Abnormal Type-Moon

"Are you listening to music?"

At noon the next day, on their way to the cafeteria, Yabuki noticed Roy wearing a single earpiece and asked curiously.

"More or less."

"Oh? Whose songs? Is it that legendary songstress, Sylphiette? Or maybe that rock band, Rosalia?"

"Who are these people?"

"...Are you messing with me?"

Yabuki eyed him suspiciously.

"Rosalia I can understand, but how could anyone not know Sylphiette? Even children—unless they're infants—know her name!"

"Can a singer really be that famous?"

Roy, instead, clicked his tongue in amazement.

Come to think of it, even grand martial tournaments like the Festa could be turned into entertainment programs. This world really had a "bread and circuses" vibe.

Yabuki stared at him for a long moment before confirming that Roy genuinely had no idea who Sylphiette was. He gave him a look as if Roy had just crawled out of some remote mountain cave.

"We're at the cafeteria. Let's go in."

But Roy didn't give him the chance to comment further, stepping inside first and browsing the lunch options at the meal ticket machine.

Just as Roy was pondering what to eat, an unfamiliar black-haired girl approached him with starry-eyed admiration.

"Um… Are you Roy-senpai?"

"That's me. What's up?"

"I'm actually your fan! Could I get your autograph?"

"Sure."

Roy flashed his signature gentle smile, took the pen and paper, and signed his name with a flourish. Back in Fuyuki City, he'd often had to sign documents, so he'd developed neat handwriting—at least when it came to his own name.

"Hmm…"

Yabuki sidled up next to him, watching as the girl happily skipped away with the autograph, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Roy, this is your first time being asked for an autograph, isn't it?"

"Yeah, why?"

Roy replied nonchalantly.

Lately, whenever he walked around, he'd been met with admiring and worshipful gazes. It was as if he'd become an overnight celebrity—which, to be fair, was true. Roy quite enjoyed the feeling of being watched by so many people. Back in Fuyuki, he'd also been stared at constantly, but those had been hostile glares. This was entirely different.

"I guarantee that within ten minutes, your autograph will be up for auction online."

"...Haha, no way."

"That upperclassman from the university department is pretty famous herself. They call her the Autograph Collector."

Yabuki grinned at him, his expression a mix of schadenfreude and pity.

"This is the first trial every celebrity has to go through. Just savor this bittersweet feeling, haha!"

For a split second, Roy's smile cracked.

Heh.

I'll remember her.

"By the way, is Toudou Kouichirou still around?"

The two carried their trays to a corner table and sat down. Roy suddenly remembered something and turned to Yabuki.

"Probably not."

Yabuki stirred his plate of curry rice with a spoon as he considered the question.

"I heard that after yesterday's mock battle, he packed up and fled overnight. He should already be on a boat leaving Asterisk by now. Since you guys announced the bet over the broadcast, staying on the island any longer would just mean enduring more ridicule. He couldn't bear that humiliation."

"Meanwhile, you made quite a splash in yesterday's mock battle. Most students in our school probably know you now. The school forum even gave you the nickname 'Tyrant'!"

"...That's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Of course it's appropriate!"

Seeing his indifferent reaction, Yabuki looked exasperated. He took out his phone and projected a spatial window.

The screen showed an edited video of yesterday's mock battle. Roy took a single step forward and sent Toudou Kirin flying back over a dozen paces, shattered a Meteor Art launched from an Orga Lux with one slash, and nearly broke the defensive barrier with another strike.

"Everyone unanimously agrees your fighting style is 'extremely violent' now."

"To be honest, I was just fighting normally."

Roy offered this defense.

"But that's not how others see it."

Yabuki shrugged and chuckled.

"Just accept it. Nicknames that gain widespread recognition like this usually end up becoming official and registered by the academy."

Among the six academies in Asterisk, those with aliases are typically strong fighters listed in the Named Charts. Some choose their own nicknames, while others are named by the school—for example, Toudou Kirin's "Shippuu Jinrai," Julis's "Gluen Rose," or Tonno Mozuhi's "Kannari." These aliases are recorded in official school records and follow Genestellars throughout their lives.

There are also unofficial nicknames given by the public. These usually aren't adopted by the academy unless they gain enough recognition and the person enters the Named Charts, at which point the nickname becomes official.

Fortunately for Roy, since he wasn't yet listed in the Named Charts, his edgy "Tyrant" moniker remained confined to unofficial circles.

What a relief.

"Not just that—your rankings on Nectar of Poetry and Pantheon of Sixty Thousand are pretty high too!"

"What are you talking about?"

"These, right here."

Yabuki tossed two more spatial windows his way.

They appeared to be two meticulously designed websites with detailed text and video materials.

"In Asterisk, while each academy has its Named Charts to rank students internally, everyone in this battle-centric city naturally wants to know how fighters from different schools compare—like who's stronger between our academy's top fighter and Queenvile Girls' Academy's best, right? But since top fighters from different schools rarely face each other outside the Festa, people started compiling data and creating websites to rank all students in Asterisk. The most famous are Óðrerir and Hexa Pantheon. Don't underestimate them—these sites get tens of millions of daily visits worldwide. They're globally renowned and rake in huge ad revenue every year!"

That impressive?

Roy perked up, set his meal aside, and began examining the two websites closely.

"Between these two websites, 'Óðrerir' has existed since the early days of Seidoukan Academy and boasts a seventy-year history. It has always been personally managed, with the distinctive feature of exclusively ranking Seidoukan students eligible for the Festa tournaments. It's renowned for its fairness, and many gambling establishments reportedly reference its rankings when setting odds."

"The 'Hexa Pantheon' is relatively newer but has its own unique characteristics. This website employs a distinctive system where anyone can participate in evaluations—essentially a fan voting system. It also features a comprehensive ranking that includes all competitors in Seidoukan's history, making it quite fascinating!"

***

Hey readers!

Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.

🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹