The Asterisk War, Vol. 3: The Phoenix War Dance Read online

  Copyright

  THE ASTERISK WAR, Vol. 3

  YUU MIYAZAKI

  Translation by Melissa Tanaka

  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 2013 / okiura

  First published in Japan in 2013 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 © 2017 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.

  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. 1. Encounter with a fiery princess — v. 2. Awakening of silver beauty — v. 3. The phoenix war dance | Audience: Ages 13 & up.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016023755 | ISBN 9780316315272 (v. 1 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398589 (v. 2 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398602 (v. 3 : 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: 978-0-316-39860-2 (paperback)

  978-0-316-39861-9 (ebook)

  E3-20170322-JV-PC

  Contents

  Cover

  Insert

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Map

  Chapter 1: Eve of the Opening Battle

  Chapter 2: The Phoenix

  Chapter 3: AR-D and RM-C

  Chapter 4: The Vampire Princess

  Chapter 5: The Sisters From Le Wolfe

  Chapter 6: Power and Its Cost

  Chapter 7: The Gravisheath

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Yen Newsletter

  CHAPTER 1

  EVE OF THE OPENING BATTLE

  “Um, you’re Ayato Amagiri, the Murakumo, aren’t you?”

  A chestnut-haired girl approached Ayato as he was eating lunch in the Hokuto dining hall. She had a broad smile and a lively look.

  “…Huh?”

  “Can I get your autograph?” she asked, thrusting a pen and a card at him.

  “Oh. Sure, I guess so.”

  Her forwardness caught him off guard, but he signed the card. Of course, he had no special stylized signature, so he settled for neatly printing his name. These requests had bewildered him at first, but he was beginning to get used to it.

  “Oh, thank you so much! Good luck with the Phoenix! I’m rooting for you!” The girl walked away with the autograph, waving broadly.

  Ayato chuckled awkwardly and forced himself to smile until she left—then whirled around at a cold feeling behind him.

  Julis and Saya stared sternly across the table at him.

  “Um… Is something wrong?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Julis said. “I was just thinking how hard all that popularity must be on you.”

  “You’re too friendly, Ayato,” Saya added. “I worry sometimes.”

  “Y-you think so…?”

  The weight of their disapproval was bearing down heavily on him. Ayato awkwardly rubbed his head.

  A week had passed since Ayato had won his duel against Kirin to become the top-ranked fighter at Seidoukan Academy. Requests like these were quite common now—not to mention letters and gifts from fans, interviews with the media, all sorts of offers from corporations, and even anonymous threats and harassment. It seemed like anything was permitted.

  Fortunately for him, the school had its own department to handle these things, and he had left everything to them. But when people like the girl from before reached out to him directly, he had no choice but to deal with it.

  “Come on, you two. No need to get so upset at every little thing. An unlisted unknown rose to the top out of nowhere, after all. Of course he’s gonna get some attention,” Eishirou said with a lackadaisical grin and slurped up his soba noodles.

  There was almost no precedent in the history of Seidoukan Academy of an unlisted fighter taking top rank. The rules for official matches made it all but impossible.

  For the monthly standoffs, students were separated into three tiers. The first tier consisted of the highest ranks, otherwise known as Page One; the second of lower-ranked fighters, dubbed the Named Cult; and at the bottom of the heap were the unranked—the “unlisted.”

  Although a ranked combatant was not permitted to refuse a challenge from a lower-ranked one, fighters could only challenge up to one tier above. In other words, to challenge a Page One, being in the Named Cult was a prerequisite. The only way for an unlisted to leap to Page One was by winning in an ordinary duel. Those at the top, however, tended to be the most cautious about engaging in duels. This was only natural, considering how much they had to lose.

  “That’s true,” Kirin said, agreeing with Eishirou. “I was lucky to jump up to Page One by winning a duel myself—and even then I only took eleventh place. Maybe it sounds odd for me to say, but Ayato shooting all the way to first place is much more dramatic.”

  She sat next to Saya, slurping up udon noodles. Kirin had been the reigning champion until just a week ago, but she did not miss her title in the least.

  In Seidoukan’s ranking system, the winner and loser switched standings, making Kirin now unlisted. But she was in the so-called “grace period,” a provision designed to soften the blow of dropping suddenly in the rankings. During the grace period, students were guaranteed the same privileges that their prior rank had afforded them. In addition, in the first official match following their loss, they were allowed to challenge any student below their former rank.

  “As I recall, Princess, there was a similar fuss when you made Page One,” Eishirou teased.

  “Perhaps, but this sort of thing is temporary,” replied Julis in all seriousness. “It didn’t last nearly as long for me.”

  “Well, sure. You gave the royal cold shoulder to absolutely everyone. Of course things cooled off fast.”

  “Unfortunately for them, it just isn’t in me to indulge that kind of behavior. I’m happy people support me, but I have no interest in letting others use me for their own gain. Personally, I think refusing all the attentio
n was the most honest way to handle it. See?” Julis took out her mobile device to open an air-window.

  “A Net auction…? Wh—Hey!” Ayato exclaimed at the rows of all his autographs. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the exorbitant price tags.

  For a moneymaking scheme, it wasn’t particularly sophisticated—but still, it came as a bit of a shock.

  “That’s a pretty popular way for students to make a quick buck. Happens all the time,” Eishirou said from behind Ayato, consoling him with a pat on the shoulder.

  “Yeah, don’t mind them,” Saya added. “You have fans who are cheering you on, for real. Like me.”

  “Th-that’s right!” Kirin chimed in. “You have some supporters in my class. And me, too…”

  Julis grinned boldly. “Hmm. You say that now, but what if you get matched against us in the Phoenix?”

  “Oh yeah! You two got registered, right?” Ayato said.

  Kirin had agreed to Saya’s suggestion that they sign up together as a reserve for the Phoenix, which had come as a surprise to Ayato. Regardless, another team had withdrawn from the competition yesterday, and now they were officially enrolled.

  “…Obviously, we’ll give it all we’ve got,” Saya replied.

  “Yes. My feelings exactly,” Kirin said. “The Phoenix is a different matter altogether.”

  The pair responded with piercing eye contact.

  Julis chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “To be honest, though, I’d rather not have to fight you two,” Ayato remarked.

  Ayato and Julis had been training almost daily for the tag matches with Saya and Kirin. Their record was only about half and half during their regulated scrimmages.

  Saya and Kirin were so well synced with each other that it was hard to believe they had only just recently teamed up. They would make formidable opponents in the tournament.

  “You all seem to be in high spirits. That’s good,” Claudia said with a soft laugh, smiling serenely as ever.

  “We haven’t seen you in days, Claudia,” Julis said. “You must be terribly busy.”

  “Oh, yes. The work for the Festa just keeps piling up.” Claudia opened an enormous air-window above the table. “But the bracket for the Phoenix was just announced, and I thought I would come let you know.”

  All eyes turned to the display. Lines extended from the throng of names to form a towering bracket resembling a giant castle.

  “Whoa… That’s a ton of people,” Ayato said.

  There were 512 contestants, or 256 teams, registered for the Phoenix. Ayato knew the numbers, but the mass of names before his eyes was intimidating.

  “Um, let’s see, we’re… Oh, there we are! Block L!” Kirin said.

  “Hmm, and we are…Block C,” Julis said. “It looks like we won’t have to square off until the main tournament.”

  The two shared a relieved smile.

  The Phoenix was held over roughly two weeks. The first half, popularly known as the preliminary rounds, decided the top thirty-two teams. These rounds formed the massive bracket in front of Ayato and his friends. Later, a lottery would sort those thirty-two pairs into a new bracket. This latter half was considered the main tournament, where the competitors could earn points for their respective schools.

  “Did you really come here just to show us this, Claudia?” Ayato wondered.

  Claudia had just mentioned she was quite busy. While it was true that the announcement of the Festa bracket did not occur at a predetermined date and time, Ayato and his friends would have seen it soon enough. There was no need for her to deliver the information personally.

  “Well, you are among the favorites, after all,” she replied. “I wanted you to have every possible moment to prepare.”

  “Favorites? Oh, we can’t really be…” Ayato flailed in denial.

  Exasperated, Eishirou flicked him in the middle of the forehead. “You doofus. One of these teams has the current top-ranked student, and the other’s got the former number one. How could you be anything but?”

  “I agree. Ayato and Miss Toudou are too modest, I think. You could stand to have a little more confidence. You represent our school, after all.”

  “Uh, okay…”

  “We’ll try, but…”

  Ayato and Kirin slumped and stared at the floor.

  “There aren’t many standouts in this tournament. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of you really did win.” Eishirou spoke nonchalantly enough, but he was not the sort to dole out flattery lightly. “The field doesn’t appear to have any surprises. No big shots out of nowhere or anything.”

  Of course, none of the schools announced their Festa contestants ahead of time. But information had a way of getting around, and much of the roster would end up matching public expectations.

  “And luckily for you, unlike the last Gryps or the Lindvolus, there are no glaringly invincible names,” Claudia said.

  “Invincible?” Ayato cocked his head.

  “She probably means the Silverwinged Knights from Gallardworth for the Gryps, and the Witch of Solitary Venom from Le Wolfe for the Lindvolus.” Julis shrugged disinterestedly.

  “Indeed,” Claudia went on, “those contestants won their respective Festa events by an overwhelming margin, even more than their reputations suggested. For this event, however, things seem to be just the opposite—anything could happen. Well, I suppose the Page One fighters from each school do have better odds…”

  “Apparently the pair that won the last Phoenix graduated,” Eishirou said. “They aren’t in it this year. And I hear that the Jie Long team that came in second has their sights set on the Gryps.”

  The depth and breadth of their knowledge was impressive. As Ayato listened with rapt attention, Claudia clapped her hands together and looked around the table.

  “Regardless, I cannot overstate the strategic importance of this Phoenix tournament for the current season. It’s no exaggeration to say that the success of our school rests on your shoulders. I’m counting on you all.”

  Among the six schools of Asterisk, several excelled in Festa events. St. Gallardworth was superior in the team battle Gryps, the Le Wolfe Black Institute fared well in the one-on-one format of the Lindvolus, and Seidoukan Academy shone in the tag team battles of the Phoenix. These trends were obvious from each school’s track record in its respective event.

  For Seidoukan, doing well in the Phoenix was a prerequisite for placing high overall.

  Jie Long Seventh Institute was strong in a variety of events, lacking a particular forte but maintaining high scores in each competition. The performance of Allekant Académie was highly variable, with their favored tournament changing from season to season, whereas the Queenvale Academy for Young Ladies consistently failed to do well in any tournament.

  “I have a question.” Saya, who had been quietly sipping orange juice through a straw, sharply raised her hand.

  “Yes, Miss Sasamiya?” Naturally, Claudia responded like a teacher to Saya’s very student-like query.

  “Who are the favorites from the other schools?”

  “That is a good question. Although, Miss Sasamiya, am I correct in assuming that you’re only interested in the two ladies from Allekant?”

  Saya’s eyebrow twitched slightly. She seemed eager to settle the score with Camilla, the Allekant student who had visited Seidoukan earlier.

  “Those two are…here. Block H.” Julis quickly spotted their names in the bracket. Their placement meant that neither Ayato’s team nor Saya’s would face them until the main tournament.

  “Regarding those two, there should be an announcement from the tournament Executive Committee,” Claudia said.” There’s nothing I can tell you myself.”

  “Oh?” Eishirou’s eyes lit up at this cryptic remark. “Does that mean they’re another exception?”

  Claudia only giggled in response.

  “‘Another’?” Ayato found Eishirou’s wording curious.

  “The committe
e is always changing the Festa regulations, or making and deleting exceptions to the rules,” Eishirou happily explained. “They say they’re trying new things, you know, but they’re just inconsistent. It’s unheard of for research students to participate in the Festa, so there must be some—”

  “The Executive Committee’s top priority is to make the Festa as entertaining as possible,” Claudia interrupted. “To that end, they will try all sorts of new things, and stop doing anything they consider unprofitable. That’s all there is to it.”

  That brought the subject to a close.

  “Hmph,” Saya grunted, clearly dissatisfied, but did not pursue the matter. That was that, clearly.

  “Um, then, do you have any information on other popular contestants…?” Kirin asked.

  “Oh, I do, Miss Toudou. Please give me a moment.” With a kind smile, Claudia entered something in her mobile device, and a moment later the others received a message. “I just sent you the relevant data. I hope it helps in your preparations.”

  “Wow, this will help,” Ayato said.

  He’d immediately opened the files to find information on dozens of students, complete with photos. Included were their physical traits like height and weight, as well as their records, weapons of choice and, where applicable, Orga Luxes and special abilities. There were even some video recordings of past duels.

  “Oh, this is nothing. This is standard procedure for all the schools. I’m sure the others are poring over your data as we speak.”

  “Yup! They say that reliable and thorough data reflects the intelligence-gathering of each school,” Eishirou chimed in playfully, although he was the only one present who had not received the files.

  “Oh, I remember my uncle saying that Le Wolfe and Queenvale were especially good at this sort of thing,” Kirin said.

  “Well, we just have to be ready,” Julis said as she browsed the data. She suddenly stopped on one entry and sighed. “…Ugh, I should have known. She’ll be trouble.”

  “Trouble?” Ayato walked behind Julis and peeked at the air-window by her hand.

  “This girl uses the Orga Lux Gravisheath,” she explained. “I don’t know what Allekant has up their sleeve, but aside from them, the most dangerous contestant in this tournament is probably her.”