“We’ve found them! There they are! This place is way too crowded!”
“Hey, Yabuki! Don’t wander off on your own! Hold on, how are you not bumping into people?! Hey!”
The next to appear were Eishirou and Lester. Followed by—
“So this is where you’ve been hiding! I’ve been looking all over for you!”
“S-sis! Wait for me!”
The sisters, Irene Urzaiz and Priscilla Urzaiz.
The two groups reached Ayato and the others at almost the exact same moment.
“…Yo, Irene Urzaiz.”
“Oh, it’s you…Lester MacPhail.”
Lester and Irene exchanged hostile glances.
They had met before, during the Phoenix and again at this latest Lindvolus. Irene had won the former, Lester the latter. One win, one loss each, with both matches lasting five minutes. As a result, neither of them had conceded to the other.
“Sis! Do I need to remind you that fighting is off-limits here?” Priscilla said, stepping forward, unintimidated by the explosive atmosphere.
“Ugh…! I—I get it, Priscilla. It’s not like I came here to pick a fight.”
Despite appearances, it was the younger sister, Priscilla, who was the stronger of the two. Irene reluctantly withdrew, while Priscilla turned to Ayato and the others with a bow.
“I apologize for the sudden interruption. And MacPhail, please excuse my sister’s behavior.”
“S-sure …”
There was nothing Lester could say to that, and he likewise fell back.
“Um, congratulations again, to all of you,” said Priscilla. “It really is amazing scoring both a grand slam and winning the entire season.”
It was a simple compliment, offered with no jealousy or calculation.
That was probably why Julis simply took it in stride. “Oh, thanks,” she answered.
“You were incredible, too, Priscilla,” Ayato said, nodding. “In your match against Sylvie.”
“Yep. It was a good match.” Saya nodded firmly.
“What?! You were watching…?”
“Of course. You’ve gotten much stronger, Priscilla.”
“…”
Priscilla clasped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the words.
“Thank you…!” she whispered.
Irene reached out and silently put her arm around Priscilla’s shoulder.
While Priscilla may have been a Genestella, until just a few short years ago, she had been an amateur with no combat experience. Ayato had nothing but admiration for the rapid growth that had allowed her to take on Sylvia so capably—even if it was largely thanks to the irregular training she had received at the Liangshan. It must have taken extraordinary effort.
“I can’t rely on my sister to protect me forever.”
Ayato remembered the day she said those words at the school fair. And she really had made good on them.
“So, Julis. You’d better not forget your promise to me,” Lester said, stepping forward after dutifully waiting for the Urzaiz sisters to finish.
“Right… Yeah. Call me whenever you feel up to it. I’ll fight you, as promised.”
“All right! Looking forward to it!” Lester slapped his fist, positively beaming with joy.
“Huh? You challenging the Glühen Rose to a duel, Lester MacPhail?” said Irene. “Didn’t you watch that final match? This is the woman who beat Orphelia Landlufen. What makes you think you can keep up with her?”
“Shut up! We’ve got our own thing here! Quit butting in!”
“Huh? You mouthin’ off to me now?!”
Once more, Lester and Irene exchanged fierce looks.
“Really, there’s never a dull moment with you guys. You’re always causing trouble,” Eishirou said with a grin, hands clasped behind his head as he shot Ayato a sideways glance.
“Are you talking as a Shadowstar agent? Or as part of the newspaper club?”
“Nah, just sharing my impressions as your friend,” he answered, still smiling.
✦ ✦ ✦
After that, an endless stream of acquaintances and friends stopped by to chat with Ayato and the others.
There were Helga and Haruka, patrolling the venue as part of its security contingent; Minato and Yuzuhi, along with their teammates; Violet Weinberg; their teacher Kyouko Yatsuzaki; Saya’s junior Nueko Kuzukara; Fuyuka Umenokouji, who had left Xinglou’s group to greet them personally; the various members of Rusalka (though how they managed to enter the venue was anyone’s guess); and even Zaharoula, the chief commentator at the Lindvolus.
After chatting with everyone, Ayato and the others finally found time to catch their breath and sneaked out into the garden adjoining the main hall. Not only friends and acquaintances, but even strangers had begun to seek them out, which meant that it was time for them to leave.
“Whew. Finally free,” Julis said with a yawn as she stretched her arms.
“Ha-ha. Good work today,” Claudia said with a mischievous smile. “Keep in mind that this is the fate that awaits anyone who pulls off a grand slam.”
“I’m already sick of it…,” Julis replied.
“Don’t say that! We at Seidoukan plan to lean on your accomplishments to the best of our ability—for publicity purposes.”
The midwinter air was bitingly cold, and their breath became white clouds of mist before their eyes.
A large moon hovered above the lights of the hotel.
“Come to think of it,” said Saya, “there was so much food inside, but I didn’t have time to sample any of it… Talk about unfair.”
“Oh, in that case, sh-should we make something for dinner once we get back to the dormitory, then?” suggested Kirin.
“Oh, that would be great.”
“It won’t be very fancy, though…”
Saya, no doubt starved, continued to hold her stomach with a sorrowful expression, while Kirin tried to soothe her, a wry smile on her face.
As they continued their casual conversation and slowly made their way through the dimly lit garden, Sylvia, who had been trailing near the end of the group, deep in thought, came to a sudden stop.
“…Sylvie?” Ayato called out.
Turning away for a moment, she let out a long, deep breath before looking back up. “Well, I wasn’t sure about this, but seeing as we won’t have many more opportunities… Heck, let’s do it.”
Then, looking directly into his eyes with a bashful smile, she said: “I love you, Ayato. Do you think we could be special partners, maybe?”
“…!”
Caught off guard, Ayato’s body stiffened involuntarily.
Sylvia’s figure was breathtakingly beautiful in the soft light of the garden path—it was almost as if she were floating.
“…Oh, a c-confession? Now?”
“In front of all of us? I’m impressed.”
“…You’ve really done it this time.”
“W-w-wow…!”
Everyone else seemed just as surprised, and all of them had stopped cold where they were.
“I mean, you’ve all already confessed your feelings, right? I can tell that much. I don’t want to be the only one here who hasn’t even reached the starting line.”
Sylvia’s words were straightforward and sincere—so Ayato had no choice but to accept them earnestly.
Indeed, now that everything had been settled, it was time to give them his answer.
In fact, he had already made up his mind long ago.
But when it came to actually saying it out loud, his voice caught in his throat, and a strange sensation took hold of him.
He looked deep into the eyes of Julis, Claudia, Saya, Kirin, then Sylvia, and slowly opened his mouth.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I…”