Stellar Reincarnation: The Irregular of Asterisk Ch.5: In the run-down abandoned building at rock bottom, the red hair scolds.

The smell of antiseptic. The creak of an old bed. Even by morning, the clinic in the Outer District was dim. Kamishiro Yuuma stared up at the white ceiling. His body felt heavy. Every breath sent a stab of pain through his cracked ribs. But deeper than that, something in his chest sat like lead. In the next bed, Julis slept. Her fiery crimson hair spilled across the white pillow. Thick bandages wrapped her back. Blood seeped through the white cloth. "...Julis." His voice came out hoarse. Last night, the management's private soldiers—the Celestial Guard—had raided an apartment in the Outer District. Julis had rushed in and shielded him from a soldier's light blade. Her back had been torn open deep, and the bleeding wouldn't stop. He'd let the power of the bracelet run wild and taken down the soldiers. But that was all. He hadn't protected Julis. He hadn't been able to do a damn thing. The door opened. "Yo. You're awake." Yabuki Eishirou walked in carrying two paper cups. Light brown hair. A scar on his left cheek. The usual easy grin was gone. "...Yabuki." "Can you drink some water?" Yabuki held out a cup to Yuuma. Yuuma pushed himself up. A sharp pain shot through his side. He gritted his teeth and took the water. "Thanks." He took a sip. His throat finally moved. "How's Julis?" Yabuki paused for just a moment. "The wound on her back is deep. Stellar Pulse therapy will heal it, but she won't regain consciousness for a while. The doctor says she won't be fit for the front lines for at least two weeks." Two weeks. Yuuma's chest tightened. It's my fault. Because I'm weak. If I'd used the bracelet sooner back then— Julis wouldn't have been hurt. "...It's my fault." Yuuma clenched his fist. His nails dug into his palm. "It's not just your fault. In that situation, if Julis hadn't shown up, you'd be dead. That's a fact." Yabuki's voice was heavy. "But listen, Yuuma. Management is serious. This incident made it clear. You've been marked under the Irregular Retrieval Order. The academy's been notified too." The Irregular Retrieval Order. Exile from Rikka—or at worst, detention. "...The academy too?" "Yeah. An official request reached Seidoukan's student council. A request for the handover of Kamishiro Yuuma. Claudia's planning to refuse, but she can't hold out forever." Yuuma gripped the paper cup. The paper crumpled with a crackle. "...I'll give you intel." Yabuki pulled a data terminal from his coat. "This one's free. The exact location of the research facility in the Glitch Zone, and a list of the materials left there. It might give you a lead on your bracelet. But it's still too soon for you as you are now. First, heal up." Yabuki set the terminal beside the bed. "And about Julis. You're blaming yourself, aren't you. But listen—she chose to shield you of her own will. That's not something for you to carry." "...But—" "Don't 'but' me. If you keep making a face like that, Julis's sacrifice means nothing." Yabuki said only that, then turned toward the door. "I'm heading back to the academy. I'll take lecture notes for you. And I'll let Claudia know. That you're safe." "Yabuki." Yabuki looked back. "Thank you." Yabuki let out a soft laugh. "I told you—save your thanks for when you're alive." Yabuki left the clinic. Yuuma slowly got out of bed. His legs trembled. But he had to stand. He placed a chair beside Julis's bed and sat down. Her face was pale. The fierce, strong-willed expression she always wore was nowhere to be found. "...I'm sorry, Julis." His voice shook. "If I were stronger. This wouldn't have happened. Because of me, you ended up like this..." Tears spilled over. They wouldn't stop. He was pathetic. He hadn't protected anything. Julis had protected him, and he—he hadn't been able to do a thing. Yuuma took her hand. It was cold. But faintly, faintly, a pulse beat. She's alive. Yuuma spoke to the black bracelet on his right wrist—the Irregular. What are you? Why me? Why Julis? The bracelet said nothing. But in his head, that voice echoed. —The laws of the Stellar Pulse. Twenty days remain until collapse. Yuuma's body went rigid. Twenty days. It's shrinking again. Time won't stop for me. Just then, his data terminal vibrated. The screen displayed an urgent message from Claudia Enfield. "Yuuma. An official request from the management committee has reached the academy. A request for the handover of the Irregular bearer, Kamishiro Yuuma. This afternoon, the student council intends to respond with a refusal. But we can't hold out forever. Think of something." Yuuma finished reading and gripped the terminal. Management is reaching into the academy now. My existence is dragging the whole academy into this. I hurt Julis, caused trouble for Yabuki, and now even Claudia. Should I not be here? But. Yuuma gripped Julis's hand once more, tightly. As if to confirm the warmth of her hand. "I'll take it all back." Yuuma spoke quietly, but clearly. "Your wounds, my memories, the truth of this bracelet. I'll take it all back. So wait for me, Julis." Morning light streamed through the clinic window. The pale blue glow of the lake surface was fading. In its place, golden light filled the room. Yuuma wiped his tears. This is no time to cry. There's work to be done. First, heal my body. And then, get stronger. So that when Julis opens her eyes, I can greet her with a smile. Still holding Julis's hand, Yuuma gazed at the morning sun. Twenty days remain. Time won't stop for me. But I will never give up. There's so much I don't understand, but I have no choice but to do it. Kamishiro Yuuma quietly made that resolve. --- Afternoon. Seidoukan Academy, First Building. Yuuma was walking toward the classroom for Class 3, First Year of the high school division. The pain in his side lingered. But he couldn't afford to rest. Claudia's message wouldn't leave his head. Management is pressuring the academy. As long as I'm here, the academy will be in conflict with management. He opened the classroom door. The instant he did, the air changed. His classmates' eyes all snapped to him at once. And just as quickly, they looked away. "...Morning." No one answered. Yuuma sat down at his desk. The students at the surrounding desks casually drifted away. Whispers, deliberately loud enough to hear. "That guy, he got on management's bad side." "Apparently he's under the Irregular Retrieval Order." "This is bad. Better not get involved." Something cold crawled down Yuuma's back. When he'd first transferred in, he'd been watched with curiosity. But now it was different. Fear and rejection. I'm a dangerous person. Lunch break. Yuuma skipped the cafeteria—the Prometheus Hall—and ate a store-bought bread alone in the corner of the classroom. The smell of Stellar Pulse yakisoba drifted in from far away. It was only recently that he'd eaten lunch with Julis in that cafeteria. Now he was alone. The bread had no taste. Outside the classroom, from across the hallway, he sensed someone watching him. When Yuuma looked up, a flash of fiery red hair disappeared behind a pillar. Julis? No—she should still be at the clinic. Must have imagined it. Yuuma took a bite of bread and looked down. --- Dusk. Yuuma was in an abandoned building in the Outer District. A ruin standing on reclaimed land along the lakeshore. Glass shattered, walls crumbled, steel frames exposed. Near the Glitch Zone—a Stellar Pulse anomaly area—it was a place where management's eyes couldn't easily reach. Yuuma sat down in a windowless room on the third floor. He stared at the bracelet on his right wrist. On its black surface, patterns that absorbed the light of the Stellar Pulse pulsed faintly in pale blue. "What are you?" Yuuma asked the bracelet. "How do I protect Julis? How do I get stronger?" The bracelet said nothing. But in his head, that voice repeated. —The laws of the Stellar Pulse. Twenty days remain until collapse. "Is that all you've got?" Yuuma's voice grew rough. "I don't understand anything. Not who I am, not what this bracelet is. And yet Julis got hurt, the academy kids avoid me, management is trying to erase me. It's all my fault. Because I'm here." Yuuma stood up. And punched the wall. A dull thud. The skin of his knuckles split. Blood seeped out. It hurt. But more than that, something deep in his chest felt like it was tearing apart. "I couldn't protect anything. I couldn't protect Julis. Because I'm weak. Because I'm powerless." Yuuma punched the wall again. Harder this time. He heard his bones creak. "Damn it... damn it...!" Tears overflowed. They wouldn't stop. Yuuma collapsed on the spot, fist still against the wall. He dropped to his knees, hung his head, and his shoulders shook. Tears fell to the concrete floor, leaving dark stains. My existence is putting Julis in danger. My being here is hurting people. Then what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? That was when it happened. Footsteps echoed up the stairs. Slowly, but steadily. One step. Then another. Yuuma raised his head. In the backlight of dusk, a figure stood at the entrance of the abandoned building. Fiery crimson hair. Jade eyes. Thick bandages on her back. "...Julis?" Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld stood there. She was unsteady on her feet, but her gaze was fixed straight on Yuuma. "What do you think you're doing in a place like this?" Julis's voice trembled with anger. "Julis, your body—why are you here?" "Don't 'why are you here' me. You vanished on your own, didn't you? I went back to the clinic and you were gone. I asked Yabuki, and he said the abandoned building in the Outer District." Julis took a step toward Yuuma. "Don't give up on your own. Claudia was the one who recommended you, wasn't she? Then fight to the very end." Yuuma couldn't say anything. Julis grabbed him by the collar. Blood seeped from beneath her bandages. "My wounds are something I chose. They're not yours to carry. You do what you need to do." Julis's jade eyes, lit by the setting sun, shone gold. "But I..." "Don't 'but' me. If you keep making a face like that, I've got nowhere to stand." Julis's voice shook, just slightly. "I didn't get hurt to protect you. I threw myself in front of you on my own. That was my selfishness. So you don't need to feel responsible." Something hot welled up deep in Yuuma's chest. "...Julis." "This is no time to cry. You've got things to do, don't you? Who you are, what this bracelet is. You want to know, don't you? Then stand up." Julis pulled Yuuma's collar tight. "You're not weak. Back then, you tried to save me. You called out to me. That alone is enough. So don't blame yourself." Yuuma wiped his tears. And looked at Julis's bandages. Red blood seeped through the white cloth. She wasn't healed yet. And yet she'd come to him. To scold him. To make him stand. "...I understand." Yuuma slowly rose to his feet. "I won't let anyone get hurt anymore. I'll get stronger. Strong enough to protect you, and everyone else." Yuuma gently took Julis's hand. "Thank you, Julis. I'm really glad you came." Julis's eyes widened for an instant. Then she turned sharply away. "I-it's not like I did it for you. You just kept moping forever, and I couldn't stand watching it." Julis's ears had turned red. Yuuma gave a small laugh. "Even so, thank you." That was when it happened. "Sorry to interrupt the lovey-dovey moment." At the voice, the two of them turned around at the same time. At the entrance of the abandoned building stood Yabuki Eishirou. A data terminal in his hand. "Yabuki... how long have you been there?" "Since a while ago. It was a nice scene." Yabuki grinned. "Were you spying on us?" "I wasn't spying. I just happened to be passing by." Yabuki shrugged. "More importantly,

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Stellar Reincarnation: The Irregular of Asterisk Episode 5: In the run-down abandoned building at rock bottom, the red hair scolds.