Abnormal Type-Moon

Although there had been a misunderstanding, the participating teams were finally confirmed.

Roy and Claudia, Julis and Kirin—these four formed the two strongest teams from Seidoukan Academy, registered for this year's Phoenix Festa.

However, both Julis and Kirin were under immense psychological pressure.

Under normal circumstances, the combination of Seidoukan's first and fifth-ranked students would be enough to contend for the championship in the Phoenix Festa. But this year, Roy and Claudia were also participating. Both were exceptionally strong—Claudia alone was a match for Kirin, not to mention Roy, who was as formidable as a monster.

"Why are you even joining the Phoenix Festa?" Julis glared at Claudia, still visibly displeased.

"I thought you only participated in the Gryps Festa?"

Even though she already had a teammate, Julis remained resentful toward Claudia. The woman had practically snatched away the strongest partner, Roy, right from under her nose. Though it was her own misunderstanding, it was still a matter of personal frustration.

"That was true before," Claudia replied with her usual cheerful smile, as if completely oblivious to Julis's hostility.

"Back then, I had a wish I wanted to fulfill, but winning the Phoenix or Lindwurm Festa seemed impossible, so I planned to find a team for the five-on-five Gryps Festa instead."

"But now, my wish has already been fulfilled."

As she spoke, Claudia's gaze lingered on Roy. In that brief moment, their eyes met, conveying a complex mix of tenderness, hope, and other indescribable emotions.

"Since my wish has come true, it doesn't matter which tournament I join now."

Of course.

She had her own ulterior motives.

Seeing Roy grow closer to the princess and his junior, she couldn't stand being left on the sidelines.

Wouldn't it be better to kick both Julis and Kirin out and pair up with Roy alone, flirting and being all lovey-dovey every day?

After all, she was the one who came first—completely justified, heh!

"I see."

Julis clicked her tongue slightly, her expression torn between exasperation and annoyance.

Kirin sat quietly to the side.

Though she regretted not being able to team up with Roy, as long as she could save her father, she had no complaints.

Even if Roy-senpai would now be her opponent, that was something to worry about during the matches—it had nothing to do with her feelings for him.

"By the way, Claudia, why are you here?" Roy asked, closing his holowindow as he continued eating.

"Ah, right."

Claudia stepped away from behind Roy and took a seat beside him.

"The official list of registered participants has been released, and I wanted you all to take a look."

With that, she projected several holowindows in front of them.

"This year's Phoenix Festa has a total of 512 participants, forming 256 teams. It's a single-elimination format—once you lose, you're out, with no second chances. There are a few notable competitors this year, so I've compiled a list for you."

Immediately afterwards, a neatly organized roster appeared before the three of them.

The names on the list were all formidable teams ranked in the sacred registers of their respective academies, with a few even featuring combatants listed among the Top Twelve of the Page One.

"Overall, apart from a limited number of teams, none of them pose a significant threat to us," Claudia said with a smile as she looked at Roy and the others.

"However, there are some rather special combinations. For instance, Arlequint Academy has sent proxy automatons to compete this time. The capabilities of these automatons remain unknown for now, so we should stay vigilant."

"Do we really need to be that concerned?"

"The ones who sent these proxy automatons are the two leaders of Arlequint's largest factions—the Ferrovius and the Pygmalion. They're no fools. Having dealt with them before, it's best to treat their automatons as serious opponents."

Everyone nodded in agreement. If Claudia said so, there must be good reason. Even Julis, who often clashed with her, had to acknowledge Claudia's competence. In this academy where the student council president was elected, Claudia had held the position for three consecutive years—her abilities were undeniable.

"These are all the officially registered participants. But with a month left until the Phoenix Festa begins, espionage activities among the academies will undoubtedly intensify. Some contestants will likely withdraw due to injuries, which will be our chance as reserve teams."

Claudia paused, then continued in a thoughtful tone. "Speaking of reserve teams, there's one thing that's been on my mind."

"If it's caught your attention, it must be something unusual."

"Exactly." Claudia gave a slight nod, her expression turning slightly more serious. "I've received word that Queenvail Girls' Academy has admitted a special recruit this year. Rumor has it she intends to participate in the Phoenix Festa, but her name doesn't appear on the official team list. She's likely registered as a reserve, just like us."

"Is this special recruit that strong?"

"That's classified. No one from other academies knows. The chairwoman of Queenvail seems to be keeping her hidden as a trump card capable of contending for the Phoenix championship."

Claudia lightly touched the two sword-type Luxes hanging at her waist, her expression growing grave. "But I have information that this recruit is strong—exceptionally strong. Not just ordinarily strong. It's best to treat her as if she were the top-ranked fighter from any academy."

The top-ranked fighter?

Julis and Kirin's expressions immediately tensed.

"Do you have a photo of this special recruit?"

Roy found it strange. Was there really a special recruit at Queenvail this year? He couldn't recall clearly, but he didn't remember any top-ranked fighters participating in this year's Phoenix Festa.

"A photo has leaked from within Queenvail Girls' Academy." Claudia pulled up a new holographic window and projected it.

The image was somewhat blurry, but the girl's general features were discernible.

"Pfft—!"

The moment Roy saw the photo, he spat out his food.

"Roy, if you have a problem with me, just say it outright!" Yabuki, sitting across from him, wiped the rice grains off himself with a dark expression.

"Sorry, I just choked."

Roy's expression was extremely peculiar. His gaze wasn't fixed on Yabuki at all, but rather remained locked on the girl displayed in the spatial window.

The girl in the photo appeared to be high school age, wearing the uniform of Queenvail Girls' Academy.

She had long red hair strikingly similar to Julis', though Julis' hair was slightly lighter in shade while this girl's was a fiery crimson, styled into conspicuous twin tails.

Roy glanced at the girl's name.

And then his entire world turned upside down.

No way.

Are you supposed to exist in this setting?

He'd thought the Type-Moon world with its random dimension-hoppers was already bizarre enough.

Only now did he realize - the truly abnormal ones weren't limited to just the Type-Moon world!

***

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