"Hiss!"
The automatic door of the student council office opened once more, and Aize stepped out from within.
Claudia, who had previously worn a calm and composed smile, now had no trace of it left on her face.
The beautiful girl simply watched Aize's gradually retreating figure. After a moment, she reached for something at her waist and drew out two objects.
They were a pair of devices adorned with strange, eerie patterns—visually resembling a pair of eyes—which gave off an unsettling, hair-raising aura.
Holding these strange, eye-like devices in her hands, Claudia stared at them, as though gazing into their eyes, and her face revealed both astonishment and suspicion.
"...Was it just my imagination?"
She muttered to herself at first, then quickly shook her head in denial.
"No, that kid definitely triggered some kind of strange reaction just now."
When Aize turned his back to leave, the pair of devices at Claudia's waist had suddenly trembled for a brief moment.
As their user—and someone who harbored deeply complex feelings toward them—Claudia was certain: even if the vibration lasted only an instant, there was no way she could have misinterpreted it.
And precisely because of that, Claudia was shocked.
"What was that reaction just now?"
"Fear?"
"Or... was it awe?"
She stared into the devices in her hands, murmuring to herself for a while, before a mocking smile appeared on her lips.
"So... even you are capable of feeling fear or awe?"
To the girl, this seemed like something worth mocking.
"How amusing."
Unavoidably, Claudia began to take an interest in Aize.
Originally, she hadn't paid much attention to this fellow student who had suddenly burst into the student council office, insisting that he wanted to apply for permission to use a Lux-type weapon of the Pure Star Radiance series.
The rarity and value of the Pure Star Radiance series weapons were well-known. Aside from a few individuals who rejected them for personal reasons, most students at the academy had some level of interest in these weapons.
Anyone who cared about improving their own abilities, who wanted to make a name for themselves here, or hoped to stand out in the Festa Stella (Star Weapon Festival), would never pass up the chance to wield a powerful Pure Star Radiance weapon.
Especially those with average or mediocre abilities—who wouldn't fantasize about getting their hands on one?
There had been many such cases—students who had once been entirely unremarkable but rose to prominence in the academy after obtaining the power of a Pure Star Radiance weapon, skyrocketing to success, and even becoming famous during the Festa Stella by demonstrating extraordinary performance. Even if such stories weren't happening all the time, they appeared frequently enough in major news reports.
Historically, many well-known figures were also users of these weapons. This naturally led many students to harbor dreams of one day obtaining a Pure Star Radiance weapon and rising above their ordinary peers, soaring to greatness.
Originally, in Claudia's eyes, Aize was just one more among these dreamers.
If it weren't for her responsibilities as a member of the student council, she wouldn't have paid him any attention at all—let alone taken notice of him.
If Aize had simply left without incident, Claudia would've just processed his application routinely, submitted it to the academy, and then promptly forgotten about the whole matter.
Aize, too, due to his lack of fame at Seidoukan Academy, would have been coldly rejected during the academy's screening process. There was no way someone like him could, at this stage, make a miraculous leap forward and directly obtain the rights to use a Pure Star Radiance weapon.
But now, Claudia felt that perhaps she could lend a hand to this obscure classmate.
"To cause such a reaction from Pandora, yet never appear in my 'dreams'—just what is so special about this person?"
Claudia walked up to the large glass window, gazing down at the scenery below, a subtly meaningful smile appearing on her face.
"Let's give him a little push and see what happens..."
...
Outside the High School Division building, in the courtyard.
Having stepped out of the school building and into the courtyard once more, Eize looked up toward the top floor of the building, as if sensing something.
"She should have taken notice by now, right?"
Eize murmured quietly.
Being familiar with the original work, he naturally knew that with his current level of ability and notoriety, his application to use a Lux Weapon of Astra would most likely be rejected by the academy.
To get such an application approved, the most proper way would be to first raise his rank and reputation within the academy—draw the academy's attention, and then submit the application. That would make it much easier to get it approved.
If he could stand out among the many students of Seidoukan Academy and make it to the top ranks, the academy would be more than eager for him to obtain a Lux Weapon of Astra, so he could quickly enhance his strength and compete in the Festa, winning honor for the school.
Unfortunately, that would take too much effort and time—and Eize couldn't wait that long.
So, he decided to attract Claudia's attention.
"If I can get the student council president to help, then my chances of getting the application approved will rise dramatically, right?"
Claudia wasn't just the student council president—her parents were also executives of one of the Integrated Enterprise Foundations, giving her extremely high status within the academy.
At the very least, the academy would certainly not ignore her opinion.
Because the founder and primary financial backer behind Seidoukan Academy was none other than Galaxy, one of the current six Integrated Enterprise Foundations.
The ownership of the Lux Weapons of Astra at Seidoukan Academy also belonged to Galaxy.
As long as Claudia was willing to lend her support, Eize's application would naturally go through.
And given the complex emotions this student council president harbored toward the Lux Weapon of Astra in her possession, as long as Eize could demonstrate even the slightest influence over that weapon, she might very well take an interest in him.
In that case, the possibility of her helping him pass the application for using a Lux Weapon of Astra would arise.
Of course, it was only a possibility.
Aize was merely acting based on his understanding of the original work. He knew just how rebellious the student council president's thoughts were, which was why he decided to give it a little try.
As for whether it would succeed or whether things would develop as he hoped, Aize wasn't confident at all.
"I just don't know if that Pure Starlight-type weapon in her hands will react to me."
On this point, Aize couldn't be certain.
"After all, my authority is hailed as the ultimate power over weapons. A weapon like the Pure Starlight-type, which possesses its own consciousness, shouldn't remain completely indifferent after I actively release even a bit of my power… right?"
With that hope in mind, Aize left the atrium.
He had done everything he could. The rest was up to fate.
...
Over the following days, Aize blended into the campus life at the Star-Guiding Academy as an ordinary student.
He attended classes punctually when he needed to, and when he didn't, he would find a spacious, quiet place to practice his swordsmanship. In his spare time, he also did some physical training.
He had to admit, his current body truly brought him joy. It was young, full of energy, and considerably powerful. Even the laziness that had been ingrained in his bones seemed to have been cured—he often felt an urge to get moving.
He didn't really make any friends at the academy. Although he knew that many remarkable characters from the original story were here, he had no particular desire to deliberately approach them. Occasionally, he'd feel the urge to see them in person, but beyond that, he remained quite indifferent.
That said, Aize still kept an eye on news online, as well as updates on the Star-Guiding Academy's official website, where he saw many familiar names, photos, and even videos of those people engaging in duels.
It was worth mentioning that the technology in this world fascinated Aize. Personal mobile devices were as small as laser pointers, and as long as they were on your person, you didn't even need to take them out. With pre-set gestures, you could operate them, like opening a panel in a game—just a wave of the hand would project a virtual screen where you could search for information or even video chat. It was incredibly advanced.
"This must also be a technological application made possible by the panacea brought by the Meteorfall, huh?"
Aize often marveled at it in awe.
And just like that, a few days later, Aize finally received good news from Claudia.
"Your application has been approved, Aize."
That day, Claudia came into Aize's classroom, unfazed by the commotion she caused. Holding a stack of documents, she smiled at him.
"Let's finish the paperwork first, then head to the Equipment Bureau together."