Drawing Attention

Tsch!

The automatic doors of the Student Council Office opened once more, and Azer walked out.

Claudia, who had worn a composed smile all along, had lost that smile now.

The beautiful girl watched Azer's receding back. After a while, she took two objects from the holster at her waist.

They were a pair of Activation Devices covered in strange patterns, resembling a pair of eyes and giving off an unsettling feeling.

Holding the eerie eye-like Activation Devices, Claudia stared at them as though meeting their gaze. Her face held both surprise and uncertainty.

"...Was that an illusion?"

Claudia first murmured to herself, then shook her head in denial.

"No, that child definitely had some kind of strange reaction just now."

The moment Azer turned his back, the pair of Activation Devices at Claudia's waist had suddenly trembled for an instant.

As their user—and someone who harbored extremely complicated feelings toward them—Claudia was certain that even if the tremor had lasted only an instant, she could not possibly have sensed it wrongly.

And it was precisely because of that that Claudia was astonished.

"What was that reaction just now?"

"Fear?"

"Or perhaps... awe?"

Claudia stared at the Activation Devices in her hands and muttered to herself for quite some time before revealing a mocking smile.

"So, there are things that can make you feel fear or awe after all?"

To the girl, that seemed to be something well worth laughing at.

"How interesting."

Inevitably, Claudia had developed some interest in Azer.

Originally, she had not thought much of this fellow student who had suddenly barged into the Student Council Office and kept insisting on applying to borrow a Pure Star Radiant Armament.

Everyone knew the rarity and value of Pure Star Radiant Armaments. Aside from some people who rejected them, most students at the academy had their eyes on them.

Anyone interested in improving their own strength, making a name for themselves here, or achieving something at the Star Martial Festival would basically never refuse a powerful Pure Star Radiant Armament.

Especially those whose abilities had been ordinary to begin with—who would not dream of obtaining a Pure Star Radiant Armament?

There had been cases where unremarkable people obtained the power of a Pure Star Radiant Armament, rose to prominence within the academy, soared to success, and even made a name for themselves at the Star Martial Festival. Such stories might not have been everywhere, but they appeared in major news reports from time to time.

Throughout history, many famous figures had also been users of Pure Star Radiant Armaments. As a result, many people coveted them, fantasizing about borrowing one, standing out from the masses of mediocre students, and soaring to greatness.

Originally, Claudia had thought Azer was simply one of those people.

If not for her duties as part of the Student Council, Claudia would not have paid attention to someone like him at all.

If Azer had left without incident, Claudia would merely have handled the matter officially, submitted his application to the academy, and promptly put it out of her mind.

And because Azer was still completely unknown at Seidoukan Academy, his application would have been ruthlessly rejected during the academy's review. There was no way he could have risen to the top in one step and obtained the right to use a Pure Star Radiant Armament at this stage.

But now, Claudia felt that perhaps she could help this unknown fellow student.

"To make Pandora react like that, yet never appear in my 'dreams'... what is so special about him?"

Claudia walked to the enormous glass window and looked down at the scenery below, a meaningful smile appearing on her face.

"Let's give him a little push..."

Outside the High School Building, in the central courtyard.

Having stepped out of the building and entered the courtyard again, Azer seemed to sense something. He raised his head and looked toward the top floor of the school building.

"I should have caught her attention by now, right?"

Azer murmured softly.

Knowing the original story well, he naturally understood that with the ability and reputation he had currently displayed, even if he submitted an application to use a Pure Star Radiant Armament, it would most likely be rejected.

The most proper approach to getting approval for the use of a Pure Star Radiant Armament would be to first raise his ranking and reputation within the academy, find a way to draw its attention, and only then submit the application. That would make it far easier to pass.

If he could stand out among Seidoukan Academy's students and rank among the best, the academy would only be eager for Azer to obtain a Pure Star Radiant Armament, improve his strength as quickly as possible, enter the Star Martial Festival, and win good results for the academy.

Unfortunately, that would take too much effort and time, and Azer could not afford to wait.

So, he had decided to draw Claudia's attention.

"If the Student Council President helps me, the chances of my application being approved should increase greatly, right?"

Claudia was not only the Student Council President; both her parents were executives of the Integrated Enterprise Foundation. Her standing within the academy was extremely high.

At the very least, the academy certainly would not ignore her opinion.

That was because Seidoukan Academy had been built and funded by one of the current Six Integrated Enterprise Foundations—Galaxy.

The Pure Star Radiant Armaments at Seidoukan Academy were also owned by Galaxy.

As long as Claudia offered him a little assistance, Azer's application would naturally pass.

And given the complicated feelings this Student Council President held toward the Pure Star Radiant Armament in her possession, if he showed even a little influence over it, she would very likely become interested.

That would create the possibility of her helping him get his application for the use of a Pure Star Radiant Armament approved.

Of course, it was only a possibility.

Azer had merely decided to give it a try because, based on his knowledge of the original story, he knew just how unconventional the Student Council President's thoughts were.

As for whether it would succeed or whether events would unfold that way, Azer could not be certain at all.

"I just wonder whether the Pure Star Radiant Armament in her hands will react to me."

Even Azer could not be sure of that.

"My authority is known as the Ultimate Authority against armaments. A weapon with self-awareness like a Pure Star Radiant Armament shouldn't be able to remain indifferent after I actively stir up a little of my power, right?"

Azer could only leave the courtyard with that expectation in mind.

He had already done everything he could. The rest was up to fate.

Over the following days, Azer blended into life at Seidoukan Academy as an ordinary student.

Whenever he had classes, he attended them on time. Whenever he did not, he found a spacious, empty place to swing his sword, and in his spare time, he also did some physical training.

It had to be said that his current body truly delighted Azer. It was young, energetic, and remarkably strong. It had even cured the laziness ingrained in his bones, leaving him often seized by the urge to move his body.

He did not have any friends at Seidoukan Academy. Although he knew that many outstanding characters from the original story were here, he had no intention of deliberately befriending them. At most, he occasionally wanted to see the real people for himself. Other than that, he remained quite calm about it.

Still, Azer kept an eye on news online and followed Seidoukan Academy's official website as well. There, he saw many familiar names, photographs, and videos of those people fighting duels.

It was worth mentioning that the technology of this world also fascinated Azer. The personally issued phones were as small as laser pointers. As long as one carried them, there was no need to take them out; they could be operated through preset gestures. Like opening a menu in a game, a wave of the hand could open a projected virtual window, allowing users to search for information, make calls, and even video chat. It was incredibly advanced.

"This must also be application technology produced by the Omni-Response Element brought by Starfall Rain, right?"

Azer often clicked his tongue in amazement because of it.

And so, several days later, Azer finally received good news from Claudia.

"Your application has been approved, Azer."

That day, Claudia came to Azer's classroom. Ignoring the commotion she caused around them, she held a stack of documents and smiled at him.

"Finish the paperwork first, then come with me to the Equipment Bureau."

A new book is out! Back to my usual style!

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