"You've been staring at me for a while now, Ayato."
Unable to ignore Ayato Amagiri's blatant gaze any longer, Kaiser turned toward him and asked directly.
"Do you have something to say?"
"Yeah… a little," Ayato admitted, hesitating for a moment before making up his mind. "I heard that you have an Orga Lux—one called Ser-Veresta. Is that true?"
The moment Ayato asked this, Kaiser immediately understood what he wanted.
"Oh?"
Kaiser raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"You interested in Ser-Veresta?"
"Something like that."
Ayato's response was vague, but his expression grew noticeably serious.
"If possible… could I take a look at it?"
Instead of answering, Kaiser simply reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a jet-black Activator.
This single action not only captured Ayato's full attention but also drew the interest of the two girls sitting across from them.
"So this is… Ser-Veresta…"
Ayato stared intently at the black hilt, his gaze locked onto it as if mesmerized.
His hand instinctively reached out—
As if he wanted to touch it.
But—
"Whirr!"
The Activators trembled violently, and the red Urm-Manadyte embedded within Ser-Veresta pulsed with a brilliant crimson light.
At the same time, an intense heatwave radiated outward, surging toward Ayato's hand.
"Hot—!"
Ayato recoiled as if burned, pulling his hand back instantly.
A faint wince of pain crossed his face.
"A-Ayato-senpai?!"
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
Both Kirin Toudou and Julis gasped in shock, their voices overlapping as they spoke.
Even Kaiser was taken aback.
He had not expected this kind of reaction.
"Sorry."
Recovering quickly, Kaiser immediately retracted Ser-Veresta's Activator back into his jacket.
"I didn't think that would happen."
And he meant it.
"It's fine, it's fine!"
Despite the minor injury, Ayato waved off their concerns with a carefree smile.
"I guess I'm just not welcome, huh? Ahaha…"
"You…"
Julis sighed, clearly exasperated.
"Do you ever stop being so oblivious?"
Then, in a scolding tone, she continued—
"This is basic knowledge. Orga Lux are highly temperamental and generally won't allow anyone but their recognized wielder to touch them. Isn't that obvious?"
"Is it?"
Ayato tilted his head, looking genuinely clueless.
Scratching his cheek, he added,
"I… actually didn't know that."
"It's true," Kaiser confirmed, though he also pointed something out.
"But normally, when an Orga Lux is in its inactive state, it doesn't react that strongly—even if it's an unpredictable one."
"Then why did yours react so aggressively?"
Kirin asked hesitantly, looking slightly concerned.
"Uh… well…"
For the first time, Kaiser felt a bit awkward.
Scratching his head, he replied—
"Probably because Ser-Veresta is too possessive and doesn't want anyone else touching it?"
Though he hadn't directly communicated with Ser-Veresta, as its wielder, he could vaguely sense its thoughts.
And just now—
When it had rejected Ayato—
He had felt something similar to annoyance.
A clear, almost childish sense of displeasure.
Ser-Veresta had already fully acknowledged him as its one and only master.
It didn't want anyone else laying a hand on it.
That was most likely why it had reacted so strongly.
"Huh. Guess your Orga Lux really likes you," Julis mused.
She wasn't sure if she was teasing him or testing him.
"No wonder you can use Ser-Veresta's abilities in such an unbelievable way."
"By the way, Kaiser-senpai…"
Kirin, still curious, hesitantly asked,
"What's your compatibility rate with Ser-Veresta?"
But the moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake and quickly panicked.
"I-I'm sorry! That's a personal question! Please don't feel like you have to answer!"
While Orga Lux borrowing records were public, compatibility rates were not.
Some people chose to keep them hidden to prevent opponents from gathering intel.
So when Kirin realized her blunder, she immediately apologized.
"It's fine. It's not a big deal."
Kaiser shook his head, completely unbothered.
"My compatibility rate with Ser-Veresta? The final recorded value was 100%."
Well—
Technically, the last recorded value was 100%.
After that…
The system failed to register a number, and the screen glitched into unreadable data.
But Kaiser wasn't about to say that out loud.
Some things were better left unsaid.
Still, even just 100% was enough to shock the others.
"Complete compatibility?"
Julis murmured under her breath, her gaze toward Kaiser growing more serious.
"That's incredible!"
Unlike Julis, Kirin simply expressed pure admiration.
Only Ayato seemed unfazed—
Not because he wasn't impressed, but because he still didn't fully understand the significance of an Orga Lux compatibility rate.
Instead, his face showed… disappointment?
The truth was—
Ayato had transferred to Seidoukan Academy for a very specific reason.
To search for his missing sister.
Five years ago, his sister had come to Asterisk and studied at Seidoukan Academy.
Then—
One day, she had mysteriously disappeared.
Her records were erased.
No matter how he searched, there was no trace of her existence.
As if she had never been here at all.
His interest in Ser-Veresta wasn't random.
Because Ser-Veresta's previous wielder…
Had been his sister.
Of course—
All official records of this had been wiped clean.
The world only knew of an older wielder from over a decade ago.
They didn't know that a Seidoukan student had wielded it five years ago.
In the original story, Ayato had used his Special Scholarship rights to apply for Ser-Veresta.
He had passed the compatibility test, obtaining a 97% rate—an incredibly high score.
But despite this—
Due to his poor control over Prana, he was never able to properly wield it.
Kaiser, seeing Ayato's disappointed look, considered something for a moment.
Then—
He spoke.
"You're a Special Scholarship Student," he reminded.
"That means you have a free pass to choose an Orga Lux. If you're interested, why not check out the Equipment Bureau?"
Even though Ser-Veresta was already bound to him, there were still other Orga Lux available.
And Ayato—if guided correctly—could benefit greatly from obtaining one.
As Kaiser thought this, Ayato suddenly smiled.
"Actually… I already have plans to visit the Equipment Bureau after the weekend."
Then—
With a casual, almost offhanded tone, he added—
"The Student Council President told me that a new Orga Lux—one related to Ser-Veresta—will be transferred to Seidoukan Academy soon."
"A second magic sword, huh?"
Ayato smirked.
"I'll be testing for compatibility with that one."
---
Author's Note: 50 p.s.... Extra chapter...