Abnormal Type-Moon

"Um… thank you, senpai, for stepping in the other day with such loyalty."

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two, until Kirin was the first to speak.

She bowed slightly toward Julis, lowering her head to express her gratitude.

"Stop it, you don't have to. I didn't really do much to help."

Julis waved her hand awkwardly and stepped away from Kirin, clearly reluctant to accept the thanks.

"Even so, senpai, you really did step up for me. I can't just pretend I didn't see it. At least accept my thanks!"

"I already said it's unnecessary. I don't think I did anything worth your gratitude!"

The two girls gradually raised their voices.

Kirin's face was full of urgency, while Julis's expression showed a trace of impatience.

Roy yawned beside them.

Glancing outside at the deepening evening glow, he scratched the back of his head and raised his hand.

"Hey, you two, if you keep refusing each other like this, it's going to get dark soon. Do you still want to train or not?"

"Ah..."

"Yeah."

The two finally stopped arguing.

They exchanged a glance, and without a word, fell silent.

The arena quickly slipped back into an awkward stillness.

Can you two even hold a conversation?

Roy looked at them—one with head bowed, the other turning away.

They both seemed to have strong personalities.

Too bad when together, it was like water poured on fire—no reaction at all.

"Your name's Kirin Toudou, right?"

Roy thought of something he wanted to ask, smiling as he stepped forward.

"Yes, that's right."

Kirin quickly turned and bowed again toward Roy.

What a polite and well-mannered girl.

Given how badly these two had been talking earlier, it must be Julis's personality that's too difficult to handle.

"May I ask who you are...?"

"I'm Roy. This probably isn't our first meeting."

"Hello, Roy senpai."

Encouraged by Roy's smile, Kirin's face brightened with a small smile.

"Yes, I clearly remember when Roy senpai intervened during my duel with Julis senpai—it was a very precise throw!"

Kirin praised with admiration.

"That's nothing really."

Roy smiled. Seeing the mood had lightened, he asked what he wanted.

"By the way, the Phoenix Festa is coming up soon. Kirin, have you thought about participating?"

"K-Kirin?"

Kirin suddenly stammered, her watery eyes tinged faint pink.

Julis gave Roy a strange look.

According to Japanese customs, people rarely call others by their given names unless they are very close; usually, just the family name is used.

Although Seidoukan gathers Genestellar from all over the world, it's located in Japan and thus retains some Japanese cultural traits. At least when interacting with Japanese people, one can be shocked by their formalities.

From Kirin's Japanese perspective, Roy's upfront use of her first name was incredibly familiar.

Frankly, that's the kind of approach a host would take when trying to quickly get close to a client.

But the Festa—

Why would he ask like that?

"Um... actually, I don't plan on joining..."

Kirin's small face flushed almost all the way to her neck.

She was even more easily embarrassed than he had imagined.

"Why is that? Don't you have a wish you want to fulfill?"

Though the young girl looked completely overwhelmed, Roy wasn't about to let it go and continued pressing.

"Well, I do have one."

Kirin's expression flickered briefly with hesitation, her eyes dimming slightly.

"So you do have a wish. What kind of wish is it?"

Seeing Kirin's uneasy expression, Roy added:

"Maybe we can help with it."

Julis opened her mouth, wanting to interrupt Roy. After all, asking such a personal question on their second meeting practically put a big sign on his face saying "I have my own agenda." But when Roy mentioned helping, she had no choice but to keep quiet—once that offer was made, as an outsider she couldn't really butt in.

But why drag her into this?

Julis wanted to refuse Roy's suggestion and remove herself from the situation.

Still, she hesitated and didn't immediately speak up to decline.

Well, if it's not a big deal, helping a little wouldn't hurt.

"Thanks for the offer, senpai, but this matter... I want to rescue my father."

Kirin lowered her head, her expression heavy with sorrow as she spoke her wish.

In this world, Genestellar descendants are discriminated against.

No matter which country, Genestellar descendants are politically disadvantaged. If a Genestellar descendant commits a crime, the punishment is usually far harsher than for ordinary people. Even justifiable self-defense can be treated as excessive force if someone is seriously injured.

That's what happened to Kirin's father.

Five years ago, one day Kirin went to the bank with her father when it was robbed by armed thieves. Kirin was unfortunately taken hostage.

Her father, desperate to protect her, attacked the thieves.

But the power of Genestellar descendants is overwhelming. Since Kirin was held hostage, and he worried the robbers might lash out at innocent people, her father acted hastily and struck a bit too hard.

As a result, he accidentally killed one of the robbers.

Anyone else would have called it a righteous act of justice, but Kirin's father was convicted of intentional murder and locked away in a prison specially built to hold Genestellar descendants, sentenced to decades—most likely to die in prison.

At that time, Kirin was already eight years old and strong enough to repel the thieves herself. If only her father had been gentler and Kirin had resisted, no one would have blamed her. But because she was timid and had never faced such a situation, she didn't dare resist, leading to the current tragedy.

She felt responsible for her father's fate, blaming her own cowardice ever since.

That's why she came to Seidoukan—to use the system where the Phoenix Festa champion can borrow the foundation's power to fulfill wishes and save her father. If she becomes champion, with the foundation's backing, rescuing her father would be a piece of cake.

"I see. This really is something that can only be solved by participating in the Festa."

Roy nodded in understanding.

What Kirin needed was legal exoneration for her father, not just breaking him out of prison. So even if he personally broke him out, it would be useless.

Besides, with Roy now being globally wanted, it's best not to stir the foundation's nerves.

"If that's the case, why don't you participate in the Festa? With your strength, you could easily win even if you entered now."

Roy was a bit puzzled here.

After all, Kirin was ranked the strongest in Seidoukan, and he had heard that there were no particularly strong contenders in this year's Phoenix Festa. If she found a good teammate, winning the championship was not impossible.

There are three chances to enter anyway. Using one chance early to save her father should be acceptable, right?

***

Hey readers!

Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.

🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹