[AOTFL] Chapter 6: Fear? Awe?

Psss—

As this sound resounded, the automatic door of the student council office slid open once again as Zexuan stepped out.

Claudia, who had been wearing a calm and composed smile until just a moment ago, now had that smile completely wiped from her face as she stood in place silently, watching Zexuan's figure grow smaller in the distance.

As the door of the student council office closed again, Claudia reached for her waist and pulled out two objects from a holster.

What she pulled out were two strange devices, covered in eerie patterns and shaped disturbingly like a pair of eyes—something about them sent chills down one's spine.

Claudia stared into those bizarre, eye-like devices as if they were staring back at her, her face showing a mix of surprise and doubt.

"...Was that my imagination?"

Claudia muttered to herself at first, then shook her head.

"No, this thing definitely reacted just now."

Right when Zexuan turned his back and walked away, the devices on Claudia's waist suddenly trembled for a brief moment.

As their user and someone who held deeply complicated feelings toward them, Claudia was absolutely certain that, even if it had only lasted a second, she could never have mistaken that sensation.

It was precisely because of that certainty that Claudia was startled.

"What kind of reaction was that just now?"

"Fear?"

"Or maybe... awe?"

Claudia kept her gaze fixed on the devices in her hand, murmuring to herself for a long while before a sneering smile crept onto her face.

"So, you do feel fear and awe too, huh?"

To Claudia, this seemed like something worth laughing at.

"Interesting..."

Needless to say, it was inevitable that Claudia would start feeling a bit interested in Zexuan.

She hadn't paid much attention to him at first since he was just another fellow student who had randomly shown up at the student council office, claiming he wanted to apply for an Orga Lux.

Everyone knew how rare and valuable an Orga Lux was, and except for a few people who rejected them, most students at the academy had some kind of thoughts about them.

Anyone who cared about getting stronger, who wanted to stand out, or even dreamt of achieving something great at the Festa, would never turn down the chance to wield a powerful Orga Lux.

Especially those who were average in ability—how could they not fantasize about getting one?

There were plenty of examples where an otherwise unremarkable student had suddenly risen to prominence thanks to the power of an Orga Lux. Some even went on to become famous at the Festa, turning heads and gaining widespread recognition.

It wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence, but those stories popped up in the news often enough.

Throughout history, many well-known names had been Orga Lux users, and that alone was enough for a lot of students to daydream about borrowing one and soaring to greatness among their otherwise average peers.

To Claudia, Zexuan had been no different from the rest of them.

If it weren't part of her duty as a student council member, she wouldn't have given someone like him a second glance—let alone remembered his name.

If Zexuan had just left quietly after making his request, Claudia would've simply done her job, submitted the application to the academy, and then moved on without another thought.

Naturally, because Zexuan was so unknown and unremarkable within Seidoukan Academy, he would almost certainly be rejected during the screening process—there was no way he would suddenly get approval to use an Orga Lux at this point.

However, Claudia now thought that maybe she could help out this no-name schoolmate of hers.

"Someone who can make Pan-Dora react like that, but has never shown up in my vision... what's so special about him?"

Claudia walked up to the massive glass window and looked down at the view below, a faint, meaningful smile appearing on her face.

"Guess I'll give it a little push and see what happens..."

===

Outside the Academy Buildings, Courtyard.

Having stepped out of the high school building once more, Zexuan arrived in the courtyard and, as if sensing something, looked up toward the top floor of the building.

"She should've noticed by now, right?"

Zexuan muttered under his breath.

As someone well-versed in the original work, he naturally knew that with the abilities and reputation he had displayed so far, even if he submitted an application to use an Orga Lux, it would most likely be rejected.

He knew that the proper way to get approval for an Orga Lux usage application was to first raise one's rank and reputation within the academy, find a way to get the academy's attention, and only then submit the request.

Such an approach had a much better chance of being approved.

If he could stand out among the many students at Seidoukan Academy and rise to the top, the academy would be eager for him to receive an Orga Lux so he could quickly strengthen himself and participate in the Festa, earning a good result for the academy.

Unfortunately, that method took too much effort and time, and Zexuan didn't have the patience to wait.

For this reason, he decided to get Claudia's attention.

'If the student council president lends a hand, then my chances of getting that application approved would probably go way up, right?'

Claudia wasn't just the student council president since her parents were also high-ranking executives in the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, giving her considerable influence within the academy.

At the very least, the academy definitely wouldn't ignore her opinion since the organization behind the founding and funding of Seidoukan Academy was one of the current six companies of the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, Ginga.

Additionally, since the Orga Luxes in Seidoukan Academy were also owned by Ginga, as long as Claudia gave him some backing, his application would naturally be approved.

And given the complicated feelings this student council president had toward the Orga Lux in her possession, if he could show even a hint of influence over it, she just might become intrigued.

If that happened, there would be a real chance she might help him get the usage application approved.

Of course, that was only a possibility.

He was, after all, simply acting based on his knowledge of the original work, knowing just how unconventional the thoughts in that student council president's heart could be, which was why he decided to test things a little.

As for whether it would work out and how things would unfold, he had no certainty at all.

'I just don't know if that Orga Lux of hers will react to me...'

Indeed, this was something Zexuan couldn't confirm either.

'My authority's supposed to be the ultimate control over armaments, right? I mean, for something like an Orga Lux that's got its own will, it shouldn't just stay quiet if I release a bit of my authority's power, right?'

With this hope in mind, Zexuan left the courtyard.

He had done all he could, so the rest was up to fate.

===

In the days that followed, Zexuan blended into the school life of Seidoukan Academy as an ordinary student.

He attended classes on time when he had them, but when he didn't, he would find a spacious, empty spot to swing his sword around, and during his free time, he did some physical training.

He had to admit, his current body truly brought him joy, as not only was his body young, full of energy, and quite strong, but even the laziness that ran deep in his bones had been cured—he often felt the urge to move around.

By the way, he didn't really have any friends at Seidoukan Academy.

Even though he knew that many remarkable characters from the original work were here, he didn't feel the need to go out of his way to befriend anyone. Sometimes, he got the urge to see them in person, but aside from that, he remained pretty indifferent.

Nevertheless, he still kept an eye on some news online and also checked out Seidoukan Academy's official website. He saw lots of familiar names, photos, and even videos of these people in battles.

It was worth mentioning that technology in this world truly fascinated him, especially the mobile phones, which were like laser pointers—tiny, almost unnoticeable.

As long as this futuristic phone was on him, he didn't even need to take it out, thanks to preset gestures that allowed him to operate it with just a wave of his hand, like opening a menu in a game, making a virtual screen project outward, allowing him to browse information or even make video calls.

It was incredibly advanced.

'Hmm, this must be another application of mana brought by the Invertia, right?'

Zexuan often clicked his tongue in amazement because of it.

Just like that, a few days later, Zexuan finally received good news from Claudia.

"Your application has been approved."

Claudia came to Zexuan's classroom, completely ignoring the commotion around them as she hugged a stack of documents and smiled at him.

"Let's finish up the paperwork first, then come with me to the equipment department."