Editing BlazBlue:Phase Shift 1 Chapter 5 (section)

===Part 2===

Since the following day was a holiday, Kazuma woke up later than usual.

It might be because last night he had returned exhausted by the night's events; a sluggish feel remained this morning, as though he still hadn't had enough sleep. He stretched his body while still only half awake and then opened the curtains.

From there, Kazuma beheld a change in the situation.

The scene he was seeing was faintly coated in a putrid haze.

It was seithr.

The seithr, which had lost to Ishana's pure air and been unable to enter through the hole in the barrier until yesterday, somehow spread out, causing corrosion now.

Last night, a young girl crossed Ishana's barrier and went outside. At that time, something had taken a place that might have created an opportunity to draw in the outside seithr.

Kazuma didn't know the details of the cause, but there was undoubtedly a good chance that this was it.

Nine and the other Sages didn't close the hole last night. Furthermore, while it wasn't clear when it had started, the influx of seithr abruptly began.

He snapped out of it at once.

After he threw off his nightclothes, Kazuma carefully changed into his school uniform. He was about to burst out of the room after properly pinning down his hair.

Then, when Kazuma's hand was about to grab the doorknob, the door was knocked violently.

Because of the surprise, he almost let out a yelp. Taking a deep breath and then holding it, Kazuma responded in a calm tone of voice.

"Who is it?"

What returned from the other side of the door was unexpected, but also had an expected tone of voice.

"OPEN THE DOOR QUICKLY! OR ELSE, I'LL BLOW IT DOWN!"

It was Nine. He couldn't see her facial expression, but he was aware she was furious just from her voice.

Kazuma opened the door in a hurry.

"P-Please spare me. It's the academy's property...!"

The toe of her high heel forced its way into the small opened gap; and the door was flung open just like that.

Behind Nine, who impolitely barged into room, stood the baffled Trinity.

After Nine rudely cornered Kazuma against the desk close to the wall, she grabbed Kazuma's collar with both hands and strangled him.

"...Tell me where Celica is."

"Uh, guh... Wh-What is it... s- suddenly..."

There was no mercy in Nine's hands.

With his throat pressured by her bloodthirsty strength, Kazuma's breathing became disabled in the blink of an eye. He tried to quickly tear off Nine's hands, but there was already no strength reaching his fingertips.

"Guh... Cough... Le-Let go..."

"Tell me Celica's whereabouts. If you obediently confess, I'll let you live."

Nine's eyes glared up at Kazuma with a terrifying sharpness. When their eyes met, that instant the instinctive panic turned to chill, making Kazuma's spine shiver

"Nine! Please stop already...!"

Trinity rushed over in a panic. Rather than an attempt to calm her, it was more like she was begging.

"Kazuma-san is about to die... Besides, he can't even talk like that."

After Nine tutted at her close friend's words, she released Kazuma so he hit the floor.

Since his staggering feet couldn't support his body, Kazuma fall on his backside onto the carpet. As his breath returned all at once, his throat spasmed and coughed at the pain.

From above his head, clicking of Nine's tongue could be heard.

"I've released you. Now answer."

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"You told me to answer... but please let me know the situation first. Is there something wrong with Celica-san?"

Still sitting on his rear end, Kazuma rubbed his throat while looking up at Nine. Because of the suffocation, the insides of his ears were ringing.

Looking like her anger was still simmering, Nine folded her arms under the voluptuous chest and disheveled her hair.

Substituting for her when she didn't answer, Trinity kneeled near Kazuma and informed him.

"The truth is, it happened suddenly this morning. Celica-san's whereabouts became unknown..."

"Then... do you mean she's missing? Why?"

"WE CAME TO YOUR PLACE SINCE IT ISN'T KNOWN!"

Nine's anger soared. Her voice and body language were harsh, showing her utmost irritation.

Kazuma backed up with a stiff face and asked in an incomprehensible tone of voice.

"Th-That's why, for what reason do you ask me? I shouldn't know anything, right?"

"IF YOU DON'T KNOW, NO ONE ELSE DOES!"

Nine yelled to quickly dismiss Kazuma's opinion.

But immediately Trinity who was watching in suspense noticed it. After Nine roughly brushed away her hair, she took out a piece of paper and threw it, aiming at Kazuma's face.

"Ouch."

What hit his cheek was a light yellow piece of paper, folded in four. Kazuma picked up the paper which had helplessly fallen before unfolding it.

The characters were clear; but it was composed of writing errors left behind in some places as if written in a hurry.

''"To Onee-chan. Sorry, I'm going to Japan to search for Father. I'm all right, so don't worry about it. I'll definitely return, so let's have another tea with you, Trinity-san, and Kazuma-san! Celica"''

Not describing even the circumstances and single-minded recklessness at her own convenience; it was indeed a Celica-like letter.

After Kazuma finished reading the letter's contents, Nine began to talk in a threatening and aggressive manner.

"Yesterday, you brought up the matter about her father. But until now, whenever someone brought it up, Celica never rushed out to find him like now. You influenced Celica to do something irresponsible, didn't you!? If you didn't, THEN WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?"

The words which started in low tone finally ignited with rage; Nine violently kicked the chair beside Kazuma. The modest chair gave a creak and fell over.

"I sympathize with your feeling, but please don't break the furnitu..."

Even while flinching from the rough sound, Kazuma spoke back. Responding to it, Nine's high heels went silent. She pinned Kazuma's shoulder to the desk behind with her high heel.

"...I'm asking you once more. Answer honestly. I'll kill you if you give me lies."

"Y-Yes."

"Where did Celica go? What have you been telling that girl?"

Konoe Mercury, the prodigy who was blessed with exceptional talent. The ninth Sage. With unusual force, her eyes glared at Kazuma as if shooting through him with their glints.

Were those eyes also shooting through the truth which Kazuma kept to himself?

As if overpowered, Kazuma raised his eyes at Nine and squeezed out the answer.

"I... I don't know. Nothing."

Nine's face distorted in terrible displeasure. Like a whip, her arms stretched out, seizing Kazuma's collar for the second time.

Kazuma raised a miserable voice and moved his body a little.

Trinity bent herself forward to stop Nine.

Then, it was in that moment. From the window, a beam of light shot between them. It came from the direction of the academy.

The light was as thick as a person's index finger and hit the room's floor without damaging the windowpane. With the smoothness of signing a document, it drew a message.

——The Ten Sages are to assemble at once.

After its brief message, the light which had lasted for five seconds disappeared.

It was a conveying magic. The request from the Mages' Guild's officials had to be for the Ten Sages.

It was obviously addressed to Nine.

"At such a time..."

Groaning in irritation, Nine let go of Kazuma again.

"It seems you've escaped death. I'll interrogate you further next time."

Forcefully holding down her anger, Nine turned around, together with her hair and mantle. Like that, she dashed out of the room without giving Kazuma so much as a backwards glance.

In the quiet and simple hallway of the boy's dormitory, loud footsteps from high heels reverberated loudly.

While listening to the dying sounds of the footsteps as they got further away, Trinity lowered her eyebrows; and while still sitting, she reached out her hand to Kazuma prompting him to take it.

"Sorry. Please... don't get offended~."

Gripping kazuma's hand as he rose to his feet, Trinity spoke as if wishing. Her gentle eyes were awfully sad and had grown wet; it looked like she would begin to cry any time soon.

"For Nine, Celica-san is her only precious family. Her mother died a very long time ago and her father left home ten years ago. It seems Nine has lived while always, always protecting Celica-san."

"That's why she's that overprotective, I see."

Looking toward the direction of the door that was still left open, Kazuma muttered in bitter sympathy.

Trinity slightly nodded. She was a much shorter girl when compared to Kazuma, but she seemed smaller than ever now.

"Despite her appearance, Nine's a very sensitive girl. When Celica-san's, her irreplaceable sister's figure is missing, I know that she can't help but feel anxious and worried. That's why..."

Trinity raised her eyes to Kazuma with calm tone of voice. The wise green eyes were wishing, seemingly begging.

"About Celica-san. If you know something, please tell~. It's all right to speak it to me. Even if it's only a bit of information, I think it'll calm Nine down."

"...Umm. My apologies."

Kazuma pulled his hand away from Trinity's.

"I truly don't know where Celica-san might have gone to. I'm worried about Celica-san nonetheless."

He only said sorry as he looked downward. The dropped gaze was even lower than at Trinity who was looking up.

For a little while, Trinity looked shocked and hesitated to speak, but she eventually raised her face and showed a smile through her tears.

"That's so, isn't it. I've been very rude... being somewhat doubting. If you learn about something, then..."

"Of course. Even if it's minor, I'll tell you if I learn something."

It was a promise he couldn't keep but it did help to encourage her, Trinity's eyes began to open at Kazuma's words. Holding her chest with the fingers peeking out from her loose sleeves, she deeply bowed her head.

"Thank you, Kazuma-san~. Then, I'll also excuse myself. I'm worried to leave Nine alone as she is now."

"Be careful."

Kazuma replied with a slight nod.

When Trinity entered the hallway, in front of the door she once again bowed her head, just slightly this time. The hem of her long robe waved as she began to jog to chase after Nine.

Until the retreating figure that was like a small person from a fairy-tale disappeared down the staircase, until the still vanishing footsteps completely disappeared, Kazuma stood in front of the room and continued to see her off.

The hallway of the dormitory was silent.

After Kazuma returned to the room, he went toward the window. Placing his back against the wall, he made sure to hide himself and peeked outside from behind the lace curtain.

After a short while, he saw a small retreating figure with platinum blonde hair, which could be clearly seen even from a distance, spilling from her hood while she ran out of the dormitory. For a moment, she looked over her shoulder as if something was bothering her; but without looking up at the room's window, she left just like that.

The figure completely disappeared from Kazuma's sight.

Leaning his body near the window, Kazuma took a thin, deep breath.

"...Khu..."

His emotions were welling up, his slender shoulders were trembling as if shaking. Unable to endure it, Kazuma covered his face with his palm.

Between the spread of his thin fingers, the ends of his lips gradually raised up.

"Khu, kuku... Fu, hahahahahahahahaha."

It was amusing. He couldn't suppress the laugh at all.

As his stomach convulsed, his sides grew painful. His back slid down the wall until he was once again sat on the floor. Even so, he kept on laughing even more.

"Khukkukukuku, hahahaha, fuhaha, ha... Oh no, my stomach hurts... Khuku, what's with those faces? The faces both of them made... Hi, hahaha. Even if they search anywhere on this island, that girl isn't here anymore."

The important younger sister, the precious friend's younger sister; she must have got on a ship which departed early this morning and was crossing over the ocean about now. It was already too late to panic as it was approaching noon now.

What was even more amusing was that Nine, who had threatened to kill Kazuma if he told lies, didn't kill him after all; and following that, even Trinity left Kazuma behind and took off.

In the end, Nine gave up on determining if Kazuma's words were lies.

In the end, Trinity gave up on doubting Kazuma.

Naïve, naïve, naïve. Terumi had said it some time ago.

Saying things like "after being imprisoned on such a disgusting island, Kazuma didn't have to be influences by those dumb pretty magicians".

Good grief. It was sentimental enough to suffocated him. It was because he secluded himself inside the island, that Terumi called disgusting, and only spent time alone in his room that he couldn't make clear judgment.

So sweet it made him want to vomit.

"Aah... To laugh and speak in such a manner."

As he hit his head against the wall, making a dull sound, Kazuma again and again laughed while facing the ceiling.

He used to think that he couldn't fathom the joyful laughter of someone in the academy when he heard it. But might their laughter also be this refreshing?

His chest felt refreshed; it was a feeling like he was looking up at a clear blue sky.

Nothing would hinder him anymore.

Nothing would refuse him anymore.

Nothing would shun him anymore.

The road was all set.

"I..."

On the ceiling he looked up at, there was an old stain. From the time he had first applied at the school, he had grown accustomed to it. An unchanging stain.

You've been in such a boring place, right? You've been in such a narrow and suffocating place, right?

Everything had already ended.

Reversing his motions from before, Kazuma slid his back up the wall while standing up.

Outside of the window was the invigorating Ishana which was turning impure, dyed in seithr.

It was amusing. It was so extremely delightful and enjoyable that he was about to laugh uncontrollably again.

"I'm going to obtain it..."

He tore his shadow from the wall as he began to walk.

The destination had been decided.

He was going to obtain it.

The ''Azure''.