Students' daily routines were much the same in every world.
Even Hagun Academy, a martial arts school that trained Mage-Knights, gave its students weekends off to rest.
Kashu had spent several days picking the roster of main players. With a rare weekend free, he planned to visit the mall.
Well—fine, he admitted it.
Compared to having fun, Kashu preferred losing himself in a sea of books.
But Fou had long since run out of patience. Early that morning, Fou had jumped onto his face and bounced around, making it clear that if he didn't go out, Fou would make his life miserable.
With no other choice, Kashu greeted Ikki Kurogane, changed back into his Chaldea uniform, and prepared to head out.
However, Ikki Kurogane was blocking the doorway in a textbook dogeza, loudly pleading.
"Please take me with you!"
Kashu was caught off guard by this sudden move. Then he sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Though I already have a feeling this is going to be a hassle, I'll hear you out since you're kneeling and bowing. What's going on?"
Ikki Kurogane looked up, wearing a helpless, awkwardly aggrieved expression, and explained.
"I absolutely can't stay in the dorm by myself. Otherwise, Shizuku will definitely barge in, and then..."
Ikki Kurogane didn't finish, but Kashu understood. He let out a chilly laugh.
"I knew it. We should call the police and deal with you, you scumbag!"
Ikki Kurogane hurriedly protested, "I'm being forced into it!"
Kashu folded his arms and looked down at him, still wearing that cold smile.
"That's not necessarily true. You can't judge a book by its cover."
Eventually, you had to pay for the things you'd done!
Kashu threw Ikki Kurogane's old teasing words right back at him, exactly as they were.
But unlike Kashu, who had a clear conscience, Ikki Kurogane was obviously both fond of and afraid of his little sister.
Afterward, Ikki Kurogane resolved to shamelessly stick with Kashu and planned to leave campus with him.
But once the two had gotten ready and opened the door,
they found an unusual group waiting outside: Stella, Shizuku Kurogane, and a delicate, handsome young man.
Stella was brimming with excitement. "I heard you were going out! Count me in!"
Shizuku Kurogane looked on the verge of tears. "Big brother, are you planning to abandon me?"
The pretty young man smiled sweetly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please, both of you, call me Alice."
Kashu: o(≧▽≦)ツ┏━┓
Ikki Kurogane: (╥﹏╥)
And so, the five of them, each with a distinct style, arrived at the department store near Hagun Academy.
Stella, who had never been to a mall before, was eager to shop and curious about every store. She always had to go in and take a look.
But when she wandered into a men's clothing store and saw the underwear on a mannequin, she'd blush and run out with her face covered. Honestly, it was hard to understand Her Highness the Princess.
Kashu did his best to ignore the inseparable Kurogane siblings, clinging to each other at the back of the group.
He discreetly observed "Alice" on his left, recalling the enrollment report he'd read a few days earlier.
Name: Nagi Arisuin Class: Hagun Academy, First Year, Class 4 Age: 18 Blazer Rank: D Attack: E Defense: D Magic Power: D Magic Control: C Physical Ability: C Luck: D Device: Dark Hermit
How to put it? The test results were rather mediocre.
He was neither as striking as Kashu and Stella, nor the subject of his classmates' mockery like Ikki Kurogane.
If Kashu hadn't possessed the Transparent World, which let him see everything around him clearly, even he might have been fooled by Nagi Arisuin's harmless appearance.
Nagi Arisuin seemed to sense something in Kashu's gaze. He gracefully raised an arm to cover his mouth and chuckled.
"What's wrong, Animusphere? Can even an A-Rank Knight not resist my charm?"
Kashu shook his head calmly and replied with a faint, knowing smile.
"You're quite the joker, Arisuin. When it comes to how powerful an A-Rank Knight is, aren't you more familiar with that than I am?"
Nagi Arisuin still wore a gentle smile, but his pace gradually slowed. He lowered his head and began discussing something private with Shizuku Kurogane.
For girls, shopping was the perfect way to while away the time. For boys, it was no less grueling than an intensive training march!
So while Stella and Shizuku Kurogane were still enthusiastically dashing from place to place, the three boys used the excuse of going to the restroom to sneak off for a break.
Bang—!
A masked man in full tactical gear suddenly kicked the restroom door open from the outside, then fired wildly at every stall. After making sure he hadn't missed anyone, he turned and left.
Then a pitch-black rift spread across the wall, widening into an oval. It was clearly a highly covert Blazer skill.
Kashu and the other two stepped out of the rift. From outside, they could faintly hear people crying, cursing, and gunshots.
Ikki Kurogane lowered his voice. "Who are those people? Are they really robbing a department store?"
Nagi Arisuin folded his arms and sighed. "At the very least, they don't look like good people."
Kashu pursed his lips and remarked, "If they were only robbing the place, it'd be a lot simpler."
"This is so close to Hagun Academy. What kind of desperado would come here looking for death?"
Ikki Kurogane's pupils shrank. He gasped quietly, "The Rebel Army?!"
When Kashu mentioned an organization daring enough to provoke Alliance Academy, Ikki Kurogane naturally thought of those lunatics who didn't care if they lived or died.
The Rebel Army was a group of outlaws who had long operated in the shadows of the world.
They believed Blazers were humans chosen by God and regarded ordinary people without talent as an inferior race.
They were determined to spread this belief across the world, hoping to build a new world ruled by Blazers and populated by inferior races.
Thinking of this, Ikki Kurogane pulled a mobile terminal from his pocket and was about to call the police.
Kashu and Nagi Arisuin both stopped him at once.
"Calm down. It's the weekend, and the mall is at its busiest."
"Animusphere is right. Acting rashly will only make the situation worse."
Ikki Kurogane calmed down and asked, "Then what do we do? Just sit here and wait?"
Kashu shook his head, then crept quietly to the restroom door to check what was happening outside.
The armed terrorists were sweeping through the floors, roughly shoving the panicked shoppers together and herding them into the first-floor lobby.
Kashu even spotted Stella and Shizuku Kurogane among the hostages.
He turned around and spread his hands to Ikki Kurogane and Nagi Arisuin.
"The good news is that Her Highness the Princess and Shizuku are both staying calm. No one's alerted the terrorists yet."
"The bad news is that these Rebel Army members seem completely unafraid of Hagun Academy sending help."
Ikki Kurogane also looked toward the lobby and frowned as he reasoned, "They're so confident because they've taken a lot of hostages, right?"
Hearing such a naïve suggestion, Nagi Arisuin and Kashu couldn't help shaking their heads and chuckling.
"Let's think about that later. Ikki, contact the academy and explain the situation."
"Arisuin, could I trouble you to come with me and scout behind enemy lines?"
Kashu watched Nagi Arisuin with a beaming smile. Nagi Arisuin summoned a Device shaped like a military saber and slashed open a rift at his side.
"Of course. I'd be delighted to help."
Before you continue