right.
Queenvale Academy… didn't accept ugly people.
Why?
Because its backing corporation practically controlled the global entertainment industry.
Unlike the other academies, which focused on training Festa competitors, Queenvale Academy prioritized producing idols.
Their strategy completely disregarded Festa rankings. Instead, their students were encouraged to pursue careers in entertainment.
Because of this—
Queenvale Academy was the only all-girls school in Asterisk.
It was the smallest of the six academies.
Its Festa rankings were often at the bottom.
Its students took pride in their top-tier, idol-level looks.
And they weren't wrong.
Many of them were world-famous idols, including some of the biggest names in the industry.
For most girls, it was a place full of dreams and aspirations.
And for most guys…
It was basically paradise.
Of course—
Neither Julis nor Kirin were the type to idolize that kind of place.
But even they couldn't completely ignore its allure.
Naturally—
"You wouldn't get it," Kaiser said, patting Ayato on the shoulder.
"Huh?" Ayato blinked in confusion.
Expecting a dense harem protagonist to understand such things was asking too much.
Knowing this, Kaiser had no intention of explaining.
He simply sighed and patted Ayato's shoulder again, leaving him even more bewildered.
Eventually, the group turned a corner and entered a narrow alleyway, stopping in front of a small restaurant.
"This is the place."
After checking the location and photos, Julis confidently pushed the door open and led the group inside.
The restaurant was cozy and well-lit, with a limited number of seats—about twenty at most, including the counter.
Yet, most of the seats were already occupied.
And—
Almost every customer inside was a girl.
A beautiful girl.
From their school badges, it was obvious—
They were all from Queenvale Academy for Girls.
"Are… are we really eating here?"
Ayato looked around at the room full of stunning women and immediately felt out of place.
Meanwhile, Kaiser was completely unbothered, his attention drawn to the soft background music playing in the restaurant.
"Pretty good music."
As Kaiser listened, Julis and Kirin had already started ordering food.
"What about this one?"
"It looks delicious… but isn't it a bit pricey?"
"It's actually very reasonable. Don't worry about the cost, just order whatever you like."
"T-Then… I'll go with this…"
Watching the two excitedly discuss the menu, Kaiser turned to Ayato.
"Aren't you going to order?"
"I don't really mind. I can eat anything," Ayato replied lazily, his usual relaxed smile on his face.
But then—
He started staring at Kaiser.
Intensely.
"What…?"
Kaiser felt a chill down his spine.
Why was this guy staring at him instead of appreciating the view?
And just earlier, he had casually said, "I can eat anything."
You have issues!!!
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Author's Note: Reminder again! 50 p.s for extra chapter!