An Unexpected Invitation

Seidoukan Academy, Underground Vault.

The lighting was still dim, with only chunks of green Omni-Response Ore giving off a faint green glow that slightly illuminated the space.

"Bang!"

Amid the sound of shattering, chunks of Omni-Response Ore turned to powder. The Omni-Response Element contained within flowed out, becoming a stream of green light that slowly drifted in one direction under the pull of a crimson radiance, gathering around Azer.

Azer closed his eyes and held the Activation Device of the Black Furnace Magic Sword. The red Omni-Response Crystal on it bloomed with crimson light, drawing over vast amounts of Omni-Response Element.

Under the influence of that Omni-Response Element, Azer's power as a Star Vein Generation rose steadily, and his presence grew stronger and stronger.

"Phew..."

After a while, Azer let out a breath and opened his eyes.

"That's enough, Black Furnace."

At his command, the Black Furnace Magic Sword immediately withdrew its crimson glow. The surrounding Omni-Response Element stopped gathering and dispersed into the air.

Azer raised his free hand, flexed it twice in the air, and then smiled.

"Not bad. Another perfect improvement."

This was the third time Azer had absorbed the power of Omni-Response Ore with the assistance of the Black Furnace Magic Sword.

Though it was only the third time, Azer could already feel an extremely obvious improvement.

Whether it was his physical capabilities or his Star Power, both had grown rapidly after he absorbed the Omni-Response Ore.

The current Azer was far, far stronger than he had been when he first arrived in this world.

"Even without Black Furnace, I could probably defeat Yakutdi Van Ken with ease now, right?"

Azer had gained that confidence.

When he had challenged Yakutdi Van Ken by name, Azer had only undergone one absorption of Omni-Response Ore. Both his physical abilities and Star Power had been inferior to those of the former Page One's Twelve member.

Without counting the Black Furnace Magic Sword's assistance, Azer at the time could at most rely on the combat instincts granted by his authority to fight him to a standstill.

But now, after two more absorptions, Azer's physical abilities and Star Power had increased greatly. Not only were they no longer inferior to Yakutdi Van Ken's, they had even surpassed them in some respects.

With that, Azer's physical abilities, Star Power, combat skills, battle awareness, and every other aspect would no longer lose out to Yakutdi Van Ken. Naturally, there was no reason for him to be weaker than the other man.

Even without using the Black Furnace Magic Sword, if Azer faced Yakutdi Van Ken again now, he could defeat him within ten exchanges!

What that meant went without saying.

"Only now do I have strength that doesn't lose to the Page One's Twelve. I truly possess the power of a high-ranking student!"

The smile on Azer's face grew broader.

"Even without Black Furnace, I can break into the top ten through my own strength. I might even be able to contend for the top five!"

At the very least, Azer felt that if his current self faced Yulis, who had flown into a rage in front of the Girls' Dormitory not long ago, he probably would not lose even without using the Black Furnace Magic Sword.

Unless Yulis had hidden her true strength back then, the fifth-ranked girl would likely suffer a direct defeat against Azer without the Black Furnace Magic Sword.

And if the Black Furnace Magic Sword were added to the equation...

"Maybe I don't even need to wait for the next Official Ranking Battle. I have the strength to challenge that little girl already, don't I?"

Thinking of that shy girl, Azer could not help muttering.

"I wonder how she's doing now..."

The matter of Toudou Kirin saving Yulis in front of the Girls' Dormitory that day had already spread widely across the internet.

Naturally, Azer's appearance had also been mentioned.

The posts had specifically stated that after Toudou Kirin saved Yulis, it was Azer who stepped in and saved her from an attempted sneak attack.

Because of that incident, Toudou Kirin had reportedly not appeared much for quite some time. She could only be seen in the first-year Middle School Department classroom during lessons, but it was said that she had not looked well then. It seemed that even after saving someone, she had not received any favorable treatment for it.

"Her uncle probably scolded her for it, didn't he?"

Because of this, Azer found himself thinking of Toudou Kirin from time to time over the past few days.

Unfortunately, he had not run into her outside recently, so he truly had no idea how she was doing now.

"Beep!"

Just as Azer was getting used to his body while lost in thought, a spatial window suddenly opened before him.

Someone had sent him a message, pulling Azer back to his senses.

"Hm?"

Looking at the message displayed in the spatial window, Azer froze for a moment.

"Yulis-Alexia von Riessfeld?"

That was right. The message had been signed by none other than Yulis.

Its contents were simple as well.

It said that, to express her gratitude for saving her from the sneak attack last time, she intended to treat him and Toudou Kirin to a meal outside over the weekend.

"I never expected Princess to invite people out for a meal."

To be honest, Azer was quite surprised.

If he remembered correctly, Yulis had a lovely appearance, considerable strength, and even an uncommon family background. Yet because her personality was overly straightforward and she often treated others rather bluntly, she was considered difficult to get along with.

Yulis had entered Seidoukan Academy in her third year of the Middle School Department. She had now studied at Seidoukan Academy for around a year, but throughout that year, aside from Claudia occasionally appearing at her side, she had not had a single close friend.

And now, someone like her was taking the initiative to invite people out for a meal...?

"Could it be that we're just being included along the way?"

Thinking of something, Azer smiled.

"Outside, huh?"

Azer was genuinely tempted.

Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, he apparently had never left Seidoukan Academy to take a look outside.

Although Asterisk was a city of duels, beyond the Six Academies, the stages for the Star Martial Festival, and various facilities, it also had ordinary residential districts, living areas, and even Commercial Districts.

"It's a rare opportunity. I'll go take a look."

He could also use this chance to see how Toudou Kirin was doing.

He just did not know whether that girl, controlled by her uncle, would agree to this invitation...

As he thought about that, Azer's hands did not slow. He sent Yulis a reply.

"I'll be there on time."

Weekend, outside Seidoukan Academy's gates.

That day, having already begun adapting to his improved strength, Azer unusually did not get up early to work out. Instead, he changed into casual clothes and headed to the meeting place.

"Classmate Azer! Over here!"

The instant Azer walked out of the school gates, someone called out to him.

Naturally, it was not the ever-serious Yulis, but someone whose presence had not been mentioned beforehand.

With loose, unkempt black hair and an equally lax expression, he wore a shirt and a light jacket on top, along with ordinary jeans below. He was a boy so unremarkable that both his face and clothing looked utterly average.

Yet upon seeing him, Azer wore an expression that said he had expected this all along.

"So it's you, Classmate Amagiri."

The person was none other than Amagiri Ayato.

Yulis stood beside Amagiri Ayato.

Unlike the plainly dressed Amagiri Ayato, this witch who normally looked so dignified wore a one-piece dress in black and pink. Its skirt was somewhat short, exposing her slender thighs wrapped in over-the-knee socks decorated with frilled patterns. She even held a parasol in her hand. Her outfit was distinctly girlish, utterly different from her usual image.

If anyone accustomed to seeing Yulis as she normally was caught sight of her in that outfit, they would surely look as though they had seen a ghost.

Even Amagiri Ayato seemed rather surprised. Standing beside Yulis, he looked somewhat uncomfortable, just like a poor companion feeling inferior beside his partner.

"You're here?" When Yulis saw Azer, she gave him a brief once-over before saying with some satisfaction, "Good. At least you look presentable, unlike someone who dressed far too casually. It's unbearable to look at."

Azer had not dressed extravagantly, but he was still much better put together than Amagiri Ayato, who had simply thrown something on. He wore a white shirt beneath a black jacket, paired with black pants and athletic shoes, giving him an understated yet stylish air.

"I just grabbed whatever was in my closet."

Azer told the truth. Before Yulis could say anything else, he looked at the two of them, the corners of his lips lifting.

"Actually, you two didn't have to invite us. You could've just gone on a date by yourselves."

That single sentence successfully shattered both of their composure.