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Horizon:Volume 7C Chapter 70

2020-01-27T18:08:33Z

162.158.111.16:

==Chapter 70: Entruster of This Place==
[[Image:Horizon7C_0473.jpg|thumb]]
''Distance does not grow so quickly

''You only act like there is distance between us

'''Point Allocation (Gaze)

Tokishige responded to Yoshiyasu while aware she was physically above the other girl.

“You got Righteousness pretty badly damaged yourself.”

“Judge. The flight device was entirely destroyed. After that hot and cold combo, I’ll probably have to entirely replace the power, circulation, and defense systems.”

“How are you paying for that?”

“Judge. By bowing my head to the Asama Shrine and getting a summer job.”

Yoshiyasu’s words told Tokishige something.

…''She really has changed.

She had not been the kind of person who would come out and say she had to bow her head to someone.

For that matter, she had not had the personality for something like a summer job either.

“Yoshiyasu.” Tokishige spoke her mind. “This hasn’t been easy for you, has it?”

“What is that sympathetic look for?”

“Nothing.” She waved her hand back and forth. “Don’t worry about it.”

Besides, she had something else to say.

“Why not use Satomi money?”

“No, I will pay for it myself. Because the Satomi Liberation itself was my own decision.”

“Are you stupid?” The words left her on reflex and she leaned forward a bit. “Do you really think that’s enough to settle this? Are you just going to abandon your continuing responsibility to Satomi?”

“Then will you pay for it?”

“Why would I have to!?”

''There’s something weird about her,'' thought Tokishige.

Not that long ago, Yoshiyasu had spent all her time following Yoshiyori around, but now…

…''I have no idea what she’s trying to say.

She realized this bizarre behavior did not really have anything to do with whether or not Yoshiyasu followed Yoshiyori around, but that was not the point.

“Yoshiyasu, did you get yourself brainwashed somewhere?”

“No, I didn’t.”

The Musashi 6th Special Duty Officer raised her prosthetic right arm.

“What idiot would say yes to that?”

“Hm, that was a stupid question, wasn’t it?”

But Yoshiyasu tilted her head with a frown.

“There’s something weird about you.”

“That’s my line.” Tokishige sighed and let her shoulders slump. “Besides, why are you still saying ‘judge’?”

“Oh, that. Since you were 3rd Special Duty Officer, I’m giving you the positions of Satomi Vice President and Vice Chancellor starting 5 seconds from now.”

“What the hell is with you!?”

When she stood up, she felt a pang in her shoulder and grimaced.

“Is the pressure of the position really such a shock? Well, you need to get used to it.”

“Th-that was pain from my injury!”

“So,” said Yoshiyasu, “you’re saying it isn’t too much pressure? Then I’ll send a request to the Testament Union via Musashi. Okay, done.”

“Oh,” said Asama while working with Kimi who was holding up a sign frame to photograph the breakfast scene. “Masazumi? Yoshy-chan sent a divine mail asking to have, um, the Satomi 3rd Special Duty Officer promoted to their Vice President and Vice Chancellor.”

“Hm, but I’m buttering some bread right now, so it’ll have to wait.”

“Vice President, are you saying butter is more important than Satomi?” asked Adele.

Masazumi placed a slice of buttered bread and a slice of unbuttered bread in front of her.

“Now.” Masazumi placed a hand on the table. “Which would you prefer, Balfette? Choose one.”

“W-well, in this case, I think the unbuttered one would be better.”

“Oh, are you sure about that, Balfette?”

Masazumi grabbed and lifted up the buttered bread. He approached from behind and swapped it out with a toasted slice. It was of course buttered too.

She held it up in front of Adele.

“Now, which would you prefer, Balfette?”

“Th-the buttered one! Wh-what else could I choose!? Damn, I feel so defeated here, but unbuttered bread is just bread!”

It felt like Adele had been working on her schtick lately.

Meanwhile, Asama noticed that Naruze was only drinking some iced tea.

“Aren’t you going to eat something, Naruze?”

“Eating would make me sleepier. Sticking to a light snack and tea is the best way to get my stomach in order.”

“Yes,” said Hassan who was toasting some curried bread. “Tea is wonderful because it tenses the stomach. If you drink some strong tea and eat some bread on a damp day, the tea soaking the bread will tense your stomach and improve your body’s circulation.”

“I see,” said the girls while taking a note of that. “Oh, Masazumi, what should we do about Yoshy-chan’s request?”

“Hmm, what is the situation like with Satomi’s officers?”

“Judge.” He raised his hand. “In the versus mode of Tale of the Eight Dog Idols, there’s Flatty and two or three others, but the rest are filled with question marks.”

“I wasn’t asking about some video game!!” ''Hmm,'' thought Masazumi. “I should probably have someone look into that.”

“Milady, the Vice President has sent you an urgent command via the Asama Shrine.”

“What!? We’re kind of busy at the moment, so what could possibly be so important!?”

“Judge.” Kanou read the sign frame’s message aloud. “How many of the Satomi officers are still alive?”

“Isn’t it a little late to be asking that?”

“Milady, why are you actually starting to investigate that for her?”

“You don’t get it?” Ookubo narrowed her eyes to a glare. “If I don’t do this, she’ll demand I do something even worse.”

“Masazumi, Ookubo-san just sent her response. Here, I’ll give everyone else a copy too.”

“Oh? That was fast. If you need something from the Testament Union site, there’s no one better than Ookubo.”

Masazumi quickly read what the sign frame had to say about the Satomi officers.

…''They do indeed have a lot of holes to fill.

This only told her who had been registered while Hashiba ruled them, but based on that…

“Huh? Seijun, isn’t this a full list?”

“No, look more carefully, Naito-dono,” said Crossunite. “This list of officers might look full, but most of the names are listed as ‘Satomi Recovery Magistrate’.”

“I see,” said Mary while viewing Crossunite’s sign frame but still unable to look him in the eye. “Instead of creating individual representatives, they created a joint organization to take charge. Back in England, the officer positions are similarly wrapped up into an organization in the academies on the borders between the four kingdoms or the smaller security academies.”

“Did you attend one of those academies, Mary-dono?”

“I was supposed to, but I instead lived on that other level to have some degree of freedom. Plus, all the nations were on edge about the Logismoi Oplo at the time, so the queen’s sister could have been seen as a powerful weapon even when I couldn’t use Excalibur. I had a few different options then, but I chose not to join any specific academy.”

If she had gone to an academy, she likely would have been imprisoned there.

Crossunite gave her hand a squeeze while she smiled with a hint of bitterness. Masazumi looked to the others, but…

'''Gold Mar:''' “The shoulder, the shoulder. Go for the shoulder, Tenzou.”

'''10ZO:''' “She’s already sending out flowers like crazy, so I think this is enough!”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Keh.”

''Lack of sleep doesn’t slow Naruze down any, does it?'' thought Asama while Crossunite looked to Mary and spoke quietly.

“If you had gone to an academy like that, would you have been made Student Council President? You might have even been made Chancellor as well.”

“But if that happened, I never would have met you, Master Tenzou.”

“The Musashi was visible from every part of England,” he said. “And while in the sky above, I just know I would have found you wherever you were.”

'''Me:''' “Given his religion, I bet he really could have found her from the Musashi.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Yes, that line was weirdly convincing. Especially since Mary would not have had to hide her identity with a cloak and hood if she had belonged to an academy.”

'''Unturning:''' “I hate that I can’t deny any of that due to his weird religion.”

'''10ZO:''' “Hey! Stop that! Don’t twist my charming line to make me sound like a pervert!”

Mary suddenly realized his arm was around her shoulders.

Her body briefly tensed more out of reflex than an attempt to resist, but he did not seem to mind.

It was not at all rough, but he pushed their shoulders together as if to say he understood.

“Sorry.” She explained the reason behind her resistance while really wishing she did not have to. “I feel like I might die if I am any happier than this.”

“If this is about the flowers, that just shows I am doing my job.” He still kept a position where she could not look him in the eye. “And inspiring me to act like this means you are doing your job.”

“P-please do not say that. You are only pushing me closer to death.”

Everyone around them began fanning themselves with paper plates and handkerchiefs or scooping up and playing with the airborne flowers, but what was that supposed to mean?

“Anyway,” said Masazumi while reaching an understanding of the Satomi situation. “They lacked a Chancellor, but that’s already been resolved since Yoshiyasu took on the title before the battle. Which leaves…”

She opened a few sign frames, displayed the officer nominations and request forms, and checked over them or filled them out. And then…

“We are managing Satomi through Yoshiyasu, so you handle the request process, Asama.”

“Oh, right,” said Asama as she accepted them and checked them over. “Um, these are official documents to be sent to another nation, right? Then who will handle the official process?”

“Milady, the Vice President has sent another job.”

“What!? I just did a job for her!”

“See? This is what happens when you go easy on her.”

“Masazumi, they came back unbelievably fast and now we are receiving a rapid series of empty divine mails.”

“Hm? Did Ookubo hit the wrong button or something? Sorry, Asama, but is there a divine punishment for this?”

“Hm.” Asama placed a hand on her chin. “Harassing the Asama Shrine via divine mail would normally get your identity traced from the message and then a love letter of yours would be chosen at random and displayed on the divine network for all to see. Oh, but you can reach a settlement instead.”

“That would be a little much right now. I’d feel bad for her, so stop it, will you?”

“I will inform our god it was a mistake and make an offering of sake and a romance manga. Now, um, as for the documents…”

“Judge,” said Masazumi. “I submitted them to the Testament Union and they were already accepted, so send word to Yoshiyasu.”

“Oh? Tokishige, it was already accepted.”

“Eh!? That was fast! If we sent that from Satomi, the Testament Union would have sat on it for around two weeks before finally getting around to it!”

“Hmm.” Yoshiyasu crossed her arms in satisfied way. “Musashi is a trade nation, so they know how to handle these administrative and diplomatic processes. I should probably send our thanks through the official route.”

“Milady, The Satomi Student Council President wants you to contact the Vice President and pass on her thanks regarding the Satomi officer requests.”

“What!? ''I'' did that! What is going on here!? How did ''she'' get the credit!?”

“Milady, about 5 second ago, I realized you should probably just get used to it.”

'''Vice President:''' “Hey, Ookubo, great work. The Satomi Student Council President sent me her thanks. In that divine mail you sent. Thanks.”

“Milady.” Kanou glared at Ookubo who had fallen silent. “I have determined your life is over if you let yourself feel happy about her praise.”

Tokishige saw Yoshiyasu nod.

“Well, there you have it, Tokishige,” said Yoshiyasu with arms crossed in a dignified way.

“Wait, hold on, Yoshiyasu! Listen to what I’m trying to say!”

Things were progressing at an extreme rate.

…''Um, I’m the Vice Chancellor and Vice President now!?

Putting Vice Chancellor first showed she was the warrior type, but that was neither here nor there.

“How are things changing so fast!? What is going on!?”

“First you tell me to listen to you and now you pepper me with questions?”

“Just tell me what is happening!”

“Judge,” said Yoshiyasu again before pointing into the western sky.

The empty sky was turning a dark blue instead of pitch black as dawn approached.

The Musashi had been there earlier.

“I am indebted to Musashi.”

“And you think you can repay them by going with them!?”

“Oh? If you know I must go with them, you understand this better than I thought.”

“Ah.” Tokishige was dumbfounded. She had simply had a feeling this was headed that way. “You save Satomi and now you’re leaving us? Are you stupid!?”

“Sorry.”

When Yoshiyasu apologized so directly, Tokishige lowered her raised hips back on top of Integrity.

…''She is stupid.

Tokishige knew things were over for her now that the other girl had apologized.

Because no matter what she said or did, the other girl would simply apologize.

“Listen, Tokishige.”

“I don’t want to hear it. Because I know you’re just shoving your selfish desires onto me!” She moved the arm past her limp shoulder to point toward the Satomi base. “You have no idea how hard we worked to preserve Satomi!”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize!”

“Judge.”

“And don’t say judge! When did you get so selfish?”

“That is why I am leaving everything in your hands,” said Yoshiyasu. “Even from this distance, I’m impressed it’s so intact. Even the Tachibana Couple were surprised by the structural reinforcements and how the inside looks just like a normal city.”

“But…that was only possible by agreeing to work with Hashiba.”

“Probably so. But from what I’ve heard, you never curried their favor by including anything from their culture. You never compromised and you managed to arrange the roads and waterways as a city of fishing and trade.”

“Because if we had changed the very foundation of our lifestyle, they would have gone hungry too.”

“You take everything so seriously.”

Tokishige just about retorted with “look who’s talking” but held her tongue.

Yoshiyasu no longer took everything as seriously as she once had.

“You’ve gone insane.”

“Judge. I must have been exposed to a nasty influence.”

So…

“I am going to act as Satomi’s representative by helping Musashi take over the world.”

“Can you use Yatsufusa?”

“No. I contacted Musashi’s engine division, but it showed no response even during the Satomi Liberation,” she said. “That means it must be using what I do from now on to decide. After all, Yatsufusa is the power of Satomi’s leader, so the real test begins now that Satomi has been reclaimed.”

“That sure is convenient for you, huh?”

“Then will you take it for yourself?”

Tokishige thought on that. She had a number of thoughts concerning Yatsufusa. After all, that god of war was far more powerful than her Integrity. But that did not mean she wanted to try to use it, nor did it mean it would move for her.

“I wouldn’t dare.”

But this crazy girl in front of her wanted to get it moving eventually.

…''Oh.

Tokishige mentally slumped her shoulders.

…''She hasn’t really changed at all.

She thought she had accomplished something, but she was still influenced by that “I’m not good enough yet” complex.

But one thing had changed.

“You’re willing to admit that you need more power.”

“Hiding your weakness doesn’t make you stronger. So instead…”

“Yes?”

“If you admit to your weakness, a great many people will lend you power.”

“So you take advantage of their kindness?”

“I’m trying to take this seriously,” she said. And, “Tokishige.

Listen.

“Satomi will eventually lose its status as part of the history recreation.”

Yoshiyasu spoke about what had happened and what she had discussed in the past.

“At that point or sometime before, I plan to move to Mogami and learn from Yoshiaki how to run a nation among many other things.”

And…

“I will eventually create a place for the Satomi people to live in peace. It might be here, it might be in Mogami, or it might be in Mito, but I do promise you I will create it. So…”

“I get it already. So how about you get going?”

Tokishige shrugged.

“I understand.” She briefly hesitated before continuing. “You’re Righteousness! If someone pays you a favor or helps you out, you never will forget it. So, well, if staying here would mean forgetting your debts, that would just bring shame to the Eight Dogs of Satomi. Honestly, what have you been doing out there?”

“Well,” said Yoshiyasu while aware she could not look Tokishige in the eye. “Lately…I’ve visited a hot spring in Odawara where I did karaoke and ping pong.”

“Are you picking a fight with me!? And wait, was that what you were doing during the Siege of Odawara!?”

Then a change came over Tokishige’s voice.

“Oh?” she said in confusion. “Yoshiyasu, you can do karaoke?”

“Judge. The one song my sister taught me. I had a decent, well, you could call it a battle against M.H.R.R.’s Kani with that. You hadn’t heard?”

“I was following the results, but I didn’t know what form the duels took.”

“I see. There were curry and ping-pong battles, there was a fight to the death in the changing room, and there was a clash of 500-yen coins with udon production on the line, so it probably was history’s worst battle. We tried to work things out with as little fighting as possible, but I think we forgot to agree not to take things way too seriously.”

“I see.” Tokishige rested her head in her hand. “I thought they were hiding some kind of classified information, but maybe the restrictions were to keep us all interested. Still, I can’t believe you did karaoke.”

Tokishige sounded a disturbed, but Yoshiyasu had to admit it surprised her too. She had not expected the khorosho chorus to feel so good and some of the lyrics – like “vodka up the ass” – had been fairly tricky.

“Want to join me next time?”

“The repairs aren’t that far along.”

“That’s why it has to be ‘next time’,” said Yoshiyasu. “Also, I know you’ll be waiting. Just as I have to act because I am Righteousness, you are Integrity. If you say you will be waiting for me, I know you will be.”

…''Probably so.

“Were you waiting for me instead of attempting a half-baked rebellion because you wanted to protect and restore Satomi?”

“Now you’re just getting a big head.”

“Just some wishful thinking, that’s all,” said Yoshiyasu. “You will be in charge of Satomi for a while.”

“Then I will accept that position.” Tokishige shrugged with her palms pointed skyward. “Besides, that’s the role of my inherited name.”

Masaki Tokishige thought about her name.

…''That was Satomi Yoshiyasu’s younger brother.

He took the Masaki name when he was sent to be adopted by the Masaki clan and become their heir.

But when Yoshiyasu had his territory confiscated, Tokishige acted as a manager for the Satomi clan’s top officials. And after Yoshiyasu’s death, he worked as the heir’s aide.

The Satomi clan later lost Awa when they were caught in the fall of Ookubo Nagayasu, but Tokishige moved from place to place before receiving a warm welcome in Tottori and reaching the end of his life there.

“It was the previous two Chancellors who pushed to get me this name, so I wonder if they knew things would turn out like this.”

“I doubt Yoshiyori or my sister knew that much. If anything, it was probably based on you being in the same year as me. But more than that…” Yoshiyasu pointed at the large machete Tokishige wore at her hip. “They were probably thinking of that one story about Tokishige’s prowess as a warrior.”

Musashi’s 6th Special Duty Officer raised her prosthetic arm again.

“What story is that?”

“Testament. Satomi is actually the home of a famous swordsman,” said Tokishige. “Ever heard of Ono Tadaaki?”

“I have,” said the 6th Special Duty Officer. “He was apprentice to Itou Ittousai and he became a shogunate sword instructor, right?”

Tokishige had not expected her to know that. This came as a pleasant surprise, although she was confused by how Yoshiyasu was spreading her mouth horizontally.

“Testament. The Testament says Ono Tadaaki was from Satomi. He originally served Yoshiyasu there, but after becoming Ittousai’s apprentice, he became an officer for Matsudaira after a recommendation from Ittousai.”

“And how does that relate to you?”

“Testament. The Testament says I fought to a draw with Ono Tadaaki. While I was in middle school, Ono Tadaaki’s name inheritor visited during a pilgrimage to different nations and we ended up sparring.”

Thinking back, she had been a mess of nerves at the time, but that older opponent had confidently gone easy on her. It had not been to the point of letting it be a draw, but he had chosen not to block any of her attacks while restricting himself to easily blockable attacks.

She remembered only just barely managing to block all of the attacks, so it had not felt like being handed a draw. But she had sensed his skill and how badly she needed to train herself.

“I really wish we could spar again, but it doesn’t look like that will happen.”’

“If that’s what you want, I recommend coming to Musashi.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Wait,” said Yoshiyasu to stop the 6th Special Duty Officer, but she continued regardless.

“Well,” she said with a nod. “Ono Tadaaki had a fellow apprentice, didn’t he?”

“Yes. Zenki, right?”

“Judge,” confirmed the 6th Special Duty Officer. “Zenki is our Chancellor’s mom and his dad is Ono Tadaaki.”

Asama accepted the breakfast container that Toori’s mother had carried over from the Blue Thunder.

“Oh, that’s a lot. But, um, Toori-kun’s mom? Shouldn’t you be focused on Satomi?”

“You see, Tomo-chan, I don’t really have any connection to Satomi. And even if I did spy on ''my husband'', I’d probably only see him doing something dumb with those apprentices of his.” She handed another container to Adele. “But I’m proud that you, Horizon, and the Mito girl have joined our home. So how about it, Tomo-chan? Buy the Judge Pillow and Testament Pillow our shopping district is selling and we’ll throw in a Yes Pillow free of charge.”

“Why are all of them giving the go ahead?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Zenki laughed. “Still, it does feel like fate that Toori helped liberate Satomi when my husband is from there. I’m glad that worked out for the best.”

“Ono Tadaaki is…that Chancellor’s father?”

“Don’t look so shocked. It’s the truth.”

“Satomi Student Council President, I think that’s why it comes as such a shock,” added Musashi’s 6th Special Duty Officer.

But Yoshiyasu had something to say to Tokishige who was hanging her head in silence.

“See, you can look at it as fate binding Musashi and us together. I should be able to stay here for a little bit and Ookubo Nagayasu, the cause of Satomi’s loss of status, is here. You should go see her while you can. She is a skilled negotiator, so you should be able to learn a lot from her.”

“I suppose so,” weakly said Tokishige.

Yoshiyasu saw her release a deep sigh toward the ground and then speak.

“Yoshiyasu, what kind of environment were you living in?”

“I wish it was that easy to explain.”

Yoshiyasu then looked to the western sky.

At some point, Satomi’s sky had grown fairly bright. However…

“I wonder what’s happening in Nördlingen below that western sky.”

“Christina was right about one thing – there are a lot of things you don’t understand until you see them for yourself.”

The wind blew below a dark sky full of twinkling stars.

Tomoe Gozen stood atop a hill with the feetless legs of a ghost.

About 3km away, at the northern base of the hill, a city was surrounded by a circular wall.

She knew the name of that city which had a Far Eastern reservation and related cities surrounding it.

“Nördlingen. I never imagined the fight over this city would be against you.”

Her gaze was directed at a white group lined up about 500m away.

Those M.H.R.R. Catholics equipped with white mobile shells were…

“The Roman Emperor’s personal warriors. Are you leading them as Matthias? Or…”

“I am technically Ferdinand II for this, but you can still call me Matthias, Tomoe Gozen.”

Matthias carried a long white and black arbalest on his back.

“Shall we get started?”

“Let’s not be hasty.” Tomoe Gozen glanced behind for just a moment. “No battles are won by being hasty.”

Tomoe Gozen mentally clicked her tongue.

…''This isn’t good.

It was actually very bad to have the enemy rushing her here.

Both sides were facing each other with several aerial ships in the sky. And the enemy was still adding more warships and transport ships to their fleet.

Their personnel were growing in number all the time. But even so…

“It would be best to wait some, Bernard.”

“Indeed.”

A man a head taller than her stepped out of the group behind her.

He had bestial eyes and he wore a uniform made from a mixture of the Hexagone Française and M.H.R.R. designs. He now pointed toward the enemy with his one arm.

“Our position prevents them from attacking in the night or otherwise catching us off guard. If they rush things in order to use the darkness to their advantage, it will ultimately come down to a head-on clash. But if they wait, things will change.”

“What do you predict will happen?”

“Testament.” Bernard gestured to north with his chin. “The Swedish queen’s estate is located north of Nördlingen. Which you would know, Luther, since you visited her there earlier.”

“Continue.”

He nodded and did so.

“Attacking that estate is one of the enemy’s objectives, so they must create a primary force to attack us while also creating a force to send there.”

“I can tell they are prioritizing us first.”

“Indeed they are,” said Bernard.

He looked up into the night sky and she followed suit. The transport ships moving back and forth between the ground and the warships were clearly carrying down personnel.

“They will likely make their move once they have created their primary force and the northern-bound force,” he said. “If either one is incomplete, they cannot equally respond to anything that might happen and it would lead to confusion. If that happens…”

“Will you take action, Bernard?”

“As a wyvern, land battles are not my specialty. Please keep that in mind.”

He swung his empty sleeve to show it off.

…''That’s what he lost in the battle at Paris.

He was a Celestial Dragon that could split into multiple smaller dragons, so the ones that were lost had to be taken from his body. Once he eventually recovered, his arm would be back.

But if the enemy had someone who could harm him in their ranks…

“You can’t use your convergence dragon cannon very often, can you?”

“Since splitting up will only get me targeted, I will generally be fighting in my combined form. I can probably only draw fire from the enemy ships.”

“You’re pretty useless, huh?”

“Not necessarily.”

Tomoe Gozen smiled bitterly at that.

There was a way of using him even while injured. And this confirmed what strategy they would use. Only one thing remained:

“Musashi.”

She could see its shape like a distant island in the eastern sky.

“Wait for you and you’ll show up, huh? I never thought I would indebt myself to you here, Musashi.”

Then she sent out some instructions.

“All troops, lighten your equipment on the double! Remove your mobile shell’s support armor! This battle will come down to our ability to make a charge!” she said. “Musashi is Shinto, so they are as lax with the rules as us Protestants! Wait until they have actually arrived before deciding to rely on them!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7C Chapter 69|Chapter 69]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7C Chapter 71|Chapter 71]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7B Chapter 50

2020-01-17T22:55:37Z

162.158.111.16: Naomasa is the 6th offiicer who is actually facing Tokishige

==Chapter 50: Comers and Goers on the Route==
[[Image:Horizon7B_741.jpg|thumb]]
''No matter how tired I am

''No matter how injured I am

''As long as I can move

''I can catch up to something

'''Point Allocation (Pride)

Asano was out of breath as she ran. She was racing east through the forest.

…''I caaan’t believe this!

She did not seem capable of hitting this enemy. They were fast and had a weak presence, which made it really hard.

She was thankful her spell had been a good fit here. If not, she would have been done for right away.

…''Hurrrry!

She ran. She had started moving toward the center, but the enemy had sent her back to the east.

She was glad the forest around her was brighter than M.H.R.R.’s forests.

If anything, it was more like the forest on the Mediterranean desert island where she had trained.

The Ogre teachers who had trained them there had chased after them while shouting “For the love of Onigashima!” and dealing with them had been really hard. And the students had ultimately lost and been thrown into the ocean.

“But have theyyyy had training like that toooo?”

She had assumed the Musashi residents would have difficulty fighting in a natural environment, but was that not actually the case? If anything, they seemed to have as much experience with it as her group.

Musashi did have a lot of immigrants from elsewhere.

…''III’m supposed to be smarrrt, so how could I forget abouuut that?

Had it been a case of wishful thinking on her part? But…

“I guessss I should do my best.”

Kani had said that too, but she had already withdrawn.

Nabeshima was more or less out of the fight as well.

And Nagaoka had probably been captured by the enemy. So…

…''I’m the onlyyy one left.

''So I guess I have to do my best,'' she decided half in resignation.

She was the last of the rookie name inheritors.

“And,” she said while running and almost jumping through the forest. “All the otherrrs did their best alreadyyy.”

''I can’t believe thisss,'' thought Asano.

''I’m smart, but pretty average.

The enemy pursuing her was probably a name inheritor. That was the only explanation for how sharp their pursuit was. Given the enemy’s formation, it was probably…

“Kanouuu or Yagyuuu.”

…''It’ll be Yagyuuu.

Kanou was an automaton. She could of course make a pursuit if forest travel knowledge had been installed in her memory, but it made no sense to run into her when Yagyuu had been sent out ahead as a scout.

Yes. Her enemy was a ninja samurai. So…

“I’m in a realll bad position here.”

But she had to do something about it. She had to lose this pursuer and go defeat Ookubo.

…''If I can defeat Ookubo Nagayasuuu, it will chaaange things a looot.

At the very least, the negotiations would be easier after the battle ended in some way or another.

So she had to do her best here.

However, she did not know where Ookubo was.

So she had to figure that out from her battle with Yagyuu.

She had a general idea, of course.

The enemy had set up a line and advanced toward the Hashiba base.

Yagyuu had been a bit west of their center, so Ookubo would be behind that somewhere.

What she did not know was how far back from the Hashiba base Ookubo was.

She had seen the scattering wreckage when the small transport ship exploded.

Where the steel beams and armor panels had fallen told her where the “edge” of the safe zone was located.

Ookubo would be somewhere between the Hashiba base and that “edge”.

Asano ran as straight ahead as she could while also avoiding the attacks sent her way.

She felt like she was being guided to the northeast by this pursuit, but she had come from the east to begin with, so she knew the terrain here better than her opponent.

She was confident in her memory.

…''But not so much in my staminaaa.

But she still ran. She was running northeast now, but she knew she only had to make a single westward turn to face toward Ookubo again. Yagyuu’s reaction then would tell her where Ookubo was. So…

“Time to do myyy best.”

''I’m letting her influence me, aren’t III?'' she thought. ''I need to make sure I don’t sayyy that in front of the others,'' she added. And…

“Testament. Well, I did make a looot of preparations. I even went to the water, so I have a looot.’”

As she said that, she realized the enemy was making their attack.

“Here he cooomes.”

Munenori nearly grazed a bullet.

He ran across the dirt, leaves, and stone and ducked through the branches, but he did not make a sound.

A bullet flew his way. Its aim was accurate but a little off.

Still, projectiles in the forest always had a presence to them. The animals would react and the wind pressure shook the leaves and the night fog.

And he nearly grazed the bullet.

He moved toward the flying bullet.

That did make him feel like he was getting closer to the enemy, but that sense of relief was not his only goal here.

By moving closer to the bullet and sensing how it flew from him, he could work out from which direction it had been fired.

The closer to the bullet he was, the better he could sense its sound and force.

The power contained in the bullets was gradually increasing.

That meant there was less distance between him and where they were being fired from.

In other words, he was approaching the enemy.

That was not a relief. That he was closing in on his enemy was a fact.

He ran.

He nearly grazed another bullet and inhaled.

He had to reach this enemy and deal with them quickly. Because…

…''It would worry her otherwise.

He hurried.

He actually grazed the next bullet.

The sound was loud. He thought it must have scraped his cheek.

A divine protection automatically activated to seal the wound instead of heal it. He would not heal himself in battle. It might be a relief if he did, but the healing process would “change” that portion of his body.

An injury was a change too, but after the initial change, it would stay the same for a while. When constructing a battle, he believed it was safer to understand the fixed changes more than the variable changes.

Healing might actually be better, but it was a matter of feeling.

So he sealed the wound instead. The smell of blood could decide a battle in some cases, so he made sure to stop the bleeding.

But he could only make that kind of decision in short-term battles.

In a longer battle, the injury could change his body through fever or necrosis. In cases like that, he had to heal himself, so he would have to leave the fight to do so.

''Hurry, dammit'' he told himself before smiling bitterly.

“Oops.”

He should not be so crude.

Just “hurry” would be fine.

That was what Ookubo had taught him.

So he mentally corrected himself and hurried toward the enemy all the same.

He hurried to catch up.

“We need to hurry, don’t we!?”

Kani spoke with Nabeshima while preparing to carry the injured’s equipment on a rod.

Nabeshima was apparently considering whether or not she should join them here.

'''Kanitama:''' “Do you have a connection with Asa-chan!?”

'''Nabe3:''' “No, I’ve got some interference plus I have to deal with the mechanical dragon’s divine transmission environment, so wouldn’t you have an easier time connecting to her?”

'''Kanitama:''' “No! We can’t reach her either! How about you, Ikeda-kun!?”

'''IT:''' “Howw would I haave a connection?”

'''Kanitama:''' “That doesn’t sound anything like her!”

'''Nabe3:''' “Imagining it coming from Ikeda’s face ruins the whole thing.”

“Shut up,” said Ikeda. And then…

'''IT:''' “She’s probably studying like usual.”

'''Kanitama:''' “Studying!?”

Yes.

'''IT:''' “Y’know how she won’t hang out with us before a test? She stops talking and won’t tell anyone what she’s doing. She does that a lot at home. But she seems to think she loses if she lets it show.”

'''Kanitama:''' “How do you know about that!?”

'''IT:''' “Huh!? Well, my parents are friends with her mom, so…”

'''Nabe3:''' “You’re hopeless. You really are.”

'''Kanitama:''' “But you’re saying she’s doing that now, aren’t you!?”

Kani lifted up the rod that had four mobile shells hanging from it. She placed her right shoulder below it, lifted her hips, and then raised her body. She made sure to steady her balance before moving.

'''Kanitama:''' “Then she’ll be fine! Earlier, she said something about doing her best!”

“Oh?” said Nabeshima.

'''Nabe3:''' “It’s unusual for her to say something like that.”

So…

'''Nabe3:''' “We just have to wait for the top of our class to do her best and arrive on her own.”

Munenori heard the enemy’s gunshot.

It was close by.

The forest’s trees seemed to be getting denser.

But he pushed on. He continued his pursuit to push the enemy.

He could sense they were close.

…''I wonder who it is.

What enemy name inheritors were participating in this battle on the Bousou Peninsula?

Katou Yoshiaki would primarily be fighting in the air.

Kuki Yoshitaka and Suzuki Magoichi had been seen in the fleet battle.

Nabeshima Naoshige had lost in her mechanical dragon and both Kani Saizou and Kasuya Takenori had withdrawn with the northern unit.

Then was this Asano Yoshinaga who had visited the Musashi in Nabeshima’s mechanical dragon?

She was a girl in the same year as him.

But that was no reason to hold back.

She was an enemy.

That was the only reason he had, but it was a sufficient reason.

So he pushed on. He changed his path to run straight toward the enemy.

“…”

A bullet flew his way.

He dodged it. Some of his hair scattered in the air as he swung his body to circle around.

…''She’s there, isn’t she?

She would be beyond the grove of trees up ahead.

…''Here it comes!

It was a bullet and it arrived from so close the sound and force seemed to be within arm’s reach.

It was aimed at his face, so she was not holding back either.

He did not dodge to either side. He lowered his head and slipped between the trees.

“I know you’re there.”

He leaped right in front of the enemy.

And in that instant, he saw something.

Up ahead, at the point where the enemy bullet had come from, he saw the vast night sky.

…''Huh?

He only saw the eastern night sky as seen from Bousou and the forest spread out below.

He stood on an entirely abandoned cliff.

Munenori sensed danger in this.

At the same time, he had to ask why.

Why was there a cliff where the enemy should have been?

But he was not to question things in battle. So he left this up to his senses and took action.

The enemy was not in front of him, so what would he do?

He changed course.

He did not look back. He kept his back turned toward the forest while he shifted position with a rapid left slide.

A bullet passed through the spot he had just abandoned.

It had come from the forest behind him.

But something seemed off to him. All the previous bullets had come from one direction, as if the enemy were fleeing into the empty air beyond that cliff, yet this shot came from the forest behind him.

…''What kind of trickery is this!?

Just as he wondered that, he sensed a massive presence in the forest behind him.

He sensed more than just danger in this.

…''Ultra danger!

This time, he did turn around while reaching out into empty air.

“Golden Hammer!”

He pulled a massive hammer out of thin air. Ether acceleration light erupted from the back end as he leaped forward and swung it down from above.

Just then, something flew toward him while blasting away the forest’s leaves.

“A shell!?”

That should not have been possible.

This was a pseudo-anti-ship cannon’s ether shell. But as he sent a powerful blow toward that blast…

…''I get it!

He had figured out what the enemy was doing.

A moment later, his Golden Hammer crashed into the enemy shell.

The flying mass of metal ruptured.

The sound, appearance, and tactile feedback all told him he had destroyed it.

“Kh!?”

But then he and his Golden Hammer were blasted back into the empty night sky.

The ether shell’s spell portion had an air explosion effect.

…''Not good!

The Golden Hammer’s striking divine protection could have negated a bursting, a normal explosion, or a shockwave, but this was different.

It was an air explosion. And if the enemy had set this up…

“–––––”

He realized he had been completely set up as he was blasted into the empty air.

Yoshiyasu used Righteousness’s side head sight device to check on the explosion she heard in the distance.

A battle had begun in eastern Bousou beyond the ridgeline.

She did not know who was fighting who. If it was Ookubo’s group, then why had she heard a cannon blast in a ground battle?

She did not know, but now was not the time to worry about that.

She was facing an enemy of her own in a forest clearing on the western-facing slope.

“So you sent Filial Piety here, Konishi Yukinaga.”

“Testament,” replied her opponent.

Filial Piety was a head taller than originally thanks to the combined parts and Konishi stood on its shoulder.

She had gravity ballast spells opened across her body to hold herself in place and control sign frames were held in her palms. She also had a sign frame next to her with some kind of counter that was in constant motion.

“Would you have preferred Tokishige? Should I call for her instead?”

“No, someone else has business with her.”

The 6th Special Duty Officer had a connection there dating back more than a decade. That was a lot longer than Yoshiyasu’s own connection.

Of course, such things should not be judged solely by time. However…

“Do you want to avoid battling a fellow Satomi fighter?”

“I doubt we would be able to hold back against each other.”

“Huh?”

Konishi sounded confused, so Yoshiyasu explained.

“I would get mad at her for siding with the enemy and she would get mad at me for abandoning them to do something else.”

“What have you been doing anyway?”

“I seem to recall eating rice treats at a Far Eastern rice-producing region, observing a fox and a salmon, and more recently visiting a hot spring for karaoke and ping pong.”

“Okay, I don’t think anyone can blame her for kicking your ass now.”

Yoshiyasu had to agree. But the hot spring part had only happened yesterday. If not for that, she felt like it had all been fairly normal.

“Well, governments in exile tend to have a lot of fun like that. I’ll just have to tell her it’s better than becoming a puppet.”

“Didn’t you, though?”

“No, it isn’t possible to be a puppet for them.”

“It isn’t possible?”

“Judge.” Yoshiyasu nodded. “Not as long as you’re sane. Besides, no one’s better than them at filling you with an urge to speak up. If you tried to be a puppet for them, the unfair treatment would lead to so much stress you’d go insane and die.”

“…Can I ask one thing?”

“Were you thinking letting a group like that take over the world would be a bad idea?”

“I was.”

“Judge. Don’t worry about that. During peacetime, they stick to cannibalizing their own. The way I see it, external stimuli are the most dangerous thing with them. …In other words, if the world refuses to be peaceful, they’ll go around harassing everyone as a form of world domination.”

“I never knew world domination could sound so unambitious.”

The problem was how accurate it was. And during her time as a part of their group…

…''As long as I speak up, I can live pretty stress free.

That group would dodge things, but they generally did not put up any defenses.

But she had made it this far with them.

“Now, then.” Yoshiyasu placed a hand on the short swords at Righteousness’s hips. “Are you sure you want to do this? Using autonomous mode will reduce the reaction speed quite a bit.”

“Oh, I don’t mind at all. After all, it’s running on divine protections right now.”

“Divine protections?”

Several sign frames opened around Filial Piety. They were Catholic ones.

“According to the Testament, Konishi Yukinaga was a Catholic Tsirhc commander.” A name with an arrow symbol appeared in front of her. “The Catholic Saint Sebastian is the saint of combat skill, especially those using the bow and arrow. In the Catholic Spell Treasury, he is in charge of the high-level spells of that type.”

“So you reworked the autonomous program using combat divine protections to create something like a large combat automaton?”

“Testament. So this thing is directly linked to a saint’s soul. I can keep using the power-up spells as long as my money lasts. And that will provide the reaction speeds needed to overpower the average god of war pilot.”

Yoshiyasu muttered a comment on that.

“That’s really not playing fair. You all need to stop doing that kind of thing.”

Yoshiyasu could tell she was glaring inside of Righteousness.

“Hey, Konishi.”

“What?”

“Do you like strengthening yourself with money?”

“You know…if you’re going to go down that route, what are those god of war parts and equipment? You’re
strengthening yourself with money as much as I am.”

“These are consumable goods,” replied Yoshiyasu. “Someone as rich as you probably wouldn’t understand, but my storage fees and living expenses have doubled since going to Musashi. The Asama Shrine has given me a loan, but I nearly made a serious mistake by going to these weird merchants for financial help. How weird are they? Let’s just say they’re going to be producing thick noodles pretty soon. Anyway, I need to have a full set of parts no matter what, so I’ve had to massage some numbers…no, I mean work to cut back on some expenses lately. And yet in Tale of the Eight Dog Idols, a game based on Satomi’s recent situation, I can easily pay for upgraded god of war parts to increase my stats. Besides, you need to start from the very foundation if you want to power up your god of war. You can’t just replace parts willy-nilly like that. …And what is with all those flashy weapons? Do you get what I’m saying!?”

“I get that you’re poor and mad about it.”

“Don’t call the representative of a nation poor!”

'''Me:''' “I know, right? Some people have no manners, Flatty.”

'''Righteousness:''' “You’re no better!!”

“Well, whatever,” said Yoshiyasu with a nonexistent sigh within Righteousness. “I will be taking Satomi back.”

Konishi smiled at that.

“I imagine it will be returned to you after summer break regardless.”

“You mean after the Honnouji Incident is complete and P.A. Oda and M.H.R.R. have established a new order?”

Konishi had no change of expression for that. However…

“You really are an enemy.”

“Do not underestimate me, do not look down on me…and do not forget me, usurper.” Yoshiyasu’s tone sank as she voiced her thoughts. “I have always been your enemy.”

She had Righteousness prepare to fight and leaned forward to take a quick first step.

“You can figure out the rest after I defeat you.”

With that, she launched herself forward.

Munenori heard an explosion of air in the distance.

He realized he had screwed up because the enemy’s cannon blast had not been meant to destroy him.

His Golden Hammer could handle an explosion or impact. That was only a “hunter chance”.

But an explosive blast of air was different. The pressure overpowered his hammer and he was thrown from the ground.

“Kh.”

There was nothing to support him in the air. After blasted from the cliff, he realized the enemy must have known a lot about him.

…''Did she know what weapon I use, goddammit!?

It was shame rather than anger that drew out his old self.

He was a ninja samurai and he had recently used his Golden Hammer when fighting Sanada’s Isa. This meant records of that battle must have made their way to Hashiba.

That was Sanada for you. But as a ninja himself…

“Dammit!”

He shouted and tried to resist.

There was nothing to grab onto in the air, so he had to prepare for a fall. This was a ground battle, so he had not brought any of the fall control spell charms that were standard on the Musashi. His standard divine protections would cushion his landing, but how much would that gain him?

Should he throw in some substitutions to increase the cushioning coefficient? And either way…

…''There’s no time.

“Oh? Now this is unusual.”

He heard a female voice out of nowhere and then he bounced in midair.

He bounced straight up. He had not felt any kind of impact, but his entire body had bounced upwards without warning.

…''Huh!?

Munenori was only aware of his moving field of vision. He felt no pain or recoil, yet his falling vision had bounced back up toward the heavens at some point.

How had that happened?

He had not figured anything out as his rising body lost its speed.

He was going to fall again. A gentle falling speed grabbed at his body, but then…

“Are you okay? And who are you?”

He was caught in midair by a large hand.

He looked over to see a boy running up the cliff face and a girl held in his arms.

The girl had two giant prosthetic arms.

“The Tachibana Couple!”

Gin nodded at the boy who fell from the sky and asked her question again.

“Judge. Who are you?”

“J-judge! I am…”

He hesitated for a moment, but then he abandoned all hesitation and looked straight at her.

“I am Yagyuu Munenori! I work as Ookubo Nagayasu’s bodyguard!”

“Is that so?” said Muneshige while taking long strides up the cliff. “In that case, you must want to hurry back.”

Munenori gasped at that. But when he responded…

“Judge!”

“That will be a ‘judge’ from us as well. Let us hurry. Besides…”

His vision spun widely around.

They had arrived at the top of the cliff and Gin saw something from Muneshige’s arms.

It was in the forest up ahead.

“That would be an enemy, Master Muneshige.”

Some figures were approaching them in that forest.

Those enemy warriors were a commando unit sent from their base as a diversion and to destroy whatever forces they could.

“What do you think, Gin?”

“This unit appears to have only just arrived. …Most likely, whoever Master Yagyuu was fighting realized we were approaching and called them here.”

“I see. In that case…”

“Judge,” replied Gin. “This is our enemy. …Master Yagyuu, take this time to heal your injuries.”

“Huh? I’ve sealed up my injuries.”

“I said to take this time to heal your injuries.”

Healing injuries as soon as possible was Gin’s policy. After all, once you reached the name inheritor level, it was perfectly normal to have an arm or two cut off in a simple love confession. ''It happened to me, after all. But if you ignore that kind of injury while the confession has your pulse elevated, you will die, won’t you?

Whether or not he knew what she was thinking, Muneshige smiled.

“Ha ha ha. You’re so kind, Gin.”

“Master Muneshige…I am not sure you should praise me in front of others like that.”

Why was Yagyuu Munenori giving them such a puzzled look?

At any rate, Muneshige set her down on the ground and took a step forward.

A gunshot rang from the forest, but he dodged it by looking back toward her.

“Now, Gin, Sir Yagyuu, I will be going on ahead, so follow after me however you can.”

“Huh? What do you mean however I can?”

Gin tilted her head at Yagyuu Munenori’s question.

“He means to figure it out based on the situation. What is so confusing about that?”

In other words…

“It is like a recipe telling you to use a pinch of salt.”

Gin then looked at the boy’s body.

“Now, go ahead and heal yourself however you can.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7B Chapter 49|Chapter 49]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7B Chapter 51|Chapter 51]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7B Chapter 52

2020-01-17T22:51:45Z

162.158.111.16: /* Chapter 52: Someone Looking up From the Gap */

==Chapter 52: Someone Looking up From the Gap==
[[Image:Horizon7B_801.jpg|thumb]]
''Just how easy

''And hard is it

''To pursue someone

''And catch up to them

'''Point Allocation (Depends on the Person)

…''I made it!!

Munenori had squeezed out every last ounce of strength.

Yagyuu Munenori had run here with the intent of draining his stamina.

He was not alone.

Tachibana Gin had accompanied him part of the way and had managed his incomplete healing spells to fully heal him.

Tachibana Muneshige had pursued the enemy and altered her route ever so slightly.

That just left him.

He had given Gin a nod before rushing forward and hearing a battle in the distance.

Two warriors at the name inheritor level had supported him, so he was not going to screw it up like last time. Besides…

…''I’m in front of Lady Ookubo!

Her #1 bodyguard could not afford to make a mistake.

“Yeah!”

He was out of breath, but moved his entire body all the same.

A great many things had allowed him to come this far. ''But,'' he thought.

…''That’s why!

His words became a shout that continued from the “that’s why”.

“I have to do this!!”

A giant hammer was summoned into his raised hand.

“Golden Hammer!”

His target was right there in front of him.

He used his full body to throw acceleration into the Golden Hammer and send it toward the enemy’s artillery blast.

“Hunterrrrr Chaaance!”

Asano saw something like sparks.

The ether cannon had been intercepted almost directly in front of her.

“Thaaat’s not good.

Based on past records, this enemy’s attack could fully deflect her own.

It created sparks, a roar, an impact, and a blast of air.

He had launched his attack.

It was the blast of air more than the impact that hit Asano.

Her body was immediately struck and her mobile shell was damaged. By the time the defense spells had opened across her body, she had been tossed into the forest where she found herself rolling along the ground.

But she had definitely seen Yagyuu Munenori looking straight at her from beyond the sparks.

His body had been covered in scrapes.

How hard had he pushed himself to pursue her?

…''Dammit.

She did not try to stop her roll. She only hoped she would end up on her back once she came to a stop.

Ookubo looked to her left while fixing her hair after the blast of air blew it.

She saw Yagyuu Munenori gasping for breath while down on his knees.

“Yagyuu-kun.”

She breathed a sigh and spoke to the heavily-breathing boy.

“Well done. You have changed the state of the battlefield.”

“Th-then-…”

“Don’t force yourself to speak.”

“B-but,” he said while letting his upper body fall a bit forward. “Why didn’t you…move elsewhere… You must have heard…my Golden Hammer…”

“Judge, I did hear it. And I knew you were telling me to withdraw.”

“Then…”

After hearing him ask why she had not moved, she responded while typing on her sign frame.

“I knew you would get here before the enemy. So that seemed like the better option. And since that is what indeed happened, Kanou-kun is over there laughing.”

“Milady…”

Yagyuu’s upper body really did collapse now. He supported himself with his head and knees.

He must have been exhausted, but he was gradually catching his breath.

…''I would expect no less from him.

Just then, someone approached from the underbrush near his head.

“The Tachibana Couple.”

She saw the husband carrying the wife as he stepped out onto the grass with a smile.

“Oh? Looks like you held off the enemy well enough.”

“What were you two doing?”

“Judge.” Tachibana Gin descended from his arms and nodded. She glanced over at Yagyuu before answering. “Master Muneshige was certain that boy would do his duty, so he went surfing.”

“Well, when that flash flood arrived, I looked behind me and noticed a large fallen tree there, so I figured that was a good a way of escaping as any. …I had seen Sir Yagyuu running off already, so I decided to let that job return to him.”

“Master Muneshige, you are trying to regain your inherited name, so please stop letting other people take the credit.”

But thanks to that, a new battlefield situation had been established.

“I didn’t expect our unit to get the first victory.”

Ookubo wrote up a report to inform the other units of Yagyuu’s success. After hearing the Tachibana Couple’s conversation, she added a note that their assistance had played a major role in that success.

“Yagyuu-kun, can you stand?” she asked while sending the report.

“J-judge.”

He stood up next to her. He must have been really desperate to get here because his body and clothes were scratched up by branches. However…

“When did you get so tall?”

He was a head taller than her. But he took a breath, and…

“Milady, I will make sure to arrive before they do next time.”

“That means I’ll be in danger, right? Do something before it reaches that point.” She smiled bitterly and pointed forward. “Onward. The god of war unit will also be advancing along this line, so let’s make this something of a charge. But make sure you don’t provoke the fleet having a shootout in the sky to the right.”

The enemy unit was on the move in the distance.

Asano could hear it over the sound of her breathing and pulse which had yet to settle down.

She was lying on her back.

She was fairly certain her left shoulder was dislocated. The elbow may have been broken too, but the broken power assist divine protection of her mobile shell was the main reason she could not move most of her body.

The standard divine protections in her hard point parts were working hard to stabilize her condition. She operated a ''lernen figur'' with her right hand to prioritize healing. She left just enough of the physical buffing to endure the healing and then focused on a sedative effect.

She purged the moving parts of the mobile shell. She freed herself from it while leaving only the hip part and the back part which contained her survival kit.

Then she felt a chill.

Her body had been released from the armor restricting it.

The armor had held the heat inside, so once it was gone, her body touched the forest night air and a damp chill reached her skin.

She took a breath and finally looked up into the sky.

She could see the night sky through the valley formed by the leaves of the summer trees.

She saw the stars there.

And her ears detected the thunder-like rumbling of distant cannon fire. It reminded her of festival fireworks.

She exhaled and then filled her lungs with the chilly air. And…

“Dammit.”

Her vision blurred and heat dripped from the corners of her eyes toward her ears.

…''I failed.

She knew this situation was a good summary of everything for her.

She knew all too well why she had failed.

“That’s riiight.”

''Because I’m smaaart.”

''Because I’m really, really smaaart.

That allowed her to come up with excuses for her failure. These were the thoughts she always had while curled up in bed with her eyes shut, except her eyes were open this time.

The footing had been poor.

There had not been much light.

The enemy had been in hot pursuit.

She could think of all sorts of reasons for her failure. And she was confident she could convince people of those reasons.

''So I can protect myself even when I fail.

“But.”

But why did it frustrate her so much?

She had more than enough excuses to protect herself. Hadn’t she continually thought them up and memorized them while fleeing from pursuit?

She had done what she was supposed to do. The problem was the situation and her own inexperience.

''See, I’m even placing some of the blame on myself. That means I’m being rational. Now no one can complain. Everyone is sure to say I did my best.

So why?

“Dammiiiiiit.”

Why did her left arm refuse to move? Her right hand was not enough to wipe away the tears.

“Ah…”

It was so frustrating.

She thought back to that final moment when she saw the enemy’s eyes on her when he charged out in front of her.

''What was with him? He’s bound to have worse grades than me and he was even more desperate than me.'' But…

“Kh.”

That would be exactly why she had lost to him.

Had she actually returned his gaze back then?

She was not confident she had.

“That’s because…”

She tried to build up an excuse inside herself, but she could not.

Instead, she found a single word.

“Why?”

Asano asked a question.

“Why?”

This was not a reason beginning with “because”. It was the question used to find that reason.

''Why did I lose?

She could come up with any number of reasons for it, but that was not what she wanted. This was a more fundamental issue. And…

“Why?”

''Why am I crying when I have so many reasons to explain it away?

''Yeah,'' she said while placing her right hand on her weeping eyes and slowly removing it.

She could see the night sky through the dark valley above her.

This was not the utter darkness below the covers. It was dark, but there were sounds, everyone was moving, and she could see into the distance.

She realized she could also hear the summer insects chirping.

She breathed while listening to that distant chirping and thinking to herself again.

…''I lost.

That would normally have been unthinkable.

“Dammit.”

She moved. She sat up with the mobile suit removed.

She felt an awful ache in her chest. Had she broken a rib too? She could see an anesthetic spell ''lernen figur'' on her chest.

But…

“Kh.”

She let her body fall forward to lift her hips.

She grabbed the nearby grass even though it would provide no support and she tried to stand on her trembling legs.

She managed it.

“Dammit.”

The tears would not stop. There were bound to be tear stains on her cheeks when she regrouped with the others.

But she did not care.

“Why?”

She asked that of herself again as she took the first step.

She was better than other people at some things and she could protect herself, so why?

“Why?”

She did not know. She did not, but this had to be her first time asking this question.

She had failed, but she had gotten over the fear and anxiety and she was not thinking about quitting.

“Why does it frustrate me so much?”

She wiped away the tears as she walked off.

If she crossed the ridge to the east, would she arrive at the coast by the time the tears had stopped?

Word of Asano Yoshinaga’s defeat arrived along with notification of Ookubo’s unit’s advance.

The Musashi forces reported it as the first real victory in the Satomi Liberation, while the Hashiba forces reported it as their first real loss.

And the owners of two giant forms received those differently-framed reports on Bousou’s western beach.

“Musashi Ariadust Academy 6th Special Duty Officer – Naomasa.”

“Hashiba Warrior – Masaki Tokishige.”

The god of war Integrity spoke to Naomasa who was riding Jizuri Suzaku’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” said Tokishige through Integrity’s external speakers. “It took me until this shift in the situation to make up my mind here.”

Naomasa nodded in response.

“Well, I’m sure you have your reasons. Some idiots out there are already fighting and getting fired up over it, but you’re different. Is that the right takeaway?”

“Are you close with Yoshiyasu?”

That question brought a certain thought to Naomasa’s mind.

…''I get the feeling she’s going to be a pain to deal with.

''I’ve developed good instincts for when a person or a situation is going to be a pain,'' thought Naomasa.

She would really prefer not to deal with this. Unlike Tenzou, Toori, Urquiaga, and the others who had already reached the end of the sugoroku board and started on their second time around…

“I just want to live a normal life.”

“Then stay off the battlefield.”

Tokishige had a point.

But that had successfully dodged the question. A logical leap like that was a good way to change the subject. That was another skill she had learned while dealing with her classmates.

…''They can come in handy that way.

But as soon as she thought that, she realized she would not even need those skills if those awful people were not around her all the time.

''I live in a really difficult place,'' she realized, so…

“Your life has been difficult too, hasn’t it?”

“That is why I have already decided to fight.”

“Do you want to fight Yoshiyasu?”

After a pause, the enemy shook her head.

“Explaining would take too long.”

“I see.”

“Sorry.”

“That’s nothing to apologize for.” Naomasa readied Jizuri Suzaku for battle. “So let’s do this.”

She looked behind Integrity to the flight devices visible there.

Those had originally belonged to the Suzaku. And…

…''If I had had those wings…

If the Suzaku had been equipped with that flight device…

…''I bet I could have stopped Satomi Yoshiyori.

Then that idiot would not need to occasionally stop and stare into the distance while he was teasing Yoshiyasu.

Honestly. It was because things had worked out that way that they were in this situation, that those idiots were the way they were, and that she was the way she was. But still…

“You can’t help but feel the weight of the things that were out of reach, can you?”

“No, you can’t.”

Did the enemy have something like that too? In that case…

“Let’s do this. I want to extend my reach just a bit for next time.”

Naomasa moved the Suzaku forward.

“So I’ll be taking those wings.”

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| [[Horizon:Volume 7B Chapter 51|Chapter 51]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7B Afterword|Afterword]]
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