Liar, Liar - Volume 3 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

ASTRAL Begins

“Hello and good afternoon to everybody who came to see this! I’m Suzuran Kazami from Libra, helping the May Interschool committee organizers with their work! Monday, May eighth has finally arrived! And as you can see, it’s sunny, dry, and totally cloudless! Almost a little hot, even! But no need to worry about that, because the next five days are gonna be a lot more than warm. We’re gonna bring you a Game so scorching, so blazing, that you’ll be reaching for your oven mitts! We’re going full throttle from the start, so fasten your seat belts and let’s! Get! Started!!!!”

ASTRAL kicked off in grand fashion at nine in the morning with Kazami’s announcement.

“Hmm…”

We’d just been guided to the Special Development Zone of Ward Zero, and right now I was taking a moment to scope out the surroundings. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t much to see. We were presented with a bare, vacant lot, just like the ones we’d walked through on the way here. It didn’t look a thing like the video promo.

While I blinked in confusion…it happened.

“Wow!”

Akizuki, standing beside me, was the first to exclaim out loud. She looked ready to burst into tears of joy, and I really couldn’t blame her. All jokes and metaphors aside, our surroundings had transformed before our eyes in an instant.

“Wow, wow, wow! I feel like we’re on an alien planet!”

“Right? I didn’t have very high expectations, but this has to be some top-level tech, huh?” Asamiya, following the giddy Akizuki’s lead, was having a blast surveying the landscape. I was giving it another look, too, not that I was letting it distract me the way it was distracting them.

Whoa…

The overall impression was about what I’d expected—a computer-looking kind of virtual world, a seemingly boundless artificial landscape of blue and white. But it wasn’t barren. I spotted tall columns here and there, their tops too high to be visible. There were a few semi-translucent walls as well. But we hadn’t been whisked off to a fantastical world like Akizuki had suggested. It was all the work of the May Interschool Competition app distributed to participants. The program self-activated the moment the Game began, displaying these structures for the players.

So the app adds game elements to the real world, huh? Kind of an advanced Poké-Go sort of thing?

The vacant lot had become a sci-fi cyber landscape. The cybernetic columns and walls were the Game’s way of hiding Libra’s cameras and recording equipment. The only things that still looked ordinary were the participants.

“This…is impressive.”

I turned at the soft whisper. Himeji had her hands clasped in front of her and marveled at the landscape. The atmosphere and realism must have overwhelmed her because I wouldn’t have expected her to make a comment like that otherwise. Not wanting to interrupt her awe, I decided to set off and examine this world in detail. However, I hardly took a step before I noticed a white line near my feet. Multiple lines, actually. They formed a hexagon drawn around myself and Himeji. There were other hexagons around it, forming a honeycomb pattern across the entire region.

“I suppose these are the hexes we use in the Game, then,” Enomoto remarked, tapping at the ground with his right foot. “Each side of these hexes is about ten feet long, which means every hex covers a little over two hundred square feet in area… And the entire space is filled with them. It’s a bit like a chessboard. That game uses squares, but…”

“Yeah. Maybe Othello might be a better metaphor?” I suggested. “The number of hexes we have defines how strong a force we are.”

“Mmm, good point. And also…” Enomoto lifted his right hand and pointed behind us. We turned around to find a rather unexpected sight.

“Hey, is that one glowing?” Asamiya was the first to say it. The hex Enomoto indicated was emitting a soft light. It was green with a tinge of blue, not the standard white or orange that you’d expect. The shade matched that of my green star.

“That single hex,” Enomoto said with his arms crossed after waiting for us to settle down, “was a different color from the rest of the field the moment we arrived. The rules of ASTRAL state that the territory under our control will be shown in our team’s color…which means Eimei’s been assigned that green color, and it’s already being treated as part of our territory.”

“Hmm… Oh, but isn’t our territory defined as the area located between the bases we occupy?” I asked.

“Exactly. So this hex must be Eimei’s only current base. Your definition of ‘territory’ is correct, but we only have one base, so we control no hexes except the actual starting one.”

“So why do we have a base to start with anyway? ’Cause nobody’s taken it yet?”

“Can you think a little before you speak up, Nanase?” Enomoto shrugged as he chided her. “Look, we lose this Game when we have no territory. If ASTRAL began without anyone owning any bases, every team would instantly lose.”

“Mm…”

Asamiya listened meekly until Enomoto finished. Then she put her hand on her exposed hip underneath her blouse and looked away.

“I know what you meant,” she spit back, “but I don’t like your attitude, Shinji. Zero out of ten.”

“Oh, sure, you idiot. Pretend it didn’t happen.”

“I’m not pretending!”

Ugh…

Mere seconds into the Game, and they were already squabbling. I ignored them and focused on the nearby glowing green hex. There was a large flag stuck right in the center of it, presumably symbolizing that this was a base location. A closer look revealed that it bore the seal of Eimei School.

“So if this is our only base,” Akizuki said as she peered from the adjacent hex, “then we lose instantly if somebody takes this… Right?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I guess so. We need to find another base and expand our territory quickly. And just as a reminder, taking a base is an action we conduct by pressing the Occupy button on the event app. That’ll put our school’s seal on the hex, and we’ll take control of it.”

“Okay… In that case, why don’t we go test things out?” Himeji suggested, her silver locks bouncing slightly as she spoke. She had a point. There was no reason to keep conjecturing when the Game was underway.

If I had to guess, the standard strategy in ASTRAL seemed to be having the Commander (me) use their search Abilities to locate unclaimed bases. However, there was already another large flag visible from our starting point. I don’t know if that was a coincidence or just a freebie to help teams get underway more quickly, but the base was clearly neutral, with no school seal on it. We headed over to that hex.

“Okay, Himeji, when you open the event app, there should be a button called Actions on the top page. Tap on that for me,” I instructed.

“Right away, Master.”

“Wow…   Eh-heh-heh! I feel like we’re about to do something forbidden here, Hiroto!  ”

“Why? We’re not.”

I shook my head, brushing Akizuki’s remark aside. If something like that was enough to get my heart racing, I’d never be able to look Himeji in the eye.

“Okay, moving on… Himeji, can you keep the app open and try getting closer to the base? That should automatically bring up the Occupy button.”

“Right… Ah, there it is. So I just use that command here at the base?”

“Yeah, that should do it. If we were stealing a base from another team, we’d need a Support Spell called Neutralize first, but otherwise, one command is all it takes.”

As I went over this, I waved my right hand to the side, like I’d read about in the detailed rules. The event app on my device reacted, projecting an information display of Eimei’s current stats. This feature, called Sight Mode, showed me that Eimei currently had five members, our color was green, and our territory consisted of a single hex.

“All right, here I go… Occupy.”

The moment Himeji made her calm, composed declaration and tapped the button, the neutral flag glowed green, Eimei’s team color. However, it took a bit for the light to spread across the entire flag. It spread like an infection. After just over a minute, the flag was painted entirely green, Eimei’s seal drawn large on the surface. In seeming response, our two bases pulsated in unison. A moment later, a bright-green line of light formed, linking the two. Then all the hexes covered by the line turned green.

“…”

I checked our stats one more time, a bit overwhelmed by the display. The update was already visible. Our territory had increased to fifteen hexes. Just as the basic rules said, all the hexes in a straight line between the two bases were now Eimei’s property.

One base, and we only claim the hex that it’s on. Two, and we claim all the hexes in a straight line between them. Three or more, and it’s all the hexes in the resulting triangle or square or whatever. At least we won’t get insta-killed now, I guess.

I shook my head a bit as I went over the Game rules in my mind.

“Well, I guess that’s how occupying bases works. Not all that hard to do. Himeji, what did your device say while the base was in the process of being claimed?” I asked.

“It brought up a window saying Cooldown time. I tried using a couple of the Abilities I have installed, but neither worked,” she answered.

“I thought so. The cooldown must begin the moment you use the Occupy command, and then all your actions are disabled. Then, once the occupation is complete, you’re free to act again.”

“I see… That’s how it appears, yes. So while a command’s in progress, I’m left completely helpless.”

“Yeah. When we’re occupying a base, I guess we’ll all have to guard whoever’s claiming it.” I gazed into Himeji’s eyes while considering this. In this Game, you were free to use Abilities, cast Spells, and occupy bases without having to spend a resource like magic points or the like. However, every Game choice came with a cooldown, the length of which depended on your Action Level. In other words, actions were paid for in time.

“Your Action Level was nine, right, Himeji? Oh, but we have a Commander, so it’s eight now,” I said.

“Yes. The cooldown window on my screen said eighty seconds, so I guess the time it takes to occupy a base is ten times my Action Level.”

“Ten times, huh…?”

Himeji’s conjecture seemed valid. If she was right, it meant every team member besides me would require roughly a minute to claim a base. That was fine for now, at the start of this Game, but such a long cooldown in the midst of an enemy attack would be pretty scary.

“If anything, we should be glad it isn’t worse.” Enomoto, apparently done arguing with Asamiya for now, offered his thoughts. “Occupying a base isn’t a problem as long as we can keep an eye on the surrounding area for threats. It’s really the other options at our disposal we should be concerned about. Using Abilities, for example. Those come with cooldown times in ASTRAL as well, and players can’t perform any other actions until a cooldown expires. We might try to go on the attack, only to find ourselves unable to dodge any counter maneuvers. We need to keep an eye on that, or we’ll find ourselves with no way to escape.”

“…Yeah, true,” I replied.

That’s what attaching cooldown times to every single action meant. Even if we were stuck in the middle of enemy territory, we’d be defenseless until that timer expired.

“Well,” I said, “the first thing is to look into exactly how long everyone’s cooldown times are. Chances are they’ll all be linked directly to our Action Levels, but maybe some choices have different multipliers attached compared to claiming a base.”

“Perfect! In that case, allow Noa, the super ace of Eimei, to step in!  ”

Akizuki all but jumped at the chance. With a light step, she went over to the hex I occupied, looking up at me as she spoke. “Variable Control! …Eh-heh-heh! I’m gonna set your affinity for me to max, Hiroto!  ”

“Um, Akizuki, that’s not gonna trigger any Ability.”

“Aw, why not? You’re so mean, Hiroto. Oh! But wait! I think I made a big discovery! Is this your way of saying ‘My affinity for you is already maxed out, so it won’t go up any further’?! Aw, what a sweet way to propose to me—”

“No.”

“Boooo… Well, fine. Someday I really will charm you to death…” Akizuki grinned evilly as she tapped on her device. I guess she really did invoke an Ability during all that, because a countdown had appeared on her screen. “Um… Yeah, that gave me a five-second timer. My Action Level’s currently five with your Commander bonus, so there was no multiplier that time.”

“That’s nowhere near as long as taking a base… But considering that could happen during combat, five seconds might still be a pretty severe restriction,” I remarked.

“Yeah. It sounds really tough, huh? Eh-heh-heh!   But you know, when I think about you holding me close, protecting me that whole time, I’m pretty glad for that cooldown… Ohhh!  ”

Akizuki was sidling up to me, her cloying voice low. If I indulged in her game, it would make me blush—er, that is, it’d just encourage her. So I ignored it.

“Okay, we know how bases operate now.” I focused on what we’d learned, if only to take my mind off Akizuki’s full-on attack. The world of ASTRAL was built on a field of hexes. When our team occupied the bases around this field, we also took over all the hexes within the area surrounded by those bases. Capturing a base demanded a long wait period afterward, though a player’s Action Level multiplied by ten in seconds.

This cooldown time will be applied to other choices, too, and in assorted ways. Invoking Variable Control costs your Action level in seconds, with no multiplier.

While I mulled this over…

“…Hiro, Hiro… I thought you should know, um… Enomoto’s his name, right? He’s been looking at you for a while now, like he wants to say something. I think you might be overlooking something at the moment…”

Huh?

The sudden warning from Kagaya in my earpiece got me to glance at Enomoto. She was right. He was giving me a pretty stern look. In fact, it seemed as though he was judging me for not mentioning something critical.

“…”

My mind sprang into action. What was I supposed to pick up on that I hadn’t already? Was there anything? We hadn’t gotten to Spells yet, and I think we’d covered territories and bases well enough. I couldn’t think of anything else, really.

Damn it… I really wanted to hang on to this for a bit longer, but oh well…

I decided to use one of my secret tricks—Predict Behavior, the special Ability ported over from my green star. I could only invoke it three times per Game, but it allowed me to learn what Enomoto was trying to convey.

Oh. I see. That’s what it is.

“Also, there’s one more thing…”

I kept my voice calm as I walked forward, trying as best as I could to attract my teammates’ attention. I was headed for the new green-tinted Eimei hexes we’d gained. Using that act to run down the cooldown time on Predict Behavior as naturally as possible, I then invoked another Ability, †Jet-Black Wings†.

Wasting no time, I smiled and held up my display.

“Cooldown time, twenty-three seconds. My Action Level’s supposed to be locked at twenty-five, but now it’s twenty-three.”

Akizuki cocked her head. “Oh, you’re right… But why? What’s going on?”

“It wasn’t explicitly laid out in the basic rule sheet, but with Games like these, you’re usually given some kind of advantage when you’re inside your own territory. In this one, it looks like we’re given an Action Level bonus. It seems as though we get a minus-two to cooldowns within our hexes. It’s not much more than a blip, given my current Action Level, but if it brings Asamiya’s down from five to three, that’s a huge difference. So the more territory we can claim, the more of an advantage we’ll have in battle.”

“Ah, I see… Yeah, it makes perfect sense… Hey, how come Shino is so much smarter than you, Shinji? Do we even need you? You’re as unwelcome as, like, sales tax and stuff,” Asamiya said.

“Oh, come on. You’ve been useless to us so far, Nanase. What right do you have to complain?” Enomoto shot back.

“Huh?! I’ve been super helpful! Just being here gives people something nice to look at!”

“I got sick of that view long ago.”

“Shut up!”

Asamiya tried desperately to get the rest of us to look at her while Enomoto made every attempt to thwart her. They continued to argue for a little while… But once Enomoto got free of Asamiya’s grip, he politely adjusted his collar and turned to face me.

“Hmm. I suppose you’re more than just another big mouth,” he said.

Wow, scary…

I’d need to be cautious. My teammate was constantly assessing me.

ASTRAL was scheduled to run over five days from Monday to Friday, but each day was divided into a first half from nine to noon and a second half from two to five. Between reviewing the rules and getting our team together, the first half of today went by in a flash. The break ended just as swiftly, and we were on to the second portion.

With the Game starting up again after two hours, I promptly waved my right hand to go into Sight Mode. We had taken a third base during the final minutes of the first half, so our territory currently encompassed forty-five hexes. That seemed like a pretty good pace so early on… But that wasn’t what I focused on. Instead, I looked at the Spells section below the territory count.

“…All Spells are generally obtainable from bases,” I said, projecting my screen for the group. “We went over how we can take bases to build our territory this morning, but that’s not all bases are used for. In ASTRAL, they also generate one new Spell every fifteen minutes. That’s one a pop if you have just one base, two if you’ve got two, and so on. With each base you earn, your Spell supply expands.”

“Hmm… So we can’t get any Spells unless we pick up some bases? That feels really mean,” Asamiya commented.

“No, we have the base we started with. It’d never be zero. A single one wouldn’t be a great position to be in, though…,” I replied.

“Oh, right, yeah… Boy, Shino, you really are a genius, huh? You’re such a kind teacher, too, unlike Shinji here.”

Asamiya shot a look at Enomoto, obviously hoping to get a reaction from him. However, it looked to me that Enomoto was more focused on observing than falling for Asamiya’s ploy. He kept that stern gaze on me at all times. It certainly didn’t make me feel very comfortable.

Still, it was my job to trick him. And everyone else.

“…Ahem.”

With a light cough, I checked my device again.

“Knowing that, I actually just used my Information Control: EX Ability to scan the local area. I only have data on a region of around a seventy-hex radius from here, but I’ve mapped out all the base locations. With this knowledge, I think it’ll be much easier to decide on a future direction.”

I sent out my map data to the rest of the team. The ASTRAL field map was set up to expand as a player obtained new information. It was totally blank at the beginning, but now a chunk of the bottom-left side was visible to us.

“…”

The data I’d obtained from my Seven Star–level Information Control—that is, the data Kagaya mined for me—actually extended out slightly beyond what I’d revealed. However, if I gave out too much info, people might get suspicious. It was essential to maintain a certain pace.

“Eh-heh-heh! You never fail to amaze me, Hiroto!  ” The sweet-toned Akizuki had her hands clasped behind her, and she gazed up into my eyes. “So is everyone okay with concentrating on seizing bases for now?”

“I guess that’s fine. I’m assuming the bases are positioned at random, but now we can see two bases to the north and another pair in the east. I suppose we might as well pick one of those directions to start with.”

“No, forget about going north. East is the only move to make here.” Enomoto shot down my seemingly sensible proposal immediately. I gave him a questioning glance.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked flatly, his shrewd eyes sizing me up. “You said they were positioned at random, but from what I can tell by this map, they’re located at roughly equal distances from each other. I’m sure the placement formula’s been adjusted to make the event more exciting. Based on that assumption, we can predict where we’ll find bases beyond the scope of our current map. The nearest base to us is likely to the east, outside the range of Shinohara’s chart. Don’t you think that’s the best way to head first?”

“…”

I mean, he’s right, but how does he know that?! He’s so scary!

I scowled internally, recalling the map data I hadn’t shown to the team yet. This was Shinji Enomoto, the All-Seeing Six Star who ran the student council. His mind circuits were so beyond comprehension that no normal person could ever keep up with him. But I didn’t reveal any of my trepidation, nodding like nothing was wrong.

“Yeah, I guess so. It’s not a lock, but that’s the most likely possibility. So if we’ve agreed on going east, let me get back on topic. Like I said, Spells are sent from each base every fifteen minutes… But we can’t actually use them as is.”

“We can’t use them?” Asamiya frowned. “So what’s the point, then?”

“Not as is,” I replied. “Once a Spell’s generated by a base, it’s sent over to what are referred to as team slots. You need to move them from the team slots to your own to make them usable. In other words, you have to load them into your own device.”

I began to explain how Spells worked, based on the detailed rules I’d read during the break. Actually, it was more like Himeji had crammed them into my head. Basically, the team slots were common storage that every team member had access to. If someone wanted to use a Spell stored there, they’d have to withdraw it and add it to their deck, their personal slots.

“Mmm…?” Akizuki scratched her cheek in confusion. “But, Hiroto, if we can move Spells from the team slots to our own, it doesn’t matter exactly where we store them, does it? ’Cause I think we could just leave them in the team slots for everyone… Or does moving a Spell count as an action, too?”

“No, it doesn’t. However, the rules state you can’t access team slots during battle. The only Spells you can access are those stored in your own slots when combat begins. Each player can hold a number of Spells equal to their team’s bases times three. So you need to make sure you’ve always got a deck of Spells handy.”

“Hmmm. Okay. But I don’t really know what kind of Spells there are yet. Guess I’ll just pick a few at random to start with!   That’s the Noa-style approach, y’know?  ”

“Hey, Noa-chi, don’t just take them all! I want some, too!” Asamiya complained.

As the two girls sifted through our Spells, Himeji and I checked our team slots. We’d gone over this during the break as well. There are a total of eight Spell types in ASTRAL. Here are their categories and how they all work:

CORE ATTACK SKILLS

Sword Flash—Range: 10 feet (approx. 1 hex). Base damage: 1.

Gunfire—Range: 33 feet (approx. 3 hexes). Base damage: 1.

Magic Missile—Range: 66 feet (approx. 5 hexes). Base damage: 1.

SPECIAL ATTACK SKILL

Trap—Sets a trap on the target hex. Triggered when a member of an opposing team steps on the hex. Place multiple Traps on a hex to deal extra damage and additional effects.

SUPPORT SKILLS

Stealth—Temporarily makes one player invisible.

Defense Wall—Temporarily makes one player invincible against damage.

Cancel—Skips cooldown time once only. (Can be cast during cooldown time.)

Neutralize—Transforms the target hex into a neutral, unclaimed hex. If used on a neutral hex, it claims the hex for your team.

“Hmm…”

I quietly brought a hand to my lips as I reviewed the Spell list. Ignoring the Support Spells for now, it was clear that our attack types were important. Spells were the only way to damage players, and that naturally made Attack Spells some of the most vital. The number you possessed mattered a lot, and so did your job-based compatibility.

Soldiers are good with swords and weak against guns. Mages are good at magic and weak against swords…and Spies are good with guns but weak against magic. It’s the classic sort of rock-paper-scissors setup.

When battle broke out, we’d have to gather info on our opponents quickly, then distribute Spells and assign roles without making any mistakes. Each player starts with five Life Points, so it’d take five Spells to defeat them. However, the right job could deal two or four damage per attack. Every strike incurred a cooldown as well. Minimizing the actions you took was critical.

However, the Commander wasn’t good with any Spell type and was weak to all of them, so…

“…”

“Hey, Hiroto, how long’s the cooldown time for Spell abilities?” Akizuki inquired.

“Mm? Oh, well, I think it’d be whatever your Action Level is, in seconds… Oh, but wait. Attack Spells come in three different ranges, so I bet the cooldown time changes in proportion with that. We’d better test it out.”

“Oh, me, me! I wanna do it!” Asamiya, who’d been listening to my conversation with Akizuki, raised her hand. With a sweet yet aggressive smile, she pointed her device at Enomoto.

“I’m gonna try to slash you, okay, Shinji?”

“Whoa, wait, Nanase. What’re you gonna do if it kills me?”

“Oh, it’ll be all right! I can’t tell you why, but I’m sure it’ll be all right.”

“No, it won’t. You’re a Soldier, and you’re testing your blade against a Mage, who’s weak against your attacks. I’ll be near death at best… And if you use another damage-boosting Ability, you’ll knock me out with one hit. So will you stop playing around, please?”

“Awww… You’re really that against it? Isn’t it every guy’s dream to get killed by a cute girl?”

“I’m not going to comment on that logic… But it doesn’t even apply to you, Nanase. Not with your looks.”

“Okay, you’re dead.”

““…””

While keeping a prudent distance from the pair as they launched into their nth argument, I exchanged strained expressions with Akizuki.

Hang on…

“Hey, Akizuki, where’s Hime—?”

“Guess whoooo?”

I felt a gentle caress. Something slid over my face. The world went dark. It felt like someone snuggled up close to me from behind. A faintly sweet breath tickled my ear, but I couldn’t tell who it was. However, it didn’t take much to deduce the culprit.

“Himeji, right?”

“Heh-heh! You guessed it.”

She stepped back, removing her hands from my eyes. She was blushing a bit and looked embarrassed as she cleared her throat.

“Since we’re testing Spells, I tried using Stealth. The cooldown was sixteen seconds, which is twice my Action Level. I’m going to assume that applies to all Support Spells, but I’d like to test all the others out, just in case.”

“Oh yeah… That’s a good idea.”

“Um… Master? Have I made the wrong assumption?”

“N-no, no, it’s not that. I was the one who made a mistake, actually.”

“Sorry?”

“Wowww, Himeji. So gutsy…   Eh-heh-heh! Even I’m blushing a little.  ”

“Huh? What?” Akizuki wrapped Himeji in an overexcited death embrace, leaving the maid a confused mess. As cool as Himeji usually was, seeing her all out of sorts was a little novel.

Anyway, we proceeded with testing all our Spells in order. Attack Spells worked as I predicted. Sword attacks cost your Action Level in seconds of cooldown time, guns twice your level, and magic three times. Basically, the longer the range, the more time you had to sit exposed afterward.

We worked all this out as we explored the map, expanding our territory. In the end, we never ran into any other teams on the first day. Based on the auxiliary map data the Company fed me, our first battle would likely come tomorrow.

“…”

Eimei School finished the day controlling 175 hexes’ worth of map area. We’d claimed five bases, which provided us with a pretty ample supply of Spells. However, I had to assume that Enomoto was disappointed that I hadn’t defeated any enemy Commanders yet. There’d also been no word from the Clone, which was troubling. Apparently, she’d shown up a few times on Libra’s live feeds of the Game, but all she did was expand her territory, just like us.

I can’t say I’m completely happy about how things are going… But we didn’t run into any foes. This was more of a tutorial than anything. The real fight starts tomorrow, I guess.

With a light sigh, I watched as the first day of ASTRAL concluded.

All the participants in the May Interschool Competition this year were being housed at the Shiki Island Grand Hotel, located near the Special Development Zone. The six-story luxury complex came complete with pools and tennis courts out front. The entire hotel had been reserved just for the one hundred high school students in the Game, something you’d probably never see anywhere but the Academy.

The first floor of the hotel had the lobby, front desk, restaurant, and a large Japanese-style public bath. The second floor offered karaoke setups, game rooms, an indoor gym, and other entertainment facilities. The guest rooms went from the third floor up. The hotel restaurant provided meals for event participants, but we also had access to the lobby’s convenience store and room service, all free of charge. We couldn’t ask for much better treatment.

“Phew…”

The five of us returned from the field together, arriving at the restaurant at around six in the evening after the first day.

“Wow, pretty busy in here, huh?” Asamiya said, confidently leading the way for us. As we stepped in, a good twenty people looked our way all at once. Each of them had a similar reaction. Their eyes were wide with surprise, or maybe they were on high alert. I caught a few whispers, too.

“There’s the Eimei team.”

“Whoa! Hiroto Shinohara! Is it really him?”

“Well, yeah. It’s about time the Academy’s best showed up.”

“He’s not the only one, though. There’s Enomoto the All-Seeing and Asamiya the Golden Demon.”

“Damn… That’s just too much firepower…”

“Huh? Hey, guys, don’t forget about Noa the Little Devil! I’m the top ace from Eimei! Woo!  ”

“““Ooh…?!”””

Akizuki poked her face out from behind me, flashing her mischievous smile. Several students from other schools, all boys, suddenly clutched their hearts and slumped down on their tables. The eerie sight made me glare at Akizuki.

“What did you do?”

“Eh-heh-heh! What do you mean? I kind of forgot.  ”

“Well… I think I have a good idea by now…”

Akizuki’s victims were likely people she’d destroyed in some old event with her Little Devil powers. They’d been enticed by that bewitchingly cute smile, only to have everything taken from them… I’m sure she was a source of trauma for a lot of guys out there.

“Heh-heh. You’re quite popular, Master,” Himeji said to me quietly.

“I wouldn’t call it that. Everyone’s wary of me,” I replied.

Since I was pretending to be a Seven Star, this kind of reaction from a crowd was better than bored indifference.

“Ohhh wowwww, it’s the Eimei team! Awesome! What incredible presence!”

I scanned the room for the outburst and spied a dark-haired girl at a far table casting me the most impassioned of looks. Her exclamation wasn’t too different from anyone else’s, but she wasn’t intimidated by me. Instead, she exuded pure excitement.

That set her apart a little, but there was something else distracting about her. Actually, it wasn’t her as much as the very familiar person seated beside her. That long, luxurious red hair; those large, sharp, ruby eyes. Sarasa Saionji was at the table reserved for the Third Ward’s Ohga School. She grinned at me smugly, arms crossed. It was bold, aggressive, and supremely composed—a classic act from the Empress.

“…”

I looked back at Saionji, then lifted my right hand.

Hmm. What should I do? Given my usual performance, it’d be more natural to pick a fight with her, but would that look too contrived on day one of the event? Ah, but…

I hurriedly considered all the options. Before I could dismiss any interaction as too risky…

“…Well, hello! It’s been a while, huh, Hiroto Shinohara? Heh-heh!” a familiar voice called from behind. It traveled across the room accompanied by the tapping of leather boots. When their owner caught up with me, he threw back his cloak, sending it billowing to one side. I recognized him instantly.

“Seiran Kugasaki…”

Kugasaki grinned as I spoke his name.

“Heh-heh! It’s an honor to know you remember my full name, Seven Star. Allow me to thank you. You have graciously inserted yourself into this event, granting me the chance to gain my revenge…”

“Whatever. I’m not here for you.”

“Heh-heh… I am unconcerned with your reasons. All I wanted was another chance to fight you. Ah. How long I have waited for the moment! Ever since I lost to you in Self-Styled Game #27—since that instant in time—you have ever been in my thoughts!”

“Well, thanks. I might’ve been happy to hear that if you weren’t a man.”

“Hah! Ridiculous! Feel free to act like you’re above it all while you still can. You, Hiroto Shinohara, and your Eimei School as well, will be taken down by Otowa School in short order! I hope you’re looking forward to that fateful moment!”

Kugasaki held his right hand up to his face for dramatic effect as he spoke, all but shouting so the entire floor could hear him. Then he whirled his cloak around once more and disappeared into the restaurant with a high, echoing laugh.

As I watched him depart, Himeji clasped her hands in front of her and said to me, “Otowa School from the Eighth Ward… Despite the unique personalities who call it home, they only made it to tenth in last year’s school rankings. However, its team is built entirely from members of Mr. Kugasaki’s Self-Styled Holy Knights this time. For all his eccentricities, Mr. Kugasaki is an extremely charismatic leader, enough so to make his team one of the greater threats.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

I sighed and shook my head at my maid’s cold, calculated analysis. After that slight delay, I decided to head to Eimei’s table.

I think you can tell a lot about someone’s personality by how they tackle a buffet.

Upon reaching my table, we spent half an hour enjoying dinner and chatting with each other. However, our individual approaches couldn’t have been more different. I try to maintain a certain balance with my selections. However, Akizuki took nothing but salad and pasta. Enomoto, meanwhile, exclusively ate little finger sandwiches. I wondered why, until I realized he was using his free hand to read an ebook the whole time. Asamiya beside me, on the other hand, piled her plate high with a little bit of everything. Then she got a second plate arranged just so for social media purposes. She ate every bit of it after taking pictures, at least, which I appreciated.

“Here you are, Master.”

Himeji, meanwhile, poured a cup of coffee for me. She’d picked up a good balance of food like I had, but she returned to maid service immediately after finishing.

“Maaaaan…” Asamiya seemed oddly enthralled by that. “You really are a maid, huh, Yukirin? Wow, I think I’m starting to get jealous.”

“Jealous…?”

“Well, yeah! You’re sooo cute, Yukirin! If you did that stuff for me, I’d be reduced to a pile of goo within, like, two hours, I swear!”

“Um… It wouldn’t do to let that happen to you…so I’ll decline the offer, thank you.”

“And you’re so adorable when you act a little distressed like that! You’re such an angel… Ah, but I get why you’d wanna serve someone as powerful and reliable as Shino. Meanwhile…”

Asamiya listlessly turned her head toward Enomoto beside her and rested her chin on a palm. Enomoto was too focused on whatever he was reading to react at all. Asamiya scowled a bit but then let out an alluring sigh, gave up, and directed her gaze to Akizuki across from her. In particular, she stared at the other girl’s meal.

“Noa-chi, aren’t you gonna get hungry later? It’s all just veggies!”

“Mmm, not really? I never eat much, and I had a bunch of pasta, too. You know, I was actually wondering if you do anything special foodwise, Miya.”

“Nah, I’m pretty physically active, so I conk out real fast if I don’t eat enough. Plus, I like eating.”

“Hmm… No wonder you’re one of the most popular girls in year three. But I’m number one, of course!  ”

“Aw, there it is again! I love when you say stuff like that, Noa-chi…”

Asamiya gave Akizuki a pure, guileless smile as she sang the other girl’s praises. They were both pretty selfish in their own ways, but they got along surprisingly well.

“…”

With not much else to do, I listened to them chat while scanning the dining area. I spied a few others checking out other tables, too. With nothing but proven performers selected for this event, they all could presumably judge how talented a person was just by examining their faces.

Not that I really recognize anybody here, I groused to myself with a sigh. I really didn’t have enough necessary knowledge… And no sooner did I think as much than I felt someone tug on the pant leg of my uniform. I looked to my side and was met with Himeji’s clear eyes peering at me. That’s when I got an idea.

“Hey, Himeji, if you had to pick a handful of players I ought to watch out for, who would you choose?”

“Hmm. Let’s see…” Himeji frowned a bit. The other three people at the table must’ve been interested in the topic, because even Enomoto stopped reading to listen. “Based on my amateur opinion,” Himeji said quietly after clearing her throat, “in terms of reputation alone, Ms. Sarasa Saionji is head and shoulders above the rest. The Ohga Academy second-year from the Third Ward is also known as the Empress for a good reason. She’s a former Seven Star and a true genius who’s mastered every genre of game. The team she’s leading is generally acknowledged to be a strong contender. Ohga is always competing for the top spots in the yearly school rankings—last year they made it to number one, thanks in no small part to boasting a Seven Star like her. It should also be noted that nearly the whole rest of her team consists of the Empress’s closest associates… Her imperial guard, if you will.”

“Huh. That sure sounds tough.”

Tough for her, that is…

I silently said a prayer for Saionji. I’m sure that arrangement would help with teamwork, but given the tightrope she’s walking, it must make things incredibly difficult for her. She was constantly expected to be the perfect little rich girl all the time, with no safe haven.

“…Would that include the black-haired girl who was shouting at me earlier?” I asked.

“It would, yes,” Himeji said. “That was Ms. Momo Asuka. She actually went to middle school in another ward, but she idolized Ms. Saionji so much that she switched to Ohga Academy, which was hardly a straightforward task. Despite her obsessive nature, she is quite talented. She’s still a first-year in high school, but she’s already become a Four Star. People on STOC call her the Supernova.”

“Whoa…”

Frankly, I had trouble believing it. Her, of all people? But as I thought about it, it made sense. In this Game featuring teams from every ward, you’d never see anyone ranked Three Star or lower. Except for me, of course.

“…”

Himeji cleared her throat. “Moving on to other wards… Well, Mr. Seiran Kugasaki, the man who gave that dramatic speech earlier, is worthy of note. He’s a third-year Five Star from Otowa School in the Eighth Ward. People nicknamed him the Phoenix because he keeps losing to the Empress, only to rise back up and challenge her again later.”

“…Yeah, I know him pretty well.”

“Indeed, there’s not much more I need to tell you about him.”

After introducing Sarasa Saionji and Seiran Kugasaki a bit more to our teammates, Himeji shifted her position a little, her eyes on a table at the far end of the dining hall. Following her gaze, I saw three male students sitting and chatting. One among them stuck out. He was handsome, his hair slicked back, and this weird, intimidating aura surrounded him.

“Now I’ll talk about a few people my master hasn’t yet encountered. First, let’s discuss Shinra School, located in the Seventh Ward. Aggressiveness in gameplay is that institution’s credo, earning it third place in last year’s list—its best performance in several years. Shinra School’s star player is Toya Kirigaya. Winning means absolutely everything to him, and as his wild looks suggest, he’s willing to do anything for it. He’s a Six Star, and his nickname’s the Demigod Dictator.”

“…The Demigod Dictator?” I parroted back.

“That’s right,” Enomoto bluntly replied with a nod. “As the stories go, if you challenge him to a Game, he buries you with tactics, trash talk, and even some occasional violence. Those who lose to him suffer such terrible defeats that it’s virtually impossible for you to get back into the ring again. I’m sure that’s at least partly an exaggeration, but I am aware of at least a few people who left the island immediately after a Game with him.”

Huh…? The hell’s up with that?!

I could hardly believe my ears. It was hard to tell how much of that was the truth, but if Shinji Enomoto himself was willing to go that far, it certainly convinced me of his menace. I broke into a cold sweat while Asamiya raised her hand.

“Hey, hey! I just remembered—he challenged me to a Game a pretty long time ago. Shinji kept bugging me to drop out, so I stalled for a while, but then he withdrew the request outta nowhere.”

“Pff. I never thought for a moment you were serious about accepting that invite, Nanase. Why were you in such a rush to hand one of Eimei’s stars over to him, you idiot?”

“Yeah, yeah, okay… But I’m not an idiot, all right?! I might’ve won, for all you know!”

Asamiya slapped her palms on the table to accentuate her point. Enomoto shot her a dubious look and shook his head several times before turning his attention back to me.

“Enough about Nanase’s rantings. You see the group of girls two tables to the right of Kirigaya’s?”

“Hmm? Yeah,” I replied.

“The one in the ponytail, sitting in the middle… Watch out for her. She’s Senri Kururugi. The de facto leader of Tsuyuri Girls’ Institute in the Sixteenth Ward. A second-year and a Five Star. She’s been participating in events constantly since she entered high school. She possesses far more experience than most other participants.”

“Mmm… I see. That doesn’t sound too exceptional to me so far, though…,” I said.

“Don’t be so sure. If you ask me, she’s something of a wild animal. If we’re unlucky enough to run into her during this event, I’d recommend keeping away from her as best you can.”

“…Huh? What do you mean?” I asked.

“He means,” Himeji quietly interjected while I was confused, “that’s just how vicious she can be. Just as Mr. Enomoto says, Ms. Kururugi participated in every event held last year. During the last May Interschool Competition, she claimed an impressive victory. However, the Ability she obtained along the way was, to say the least, a major problem.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A problem? How so?”

“It’s called One-Shot Kill, and under the right conditions, it can immediately knock out another player. For example, in this Game, she could add that to an Attack Spell to immediately take five Life Points in one hit.”

“…”

“That is the unvarnished truth. And ever since she gained that Ability, Tsuyuri Girls’ Institute has built its teams around fulfilling the conditions for triggering One-Shot Kill as quickly as possible, so Ms. Kururugi can lay waste to the opposition. It’s proven to be a winning strategy across many events. They call her Hell’s Priestess for the sheer diabolical strength that Ability gives her. Her school reached ninth place in the rankings off the back of that power, despite being below fifteenth place until two years ago. Such a dramatic rise is unheard of.”

I’m not sure I would’ve believed that if Himeji wasn’t the one telling me. I was too shocked to reply.

Himeji tamed back a bit of her silver hair. “As a result, keeping your distance from Tsuyuri Girls’ Institute’s team is perfectly reasonable. It’s got an astonishing winning record in team Games. In fact, when it comes to such Games, it’s safe to say Ms. Kururugi is as powerful as the Empress. Master, I sincerely advise you to keep an eye out for her. She could take down Eimei and Ohga otherwise.”

Wow… That’s insane.

Himeji’s profile on Kururugi made me clench my hands. Kururugi looked like a serious-minded girl, the type who’d be on a school kendo team, but otherwise not too different from any other teen. After learning about her true nature, though, I couldn’t help but fear her.

“…Mm?”

Kururugi stood and left her table, walking straight for ours and stopping right in front of me. With one hand on the wooden sword she wore on her belt, she addressed me with a chiding tone.

“It is an honor to receive such high praise, Seven Star. However, talking behind my back is hardly appropriate. Even if the gossip is benign, it’s not nice to spread rumors.”

H-help! I’m scared! And why’s she got that sword on?!

Kururugi looked down at me with sharpened eyes. I felt myself withering under the gaze, but I didn’t reveal any of that, naturally. Instead, I replied with a little shrug.

“Yeah, sorry if I hurt your feelings. I only recently transferred to this island, so I still don’t know too much about people from other wards. We were just talking about your past performances.”

“Ah, I see. My apologies, then. Speaking of accomplishments, you certainly seem to be a handful. They say you have powerful breakthrough skills—analyzing tiny amounts of information from your opponent to deduce a sure way to victory. People claim you graduated from a U.S. university at the age of five and were invited to an organization that subjected you to cruel developmental experiments…”

“Wait, Kururugi. Who told you…? I mean, where did you hear that?”

“Well, from Libra, of course.”

Damn them…

I kept it cool, but internally I seethed at what Libra—Kazami, really—was doing to my reputation. Kururugi promised to be a tough opponent, but she saw me as some incredible threat as well.

Kururugi shook her head. “But no matter what overwhelming strength you have, I will never lose in a team match. Tsuyuri Girls’ Institute will reign supreme in ASTRAL… And your team setup looks like Swiss cheese to me.”

With that foreboding statement, Kururugi gave Enomoto and Asamiya a pointed look. Both eyed her in return cautiously. She received their gazes with a little laugh.

“…Well, I look forward to having a bout against you.”

With that, she strode off exactly the same way she came in.

““““…””””

None of us could say anything for a little while. Here was Senri Kururugi, Hell’s Priestess and the living personification of one-hit death. The best strategy against her in battle was to run. I hadn’t fought her yet, so none of that seemed too real to me, but there was no doubting that she engendered worry. She was trouble. An enemy.

“Well,” Himeji said finally after we stewed in oppressive awkwardness, “I suppose nothing more needs to be said about Ms. Kururugi. If I could introduce one more person to you, Master… It has to be the girl playing for Seijo School from the Twelfth Ward. I’m referring to the Clone, of course, the villain who’s picked a fight with the Empress and pulled you into it. She’s undoubtedly a fake, but she does have supporters.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

I certainly wasn’t a fan of all that, but I nodded instead of complaining in public about it. There were undoubtedly people who took the Clone’s side for fun, regardless of whether they believed she was telling the truth.

My eyes went to the tables set up against the walls of the dining room. A screen was on the wall above them, displaying Kazami as she covered the highlights from today’s gameplay. I’d wondered if she might join us for dinner. She loved playing to a crowd, after all. However, Libra was providing refereeing and organizational support for ASTRAL, so I guess those in charge didn’t want her mingling with the players. Regardless, the Clone came up in her coverage. That ruby-eyed impostor was presently front and center on the screen.

“By the way,” Enomoto quietly stated, “she’s gunning for you, isn’t she, Shinohara?”

“Yeah. But I wouldn’t worry. I’m not out to cause extra trouble for my teammates.”

“Pfft.” I thought Enomoto might argue my reply, but he only snorted in disapproval.

Asamiya frowned. “Geez, Shinji. Is mouthing off to Shino all you can do?”

“Aw,” Akizuki cooed. “You can cause all the trouble you want to for meee…  ”

In the midst of all this, Himeji—who’d been quiet for a bit—brought her lips to my ear. “You know,” she whispered, “it goes without saying that no matter how many no-name Five or Six Stars oppose you, you’re still the strongest, Master.”

With that behind us, it was about time for us to return to our rooms. It was only just past eight, but the first day of this huge event had proven exhausting. I was honestly ready to take a bath and hop into bed.

However…

“So how’re we gonna divide up the rooms?”

Just as everyone was about to get up, Akizuki’s question rocketed us back to our seats. That’s right. We had yet to decide on rooms.

The entire hotel had been rented out for the May Interschool Competition, giving participants nearly free rein on the place. There wasn’t any set limit on how many rooms each team could use. All five of us had to get room keys at the front desk, but we were free to divide ourselves any way we liked. We could each take our own room, even.

Akizuki bounced over to me with an evil smile. “Eh-heh-heh… I’d sure like to share a room with you, Hiroto.  ”

With just a touch of redness to her cheeks, she gave a little tug on my sleeve. She acted more embarrassed about it than she used to, but that devilish cuteness was still alive and well. With her body slightly pressed against mine, she peered up at me. At this angle, I could just about make out her breasts beneath her uniform.

“Look, Akizuki—”

“You don’t want me?”

“Er…”

Those alluring lips all but ensnared me. I tore my eyes away, though, looking at the rest of my team to distract me. Enomoto responded with a despondent shrug.

“Hmph… What a ridiculous farce. We’ll just be sleeping. What’s it matter where we sleep? I’m happy with anything, as long as I’m not rooming with Nanase.”

“You call it a farce, but you’ve still got your own request! And you’re fine with anyone but me? So it’s perfectly fine for you to share a room with any other girl, huh?!”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You did! I can read between the lines! Shinji, you freak! You molester!”

I felt like Asamiya was trying to rile him up on purpose. She pouted and hurled insults at him without holding back. Himeji gave me a puzzled look as she beheld the scene.

“Mm… It’s a given that my master and I will share a room, so if Ms. Akizuki joins us as well, then doesn’t it follow that you two would share a room?”

“Wait! No! No way, I can’t! S-staying in a room with Shinji would be so embarrassing…Wait. I mean, it’s physically impossible for me! I’d rather stay by myself!”

“I agree. How could I ever room with someone like her? She tosses and turns all damn night.”

“That was back in third grade!”

“You slept together in third grade…?” Akizuki asked, sounding a bit flustered. She brought both hands to her cheeks as if embarrassed for the pair. Then she returned to steamy romantic mode with me. “Eh-heh-heh… You know, Hiroto, you could use me like a body pillow if you want…  ”

“No, I’m afraid I cannot allow you to take such a role, Ms. Akizuki. If he needs a pillow, I will be one for him,” Himeji stated flatly.

Now I was being pulled by the sleeves in two directions, faced with a decision as monumental as it was unwanted. I was dying on the inside, but on the surface, I kept calm and tried to figure out how to reply.

“…!”

During this absurd display, a girl stomped over with her long, gorgeous hair flowing behind her. She put her hands together, ruby-red eyes burning as she spoke.

“You really are clueless. Look, this was so obvious that I didn’t think it needed to be spelled out for you, but the floors are divided between boys and girls, all right? There aren’t any mixed rooms, and they have device sensors on all the floors so you can’t sneak to other levels.”

“Oh… Really?” I said.

“Yes, really!” Saionji’s body trembled with rage. I shrugged, rather than give any kind of reply.

“Hmph! Gotta watch you like a hawk all the time…”

She mumbled something while returning to her Ohga School teammates, but I didn’t catch it.

“…Well,” Enomoto said as he stood, “I guess that settles our room arrangements.”

This was an official Academy event; naturally, there were no coed rooms. Akizuki apparently knew this all along because she let go of me and stuck out her tongue in the most mischievously cute fashion. Himeji, surprisingly enough, proved to be the last holdout, but after Asamiya suggested “Hey, let’s all hit the bath!” her expression softened a bit—just a bit.

Asamiya’s already made friends with Himeji, huh? Impressive…

I had nothing but praise, and a little surprise, for how sociable Asamiya could be.

Following a tumultuous meal, we left the restaurant.

Enomoto and I were assigned Room 513 on the fifth floor. The Shiki Island Grand Hotel was all guest rooms from the third level up. During the May Interschool Competition, the third and fourth floors were reserved for girls, and the guys got the fifth and sixth. Sensors were in place to keep students off the wrong floors; high security, indeed. However, that wasn’t the only odd thing about the rooms. They were all astonishingly large and fancy, sporting super-plush beds, tons of space to relax in, and a big TV and refrigerator.

I really would have preferred my own room, I thought as I placed my device on the nightstand. Having to room with Enomoto meant I couldn’t contact the Company or discuss certain things with Himeji. Unfortunately, requesting a private room for myself could be construed as suspicious, so I had to make do. According to Himeji, Saionji’s teammates all fought each other for the right to room with her, but in the end, she got one to herself.

“…”

Enomoto had been quietly reading on his device for a while, lying in bed with his back against the headboard. He’d finished bathing and was in a modest set of sweats.

Something occurred to me.

“Hey, Enomoto, what are you reading anyway? You look pretty absorbed in it.”

“You can start calling me Mr. Enomoto anytime, Shinohara. If your family never taught you manners, I’d be glad to beat them into you instead. Anyway, I’m just reading one of those ‘light novels’ right now. Mainstream media.”

“A light novel? Wow, that’s a bit of a surprise. I assumed you were poring through some kind of school text.”

“What are you talking about? Why would I spend my free time on that?”

“Oh… I guess you’ve got a point.”

“If you presented me with what amounts to a barren table of facts, I could absorb that in a few minutes, because there’s nothing deeper to it than that. But novels don’t work that way. A story isn’t like an ore deposit you’re constantly trying to mine resources from. It’s an entertaining way to broaden your imagination.”

“…Uh-huh.”

What a reasonable answer. Yet at the same time, it felt intimidating. I flopped into bed while listening to Enomoto. The idea of him reading through a thick textbook in minutes was difficult to reconcile, but I guess it made sense he didn’t spend his free time doing that.

I had only just closed my eyes when Enomoto called to me.

“Shinohara… You’re not seriously just going to sleep as you are, right? You haven’t bathed yet.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll get to that after I rest a little,” I replied.

“Oh? Well, all right…”

His attention returned to his device. Enomoto had a blunt, no-nonsense personality, and we’d squabbled over who’d take the Commander role, but he wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, I would’ve put him in the “nice” category.

But I’m still gonna have to trick him this whole time.

I thought about that for a bit while lying in bed. Gradually, I grew more tired until I lost consciousness.

“Oh, crap, what time is it?”

I awoke at an obviously late hour. A quick check revealed it was past one in the morning. My chat with Enomoto had been around ten, I think, so I’d slept for three hours. The lights were off, Enomoto was fast asleep, and there was a thin blanket placed over me.

“Wow, he really is nice,” I said to myself as I got out of bed and stretched. I’d dozed for three hours, so I wasn’t feeling particularly sleepy. I also remembered that I hadn’t taken a bath yet. I at least wanted to take a shower… But it wouldn’t be nice to wake Enomoto up that way.

“Well, a shower can probably wait until the morning… Oh, wait.”

Then I recalled something, bringing my right hand to my lips. This hotel had a large public bath space that was open twenty-four hours. The woman at the front desk had gone on about how it was set up for everything from morning to late-night customers.

I decided to head to the first floor instead of the unit bath in our room. I’d been told there were towels in the changing room, so I only brought my device and a change of clothes.

It being so late, I didn’t run into anyone in the hall. However, right after I made it down the stairs, just before I turned toward the bath…

“…?”

I sensed someone crossing in front of me, and I squinted. The lighting here had been dimmed, so it was too dark to know for certain, but I felt pretty confident there was another person there.

“Oof! Ngh! Huh? Oh, not quite… Hnngh!”

“…”

A girl was making a serious effort in the restaurant area by the cash register. Apparently, she was trying to stow a tray up on a high shelf, but between its height and her lack thereof, she was having trouble. The tray shook a bit whenever she stretched up, the dishes threatening to fall.

“Time to break out my secret powers!”

The girl glared at the shelf like she was about to avenge her parents’ murder. Planting her delicate feet down, she prepared herself for a mighty leap…

“Hold on.”

“Fwah?!”

…but before she could jump, I swiped the tray from her. She looked at me, eyes wide with surprise, as I safely placed it on the shelf.

“There. I don’t know what you thought jumping would accomplish. That could’ve been a disaster.”

“…”

“Oh, did you want to do it yourself? Sorry about that. You can blame me for that one, so just head back to your room, okay?”

I waved at the girl, who watched me silently. Before I could leave, she grabbed my shirt.

“Um…,” she mumbled.

“Hmm? Need something else?”

“I, um… I didn’t thank you yet.”

She averted her eyes, all but forcing me to move a little to see her face.

Her appearance suggested she was in middle school. Based on her height alone I might have believed she was even younger than that. She was pretty compact. Her dark hair was cut in a bob, and her eyes were a piercing shade of black. However, her bangs were long enough that they nearly concealed her right eye, and she sported gothic Lolita attire. Nothing over the top—it was pretty simple in design, actually—but her fashion and cuteness melted together in a nice way. To put it in a less flattering way, I thought she was trying to seem older than she was.

Regardless, she bowed her head, her left eye peering up at me.

“Thank you very…much?”

“Why are you phrasing that like a question? You’re the one who stopped me.”

“I don’t know what you’ll do to me… I don’t want to carelessly leave myself open.”

“You don’t have to be that cautious!” I blurted out reflexively. What a dramatic difference from the girl who’d been struggling to put a tray back. She wasn’t much for making eye contact with me at all, perhaps because she was talking with a stranger. I thought it was more a general shyness, though.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Um… Are you asking about my life’s mission or something?”

“No, nothing like that. This hotel’s reserved for the May Interschool Competition, and you don’t look high school age to me, so I’m assuming you’re not a participant? I was just wondering what you were doing.”

“Oh, that…”

The girl looked down, evidently disappointed with my question. Still, she nodded at me, her short hair bouncing.

“Um, I… I’m involved with the event. Sort of. My sister works for Libra and asked me to join MTCG, so…”

“MTCG? Oh, Libra’s running that, right?”

“Um, yeah… I guess so anyway…”

She nodded, her expression vague. This girl didn’t seem like a liar to me, so she probably didn’t know much about ASTRAL or what I was doing.

Come to think of it, I forgot all about the sixth-team-member rule…

I crossed my arms. The top prize of MTCG was a wild card spot in ASTRAL, giving anybody on the island a chance at joining the main event. For Eimei, our best shot at getting an extra player was that Minakami girl Enomoto mentioned in passing. Honestly, the odds were too low to count on, though. It was best to assume it wasn’t going to happen.

“…?”

I sensed the girl’s pure, innocent eyes upon me and stopped dwelling on my thoughts. Now that we were on the same page, I decided it was best to leave her alone.

“Sorry to ask you a bunch of questions,” I said. “Can you get back to your own room?”

“Mm… Yeah, I can, but…” She trailed off.

“But?”

The girl stared straight up at me, clearly struggling to tell me something. Her hair fell back, revealing a bright ruby-red eye.

Wait, red?

“Hey, is that…?”

“It’s a color contact. I mean, it’s proof that I’m the chosen one. I’m not like normal people, so my eye color’s really cool. See? I’ve got heterochromia. Pretty great, huh?”

“Yeah. If it’s a choice between yes or no, then I guess the answer is yes.”

“Y-you think so?! Yeah, I knew you’d understand. And guess what? My right eye’s an evil one. It can see everything in the past and future, and it’s telling me that you’re someone really special!”

“Really? Well, your evil eye’s pretty smart, then. So what did a superpowerful person like you want to ask me?”

“Oh! Listen, um…”

She paused, then took a deep breath.

“Do you wanna go out with me?!”

This middle schooler with a high-fantasy backstory flashed me a totally innocent look with her mismatched eyes as she hurled her question.

“Huh?”

It turned out the girl’s name was Tsumugi Shiina…not that I asked her. She looked desperate for someone to talk to, so I decided to indulge her. I didn’t like being stuck with her instead of getting to the bath, but there was no harm in knowing her name, at least.

Here’s a quick recap of how she introduced herself.

“Hee-hee-hee… I’m Tsumugi Shiina. THE Tsumugi Shiina!”

“…Are you important or something?”

“What? You don’t know?! My eye’s saved the world countless times, but I’m still not listed in any history books? Hey, what’s your name anyway?”

“Oh, I’m Hiroto Shinohara—”

“Ah! You mean THE Hiroto?!”

“Can we stop with the THE’s all the time, please?”

Shiina was stuck in her own fantasy world, and she wasn’t making a secret of it. Anyway, her name was Shiina, sister of a Libra member, although not any I was familiar with. She was in her third year of middle school, only two years behind me, although she looked younger. Initially, she’d seemed pretty shy, barely able to maintain eye contact with me. Yet as we talked, her nervousness melted away.

After chatting for an hour, Shiina sounded like this:

“Ha-ha-ha! Wow! You’re so amazing! Super amazing! But I won’t lose to you! Finisher: Ultra-Hyper-Little-Blaaaaaast! …Oh, wait, I got the buttons wrong. Pfft! Ha-ha-ha-ha!”

She was having the time of her life, excitement knob turned all the way up.

It was now the dead of night, and Shiina and I were up on the second floor. There was an arcade up there, with crane games, slots, fighters, music games, shooters…pretty much the complete usual lineup. Just like everything else in the hotel, all the games were free for ASTRAL participants.

To sum up, when she asked to go out with me, she meant this.

I figured it’d be something like this, I thought, caught somewhere between relieved and dejected. Shiina had been with me for nearly an hour, and it would’ve been mean to brush off someone that friendly and excited to be around me.

“Hey! Let’s try that one next! I wanna try it!”

In what had swiftly become a habit, Shiina pulled me by the hand while pointing at whatever game claimed her interest. This time, it was a crane game filled with stuffed animals.

“Oh? We’ve been playing nothing but two-player competitive games. What a cute change of pace.”

“Yeah! I love crane games. Oh, um, I mean, I know this is just kiddie stuff, but it’s nice to take a break occasionally! And don’t you think that one over there would make a perfect familiar for someone as great as me? Right? Right? It looks soooo cool!”

Shiina had her face pressed against the glass, mouth open and eyes sparkling. She was looking not at a dog, cat, or panda, but a Cerberus. Desiring the guardian of Hades as her familiar probably said a lot about her future.

Shiina placed her device on the cabinet and immediately set to work. “Heh-heh… All right, Lloyd, come toward me and take a close look at my eye, won’t you? Let me show you exactly who you belong to!”

“You already have a name for him?” I asked.

“Of course I do! After all, it was foretold in the Book of All Knowledge that we were fated to meet. I think it was probably written in the Kojiki, or the Kokin Wakashu, or some other ancient poetry collection!”

“Lloyd writes poems, too? Boy, he can do everything.”

“Right? Whoa! Don’t drop down there! Hey, this arm is trying to twist the gears of fate on me!”

“You sure make everything sound dramatic… Here, let me try.”

I took over for Shiina, focusing my sights on Lloyd. To tell the truth, I had always been pretty good at crane games. I didn’t have a spotless record, but I could typically claim my prize within three tries. That proved true this time as well. The Cerberus was ours on my third attempt.

“Wowwwwwwww! Wow, wow, you’re awesome! I always saw great things in you, and now it’s all paying off! Excellent!”

“Thank you. Say hello to Lloyd.”

“Yaaay! Thanks a lot!”

Shiina hugged the plush, giving me an innocent, childlike smile, which made sense, since she was a kid. She was off in her own little world, but seeing her like this reminded me she wasn’t too different from any other middle school girl. Very “little sister,” I guess you could say. It made you want to spoil her.

As that thought occurred to me, Shiina let out a long, cute yawn while admiring her new familiar. She’d been bouncing off the walls a moment ago, but I guess her fatigue caught up with her. She rubbed her eye with her free hand.

“Fwahhhh… I’m tired…”

“Already? The night’s still young for the watchdog of hell.”

“Well, I’m his master now… He’s gonna be my watchdog. And my right eye sees all and knows all, so he’ll be fine even in my dreams… Wait. Was it my right eye or my left?”

Shiina’s voice drifted in and out on her, dwindling. Soon, she was just standing there, leaning against me and fast asleep.

“Pretty neat trick,” I muttered as I tried to keep her from falling. I get that all that carrying on tired her out, but how could she sleep in this position? And why had she left herself so vulnerable after barely being able to look me in the eye initially?

“I need to put her to bed… But I can’t just take her to her room.”

I had no idea where Shiina was staying, and I certainly couldn’t carry her back to my room. I didn’t think I could go to hotel security with a situation like this, either, considering how it’d make me look. After a bit of consideration, I hefted Shiina onto my back and headed off.

“Sh-she’s asleep…?!”

I had gone to the first floor of the Shiki Island Grand Hotel and knocked on the Staff Only door. Moments later, a woman in unform answered, looking shocked at her visitors.

“Wh-what happened to that girl? Did you find her lying on the ground somewhere?!”

“Huh? No, it’s not an emergency. I ran into her at the restaurant, and she dragged me up to the arcade to play some games… As you can see, she passed out. Can I leave her with you?”

“Um…yes, certainly. But do you mind if I ask something?”

The staff woman seemed awestruck as she looked between Shiina and me. She pointed at the girl asleep on my back.

“Was that girl really that friendly with you?” she asked as though my story was difficult to believe.

“I don’t see why that’s so suspicious… But yeah, I think so.”

“No way!”

The staff woman, whose reactions had already been on the extreme side, threw her hands to the heavens.

At that point, I had to ask for details. Tsumugi Shiina was a pretty secluded person, apparently. Between her shyness and fantasy world, she had a lot of trouble building relationships with others and hadn’t opened up to many. She’d been staying at the hotel for two days, but she was so skittish around the staff that she’d been unable to pick up her meals.

“So…so if you don’t mind…” The staff woman paused to clasp her hands together, entreating me. “Would you be able to bring this girl her food starting tomorrow? Just her dinner… She usually takes it at around midnight. We prepared a meal for her tonight, but she didn’t come to get it until long after it was cold.”

“Well, I understand that she’s put you all in a challenging situation, but…”

“I’m sorry! I know it’s a pain and a lot of needless trouble, but please! Oh, I know! If you agree to help out, I’ll turn off the restriction preventing you from accessing the women-only third and fourth floors! How does that sound?”

“…What?”

The staffer’s offer made me raise an eyebrow. Free access to the girls’ floors was a must if I was going to bring Shiina her food. Setting off the alarm every time I went to her would’ve been a huge issue.

“Um… Are you serious? Can you even do that?”

“Oh, of course! I work here, so it’s no problem from a system perspective. I’ll set your device as an exception. As for the ethical issues… Well, if something happened because I gave you special privileges…”

“If something happened?” I parroted.

“…I will atone with my death.”

“Please don’t do that.”

Dismay entered the staff woman’s expression as she assumed from my deadpan response that I wouldn’t help.

“All right. I’ll give Shiina a hand starting tomorrow.”

I decided to accept. It was a purely calculated move, one with no ulterior motive. Gaining access to the girls’ floors meant I could contact Himeji and Saionji. I can’t trade info with the latter inside the Game, so having a chance to talk in person was fantastic. Spending time with this shy girl wound up being extremely useful.

I hoped to return to my room and mull over how to make the most of this.

Ah… But I’m starting to get tired, too…

I yawned a little. The second day of ASTRAL was rapidly approaching. I’d need some rest if I wanted to survive.

May Interschool Competition: ASTRAL—Day 1 Complete

Largest Territory Taken: Ohga School, Third Ward (221 hexes)

Most Votes: Eimei School, Fourth Ward (7.2 percent)

Libra Commentary: The May Interschool Competition is finally underway, and things got off to a slow, steady start. It’s the calm before the storm, with every team laying out the groundwork! At this rate, we can expect a lot of combat tomorrow, so don’t miss a moment of it!!!

LNN – Librarian News Network – Special Bulletin

The Top Players in ASTRAL

This year’s May Interschool Competition Game is called ASTRAL. Specially picked teams from each ward attempt to capture as much territory as possible! The detailed rules have been released. Now it’s time to introduce the players receiving the most attention!

Hiroto Shinohara (Second-year, Eimei School, Fourth Ward, Seven Star)

The year’s hottest player, a student who reached Seven Star status in record time after transferring in. However, his teamwork skills have yet to be tested!

Sarasa Saionji (Second-year, Ohga School, Third Ward, Six Star)

The Empress may have suffered a shocking defeat against Shinohara, but her dominant strengths remain just as fearsome. Her rivalry with the mysterious Clone is generating buzz, too.

Toya Kirigaya (Third-year, Shinra School, Seventh Ward, Six Star)

The Demigod Dictator has been hiding in the shadows, waiting for his chance to seize the top spot. It remains to be seen where he’ll strike first.

Senri Kururugi (Third-year, Tsuyuri Girls’ Institute, Sixteenth Ward, Five Star)

When faced with Hell’s Priestess, there’s only one tried-and-true strategy—run! Will her one-shot kill escapades define this Game?

Seiran Kugasaki (Third-year, Otowa School, Eighth Ward, Five Star)

The Phoenix is bringing all his unflappable charisma to the game field. He hopes to use his proven leadership skills to take revenge on Shinohara.

The Clone (???, Seijo School, Twelfth Ward)

The alleged “real Sarasa Saionji” appeared out of nowhere. Her provocative, crafty, and downright unnerving approach has made a big splash, but will the magic last?