Editing BlazBlue:Phase Shift 3 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 3===

——Once she came to, she was standing on a white room.

There was nothing there. Not even floor, wall, or ceiling. But strangely, she was standing firmly as if her feet stepped on something.

It didn't feel cold.

But it didn't feel warm either.

No one was there. Celica looked around her surroundings within the vast, completely white room...

Where could this be?

Could this be a dream?

It felt like something she had seen before. But there was also a feeling that denied it.

As she was slowly taking a look, a rectangular object stood in front of her unnoticed.

A mirror.

Large enough for Celica's whole body to be reflected. Like it was made for her.

The Celica inside the mirror was wearing a familiar school uniform. It had light brown that was bundled at the top. There were also her favorite leather shoes on its feet. It was how she would look normally.

But sensing how strange it was somehow, Celica began to take a step forward.

From the other side of the mirror, the gentle brown eyes that resembled wet soils were looking at her.

It was bizarre.

Because... Even though the figure felt the same as her, she wondered if the reflection was her true self.

What is this?

Her question didn't get transformed into a voice. It dissolved into the whiteness of her surroundings while she was thinking.

She wanted to be sure. She thought she would understand if she touched it.

She raised an arm very slowly, reaching her hand to the mirror.

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The figure in the far end side of the rectangular object even extended its hand.

The moment their outstretched fingertips tried to touch each other...

Celica woke up.







Feeling light shining from the other side of her eyelids, Celica slowly opened her eyes.

It seemed she had been sleeping.

But strangely, she wasn't sleeping in her own room. She was on top of a single bed in an unfamiliar square room.

The room had one window. The white lace curtains were shining bright as they received the light from outside. The weather outside seemed nice. Plenty of sunlight was warmly shining into the room.

The showering light was tranquil, and the blanket was cozy. Still feeling sleepy as she just woke up, Celica rubbed her heavy eyelids while straightening her body.

Then she immediately noticed. Her hand was being squeezed by someone.

There was no need to make sure who it was. There was a woman with long hair who had fallen asleep on top of the blanket that Celica had been sleeping in.

Hair that could make anyone envious. Shoulders that were unexpectedly delicate. The sleeping breadth that sounded peaceful.

She was Celica's older sister, Konoe Mercury, or otherwise known as Nine.

"Onee-chan..."

Celica reflexively made a wry smile as she softly called out to her.

She recalled the time when she was a child. She suddenly got struck with a fever and had to stay in bed.

Nine worried too much and ended up crying. She would be right beside her like this and gripped Celica's hand the whole time. Starting from the night until dawn arrived, Nine would still grip her hand even though she had fallen asleep. Just like this.

(She's still forcing herself, even though she should be busy.)

As for Celica, she was more concerned if Nine's body would get ruined. Furthermore, Nine usually would become much worrier than this.

There was one more figure in the room. Someone was standing in silence.

A female robot was standing at the corner of room and stared at her. Celica gave her a bright smile.

"Good morning, Nirvana."

Celica spoke in whisper as to not wake Nine up. Nirvana slightly pulled her chin. The gesture made it seemed like she was nodding.

The relief made Celica's cheeks slackened.

Everything would be okay if Nine and Nirvana were on her side. There was no hint of uneasiness in her. She couldn't prove it, but she had that hunch for some reason.

Nevertheless, just where could this be? The simple question made Celica looked around the room.

It wasn't just the location. She couldn't remember any reason why she had been sleeping here.

When she was considering what to do next... the door slowly opened as if reaching to her.

"Oh, Celica-san~. I'm glad. Looks like you have awakened."

The person who appeared was a girl that had fluffy platinum blonde hair, white skin, and large round eyeglasses that would draw attention. She was Trinity.

When she saw Celica, Trinity's face turned meek. She gave a smile that was full of relief before she rushed to the side of the bed. There were faint tears on the green eyes beyond her glasses.

"Trinity-san. Umm... good morning, I guess?"

Lacking knowledge of the circumstances, Celica responded Trinity's arrival with a bright face while making a concerned smile.

Because Nine was sleeping beside her, Celica couldn't raise her voice and was dropping its volume instead.

Noticing it, Trinity put the robe she had been wearing onto the shoulders of the friend who was breathing lightly in her sleep. She made rustling noises in the process, but there was no indication of Nine waking up.

Seeing Nine's unusual looks, Celica and Trinity unconsciously looked at each other. They couldn't hold their laugh.

"Then again... I'm really thankful that you're alright. If you're still in a coma, everyone would get worried."

Putting her hands on her chest again, Trinity let out a deep, long breath as if she was hit by relief. Her glasses were slightly unsteady as she used her white fingertips to wipe the tears that appeared on the corner of her eyes.

"How is your condition?"

"Mmmm. My body feels sluggish, and my head feels a bit light. But there's nothing else to add."

Celica put her hand on her head and made a cheerful face telling that she was fine.

It was natural since she just had been sleeping, but her hair had become disordered. The feeling of bed hair on her hand made Celica slightly embarrassed.

"That's right, I should inform the doctor..."

"Ah. Wait, Trinity-san!"

Trinity, who was feeling nervous because of her relief and joy, was about to get out of the patient room. Celica quickly stopped her. Because she unconsciously made such a loud voice, Celica instantly checked on Nine.

Nine was still sleeping soundly. After dropping her shoulders from relief, Celica raised her face toward Trinity.

"Before you go, I want to ask you a lot of things. Umm... To begin with, where is this place? Why am I here?"

"Oh my... well, I guess that should be obvious. My apologies, I was in complete panic~"

She didn't appear to be that flustered, but it seemed it made Trinity upset as she was self-conscious about it.

Covering her blushing cheeks with both hands, Trinity returned to the side of Celica's bed. After taking a breath, Trinity's pink lips opened.

"We're at the general hospital in Ishana. Celica-san... you probably don't remember about it, but you fainted when we were battling the Black Beast. Afterwards, you were carried here."

Trinity calmly informed Celica. Listening to the tone of her voice slowly made Celica to understand the situation. Like streaming water, her memories got restored little by little.

The scenes she had seen happened just before she fainted were passing by her mind like a sequence of photos.

"The Black Beast... That's right, there was a weird magic circle and light... And then, my mind suddenly went blank... So, what's next? What's happened to the Black Beast? And how's everyone else?"

"Please calm down, Celica-san. Everybody is okay~. As for the Black Beast... it wasn't defeated yet, but we were able to repel it. I think the resulting damage is very low."

Celica leaned her body forward and rapidly asked a series of questions. Trinity softly answered her questions calmly.

Trinity properly straightened her back. Anyone who saw it would naturally feel relief and become composed.

"Nine spoke about this before. Celica-san. The moment that magic circle appeared, your magic power got completely absorbed. That should be what was making you unconscious~. ...Although since Nine quickly brought you to Ishana by teleportation, I haven't heard the details about it."

"I see... Huh? Teleporting to Ishana? Wait a minute, you said she teleported from the battlefield to here? It can't be right."

Even for Nine, it was something she shouldn’t have been able to do. Never mind the distance, the environment wasn't exactly teleportation-friendly.

In the first place, there was a barrier on Ishana. It was fundamentally impossible to teleport directly into it.

Trinity glanced at Nine who was sleeping. Then she smiled tearfully before making a happy look.

"Yes, it seems she did~. She probably used teleportation continuously to bring you here."

"She teleported continuously... Oh, Onee-chan."

Celica also made the same face as she looked at her sister.

The teleportation magic required a great deal of magic power and concentration compared to other type of magic. It also needed unusual amount of stamina and will. The consumption would be unfathomable when used consecutively.

(You'd be angry if I got reckless, but you did the same thing.)

The sisters were alike. Once their mind was filled with something, they would ignore any circumstances and rush forward immediately.

Celica thought that the one who probably had been worrying the most wasn't Nine, but Trinity.

Trinity, who pulled up the robe on Nine so it wouldn't slip down, then gracefully faced Celica.

Across those large, round glasses were green eyes filled with kindness.

"Five days have passed since the repulsion of Black Beast, or in other words, after you collapsed. Celica-san, you were in a coma in the meantime."

"So perhaps Onee-chan has been here all this time?"

"It looks like so. I've only just returned this morning, so I have yet to hear on how she was doing then."

Trinity made a strained smile while she was speaking.

They figured it out even if they didn't actually witness it. They knew that kind of person Nine was. Also, it was also possible that she didn't get enough sleep.

"But still, five days? ...So I've been sleeping for so long."

It was no wonder that every part of her body was sore. Her stomach must also be very empty.

After she muttered alone, Celica held her knees while they were still under the blanket.

The memories from five days ago felt just like a dream she had while sleeping. The voices from a lot of people. The advance of the Black Beast. Then the large thing she saw just before she fainted...

"...Trinity-san. About the large magic circle..."

She wondered if it would be okay to ask that. Celica opened her mouth to ask about it. But before she was finished with her inquiry, Nine, who had fallen asleep on the bed, suddenly raised her face.

"CELICA!?"

It seemed Nine was still half-awake as she looked around for Celica while still in daze.

Nine found out that Celica was sitting up on the bed with her hand still being gripped. Then the eyes of the fatigued Nine were blinking as if her spirit had returned.

Her lips that looked slightly worse than usual were trembling as they moved.

"Ce... Celica...?"

"Good morning, Onee-chan. It seems you've slept we..."

"CELICA<nowiki>~~~~~~~~</nowiki>!"

She was like a lost child who had found her way home. Or even a mother who had finally found her child. Nine casted away her composure and determination to jump at Celica while making tearful voice.

She hugged and hugged Celica's slightly thin shoulders. Nine's hands grabbed Celica's sleepwear and were trembling as she wept.

"...Thank goodness... you're awake... I was worried, really worried..."

With her thin shoulders still shaking, Nine spoke so many times while sobbing.

Her large tears were overflowing and instantly soaked the top part of Celica's shoulder. Her wet sleepwear felt sticking onto her skin, but it didn't mean it was unpleasant.

"O... Onee-chan. I can't breathe..."

Her embrace was strong enough that one mistake might strangle Celica and cause her to faint again. Celica could only make a wry smile as she spoke.

After that, she gently patted her sister's head.

"I'm sorry I've made you worried. But I'm alright now."

Nine had been truly worried. But she was still glad that Celica had awakened. Nine cried with the tears of relief.

Celica also took breath of relief and raised her face.

There, Trinity was still standing with a look like she could break into a cry anytime.

Celica shrugged her shoulders while making a strained smile. She soothed Trinity along with her sobbing sister before asking them in low voice.







After the doctor who was brought by a nurse arrived, he determined Celica's condition by doing the established procedure.

As he was finished with the basic examination, the doctor ended it with measuring the approximate amount of her magic power with some kind of thermometer. After that, he got up from a chair near the side of the bed.

"Your progress has been more favorable than I thought. But you still need to rest for another two or three days."

After the doctor said that, he left the patient room.

The door was closed shut.

"Aaah... It seems I can't go home yet."

Celica dropped her shoulders and collapsed onto the bed.

"Too bad. We can't have a tea party even though Onee-chan and Trinity's here."

"What are you talking about? You shouldn't force yourself to do the usual stuff until your magic power stabilizes. Don't do anything unreasonable even when you're in a hospital."

Nine, who had finally stopped crying, softly lectured Celica while wiping her red, swollen eyes with her fingers.

She usually would do it with menacing looks, but her teary face snatched her coercive vigor away.

Since her sister was speaking not as a Ten Sage, but as a girl, Celica got in a pleasant mood and replied with a smile.

"Okaaay."

Trinity giggled as she watched from the side. Next to her, Nirvana stared at Celica with her transparent eyes.

If only the situation was different and they weren't in a hospital room, it would looked their usual, friendly chat. But even if she was smiling, there was something that had been stuck inside Celica's chest.

"Hey, Onee-chan. Can I ask what's really happened when I fainted?"

She wondered about what happened and what became of it. Celica thought that the only person who could tell it accurately would be none other than Nine.

But as soon as she asked, Nine's face changed as if to stop Celica from continuing.

Her face didn't look stiff or restrained. But Nine mildly shook her head with the deadpan expression that had silent refusal within.

"Celica. We will speak about that next time. For now, you must prioritize to get a rest."

Celica got a hunch that it was the kind of face she would make when she was hiding something.

Usually, she would pester Nine to tell her.

But when she thought of how Nine had fallen into deep sleep due to her fatigue, she decided to swallow her selfishness inside.

Even Celica would prefer if Nine put a thought into taking a rest herself.

"Then tell me when I got out of the hospital, alright?"

"...Sure. If I got time."

Nine's reply felt unfair, but Celica nodded in her mind thinking that her answer was good enough.

After she took a breath, Nine brushed the hair on her shoulder to her back. The glint on her eyes that soon appeared was unlike the kindness she would show to Celica.

But the older sister's expression quickly returned to usual as Nine displayed a slight smile toward Celica.

"Well... Now that Celica has awakened and Trinity returned, it's time to go."

"Onee-chan. You have another work?"

"Yes. There are other things that I must attend."

Nine spoke as if it was nothing concerning. Hearing that, Celica's face slightly clouded. She unintentionally pointed her lips like she was pouting.

"I think it'd be better if you stay a bit longer. Aren't you still tired?" 

"She's right, Nine. How about getting home for today?"

Together with Celica, Trinity also spoke worryingly to Nine.

However, like Trinity and Celica had expected, Nine didn't have the same agreement.

"It's alright. Once I've done the usual stuff, I'll be sure to get a rest. Then let's go, Trinity. Nirvana, I'll leave Celica in your care."

As soon as she finished speaking, Nine, fully resolved, turned her body around.

Trinity could only sigh and lightly drop her shoulders.

Celica frowned from being both worried and astonished. Really, she thought, she won't listen once she started speaking.

In exchange of nodding, Nirvana went beside Celica as ordered by Nine.

Once she confirmed that by taking a glance, Nine opened the door and turned back to Celica.

"Get a good rest, okay?"

"You too, Onee-chan."

Although she got a reply, Nine didn't pay a slightest attention to it and came out of the patient room as her long hair fluttered.

That was why Celica put a word to Trinity instead.

"Trinity-san, please take care of Onee-chan."

"Yes, of course~."

Trinity gave a slight bow and disappeared to the hallway as she followed Nine.

When the door silently closed, the sound of footsteps became distant.

"I don't want Onee-chan to get hospitalized, too... Right, Nirvana?"

Celica and Nirvana were left alone within the white and simple hospital room.

Nirvana stood still beside the bed with her large, clear eyes looking at nowhere.

Looking at her inorganic but feminine face from the side, Celica let loose the strength in her shoulders and smiled.

"Thank you, Nirvana. You're also always on my side."

Nirvana answered with a breathless, silent reply. But instead of words, her large eyes looked at Celica.

They were artificial eyes that didn’t carry any thought, but Celica felt a sense of security within them.

Celica rotated her shoulders that were stiff because she had been sleeping too much, and then put her head on the pillow.

Her mind was still in daze, but this way, her memories would slowly and steadily become clear if she put enough time to think it through.

That day. The day when Black Beast put an end to the white sky by materializing itself. The day when humanity challenged the absolute despair with their strength.

What was happened? What did she see? What did she sense at the endless wasteland?

That time, the Black Beast approached Celica until it was really close to her. Inside its ridiculously large body... Inside those glowing red eyes in the darkness...

Celica felt his presence without a doubt.

"I think... I'll sleep for a bit."

She pulled her blanket and rubbed her cheeks to the pillow. While closing her eyes, Celica spoke to Nirvana who was on her side.

Although she should have slept for five days, Celica was immediately hit with drowsiness. It made her eyelids heavy.

"...Thanks for saving me back then."

After she softly whispered and closed her heavy eyelids, Celica slept like an infant as she got overwhelmed by the wave of drowsiness.







There was almost no people inside the hallway of Ishana's general hospital. It was a clear and sunny noon. A gentle mood was drifting about even inside the hospital.

Within such situation, Nine was walking while clad in grim atmosphere that made her hard to be approached.

"...Nine."

Trinity followed after the footsteps of heels that were advancing with constant pace.

Trinity called her in moderate manner, but it was also filled with determination.

But Nine didn't lower her pace nor look at Trinity. Instead, she answered while making a tense and expressionless face.

"I'll explain it later. So don't ask anything right now."

Since Nine spoke so, Trinity didn't press it any further. When Nine didn't want to speak... When she decided not to speak... then she would shut her mouth like a clamshell. Instead, if someone wanted to open it forcibly, then they should drive her into a corner.

Like a clamshell that got passed through fire over and over again, until Nine opened her mouth herself, Trinity had no choice but to wait.

"I understand. But Nine, please don't bear everything on your own~."

Nine didn't give a response.

However, Trinity's words made Nine frowned in pain for a moment. Seeing it made Trinity concerned.