Fantasy Libary 28

Title: What’s Wrong With You?

Asterisk, shaped like a six-pointed star, is home to six academies, each located at one of the star’s points, including Seidoukan Academy.

From the academies, following the main road leads to the city district, which is divided into the outer residential zone and the central zone.

The outer residential zone has a circular light rail system connecting the suburbs with the port and residential areas, as well as the six academies. It’s common to see students using the light rail to travel outside the city.

The central zone relies on an underground metro system and is divided into the commercial and administrative districts.

During the Festa season, waves of tourists flood Asterisk, making the commercial and administrative districts expansive, with duel stages scattered everywhere.

As a duel city, Asterisk is equipped with comprehensive facilities for competitions.

There are three large-scale stages, seven medium-sized stages, and countless small stages. Among them, the largest is the Sirius Dome, located almost at the center of Asterisk. This venue hosts the final stages of every Festa, making it famous as Asterisk’s main landmark and a major tourist attraction.

Thanks to the influx of visitors during Festa and throughout the year, the commercial district has been built into a bustling hub of activity.

Today, due to the holiday, the streets seemed even more crowded than usual. Students in casual attire filled the neatly paved cobblestone streets, identifiable by their badges, as students are required to wear them even on holidays.

This rule exists for one reason: Asterisk is a duel city. Even on holidays, impulsive students can challenge each other for various reasons, and without badges, duels cannot be recognized.

Fortunately, today was relatively peaceful, with only a steady flow of pedestrians filling the streets and no spontaneous duels in sight.

Around noon, Ark’s group of four finally arrived at the commercial district.

“Wow, there are so many shops!” Kirin, now more relaxed, looked around with wide eyes, her surprise and curiosity evident.

“There are so many of them, and so many people.” Added Ayato, equally impressed. His constant scanning of the surroundings made him look like a country boy visiting the city for the first time.

“This area is full of restaurants.” Julis explained, seizing the opportunity to salvage her pride after the earlier embarrassment. “Every shop displays its price list outside, so no one is surprised by the prices after entering.”

Feeling somewhat satisfied, she continued, “The place we’re looking for is in this area, closer to the outer residential zone, a bit farther from the metro station. It’s not too crowded but has high online ratings and is even popular among students from Queenveil Academy.”

Hearing this, Kirin turned her attention to Julis. “Queenveil Academy?”

“That’s right. It’s worth trying.”

Upon hearing the name Queenveil, the two girls reacted strangely, which piqued Ayato’s curiosity. “What’s special about Queenveil?”

Of course, Ayato knew about Queenveil Academy.

As one of the six academies in Asterisk, each specializing in training Festa participants, all six are globally renowned. Even children know their names and reputations.

The six academies—Seidoukan Academy, St. Galahadworth Academy, Jie Long Seventh Institute, Le Wolfe Black Institute, Allekant Academy, and Queenveil Princess Academy—each have their own unique characteristics and focuses, supported by the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, which essentially controls the world.

For example, Seidoukan Academy, represented by a red lotus on its emblem, emphasizes student autonomy and freedom. Its relaxed rules make it a haven for Sorcerers and Witches afraid of being used as research subjects.

On the other hand, Queenveil is symbolized by the Nameless Goddess. Known for its cheerful and radiant atmosphere, Queenveil enforces additional requirements beyond combat skills and academics—beauty.

They do not accept unattractive students.

This emphasis stems from Queenveil’s focus on training idols rather than Festa competition results. Its sponsoring foundation dominates the global entertainment industry, making the academy more like an idol factory than a duel school.

As a result, Queenveil is the smallest of the six academies, often ranking at the bottom in competitions. Nevertheless, its students take pride in their idol-worthy appearances, with many pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. Some even achieve global fame as top-tier idols.

For girls, Queenveil sparks endless fantasies and admiration.

For boys... It’s like a dream world.

Julis and Kirin weren’t particularly enchanted by it, but the idea of a place resembling a garden for women inevitably stirred a bit of imagination.

Of course...

“You wouldn’t understand anyway.” Ark said, patting Ayato’s shoulder without offering any explanation.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Ayato looked utterly confused.

Expecting a dense Japanese light novel protagonist to understand the nuances of the situation was asking too much.

Ark had long understood this, not bothering to enlighten him. He simply sighed and patted Ayato’s shoulder to calm him down, leaving him even more bewildered.

In this situation, the group turned a corner from the main street and entered a small alley, arriving in front of a restaurant.

“This is the place.” Julis double-checked the location and matched it with the picture she found online before opening the door and inviting the group inside.

The interior was brightly lit, with only about twenty seats in total, including tables and counters. However, quite a few customers were already present.

Almost all the patrons were young women, very attractive, and judging by the badges on their chests, they were undoubtedly students from Queenveil Princess Academy.

“W-we’re eating here?” Ayato, surrounded by beautiful girls, felt completely out of place, as if sitting on pins and needles.

On the other hand, Ark seemed very relaxed, unfazed by the atmosphere or the patrons. Instead, he was drawn to the soft background music playing. “Not bad. This is quite nice.”

While Ark enjoyed the music, Julis and Kirin had already started ordering.

“What do you think about this?”
“It looks delicious... but isn’t the price a bit high?”
“It’s fine. The prices here are quite reasonable. Don’t worry, just order whatever you like.”
“Th-thank you... then I’ll order this.”

The two of them busied themselves with the menu, leaving Ark and Ayato sitting across from each other, doing nothing.

“You’re not ordering anything?” Ark glanced at Ayato and asked casually.

“I’m fine with anything. I can eat whatever.” Ayato’s relaxed smile made him seem like someone with no particular preferences, content to go with the flow.

However, soon after, Ayato began staring intently at Ark, making him feel a bit nervous.

‘What’s this guy doing staring at me like that? There are so many beautiful girls here, and instead of appreciating them, you’re staring at me, a grown man?’

Then Ark remembered Ayato’s earlier comment: “I can eat anything.”

You’ve got a problem, don’t you?! !!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ