The Asterisk War, Vol. 6: The Triumphal Homecoming Battle Read online

  Copyright

  THE ASTERISK WAR, Vol. 6

  YUU MIYAZAKI

  Translation by Haydn Trowell

  Cover art by okiura

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  © Yuu Miyazaki 2014

  First published in Japan in 2014 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION.

  English translation rights reserved by Yen Press, LLC under the license from KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC. Tokyo.

  English translation © 2018 by Yen Press, LLC

  Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Miyazaki, Yuu, author. | Tanaka, Melissa, translator. |

  Trowell, Haydn, translator.

  Title: The asterisk war / Yuu Miyazaki ; translation by Melissa Tanaka.

  Other titles: Gakusen toshi asterisk. English

  Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, 2016– | v. 6–8 translation by Haydn Trowell | Audience: Ages 13 & up.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016023755 | ISBN 9780316315272 (v. 1 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398589 (v. 2 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398602 (v. 3 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398626 (v. 4 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398657 (v. 5 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398671 (v. 6 : paperback)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Science fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.M635 As 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016023755

  ISBNs: 978-0-316-39867-1 (paperback)

  978-0-316-39868-8 (ebook)

  E3-20180322-JV-NF

  Contents

  Cover

  Insert

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1: Beginnings

  Chapter 2: Familiar Faces

  Chapter 3: Lieseltania

  Chapter 4: Julis and the Orphanage

  Chapter 5: The Witch of Solitary Venom

  Chapter 6: Subduing Dragons

  Chapter 7: Reunion

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Yen Newsletter

  CHAPTER 1

  BEGINNINGS

  In a room illuminated by late-autumn moonlight, Claudia slumped deep into the sofa.

  Water dripped from her long, luscious blond hair, and her body, wrapped only in a simple bathrobe, was slightly flushed. An air-window floated beside her, transmitting a seemingly perplexed voice.

  “I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid that I can’t agree to that.” Claudia spoke calmly, but the person on the other side of the air-window repeated themselves in an irritated tone.

  “Yes, of course, I understand the situation. Thank you for your advice.” A faint smile rose to her lips, and she casually closed the air-window.

  Claudia let out a slow sigh. A long, deep sigh, as if trying to exhale all the sediment that had settled within her.

  Of course, there was no way a simple sigh would be able to rid her of what filled her.

  There was only one way to deal with that.

  “I’ve come this far. As for what’s next…”

  Claudia stood up and headed to the window. She wrapped her arms around her body, bathing in the moonlight that poured down over the thin lace of her nightgown.

  “Well, well, there’s no turning back now,” she murmured, chuckling self-deprecatingly.

  The wish she had held on to since that day—the sole hope she’d clung to in her recurring nightmares…

  No one understood it, she thought. Even if it was discovered, and people laughed at her for being foolish or brushed it aside as worthless, undoubtedly not a single person would take her dream seriously.

  After all, even Claudia herself had a hard time doing so.

  And yet, it was precisely because she had held on to that foolish, worthless wish for so long that she was able to live as she did now.

  Whether it was her position as student council president at Seidoukan Academy, or the fame from being ranked number two, or her goal of taking the Gryps championship, or even going to Asterisk in the first place, she had done all that groundwork to turn her wish into a reality.

  It would not be an easy task. In terms of probability, she might only have one chance in a million.

  But she was fine with that. After all, it wasn’t zero.

  “Come, let’s go for a dance, Ayato. It’s time for me to take the stage now.”

  As if relishing the words, Claudia gently closed her eyes.

  “By the way, does anyone have any plans for winter vacation?” Julis asked, just as everyone was finishing lunch in the cafeteria.

  Since the same faces had been taking the same seats almost every day lately, it was almost as if they had designated places—even though they hadn’t organized anything beforehand.

  At last, the commotion of getting food had died down, and the cafeteria was enveloped in a relaxed atmosphere. Maybe it was due to the fine weather, but a number of students were asleep at their tables.

  “…Winter vacation?”

  “It’s still a while off, so I haven’t really decided anything yet…”

  Saya and Kirin, sitting side by side in front of Julis, tilted their heads curiously.

  It was October. They had finished final exams last month, and the short fall break at the start of the month was over. In other words, second semester had just begun.

  Asterisk’s six schools divided the year into first and second semesters, during which students took different units. There was an entrance ceremony in the second semester in addition to the first, so apparently, new students could be seen here and there.

  “This time, at least, I want to be able to take it easy for a while…,” Saya bemoaned, laying her head on the table in exhaustion.

  Ayato laughed. “You had remedial classes all through fall break, didn’t you?”

  “Hmph…” Saya puffed out her cheeks but didn’t seem to be in a mood to argue.

  “Well,” Eishirou jumped in, “there aren’t any remedial classes during winter vacation, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

  “Are you saying that to make yourself feel better about your own performance, Yabuki?”

  “Um…?!”

  At Julis’s dry sniping, Eishirou, who was sitting beside Ayato, averted his eyes.

  There was a big difference in Saya’s grades among the subjects that she excelled at and those she didn’t,
but in Eishirou’s case, he was always just scraping by. He didn’t seem to be all that keen on studying.

  Julis had the highest grades of the students sitting around the table, and while Kirin’s weren’t quite as high, they weren’t far behind. Ayato’s were slightly above average.

  Each school’s overall academic performance was one of the few things that influenced their results in the Festa. All exam results from the term were factored in, with particular emphasis given to the grades of Festa participants. In other words, by admitting students who only had high grades, the schools were able to increase their overall results. This was all part of the goal of cultivating students accomplished in both the literary and military arts.

  That being said, the total number of points awarded based on academic performance wasn’t large. Each school was ranked from first to sixth place, with points determined accordingly, but even if the regulations did place formal emphasis on academic performance, the number didn’t include those given to participants who advanced to the top four in the combat-oriented Festa.

  That, more than anything, was the reason why no one batted an eye at the fact that schools’ rankings in recent years had remained mostly unchanged.

  Each school’s position was practically fixed: The first- and second-ranked schools were Saint Gallardworth Academy and Allekant Académie, the third and fourth were Seidoukan Academy and the Jie Long Seventh Institute, and the fifth and sixth were Queenvale Academy for Young Ladies and the Le Wolfe Black Institute. For the past decade, at least, no school had moved up or down in the ranking.

  Still, there were small differences in academic performance within each class, and as the number of points obtained at the third and fourth places would sometimes change, no school could afford to let its guard down when it came to education.

  “Do you have any plans?” Ayato asked, trying to bring the conversation back to the topic at hand.

  Julis made a complicated expression as she looked at her companions.

  “Well, the truth is… After what happened with Flora, my brother wanted to invite you all to visit.”

  “To visit…? You mean Lieseltania?”

  “Well, yes. He wants me to invite you all to come with me when I go home.” Julis nodded, glancing at each of her companions in turn. “It’s…it’s a great honor, but…”

  “Your brother? You mean the king of Lieseltania invited us?”

  It was little wonder that Kirin spoke so hesitantly. To receive an invitation all of a sudden by His Majesty the King was no ordinary occurrence.

  “There’s no need to be so nervous. I told him not to do anything formal. He just wants to express his thanks.”

  “…But you don’t look very happy,” Saya noted. “Do you not want us to go?”

  “Ah…n-no, it’s not like that…” Julis faltered for a moment before catching her breath and shaking her head slightly. “My brother… Well, it’s just, he isn’t a bad person, but…he’s a little eccentric. I’m just worried that he might be up to no good again…”

  Now that she mentioned it, Julis’s brother did indeed seem to be a strange one, what with the incident with Flora’s maid clothes, and the questions that he entrusted to her.

  “But it’s not just my brother who wants to thank you for helping Flora. The sisters at the orphanage also want to give you their appreciation in person. So it’s not that I’m reluctant to invite you all, but…” Julis gave everyone a forced smile before shrugging. “Well, you all have your own things going on, so I won’t force you.”

  Ayato sank into thought.

  He had been thinking about going home, at least for New Year’s, but in all honesty, his relationship with his father wasn’t the best. It wasn’t that they were on bad terms, but ever since his sister had disappeared, they often ended up arguing more than anything. His father was a taciturn man, and Ayato often found himself wondering what he really thought. His sister was the one who had mediated their relationship, so it was, in a sense, unsurprising that things had ended up this way.

  Ayato had contacted his father after winning the Phoenix, but even then, he had received a cold and uninterested response. Ayato respected his father and was grateful to him for teaching him everything he knew, but he felt that it’d be best to keep some distance between them, at least for the time being.

  “Well, seeing as they’ve gone to the effort to invite us, I accept,” he said, raising his hand.

  Julis nodded happily. “I’m sure Flora will be pleased as well.”

  At that, Kirin timidly raised her hand as well. “Um… If it’s okay, can I go, too?”

  “Of course! But, Kirin… Are you sure? Don’t you want to go and see your father?”

  When Kirin was still a child, her father had killed a thief to protect her, and he was now serving time in prison. It normally took all kinds of convoluted procedures to get permission to leave Asterisk, but they were greatly simplified during the holidays. She was probably only able to see the man during such times.

  “I—I went to see him during the fall break, but…he got angry at me. He told me not to worry about him, that I should focus on my training.”

  Despite what she said, she looked relieved.

  “I went home for a little while, too,” she continued, “but there didn’t seem to be any problems. The best students are overseeing the various branch dojos, and Galaxy is supporting us as far as management is concerned. And my great-aunt, the one who recently came back to the main family, has been keeping things in order as well.”

  I guess you’re bound to encounter all sorts of difficulties when you operate at the Toudou School’s scale, Ayato thought.

  Perhaps Kirin, too, had things she wanted to think over, because she had turned down an official ranking match with the excuse that she needed more training. The grace period given to ranked students had passed, so she was now no longer ranked.

  “So basically, I’m fine.”

  “Roger that. So what about you, Saya?”

  “…I need to go home, at least for a visit.” Saya frowned regretfully. “I don’t want to be the only one who doesn’t go… But I’ll be able to get my repaired Luxes adjusted faster if I go there myself. I do want to visit Lieseltania, though…”

  In the Phoenix semifinals, in the fight against Ardy and Rimcy, most of Saya’s Luxes had been damaged so badly they were unusable. She had sent them back to her father as soon as she could, and it sounded like the repairs were finally complete.

  “In that case, why don’t you stop by Sasamiya’s house first?”

  “Wha—?!”

  Ayato cried out as, all of a sudden, a pair of arms wrapped around his body, embracing him from behind.

  Of course, there was only one person who would do such a thing:

  “Every single time! Don’t startle me like that, Claudia…”

  “Forgive me; I couldn’t help myself.”

  Sure enough, the person—Claudia—slowly pulled away, covering her mouth to stifle an amused laugh.

  He might have let his guard down, but she had managed to take him by surprise yet again.

  Claudia may have been a formidable Lux user, but the way she made her presence disappear so completely was beyond normal.

  “You’re always popping up out of nowhere, Claudia,” Julis said, looking slightly perplexed. “Anyway, what do you mean? Stop by Sasamiya’s house?”

  Claudia raised her index finger with a smile. “There are no airports in Lieseltania, so you’ll be going there via Germany or Austria, won’t you? Sasamiya’s house is in Munich, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to detour.”

  “…You know your stuff.”

  “Well, she is the student council president, after all,” noted Saya, as equally surprised as Julis.

  “Indeed,” Claudia answered. “That being the case, it certainly wouldn’t be impossible. What do you think, Saya?”

  “Hmm…” The girl seemed to ponder the question before nodding. “If it’s okay with you all
, I don’t have any objections.”

  “Then it’s decided!” Claudia laughed with a clap, as if to signal the end of the discussion, and glanced toward Julis. “By the way, does this invitation extend to me, by any chance?”

  “How long were you listening…? Oh, fine, it doesn’t matter. Of course. I was going to ask you, too.”

  “Oh, what a relief. I would hate to be left out.”

  Julis stared back at Claudia in surprise.

  “So…you’re planning on coming, too?”

  “Of course.”

  “It’s just, you’ve visited Lieseltania and the palace countless times already…”

  “That’s true, but this time will be different, going with all of you.”

  They all knew Claudia had been an acquaintance of Julis’s since before the pair had come to Asterisk, and judging from Claudia’s friendship with Flora, too, she must have gone to Lieseltania more than just once or twice.

  “It’s a rare opportunity, and there’s something I want to discuss with everyone—about next year.”

  As Claudia spoke, the air grew tense.

  Now that the Phoenix was finished and exams were over, the main subject of conversation in Asterisk had already turned to the next Festa. Specifically, the team competition—known as the Gryps—that would be held next fall.

  Because the most important thing was composing one’s five-member team, hopeful participants were trying to sound out potential team members both from inside and outside their schools as early as possible.

  Since Julis, who had won the Phoenix, had announced she was aiming for a “grand slam,” her participation in the Gryps was all but certain. There was a lot of speculation surrounding what kind of team members she would recruit—her tag partner, Ayato, would of course likely be one—but there was a rumor going around that they both would join student council president Claudia’s team. Moreover, it was well-known that Kirin and Saya were on good terms with her, and they had proven their abilities in the Phoenix, so it was widely expected that Claudia would ask them to join her team, too.

  Indeed, she had already asked Ayato—but it seemed she had yet to ask Julis or the others. When she had invited him, she’d indicated that she was also going to ask Julis. Whether or not Julis accepted, there was no doubt Claudia hoped to include her on her team.