The Equipment Department of Seidoukan Academy was located beneath the school building.
Though it was referred to as "underground," it would be more accurate to say it was underwater. After all, Asterisk was a man-made island floating on a crater lake. Technically, it had no underground—only underwater. But since there wasn't even a single window here, stepping inside felt just like entering a basement. Because of that, the area was simply referred to as the "underground sector."
In any case, the meaning was close enough, and such trivialities weren't worth quibbling over.
However, as Ayato walked down the corridor with Claudia, he couldn't help but want to talk about something else entirely.
"The president's popularity really is something else. My whole class was in an uproar."
Ayato said this to Claudia beside him in a tone that was hard to tell whether it was a complaint or not.
"Was it?" Claudia responded with a graceful smile, as though she had no idea what a stir she had just caused. "It's probably just because everyone's being polite. I don't think I'm all that popular."
…You call that crowd of people yelling nonstop with eyes wider than dinner plates polite?
Then you must have some pretty strange ideas about what "polite" means…
"Why? Did it cause you any trouble?"
Claudia looked innocently at Ayato, prompting him to let out a sigh.
"I don't know yet if it'll cause trouble, but what I do know is that you personally coming to get me from class has probably already spread through all of Seidoukan's upper division—and maybe even the other departments. My personal profile is probably getting a huge spike in views right now, and there might even be wild rumors starting to circulate online."
In other words, Ayato, who used to be basically invisible, had suddenly been thrown into the spotlight.
And the fact that he had been brought to the Equipment Department by the student council president herself to apply for the loan of a Ser-Veresta had likely been noted by quite a few sharp-eyed individuals.
"That's just how it is," Claudia said with the same gentle smile. "Even if this hadn't happened today, once your application for the Ser-Veresta is approved, your information would be made public anyway. People would find out sooner or later."
Loan information for the Ser-Veresta units, which belonged to the academy, was generally made public.
As soon as someone successfully borrowed a Ser-Veresta, the fact that they were its user would immediately be posted online, and made known to students at other academies as well.
So even if Ayato wanted to stay under the radar, after today that was probably no longer an option.
Of course...
"The condition is that I first have to pass the compatibility rate test, right?"
Ayato said this with a completely expressionless face.
As mentioned earlier, the Pure Star Radiance Armaments possess self-awareness and will choose their own wielder.
Only those who can unleash a certain degree of their power, those who catch their eye, will be recognized and permitted to use them.
The compatibility rate refers to how much of a Pure Star Radiance Armament's power a person can draw out, and serves as the standard for measuring the degree of harmony between user and armament.
The higher the compatibility rate between the user and the Pure Star Radiance Armament, the better suited they are for each other, and the more power the user will be able to draw out, manifesting even greater abilities.
Conversely, if the compatibility rate falls below a certain threshold, even if the person can barely manage to use the Pure Star Radiance Armament, they won't be able to wield much of its power. In cases where the compatibility is exceedingly low, the armament may even come to resent the user, leading to a loss of control and potentially attacking others.
This is precisely why compatibility testing exists: to determine whether a person can safely use a Pure Star Radiance Armament. If the compatibility rate is too low, the academy will not allow the armament to be lent out, even if it wouldn't go out of control.
Firstly, a low compatibility rate means the user won't be able to draw out much power, and lending such a powerful armament to them would be a complete waste.
Secondly, the Unified Corporate Consortium only lends some of the Pure Star Radiance Armaments to students for the purpose of collecting usage data. If the compatibility is too low and the armament's potential can't be properly activated, then naturally, very little useful data can be gathered.
Therefore, passing the compatibility test is a prerequisite for borrowing a Pure Star Radiance Armament.
The standard for passing this test varies among the different academies—some stricter, some more lenient.
"At our Seidoukan Academy, the requirement to borrow a Pure Star Radiance Armament is a compatibility rate of at least 80%. If it's below that, the Unified Corporate Consortium behind us won't allow it, no matter how much the academy wants to lend it."
Led by Claudia, the two entered the elevator that went deep into the Equipment Bureau. As the elevator descended, they continued their conversation.
"By the way, our Seidoukan Academy currently possesses a total of twenty-two Pure Star Radiance Armaments—the highest among the six academies. Although seven have already been lent out, you still need to choose carefully, A."
Claudia turned her head to look at A-Ze's profile and reminded him with a smile.
"The compatibility test can only be done once. If you choose a Pure Star Radiance Armament that doesn't quite match you and fail the test, you'll have to wait until next time to apply again."
Even if there is another armament among the remaining ones that has a high compatibility rate with the applicant, if they don't choose that specific one, the test ends there—no second chances with another armament.
This clearly shows just how difficult it is to borrow a Pure Star Radiance Armament.
But once you succeed—it's akin to being reborn.
At Starlight Academy, among the top twelve ranked students, no less than four were users of pure Astral Armaments.
This clearly demonstrated just how much of a boost in strength one could gain by possessing a pure Astral Armament.
"I hope you'll become one of us as well, Aizé."
Just as the elevator came to a halt at the deepest level, Claudia spoke these seemingly meaningful words.
Aizé didn't respond.
Because the elevator doors had opened.
The two of them stepped out and entered a spacious, enclosed area.
The setup of the place resembled an underground laboratory.
The ceiling was high, and various instruments lined the surroundings. One of the side walls was partially made of glass, and behind it was another room—packed with even more equipment. Inside, many people in white coats were busily moving about. Some were operating instruments, others were pointing and rushing around. They appeared to be the personnel conducting the suitability assessment.
That area was completely sealed off from this one—no sound came through—so Aizé had no idea what they were saying. He could only vaguely see them observing him, like he was some kind of lab rat, which made him furrow his brows slightly.
"They're all ready over there."
A virtual window had somehow appeared in front of Claudia. She seemed to be communicating with the assessment staff. Noticing Aizé's frown, she tilted her head slightly and smiled as she spoke.
"Don't mind them. They don't get to decide anything. You just need to focus on doing what you're meant to do, Aizé."
With that, Claudia explained the necessary procedures and steps to Aizé before stepping back, as if her part was done, and watched from the side.
Seeing this, Aizé could only push aside his unnecessary thoughts, take a deep breath, and walk toward the open space ahead.
"Beep beep!"
As he stepped into the center, a series of windows popped up around him.
Each window displayed a weapon—visually distinct in form and color—completely different from ordinary Astral Armaments.
"These are the pure Astral Armaments of Starlight Academy?"
Aizé was instantly drawn in by the images in the windows and couldn't help but start exploring them with curiosity.
Each pure Astral Armament displayed not only its appearance, but also detailed explanations of its functions, effects, capabilities, and various combat performance stats.
There were all kinds of weapon types: swords, blades, spears, axes—even naginata, war hammers, and gauntlets. Each one looked more dazzling than the last. Some images were grayed out, indicating they were already in use and had been loaned out.
Now, it was time for Aizé to choose one of them for the suitability assessment.
If he passed the test, the pure Astral Armament would become his.
If he failed, he'd have to leave immediately.
And so, Aizé found himself hesitating.