On the tarmac, after bidding farewell to the reluctant-to-part Nova and the tsundere Arnold who couldn't bring himself to say it aloud, the four members of the Starlight Expeditionary Force officially boarded the magitek airship.
For the first time, leaving her country, Aisha looked down from the airship at the sea of clouds, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks unable to contain her excitement.
But this wasn't the first time Aisha and Miles had ridden an airship.
Miles said, "I actually think riding the Empire's airships was a bit more thrilling."
How could it not be thrilling?
Do you not remember how you got on that Imperial battleship, and how you crashed off it?
Before departure, Vice Principal Raiden really did keep his word—he gave each of the four students going to Synchron Academy on exchange an extra 500 skill credits.
That was equivalent to more than enough to forge a full A-rank Spell Card, with 100 points left over.
Under the academy's strictly managed credit system, the old vice principal still managed to squeeze out 500 credits per person. Indeed, he'd put everything on the line, digging into his deepest reserves.
"My entire fortune, I leave it all to you. I believe you will definitely win~"
Recalling Vice Principal Raiden's trust when he generously handed over the credits, the four of them felt a warm current in their hearts and resolved to repay that trust with the best dueling results.
Of course, none of them knew that the three old fox vice principals of the three great academies had, without a word, set a wager over money—betting on whether Fusion Academy, which was only sending a single third-year student to compete, would once again finish last.
So this time, Vice Principal Raiden spared no expense. It wasn't only for the academy's pride, but also for the sake of his own private funds.
The darkness behind adults is just too filthy. The less you know about such things, the better.
Holding the newly obtained 500 magic points, Miles thought carefully and, unlike last time, didn't immediately forge an A-rank Spell Card.
Since these 500 points were his dueling funds for Synchron Academy, Miles leaned toward investing them in Synchro support cards.
That's right—Aisha Carlos could now print Synchro-related Spell Cards.
The reason was simple: because of Stardust Dragon's existence.
"Hehe, is it really thanks to me? I'm not that great~"
Because of the presence of the Synchro monster Stardust Dragon, Aisha's Magic Directory had unlocked Synchro Summon resource cards, as well as exclusive cards for the "Stardust" archetype.
Instead of spending 400 points to forge a single expensive A-rank card, by spreading the investment across B-rank and C-rank cards, he could forge a fairly considerable number.
Thus, in preparation for the duels at Synchron Academy, Aisha's all-rounder deck—which already contained all three summoning methods—shifted just slightly toward Synchro support.
Only slightly, since the deck only had two Tuner monsters. If it were entirely specialized in Synchro, even Miles himself might find the deck unplayable.
The magitek airship took six hours to travel from Livorden to Axet.
After the initial thrill of boarding, the four gradually quieted down.
Even sitting in silence, the four top-tier beauties gathered together looked like a world-famous painting, drawing the admiring gazes of many other passengers.
And there was also another world-famous painting: the Saint eating.
The commuter flight from Livorden to Axet provided free airline meals, served around the clock without limit.
This was one of the marketing strategies of the relatively expensive magitek airships, meant to compete with magitek trains for customers.
However, today's flight kitchen had really hit a brick wall.
Normally, the ones who could afford to ride magitek airships were nobles, who valued appearance and etiquette. Even with unlimited gourmet meals, they would still order in moderation, maintaining elegance and grace.
Regardless, Lishia was different.
From the moment she boarded, for the entire six hours, Lishia never stopped eating. The flight attendant, her jaw nearly hitting the floor, had taken away tray after tray of empty plates from in front of her.
To maximize efficiency, Lishia's cheeks bulged with food as she chewed rapidly like a hamster.
No one could understand how such a petite girl could eat so much.
Where did all that food go? Another dimension?
According to Irena's calculations, in those six hours of battle, Lishia alone might have already eaten enough to cover the ticket cost for all four of them.
"Eat up, eat more while we're on the plane. Once we land, food won't be free anymore."
To save as much of their limited travel budget as possible, Irena strongly encouraged Lishia's behavior.
Etiquette? Elegance? To hell with that! Saving money was the true way.
When the airship landed, Lishia was practically shoved out by the tearfully relieved crew.
"So this is Axet? Amazing!"
Turning her body around in a full 360° spin like a country girl entering the city, even though Aisha had once visited the royal capital of Livorden, she was still awestruck by Axet's environment.
Completely different from the swords-and-magic Livorden.
In the scientific superpower of Axet, every street and alley radiated with the aura of advanced technology.
From the ever-present magitek workshops to the streets filled with magitek cars, and even the legendary invention that interested Aisha most…
"It's a vending machine, Miles-san!"
"Isn't it just… a vending machine?"
To Miles, though the technology was different, cars and vending machines were nothing he hadn't seen before crossing over.
Yet, for Aisha Carlos, native-born of the Spirit Continent, this was like stepping into a whole new world.
A vending machine powered by mana and magitek crystals—just insert a coin, and it would automatically dispense a drink.
The most amazing part was, the drinks came out chilled.
This excited Aisha like a child.
"Ren-chan, you must be thirsty, right? I'll buy one for you."
"No, I'm not."
"(￣ー￣) No, you are!"
Whatever the excuse, Aisha was determined to try out the advanced technology.
"Strange?" Irena, leading the group, also glanced around.
But it definitely wasn't because, like Aisha, she'd never seen such things.
The young witch Irena, who had traveled the continent from a young age, had been to Axet many times.
She was simply looking through the crowd for the Synchron Academy student responsible for receiving them.
By rights, the academy uniform should have been easy to spot. The trendy red-and-white outfit ought to stand out in a crowd that wasn't all that dense.
"Still not here? But the agreed time has already passed?"
A question mark hovered above Irena's head.
"Automatic Vending Machine Advanced High Tech"
Humming a strange tune of her own invention, Aisha dragged her suitcase over to a vending machine.
"Ah?!"
Abruptly, then, before she could finally try out this long-awaited high-tech marvel, the bizarre sight before her made her yelp.
Someone was stuck between two vending machines.
It was such a narrow gap that no normal person could have squeezed in.
Despite that, this petite, slender girl fit the gap perfectly, as if it had been designed just for her.
"Um, excuse me?"
Once her surprise settled, Aisha realized that the sweet, cute, blue-haired girl before her probably wasn't a bad person.
She might just need a little bit of help.
"Do you need me to pull you out?"
"…."
The girl didn't answer, instead turning her cheek to hide against the machine.
"So you don't need help?"
"Please…"
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum. If Aisha hadn't been listening carefully, she wouldn't have caught the words.
"Please pull me out..."
So she really was stuck.
Grabbing the blue-haired girl by the wrist, Aisha pushed off with both feet and managed to pull the mysterious girl free from her vending machine trap.
"Thank you." Lowering her head shyly until her chin touched her chest, it was clear the girl was even more introverted than Lishia at the beginning, her every word barely louder than a forgotten whisper.
"It was nothing, really. But you—how did you even get stuck in a place like that?"
"Because…" the girl fidgeted. "I like quiet, narrow places."
"(.ヘ°)? Because you like quiet, narrow places, you wedged yourself between vending machines and couldn't get out?"
For the first time abroad, Aisha deeply realized that the world was big and indeed full of strange people.
"...I normally wouldn't have gotten stuck."
Indeed, with the girl's petite, slim frame, Aisha had already noticed when pulling her out that it wasn't her body that was stuck.
"It was the sword that got stuck."
Saying this, as if to prove her point, the girl took the katana from her waist.
Its ornate scabbard was covered with patterns of deep blue flame, exuding a subdued, somber beauty—exactly like the girl's own aura.
"A katana… something like that, you can just carry openly on the street? Truly a free country."
In the Axet Republic, where there was no racial discrimination, no hierarchy between noble houses, and all foreign customs were accepted, it was indeed free in a sense.
After explaining her situation, the blue-haired girl seemed to notice Aisha's suitcase and her Fusion Academy uniform.
"Um, excuse me, are you… a student of Fusion Academy?" she asked timidly.
Smiling, Aisha said, "Yes, I am."
"Thank goodness…"
Relieved, the girl first grabbed the handle of Aisha's suitcase.
Then she suddenly turned and bolted, dragging Aisha's suitcase along with her.
Leaving only Aisha Carlos standing alone in the wind, stunned.
"...Huh?"
Standing dazed for a few seconds, everything happened so fast that Aisha didn't even have time to process what was going on.
Miles yelled, then: "Idiot! She's a thief! Chase her!"
Only when Miles's shout rang in her mind did Aisha fully realize—she had been tricked by a despicable foreigner.
"That girl… she's a thief?!"
Biting the hand that fed her—after Aisha saved her, she ran off with her suitcase.
"Ren-chan! Lishia! Irena-senpai! Stop the thief!"
"A thief?!" ×3
The other three, seeing the blue-haired girl running off with Aisha's suitcase, instantly understood.
"Stop right there, you sneaky little cat burglar!"
One minute, they had been celebrating their arrival in Axet, the next, they were seeing its harsh reality.
Four girls chasing one—such was the scene playing out on the streets of Axet.
Though petite, the blue-haired girl dragging the suitcase ran astonishingly fast, her strides carrying a samurai's precision.
"Strange… that uniform?" Mid-chase, Irena noticed something off. "Isn't that the Synchron Academy uniform she's wearing?"
"Senpai, if you've got time for idle talk, better use your invincible magic to think of a plan!" Lishia said quickly.
"That's not possible, Lishia. Article 3, Clause 6 of Axet's Civil Law: Those without proper licenses are prohibited from using magic in public spaces, and it's forbidden to summon monsters outside of duels. Violators are detained under the charge of disturbing public order."
As for why Irena knew this… when she first arrived in Axet as a young Gray Witch, she had been forcibly detained for half a day for casting spells in the street.
"So much for being a free country."
"Freedom is still built on the foundation of law. Anyway—keep chasing!"
Though the girl's strides were quick, she didn't seem to be trying to truly escape from them.
Meanwhile, near the car that Synchron Academy had sent for pickup, a tall girl with waist-length golden hair and a white coat draped open over her academy uniform looked off into the distance at the familiar figure.
"Oh-ho-ho, moving fast, huh? Doesn't that mean the reception job is already done? You're really working hard, Aoyao~"
But as the familiar figure drew nearer, the girl realized something was wrong.
Was all that running really necessary just to receive Fusion Academy's students?
"Wait a second, Aoyao! What on earth are you doing?!"
Seeing the Fusion Academy group chasing after her as well, the golden-haired girl realized things had gone terribly wrong.
"Justice—Execution!!"
Unable to close the distance while dragging a suitcase, Ren changed tactics, handed her own suitcase to Aisha, and unleashed her superhuman athletic ability.
A running start, acceleration, a leap of astonishing height—Ren tackled the blue-haired girl carrying off Aisha's suitcase.
"You little thief, let's see where you run now!"
Pinned in Ren's arms, the girl—called Aoyao—squirmed and winced in pain.
"Damn it, don't bully my Aoyao!"
The golden-haired girl rushed over at once.
"Everyone, stop!"
At this point, Irena had already figured out the situation and called an end to the chaos before things spiraled further.
…
"The ones responsible for receiving us from Synchron Academy?" The Fusion Academy group looked at each other.
To welcome guests by stealing their luggage and running through the streets? That was certainly unheard of.
"Is this how Synchron Academy treats its guests?" Ren said irritably.
"You don't understand at all. You don't know how withdrawn Aoyao used to be."
Rubbing the head of the girl hiding timidly behind her coat, the golden-haired girl explained for her.
"But, I messed up, Lost… sorry."
"Not completely messed up, Aoyao. Look, everyone still arrived safely, didn't they~"
Her golden hair styled wildly, a white coat nearly dragging the ground, and the bold letters "Red Dragon Archfiend" emblazoned across its back—this girl named Lost looked every bit the delinquent.
Yet this apparent delinquent doted endlessly on the timid girl behind her.
"Aoyao, who once found it nearly impossible to speak with strangers, pushed herself to take on a challenge that seemed impossible, all to catch up to her brother. Just that determination alone is praiseworthy. Don't rush—take it step by step."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you two's complicated backstory," Aisha interjected. "So… can I have my suitcase back now?"
Turning her gaze, Lost's eyes on Aisha lost all the warmth she had shown Aoyao, instead turning downright intimidating.
"White short hair, green eyes, silly-looking… You must be Aisha Carlos."
"Eh? I'm already so famous that even other academies know me? But why 'silly-looking'!?"
"Of course you're famous. After all, you defeated Villy Barrett."
"Villy Barrett?"
Oh, right, that unlucky bastard—the one at the royal banquet who openly harassed and threatened Aisha's sister Alice Carlos, trying to force her into marriage with the Barrett marquis family.
That poor fool had then been utterly destroyed in front of everyone when Miles unleashed thirty consecutive strikes with Berserker Soul, beating him down without mercy.
Later, he'd even been dragged into a Shadow Game, lost the Spirit Eyes, and ceased to even be a Duelist.
And back then, his arrogance had all stemmed from his status as a student studying abroad at Synchron Academy, proudly declaring that their top-ranked Synchro would outshine Fusion Academy, who always placed last in the Inter-Academy Ranking War.
"Y-yeah, I defeated him. S-so what? You're not trying to avenge that scum, are you?" Aisha said, voice lacking confidence—it had been Miles dueling, not her.
"Revenge? Hahaha, don't make me laugh!" Lost roared. "I'd been itching to beat up that arrogant brat myself, but I didn't expect you to get to him first."
"Oh, so not revenge. That's good."
"Still, having my prey snatched away leaves a bad taste. And the fact that Synchron Academy lost to Fusion Academy? That, I cannot abide." Lost's smile faded. "Aisha Carlos, do you know what Synchron Academy's welcome gift is?"
"「(°ヘ°) A banquet?"
"A duel!"
Without warning, Lost's Spirit Eyes lit up, the crimson glow locking onto Aisha.
"To beat Villy Barrett so badly he dropped out of school and even quit being a Duelist—just how strong are you really? I've long wanted to test myself against you, Aisha Carlos!"
So, right upon arriving in Axet, they were already launching a duel in the middle of the street. Such was the 'freedom' of this free country.
...
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