That expression caught everyone's attention.
"This action of the three of you has been approved by the Magic Emperor, and he specially awarded us a star!" Yami Sukehiro said with rare enthusiasm, raising the gleaming golden five-pointed star in his hand.
At long last, the Black Bulls had earned a positive star.
"Congratulations!" Vanessa smiled, her eyes soft with pride. "Getting a star on your first mission is a big deal. It's the highest praise the Magic Emperor gives to a Magic Knight squad."
"Thanks to this mission, we're only 100 stars behind Golden Dawn now!" Finral added with a lopsided grin.
"A hundred?!" Asta blinked, then laughed boldly. "Don't worry! Now that I'm here, that number's going to change fast. With my magic—wait, my anti-magic—we'll be swimming in stars in no time!"
"How many stars does Golden Dawn have right now?" Noelle asked, crossing her arms. She had just joined the squad and wanted to measure herself against the best. Setting a goal was the first step.
"Hmm… Last I checked, they had about 70 stars," Finral said after a pause.
"Oh, only 70—wait…" Noelle's brow furrowed as the numbers clicked in her mind. "If they're at 70 and we're a hundred behind… then does that mean… we're in negative stars?!"
Her jaw dropped.
Asta scratched his head, sweat forming. "Yeah… That sounds about right. Welcome to the Black Bulls, the most infamously destructive squad in the Clover Kingdom!"
"This is madness…" Noelle nearly fainted. "How do you even get negative stars?! Did you burn down an orphanage or something?!"
"Destruction... collateral damage... misunderstandings…" Finral said with a sheepish smile.
"Don't worry!" Yami stretched and yawned. "Negative or not, we'll bounce back. Eventually."
****
"What else do you expect?" Yami shrugged. "This squad's been in the red for years."
Noelle sighed and placed her hand to her forehead. "Is it really okay for me to be in this squad…?"
But as chaotic as things were, none of the other squad members seemed particularly concerned.
Asta grinned. "You seem worried, Noelle!"
"Of course I'm worried! We're practically the laughingstock of the kingdom!"
"Well, what can I do?" Asta spread his arms like Yami, a playful smile on his face. "I'm just going to work harder than anyone else!"
"Alright!" Yami announced. "Time for the important part… salary day."
Cheers echoed through the base.
"Long live Captain Yami!" Magna cheered, practically throwing himself at the captain's boots in exaggerated gratitude.
"I can't hold back anymore! I need food!" Charmy cried as she launched herself forward with surprising speed, short legs pumping like pistons. She crashed into Yami's leg and was the first to receive her pay.
"Ahhh… I can already smell the perfume of a lovely lady!" Finral said dreamily, clutching his coin pouch.
"I'm buying a new outfit for my goddess," Gordon muttered from behind his collar. "Do you think black suits her better…?"
"Don't ask me weird stuff," Yami grumbled.
"Captain! Let's fight to celebrate!" Luck crackled with lightning, eyes glowing with excitement.
"No thanks." Yami turned away. "I'm not dying today."
"Alright, tomorrow's a day off. Try not to burn the place down," Yami added, striding off toward his room.
The others soon dispersed, chattering and laughing as they counted their pay.
****
"This is the first time I've been paid…" Asta stared at the small coin pouch in his hands. "I'm not used to this kind of thing. Not that I need money… I'm just glad to earn it myself."
"Hmph. This wouldn't even buy me a single dress from my usual boutiques," Noelle said flatly, holding her pouch with disdain.
"How do you plan to spend it?" Vanessa asked, walking over. Her tone was playful, but there was a gentle kindness in her eyes. She liked looking out for the younger squad members.
"I'm not sure yet…" Asta and Noelle both said at once.
"Well then," Vanessa smirked, bending down with a wink, "let's go shopping tomorrow!"
"Uh… Shopping is kind of like training, right?" Asta stammered, backing away.
"Hmph!" Noelle turned her head, clearly annoyed—but she didn't reject the idea. She wasn't about to let Asta and Vanessa go out alone. That would basically be a date!
"See you tomorrow~" Vanessa said, blowing a kiss at Asta before walking away, her hips swaying.
The lounge quieted down.
"…Good night, Noelle."
"Good night," she replied softly.
****
Asta headed to the bathroom, washed up, then collapsed into his bunk. Still wide awake, he opened the Fire Shadow Mall on his magical interface—a strange game-like system that had come with his mysterious second awakening.
Only three basic items were currently available for unlimited exchange:
Bingliang Pills – great for stamina recovery
Kunai – throwable weapons, good for close combat
Healing Potions – handy in emergencies
He'd already unlocked and purchased all the basic-tier ninjutsu from the beginner mall. However, to upgrade to the intermediate tier, he still needed more points—and those were hard to come by without significant battles or quests.
"Man… Still not enough. I gotta get stronger, faster."
But he smiled.
Even with a negative star count, minimal money, and a squad full of lunatics… he'd never felt more alive.
****
"At first, I thought joining the Magic Knights would bring instant glory," Asta muttered, staring at his dwindling point balance in the [Huoying Mall]. "But it feels more like a long-distance grind than a quick sprint."
Despite earning 900 points from their latest mission, his total barely scratched 10,000—still far from enough to unlock higher-tier ninjutsu or items in the next level of the mall.
With the low cost and infinite exchange of basic items like [Bingliang Pills], [Kunai], and [Healing Potions], Asta figured it was best to focus on Chakra control and Taijutsu for now. Both took steady training—but they were accessible.
"Guess I'll take it slow for now." He closed the mall tab in his grimoire interface, his thoughts drifting to Sister Lily and the orphans back at Hage Village. "I left a full warehouse of Healing Potions for them… should still be enough, but I should send them some money soon."
He made a decision: after tomorrow's outing with Noelle and Vanessa whatever money he had left would be sent back home.
****
The next morning, the Black Bulls were unusually active.
Everyone had gotten up early—possibly because Captain Yami hadn't kicked down any doors yet, or maybe because the excitement of getting paid was still in the air.
Vanessa, ever thoughtful, brought her broom for Asta and Noelle, since neither of them could use broom-based flight well—Noelle still couldn't control her mana consistently, and Asta had zero magical ability. Her broom wasn't flashy like Magna's "Crimson Jet," but it was reliable. And perhaps due to Vanesa's, ahem, "smoking habit," the broom carried a faint scent of tobacco and perfume.
"I'll ride in front!" Noelle declared, hopping onto the broom before anyone else could sit down. She didn't want physical contact with Asta—and sitting in front of Vanessa made more sense.
But she miscalculated.
Asta grinned as he jumped on behind her, wrapping his arms around Noelle's waist purely for "balance."
"This thing's fast, sorry!" Asta said, not sounding very sorry.
"If it's fast, shouldn't you be leaning backward, not forward?" Noelle hissed, cheeks red.
"Haha, maybe… but sometimes physics is a suggestion." Asta smirked shamelessly, refusing to let go.
Noelle twitched. She wanted to slap him into the stratosphere with a water spell, but oddly enough, her limbs felt weak—like she'd been paralyzed by embarrassment…