At noon, after finishing lunch, the group headed to Canopus Dome to cheer for Julis and Kirin, who were competing in the third round there.
"Ah, this is so exciting! This year's Phoenix Festa is truly a clash of titans—I can hardly wait for the day after tomorrow!"
In the preparation room, several large spatial windows floated in the air, displaying broadcasts from other domes. Yabuki, seemingly infected by the audience's enthusiasm, grew fired up.
"There are indeed many strong competitors this year. I'll at least agree with you on that."
Julis, who had just come off the stage, stared at the spatial windows with a tense expression on her beautiful face, clearly feeling the pressure.
Kirin, no longer as timid as before, also wore a serious look as she observed the formidable pairs displayed on the screens.
Unsurprisingly, Roy and Claudia, Okita Souji and Stella, Alde and Rimcy, as well as Julis and Kirin, had all easily advanced past the third round and entered the main tournament.
Beyond them, there were also the twin duo from Jie Long and the knight pair from Seidoukan Academy—all top-tier fighters from their respective schools, opponents who would at least require Julis and Kirin to give their all.
Both of them had reasons they couldn't afford to lose. Faced with so many strong competitors, especially Roy's team and Okita Souji's team—both of whom were terrifyingly powerful—either of them could have easily won the Phoenix Festa in previous years. Without a doubt, they were formidable foes beyond imagination, and the two girls felt the weight of the moment.
Clap clap!
At that moment, Claudia suddenly clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright, there's no use overthinking things now. Who we face next depends on tomorrow's draw. Whatever worries you have, save them for tomorrow. Today, we've all managed to make it into the main tournament—let's try to enjoy ourselves, okay?"
"No, I feel like all of you made it in pretty easily..."
Yabuki muttered with a complicated expression from the side.
"Especially you two, Roy and Claudia. Your first match ended in five seconds, the second in three, and the third in thirteen. Where's the 'managing to make it' part?"
"That's beside the point. Anyway, who you face next depends entirely on my luck with the draw, so you'd better pray I have good fortune tomorrow!"
Claudia wagged her slender index finger, flashing a carefree smile.
Yabuki blinked.
He had expected Claudia to respond with a smile and pressure him, asking what exactly his problem was.
The student council president was being unusually lenient today!
"Claudia's right. Worrying now won't help. Let's wait until after the draw tomorrow."
Julis stood up, her tense expression finally relaxing.
"Exactly. Even sword training requires balance."
Kirin nodded with a smile, agreeing with Claudia's words.
Roy glanced at Claudia, then at Yabuki.
"...Then let's head back too."
The preliminary rounds and the main tournament of the Festa followed entirely different schedules.
Although both were elimination rounds, the preliminary matchups were determined by the organizing committee. Which teams would face each other and which venues they would compete in were all decided by the committee based on maximizing the event's entertainment value.
However, the main tournament brackets worked differently—they weren't decided by the committee.
After the third-round matches on the seventh day, there would be a one-day break on the eighth day.
During this rest day, each academy would send representatives to participate in a draw ceremony hosted by the committee, where the main tournament brackets would be determined by lottery.
Then on the ninth day, the first round of the main tournament—the fourth round of the entire Festa—would commence.
So tomorrow was a holiday for the Festa, serving as an intermission period—except for Claudia, who had to attend the draw as a representative.
Typically, the representatives for the draw were either student council presidents or at least vice presidents from each academy.
"Then let's celebrate at the Aries Hotel!"
"Are you serious? That's the largest hotel in Asterisk City—private rooms need to be booked at least a month in advance!"
"Hehe, I can use my mother's special line to reserve one right now!"
"Damn you, daughter of an evil conglomerate executive...!"
Julis shot Claudia a look brimming with envy and resentment.
At Claudia's insistence, the group held a small victory banquet at the Aries Grand Hotel.
Roy couldn't help feeling this mid-tournament champagne celebration was like setting up some ominous flag.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone returned to campus and went their separate ways.
"Julis, can I have a word with you?"
In front of the girls' dormitory, Claudia suddenly called out to Julis.
"What is it?"
Julis turned around, giving her a puzzled look.
"I just wanted to ask—do you like Roy?"
"Wha—?! W-What kind of question is that?!"
Caught completely off guard by Claudia's abrupt question, Julis immediately felt heat surge through her body, rushing to every extremity and setting her face aflame with redness.
Her flustered expression looked like she'd suffered a massive shock, on the verge of fleeing in panic.
"Hehe, I was just asking."
Claudia chuckled behind her hand, her eyes brimming with amusement.
"But with that reaction, I think I have my answer~!"
If Julis truly had no feelings about it, she wouldn't have reacted so strongly. This tail-stepping response precisely proved how much the question affected her.
"What exactly are you trying to say?!"
Face burning with embarrassment and anger, Julis' scolding voice rose an octave.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to tell you that Roy has some troubles. If it's convenient for you, I hope you can help him while keeping yourself safe—that's all."
Claudia smiled lightly, speaking as if it were no big deal.
"Kiririn may be stronger, but she's still too young. I wouldn't trust her to look after herself, let alone help others."
"..."
Julis fell silent for a moment before eyeing Claudia suspiciously.
"Claudia, are you feeling alright?"
She'd known Claudia for many years.
Though never particularly close, they still understood each other reasonably well.
Given her personality, if Roy were in any trouble, she'd probably go help him personally. Once everything was settled, she'd come back to find them and casually show off, feigning innocence after seeing their frustrated, angry expressions, then offer a half-hearted apology with an "I didn't mean to" look.
"Perhaps. That's all I wanted to say. You should get some rest too."
Claudia's smile remained unchanged as she waved at Julis before promptly leaving the dormitory building and heading toward her own.
Julis watched Claudia's retreating figure with a deep frown.
After a while, she pulled out her phone from her pocket.
"...Hey, it's me."
***
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