Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

CubexCursedxCurious:Volume1 Chapter1

2009-06-15T05:24:21Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter One: Night of Rubik's Cube */

===Chapter One: Night of Rubik's Cube===

"...What is this? Custard pudding?"

The girl said as she poked the yellowish-white object in front of her with a sulky expression.

"Have a taste and you'll know."

"Hmmm... hm?! T-this...."

She guided the spoon into her mouth, then froze up.

"It's not sweet! This is a fake! What a nasty food... When you say a soft pedestal and a black sauce, it just has to be a pudding!"

"Don't say nasty to the food. It's just tofu, a solidified soybean soup. You didn't like it?"

Haruaki sat just opposite of the girl after removing the apron he had on.
The girl's ill temper was obvious as she chewed the Yakko-Doufu. She was now wearing a borrowed shirt and hot pants.

"Hmph, it's not bad. It's inferior to the crunchy snack I was munching earlier, though."

"Poor tofu, being compared to a rice-cracker."

"So, that was called a rice-cracker. Now, that one had a unique food texture. It was sweet but spicy at the same time, and that feeling while crunching at it... h-huh?
Why are you looking at me?"

Haruaki simply answered that it was nothing, and looked away from the face that said she was caught off-guard. He started eating, too. Haruaki thought that this situation was just like what the old sayings wanted to share: to eat while you can, since you can't fight a war with an empty stomach.
The girl who sat opposite of him unnecessarily checked that the food in front of her was a fish, looking at the broiled mackerel pike as if she had never seen one before.
After her thorough observation, she placed down the spoon and fork she was holding. Haruaki imagined what she was going to do and initiated a warning before the girl's
bare hands got the mackerel.

"Wait. You'll have to go over my dead body first before you can eat something with bare hands in front of me."

Haruaki reached for the mackerel plate to prevent her hands from grasping it, but for some reason the girl suddenly backed off the tatami space she was sitting on.

"Hey wait. I just misunderstood things earlier. I was a little confused at first, but I'm alright now. I even lent you those clothes, didn't I?"

"I-I'm not sure.... I mean, you recently played with THAT part of my body earlier in front of the gate..."

"But I didn't know I was touching THAT part of your body. Oh hell, I'm sorry anyway. Just forgive me already, 'kay?"

Haruaki asked her a cliched apology while he started on the mackerel pike with his chopsticks.

"Watch me on how to dismantle this mackerel. Just do it first like this, then grab its head, and then pull it away with those nasty fishbones. It's easy, isn't it?"

The girl watched with interest for a while, but she quickly recovered her wary face. After a few seconds, she snorted with an ill temper as she sat back in front of the table.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"...I'm called Fear."

Fear quickly shut her mouth, as if she were surprised that she'd told him her name.

"Fear, is it?"

"Well, yes. It's none of your business though... you can just call me whatever you want."

"Unfortunately, you're part of my business now. You just became my top priority. In fact, the way you became my top priority was almost foul play. So, what are you anyway?
What kind of box are you?"

"Er..."

"Er?"

Without warning, she raised her eyebrows in outrage and started making holes in the broiled mackerel, just after Haruaki raised a question mark at her answer.

"Shut up! It's none of your business, you fool!"

"Whoa! What kind of cursing was that?! I haven't heard them for a while. Anyway, are you a brat, having an outburst like that?!"

"W-Why you?!"

"I haven't heard that for a while too... wha, hey! Stop attacking that mackerel and close your mouth!"

"Digging up a lady's past like that! You should learn some respect, you shameless brat!"

Haruaki thought that he didn't want to hear that from HER. But being the sensible one, he decided to give up.

"Whew.... Well, I won't push you if you don't want to tell me about your past. I know it's not exactly filled with happy memories."

It seemed that her temper cooled down some because of Haruaki's honest words. She was at a loss for words and turned her face down.

"I... hate that appearance. I wouldn't want to turn into that form unless its absolutely necessary. Someone told me that coming here would be easier with that form so
I had no choice but to give up..."

"Who told you? My old man?"

"He said his name was Honatsu... Are you his son?"

"Yeah. And my name's Haruaki. How's my old man doing?"

"I don't know. He said that he still had something to do over there."

"As much of a freeman as usual, I see. Geez, I'm tired of complaining about him though. As long as he keeps sending money for my living, I'll keep up with his game."

"I don't understand you two... I mean, you and your father. I thought an ordinary man wouldn't try to understand the likes of me."

"We've been receiving cursed tools like you since I was a kid. Usually, tools that we accept are those with a slight curse in it, but there are rare occasions where a tool who
can assume human form like you comes here for help."

After a brief silence, Fear let out a sigh and placed down the fork she was holding. Her serious gaze pierced Haruaki as she looked up, her silver hair swaying slightly.

"I'm going to say something serious."

"....Go ahead."

"I... I was placed in some dark dungeon, thrown away long ago by my last owner. Yachi Honatsu came one day and found me. He tried to talk to me, and I told him my wish."

"A wish?"

Haruaki already had an idea what her wish was. But, cursed tools who came here with their own will were often the ones who needed to confirm the purpose of their existence
by putting them into words. Knowing that, he chose to let her say it out loud from her own mouth.

The girl who was not human answered in a whisper, biting her lips softly,

"I want to free myself from my curse."

"How much do you know...? About the curse, and about tools like me?"

"Well, here's what I know; First, a tool changes its quality into negative direction if it continues to receive negative thoughts.
Second, a tool that receives negative thoughts often affect the owner and the people around it.
And third, in exchange with the negative effect it brings upon the people around it, it may show mysterious charm and function..."

"Is that all?"

Haruaki narrowed his eyes and looked at Fear, who was speaking with her eyes looking down at the table.

"To add one more, I know that after receiving all the negative thoughts and curses from humans, an item would become... something that's in front of me right now."

Yes. A tool which received too much grudge from humans will earn a human quality----

Haruaki didn't know the specific details, but he knew that an item gains a personal thought which affects its essence as a tool. It was a result of receiving grudges from people
over and over again. In the end, they'll possess their own mind, soul, and an ability to change forms with its own will.

"That's right. It started with a single grudge. I was made to harm people and because of it, I had received much hatred, grievances, and murderous intents. From those grudges,
I was branded with an abominable curse of [driving my owner into insanity.]"

Haruaki noticed that the girl was gripping her hands tightly. He thought it was better not to ask more about her about concrete details of the tool that she was and
about what she meant by driving her owner into insanity.

"My curse doesn't end there. The grudge I received gave me [human qualities] and my own will. To me who was nothing but a tool in the beginning. Let me correct, I was not given;
I was forced to have those capabilities. Have you ever thought about how bad the affinity between a will and a curse was? I envy those tools which only have a slight curse. They won't
realize by themselves that they were burdened by a curse. How fortunate it is to be blessed with ignorance!"

For a moment, she took a deep breath.

"I came here believing in Honatsu's words that I can free my curse here in this place. That's the reason why I came, but I was not told about the details of what I have to do. Tell me
honestly---- Will I, will I be able to lift the curse from myself without affecting the people around me? Remember that Honatsu sent me to you, so that makes you my current owner. If you're
just lying about here being a place to free one's self from a curse, you would be the first to receive the harmful effects that come with it."

Her eyes looked straight into his. But those eyes reflected undeniable fright and doubt.
That was why Haruaki simply told her,

"Yes, you can."

"....Huh?"

"I said you can free yourself from your curse here. You see, I don't have strong spiritual sense or special ability like my father, but it seems that I have a unique body constitution which
repels curses, which makes me unaffected by them. So, whatever your curse is, it doesn't work on me. Hahaha! Be afraid of me, you violent little girl!"

"What the...?! Wait, you said that I could lift my curse here, but how?"

"I'm not sure about the details, but this place has been a very pure land for a long time, and the area where this house was built was the center of the pure energy that comes from the land.
That's why just being here would fill you with positive energy. They say that this place is protected by some kind of force field, though the rate of cleansing is kinda slow. Just leaving the tools here would eventually lift the curse."

Haruaki remembered the woman who set the force field around the house. Her outfit caught many eyes, and she said that the force field would last for the next hundred years. He supposed that
there won't be a chance to see her again, if the force field would really last that long.

"And, there's another way of lifting a curse. The mechanic is simple; if a curse comes from negative thoughts, you just have to receive positive thoughts by helping people around you. If you keep on
receiving them, the curse will be neutralized eventually."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean to say that you have to vaguely perform acts that people will be thankful for, I suppose. You just have to live here and work as a part-timer or volunteer for public events... I think?"

"W-Wait, why was there a question mark in the end?"

Fear leaned forward, which sent the mackerel bits flying at Haruaki's face. He wondered if Fear did that on purpose.

"Well, its not like I actually experienced trying to lift a curse from myself. That was just what I heard."

She puffed out her cheeks like a child, making a sullen expression.

"I can't believe it... I mean, I don't think that simply sleeping or working here would lift the curse. Besides, I doubt that my curse could be lifted in a leisurely phase..."

"You're right about going leisurely. Being able to assume human form would mean that many curses have been gathered in your body, so it would take years to free yourself. I don't know any
other ways of lifting a curse, so maybe you'll just have to be patient about it."

"Hmmmmmmmmmmm, I still can't believe it."

"Don't worry so much about it. Even if you can't believe for----"

Ding dong. The door bell rung suddenly. Fear seemed to be frightened by it, so Haruaki told her that it was just a bell that said there was a visitor. He stood up and pointed at the table.

"The food'll grow cold, so eat it now. Especially the mackerel pike."

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"Good evening, Haruaki-kun."

A familiar smile greeted Haruaki as he opened the door. The smiling girl was wearing big round glasses like ones that you'd see in a manga. She had an apron around her well-endowed
body and it was impressionable. The pot that she was holding reinforced the familial impression that shrouded her.

"Hey, Konoha. What is it?"

"I've made too much Nikujaga for myself, so I thought that I'd share some with you. Its a bit late already, so maybe you can have it for your breakfast tomorrow."

"That'll be a great help. I was just having my dinner right now... Oh yeah, it's just great that you came now. I have a favor to ask of you."

Konoha slanted her head in question. At that exact moment, Haruaki heard footsteps coming toward him.

"Hey, Haruaki. The food was kind of lacking in quantity. Isn't there any left? I would like to request for a rice cracker if there's still any left."

"You eat too fast!"

Needless to say, the person who came behind Haruaki was Fear.

"Um, Haruaki-kun? Who is that child?"

"Oh yeah, the favor I was going to ask you was about---"

An openly belligerent voice came from Fear as she broke into the conversation.

"Hey, you there! We've just met and you started calling me a child. How dare you speak to me like that, you unfortunate-looking woman!"

"Unfortunate-looking....?!"

Konoha was still smiling, but Haruaki sensed a dangerous aura coming out from her. Fear stood behind him with arms crossed, looking aggressively at Konoha.
Haruaki thought he saw a lightning bolt run between Konoha and Fear.

"You two there. Why are you raising a hostile aura in front of my house?"

"I think you're just imagining things. I'm not angry, really. After all, they're just words of a CHILD."

At that moment, Haruaki felt a violent aura rising behind him. He sensed danger, so he quickly changed the topic.

"Er....Oh yeah! Hey Konoha, have you made anything else besides this? I mean, have you eaten your dinner? Why don't you eat here for a change? It's been a long time since the last time you ate here.
It seems that I have to cook more food anyway."

"Well, if you say so... I think I will. Come to think of it, it has been a long time since the last time we ate together, Haruaki-kun."

"My cooking skills haven't improved though."

"It was great, so don't worry. I think I'm getting hungry just thinking about the dishes you make."

Konoha smiled and entered the house. Suddenly, an insulting snort came out from nowhere.

"Go ahead and eat. Hah, I think that being able to send all the nutrients you eat to your breasts is some kind of talent. I bet that your brain's very light."

Haruaki heard a clashing metal sound. Almost at the same time, he saw Konoha kneeling on the floor, catching the pot that almost fell from her hands.
He looked at the floor and saw the handle of the pot, which was cut cleanly in half.

"...I think it's very sad when a person eats, but the nutrients don't go to their breasts... Oh, I was just talking to myself."

"W-Why you?!"

"Ahahaha-- I'll go ahead now."

Konoha let out a feigned laugh and went into the living room. Fear was staring at her back and was murmuring with hatred;

"What kind of character does that woman have...! Maybe I should curse her!"

"She's not usually like that. In fact, I have this feeling that you were the one who started the fight. Why are you being so hostile anyway?"

"It's none of your business! I just didn't like what she said when she saw me. That's enough reason for my hostility. Besides..."

A weird smile came from her angry expression.

"I just realized now that bullying that cow-tits woman is going to be fun. She'll see, I won't lose the next time...!"

Fear went back into the living room, letting out an evil snort as she walked to the living room.

Haruaki was worried about what could happen if he left those two together in the living room. But, he had to cook some food for Konoha and the hungry juvenile so he had
no choice but to leave those two together in the living room.
Haruaki made a plate full of an easy saute dish. Adding together some rice and miso soup for Konoha, he brought the food into the living room.
He was greeted by a view of two girls throwing dry laughs at each other. Only God knows what happened while he was in the kitchen. He didn't even want to know.

"I only sauted what was left in the fridge. Is that okay for you?"

"No problem. I've made quite lot of Nikujaga anyway."

With a "Ta-da" sound effect, Konoha lifted the lid of the pot she brought with her.
Inside the pot was a steaming soup of brownish broth and beef, letting out a fragrant smell of soy sauce. To put it simply, it looked delicious.
If you'll take a good look at it, you'll notice that an excessive amount of beef was covering all the other ingredients like potatoes. The beef formed a great pile,
just like a mountain sitting on a pot. If you ask me, it's more of a Niku-Niku-Nikujaga instead of a simple Nikujaga.

"Um, so, doesn't that look good?"

"It looks delicious, just as always."

Meat-demon Konoha's face lit up with a smile.

"I see, this definitely looks delicious. You can easily see that it was made by a gluttonous incarnate of appetite."

With that remark, the round lid that Konoha was holding fell on the table, cut into half. Without a word, she picked up the half circles and threw them behind her.
After that, Konoha mouthed an Itadakimasu and started eating with a cheerful (that was how Haruaki interpreted Konoha's expression) face.

"I've no clue why or how this meal has turned into a tense atmosphere, but I guess I have to make an easy introduction at least. Konoha, our visitor here is called Fear.
As you might guess, she was sent by my old man."

Konoha sent a look at Fear while she took loads of beef from the pot. Fear, on the other hand, completely ignored her.

"Fear, this is Konoha. Well, what can I say... er, she lives in the room inside the house's outer building, and we're also in the same school level though our classes are different.
She'd been like a childhood friend since I was a kid and----"

"And she's not human."

Fear said without a pretense. It was followed by few seconds of silence and,

".... That's right. She's like your sempai here in this place."

"I thought so. A lid would never break into half by itself. I know that tools who could assume human form could usually keep the nature of their original form even if they turn
into human form----I suppose you're some kind of blade aren't you?"

"Would you answer me if I asked what was your original form?"

Konoha asked with a smile pasted on her face. Fear replied with a snort.
Uncomfortable silence went on as they ate their dinner. All of their plates were almost empty when Fear spoke to Haruaki.

"So, you wanted to say earlier that I could believe what you said because there's a precedent."

"Er....Yeah. that's right. Konoha did a lot of helpful things like working part-time since when she first came here."

"He's right. Thanks to my deeds, I'm almost free from all of my curses."

"Almost, you say. What would happen if you become completely free from curse?"

"Tools with only a slight curse would just turn back into a normal tool. But according to my old man, the negative energy that built up inside the tools who could assume human form
went over the original nature that it had so even if you were able to neutralize those negative thoughts, their human form will be kept. That means that you two will just be
free from the curse that you have."

"So, I won't turn back into my original form..... I see."

"To be honest, I don't know much about it. Just ask my old man once he comes back."

Fear wasn't even listening to Haruaki. She just kept silent and nodded, murmuring "I see... I wouldn't...I see..." as she did.
It was as if she was trying to hide the expression of relief on her face.
Fear finished up the remaining food on her plate and asked a question to Konoha.

"Haruaki said earlier that you've been together with him for more than ten years now. Does it really take that much time?"

"I think it also depends on the degree of your curse, but..."

Two empty plates covered the table. For a moment, two eyes----one silent and one with a hint of hostility----looked at each other.

"The amount of grudge that we'd accumulated within ourselves are so great that whatever you do, we can't easily forget, throw away, or repent for them... You get on my nerves,
but at least, in that aspect, we could have something in common. This is something that could be shared between you and me, as a same ruined state of mind."

Fear started to say something, but just looked away and said;

"....It's the same for me, you know. You get on my nerves too...."

"Well, you just have to take it easy. I think there's nothing I could help with though."

It was a composed statement of a senior. Konoha had said those words with a lot of ease. Fear, of course, just snorted.

After that, Haruaki also finished his meal, so he cleaned up the table with Konoha and went to the kitchen to wash them. When he came back, Fear was hugging her knees and was looking up
at the ceiling with a blank stare. He brought an after-dinner tea, so he handed one to Fear and started drinking his.

"Oh yeah, Konoha, could you bring some of your old clothes? I wouldn't say right now but I just thought that it would be better if Fear had something to wear. I know that the size won't fit though."

"...Sorry for having small breasts!"

"I didn't mention any part of your body that wouldn't fit!"

Haruaki almost dropped the yunomi that came from the opposite side of the table.

"I guess that can't be helped.... Alright, I'll bring some as soon as I can."

"I'm counting on it."

"Say, what are you going to do for tonight, like where'll she sleep?"

"Huh? Well, I suppose she's gonna spend her night here. I'll just lend her one of the Japanese rooms."

"S-She'll be staying here?! Isn't that a bad idea, since I think it is!"

"But you see, the outer building's already full... Kuroe isn't home and her room is locked."

The outer building was made like an apartment, with two rooms inside. Konoha was living there with another housemate, but she was always away for about half a month, so Konoha
didn't really feel that she had a housemate living next door.

"By the way, make the guest room as luxurious as possible. That way, you can compensate for what you did to me."

"Compensate?"

Haruaki asked Fear, and he received a reply with a threatening attitude.

"Don't say you already forgot what you did to my body earlier! Playing with my body like that... I've never had someone put his finger [there]! My face was burning with
embarrassment!"

Haruaki was about to say that Fear was just a box at that time, when he heard a sound of yunomi rolling off on the tatami. He saw that Konoha was trembling as she stood up.
A false smile covered her expression for a while but it eventually broke into tears.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I can't believe it! Have you two already done THOSE kind of things?!"

Konoha ran away from the living room covering her face with her hands.
They just heard the violent sound of the entrance door being shut. Fear just nodded with content and said,

"I'm not sure what happened, but I've won. I feel great."

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Dull-colored stone floor was all that there was. The room smelled of metal and of metal-like stink. The air was congested but it wasn't stagnant.
The air was clear. Clear like the air inside a tomb or a casket.
There wasn't anything that could tell time. There was only a dead space, without a trace of any living things.
The only thing that you could feel from there was the constancy and blockade.
The mass of steel that was left there didn't have anything to do other than to whisper the same words over and over again.
It wasn't even said aloud. It just made circles within its mind. Like an endless loop.
When it's awake, while it's asleep, when it opened its mind, and when it closed its mind.
It's freezing, it's cold, it's dark, it's freezing, it's cold, it's dark, it's freezing, it's cold, it's dark, it's freezing, it's cold, it's dark.
It went on and on-----

She opened her eyes. There was nothing inside the Japanese room. She raked up and embraced the futon that was given to her. There was only the sound of scraping futon.
There was some warmth left in the futon but it was a false warmth... It was just an accumulated heat from covering someone. So, it was the same as having no warmth at all.
Shards of her dream sent a chill down her spine. She knew that there was a difference between this room and the dungeon room where she was kept.
But, even though there was a slight warmth and sound inside this room, she couldn't help thinking that this room was the same as the place where she was kept.
She silently opened the sliding door and walked along the porch. Moon light illuminated her path as she arrived in front of another room. She entered.
A boy was sleeping. He was laying in an odd position and his futon came off below his waist. A slight snort came from a faintly smiling face.
The girl kneeled down before the rolled-up futon and slowly reached for it. She stroked it for a while, then she brought it up to her cheeks.
It was someone else's smell.
Someone else's warmth.
That, perhaps, was the first time that she felt those things.

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Next day, during lunch break at school. Haruaki opened the lid of his lunch box and thoughts about the problem he left alone in his house came to his mind.

(I wonder If she'll be alright alone. I left her a note and some leftovers from my lunch box, but... Wait, what if she can't read?)

When Haruaki visited the girl in her room this morning, she was still sound asleep with a happy expression. He tried to wake her but she didn't wake up
so he just left her a note that says he's going to school and he'd left her some food.
Haruaki wondered if she was still asleep. When he woke up this morning, his futon was gone. When he entered the girl's room, he saw that the girl was covered
with HIS futon while hers was abandoned on the corner of her room. How it happened was still a mystery to him.

"Hey Haruaki! What's with you? You petrified all of a sudden after you opened your lunch box... Maybe you should be moving your body more, not just for cooking and housework.
Baseball is great, if you'd just give it a try!"

A classmate whom Haruaki always had his lunch with spoke to him. His name was Hakuto Taizo.

"His withered expression is nothing new, but it does have a different glow compared to his usual expression. Maybe---- he made some girl pregnant? Hahaha!"

"Kana! Enough of your vulgar jokes!"

A girl with healthy sun-kissed skin, Miyama Kana, followed Taizo's teasing with her own.
The class rep, Ueno Kirika, remonstrated Kana about her vulgar remark.

Kirika let out a disgusted sigh and turned to face Haruaki.

"Forget Kana's reckless remark. But, I too think that you lack the concentration that you usually have. Is there some thing that makes you anxious?"

"Huh? No, no, I don't have any problem. Maybe I caught a chill last night."

"Did you hear that Taizo-san? Kirika-chan just said something like this: I'm always looking at Yachi so I know something's wrong with him! Ohh, If there was something I
could do to comfort him..."

"What a villain you are Haruaki! Since when did you steal the class rep's heart? Did you save a princess? Have you set a fire to a forged bill factory? Did you kill someone
in a clocktower with pair of scissors?"

"Both of you! Stop s-saying nonsense! How foolish!"

Taizo and Kana had been Haruaki's friend since his junior high years while Kirika became his friend in high school.

Kirika was a formidable class rep. She was calm and composed at all times and her grades were top-notch. She always wore a knee-length long skirt, which gave her an impression
that she was born two decades later than she should have. She also hated to expose much of her skin, and was always wearing a jersey during physical education classes and
even at summer, she wore a long-sleeved blouse.
Because of this, only few people tried to get close to her and she was often alone during her first few days. It was only Kana, who was friendly to everyone, who forcefully
brought Kirika with them.
There was a specific reason though, why Kirika started to take her lunch together with them.

"Setting aside those worthless remarks, let us proceed to our daily showdown. I'm confident with my fried eggs today. I'll get back for all my previous losses! I'm counting
on you two for the judge."

Kirika opened her lunch box and brought it to Taizo and Kana's table.

"So, Kirika-chan. Do you think you have a chance of success today?"

"I've tasted it several times. Plus, I got hold of the fact that Yachi might have caught a cold... that means his taste organ might not be working well. I decided that today
is the day."

A spirited glare pierced Haruaki.

"Oh...where is she getting all that motivation...?"

"Well, they say that maintaining health is part of the battle. We only care about the taste, so don't worry. After all, we are the judges. Alright, here I go---!"

"I'll have this first! ------Wow Kirika-chan! These fried eggs are just great! I love the crunchy bacon bits!"

"Really now? So, It's great huh? Hehehehe.....!"

Kirika saw the two gave her food a good evaluation and smirked. But, that smirk was off her face immediately since the battle was still ongoing.
The judges reached for Haruaki's lunch box and-----

"Akki's fried eggs are delicious too! It's soooo good! .... Hmm I wonder where this strange taste comes from?"

"Haruaki, what did you add to your fried eggs?"

"I've put some avocados in it. Hehe, I based it from an old cooking manga."

Taizo and Kana looked at each other and nodded. They grabbed the winner's lunchbox and raised it above their heads, looking like funny symmetrical statues holding a
lunch box.

"Um, the tastes were both great but we decided that Haruaki won for his novel idea!"

In that moment, Kirika lowered her head, both her hands shaking.

"Ugh....! Novelty.... They're right. My attention was tied to the taste and I failed to give a thought about an original idea....! So I learned today that a conservative
idea alone is not enough to go against the ever-changing idea these days!"

".....Hey, class rep, I keep telling you that you shouldn't be THAT serious with the battles."

Haruaki tried to reassure her. Kirika raised her head and said;

"I can't keep on losing to a man especially when it's about cooking! I'll win for sure next time!"

He'd already heard that line many times. But, telling that now to the class rep would be suicidal so he kept his mouth shut and just returned a bitter smile.

After that, they proceeded on having their own lunch for a while.
A little later, Haruaki heard a classmate calling out to him that he had a visitor. He looked at the door and saw a familiar face.

"It's Konoha-san! She's just as...well, you know, as always! Damn it Haruaki, please tell her that I, Taizo, send my appreciation for her being as beautiful as
a belladonna!"

"I don't know why Hakuto would choose a poisonous flower to compare her to. It's plain stupid."

Haruaki ignored the conversation behind him and walked over to the door. It was his first time seeing Konoha in school today.

"What's up?"

"There's nothing important, really... It's just that I worry about that girl..."

"I tried to wake her up but she wouldn't so I just left her alone with a note."

"What?"

She froze.

"Was it ok to leave her alone?"

"From what I saw last night, I think that she's harmless enough but, hmmm... now that you mentioned it, I started to worry about her. After all, we didn't talk that much."

"Have you seen her.... original form?"

"Just a little bit, when I saw her for the first time. She was a big mysterious box."

He started to think about something for a moment but decided that he had no idea what she was and shook his head in surrender.

"Well, if you say that she's alright, I guess she is. I suppose there's nothing to worry about."

Konoha bowed her head in good bye and went back to her classroom.

(She said there's nothing to worry about, but....)

When a person starts to worry, it won't leave him until he checked on what was worrying him. It was like having second thoughts about your answer in an examination when you
checked it over for a correction. Haruaki had no choice but to stare at the slow-moving clock inside the classroom and wait for the time to go home.

After the classes, Haruaki and Konoha met in front of the school entrance.

"Don't you have a student council meeting today?"

"I've passed for today. I felt like it."

There was an understanding between the two. Haruaki hurried back to his house together with Konoha who was publicly known as his related cousin.
They arrived at the gate, opened it quickly, then entered the house. There they saw----

"What the?!"

They saw that the inside was horrible. Turned back table was standing in a slant position, its leg piercing the sliding door. The cabinets turned over. On the floor was
unnecessary things that should have been inside the closet scattered all over.

....Just in a half day, his place of rest became a place of chaos. Something extraordinary must have happened here.

Haruaki searched for the silver-haired girl, his heart beating wildly. He found her immediately.
She was lying face-down on the porch. Not a movement from her. He kneeled over her and picked her up.
He tried to talk to her while he shook her body. Her eyes opened and she blinked with a blank stare.
Konoha went to the kitchen to get some water but hurriedly came back.

"We've got a problem! The kitchen too is in wretched condition!"

"Just what in the world happened here... Fear! Come on, Fear!"

"Ugh...... Stop shaking me... I'm alright..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Oh, you just don't know what I've been through."

Fear sat up and held her head. Her head was drooped as she breathed in and out, as if saying that she was about to say something very important. She raised her head and said;

"Listen... A light green-colored alien with three legs came here a while ago and----"

"Haaaa!"

Before Fear could finish, Haruaki's hand went to the back of her head. A good sound came out from his strike.

"W-what are you doing all of a sudden?! You want me to curse you?!"

"I should be the one asking you what were you doing! I get it, you had nothing to do so you tried to destroy the house didn't you? Look at what you did!"

"Y-you're wrong..."

Fear faced away.

"Then how can you explain my collection of rare dishes being sucked by the vaccuum cleaner?! I could only take it as a presentation of malice against me! Have I done anything
to you?!"

Haruaki cornered her. Fear just made a sullen face and glared at Haruaki.

"Shut up! I don't care what you say about me! I'm feeling sleepy so I'll go get some sleep! Don't even try bothering me!"

She ran away to her room. Haruaki was taken back by her sudden outburst and lost the will power to follow her.

"That little... tsk, she should try to be the one who'll fix these things up! So this is how she repays me for my kindness!"

"...Um, excuse me?"

Konoha was the one who was poking Haruaki's shoulder. She said to Haruaki in an awkward manner;

"I think that in that situation, you have some faults too, you know."

"Why? I can't explain what she did other than playing a prank against me."

"Well, if you try to look at things around you, maybe you'll see what I mean. Try to look over there on the garden. Or at the kitchen"

Haruaki tried to look at where she pointed out. It was totally different from how he left them this morning. He still couldn't see anything other than Fear trying to play a-----

"....Huh?.... That girl... was she trying to...?"

What Fear did first when she entered her room was to mount on a pillow and punch it to get some stress out of her body. The moment she got out of breath, she took the futon out
and covered herself with it. But, that didn't completely take out her anger.

"Hmph....Hmph! That idiot, that shameless brat....! He doesn't have to be so..."

He didn't even try to listen to my explanation. How annoying.
Well, to tell the truth, she wasn't that enthusiastic about trying to explain things to him...

"There's no way I could tell him what I've been up to."

She can't explain THAT to him. It was too embarrassing and too disappointing. She had that much pride, at least. She couldn't help it but----it was annoying.
After letting out a big snort. She rearranged the futon and covered her head again.

<center>* * *</center>

For the few days that Fear spent together with Honatsu, she was taught by him the basic Japanese reading and writing, as well as the common knowledge about the modern world.
That was why Fear was able to read the note that Haruaki left for her. She thought that leaving her alone here was impertinent but there wasn't anything she could do about
it so she just ate the breakfast/lunch that Haruaki left for her. After the meal, Fear murmured to her self.

"..... Phew. How boring."

She was sitting at the porch and looking up at the sky. That was when the "urge" hit her. It was a refreshing experience since it was her first time, but it was kind of
embarrassing thinking about it------The call of nature.

"Being a human wasn't as comfortable as I thought."

She went to the washroom, making a face. After a few moments, her mission was completed.

"Now that was convenient. Haruaki said that it was called a faucet. I was quite amazed."

Fear stood before the wash stand, washing her hands and thinking about the great changes of the world around her. She mastered the use of faucet. Though she was amazed
sometimes at the technology, she taught that it was not enough to make her afraid.
While she was shaking the water off her hands, something inside the room caught her eye.

"Hm. I know that machine. It's called a "Washing machine". You put water and detergent to it and it will wash the clothes automatically."

Fear remembered what Haruaki said last night. She had to do something that [people would be thankful for] in order to lift her curse. Now, she thought about her current
condition. She had nothing to do. Maybe she should start doing something that would be helpful for people. Haruaki also said that it would take a lot of time to lift the
curse. If so, she should start early to finish earlier than it will originally take.

"....Hehehe. Thank me for what I'm going to do. And marvel at my true capacity...!"

First of all, she grabbed the clothes in the laundry basket and put them inside the washing machine. Next, she searched for a box of laundry detergent and found a box of powder
besides the washing machine. She tried to smell and it smelled like soap. She thought with confidence that this was the laundry detergent. Finally, she put the detergent inside
the washing machine-----one whole box of it. After the procedure, she tried to push different buttons and saw that the machine started to operate.

"I can do this...hehehe. I'm amazed by my adaptation ability. Well, maybe I should clean the house next!"

The thing that she needed was called a vacuum cleaner. According to Haruaki, it was a box with long nose attached to it. She found the vacuum cleaner inside the closet.

"I know too that this machine requires electricity. There should be a nose-like hole on the walls. Hm, this should be it. It does look like a nose hole. But, hmmmm this
fork at the back of the vaccuum machine won't reach those holes......Wha?!"

The cord extended as she played with the plug. She was surprised by the unexpected movement.
She coughed, held her head high, and looked at her left and right.

"......It was just a feint. I knew about that."

She inserted the plug into the consent and tried to push all the buttons of the vacuum cleaner. It revved up and started to suck in dust. Perfect.
Fear slowly moved the vacuum and cleaned the whole room. She started to enjoy using the vacuum, so she proceeded on cleaning anywhere that she pleased.
She gradually got used to it and became faster as she cleaned. Though, there were some unknown phenomenon where the cord became heavier and crashing sounds resounded
behind her. Fear tried to look back but something more important entered her sight. It was a black eight-legged insect that was crawling above the tatami.

"A s-spider?!"

Goosebumps rose all over her. Fear asked herself why did it have to appear in front of her.
She vilificated her luck and tried to run away but she quickly turned back in self denial, thinking that she shouldn't back off against a spider.
Grabbing the vacuum cleaner, Fear rushed to the spider. The machine she was holding wasn't a convenient vacuum cleaner anymore. It was an advanced weapon that could
send that wretched spider into another dimension.

"Turn into ash with the power of electricity!"

The spider quickly changed its direction and was able to evade the attack. It went inside the open closet where the vacuum cleaner was placed.
Fear couldn't hold back so she inserted the vacuum inside the closet and tried to suck in the spider. The vacuum hit other things inside the closet while
fear was maneuvering it. They came crashing out of the closet.
The vacuum must have sucked in something big since the vacum suddenly stopped working after raising a weird sound.

"What the?!"

She was the one attacking a while ago but now the table was turned against her. She backed a few steps and quickly shut the closet door. She sat down, let out a sigh and
thought of letting go of the closet door.
What should I do? Should I attack again? No, there's no need. he won't be able to get out unless I open this door. That's right, I'll just keep it shut. I'll just have
Haruaki terminate it when he comes home.

"I didn't see anything..... Yes, that's how it is."

Fear saw an object familiar to her rolling near her feet. It must have come from the closet. It was a cube in a size where one could hold it in their palm, having a surface of
3x3 tiles. Every tile was painted with different colors.
She slanted her head and tried moving the cube. The colored tile shifted. She thought that if the tiles are moved right, the color on surface of the cube would be uniform.

"...... ...... ...... Oh! I forgot that there are things that I should be doing right now."

Fear placed the cube back on the floor. That moment, she heard a buzzing sound coming from the washing machine. She remembered that she was washing clothes.

"....Well, it certainly is showy. I wonder if it was necessary to do that much."

Bubbles were bursting out from the washing machine like a mountain. Not only that, the overflowing water made a pool on the floor.
Anyway, if there are washed clothes then they must be hung to let them dry.
Fear rescued the washed clothes out of the washing machine and placed them in a basket. She got out into the garden and went to the drying pole. The garden was carpeted
with green grass and it felt good to her bare feet.
Fear stood before the drying pole, wrung the clothes and set them on the pole to dry. There were triangular beak-like things on the pole but she didn't know what its used for
so she put them away. Maybe it was a charm or something.

"This is the last....one. Phew. It's perfect."

The clothes waved like a flag. Thinking that she was the one who did it caused a strange sense of fulfillment course through her.

It came when she tried to turn back, confident about her victorious feat-----A gust of wind.

There was no way she could go after it, and the towel went up over the roof. She made a wry face and jumped high onto the roof.
She heard a sound of something breaking below her but the towel was more important at that moment. She collected the towel and jumped down to the ground.
At that moment, another gust of wind came, as if it was playing a prank against her. Because of this, some of the clothes flew high up onto the branch of a tall tree.
She clucked and placed the collected towel on the pole. The moment she let go of the towel, the gust carried it up again, on to the tree branch. Damn. It was endless.

"..... Er, well. Clothes will dry faster if there was a wind to dry it. That means that those clothes over there on branch will dry faster. When viewed from a broad
perspective, it was better that it went up there on the tree.... or at least, I think that way."

She forcefully convinced herself and turned back to the house's direction, trying not to look at the waving clothes on the tree
a strange thing came into her view. And it was....

First, there was the living room. The cabinets were turned over and the table on the center was slanted into a weird position. Its foot pierced through the sliding door.
The cord constricted around the table. She didn't notice because of the appearance of the spider and the cubic toy. Somehow, she thought she knew what that caused weird phenomenon earlier.
Adding to that, many things which came from the closet were scattered on the floor and the vacuum cleaner was lying dead on the floor.
Fear also noticed that something fell from the roof and saw that it was a gray-colored roof tile. It must have been the breaking sound she heard when she jumped over to the roof.

It was the first time that fear thought that something was strange. It seemed that the house became disarranged, more than before she started cleaning. In fact, she had a
feeling that it was completely wretched. She wondered why.

"Could it be that I have done something wrong?"

Two people's footsteps answered her question.
Fear slowly went over the porch and laid on her stomach, thinking.
A poltergeist or an alien. Which would be more credible if she were to reason out?

<center>* * *</center>

"Hmmmmmmmmm. I have this feeling that what she tried to do was too predictable but, could it be really...?"

Haruaki murmured to himself while looking up at the laundered clothes swaying on the branches of the tree located in the garden.

"If she was just playing around, she wouldn't think to put laundry detergent into the washing machine.... Except for the amount she put in it. If you go to the washing machine
right now, you'll see for yourself that it's throwing out bubbles like a crab."

Konoha raised her hands and formed a "scissors", trying to imitate a crab. Haruaki picked up the Rubik's cube that was laying on the floor.

"Really. Where did she find this thing?"

"Um, Haruaki-kun...? Do you remember the time when I first came here?"

"I can't remember much of the details, but I do. You did some strange things back then."

She came to this house when Haruaki was about to enter grade school. Of course, he didn't remember the clear details but he could still remember Konoha's impression.

"I thought so. Well, I wanted you to forget all about it at first but thinking about it it now, I'm glad that you still remember how I used to be."

"Why?"

"Hehe. You just have to tell Fear-san what you told me back when we first met. With that, I bet all the problems will be solved."

"I don't remember what I told you. What did I say back then?"

"Well, Haruaki-kun didn't change a bit so you just have to tell her what's on your mind right now."

After that, Konoha offered to help cleaning up the house but Haruaki politely refused. He felt that it was something he had to do, and not anyone else. Konoha didn't argue
with him.
Later, after Konoha went back to the outer building, Haruaki left the Rubik's cube on the table and looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh hell. What am I supposed to do...."

In that evening.

"Hey. Are you awake?"

He waited patiently for the answer. After few moments, it came to him.

"Shut up. I'm asleep."

"No you're not. You answered my question."

"Shut up and be silent if you don't wanna be cursed."

"Alright, alright. So, don't you have something to say?"

After an interlude of silence, Fear replied that she didn't have anything to say to him. Haruaki said never mind and sighed. Talk about being stubborn.

"You might not have anything to say to me, but I do. Well, er... I'm sorry."

There was no reply. There wasn't anything he could do for her silence so he just continued speaking.

"I already knew what I should have done, but I forgot. You look like a human but you aren't-----but in reality, you're a human so you might have some difficulties at first. There might
be things that you wouldn't understand, and there might be times where you bother other people. There also might be times where you have a quarrel with someone. Konoha also
went through all of that."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about but don't compare me to that cowtits. It's unpleasant."

"Yeah, okay. Well, what I want to say is... that you don't have to hurry trying to lift your curse. And, if there is something that you don't know, just ask me and I'll teach you
so long as it is something that I know. I left your dinner at the kitchen so you can have it when you get hungry. I'll be going now. Oh, I forgot, here's my present for you.
Take it."

Haruaki left the paper bag he was carrying onto the floor in front of the sliding door. After that, he went back to his room, yawning as he walked away.
After a few minutes, the sliding door silently opened. After some minutes of observation, a white hand came out and took the paper bag. The sliding door moved silently as the
sliding door closed.

Inside the paper bag was some clothes. They were kind of big but most of them were universally fitting one pieces. There was also new underwear that was wrapped in a plastic.
A note fell from it saying "Only underwear should be brand new for infants"....

"Drop dead!"

Fear threw the note on the floor by reflex. She noticed that behind the paper was another note addressed to her. It said, "If you want a bra, try to work part-time and buy it yourself. You'll be able to do so when you get used to living here..... Well, we're cursed tools so our bodies won't grow. That means that there won't be a need to, I mean, it would
be just a waste of time if you...."

A heel drop struck the paper before Fear could finish reading.
There were other things inside the paper bag other than the clothes. It was the cubic toy from earlier. And, there was also...

"....a rice cracker."

Her stomach growled. Haruaki said that she ate all the stock so he must have bought it for her.

"H-Hmph. I won't be bribed that easily. Does he think I'm such a child that I'll fall to his scheme?"

Despite her muttered complaints, her hands opened the snack and dug-in to the treat. Her other hand played with the Rubik's cube. Sound of creaking plastic filled the room.

"Hm. Sesame seeds. It's coated with sesame seeds. How fragrant..."

Fear thought about Haruaki while two sounds resounded inside her room.
Well, I'll forgive that shameless brat for now. He should thank my merciful heart. First things first-----I should ask him where this wonderful snack is being sold.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[CubexCursedxCurious:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[CubexCursedxCurious|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[CubexCursedxCurious:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Epilogue

2009-06-15T04:55:25Z

99.159.252.71: /* Epilogue */

===Epilogue===

In the silence, Nina stood rooted on the spot.

Before her lay the decapitated corpses of the larvae. No one at the scene had understood what had happened.

The medical students were the first to recollect themselves. They started to work on the injured.

The medical student who had dragged Nina back applied antiseptic liquid, haemostatic and cell regeneration gel on her wound. He then bandaged the wound not too gently.

What had happened?

Only a few minutes had passed since the Student President began the countdown. No one else had done anything, yet the larvae were tore apart one after another.

Did Layfon do this?

Probably. She shivered. Was this due to her blood loss? Excitement……

Or fear?

Extraordinary skill. Was this what a Heaven Blade successor was like? She thought of this as she pressed down hard on the trembling of her body with her right wrist.

The students who didn’t know anything began to move. Some shouted in shock. Others were joyful of being alive.

Yes, they should be happy.

She tried to think along that line.

Damages were minimized because of Layfon. She didn’t plan to deny that point. As long as Layfon was here, they could safely win the next Military Arts competition.

But, was this really ok?

To resolve a crisis relying on one strong person only?

If she had lost her life, she wouldn’t be here, thinking of this now. Without Layfon’s help, she’d have died already.

He wasn’t proud of his exceptional skills in Military Arts, and his viewpoint was totally different from everyone else’s.

She didn’t think the way he thought was totally bad. The past Nina who didn’t have to worry about money could never understand, but now she could. She understood because she also had to earn for her own school fees and living.

But……

“No, what am I thinking?”

She turned around, about to give the retreat order.

And her gaze came across him.

“Layfon……”

Layfon stood on the edge of the city, on the other side of the larvae corpses.

He wasn’t there before.

He had just flown up from the ground, using one of the wires. It looked as if he had just jumped up one step to stand on Zuellni’s edge.

No words came from Nina.

“Ah, it’s great that you’re ok, senpai.”

He staggered to her, his appearance appallingly terrible.

His face and part of his arm not covered by the uniform was swollen red. His eyes were all red and tears tracked down his cheeks.

“This…….?”

“Sorry, I ran too far from the city.”

So he was in pain, but his smile looked more like a spasm.

“If I didn’t destroy the mother, the other filth monsters would come……”

As if he was shyly…… no, looking at him trying to smile and break apart the awkward atmosphere, she felt her thinking was too foolish.

“You were stupid. We’ve got gears tailored for outside combat!”

“Huhuh! Really?”

“Of course. This is an Academy City, but even so, it’s famous. You can find normal gears here.”

His dumbstruck expression looked ridiculous. She laughed. And he also smiled, if only a bit sourly.

Then……

“Sorry, I’m a bit tired. Let me rest a bit,” he said, and toppled.

“Hey!”

She supported him, but he showed no signs of waking up. As she herself was weak from blood loss, she fell also, unable to fully support his weight.

“H..Hey, you shouldn't sleep in such a place!”



“And you look so thin too…… You’re heavy!”

No matter how much she pushed at him, he remained inert. For some reason, none of the medical students nearby came over to help. Angry, she struggled to get him off her.

The sound of peaceful snoring.

“Geez……” she sighed.

“Never mind. You’ve done well,” she patted his hair that was roughened by soil particles.

He said he participated in the underground matches for money, but he risked his life in a fight that had got nothing to do with it.

Wasn’t this the correct action of a person trained in Military Arts?

She herself probably hadn’t discovered that Layfon’s nature was not bad. He was just too honest.

To the level of rushing forward to do the right thing without harbouring any doubt.

''(If only I can do something for this guy.)''

She thought as she patted his hair.

And……

“Huh! Aaahhhhh! Blood. He’s vomiting blood! Stretcher! Get a stretcher over!” she shouted.

The medical students finally stirred.

''(So noisy……)''

Layfon thought, half asleep and half awake.

''(Oh yes, I’ve to write a letter back to Leerin.)''

The days of the normal time might come.

And they should be more relaxing than the past.

He’d report everything to Leerin. As that thought fled, the background noise also fled, and he fell into a deep slumber.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T04:47:40Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issues.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for that purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends to meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirts of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcements.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depths of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as the basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their prey with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as an anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirts. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T04:44:40Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issues.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for that purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends to meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirts of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcements.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depths of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as the basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their prey with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirt. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T04:41:05Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issues.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for that purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends to meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirts of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcements.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depths of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as the basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their preys with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirt. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T04:37:33Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issues.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for that purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends to meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirts of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcements.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depth of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their preys with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirt. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T04:35:05Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issues.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for that purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends to meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirts of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcement.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depth of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their preys with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirt. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T04:20:01Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issues.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for that purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends to meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirt of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcement.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depth of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their preys with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirt. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

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| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
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| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T04:06:28Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issues.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirt of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcement.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depth of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their preys with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirt. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T04:04:11Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issue.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirt of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcement.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depth of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their preys with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirt. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter6

2009-06-15T03:46:57Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 6: On the polluted earth */

===Chapter 6: On the polluted earth===

"It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting polluted substances from within the soiled earth, for a long time.

Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time, living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber.

However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, living by consuming polluted substances is possible. But It's offspring are different. Since the larvae form are intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it.

That's why they need unpolluted nutrition.

In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep.

With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing.

<center>◇</center>

The sounds of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon catches her by the arm.

For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it, he only stood up.'''(!)'''

"What...is this...?"

To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice won't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her.

"It's a cityquake."

Layfon also raises his voice.

"This is... a cityquake?"

''Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing.'' Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face.

"At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine..."

Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor.

''If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole?'' If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters.

Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!"

"Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internal-type Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle.

"Ah, the hell with it!"

Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying.

In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air.

"She's too reckless."

Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage.

There wasn’t time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow.

As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn’t surface……And Layfon's got his confirmation.

“Oh, no!”

Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor.

“Wait up!”

Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again.

“Let go! There’s no time to spare!”

“Yes! No time!” Layfon said, his anger matching hers.

Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted.

“This is an emergency. We don’t have time to laze around. If we don’t escape……”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have.”

“Just what are you talking about?” she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction.

''(How could she be used to such peace!?)''

He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn’t know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon’s expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became.

“Layfon!?” Nina’s angry voice called him back to reality.

He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina’s body.

A simple and absolute message.

“The filth monsters are here.”

<center>◇</center>

The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building.

His destination wasn’t the Student President’s office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance.

“Situation?”

A thin and tall male student replied to Karian's short question. “One-third of Zuellni’s legs are trapped in the ground, unable to move.” His pale skin looked green.

“Escape?”

“Yeah…… it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now……well, the legs are stuck.”

Karian addressed Vance. “How’s the evacuation going?”

“The City Police are evacuating the students, but it’s too chaotic, so they don't have the situation under control yet.”

Vanze shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

“That can’t be helped. We don’t have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible.”

Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course.

“Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city’s defense system.”

“We’re already on it.”

“Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core.”

Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. “Do you think we can do this?”

Everyone looked at Karian.

The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in here was a student. There were no adults in any of the years, from seniors down to juniors. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt.

Could they safely pass through this crisis?

“Only a dead end awaits us if we don’t do this. Not only are the Military Students going to die, but everyone in Zuellni,” Karian concluded.

Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say “Let’s run away”.

Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn’t survive on the polluted earth.

“We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's, no, also for our own future. Please understand this reality and act accordingly.”

Everyone nodded at Karian’s icy resolution.

<center>◇</center>

“……The filth monsters?” Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of alertness was in regards to the danger around them.

“How could this be! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can’t be happening……”

“A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the ground, and even that has its limit. What Zuellni encountered this time is a matured mother form sleeping underneath the ground,” he told her his speculation.

The female filth monsters had eggs inside her body. The mother slept in a dormant state until the eggs matured into the forms of filth monsters. The young ones just hatched could not absorb the polluted substance, so the mother would provide them the nutrients she had stored in her body during her dormant state. If this still wasn’t enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they became fully matured.

And even if that wasn’t enough, the mother would become food for her young.

The nature of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong.

“The mother wouldn’t become food if there isn’t a need for it.”

If there was food close enough……

“What……”

Nina now understood his deeper meaning.

The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina’s hand trembled.

Is it fear? But, if so……

Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak.

“So please head for the shelter……”

“Stop it!”

Her reaction hit him on the face.

“You’re saying to evacuate? You’re telling me to run away!? Do you think this is allowed!?”

He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match.

She was too naïve.

“What is our power for? What is the meaning of this power in us!? Isn’t this the time? Not for the fights between people, but for our survival. Do you think we are allowed to run away at this time? Stop joking!”

He knew why she was trembling. It wasn’t fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear.

And that was why it was so bright.

Layfon squinted at that brightness.

He never thought a person’s Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina’s right here, exuding this level of light.

“……You really are despicable,” she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. “You have great power. Why don’t you use it for something useful?”

Her eyelids lowered.

“I don’t know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don’t get it, so I can’t fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that’s worth pursuing? There isn’t a need to use such dirty means to taint your strength and station? From your viewpoint, it isn’t wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, you should be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won’t you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren’t you also saving their hearts?”

Her words stabbed him like a knife.

The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven Blade successor.

Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of a Heaven Blade.

Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him.

He had been betrayed.

But could it be them who thought they had been betrayed?

“I’m going.”

“Wait.”

Even if you go, you……. He swallowed the other half of his words.

You can’t possibly win. He was dizzied by Nina’s Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what if he said this?

“If we don’t fight now, when do we fight?”

The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters – it was their mission given from heaven – the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. Anyone would think like this.

If they don’t fight, who would fight?

If it was me……

Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist.

He didn’t want to fight for the sake of others.

He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him.

“Who’s fighting for others……”

Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the siren and the commotion of people evacuating.

“I don’t have a need to fight anymore,” he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell.

The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn’t be in, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room.

Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn’t enter a shelter, it was right to bear arms for self-defence. Even if it wasn’t for others, he had to fight for his own life.

The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only created an unnatural feeling he had about his current situation. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing.

The unnatural feeling that he wasn’t on the field fighting filth monsters.

“Fighting them has become a habit,” he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always ahead of everyone, standing alone in the battlefield. For some reason, the number of filth monsters was especially high in the paths of Grendan. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared with other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts.

But this didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t want to fight for others anymore…….”

He then noticed something was behind the door.

“!”

He picked it up, not knowing what it was.

“Letter...”

It was an envelop that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address of somewhere in Grendan and a nostalgic name.

“Leerin……”

The security of the dormitory must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. The letter must have arrived when Layfon was at the school.

He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter.

His eyes widened at the first line that completely shattered his lie.

''Don’t lie!''

''I’m very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don’t blame me. I wasn’t lazy in replying. But please at least remember my address.''

''Anyway, I’m angry. It’s impossible for you to quickly become good friends with people, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don’t look down on me.''

“So mean……” he sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill… so that was how he appeared in her eyes……

He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin was the closest person to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn’t ignore her words.

As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring turned intense, striking him hard from the inside. He couldn’t sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him.

As he finished reading, he pushed open the door with force and rushed through the corridor.

He ran.

And ran heedlessly.

As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, thinking back on its content.

''I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it’s me, even I’d want to run away and forget everyone’s cold gazes.''

''But you don’t really want to forget everything, do you? You’re still sending letters to Grendan, wanting to keep in contact with me. If you truly want to seal off your past in the deep of your mind, then I should also be in it.''

''I’ve always watched you train, watched you grow strong. I never felt the you back then didn’t want to train in Military Arts. The posture you held when you were waving your long sword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was so dazzling in my eyes.''

''I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength.''

''Layfon, you’re the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn’t a lie. The you that kneeled before the Queen felt so far away, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us the possibility that we could also make something big of ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. You could give off such heat, then we can also be successful.''

''It was all because of you that I didn’t find work but decided to study.''

''I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like this because of him. He said he’ll now think deeper of how to spend money wisely.''

''Our father is so useless. But whether it’s the past or the present, he’s caring for us in his own way. If it isn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t have met.''

''And you’ve changed him.''

''I’ve decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issue.''

''I want to protect our orphanage, just like father.''

''It’s good if Layfon could protect the orphanage and the time when we once again live together in Grendan. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can’t we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before?''

''I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan.''

''To dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.''

''Leerin Marfes.''

<center>◇</center>

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form.

A number of Zuellni’s legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni’s legs struggling to move filled the air.

And the other noise was……

Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha…….

The sound as of water oozing forth came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni.

Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood came one after another……

Dots of red light lit up the deep night.

One, two, three, four…… one after another, red light climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon afterwards, Zuellni was drowned in a sea of red light.

The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a part of the red lights gathering on the ground.

It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, the compound eye on the head flashed with red light. Gacha noise came from the friction between its body movement and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster.

Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above.

Where the food was.

The earth cried out. It was their mother’s voice.

Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there.

Eat.

Slaughter.

Drink.

And become strong, strong, strong……

The larvae stirred. They didn’t even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and attempted movements. Irritation grew from unfamiliarity with their bodies, but they bore it with appetite and moved according to their mother’s voice.

The shell above the body split into two.

And beneath it was something half-transparent, filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larva shook, the crumpled paper that was wetted with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings.

And, a new noise dominated the scene.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………..

The sound of fast beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground.

Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food – Zuellni.

And Nina witnessed this scene at the city’s boundary in the northwest section.

The sound of unease struck through every fibre of her being, then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened.

The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene……

(The number might even exceed Zuellni’s population?)

She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn’t the time to fall under despair. If she, the captain, gave off this expression, how could the platoons keep on fighting?

The sea of red and black swept towards Nina’s position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrum.

“Shooting team, start firing!” she shouted into her transmitter.

The shooting team led by Sharnid fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirt of the city.

They fired.

The condensed Kei hit the frontline of the larvae and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground.

The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells.

“They can’t fly for long period. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don’t let any reach the city.”

“Roger. I can’t die here. I still have a date tomorrow.”

[[Image:CSR vol01 261.jpg|thumb]]

Usually, she would have felt irritated at his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She felt more relaxed, and restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety lock released looked more vivid and clear than usual.

Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter.

Then where was she……?

There wasn’t time to ponder this question.

Before Nina were numerous larvae.

The larva’s head that looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw in which four sharp teeth were stirring.

“How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!”

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae.

<center>◇</center>

Harley’s eyes widened.

“Why are you here?”

Not far from the frontline of the city’s edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it.

The sound of the larvae could be heard here.

The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites.

The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon who appeared to be breathless from running.

“Great, you’re here……” Layfon calmed his breathing and took out the Dite from his harness.

“Huh? Is the safety lock still on?”

“Yes, but I’ve another favour……”

Harley quickly set to unlocking it. “A favour?”

“Can you make two settings?”

“Two?”

He widened his eyes.

“Yes, two.”

Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn’t be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn’t be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to adjust the setting, but…… can you use it?”

It was natural to have doubt. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn’t impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder.

One had to use a keyword and his Kei to restore a Dite. The Dite would restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder’s voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone’s Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite’s original owner could use it.

The problem was the Dite’s adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords.

But a person couldn’t make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow.

“Can you use two different Kei?”

“No, but that won’t be a problem. All you need is add in the exact number of Kei output.”

“And that is what’s troublesome.”

“I can do it. Please make the setting.”

“But there’s no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites……”

That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. “I want to again experience the feeling of the past. Please.”

Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display.

“What setting do I make?”

Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard.

His fingers stopped.

“Uh?”

The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time.

“Can you really do this?”

“Yes,” Layfon answered without hesitation.

Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

“And do you know where Loss-senpai is?”

“What? The Student President?”

“No, our senpai.”

“Ahah……. Isn’t she with Nina?”

“No. Well, I’m not sure, but I don’t think she’s there.”

Felli wouldn’t appear there. She hated being used.

(Where is she? This won’t work well without her help.)

Perhaps she was somewhere close. He looked around but couldn’t see her.

And during that time, Harley had finished the adjustments.

“……Can we survive?” Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear.

“We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw the scene of a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Peligi. I didn’t know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Peligi might come to us one day.

Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was.

But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting… it’s more like I didn’t believe the danger would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city……. But it isn’t perfect. And that imperfection is now before us……”

The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni.

“Can we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you……”

“Of course,” Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other’s face.

“I’ll definitely protect this place.”

Layfon began to run again just after saying that.

“Where are you going?” Harley called.

“To someplace high!”

The highest place in Zuellni…… was the commanding tower in the vicinity of the Student President’s dormitory.

He headed for it.

There was some distance between the outskirt of the city and the Student President’s dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn’t have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used internal type Kei and flew above the rooftops of buildings to his destination.

And landed in front of the dormitory.

Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance.

“Senpai……”

It was Felli.

She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly.

“Senpai, why are you here?”

“Not really……”

He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink.

“Has this to do with the Student President?”

“It’s unrelated.”

She turned to leave, and he quickly held her delicate wrist.

“…… What is the meaning of this?”

Her eyes narrowed. He hadn’t the time to shrink under that gaze.

“I need your help.”

A shiver ran through her body.

“What do you want?” she shook away his hand, her glare sharper than ever.

“Do you so wish for me to use psychokinesis? I don’t want it. Isn’t it fine to not use it? I don’t need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?” Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

“I thought you were the same as me. You didn’t want to use your power, but I was wrong. You……”

“I also don’t want this power.”

Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption.

“I’m only using what I possess. Perhaps I’ve never liked this ability.”

But Leerin didn’t think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked Katana. He couldn’t confirm it. It was already in the past, and he didn’t feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of Katana.

Even if he had used it wrongly.

“Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can’t be helped.”

Displeasure showed in Felli’s eyes.

He said solemnly, “I don’t want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai’s power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!”

He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent.

“…… Even I know this isn’t the time to be willful,” she said. “But I still don’t like being used. I hate it.”

“If you don’t use your power, people will die,” he said still bowing his head. “I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I’ve already failed once in my life. I don’t want to fail again.”

And also……

“And also, I don’t want the people here to lose their future because of today.”

Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn’t want their futures to be dashed.

He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn’t enough. The world of mobile cities allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the possibility to have dreams. In that case, this time let him fight seriously for his goal.

To keep on living and to fight for the satisfaction of living.

And for purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends meet a tragic end. They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream.

“…… You really are a good person, beyond help.”

He heard her sigh.

And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed.

In Felli’s hand was a restored staff.

“What do I have to do?” she asked lightly.

Layfon bowed to Felli again.

Her face reddening, she turned away from him.

<center>◇</center>

Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wetted her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei rebounded some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn’t move.

“Tsk!” she called out at the result of her attack.

Internal type Kei strengthened her body and then she struck the larva with the force of External type burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell.

“Damn, just how hard is this thing?”

She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed on the spot she was in just a moment before.

The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing.

The larvae that were hit by Sharnid’s team pounded down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies forward to Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now.

It felt like a long while.

Nina couldn’t tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today.

“Damn!” she knew she was tense because of lack of experience. She should have gotten used to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human.

But not these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training.

Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell.

Perspiration dotted Nina’s forehead.

Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn’t fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn’t use their jaws.

What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell.

But without much of a success.

The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing.

“This never ends……”

Sharnid’s team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina’s troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae’s advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight.

“Ha!”

The shouts pulled Nina’s attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva.

“Ah……”

Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting.

The three fought with a female student as the center. The colour of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained the reason of her being in the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an armed permit.

A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn’t yet trained in external type burst Kei, but the internal type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker.

The girl pulled open her distance with it.

And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell.

The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it.

Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity.

What a brilliant plan to fight three against one.

But what attracted Nina’s attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful.

“I’ve seen her somewhere,” Nina muttered.

She had no time to dig further in her memory, as another larva came near her. Nina would know afterwards that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid’s team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn’t reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting.

The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground.

A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she was to roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the distance between her and the larva.

She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva’s body, the larva’s head was the easiest target. Nina’s strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva’s forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left.

What a close call.

She relaxed a little.

“Captain!”

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid?

Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina’s shoulder. Her body flipped through the air.

She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up.

The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina’s wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb.

No!

The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy.

No, this isn’t good……

Anxiety halted her steps and turned heavy the iron whip in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her.

Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move…… despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn’t feel through her Kei now overwhelmed her.

She stared off at some place, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her.

The vibration in the air hit her first.

(I’m about to die……)

She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn’t feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae’s heads, but it wasn’t enough to eliminate every single filth monster.

Even the iron whip in Nina’s right hand fell onto the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She’ll die. She’ll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen.

“Uh……” she let out her breath.

And murmured. “Damn.”

What a detestable way to die out here, but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her along with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn’t the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch the next happening with hazy calmness.

All movements ceased.

Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina’s eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae’s bodies, halting their movements.

The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

At first, the scene was of it falling apart.

The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart.

Its huge body broke into two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina’s nose.

And the larva behind that was also split apart.

And next, and next……

And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split into two and tumbled onto the ground as lumps of meat.

In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty.

“What……”

What had happened?

Nina did all she could to support her body so to stay conscious. What was it that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae?

She didn’t see what that was.

But about the changing atmosphere……

An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, as of a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the surrounding.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae?

It didn’t feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality.

Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher.

She weakly pushed away the medical student from her.

“Retreat, you fool!” the voice of the Student President drifted through the air.

“We’re entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat to behind the fence.”

Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

“Flakes?”

They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyse surrounding information and also convey messages from far away.

Who was controlling the flakes?

The Student President…… but what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President?

“Are you all right?”

The voice came from the flakes.

“Layfon?”

“Yes, please leave now.”

“Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The countdown’s about to begin.”

He repeated. “Listen carefully. You must retreat to the inside area of the fence. There wasn’t time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worst, this could tear up even the Student President.”

“Wait!” she shouted, but Layfon didn’t reply.

The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city.

“Countdown begins,” came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn’t retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone’s evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes.

Because he was her subordinate.

Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her.

<center>◇</center>

Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn’t lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes.

Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight.

And on that piece of land were Zuellni’s legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae.

Nine hundred and eighty two.

“This is a small number. I’ve encountered more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan.”

Layfon’s voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli’s lips.

She opened her eyes.

On her left hand side was the command tower.

The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing on it the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen.

A person stood beside that flag.

Layfon.

The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered to the outside of Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon.

As she couldn’t make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon.

Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon’s shadow.

Something felt different about that face.

The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn’t be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew.

On the top of the tower, Layfon’s line of vision hovered on the outskirt of the city – the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person was unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now?

The way he stared faraway was like he had obtained confirmation for something.

(Good.)

“Senpai, have you found it yet?”

“…… Not yet.”

So to make a reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon’s image and went to confirm all of the other images.

The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared ray, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon’s target through what humans didn’t originally possess.

To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius.

Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously.

“Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it’ll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcement.”

“I know.”

The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce through the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni’s legs were, heading deeper into the depth of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared ray. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon’s information as basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal.

At last…… when the countdown was “two”.

“Found it. In the direction of 2205. Distance, 30 Kimel. Depth, 12 Mel. I’ll lead you in.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Zero.

<center>◇</center>

What will happen when the signal goes off…… at the end of Felli’s thought was Layfon.

But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand.

The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli.

Nine hundred and eighty two. Nine hundred and sixty five. Ninety hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy seven. Eight hundred and thirty three. Seven hundred and seventy eight. Six hundred and ninety one…… The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another.

Four hundred and seventy seven. Three hundred and sixty five. Two hundred and twenty three. One hundred and ninety eight. One hundred and fifty seven. One hundred and two. Ninety nine…… The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn’t want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her.

She looked at him again.

He had restored his Dite.

A strange looking weapon with only a handle.

“What’s important is control. Once you get the key, even senpai can be so much better than me,” he said.

But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power.

The Dite held another form of restoration that Harley had adjusted.

It wasn’t just a handle. Countless number of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn’t distinguish them with bare eyes.

A weapon of steel threads. Pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon.

Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae.

Ninety eight. Ninety seven. Ninety six. Ninety five. Ninety four. Ninety three. Ninety two. Ninety one. Ninety…… the threads targeted their preys with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters’ determination to extend the survival of one’s kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis.

If Felli couldn’t find the mother……

Fifty six. Fifty five. Fifty four. Fifty three. Fifty two. Fifty one. Fifty……

Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted cavern and snake-like corridors.

There.

A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal.

“I found it. I’ll lead you over.”

“Thanks.”

As he replied, he disappeared from the tower.

To fly in the air.

[[Image:CSR vol01 293.jpg|thumb]]

No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirt. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city.

Felli sent another flake to his side.

“You have five minutes. Your lungs won’t hold beyond it.”

“I know.”

His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The polluted substance floating in the air would rot one’s lungs.

She didn’t understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that’d only bring him danger……

“He doesn’t want to do this,” she said to no one.

It was for others, and also for himself.

Felli couldn’t understand his naïve thinking.

But……

“Please don’t die,” she said to his image through the flake.

She didn’t send the words to him.

<center>◇</center>

He felt sticky the moment he went outside the air shield.

Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow.

Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The polluted substance ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing with him a mask. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department might have some.

The Kei filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake.

Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was mixed with the polluted substance. Even his skin beneath his uniform felt pain.

How much time had he got left?

Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn’t possible to completely stop the seepage of polluted substance even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn’t create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters.

No matter how many times he had been at it.

A world not habitable to humans.

What a harsh world.

The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence.

But they had to pay a price to keep on living……

The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn’t bear it, then everything was finished.

Thinking back of the time he had spent coming here, he probably only had one minute left.

“The mother’s right behind this last corner,” Felli said.

He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite.

He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth.

And before him was the mother form of a filth monster.

Her abdomen made up of two third of its body bulk. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva’s, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern.

“Restoration 01.”

The Dite restored into the blue green sword.

“Perhaps, our will to live is the same.”

Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother form.

“Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same.”

Layfon strode to the mother form while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness.

“For the people who aren’t satisfied with that alone, they are probably too rich.”

The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to the past, when humans didn’t have to rely on mobile cities, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors.

Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon’s Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened.

The mother form was about to call for reinforcements.

“But we still want to live on,” Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword.

“I don’t plan to apologize.”

The blade swung down.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter5

2009-06-15T03:38:16Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 5: Point of difference */

===Chapter 5: Point of difference===

This is my fourth letter but I still haven’t received yours. I’m beginning to worry that you haven’t been getting mine.

Honestly, I’m feeling a bit down.

What is it like to have a dream?

I’m beginning to understand that feeling.

I feel that……It's innocent and dazzling, like the something at the bottom of a cave. No matter how much you stretch out your hand, you can’t reach it. A place of deep despair.

The good friends I’ve made here shine from a place that I can never reach.

You also shine with light.

Back then, I didn’t understand how you could be so diligent and hardworking for such a boring thing. I was too desperate to live, and because of that, I missed the point.

What forced me to become like that? I was running away. It’s unsightly of me to place the blame elsewhere.

Now, I don’t find your goal boring. It's the opposite: I’m envious of you.

Can I still grasp hold of it now? Grasp hold of the thing on the very bottom, the unreachable……The thing that might not even be there.

I’m struggling with whether I should send this letter or not. Useless content.

But I still think I should send this. I want to hear your opinion. Don’t complicate it. I just want to hear what you think.

I want to read your reply because of this letter.

Your dream is and has always been dazzling. Please don’t lose it.

To my dear Leerin Marfes,

Layfon Alseif.

<center>◇</center>

Nina walked in a brusque manner along the corridor, stomping the floor with force. A girl passing by, holding a pile of documents and who seemed to be a member of the Student Council quickly moved aside for her.

It was natural for the girl to be startled. Dust and soil particles were stuck to Nina’s forehead and cheeks. Her golden hair was dirty and messy, and even her Military Arts uniform was in tatters. There weren’t many students who would walk around with that appearance, full of anger.

Nina was outraged. She wasn’t quite sure why she was incensed, but she was currently throwing a tantrum.

Unquestioning of the anger inside her, she had stomped over here after the match, propelled by her emotion. Layfon had fainted when the siren rang out and was carried away on a stretcher. There wasn’t anything unusual with the flow of his Kei, so he must have just lost consciousness.

“Just what was that about?” Nina let out her words in resentment and pounded heavily on the door of the Student President’s room.

“Come in.”

Before the reply came through, she had already pushed open the door on her own.

Besides the bitterly smiling Karian, Vance was also in the room. Vance’s presence calmed her down. She halted her steps.

“Third year, Military Arts, Nina Antalk is coming in.”

“Please.”

Karian said that and then praised her.

“Congratulations on your first win.”

Nina’s brow furrowed. “……Just what was that?”

“Uh...What do you mean?”

“Layfon Alseif. You know he’s not a normal person, don’t you?”

“Why do you think so?”

“This is all too strange. He really did well in the opening ceremony, but before his ability was confirmed, you transferred him into Military Arts and nominated him to join my platoon. During that time, there must have been lots of people thinking you were just blinded by his brilliant performance. But you didn’t take any action afterwards…… Your personality would've made that impossible.”

“But you accepted Layfon. Don’t you admire his performance today?”

“I tested him.”

She'd had Felli bring him to the training room and had measured his strength. At that time, she didn’t feel Layfon was hiding his true strength. She'd felt that if he had more training, his strength could exceed that of the existing members.

But that judgement was completely in error.

The issue wasn’t that Layfon could become stronger after more training. He didn’t need training at all.

She saw Layfon’s true strength in the platoon match just then. Needle Kei and Whirl Kei……He couldn’t have mastered that power in a short period of time.

Vance nodded in agreement. He glanced at the screen that was about to broadcast the fourth match, and turned her gaze back to Karian.

“You seem to know who Layfon Alseif is. Did you know of his identity before this match?”

Karian shook his head.

“It’s not that easy to obtain intelligence on other cities.”

The other two people in the room weren’t convinced.

“I only found out about him by chance.” He raised his hands in surrender.

“How did you two come to this academy?”Karian asked.

“On a roaming bus of course.”

“Obviously by riding the roaming buses. Normally, we can only travel between cities by riding the roaming buses, but what I mean is the route.”

“Route?”

“Yes. All the roaming buses eventually return back to the Traffic City Joeldem and then depart from there. Only the consciousness of Joeldem knows the current positions of all the mobile cities. But sometimes a roaming bus might not come directly from Joeldem. It might go around to other cities before arriving here.”

Nina nodded. She had passed three cities before arriving at Zuellni.

“Did you pass through Grendan?” Nina asked.

Karian nodded. “It took me three months to arrive at Zuellni. During my travels, I had a two week layover in Grendan. It wasn’t boring over there at all because of the numerous Military Arts matches being held. Fortunately, I saw a Heaven's Blade successor match.”

“Heaven's Blade?”

Nina glanced at Vance. Vance didn’t seem to know of it, so she waited for Karian to explain.

“That isn’t just a title for the twelve best Military Artists in the Lance Shelled City, Grendan……A certain special item also comes with that title, but as an outsider, I have no idea what it is.”

While listening to Karian, Nina thought of what might have happened.

Layfon was from Grendan. That was true. Since Karian rode the roaming bus to Zuellni for first year study, this meant he must have stayed at Grendan five years ago.

Five years ago?……Layfon wasn’t even ten years old!

“How is that possible……”

“I know there are geniuses in this world. But even I was greatly moved by his performance. I was so surprised I was speechless. I don’t have the talent for Military Arts, but everyone watching that match was all shocked by the scene.”

A kid, who might not even be ten years old yet, easily wielded the long sword and defeated an adult.

“It wasn’t just men, everyone was overwhelmed and shocked. It was an rare and extraordinary scene. A kid could actually reach the summit of the Military Arts world. I couldn’t forget that name. When I saw his name on the scholarship application, it was impossible for me to miss it. For him to settle in Zuellni, at this time, is like the birth of a saviour. At the same time, I didn’t understand why he left Grendan and wanted to specialize in General Studies. No, actually, I wasn’t surprised at him entering General Studies. He doesn’t need anyone to teach him Military Arts. Even so, I was still curious about the real reason behind his decision, so I did some investigating, and the results arrived at my desk the day before the opening ceremony.”

“So……”

Nina swallowed, trying to remove the feeling of something sticking to her throat.

Right.

She suddenly realized why she was so angry.

She got it now. Layfon hadn't used his true strength during training. Never mind that. What was unforgivable was the fact that he deliberately lost to her when they first fought. He could have defeated her easily, but he chose to lose to her.

It felt like an insult to Nina.

Even so, the truth might not be what it appeared to be on the surface.

She suppressed her anger and thought more calmly. Perhaps the excited Karian could calm her down further.

What was Military Arts to Layfon? Perhaps he didn’t like it. If he liked it, even though he didn’t need any training, he would have entered Military Arts.

''(Speaking of which……)''

She remembered. Didn’t he say that when they were eating supper at the Mechanical Department?

''“Not Military Arts. I’ve already failed it.”''

She had forgotten that soon afterwards, distracted by the Electronic Fairy. But thinking of it now, his words seemed to hide some deeper meaning.

''Failed? Just what was that about?''

The Layfon who was a top Military Artist in Grendan. Just what mistake did he make?

“He……”

Nina almost perked up her ears by reflex.

She wanted to know.

But then, perhaps she shouldn’t be listening to this. If she knew, she might not let Layfon stay in the platoon. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to forgive him.

Just when her heart was swaying in two directions, Karian continued.

“He had tainted the reputation of a Heaven's Blade Receiver.”

<center>◇</center>

It seemed that something bad had happened if he woke up in the hospital.

“I’m here again……”

Layfon awoke and realized what he had done. He held his head, hating himself.

He felt it and found many lumps on it. No wonder it felt as if his head was cramping.

“Aah……”

As he moaned, trying to escape the pain, his eyes wandered around the surrounding room and saw something placed on the bench. Something that looked like a big basket and three female schoolbags. Then, rowdy noises drifted in from the corridor, and the door was pushed open.

“Ah, Layton’s up!” Mifi said loudly with a paper cup in hand. Meishen and Naruki were standing behind her.

“How do you feel? Are you all right? Speaking of which, you were incredible. You gave me such a scare.”

Layfon smiled sourly and sat up on the bed.

“I didn’t know you were that strong. The last two moves were amazing,” Naruki said.

Naruki said that because she was also in Military Arts. The bitterness on Layfon’s face deepened.

Noticing Layfon’s look, she changed her expression.

“……So are you alright?”

Layfon took the juice from Meishen. The juice refreshed his thirsty throat. He drank as if the liquid to seep through his entire body.

“Thanks. I feel much better.”

Meishen’s face reddened. She lowered her head and half-ran from the side of the bed to the long bench.

“……Um, if you’re hungry, I’ve got a bento……”

“Uh, thank you.”

Layfon got off the bed, made his way to the long bench and looked into the basket. It was divided into two sections. One held sandwiches; the other had things wrapped in paper that seemed to be baked biscuits.

“I am hungry.”

He hadn’t eaten since his stomach had hurt since early this morning. Looking at the basket, now he wanted to eat.

He took a sandwich and bit into it. Feeling the look Meishen was giving him, he ate the sandwich in two bites and washed it down with juice.

“It’s delicious!”

Meishen’s tense expression turned into a blossoming smile.

“Uh……”

Layfon hesitated, his hand reaching out for more.

“We aren’t hungry. It’s okay if you eat it all.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just eat it all,” Naruki and Mifi said. Meishen nodded. So he took another sandwich.

“I’ll go buy some juice.”

“I’m going with you.”

The girls’ sudden movements alarmed Meishen.

“……Wha- you two!” she protested.

“Don’t worry. We’ll buy your share,” Naruki said to Meishen, who was waving at them in agitation.

“Oh, almost forgot. Your platoon’s going to celebrate the victory. We’ve been invited too.”

“Oh, okay, got it,” Layfon replied.

Recalling the match brought a shadow over him, but eating took priority. Naruki and Mifi left the room.

Now that they were left alone in the room, Meishen had lost her composure. Sitting next to Layfon, she fidgeted and played with her fingers, her eyes darting around.

After finishing the fourth sandwich and settling his stomach, he noticed Meishen’s peculiar behaviour.

''(Ah, is she shy?)''

And he felt awkward and embarrassed. It was bad of Naruki and Mifi to leave her when they knew she’d become like this.

“I’m sorry for making you make the bento.”

“……Not at all. It's a...th...thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“……You saved me.”

Recalling what he did in the opening ceremony, he shook his head.

“That was nothing.”

He wasn’t thinking of saving her. His body just moved on its own.

That was all there was to it.

“……But, I was still saved.”

“Then I’ll gratefully receive your goodwill, but I’ve almost eaten it all.”

Meishen laughed lightly at the joke. Feeling embarrassed, Layfon grabbed another sandwich.

“……Lay……ton. You’re strong,” Meishen whispered as he finished up the last sandwich.

“No……not at all.”

Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew inside him was another “him” who couldn’t deny himself. He understood he had extraordinary strength in Military Arts. He tried his all to hide it. He didn’t know how the Student President found out, but he thought he could solve this issue since Karian didn’t seem to have leaked the secret.

But he had dashed that hope in today’s match.

There must be a student here from Grendan. Those who thought they had mistaken him for someone else would now know he was a Heaven's Blade Receiver.

“……You’re really strong. Like how you struck down those two instantly……”

The huge screen set in the audience section must have broadcast his image.

“……But, why didn’t you defeat them before?”

The question he had been dreading now lay before him. He noticed the smell of earth on his clothes. The Medical students had dusted off some of the soil on Layfon before putting him in bed, but that wasn’t enough to clean the dirty clothes. While thinking of that, he remembered the pain in his head.

''(I must have rolled too much on the ground.)''

In the arena, Layfon had had difficulty thinking because of his head bumping here and there. He thought back to the scene of Nina receiving repeated attacks. Compared to his real strength, she wouldn’t have let her pain muddle her thoughts.

“I wasn’t planning on winning.”

He decided to be honest.

“I don’t care about the me who trained in Military Arts. I didn’t start training in it because I liked it. I didn’t have anyone encouraging me to study it. I learned it because I had to.”

“Besides, Military Arts isn’t necessary to me anymore, so I’m abandoning it,” he said in small voice.

Meishen watched him with wide eyes.

If……if he was more used to it, he might have lost the match with more beauty. That was what he thought, but he was unable to do so in battle. As long as he held a weapon……even if he wasn’t doing his best, he always fought seriously. This had nothing to do with the strength of the opponent. He had no feelings besides a desire to fight seriously for the result of victory.

“I told you before that I’m an orphan, didn’t I?”

[[Image:CSR vol01 211.jpg|thumb]]
Meishen nodded and moved away her awkward gaze.

“The Head of our orphanage was terrible with money, so he was always having trouble with it. Looking at the dwindling food, I guessed the Head must be losing money again. I was always afraid that one day, there might not be food at all.”

At that time, he encountered the way of the katana.

“I was told I had a gift with the katana, so I decided to make money with it. I participated in all kinds of matches and won lots of prize money……”

And before he knew it, he had become a Heaven's Blade Receiver.

Perhaps people who dreamed of becoming a Heaven's Blade Receiver would be outraged by his words. To him, though, this was his truth. This was the value the title “Heaven's Blade” held for him. It was only a step on the path to his goal.

“The situation at the orphanage improved because of the prize money. Everyone was grateful to me.”

“……So, you then decided not to train in Military Arts again?”

“Yes, since there was enough money. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough for my school fees. That can’t be helped, so I’ve got to earn money through some other means.”

“……Don’t you miss it at all?”

Layfon smiled naturally and nodded. “Yeah, but I still haven’t found out what I want to do……”

“……You’ll definitely find it,” Meishen said in a light and shy voice. She hunched her shoulders, her body seeming to become even smaller.

“But……”

Looking at the floor, she added,“…… You were incredible……in the match……But you were a bit devious.”

“Huh?”

“……Why did you win if you’d decided to lose the match?”

“……”

He wanted to say he couldn’t think properly because of his injured head, but on second thought, he swallowed the words. It wasn’t a good enough reason; besides, he didn’t want Mei-Shen to know more about it.

“……Layton, you’ve got your own way of thinking. I don’t know much……about winning or losing matches……but, if you’ve decided to lose, I think it’s better to lose the match. It’s not so good to change halfway through……About finding what I like doing, I can’t properly explain why I like making sweets. I don’t know how to discover an interest, so I can’t give you any suggestions……”

She paused as if to take a deep breath, and then continued, “But the Lay……ton I saw at the opening ceremony was cool. I want to see the Layton from back then.”

Her face was all red. Then she added a light “Sorry.”

Layfon remained silent, and could only shake his head.

Afterwards, he chatted a bit with Naruki and Mifi. They all decided to part ways before tonight’s celebration party.

Back in the dormitory, Layfon took off his dirty clothes and went to have a shower.

Coming back to the room, refreshed, he looked at the paper bag on the desk.

In it were Meishen’s biscuits.

“I don’t really like sweets.”

He had taken the package with him without opening it, not wanting to refuse her.

Now he opened the paper bag. The sealed-off aroma of sugar rushed out to pat his nose. He wasn’t sure why, but it smelled like Meishen. The image of Meishen surfaced in his mind. Because of her passion for making sweets, she was doing a job she wasn’t good at. He recalled how she peeked at him eating sandwiches, her face lowered and pink.

He popped a biscuit into his mouth.

“……So sweet.”

Of course.

But he didn’t hate the sweetness on his tongue. It was good for the body to eat something sweet when tired.

“Aah~” Holding the bag in one hand, he fell into a sitting position. He brushed aside the hair falling across his eyes, and gazed at the floor.

He had lied to Meishen.

To put it correctly, he had hidden from her things that would disadvantage him in her eyes. This way, nobody would get hurt.

But he resented himself for only wanting to maintain his good image.

Either way, his pretense had been exposed. He was useless in the match. He didn’t plan on winning, but the other half of him had taken action for victory. It seemed as if he was hiding his real strength so as to hoard the spotlight in the end.

Besides, what could he do after winning?

Go back to train in Military Arts?

No.

Well……

“Just what do I want to do?”

Who knew how many times he had asked that question already? But he still had to ask. What did he have besides Military Arts?

Was there anything else he could do?

Nothing. He just wanted to be doing something. He walked on a path with no dream and no obstacles. All he wanted was to try walking on a path, relying on himself.

He hadn’t even decided on where to go.

And he came to Zuellni for that purpose. But the situation of the Academy and the Student President who knew of his past were denying him the chance to discovering his own interest.

Layfon grabbed another biscuit. Meishen probably knew he didn’t like sweets, so she had made them with less sugar. They tasted nice.

Her consideration pained him. It reproached him.

What was he like, the “cool Layfon” in her eyes?

“It really is...so sweet...”

He ate another biscuit.

<center>◇</center>

The day after the platoon match passed by smoothly. It was now night.

Naruki walked near the fighting arena with a flashlight in one hand. On her breast was a City Police badge. A baton hung from her harness. She was patrolling with a Military Arts senpai.

“Is that first year in the 17th platoon your classmate?”

“Yes.”

A wry smile crossed Naruki’s face at the curiosity of her senpai.

A great number of people had moved over to the busier part of the city at night, so the areas surrounding the arena were quiet and empty. Some people would use this chance to carry out activities here, such as lovers doing something indecent, and students in Alchemy and Engineering conducting illegal experiments.

Still, this patrol was a leisurely job.

Senpai told her of what the Alchemy students did here and how students from the Engineering department used their machines for underground gambling matches. And somehow, the conversation came to focus on Layfon.

“He’s amazing. Not that many in Military Arts can reach his level. Just who is he?”

“Who knows……He doesn’t talk much about himself.”

It was more like Layfon himself didn’t want to talk about his past. His unenthusiastic expression was all the answer that people received for the various questions that they threw at him yesterday in the celebration party.

“I just know he’s from Grendan.”

“Grendan? Ah, I see. But not everyone knows Military Arts even in Grendan. Oh, speaking of which……”

“What?”

“A Military Artist came here from Grendan last year. A good-for-nothing. What an absolute horror in group training,” she said, trying to suppress her laughter.

“……What was so horrible?”

“Oh, I haven’t finished. If one enters the Military Arts course, one should have trained in the basics of Internal-type or External Burst-type Kei, right? That girl kept boasting about her Kei and how it was just a basic level in Grendan, but in real combat, she couldn’t even reach the lowest level. The other girls finished her off so easily. She ended up withdrawing from the course after only half a year. We all thought Grendan wasn’t that great, but after watching yesterday’s match, it looks like it's not just all talk about Grendan.”

“Are there only a few students from Grendan?”

“Well, I only know that girl from Grendan. Grendan seems to have moved very far away from Zuellni in these past few years. Isn’t it safer to go to a closer Academy City? So I don’t think students from Grendan would come all the way out here. Perhaps that girl thought she wouldn’t have to use Kei if she went to a place far away from Grendan,” Senpai giggled.

Naruki sank into contemplation. Couldn’t the example of the female student fit Layfon?

It made more sense to enter an Academy City closer to home. This minimized the potential danger of spending too much time on a roaming bus. It was impossible to know the exact location of a city, but the Traffic Department was able to guess its location through the whereabouts and number of traveling days of various roaming buses. Even Naruki and her friends used the information from the Traffic Department to narrow down their options and finally picked Zuellni.

''(Did Layfon deliberately choose a distant Academy City?)''

She thought so. So he chose this place because it didn’t have as many people from Grendan? She didn’t understand, but this hypothesis felt close to the truth. For him who was hiding a secret, he wouldn’t have wanted people near him to know it. So he purposefully picked a distant place.

If so……

“Um...”

“What is it?” the senpai turned around, as Naruki had been deep in thought and had lagged behind.

“No. Nothing," Naruki shook her head and ran to catch up with her.

''(No problem at all.)''

If so……was there an issue with Layfon? No. Not at all.

As long as a person lived, he had to have experienced a sad or embarrassing past that he wanted to wipe clean. There was nothing wrong with escaping the place where he kept recalling his bad memories.

''(Ah, but that depends on the situation.)''

The person she was worried about wasn’t Layfon, but Meishen. Obviously, Meishen liked him. The closer she got to him, the greater the possibility she’d come into contact with the truth he was hiding. No, maybe she had already touched it. If the two were to be together…Naruki didn’t want them to develop a distant relationship of being afraid to touch the other’s wound.

What would Meishen do?

''(If it’s her……)''

No problem. Sure, but Naruki couldn’t think like that.

''(Perhaps she’ll be depressed.)''

This was worrying.

Since they were young, Meishen had always hidden behind Naruki, the tallest of the three, who knew how to fight. Nobody bothered with Mifi. Mifi liked to use the fastest means possible to grab hold of the other person’s secret and use it against them in the most diabolical way possible.

Meishen grew up being protected by them.

But she wasn’t just being protected.

Both Naruki and Mifi fell under the charm of Meishen’s sweets. They wouldn’t dare lift their heads before her if they went over the line. Meishen wouldn’t make any sweets for them. But even so, Meishen rarely left their small circle to make contact with the outside world. Her assertive action of working in the coffee shop was a great improvement. However, this wasn’t enough to build a relationship with someone outside their circle.

Naruki was really worried.

''(Um, what should I do? Maybe I should force the truth out of Layfon? Meishen might really fall into despair if it’s a hard truth. What should I do? He’s weak in personality. Perhaps it’s better to use my authority as a City Policewoman? Just make up some evidence to threaten him and arrest him?)''

Deep in thought, Naruki had been walking slowly. The senpai strolling ahead of her turned back to look…

And at the same time……

“Whhaaa……” She lost her balance and fell onto the grass.

The ground was shaking.

“What is it?”

The intensity of the tremor made Naruki kneel down. The trees lining the road and the buildings around them clamoured. The streetlights shook violently, as if they could fall down at any moment. The light jumped.

“Whwhwh-What’s happening?”

Senpai grabbed hold of one of the streetlights. It seemed to be her first time experiencing a cityquake.

“This is a cityquake. The cause could be uneven ground or the city not having a firm foothold……”

“Oh?……I see.” It took a while for Senpai to understand her.

It was easy to forget this fact while living a normal life in the city. Zuellni was moving continuously.

When Naruki was very young, a cityquake of greater magnitude than this had occurred in her city because Joeldem was trapped in ground with a weak crust. The cityquake had caused huge damage.

When the shaking gradually eased, Naruki stood up. It didn’t look like there was a fire anywhere. She couldn’t hear the racket from the residential district as it was a bit far from here, but things must be chaotic over there.

She thought of Mifi and Meishen. They should be sleeping in the dormitory.

“I hope there aren’t any accidents.”

And the shrill call of the siren dashed her hope.

<center>◇</center>

She was in a bad mood since yesterday because Layfon had hidden his true strength……

They were cleaning and painting the tubes to prevent the spread of rust in the Central Mechanism Chamber.

Holding the paint can and the brush, Layfon focused entirely on the sound of the moving gears behind his back.

Nina was silently cleaning a tube.

To Layfon, the sound of her brush against the tube was scolding him.

“Ah.”

Nina didn’t react to the sound he tried to suppress. Layfon’s stomach hurt.

(What did I do wrong?)

He thought of the possible reason.

Nina had been acting strange since yesterday’s celebration party. Putting Felli aside, who was absent, both Sharnid and Harley greeted him. Nina was the only one who didn’t look like she wanted to talk to him. All she said was “Thanks” and then she had gone to sit by herself.

She must be angry at his hiding of his true strength.

This had to be the only reason. Even he could understand her unease. Someone with a lukewarm attitude actually exceeded her in her best area. It was like he was mocking her hard-won accomplishments.

“Excuse me……” he called to her. Her brushing movement stopped.

“What?” she said without looking at him.

“Are you angry?” he blurted out.

''(I’m an idiot!)''

He could have said something better.

“…No.”

He thought she’d have roared at him, but all she did was deny in a low voice.

“There’s no reason to be mad, but……” she sighed, lowered her shoulders and turned around.

Her gaze didn’t directly touch his.

“I regret letting you enter the platoon.”

“Huh?”

“I was deceived by the Student President. I was satisfied to have you since the platoon match was close and we still lacked members. You took my Kei directly, so I thought if you trained well, you could become an attacker in the platoon. Even if we lost the match, you could become stronger somehow, before the real Military Arts Competition."

"But your real strength is way beyond my calculations.”

“No……”

“Was the Student President lying when he said you were a receiver of a Heaven's Blade?”

Looking embarrassed suddenly, Nina moved her gaze further away from him.

“Did he tell you?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“He told me what he knew, and all I can do is pray it’s not true.”

Her eyes, questioning him and wishing for something, made him release the breath he was holding. He felt debilitated, as if a certain tension was suddenly cut away, the weight of his body disappearing into thin air……the emotion of despair.

''(It's all over...)''

Just what had ended? What he had left behind in Grendan had returned to him. What he had been running away from had finally caught up with him.

“Tell me it’s all a lie,” she pleaded.

But she didn’t think the Student President had lied to her.

Wolfstein……from the moment he learned of the twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers.

Everyone had been scolding him, saying it was wrong, yet nobody had taken care to explain just how wrong it was. All they did was scold him.

His stiff expression relaxed.

Yes, his old self had returned.

Nina’s face turned frosty. She must have obtained her confirmation from his look.

“Was it true?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I participated in underground matches in Grendan, tainting the reputation of the Heaven's Blade and was exiled.”

He watched with indifference as the muscles on her face twitched.

“Why?”

“To earn money.”

He trained in Military Arts for that purpose and won again and again.

But the prize money from normal matches was too little.

As a result of unbroken victories, he had become a receiver of a Heaven's Blade to serve under the Queen of Grendan, Alsheyra. But his salary was still too small and the special scholarship he obtained was still too little.

“I needed a lot of money for the many children in the orphanage.”

The money he had was enough for himself or just a normal family.

But there were too many orphans. The money he earned wasn’t enough to provide for their education and living. His Master wasn’t the only one managing an orphanage. Layfon needed money to give to his comrades, for all the numerous orphans in Grendan……and what he was earning wasn’t enough.

He could have just earned enough for the orphanage he lived in, but he felt he needed to provide for all the orphanages. He didn’t know why either. Perhaps, all the orphans were his comrades.

So he wasn’t earning enough.

“And at that time, I found out about the underground matches.”

Nina’s expression swayed.

She probably thought what he did had tainted the Military Arts. Many people thought of Military Arts as a sacred art to defend a city from outside enemies. This viewpoint was especially strong in those who lived as professional Military Artists.

The sacred Art must not be tainted by human desires.

But in reverse, because it was sacred, people wanted to taint it. The students gambling secretly on the platoon matches must be immersed in the festival-like atmosphere and commit their illegal act.

But compared to the students, there were people who wanted to do such things with clear-cut intent. Perhaps they weren’t satisfied with the normal matches that began and ended ceremoniously in the spirit of sports. What they lusted after were the mad and bloody fights.

And for this reason, the underground matches offered huge prize money.

Layfon had found out about it. He contacted the people who organized such matches. Using the threat that came from the authority of a Heaven's Blade Receiver, he suggested that they could advertise his unbelievably strong power. It was easy to tell who would have won in a normal match, but it was another matter to watch a Heaven's Blade Receiver fight without holding back.

He used his Kei as if he was in a show, and through that, obtained money from the audience.

“But I couldn’t keep that up for long.”

It was difficult to shut people’s mouths. The rumour of his deeds spread widely in Grendan and eventually reached Queen Alsheyra’s ear.

“And so I was exiled.”

“Of course,” Nina said, as if to let out all the anger and irritation inside her.

Nina’s outrage was the same as the people’s at Grendan, including Layfon’s Master, the other Heaven's Blade Receivers and even his comrades – the orphans.

Even so, he still didn’t understand.

“Why are you so certain?”

“What? You……”

“Kei is an important treasure for humanity, striving to survive in this world. Because of it, the orphans and I didn’t have to worry about food. Why must people make using it a crime?”

He truly couldn’t comprehend.

“The Queen exiled me because a certain Military Artist was threatening me.”

“Threatening……?”

She probably didn’t know about this.

“That person wanted to participate in a Heaven's Blade match. He showed me proof of my fights in the underground matches and threatened to spread it around unless I lost to him purposefully and let him have the Heaven's Blade.”

There were twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers. The only way to get that title was to either defeat a Receiver in a Heaven's Blade match or win the numerous matches after the death of a Receiver.

The blackmailer had another way than Military Arts to win a match, and he used it to threaten Layfon. But Layfon didn’t accept the deal. He couldn’t abandon his title as it was his key to the underground matches, to fight as a Heaven's Blade Receiver.

So he tried to kill the other person. His secret would be safe if this person died.

He planned to win with one strike. He had that confidence. Once his opponent got careless, Layfon would deal a fatal strike and finish him off.

But, he failed.

His one strike only managed to sever his opponent’s arm, and the match ended as his opponent was unable to keep fighting.

And then the news of Layfon’s deed in the underground matches spread.

“I don’t find him despicable,” he said to the speechless Nina.

“He was only doing everything he could to obtain what he desired. But he got careless in the end. That’s all there was to it.”

To Layfon, the way he finished his opponent was naïve. One must fight desperately to survive, but the level of desperation he showed in his method was meaningless. At that time, there were still things driving him to act that way solely for the purpose of survival. And as such, he wasn’t angry with the Student President. Karian’s attitude of manipulating things and people to ensure Zuellni’s survival was the same as Layfon’s.

But Karian’s concern on what Layfon had abandoned made him revisit the feeling he had in Grendan all over again.

“And that is who I am. Do you find me despicable?”

Everyone in Grendan reproved him for being base.

Was Nina the same? He waited for her reaction with a neutral expression.

He felt pain as of his heart being torn apart. The pain was an illusion, but he had no way of shaking it off, so he could only suffer it.

Why was he feeling this kind of pain?

No. He had already experienced it before – the punishment that Queen Alsheyra had passed down to him. All the Heaven's Blade Receivers served her, so Layfon could only surrender to her judgement.

All the Heaven's Blade Receivers, officials and his Master watched him as his punishment was dealt out. Their gazes were cold and icy.

The pain jolted him back to reality.

“You……are despicable,” she said.

And then the ground shook violently.

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| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
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</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter5

2009-06-15T03:11:51Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 5: Point of difference */

===Chapter 5: Point of difference===

This is my fourth letter but I still haven’t received yours. I’m beginning to worry that you haven’t been getting mine.

Honestly, I’m feeling a bit down.

What is it like to have a dream?

I’m beginning to understand that feeling.

I feel that……It's innocent and dazzling, like the something at the bottom of a cave. No matter how much you stretch out your hand, you can’t reach it. A place of deep despair.

The good friends I’ve made here shine from a place that I can never reach.

You also shine with light.

Back then, I didn’t understand how you could be so diligent and hardworking for such a boring thing. I was too desperate to live, and because of that, I missed the point.

What forced me to become like that? I was running away. It’s unsightly of me to place the blame elsewhere.

Now, I don’t find your goal boring. It's the opposite: I’m envious of you.

Can I still grasp hold of it now? Grasp hold of the thing on the very bottom, the unreachable……The thing that might not even be there.

I’m struggling with whether I should send this letter or not. Useless content.

But I still think I should send this. I want to hear your opinion. Don’t complicate it. I just want to hear what you think.

I want to read your reply because of this letter.

Your dream is and has always been dazzling. Please don’t lose it.

To my dear Leerin Marfes,

Layfon Alseif.

<center>◇</center>

Nina walked in a brusque manner along the corridor, stomping the floor with force. A girl passing by, holding a pile of documents and who seemed to be a member of the Student Council quickly moved aside for her.

It was natural for the girl to be startled. Dust and soil particles were stuck to Nina’s forehead and cheeks. Her golden hair was dirty and messy, and even her Military Arts uniform was in tatters. There weren’t many students who would walk around with that appearance, full of anger.

Nina was outraged. She wasn’t quite sure why she was incensed, but she was currently throwing a tantrum.

Unquestioning of the anger inside her, she had stomped over here after the match, propelled by her emotion. Layfon had fainted when the siren rang out and was carried away on a stretcher. There wasn’t anything unusual with the flow of his Kei, so he must have just lost consciousness.

“Just what was that about?” Nina let out her words in resentment and pounded heavily on the door of the Student President’s room.

“Come in.”

Before the reply came through, she had already pushed open the door on her own.

Besides the bitterly smiling Karian, Vance was also in the room. Vance’s presence calmed her down. She halted her steps.

“Third year, Military Arts, Nina Antalk is coming in.”

“Please.”

Karian said that and then praised her.

“Congratulations on your first win.”

Nina’s brow furrowed. “……Just what was that?”

“Uh...What do you mean?”

“Layfon Alseif. You know he’s not a normal person, don’t you?”

“Why do you think so?”

“This is all too strange. He really did well in the opening ceremony, but before his ability was confirmed, you transferred him into Military Arts and nominated him to join my platoon. During that time, there must have been lots of people thinking you were just blinded by his brilliant performance. But you didn’t take any action afterwards…… Your personality would've made that impossible.”

“But you accepted Layfon. Don’t you admire his performance today?”

“I tested him.”

She'd had Felli bring him to the training room and had measured his strength. At that time, she didn’t feel Layfon was hiding his true strength. She'd felt that if he had more training, his strength could exceed that of the existing members.

But that judgement was completely in error.

The issue wasn’t that Layfon could become stronger after more training. He didn’t need training at all.

She saw Layfon’s true strength in the platoon match just then. Needle Kei and Whirl Kei……He couldn’t have mastered that power in a short period of time.

Vance nodded in agreement. He glanced at the screen that was about to broadcast the fourth match, and turned her gaze back to Karian.

“You seem to know who Layfon Alseif is. Did you know of his identity before this match?”

Karian shook his head.

“It’s not that easy to obtain intelligence on other cities.”

The other two people in the room weren’t convinced.

“I only found out about him by chance.” He raised his hands in surrender.

“How did you two come to this academy?”Karian asked.

“On a roaming bus of course.”

“Obviously by riding the roaming buses. Normally, we can only travel between cities by riding the roaming buses, but what I mean is the route.”

“Route?”

“Yes. All the roaming buses eventually return back to the Traffic City Joeldem and then depart from there. Only the consciousness of Joeldem knows the current positions of all the mobile cities. But sometimes a roaming bus might not come directly from Joeldem. It might go around to other cities before arriving here.”

Nina nodded. She had passed three cities before arriving at Zuellni.

“Did you pass through Grendan?” Nina asked.

Karian nodded. “It took me three months to arrive at Zuellni. During my travels, I had a two week layover in Grendan. It wasn’t boring over there at all because of the numerous Military Arts matches being held. Fortunately, I saw a Heaven's Blade successor match.”

“Heaven's Blade?”

Nina glanced at Vance. Vance didn’t seem to know of it, so she waited for Karian to explain.

“That isn’t just a title for the twelve best Military Artists in the Lance Shelled City, Grendan……A certain special item also comes with that title, but as an outsider, I have no idea what it is.”

While listening to Karian, Nina thought of what might have happened.

Layfon was from Grendan. That was true. Since Karian rode the roaming bus to Zuellni for first year study, this meant he must have stayed at Grendan five years ago.

Five years ago?……Layfon wasn’t even ten years old!

“How is that possible……”

“I know there are geniuses in this world. But even I was greatly moved by his performance. I was so surprised I was speechless. I don’t have the talent for Military Arts, but everyone watching that match was all shocked by the scene.”

A kid, who might not even be ten years old yet, easily wielded the long sword and defeated an adult.

“It wasn’t just men, everyone was overwhelmed and shocked. It was an rare and extraordinary scene. A kid could actually reach the summit of the Military Arts world. I couldn’t forget that name. When I saw his name on the scholarship application, it was impossible for me to miss it. For him to settle in Zuellni, at this time, is like the birth of a saviour. At the same time, I didn’t understand why he left Grendan and wanted to specialize in General Studies. No, actually, I wasn’t surprised at him entering General Studies. He doesn’t need anyone to teach him Military Arts. Even so, I was still curious about the real reason behind his decision, so I did some investigating, and the results arrived at my desk the day before the opening ceremony.”

“So……”

Nina swallowed, trying to remove the feeling of something sticking to her throat.

Right.

She suddenly realized why she was so angry.

She got it now. Layfon hadn't used his true strength during training. Never mind that. What was unforgivable was the fact that he deliberately lost to her when they first fought. He could have defeated her easily, but he chose to lose to her.

It felt like an insult to Nina.

Even so, the truth might not be what it appeared to be on the surface.

She suppressed her anger and thought more calmly. Perhaps the excited Karian could calm her down further.

What was Military Arts to Layfon? Perhaps he didn’t like it. If he liked it, even though he didn’t need any training, he would have entered Military Arts.

''(Speaking of which……)''

She remembered. Didn’t he say that when they were eating supper at the Mechanical Department?

''“Not Military Arts. I’ve already failed it.”''

She had forgotten that soon afterwards, distracted by the Electronic Fairy. But thinking of it now, his words seemed to hide some deeper meaning.

''Failed? Just what was that about?''

The Layfon who was a top Military Artist in Grendan. Just what mistake did he make?

“He……”

Nina almost perked up her ears by reflex.

She wanted to know.

But then, perhaps she shouldn’t be listening to this. If she knew, she might not let Layfon stay in the platoon. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to forgive him.

Just when her heart was swaying in two directions, Karian continued.

“He had tainted the reputation of a Heaven's Blade Receiver.”

<center>◇</center>

It seemed that something bad had happened if he woke up in the hospital.

“I’m here again……”

Layfon awoke and realized what he had done. He held his head, hating himself.

He felt it and found many lumps on it. No wonder it felt as if his head was cramping.

“Aah……”

As he moaned, trying to escape the pain, his eyes wandered around the surrounding room and saw something placed on the bench. Something that looked like a big basket and three female schoolbags. Then, rowdy noises drifted in from the corridor, and the door was pushed open.

“Ah, Layton’s up!” Mifi said loudly with a paper cup in hand. Meishen and Naruki were standing behind her.

“How do you feel? Are you all right? Speaking of which, you were incredible. You gave me such a scare.”

Layfon smiled sourly and sat up on the bed.

“I didn’t know you were that strong. The last two moves were amazing,” Naruki said.

Naruki said that because she was also in Military Arts. The bitterness on Layfon’s face deepened.

Noticing Layfon’s look, she changed her expression.

“……So are you alright?”

Layfon took the juice from Meishen. The juice refreshed his thirsty throat. He drank as if the liquid to seep through his entire body.

“Thanks. I feel much better.”

Meishen’s face reddened. She lowered her head and half-ran from the side of the bed to the long bench.

“……Um, if you’re hungry, I’ve got a bento……”

“Uh, thank you.”

Layfon got off the bed, made his way to the long bench and looked into the basket. It was divided into two sections. One held sandwiches; the other had things wrapped in paper that seemed to be baked biscuits.

“I am hungry.”

He hadn’t eaten since his stomach had hurt since early this morning. Looking at the basket, now he wanted to eat.

He took a sandwich and bit into it. Feeling the look Meishen was giving him, he ate the sandwich in two bites and washed it down with juice.

“It’s delicious!”

Meishen’s tense expression turned into a blossoming smile.

“Uh……”

Layfon hesitated, his hand reaching out for more.

“We aren’t hungry. It’s okay if you eat it all.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just eat it all,” Naruki and Mifi said. Meishen nodded. So he took another sandwich.

“I’ll go buy some juice.”

“I’m going with you.”

The girls’ sudden movements alarmed Meishen.

“……Wha- you two!” she protested.

“Don’t worry. We’ll buy your share,” Naruki said to Meishen, who was waving at them in agitation.

“Oh, almost forgot. Your platoon’s going to celebrate the victory. We’ve been invited too.”

“Oh, okay, got it,” Layfon replied.

Recalling the match brought a shadow over him, but eating took priority. Naruki and Mifi left the room.

Now that they were left alone in the room, Meishen had lost her composure. Sitting next to Layfon, she fidgeted and played with her fingers, her eyes darting around.

After finishing the fourth sandwich and settling his stomach, he noticed Meishen’s peculiar behaviour.

''(Ah, is she shy?)''

And he felt awkward and embarrassed. It was bad of Naruki and Mifi to leave her when they knew she’d become like this.

“I’m sorry for making you make the bento.”

“……Not at all. It's a...th...thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“……You saved me.”

Recalling what he did in the opening ceremony, he shook his head.

“That was nothing.”

He wasn’t thinking of saving her. His body just moved on its own.

That was all there was to it.

“……But, I was still saved.”

“Then I’ll gratefully receive your goodwill, but I’ve almost eaten it all.”

Meishen laughed lightly at the joke. Feeling embarrassed, Layfon grabbed another sandwich.

“……Lay……ton. You’re strong,” Meishen whispered as he finished up the last sandwich.

“No……not at all.”

Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew inside him was another “him” who couldn’t deny himself. He understood he had extraordinary strength in Military Arts. He tried his all to hide it. He didn’t know how the Student President found out, but he thought he could solve this issue since Karian didn’t seem to have leaked the secret.

But he had dashed that hope in today’s match.

There must be a student here from Grendan. Those who thought they had mistaken him for someone else would now know he was a Heaven's Blade Receiver.

“……You’re really strong. Like how you struck down those two instantly……”

The huge screen set in the audience section must have broadcast his image.

“……But, why didn’t you defeat them before?”

The question he had been dreading now lay before him. He noticed the smell of earth on his clothes. The Medical students had dusted off some of the soil on Layfon before putting him in bed, but that wasn’t enough to clean the dirty clothes. While thinking of that, he remembered the pain in his head.

''(I must have rolled too much on the ground.)''

In the arena, Layfon had had difficulty thinking because of his head bumping here and there. He thought back to the scene of Nina receiving repeated attacks. Compared to his real strength, she wouldn’t have let her pain muddle her thoughts.

“I wasn’t planning on winning.”

He decided to be honest.

“I don’t care about the me who trained in Military Arts. I didn’t start training in it because I liked it. I didn’t have anyone encouraging me to study it. I learned it because I had to.”

“Besides, Military Arts isn’t necessary to me anymore, so I’m abandoning it,” he said in small voice.

Meishen watched him with wide eyes.

If……if he was more used to it, he might have lost the match with more beauty. That was what he thought, but he was unable to do so in battle. As long as he held a weapon……even if he wasn’t doing his best, he always fought seriously. This had nothing to do with the strength of the opponent. He had no feelings besides a desire to fight seriously for the result of victory.

“I told you before that I’m an orphan, didn’t I?”

[[Image:CSR vol01 211.jpg|thumb]]
Meishen nodded and moved away her awkward gaze.

“The Head of our orphanage was terrible with money, so he was always having trouble with it. Looking at the dwindling food, I guessed the Head must be losing money again. I was always afraid that one day, there might not be food at all.”

At that time, he encountered the way of the katana.

“I was told I had a gift with the katana, so I decided to make money with it. I participated in all kinds of matches and won lots of prize money……”

And before he knew it, he had become a Heaven's Blade Receiver.

Perhaps people who dreamed of becoming a Heaven's Blade Receiver would be outraged by his words. To him, though, this was his truth. This was the value the title “Heaven's Blade” held for him. It was only a step on the path to his goal.

“The situation at the orphanage improved because of the prize money. Everyone was grateful to me.”

“……So, you then decided not to train in Military Arts again?”

“Yes, since there was enough money. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough for my school fees. That can’t be helped, so I’ve got to earn money through some other means.”

“……Don’t you miss it at all?”

Layfon smiled naturally and nodded. “Yeah, but I still haven’t found out what I want to do……”

“……You’ll definitely find it,” Meishen said in a light and shy voice. She hunched her shoulders, her body seeming to become even smaller.

“But……”

Looking at the floor, she added,“…… You were incredible……in the match……But you were a bit devious.”

“Huh?”

“……Why did you win if you’d decided to lose the match?”

“……”

He wanted to say he couldn’t think properly because of his injured head, but on second thought, he swallowed the words. It wasn’t a good enough reason; besides, he didn’t want Mei-Shen to know more about it.

“……Layton, you’ve got your own way of thinking. I don’t know much……about winning or losing matches……but, if you’ve decided to lose, I think it’s better to lose the match. It’s not so good to change halfway through……About finding what I like doing, I can’t properly explain why I like making sweets. I don’t know how to discover an interest, so I can’t give you any suggestions……”

She paused as if to take a deep breath, and then continued, “But the Lay……ton I saw at the opening ceremony was cool. I want to see the Layton from back then.”

Her face was all red. Then she added a light “Sorry.”

Layfon remained silent, and could only shake his head.

Afterwards, he chatted a bit with Naruki and Mifi. They all decided to part ways before tonight’s celebration party.

Back in the dormitory, Layfon took off his dirty clothes and went to have a shower.

Coming back to the room, refreshed, he looked at the paper bag on the desk.

In it were Meishen’s biscuits.

“I don’t really like sweets.”

He had taken the package with him without opening it, not wanting to refuse her.

Now he opened the paper bag. The sealed-off aroma of sugar rushed out to pat his nose. He wasn’t sure why, but it smelled like Meishen. The image of Meishen surfaced in his mind. Because of her passion for making sweets, she was doing a job she wasn’t good at. He recalled how she peeked at him eating sandwiches, her face lowered and pink.

He popped a biscuit into his mouth.

“……So sweet.”

Of course.

But he didn’t hate the sweetness on his tongue. It was good for the body to eat something sweet when tired.

“Aah~” Holding the bag in one hand, he fell into a sitting position. He brushed aside the hair falling across his eyes, and gazed at the floor.

He had lied to Meishen.

To put it correctly, he had hidden from her things that would disadvantage him in her eyes. This way, nobody would get hurt.

But he resented himself for only wanting to maintain his good image.

Either way, his pretense had been exposed. He was useless in the match. He didn’t plan on winning, but the other half of him had taken action for victory. It seemed as if he was hiding his real strength so as to hoard the spotlight in the end.

Besides, what could he do after winning?

Go back to train in Military Arts?

No.

Well……

“Just what do I want to do?”

Who knew how many times he had asked that question already? But he still had to ask. What did he have besides Military Arts?

Was there anything else he could do?

Nothing. He just wanted to be doing something. He walked on a path with no dream and no obstacles. All he wanted was to try walking on a path, relying on himself.

He hadn’t even decided on where to go.

And he came to Zuellni for that purpose. But the situation of the Academy and the Student President who knew of his past were denying him the chance to discovering his own interest.

Layfon grabbed another biscuit. Meishen probably knew he didn’t like sweets, so she had made them with less sugar. They tasted nice.

Her consideration pained him. It reproached him.

What was he like, the “cool Layfon” in her eyes?

“It really is...so sweet...”

He ate another biscuit.

<center>◇</center>

The day after the platoon match passed by smoothly. It was now night.

Naruki walked near the fighting arena with a flashlight in one hand. On her breast was a City Police badge. A baton hung from her harness. She was patrolling with a Military Arts senpai.

“Is that first year in the 17th platoon your classmate?”

“Yes.”

A wry smile crossed Naruki’s face at the curiosity of her senpai.

A great number of people had moved over to the busier part of the city at night, so the areas surrounding the arena were quiet and empty. Some people would use this chance to carry out activities here, such as lovers doing something indecent, and students in Alchemy and Engineering conducting illegal experiments.

Still, this patrol was a leisurely job.

Senpai told her of what the Alchemy students did here and how students from the Engineering department used their machines for underground gambling matches. And somehow, the conversation came to focus on Layfon.

“He’s amazing. Not that many in Military Arts can reach his level. Just who is he?”

“Who knows……He doesn’t talk much about himself.”

It was more like Layfon himself didn’t want to talk about his past. His unenthusiastic expression was all the answer that people received for the various questions that they threw at him yesterday in the celebration party.

“I just know he’s from Grendan.”

“Grendan? Ah, I see. But not everyone knows Military Arts even in Grendan. Oh, speaking of which……”

“What?”

“A Military Artist came here from Grendan last year. A good-for-nothing. What an absolute horror in group training,” she said, trying to suppress her laughter.

“……What was so horrible?”

“Oh, I haven’t finished. If one enters the Military Arts course, one should have trained in the basics of Internal-type or External Burst-type Kei, right? That girl kept boasting about her Kei and how it was just a basic level in Grendan, but in real combat, she couldn’t even reach the lowest level. The other girls finished her off so easily. She ended up withdrawing from the course after only half a year. We all thought Grendan wasn’t that great, but after watching yesterday’s match, it looks like it's not just all talk about Grendan.”

“Are there only a few students from Grendan?”

“Well, I only know that girl from Grendan. Grendan seems to have moved very far away from Zuellni in these past few years. Isn’t it safer to go to a closer Academy City? So I don’t think students from Grendan would come all the way out here. Perhaps that girl thought she wouldn’t have to use Kei if she went to a place far away from Grendan,” Senpai giggled.

Naruki sank into contemplation. Couldn’t the example of the female student fit Layfon?

It made more sense to enter an Academy City closer to home. This minimized the potential danger of spending too much time on a roaming bus. It was impossible to know the exact location of a city, but the Traffic Department was able to guess its location through the whereabouts and number of traveling days of various roaming buses. Even Naruki and her friends used the information from the Traffic Department to narrow down their options and finally picked Zuellni.

''(Did Layfon deliberately choose a distant Academy City?)''

She thought so. So he chose this place because it didn’t have as many people from Grendan? She didn’t understand, but this hypothesis felt close to the truth. For him who was hiding a secret, he wouldn’t have wanted people near him to know it. So he purposefully picked a distant place.

If so……

“Um...”

“What is it?” the senpai turned around, as Naruki had been deep in thought and had lagged behind.

“No. Nothing," Naruki shook her head and ran to catch up with her.

''(No problem at all.)''

If so……was there an issue with Layfon? No. Not at all.

As long as a person lived, he had to have experienced a sad or embarrassing past that he wanted to wipe clean. There was nothing wrong with escaping the place where he kept recalling his bad memories.

''(Ah, but that depends on the situation.)''

The person she was worried about wasn’t Layfon, but Meishen. Obviously, Meishen liked him. The closer she got to him, the greater the possibility she’d come into contact with the truth he was hiding. No, maybe she had already touched it. If the two were to be together…Naruki didn’t want them to develop a distant relationship of being afraid to touch the other’s wound.

What would Meishen do?

''(If it’s her……)''

No problem. Sure, but Naruki couldn’t think like that.

''(Perhaps she’ll be depressed.)''

This was worrying.

Since they were young, Meishen had always hidden behind Naruki, the tallest of the three, who knew how to fight. Nobody bothered with Mifi. Mifi liked to use the fastest means possible to grab hold of the other person’s secret and use it against them in the most diabolical way possible.

Meishen grew up being protected by them.

But she wasn’t just being protected.

Both Naruki and Mifi fell under the charm of Meishen’s sweets. They wouldn’t dare lift their heads before her if they went over the line. Meishen wouldn’t make any sweets for them. But even so, Meishen rarely left their small circle to make contact with the outside world. Her assertive action of working in the coffee shop was a great improvement. However, this wasn’t enough to build a relationship with someone outside their circle.

Naruki was really worried.

''(Um, what should I do? Maybe I should force the truth out of Layfon? Meishen might really fall into despair if it’s a hard truth. What should I do? He’s weak in personality. Perhaps it’s better to use my authority as a City Policewoman? Just make up some evidence to threaten him and arrest him?)''

Deep in thought, Naruki had been walking slowly. The senpai strolling ahead of her turned back to look…

And at the same time……

“Whhaaa……” She lost her balance and fell onto the grass.

The ground was shaking.

“What is it?”

The intensity of the tremor made Naruki kneel down. The trees lining the road and the buildings around them clamoured. The streetlights shook violently, as if they could fall down at any moment. The light jumped.

“Whwhwh-What’s happening?”

Senpai grabbed hold of one of the streetlights. It seemed to be her first time experiencing a cityquake.

“This is a cityquake. The cause could be uneven ground or the city not having a firm foothold……”

“Oh?……I see.” It took a while for Senpai to understand her.

It was easy to forget this fact while living a normal life in the city. Zuellni was moving continuously.

When Naruki was very young, a cityquake of greater magnitude than this had occurred in her city because Joeldem was trapped in ground with a weak crust. The cityquake had caused huge damage.

When the shaking gradually eased, Naruki stood up. It didn’t look like there was a fire anywhere. She couldn’t hear the racket from the residential district as it was a bit far from here, but things must be chaotic over there.

She thought of Mifi and Meishen. They should be sleeping in the dormitory.

“I hope there aren’t any accidents.”

And the shrill call of the siren dashed her hope.

<center>◇</center>

She was in a bad mood since yesterday because Layfon had hidden his true strength……

They were cleaning and painting the tubes to prevent the spread of rust in the Central Mechanism Chamber.

Holding the paint can and the brush, Layfon focused entirely on the sound of the moving gears behind his back.

Nina was silently cleaning a tube.

To Layfon, the sound of her brush against the tube was scolding him.

“Ah.”

Nina didn’t react to the sound he tried to suppress. Layfon’s stomach hurt.

(What did I do wrong?)

He thought of the possible reason.

Nina had been acting strange since yesterday’s celebration party. Putting Felli aside, who was absent, both Sharnid and Harley greeted him. Nina was the only one who didn’t look like she wanted to talk to him. All she said was “Thanks” and then she had gone to sit by herself.

She must be angry at his hiding of his true strength.

This had to be the only reason. Even he could understand her unease. Someone with a lukewarm attitude actually exceeded her in her best area. It was like he was mocking her hard-won accomplishments.

“Excuse me……” he called to her. Her brushing movement stopped.

“What?” she said without looking at him.

“Are you angry?” he blurted out.

''(I’m an idiot!)''

He could have said something better.

“…No.”

He thought she’d have roared at him, but all she did was deny in a low voice.

“There’s no reason to be mad, but……” she sighed, lowered her shoulders and turned around.

Her gaze didn’t directly touch his.

“I regret letting you enter the platoon.”

“Huh?”

“I was deceived by the Student President. I was satisfied to have you since the platoon match was close and we still lacked members. You took my Kei directly, so I thought if you trained well, you could become an attacker in the platoon. Even if we lost the match, you could become stronger somehow, before the real Military Arts Competition."

"But your real strength is way beyond my calculations.”

“No……”

“Was the Student President lying when he said you were a receiver of a Heaven's Blade?”

Looking embarrassed suddenly, Nina moved her gaze further away from him.

“Did he tell you?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“He told me what he knew, and all I can do is I pray it’s not true.”

Her eyes, questioning him and wishing for something, made him release the breath he was holding. He felt debilitated, as if a certain tension was suddenly cut away, the weight of his body disappearing into thin air……the emotion of despair.

''(It's all over...)''

Just what had ended? What he had left behind in Grendan had returned to him. What he had been running away from had finally caught up with him.

“Tell me it’s all a lie,” she pleaded.

But she didn’t think the Student President had lied to her.

Wolfstein……from the moment he learned of the twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers.

Everyone had been scolding him, saying it was wrong, yet nobody had taken care to explain just how wrong it was. All they did was scold him.

His stiff expression relaxed.

Yes, his old self had returned.

Nina’s face turned frosty. She must have obtained her confirmation from his look.

“Was it true?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I participated in underground matches in Grendan, tainting the reputation of the Heaven's Blade and was exiled.”

He watched with indifference as the muscles on her face twitched.

“Why?”

“To earn money.”

He trained in Military Arts for that purpose and won again and again.

But the prize money from normal matches was too little.

As a result of unbroken victories, he had become a receiver of a Heaven's Blade to serve under the Queen of Grendan, Alsheyra. But his salary was still too small and the special scholarship he obtained was still too little.

“I needed a lot of money for the many children in the orphanage.”

The money he had was enough for himself or just a normal family.

But there were too many orphans. The money he earned wasn’t enough to provide for their education and living. His Master wasn’t the only one managing an orphanage. Layfon needed money to give to his comrades, for all the numerous orphans in Grendan……and what he was earning wasn’t enough.

He could have just earned enough for the orphanage he lived in, but he felt he needed to provide for all the orphanages. He didn’t know why either. Perhaps, all the orphans were his comrades.

So he wasn’t earning enough.

“And at that time, I found out about the underground matches.”

Nina’s expression swayed.

She probably thought what he did had tainted the Military Arts. Many people thought of Military Arts as a sacred art to defend a city from outside enemies. This viewpoint was especially strong in those who lived as professional Military Artists.

The sacred Art must not be tainted by human desires.

But in reverse, because it was sacred, people wanted to taint it. The students gambling secretly on the platoon matches must be immersed in the festival-like atmosphere and commit their illegal act.

But compared to the students, there were people who wanted to do such things with clear-cut intent. Perhaps they weren’t satisfied with the normal matches that began and ended ceremoniously in the spirit of sports. What they lusted after were the mad and bloody fights.

And for this reason, the underground matches offered huge prize money.

Layfon had found out about it. He contacted the people who organized such matches. Using the threat that came from the authority of a Heaven's Blade Receiver, he suggested that they could advertise his unbelievably strong power. It was easy to tell who would have won in a normal match, but it was another matter to watch a Heaven's Blade Receiver fight without holding back.

He used his Kei as if he was in a show, and through that, obtained money from the audience.

“But I couldn’t keep that up for long.”

It was difficult to shut people’s mouths. The rumour of his deeds spread widely in Grendan and eventually reached Queen Alsheyra’s ear.

“And so I was exiled.”

“Of course,” Nina said, as if to let out all the anger and irritation inside her.

Nina’s outrage was the same as the people’s at Grendan, including Layfon’s Master, the other Heaven's Blade Receivers and even his comrades – the orphans.

Even so, he still didn’t understand.

“Why are you so certain?”

“What? You……”

“Kei is an important treasure for humanity, striving to survive in this world. Because of it, the orphans and I didn’t have to worry about food. Why must people make using it a crime?”

He truly couldn’t comprehend.

“The Queen exiled me because a certain Military Artist was threatening me.”

“Threatening……?”

She probably didn’t know about this.

“That person wanted to participate in a Heaven's Blade match. He showed me proof of my fights in the underground matches and threatened to spread it around unless I lost to him purposefully and let him have the Heaven's Blade.”

There were twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers. The only way to get that title was to either defeat a Receiver in a Heaven's Blade match or win the numerous matches after the death of a Receiver.

The blackmailer had another way than Military Arts to win a match, and he used it to threaten Layfon. But Layfon didn’t accept the deal. He couldn’t abandon his title as it was his key to the underground matches, to fight as a Heaven's Blade Receiver.

So he tried to kill the other person. His secret would be safe if this person died.

He planned to win with one strike. He had that confidence. Once his opponent got careless, Layfon would deal a fatal strike and finish him off.

But, he failed.

His one strike only managed to sever his opponent’s arm, and the match ended as his opponent was unable to keep fighting.

And then the news of Layfon’s deed in the underground matches spread.

“I don’t find him despicable,” he said to the speechless Nina.

“He was only doing everything he could to obtain what he desired. But he got careless in the end. That’s all there was to it.”

To Layfon, the way he finished his opponent was naïve. One must fight desperately to survive, but the level of desperation he showed in his method was meaningless. At that time, there were still things driving him to act that way solely for the purpose of survival. And as such, he wasn’t angry with the Student President. Karian’s attitude of manipulating things and people to ensure Zuellni’s survival was the same as Layfon’s.

But Karian’s concern on what Layfon had abandoned made him revisit the feeling he had in Grendan all over again.

“And that is who I am. Do you find me despicable?”

Everyone in Grendan reproved him for being base.

Was Nina the same? He waited for her reaction with a neutral expression.

He felt pain as of his heart being torn apart. The pain was an illusion, but he had no way of shaking it off, so he could only suffer it.

Why was he feeling this kind of pain?

No. He had already experienced it before – the punishment that Queen Alsheyra had passed down to him. All the Heaven's Blade Receivers served her, so Layfon could only surrender to her judgement.

All the Heaven's Blade Receivers, officials and his Master watched him as his punishment was dealt out. Their gazes were cold and icy.

The pain jolted him back to reality.

“You……are despicable,” she said.

And then the ground shook violently.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter5

2009-05-19T02:55:51Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 5: Point of difference */

===Chapter 5: Point of difference===

This is my fourth letter but I still haven’t received yours. I’m beginning to worry that you haven’t been getting mine.

Honestly, I’m feeling a bit down.

What is it like to have a dream?

I’m beginning to understand that feeling.

I feel that……It's innocent and dazzling, like the something at the bottom of a cave. No matter how much you stretch out your hand, you can’t reach it. A place of deep despair.

The good friends I’ve made here shine from a place that I can never reach.

You also shine with light.

Back then, I didn’t understand why you could be so diligent and hardworking on such a boring thing. I was too desperate to live, and because of that, I missed the point.

What forced me to become like that? I was running away. It’s unsightly of me to place the blame elsewhere.

Now, I don’t find your goal boring. In reverse, I’m envious of you.

Can I still grasp hold of it now? Grasp hold of the thing on the very bottom, the unreachable…… the thing that might not even be there.

I’m struggling with whether I should send this letter or not. Useless content.

But I still think I should send this. I want to hear your opinion. Don’t complicate it. I just want to hear what you think.

I want to read your reply because of this letter.

Your dream is and has always been dazzling. Please don’t lose it.

To dear Leerin Marfes.

Layfon Alseif.

<center>◇</center>

Nina walked in a brusque manner along the corridor, stamping the floor with force. A girl passing by, holding a pile of documents and looked to be a member of the Student Council quickly moved aside for her.

It was natural for the girl to be startled. Dust and soil particles were stuck on Nina’s forehead and cheeks. Her golden hair was dirty and messy, even her Military Arts uniform was in tatters. There weren’t many students who could walk around with that appearance, full of anger.

Nina was outraged. She wasn’t quite sure why she was incensed, but she was currently throwing a tantrum.

Unsuspicious of the anger inside her, she had stomped over here after the match, propelled by her emotion. Layfon had fainted when the siren rang out and was carried away on a stretcher. There wasn’t anything unusual with the flow of his Kei, so he must have just lost consciousness.

“Just what was that about?” Nina let out her words in resentment and pounded heavily on the door of the Student President’s room.

“Come in.”

Before the reply came through, she had already pushed open the door on her own.

Besides the bitterly smiling Karian, Vance was also in the room. Vance’s presence calmed her down. She halted her steps.

“Third year of Military Arts, Nina Antalk is coming in.”

“Please.”

Karian said that and then praised her.

“Congratulations for your first win.”

Nina’s brow furrowed. “…… Just what was that?”

“Uh? You mean?”

“Layfon Alseif. You know he’s not a normal person, don’t you?”

“Why do you think so?”

“This is all too strange. He really did well in the opening ceremony, but before his ability was confirmed, you transferred him into Military Arts and nominated him to join my platoon. During that time, there must be lots of people thinking you were just being blinded by his brilliant performance. But you didn’t take any action afterwards…… that wasn’t possible according to your personality.”

“But you accepted Layfon. Don’t you admire his performance today?”

“I’ve tested him.”

She had had Felli bring him to the training room and had tested his strength. She didn’t feel that the Layfon at that time didn’t want to show his true strength. She felt if he had more training, his strength could exceed that of their existing members’.

Though that judgement was totally in error.

The issue wasn’t that Layfon could become stronger after more training. He didn’t need training at all.

She saw Layfon’s true strength in the platoon match just then. Needle Kei and Whirl Kei…… he couldn’t have mastered that power in a short period of time.

Vance nodded in agreement. He glanced at the screen that was about to broadcast the fourth match, and turned her gaze back to Karian.

“You seem to know who Layfon Alseif is. Did you know of his identity before this match?”

Karian shook his head.

“It’s not that easy to obtain intelligence on other cities.”

The other two people in the room weren’t convinced.

“I only found out about him by chance,” he raised his hands in surrender.

“How did you two come to this academy?”

“On a roaming bus of course.”

“It’s a given to ride the roaming buses. We normally can only move between cities by riding the roaming buses, but what I mean is the route.”

“Route?”

“Yes. All the roaming buses eventually return back to the Traffic City Joeldem and then depart from there. Only the consciousness of Joeldem knows the correct positions of all the mobile cities. But sometimes a roaming bus might not come directly from Joeldem. It might go around to other cities before arriving here.”

Nina nodded. She had gone past three cities before arriving at Zuellni.

“Did you go past Grendan?” Nina asked.

Karian nodded. “I took three months to arrive at Zuellni. During my travel, I waited for a roaming bus for two weeks at Grendan. It wasn’t boring over there at all because of the numerous Military Arts matches being held. Fortunately, I saw a Heaven Blade successor match.”

“Heaven Blade?”

Nina glanced at Vance. Vance didn’t seem to know of it, so she waited for Karian to explain.

“That isn’t just a title for the twelve most excellent Military Artists in the Lance Shelled city, Grendan……. A certain special item also comes with that title, but as an outsider, I’ve no idea what it is.”

While listening to Karian, Nina thought of what could have happened.

Layfon was from Grendan. That was right. Since Karian rode the roaming bus to Zuellni for first year study, this meant he must have stayed at Grendan five years ago.

Five years ago? …… Layfon wasn’t even ten years of age!

“How was that possible……”

“I know there’re geniuses in the world. But even I was greatly moved by his performance. So surprised that I was speechless. I don’t have the talent in Military Arts, but everyone watching that match was all shocked by the scene.”

A kid, who might not even be ten years old yet, easily dragged the long sword around and defeated an adult.

“It wasn’t just men, everyone was overwhelmed and shocked. It was an extraordinary and rare reality. A kid could actually top the Military Arts world. I can’t forget that name. When I saw his name on the scholarship application, it wasn’t possible for me to miss it. For him to settle in Zuellni during this time is like a saviour’s been born. At the same time, I didn’t understand why he left Grendan and wanted to specialize in General Studies. No, I wasn’t surprised at his entering General Studies. He doesn’t need anyone to teach him Military Arts. Even so, I was still curious about the real reason behind his decision, so I investigated him, and that result came to my desk the day before the opening ceremony.”

“So……”

Nina swallowed, trying to remove the feeling of something sticking to her throat.

Right.

She suddenly realized why she was so angry.

She got it now. Layfon had never used his true strength in training. Never mind that. What was unforgivable was the fact that he deliberately lost to her when they first fought. He could have defeated her easily, but he chose to lose to her.

It felt like an insult to Nina.

Even so, the truth might not be what it looked like on the surface.

She suppressed her anger and pondered more calmly. Perhaps the excited Karian could calm her down further.

So what was Military Arts to Layfon? Perhaps he didn’t like it. If he liked it, even though he didn’t need any training, he’d have entered Military Arts.

(Speaking of which……)

She remembered. Didn’t he say that when they were eating supper at the Mechanical Department?

“Not Military Arts. I’ve already failed it.”

She had forgotten that soon afterwards, distracted by the Electronic Fairy. But thinking of it now, his words seemed to hide some deeper meaning.

Failed?

Just what was that about?

The Layfon who was a top Military Artist in Grendan. Just what mistake did he make?

“He……”

Nina almost perked up her ears by reflex.

She wanted to know.

But then, perhaps she shouldn’t be listening to this. If she knew, she might not let Layfon stay in the team. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to forgive him.

Just when her heart was swaying this way and that, Karian continued.

“He had tainted the reputation of a Heaven Blade successor.”

<center>◇</center>

It seemed that nothing good ever happened if he were to wake up in the clinic.

“I’m here again……”

Layfon woke up and realized what he had done. He held his head, hating himself.

He felt his head and found many lumps on it. No wonder it felt as if his head was in cramps.

“Ah……”

As he moaned, trying to escape the pain, his gaze moved to the interior of the clinic and saw something placed on the bench. Something that looked like a big basket and three female schoolbags. Then rowdy noises drifted near from the corridor, and the door was pushed open.

“Ah, Layton’s up!” Mifi said loudly with a paper cup in hand. Mei-Shen and Naruki were standing behind her.

“How do you feel? Are you all right? Speaking of which, you were incredible. You gave me such a scare.”

Layfon smiled sourly and sat up on the bed.

“I didn’t know you were that strong. The last two moves were amazing,” Naruki said.

Naruki said that because she was also in Military Arts. The bitterness on Layfon’s face deepened.

Noticing Layfon’s look, she changed her expression.

“…… So are you ok?”

Layfon took the juice from Mei-Shen. The juice wetted his thirsty throat. He drank from the cup as if to let the liquid seep through his entire body.

“Thanks. I feel much better.”

Mei-Shen’s face reddened. She lowered her head and half ran from the side of the bed to the long bench.

“…… Um, if you’re hungry, I’ve got bento……”

“Uh, thank you.”

Layfon got off the bed, made his way to the long bench and looked into the basket. It was divided into two sections. One held sandwiches; the other had something paper wrapped that appeared to be baked biscuits.

“I’m hungry.”

He hadn’t been eating since his stomach hurt from early morning. Looking at the basket, he now wanted to eat.

He took a sandwich and bite into it. Sensing the gaze directing at his face, he ate the sandwich in two bites and washed it down with juice.

“It’s delicious.”

Mei-Shen’s tense expression turned into a blossoming smile.

“Uh……”

Layfon hesitated, reaching out for more.

“We aren’t hungry. It’s ok if you eat it all.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just eat it all,” Naruki and Mifi said. Mei-Shen nodded. So he took another sandwich.

“I’ll go buy some juice.”

“I’m going with you.”

The girls’ sudden movements alarmed Mei-Shen.

“…… Wu, you two!” she protested.

“Don’t worry. We’ll buy your share,” Naruki said to Mei-Shen, who was waving at them in agitation.

“Ah, yes, yes. Your platoon’s going to celebrate the victory. We’ve been invited too.”

“Oh, ok, got it,” Layfon replied.

Recalling the match brought a shadow over him, but eating took priority. Naruki and Mifi left the room.

Now that they were left alone in the room, Mei-Shen had lost her calm. Sitting next to Layfon, she fidgeted and played with her fingers, her gaze darting around.

After finishing the fourth sandwich and settling his stomach, he noticed Mei-Shen’s peculiar behaviour.

(Ah, she must be shy?)

And he felt awkward and embarrassed. It was bad of Naruki and Mifi to leave her when they knew she’d become like this.

“I’m sorry for making you make the bento.”

“…… Not at all, this is th…… thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“…… You saved me.”

Recalling what he did in the opening ceremony, he shook his head.

“That was nothing.”

He wasn’t thinking of saving her. His body just moved on its own.

That was all there was to it.

“…… But, I was still saved.”

“Then I’ll genuinely receive your goodwill, but I’ve almost eaten it all.”

Mei-Shen laughed lightly at the joke. Feeling embarrassed, Layfon grabbed another sandwich.

“…… Lay…… ton. You’re strong,” Mei-Shen whispered as he finished up the last sandwich.

“No…… not at all.”

Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew inside him was another “him” who couldn’t deny himself. He understood he had extraordinary strength in Military Arts. He tried his all to hide it. He didn’t know how the Student President found out, but he thought he could solve this issue since Karian didn’t seem to have leaked the secret.

But he had dashed that hope in today’s match.

There must be a student here from Grendan. For those who thought they had mistaken him for someone else would now know he was a Heaven Blade wielder.

“…… You’re really strong. Like how you struck down those two instantly……”

The huge screen set in the audience section must have broadcasted his image.

“…… but, why didn’t you finish them before?”

The question he had been anticipating now lay before him. He noticed the smell of earth on his clothes. The people in the Medical course had dusted off some of the soil on Layfon before putting him in bed, but that wasn’t enough to clean the dirty clothes. While thinking of that, he remembered the pain in his head.

(I must have rolled too much on the ground.)

In the arena, Layfon had had difficulty thinking because of his head bumping here and there. He thought back to the scene of Nina receiving repeated attacks. Compared to his real strength, she wouldn’t have let her pain muddle her brain.

“I wasn’t planning on winning.”

He decided to be honest.

“I don’t care about the me who trained in Military Arts. I didn’t start training in it because I liked it. I didn’t have anyone encouraging me to study it. I learned it because there was a need.”

“Besides, Military Arts isn’t necessary to me anymore, so I’m letting go of it,” he said in small voice.

Mei-Shen watched him with wide eyes.

If…… if he was more used to it, he might have lost the match even more beautifully. That was how he thought, but he was unable to do so in battle. As long as he held a weapon…… even if he wasn’t doing his best, he always fought seriously. This had nothing to do with the strength of the opponent. He had no other feelings other than to fight seriously for the result of victory.

“I told you before that I’m an orphan, didn’t I?”

[[Image:CSR vol01 211.jpg|thumb]]
Mei-Shen nodded and moved away her awkward gaze.

“The Head of our orphanage was terrible with money, so he was always troubled by it. Looking at the dwindling food, I guessed the Head must be losing money again, so I was always afraid that one day, there might not be food at all.”

At that time, he encountered the skill of katana.

“I was told I had the talent for the katana, so I decided to make money with it. I participated in all kinds of matches and won lots of prize money……”

And before he knew it, he had become a Heaven Blade successor.

Perhaps, for people who dreamt of becoming a Heaven Blade successor would be outraged by his words. To him though, this was his truth. This was the level of value that the title “Heaven Blade” held for him. It was only a part of the process to reaching his goal.

“The situation at the orphanage improved because of the prize money. Everyone was grateful to me.”

“…… So you then decided not to train in Military Arts again?”

“Yes, since there was enough money. Unfortunately it isn’t enough for my school fees. That can’t be helped, so I’ve to earn money through some other means.”

“…… Don’t you miss it at all?”

Layfon smiled naturally and nodded. “Yeah, but I still haven’t found out what I want to do……”

“…… You’ll definitely find it,” Mei-Shen said in a light and shy voice. She hunched her shoulders, her body seeming to become even smaller.

“But……”

Looking at the floor, she added. “…… You were incredible…… in the match…… but you were a bit cunning.”

“Huh?”

“…… Why did you win if you’ve decided to lose the match?”

“……”

He wanted to say he couldn’t think properly because of his bumpy head, but on second thought, he swallowed the words. It wasn’t a good enough reason, besides, he didn’t want Mei-Shen to know more about it.

“…… Layton, you’ve your own way of thinking. I don’t know much…… about winning or losing matches…… but, if you’ve decided to lose, I think it’s better to lose the match. It’s not so good to change halfway through…… About finding what I like doing, I can’t properly explain why I like making savories. I don’t know how to discover an interest, so I can’t give you any suggestions……”

She paused as if to take a deep breath, and then continued, “But the Lay…… ton at the opening ceremony was cool. I want to see the Layton back then.”

Her face was all red. Then she added lightly. “Sorry.”

Layfon remained silent, and could only shake his head.

Afterwards, he chatted a bit with Naruki and Mifi. They all decided to part ways before tonight’s celebration party.

Back in the dormitory, Layfon took off his dirty clothes and went to have a shower.

Coming back to the room, refreshed, he looked at the paper bag on the desk.

In it were Mei-Shen’s biscuits.

“I don’t really like sweets.”

He had taken the package with him without opening it, not wanting to refuse her.

Now he opened the paper bag. The sealed off sweet aroma rushed out to pat his nose. He wasn’t sure why, but it smelt like Mei-Shen. The image of Mei-Shen surfaced in his mind. Because of her passion in sweets, she was doing a job she wasn’t good at. He recalled how she peeked at him eating sandwiches, her face lowered and pink.

He popped a biscuit into his mouth.

“…… So sweet.”

Of course.

But he didn’t hate the sweetness on his tongue. It was good for the body to eat something sweet when tired.

“Ahah……” Holding the bag in one hand, he fell into a sitting position. He brushed aside the hair falling across his eyes, and gazed at the floor.

He had lied to Mei-Shen.

To put it correctly, he had hidden from her things that would disadvantage him in her eyes. This way, nobody would get hurt.

But he resented himself for only wanting to maintain his good image.

Either way, his pretense had been exposed. He was useless in the match. He didn’t plan on winning, but the other half of him had taken action for victory. It seemed as if he was hiding his real strength so to hoard the spotlight in the end.

Besides, what could he do after winning?

Go back to train in Military Arts?

No.

Well……

“Just what do I want to do?”

Who knew how many times he had asked that question already? But he still had to ask. What had he got besides Military Arts?

Could there be anything else for him to do?

Nothing. He just wanted to be doing something. He walked on a path with no dream and no obstacles. All he wanted was to try walking on a path by relying on himself.

He hadn’t even decided on where to go.

And he came to Zuellni for that purpose. But the situation of the Academy and the Student President who knew of his past were refusing him the expectation of discovering his interest.

Layfon grabbed another biscuit. Mei-Shen probably knew he didn’t like sweets, so she had made them with less sugar. They tasted nice.

Her consideration pained him. It reproached him.

What was he like, the “cool Layfon” in her eyes?

“So sweet, it really is……”

He ate another biscuit.

<center>◇</center>

The day after the platoon match passed by smoothly. It was now night time.

Naruki walked near the fighting arena with a torch in one hand. On her breast was a City Police badge. A baton hung from her harness. She was patrolling with a Military Arts senpai.

“Is that first year in the 17th platoon your classmate?”

“Yes.”

A wry smile crossed Naruki’s face at the curiosity of her senpai.

A great number of people had moved over to the busier part of the city at night, so the surroundings of the arena were quiet and empty. Some people would use this chance to carry out activities here, such as lovers doing something indecent, and students in alchemy and construction conducting illegal experiments.

Still, this patrol was a leisure job.

Senpai told her of what the alchemy students did here and how students from the mechanical course used their machines for underground gambling matches. And somehow, the conversation came to focus on Layfon.

“He’s amazing. No that many in Military Arts can reach his level. Just who is he?”

“Who knows…… he doesn’t talk much about that.”

It was more like Layfon himself didn’t want to talk about his past. His unenthusiastic expression was all the answer that people received for the various questions that they threw at him yesterday in the celebration party.

“I just know he’s from Grendan.”

“Grendan? Ah, I see. But not everyone knows Military Arts even in Grendan. Ah, speaking of which……”

“What?”

“A Military Artist came here from Grendan last year. A good-for-nothing. What an absolute horror in group training,” she said, trying to suppress her laughter.

“…… What was so horrible?”

“Oh, I haven’t finished. If one’s entered Military Arts course, one should have trained in the basics of Internal type or External burst type Kei, right? That girl kept boasting about her Kei and how it was just a basic level in Grendan, but in real combat, she couldn’t even reach the lowest level. The other girls finished her off so easily. She ended up withdrawing from the course after only half a year. We all thought Grendan wasn’t that great, but after watching yesterday’s match, it really isn’t just all talk about Grendan.”

“Are there few students from Grendan?”

“Well, I only know that girl from Grendan. Grendan seems to have moved very far from Zuellni in these few years. Isn’t it safer to go to a closer Academy City? So I don’t think students from Grendan would come all the way out here. Perhaps that girl thought she wouldn’t have to use Kei if she went to a place far away from Grendan,” senpai giggled.

Naruki sank into contemplation. Couldn’t the example of the female student fit Layfon?

It made more sense to enter an Academy City closer to home. This minimized the potential danger for spending too much time on a roaming bus. It was impossible to know the exact location of a city, but the Traffic Department was able to speculate its location through the whereabouts and number of traveling days of various roaming buses. Even Naurki and her friends used the information from the Traffic Department to narrow down their options and finally picked Zuellni.

(Did Layfon deliberately choose a far away Academy City?)

She thought so. So he chose this place because it didn’t have as many people from Grendan? She didn’t understand, but this speculation felt close to the truth. For him who was hiding a secret, he wouldn’t have wanted people near him to know it. So he purposefully picked a distant place.

If so……

“Um?”

“…… What’s it?” the senpai turned around, as Naruki had been deep in thought and had lagged behind.

“No. Nothing," Naruki shook her head and ran to catch up with her.

If so…… was there an issue with Layfon? No. Not at all.

As long as a person lived, he had to have experienced a sad or embarrassing past that he wanted to wipe clean. There was nothing wrong with escaping the place where he kept recalling his bad memories.

(Ah, but this depends on the situation.)

The person she was worried about wasn’t Layfon, but Mei-Shen. Obviously, Mei-Shen liked him. The closer she got to him, the more possible she’d come into contact with the truth he was hiding. No, maybe she had already touched it. If the two were to be together… Naruki didn’t want them to develop a distant relationship of being afraid to touch each other’s wound.

What would Mei-Shen do?

(If it’s her……)

No problem. Sure, but Naruki couldn’t think like that.

(Perhaps she’ll be pretty down.)

This was worrying.

From little, Mei-Shen had always hidden behind Naruki, the tallest of the three who also knew how to fight. Nobody bothered with Mifi. Mifi liked to use the fastest means to grab hold of the other person’s secret and use it to avenge in the evilest possible way.

Mei-Shen grew up being protected by them.

But she wasn’t just being protected.

Both Naruki and Mifi fell under the charm of Mei-Shen’s savories. They wouldn’t dare lift their heads before her if they played over the line. Mei-Shen wouldn’t make any sweets for them. But even so, Mei-Shen rarely left the small circle to contact with the outside world. Her assertive action of working in the coffee shop was a great improvement. However, this wasn’t enough to build a relationship with someone outside their circle.

Naruki was really worried.

(Um, what should I do? Maybe I should interrogate the truth out of Layfon? Mei-Shen might really fall into despair if it’s a hard truth. What should I do? He’s weak in personality. Perhaps it’s better to use my authority as a City Police? Just make up some evidence to threaten him and arrest him?)

Deep in thought, Naruki had been walking slowly. The senpai strolling ahead of her turned back to look….

And at the same time……

“Whhaaa……” she lost her balance and fell onto the grass.

The ground was shaking.

“What’s it?”

The intensity of the tremor made Naruki kneel down. The trees lining the road and the buildings around them clamoured. The streetlights shook violently, as if they could fall down any moment. The light jumped.

“Whwhwh….. What’s happening?”

Senpai grabbed hold of one of the streetlights. It seemed to be her first time experiencing an earthquake.

“This is an earthquake. The cause could be an uneven ground or the city not having a firm foothold……”

“Oh? …… I see.” It took a while for senpai to comprehend her meaning.

It was easy to forget this truth while living a normal life in the city. Zuellni was moving continuously.

When Naruki was very young, an earthquake of greater magnitude than this had occurred in her city because Joeldem was trapped in the ground with a weak crust. The earthquake caused huge damages.

When the shaking gradually eased, Naruki stood up. It didn’t look like there was a fire anywhere. She couldn’t hear the racket from the residential district as it was a bit far from here, but things must be chaotic over there.

She thought of Mifi and Mei-Shen. They should be sleeping in the dormitory.

“I hope there aren’t any accidents.”

And the shrill call of the siren dashed her hope.

<center>◇</center>

She was in a bad mood from yesterday because of Layfon hiding his true strength……

They were cleaning and painting the tubes to prevent the growth of rust in the Mechanical Department.

Holding the painting can and the brush, Layfon focused his entire concentration on the sound of the moving gears behind his back.

Nina was silently cleaning a tube.

To Layfon, the sound of her brush against the tube was reproving him.

“Ah.”

Nina didn’t react to the sound he tried to suppress. Layfon’s stomach hurt.

(What did I do wrong?)

He thought of the possible reason.

Nina had been acting strange since yesterday’s celebration party. Putting Felli aside, who was absent, both Sharnid and Harley greeted him. Nina was the only one who didn’t look like she wanted to talk to him. All she said was “thanks” and then she had gone to sit by herself.

She must be angry of his hiding his true strength.

This had to be the only reason. Even he could understand her unease. Someone with a lukewarm attitude actually exceeded her in her best area. It was like he was mocking her hard-won accomplishments.

“Excuse me……” he called to her. Her brushing movement stopped.

“What?” she said without looking at him.

“Are you angry?” he blurted out.

(I’m an idiot!)

He could have said something better.

“…… No.”

He thought she’d have roared at him, but all she did was deny in a low voice.

“There’s no reason to be mad, but……” she sighed, lowered her shoulders and turned around.

Her gaze didn’t directly touch his.

“I regret letting you enter the platoon.”

“Huh?”

“I was deceived by the Student President. I was satisfied to have you as the platoon match was close and we still lacked members. You took my Kei directly, so I thought if you trained well, you would become an attacker in the platoon. Even if we lost the match, you could become stronger somehow, before the real Military Arts Competition.

But your real strength is way beyond my calculation.”

“No……”

“Was the Student President lying when he said you’re the successor of Heaven Blade?”

Looking embarrassed suddenly, Nina moved her gaze further away from him.

“Did he tell you?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“He told what he knew, and all I can do is pray it’s not true.”

Her eyes, questioning him yet wishing for something, made him release the breath he was holding. He felt debilitated, as if a certain tension was suddenly cut away, the weight of his body disappearing into thin air…… the emotion of despair.

(Everything’s ended……)

Just what had ended? What he had left behind in Grendan had returned to him. What he had been running away from had finally caught up with him.

“Tell me it’s all a lie,” she pleaded.

Yet, she didn’t think the Student President had lied to her.

Wolfstein…… from the moment when he knew of the twelve Heaven Blade successors.

Everyone had been reproving him, saying it was wrong, yet nobody had taken care to explain just how wrong it was. All they did was reprove him.

His stiff expression relaxed.

Yes, his old self had returned.

Nina’s face turned frosty. She must have obtained her confirmation from his look.

“Was it true?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I participated in underground matches in Grendan, tainting the reputation of Heaven Blade and was exiled.”

He watched with indifference as the muscles on her face twitched.

“Why?”

“To earn money.”

He trained in Military Arts for that purpose and won again and again.

But the prize money of normal matches was too little.

As a result of unbroken victories, he had become a successor of Heaven Blade to serve under the Queen of Grendan, Alsheyra. But his salary was still too small and the special scholarship he obtained still was too little.

“I needed a lot of money for the many children in the orphanage.”

The money he had was enough for himself or just a normal family.

But there were too many orphans. The money he earned wasn’t enough to provide for their education and living. His Master wasn’t the only one managing an orphanage. Layfon needed money to give to his comrades, for all the numerous orphans in Grendan…… and what he was earning wasn’t enough.

He could have just earned enough for the orphanage he lived in, but he felt he needed to provide for all the orphanages. He didn’t know why either. Perhaps, all the orphans were his comrades.

So he wasn’t earning enough.

“And at that time, I found out about the underground matches.”

Nina’s expression swayed.

She probably thought what he did have tainted Military Arts. Many people thought of Military Arts as a sacred art to defend a city from outside enemies. This viewpoint was deeply rooted especially in those who lived as a professional Military Artists.

The sacred Art must not be tainted by human desires.

But in reverse, because it was sacred, people wanted to taint it. The students gambling secretly in the platoon matches must be immersed in the festival-like atmosphere and committed their illegal act.

But compared to the students, there were people who wanted to do such thing with clear-cut intention. Perhaps they weren’t satisfied with the normal matches that began and ended ceremoniously in the spirit of sports. What they fell for were the mad and bloody fights.

And because of this reason, the underground matches offered huge prize money.

And Layfon found out about it. He contacted the people who organized such matches. Using the threat that came from the authority of a Heaven Blade successor, he suggested that they could advertise his unbelievably strong power. It was easy to tell who would have won in a normal match, but it was another matter to watch a Heaven Blade successor fight without holding back.

He used his Kei as if he was in a show, and through that, obtained money from the audience.

“But I couldn’t keep that up for long.”

It was difficult to shut people’s mouths. The rumour of his deed spread widely in Grendan and eventually reached Queen Alsheyra’s ear.

“And so I was exiled.”

“And of course,” Nina said, as if to let out all the anger and irritation inside her.

Nina’s outrage was the same as the people’s at Grendan, including Layfon’s Master, the other Heaven Blade successors and even his comrades – the orphans.

Even so, he still didn’t understand.

“Why is it a given?”

“What? You……”

“Kei is an important treasure for humanity, striving to survive in this world. Because of it, the orphans and I didn’t have to worry about food. Why must people make a bad name out of it?”

He truly couldn’t comprehend.

“The Queen exiled me because a certain Military Artist was threatening me.”

“Threaten……?”

She probably didn’t know of this.

“That person wanted to participate in a Heaven Blade match. He showed me the proof of my fights in the underground matches and threatened to spread it around unless I lost to him purposefully and let him have the Heaven Blade.”

There were twelve Heaven Blade successors. The only way to get that title was to either defeat a successor in a Heaven Blade match or win the numerous matches after the death of a successor.

The blackmailer had a way other than Military Arts to win a match, and he used it to threaten Layfon. But Layfon didn’t accept the deal. He couldn’t abandon his title as it was his key to the underground matches, to fight as a Heaven Blade successor.

So he tried to kill the other person. His secret would be safe if this person died.

He planned to win with one strike. He had that confidence. Once his opponent got careless, Layfon would deal out a fatal strike and finish him off.

But, he failed.

His one strike only managed to severe his opponent’s arm, and the match ended as his opponent was unable to keep fighting.

And then the news of Layfon’s deed in the underground matches spread.

“I don’t find him despicable,” he said to the speechless Nina.

“He was only doing everything he could to obtain what he desired. But he got careless in the end. That’s all there is to it.”

To Layfon, the way he finished his opponent was naïve. One must fight desperately to survive, but the level of desperation he showed in his method was meaningless. At that time, there were still things driving him to act that way solely for the purpose of survival. And as such, he wasn’t angry with the Student President. Karian’s attitude of manipulating things and people to ensure Zuellni’s survival was the same as Layfon’s.

But Karian’s concern on what Layfon had abandoned made him revisit the feeling he had in Grendan all over again.

“And that is me. Do you find me despicable?”

Everyone in Grendan reproved him for being base.

Was Nina the same? He waited for her reaction with a neutral expression.

He felt pain as of his heart being torn apart. The pain was an illusion, but he had no way of shaking it off, so he could only suffer it.

Why was he feeling this kind of pain?

No. He had already experienced it before – the punishment that Queen Alsheyra had passed down to him. All the Heaven Blade successors served her, so Layfon could only surrender to her judgement.

All the Heaven Blade successors, officials and his Master watched him as his punishment was dealt out. Their gazes were cold and icy.

The pain jolted him back to reality.

“You…… are despicable,” she said.

And then the ground shook violently.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter5

2009-05-19T02:46:24Z

99.159.252.71: /* Chapter 5: Point of difference */

===Chapter 5: Point of difference===

This is my fourth letter but I still haven’t received yours. I’m beginning to worry that you haven’t been getting mine.

Honestly, I’m feeling a bit down.

What is it like to have a dream?

I’m beginning to understand that feeling.

I feel that……It's innocent and dazzling, like the something at the bottom of a cave. No matter how much you stretch out your hand, you can’t reach it. A place of deep despair.

The good friends I’ve made here shine from a place that I can never reach.

You also shine with light.

Back then, I didn’t understand why you could be so diligent and hardworking on such a boring thing. I was too desperate to live, and because of that, I missed the point.

What forced me to become like that? I was running away. It’s unsightly of me to place the blame elsewhere.

Now, I don’t find your goal boring. In reverse, I’m envious of you.

Can I still grasp hold of it now? Grasp hold of the thing on the very bottom, the unreachable…… the thing that might not even be there.

I’m struggling with whether I should send this letter or not. Useless content.

But I still think I should send this. I want to hear your opinion. Don’t complicate it. I just want to hear what you think.

I want to read your reply because of this letter.

Your dream is and has always been dazzling. Please don’t lose it.

To dear Leerin Marfes.

Layfon Alseif.

<center>◇</center>

Nina walked in a brusque manner along the corridor, stamping the floor with force. A girl passing by, holding a pile of documents and looked to be a member of the Student Council quickly moved aside for her.

It was natural for the girl to be startled. Dust and soil particles were stuck on Nina’s forehead and cheeks. Her golden hair was dirty and messy, even her Military Arts uniform was in tatters. There weren’t many students who could walk around with that appearance, full of anger.

Nina was outraged. She wasn’t quite sure why she was incensed, but she was currently throwing a tantrum.

Unsuspicious of the anger inside her, she had stomped over here after the match, propelled by her emotion. Layfon had fainted when the siren rang out and was carried away on a stretcher. There wasn’t anything unusual with the flow of his Kei, so he must have just lost consciousness.

“Just what was that about?” Nina let out her words in resentment and pounded heavily on the door of the Student President’s room.

“Come in.”

Before the reply came through, she had already pushed open the door on her own.

Besides the bitterly smiling Karian, Vance was also in the room. Vance’s presence calmed her down. She halted her steps.

“Third year of Military Arts, Nina Antalk is coming in.”

“Please.”

Karian said that and then praised her.

“Congratulations for your first win.”

Nina’s brow furrowed. “…… Just what was that?”

“Uh? You mean?”

“Layfon Alseif. You know he’s not a normal person, don’t you?”

“Why do you think so?”

“This is all too strange. He really did well in the opening ceremony, but before his ability was confirmed, you transferred him into Military Arts and nominated him to join my platoon. During that time, there must be lots of people thinking you were just being blinded by his brilliant performance. But you didn’t take any action afterwards…… that wasn’t possible according to your personality.”

“But you accepted Layfon. Don’t you admire his performance today?”

“I’ve tested him.”

She had had Felli bring him to the training room and had tested his strength. She didn’t feel that the Layfon at that time didn’t want to show his true strength. She felt if he had more training, his strength could exceed that of their existing members’.

Though that judgement was totally in error.

The issue wasn’t that Layfon could become stronger after more training. He didn’t need training at all.

She saw Layfon’s true strength in the platoon match just then. Needle Kei and Whirl Kei…… he couldn’t have mastered that power in a short period of time.

Vance nodded in agreement. He glanced at the screen that was about to broadcast the fourth match, and turned her gaze back to Karian.

“You seem to know who Layfon Alseif is. Did you know of his identity before this match?”

Karian shook his head.

“It’s not that easy to obtain intelligence on other cities.”

The other two people in the room weren’t convinced.

“I only found out about him by chance,” he raised his hands in surrender.

“How did you two come to this academy?”

“On a roaming bus of course.”

“It’s a given to ride the roaming buses. We normally can only move between cities by riding the roaming buses, but what I mean is the route.”

“Route?”

“Yes. All the roaming buses eventually return back to the Traffic City Joeldem and then depart from there. Only the consciousness of Joeldem knows the correct positions of all the mobile cities. But sometimes a roaming bus might not come directly from Joeldem. It might go around to other cities before arriving here.”

Nina nodded. She had gone past three cities before arriving at Zuellni.

“Did you go past Grendan?” Nina asked.

Karian nodded. “I took three months to arrive at Zuellni. During my travel, I waited for a roaming bus for two weeks at Grendan. It wasn’t boring over there at all because of the numerous Military Arts matches being held. Fortunately, I saw a Heaven Blade successor match.”

“Heaven Blade?”

Nina glanced at Vance. Vance didn’t seem to know of it, so she waited for Karian to explain.

“That isn’t just a title for the twelve most excellent Military Artists in the Lance Shelled city, Grendan……. A certain special item also comes with that title, but as an outsider, I’ve no idea what it is.”

While listening to Karian, Nina thought of what could have happened.

Layfon was from Grendan. That was right. Since Karian rode the roaming bus to Zuellni for first year study, this meant he must have stayed at Grendan five years ago.

Five years ago? …… Layfon wasn’t even ten years of age!

“How was that possible……”

“I know there’re geniuses in the world. But even I was greatly moved by his performance. So surprised that I was speechless. I don’t have the talent in Military Arts, but everyone watching that match was all shocked by the scene.”

A kid, who might not even be ten years old yet, easily dragged the long sword around and defeated an adult.

“It wasn’t just men, everyone was overwhelmed and shocked. It was an extraordinary and rare reality. A kid could actually top the Military Arts world. I can’t forget that name. When I saw his name on the scholarship application, it wasn’t possible for me to miss it. For him to settle in Zuellni during this time is like a saviour’s been born. At the same time, I didn’t understand why he left Grendan and wanted to specialize in General Studies. No, I wasn’t surprised at his entering General Studies. He doesn’t need anyone to teach him Military Arts. Even so, I was still curious about the real reason behind his decision, so I investigated him, and that result came to my desk the day before the opening ceremony.”

“So……”

Nina swallowed, trying to remove the feeling of something sticking to her throat.

Right.

She suddenly realized why she was so angry.

She got it now. Layfon had never used his true strength in training. Never mind that. What was unforgivable was the fact that he deliberately lost to her when they first fought. He could have defeated her easily, but he chose to lose to her.

It felt like an insult to Nina.

Even so, the truth might not be what it looked like on the surface.

She suppressed her anger and pondered more calmly. Perhaps the excited Karian could calm her down further.

So what was Military Arts to Layfon? Perhaps he didn’t like it. If he liked it, even though he didn’t need any training, he’d have entered Military Arts.

(Speaking of which……)

She remembered. Didn’t he say that when they were eating supper at the Mechanical Department?

“Not Military Arts. I’ve already failed it.”

She had forgotten that soon afterwards, distracted by the Electronic Fairy. But thinking of it now, his words seemed to hide some deeper meaning.

Failed?

Just what was that about?

The Layfon who was a top Military Artist in Grendan. Just what mistake did he make?

“He……”

Nina almost perked up her ears by reflex.

She wanted to know.

But then, perhaps she shouldn’t be listening to this. If she knew, she might not let Layfon stay in the team. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to forgive him.

Just when her heart was swaying this way and that, Karian continued.

“He had tainted the reputation of a Heaven Blade successor.”

<center>◇</center>

It seemed that nothing good ever happened if he were to wake up in the clinic.

“I’m here again……”

Layfon woke up and realized what he had done. He held his head, hating himself.

He felt his head and found many lumps on it. No wonder it felt as if his head was in cramps.

“Ah……”

As he moaned, trying to escape the pain, his gaze moved to the interior of the clinic and saw something placed on the bench. Something that looked like a big basket and three female schoolbags. Then rowdy noises drifted near from the corridor, and the door was pushed open.

“Ah, Layton’s up!” Mifi said loudly with a paper cup in hand. Mei-Shen and Naruki were standing behind her.

“How do you feel? Are you all right? Speaking of which, you were incredible. You gave me such a scare.”

Layfon smiled sourly and sat up on the bed.

“I didn’t know you were that strong. The last two moves were amazing,” Naruki said.

Naruki said that because she was also in Military Arts. The bitterness on Layfon’s face deepened.

Noticing Layfon’s look, she changed her expression.

“…… So are you ok?”

Layfon took the juice from Mei-Shen. The juice wetted his thirsty throat. He drank from the cup as if to let the liquid seep through his entire body.

“Thanks. I feel much better.”

Mei-Shen’s face reddened. She lowered her head and half ran from the side of the bed to the long bench.

“…… Um, if you’re hungry, I’ve got bento……”

“Uh, thank you.”

Layfon got off the bed, made his way to the long bench and looked into the basket. It was divided into two sections. One held sandwiches; the other had something paper wrapped that appeared to be baked biscuits.

“I’m hungry.”

He hadn’t been eating since his stomach hurt from early morning. Looking at the basket, he now wanted to eat.

He took a sandwich and bite into it. Sensing the gaze directing at his face, he ate the sandwich in two bites and washed it down with juice.

“It’s delicious.”

Mei-Shen’s tense expression turned into a blossoming smile.

“Uh……”

Layfon hesitated, reaching out for more.

“We aren’t hungry. It’s ok if you eat it all.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just eat it all,” Naruki and Mifi said. Mei-Shen nodded. So he took another sandwich.

“I’ll go buy some juice.”

“I’m going with you.”

The girls’ sudden movements alarmed Mei-Shen.

“…… Wu, you two!” she protested.

“Don’t worry. We’ll buy your share,” Naruki said to Mei-Shen, who was waving at them in agitation.

“Ah, yes, yes. Your platoon’s going to celebrate the victory. We’ve been invited too.”

“Oh, ok, got it,” Layfon replied.

Recalling the match brought a shadow over him, but eating took priority. Naruki and Mifi left the room.

Now that they were left alone in the room, Mei-Shen had lost her calm. Sitting next to Layfon, she fidgeted and played with her fingers, her gaze darting around.

After finishing the fourth sandwich and settling his stomach, he noticed Mei-Shen’s peculiar behaviour.

(Ah, she must be shy?)

And he felt awkward and embarrassed. It was bad of Naruki and Mifi to leave her when they knew she’d become like this.

“I’m sorry for making you make the bento.”

“…… Not at all, this is th…… thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“…… You saved me.”

Recalling what he did in the opening ceremony, he shook his head.

“That was nothing.”

He wasn’t thinking of saving her. His body just moved on its own.

That was all there was to it.

“…… But, I was still saved.”

“Then I’ll genuinely receive your goodwill, but I’ve almost eaten it all.”

Mei-Shen laughed lightly at the joke. Feeling embarrassed, Layfon grabbed another sandwich.

“…… Lay…… ton. You’re strong,” Mei-Shen whispered as he finished up the last sandwich.

“No…… not at all.”

Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew inside him was another “him” who couldn’t deny himself. He understood he had extraordinary strength in Military Arts. He tried his all to hide it. He didn’t know how the Student President found out, but he thought he could solve this issue since Karian didn’t seem to have leaked the secret.

But he had dashed that hope in today’s match.

There must be a student here from Grendan. For those who thought they had mistaken him for someone else would now know he was a Heaven Blade wielder.

“…… You’re really strong. Like how you struck down those two instantly……”

The huge screen set in the audience section must have broadcasted his image.

“…… but, why didn’t you finish them before?”

The question he had been anticipating now lay before him. He noticed the smell of earth on his clothes. The people in the Medical course had dusted off some of the soil on Layfon before putting him in bed, but that wasn’t enough to clean the dirty clothes. While thinking of that, he remembered the pain in his head.

(I must have rolled too much on the ground.)

In the arena, Layfon had had difficulty thinking because of his head bumping here and there. He thought back to the scene of Nina receiving repeated attacks. Compared to his real strength, she wouldn’t have let her pain muddle her brain.

“I wasn’t planning on winning.”

He decided to be honest.

“I don’t care about the me who trained in Military Arts. I didn’t start training in it because I liked it. I didn’t have anyone encouraging me to study it. I learned it because there was a need.”

“Besides, Military Arts isn’t necessary to me anymore, so I’m letting go of it,” he said in small voice.

Mei-Shen watched him with wide eyes.

If…… if he was more used to it, he might have lost the match even more beautifully. That was how he thought, but he was unable to do so in battle. As long as he held a weapon…… even if he wasn’t doing his best, he always fought seriously. This had nothing to do with the strength of the opponent. He had no other feelings other than to fight seriously for the result of victory.

“I told you before that I’m an orphan, didn’t I?”

[[Image:CSR vol01 211.jpg|thumb]]
Mei-Shen nodded and moved away her awkward gaze.

“The Head of our orphanage was terrible with money, so he was always troubled by it. Looking at the dwindling food, I guessed the Head must be losing money again, so I was always afraid that one day, there might not be food at all.”

At that time, he encountered the skill of katana.

“I was told I had the talent for the katana, so I decided to make money with it. I participated in all kinds of matches and won lots of prize money……”

And before he knew it, he had become a Heaven Blade successor.

Perhaps, for people who dreamt of becoming a Heaven Blade successor would be outraged by his words. To him though, this was his truth. This was the level of value that the title “Heaven Blade” held for him. It was only a part of the process to reaching his goal.

“The situation at the orphanage improved because of the prize money. Everyone was grateful to me.”

“…… So you then decided not to train in Military Arts again?”

“Yes, since there was enough money. Unfortunately it isn’t enough for my school fees. That can’t be helped, so I’ve to earn money through some other means.”

“…… Don’t you miss it at all?”

Layfon smiled naturally and nodded. “Yeah, but I still haven’t found out what I want to do……”

“…… You’ll definitely find it,” Mei-Shen said in a light and shy voice. She hunched her shoulders, her body seeming to become even smaller.

“But……”

Looking at the floor, she added. “…… You were incredible…… in the match…… but you were a bit cunning.”

“Huh?”

“…… Why did you win if you’ve decided to lose the match?”

“……”

He wanted to say he couldn’t think properly because of his bumpy head, but on second thought, he swallowed the words. It wasn’t a good enough reason, besides, he didn’t want Mei-Shen to know more about it.

“…… Layton, you’ve your own way of thinking. I don’t know much…… about winning or losing matches…… but, if you’ve decided to lose, I think it’s better to lose the match. It’s not so good to change halfway through…… About finding what I like doing, I can’t properly explain why I like making savories. I don’t know how to discover an interest, so can’t give you any suggestion……”

She paused as if to take a deep breath, and then continued, “But the Lay…… ton at the opening ceremony was cool. I want to see the Layton back then.”

Her face was all red. Then she added lightly. “Sorry.”

Layfon remained silent, and could only shake his head.

Afterwards, he chatted a bit with Naruki and Mifi. They all decided to part ways before tonight’s celebration party.

Back in the dormitory, Layfon took off his dirty clothes and went to have a shower.

Coming back to the room, refreshed, he looked at the paper bag on the desk.

In it were Mei-Shen’s biscuits.

“I don’t really like sweets.”

He had taken the package with him without opening it, not wanting to refuse her.

Now he opened the paper bag. The sealed off sweet aroma rushed out to pat his nose. He wasn’t sure why, but it smelt like Mei-Shen. The image of Mei-Shen surfaced in his mind. Because of her passion in sweets, she was doing a job she wasn’t good at. He recalled how she peeked at him eating sandwiches, her face lowered and pink.

He popped a biscuit into his mouth.

“…… So sweet.”

Of course.

But he didn’t hate the sweetness on his tongue. It was good for the body to eat something sweet when tired.

“Ahah……” Holding the bag in one hand, he fell into a sitting position. He brushed aside the hair falling across his eyes, and gazed at the floor.

He had lied to Mei-Shen.

To put it correctly, he had hidden from her things that would disadvantage him in her eyes. This way, nobody would get hurt.

But he resented himself for only wanting to maintain his good image.

Either way, his pretense had been exposed. He was useless in the match. He didn’t plan on winning, but the other half of him had taken action for victory. It seemed as if he was hiding his real strength so to hoard the spotlight in the end.

Besides, what could he do after winning?

Go back to train in Military Arts?

No.

Well……

“Just what do I want to do?”

Who knew how many times he had asked that question already? But he still had to ask. What had he got besides Military Arts?

Could there be anything else for him to do?

Nothing. He just wanted to be doing something. He walked on a path with no dream and no obstacles. All he wanted was to try walking on a path by relying on himself.

He hadn’t even decided on where to go.

And he came to Zuellni for that purpose. But the situation of the Academy and the Student President who knew of his past were refusing him the expectation of discovering his interest.

Layfon grabbed another biscuit. Mei-Shen probably knew he didn’t like sweets, so she had made them with less sugar. They tasted nice.

Her consideration pained him. It reproached him.

What was he like, the “cool Layfon” in her eyes?

“So sweet, it really is……”

He ate another biscuit.

<center>◇</center>

The day after the platoon match passed by smoothly. It was now night time.

Naruki walked near the fighting arena with a torch in one hand. On her breast was a City Police badge. A baton hung from her harness. She was patrolling with a Military Arts senpai.

“Is that first year in the 17th platoon your classmate?”

“Yes.”

A wry smile crossed Naruki’s face at the curiosity of her senpai.

A great number of people had moved over to the busier part of the city at night, so the surroundings of the arena were quiet and empty. Some people would use this chance to carry out activities here, such as lovers doing something indecent, and students in alchemy and construction conducting illegal experiments.

Still, this patrol was a leisure job.

Senpai told her of what the alchemy students did here and how students from the mechanical course used their machines for underground gambling matches. And somehow, the conversation came to focus on Layfon.

“He’s amazing. No that many in Military Arts can reach his level. Just who is he?”

“Who knows…… he doesn’t talk much about that.”

It was more like Layfon himself didn’t want to talk about his past. His unenthusiastic expression was all the answer that people received for the various questions that they threw at him yesterday in the celebration party.

“I just know he’s from Grendan.”

“Grendan? Ah, I see. But not everyone knows Military Arts even in Grendan. Ah, speaking of which……”

“What?”

“A Military Artist came here from Grendan last year. A good-for-nothing. What an absolute horror in group training,” she said, trying to suppress her laughter.

“…… What was so horrible?”

“Oh, I haven’t finished. If one’s entered Military Arts course, one should have trained in the basics of Internal type or External burst type Kei, right? That girl kept boasting about her Kei and how it was just a basic level in Grendan, but in real combat, she couldn’t even reach the lowest level. The other girls finished her off so easily. She ended up withdrawing from the course after only half a year. We all thought Grendan wasn’t that great, but after watching yesterday’s match, it really isn’t just all talk about Grendan.”

“Are there few students from Grendan?”

“Well, I only know that girl from Grendan. Grendan seems to have moved very far from Zuellni in these few years. Isn’t it safer to go to a closer Academy City? So I don’t think students from Grendan would come all the way out here. Perhaps that girl thought she wouldn’t have to use Kei if she went to a place far away from Grendan,” senpai giggled.

Naruki sank into contemplation. Couldn’t the example of the female student fit Layfon?

It made more sense to enter an Academy City closer to home. This minimized the potential danger for spending too much time on a roaming bus. It was impossible to know the exact location of a city, but the Traffic Department was able to speculate its location through the whereabouts and number of traveling days of various roaming buses. Even Naurki and her friends used the information from the Traffic Department to narrow down their options and finally picked Zuellni.

(Did Layfon deliberately choose a far away Academy City?)

She thought so. So he chose this place because it didn’t have as many people from Grendan? She didn’t understand, but this speculation felt close to the truth. For him who was hiding a secret, he wouldn’t have wanted people near him to know it. So he purposefully picked a distant place.

If so……

“Um?”

“…… What’s it?” the senpai turned around, as Naruki had been deep in thought and had lagged behind.

“No. Nothing," Naruki shook her head and ran to catch up with her.

If so…… was there an issue with Layfon? No. Not at all.

As long as a person lived, he had to have experienced a sad or embarrassing past that he wanted to wipe clean. There was nothing wrong with escaping the place where he kept recalling his bad memories.

(Ah, but this depends on the situation.)

The person she was worried about wasn’t Layfon, but Mei-Shen. Obviously, Mei-Shen liked him. The closer she got to him, the more possible she’d come into contact with the truth he was hiding. No, maybe she had already touched it. If the two were to be together… Naruki didn’t want them to develop a distant relationship of being afraid to touch each other’s wound.

What would Mei-Shen do?

(If it’s her……)

No problem. Sure, but Naruki couldn’t think like that.

(Perhaps she’ll be pretty down.)

This was worrying.

From little, Mei-Shen had always hidden behind Naruki, the tallest of the three who also knew how to fight. Nobody bothered with Mifi. Mifi liked to use the fastest means to grab hold of the other person’s secret and use it to avenge in the evilest possible way.

Mei-Shen grew up being protected by them.

But she wasn’t just being protected.

Both Naruki and Mifi fell under the charm of Mei-Shen’s savories. They wouldn’t dare lift their heads before her if they played over the line. Mei-Shen wouldn’t make any sweets for them. But even so, Mei-Shen rarely left the small circle to contact with the outside world. Her assertive action of working in the coffee shop was a great improvement. However, this wasn’t enough to build a relationship with someone outside their circle.

Naruki was really worried.

(Um, what should I do? Maybe I should interrogate the truth out of Layfon? Mei-Shen might really fall into despair if it’s a hard truth. What should I do? He’s weak in personality. Perhaps it’s better to use my authority as a City Police? Just make up some evidence to threaten him and arrest him?)

Deep in thought, Naruki had been walking slowly. The senpai strolling ahead of her turned back to look….

And at the same time……

“Whhaaa……” she lost her balance and fell onto the grass.

The ground was shaking.

“What’s it?”

The intensity of the tremor made Naruki kneel down. The trees lining the road and the buildings around them clamoured. The streetlights shook violently, as if they could fall down any moment. The light jumped.

“Whwhwh….. What’s happening?”

Senpai grabbed hold of one of the streetlights. It seemed to be her first time experiencing an earthquake.

“This is an earthquake. The cause could be an uneven ground or the city not having a firm foothold……”

“Oh? …… I see.” It took a while for senpai to comprehend her meaning.

It was easy to forget this truth while living a normal life in the city. Zuellni was moving continuously.

When Naruki was very young, an earthquake of greater magnitude than this had occurred in her city because Joeldem was trapped in the ground with a weak crust. The earthquake caused huge damages.

When the shaking gradually eased, Naruki stood up. It didn’t look like there was a fire anywhere. She couldn’t hear the racket from the residential district as it was a bit far from here, but things must be chaotic over there.

She thought of Mifi and Mei-Shen. They should be sleeping in the dormitory.

“I hope there aren’t any accidents.”

And the shrill call of the siren dashed her hope.

<center>◇</center>

She was in a bad mood from yesterday because of Layfon hiding his true strength……

They were cleaning and painting the tubes to prevent the growth of rust in the Mechanical Department.

Holding the painting can and the brush, Layfon focused his entire concentration on the sound of the moving gears behind his back.

Nina was silently cleaning a tube.

To Layfon, the sound of her brush against the tube was reproving him.

“Ah.”

Nina didn’t react to the sound he tried to suppress. Layfon’s stomach hurt.

(What did I do wrong?)

He thought of the possible reason.

Nina had been acting strange since yesterday’s celebration party. Putting Felli aside, who was absent, both Sharnid and Harley greeted him. Nina was the only one who didn’t look like she wanted to talk to him. All she said was “thanks” and then she had gone to sit by herself.

She must be angry of his hiding his true strength.

This had to be the only reason. Even he could understand her unease. Someone with a lukewarm attitude actually exceeded her in her best area. It was like he was mocking her hard-won accomplishments.

“Excuse me……” he called to her. Her brushing movement stopped.

“What?” she said without looking at him.

“Are you angry?” he blurted out.

(I’m an idiot!)

He could have said something better.

“…… No.”

He thought she’d have roared at him, but all she did was deny in a low voice.

“There’s no reason to be mad, but……” she sighed, lowered her shoulders and turned around.

Her gaze didn’t directly touch his.

“I regret letting you enter the platoon.”

“Huh?”

“I was deceived by the Student President. I was satisfied to have you as the platoon match was close and we still lacked members. You took my Kei directly, so I thought if you trained well, you would become an attacker in the platoon. Even if we lost the match, you could become stronger somehow, before the real Military Arts Competition.

But your real strength is way beyond my calculation.”

“No……”

“Was the Student President lying when he said you’re the successor of Heaven Blade?”

Looking embarrassed suddenly, Nina moved her gaze further away from him.

“Did he tell you?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“He told what he knew, and all I can do is pray it’s not true.”

Her eyes, questioning him yet wishing for something, made him release the breath he was holding. He felt debilitated, as if a certain tension was suddenly cut away, the weight of his body disappearing into thin air…… the emotion of despair.

(Everything’s ended……)

Just what had ended? What he had left behind in Grendan had returned to him. What he had been running away from had finally caught up with him.

“Tell me it’s all a lie,” she pleaded.

Yet, she didn’t think the Student President had lied to her.

Wolfstein…… from the moment when he knew of the twelve Heaven Blade successors.

Everyone had been reproving him, saying it was wrong, yet nobody had taken care to explain just how wrong it was. All they did was reprove him.

His stiff expression relaxed.

Yes, his old self had returned.

Nina’s face turned frosty. She must have obtained her confirmation from his look.

“Was it true?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I participated in underground matches in Grendan, tainting the reputation of Heaven Blade and was exiled.”

He watched with indifference as the muscles on her face twitched.

“Why?”

“To earn money.”

He trained in Military Arts for that purpose and won again and again.

But the prize money of normal matches was too little.

As a result of unbroken victories, he had become a successor of Heaven Blade to serve under the Queen of Grendan, Alsheyra. But his salary was still too small and the special scholarship he obtained still was too little.

“I needed a lot of money for the many children in the orphanage.”

The money he had was enough for himself or just a normal family.

But there were too many orphans. The money he earned wasn’t enough to provide for their education and living. His Master wasn’t the only one managing an orphanage. Layfon needed money to give to his comrades, for all the numerous orphans in Grendan…… and what he was earning wasn’t enough.

He could have just earned enough for the orphanage he lived in, but he felt he needed to provide for all the orphanages. He didn’t know why either. Perhaps, all the orphans were his comrades.

So he wasn’t earning enough.

“And at that time, I found out about the underground matches.”

Nina’s expression swayed.

She probably thought what he did have tainted Military Arts. Many people thought of Military Arts as a sacred art to defend a city from outside enemies. This viewpoint was deeply rooted especially in those who lived as a professional Military Artists.

The sacred Art must not be tainted by human desires.

But in reverse, because it was sacred, people wanted to taint it. The students gambling secretly in the platoon matches must be immersed in the festival-like atmosphere and committed their illegal act.

But compared to the students, there were people who wanted to do such thing with clear-cut intention. Perhaps they weren’t satisfied with the normal matches that began and ended ceremoniously in the spirit of sports. What they fell for were the mad and bloody fights.

And because of this reason, the underground matches offered huge prize money.

And Layfon found out about it. He contacted the people who organized such matches. Using the threat that came from the authority of a Heaven Blade successor, he suggested that they could advertise his unbelievably strong power. It was easy to tell who would have won in a normal match, but it was another matter to watch a Heaven Blade successor fight without holding back.

He used his Kei as if he was in a show, and through that, obtained money from the audience.

“But I couldn’t keep that up for long.”

It was difficult to shut people’s mouths. The rumour of his deed spread widely in Grendan and eventually reached Queen Alsheyra’s ear.

“And so I was exiled.”

“And of course,” Nina said, as if to let out all the anger and irritation inside her.

Nina’s outrage was the same as the people’s at Grendan, including Layfon’s Master, the other Heaven Blade successors and even his comrades – the orphans.

Even so, he still didn’t understand.

“Why is it a given?”

“What? You……”

“Kei is an important treasure for humanity, striving to survive in this world. Because of it, the orphans and I didn’t have to worry about food. Why must people make a bad name out of it?”

He truly couldn’t comprehend.

“The Queen exiled me because a certain Military Artist was threatening me.”

“Threaten……?”

She probably didn’t know of this.

“That person wanted to participate in a Heaven Blade match. He showed me the proof of my fights in the underground matches and threatened to spread it around unless I lost to him purposefully and let him have the Heaven Blade.”

There were twelve Heaven Blade successors. The only way to get that title was to either defeat a successor in a Heaven Blade match or win the numerous matches after the death of a successor.

The blackmailer had a way other than Military Arts to win a match, and he used it to threaten Layfon. But Layfon didn’t accept the deal. He couldn’t abandon his title as it was his key to the underground matches, to fight as a Heaven Blade successor.

So he tried to kill the other person. His secret would be safe if this person died.

He planned to win with one strike. He had that confidence. Once his opponent got careless, Layfon would deal out a fatal strike and finish him off.

But, he failed.

His one strike only managed to severe his opponent’s arm, and the match ended as his opponent was unable to keep fighting.

And then the news of Layfon’s deed in the underground matches spread.

“I don’t find him despicable,” he said to the speechless Nina.

“He was only doing everything he could to obtain what he desired. But he got careless in the end. That’s all there is to it.”

To Layfon, the way he finished his opponent was naïve. One must fight desperately to survive, but the level of desperation he showed in his method was meaningless. At that time, there were still things driving him to act that way solely for the purpose of survival. And as such, he wasn’t angry with the Student President. Karian’s attitude of manipulating things and people to ensure Zuellni’s survival was the same as Layfon’s.

But Karian’s concern on what Layfon had abandoned made him revisit the feeling he had in Grendan all over again.

“And that is me. Do you find me despicable?”

Everyone in Grendan reproved him for being base.

Was Nina the same? He waited for her reaction with a neutral expression.

He felt pain as of his heart being torn apart. The pain was an illusion, but he had no way of shaking it off, so he could only suffer it.

Why was he feeling this kind of pain?

No. He had already experienced it before – the punishment that Queen Alsheyra had passed down to him. All the Heaven Blade successors served her, so Layfon could only surrender to her judgement.

All the Heaven Blade successors, officials and his Master watched him as his punishment was dealt out. Their gazes were cold and icy.

The pain jolted him back to reality.

“You…… are despicable,” she said.

And then the ground shook violently.

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| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
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</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter5

2009-05-19T02:41:13Z

99.159.252.71:

===Chapter 5: Point of difference===

This is my fourth letter but I still haven’t received yours. I’m beginning to worry that you haven’t been getting mine.

Honestly, I’m feeling a bit down.

What is it like to have a dream?

I’m beginning to understand that feeling.

I feel that……It's innocent and dazzling, like the something at the bottom of a cave. No matter how much you stretch out your hand, you can’t reach it. A place of deep despair.

The good friends I’ve made here shine from a place that I can never reach.

You also shine with light.

Back then, I didn’t understand why you could be so diligent and hardworking on such a boring thing. I was too desperate to live, and because of that, I missed the point.

What forced me to become like that? I was running away. It’s unsightly of me to place the blame elsewhere.

Now, I don’t find your goal boring. In reverse, I’m envious of you.

Can I still grasp hold of it now? Grasp hold of the thing on the very bottom, the unreachable…… the thing that might not even be there.

I’m struggling with whether I should send this letter or not. Useless content.

But I still think I should send this. I want to hear your opinion. Don’t complicate it. I just want to hear what you think.

I want to read your reply because of this letter.

Your dream is and has always been dazzling. Please don’t lose it.

To dear Leerin Marfes.

Layfon Alseif.

<center>◇</center>

Nina walked in a brusque manner along the corridor, stamping the floor with force. A girl passing by, holding a pile of documents and looked to be a member of the Student Council quickly moved aside for her.

It was natural for the girl to be startled. Dust and soil particles were stuck on Nina’s forehead and cheeks. Her golden hair was dirty and messy, even her Military Arts uniform was in tatters. There weren’t many students who could walk around with that appearance, full of anger.

Nina was outraged. She wasn’t quite sure why she was incensed, but she was currently throwing a tantrum.

Unsuspicious of the anger inside her, she had stomped over here after the match, propelled by her emotion. Layfon had fainted when the siren rang out and was carried away on a stretcher. There wasn’t anything unusual with the flow of his Kei, so he must have just lost consciousness.

“Just what was that about?” Nina let out her words in resentment and pounded heavily on the door of the Student President’s room.

“Come in.”

Before the reply came through, she had already pushed open the door on her own.

Besides the bitterly smiling Karian, Vance was also in the room. Vance’s presence calmed her down. She halted her steps.

“Third year of Military Arts, Nina Antalk is coming in.”

“Please.”

Karian said that and then praised her.

“Congratulations for your first win.”

Nina’s brow furrowed. “…… Just what was that?”

“Uh? You mean?”

“Layfon Alseif. You know he’s not a normal person, don’t you?”

“Why do you think so?”

“This is all too strange. He really did well in the opening ceremony, but before his ability was confirmed, you transferred him into Military Arts and nominated him to join my platoon. During that time, there must be lots of people thinking you were just being blinded by his brilliant performance. But you didn’t take any action afterwards…… that wasn’t possible according to your personality.”

“But you accepted Layfon. Don’t you admire his performance today?”

“I’ve tested him.”

She had had Felli bring him to the training room and had tested his strength. She didn’t feel that the Layfon at that time didn’t want to show his true strength. She felt if he had more training, his strength could exceed that of their existing members’.

Though that judgement was totally in error.

The issue wasn’t that Layfon could become stronger after more training. He didn’t need training at all.

She saw Layfon’s true strength in the platoon match just then. Needle Kei and Whirl Kei…… he couldn’t have mastered that power in a short period of time.

Vance nodded in agreement. He glanced at the screen that was about to broadcast the fourth match, and turned her gaze back to Karian.

“You seem to know who Layfon Alseif is. Did you know of his identity before this match?”

Karian shook his head.

“It’s not that easy to obtain intelligence on other cities.”

The other two people in the room weren’t convinced.

“I only found out about him by chance,” he raised his hands in surrender.

“How did you two come to this academy?”

“On a roaming bus of course.”

“It’s a given to ride the roaming buses. We normally can only move between cities by riding the roaming buses, but what I mean is the route.”

“Route?”

“Yes. All the roaming buses eventually return back to the Traffic City Joeldem and then depart from there. Only the consciousness of Joeldem knows the correct positions of all the mobile cities. But sometimes a roaming bus might not come directly from Joeldem. It might go around to other cities before arriving here.”

Nina nodded. She had gone past three cities before arriving at Zuellni.

“Did you go past Grendan?” Nina asked.

Karian nodded. “I took three months to arrive at Zuellni. During my travel, I waited for a roaming bus for two weeks at Grendan. It wasn’t boring over there at all because of the numerous Military Arts matches being held. Fortunately, I saw a Heaven Blade successor match.”

“Heaven Blade?”

Nina glanced at Vance. Vance didn’t seem to know of it, so she waited for Karian to explain.

“That isn’t just a title for the twelve most excellent Military Artists in the Lance Shelled city, Grendan……. A certain special item also comes with that title, but as an outsider, I’ve no idea what it is.”

While listening to Karian, Nina thought of what could have happened.

Layfon was from Grendan. That was right. Since Karian rode the roaming bus to Zuellni for first year study, this meant he must have stayed at Grendan five years ago.

Five years ago? …… Layfon wasn’t even ten years of age!

“How was that possible……”

“I know there’re geniuses in the world. But even I was greatly moved by his performance. So surprised that I was speechless. I don’t have the talent in Military Arts, but everyone watching that match was all shocked by the scene.”

A kid, who might not even be ten years old yet, easily dragged the long sword around and defeated an adult.

“It wasn’t just men, everyone was overwhelmed and shocked. It was an extraordinary and rare reality. A kid could actually top the Military Arts world. I can’t forget that name. When I saw his name on the scholarship application, it wasn’t possible for me to miss it. For him to settle in Zuellni during this time is like a saviour’s been born. At the same time, I didn’t understand why he left Grendan and wanted to specialize in General Studies. No, I wasn’t surprised at his entering General Studies. He doesn’t need anyone to teach him Military Arts. Even so, I was still curious about the real reason behind his decision, so I investigated him, and that result came to my desk the day before the opening ceremony.”

“So……”

Nina swallowed, trying to remove the feeling of something sticking to her throat.

Right.

She suddenly realized why she was so angry.

She got it now. Layfon had never used his true strength in training. Never mind that. What was unforgivable was the fact that he deliberately lost to her when they first fought. He could have defeated her easily, but he chose to lose to her.

It felt like an insult to Nina.

Even so, the truth might not be what it looked like on the surface.

She suppressed her anger and pondered more calmly. Perhaps the excited Karian could calm her down further.

So what was Military Arts to Layfon? Perhaps he didn’t like it. If he liked it, even though he didn’t need any training, he’d have entered Military Arts.

(Speaking of which……)

She remembered. Didn’t he say that when they were eating supper at the Mechanical Department?

“Not Military Arts. I’ve already failed it.”

She had forgotten that soon afterwards, distracted by the Electronic Fairy. But thinking of it now, his words seemed to hide something deeper meaning.

Failed?

Just what was that about?

The Layfon who was a top Military Artist in Grendan. Just what mistake did he make?

“He……”

Nina almost perked up her ears by reflex.

She wanted to know.

But then, perhaps she shouldn’t be listening to this. If she knew, she might not let Layfon stay in the team. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to forgive him.

Just when her heart was swaying this way and that, Karian continued.

“He had tainted the reputation of a Heaven Blade successor.”

<center>◇</center>

It seemed that nothing good ever happened if he were to wake up in the clinic.

“I’m here again……”

Layfon woke up and realized what he had done. He held his head, hating himself.

He felt his head and found many lumps on it. No wonder it felt as if his head was in cramps.

“Ah……”

As he moaned, trying to escape the pain, his gaze moved to the interior of the clinic and saw something placed on the bench. Something that looked like a big basket and three female schoolbags. Then rowdy noises drifted near from the corridor, and the door was pushed open.

“Ah, Layton’s up!” Mifi said loudly with a paper cup in hand. Mei-Shen and Naruki were standing behind her.

“How do you feel? Are you all right? Speaking of which, you were incredible. You gave me such a scare.”

Layfon smiled sourly and sat up on the bed.

“I didn’t know you were that strong. The last two moves were amazing,” Naruki said.

Naruki said that because she was also in Military Arts. The bitterness on Layfon’s face deepened.

Noticing Layfon’s look, she changed her expression.

“…… So are you ok?”

Layfon took the juice from Mei-Shen. The juice wetted his thirsty throat. He drank from the cup as if to let the liquid seep through his entire body.

“Thanks. I feel much better.”

Mei-Shen’s face reddened. She lowered her head and half ran from the side of the bed to the long bench.

“…… Um, if you’re hungry, I’ve got bento……”

“Uh, thank you.”

Layfon got off the bed, made his way to the long bench and looked into the basket. It was divided into two sections. One held sandwiches; the other had something paper wrapped that appeared to be baked biscuits.

“I’m hungry.”

He hadn’t been eating since his stomach hurt from early morning. Looking at the basket, he now wanted to eat.

He took a sandwich and bite into it. Sensing the gaze directing at his face, he ate the sandwich in two bites and washed it down with juice.

“It’s delicious.”

Mei-Shen’s tense expression turned into a blossoming smile.

“Uh……”

Layfon hesitated, reaching out for more.

“We aren’t hungry. It’s ok if you eat it all.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just eat it all,” Naruki and Mifi said. Mei-Shen nodded. So he took another sandwich.

“I’ll go buy some juice.”

“I’m going with you.”

The girls’ sudden movements alarmed Mei-Shen.

“…… Wu, you two!” she protested.

“Don’t worry. We’ll buy your share,” Naruki said to Mei-Shen, who was waving at them in agitation.

“Ah, yes, yes. Your platoon’s going to celebrate the victory. We’ve been invited too.”

“Oh, ok, got it,” Layfon replied.

Recalling the match brought a shadow over him, but eating took priority. Naruki and Mifi left the room.

Now that they were left alone in the room, Mei-Shen had lost her calm. Sitting next to Layfon, she fidgeted and played with her fingers, her gaze darting around.

After finishing the fourth sandwich and settling his stomach, he noticed Mei-Shen’s peculiar behaviour.

(Ah, she must be shy?)

And he felt awkward and embarrassed. It was bad of Naruki and Mifi to leave her when they knew she’d become like this.

“I’m sorry for making you make the bento.”

“…… Not at all, this is th…… thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“…… You saved me.”

Recalling what he did in the opening ceremony, he shook his head.

“That was nothing.”

He wasn’t thinking of saving her. His body just moved on its own.

That was all there was to it.

“…… But, I was still saved.”

“Then I’ll genuinely receive your goodwill, but I’ve almost eaten it all.”

Mei-Shen laughed lightly at the joke. Feeling embarrassed, Layfon grabbed another sandwich.

“…… Lay…… ton. You’re strong,” Mei-Shen whispered as he finished up the last sandwich.

“No…… not at all.”

Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew inside him was another “him” who couldn’t deny himself. He understood he had extraordinary strength in Military Arts. He tried his all to hide it. He didn’t know how the Student President found out, but he thought he could solve this issue since Karian didn’t seem to have leaked the secret.

But he had dashed that hope in today’s match.

There must be a student here from Grendan. For those who thought they had mistaken him for someone else would now know he was a Heaven Blade wielder.

“…… You’re really strong. Like how you struck down those two instantly……”

The huge screen set in the audience section must have broadcasted his image.

“…… but, why didn’t you finish them before?”

The question he had been anticipating now lay before him. He noticed the smell of earth on his clothes. The people in the Medical course had dusted off some of the soil on Layfon before putting him in bed, but that wasn’t enough to clean the dirty clothes. While thinking of that, he remembered the pain in his head.

(I must have rolled too much on the ground.)

In the arena, Layfon had had difficulty thinking because of his head bumping here and there. He thought back to the scene of Nina receiving repeated attacks. Compared to his real strength, she wouldn’t have let her pain muddle her brain.

“I wasn’t planning on winning.”

He decided to be honest.

“I don’t care about the me who trained in Military Arts. I didn’t start training in it because I liked it. I didn’t have anyone encouraging me to study it. I learned it because there was a need.”

“Besides, Military Arts isn’t necessary to me anymore, so I’m letting go of it,” he said in small voice.

Mei-Shen watched him with wide eyes.

If…… if he was more used to it, he might have lost the match even more beautifully. That was how he thought, but he was unable to do so in battle. As long as he held a weapon…… even if he wasn’t doing his best, he always fought seriously. This had nothing to do with the strength of the opponent. He had no other feelings other than to fight seriously for the result of victory.

“I told you before that I’m an orphan, didn’t I?”

[[Image:CSR vol01 211.jpg|thumb]]
Mei-Shen nodded and moved away her awkward gaze.

“The Head of our orphanage was terrible with money, so he was always troubled by it. Looking at the dwindling food, I guessed the Head must be losing money again, so I was always afraid that one day, there might not be food at all.”

At that time, he encountered the skill of katana.

“I was told I had the talent for the katana, so I decided to make money with it. I participated in all kinds of matches and won lots of prize money……”

And before he knew it, he had become a Heaven Blade successor.

Perhaps, for people who dreamt of becoming a Heaven Blade successor would be outraged by his words. To him though, this was his truth. This was the level of value that the title “Heaven Blade” held for him. It was only a part of the process to reaching his goal.

“The situation at the orphanage improved because of the prize money. Everyone was grateful to me.”

“…… So you then decided not to train in Military Arts again?”

“Yes, since there was enough money. Unfortunately it isn’t enough for my school fees. That can’t be helped, so I’ve to earn money through some other means.”

“…… Don’t you miss it at all?”

Layfon smiled naturally and nodded. “Yeah, but I still haven’t found out what I want to do……”

“…… You’ll definitely find it,” Mei-Shen said in a light and shy voice. She hunched her shoulders, her body seeming to become even smaller.

“But……”

Looking at the floor, she added. “…… You were incredible…… in the match…… but you were a bit cunning.”

“Huh?”

“…… Why did you win if you’ve decided to lose the match?”

“……”

He wanted to say he couldn’t think properly because of his bumpy head, but on second thought, he swallowed the words. It wasn’t a good enough reason, besides, he didn’t want Mei-Shen to know more about it.

“…… Layton, you’ve your own way of thinking. I don’t know much…… about winning or losing matches…… but, if you’ve decided to lose, I think it’s better to lose the match. It’s not so good to change halfway through…… About finding what I like doing, I can’t properly explain why I like making savories. I don’t know how to discover an interest, so can’t give you any suggestion……”

She paused as if to take a deep breath, and then continued, “But the Lay…… ton at the opening ceremony was cool. I want to see the Layton back then.”

Her face was all red. Then she added lightly. “Sorry.”

Layfon remained silent, and could only shake his head.

Afterwards, he chatted a bit with Naruki and Mifi. They all decided to part ways before tonight’s celebration party.

Back in the dormitory, Layfon took off his dirty clothes and went to have a shower.

Coming back to the room, refreshed, he looked at the paper bag on the desk.

In it were Mei-Shen’s biscuits.

“I don’t really like sweets.”

He had taken the package with him without opening it, not wanting to refuse her.

Now he opened the paper bag. The sealed off sweet aroma rushed out to pat his nose. He wasn’t sure why, but it smelt like Mei-Shen. The image of Mei-Shen surfaced in his mind. Because of her passion in sweets, she was doing a job she wasn’t good at. He recalled how she peeked at him eating sandwiches, her face lowered and pink.

He popped a biscuit into his mouth.

“…… So sweet.”

Of course.

But he didn’t hate the sweetness on his tongue. It was good for the body to eat something sweet when tired.

“Ahah……” Holding the bag in one hand, he fell into a sitting position. He brushed aside the hair falling across his eyes, and gazed at the floor.

He had lied to Mei-Shen.

To put it correctly, he had hidden from her things that would disadvantage him in her eyes. This way, nobody would get hurt.

But he resented himself for only wanting to maintain his good image.

Either way, his pretense had been exposed. He was useless in the match. He didn’t plan on winning, but the other half of him had taken action for victory. It seemed as if he was hiding his real strength so to hoard the spotlight in the end.

Besides, what could he do after winning?

Go back to train in Military Arts?

No.

Well……

“Just what do I want to do?”

Who knew how many times he had asked that question already? But he still had to ask. What had he got besides Military Arts?

Could there be anything else for him to do?

Nothing. He just wanted to be doing something. He walked on a path with no dream and no obstacles. All he wanted was to try walking on a path by relying on himself.

He hadn’t even decided on where to go.

And he came to Zuellni for that purpose. But the situation of the Academy and the Student President who knew of his past were refusing him the expectation of discovering his interest.

Layfon grabbed another biscuit. Mei-Shen probably knew he didn’t like sweets, so she had made them with less sugar. They tasted nice.

Her consideration pained him. It reproached him.

What was he like, the “cool Layfon” in her eyes?

“So sweet, it really is……”

He ate another biscuit.

<center>◇</center>

The day after the platoon match passed by smoothly. It was now night time.

Naruki walked near the fighting arena with a torch in one hand. On her breast was a City Police badge. A baton hung from her harness. She was patrolling with a Military Arts senpai.

“Is that first year in the 17th platoon your classmate?”

“Yes.”

A wry smile crossed Naruki’s face at the curiosity of her senpai.

A great number of people had moved over to the busier part of the city at night, so the surroundings of the arena were quiet and empty. Some people would use this chance to carry out activities here, such as lovers doing something indecent, and students in alchemy and construction conducting illegal experiments.

Still, this patrol was a leisure job.

Senpai told her of what the alchemy students did here and how students from the mechanical course used their machines for underground gambling matches. And somehow, the conversation came to focus on Layfon.

“He’s amazing. No that many in Military Arts can reach his level. Just who is he?”

“Who knows…… he doesn’t talk much about that.”

It was more like Layfon himself didn’t want to talk about his past. His unenthusiastic expression was all the answer that people received for the various questions that they threw at him yesterday in the celebration party.

“I just know he’s from Grendan.”

“Grendan? Ah, I see. But not everyone knows Military Arts even in Grendan. Ah, speaking of which……”

“What?”

“A Military Artist came here from Grendan last year. A good-for-nothing. What an absolute horror in group training,” she said, trying to suppress her laughter.

“…… What was so horrible?”

“Oh, I haven’t finished. If one’s entered Military Arts course, one should have trained in the basics of Internal type or External burst type Kei, right? That girl kept boasting about her Kei and how it was just a basic level in Grendan, but in real combat, she couldn’t even reach the lowest level. The other girls finished her off so easily. She ended up withdrawing from the course after only half a year. We all thought Grendan wasn’t that great, but after watching yesterday’s match, it really isn’t just all talk about Grendan.”

“Are there few students from Grendan?”

“Well, I only know that girl from Grendan. Grendan seems to have moved very far from Zuellni in these few years. Isn’t it safer to go to a closer Academy City? So I don’t think students from Grendan would come all the way out here. Perhaps that girl thought she wouldn’t have to use Kei if she went to a place far away from Grendan,” senpai giggled.

Naruki sank into contemplation. Couldn’t the example of the female student fit Layfon?

It made more sense to enter an Academy City closer to home. This minimized the potential danger for spending too much time on a roaming bus. It was impossible to know the exact location of a city, but the Traffic Department was able to speculate its location through the whereabouts and number of traveling days of various roaming buses. Even Naurki and her friends used the information from the Traffic Department to narrow down their options and finally picked Zuellni.

(Did Layfon deliberately choose a far away Academy City?)

She thought so. So he chose this place because it didn’t have as many people from Grendan? She didn’t understand, but this speculation felt close to the truth. For him who was hiding a secret, he wouldn’t have wanted people near him to know it. So he purposefully picked a distant place.

If so……

“Um?”

“…… What’s it?” the senpai turned around, as Naruki had been deep in thought and had lagged behind.

“No. Nothing," Naruki shook her head and ran to catch up with her.

If so…… was there an issue with Layfon? No. Not at all.

As long as a person lived, he had to have experienced a sad or embarrassing past that he wanted to wipe clean. There was nothing wrong with escaping the place where he kept recalling his bad memories.

(Ah, but this depends on the situation.)

The person she was worried about wasn’t Layfon, but Mei-Shen. Obviously, Mei-Shen liked him. The closer she got to him, the more possible she’d come into contact with the truth he was hiding. No, maybe she had already touched it. If the two were to be together… Naruki didn’t want them to develop a distant relationship of being afraid to touch each other’s wound.

What would Mei-Shen do?

(If it’s her……)

No problem. Sure, but Naruki couldn’t think like that.

(Perhaps she’ll be pretty down.)

This was worrying.

From little, Mei-Shen had always hidden behind Naruki, the tallest of the three who also knew how to fight. Nobody bothered with Mifi. Mifi liked to use the fastest means to grab hold of the other person’s secret and use it to avenge in the evilest possible way.

Mei-Shen grew up being protected by them.

But she wasn’t just being protected.

Both Naruki and Mifi fell under the charm of Mei-Shen’s savories. They wouldn’t dare lift their heads before her if they played over the line. Mei-Shen wouldn’t make any sweets for them. But even so, Mei-Shen rarely left the small circle to contact with the outside world. Her assertive action of working in the coffee shop was a great improvement. However, this wasn’t enough to build a relationship with someone outside their circle.

Naruki was really worried.

(Um, what should I do? Maybe I should interrogate the truth out of Layfon? Mei-Shen might really fall into despair if it’s a hard truth. What should I do? He’s weak in personality. Perhaps it’s better to use my authority as a City Police? Just make up some evidence to threaten him and arrest him?)

Deep in thought, Naruki had been walking slowly. The senpai strolling ahead of her turned back to look….

And at the same time……

“Whhaaa……” she lost her balance and fell onto the grass.

The ground was shaking.

“What’s it?”

The intensity of the tremor made Naruki kneel down. The trees lining the road and the buildings around them clamoured. The streetlights shook violently, as if they could fall down any moment. The light jumped.

“Whwhwh….. What’s happening?”

Senpai grabbed hold of one of the streetlights. It seemed to be her first time experiencing an earthquake.

“This is an earthquake. The cause could be an uneven ground or the city not having a firm foothold……”

“Oh? …… I see.” It took a while for senpai to comprehend her meaning.

It was easy to forget this truth while living a normal life in the city. Zuellni was moving continuously.

When Naruki was very young, an earthquake of greater magnitude than this had occurred in her city because Joeldem was trapped in the ground with a weak crust. The earthquake caused huge damages.

When the shaking gradually eased, Naruki stood up. It didn’t look like there was a fire anywhere. She couldn’t hear the racket from the residential district as it was a bit far from here, but things must be chaotic over there.

She thought of Mifi and Mei-Shen. They should be sleeping in the dormitory.

“I hope there aren’t any accidents.”

And the shrill call of the siren dashed her hope.

<center>◇</center>

She was in a bad mood from yesterday because of Layfon hiding his true strength……

They were cleaning and painting the tubes to prevent the growth of rust in the Mechanical Department.

Holding the painting can and the brush, Layfon focused his entire concentration on the sound of the moving gears behind his back.

Nina was silently cleaning a tube.

To Layfon, the sound of her brush against the tube was reproving him.

“Ah.”

Nina didn’t react to the sound he tried to suppress. Layfon’s stomach hurt.

(What did I do wrong?)

He thought of the possible reason.

Nina had been acting strange since yesterday’s celebration party. Putting Felli aside, who was absent, both Sharnid and Harley greeted him. Nina was the only one who didn’t look like she wanted to talk to him. All she said was “thanks” and then she had gone to sit by herself.

She must be angry of his hiding his true strength.

This had to be the only reason. Even he could understand her unease. Someone with a lukewarm attitude actually exceeded her in her best area. It was like he was mocking her hard-won accomplishments.

“Excuse me……” he called to her. Her brushing movement stopped.

“What?” she said without looking at him.

“Are you angry?” he blurted out.

(I’m an idiot!)

He could have said something better.

“…… No.”

He thought she’d have roared at him, but all she did was deny in a low voice.

“There’s no reason to be mad, but……” she sighed, lowered her shoulders and turned around.

Her gaze didn’t directly touch his.

“I regret letting you enter the platoon.”

“Huh?”

“I was deceived by the Student President. I was satisfied to have you as the platoon match was close and we still lacked members. You took my Kei directly, so I thought if you trained well, you would become an attacker in the platoon. Even if we lost the match, you could become stronger somehow, before the real Military Arts Competition.

But your real strength is way beyond my calculation.”

“No……”

“Was the Student President lying when he said you’re the successor of Heaven Blade?”

Looking embarrassed suddenly, Nina moved her gaze further away from him.

“Did he tell you?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“He told what he knew, and all I can do is pray it’s not true.”

Her eyes, questioning him yet wishing for something, made him release the breath he was holding. He felt debilitated, as if a certain tension was suddenly cut away, the weight of his body disappearing into thin air…… the emotion of despair.

(Everything’s ended……)

Just what had ended? What he had left behind in Grendan had returned to him. What he had been running away from had finally caught up with him.

“Tell me it’s all a lie,” she pleaded.

Yet, she didn’t think the Student President had lied to her.

Wolfstein…… from the moment when he knew of the twelve Heaven Blade successors.

Everyone had been reproving him, saying it was wrong, yet nobody had taken care to explain just how wrong it was. All they did was reprove him.

His stiff expression relaxed.

Yes, his old self had returned.

Nina’s face turned frosty. She must have obtained her confirmation from his look.

“Was it true?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I participated in underground matches in Grendan, tainting the reputation of Heaven Blade and was exiled.”

He watched with indifference as the muscles on her face twitched.

“Why?”

“To earn money.”

He trained in Military Arts for that purpose and won again and again.

But the prize money of normal matches was too little.

As a result of unbroken victories, he had become a successor of Heaven Blade to serve under the Queen of Grendan, Alsheyra. But his salary was still too small and the special scholarship he obtained still was too little.

“I needed a lot of money for the many children in the orphanage.”

The money he had was enough for himself or just a normal family.

But there were too many orphans. The money he earned wasn’t enough to provide for their education and living. His Master wasn’t the only one managing an orphanage. Layfon needed money to give to his comrades, for all the numerous orphans in Grendan…… and what he was earning wasn’t enough.

He could have just earned enough for the orphanage he lived in, but he felt he needed to provide for all the orphanages. He didn’t know why either. Perhaps, all the orphans were his comrades.

So he wasn’t earning enough.

“And at that time, I found out about the underground matches.”

Nina’s expression swayed.

She probably thought what he did have tainted Military Arts. Many people thought of Military Arts as a sacred art to defend a city from outside enemies. This viewpoint was deeply rooted especially in those who lived as a professional Military Artists.

The sacred Art must not be tainted by human desires.

But in reverse, because it was sacred, people wanted to taint it. The students gambling secretly in the platoon matches must be immersed in the festival-like atmosphere and committed their illegal act.

But compared to the students, there were people who wanted to do such thing with clear-cut intention. Perhaps they weren’t satisfied with the normal matches that began and ended ceremoniously in the spirit of sports. What they fell for were the mad and bloody fights.

And because of this reason, the underground matches offered huge prize money.

And Layfon found out about it. He contacted the people who organized such matches. Using the threat that came from the authority of a Heaven Blade successor, he suggested that they could advertise his unbelievably strong power. It was easy to tell who would have won in a normal match, but it was another matter to watch a Heaven Blade successor fight without holding back.

He used his Kei as if he was in a show, and through that, obtained money from the audience.

“But I couldn’t keep that up for long.”

It was difficult to shut people’s mouths. The rumour of his deed spread widely in Grendan and eventually reached Queen Alsheyra’s ear.

“And so I was exiled.”

“And of course,” Nina said, as if to let out all the anger and irritation inside her.

Nina’s outrage was the same as the people’s at Grendan, including Layfon’s Master, the other Heaven Blade successors and even his comrades – the orphans.

Even so, he still didn’t understand.

“Why is it a given?”

“What? You……”

“Kei is an important treasure for humanity, striving to survive in this world. Because of it, the orphans and I didn’t have to worry about food. Why must people make a bad name out of it?”

He truly couldn’t comprehend.

“The Queen exiled me because a certain Military Artist was threatening me.”

“Threaten……?”

She probably didn’t know of this.

“That person wanted to participate in a Heaven Blade match. He showed me the proof of my fights in the underground matches and threatened to spread it around unless I lost to him purposefully and let him have the Heaven Blade.”

There were twelve Heaven Blade successors. The only way to get that title was to either defeat a successor in a Heaven Blade match or win the numerous matches after the death of a successor.

The blackmailer had a way other than Military Arts to win a match, and he used it to threaten Layfon. But Layfon didn’t accept the deal. He couldn’t abandon his title as it was his key to the underground matches, to fight as a Heaven Blade successor.

So he tried to kill the other person. His secret would be safe if this person died.

He planned to win with one strike. He had that confidence. Once his opponent got careless, Layfon would deal out a fatal strike and finish him off.

But, he failed.

His one strike only managed to severe his opponent’s arm, and the match ended as his opponent was unable to keep fighting.

And then the news of Layfon’s deed in the underground matches spread.

“I don’t find him despicable,” he said to the speechless Nina.

“He was only doing everything he could to obtain what he desired. But he got careless in the end. That’s all there is to it.”

To Layfon, the way he finished his opponent was naïve. One must fight desperately to survive, but the level of desperation he showed in his method was meaningless. At that time, there were still things driving him to act that way solely for the purpose of survival. And as such, he wasn’t angry with the Student President. Karian’s attitude of manipulating things and people to ensure Zuellni’s survival was the same as Layfon’s.

But Karian’s concern on what Layfon had abandoned made him revisit the feeling he had in Grendan all over again.

“And that is me. Do you find me despicable?”

Everyone in Grendan reproved him for being base.

Was Nina the same? He waited for her reaction with a neutral expression.

He felt pain as of his heart being torn apart. The pain was an illusion, but he had no way of shaking it off, so he could only suffer it.

Why was he feeling this kind of pain?

No. He had already experienced it before – the punishment that Queen Alsheyra had passed down to him. All the Heaven Blade successors served her, so Layfon could only surrender to her judgement.

All the Heaven Blade successors, officials and his Master watched him as his punishment was dealt out. Their gazes were cold and icy.

The pain jolted him back to reality.

“You…… are despicable,” she said.

And then the ground shook violently.

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| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
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</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter5

2009-05-19T02:38:57Z

99.159.252.71:

===Chapter 5: Point of difference===

This is my fourth letter but I still haven’t received yours. I’m beginning to worry that you haven’t been getting mine.

Honestly, I’m feeling a bit down.

What is it like to have a dream?

I’m beginning to understand that feeling.

I feel that……It's innocent and dazzling, like the something at the bottom of a cave. No matter how much you stretch out your hand, you can’t reach it. A place of deep despair.

The good friends I’ve made here shine from a place that I can never reach.

You also shine with light.

Back then, I didn’t understand why you could be so diligent and hardworking on such a boring thing. I was too desperate to live, and because of that, I missed the point.

What forced me to become like that? I was running away. It’s unsightly of me to place the blame elsewhere.

Now, I don’t find your goal boring. In reverse, I’m envious of you.

Can I still grasp hold of it now? Grasp hold of the thing on the very bottom, the unreachable…… the thing that might not even be there.

I’m struggling with whether I should send this letter or not. Useless content.

But I still think I should send this. I want to hear your opinion. Don’t complicate it. I just want to hear what you think.

I want to read your reply because of this letter.

Your dream is and has always been dazzling. Please don’t lose it.

To dear Leerin Marfes.

Layfon Alseif.

<center>◇</center>

Nina walked in a brusque manner along the corridor, stamping the floor with force. A girl passing by, holding a pile of documents and looked to be a member of the Student Council quickly moved aside for her.

It was natural for the girl to be startled. Dust and soil particles were stuck on Nina’s forehead and cheeks. Her golden hair was dirty and messy, even her Military Arts uniform was in tatters. There weren’t many students who could walk around with that appearance, full of anger.

Nina was outraged. She wasn’t quite sure why she was incensed, but she was currently throwing a tantrum.

Unsuspicious of the anger inside her, she had stomped over here after the match, propelled by her emotion. Layfon had fainted when the siren rang out and was carried away on a stretcher. There wasn’t anything unusual with the flow of his Kei, so he must have just lost consciousness.

“Just what was that about?” Nina let out her words in resentment and pounded heavily on the door of the Student President’s room.

“Come in.”

Before the reply came through, she had already pushed open the door on her own.

Besides the bitterly smiling Karian, Vance was also in the room. Vance’s presence calmed her down. She halted her steps.

“Third year of Military Arts, Nina Antalk is coming in.”

“Please.”

Karian said that and then praised her.

“Congratulations for your first win.”

Nina’s brow furrowed. “…… Just what was that?”

“Uh? You mean?”

“Layfon Alseif. You know he’s not a normal person, don’t you?”

“Why do you think so?”

“This is all too strange. He really did well in the opening ceremony, but before his ability was confirmed, you transferred him into Military Arts and nominated him to join my platoon. During that time, there must be lots of people thinking you were just being blinded by his brilliant performance. But you didn’t take any action afterwards…… that wasn’t possible according to your personality.”

“But you accepted Layfon. Don’t you admire his performance today?”

“I’ve tested him.”

She had had Felli bring him to the training room and had tested his strength. She didn’t feel that the Layfon at that time didn’t want to show his true strength. She felt if he had more training, his strength could exceed that of their existing members’.

Though that judgement was totally in error.

The issue wasn’t that Layfon could become stronger after more training. He didn’t need training at all.

She saw Layfon’s true strength in the platoon match just then. Needle Kei and Whirl Kei…… he couldn’t have mastered that power in a short period of time.

Vance nodded in agreement. He glanced at the screen that was about to broadcast the fourth match, and turned her gaze back to Karian.

“You seem to know who Layfon Alseif is. Did you know of his identity before this match?”

Karian shook his head.

“It’s not that easy to obtain intelligence on other cities.”

The other two people in the room weren’t convinced.

“I only found out of him by chance,” he raised his hands in surrender.

“How did you two come to this academy?”

“On a roaming bus of course.”

“It’s a given to ride the roaming buses. We normally can only move between cities by riding the roaming buses, but what I mean is the route.”

“Route?”

“Yes. All the roaming buses eventually return back to the Traffic City Joeldem and then depart from there. Only the consciousness of Joeldem knows the correct positions of all the mobile cities. But sometimes a roaming bus might not come directly from Joeldem. It might go around to other cities before arriving here.”

Nina nodded. She had gone past three cities before arriving at Zuellni.

“Did you go past Grendan?” Nina asked.

Karian nodded. “I took three months to arrive at Zuellni. During my travel, I waited for a roaming bus for two weeks at Grendan. It wasn’t boring over there at all because of the numerous Military Arts matches being held. Fortunately, I saw a Heaven Blade successor match.”

“Heaven Blade?”

Nina glanced at Vance. Vance didn’t seem to know of it, so she waited for Karian to explain.

“That isn’t just a title for the twelve most excellent Military Artists in the Lance Shelled city, Grendan……. A certain special item also comes with that title, but as an outsider, I’ve no idea what it is.”

While listening to Karian, Nina thought of what could have happened.

Layfon was from Grendan. That was right. Since Karian rode the roaming bus to Zuellni for first year study, this meant he must have stayed at Grendan five years ago.

Five years ago? …… Layfon wasn’t even ten years of age!

“How was that possible……”

“I know there’re geniuses in the world. But even I was greatly moved by his performance. So surprised that I was speechless. I don’t have the talent in Military Arts, but everyone watching that match was all shocked by the scene.”

A kid, who might not even be ten years old yet, easily dragged the long sword around and defeated an adult.

“It wasn’t just men, everyone was overwhelmed and shocked. It was an extraordinary and rare reality. A kid could actually top the Military Arts world. I can’t forget that name. When I saw his name on the scholarship application, it wasn’t possible for me to miss it. For him to settle in Zuellni during this time is like a saviour’s been born. At the same time, I didn’t understand why he left Grendan and wanted to specialize in General Studies. No, I wasn’t surprised at his entering General Studies. He doesn’t need anyone to teach him Military Arts. Even so, I was still curious about the real reason behind his decision, so I investigated him, and that result came to my desk the day before the opening ceremony.”

“So……”

Nina swallowed, trying to remove the feeling of something sticking to her throat.

Right.

She suddenly realized why she was so angry.

She got it now. Layfon had never used his true strength in training. Never mind that. What was unforgivable was the fact that he deliberately lost to her when they first fought. He could have defeated her easily, but he chose to lose to her.

It felt like an insult to Nina.

Even so, the truth might not be what it looked like on the surface.

She suppressed her anger and pondered more calmly. Perhaps the excited Karian could calm her down further.

So what was Military Arts to Layfon? Perhaps he didn’t like it. If he liked it, even though he didn’t need any training, he’d have entered Military Arts.

(Speaking of which……)

She remembered. Didn’t he say that when they were eating supper at the Mechanical Department?

“Not Military Arts. I’ve already failed it.”

She had forgotten that soon afterwards, distracted by the Electronic Fairy. But thinking of it now, his words seemed to hide something deeper meaning.

Failed?

Just what was that about?

The Layfon who was a top Military Artist in Grendan. Just what mistake did he make?

“He……”

Nina almost perked up her ears by reflex.

She wanted to know.

But then, perhaps she shouldn’t be listening to this. If she knew, she might not let Layfon stay in the team. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to forgive him.

Just when her heart was swaying this way and that, Karian continued.

“He had tainted the reputation of a Heaven Blade successor.”

<center>◇</center>

It seemed that nothing good ever happened if he were to wake up in the clinic.

“I’m here again……”

Layfon woke up and realized what he had done. He held his head, hating himself.

He felt his head and found many lumps on it. No wonder it felt as if his head was in cramps.

“Ah……”

As he moaned, trying to escape the pain, his gaze moved to the interior of the clinic and saw something placed on the bench. Something that looked like a big basket and three female schoolbags. Then rowdy noises drifted near from the corridor, and the door was pushed open.

“Ah, Layton’s up!” Mifi said loudly with a paper cup in hand. Mei-Shen and Naruki were standing behind her.

“How do you feel? Are you all right? Speaking of which, you were incredible. You gave me such a scare.”

Layfon smiled sourly and sat up on the bed.

“I didn’t know you were that strong. The last two moves were amazing,” Naruki said.

Naruki said that because she was also in Military Arts. The bitterness on Layfon’s face deepened.

Noticing Layfon’s look, she changed her expression.

“…… So are you ok?”

Layfon took the juice from Mei-Shen. The juice wetted his thirsty throat. He drank from the cup as if to let the liquid seep through his entire body.

“Thanks. I feel much better.”

Mei-Shen’s face reddened. She lowered her head and half ran from the side of the bed to the long bench.

“…… Um, if you’re hungry, I’ve got bento……”

“Uh, thank you.”

Layfon got off the bed, made his way to the long bench and looked into the basket. It was divided into two sections. One held sandwiches; the other had something paper wrapped that appeared to be baked biscuits.

“I’m hungry.”

He hadn’t been eating since his stomach hurt from early morning. Looking at the basket, he now wanted to eat.

He took a sandwich and bite into it. Sensing the gaze directing at his face, he ate the sandwich in two bites and washed it down with juice.

“It’s delicious.”

Mei-Shen’s tense expression turned into a blossoming smile.

“Uh……”

Layfon hesitated, reaching out for more.

“We aren’t hungry. It’s ok if you eat it all.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just eat it all,” Naruki and Mifi said. Mei-Shen nodded. So he took another sandwich.

“I’ll go buy some juice.”

“I’m going with you.”

The girls’ sudden movements alarmed Mei-Shen.

“…… Wu, you two!” she protested.

“Don’t worry. We’ll buy your share,” Naruki said to Mei-Shen, who was waving at them in agitation.

“Ah, yes, yes. Your platoon’s going to celebrate the victory. We’ve been invited too.”

“Oh, ok, got it,” Layfon replied.

Recalling the match brought a shadow over him, but eating took priority. Naruki and Mifi left the room.

Now that they were left alone in the room, Mei-Shen had lost her calm. Sitting next to Layfon, she fidgeted and played with her fingers, her gaze darting around.

After finishing the fourth sandwich and settling his stomach, he noticed Mei-Shen’s peculiar behaviour.

(Ah, she must be shy?)

And he felt awkward and embarrassed. It was bad of Naruki and Mifi to leave her when they knew she’d become like this.

“I’m sorry for making you make the bento.”

“…… Not at all, this is th…… thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“…… You saved me.”

Recalling what he did in the opening ceremony, he shook his head.

“That was nothing.”

He wasn’t thinking of saving her. His body just moved on its own.

That was all there was to it.

“…… But, I was still saved.”

“Then I’ll genuinely receive your goodwill, but I’ve almost eaten it all.”

Mei-Shen laughed lightly at the joke. Feeling embarrassed, Layfon grabbed another sandwich.

“…… Lay…… ton. You’re strong,” Mei-Shen whispered as he finished up the last sandwich.

“No…… not at all.”

Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew inside him was another “him” who couldn’t deny himself. He understood he had extraordinary strength in Military Arts. He tried his all to hide it. He didn’t know how the Student President found out, but he thought he could solve this issue since Karian didn’t seem to have leaked the secret.

But he had dashed that hope in today’s match.

There must be a student here from Grendan. For those who thought they had mistaken him for someone else would now know he was a Heaven Blade wielder.

“…… You’re really strong. Like how you struck down those two instantly……”

The huge screen set in the audience section must have broadcasted his image.

“…… but, why didn’t you finish them before?”

The question he had been anticipating now lay before him. He noticed the smell of earth on his clothes. The people in the Medical course had dusted off some of the soil on Layfon before putting him in bed, but that wasn’t enough to clean the dirty clothes. While thinking of that, he remembered the pain in his head.

(I must have rolled too much on the ground.)

In the arena, Layfon had had difficulty thinking because of his head bumping here and there. He thought back to the scene of Nina receiving repeated attacks. Compared to his real strength, she wouldn’t have let her pain muddle her brain.

“I wasn’t planning on winning.”

He decided to be honest.

“I don’t care about the me who trained in Military Arts. I didn’t start training in it because I liked it. I didn’t have anyone encouraging me to study it. I learned it because there was a need.”

“Besides, Military Arts isn’t necessary to me anymore, so I’m letting go of it,” he said in small voice.

Mei-Shen watched him with wide eyes.

If…… if he was more used to it, he might have lost the match even more beautifully. That was how he thought, but he was unable to do so in battle. As long as he held a weapon…… even if he wasn’t doing his best, he always fought seriously. This had nothing to do with the strength of the opponent. He had no other feelings other than to fight seriously for the result of victory.

“I told you before that I’m an orphan, didn’t I?”

[[Image:CSR vol01 211.jpg|thumb]]
Mei-Shen nodded and moved away her awkward gaze.

“The Head of our orphanage was terrible with money, so he was always troubled by it. Looking at the dwindling food, I guessed the Head must be losing money again, so I was always afraid that one day, there might not be food at all.”

At that time, he encountered the skill of katana.

“I was told I had the talent for the katana, so I decided to make money with it. I participated in all kinds of matches and won lots of prize money……”

And before he knew it, he had become a Heaven Blade successor.

Perhaps, for people who dreamt of becoming a Heaven Blade successor would be outraged by his words. To him though, this was his truth. This was the level of value that the title “Heaven Blade” held for him. It was only a part of the process to reaching his goal.

“The situation at the orphanage improved because of the prize money. Everyone was grateful to me.”

“…… So you then decided not to train in Military Arts again?”

“Yes, since there was enough money. Unfortunately it isn’t enough for my school fees. That can’t be helped, so I’ve to earn money through some other means.”

“…… Don’t you miss it at all?”

Layfon smiled naturally and nodded. “Yeah, but I still haven’t found out what I want to do……”

“…… You’ll definitely find it,” Mei-Shen said in a light and shy voice. She hunched her shoulders, her body seeming to become even smaller.

“But……”

Looking at the floor, she added. “…… You were incredible…… in the match…… but you were a bit cunning.”

“Huh?”

“…… Why did you win if you’ve decided to lose the match?”

“……”

He wanted to say he couldn’t think properly because of his bumpy head, but on second thought, he swallowed the words. It wasn’t a good enough reason, besides, he didn’t want Mei-Shen to know more about it.

“…… Layton, you’ve your own way of thinking. I don’t know much…… about winning or losing matches…… but, if you’ve decided to lose, I think it’s better to lose the match. It’s not so good to change halfway through…… About finding what I like doing, I can’t properly explain why I like making savories. I don’t know how to discover an interest, so can’t give you any suggestion……”

She paused as if to take a deep breath, and then continued, “But the Lay…… ton at the opening ceremony was cool. I want to see the Layton back then.”

Her face was all red. Then she added lightly. “Sorry.”

Layfon remained silent, and could only shake his head.

Afterwards, he chatted a bit with Naruki and Mifi. They all decided to part ways before tonight’s celebration party.

Back in the dormitory, Layfon took off his dirty clothes and went to have a shower.

Coming back to the room, refreshed, he looked at the paper bag on the desk.

In it were Mei-Shen’s biscuits.

“I don’t really like sweets.”

He had taken the package with him without opening it, not wanting to refuse her.

Now he opened the paper bag. The sealed off sweet aroma rushed out to pat his nose. He wasn’t sure why, but it smelt like Mei-Shen. The image of Mei-Shen surfaced in his mind. Because of her passion in sweets, she was doing a job she wasn’t good at. He recalled how she peeked at him eating sandwiches, her face lowered and pink.

He popped a biscuit into his mouth.

“…… So sweet.”

Of course.

But he didn’t hate the sweetness on his tongue. It was good for the body to eat something sweet when tired.

“Ahah……” Holding the bag in one hand, he fell into a sitting position. He brushed aside the hair falling across his eyes, and gazed at the floor.

He had lied to Mei-Shen.

To put it correctly, he had hidden from her things that would disadvantage him in her eyes. This way, nobody would get hurt.

But he resented himself for only wanting to maintain his good image.

Either way, his pretense had been exposed. He was useless in the match. He didn’t plan on winning, but the other half of him had taken action for victory. It seemed as if he was hiding his real strength so to hoard the spotlight in the end.

Besides, what could he do after winning?

Go back to train in Military Arts?

No.

Well……

“Just what do I want to do?”

Who knew how many times he had asked that question already? But he still had to ask. What had he got besides Military Arts?

Could there be anything else for him to do?

Nothing. He just wanted to be doing something. He walked on a path with no dream and no obstacles. All he wanted was to try walking on a path by relying on himself.

He hadn’t even decided on where to go.

And he came to Zuellni for that purpose. But the situation of the Academy and the Student President who knew of his past were refusing him the expectation of discovering his interest.

Layfon grabbed another biscuit. Mei-Shen probably knew he didn’t like sweets, so she had made them with less sugar. They tasted nice.

Her consideration pained him. It reproached him.

What was he like, the “cool Layfon” in her eyes?

“So sweet, it really is……”

He ate another biscuit.

<center>◇</center>

The day after the platoon match passed by smoothly. It was now night time.

Naruki walked near the fighting arena with a torch in one hand. On her breast was a City Police badge. A baton hung from her harness. She was patrolling with a Military Arts senpai.

“Is that first year in the 17th platoon your classmate?”

“Yes.”

A wry smile crossed Naruki’s face at the curiosity of her senpai.

A great number of people had moved over to the busier part of the city at night, so the surroundings of the arena were quiet and empty. Some people would use this chance to carry out activities here, such as lovers doing something indecent, and students in alchemy and construction conducting illegal experiments.

Still, this patrol was a leisure job.

Senpai told her of what the alchemy students did here and how students from the mechanical course used their machines for underground gambling matches. And somehow, the conversation came to focus on Layfon.

“He’s amazing. No that many in Military Arts can reach his level. Just who is he?”

“Who knows…… he doesn’t talk much about that.”

It was more like Layfon himself didn’t want to talk about his past. His unenthusiastic expression was all the answer that people received for the various questions that they threw at him yesterday in the celebration party.

“I just know he’s from Grendan.”

“Grendan? Ah, I see. But not everyone knows Military Arts even in Grendan. Ah, speaking of which……”

“What?”

“A Military Artist came here from Grendan last year. A good-for-nothing. What an absolute horror in group training,” she said, trying to suppress her laughter.

“…… What was so horrible?”

“Oh, I haven’t finished. If one’s entered Military Arts course, one should have trained in the basics of Internal type or External burst type Kei, right? That girl kept boasting about her Kei and how it was just a basic level in Grendan, but in real combat, she couldn’t even reach the lowest level. The other girls finished her off so easily. She ended up withdrawing from the course after only half a year. We all thought Grendan wasn’t that great, but after watching yesterday’s match, it really isn’t just all talk about Grendan.”

“Are there few students from Grendan?”

“Well, I only know that girl from Grendan. Grendan seems to have moved very far from Zuellni in these few years. Isn’t it safer to go to a closer Academy City? So I don’t think students from Grendan would come all the way out here. Perhaps that girl thought she wouldn’t have to use Kei if she went to a place far away from Grendan,” senpai giggled.

Naruki sank into contemplation. Couldn’t the example of the female student fit Layfon?

It made more sense to enter an Academy City closer to home. This minimized the potential danger for spending too much time on a roaming bus. It was impossible to know the exact location of a city, but the Traffic Department was able to speculate its location through the whereabouts and number of traveling days of various roaming buses. Even Naurki and her friends used the information from the Traffic Department to narrow down their options and finally picked Zuellni.

(Did Layfon deliberately choose a far away Academy City?)

She thought so. So he chose this place because it didn’t have as many people from Grendan? She didn’t understand, but this speculation felt close to the truth. For him who was hiding a secret, he wouldn’t have wanted people near him to know it. So he purposefully picked a distant place.

If so……

“Um?”

“…… What’s it?” the senpai turned around, as Naruki had been deep in thought and had lagged behind.

“No. Nothing," Naruki shook her head and ran to catch up with her.

If so…… was there an issue with Layfon? No. Not at all.

As long as a person lived, he had to have experienced a sad or embarrassing past that he wanted to wipe clean. There was nothing wrong with escaping the place where he kept recalling his bad memories.

(Ah, but this depends on the situation.)

The person she was worried about wasn’t Layfon, but Mei-Shen. Obviously, Mei-Shen liked him. The closer she got to him, the more possible she’d come into contact with the truth he was hiding. No, maybe she had already touched it. If the two were to be together… Naruki didn’t want them to develop a distant relationship of being afraid to touch each other’s wound.

What would Mei-Shen do?

(If it’s her……)

No problem. Sure, but Naruki couldn’t think like that.

(Perhaps she’ll be pretty down.)

This was worrying.

From little, Mei-Shen had always hidden behind Naruki, the tallest of the three who also knew how to fight. Nobody bothered with Mifi. Mifi liked to use the fastest means to grab hold of the other person’s secret and use it to avenge in the evilest possible way.

Mei-Shen grew up being protected by them.

But she wasn’t just being protected.

Both Naruki and Mifi fell under the charm of Mei-Shen’s savories. They wouldn’t dare lift their heads before her if they played over the line. Mei-Shen wouldn’t make any sweets for them. But even so, Mei-Shen rarely left the small circle to contact with the outside world. Her assertive action of working in the coffee shop was a great improvement. However, this wasn’t enough to build a relationship with someone outside their circle.

Naruki was really worried.

(Um, what should I do? Maybe I should interrogate the truth out of Layfon? Mei-Shen might really fall into despair if it’s a hard truth. What should I do? He’s weak in personality. Perhaps it’s better to use my authority as a City Police? Just make up some evidence to threaten him and arrest him?)

Deep in thought, Naruki had been walking slowly. The senpai strolling ahead of her turned back to look….

And at the same time……

“Whhaaa……” she lost her balance and fell onto the grass.

The ground was shaking.

“What’s it?”

The intensity of the tremor made Naruki kneel down. The trees lining the road and the buildings around them clamoured. The streetlights shook violently, as if they could fall down any moment. The light jumped.

“Whwhwh….. What’s happening?”

Senpai grabbed hold of one of the streetlights. It seemed to be her first time experiencing an earthquake.

“This is an earthquake. The cause could be an uneven ground or the city not having a firm foothold……”

“Oh? …… I see.” It took a while for senpai to comprehend her meaning.

It was easy to forget this truth while living a normal life in the city. Zuellni was moving continuously.

When Naruki was very young, an earthquake of greater magnitude than this had occurred in her city because Joeldem was trapped in the ground with a weak crust. The earthquake caused huge damages.

When the shaking gradually eased, Naruki stood up. It didn’t look like there was a fire anywhere. She couldn’t hear the racket from the residential district as it was a bit far from here, but things must be chaotic over there.

She thought of Mifi and Mei-Shen. They should be sleeping in the dormitory.

“I hope there aren’t any accidents.”

And the shrill call of the siren dashed her hope.

<center>◇</center>

She was in a bad mood from yesterday because of Layfon hiding his true strength……

They were cleaning and painting the tubes to prevent the growth of rust in the Mechanical Department.

Holding the painting can and the brush, Layfon focused his entire concentration on the sound of the moving gears behind his back.

Nina was silently cleaning a tube.

To Layfon, the sound of her brush against the tube was reproving him.

“Ah.”

Nina didn’t react to the sound he tried to suppress. Layfon’s stomach hurt.

(What did I do wrong?)

He thought of the possible reason.

Nina had been acting strange since yesterday’s celebration party. Putting Felli aside, who was absent, both Sharnid and Harley greeted him. Nina was the only one who didn’t look like she wanted to talk to him. All she said was “thanks” and then she had gone to sit by herself.

She must be angry of his hiding his true strength.

This had to be the only reason. Even he could understand her unease. Someone with a lukewarm attitude actually exceeded her in her best area. It was like he was mocking her hard-won accomplishments.

“Excuse me……” he called to her. Her brushing movement stopped.

“What?” she said without looking at him.

“Are you angry?” he blurted out.

(I’m an idiot!)

He could have said something better.

“…… No.”

He thought she’d have roared at him, but all she did was deny in a low voice.

“There’s no reason to be mad, but……” she sighed, lowered her shoulders and turned around.

Her gaze didn’t directly touch his.

“I regret letting you enter the platoon.”

“Huh?”

“I was deceived by the Student President. I was satisfied to have you as the platoon match was close and we still lacked members. You took my Kei directly, so I thought if you trained well, you would become an attacker in the platoon. Even if we lost the match, you could become stronger somehow, before the real Military Arts Competition.

But your real strength is way beyond my calculation.”

“No……”

“Was the Student President lying when he said you’re the successor of Heaven Blade?”

Looking embarrassed suddenly, Nina moved her gaze further away from him.

“Did he tell you?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“He told what he knew, and all I can do is pray it’s not true.”

Her eyes, questioning him yet wishing for something, made him release the breath he was holding. He felt debilitated, as if a certain tension was suddenly cut away, the weight of his body disappearing into thin air…… the emotion of despair.

(Everything’s ended……)

Just what had ended? What he had left behind in Grendan had returned to him. What he had been running away from had finally caught up with him.

“Tell me it’s all a lie,” she pleaded.

Yet, she didn’t think the Student President had lied to her.

Wolfstein…… from the moment when he knew of the twelve Heaven Blade successors.

Everyone had been reproving him, saying it was wrong, yet nobody had taken care to explain just how wrong it was. All they did was reprove him.

His stiff expression relaxed.

Yes, his old self had returned.

Nina’s face turned frosty. She must have obtained her confirmation from his look.

“Was it true?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I participated in underground matches in Grendan, tainting the reputation of Heaven Blade and was exiled.”

He watched with indifference as the muscles on her face twitched.

“Why?”

“To earn money.”

He trained in Military Arts for that purpose and won again and again.

But the prize money of normal matches was too little.

As a result of unbroken victories, he had become a successor of Heaven Blade to serve under the Queen of Grendan, Alsheyra. But his salary was still too small and the special scholarship he obtained still was too little.

“I needed a lot of money for the many children in the orphanage.”

The money he had was enough for himself or just a normal family.

But there were too many orphans. The money he earned wasn’t enough to provide for their education and living. His Master wasn’t the only one managing an orphanage. Layfon needed money to give to his comrades, for all the numerous orphans in Grendan…… and what he was earning wasn’t enough.

He could have just earned enough for the orphanage he lived in, but he felt he needed to provide for all the orphanages. He didn’t know why either. Perhaps, all the orphans were his comrades.

So he wasn’t earning enough.

“And at that time, I found out about the underground matches.”

Nina’s expression swayed.

She probably thought what he did have tainted Military Arts. Many people thought of Military Arts as a sacred art to defend a city from outside enemies. This viewpoint was deeply rooted especially in those who lived as a professional Military Artists.

The sacred Art must not be tainted by human desires.

But in reverse, because it was sacred, people wanted to taint it. The students gambling secretly in the platoon matches must be immersed in the festival-like atmosphere and committed their illegal act.

But compared to the students, there were people who wanted to do such thing with clear-cut intention. Perhaps they weren’t satisfied with the normal matches that began and ended ceremoniously in the spirit of sports. What they fell for were the mad and bloody fights.

And because of this reason, the underground matches offered huge prize money.

And Layfon found out about it. He contacted the people who organized such matches. Using the threat that came from the authority of a Heaven Blade successor, he suggested that they could advertise his unbelievably strong power. It was easy to tell who would have won in a normal match, but it was another matter to watch a Heaven Blade successor fight without holding back.

He used his Kei as if he was in a show, and through that, obtained money from the audience.

“But I couldn’t keep that up for long.”

It was difficult to shut people’s mouths. The rumour of his deed spread widely in Grendan and eventually reached Queen Alsheyra’s ear.

“And so I was exiled.”

“And of course,” Nina said, as if to let out all the anger and irritation inside her.

Nina’s outrage was the same as the people’s at Grendan, including Layfon’s Master, the other Heaven Blade successors and even his comrades – the orphans.

Even so, he still didn’t understand.

“Why is it a given?”

“What? You……”

“Kei is an important treasure for humanity, striving to survive in this world. Because of it, the orphans and I didn’t have to worry about food. Why must people make a bad name out of it?”

He truly couldn’t comprehend.

“The Queen exiled me because a certain Military Artist was threatening me.”

“Threaten……?”

She probably didn’t know of this.

“That person wanted to participate in a Heaven Blade match. He showed me the proof of my fights in the underground matches and threatened to spread it around unless I lost to him purposefully and let him have the Heaven Blade.”

There were twelve Heaven Blade successors. The only way to get that title was to either defeat a successor in a Heaven Blade match or win the numerous matches after the death of a successor.

The blackmailer had a way other than Military Arts to win a match, and he used it to threaten Layfon. But Layfon didn’t accept the deal. He couldn’t abandon his title as it was his key to the underground matches, to fight as a Heaven Blade successor.

So he tried to kill the other person. His secret would be safe if this person died.

He planned to win with one strike. He had that confidence. Once his opponent got careless, Layfon would deal out a fatal strike and finish him off.

But, he failed.

His one strike only managed to severe his opponent’s arm, and the match ended as his opponent was unable to keep fighting.

And then the news of Layfon’s deed in the underground matches spread.

“I don’t find him despicable,” he said to the speechless Nina.

“He was only doing everything he could to obtain what he desired. But he got careless in the end. That’s all there is to it.”

To Layfon, the way he finished his opponent was naïve. One must fight desperately to survive, but the level of desperation he showed in his method was meaningless. At that time, there were still things driving him to act that way solely for the purpose of survival. And as such, he wasn’t angry with the Student President. Karian’s attitude of manipulating things and people to ensure Zuellni’s survival was the same as Layfon’s.

But Karian’s concern on what Layfon had abandoned made him revisit the feeling he had in Grendan all over again.

“And that is me. Do you find me despicable?”

Everyone in Grendan reproved him for being base.

Was Nina the same? He waited for her reaction with a neutral expression.

He felt pain as of his heart being torn apart. The pain was an illusion, but he had no way of shaking it off, so he could only suffer it.

Why was he feeling this kind of pain?

No. He had already experienced it before – the punishment that Queen Alsheyra had passed down to him. All the Heaven Blade successors served her, so Layfon could only surrender to her judgement.

All the Heaven Blade successors, officials and his Master watched him as his punishment was dealt out. Their gazes were cold and icy.

The pain jolted him back to reality.

“You…… are despicable,” she said.

And then the ground shook violently.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter4

2009-05-09T16:59:16Z

99.159.252.71:

===Chapter 4: Platoon match===

It’s been a while since I wrote my last letter. A lot’s happened over here, so I’m a bit tired. It’s because of the cleaning duties in the Central Mechanism Chamber and school life.

I still haven’t received your letter. I wonder whether my letter arrived safely?

I'm finding it very difficult to look for my future goal.

In Grendan, I was fortunate to have ability and it didn’t take me long to choose the path of the Katana. But now I feel that I need huge courage to determine my own future.

Every time I look at these people who strive forward for their goals, I think they have lots of courage, yet I feel stupid and ridiculous for thinking that. I know there’s no need to admire them. It’s enough to look at my own goal.

Haha, how weak I am. Uh, I know that too. I’ve come to Zuellni, but I still haven’t found my goal.

My school life is smooth.

It’d be great if I could find what I want to do in these six years. I can’t be too lazy about it, but there’s no point panicking.

How’re you over there? I’m sure you’re doing fine.

May you have a happy future.

To my dear Leerin Marfes,

Layfon Alseif.

<center>◇</center>

He wanted money.

He didn’t really care for the reputation that came with the Heaven's Blade. He thought learning the katana was the fastest way to earn money, as his Master had praised his talent with the katana.

Lance Shelled Grendan. It was fortunate he was born in this city that prospered on Military Arts. He didn’t know his parents, but he was thankful of them for giving him talent with the katana.

He had to use this power to make money.

He lived for fifteen years with that purpose alone.

The luckiest thing that happened was that he became a successor of the Heaven's Blade at age 14.

But he was still troubled by money.

The air of commotion stretched out from the Resting Room to the narrow corridor.

Layfon walked silently in the corridor. He let out a light sigh and tried to relieve the illusive pressure that was bearing down on him from the air.

But he couldn’t do it.

He thought he had let it all out, but the irritated feeling rushed back into his chest. He felt his stomach, the pressure refusing to go away.

“Wuwu……”

“Are you all right?” Nina asked beside him.

“……I should ask you, senpai. You don’t look well yourself.”

“Don't talk nonsense. I’m very calm.”

Despite her reply, it was clear that she didn’t feel as calm. Her eyes were darting around, and her footsteps were less firm.

“Anyway, the 16th platoon is good at formations, but once a formation becomes shaky, there’ll be an opening.”

“You said that three times already.”

Nina glared at him. He wasn’t afraid of her getting mad. The light pink on the edge of her cheeks meant she was only covering up her embarrassment. Even so, he moved his gaze away from her.

“Listen. I’m sorry, but we can’t rely much on Sharnid’s support. I need him to move alone today. And Felli’s progress in tracking enemies hasn’t improved,” she said with a sour expression.

Although they had been training from that day on, Sharnid’s long-distance shots failed to coordinate with the team’s movement, and Felli’s detection of enemies hadn’t been good.

(Uh, of course.)

He didn’t know what the deal was with Sharnid, but it was expected of Felli. She was determined not to work at her best so her brother would let her go.

(About that point, I’m the same.)

“This time we’re on the offensive. As long as I don’t fall, we won’t lose. We’ll respond depending on the situation today and win the match. Thank goodness my coordination with you has improved.”

She thwacked a fist against Layfon’s chest. It was a light strike, but he still coughed at the contact.

After platoon training, he always trained alone with Nina. Because of that, he could accurately read Nina’s attack pattern, and she also seemed to understand how Layfon would react.

Nina mumbled as she looked at the map in her hand. This must be her strategic plan. She was thinking hard on how to win with the current strength of the team.

From dark bags under her blood-shot eyes, it was clear she was determined to win this match.

Yes, today, they had a platoon match.

Match. Just thinking of that word made his stomach hurt.

“I’m sorry. I need to get to the bathroom,” Layfon apologized.

“Got it. I’ll go ahead then,” Nina said, still deeply absorbed in the map.

In the Men’s bathroom, Layfon splashed tap water onto his face. The coldness of the water cleared his head.

“Uh, it’s still not working.”

The pain in his stomach hadn’t subsided, and he could also feel the pressure in his chest.

“Damn.”

“What’s wrong? You don’t look well,” a voice floated over as when he was about to wash his face again. He didn’t turn to address the owner of the voice, but he saw the other person’s face in the mirror.

Felli would never have thought such a gentle smile could adorn Karian’s face.

“…… What do you want?”

“There’s no need to be on guard. I’m just here to give the new platoon some encouragement. I just saw you on the way here. You don’t look well?”

“I’m tense because it’s almost time for the match.”

Layfon didn’t detect any pressure from Karian, the pressure he felt when he first met the Student President. But there was a certain dissatisfaction mixed up with the pain in Layfon’s stomach. His gaze reflected in the mirror also looked worse.

“How could that be? This is child’s play to you, Wolfstein.”

“…… It’s meaningless no matter how many times you repeat that title. It doesn’t belong to me anymore. I was expelled from Grendan and I don’t have the Heaven Blade.”

His disapproval of Karian…… could be because of Felli’s words. He resisted Karian who even used his own sister to reach his goal.

“And why is that? Are you not satisfied with my waiving your school fees? Speaking of which, you’re still cleaning at the Mechanical Department. Do you still need money? If so……”

“…… That isn’t the problem.”

“Then what’s the issue? Layfon Alseif. The Heaven Blade wielder Wolfstein I know cares about money more than reputation.”

Karian didn’t change his expression, but his words cut straight to the core. Layfon only recollected himself at the huge noise sounded from the floor tiles when he had stomped on it.

Karian’s reflection on the mirror maintained his smile.

“I don’t know where you got that information from…… but it’s incomplete.”

“Um, just what’s going on? Can you explain to me what kind of a person Wolfstein is?”

“No. That’s something you don’t have to know.”

“It’s fine if you don’t tell me. I just want you to perform well in the fight.”

Karian ended the conversation one-sidedly and headed out into the corridor.

Layfon watched his back, having no desire to chase after him.

“Yes, yes……” Karian suddenly halted his steps.

“I hope you can stop your naïve thinking that playing around in the match can get you back into General Studies. I’ve said so already. I’ll do anything for the survival of the city. As long as a thing is useful to me, I’ll use it.”

“Even if it’s your sister?”

“Even if it’s my sister. Well, I’m going now.”

Karian moved out of Layfon’s sight. He must be heading for the Resting Room of the 17th platoon. Layfon stayed rooted to the spot. He didn’t want to see Karian again in the Resting Room.

He sat on the edge of the sink, lifted his head to watch the ceiling with his hand covering his wet face.

“Ah ~~ …… Damn it!”

Letting out his emotion failed to alleviate the pain in his stomach.

<center>◇</center>

Mei-Shen looked at the basket resentfully on her knees.

“You can’t help it. They said non-related personnel can’t enter before the match,” Mifi comforted her in the audience seat.

“…… but.”

Mei-Shen gazed at the basket regretfully. She got up early today just to make this bento.

“…… Lay…… ton lives alone. He might not have had breakfast.”

“Perhaps, but we didn’t ask him to come out. Just forget it,” Mifi said, pretending not to have heard the pause between “Lay” and “ton”.

(Layfon? Layfon-kun? Just which one is it? Hum, with Mei-Shen’s personality, it probably is Layfon-kun…… I don’t think she’d want to call him “Lay”?)

Mifi thought so.

She knew Mei-Shen greatly admired Layfon – and that was why they became friends, but she never thought Mei-Shen would have made him bento with her own two hands.

(Is there a chance? Layton seems pretty slow with this kind of thing.)

She looked at Mei-Shen. Mei-Shen was delicate and small. She was about the same height as Felli. Her face? It would be Felli’s overwhelming win in that area. The two girls were of different types, but the girl in the 17th platoon was exactly like an exquisite doll. She gave off an illusive and dangerous seductive charm from head to toe. Compared to her, Mei-Shen wasn’t at all not cute, but she always had this about-to-cry look in between her eyebrows.

What about body build? Mei-Shen had the advantage in this area. She was the most physically matured out of them three. Although her small stature didn’t quite match, her body was so grown up that even Mifi herself felt inferior.

Even now, the surrounding males were boldly staring at the curve of her chest.

About matured chest, the order went: Mei-Shen, Mifi, and lastly Naruki. The order was reversed when it came to height.

(I’m always in the middle. It feels like I’m losing out.)

Mei-Shen didn’t let any boys come close to her because of her shyness, but at the same time, she was protected by many guys. Naruki’s brave and bold personality was also hard to attract anyone close, but everyone agreed she was beautiful.

(Only I am not liked. I haven’t received a love letter either.)

“What’s it? Still sulking?” Naruki came back with some juice.

Naruki’s short hair danced in the wind. She frowned at it. Both her hands were occupied with snacks and three paper cups of juice, so she couldn’t press down on her hair.

That pose suited her.

“It’s unexpectedly crowded. I waited a long time in the queue…… What’s up?”

“…… Nothing.”

Mifi snatched up her own juice and snack, and lifted her gaze to watch the arena.

The uneven ground of the war field, dotted here and there with trees, was fenced in. Above was the camera of the Alchemy course, controlled by a psychokinesist. Must be doing some testing? The big screens facing the audience seats cycled through different areas of the field.

“Isn’t it about time? When is Layton’s match?”

Mei-Shen should know, but why was Mifi angry? Naruki didn’t get it.

“There’re four matches today and Layton’s is the third. How is the unknown 17th platoon gonna react to the speed of the 16th platoon? Everyone’s interested in that, but it doesn’t look good with the bet. Layton’s team falls way behind.”

“People are gambling on this?”

Sharp light shot from Naruki’s eyes. Gambling over a platoon match was illegal. In Naruki’s harness was a Dite with the symbol of the City Police on it.

“I didn’t place a bet.”

“Of course.”

“Besides, it’s useless for you to stop it. It hasn’t received official permission, but it’s mutually acknowledged. As long as they don’t make a mess, the City Police won’t do anything about it,” Mifi said.

Naruki grunted, looking around with outrage in her eyes.

Mifi sighed.

“Really…… Why are all Military Artists obsessed? It’s just an entertainment.”

“Stop the nonsense! Military Arts is heaven’s best gift to humanity. To dirty it through one’s own desire……”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you think of Layton’s situation?” Mifi changed the subject.

Naruki thought for a moment. “Well…” she said with a different feeling from before and touched her chin.

“I’m not sure how good his comrades are, but I think he’s strong. Yes, that’s what I think……”

“What’s it?” Mifi said, noticing her hesitation.

“I’ve only trained with internal type Kei, but Layton’s External type burst Kei isn’t too bad. But I feel that…. He himself isn’t too keen on the match.”

“Yes.”

“…… Layton, he wouldn’t get hurt, would he?” Mei-Shen said, a deep frown sat in between her eyebrows as if she was about to cry.

Naruki smiled and shook her head. “They’re blunted weapons. We don’t have to worry about him sustaining any injuries.”

“Besides, every year, the average number of people getting injured in Military Arts is around 300. It’s three times more than other courses and it’s mostly caused in training and matches.”

Mifi’s words made the tears fall from Mei-Shen’s eyes.

Naruki’s fist connected with Mifi’s head.

<center>◇</center>

His stomach had stopped hurting, but now his brain felt dull and listless. Layfon wasn’t keen on the match at all.

The team walked into the corridor, leaving the Resting Room for the match. Sunlight replaced the artificial light. The fervent atmosphere surrounded them.

“Ah!” Layfon voiced his annoyance at the unusual scene in the battlefield.

Numerous students sat in the audience section and a camera hovered in the air. One of the big screens showed the members of platoon 17.

“Not bad!”

Sharnid waved at the camera. Some students in the audience section shouted in shrill excitement. Sharnid’s smile widened.

“This atmosphere suits me the best. I think I can perform three times better than usual!”

“I hope so,” Nina said, coldly glancing at him, disapproving his flippant attitude. She then scanned the field.

“Except for the area we’re now in, everything else is about the same as usual.”

As Nina said, the terrain wasn’t that different from usual.

“We can’t be careless. The defense team might have set traps. Felli, search for the enemies and traps when the match begins. Can you handle both?”

“Who knows,” Felli replied, supporting herself on her staff. Nina’s expression turned harsh.

The atmosphere made Layfon feel weak on his shoulders.

The Emcee of the match spoke through the loudspeaker, his voice full of energy. The match was about to begin. Layfon restored his Dite.

He held a greenish blue sword.

In the past, he held it because of money.

But now?

The light from the green Dite didn’t have Kei in it. It was simply reflecting the ray of the sun. The beautiful and empty light weighed down on Layfon.

It was all because of his recklessness at the opening ceremony. He was hassled by the riot. Before he knew what was happening, he had suppressed the culprits of the riot.

Why did he do that? He regretted his action.

“Really.”

“Hum? What’s it?”

His voice was small, but Nina heard it.

“Nothing.”

The siren signaling the beginning of the match drowned out his reply.

“Time to go,” Nina said.

Layfon followed behind her.

<center>◇</center>

Inside the Student President’s room, Karian watched the screen. Both camps in the match had moved out after the siren sounded. Karian’s gaze followed the attacker who was dragging his greenish blue sword behind and clumsily chasing after his captain.

“Is this the guy that the Student President admires?”

The owner of the voice was a Military Student, standing before the office desk. With an awe-inspiring countenance, the muscular man patted the beard on his chin, watching the screen.

“His movements are clumsy and his flow of Kei is really bad. Did he really suppress the riot in the opening ceremony?”

“The very same, Vance Military Arts commander.”

“Ha?”

Vance Haldi, Commander of Military Arts – the representative of the Military Arts course leaned on the office desk, watching the screen with incomprehension.

“Well then, he lacks enthusiasm. What a useless guy. This includes the one who transferred him into Military Arts.”

Karian shrugged and avoided eye contact.

“I can guarantee for his true ability. No one in Zuellni can be his opponent if he’s serious. This is only a gathering for a group of novices, an amateurish organization. To him who’s immersed himself so many years in the professional world, this match is only child’s play.”

“We’re betting our lives on this game.”

“Yes, even if it’s a game , the ideal we hold to keep the city alive is the same, but he doesn’t seem to understand that.”

“And there’s also your sister.”

“Have you a different opinion, commander?”

“Of course. The two who lack enthusiasm and the Sharnid with real power but not cooperation. As the Military Arts commander and one who is responsible for the city’s defense, I’ve a lot to complain for giving Nina a platoon with so many issues. It makes more sense to put her in another platoon and nurture her that way.”

“Wasn’t she the one who refused this proposal?”

Vance shut his mouth.

“Two years ago, everyone held huge expectation for her. She was accepted into a platoon when she was only in first year. But she’d changed her mind since we failed in the Military Arts competition. She formed her own team because of that. She chose Sharnid herself. I gave her the other two, but I did it with the belief that she could use them well.”

“I’m against her forming a platoon.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve the final say.”

“…… Are you planning to destroy the future of an excellent student?” Vance roared and struck the desk with his fist. The air vibrated. He was twice as muscular as Karian, but the Student President remained calm.

“Only if this city can survive,” Karian waved away the vibrating air. “Can you guarantee we’ll win in the next competition?”

The gentle smiled disappeared. Karian challenged Vance with a gaze sharp as the blade of a knife. The commander lifted his thick eyebrows and accepted the challenge.

“There’s nothing definite in war,” Vance said.

“Yes, but I still want absolute guarantee. We can only win to guarantee the survival of this city. Humans can’t live without the city. This cold world rejects us. I think you should know the meaning of losing a city?”

What was outside the city – The few plants that managed to survive on this polluted earth were poisonous. The survivors were only the filth monsters that had overcome the poison.

Unable to survive in this harsh world, humans could only live in an artificial world – in a mobile city.

“Of course I understand that. But this is an Academy. It’s an Education department. I won’t abandon good students!”

“I’m nurturing them.”

“How so?”

“You can obtain something by failing. Humans grow through failures. The greatest proof of maturity is what one obtains through enormous suffering. My sister and Layfon Alseif haven’t yet understood this point, so I’ve thrown them over there.”

“Meaning this platoon is full of abandoned students?”

“They aren’t abandoned. You can only conclude after the result.”

“In the end, even you can’t guarantee the result.”

Karian nodded as if this was natural. “There’s nothing absolute about people. If it exists, I’ll become a mad believer.”

He moved his gaze back to the screen.

The camera controlled by psychokinesis was filming a certain area of the war field.

Layfon’s desperate expression, his face stuck with sweat and dust, appeared on the screen.

“In this life and death situation, you’ll be suspected. Have you truly given up? Or have you not?” Karian’s murmuring turned Vance’s gaze to the screen too.

The 17th platoon was losing.

<center>◇</center>

A platoon must have at least four fighting members.

Yes, that was written in the Military Arts handbook. The 17th platoon had four people, so it fulfilled the minimal number. Harley wasn’t in the count as he wasn’t a fighter.

Then what about the maximum number?

Seven people.

The 16th platoon had five fighting members. This was already counted as a small platoon. Usually, a platoon had seven fighting members.

Preparing the fighting strength of the team was an absolute must to win and survive, but the 17th platoon lacked this.

The excuse of not having enough time made no difference in the field. The excuse of the losing team was just a dog’s barking, not worth listening to. Besides, Nina had no intention of giving voice to it.

The 17th platoon lacked the strength of one more member.

He couldn’t help but think that the result could be overturned.

Truly, that was what Layfon was thinking, even though he didn’t plan to win.

How naïve of him.

When the siren sounded, he and Nina rushed forward to the enemy camp. They had to eliminate the entire enemy team to win, or make them lose their fighting capability and destroy the flag they were protecting. On the other hand, the defense team had to either defeat the captain of the enemy team or protect their flag within the time limit. The defense team could set traps in the field before the match, so they had the advantage if they were to just keep on the defensive side.

Because the winning conditions in a real Military Arts competition were the suppression of the enemy’s camp or the destruction of the city’s Mechanical Department, which was the represented by the flag.

“The other team will probably choose to defend. All they need is to protect their flag within the time limit,” Nina said in the Resting Room.

“Me and Layfon will act as bait. During that time, Sharnid is to snipe the flag. It’s an old-fashioned but realistic plan.”

“Layfon, the first problem we’ll face is to get through the traps as fast as we can. The 16th platoon can’t easily detect Sharnid’s Kei, but we’ll have to attract the psychokinesist’s attention with our speed. Our mission is to confuse the other team.”

That was why the two of them were running on the uneven ground and heading straight for the frontline of the opposing team. They moved with highest speed while running through bushes and staying alert for traps.

Something felt wrong.

“Layfon, be careful,” Nina said from behind. She felt it too.

There weren’t any traps.

On the ground could be simple traps like pits, nets, conductive wires…… and bundles of grass to trip one’s feet…… They didn’t find any mines controlled by psychokinesis. Except for the changes made to the terrain for the match, nothing else looked different.

On Nina’s gesture, Layfon stopped running and hid inside the shadow of the bush.

“Felli, have you found the enemy’s position?”

“Two reactions in the enemy camp, and three at the front. None of the targets are moving,” Felli answered lightly through the transmitter. The opponents didn’t plan to hide any of their moves.

“They plan to receive our attack without reducing our strength through traps? Are we being underestimated?” Nina mumbled.

Another voice came through the transmitter. “This is Sharnid. I’m in position. There’s something blocking my target, but this is the best position I could find. If there’s a better opening, I guarantee my shot will hit.”

So he planned to hit the obstacle before sniping the flag. But with that much time wasted, both psychokinesist and people who could use External Type Burst Kei could have detected Sharnid’s position. He’d become the target of the enemy’s sniper.

“Wait a minute. Just stay there and wait for your order.”

“Roger. I’ll shoot if a chance presents itself.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Nina’s gaze threw out a question at Layfon.

(What do we do?)

He knew they could only keep on moving. The 16th platoon couldn’t be unaware of the two of them. Even so, three members of the enemy team hadn’t made a move, meaning they planned to receive attacks head-on.

And if the 17th platoon didn’t take any action, the enemies would remain where they were till the time ran out. They would have won.

There was only one thing left to do.

Fight the enemy. In a 2 vs 5 fight, the 17th platoon had the disadvantage.

“Geez,” Layfon complained in a low voice. Although the situation was as predicted, this was exactly what the other team had planned.

(What do we do next?)

Layfon’s gaze reflected his question, and Nina wordlessly nodded. Now they had to rush the frontline, just as they had agreed. He didn’t understand why she was full of confidence. Her voice came through his transmitter.

“We’ll follow the original plan. We’ll draw the attackers into the front section of the field. Aim for the ground when we get there and use the smoke to confuse the enemy.”

“Just don’t mess up my shooting path!” Sharnid said.

Felli asked for Sharnid’s position, and Nina gave Layfon an order.

“Draw the enemy to the west.”

The two of them signaled through eye contact. Layfon emerged from the bush, followed closely by Nina. As he ran, he extended his Kei to his blade. The Kei flowed like blood. This was a Kei vein. It connected Layfon’s palm to the sword so the blade became a part of his body. The blade gave off a clear blue light that was unlike that of the sun’s. Layfon could feel the murky feeling from the blade.

Because he could feel the blade as if it had grown a nervous system overnight, he experienced the unnatural, numb and irritating feeling…… a novice might be satisfied at this stage, but not Layfon. He needed it to be more intense. The colour of his Kei could be more vivid, more exciting.

The colour of Kei on his blade looked so unsightly!

He clamped down his teeth to suppress his desire. He knew his best Kei wasn’t of this level. But what would it do to use his best Kei here? What did he want to do? Nothing. He couldn’t use his full power because he didn’t know what he wanted to do.

What he was searching for wasn’t the gem-like colour of his Kei.

“Layfon!”

The shrill voice came not from the transmitter. He realized his consciousness had drifted off. He gazed back at the scene before him, but his heart was not in it.

When he had recollected himself, he was in a sea of dust.

In the moment when they emerged from the bushes, the enemies had also arrived with high speed. And that speed had filled the air with dust and soil particles, blocking out the sun and dimming the surrounding area.

Layfon stopped running. He looked around, sensing Nina behind him.

“Look closely at the flow of the air!” Nina’s order came through his transmitter.

He was irritated.

How could she give him a search method of such low level?

Gritting his teeth, he watched the dust whirls before him.

Three dust whirls.

He slashed out with the sword, the pressure extending to his wrists. There were two pressures, canceling each other. One pressure flowed through Layfon’s body, causing him to kneel on the ground.

Nina kept silent.

She was directing her attack at another whirl.

“Whirl Kei……” he murmured, then rolled away from his current position to confirm the situation.

Three figures separated Layfon and Nina.

This was an internal type Kei technique. It could strengthen the legs tremendously and made possible high speed movement. These three must have gone through special training in Whirl Kei.

After confirming their positions, the enemies had used their attack to confuse their vision, then executed a speedy attack with Whirl Kei. Their execution was flawless. They must have had special training in it.

They didn’t need to set up traps at all. The simultaneous attack of the Whirl Kei was the biggest trap.

(But……)

That strategy had also given Layfon’s team a chance. He and Nina had completely attracted the enemy’s attention. Next, they only needed to make an opening for Sharnid……

And he realized his foolishness.

Three people had separated him and Nina. Once Nina fell, they’d have lost.

“Senpai!”

Layfon couldn’t get up because of the numbness in his knees. The pressure of the high speed attack remained in his body, making him unable to use his strength.

As when he was trying to get up, one of the opponents rushed him again with a high speed Whirl Kei attack. Dust filled the air. A presence that Layfon couldn’t see with his eyes was closing in. He blocked the attack with his sword. The instability of his legs caused him to fly through the air then to fall, rolling on the ground.

The pressure of the attack ran through his body. Sparks exploded in his vision. He had almost hit his head on the ground. Even so, he still had to get back up. He saw Nina defending from a Whirl Kei attack with her iron whips.

Rooted tightly on the spot, she held tight to her two irons whips, receiving the high speed strikes.

Compared to attacking, she was probably better at defense. She watched her two opponents calmly, and used her external type burst Kei to minimize the force of the strikes.

Which was different from the clumsy looking Layfon, rolling on the ground like a fool. In Nina’s eyes was an undefeatable light. The two iron whips spoke true of her determination.

That pose was like a firm iron fortress.

He had no time to be fascinated by the scene.

Again, he blocked an attack with his sword, and fell tumbling on the dusty ground.

“This is annoying!” Layfon’s attacker said. Layfon couldn’t see his opponent’s expression through the dust screen, but he understood the enemy was frustrated that Layfon could block the speedy attacks despite his clumsiness.

Another strike. Layfon once again tumbled across the earth. He was worse than a rolling stone. All he heard was the vibration deep in his ears. He couldn’t hear any outside noise properly. His head had been hit numerous times and his consciousness began to dull.

(Why am I doing this?)

He staggered to his feet and was still considering this question as he once again received another attack to fall rolling on the ground.

(It doesn’t matter if we lose, right?)

This wasn’t a fight to determine the fate of the city. This was just a school activity. It shouldn’t matter if they lost. The Academy City wouldn’t lose its Electronic Fairy because of it.

Even so, why was he letting the enemy attack him? For what purpose was he sustaining all these injuries? He couldn’t comprehend what he was doing.

(It shouldn’t matter if we lose?)

He confirmed once more.

(Yes. It doesn’t matter.)

It was all right to throw away his sword. It was all right to stay still and not get up. It was unnecessary to make himself more tired and muddy. He had a break today, but he got to clean at the Mechanical Department tomorrow. It wouldn’t do to waste his strength here. He might even fall ill.

It wasn’t good to damage his physical condition, otherwise he couldn’t make any money. He was an orphan without anyone to rely on, so he needed money. No one would mail him allowances. He could only rely on the scholarship. Sure, his school fees were waived, but if the Student President changed his mind, all the privileges would disappear. To save up for his future, he must make money.

Money, money, money……

All of a sudden, he subconsciously looked at the sword held tightly in his hand. Light still emitted from the green Dite.

(It’s always money on my lips in the past.)

He didn’t hate himself. In truth, money was necessary.

(Aren’t there other things?)

Only that he was more desperate in the past. Not for himself, but for the running of the orphanage. The Head of the orphanage, his adopted father, the person who first saw the potential of katana skill in Layfon, his Master, viewed money as trash. To put it in a worse light, he had no concept of money. So they were always troubled with finance. When Layfon found out he had the talent for the katana, he had decided to use this ability to earn money. For that purpose, he was determined to obtain a Heaven Blade and become the best fighter in Grendan. In Layfon’s heart, he didn’t hold any simple and innocent admiration for the strong. He was only realistically following the rules of the world and from there, chose his path.

And now, he only needed to make money for himself. Enough money to keep on living. This was in itself difficult, but he didn’t have to be as desperate as before.

(Don’t I have something more important?)

He contemplated while rolling on the ground, his brain almost empty by sustaining repeated hits.

For example, the opposite sex.

(How naïve.)

He was disappointed that this was the first thing that came to mind. But because of this thought, the face of his childhood friend, Leerin, surfaced. And lastly was the feeling of their lips touching.

(But what can I do for Leerin?)

Nothing. He wanted her to see him finding his purpose in this city – A Layfon who had succeeded in something other than the katana. But this felt different from what he wanted to do for Leerin. A gap forever separated people in different mobile cities, then perhaps, in his heart, he failed to look at Leerin as someone other than his childhood friend.

The touch of her lips made him realize she was female, but he still failed to look at her as someone of the opposite sex.

(We’re like siblings, even though we aren’t related by blood.)

It was a feeling nurtured through living in the same orphanage. That couldn’t be helped.

(Then……)

Then who? As he thought of that, only Nina was in his line of sight. She stood in the Military Arts world that Layfon had given up. He envied her bright and dazzling form.

And he remembered three other students. One of them was in Military Arts, but they were all striving for what they wanted to do. He was jealous of that bright form.

Felli’s experience was similar to his. A girl who believed she had no other choice but to follow the footsteps of her inborn ability. Although the road she had gone through to arrive here was different from his, he could understand her feeling on Naruki and her friends. They were too dazzling.

(Ahah, what a mess.)

What could he do for them? Nothing?

He thought, rolling again on the ground. His opponent continued to prattle off his reproofs under his breath. Things like “Hurry up and fall.” “This is so annoying.” “I don’t have time for this.”

What could he do? What did he want to do?

He couldn’t think up an answer.

Not even an answer as tiny as the tip of his finger nail.

How troublesome.

He finally looked around him. He hadn’t been counting, so he wasn’t sure how times he had been falling and climbing back to his feet. The dead end of his thoughts forced him back into the present.

“…… Senpai?” he muttered, toppling onto the ground from another attack.

The sight he then saw in that one single moment was vividly carved into his mind.

She was kneeling on one knee.

No matter how good she was at defense, there had to be a limit. The accumulated injuries had taken away the strength in her legs.

She had become less responsive. The Kei receiving the high speed attack was losing its strength. The light of her Kei flow in the iron whips had lost its vitality.

(No!)

Senpai will fall.

Senpai will fall.

The platoon will have failed.

Failed.

The team will be disbanded.

Senpai will never get back her spirit.

Such naïve thoughts surfaced one after another in Layfon’s head.

(This won’t do.)

And till now, the thought of losing had already disappeared. Layfon picked himself up.

“You’re so annoying!” his opponent howled and closed in for another high speed attack.

Layfon jumped aside. He already knew the position of his opponent. Since the movement was initiated from a Whirl Kei, what came next was just a straight path to Layfon. Once Layfon timed the moment of his enemy’s move, determining his opponent’s position wouldn’t a problem at all.

The important point was how to judge the timing.

Forgetting about the man who just sped past him, Layfon raised his sword.

“That’s a bit far.”

Because he’d been rolling on the ground, he now stood a fair bit of a distance from Nina. Even if he ran over now, he wouldn’t make it in time.

“In that case……”

He slashed out with his sword. He wasn’t even thinking of the Kei flowing through his blade. This was a natural movement for him. Changing the quality of the Kei on his Dite, the Kei shot out of his blade on the momentum of its slashing movement.

[[image:CSR vol01 191.jpg|thumb]]
It wasn’t the same as shooting out Kei. He focused his Kei on one point only.

This was one of the moves of the External Burst Type Kei – Needle Kei.

Kei sharp as needles struck one of the members of the 16th platoon and sent him sailing through the air.

While the other attacker was spacing out at his suddenly flying comrade, Layfon extended his Kei to his feet.

An internal type Kei -- whirl.

As he headed for Nina, he used his sword to send another attacker flying.

He stopped behind Nina and searched around for more enemies. The two people he had sent flying through the air had not returned to the field. He couldn’t feel any hostile Kei. Those two must have fainted.

“You…….”

Layfon didn’t understand Nina’s surprise. What was so surprising about that?

Just when he was confused over this, the siren rang.

“The flag’s destroyed! The 17th platoon wins!”

The emcee shouted excitedly. The audience roared in commotion.

“Hahaha! Did you see? I destroyed the flag with two shots as promised,” Sharnid’s excited voice came through the transmitter.

But it sounded far away to Layfon.

He toppled.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter4

2009-05-09T16:56:16Z

99.159.252.71:

===Chapter 4: Platoon match===

It’s been a while since I wrote my last letter. A lot’s happened over here, so I’m a bit tired. It’s because of the cleaning duties in the Central Mechanism Chamber and school life.

I still haven’t received your letter. I wonder whether my letter arrived safely?

I'm finding it very difficult to look for my future goal.

In Grendan, I was fortunate to have ability and it didn’t take me long to choose the path of the Katana. But now I feel that I need huge courage to determine my own future.

Every time I look at these people who strive forward for their goals, I think they have lots of courage, yet I feel stupid and ridiculous for thinking that. I know there’s no need to admire them. It’s enough to look at my own goal.

Haha, how weak I am. Uh, I know that too. I’ve come to Zuellni, but I still haven’t found my goal.

My school life is smooth.

It’d be great if I could find what I want to do in these six years. I can’t be too lazy about it, but there’s no point panicking.

How’re you over there? I’m sure you’re doing fine.

May you have a happy future.

To my dear Leerin Marfes,

Layfon Alseif.

<center>◇</center>

He wanted money.

He didn’t really care for the reputation that came with the Heaven's Blade. He thought learning the katana was the fastest way to earn money, as his Master had praised his talent with the katana.

Lance Shelled Grendan. It was fortunate he was born in this city that prospered on Military Arts. He didn’t know his parents, but he was thankful of them for giving him talent with the katana.

He had to use this power to make money.

He lived for fifteen years with that purpose alone.

The luckiest thing that happened was that he became a successor of the Heaven's Blade at age 14.

But he was still troubled by money.

The air of commotion stretched out from the Resting Room to the narrow corridor.

Layfon walked silently in the corridor. He let out a light sigh and tried to relieve the illusive pressure that was bearing down on him from the air.

But he couldn’t do it.

He thought he had let it all out, but the irritated feeling rushed back into his chest. He felt his stomach, the pressure refusing to go away.

“Wuwu……”

“Are you all right?” Nina asked beside him.

“……I should ask you, senpai. You don’t look well yourself.”

“Don't talk nonsense. I’m very calm.”

Despite her reply, it was clear that she didn’t feel as calm. Her eyes were darting around, and her footsteps were less firm.

“Anyway, the 16th platoon is good at formations, but once a formation becomes shaky, there’ll be an opening.”

“You said that three times already.”

Nina glared at him. He wasn’t afraid of her getting mad. The light pink on the edge of her cheeks meant she was only covering up her embarrassment. Even so, he moved his gaze away from her.

“Listen. I’m sorry, but we can’t rely much on Sharnid’s support. I need him to move alone today. And Felli’s progress in tracking enemies hasn’t improved,” she said with a sour expression.

Although they had been training from that day on, Sharnid’s long-distance shots failed to coordinate with the team’s movement, and Felli’s detection of enemies hadn’t been good.

(Uh, of course.)

He didn’t know what the deal was with Sharnid, but it was expected of Felli. She was determined not to work at her best so her brother would let her go.

(About that point, I’m the same.)

“This time we’re on the offensive. As long as I don’t fall, we won’t lose. We’ll respond depending on the situation today and win the match. Thank goodness my coordination with you has improved.”

She thwacked a fist against Layfon’s chest. It was a light strike, but he still coughed at the contact.

After platoon training, he always trained alone with Nina. Because of that, he could accurately read Nina’s attack pattern, and she also seemed to understand how Layfon would react.

Nina mumbled as she looked at the map in her hand. This must be her strategic plan. She was thinking hard on how to win with the current strength of the team.

From dark bags under her blood-shot eyes, it was clear she was determined to win this match.

Yes, today, they had a platoon match.

Match. Just thinking of that word made his stomach hurt.

“I’m sorry. I need to get to the bathroom,” Layfon apologized.

“Got it. I’ll go ahead then,” Nina said, still deeply absorbed in the map.

In the Men’s bathroom, Layfon splashed tap water onto his face. The coldness of the water cleared his head.

“Uh, it’s still not working.”

The pain in his stomach hadn’t subsided, and he could also feel the pressure in his chest.

“Damn.”

“What’s wrong? You don’t look well,” a voice floated over as when he was about to wash his face again. He didn’t turn to address the owner of the voice, but he saw the other person’s face in the mirror.

Felli would never have thought such a gentle smile could adorn Karian’s face.

“…… What do you want?”

“There’s no need to be on guard. I’m just here to give the new platoon some encouragement. I just saw you on the way here. You don’t look well?”

“I’m tense because it’s almost time for the match.”

Layfon didn’t detect any pressure from Karian, the pressure he felt when he first met the Student President. But there was a certain dissatisfaction mixed up with the pain in Layfon’s stomach. His gaze reflected in the mirror also looked worse.

“How could that be? This is child’s play to you, Wolfstein.”

“…… It’s meaningless no matter how many times you repeat that title. It doesn’t belong to me anymore. I was expelled from Grendan and I don’t have the Heaven Blade.”

His disapproval of Karian…… could be because of Felli’s words. He resisted Karian who even used his own sister to reach his goal.

“And why is that? Are you not satisfied with my waiving your school fees? Speaking of which, you’re still cleaning at the Mechanical Department. Do you still need money? If so……”

“…… That isn’t the problem.”

“Then what’s the issue? Layfon Alseif. The Heaven Blade wielder Wolfstein I know cares about money more than reputation.”

Karian didn’t change his expression, but his words cut straight to the core. Layfon only recollected himself at the huge noise sounded from the floor tiles when he had stomped on it.

Karian’s reflection on the mirror maintained his smile.

“I don’t know where you got that information from…… but it’s incomplete.”

“Um, just what’s going on? Can you explain to me what kind of a person Wolfstein is?”

“No. That’s something you don’t have to know.”

“It’s fine if you don’t tell me. I just want you to perform well in the fight.”

Karian ended the conversation one-sidedly and headed out into the corridor.

Layfon watched his back, having no desire to chase after him.

“Yes, yes……” Karian suddenly halted his steps.

“I hope you can stop your naïve thinking that playing around in the match can get you back into General Studies. I’ve said so already. I’ll do anything for the survival of the city. As long as a thing is useful to me, I’ll use it.”

“Even if it’s your sister?”

“Even if it’s my sister. Well, I’m going now.”

Karian moved out of Layfon’s sight. He must be heading for the Resting Room of the 17th platoon. Layfon stayed rooted to the spot. He didn’t want to see Karian again in the Resting Room.

He sat on the edge of the sink, lifted his head to watch the ceiling with his hand covering his wet face.

“Ah ~~ …… Damn it!”

Letting out his emotion failed to alleviate the pain in his stomach.

<center>◇</center>

Mei-Shen looked at the basket resentfully on her knees.

“You can’t help it. They said non-related personnel can’t enter before the match,” Mifi comforted her in the audience seat.

“…… but.”

Mei-Shen gazed at the basket regretfully. She got up early today just to make this bento.

“…… Lay…… ton lives alone. He might not have had breakfast.”

“Perhaps, but we didn’t ask him to come out. Just forget it,” Mifi said, pretending not to have heard the pause between “Lay” and “ton”.

(Layfon? Layfon-kun? Just which one is it? Hum, with Mei-Shen’s personality, it probably is Layfon-kun…… I don’t think she’d want to call him “Lay”?)

Mifi thought so.

She knew Mei-Shen greatly admired Layfon – and that was why they became friends, but she never thought Mei-Shen would have made him bento with her own two hands.

(Is there a chance? Layton seems pretty slow with this kind of thing.)

She looked at Mei-Shen. Mei-Shen was delicate and small. She was about the same height as Felli. Her face? It would be Felli’s overwhelming win in that area. The two girls were of different types, but the girl in the 17th platoon was exactly like an exquisite doll. She gave off an illusive and dangerous seductive charm from head to toe. Compared to her, Mei-Shen wasn’t at all not cute, but she always had this about-to-cry look in between her eyebrows.

What about body build? Mei-Shen had the advantage in this area. She was the most physically matured out of them three. Although her small stature didn’t quite match, her body was so grown up that even Mifi herself felt inferior.

Even now, the surrounding males were boldly staring at the curve of her chest.

About matured chest, the order went: Mei-Shen, Mifi, and lastly Naruki. The order was reversed when it came to height.

(I’m always in the middle. It feels like I’m losing out.)

Mei-Shen didn’t let any boys come close to her because of her shyness, but at the same time, she was protected by many guys. Naruki’s brave and bold personality was also hard to attract anyone close, but everyone agreed she was beautiful.

(Only I am not liked. I haven’t received a love letter either.)

“What’s it? Still sulking?” Naruki came back with some juice.

Naruki’s short hair danced in the wind. She frowned at it. Both her hands were occupied with snacks and three paper cups of juice, so she couldn’t press down on her hair.

That pose suited her.

“It’s unexpectedly crowded. I waited a long time in the queue…… What’s up?”

“…… Nothing.”

Mifi snatched up her own juice and snack, and lifted her gaze to watch the arena.

The uneven ground of the war field, dotted here and there with trees, was fenced in. Above was the camera of the Alchemy course, controlled by a psychokinesist. Must be doing some testing? The big screens facing the audience seats cycled through different areas of the field.

“Isn’t it about time? When is Layton’s match?”

Mei-Shen should know, but why was Mifi angry? Naruki didn’t get it.

“There’re four matches today and Layton’s is the third. How is the unknown 17th platoon gonna react to the speed of the 16th platoon? Everyone’s interested in that, but it doesn’t look good with the bet. Layton’s team falls way behind.”

“People are gambling on this?”

Sharp light shot from Naruki’s eyes. Gambling over a platoon match was illegal. In Naruki’s harness was a Dite with the symbol of the City Police on it.

“I didn’t place a bet.”

“Of course.”

“Besides, it’s useless for you to stop it. It hasn’t received official permission, but it’s mutually acknowledged. As long as they don’t make a mess, the City Police won’t do anything about it,” Mifi said.

Naruki grunted, looking around with outrage in her eyes.

Mifi sighed.

“Really…… Why are all Military Artists obsessed? It’s just an entertainment.”

“Stop the nonsense! Military Arts is heaven’s best gift to humanity. To dirty it through one’s own desire……”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you think of Layton’s situation?” Mifi changed the subject.

Naruki thought for a moment. “Well…” she said with a different feeling from before and touched her chin.

“I’m not sure how good his comrades are, but I think he’s strong. Yes, that’s what I think……”

“What’s it?” Mifi said, noticing her hesitation.

“I’ve only trained with internal type Kei, but Layton’s External type burst Kei isn’t too bad. But I feel that…. He himself isn’t too keen on the match.”

“Yes.”

“…… Layton, he wouldn’t get hurt, would he?” Mei-Shen said, a deep frown sat in between her eyebrows as if she was about to cry.

Naruki smiled and shook her head. “They’re blunted weapons. We don’t have to worry about him sustaining any injuries.”

“Besides, every year, the average number of people getting injured in Military Arts is around 300. It’s three times more than other courses and it’s mostly caused in training and matches.”

Mifi’s words made the tears fall from Mei-Shen’s eyes.

Naruki’s fist connected with Mifi’s head.

<center>◇</center>

His stomach had stopped hurting, but now his brain felt dull and listless. Layfon wasn’t keen on the match at all.

The team walked into the corridor, leaving the Resting Room for the match. Sunlight replaced the artificial light. The fervent atmosphere surrounded them.

“Ah!” Layfon voiced his annoyance at the unusual scene in the battlefield.

Numerous students sat in the audience section and a camera hovered in the air. One of the big screens showed the members of platoon 17.

“Not bad!”

Sharnid waved at the camera. Some students in the audience section shouted in shrill excitement. Sharnid’s smile widened.

“This atmosphere suits me the best. I think I can perform three times better than usual!”

“I hope so,” Nina said, coldly glancing at him, disapproving his flippant attitude. She then scanned the field.

“Except for the area we’re now in, everything else is about the same as usual.”

As Nina said, the terrain wasn’t that different from usual.

“We can’t be careless. The defense team might have set traps. Felli, search for the enemies and traps when the match begins. Can you handle both?”

“Who knows,” Felli replied, supporting herself on her staff. Nina’s expression turned harsh.

The atmosphere made Layfon feel weak on his shoulders.

The Emcee of the match spoke through the loudspeaker, his voice full of energy. The match was about to begin. Layfon restored his Dite.

He held a greenish blue sword.

In the past, he held it because of money.

But now?

The light from the green Dite didn’t have Kei in it. It was simply reflecting the ray of the sun. The beautiful and empty light weighed down on Layfon.

It was all because of his recklessness at the opening ceremony. He was hassled by the riot. Before he knew what was happening, he had suppressed the culprits of the riot.

Why did he do that? He regretted his action.

“Really.”

“Hum? What’s it?”

His voice was small, but Nina heard it.

“Nothing.”

The siren signaling the beginning of the match drowned out his reply.

“Time to go,” Nina said.

Layfon followed behind her.

<center>◇</center>

Inside the Student President’s room, Karian watched the screen. Both camps in the match had moved out after the siren sounded. Karian’s gaze followed the attacker who was dragging his greenish blue sword behind and clumsily chasing after his captain.

“Is this the guy that the Student President admires?”

The owner of the voice was a Military Student, standing before the office desk. With an awe-inspiring countenance, the muscular man patted the beard on his chin, watching the screen.

“His movements are clumsy and his flow of Kei is really bad. Did he really suppress the riot in the opening ceremony?”

“The very same, Vance Military Arts commander.”

“Ha?”

Vance Haldi, Commander of Military Arts – the representative of the Military Arts course leaned on the office desk, watching the screen with incomprehension.

“Well then, he lacks enthusiasm. What a useless guy. This includes the one who transferred him into Military Arts.”

Karian shrugged and avoided eye contact.

“I can guarantee for his true ability. No one in Zuellni can be his opponent if he’s serious. This is only a gathering for a group of novices, an amateurish organization. To him who’s immersed himself so many years in the professional world, this match is only child’s play.”

“We’re betting our lives on this game.”

“Yes, even if it’s a game , the ideal we hold to keep the city alive is the same, but he doesn’t seem to understand that.”

“And there’s also your sister.”

“Have you a different opinion, commander?”

“Of course. The two who lack enthusiasm and the Sharnid with real power but not cooperation. As the Military Arts commander and one who is responsible for the city’s defense, I’ve a lot to complain for giving Nina a platoon with so many issues. It makes more sense to put her in another platoon and nurture her that way.”

“Wasn’t she the one who refused this proposal?”

Vance shut his mouth.

“Two years ago, everyone held huge expectation for her. She was accepted into a platoon when she was only in first year. But she’d changed her mind since we failed in the Military Arts competition. She formed her own team because of that. She chose Sharnid herself. I gave her the other two, but I did it with the belief that she could use them well.”

“I’m against her forming a platoon.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve the final say.”

“…… Are you planning to destroy the future of an excellent student?” Vance roared and struck the desk with his fist. The air vibrated. He was twice as muscular as Karian, but the Student President remained calm.

“Only if this city can survive,” Karian waved away the vibrating air. “Can you guarantee we’ll win in the next competition?”

The gentle smiled disappeared. Karian challenged Vance with a gaze sharp as the blade of a knife. The commander lifted his thick eyebrows and accepted the challenge.

“There’s nothing definite in war,” Vance said.

“Yes, but I still want absolute guarantee. We can only win to guarantee the survival of this city. Humans can’t live without the city. This cold world rejects us. I think you should know the meaning of losing a city?”

What was outside the city – The few plants that managed to survive on this polluted earth were poisonous. The survivors were only the filth monsters that had overcome the poison.

Unable to survive in this harsh world, humans could only live in an artificial world – in a mobile city.

“Of course I understand that. But this is an Academy. It’s an Education department. I won’t abandon good students!”

“I’m nurturing them.”

“How so?”

“You can obtain something by failing. Humans grow through failures. The greatest proof of maturity is what one obtains through enormous suffering. My sister and Layfon Alseif haven’t yet understood this point, so I’ve thrown them over there.”

“Meaning this platoon is full of abandoned students?”

“They aren’t abandoned. You can only conclude after the result.”

“In the end, even you can’t guarantee the result.”

Karian nodded as if this was natural. “There’s nothing absolute about people. If it exists, I’ll become a mad believer.”

He moved his gaze back to the screen.

The camera controlled by psychokinesis was filming a certain area of the war field.

Layfon’s desperate expression, his face stuck with sweat and dust, appeared on the screen.

“In this life and death situation, you’ll be suspected. Have you truly given up? Or have you not?” Karian’s murmuring turned Vance’s gaze to the screen too.

The 17th platoon was losing.

<center>◇</center>

A platoon must have at least four fighting members.

Yes, that was written in the Military Arts handbook. The 17th platoon had four people, so it fulfilled the minimal number. Harley wasn’t in the count as he wasn’t a fighter.

Then what about the maximum number?

Seven people.

The 16th platoon had five fighting members. This was already counted as a small platoon. Usually, a platoon had seven fighting members.

Preparing the fighting strength of the team was an absolute must to win and survive, but the 17th platoon lacked this.

The excuse of not having enough time made no difference in the field. The excuse of the losing team was just a dog’s barking, not worth listening to. Besides, Nina had no intention of giving voice to it.

The 17th platoon lacked the strength of one more member.

He couldn’t help but think that the result could be overturned.

Truly, that was what Layfon was thinking, even though he didn’t plan to win.

How naïve of him.

When the siren sounded, he and Nina rushed forward to the enemy camp. They had to eliminate the entire enemy team to win, or make them lose their fighting capability and destroy the flag they were protecting. On the other hand, the defense team had to either defeat the captain of the enemy team or protect their flag within the time limit. The defense team could set traps in the field before the match, so they had the advantage if they were to just keep on the defensive side.

Because the winning conditions in a real Military Arts competition were the suppression of the enemy’s camp or the destruction of the city’s Mechanical Department, which was the represented by the flag.

“The other team will probably choose to defend. All they need is to protect their flag within the time limit,” Nina said in the Resting Room.

“Me and Layfon will act as bait. During that time, Sharnid is to snipe the flag. It’s an old-fashioned but realistic plan.”

“Layfon, the first problem we’ll face is to get through the traps as fast as we can. The 16th platoon can’t easily detect Sharnid’s Kei, but we’ll have to attract the psychokinesist’s attention with our speed. Our mission is to confuse the other team.”

That was why the two of them were running on the uneven ground and heading straight for the frontline of the opposing team. They moved with highest speed while running through bushes and staying alert for traps.

Something felt wrong.

“Layfon, be careful,” Nina said from behind. She felt it too.

There weren’t any traps.

On the ground could be simple traps like pits, nets, conductive wires…… and bundles of grass to trip one’s feet…… They didn’t find any mines controlled by psychokinesis. Except for the changes made to the terrain for the match, nothing else looked different.

On Nina’s gesture, Layfon stopped running and hid inside the shadow of the bush.

“Felli, have you found the enemy’s position?”

“Two reactions in the enemy camp, and three at the front. None of the targets are moving,” Felli answered lightly through the transmitter. The opponents didn’t plan to hide any of their moves.

“They plan to receive our attack without reducing our strength through traps? Are we being underestimated?” Nina mumbled.

Another voice came through the transmitter. “This is Sharnid. I’m in position. There’s something blocking my target, but this is the best position I could find. If there’s a better opening, I guarantee my shot will hit.”

So he planned to hit the obstacle before sniping the flag. But with that much time wasted, both psychokinesist and people who could use External Type Burst Kei could have detected Sharnid’s position. He’d become the target of the enemy’s sniper.

“Wait a minute. Just stay there and wait for your order.”

“Roger. I’ll shoot if a chance presents itself.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Nina’s gaze threw out a question at Layfon.

(What do we do?)

He knew they could only keep on moving. The 16th platoon couldn’t be unaware of the two of them. Even so, three members of the enemy team hadn’t made a move, meaning they planned to receive attacks head-on.

And if the 17th platoon didn’t take any action, the enemies would remain where they were till the time ran out. They would have won.

There was only one thing left to do.

Fight the enemy. In a 2 vs 5 fight, the 17th platoon had the disadvantage.

“Geez,” Layfon complained in a low voice. Although the situation was as predicted, this was exactly what the other team had planned.

(What do we do next?)

Layfon’s gaze reflected his question, and Nina wordlessly nodded. Now they had to rush the frontline, as just they had agreed. He didn’t understand why she was full of confidence. Her voice came through his transmitter.

“We’ll follow the original plan. We’ll draw the attackers into the front section of the field. Aim for the ground when we get there and use the smoke to confuse the enemy.”

“Just don’t mess up my shooting path!” Sharnid said.

Felli asked for Sharnid’s position, and Nina gave Layfon an order.

“Draw the enemy to the west.”

The two of them signaled through eye contact. Layfon emerged from the bush, followed closely by Nina. As he ran, he extended his Kei to his blade. The Kei flowed like blood. This was a Kei vein. It connected Layfon’s palm to the sword so the blade became a part of his body. The blade gave off a clear blue light that was unlike that of the sun’s. Layfon could feel the murky feeling from the blade.

Because he could feel the blade as if it had grown a nervous system overnight, he experienced the unnatural, numb and irritating feeling…… a novice might be satisfied at this stage, but not Layfon. He needed it to be more intense. The colour of his Kei could be more vivid, more exciting.

The colour of Kei on his blade looked so unsightly!

He clamped down his teeth to suppress his desire. He knew his best Kei wasn’t of this level. But what would it do to use his best Kei here? What did he want to do? Nothing. He couldn’t use his full power because he didn’t know what he wanted to do.

What he was searching for wasn’t the gem-like colour of his Kei.

“Layfon!”

The shrill voice came not from the transmitter. He realized his consciousness had drifted off. He gazed back at the scene before him, but his heart was not in it.

When he had recollected himself, he was in a sea of dust.

In the moment when they emerged from the bushes, the enemies had also arrived with high speed. And that speed had filled the air with dust and soil particles, blocking out the sun and dimming the surrounding area.

Layfon stopped running. He looked around, sensing Nina behind him.

“Look closely at the flow of the air!” Nina’s order came through his transmitter.

He was irritated.

How could she give him a search method of such low level?

Gritting his teeth, he watched the dust whirls before him.

Three dust whirls.

He slashed out with the sword, the pressure extending to his wrists. There were two pressures, canceling each other. One pressure flowed through Layfon’s body, causing him to kneel on the ground.

Nina kept silent.

She was directing her attack at another whirl.

“Whirl Kei……” he murmured, then rolled away from his current position to confirm the situation.

Three figures separated Layfon and Nina.

This was an internal type Kei technique. It could strengthen the legs tremendously and made possible high speed movement. These three must have gone through special training in Whirl Kei.

After confirming their positions, the enemies had used their attack to confuse their vision, then executed a speedy attack with Whirl Kei. Their execution was flawless. They must have had special training in it.

They didn’t need to set up traps at all. The simultaneous attack of the Whirl Kei was the biggest trap.

(But……)

That strategy had also given Layfon’s team a chance. He and Nina had completely attracted the enemy’s attention. Next, they only needed to make an opening for Sharnid……

And he realized his foolishness.

Three people had separated him and Nina. Once Nina fell, they’d have lost.

“Senpai!”

Layfon couldn’t get up because of the numbness in his knees. The pressure of the high speed attack remained in his body, making him unable to use his strength.

As when he was trying to get up, one of the opponents rushed him again with a high speed Whirl Kei attack. Dust filled the air. A presence that Layfon couldn’t see with his eyes was closing in. He blocked the attack with his sword. The instability of his legs caused him to fly through the air then to fall, rolling on the ground.

The pressure of the attack ran through his body. Sparks exploded in his vision. He had almost hit his head on the ground. Even so, he still had to get back up. He saw Nina defending from a Whirl Kei attack with her iron whips.

Rooted tightly on the spot, she held tight to her two irons whips, receiving the high speed strikes.

Compared to attacking, she was probably better at defense. She watched her two opponents calmly, and used her external type burst Kei to minimize the force of the strikes.

Which was different from the clumsy looking Layfon, rolling on the ground like a fool. In Nina’s eyes was an undefeatable light. The two iron whips spoke true of her determination.

That pose was like a firm iron fortress.

He had no time to be fascinated by the scene.

Again, he blocked an attack with his sword, and fell tumbling on the dusty ground.

“This is annoying!” Layfon’s attacker said. Layfon couldn’t see his opponent’s expression through the dust screen, but he understood the enemy was frustrated that Layfon could block the speedy attacks despite his clumsiness.

Another strike. Layfon once again tumbled across the earth. He was worse than a rolling stone. All he heard was the vibration deep in his ears. He couldn’t hear any outside noise properly. His head had been hit numerous times and his consciousness began to dull.

(Why am I doing this?)

He staggered to his feet and was still considering this question as he once again received another attack to fall rolling on the ground.

(It doesn’t matter if we lose, right?)

This wasn’t a fight to determine the fate of the city. This was just a school activity. It shouldn’t matter if they lost. The Academy City wouldn’t lose its Electronic Fairy because of it.

Even so, why was he letting the enemy attack him? For what purpose was he sustaining all these injuries? He couldn’t comprehend what he was doing.

(It shouldn’t matter if we lose?)

He confirmed once more.

(Yes. It doesn’t matter.)

It was all right to throw away his sword. It was all right to stay still and not get up. It was unnecessary to make himself more tired and muddy. He had a break today, but he got to clean at the Mechanical Department tomorrow. It wouldn’t do to waste his strength here. He might even fall ill.

It wasn’t good to damage his physical condition, otherwise he couldn’t make any money. He was an orphan without anyone to rely on, so he needed money. No one would mail him allowances. He could only rely on the scholarship. Sure, his school fees were waived, but if the Student President changed his mind, all the privileges would disappear. To save up for his future, he must make money.

Money, money, money……

All of a sudden, he subconsciously looked at the sword held tightly in his hand. Light still emitted from the green Dite.

(It’s always money on my lips in the past.)

He didn’t hate himself. In truth, money was necessary.

(Aren’t there other things?)

Only that he was more desperate in the past. Not for himself, but for the running of the orphanage. The Head of the orphanage, his adopted father, the person who first saw the potential of katana skill in Layfon, his Master, viewed money as trash. To put it in a worse light, he had no concept of money. So they were always troubled with finance. When Layfon found out he had the talent for the katana, he had decided to use this ability to earn money. For that purpose, he was determined to obtain a Heaven Blade and become the best fighter in Grendan. In Layfon’s heart, he didn’t hold any simple and innocent admiration for the strong. He was only realistically following the rules of the world and from there, chose his path.

And now, he only needed to make money for himself. Enough money to keep on living. This was in itself difficult, but he didn’t have to be as desperate as before.

(Don’t I have something more important?)

He contemplated while rolling on the ground, his brain almost empty by sustaining repeated hits.

For example, the opposite sex.

(How naïve.)

He was disappointed that this was the first thing that came to mind. But because of this thought, the face of his childhood friend, Leerin, surfaced. And lastly was the feeling of their lips touching.

(But what can I do for Leerin?)

Nothing. He wanted her to see him finding his purpose in this city – A Layfon who had succeeded in something other than the katana. But this felt different from what he wanted to do for Leerin. A gap forever separated people in different mobile cities, then perhaps, in his heart, he failed to look at Leerin as someone other than his childhood friend.

The touch of her lips made him realize she was female, but he still failed to look at her as someone of the opposite sex.

(We’re like siblings, even though we aren’t related by blood.)

It was a feeling nurtured through living in the same orphanage. That couldn’t be helped.

(Then……)

Then who? As he thought of that, only Nina was in his line of sight. She stood in the Military Arts world that Layfon had given up. He envied her bright and dazzling form.

And he remembered three other students. One of them was in Military Arts, but they were all striving for what they wanted to do. He was jealous of that bright form.

Felli’s experience was similar to his. A girl who believed she had no other choice but to follow the footsteps of her inborn ability. Although the road she had gone through to arrive here was different from his, he could understand her feeling on Naruki and her friends. They were too dazzling.

(Ahah, what a mess.)

What could he do for them? Nothing?

He thought, rolling again on the ground. His opponent continued to prattle off his reproofs under his breath. Things like “Hurry up and fall.” “This is so annoying.” “I don’t have time for this.”

What could he do? What did he want to do?

He couldn’t think up an answer.

Not even an answer as tiny as the tip of his finger nail.

How troublesome.

He finally looked around him. He hadn’t been counting, so he wasn’t sure how times he had been falling and climbing back to his feet. The dead end of his thoughts forced him back into the present.

“…… Senpai?” he muttered, toppling onto the ground from another attack.

The sight he then saw in that one single moment was vividly carved into his mind.

She was kneeling on one knee.

No matter how good she was at defense, there had to be a limit. The accumulated injuries had taken away the strength in her legs.

She had become less responsive. The Kei receiving the high speed attack was losing its strength. The light of her Kei flow in the iron whips had lost its vitality.

(No!)

Senpai will fall.

Senpai will fall.

The platoon will have failed.

Failed.

The team will be disbanded.

Senpai will never get back her spirit.

Such naïve thoughts surfaced one after another in Layfon’s head.

(This won’t do.)

And till now, the thought of losing had already disappeared. Layfon picked himself up.

“You’re so annoying!” his opponent howled and closed in for another high speed attack.

Layfon jumped aside. He already knew the position of his opponent. Since the movement was initiated from a Whirl Kei, what came next was just a straight path to Layfon. Once Layfon timed the moment of his enemy’s move, determining his opponent’s position wouldn’t a problem at all.

The important point was how to judge the timing.

Forgetting about the man who just sped past him, Layfon raised his sword.

“That’s a bit far.”

Because he’d been rolling on the ground, he now stood a fair bit of a distance from Nina. Even if he ran over now, he wouldn’t make it in time.

“In that case……”

He slashed out with his sword. He wasn’t even thinking of the Kei flowing through his blade. This was a natural movement for him. Changing the quality of the Kei on his Dite, the Kei shot out of his blade on the momentum of its slashing movement.

[[image:CSR vol01 191.jpg|thumb]]
It wasn’t the same as shooting out Kei. He focused his Kei on one point only.

This was one of the moves of the External Burst Type Kei – Needle Kei.

Kei sharp as needles struck one of the members of the 16th platoon and sent him sailing through the air.

While the other attacker was spacing out at his suddenly flying comrade, Layfon extended his Kei to his feet.

An internal type Kei -- whirl.

As he headed for Nina, he used his sword to send another attacker flying.

He stopped behind Nina and searched around for more enemies. The two people he had sent flying through the air had not returned to the field. He couldn’t feel any hostile Kei. Those two must have fainted.

“You…….”

Layfon didn’t understand Nina’s surprise. What was so surprising about that?

Just when he was confused over this, the siren rang.

“The flag’s destroyed! The 17th platoon wins!”

The emcee shouted excitedly. The audience roared in commotion.

“Hahaha! Did you see? I destroyed the flag with two shots as promised,” Sharnid’s excited voice came through the transmitter.

But it sounded far away to Layfon.

He toppled.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter3

2009-05-09T16:21:37Z

99.159.252.71:

===Chapter 3: Training===

I’ve finally settled down. How are you over there? It’s irritating how cities can only maintain contact through letters. It’d be great if we could just call, but how do you fix a line between cities? If that could be done, the cities would probably trip on the cables.

Honestly, I’m tired. I’m used to cleaning at the Mechanical Department, but it’s still problematic. I suppose I’ll get used to these irregular hours sooner or later. Right now, all I can do is keep at it.

School life is all right. But I haven’t had much chance to use my brain, so I’m not expecting much for my results.

I regret for not listening to you and doing some serious studying. You must be laughing now. Ok, this is reality, so I can only accept your laughter. I really regret it.

From the day I let go of the Heavens Blade, I’ve turned back into someone normal. Except, it’s difficult to make a fresh start. Sometimes I think that my past lifestyle was relaxing. A voice inside me hopes to return to the old life.

It’s embarrassing. Master won’t let it. Her Majesty won’t allow it. Even I don’t agree with it. Letting go of the Art of Katana was my way of showing my attitude to Master and Her Majesty.

To be forgiven by letting go of the Katana was my biggest…. Uh, what am I saying? Sorry, please just forget it all.

That’s just an excuse. Everything is. I’m really useless.

I won’t send this letter. It isn’t worth reading.

<center>◇</center>

“Are you ok?” Mifi asked.

It was now lunch break. Layfon bent over the table. He didn’t even have the strength to go buy bread.

Mifi drained the pre-packaged milk and without moving a foot, tossed the packet into the rubbish bin. The packet flew through the air and fell into the bin as if it was sucked into it.

“…… Mifi-chan, you’re dirty,” Mei-Shen protested.

The milk left inside the packet had leaked from the straw. Mifi ignored Mei-Shen, who had her handkerchief pressed to the side of her head. Mei-Shen was also looking at Layfon.

“…… Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Even Layfon himself wasn’t sure. What he just said wasn’t convincing at all. He saw bags under his eyes in the mirror yesterday, so he was feeling a bit down.

“Talking about yourself with that expression. You’re so unconvincing.”

Naruki returned to the classroom. She held two paper bags and placed one before Layfon.

“Here. I just picked whatever since I didn’t know what you like.”

“Ah, sorry. Thanks.”

“No worries. Remember to pay me back though.”

Naruki smiled as she took back the money from him. She then looked at his waist and saw a Dite hanging from the harness.

“So what’s the reason? Work at the Mechanical Department or is it ‘that’?”

“Uh, work’s ok. It’s surprisingly good.”

Layfon got up slowly and took a bite of the bread from the bag. The dryness of the bread was uncomfortable. He inserted the straw into the packet of milk that was in the same bag.

“So it’s training? Was it hard?”

Mifi took out another packet of milk from her paper bag and inserted a straw into it.

The three girls sat down in the chairs around him. He smiled bitterly and sucked milk from the straw to wet the inside of his mouth.

“It’s training for the upcoming platoon match, right? That must be exhausting,’ Naruki nodded.

“……Platoon match?”

“Ah, I know. I heard about it before, but I've forgotten, so I’m not really sure,” Mifi raised the same question as Mei-Shen. Naruki started her explanation.

As for Layfon--

(Naruki speaks like a senpai. Do all female soldiers speak like that?)

Thinking of this, Layfon didn’t take in anything being said around him.

“I’ve talked about the platoon matches before. They’re to determine the ranks of platoons. The higher your rank is, the more important a position you’ll get in the Military Arts Competition.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Of course. That means your abilities are acknowledged. Besides, you can really do something for the people in the city. It’s something for Military Arts people to take pride in.”

The way she put it felt like it had nothing to do with what she was talking about.

“But isn’t that dangerous? If it was me, I wouldn’t have chosen to come to such a dangerous place.”

“That’s coz you’re thinking of it from the angle of Military Arts. For example, if you get to run a magazine, you’ll also do what you can to get good results, right?”

“Oh, I see.”

“If it’s Mei-Shen, you’ll also do your best in your cake shop, right?”

“……Yeah.”

They both understood now.

“To get good marks in your specialized area isn’t just about dignity, but also about the evaluation of strength. In strategic planning, you’ve to really know your own strengths. Like whose ability is the best, which platoon excels, those kinds of things. So the best way to get a better understanding of all that is to create real war-like situations, meaning, the platoon matches.”

“So it’s to determine who is the strongest? That sounds like a little kids’ fight.”

Layfon couldn’t help but agree with Mifi. Who is the strongest? Thinking how he got himself involved in this meaningless ranking fight, he couldn’t swallow his bread.

“The matches aren’t conducted in the manner of knockout matches. The purpose isn’t to see who wins the most matches, so you can’t really tell which team is the strongest. Still, we can’t deny that some people really care about the matches. The match is time limited, and with that, you can judge the strength and precision of the teams. If a platoon wins, it’ll get prize money, just like how you get scholarship if you regularly take top place in the General Studies’ test.

“A topic not related to me has appeared.”

Mifi puffed up her face, and the two other girls smiled. Layfon also laughed.

“…… Is training hard?” Mei-Shen asked cautiously with anxiety in her eyes.

“Yeah, um~~”

They’d know even if he denied it, but it looked pretty bad to admit so honestly, so he could only substitute with some vague wordings. Men really are proud creatures. This saddened him. He could only smile bitterly.

“Aa, Layton isn’t training coz he likes it, so you don’t have to force yourself to train so hard! It’s best to just pretend, since training is tiring,” Mifi concluded, after finishing her third packet of milk. Mei-Shen also nodded. Only Naruki was silently nibbling at her bread and eyeing Layfon suspiciously.

He didn’t train because he liked it.

That was the truth. He didn’t like Military Arts anymore. No, seriously, he had never liked Military Arts. It was something he had already lost.

It was the same as how one couldn’t repeat his past and regain what was lost.

Wolfstein. Layfon’s title that the Student President used, was also one of things he had lost. It was not possible to get it back.

The Student President was seeking what could not be taken back.

And, the Nina who knew nothing of it.

“……That’s right.”

Layfon returned his attention to the room.

“Oh, yes.”

“Huh?” from Mifi. In her hand was a fourth packet of milk.

“Do you just drink milk for lunch?”

Mifi angrily conveyed her need to overcome the disadvantage of her body. She gave him quite a thrashing.

<center>◇</center>

Nina’s impatient gaze stabbed his face.

Even so, he couldn’t help it. In the battleground reserved for Military Arts students, Layfon held the restored Dite in his hands, a feeling of directionless uncertainty rising inside him.

Harley had adjusted a sword of green Dite for him. The long,thin blade emitted a teal light. For he who was hiding in the bushes, the gem-like light of the blade made him stand out too much.

He leaned against the trunk of a tree and controlled his breathing. His heartbeat had to be regular, or else the training machine would detect the irregularity and attack him.

The irritation of a plan gone wrong was scolding Layfon. Though he didn’t feel that he was responsible in any way, he was the only one here. Both Felli and Harley were waiting for orders in the rear.

Since meeting the Electric Fairy Zuellni at the Mechanical Department, Layfon had not seen a smile on Nina’s face.

Sharnid was the first reason behind her irritation. He was late for training. He totally ignored her harsh reproach and didn’t even reflect on his actions. All he did was utter a casual “sorry” with dissatisfaction and Restore his weapon.

Sharnid’s weapon was a sniper rifle. On top of the light and white Dite was a large scope. It’d be impossible to avoid the automatic machine’s attack without Sharnid’s support.

Layfon still felt uneasy.

He had no idea what Sharnid’s range was. The breathing irregularity could be because of that. He relaxed his breath.

Next was the unease that came from his uncertainty of the enemy’s location.

The last team member, Felli, was responsible for intelligence support. The doll-like, silver-haired, beautiful girl used a half-transparent staff that was made of heavy alloy. The staff was made up of things that looked like flakes which were scattered when the staff was in operation.

Felli had the power of psychokinesis. She could move things with her mind. Through psychokinesis, she could scatter the flakes over large areas to obtain intelligence and convey the information to her team members.

“Two responses at point 1005.”

Felli’s light and faint voice sounded through Layfon’s earpiece. This was also an item using Felli’s psychokinesis, so it was harder for enemies to eavesdrop.

Without exchanging glances, Layfon and Nina rushed out of the bushes. An arm smashed suddenly into the place where the two had been hiding, then a robot shaped like a barrel with a wooden knife fitted onto its wrist was spraying red paint everywhere.

“Too slow!” Nina called as she retreated. After collecting herself, she lashed out at the machine with her iron whips, and Layfon headed for the other automatic machine was that still in hidden from sight. He moved out of the shadow of the trees to make himself a target so Nina could concentrate on her fight.

As if to answer his prediction, the other robot was about to swing down its weapon. The fake wooden axe chopped down towards Layfon’s head. He took a step back and felt the passing of air at the tip of his nose.

Unexpectedly, he got himself into a fight with another machine. The enemy type was a distant-fighting type. Layfon “uh"-ed at that fact and dipped his head to avoid the axe.

Distracted by another long-range attack from somewhere, and observing Nina suppressing her opponent, Layfon was unable to make an attack.

Noticing his situation, she called angrily into her transmitter, “Still haven’t found it yet, sniper?” While calling, she knocked off the coloured wooden knife and struck the machine with her other iron whip.

Now that Nina had won, Layfon didn’t know what to do next. Should he lead the enemy to her and fight it together, knowing he couldn’t block the fire from the other enemy? No, Nina would become the target of the enemy, and besides, he didn't have the confidence to work with her. In addition, once the captain was defeated, they’d lose the match, so he must take care not to involve her in more danger……Confusion caused Layfon’s movement to slow down. He did avoid the axe, but the way he did it looked so ridiculous that even he was angry about it.

He’d lost his balance.

At that moment, Nina headed straight for him. Perhaps she thought he couldn’t avoid the next strike. He felt the same.

And this was when the long-distance shot came.

The bell signaling the end of the match rang through the air.

Spattered with mud and paint, Nina walked in front, looking displeased. Everyone was tired. The scene now had moved into the Resting Room. With both his wrists on his knees, Layfon sat tiredly on a chair, looking at the floor. Sharnid had lay down on a bench, his eyes covered by a towel. Felli was the only one with a calm expression. She had let down her hair and was combing it.

[[image:CSR vol01 117.jpg|thumb]]

Nina stood before them all, watching them. Anger came through.

“We just formed the platoon a short while ago, so I understand we can’t yet coordinate well. I clearly understand that,” Nina sighed, and relaxed her shoulders.

Then she asked each person:

“Sharnid, why didn’t you cover Layfon?”

“It’s not that easy to avoid shooting your own teammate. It’s not possible with the kind of coordination we’re aiming for, if we can’t even breathe on the same beat! To do that, Layfon has to accurately sense the timing of my shot and move accordingly. Shooting a comrade who’s in an intense fight with the enemy scares me,” Sharnid waved his hand.

“Really?” She looked at Layfon.

“Layfon, why didn’t you lead the enemy to me?”

“If the captain fell then we’d have lost. I could act as bait and draw out the enemy.”

“You should have let me make that decision.”

“Yes, but there wasn’t time.”

Another enemy was attacking him at close range, so he didn’t have the leisure to wait for her order.

“Felli, your searching speed was too slow. Couldn’t you be faster?”

“That was my limit.”

Felli’s reply was unusually cold. Her refusal to respond was like a whip across Nina’s face. Would she howl out in anger? That thought tensed Layfon’s shoulders, but Nina remained silent, glaring at Felli.

Who knew how long this silence would last? Embarrassment and disapproval were thick in the air. Though he felt suffocated, he didn’t feel like breaking that atmosphere.

He was already exhausted.

But……

“Excuse me……”

Harley walked in without knocking. He immediately noticed the atmosphere and halted his steps.

“What’s up?” Nina glared at him.

“Ah……ahah, I came to help Layfon with his setting of the Dite,” he replied, scratching his head. Perhaps speaking up helped him to make up his mind. Harley carried his box to a chair and opened it.

“Since he’s used it for a few days, I think I can get some detailed settings done. If anyone else feels your weapon needs adjusting, you can let me know.”

“No~~ nothing!” Sharnid sat up slowly.

“Harley’s settings are perfect. That I can be so relaxed is all thanks to you.”

“Mine’s ok,” Felli shook her head.

“Really? That’s great. Nina?”

“No. If there’s a need, I’ll let you know.”

“Sure.”

What happened next was just the sound of gears being laid out on the floor. In this very short period of time, everyone was watching Harley’s movement. He definitely felt their weird gazes, but Haryley started to whistle happily.

The atmosphere became more relaxed.

No, perhaps they were only tired of the embarrassment.

“Well……”

Sharnid picked up his bag.

“Where are you going?”

“The training’s finished, right? Even if we’re going to have a meeting, there’s not much to talk about. I’ll go back after a shower. Got a date afterwards.”

“What!”

“Then I’m also leaving,” Felli said, quietly taking her bag.

“Aaaa, Felli’s not gonna wash away your sweat?”

“I don’t sweat as much……Besides, showering here makes me feel like someone’s peeking at me.”

“Haha, what a shame. If Felli doesn’t grow up more, no one will peek at you.”

Ignoring Sharnid’s teasing, Felli left the room. He shrugged and headed for the shower room.

With his head on his hands, Layfon watched Nina standing there. He had nothing to say to her. Her shoulders were trembling. Even so, he couldn’t escape as Harley had already caught him.

But he felt he couldn’t stay silent anymore. Focusing on the gears, Harley seemed oblivious to his surroundings. Nina’s face showed she didn’t know how to end this awkwardness.

“Um……” Layfon made some noise without knowing what to say.

“We have to practise a formation. You come over when you’re done.”

Nina walked out. The irritating sound of the door closing affected the air of the room.

“……Looking at that face of hers, it’d be good if she calmed down a bit,” Harley said, smiling.

Layfon smiled in return.

“Seriously, Nina can act calmly, but she’s impatient now. That can’t be helped.”

His face full of smiles, Harley wrapped a wire around Layfon’s Dite.

“Senpai really understands her.”

“Kind of. We’re childhood friends.”

“Oh……Huh? But I remember Senpai……”

She said she ran away from home.

“Haha, ran away from home? Do you think she wouldn’t know anybody at the place she ran away to?” Harley said cheerfully.

That was true.

“Uh, that’s true. Why didn't I think of that?”

But on second thought, he knew the reason. Nina came here against her parents’ wishes. Such strong determination gave off a proud and lonely air.

So he felt she didn’t know anyone here.

The other reason was that he didn’t know anyone here from Grendan.

(Ah, so that’s why. Her situation’s different from mine.)

After laughing secretly at himself, Layfon forgot his misunderstanding of Nina. Besides, the other three girls that he knew also came from the same city. He felt helpless with his slow intuition.

As per Harley’s instruction, he restored his Dite. The wire around the Dite conveyed its information to the machine. He asked Harley a question, who was looking at the number on the display.

“Why did senpai want to form a platoon?”

“Do you find it hard to believe?”

“Senpai’s only a third year, isn’t she? I heard that most of the platoon captains are fourth year or above. Hasn’t she still got time?”

“Yeah, if you look at the study years, then there’s still time,” Harley nodded. “But who knows whether this city still has time.”

His fingers flying on the keyboard, Harley asked, “You know right? You should have heard of it from the Student President.”

“Yes.”

“He said it was to make us more alert of danger, but he did all that to increase our fighting strength.”

“Is that it?”

“That’s right, but I don’t think that’s all of it. He’s stubborn.”

“……”

“Ah, let’s leave the Student President aside for now.”

Harley clapped his hands, pulling Layfon back into reality. His face had turned green just by remembering the nasty memories about the Student President.

“The time Nina spends here is important to her. You should know since you heard of her running away.”

Layfon nodded. Nina had said that she wanted to see what a majority of people couldn’t see: the world outside the city.

“That’s a precious experience. Yes, it’s a precious experience to come to a city run by students only, but it’s even more precious an experience to understand the outside world. A lot of people can never experience that.”

Even so, there were numerous Academy Cities, enough to conduct the Military Arts Competition – the same type of cities fought for fuel. In other words, this was the proof that the city had enough number of students.

This told Layfon that there were more humans than he thought.

But a majority of people would never see each other. Even Layfon didn’t know everyone at Grendan. Grendan had a population of about a hundred thousand people.

But if people lived in the same city and wanted to meet up, they could. Perhaps if they desired to see each other, even with the filth monsters roaming the earth, they could see the person of another city. But he couldn’t place the level of difficulty of those two types of meeting side by side.

It's rare to get on a roaming bus just to see another city.

It's extremely taxing to travel to another city, and it's dangerous.

Numerous cities spread across the earth like stars, moving back and forth in an isolated world. Thinking of this, it felt so unbelievably hard to comprehend that it confounded him.

“People might have never met, but we were given the chance to meet here. Don’t you find that interesting?”

“……”

“Nina doesn’t want to lose that experience, so she’d try everything within her power. Nina’s the type of person to act.”

“So please don’t hate her too much,” Harley added.

Layfon didn’t think he hated her.

Afterwards, he headed alone for the training complex – in the direction of where he thought the training room was. It didn’t take him long to arrive as it was close to the battleground.

Layfon felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he neared the entrance of the training complex. He wasn’t sure whether there was a weight. No, he knew he had a burden there. He just didn’t want to realize that it was on him.

If they lost in this Military Arts Competition, the city would lose its fuel source. In other words, the city’s consciousness that he came across at the Mechanical Department – that cute Electric Fairy would face its death.

What a tragic thing.

But he couldn’t really feel that happening. Just like the clear scene reflected in the glassy surface of the door to the training complex, he felt that it was happening in another city. He couldn’t comprehend the fact that what he did would have a direct impact on the life and death of the city.

He went through the door and headed for the training room of platoon 17. The sounds of practice from other training rooms made the entire building tremble. The building was designed to contain the varied powers of the Military Arts students, but it didn’t seem to have good soundproofing.

“Isn’t it time to give up?”

He heard this just as he was about to open to the door to the training room of platoon 17.

He stopped.

There were other students in the room besides Nina.

Three males surrounded her. The tension in the air caressed Layfon’s skin. His wrist moved towards his weapon harness on its own.

Nina’s arms were lowered. She held her restored iron whips tightly. She stared at the three students with an icy gaze, hiding her emotions.

The conversation continued. No one seemed to have noticed Layfon.

“You should know now that it’s not easy to form a platoon,” the person standing right in front of Nina said.

“And your members are…… Sharnid, who can’t coordinate well with his ability, and two others that the Student President forced into Military Arts. Morale itself is already a problem. Do you really think you can form a team with those people and lead them in battle? If that’s the case, then you’re looking down on Military Arts.”

The target person wasn’t him, but Layfon felt pressure bearing down into his stomach. This was an intimidation technique using the Internal type Kei. It was the opposite of External type burst Kei. The Internal type Kei could directly affect one's body.

The voice with Kei made Nina tremble.

“Let me say this for the last time. Join our team, Nina Antalk. The 3rd platoon needs your calm judgement and hard defence. Besides, you only need to be in our team to become strong.”

Nina’s shoulders were shaking, but her eyes showed she was not afraid and threatened.

She didn’t look at the hand stretching towards her. She stared right in the eyes of the young man.

“I thank you for your invitation. Let me thank you deeply for giving me such high evaluation,” she said firmly.

“But if I still want to test my ability. No matter how badly I look in others’ eyes, I still want to test myself through my own strength.”

Her resolute answer tightened up atmosphere again. This time it wasn’t the person before – probably the captain of the 3rd platoon, but the other two people.

Layfon held his breath.

The captain of the 3rd platoon sighed.

“I knew you’d give me that answer.”

He relaxed his shoulders. The other two also lowered their hostility.

“I feel you’re wasting your ability…… really, why did the Student President accept your unreasonable team proposal?”

“Sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not a bad thing for the city if you become stronger.”

“But, I hope you understand that this city doesn’t have the time to watch you grow.”

“…… I understand.”

“Good.”

The captain shrugged, turned from Nina, and walked away. As there was only one exit, Layfon quickly moved aside.

The captain left wordlessly, not even looking at him.

The door closed.

Nina’s gaze pierced through Layfon to the closed door. She didn’t notice his presence. Layfon was painfully aware that he wasn’t in her line of sight.

She wasn’t looking at him.

(Ahah, she’s looking at the other side.)

It was the side of the glass.

He felt he had lost his place there.

Of course, even he felt it was too rich a line coming from him.

Wolfstein – He should have understood the moment he abandoned this title and left Grendan.

So he could pretend the pain in his chest was someone else’s.

Then he could view it as something beautiful.

“Come, Layfon. Time to practise.”

Nina’s line of vision moved to him. There were no traces of confusion in her expression. No traces left of her conversation with the captain of the 3rd platoon.

“Yes,” Layfon nodded and hurried to her side.

But the feeling of standing on the other side of the glass didn’t disappear.

He knew this was a feeling of distance.

“I know there are plenty of opportunities for us to fight together, but we can’t even talk about that if we don’t first coordinate our breathing.”

Those firm looking pupils of hers.

The Kei filling her limbs gave off a painful light from her eyes. This had nothing to do with the quality and weight of her Kei, but with her firm and determined personality.

It was beautiful.

To Layfon, it was as beautiful as a painting.

That was why she stood on the other side of the glass.

Layfon Restored his Dite.

<center>◇</center>

The sun sank down in the west. The complex closing time came, and saved Layfon from Nina’s side. After washing off his sweat, he plodded back to his dormitory……

“Layton sighted! Capture him!”

“Roger, capturing him now.”

Mifi’s shrilled voice and Naruki’s more lowered voice vibrated through his exhausted body.

Next……

“What? Huh?”

When he had collected himself, he was already tied up by a rope. When did that happen? He toppled onto the ground.

“We’ve caught the target. Please give your next order.”

“Parade him around the city.”

“Roger.”

“Hey, stop it!”

“Huh~~”

Layfon calmly intruded. Mifi puffed up her cheeks.

“Uh, that can’t be done. Speaking of which, how come he became like this?”

“That’s my rope-capture technique, passed down by my father. Isn’t it incredible?” Naruki said.

“Brilliant. It’s too brilliant. But why so sudden? I don’t understand what’s happening!”

“Oh, I’m just doing it. I’m not sure myself.”

“Just doing it? And what’s with the rope? Do you carry it with you all the time?”

“As someone who wants to join the police force, it’s a must to carry around a rope all the time.”

“Is that a given?” Layfon asked, but failed to sway Naruki’s confidence.

“So what’s this for?” he said, looking at Mifi and Naruki.

“Oh? I said we were going to drink tea, so we waited here for you.”

“I see…… but why this?”

“Just doing it.”

“Fufufu ~~ I knew Layton doesn’t have to work today. Don’t underestimate Mifi’s intelligence.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t refuse you. Before I got the chance to refuse, I was like this.”

“Ok ok. Stop talking. We’ve invited a special guest today.”

[[image:CSR vol01 133.jpg|thumb]]
They didn’t listen to his words. Mifi pushed a person out from Naruki’s shadow.

He thought it was Mei-Shen.

But…….. no.

“…… Felli senpai?”

“I got caught,” she said without any expression. She was also bound by a rope.

They spaced out like that for a while…

“Hey--!! What were you guys doing!?” Layfon looked around. Luckily, there was no one around but them. He wondered how long those two girls had been hiding here, waiting to ambush them.

“Because ~~ I’ve wanted to talk with her since I saw her.”

“No, I’m saying why did you use this method? It’s a bit extreme. Um, it’s like kidnapping from the perspective of an observer.”

“……She’s the younger sister of the Student President.”

“Meaning……We can get a huge ransom, right?” Mifi asked seriously.

“……”

“……”

Layfon and Mifi looked at each other……

“Police, there’s a kidnapper here.”

“Ok, I'll catch her right away.”

In the next moment, Naruki had also tied up Mifi.

“I just wanted to have dinner with everyone!”

After Mifi had surrendered, Naruki untied everyone. The four of them headed for the busier district of the city.

“Meishen’s got work today, so we’re waiting for her to finish, and might as well enter the “observe Meishen’s working look” plan.”

“A plan?” Layfon said.

Mifi laughed.

“Well, can you imagine her appearance at work?”

“……That’s a bit difficult.”

It was hard to imagine Meishen working. She was so shy.

“Right? This’ll be my first time seeing her at work. I'm really looking forward to it.”

Mifi skipped on the red bricked path.

“It’s good she’s taking the initiative, but I feel a bit lonely now,” Naruki said, shrugging her shoulders.

“……Have you three known each other for long?”

“Yeah, we were neighbours.”

“Our parents knew each other for a long time too, from their birth.”

“Amazing...” Layfon honestly showed his admiration. He also had a group of childhood friends from the orphanage, but none of them came to Zuellni.

“You three must be very close, coming here together.”

“Yeah~ It's fate.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes, we won’t feel lonely even if we’re in an unfamiliar place. Our parents agree with that,” Mifi said, and started a conversation about the past with Naruki. Unable to enter the conversation, Layfon kept a distance between them.

Felli was beside him. Silently walking, she stared at the backs of the two girls.

“……Sorry for forcing you to come with us.”

“……It’s ok.”

She didn’t move her gaze away from the backs of the two girls.

“The rope seemed fun.”

“……Was it fun?”

“Yes,” Felli replied, not even moving her eyebrows. Layfon didn’t understand what she was thinking. But it was good that she didn’t get mad. He let out a sigh.

Felli was walking lightly with her hands behind her back. Looking at her childish appearance, he couldn’t imagine that she was older than him. She was older, but her age difference didn’t stand out at all because she was only one year apart. But comparing her with Mifi and Naruki, she looked even younger than them.

“Uh, is senpai working too?”

“No.”

“……I see.”

He couldn’t think of what to say. Even his question was blocked. He knew nothing of her. Unlike Mifi and the others, Felli wasn’t the type to divert with a conversation so long as the atmosphere was right.

“……Just keep doing that,” Felli said as he was thinking of what to say.

“Huh?”

“I meant during training. Just keep doing that.”

“Why?”

“Don't you want to avoid fighting?” The honest and direct question made him speechless.

“If you perform well without the will to fight, other people will have expectations of you.”

“……I suppose,” he nodded.

“It’s ridiculous to do what you don’t want to do.”

Meaning Felli also hadn’t used her true ability in training. The same as him.

He now understood why he was so tired. He couldn’t escape the place he wanted to leave. This feeling took a lot of his strength. He made unnecessary moves because of a lack of concentration, which in turn wasted a lot of his strength.

“Why do I feel as if there's no other road to take?”

He didn’t want to, but he had to. All he could do to resist this was to not put his all in training.

And because of that, he was tired.

“Even so, I have to resist this way. As long as I’m in the Academy City, I can’t escape my brother. Unless he lets me go, I’ve no other choice.”

“…… Do you dislike your own brother?”

He might have asked a meaningless question. She did say she hated him before. But perhaps “dislike” and “hate” were different.

“I dislike him. He doesn’t care about me at all.”

Layfon had nothing to say. Walking beside her gave him an urge to find something to talk about, but she didn’t care about ending a conversation abruptly.

The two girls walking before them had arrived at the shop. They waved back at them.

“……You’re so mean.”

“Never mind. You look cute.”

Mifi was calm in the face of Mei-Shen’s reproachful gaze.

They moved from the coffee shop that Meishen worked at into another nearby shop. In here, senior students were permitted to drink alcohol. Dishes of BBQ skewers and vegetables lay before Layfon and his friends.

Naruki nodded in a serious manner as she put the bamboo sticks back into the bamboo container:

“Yeah, you’re cute. Are you making fun of me coz I can’t wear it?”

“……Of course not.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Meishen’s cheeks puffed up at Naruki’s flippant tone.

When Layfon and the three girls entered the coffee shop earlier, Meishen had stood still on her spot, her face turning green. And whether it was fortunate or not, there were no other female waitresses before break time other than Meishen. Layfon felt bad for her. She was shaking like a small animal while ordering her meal, but Mifi teased her happily.

“But Mei-chan really is cute, isn’t she, Layton?”

“Um?”

He thought back of her look in the coffee shop.

The modest and deep blue uniform in itself wasn’t cute at all, but the Meishen hiding her face behind the tray was cute.

He gave his honest opinion, and Mei-Shen lowered her head, her cheeks red as of boiled water.

“Yeah, yeah, Layton. Well done, you unfaithful~~”

“Why?”

“It’s high level skill to praise the person in question along with the uniform.”

“……Mifi, Naruki, I’ll get mad.”

The three girls argued in their own styles. Layfon sighed and turned his gaze to Felli.

She was silently eating a skewer of BBQ chicken.

She didn’t seem to want to talk. She put the stick back into the bamboo container and examined the dish, thinking of what to eat next like a mathematician tackling a challenging question.

(Here’s another small animal.)

Frankly, her sober eating expression was also cute.

Layfon nibbled at one end of the batter-fried vegetable stems as he listened to the conversation of the three girls.

“Aa, let’s stop teasing Mei-chan. The cake over there was delicious.”

“……Right?”

“It wasn't too sweet. I get why Meishen loves that shop. Well, how’s it going? Are they teaching you things?”

“……Not sure. Seems they’ll teach me later. Really, I’ve always wanted to just stay in the kitchen.”

“Since you showed them your cute look, of course they’d send you out to serve customers.”

“……Mi-chan!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, according to my investigation, no matter which shop it is, it’ll prioritize students getting into the kitchen if they've had real cooking experience.”

“That’s insurance. It guarantees the students must have some level of skill.”

“But it takes at least half a year to get marks.”

“……Wuwu, half a year.”

“Can Mei-chan tolerate half a year as a waitress?”

“……No problem. I’ll steal the recipe.”

“Hahaha, what an audacious declaration.”

“……Never mind me. What about you two?”

“Me~~? I've already decided.”

“A magazine?”

“Yeah, though it’s mostly doing errands. Naruki?”

“I’m going to join the City Police force. There’re lots of Military Arts candidates, so I can’t let down my guard.”

“Oh, if you join the police force, then can you get an armed permit earlier?”

“Yes, but you can only carry a baton.”

“Fufufu...But aren’t you happy? You’re really jealous of Layton’s sword~~?”

“Not at all. I just want it because a baton is the pride of a policeman.”

“You really are!”

Layfon was listening to the three. Even here he felt he was very distant from them. Nothing could help him.

Because he stood on the other side of the glass.

He could hear the sound, but he couldn’t step inside it. He squinted at the three, unable to enter that cheerful territory.

There was no chance to speak.

The party ended as the closing hour of dormitories neared.

Student dormitories were spread out across the city. After separating from Naruki and the others since their dormitories lay in a different direction, Layfon found himself heading in the same direction as Felli.

“……Is senpai going in this direction too?”

“Yes, what a coincidence.”

Layfon nodded. It was that much of a surprise to him.

“Senpai didn’t enter the conversation back then. I’m sorry for being insensitive.”

In the end, he himself passed through that time without speaking. He couldn’t speak up as a special atmosphere encircled the conversation that only familiarity would allow.

Felli shook her head at the apologizing Layfon. “Not at all. I was happy.”

“Really? That’s good.”

It was hard to conclude whether she was truly happy as her face showed no emotion at all.

They alone walked on the path lit by street lights. Layfon felt awkward about it. The sound of footsteps that was usually small and insignificant drifted into their ears.

“I don’t talk, not because I’m not satisfied,” Felli said suddenly.

“Ah, really?”

“I didn’t know what to say because I haven’t had any friends before,” Felli said as she walked past a street light. Layfon glanced at her but couldn’t make out her expression.

Just then, sparks fell from her silvery hair to scatter the dim light. He widened his eyes.

“Senpai!”

“Oh, sorry. I lost control for a little bit.”

She pressed down on her long hair with her hand. Green phosphorescence gathered in her hair, emitting a dull light. Unresponsive and without any heat. Only the tiniest bit of vibration in the air that Layfon could feel with his left wrist.

This was psychokinesis. It was the external type burst Kei and the internal type Kei, but at the same time, it was different from both. It was an inborn ability, a type of Kei flowing in the body that training would never obtain.

He watched her closely. Even her eyebrows and eyelashes emitted phosphorescence.

Hair was the best conductor for the Kei of psychokinesis. There were people who conveyed their Kei to whips made by hair.

(She lost control of it?)

That was shocking. Just that and her hair could emit the light of psychokinesis to the tips of each strand of hair. This meant her ability of psychokinesis was inconceivably powerful.

“Senpai……”

“……This is the reason that my brother transferred me into Military Arts,” she said.

“My ability of psychokinesis goes way beyond the normal standard.”

“I think so too.”

Layfon had also seen psychokinesis phenomenon of glowing hair, but it was only one part of the hair. He had never seen a case like Felli’s, whose whole hair shone without her being aware of it.

“Because of this, I’ve received training in psychokinesis since I was very small. Everyone in my family strongly believed I’d become a psychokinesist. Even I never doubted it.”

“But……” she added. Layfon could feel her shaky emotions.

He was right. The trembling on her lips was different from that of normal conversation.

“I thought that everyone’s future was predestined. I thought that they all knew what they’d become in the future. But this was wrong. Of course, it’s not possible for a criminal to know he can only become a criminal.”

She didn’t laugh at her words. She only said it without much of an emotion. Perhaps this was meant as a joke. Since he wasn’t sure, Layfon decided to not to laugh.

“Once I realized that, I tried to think of what I’d be doing if I wasn't a psychokinesist. No one knows their future, but mine was determined from when I was very young. I became intolerant of that, and eventually left my homecity to come here.”

Her parents took a huge step back for her and allowed her to study at her brother’s Academy City – Zuellni.

“My parents thought it wouldn’t matter much if I didn’t get to train in psychokinesis for six years. I also thought I could find the other me, the me who wouldn’t become a psychokinesist.”

But she was unable to do that.

Because of Zuellni’s present situation and the person who tried to solve the crisis – her brother.

“I hate my brother. I hate my brother who forced me on the path of psychokinesis,” she murmured.

Layfon listened to her silently. He couldn’t hear any emotions in her light tone, but he felt he felt confined, as if a certain being was under pressure and was crying out sorrowfully.

“And I hate myself for only becoming a psychokinesist.”

Because of her exceptional ability, she couldn’t escape her destiny.

“Those kinds of people are too radiant,” she murmured.

Layfon could only nod in agreement.

Because he felt the same.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter3

2009-05-09T16:12:21Z

99.159.252.71:

===Chapter 3: Training===

I’ve finally settled down. How are you over there? It’s irritating how cities can only maintain contact through letters. It’d be great if we could just call, but how do you fix a line between cities? If that could be done, the cities would probably trip on the cables.

Honestly, I’m tired. I’m used to cleaning at the Mechanical Department, but it’s still problematic. I suppose I’ll get used to these irregular hours sooner or later. Right now, all I can do is keep at it.

School life is all right. But I haven’t had much chance to use my brain, so I’m not expecting much for my results.

I regret for not listening to you and doing some serious studying. You must be laughing now. Ok, this is reality, so I can only accept your laughter. I really regret it.

From the day I let go of the Heavens Blade, I’ve turned back into someone normal. Except, it’s difficult to make a fresh start. Sometimes I think that my past lifestyle was relaxing. A voice inside me hopes to return to the old life.

It’s embarrassing. Master won’t let it. Her Majesty won’t allow it. Even I don’t agree with it. Letting go of the Art of Katana was my way of showing my attitude to Master and Her Majesty.

To be forgiven by letting go of the Katana was my biggest…. Uh, what am I saying? Sorry, please just forget it all.

That’s just an excuse. Everything is. I’m really useless.

I won’t send this letter. It isn’t worth reading.

<center>◇</center>

“Are you ok?” Mifi asked.

It was now lunch break. Layfon bent over the table. He didn’t even have the strength to go buy bread.

Mifi drained the pre-packaged milk and without moving a foot, tossed the packet into the rubbish bin. The packet flew through the air and fell into the bin as if it was sucked into it.

“…… Mifi-chan, you’re dirty,” Mei-Shen protested.

The milk left inside the packet had leaked from the straw. Mifi ignored Mei-Shen, who had her handkerchief pressed to the side of her head. Mei-Shen was also looking at Layfon.

“…… Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Even Layfon himself wasn’t sure. What he just said wasn’t convincing at all. He saw bags under his eyes in the mirror yesterday, so he was feeling a bit down.

“Talking about yourself with that expression. You’re so unconvincing.”

Naruki returned to the classroom. She held two paper bags and placed one before Layfon.

“Here. I just picked whatever since I didn’t know what you like.”

“Ah, sorry. Thanks.”

“No worries. Remember to pay me back though.”

Naruki smiled as she took back the money from him. She then looked at his waist and saw a Dite hanging from the harness.

“So what’s the reason? Work at the Mechanical Department or is it ‘that’?”

“Uh, work’s ok. It’s surprisingly good.”

Layfon got up slowly and took a bite of the bread from the bag. The dryness of the bread was uncomfortable. He inserted the straw into the packet of milk that was in the same bag.

“So it’s training? Was it hard?”

Mifi took out another packet of milk from her paper bag and inserted a straw into it.

The three girls sat down in the chairs around him. He smiled bitterly and sucked milk from the straw to wet the inside of his mouth.

“It’s training for the upcoming platoon match, right? That must be exhausting,’ Naruki nodded.

“……Platoon match?”

“Ah, I know. I heard about it before, but I've forgotten, so I’m not really sure,” Mifi raised the same question as Mei-Shen. Naruki started her explanation.

As for Layfon--

(Naruki speaks like a senpai. Do all female soldiers speak like that?)

Thinking of this, Layfon didn’t take in anything being said around him.

“I’ve talked about the platoon matches before. They’re to determine the ranks of platoons. The higher your rank is, the more important a position you’ll get in the Military Arts Competition.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Of course. That means your abilities are acknowledged. Besides, you can really do something for the people in the city. It’s something for Military Arts people to take pride in.”

The way she put it felt like it had nothing to do with what she was talking about.

“But isn’t that dangerous? If it was me, I wouldn’t have chosen to come to such a dangerous place.”

“That’s coz you’re thinking of it from the angle of Military Arts. For example, if you get to run a magazine, you’ll also do what you can to get good results, right?”

“Oh, I see.”

“If it’s Mei-Shen, you’ll also do your best in your cake shop, right?”

“……Yeah.”

They both understood now.

“To get good marks in your specialized area isn’t just about dignity, but also about the evaluation of strength. In strategic planning, you’ve to really know your own strengths. Like whose ability is the best, which platoon excels, those kinds of things. So the best way to get a better understanding of all that is to create real war-like situations, meaning, the platoon matches.”

“So it’s to determine who is the strongest? That sounds like a little kids’ fight.”

Layfon couldn’t help but agree with Mifi. Who is the strongest? Thinking how he got himself involved in this meaningless ranking fight, he couldn’t swallow his bread.

“The matches aren’t conducted in the manner of knockout matches. The purpose isn’t to see who wins the most matches, so you can’t really tell which team is the strongest. Still, we can’t deny that some people really care about the matches. The match is time limited, and with that, you can judge the strength and precision of the teams. If a platoon wins, it’ll get prize money, just like how you get scholarship if you regularly take top place in the General Studies’ test.

“A topic not related to me has appeared.”

Mifi puffed up her face, and the two other girls smiled. Layfon also laughed.

“…… Is training hard?” Mei-Shen asked cautiously with anxiety in her eyes.

“Yeah, um~~”

They’d know even if he denied it, but it looked pretty bad to admit so honestly, so he could only substitute with some vague wordings. Men really are proud creatures. This saddened him. He could only smile bitterly.

“Aa, Layton isn’t training coz he likes it, so you don’t have to force yourself to train so hard! It’s best to just pretend, since training is tiring,” Mifi concluded, after finishing her third packet of milk. Mei-Shen also nodded. Only Naruki was silently nibbling at her bread and eyeing Layfon suspiciously.

He didn’t train because he liked it.

That was the truth. He didn’t like Military Arts anymore. No, seriously, he had never liked Military Arts. It was something he had already lost.

It was the same as how one couldn’t repeat his past and regain what was lost.

Wolfstein. Layfon’s title that the Student President used, was also one of things he had lost. It was not possible to get it back.

The Student President was seeking what could not be taken back.

And, the Nina who knew nothing of it.

“……That’s right.”

Layfon returned his attention to the room.

“Oh, yes.”

“Huh?” from Mifi. In her hand was a fourth packet of milk.

“Do you just drink milk for lunch?”

Mifi angrily conveyed her need to overcome the disadvantage of her body. She gave him quite a thrashing.

<center>◇</center>

Nina’s impatient gaze stabbed his face.

Even so, he couldn’t help it. In the battleground reserved for Military Arts students, Layfon held the restored Dite in his hands, a feeling of directionless uncertainty rising inside him.

Harley had adjusted a sword of green Dite for him. The long,thin blade emitted a teal light. For he who was hiding in the bushes, the gem-like light of the blade made him stand out too much.

He leaned against the trunk of a tree and controlled his breathing. His heartbeat had to be regular, or else the training machine would detect the irregularity and attack him.

The irritation of a plan gone wrong was scolding Layfon. Though he didn’t feel that he was responsible in any way, he was the only one here. Both Felli and Harley were waiting for orders in the rear.

Since meeting the Electric Fairy Zuellni at the Mechanical Department, Layfon had not seen a smile on Nina’s face.

Sharnid was the first reason behind her irritation. He was late for training. He totally ignored her harsh reproach and didn’t even reflect on his actions. All he did was utter a casual “sorry” with dissatisfaction and Restore his weapon.

Sharnid’s weapon was a sniper rifle. On top of the light and white Dite was a large scope. It’d be impossible to avoid the automatic machine’s attack without Sharnid’s support.

Layfon still felt uneasy.

He had no idea what Sharnid’s range was. The breathing irregularity could be because of that. He relaxed his breath.

Next was the unease that came from his uncertainty of the enemy’s location.

The last team member, Felli, was responsible for intelligence support. The doll-like, silver-haired, beautiful girl used a half-transparent staff that was made of heavy alloy. The staff was made up of things that looked like flakes which were scattered when the staff was in operation.

Felli had the power of psychokinesis. She could move things with her mind. Through psychokinesis, she could scatter the flakes over large areas to obtain intelligence and convey the information to her team members.

“Two responses at point 1005.”

Felli’s light and faint voice sounded through Layfon’s earpiece. This was also an item using Felli’s psychokinesis, so it was harder for enemies to eavesdrop.

Without exchanging glances, Layfon and Nina rushed out of the bushes. An arm smashed suddenly into the place where the two had been hiding, then a robot shaped like a barrel with a wooden knife fitted onto its wrist was spraying red paint everywhere.

“Too slow!” Nina called as she retreated. After collecting herself, she lashed out at the machine with her iron whips, and Layfon headed for the other automatic machine was that still in hidden from sight. He moved out of the shadow of the trees to make himself a target so Nina could concentrate on her fight.

As if to answer his prediction, the other robot was about to swing down its weapon. The fake wooden axe chopped down towards Layfon’s head. He took a step back and felt the passing of air at the tip of his nose.

Unexpectedly, he got himself into a fight with another machine. The enemy type was a distant-fighting type. Layfon “uh"-ed at that fact and dipped his head to avoid the axe.

Distracted by another long-range attack from somewhere, and observing Nina suppressing her opponent, Layfon was unable to make an attack.

Noticing his situation, she called angrily into her transmitter, “Still haven’t found it yet, sniper?” While calling, she knocked off the coloured wooden knife and struck the machine with her other iron whip.

Now that Nina had won, Layfon didn’t know what to do next. Should he lead the enemy to her and fight it together, knowing he couldn’t block the fire from the other enemy? No, Nina would become the target of the enemy, and besides, he didn't have the confidence to work with her. In addition, once the captain was defeated, they’d lose the match, so he must take care not to involve her in more danger……Confusion caused Layfon’s movement to slow down. He did avoid the axe, but the way he did it looked so ridiculous that even he was angry about it.

He’d lost his balance.

At that moment, Nina headed straight for him. Perhaps she thought he couldn’t avoid the next strike. He felt the same.

And this was when the long-distance shot came.

The bell signaling the end of the match rang through the air.

Spattered with mud and paint, Nina walked in front, looking displeased. Everyone was tired. The scene now had moved into the Resting Room. With both his wrists on his knees, Layfon sat tiredly on a chair, looking at the floor. Sharnid had lay down on a bench, his eyes covered by a towel. Felli was the only one with a calm expression. She had let down her hair and was combing it.

[[image:CSR vol01 117.jpg|thumb]]

Nina stood before them all, watching them. Anger came through.

“We just formed the platoon a short while ago, so I understand we can’t yet coordinate well. I clearly understand that,” Nina sighed, and relaxed her shoulders.

Then she asked each person:

“Sharnid, why didn’t you cover Layfon?”

“It’s not that easy to avoid shooting your own teammate. It’s not possible with the kind of coordination we’re aiming for, if we can’t even breathe on the same beat! To do that, Layfon has to accurately sense the timing of my shot and move accordingly. Shooting a comrade who’s in an intense fight with the enemy scares me,” Sharnid waved his hand.

“Really?” She looked at Layfon.

“Layfon, why didn’t you lead the enemy to me?”

“If the captain fell then we’d have lost. I could act as bait and draw out the enemy.”

“You should have let me make that decision.”

“Yes, but there wasn’t time.”

Another enemy was attacking him at close range, so he didn’t have the leisure to wait for her order.

“Felli, your searching speed was too slow. Couldn’t you be faster?”

“That was my limit.”

Felli’s reply was unusually cold. Her refusal to respond was like a whip across Nina’s face. Would she howl out in anger? That thought tensed Layfon’s shoulders, but Nina remained silent, glaring at Felli.

Who knew how long this silence would last? Embarrassment and disapproval were thick in the air. Though he felt suffocated, he didn’t feel like breaking that atmosphere.

He was already exhausted.

But……

“Excuse me……”

Harley walked in without knocking. He immediately noticed the atmosphere and halted his steps.

“What’s up?” Nina glared at him.

“Ah……ahah, I came to help Layfon with his setting of the Dite,” he replied, scratching his head. Perhaps speaking up helped him to make up his mind. Harley carried his box to a chair and opened it.

“Since he’s used it for a few days, I think I can get some detailed settings done. If anyone else feels your weapon needs adjusting, you can let me know.”

“No~~ nothing!” Sharnid sat up slowly.

“Harley’s settings are perfect. That I can be so relaxed is all thanks to you.”

“Mine’s ok,” Felli shook her head.

“Really? That’s great. Nina?”

“No. If there’s a need, I’ll let you know.”

“Sure.”

What happened next was just the sound of gears being laid out on the floor. In this very short period of time, everyone was watching Harley’s movement. He definitely felt their weird gazes, but Haryley started to whistle happily.

The atmosphere became more relaxed.

No, perhaps they were only tired of the embarrassment.

“Well……”

Sharnid picked up his bag.

“Where are you going?”

“The training’s finished, right? Even if we’re going to have a meeting, there’s not much to talk about. I’ll go back after a shower. Got a date afterwards.”

“What!”

“Then I’m also leaving,” Felli said, quietly taking her bag.

“Aaaa, Felli’s not gonna wash away your sweat?”

“I don’t sweat as much……Besides, showering here makes me feel like someone’s peeking at me.”

“Haha, what a shame. If Felli doesn’t grow up more, no one will peek at you.”

Ignoring Sharnid’s teasing, Felli left the room. He shrugged and headed for the shower room.

With his head on his hands, Layfon watched Nina standing there. He had nothing to say to her. Her shoulders were trembling. Even so, he couldn’t escape as Harley had already caught him.

But he felt he couldn’t stay silent anymore. Focusing on the gears, Harley seemed oblivious to his surroundings. Nina’s face showed she didn’t know how to end this awkwardness.

“Um……” Layfon made some noise without knowing what to say.

“We have to practise a formation. You come over when you’re done.”

Nina walked out. The irritating sound of the door closing affected the air of the room.

“……Looking at that face of hers, it’d be good if she calmed down a bit,” Harley said, smiling.

Layfon smiled in return.

“Seriously, Nina can act calmly, but she’s impatient now. That can’t be helped.”

His face full of smiles, Harley wrapped a wire around Layfon’s Dite.

“Senpai really understands her.”

“Kind of. We’re childhood friends.”

“Oh……Huh? But I remember Senpai……”

She said she ran away from home.

“Haha, ran away from home? Do you think she wouldn’t know anybody at the place she ran away to?” Harley said cheerfully.

That was true.

“Uh, that’s true. Why didn't I think of that?”

But on second thought, he knew the reason. Nina came here against her parents’ wishes. Such strong determination gave off a proud and lonely air.

So he felt she didn’t know anyone here.

The other reason was that he didn’t know anyone here from Grendan.

(Ah, so that’s why. Her situation’s different from mine.)

After laughing secretly at himself, Layfon forgot his misunderstanding of Nina. Besides, the other three girls that he knew also came from the same city. He felt helpless with his slow intuition.

As per Harley’s instruction, he restored his Dite. The wire around the Dite conveyed its information to the machine. He asked Harley a question, who was looking at the number on the display.

“Why did senpai want to form a platoon?”

“Do you find it hard to believe?”

“Senpai’s only a third year, isn’t she? I heard that most of the platoon captains are fourth year or above. Hasn’t she still got time?”

“Yeah, if you look at the study years, then there’s still time,” Harley nodded. “But who knows whether this city still has time.”

His fingers flying on the keyboard, Harley asked, “You know right? You should have heard of it from the Student President.”

“Yes.”

“He said it was to make us more alert of danger, but he did all that to increase our fighting strength.”

“Is that it?”

“That’s right, but I don’t think that’s all of it. He’s stubborn.”

“……”

“Ah, let’s leave the Student President aside for now.”

Harley clapped his hands, pulling Layfon back into reality. His face had turned green just by remembering the nasty memories about the Student President.

“The time Nina spends here is important to her. You should know since you heard of her running away.”

Layfon nodded. Nina had said that she wanted to see what a majority of people couldn’t see: the world outside the city.

“That’s a precious experience. Yes, it’s a precious experience to come to a city run by students only, but it’s even more precious an experience to understand the outside world. A lot of people can never experience that.”

Even so, there were numerous Academy Cities, enough to conduct the Military Arts Competition – the same type of cities fought for fuel. In other words, this was the proof that the city had enough number of students.

This told Layfon that there were more humans than he thought.

But a majority of people would never see each other. Even Layfon didn’t know everyone at Grendan. Grendan had a population of about a hundred thousand people.

But if people lived in the same city and wanted to meet up, they could. Perhaps if they desired to see each other, even with the filth monsters roaming the earth, they could see the person of another city. But he couldn’t place the level of difficulty of those two types of meeting side by side.

It's rare to get on a roaming bus just to see another city.

It's extremely taxing to travel to another city, and it's dangerous.

Numerous cities spread across the earth like stars, moving back and forth in an isolated world. Thinking of this, it felt so unbelievably hard to comprehend that it confounded him.

“People might have never met, but we were given the chance to meet here. Don’t you find that interesting?”

“……”

“Nina doesn’t want to lose that experience, so she’d try everything within her power. Nina’s the type of person to act.”

“So please don’t hate her too much,” Harley added.

Layfon didn’t think he hated her.

Afterwards, he headed alone for the training complex – in the direction of where he thought the training room was. It didn’t take him long to arrive as it was close to the battleground.

Layfon felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he neared the entrance of the training complex. He wasn’t sure whether there was a weight. No, he knew he had a burden there. He just didn’t want to realize that it was on him.

If they lost in this Military Arts Competition, the city would lose its fuel source. In other words, the city’s consciousness that he came across at the Mechanical Department – that cute Electric Fairy would face its death.

What a tragic thing.

But he couldn’t really feel that happening. Just like the clear scene reflected in the glassy surface of the door to the training complex, he felt that it was happening in another city. He couldn’t comprehend the fact that what he did would have a direct impact on the life and death of the city.

He went through the door and headed for the training room of platoon 17. The sounds of practice from other training rooms made the entire building tremble. The building was designed to contain the varied powers of the Military Arts students, but it didn’t seem to have good soundproofing.

“Isn’t it time to give up?”

He heard this just as he was about to open to the door to the training room of platoon 17.

He stopped.

There were other students in the room besides Nina.

Three males surrounded her. The tension in the air caressed Layfon’s skin. His wrist moved towards his weapon harness on its own.

Nina’s arms were lowered. She held her restored iron whips tightly. She stared at the three students with an icy gaze, hiding her emotions.

The conversation continued. No one seemed to have noticed Layfon.

“You should know now that it’s not easy to form a platoon,” the person standing right in front of Nina said.

“And your members are…… Sharnid, who can’t coordinate well with his ability, and two others that the Student President forced into Military Arts. Morale itself is already a problem. Do you really think you can form a team with those people and lead them in battle? If that’s the case, then you’re looking down on Military Arts.”

The target person wasn’t him, but Layfon felt pressure bearing down into his stomach. This was an intimidation technique using the Internal type Kei. It was the opposite of External type burst Kei. The Internal type Kei could directly affect one's body.

The voice with Kei made Nina tremble.

“Let me say this for the last time. Join our team, Nina Antalk. The 3rd platoon needs your calm judgement and hard defence. Besides, you only need to be in our team to become strong.”

Nina’s shoulders were shaking, but her eyes showed she was not afraid and threatened.

She didn’t look at the hand stretching towards her. She stared right in the eyes of the young man.

“I thank you for your invitation. Let me thank you deeply for giving me such high evaluation,” she said firmly.

“But if I still want to test my ability. No matter how badly I look in others’ eyes, I still want to test myself through my own strength.”

Her resolute answer tightened up atmosphere again. This time it wasn’t the person before – probably the captain of the 3rd platoon, but the other two people.

Layfon held his breath.

The captain of the 3rd platoon sighed.

“I knew you’d give me that answer.”

He relaxed his shoulders. The other two also lowered their hostility.

“I feel you’re wasting your ability…… really, why did the Student President accept your unreasonable team proposal?”

“Sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not a bad thing for the city if you become stronger.”

“But, I hope you understand that this city doesn’t have the time to watch you grow.”

“…… I understand.”

“Good.”

The captain shrugged, turned from Nina, and walked away. As there was only one exit, Layfon quickly moved aside.

The captain left wordlessly, not even looking at him.

The door closed.

Nina’s gaze pierced through Layfon to the closed door. She didn’t notice his presence. Layfon was painfully aware that he wasn’t in her line of sight.

She wasn’t looking at him.

(Ahah, she’s looking at the other side.)

It was the side of the glass.

He felt he had lost his place there.

Of course, even he felt it was too rich a line coming from him.

Wolfstein – He should have understood the moment he abandoned this title and left Grendan.

So he could pretend the pain in his chest was someone else’s.

Then he could view it as something beautiful.

“Come, Layfon. Time to practise.”

Nina’s line of vision moved to him. There were no traces of confusion in her expression. No traces left of her conversation with the captain of the 3rd platoon.

“Yes,” Layfon nodded and hurried to her side.

But the feeling of standing on the other side of the glass didn’t disappear.

He knew this was a feeling of distance.

“I know there are plenty of opportunities for us to fight together, but we can’t even talk about that if we don’t first coordinate our breathing.”

Those firm looking pupils of hers.

The Kei filling her limbs gave off a painful light from her eyes. This had nothing to do with the quality and weight of her Kei, but with her firm and determined personality.

It was beautiful.

To Layfon, it was as beautiful as a painting.

That was why she stood on the other side of the glass.

Layfon Restored his Dite.

<center>◇</center>

The sun sank down in the west. The complex closing time came, and saved Layfon from Nina’s side. After washing off his sweat, he plodded back to his dormitory……

“Layton sighted! Capture him!”

“Roger, capturing him now.”

Mifi’s shrilled voice and Naruki’s more lowered voice vibrated through his exhausted body.

Next……

“What? Huh?”

When he had collected himself, he was already tied up by a rope. When did that happen? He toppled onto the ground.

“We’ve caught the target. Please give your next order.”

“Parade him around the city.”

“Roger.”

“Hey, stop it!”

“Huh~~”

Layfon calmly intruded. Mifi puffed up her cheeks.

“Uh, that can’t be done. Speaking of which, how come he became like this?”

“That’s my rope-capture technique, passed down by my father. Isn’t it incredible?” Naruki said.

“Brilliant. It’s too brilliant. But why so sudden? I don’t understand what’s happening!”

“Oh, I’m just doing it. I’m not sure myself.”

“Just doing it? And what’s with the rope? Do you carry it with you all the time?”

“As someone who wants to join the police force, it’s a must to carry around a rope all the time.”

“Is that a given?” Layfon asked, but failed to sway Naruki’s confidence.

“So what’s this for?” he said, looking at Mifi and Naruki.

“Oh? I said we were going to drink tea, so we waited here for you.”

“I see…… but why this?”

“Just doing it.”

“Fufufu ~~ I knew Layton doesn’t have to work today. Don’t underestimate Mifi’s intelligence.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t refuse you. Before I got the chance to refuse, I was like this.”

“Ok ok. Stop talking. We’ve invited a special guest today.”

[[image:CSR vol01 133.jpg|thumb]]
They didn’t listen to his words. Mifi pushed a person out from Naruki’s shadow.

He thought it was Mei-Shen.

But…….. no.

“…… Felli senpai?”

“I got caught,” she said without any expression. She was also bound by a rope.

They spaced out like that for a while…

“Hey--!! What were you guys doing!?” Layfon looked around. Luckily, there was no one around but them. He wondered how long those two girls had been hiding here, waiting to ambush them.

“Because ~~ I’ve wanted to talk with her since I saw her.”

“No, I’m saying why did you use this method? It’s a bit extreme. Um, it’s like kidnapping from the perspective of an observer.”

“……She’s the younger sister of the Student President.”

“Meaning……We can get a huge ransom, right?” Mifi asked seriously.

“……”

“……”

Layfon and Mifi looked at each other……

“Police, there’s a kidnapper here.”

“Ok, I'll catch her right away.”

In the next moment, Naruki had also tied up Mifi.

“I just wanted to have dinner with everyone!”

After Mifi had surrendered, Naruki untied everyone. The four of them headed for the busier district of the city.

“Meishen’s got work today, so we’re waiting for her to finish, and might as well enter the “observe Meishen’s working look” plan.”

“A plan?” Layfon said.

Mifi laughed.

“Well, can you imagine her appearance at work?”

“……That’s a bit difficult.”

It was hard to imagine Meishen working. She was so shy.

“Right? This’ll be my first time seeing her at work. I'm really looking forward to it.”

Mifi skipped on the red bricked path.

“It’s good she’s taking the initiative, but I feel a bit lonely now,” Naruki said, shrugging her shoulders.

“……Have you three known each other for long?”

“Yeah, we were neighbours.”

“Our parents knew each other for a long time too, from their birth.”

“Amazing...” Layfon honestly showed his admiration. He also had a group of childhood friends from the orphanage, but none of them came to Zuellni.

“You three must be very close, coming here together.”

“Yeah~ It's fate.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes, we won’t feel lonely even if we’re in an unfamiliar place. Our parents agree with that,” Mifi said, and started a conversation about the past with Naruki. Unable to enter the conversation, Layfon kept a distance between them.

Felli was beside him. Silently walking, she stared at the backs of the two girls.

“……Sorry for forcing you to come with us.”

“……It’s ok.”

She didn’t move her gaze away from the backs of the two girls.

“The rope seemed fun.”

“……Was it fun?”

“Yes,” Felli replied, not even moving her eyebrows. Layfon didn’t understand what she was thinking. But it was good that she didn’t get mad. He let out a sigh.

Felli was walking lightly with her hands behind her back. Looking at her childish appearance, he couldn’t imagine that she was older than him. She was older, but her age difference didn’t stand out at all because she was only one year apart. But comparing her with Mifi and Naruki, she looked even younger than them.

“Uh, is senpai working too?”

“No.”

“……I see.”

He couldn’t think of what to say. Even his question was blocked. He knew nothing of her. Unlike Mifi and the others, Felli wasn’t the type to divert with a conversation so long as the atmosphere was right.

“……Just keep doing that,” Felli said as he was thinking of what to say.

“Huh?”

“I meant during training. Just keep doing that.”

“Why?”

“Don't you want to avoid fighting?” The honest and direct question made him speechless.

“If you perform well without the will to fight, other people will have expectations of you.”

“……I suppose,” he nodded.

“It’s ridiculous to do what you don’t want to do.”

Meaning Felli also hadn’t used her true ability in training. The same as him.

He now understood why he was so tired. He couldn’t escape the place he wanted to leave. This feeling took a lot of his strength. He made unnecessary moves because of a lack of concentration, which in turn wasted a lot of his strength.

“Why do I feel as if there's no other road to take?”

He didn’t want to, but he had to. All he could do to resist this was to not put his all in training.

And because of that, he was tired.

“Even so, I have to resist this way. As long as I’m in the Academy City, I can’t escape my brother. Unless he lets me go, I’ve no other choice.”

“…… Do you dislike your own brother?”

He might have asked a meaningless question. She did say she hated him before. But perhaps “dislike” and “hate” were different.

“I dislike him. He doesn’t care about me at all.”

Layfon had nothing to say. Walking beside her gave him an urge to find something to talk about, but she didn’t care about ending a conversation abruptly.

The two girls walking before them had arrived at the shop. They waved back at them.

“……You’re so mean.”

“Never mind. You look cute.”

Mifi was calm in the face of Mei-Shen’s reproachful gaze.

They moved from the coffee shop that Meishen worked at into another nearby shop. In here, senior students were permitted to drink alcohol. Dishes of BBQ skewers and vegetables lay before Layfon and his friends.

Naruki nodded in a serious manner as she put the bamboo sticks back into the bamboo container:

“Yeah, you’re cute. Are you making fun of me coz I can’t wear it?”

“……Of course not.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Meishen’s cheeks puffed up at Naruki’s flippant tone.

When Layfon and the three girls entered the coffee shop earlier, Meishen had stood still on her spot, her face turning green. And whether it was fortunate or not, there were no other female waitresses before break time other than Meishen. Layfon felt bad for her. She was shaking like a small animal while ordering her meal, but Mifi teased her happily.

“But Mei-chan really is cute, isn’t she, Layton?”

“Um?”

He thought back of her look in the coffee shop.

The modest and deep blue uniform in itself wasn’t cute at all, but the Meishen hiding her face behind the tray was cute.

He gave his honest opinion, and Mei-Shen lowered her head, her cheeks red as of boiled water.

“Yeah, yeah, Layton. Well done, you unfaithful~~”

“Why?”

“It’s high level skill to praise the person in question along with the uniform.”

“……Mifi, Naruki, I’ll get mad.”

The three girls argued in their own styles. Layfon sighed and turned his gaze to Felli.

She was silently eating a skewer of BBQ chicken.

She didn’t seem to want to talk. She put the stick back into the bamboo container and examined the dish, thinking of what to eat next like a mathematician tackling a challenging question.

(Here’s another small animal.)

Frankly, her sober eating expression was also cute.

Layfon nibbled at one end of the batter-fried vegetable stems as he listened to the conversation of the three girls.

“Aa, let’s stop teasing Mei-chan. The cake over there was delicious.”

“……Right?”

“It wasn't too sweet. I get why Meishen loves that shop. Well, how’s it going? Are they teaching you things?”

“……Not sure. Seems they’ll teach me later. Really, I’ve always wanted to just stay in the kitchen.”

“Since you showed them your cute look, of course they’d send you out to serve customers.”

“……Mi-chan!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, according to my investigation, no matter which shop it is, it’ll prioritize students getting into the kitchen if they've had real cooking experience.”

“That’s insurance. It guarantees the students must have some level of skill.”

“But it takes at least half a year to get marks.”

“……Wuwu, half a year.”

“Can Mei-chan tolerate half a year as a waitress?”

“……No problem. I’ll steal the recipe.”

“Hahaha, what an audacious declaration.”

“……Never mind me. What about you two?”

“Me~~? I've already decided.”

“A magazine?”

“Yeah, though it’s mostly doing errands. Naruki?”

“I’m going to join the City Police force. There’re lots of Military Arts candidates, so I can’t let down my guard.”

“Oh, if you join the police force, then can you get an armed permit earlier?”

“Yes, but you can only carry a baton.”

“Fufufu...But aren’t you happy? You’re really jealous of Layton’s sword~~?”

“Not at all. I just want it because a baton is the pride of a policeman.”

“You really are!”

Layfon was listening to the three. Even here he felt he was very distant from them. Nothing could help him.

Because he stood on the other side of the glass.

He could hear the sound, but he couldn’t step inside it. He squinted at the three, unable to enter that cheerful territory.

There was no chance to speak.

The party ended as the closing hour of dormitories neared.

Student dormitories were spread out across the city. After separating from Naruki and the others since their dormitories lay in a different direction, Lafyon found himself heading in the same direction as Felli.

“……Is senpai going in this direction too?”

“Yes, what a coincidence.”

Layfon nodded. It was that much of a surprise to him.

“Senpai didn’t enter the conversation back then. I’m sorry for being insensitive.”

In the end, he himself passed through that time without speaking. He couldn’t speak up as a special atmosphere encircled the conversation that only familiarity would allow.

Felli shook her head at the apologizing Layfon. “Not at all. I was happy.”

“Really? That’s good.”

It was hard to conclude whether she was truly happy as her face showed no emotion at all.

They alone walked on the path lit by street lights. Layfon felt awkward about it. The sound of footsteps that was usually small and insignificant drifted into their ears.

“I don’t talk, not because I’m not satisfied,” Felli said suddenly.

“Ah, really?”

“I didn’t know what to say because I haven’t had any friends before,” Felli said as she walked past a street light. Layfon glanced at her but couldn’t make out her expression.

Just then, sparks fell from her silvery hair to scatter the dim light. He widened his eyes.

“Senpai!”

“Oh, sorry. I lost control for a little bit.”

She pressed down on her long hair with her hand. Green phosphorescence gathered in her hair, emitting a dull light. Unresponsive and without any heat. Only the tiniest bit of vibration in the air that Layfon could feel with his left wrist.

This was psychokinesis. It was the external type burst Kei and the internal type Kei, but at the same time, it was different from both. It was an inborn ability, a type of Kei flowing in the body that training would never obtain.

He watched her closely. Even her eyebrows and eyelashes emitted phosphorescence.

Hair was the best conductor for the Kei of psychokinesis. There were people who conveyed their Kei to whips made by hair.

(She lost control of it?)

That was shocking. Just that and her hair could emit the light of psychokinesis to the tips of each strand of hair. This meant her ability of psychokinesis was inconceivably powerful.

“Senpai……”

“……This is the reason that my brother transferred me into Military Arts,” she said.

“My ability of psychokinesis goes way beyond the normal standard.”

“I think so too.”

Layfon had also seen psychokinesis phenomenon of glowing hair, but it was only one part of the hair. He had never seen a case like Felli’s, whose whole hair shone without her being aware of it.

“Because of this, I’ve received training in psychokinesis since I was very small. Everyone in my family strongly believed I’d become a psychokinesist. Even I never doubted it.”

“But……” she added. Layfon could feel her shaky emotions.

He was right. The trembling on her lips was different from that of normal conversation.

“I thought that everyone’s future was predestined. I thought that they all knew what they’d become in the future. But this was wrong. Of course, it’s not possible for a criminal to know he can only become a criminal.”

She didn’t laugh at her words. She only said it without much of an emotion. Perhaps this was meant as a joke. Since he wasn’t sure, Layfon decided to not to laugh.

“Once I realized that, I tried to think of what I’d be doing if I wasn't a psychokinesist. No one knows their future, but mine was determined from when I was very young. I became intolerant of that, and eventually left my homecity to come here.”

Her parents took a huge step back for her and allowed her to study at her brother’s Academy City – Zuellni.

“My parents thought it wouldn’t matter much if I didn’t get to train in psychokinesis for six years. I also thought I could find the other me, the me who wouldn’t become a psychokinesist.”

But she was unable to do that.

Because of Zuellni’s present situation and the person who tried to solve the crisis – her brother.

“I hate my brother. I hate my brother who forced me on the path of psychokinesis,” she murmured.

Layfon listened to her silently. He couldn’t hear any emotions in her light tone, but he felt he felt confined, as if a certain being was under pressure and was crying out sorrowfully.

“And I hate myself for only becoming a psychokinesist.”

Because of her exceptional ability, she couldn’t escape her destiny.

“Those kinds of people are too radiant,” she murmured.

Layfon could only nod in agreement.

Because he felt the same.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume1 Chapter3

2009-05-09T16:02:36Z

99.159.252.71:

===Chapter 3: Training===

I’ve finally settled down. How are you over there? It’s irritating how cities can only maintain contact through letters. It’d be great if we could just call, but how do you fix a line between cities? If that could be done, the cities would probably trip on the cables.

Honestly, I’m tired. I’m used to cleaning at the Mechanical Department, but it’s still problematic. I suppose I’ll get used to these irregular hours sooner or later. Right now, all I can do is keep at it.

School life is all right. But I haven’t had much chance to use my brain, so I’m not expecting much for my results.

I regret for not listening to you and doing some serious studying. You must be laughing now. Ok, this is reality, so I can only accept your laughter. I really regret it.

From the day I let go of the Heavens Blade, I’ve turned back into someone normal. Except, it’s difficult to make a fresh start. Sometimes I think that my past lifestyle was relaxing. A voice inside me hopes to return to the old life.

It’s embarrassing. Master won’t let it. Her Majesty won’t allow it. Even I don’t agree with it. Letting go of the Art of Katana was my way of showing my attitude to Master and Her Majesty.

To be forgiven by letting go of the Katana was my biggest…. Uh, what am I saying? Sorry, please just forget it all.

That’s just an excuse. Everything is. I’m really useless.

I won’t send this letter. It isn’t worth reading.

<center>◇</center>

“Are you ok?” Mifi asked.

It was now lunch break. Layfon bent over the table. He didn’t even have the strength to go buy bread.

Mifi drained the pre-packaged milk and without moving a foot, tossed the packet into the rubbish bin. The packet flew through the air and fell into the bin as if it was sucked into it.

“…… Mifi-chan, you’re dirty,” Mei-Shen protested.

The milk left inside the packet had leaked from the straw. Mifi ignored Mei-Shen, who had her handkerchief pressed to the side of her head. Mei-Shen was also looking at Layfon.

“…… Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Even Layfon himself wasn’t sure. What he just said wasn’t convincing at all. He saw bags under his eyes in the mirror yesterday, so he was feeling a bit down.

“Talking about yourself with that expression. You’re so unconvincing.”

Naruki returned to the classroom. She held two paper bags and placed one before Layfon.

“Here. I just picked whatever since I didn’t know what you like.”

“Ah, sorry. Thanks.”

“No worries. Remember to pay me back though.”

Naruki smiled as she took back the money from him. She then looked at his waist and saw a Dite hanging from the harness.

“So what’s the reason? Work at the Mechanical Department or is it ‘that’?”

“Uh, work’s ok. It’s surprisingly good.”

Layfon got up slowly and took a bite of the bread from the bag. The dryness of the bread was uncomfortable. He inserted the straw into the packet of milk that was in the same bag.

“So it’s training? Was it hard?”

Mifi took out another packet of milk from her paper bag and inserted a straw into it.

The three girls sat down in the chairs around him. He smiled bitterly and sucked milk from the straw to wet the inside of his mouth.

“It’s training for the upcoming platoon match, right? That must be exhausting,’ Naruki nodded.

“……Platoon match?”

“Ah, I know. I heard about it before, but I've forgotten, so I’m not really sure,” Mifi raised the same question as Mei-Shen. Naruki started her explanation.

As for Layfon--

(Naruki speaks like a senpai. Do all female soldiers speak like that?)

Thinking of this, Layfon didn’t take in anything being said around him.

“I’ve talked about the platoon matches before. They’re to determine the ranks of platoons. The higher your rank is, the more important a position you’ll get in the Military Arts Competition.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Of course. That means your abilities are acknowledged. Besides, you can really do something for the people in the city. It’s something for Military Arts people to take pride in.”

The way she put it felt like it had nothing to do with what she was talking about.

“But isn’t that dangerous? If it was me, I wouldn’t have chosen to come to such a dangerous place.”

“That’s coz you’re thinking of it from the angle of Military Arts. For example, if you get to run a magazine, you’ll also do what you can to get good results, right?”

“Oh, I see.”

“If it’s Mei-Shen, you’ll also do your best in your cake shop, right?”

“……Yeah.”

They both understood now.

“To get good marks in your specialized area isn’t just about dignity, but also about the evaluation of strength. In strategic planning, you’ve to really know your own strengths. Like whose ability is the best, which platoon excels, those kinds of things. So the best way to get a better understanding of all that is to create real war-like situations, meaning, the platoon matches.”

“So it’s to determine who is the strongest? That sounds like a little kids’ fight.”

Layfon couldn’t help but agree with Mifi. Who is the strongest? Thinking how he got himself involved in this meaningless ranking fight, he couldn’t swallow his bread.

“The matches aren’t conducted in the manner of knockout matches. The purpose isn’t to see who wins the most matches, so you can’t really tell which team is the strongest. Still, we can’t deny that some people really care about the matches. The match is time limited, and with that, you can judge the strength and precision of the teams. If a platoon wins, it’ll get prize money, just like how you get scholarship if you regularly take top place in the General Studies’ test.

“A topic not related to me has appeared.”

Mifi puffed up her face, and the two other girls smiled. Layfon also laughed.

“…… Is training hard?” Mei-Shen asked cautiously with anxiety in her eyes.

“Yeah, um~~”

They’d know even if he denied it, but it looked pretty bad to admit so honestly, so he could only substitute with some vague wordings. Men really are proud creatures. This saddened him. He could only smile bitterly.

“Aa, Layton isn’t training coz he likes it, so you don’t have to force yourself to train so hard! It’s best to just pretend, since training is tiring,” Mifi concluded, after finishing her third packet of milk. Mei-Shen also nodded. Only Naruki was silently nibbling at her bread and eyeing Layfon suspiciously.

He didn’t train because he liked it.

That was the truth. He didn’t like Military Arts anymore. No, seriously, he had never liked Military Arts. It was something he had already lost.

It was the same as how one couldn’t repeat his past and regain what was lost.

Wolfstein. Layfon’s title that the Student President used, was also one of things he had lost. It was not possible to get it back.

The Student President was seeking what could not be taken back.

And, the Nina who knew nothing of it.

“……That’s right.”

Layfon returned his attention to the room.

“Oh, yes.”

“Huh?” from Mifi. In her hand was a fourth packet of milk.

“Do you just drink milk for lunch?”

Mifi angrily conveyed her need to overcome the disadvantage of her body. She gave him quite a thrashing.

<center>◇</center>

Nina’s impatient gaze stabbed his face.

Even so, he couldn’t help it. In the battleground reserved for Military Arts students, Layfon held the restored Dite in his hands, a feeling of directionless uncertainty rising inside him.

Harley had adjusted a sword of green Dite for him. The long,thin blade emitted a teal light. For he who was hiding in the bushes, the gem-like light of the blade made him stand out too much.

He leaned against the trunk of a tree and controlled his breathing. His heartbeat had to be regular, or else the training machine would detect the irregularity and attack him.

The irritation of a plan gone wrong was scolding Layfon. Though he didn’t feel that he was responsible in any way, he was the only one here. Both Felli and Harley were waiting for orders in the rear.

Since meeting the Electric Fairy Zuellni at the Mechanical Department, Layfon had not seen a smile on Nina’s face.

Sharnid was the first reason behind her irritation. He was late for training. He totally ignored her harsh reproach and didn’t even reflect on his actions. All he did was utter a casual “sorry” with dissatisfaction and Restore his weapon.

Sharnid’s weapon was a sniper rifle. On top of the light and white Dite was a large scope. It’d be impossible to avoid the automatic machine’s attack without Sharnid’s support.

Layfon still felt uneasy.

He had no idea what Sharnid’s range was. The breathing irregularity could be because of that. He relaxed his breath.

Next was the unease that came from his uncertainty of the enemy’s location.

The last team member, Felli, was responsible for intelligence support. The doll-like, silver-haired, beautiful girl used a half-transparent staff that was made of heavy alloy. The staff was made up of things that looked like flakes which were scattered when the staff was in operation.

Felli had the power of psychokinesis. She could move things with her mind. Through psychokinesis, she could scatter the flakes over large areas to obtain intelligence and convey the information to her team members.

“Two responses at point 1005.”

Felli’s light and faint voice sounded through Layfon’s earpiece. This was also an item using Felli’s psychokinesis, so it was harder for enemies to eavesdrop.

Without exchanging glances, Layfon and Nina rushed out of the bushes. An arm smashed suddenly into the place where the two had been hiding, then a robot shaped like a barrel with a wooden knife fitted onto its wrist was spraying red paint everywhere.

“Too slow!” Nina called as she retreated. After collecting herself, she lashed out at the machine with her iron whips, and Layfon headed for the other automatic machine was that still in hidden from sight. He moved out of the shadow of the trees to make himself a target so Nina could concentrate on her fight.

As if to answer his prediction, the other robot was about to swing down its weapon. The fake wooden axe chopped down towards Layfon’s head. He took a step back and felt the passing of air at the tip of his nose.

Unexpectedly, he got himself into a fight with another machine. The enemy type was a distant-fighting type. Layfon “uh"-ed at that fact and dipped his head to avoid the axe.

Distracted by another long-range attack from somewhere, and observing Nina suppressing her opponent, Layfon was unable to make an attack.

Noticing his situation, she called angrily into her transmitter, “Still haven’t found it yet, sniper?” While calling, she knocked off the coloured wooden knife and struck the machine with her other iron whip.

Now that Nina had won, Layfon didn’t know what to do next. Should he lead the enemy to her and fight it together, knowing he couldn’t block the fire from the other enemy? No, Nina would become the target of the enemy, and besides, he didn't have the confidence to work with her. In addition, once the captain was defeated, they’d lose the match, so he must take care not to involve her in more danger……Confusion caused Layfon’s movement to slow down. He did avoid the axe, but the way he did it looked so ridiculous that even he was angry about it.

He’d lost his balance.

At that moment, Nina headed straight for him. Perhaps she thought he couldn’t avoid the next strike. He felt the same.

And this was when the long-distance shot came.

The bell signaling the end of the match rang through the air.

Spattered with mud and paint, Nina walked in front, looking displeased. Everyone was tired. The scene now had moved into the Resting Room. With both his wrists on his knees, Layfon sat tiredly on a chair, looking at the floor. Sharnid had lay down on a bench, his eyes covered by a towel. Felli was the only one with a calm expression. She had let down her hair and was combing it.

[[image:CSR vol01 117.jpg|thumb]]

Nina stood before them all, watching them. Anger came through.

“We just formed the platoon a short while ago, so I understand we can’t yet coordinate well. I clearly understand that,” Nina sighed, and relaxed her shoulders.

Then she asked each person:

“Sharnid, why didn’t you cover Layfon?”

“It’s not that easy to avoid shooting your own teammate. It’s not possible with the kind of coordination we’re aiming for, if we can’t even breathe on the same beat! To do that, Layfon has to accurately sense the timing of my shot and move accordingly. Shooting a comrade who’s in an intense fight with the enemy scares me,” Sharnid waved his hand.

“Really?” She looked at Layfon.

“Layfon, why didn’t you lead the enemy to me?”

“If the captain fell then we’d have lost. I could act as bait and draw out the enemy.”

“You should have let me make that decision.”

“Yes, but there wasn’t time.”

Another enemy was attacking him at close range, so he didn’t have the leisure to wait for her order.

“Felli, your searching speed was too slow. Couldn’t you be faster?”

“That was my limit.”

Felli’s reply was unusually cold. Her refusal to respond was like a whip across Nina’s face. Would she howl out in anger? That thought tensed Layfon’s shoulders, but Nina remained silent, glaring at Felli.

Who knew how long this silence would last? Embarrassment and disapproval were thick in the air. Though he felt suffocated, he didn’t feel like breaking that atmosphere.

He was already exhausted.

But……

“Excuse me……”

Harley walked in without knocking. He immediately noticed the atmosphere and halted his steps.

“What’s up?” Nina glared at him.

“Ah……ahah, I came to help Layfon with his setting of the Dite,” he replied, scratching his head. Perhaps speaking up helped him to make up his mind. Harley carried his box to a chair and opened it.

“Since he’s used it for a few days, I think I can get some detailed settings done. If anyone else feels your weapon needs adjusting, you can let me know.”

“No~~ nothing!” Sharnid sat up slowly.

“Harley’s settings are perfect. That I can be so relaxed is all thanks to you.”

“Mine’s ok,” Felli shook her head.

“Really? That’s great. Nina?”

“No. If there’s a need, I’ll let you know.”

“Sure.”

What happened next was just the sound of gears being laid out on the floor. In this very short period of time, everyone was watching Harley’s movement. He definitely felt their weird gazes, but Haryley started to whistle happily.

The atmosphere became more relaxed.

No, perhaps they were only tired of the embarrassment.

“Well……”

Sharnid picked up his bag.

“Where are you going?”

“The training’s finished, right? Even if we’re going to have a meeting, there’s not much to talk about. I’ll go back after a shower. Got a date afterwards.”

“What!”

“Then I’m also leaving,” Felli said, quietly taking her bag.

“Aaaa, Felli’s not gonna wash away your sweat?”

“I don’t sweat as much……Besides, showering here makes me feel like someone’s peeking at me.”

“Haha, what a shame. If Felli doesn’t grow up more, no one will peek at you.”

Ignoring Sharnid’s teasing, Felli left the room. He shrugged and headed for the shower room.

With his head on his hands, Layfon watched Nina standing there. He had nothing to say to her. Her shoulders were trembling. Even so, he couldn’t escape as Harley had already caught him.

But he felt he couldn’t stay silent anymore. Focusing on the gears, Harley seemed oblivious to his surroundings. Nina’s face showed she didn’t know how to end this awkwardness.

“Um……” Layfon made some noise without knowing what to say.

“We have to practise a formation. You come over when you’re done.”

Nina walked out. The irritating sound of the door closing affected the air of the room.

“……Looking at that face of hers, it’d be good if she calmed down a bit,” Harley said, smiling.

Layfon smiled in return.

“Seriously, Nina can act calmly, but she’s impatient now. That can’t be helped.”

His face full of smiles, Harley wrapped a wire around Layfon’s Dite.

“Senpai really understands her.”

“Kind of. We’re childhood friends.”

“Oh……Huh? But I remember Senpai……”

She said she ran away from home.

“Haha, ran away from home? Do you think she wouldn’t know anybody at the place she ran away to?” Harley said cheerfully.

That was true.

“Uh, that’s true. Why didn't I think of that?”

But on second thought, he knew the reason. Nina came here against her parents’ wishes. Such strong determination gave off a proud and lonely air.

So he felt she didn’t know anyone here.

The other reason was that he didn’t know anyone here from Grendan.

(Ah, so that’s why. Her situation’s different from mine.)

After laughing secretly at himself, Layfon forgot his misunderstanding of Nina. Besides, the other three girls that he knew also came from the same city. He felt helpless with his slow intuition.

As per Harley’s instruction, he restored his Dite. The wire around the Dite conveyed its information to the machine. He asked Harley a question, who was looking at the number on the display.

“Why did senpai want to form a platoon?”

“Do you find it hard to believe?”

“Senpai’s only a third year, isn’t she? I heard that most of the platoon captains are fourth year or above. Hasn’t she still got time?”

“Yeah, if you look at the study years, then there’s still time,” Harley nodded. “But who knows whether this city still has time.”

His fingers flying on the keyboard, Harley asked, “You know right? You should have heard of it from the Student President.”

“Yes.”

“He said it was to make us more alert of danger, but he did all that to increase our fighting strength.”

“Is that it?”

“That’s right, but I don’t think that’s all of it. He’s stubborn.”

“……”

“Ah, let’s leave the Student President aside for now.”

Harley clapped his hands, pulling Layfon back into reality. His face had turned green just by remembering the nasty memories about the Student President.

“The time Nina spends here is important to her. You should know since you heard of her running away.”

Layfon nodded. Nina had said that she wanted to see what a majority of people couldn’t see: the world outside the city.

“That’s a precious experience. Yes, it’s a precious experience to come to a city run by students only, but it’s even more precious an experience to understand the outside world. A lot of people can never experience that.”

Even so, there were numerous Academy Cities, enough to conduct the Military Arts Competition – the same type of cities fought for fuel. In other words, this was the proof that the city had enough number of students.

This told Layfon that there were more humans than he thought.

But a majority of people would never see each other. Even Layfon didn’t know everyone at Grendan. Grendan had a population of about a hundred thousand people.

But if people lived in the same city and wanted to meet up, they could. Perhaps if they desired to see each other, even with the filth monsters roaming the earth, they could see the person of another city. But he couldn’t place the level of difficulty of those two types of meeting side by side.

It's rare to get on a roaming bus just to see another city.

It's extremely taxing to travel to another city, and it's dangerous.

Numerous cities spread across the earth like stars, moving back and forth in an isolated world. Thinking of this, it felt so unbelievably hard to comprehend that it confounded him.

“People might have never met, but we were given the chance to meet here. Don’t you find that interesting?”

“……”

“Nina doesn’t want to lose that experience, so she’d try everything within her power. Nina’s the type of person to act.”

“So please don’t hate her too much,” Harley added.

Layfon didn’t think he hated her.

Afterwards, he headed alone for the training complex – in the direction of where he thought the training room was. It didn’t take him long to arrive as it was close to the battleground.

Layfon felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he neared the entrance of the training complex. He wasn’t sure whether there was a weight. No, he knew he had a burden there. He just didn’t want to realize that it was on him.

If they lost in this Military Arts Competition, the city would lose its fuel source. In other words, the city’s consciousness that he came across at the Mechanical Department – that cute Electric Fairy would face its death.

What a tragic thing.

But he couldn’t really feel that happening. Just like the clear scene reflected in the glassy surface of the door to the training complex, he felt that it was happening in another city. He couldn’t comprehend the fact that what he did would have a direct impact on the life and death of the city.

He went through the door and headed for the training room of platoon 17. The sounds of practice from other training rooms made the entire building tremble. The building was designed to contain the varied powers of the Military Arts students, but it didn’t seem to have good soundproofing.

“Isn’t it time to give up?”

He heard this just as he was about to open to the door to the training room of platoon 17.

He stopped.

There were other students in the room besides Nina.

Three males surrounded her. The tension in the air caressed Layfon’s skin. His wrist moved towards his weapon harness on its own.

Nina’s arms were lowered. She held her restored iron whips tightly. She stared at the three students with an icy gaze, hiding her emotions.

The conversation continued. No one seemed to have noticed Layfon.

“You should know now that it’s not easy to form a platoon,” the person standing right in front of Nina said.

“And your members are…… Sharnid, who can’t coordinate well with his ability, and two others that the Student President forced into Military Arts. Morale itself is already a problem. Do you really think you can form a team with those people and lead them in battle? If that’s the case, then you’re looking down on Military Arts.”

The target person wasn’t him, but Layfon felt pressure bearing down into his stomach. This was an intimidation technique using the Internal type Kei. It was the opposite of External type burst Kei. The Internal type Kei could directly affect one's body.

The voice with Kei made Nina tremble.

“Let me say this for the last time. Join our team, Nina Antalk. The 3rd platoon needs your calm judgement and hard defence. Besides, you only need to be in our team to become strong.”

Nina’s shoulders were shaking, but her eyes showed she was not afraid and threatened.

She didn’t look at the hand stretching towards her. She stared right in the eyes of the young man.

“I thank you for your invitation. Let me thank you deeply for giving me such high evaluation,” she said firmly.

“But if I still want to test my ability. No matter how badly I look in others’ eyes, I still want to test myself through my own strength.”

Her resolute answer tightened up atmosphere again. This time it wasn’t the person before – probably the captain of the 3rd platoon, but the other two people.

Layfon held his breath.

The captain of the 3rd platoon sighed.

“I knew you’d give me that answer.”

He relaxed his shoulders. The other two also lowered their hostility.

“I feel you’re wasting your ability…… really, why did the Student President accept your unreasonable team proposal?”

“Sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not a bad thing for the city if you become stronger.”

“But, I hope you understand that this city doesn’t have the time to watch you grow.”

“…… I understand.”

“Good.”

The captain shrugged, turned from Nina, and walked away. As there was only one exit, Layfon quickly moved aside.

The captain left wordlessly, not even looking at him.

The door closed.

Nina’s gaze pierced through Layfon to the closed door. She didn’t notice his presence. Layfon was painfully aware that he wasn’t in her line of sight.

She wasn’t looking at him.

(Ahah, she’s looking at the other side.)

It was the side of the glass.

He felt he had lost his place there.

Of course, even he felt it was too rich a line coming from him.

Wolfstein – He should have understood the moment he abandoned this title and left Grendan.

So he could pretend the pain in his chest was someone else’s.

Then he could view it as something beautiful.

“Come, Layfon. Time to practise.”

Nina’s line of vision moved to him. There were no traces of confusion in her expression. No traces left of her conversation with the captain of the 3rd platoon.

“Yes,” Layfon nodded and hurried to her side.

But the feeling of standing on the other side of the glass didn’t disappear.

He knew this was a feeling of distance.

“I know there are plenty of opportunities for us to fight together, but we can’t even talk about that if we don’t first coordinate our breathing.”

Those firm looking pupils of hers.

The Kei filling her limbs gave off a painful light from her eyes. This had nothing to do with the quality and weight of her Kei, but with her firm and determined personality.

It was beautiful.

To Layfon, it was as beautiful as a painting.

That was why she stood on the other side of the glass.

Layfon Restored his Dite.

<center>◇</center>

The sun sank down in the west. The complex closing time came, and saved Layfon from Nina’s side. After washing off his sweat, he plodded back to his dormitory……

“Layton sighted! Capture him!”

“Roger, capturing him now.”

Mifi’s shrilled voice and Naruki’s more lowered voice vibrated through his exhausted body.

Next……

“What? Huh?”

When he had collected himself, he was already tied up by a rope. When did that happen? He toppled onto the ground.

“We’ve caught the target. Please give your next order.”

“Parade him around the city.”

“Roger.”

“Hey, stop it!”

“Huh~~”

Layfon calmly intruded. Mifi puffed up her cheeks.

“Uh, that can’t be done. Speaking of which, how come he became like this?”

“That’s my rope-capture technique, passed down by my father. Isn’t it incredible?” Naruki said.

“Brilliant. It’s too brilliant. But why so sudden? I don’t understand what’s happening!”

“Oh, I’m just doing it. I’m not sure myself.”

“Just doing it? And what’s with the rope? Do you carry it with you all the time?”

“As someone who wants to join the police force, it’s a must to carry around a rope all the time.”

“Is that a given?” Layfon asked, but failed to sway Naruki’s confidence.

“So what’s this for?” he said, looking at Mifi and Naruki.

“Oh? I said we were going to drink tea, so we waited here for you.”

“I see…… but why this?”

“Just doing it.”

“Fufufu ~~ I knew Layton doesn’t have to work today. Don’t underestimate Mifi’s intelligence.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t refuse you. Before I got the chance to refuse, I was like this.”

“Ok ok. Stop talking. We’ve invited a special guest today.”

[[image:CSR vol01 133.jpg|thumb]]
They didn’t listen to his words. Mifi pushed a person out from Naruki’s shadow.

He thought it was Mei-Shen.

But…….. no.

“…… Felli senpai?”

“I got caught,” she said without any expression. She was also bound by a rope.

They spaced out like that for a while…

“Hey--!! What were you guys doing!?” Layfon looked around. Luckily, there was no one around but them. He wondered how long those two girls had been hiding here, waiting to ambush them.

“Because ~~ I’ve wanted to talk with her since I saw her.”

“No, I’m saying why did you use this method? It’s a bit extreme. Um, it’s like kidnapping from the perspective of an observer.”

“……She’s the younger sister of the Student President.”

“Meaning……We can get a huge ransom, right?” Mifi asked seriously.

“……”

“……”

Layfon and Mifi looked at each other……

“Police, there’s a kidnapper here.”

“Ok, I'll catch her right away.”

In the next moment, Naruki had also tied up Mifi.

“I just wanted to have dinner with everyone!”

After Mifi had surrendered, Naruki untied everyone. The four of them headed for the busier distract of the city.

“Meishen’s got work today, so we’re waiting for her to finish, and might as well enter the “observe Meishen’s working look” plan.”

“A plan?” Layfon said.

Mifi laughed.

“Well, can you imagine her appearance at work?”

“……That’s a bit difficult.”

It was hard to imagine Meishen working. She was so shy.

“Right? This’ll be my first time seeing her at work. I'm really looking forward to it.”

Mifi skipped on the red bricked path.

“It’s good she’s taking the initiative, but I feel a bit lonely now,” Naruki said, shrugging her shoulders.

“……Have you three known each other for long?”

“Yeah, we were neighbours.”

“Our parents knew each other for a long time too, from their birth.”

“Amazing...” Layfon honestly showed his admiration. He also had a group of childhood friends from the orphanage, but none of them came to Zuellni.

“You three must be very close, coming here together.”

“Yeah~ It's fate.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes, we won’t feel lonely even if we’re in an unfamiliar place. Our parents agree with that,” Mifi said, and started a conversation about the past with Naruki. Unable to enter the conversation, Layfon kept a distance between them.

Felli was beside him. Silently walking, she stared at the backs of the two girls.

“……Sorry for forcing you to come with us.”

“……It’s ok.”

She didn’t move her gaze away from the backs of the two girls.

“The rope seemed fun.”

“……Was it fun?”

“Yes,” Felli replied, not even moving her eyebrows. Layfon didn’t understand what she was thinking. But it was good that she didn’t get mad. He let out a sigh.

Felli was walking lightly with her hands behind her back. Looking at her childish appearance, he couldn’t imagine that she was older than him. She was older, but her age difference didn’t stand out at all because she was only one year apart. But comparing her with Mifi and Naruki, she looked even younger than them.

“Uh, is senpai working too?”

“No.”

“……I see.”

He couldn’t think of what to say. Even his question was blocked. He knew nothing of her. Unlike Mifi and the others, Felli wasn’t the type to divert with a conversation so long as the atmosphere was right.

“……Just keep doing that,” Felli said as he was thinking of what to say.

“Huh?”

“I meant during training. Just keep doing that.”

“Why?”

“Don't you want to avoid fighting?” The honest and direct question made him speechless.

“If you perform well without the will to fight, other people will have expectations of you.”

“……I suppose,” he nodded.

“It’s ridiculous to do what you don’t want to do.”

Meaning Felli also hadn’t used her true ability in training. The same as him.

He now understood why he was so tired. He couldn’t escape the place he wanted to leave. This feeling took a lot of his strength. He made unnecessary moves because of a lack of concentration, which in turn wasted a lot of his strength.

“Why do I feel as if there's no other road to take?”

He didn’t want to, but he had to. All he could do to resist this was to not put his all in training.

And because of that, he was tired.

“Even so, I have to resist this way. As long as I’m in the Academy City, I can’t escape my brother. Unless he lets me go, I’ve no other choice.”

“…… Do you dislike your own brother?”

He might have asked a meaningless question. She did say she hated him before. But perhaps “dislike” and “hate” were different.

“I dislike him. He doesn’t care about me at all.”

Layfon had nothing to say. Walking beside her gave him an urge to find something to talk about, but she didn’t care about ending a conversation abruptly.

The two girls walking before them had arrived at the shop. They waved back at them.

“……You’re so mean.”

“Never mind. You look cute.”

Mifi was calm in the face of Mei-Shen’s reproachful gaze.

They moved from the coffee shop that Meishen worked at into another nearby shop. In here, senior students were permitted to drink alcohol. Dishes of BBQ skewers and vegetables lay before Layfon and his friends.

Naruki nodded in a serious manner as she put the bamboo sticks back into the bamboo container:

“Yeah, you’re cute. Are you making fun of me coz I can’t wear it?”

“……Of course not.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Meishen’s cheeks puffed up at Naruki’s flippant tone.

When Layfon and the three girls entered the coffee shop earlier, Meishen had stood still on her spot, her face turning green. And whether it was fortunate or not, there were no other female waitresses before break time other than Meishen. Layfon felt bad for her. She was shaking like a small animal while ordering her meal, but Mifi teased her happily.

“But Mei-chan really is cute, isn’t she, Layton?”

“Um?”

He thought back of her look in the coffee shop.

The modest and deep blue uniform in itself wasn’t cute at all, but the Meishen hiding her face behind the tray was cute.

He gave his honest opinion, and Mei-Shen lowered her head, her cheeks red as of boiled water.

“Yeah, yeah, Layton. Well done, you unfaithful~~”

“Why?”

“It’s high level skill to praise the person in question along with the uniform.”

“……Mifi, Naruki, I’ll get mad.”

The three girls argued in their own styles. Layfon sighed and turned his gaze to Felli.

She was silently eating a skewer of BBQ chicken.

She didn’t seem to want to talk. She put the stick back into the bamboo container and examined the dish, thinking of what to eat next like a mathematician tackling a challenging question.

(Here’s another small animal.)

Frankly, her sober eating expression was also cute.

Layfon nibbled at one end of the batter-fried vegetable stems as he listened to the conversation of the three girls.

“Aa, let’s stop teasing Mei-chan. The cake over there was delicious.”

“……Right?”

“It wasn't too sweet. I get why Meishen loves that shop. Well, how’s it going? Are they teaching you things?”

“……Not sure. Seems they’ll teach me later. Really, I’ve always wanted to just stay in the kitchen.”

“Since you showed them your cute look, of course they’d send you out to serve customers.”

“……Mi-chan!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, according to my investigation, no matter which shop it is, it’ll prioritize students getting into the kitchen if they've had real cooking experience.”

“That’s insurance. It guarantees the students must have some level of skill.”

“But it takes at least half a year to get marks.”

“……Wuwu, half a year.”

“Can Mei-chan tolerate half a year as a waitress?”

“……No problem. I’ll steal the recipe.”

“Hahaha, what an audacious declaration.”

“……Never mind me. What about you two?”

“Me~~? I've already decided.”

“A magazine?”

“Yeah, though it’s mostly doing errands. Naruki?”

“I’m going to join the City Police force. There’re lots of Military Arts candidates, so I can’t let down my guard.”

“Oh, if you join the police force, then can you get an armed permit earlier?”

“Yes, but you can only carry a baton.”

“Fufufu...But aren’t you happy? You’re really jealous of Layton’s sword~~?”

“Not at all. I just want it because a baton is the pride of a policeman.”

“You really are!”

Layfon was listening to the three. Even here he felt he was very distant from them. Nothing could help him.

Because he stood on the other side of the glass.

He could hear the sound, but he couldn’t step inside it. He squinted at the three, unable to enter that cheerful territory.

There was no chance to speak.

The party ended as the closing hour of dormitories neared.

Student dormitories were spread out across the city. After separating from Naruki and the others since their dormitories lay in a different direction, Lafyon found himself heading in the same direction as Felli.

“……Is senpai going in this direction too?”

“Yes, what a coincidence.”

Layfon nodded. It was that much of a surprise to him.

“Senpai didn’t enter the conversation back then. I’m sorry for being insensitive.”

In the end, he himself passed through that time without speaking. He couldn’t speak up as a special atmosphere encircled the conversation that only familiarity would allow.

Felli shook her head at the apologizing Layfon. “Not at all. I was happy.”

“Really? That’s good.”

It was hard to conclude whether she was truly happy as her face showed no emotion at all.

They alone walked on the path lit by street lights. Layfon felt awkward about it. The sound of footsteps that was usually small and insignificant drifted into their ears.

“I don’t talk, not because I’m not satisfied,” Felli said suddenly.

“Ah, really?”

“I didn’t know what to say because I haven’t had any friends before,” Felli said as she walked past a street light. Layfon glanced at her but couldn’t make out her expression.

Just then, sparks fell from her silvery hair to scatter the dim light. He widened his eyes.

“Senpai!”

“Oh, sorry. I lost control for a little bit.”

She pressed down on her long hair with her hand. Green phosphorescence gathered in her hair, emitting a dull light. Unresponsive and without any heat. Only the tiniest bit of vibration in the air that Layfon could feel with his left wrist.

This was psychokinesis. It was the external type burst Kei and the internal type Kei, but at the same time, it was different from both. It was an inborn ability, a type of Kei flowing in the body that training would never obtain.

He watched her closely. Even her eyebrows and eyelashes emitted phosphorescence.

Hair was the best conductor for the Kei of psychokinesis. There were people who conveyed their Kei to whips made by hair.

(She lost control of it?)

That was shocking. Just that and her hair could emit the light of psychokinesis to the tips of each strand of hair. This meant her ability of psychokinesis was inconceivably powerful.

“Senpai……”

“……This is the reason that my brother transferred me into Military Arts,” she said.

“My ability of psychokinesis goes way beyond the normal standard.”

“I think so too.”

Layfon had also seen psychokinesis phenomenon of glowing hair, but it was only one part of the hair. He had never seen a case like Felli’s, whose whole hair shone without her being aware of it.

“Because of this, I’ve received training in psychokinesis since I was very small. Everyone in my family strongly believed I’d become a psychokinesist. Even I never doubted it.”

“But……” she added. Layfon could feel her shaky emotions.

He was right. The trembling on her lips was different from that of normal conversation.

“I thought that everyone’s future was predestined. I thought that they all knew what they’d become in the future. But this was wrong. Of course, it’s not possible for a criminal to know he can only become a criminal.”

She didn’t laugh at her words. She only said it without much of an emotion. Perhaps this was meant as a joke. Since he wasn’t sure, Layfon decided to not to laugh.

“Once I realized that, I tried to think of what I’d be doing if I wasn't a psychokinesist. No one knows their future, but mine was determined from when I was very young. I became intolerant of that, and eventually left my homecity to come here.”

Her parents took a huge step back for her and allowed her to study at her brother’s Academy City – Zuellni.

“My parents thought it wouldn’t matter much if I didn’t get to train in psychokinesis for six years. I also thought I could find the other me, the me who wouldn’t become a psychokinesist.”

But she was unable to do that.

Because of Zuellni’s present situation and the person who tried to solve the crisis – her brother.

“I hate my brother. I hate my brother who forced me on the path of psychokinesis,” she murmured.

Layfon listened to her silently. He couldn’t hear any emotions in her light tone, but he felt he felt confined, as if a certain being was under pressure and was crying out sorrowfully.

“And I hate myself for only becoming a psychokinesist.”

Because of her exceptional ability, she couldn’t escape her destiny.

“Those kinds of people are too radiant,” she murmured.

Layfon could only nod in agreement.

Because he felt the same.

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