Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Kaze no Stigma:Ignition Volume1 Chapter 6

2020-08-04T00:35:52Z

72.80.103.151: /* Chapter 6 - Ayano-chan's Further Misfortune */

== Chapter 6 - Ayano-chan's Further Misfortune ==

"Ha ha--- "

Looking down on the Earth from the top of a building, the woman coldly laughed.

Turning to the people going back and forth on the street the same gaze she would to poisonous worms,

"Here---''She'' is here, yes?"

Who was that beautiful voice intended for? Even if one were to look over his shoulder, the voice was invisible.

Even so, the woman continued her speech as if addressing someone.

"Come now, let us go. Let us take the title of an expired family living so remotely to someone much more deserving. "

With that proud declaration, the woman left the rooftop.

On that empty rooftop an out of season shimmer of hot air flickered in the atmosphere and disappeared.

It's December --- after the end of term examination is over only the closing ceremony remains so it's a day meant for relaxation.

Since this morning, Ayano couldn't calm down.

Not typical of her she made so many mistakes it caused an uproar, immediately after she absentmindedly gazed outside the window,

unexpectedly blushed and broke into a smile.

Frankly speaking, it was a suspicious behavior.

"Kannagi, are you listening, Kannagi! "

"............."

As if not hearing the teacher's rebuke, Ayano dreamily looked at the clouds.

At such a suspicious condition in their friend, Yukari and Nanase exchanged glances.

Without the need to speak, they understood each other by sight.

''"This is......"''

''"it's that......"''

And they exaggeratedly nodded.

"Ayano-chan you're going on a date with Kazuma today, right? "

"Wha---"

At the excessively direct guess, Ayano was unable to deceive them.

It was the lunch break, on the rooftop.

Normally it was full of other students but today there were only the three of them. That was because Yuukari locked the door after

hanging a ''Closed for today'' sign.

"Wha- what are you saying, all of a sudden? "

Cornered in the space she could not escape from, Ayano feigned calmness as much as possible, trying to deceive them. But---

"I think that's useless right now", informed Nanase including sympathy.

"You were unable to calm down since this morning. You were like an elementary school kid before a trip"

"But- but even so, why must it be a .......with Kazuma? "

Ayano answered back mumbling the important parts. But Yuukari replied without doubt.

"Because, there is no other event Ayano-chan would look forward to such an extent"

"I'm not anticipating it! "

Because she reflexively shouted, and realizing that for Yuukari that was the same as affirming her guess, Ayano turned red.

It happened over a week ago. Ayano receive the request of the Chairman of Seiryu Gakuen to investigate the abnormality that appeared

in the garden.

Together with Kazuma, who was a really popular subject of discussion these days.

At that time Ayano snapped because of the fairy's severe teasing and to soothe her, Kazuma promised to take her out to dinner.

Incidentally, at that time, somehow finding out about the request, Yuukari and Nanase came along and of course, they knew about that

arrangement.

Their stereotypical father-complex friend, her first awareness of the opposite sex, her first date --- of course this kind of joke

material could not be overlooked by her two friends.

"Aah, so that's how it was! "

Looking glad from the bottom of her heart, Yuukari smiled. What appeared to be a good-natured smile made all of Ayano's muscles along

the spine shiver as she instinctively backed off.

"N-no, it's not really a date....."

"So, as a commemoration of Ayano-chan's first date, I have a gift for you. "
[[File:KnS Ignition 01 189.png|thumbnail]]
Stepping closer to Ayano, while still smiling, Yuukari placed '''the gift''' in her close friend's hand.

Ayano stared fixedly at the object on top of her hand.

For a short while, she didn't understand what it was at all. That light <<something>> wrapped in opaque vinyl.

She couldn't see the contents but the vinyl outline looked like a circle with a diameter of three centimeters.

".........?"

"Do your best! "

Together with words of encouragement, Yuukari made a very vulgar gesture with her hand.

Ayano clearly understood the meaning of the sign and realized the purpose of the thing she was holding.

''"Th- this is........a condom......!!"''

That's right. What could be played with like a balloon, used like an impromptu water bottle or to stop a blood cloth, that kind of

rubber product.

Of course, Yuukari didn't gave it to her to use in any such way but the original one, the gesture was loaded with that meaning.

"---!"

Speechless, Ayano flushed bright red, and as if she touched something filthy she threw the package in her hand.

Not satisfied with just that, she stepped on it with unconcealed anger.

The condom rubbed on the ground hard was exposed to a high frictional heat and finally was set on fire.

From the present full of Yuukari's ''good intentions'' not even ashes remained but turned to smoke and evaporated.

"Aah"

Very disappointed, Yuukari let out a murmur of despair.

"When I finally had the courage to buy it! "

"Don't have that sort of courage! Just don't! ", replied Ayano furiously.

"But shouldn't you be prepared just in case? "

Even Nanase spoke like that.

Ayano stared at those two with in a completely still manner.

"I don't know what the two of you are misunderstanding but this is not a date! For the sake of recovering some momey from the lowlife

that's making easy money without working, that's why I let him treat me to most expensive meal, that's the plan! Do you understand? "

".............."

Yuukari and Nanase looked blankly at Ayano, making public her ''real intention''.

Although flinching under that gaze, Ayano frantically continued.

"What?........th-that's the truth! The cooking is obviously a full course meal, the aperitif is Krug Champagne, the wine is Château

d'Yquem and Romanée-conti so there! "

By the way those products were extremely expensive Champagne, white wine and red wine.

They weren't normally combined because they would dry one's wallet.

But no matter how much Ayano shared her ''true feelings'', she couldn't correct their ''misunderstanding''.

"Ayano-chan, aren't you focusing too much on the alcohol? "

Yuukari revealed a somewhat out of sync impression.

"No, you see, if she were to drink all that she can use the ''drunken urge'' excuse", Nanase shrewdly offered her oppinion.

"Aah, that's convenient! Because Ayano-chan isn't quite honest with herself--- "

"That's right. She really put some thought into this, huh? "

What's more, after leaving the person in question out of the conversation and doing as they please, they suddenly turned towards her.

Facing Ayano, the vein on her temple popping because of anger, for a second time Yuukari extended her hand.

"So, I really think you should take this! "

On her open palm there were several contraceptive tools.

That was the final blow.

While the heat emitted from her body made the air flicker, Ayano shouted.

"Stooooooop this alreadyyyyy!! "

The evening

Ayano was escorted by Kazuma, finely dressed, to one of the restaurants in Shinjuku.

Today she is wearing a mature one-piece dress that was wrapping up her body and pumps with high heels.

If her friends were to see her they would have said that if her purpose was only to make Kazuma spend money, her uniform should have

been fine but, as expected they didn't follow her so far.

Instead, there was no one to praise the way she look after especially dressing up.

"All things considered, you had those kind of clothes, huh?"

After being showed in by the waiter and taking their seats by the window, while looking down on the city lights, Ayano said so with

admiration.

Kazuma was wearing extremely high class clothes, even though worn casually, in his usual style.

Adding the numbers from top to bottom, it was more than the yearly income of an average salary man.

"Hmm? Aah-- ", nodded Kazuma looking good.

"I slipped into the United Kingdom's royal palace not too long ago. It was necessary to have one tailored. "

"Royal palace? "

"Yeah. I searched for various information from the elite. Come to think of it, I had various close conversations with royalty. About

weather and such. "

".......is that close? ", relied Ayano in an amazed expression but Kazuma continued, not minding it.

"It was after the clock tower slanted so I was being fearful of not being found out. "

"It seems like there are always destroyed tall buildings whenever you are involved, hmm? ", shouted Ayano by reflex.

Several months from now on, the girl would remember this conversation together with the symbol of battle but as of now, it was still

a joke.

Looking really upset, Kazuma shook his head.

"It wasn't like that. Aah- look"

A short period of silence. And then, Kazuma clapped his hands, saying proudly.

"That's right, when I went to New York, I didn't destroy one residential building. "

This time Ayano wasn't angry. Making an excessively sorrowful expression instead, she murmured.

"......How to say this, wandering throughout the world and the behavior of taking time to remember where you ''didn't'' cause

destruction, can't you see any problem here? "

"No, not really"

Kazuma immediately replied. It was an impressive attitude as if saying he has nothing to be ashamed of.

".......I see. Well, that's good"

Realizing it was meaningless trying to demand common sense from this man, Ayano called the waited with a casual gesture.

By the way, her order was really the most expensive.

And by the time the hors d'oeuvres were taken away---

When Ayano turned eyes full of anticipation toward the waited who uncorked a bottle of wine and was just pouring in the glass, at

that time---

A gunshot resounded, making everyone silent.

Just like in any peaceful country there were almost no people in the restaurant who understood that was a gunshot.

But the riffle that right now fired consecutively and the reality of seeing the chandelier pulverized made the threat known to the

guests.

Instantly the restaurant was in panic.

"Silence! "

The angry voice of the man holding the gun appeased it. In the now quiet restaurant, men who clearly didn't respect the dress code

entered.

Five of them. They were all armed.

Their representative shouted.

"We are patriots who love the country, the <<Pure Patriotic Gathering>>! I'm sorry for interrupting in the middle of your meal but if

you are brothers who also love the country, I believe you will willingly cooperate with us! "

Maybe he planned to say it like a polite request but he he thought nothing about other people's circumstance and it felt like a very

pushy manner of speaking.

Well, naturally bragging with such a name like the <<Pure Patriotic Gathering>>, it was a mistake to expect common sense from such

people.

Anyway they came here planning to act criminally. Ripping off money from the customers and the restaurant or maybe abduction or

assassination.

In the end. they didn't found their real objective. Because---

"Kazuma, what's the matter? "

Kazuma caught in midair the bottle of wine the sommelier threw out but he was looking elsewhere, not at those men.

From the beginning civilians who had nothing else but guns couldn't possibly pose a threat to these two.

Ayano too calmly ignored them and following Kazuma's gaze, she opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"What, is that? "

A strange animal was seating on top of a vacant table.

It's shape resembled that of a lizard. It was extremely big but didn't seem abnormal. But even so, that lizard was bright red.

Except his body color he was entirely clad in flames. It wasn't a breed-cross.

Ayano had an idea about that type of creature.

"Why is a salamander here? "

A salamander is a species of Demon Beast living inside fire.

Except from when found in nature, it was impossible for it to suddenly appear downtown.

Kazuma replied to the puzzled Ayano.

"Wrong, that's not a salamander but a Spirit Beast that closely resembles that shape. "

"Spirit Beast? Huh, is that so? ", murmured Ayano as if seeing something curious.

"What, is this your first time? Ah, I remember now, it's not something popular in Japan"

A spirit beast is a collection of spirits controlled with a virtual personality that behaves like a living thing, employed like a

familiar, the agglutination of both Seirei-jutsu and ritual magic, a ''magical weapon''.

A Spirit Beast of Spirit Formula are some of the various names this technique has but it doesn't have a Japanese equivalent.

That's because this technique is not really used in Japan.

The merits of employing Spirit Beasts are two: full capacity sharing and specialization effect.

For these two to become a set, it's theoretically impossible to acquire just one.

First, the virtual persona must take over the spirit control to make possible now for the practitioner the control of more spirits

than he originally could.

Giving example the human society, it's the use of middle management for the sake of keeping an eye on each and every subordinate.

But because the virtual persona is the one actually controlling the Spirits a time lag is produced in the commands and detailed

instructions cannot be passed down.

Inevitably, the practitioner can only give the rough indications that were previously inserted in the virtual persona.

That's why it will move according to a program. Meaning, that it can do nothing else.

In short, by casting away the general purpose nature of Jutsu and instead only handle proper situations can one's power be displayed

beyond it's capacity.

So, the reason Spirit Beasts didn't spread in Japan is---

"What? "

because of them.

Because from the beginning like the Enjutsushi Kannagi Clan and the Chijutsushi Tsuwabuki Family, there were a lot world top class

Seirei Jutsushi family lineages present in Japan.

Thus, those superior people often boasted with their talent.

The masters of the art have the tendency of looking down on those not so excellent.

For such people, the technique called Sacred Beast was the way of circumventing the limit without acquiring the power, nothing more but

the <<deed of the weak>>.

Because that recognition spread all over the country, even if there were inferior Jutsushi in Japan, they would never have used the

spirit beasts nor study it.

Because it would be like declaring they belong to the weak.

"what a Jutsu to use......"

Looking at Kazuma who murmured those words, Ayano asked.

"Do you have one, a Sacred Beast? "

"No, I don't use one. But the only ones who can say ''I don't need it'', even among Kanagi's direct descendants are those who can at

least stand up against my old man. While it's true his ability decreased, it would be better to have even a weak talisman against

him"

"Hmmm...........", murmured Ayano as if thinking of something.

Staring at her, Kazuma coldly gave her a warning.

"Aah, I'm telling you, don't use it either. Rather that that kind of hobby, improve your swordplay. "

Ayano was already holding a very restrictive, specialized magic tool-- Enraiha.

The technical skill she was pursuing in order to perfectly handle it didn't allow her free time to get involved with another jutsu.

"I- I know that! ", replied Ayano with an expression that said she obviously didn't.

And, as if trying to change the subject, with a red face, she continued speaking.

"If that's a Sacred Bast does it mean a Enjutsushi is inside this restaurant? "

"It seems so. The flames can't really be controlled remotely"

"Are they opponents? Or allies? "

"Who knows? ", replied Kazuma thoroughly irresponsible.

Seeing that half-hearted attitude Ayano pouted but faster than she could criticize him, the situation changed.

The sacred beast opened his mouth wide and from that large opening, it spat out an even larger fireball.
[[File:KnS Ignition 01 201.png|thumbnail]]
The deep crimson fire gently danced in the air and touched the arm of one of the men carrying firearms. That instant, like a bubble

that bursts open, the fireball exploded, going out without a trace.

Together with the arm of the man it just touched.

"Eeh? Aah, Oooooooooooooo!? Waaahhhh! "

At first confused and next in a daze, the man finally panicked and started screaming, yielding the arm who disappeared from elbow-

down.

Because he cross-section was carbonized there was no blood.

"Wha- what is going on? "

The men who finally noticed the existence of the Sacred Beast turned their guns to the unfamiliar apparition.

Because they were trembling, the bullets didn't reach only the target but flew practically in all directions.

"Hey, hey"

With a murmur of surprise, Kazuma quickly took refuge under the table. Confused, Ayano followed.

And then, she secretly peeked on the situation above.

Mew, mew, mew

Raising that somewhat cute voice, the sacred beast rapidly-fired more fireballs.

The bolides that floated like soap bubbles hit the men holding guns, unaffected by their bullets.

''Bam''

''Bam''

''Bam''

Together with a comical sound, the fireballs burst open. Together with parts of their bodies.

Like cheese holes, their bodies spouted various openings. Because the end was carbonized there was no blood.

Even pierced through the stomach, their internal organs didn't spill out.

Even if the heads became halves, their brains didn't peek out.

There was no smell of blood.

It was a show of dismantled humans. It was an extremely graphic one, that spectacle of extreme pain.

The shooting was already over. Everyone was already dead. But even so the sacred beast continued firing making holes in the dead

bodies.

''Bam''

By accident or design, although loosing more that half of it's body, the corpse who was still standing was finally intercepted by a

fireball.

A silence as if the world ended fell.

Because of the phenomenon produced in front of their eyes, it's excessive quality, strangeness and gruesomeness--- they were all

speechless, unable to move.

A voice containing a small smile drifted in the air.

"---?"

Ayano turned around searching for the owner of the voice.

Together with that laughter, a silhouette appeared in front of them with a golden brilliance.

All customers looked her way.

Adorably waving his tail, the sacred beast standing on top of the table stepped up to her.

That one woman.

Golden hair gently waving and brilliant, sparky blue eyes that couldn't be mistaken even in the poor illumination.

What appeared was a beautiful woman, very luxurious, with an overbearing atmosphere adequate to a queen rather than a princess.

The woman approached the sacred beast that killed five people without fear. And then she slowly extended her hand---

"You did very well, Azazel. You're a very good kid"

The sacred beast-- Azazel was tickled under his jaw. Azazel purred like a cat.

"On the other hand"

While gently brushing Azazel's belly, the woman slowly turned around.

She was looking straight underneath the table Ayano's head was peeking out.

Her speech, gaze and attitude, including contempt in all of them, the woman said.

"Kannagi's Miko Hime (trad: Sorceress Princess), I am disappointed in you"

"What does that mean? Besides, who are you? "

Catching that provocative speech, Ayano raised her brows.

Doing so, the woman elegantly held the hem of her skirt and bowed.

"I was slow in introducing myself. I am Catherine McDonald. Hearing the name of the glorious McDonald family, you cannot say you do

not know, right? "

"----?"

Catherine McDonald was taught and used old-fashioned Japanese for her self-introduction.

But even so, Ayano couldn't think anything else but the name of a famous family restaurant.

Seeing Ayano tilting her head on the side, Katherine's elegance and good looks froze.

With a bitter smile, Kazuma followed.

"It's an American prestigious family of Enjutsushi. Especially when it comes to Spirits Beasts they are unrivaled. "

"Huh? How well informed. "

"That's common knowledge. In this society at least. "

Kazuma mercilessly sank his boot into the praising Ayano. But, there was a continuation.

"I see, since you are such an ignorant young girl, it's childish of me to get angry. "

Scowling at Katherine who was laughing full of sarcasm, Ayano shouted.

"S-shut up! Your pedigree is inconsequential! What did you mean you are disappointed in me? "

"Ara, that's pretty obvious, right? "

Raising her chin proudly, Katherine declared. And then, she lightly pointed at the corpses.

"Not punishing those kind of villains behaving so selfishly and hiding underneath the table thinking only of your own protection. We,

the <<powerful ones>> are supposed to have the duty of carrying out justice in behalf of the weak. Are you even aware of such a noble

duty? "

"Wait a minute. Do you claim this is justice? ", asked Ayano looking at the human wreckage full of holes but Katherine elatedly threw

out her chest in pride.

"Of course"

"Of course not! ", retorted Ayano.

"There are various methods, right? There was no need to kill them or if you wanted to kill then you should have done it before they

even managed to fire, you know? Just look around! Because you took your sweet time doing it, the place suffered so much damage! "

"..............."

As if to say ''"Ara, I have just noticed this"'' Katherine looked around.

Certainly inside the shop was full of bullet holes and victims bleeding out.

But even with such a spectacle in front of her eyes, her facial expression didn't waver even a little not feeling guilty and she

proudly declared.

"The important thing is that justice was carried out. Victims are of no importance. "

"Wah, what an American idea", murmured Ayano completely disgusted.

But with this, she understood.

That between her and this woman- Katherine McDonald, their sense of value were different from the foundation.

Even if they spoke the same language, they can never establish a conversation.

"Well.....I understand what you wanted to say. Although I don't agree. "

Giving up on the barren exchange, Ayano turned her back on Katherine.

There are plenty of activities better than insulting the creepy woman. First she should check the condition of the injured---

"Wait"

But even so, Katherine called out Ayano.

Annoyed, Ayano looked over her shoulder.

"What? "

"I came to Japan to meet you. We met here by chance but this is convenient. How about we get this thing over with? "

"Thing? "

"Yes, I want you to give me something-- no, two things"

She said ''to give'' but that was definitely not a request.

Taking on the rather aggressive gaze, Ayano urged her.

"Really?--- I don't feel like giving you a scrap of paper but how about saying it out loud? "

Picking a fight or rather accepting the challenge--- not hesitant at those words, Katherine smiled attractively.

"What I want is the title of ''the Strongest'' held by the Kannagi Clan. And as a proof of it, I would be glad to receive Enraiha,

the Sacred Tool you have received from the Spirit Lord"

At the direct declaration of war, Ayano's temple vein twitched.

"Bring it on! "

Closing her eyes partly, Ayano's lips raised.

"You know, I don't particularly consider myself the strongest but--- the title of ''The Strongest'' the Kannagi holds is not

something so cheap it can be handed over to a hamburger shop! "

This time Katherine's mouth twitched.

".....you said it"

A voice ripped at the bottom of Hell.

"You said them, those words! You regard in the same light my lineage family and a humble fast food restaurant! "

It seems she pricked something she shouldn't have. But Ayano sank her boot even more on the enraged Katherine.

"Ancient origin you said but aren't you an American? Then your history goes back two hundred years at most. How can you possibly boast

with that standard of tradition?", declared Ayano arrogantly, backed up by the history of a millennium.

"Sh-shut up! Even if our tradition is short, I won't let anyone look down on the name of our family who continued devoting their life

to the pursuit of magic, no matter who it is!"

"Then shouldn't you boast about that in the first place? Don't be so stingy and brag about your two hundred years blob of a history"

"S-stingy......!"

Even her knowledge of Japanese was incomplete, Katherine understood perfectly well that contempt.

And then, Ayano gave the trembling Katherine the final blow.

"You actually want to say ''We worked so hard. Please praise us!'' Yes, that right, how admirable. You can come closer to pat you on

the head. But, aren't you too conceited to challenge the Kannagi Clan? If you apologize while grinding your forehead to the ground,

I'll forgive you just now. "

As a return to the declaration of war that got full marks.

Those provocative words and the tone full of scorn conveyed to the opponent without a doubt that the situation couldn't be concluded

just verbally anymore.

"That's just fine! ", murmured Katherine in a monotonous, strangely flat tone.

Just like before, although there was no emotional disturbance in her tone it didn't mean she wasn't angry.

She was already beyond that level.

"I will show you the power of the rising family without history nor tradition. The technique you looked down upon as ''weak'' I'll

let your body decide just how much might doest it have!"

Coincident with the loud declaration, Katherine boosted her power. The flame that manifested in front of her immediately molded in a

human shape.

Matching that, Ayano unsheathed Enraiha.

Crimson and gold---the two-colored flames, each dazzling, spread forcefully dying the world in their colors.

''"Well then--- "''

While looking at those two about to clash with a sidelong glance, Kazuma investigated the surroundings.

It seems that the manager of the shop was a quick wit as he already skillfully finished evacuating the customers.

Not one injured person remained around, in fact there was enough information to understand the situation.

In any case, there was no outsider on the floor. If it's like that, even if those two were to become violent, no serious harm will

come of it.

If he were to contact Kirika afterward, the situation could be settled, on way or another.

As lond as those two's crash won't destroy the entire building.

''"If it comes to that, I'm the one who has to stop them? Don't wanna..."''

Reluctant from the bottom of his heart, Kazuma grumbled in his heart.

If he were to stop them, he had to be prepared to use his power without reservation from the bottom of his heart.

"Well, no need to think that far ahead"

This time expressing it out loud, as if suddenly thinking about something, Kazuma headed for the kitchen.

"Come forth, my protective spirit, Metatron! "

From the back Katherine's vigorous shout could be heard.

In a stance holding Enraiha, Ayano observed the thing in front of her eyes.

It was a little over two meters. Looking like a Greek sculpture, it had a very beautifully proportioned body.

On it's back there were huge wings-- unsurprisingly clinched, the figure on an ''Angel''.

But even if the idea was stale, the modeling was praiseworthy.

That extremely detailed appearance that didn't seem possible to be molded out of fire emitted the dignity appropriate for it's name,

''the one sitting on the throne''.

In his right hand there was a sword resembling Enraiha.

Holding it loosely Metatron confronted Ayano.

"Come now, Kannagi's Miko Hime", pronounced Katherine in a tone bouncing with excitement.

"Please make way for the concentrated effort of my entire family, our protective spirit! "

Protective spirit. The moment she thought that was the way the sacred beast was called--- it moved.

The wings on it's back spread widely, flapping them. Doing so, fire feathers spread from them, shooting out like knifes.

There were a lot of them.

Instantly Ayano's field of vision was covered in feathers.

"---!!"

The Kannagi Clan is under the divine protection of all Fire Spirits. Their bodies cannot be injured by fire.

The only exception under the attack of more excellent Enjutsushi, Genma and Juugo only, as far as she knew.

Whether it's McDonalds or Lotteria (another fast food chain) it doesn't matter, she didn't think a developing family could gather

enough power.

But Ayano swung Enraiha intercepting the flame feathers. The gushing out golden flame swallowed countless plumes and consumed them.

The flame feathers couldn't negate Ayano's blaze and were too quickly gone. But immediately following the flaming angel drew near

Ayano piercing the raging golden flame.

The sword held in it's right hand was already raised overhead.

''"Fast.....!"''

Ayano side-stepped on a grand scale. She narrowly escaped the flame sword aiming straight at her.

Ayano took a bid sidestep. She managed to avoid by a hair's breath the sword aiming at her in a straight line.

Luckily there was no pursuit.

In front of Ayano, Enraiha ready, Metatron slowly turned.

"............."

Carefully, she put distance between them. And then, considered what might follow.

The Spirit Beast, in a word, the manifestation of the phenomenon of binding together Spirits and altering their form to one's desire.

Naturally, the more it was altered the more it deviated from essence.

Meaning that the thing called Metatron was Katherine's familiar first and then flame.

If so, it must be admitted. - that flame was was capable of harming even Ayano.

If not for that, it's impossible she would just pick a fight with her.

Resolving herself, Ayano started to run. As in agreement, Metatron did too.

"-----uueh!?"

Metatron didn't. Not moving his feet, not even changing his posture, as if gliding, with a high speed movement he swung his sword at

Ayano.

Because of too much surprise, her timing was off.

Unable to sustain it or dodge, she evaded by clumsily tumbling on the floor.

This time there was pursuit.

In a flash Metatron closed in and swung down the flaming sword.
[[File:KnS Ignition 01 217.png|thumbnail]]
Getting up by utilizing the force of her tumble, Ayano simultaneously raised Enraiha. The slashing attack that cut towards the sky

scattered easily the ablaze sword.

"---fuu", breathed Ayano lightly taking her distance while getting poised back for charging.

Thinking about it, it was only natural. Metatron had a humanoid shape but that was only its outward appearance.

There was no need for it to follow the movement of a human body made of skeleton and muscles. Rather, in spite of looking human he

moved the way no human could -- it could be considered some sort of weapon that exploits a gap in one's mind. Which means, Ayano was

splendidly caught up in it.

''"How to say it, that's a real nuisance......."''

Because the scope of her power was unknown, Ayano was pressured to follow her pace from the beginning. If she could she would ignore

such a thing and strike the Jutsushi herself so she was carefully preparing for such a thing.

She fleetingly examined Catherine's appearance. Noticing her gaze, showing a refined smile, the girl said:

"Please give up such a pointless resistance and admit your defeat, if you are so inclined? "

"As if, dunce", replied Ayano frankly.

At the rude tone, Catherine involuntarily knit her brows.

"Although as a woman I have a problem with such a manner of speaking, all right. To make you realize the difference in power, it will

hurt for a little bit. "

In response to the silent command, Metatron came forward. Matching that, Ayano also raised Enraiha.

She won't give him the time to use such a gliding motion. From the beginning, that trick could only work once. And, with only pure

might, she will cut that fire sword with Enraiha----

"--haaa!"

Just as she expected, in a moment the fire sword vanished. A continuous diagonal flash obliquely sliced Metatron's body.

From the cross-section of the bisected fire angel, dumbfounded and rock-still, Catherine's expression could be seen.

Facing her way, Ayano proudly declared.

"If I get kind of serious, this is the result"

"Ah, what are you talking about? ", came the reply immediately.

In that instant, Ayano realized. That Catherine's mouth, whose protecting spirit was supposed to have been destroyed, was still

smiling. And then, the bisected Metatron, without having healed his injury, made a stab with with his left hand holding the sword.

In Ayano's brain the previous deduction was revived with the speed of lightning.

Metatron's human form was only skin-deep. His insides didn't imitate those of a human, it was dangerous to employ battle tactics that

would work against a human. The way she moved, also aiming for his vitals.

''"Am I an idiot or what----!"''

In her heart, Ayano was abusing herself. The opponent wasn't even a life form. Whether she bisected him or shredded him julienne

style, it was theoretically impossible for it to die.

She couldn't imerse herself in the reverberation of victory until after she defeated Catherine McDonald.

"Kuh--"

There was no more time to raise Enraiha. Without hesitation Ayano let go of Enraiha and intercepted Metatron's hand with her empty

right hand clad in flame.

'''Crash''' - ignoring the heat and impact transmitted whole through her right hand, she swung her arm with all her strength.

The girl's fist smashed the hand holding the sword and his entire left arm.

As expected she couldn't offset erything -- her hand, for the first time was lightly burned -- but it wasn't bad enough to disable

her from holding her sword.

Compared with taking a direct hit, it was nothing more but damage that could be ignored.

"--Return"

In a low voice, Catherine made Metatron fall back. And then, while she restored the damaged part, looked at Ayano with a damp gaze

"You're really obstinate, geez"

"---?"

Ayano slightly tilted her hand to the side in confusion at the enemy's appearance abruptly loosing it's composure.

That woman was still supposed to hold the advantage even now.

But, while observing Catherine, she realized. That what was reflected in her eyes was the feeling of fear.

In spite of commencing many lethal attacks, Ayano was still going strong.

She wasn't unhurt but she still had plenty of combat ability left in her.

Faced with that reality, Catherine felt fear towards the existence of an enemy who could evenly fight against her.

Perhaps, up until now she never fought someone stronger or even.

That's right, she was the same Ayano was before meeting Kazuma.

If so, now it was the time to attack.

''"What am I supposed to do?"''

Ayano too, didn't discover the way to beat Metatron. She understood the extent of it's power but even so she couldn't find the weak

spot to give it a decisive blow.

Or perhaps, it was pointless to attack that thing. So to speak, he was similar with the paper something was stamped on so even it it

was torn off, as long as the stamp template remained, it could be reproduced as much as one likes.

''"If Metatron's flame can burn through everything, before he can do so next time I'll attack the Jutsushi itself"''

She considered the idea that came to her head randomly. But before she could reach a conclusion, she received the right answer from

outside.

"It's impossible"

"---!?"

At the murmur she heard from behind, Ayano jumped extremely surprised.

Peeking behind a little but still keeping her eyes on Catherine, she saw Kazuma's figure sitting down on top of the table in a

perfectly relaxed manner.

"You.....where have you been until now......"

Beginning to speak, Ayano stopped in mid-sentence. There was no point in knowing that.

Rather, it was possible he had been there the entire time sightseeing or sneaked behind Ayano only to frighten her.

At any rate, it was impossible for her to grasp Kazuma elusive presence in the middle of the battle.

"What's impossible?"

"Different from the flame as a natural phenomenon, even for you it's impossible to burn the flame bent by another's spell. Give up",

declared Kazuma as if reading Ayano's mind.

She naturally agreed with him but but she had no other plan. Spontaneously, while sulking, she asked.

"Then, what are you telling me to do?"

"You're confusing what you should be burning with what you see"

An incomprehensible answer was returned. Ayano wanted further clarification, but with a ill-natured smile Kazuma shook his head.

"That's the only hint you get. It's also tasteless to interrupt other people's brawl with conversation"

Declaring so, irresponsible to the limit and saying ''do your best'', for the second time he entered the ''watch the game'' mode. It

was obvious he had no intention of saying anything anymore.

Ayano resigned her questioning and confronted Metatron. Naturally all the damage it received up until now disappeared without a

trace.

"I won't be going easy on you anymore", said Catherine obviously having lost her composure.

"Be destroyed here, Kannagi Miko Hime!"

In response to her loud shout, Metatron approached promptly.

Also determined, Ayano met the enemy.

''"The refresh rate rose!?"''

Realizing that fact, her face turned pale.

Because Catherine gave it her all to manage it, the guardian spirit shaped like an angel clearly increased its power.

His regeneration speed was especially uncommon.

Even if she bisected it's torso, by the time the sword came out, the cut on the opposite side was already beginning to heal.

No matter how many times she cut him it was pointless.

''"Kuh----what am I supposed to do------?"''

While tiding over Metatron's fierce attack, Ayano recalled Kazuma's words.

'''''"You're confusing what you should be burning with what you see" '''''

Certainly not ignoring Metatron and aiming for Catherine. If that were so simple there would be no difficulties and if she were to do

it by brute force it would require enough caloric value to use almost all her ability.

Total annihilation - she was reluctant to do that.

If so, what exactly was she supposed to burn of Metatron - of the spirit beast. There's no point destroying only a part of him.

The spirit beast - the virtual persona binding the spirits that did no more that imitating human form.

Therefore he had no vitals and even if she were to behead him, like a headless knight he would easily continue to fight.

''"Aah, if that's the case, is it hopeless burning the virtual persona?"''

In a flash thought Ayano she had a good idea but the next moment it was discarded.

Even if theoretically it was possible, Ayano didn't have the experience for such a fine technique.

''"That baka, he didn't tell me what he himself would do, right?"''

While silently abusing Kazuma, she avoided Metatron's flaming sword.

As a matter of fact using this spirit beast was foul play.

When it was was nothing but fire to injure her body, because of that strange alteration the flames were fully blocked off.

"Che--- huh?"

In response to that truth that suddenly dawned upon her, Ayano forgot she was in the midst of battle and stood rock still.

''"Is that something that works?"''

Following that break Metatron approached urgently but without even noticing it, Ayano was immersed in her own thoughts.

And then, just before the sword was about to pierce her forehead, Ayano manifested a golden flame and purified Metatron.

Once she became aware of it, it was a very simple thing.

Because it was altered, all she had to do was revert it to it's normal state.

No matter what Jutsu formula was used to make the spirit beast, no matter where it was - all of it didn't matter.

She simply used the natural phenomenon called flame as a denominator and got rid of all the extra noise.

Thus, the Kannagi flame was a purifying flame - exorcising everything that wasn't natural, the flame that crushed evil.

It didn't matter how strong the the spirit beast Catherine McDonald was using was.

Because the Kannagi Clan was the natural enemy of all those employing Spirit Beasts.

Ayano's flame instantly burned through the Jutsu that configured Metatron.

In a moment, the fire angel's delicate modeling crumbled away and for the time being lost it's human shape and was reduced to a

child's molding.

Passing by that powerless thing, in a sprint Ayano ran towards Catherine.

She won't give her the time to make another Metatron.

She obviously wouldn't kill her so she put the sword away. Instead, tightly grasping her fist she turned it to that composed face.

But it seemed it wasn't necesary. Dumbfounded, absolutely dumbfounded Catherine was standing still as if fossilized.

It was obvious the battle finished.

''"Was loosing her protective spirit she boasted about that much of a shock? No--"''

The expression of that woman was pure fear. And her gaze was slightly turned away from Ayano to where Metatron once was.

''"Eh? Huh? Wait, no way--"''

Slightly later, Ayano too noticed. The reason Catherine was terrified.

The protective spirit, the flame spirits packed tightly within an angel template was a high density mass of flame.

If so, if that model were to be unfastened without following the proper procedures----

"Wait a minute-------------------------!"

It already became the case where Catherine wasn't the opponent anymore. If she couldn't control that flame and let it be dispelled,

the calorific value and shock wave released would turn this building to nothingness.

Putting herself together, Ayano stretched out her hand and consciousness. But---

She didn't make in time.

A thunderous roar instantly paralyzed her eardrums. The crimson flame filled the floor. That thing itself represented no particular

problem.

The flame already returned to its natural state was unable to harm an Enjutsushi.

But she had no way of resisting the shock wave that accompanied that flame.

The blast swept away her body together with that of the girl who was her antagonist just now and expelled them ten meters above the

ground.

The feeling of floating for an instant and then obeying the law of gravitation, Ayano's body started to fall.

"Kyaaaaaah!"

"Shut up, you're noisy"

That high scream was silenced by a sullen low bass. Before she knew it, Ayano was embraced by Kazuma's arms, standing still in the

air.

"Aah.....Kazuma.....thank you"

"You're welcome"

Saying so in a posture she couldn't calm herself down and while blushing, Kazuma replied in a blunt tone.

While thinking his attitude was unusually cold, Ayano first inquired:

"That woman?"

In silence Kazuma jerked his jaw. Following that, she saw Cathrine seeming to fly in the sky on a brand new Metatron she somehow

managed to make - holding onto him and overlooking them.

It was difficult to grasp the distance in mid-air but she seemed apart by ten meters. But even at this distance, that odious smile

was in place as she loudly declared.

"Kannagi Miko Hime! I'll be so generous and recognize today was a draw!"

"Wha--"

At that shameless way of speaking, Ayano was at a loss for words. But completely pulling herself together after a few seconds,

yelling with bare rage, she retorted:

"Don't kid me you dunce! No matter how you think about it, it's my victory! If you are so inclined I'll purify that puppet right here

and right now and let you experience a parachute-free free fall!"

With a start, Catherine's shoulders began to tremble she understood they were too far apart.

Little by little, but steadily her silhouette drew further and further.

"A- anyway, today I'll grant you forgiveness. Next time I'll thoroughly whip the floor with you so look forward to that!"

"How fussy, don't ever come back, or rather die here!"

Screaming so, Ayano raised Enraiha overhead but before she managed to swing it down Kazuma stopped her.

She turned around furiously seeing Kazuma's face even more displeased, she gulped down her words.

"That woman doesn't matter. The problem is here"

Saying so, Kazuma shifted her body. In Ayano's field of vision the building they have been in until now was reflected.

It was a miserable sight. the top floor where the battle took place was blowing up flames and smoke even now and because of the last

explosion the rooftop was shaking ominously.

"Huh--? But surprisingly the damage is not very bad, I almost expected it's entire destruction"

"......Because most of the explosion was directed outside. By me", spat out Kazuma as if saying he needlessly expended effort.

He pouted dissatisfied.

"What's with the attitude? Haven't I acted according to Kazuma's advice?"

"Because I never thought you wouldn't notice that"

About what would happen after dealing with Metatron---

"Uuu...."

Beyond doubt, that was her own mismanagement. Ayano mumbled without any words to retort.

"Well, it's in the past so don't worry about it. The problem is that"

Kazuma pointed to the rooftop of the building.

"Still, I wasn't able to deflect all of it. A big part of the shock went up. The rooftop will collapse pretty soon"

".......eh?"

"Because the top floor's floor is done for, it's unable to support the double weight. So, it will fall down. And it will cause a

chain reaction"

".......Whait, that's....."

Faced with such a serious situation, Ayano turned pale. In the worst case scenario the building will collapse in its entireness.

"Even if the other party initiated aggression, all the same it's bad if an entire building gets destroyed because of your private

matter. Besides there will be a lot of casualties. "

"Wha.......what am I supposed to do? "

With an expression about to burst into tears any second, Ayano looked up at Kazuma.

As expected in such circumstance not even Kazuma would tease Ayano and directly suggested his plan.

"Thoroughly burn the roof and top floor with Enraiha. "

"----ha?"

"Not just blow it away. there's no point damaging the lower floor. The explosion, the shock, all of it, burn it all to nothingness."

Having it explained so clearly, even Ayano understood it. In other words, that the main catalysis for the chain caving in should be

eliminated before it can happen.

It was a terribly coercive feat of strength but there was no time to dwell on it.

Her decision reflected in her pupils, Ayano drew Enraiha.

"I'll support you. Don't hold back"

Influenced by Kazuma's voice, Ayano brandished Enraiha with all her strength.

"Ah, geez, I'm so tired!"

Vigorously dropping herself on a perk bench, Ayano shouted in a tone loaded with emotion.

"Why do I have to experience this kind of thing even in one of my off days!? "
[[File:KnS Ignition 01 233.png|thumbnail]]
Kazuma, soundlessly sitting down next to her, murmured with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Isn't it because your usual behavior is sinful? "

"That's not something you could say to me! ", retorted Ayano in a flash.

But, instantly calming her anger, she entrusted her body to the bench in a dispirited manner.

"Aah--aah....."

A murmur void of energy leaked out. Casting her eyes down she spontaneously saw her own appearance.

To speak frankly it was shabby. The brand-new one-piece dress was dirty here and there and torn, she had no choice but to throw it

away now. Because she went on a rampage her hair was disheveled.

Ayano couldn't suppress her sigh.

No matter who the other party was, this was still her first date. Even if she didn't approve of him, even so, she spent time selecting

her outfit, carefully arranging her hair and even if it was light, she wore make-up.

And yet---

"Aah--aah....."

''You overdid it, God'' -- she couldn't help but think like that.

But faced with humans who disrespectfully tried to push the cause of their own unhappiness onto him, God obviously wouldn't help.

Rather, he would bestow another blow just to make sure.

'''Kyururu......'''

In the dark park the girl's stomach rumbled. Properly speaking it was a small sound but in the quiet space it roared like a thunder.

"..........."

In the world that once more grew quiet, bright red to the ears, Ayano curled herself.

Because of too much embarrassment, she couldn't even look up.

But even so.

".....................I'm hungry"

That's all she could think of to say.

If she thought about it, she didn't get to eat her precious full meal, little of the hors d'óeuvres, she didn't get to enjoy the

delicious wine she was looking forward to and was dragged into battle.

Her hunger already passed the level where it could just be ignored.

Everything is this guy's fault - with unjustified resentment through misunderstanding, Ayano scowled at Kazuma.

Unusually gentlemanly Kazuma was smoking pretending he didn't hear her stomach and,when feeling her gaze, stood up with a wry smile.

"Wait a minute"

Saying so, he disappeared from the park. And several minutes later --

"There you go"

Having returned, Kazuma tossed something in Ayano's hands.

"Kyaa!? Wh-what? "

By reflex Ayano caught it and observed the unexpectedly hot beanbag.

A large lump of faint violet color. The packed contents seemed thick and heavy. The aroma rising from it was sweet.

"---roasted sweet potato?"

"Yeah"

Not affected by that critical gaze, Kazuma resumed sitting on the bench.

Ayano was still looking at him a critical gaze as if he was the enemy of her parents.

"Why did a French full course turned into a roasted potato?"

"With that appearance we can't go to another restaurant, right? If you don't like it, there was a ramen cart behind the park?"

"........it's fine"

Burying her dissatisfaction, Ayano tore the sweet potato right in half and bit into it.

''"Wah......it's delicious"''

The sweetness that spread inside her as if melting. The warmth that reached her core, her cold body and her heart that grew wild -

becoming relaxed was irrepressible.

"Do you want some?"

In a tolerant mood after her hunger subsided, Ayano held out to Kazuma part of the potato but--

"No, I'm fine"

Kazuma declined and took out a small bottle from his bosom.

The moment he removed the cork, a rich flavor stimulated Ayano's nose.

"Eeh, wait a minute, is that...."

With a backward glance at Ayano, frowning as if she realized something, Kazuma nimbly gulped from the bottle.

And then let out a long breath of satisfaction.

"Yeah, it's delicious"

"Wait, you.....this is, no way "

"Hmm, yeah, because the bottle was already opened so it would be wasteful not to drink it. If I didn't take it out, I would very

much regretted it"

As expected - thought Ayano amazed by Kazuma's shrewdness.

At that time there was an uncorked wine bottle on their table.

In the middle of that chaos, Kazuma pilfered a small bottle from the kitchen and secured part of the wine.

""You......when someone else is fighting for her life, why are you behaving so selfishly? "

"That's fine. This is very expensive after all"

"But it's not like you payed for it!"

"........."

As if he realized it just now hearing Ayano's reply, Kazuma stared in wonder.

"---I see"

'''Pan''' - And then he clapped his hands.

But of course, he wasn't the kind of man to reform his attitude because of that ---

"Aah, in that case it's excellent. Free of charge is a lovely expression"

Spouting a thoroughly self-centered remark, he was about to drink from it a second time.

But Ayano roughly clutched the bottle.

"It's not excellent at all! Besides who decided you ca drink by yourself!? Give it to me too! "

"No, I don't think sweet potatoes go with wine"

"Just do it!"

While shouting Ayano tore off the bottle by brute force. Next she was about to try the wine when suddenly realizing something she

stiffened.

Fleetingly throwing a side-glance Kazuma's way she lightly blushed.

''"This.....Kazuma's mouth....."''

Several seconds of reticence. Kazuma peeked with a look of complaint at Ayano, whose movements stopped while staring at the bottle.

"Wha--at? If you're not going to drink give it---"

"I- I'm drinking it!"

Relying on the force of her shout, Ayano gulped down from the bottle with all her strength. But, because she was a bit too forceful

most of the wine flew in her trachea.

Ayano magnificently choked.

Staring amazed at her coughing so violently her body seemed to break, Kazuma murmured:

"........what are you doing. This is wasteful"

"le......leave me alone......"

Taking great pains to normalize her breath, Ayano wiped her her mouth. But droplets of spilled wine were still remaining on her

cheeks and neck.

About to tell her that, Kazuma suddenly showed a broad grin full of mischief.

Stealthily he came near Ayano's face who was still somewhat short of breath --- and using his tongue licked the cheek where red

droplets of wine still remained.

"Waaah Hyaaaaaaa!"

Ayano jumped up while screaming hysterically.

"Wha- wha- wha- what are you--!?"

"Hmm? I just took the wine droplets stuck to you, that's all. ", replied Kazuma calmly at Ayano's confused cry.

And then he sucked the rape of her neck.

Raising a soundless scream, Ayano flew from the bench.

With one hand she pressed down the clearly red mark on her neck and glared at Kazuma with just as red a complexion.

"Wha-what are you doing, you sexual harassment bastard! Sex offender! Rapist! "

The accusation was heavy but even so, it didn't disturb Kazuma.

Rather, Ayano's anger was some sort of appetizer served with drinks and before one knows it he snatched back the wine bottle.

Glaring with teary eyes at this cannibal-like man, Ayano yelled.

"Bakaaaa! The likes of you, the likes of you, I haaate you sooo much! "

Next day.

"Aah, a hickey on your neck! Geez, Ayano-chan, you took one step on the road to adulthood, huh? "

"Wrong! Don't say such disgraceful things! "

<noinclude>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Ignition_Volume1_Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Kaze_no_Stigma|Main Page]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Kaze no Stigma:Ignition Volume1 Chapter 5

2020-08-04T00:11:32Z

72.80.103.151: /* Chapter 5 - Let's go to the amusement park! */

== Chapter 5 - Let's go to the amusement park! ==

Yagami Kazuma looked at the two tickets held out in front of him with an indifferent gaze.

"--- This is?"

"As you see, tickets to the amusement park"

Kannagi Juugo responded at that lazy question in a vaguely good mood.

"With this ticket you have a free pass for everything for one day. "

He started speaking even about what was not asked.

Giving off the feeling that even asking questions was too bothersome, Kazuma waited in silence for the continuation.

Noticing that attitude, Juugo continued the conversation in a somewhat more serious tone.

"This time I want you to purify a spirit incident at that amusement park"

Without giving Kazuma time to cut in, he finished saying it until the end.

"Both of you"

Kazuma and Juugo's daughter, Ayano, looked at each other, each with a complicated facial expression.

"Any questions? "

Juugo asked and Kazuma raised his hand immediately.

"While it's open? "

"Yes"

Hearing that answer, as expected, Kazuma immediately declared.

"Them, I don't need her. "

Ayano made a sullen face but didn't said anything. She was self-aware her own technique was not suited for that field.

Ayano is an Enjutsushi who can manipulate fire. And to call that technique showy was an understatement.

In an amusement park crowded with humans it's impossible for her to use it.

But, Juugo obstinately recommended her involvement.

"That's why I'm asking you. It's time for Ayano to become skilled at finely manipulating her ability. I want you to teach her various

things. "

But even so Kazuma didn't agree. He had the professional attitude of removing everything that had even the smallest probability of

lowering his chance of success.

Faced with Kazuma's determined attitude, Juugo solemnly announced.

"Of course, for an additional fee. "

"If you put it that way, there's nothing to do about it"

Kazuma was easily lured in by the remuneration.

Toward that shameful appearance -

".........you're the worst"

A murmur filled with disdain, from the bottom of her heart.

Ayano stared at him with a subdued expression.

".....well then, we have a deal"

Refusing even to comment on his beloved daughter's cold-hardheartedness, Juugo brought the conversation to a finish.

But in no time, Kazuma retorted.

"Hey, don't sum it up without any explanation of the situation. What did the spirit interfere with? The damage? "

"I don't know the details"

"----The client? "

"I cannot say"

"Then don't accept such dodgy work"

"It's an obligation I cannot refuse"

Juugo replied to Kazuma's fed up with it tone with a nonchalant air.

"Even the existence of the spirit is not for sure. If you don't find the abnormality it doesn't matter, you too can enjoy yourselves

that day. "

"What's up with that......aaah"

Kazuma replied in an even more tedious voice but suddenly something came to his mind and his facial expression cheered up.

"What? "

"Then let Ren come too"

"Hmmm......"

This time Juugo frowned.

"If it's half in fun, it would be more enjoyable if he were there. "

Those thick-skinned words riffled Ayano's feathers.

"Me too, I don't want just the two of us going to the Amusement Park together! "

".........."

Gazing at those two who started their usual, Juugo let out a deep, deep sigh.

The next day

"Well.....it feels good being outside", declared Ren with a cramp on his face, walking on the metropolitan area, on a very popular

spot where the amusement park was situated

There was no reply.

Ayano was still sullen from yesterday and Kazuma, somewhat unusual, was looking around the surroundings like a country bumpkin, not

really hearing Ren's words.

Noticing that suspicions attitude, Ayano put aside her anger for a moment and looked at Kazuma.

"Why are you so restless? It's not like you came to the Amusement Park for the first time, right? "

"In Japan, it's the first time. "

Ren and Ayano were amazed by Kazuma's readily answer and were staring at him with round eyes.

"Were you lacking friends to that extent, you? "

"She means, shouldn't you generally have come here on a trip from school? "

Looking down on the amazed pair, Kazuma shrugged his shoulders with a careless gesture.

"''If you have time to play, train'' was Oyaji's favorite phrase. I didn't have the time to come to the amusement park.

Anyhow, until I was take care by the Kannagi and until I was eighteen I never had a one day long holiday once"

"---That may be worthy of compassion ", Ayano calmly murmured.

"To say nothing of the fact that it was all in vain"

"Nee-sama..........."

At that excessively frank comment, Ren's face became stiff.

Certainly, Kazuma was born into the Kannagi but didn't have even a fragment of an Enjutsushi's talent.

"Well, that's the past"

In one sentence Kazuma discarded the memories of a harsh youth.

Ayano and Ren turned looks of admiration at the surprisingly manly display. But, Kazuma continued.

"Besides, if you have hardship in the first part of your life, it's decided the rest of it should be spent living in comfort.

That's why, you kids should work hard for the sake of '''my''' lazy lifestyle. "

"Aren't your remaining years too long, you hereditary sloth! ", retorted Ayano in a flash.

"Really, remember the responsibility that came up with your power, even a little. Hey, get to work already! "

"----Right. Then Ren, what do you want to ride first? "

"Get to wooork!! "

At that time when Ayano was screaming like usual.

"Huh, isn't that Ren? "

From the side, suddenly a voice called out.

Being addressed, Ren turned his attention to the voice. And then he smiled broadly, looking glad.

"Serisawa-kun. And Suzuhara-san too"

Serisawa Tatsuya and Suzuhara Kanon were standing there. They were Ren's close friends who graduated from elementary school just a few days ago.

"Eeh? ---Huh? "

Ayano too recognized those two's presence and lightly opened her eyes wide.

Before her eyes, Kanon made a well mannered bow.

"Good day to you, Ayano-Onee-sama, Kazuma-san"

On the other side, Serisawa, not taking his eyes off Ren, laughed somewhat clumsily.

"Did you come to have fun too? What an unexpected meeting, huh?"

It was a strangely flat tone. His facial expression was stiff.

Like a reprimand, Kanon poked with her elbow to the side but that unnatural tone didn't change.

"If it's like that, won't you come play with us? "

"Eh"

At Serisawa's request, with a confused face, Ren looked up at Kazuma.

"Hmm? Aah. it's fine, you can go"

Kazuma generously agreed. Ren was about to rush to their side in high spirits.

But.

"Wait a minute"

Ayano called Ren to a halt. All eyes concentrated on her.

"Aah, no, I'm not really against it but are those two fine with it? Won't you get in the way? "

"Why? ", asked Kanon.

"Because you two came to have fun together, right? Which means--- "

"Onee-sama"

Shortly, dispassionately, Kanon restrained Ayano.

Just like her name, her sweet, beautiful voice was rolling like a bell. But, the chill dwelling in that voice was enough to freeze

Ayano's words.

"I believe that in this world there are jokes you can and cannot make. Me and this gorilla--- what? I'll say this frankly but I don't

have any sodomy hobbies."

".......sodomy, huh........"

Faced with that frank expression that didn't seem to belong to a twelve years old girl, Ayano involuntarily blushed.

As Serisawa didn't seem to understand the meaning of the word, he was standing there dumbfounded.

"It's not like we came together just the two of us, we simply strayed from the others. This thing's body is pointlessly big so he's

standing in for the landmark. Please don't misunderstand. "

"Haa.......I see"

Overwhelmed by that intensity Ayano meekly nodded and Kanon continued unable to suppress herself.

"That's why that sort of consideration is unnecessary. If not for the sake of playing with Ren I wouldn't even walk on the same

sidewalk as this gorilla "

"Who is a gorilla!? "

"Don't raise your voice in such a strange way"

"Both of you, stop fighting"

In a composed tone of voice Ren rebuked those two who were about to have a fit.

"Today we'll have fun all the three of us so get along with each other, OK? It's silly quarreling in such a place. "

"Aah....."

"Uuu...."

Like an angel that sealed all their objections, both mumbled. Without missing that gap, Ren settled the argument.

"Then, that's how it is. Nii-sama, I'm sorry since you took the trouble of inviting me. Let's come back some other time, OK? "

"Huh, aah---"

Kazuma nodded vaguely.

Waving his hand to his brother, Ren started walking taking those two along.

"What do you want to ride? "

""First of all is the roller-coaster, obviously"

"I want to ride the Ferris wheel. Just the two of us. "

"Aaah? "

"What? "

"It's best taking turns and riding what you both want. We have time. Aah, the Ferris wheel with all three of us, OK? "

Are they really friends? Perhaps --- Kazuma and Ayano saw the trio off.

Kazuma sighed.

"......hey, what's up with him, is he domesticating them or what? "

"Aaah, yeah....", nodded Ayano somewhat uncomfortable.

"Hey, at the graduation ceremony day, I don't know what happened but he suddenly recovered right? Ever since then, how to put this,

doesn't it look like he became unbound by the past? "

"---unbound by the past?"

"Yeah. When he invited those kids home, when they were fighting, he was cleverly mediating it.

He experienced a sad love and matured greatly---"

Fleetingly looking at Kazuma in a meaningful way, Ayano continued.

"I was worried. If he would have turned out like you, I wouldn't have been able to face Ayumi-chan. "

"It's all right. "

Seeing Ayano concerned, Kazuma declared with confidence.

"He's earnestly facing ahead. He won't be caught up in the past. "

"----Eeh? "

Ayano unexpectedly opened her eyes wide. The words just now weren't charged with an especially deep meaning, she only meant to say

''It's good he didn't turn into a womanizer like Kazuma'' but---

"----Come, let's start working"

Noticing his verbal slip Kazuma wanted to change the subject by demonstrating an unbecoming will to work.

Of course, Ayano didn't want to give up on the elusive clue she barely managed to grasp.

"Wait a minute! What did you mean just now? Tell me everything there is so know to the finest detail! "

"We're in the middle of work. Don't mix private stuff in it and do it seriously! "

"With whose mouth are you saying that!? "

Kazuma trying to escape, Ayano drawing closer.

---The people left behind had fun their own way.

At the same time----

"I'm sorry. For calling you so suddenly ", said Ren to those two he was supposed to meet by chance.

It's about what happened yesterday.

Ren, ordered to to go together with Kazuma and Ayano, was informed about the real situation about the incident directly from Juugo.

"It's about Kazuma and Ayano----"

Juugo started to speak in a grave tone.

"Those two, can't they get along a little better? "

"Haaa......", agreed Ren vaguely.

"I thought so too in the beginning but--- honestly, I think Nii-sama and Nee-sama get along very well actually"

"Perhaps but, for example, they should more...as a man and a woman..."

The other party was a child so he restrained from saying it directly but even Ren understood what Juugo was trying to say.

But even so, Juugo didn't receive a proper reply.

As if trying to instigate a conspiracy, Juugo whispered to the silent Ren.

"Even you would be happy if Kazuma were to return to the Kannagi, right? "

"That's true, but........"

Having a somewhat pleasant presentiment, Ren warily looked up at Juugo.

The man who was the Suzerain of the Kannagi Clan, unrelated to his usual solemnly, was clearly scheming something with a roguish

smile.

"As a matter of fact, the job this time is a complete hoax"

"Waah......"

Involuntarily Ren was greatly perplexed. Leaving Kazuma aside, what would happen if Ayano were to find about this---

"That's why"

Pretending not to recognize Ren's distress, like a corrupt merchant, Juugo held out several sheets of bright, golden yellow tickets.

"Tomorrow, at the amusement park where the ''job'' I want you to, ''by chance'' run into your friends. Can you do that? "

".........."

It was impossible to refuse. No matter how absurd or lacking common sense, this was an ''order''. But---

''"Was the Suzerain this kind of person? "''

Maybe, Ayano and Kazuma inherited the right Kannagi pedigree.

At the guess that made him feel more than a little shock, Ren was unable to control his dizziness.

"So, how is it? Do you feel something? "

"No, absolutely nothing"

Hearing that answer that had absolutely no will to work, Ayano glared at Kazuma sitting next to her.

But, she suddenly adverted her eyes as if saying ''I saw something unsightly''.

Kazuma, who made her advert her eyes as if she saw something dirty, was stretching out his limbs, leaning on the bench dead tired,

while looking at the sky in a dull manner.

How to say it, it was that.

The image of an exhausted father, spending his very rare day off with the family.

Moreover, in this man's situation, it wasn't fatigue nor weakness, but he was simply lazying around because it was too bothersome, so

he looked even more slovenly.

"Then, what are we going to do? ", asked Ayano, her eyes averted, while sitting on the bench as far as possible.

"Nothing much."

The return was even more lazy.

"If it's only this amusement park, I can cover the entire area from here. If something happens I'll know right away. "

Meaning, he will continue waiting here until something happens.

Things like youth, vitality, desire, faced with that speech unrelated to it all, Ayano exposed her disappointment.

''"Why do you have to sit around stupefied, when we especially came to the amusement park? "''

As if reading Ayano's thoughts, Kazuma said.

"If you want to play, you can go, I don't mind. You don't have any purpose coming here anyway. "

"By myself? "

Kazuma replied to Ayano's crushed to death tone in a cool manner.

"If you want a companion, hang around there. The only thing I cannot do something about is your face. If you were to stay there in silence one or two men will definitely approach you."

Having the urge to kick the bench Kazuma was entirely leaning on, Ayano controlled herself with great effort.

But even so thirst for blood leaked out and, like drawn by a tide, all the people in their surroundings disappeared.

"Don't scare the customers. If you scatter killing intent in that manner it's you who will become ghost story material. "

"Who's----!? "

She was about to shout who's fault it is but Ayano held her tongue vexed.

Atrociously glaring at Kazuma, his limbs untidily stretched out, she sat forcefully on the bench.

"Humph, baka"

She didn't understand herself why she was so peevish.

"Aa? "

After a few minutes, Kazuma raised his voice in doubt.

"What?"

"No, I don't think it has anything to do with the job", murmured Kazuma looking on the opposite side from Ayano's glance.

Ayano too followed his line of sight. In her center of vision were the toilets.

She was hungry for conversation so she didn't scream ''"Then shut up!"'' like usual.

She asked the silent Kazuma once again.

"What is it? "

"Right now, a male garbage collector entered the women's toilet"

"........"

Ayano was silent.

Obviously, that had nothing to do with them. It didn't but----

"That's kind of unpleasant"

"Rather that unpleasant, that doesn't normally happen, right?"

In a casual tone, Kazuma compensated for her psychological disgust.

In an office building it's normal for a female to clean the toilets intended for women. To say nothing of amusement facilities like

this where the customer gets maximum preference.

That sort of insensible behavior was impossible for the management.

"But, it's not like it's illegal, right? "

"Perhaps. But, don't approach him. If you act violently it can become a serious matter. "

It was an expression of confidence that if Ayano were to become involved, she would cause a disturbance.

Raising her eyebrows, Ayano drew near Kazuma.

"You still have something you haven't told me. "

A conclusion, not a question.

Kazuma confessed surprisingly obediently.

"Employees of the amusement park have their identification and photo on their chest"

"And? "

"The guy just now was different from his picture."

"That's an impostor! ", shouted Ayano.

But without mirroring her attitude, Kazuma declared with calm expression.

"Well, I don't know about that. Maybe he was substituted for someone else in a hurry"

"And that kind is cleaning the women's toilets!? ", shouted Ayano in indignation.

She stared at the women's toilet and the suspicious person inside with a sharp looks that could shoot out fire.

"It's a peeping tom of maybe he's taking photos, it's obviously the worst kind of human being! Humph, he should be caught and thrown

into jail and beaten down by the guards! "

"It's not good deciding something like that arbitrarily and one-sided. Maybe it's just a harmless guy satisfied only with sniffing

the toilet bowls. "

"How is that harmless? ", retorted Ayano instantly.

"That's clearly harmful! Rather, his guilt can only be compensated by the death penalty! "

".........Well, if you say so", approved Kazuma in an indifferent tone.

He had no desire to protect the pervert bastard and to be hit by Ayano.

"But---- we're not the police or the security guard. Leave it to the specialists. "

"Now it's not the time to be so relaxed!! What will happen if he runs while I'm calling someone? "

"Who knows...."

Kazuma shrugged his shoulders, irresponsible from the bottom of his heart.

Instantly Ayano frowned deeply and turned towards Kazuma a look loaded with as much contempt she could muster and turned away.

Without another glance she walked towards the women's toilets with rough footsteps.

Stopping Ayano as a public service, it was clear Kazuma already lost the chance to do so.

The fake cleaning man in question appeared from the women's toilets.

"..........."

Anticipating the almost occurring disaster, Kazuma quietly looked at the sky.

"Good grief! "

While on an anger high, Ayano glared at Kazuma walking next to her.

"If you wouldn't have stopped me, I would definitely have killed him! "

"......Why kill him? "

"Why let him live!? "

Ayano immediately retorted to Kazuma's weak reply.

"It's common knowledge in human society peeking sons of bitched are punished by death! "

".......Having you explain common sense, the world turned unpleasant. "

While looking at the sky he took a deep breath. And then Kazuma remembered the tragic event from a few minutes ago.

It was extreme. Perhaps, she really had the intention of killing him.

It was maybe natural that the security that rushed over judged Ayano to be the assailant.

What they saw was the man, already suffering of dull spasms but even so, the girl wearing the expression of a horned demoness was

relentlessly inflicting severe damage.

"But you saw the contents of his bag, right? How many cameras full with peeking pictures of girls he had! "

"It's good there was so much evidence. If there weren't you would have been accused of assault-- no, attempted murder."

"It's fine, sex offenders have no rights anyway.", declared Ayano with a serious look.

"There's no need for evidence or confessions. As soon as they're discovered, a prompt execution! The death penalty! This planet

doesn't have enough oxygen to waste on such things! "

".......I have no objection to that opinion.", nodded Kazuma removing tings like common sense or morals.

"But, I have the feeling you should restrain yourself more when it comes to dealing with humans. "

"What? You mean to only half-kill and then forgive them? "

"No, to pick your place better."

Kazuma calmly declared such heartless words that far surpassed Ayano's even in her angry state.

"If you don't pick the place you're like a beast. When killing someone do it where no one else could watch without leaving any

evidence --- it's common sense in a civilized society, right? "

".......Having you explain common sense, the world turned unpleasant. "

That moment when she replied so with a blank stare, Ayano's gaze was fixed in the front.

Following that gaze, Kazuma unintentionally grimaced.

"Listen to me, Ayano. Don't cause any more disturbance---- "

She didn't hear.

Ayano ran like the wind. Forward, to the two women cornered by four men.

With an attitude that was closer to a molester or abductor rather than a skirt-chaser, they were rubbing the bodies of those two

women ready to cry.

With a few meters remaining between her and the actual spot, Ayano's body flew in the air.

It was a splendid jump.

"---huff!"

Wordless, Ayano kicked them in the middle of her jump. The outer edge of her foot sank in the man's face embracing one girl and he

was blow off with a nose bleed the size of a water fountain.

"........it backfired, huh? ", murmured Kazuma gazing at the blown off man.

It was his imagination maybe but Ayano's behavior was even more violent that usual.

It seems she didn't hear his sincere advice.

The atrocious feast continued.

"eeh, ah, wha, wha"

In front of those men that had yet to understand the situation, Ayano landed soundlessly. And then--

"Bukeh!? "

A front kick the closest man. Thrusting her tiptoe to the pit of his stomach, the man bent forward in anguish.

She kicked his jaw that presented itself so defenseless with her knee and then knocked down the head that was jumped up with her

elbow.

The man fell like slapped to the ground. Other that his hands and legs twitching, he was unable to move.

After confirming that, Ayano turned to the other two.

"Wha...y-you bitch"

"What the fuck are you doing? "

The remaining two finally understood and glared at Ayano, their shoulders trembling in anger.

But Ayano rushed to them with a monstrous glint in her eyes, their death penalty long before decided.

They put up a frantic resistance but,

"B-bitch, hey, stop it........hii, kuh......."

"Yu- Yuuto! Shit, f-forgive me.......keeeh........."

The angry voices turned to shrieks and then went up to the level of battle death agony --- and then only the sound of heavy blown

remained.

That tragic event, the heavy and dull sound of wet blows reverberated and continued.

"Men! ''Men! Fucking men! ''"

Giving of such wrath that would make even the Yakuza avoid her, Ayano was randomly swaggering around the park.

It's obvious she was in the worst kind of temper.

From the start she was more than ignorant when it comes down to sexual matters, an excessively pure girl.

The anger towards the other five baseless men she met after those two incidents expanded in disgust towards the entire gender and in

a certain way, that was the logical.

Of course, there was another reason she was mad but she wasn't self aware of it.

"This, is the worst! "

"Well, calm down. How to put this, walking next to you makes me embarrassed."

"You're noisy--- "

Unable to be indifferent, Kazuma gave her an honest advice but being perceived as a hostile man or rather the top of the list, his

words didn't register with her.

"Something like men, they should all disappear from this world! "

"----What the heck, just because some unpleasant things happened today, you feel like turning half of the human race into your enemy?

"

"Shut up! How about you be the first to disappear? "

Evaluating the situation as ''not treatable'' Kazuma exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders and looked up at the sky.

Overhead, a huge Feeris Wheel was towering over the surroundings facing the heavens.

"............."

Kazuma looked up at the Ferris Wheel slowly revolving and next, he changed his gaze to the girl coercing the surroundings and an

irritable presence.

"---Humph"

With a nod, Kazuma started walking towards the Ferris Wheel.

"................."

Inside the Ferris Wheel, Ayano kept silent without even trying to hide her ill-humor.

She was standing diagonally from Kazuma looking the other way. Taking as much distance as possible in that narrow space, that was the

position that allowed for the most alertness.

From that place Ayano was sending thorny glances towards Kazuma.

But, he showed no reaction.

From the time he boarded the Ferris Wheel until now, Kazuma didn't say a word.

Comfortably crossing his legs, he looks outside without even acknowledging Ayano's presence.

".............."

Very uncomfortable, Ayano kept stirring in her place.

She completely couldn't understand Kazuma's aim. Why did he want to ride the Ferris Wheel after all this time.

If he wanted to put her in a good mood, it would be better for him to say something---

''"Besides, what's up with this? He kept ignoring me until now. I won't feel better with just this much"''

She glared at Kazuma while pouting but as expected, Kazuma in his relaxed attitude warded off Ayano's anger. It was as if there was

no reaction.

To be able to maintain anger at someone who doesn't react requires extraordinary willpower and perseverance.

Ayano who was only sulking, was unable to do so.

Kazuma was silent.

Thoroughly natural, he was just being there.

There wasn't a single ripple. Like the smooth surface of the water, a serene presence.

Ayano's anger, her dissatisfaction, he accepted them quietly and took them in.

''".......that's sly"''

She didn't quite understand what was sly about it but for some reason it made her displeased.

She was supposed to take offense but she couldn't continue being angry.

Meaning that the mood stared to become pleasant.

".......you swindler."

That small murmur was all Ayano could do right now to resist him.

"---Ooh"

For the first time in a while Kazuma opened his mouth.

"What?"

"I see Ren."

"Huh? Where? "
[[File:KnS Ignition 01 179.png|thumbnail]]
Forgetting the awkwardness until now, getting her face close to Kazuma's, Ayano looked at the ground.

Just right underneath the Ferris Wheel, there was Ren and his friends. They were playing some kind of game of tag and were restlessly

changing direction but they didn't look like they were fighting.

"Ha ha, they seem to get along, right?"

Searching for consent, she turned to Kazuma--- and at that time she finally realized she was dangerously close to him.

"---!!"

She vigorously got away. But, not wanting to return to her former seat, for some reason she stood next to him.

''"Th-there's no deep meaning for siting here, it's simply the closest---"''

She desperately explained herself. Simultaneously she peeped at Kazuma's reaction but the man next to her continued to look outside

the same as always, without seeing the face of the girl blushing bright red.

But that doesn't mean he was ignoring her either.

Right now she clearly understood it.

She was being accepted.

Even without looking at each other, even without talking to each other, Kazuma was recognizing her existence.

The gentle atmosphere was saying ''You can be here''.

As part of the same body, she was allowed next to him.

Expressing a smile, Ayano softly closed her eyes.

''"I'm glad I came"''--- truthfully, from the bottom of her heart, she thought so.

"Reeeen!"

Suddenly called out, Ren turned around.

Ayano was getting closer while waving her hand.

Compared with the time they separated, she seemed in an especially good mood.

It seems that the Suzerain's plan had results.

"We met at a good time. Do you want to eat together? "

"I don't mind."

While responding to Ayano's smile with a smile of his own, Ren thought.

''"But, what are we supposed to do about the job? "''

It was a hoax request from the beginning so it was impossible to settle it.

Thinking exactly the same thing, Ayano uncomfortably looked at Kazuma.

"By the way, forgot about the job. What are we going to do? "

Kazuma declared smoothly.

"Aah, about that, it's already over."

A brief period of silence. At those too surprising words, there was a time lag of ten seconds before she could comprehend.

"----Huh? When did you? "

"While you half-killed that group of four men. ", declared Kazuma with a deadly serious face.

I found a distortion at a distance of a hundred meters and I exorcised it. Because I didn't feel any other spirit sign, the job ended

there.

"Is-is that so? ", murmured Ayano in admiration, taking seriously the big lie.

Kazuma nodded dignified,

"That's right. Me and Ren did the job so you shouldn't care about it"

"Ren too?"

"Aah, in the job this time Ren played a biiig role"

While gently brushing Ren's head, Kazuma whispered close to his ear.

''"Is Suzerain the culprit ? "''

""----!!"

Taken by surprise, the pure boy made the answer apparent with his reaction.

Looking up timidly noticing the fatal error, his brother's lips were raised, showing a very bad smile indeed.

"You did very well."

Those words had almost an opposite effect for Ayano and Ren.

''"I've...been found out........"''

His body trembling, Ren frantically tried to speak.

"E, eeh, yeah.....ha ha ha......"

"Ha ha ha ha ha"

Kazuma responded with a dry smile to Ren's frozen. And then, he pointed something that resembled a smiling face towards Kanon and

Serisawa.

"Both of you, that you very much for playing with Ren today. As his brother, I thank you very much- fu fu fu"

That face a thousand time more eloquent than words conveyed Kazuma's true feeling to those two.
Understanding that everything had been seen through, the children changed their color.

"No, no need....."

"Don't, don't worry about it........"

With pallid faces, but even so the the boys and girls bravely continued the play.

Looking at them, as if not understanding, Ayano grumbled dissatisfied.

"Hey, aren't you kind of ignoring me somehow? "

"Don't worry about it. Thinking too deeply doesn't suit you"

"......Hey, do you want to anger me that badly? "

A dark something started welling in Ayano's voice. But,

"I don't want that at all. I simply stated my honest opinion"

"That's even worse!"

Not changing for the better, Kazuma and Ayano started their usual antics.

After thinking they finally made some progress, they ended right back where they started.

Ren watched attentively those two in silence. He would have stopped them by now usually but today, today only he didn't feel like

getting in the way.

Rather he wanted them to be even louder.

''"If I were to do so, they will pay it back little by little---"''

Looking at Ayano having fun while bantering with Kazuma, Ren strongly wished for it.

Of course, that sort of good fortune was unlikely to come.

<noinclude>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Ignition_Volume1_Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Kaze_no_Stigma|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Ignition_Volume1_Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Kaze no Stigma:Ignition Volume1 Chapter 4

2020-08-04T00:02:55Z

72.80.103.151: /* Chapter 4 - Haunted Holiday */

== Chapter 4 - Haunted Holiday ==

“Ah, what fine thing did I find ♡?”

Pushing her way, almost sprinting, through the crowd of people, who at the eastern entrance of the Shinjuku Station doesn't die out even during working days, the lady muttered so with a delightful expression.

This particular day, after practically no free time since the beginning of the new school term, Kannagi Ayano was in an extremely good mood. That figure, lightly stepping forward, showed a soft smile so lovely that it was inconceivable that such a body contains tremendous combat ability.

The season was light spring. The sunlight felt warm, the people lightly dressed, that sort of day.

Ayano put on a bolero on top of her dress, her outfit excluding a novel, high-class lady appearance. Her figure – lovely because of her cleanliness and tidiness – just by standing there resembles a painting, drawing hot glances from the mesmerized men.

However, those glances, always unpleasant, didn’t damage Ayano’s mood. If it’s now, even if player-wannabes called out to her in an over familiar manner, maybe she wouldn't show those men the depths of Hell. I repeat again, Ayano is in a very good mood.

-At the very least, for a few more seconds.

“………Ua!?”

Before 10 minutes had passed since leaving, Alta (Alter?) Ayano received a strong hit from the side. She immediately retreated a few steps in order to subdue the impact. Although she somehow avoided falling down, the paper bags she was holding hit the ground.

“What are you doing – uh!?”

The instant she started shouting at the aggressor, her face became stiff. Before her eyes was a smiling, beautiful woman in the middle of her twenties she had met a few times before. Her thoughts stopped by an ominous premonition, Ayano could only stare dumbly at the woman.

“Y – You…”

“Good day to you, Ayano-chan!”

Facing a petrified Ayano the woman greeted her with an out of place cheerful salute.

“This may be sudden, but I’m leaving it to you.”

The white finger indicated something behind Ayano. The three running men she saw instinctively turned her head around – every one of them were two meters tall.

“W-Wait….what is happ…”

With exquisite timing, a bewildered Ayano was pushed forward by the shoulders. Almost like falling forward she comes forth and realizes, standing in front of these men to protect another woman, that she has fallen to a new low.

“Just stop it alr…”

While Ayano was flaring up in a rage, shouting, her eyes fell at the feet of the three men. The change of her complexion was absolute.

“Ah…w-wait a minute!”

Naturally they didn’t stop.

The feet of the men stepped on the paper bags spread on the road almost as if taking careful aim to do so. The shoes, probably thirty centimeters long, tore through the paper bags, trampling on the wrapping paper.
The white skirt hidden inside was smudged with distinct black shoe marks. The silk blouse a total loss. The sounds of accessories being transformed into junk could be heard. With a strange sound, something snapped inside her head.

“Y ...You...”

In front of the young lady’s anger, even the animosity towards the woman was forgotten. Towards the men who ruined the shopping’s results, the power of Ayano’s retort was similar to a hurricane. A charge full of force was placed on the fist driven into the stomach of the man in the middle.

Critical hit.

You could tell the shock pierced through the stomach, penetrating as far as the back. Ayano drew near to the remaining two, interposing between them. With no hesitation, she approached the left one first.

Evading the large strike she used his arm for a judo shoulder throw. Even if he was an amateur, the man’s defense wasn’t breached even as he was falling down. This much damage should be fine – he should walk again – in a week or so.

While she was turned the other way, the last man attacked. Without even turning back she jumped toward him and just before touching him she moved her leg, twisting her body ninety degrees while pushing out her elbow. By kicking her hind foot, her speed was increased to its maximum and concentrating all her kinetic energy she thrust her left fist into the pit of the man's stomach. There was a strong backlash.

It was practically a certain kill. The large built man flew ten centimeters and collapsed like a doll, whose threads have been cut.

“Well – ”

With a sidelong glance at the fallen men, Ayano slowly turned back. That glance, no matter how you look at it, was more cold than what a hoodlum deserves.
[[File:KnS Ignition 01 127.png|thumbnail]]
“Will you explain?”

“I don’t mind but...”

However the woman wasn’t perturbed. Receiving the villainous glare without hesitation, with a smiling face, she points her finger forward a second time.

“It’s not over yet”

Simultaneously, the sound of the defeated men getting up can be heard.

“...............Hm!?”

Astonished, Ayano looks over her shoulder. It was an impossible thing. The degree of damage can’t be compensated by something like durability or will-power.

Judging from a biological point of view, for humans the result is absolute immobilization if such a powerful strike in such a place is applied.

However, in reality sure enough the men were resurrected. Trying to grasp the reason Ayano stares at them.
The men’s bodies call to mind the transparency of dead bodies. One was only bones. Another one was a pitch-black corpse. And the last one – was a warrior dressed in armor.

Starring at the decomposing body clad in worn-out armor, Ayano mutters in blank amazement.

“These guys they’re possessed......you!!”

Unintentionally forgetting about the crisis right in front of her, she turns around. She shouts, letting anger take its natural course:

“A public servant using a civilian to do her work!”

“Well – don’t say that. Look look! They’re coming from behind.”

Certainly this was not the place for carefree quarrels. The men, possessed by the spirits of the dead, drew near for a second time.
A bothersome opponent. Because spirits don’t feel pain and so on, hitting them or kicking them has no effect. If you don’t inflict enough damage to kill and then destroy their joints it seems you cannot permanently immobilize them.

Through physical means, that is.

“...........”

A deep inhale and then exhale.

Stimulating the entire body’s power by this one sequence, flexibly concentrating all consciousness in both palms, the contours of her wrists warp.

The pale gold heat haze enveloping the girl’s wrists disturbs the course of light.

Before her eyes is the skeleton corpse possessed man. Staring at Ayano with stagnant pupils, like those of rotten fish, he raises both arms overhead, rejecting the nuisance.

“Haa!”

Ayano hit with both palms at full power that virtually empty body. It was a double palm strike. Via those palms, a golden brightness was pumped into the man’s body. While his entire body was glowing in the golden light, the man bent backwards, as if suffering from electric shock.

“Giiiii.................”

During the soundless scream, the spirit of the dead was separated from the man’s body.

“I’m not letting you escape!”

From Ayano’s palms the golden light gushed out, changing to a violently rushing stream. The light that hit him increased by far its density and radiance , transforming and manifesting itself as a golden flame, thoroughly burning the departed soul, without allowing resistance.

She repeated the process twice again.

“............Fuuuu”

After cleansing the three spirits through fire, Ayano took a light breath.

From behind indifferent applause can be heard.

“<<Well done!>> it’s what I’d like to say now but you really took your time. Weren’t purification flames supposed to destroy only evil?”

“I’m sorry for being so inexperienced.”

Turning her body the other way, Ayano replied with a very threatening tone.

The wicked spirits called Youma – because the devilishness that holds resentment towards the world of men exists – it can be said it was inevitable that in order to resist, men have obtained power.

The girl’s name is “Kannagi” Ayano. Manipulating purification flames able to destroy evil – she is the daughter of the En-jutsu family known as the strongest. But then Ayano herself, can’t be helped but be called very inexperienced. Even if she possesses mighty power, she has yet to learn the art of perfect control.

Not to hurt the people depending on them and to purify only the possessing spirits – such a deed is possible only for the girl’s father – Juugo and her uncle Genma.

As for Ayano, one can say with confidence such high-class techniques are outside her reach.

Therefore, her plan consisted of the following: before materializing her power as flames she is releasing it as a “heat” that won’t damage the human body, continually knocking out the departed souls that try to escape.

As a matter of course, this is a reckless and difficult operation. Taking as much time for the likes of departed souls, it can’t be helped that the famous Kannagi name could be distrusted, on account of such rumors.

However, Ayano has no intention of taking such criticism obediently. She thought so from the bottom of her heart: “this woman” has no right to complain.

“Will I receive some sort of explanation, I wonder...”

She started cross-examining, including enough drive for the other party to understand that depending on the answer, this isn’t over.

“...Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Special Data Arrangement, Miss Police Officer Tachibana Kirika?”

Calling her especially by the overlong job title, as a matter of course this is a form of harassment. The Chief of the country’s one and only government organization for vanquishing evil, the person on the position of protecting the nation from spiritual disasters, isn’t it absurd to drag civilians in her troubles? This is why.

“Well – don’t say that. You’re not someone unrelated.”

But the woman, Kirika was very composed. Being spoken to by this beautiful woman so over familiarly, Ayano answers in a freezing tone:

“What are you saying? To the likes of you, what else could I be except for an unrelated person? I’m fed up with your impertinent talk. Give me an explanation.”

“Well, that’s fine...”

Being questionably evasive, Kirika shifts her focus forward, behind Ayano.

“If I were to tell you that’s not all, would you get angry?”

“........Tch!”

Forcefully turning around, Ayano observes. Drawing near unnoticed, a crowd of men and women of all ages undoubtedly possessed by the spirits of the dead. There were roughly thirty of them. In the middle of this bizarre atmosphere the pedestrians that happened to be present by chance become noisy.

But one man among them – what was he thinking – stood in front of the assailants.

“Stop it! You guys – ”

Seeing a beautiful woman and a beautiful girl being attacked, it seems he thought to make himself to look better. It seems he has some sort of knowledge. But –

Bokyatsu!

The character manipulating the departed souls removed the limits of the bodies and some mediocre martial arts can’t win any sort of battle. Both his arms standing on guard broke his own chin, and the man flew through the air, thoughtlessly screaming.

Watching the convulsing man vomiting blood, pedestrians started to shriek. By mixing people who wanted to run away and people who, on the contrary had burning curiosity, chaos occurred.

The only calm people were those involved – the assailants and the assaulted.

Staring at the attackers getting close, in spite of mowing down the people who got in their way, Kirika asks:

“Can you exorcise them all like you did earlier?”

“Absolutely impossible,” stated Ayano without hesitating for a moment.

“The sensitivity required for tuning the necessary caloric value is preposterous and for so many opponents gathered, I should burn half of them.”

“That’s dreadful.”

Imagining the gruesome spectacle, Kirika murmured in a monotonous tone.

“Well then, should we run away?”

“Do your best then.”

Kirika is suspiciously watching over Ayano’s “this is none of my business” reply.

“Will you not help me?”

“I didn’t receive such a commission. If you live through it, call me later and explain the situation.”

With those words Ayano tries to leave but watching the crowd blocking her path, she scowls.

“Hey! The one you’re aiming at is right there.”

Of course the spirits don’t answer. The possessed flesh moves with a somewhat supernatural ability, wiggling, and with no hesitation and killing intent faces Ayano.

“.........What is this?” a doubtful Ayano. The answer comes from the back.

“Ah, as I thought”

“What exactly is <<as I thought>>?”

To the enquiring Ayano, her glace fixed on the spirits of the dead, Kirika answers with a smiling face.

“Don’t you thing it must be difficult to control so many spirits of the dead at once from a distance? So, beside the comments given I thought that maybe they can move autonomously. For example, <<unconditionally execute anyone who is standing in your way>> or something”

“............Y – O – Uuuuuuuu!!”

Showing the vein on her temple, Ayano started screaming:
“You planned on forcefully dragging me into this from the start, right? You stinking official!!”

For this reason, before explaining the circumstances, she involved Ayano in battle – for the sake of the enemy recognizing Ayano as an obstacle, so that she wouldn’t be able to run away.

“Don’t get so angry. In troubled times we are of equal status don’t you agree?”

But without showing any timidity, Kirika winked at the angry Ayano.

“Y...You...”

Although glaring at the very annoying woman, it was all too late. She was already dragged unknowingly in the turmoil’s upheaval or more likely at the core of it all.

“I’ll remember this!”

Replacing the boiling anger with flames, Ayano swung downward her right hand. The blaze slapped into the ground changes in a wall of fire, blocking the way before these two.

“DAAAAAAAA!?”

Being scared of the purifying flames, the attackers back off. Ignoring the screams of the ordinary people unfortunately involved, Ayano turns back and run.

“We’re running away!”

“I thank you for your cooperation. As I thought the voluntary cooperation of civilians is the secret for early settlements.”

“Be silent for a little bit, you public servant failure!”

Leaving behind boos somewhat filled with anguish, both of them managed a speedy flight.

“Ha...ha...for the time being we’ve done it right?”

“So it seems...”

Hiding themselves in a deserted, empty building, Ayano and Kirika muttered so, greedily devouring oxygen. As one would expect, a thirty minute sprint at full power was very demanding. Both of them were short of breath.

“By the way, I think it’s time you start explaining these circumstances.”

“Ah that’s right. I forgot.”

Seeing Kirika clap her hands, truly having forgotten to explain, Ayano sends her way a somewhat cynical, bitter smile.

“Even so, there’s not much explaining to do. If I were to say it in a few words, it’s only a matter of settling scores.”

“Settling scores?”

“Yes. In this business, it’s only natural to incur various people’s enmity. Particularly some puny organization like the Special Data Arrangement who does whatever it wants with the power of the State. The criticism can be severe, in various ways.”

“Hmmm...well, that may be true...” Ayano nodded vaguely.

The girl’s family can be considered the industry’s leader so she doesn’t really get the sorrows of this type of puny organization.

“I know, right? I got used to it but this time we came across a big-shot, sort of.”

“Big-shot?”

“Yes. Do you know Ghost Tamer?”

“.....I heard that name somewhere”

Ayano tried to remember, but it didn’t come out easily.

“If it’s Ayano-chan I’m sure that you heard about him before. He’s a celebrity.”

“That so? ... well it’s impossible for a necromancer who can simultaneously manipulate thirty spirits of the dead to be nameless.”

This doesn’t apply just for necromancers, increasing the number of techniques controlled at the same time, the degree of difficulty jumps through the window. As for necromancers, they are considered first class when they can control ten bodies at the same time.

But Kirika revealed an even more frightful fact:

“That is just the beginning. Regarding the validation made to the best of our abilities, the maximum number he can control is one hundred and twenty.”

“One hundred and twenty!?” Ayano screamed with bulging eyes.

But at the same time, that absurd number made her remember that abominable incident.

“Say...you don’t say Ghost Tamer is... the one three years before in San Francisco...”

The desire to be wrong that fills Ayano’s question is heartlessly destroyed by Kirika.

“Yeah, that’s the one...”

“Uaa....” with an unpleasant feeling, from the bottom of her heart Ayano groans.

Ghost Tamer – despite being a necromancer he uses killing curses, possessing suitable humans and using them, its forte is a technique consisting of using physical means to kill its targets, different from a shaman, different from an assassin – a “curse assassin”

The incident that made him world-wide famous happened three years ago. For the sake of killing a certain mafia boss he made one hundred and twenty people, possessed by the spirits o the dead, to hold bombs and attack the target in a very special way.
The casualties exceeded three hundred. It is said that the body fragments of the manipulated people, after being gathered in plastic bags, didn’t amount to 3% of the total.

“Another troublesome one appeared...”

With all her strength, Ayano unpleasantly puzzles over it. It’s as if an unrelated person all of a sudden turns into an assassin – that element of surprise and the almost infinite amount of supplies is the Ghost Tamer’s forte.

Because this is a metropolis, there is abundance of departed souls but also of human hosts. There is also the problem of the possessed humans who have been killed. The deceased can be captured by Ghost Tamer and turned into a new departed soul, possessing other humans in order to attack the target. In order to stop the domino effect there is no choice but use a high ranking white magic that can exorcize all of them in one go.
Only if such a thing was possible, though.

“What do we do next?”

Needless to say, Ayano is not capable of such things. The girl’s power is not suited for such sensitive operations.

“There is that....”

To Ayano, demanding for a counter plan, Kirika tilted her head to the side, with a troubled appearance.

“The moment I found Ayano-chan, I thought all my troubles are gone...”

She is fleetingly looking at Ayano and then a deep sigh. At this “I can’t use her attitude” Ayano is pissed.

“What about you? You can’t perform spirit exorcism is spite of being an Onmyoji?”

“Of course I can. I’ve done it for thirty bodies or so but then I ran out of charms.”

“That so...”

Onmyoji is based on the general principle of the cosmic dual forces, Yin and Yiang, and they can use a mighty power. But the restriction is that in order to put the technique in operation, charms must absolutely be used. In this industry there is a well known verse, sang from ancient times.

“Charmless Onmyoji, ordinary man, right?” Ayano hums spontaneously, Kirika retorts with coolness:

“It doesn’t rhyme.”

“You’re noisy!”

“Well, anyway.”

Unusually restraining herself before exploding, Ayano makes the conversation advance.

“This is a stalemate. Can you think of something?”

“Well...” Kirika slowly opens her mouth:

“If it’s just the two of us, we can’t win in this situation. If that’s the case, we have no choice but to call for reinforcement.”

“Who? One of your subordinates?”

“Wrong. We know someone much more reliable, am I right?”

“Ah, that one?”

Because Ayano and Kirika don’t have many common acquaintances, she quickly understood who it was.

Certainly, ability wise he was the most reliable man. '''Ability wise'''

“........Fine, will you call him?”

To Ayano who reluctantly agreed, Kirika sends a meaningful smile.

“.......What?”

“Err, nothing in particular. Then, please get in touch with him.”

“Why me!?” Ayano unintentionally shouted. “It’s better if you call him, right? Because you two have a much more ''friendlier'' relationship!”
The first time Ayano met Kirika, she and Kazuma were leaving the red-light district, arms linked. That’s why Ayano firmly believes these two have “that kind of relationship.”

“That’s not true. If it’s Ayano-chan, he’ll answer the phone. So, please?”

“............................”

Even if this doesn’t mean she believes Kirika’s words, Ayano gave up on resisting, taking out the mobile phone. As a matter of course, she has his number.

''It’s just for work! It’s really just that!''

She dialed it, they talked a few times before –

“What?”

Maybe because he knows it was Ayano, or maybe he does it for everyone – anyway, the voice reaching Ayano’s ears is excessively self-important.

“Ah, Kazuma? I have a favor –”

“I refuse.”

The answer comes back lightning fast. For a short while Ayano is silenced but she corrects herself in a low voice:

“I have a job request.”

“Say it.”

“................”

Still on the phone, Ayano throws a sidelong glance at Kirika, glaring at her.

''Hey, is this what you call a good answer?''

Although she didn’t say it loud, her twisted expression said it all. Not caring about it, Kirika encouraged her in a small voice: “Keep going!”

Giving up the investigation, Ayano concentrates her attention on the conversation with Kazuma.

“You see...” she explains, summarizing the situation.

Surprisingly, Kazuma quickly understood.

“Even though I think we can end it by killing them all, but since there is money in this, I don’t mind playing around with them. So, where are we meeting?”

“Ah, well.....”

Ayano considered her current surroundings. But without deliberating too much, she answered:

“Tee hee hee, I don’t know. Somewhere in Shinjuku. Will you search ♡?”

She tried to be as lovely as possible. But – it was useless.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaa,” an endless, deep sigh reached her ears. And then.....

“Did your brains go bad or something!!”

“Kyauu!?”

Because the angry roar explodes close to her ear Ayano involuntarily throws out the phone. Kirika skillfully caught it just before falling on the ground.

“Hey, it’s wrong to bully girls, you know?”

“.....Kirika, why are you there?”

From the mobile phone now in Kirika’s hands, Kazuma’s questioning tone can be heard. Throwing a sidelong glance at Ayano, listening attentively, Kirika moves the conversation forward.

“This was my work from the start. So it’s fine to bill me for the job. So, where are you? Your home? The one in Yokohama? Really – please hurry. Yeah, please. Well then... ”

Kirika settled the conversation at once, hang up and returned the telephone to Ayano. She received it with a blank facial expression.

“As I thought it turned out well because you did the talking, right?”

“I wonder...” Kirika responds to Ayano, who looks displeased, with a mature smile full of composure.

For some reason or another, feeling she is losing the mental battle, Ayano changes the subject.

“So, are we hiding until Kazuma gets here? If he’s in Yokohama, no matter how fast it still takes time.”

“That’s right, it would be ideal if circumstances allow, but.....”

In the middle of her words, Kirika shifts her attention inside the hallway. Almost simultaneously, so does Ayano. Looking at the ceiling, deploring, she corrects herself with a delicate expression:

“It would have been ideal...”

“Your everyday behavior must be very sinful, am I right?”

Standing up Ayano is brushing off the dust from her skirt.

Without having to wait for them, they appeared in the front. With a rotten, fishy smell and fixed eyes, the man – a company worker – is of course possessed by the spirits of the dead.

“Good grief – it can’t be helped...”
[[File:KnS Ignition 01 157.png|thumbnail]]
Lightly kicking the floor, Ayano’s silhouette vanished in a blur. Swiftly rushing in, her high speed movement is like she can leap over time restrains. Instantly plunging into the man’s chest she thrusts her elbow, using the force of the rush. Through the blow, purification power is pumped into his face. The golden radiance doesn’t allow any escape and the spirit dwelling on the man is burned to nothing.

“Oh, that did the trick.”

“That so? He’s kind of burning.”

Overlooking the man emitting fumes from here and there, Kirika says a touching, silent prayer.

“Don’t concern yourself with minor details!”

“Minor, huh?”

She has lots of things to say to this girl, but now it’s not the time to fuss over it. Chasing the already running Ayano, Kirika breaks into a forceful run.

“....I’m not letting you escape.... ”

In one of the rooms from a certain hotel in Akasaki, Ronald Wallace murmured so, in a heavy, low voice.

Aquiline nose – white hair – the name Ghost Tamer is appropriate; the old man’s appearance is that of an evil sorcerer come forth from fairy-tales. That figure gazing at the crystal ball is terrifying.

“You can’t get away..........no matter how you struggle.....”

Watching the women, reflected in the crystal ball, running around, trying to escape, Ronald laughs. That was because he knows victory is certain.

The net completely encircling them – there is no target whose technique can exorcize more than a hundred organized departed souls. Of course, not even the Enjutsushi who stumbled in the middle of it.

There is just one flaw. Following Ronald’s will manipulating the spirits and finding his location. The only way is to strike at him. But –

“The Enjutsushi whose only merit are combat abilities and the Onmyoji trying to escape with all her might, can you do it...?”

With absolute confidence, Ronald sneered. Even the Enjutsushi’s flames are not scary if the person can avoid them. Departed souls and the like are after all pieces who have no choice but to do his work as a substitution.

“Perhaps capturing the Enjutsushi’s soul could be fun. If it retains even a small portion of the power it has alive, maybe I can use it.”

“Stop it. That one’s is probably really hard to manipulate.”

That answer reached his ears much too naturally. Searching for the rebuttal words, Ronald turned around in terror.

A hundred and eighty degrees rotation, a body suspended in the air.

Since the head’s rotation doesn’t stop, approximately after another rotation, the balance is destroyed, the dead falls down and crashes.

Ronald – climbing in the revolving world finally recognizes the situation. The revolving universe. But someone tramples down on the head and the spinning stops.

“What’s more...”

Looking up with disgrace and humiliation, in the field of vision is reflected a man’s face, showing a cynical smile.

“I’ve decided I’m the only one allowed to play with her AND that’s the law of this country, you know!”

With these words the sensation of Ronald’s last moment was the smashing of his cranium and his consciousness faded into darkness.

The headless body, standing erect, spurts out fresh blood as if remembering.

At the same time....

Ayano and Kirika were trapped in a desperate crisis. It is evening in the Imperial Garden of Shinjuku. The surroundings are flocked with more than a hundred possessed bodies. There is no way to escape.

“.......What are we going to do?” Ayano groans in a worn-out voice but Kirika either has no way out.

At such a troubled time, almost like aiming for it, the cell phone’s ringtone can be heard. Kirika fetched it really fast and stated shouting.

“How long do you plan to take Kazuma!? We’re at our limit!!”

A contrastive, hatefully calm voice can be heard.

“It’s over. Everything.”

“No it’s not! Right now we are in the middle of being attacked by nearly a hundred spirits!”

“.........Oh?” Kazuma’s voice is surprisingly serious. From the other side of the phone, a silence filled with confusion can be sensed.

“Hey....”

“Ah, I got it. Even if the practitioner dies, the last order passed down is still effective. I see.”

The only one impressed is Kazuma because Kirika asks him in a low voice:

“I’m so glad you cleared the puzzle. So, how do you get here?”

“How, you ask...where are you now? Shinjukugyouen? That’s impossible. It’s totally outside my range. I’ll get there in twenty, thirty minutes so wait there.”

“We can’t wait that long! We’re already under pressure. It’s fine with you if Ayano-chan becomes a mass murderer?”

“Tell her this. If she dares to die, she can choose her favorite method for when HER PARTNER is going to kill her............Ah, that’s right. She’s there. Get her on the phone.”

“Eh?”

“Put Ayano on the phone,” Kazuma plainly repeated.

Kirika peeked at Ayano’s situation. She has already started the fight. For the time being, even if she is adjusting to the non-fatal amount, in reality it seems she has no choice but to minimally go easy on them, because the sound of blows is pretty severe.

While making appropriate judgment on the enemy, a telephone is pushed before her eyes.

“From Kazuma. He wants to talk to you.”

“I’m busy now!” Ayano shouted without taking it.

“Although I can see that wouldn’t it be better to take it? We’re not getting anywhere this way.”

“...................”

Ayano snatched the telephone totally annoyed. While beating down the enemies with her free hand, her left hand holds the telephone to her ear. That instant, as if intentionally, Kazuma’s voice can be heard.

“Hey, feeling well?”

In addition to being very agitated, Ayano couldn’t endure it and her reason flipped out.

“Huff.....don’t mess around you fool! U – Until now....what have you...done.....”

Because of fatigue and anger, her breath was disturbed and her mouth didn’t work well.

As for Kazuma, he replied in a refreshing and calm voice:

“If you raise your voice like that, it feels like one of those dangerous phone calls <<Wifey, the color of today’s underwear is...>>”

“Y........Youuuuuuuuuu!!”

With rage enveloping her mind, Ayano stroke down the nearby enemies with that violent emotion. There was the smell of something burning, but right now she doesn’t have time to worry about such things.

“Remember this! I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you!! There won’t be any ash left by the time I’m finished with you!!”

“Uh huh”

“Just you wait! When the time comes I’m not letting you off even if you burst into tears!”

“Uh huh”

“....................”

Kazuma doesn’t say anything only some half-hearted replies.

Because there is no feedback Ayano regains her cool very quickly. Remembering the current state of affairs, she sobers up in one breath, informing him:

“Although I believe you know, I’m extremely busy right now. If you have no business with me, I’m hanging up.”

“W – Wait. Let’s talk a bit more.”

Surprisingly, Kazuma wanted to continue the telephone call. Without understanding his intention, Ayano looks into it, perplexed.

“Talk, you say... about what?”

“Anything will do. Just continue on like just now, talking about idiotic things like idiots.”

Speaking of too much, because of that excessive comment, a huge vein shows on Ayano’s temple. Because she was groping the telephone tightly, an ominous, recognizable sound can be heard.

“Y ....You low life rascal....! I hate you the most! You should try and learn something from Ren’s charm, even if it’s just a little.”

“Yeah yeah, is that so......fine, I caught you.”

“What?”

Without minding the bewildered Ayano, Kazuma one-sidedly said:

“GO!”

“What are you – huh?”

The wind gently swirls. In some respects already familiar with it, Ayano suppresses the questioning words.

The light blue radiance fills the surroundings. That is without doubt the color of purification. The supreme power cleansing all evil.

Aoooooooo.......

When those bodies are flooded with purification wind, the departed souls raise cries of pain. From the humans they cling to, they are being torn off, no resistance permitted.

“.......No..... this is......”
Resistance and the like, there wasn’t any from the beginning. The thoughts raised by the departed souls were shots of joy, congratulations on their liberation. The spirits, released from the Ghost Tamer’s curse, by their own will dissolved the possession and accepted the power of purification.

The shapes of the dead spirits changed from the gruesomeness in the moment of death to those when they were alive. The healed spirits’ contours morphed, while floating with content smiles, being reduced to balls of light returning to Heaven.

The countless light balls, while dancing, ran beyond the sky. That fairytale-like spectacle, Ayano looks up at it, simply amazed.

“Amazing....”

A murmur from the back. When turning around, Kirika speaks with a bitter smile.

“How to say this...a scene ridiculing the efforts of mediocre people. This doesn’t seem like the work of men.”

“True. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t put great effort into it, don’t you think?”

“Well, that may be true. By the way, you didn’t hang up, did you?”

Although asking, Kirika plunders the telephone before hearing the answer.

“Hello. Everything is finished. If you can do it, do it faster. What’s all that crap about being outside range – huh?”

Unexpectedly Kirika raised her voice in hysterics, and glared at the phone like it was the enemy of her ancestors.

“That so? Well then, thank you very much! Ciao!!”

With a shout that raised the corners of her eyes she roughly hanged up. And then with a gaze, for some reason, packed with a certain something, she is staring at Ayano.

“W – What........?”

In front of such an emotional new Kirika, different from her usual calm self, Ayano involuntarily shrinks away.

But together with a solemn, long breath Kirika releases her anger, promptly recovering her calmness.

“I hanged up but....did you have something to say to him?”

Because for one reason or another she is overpowered in the mental battle, Ayano asks in a sulky tone:

“..........Not particularly. What are you trying to say?”

“Words of gratitude among other things.”

“Don’t joke around!” Ayano shouts, furiously grasping her fists tightly.

“Why would I, to such a guy!? He is dismissing people just when they think of dismissing him, he is mocking them, doing as it pleases him, turning them into toys!”

“That’s all the same thing.”

“Next time I meet him, I’m definitely stabbing him with Enraiha.”

Without hearing Kirika’s retort, Ayano is thoroughly excited.

“You’re not honest with yourself,” mingled with a sigh, Kirika murmurs so.

The girl in front of her eyes and the absent man – she is facing these two.

Kazuma’s words from a while ago are resurrected in her ears.

It was true that he was outside range. But –
“Because of Ayano’s voice, even if we’re separated by a hundred kilometers, I can get through,” he continued.

''Good grief, he’s speaking so fondly of her.''

For a second time she is focusing in Ayano. Without knowing to what extent and how carefully she is being protected, she is shouting abusive words even now.

But surely to notice that warped and twisted love, it seems unreasonable. Nevertheless, she has no intention of helping her.

“I’m not going to tell you. Realize it yourself, dumb bunny.”

Turning her back on the girl, with an ill-natured look, Kirika murmured so.

<noinclude>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Ignition_Volume1_Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Kaze_no_Stigma|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Ignition_Volume1_Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign

2020-07-31T20:13:44Z

72.80.103.151:

[[Image:BloodSign_v01_cover.jpg|thumb|300px|right|]]
'''''The Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign''''' (未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン) is a light novel series written by Kamachi Kazuma (鎌池和馬) and illustrated by Igawa Kazuki (依河和希). Kamachi Kazuma is also known for several other light novel series, most notably the [[Toaru_Majutsu_no_Index|Toaru Majutsu no Index]] series.

''The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign'' series is also available in the following languages:

*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign ~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign (Russian)|Русский]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version)

==Story Synopsis==

Summoning ceremonies can freely call forth even "those which lurk in the depths beyond the gods". One boy has top-level abilities even among the cutting-edge summoners who can use those ceremonies.

He is Alice (with) Rabbit aka Shiroyama Kyousuke.

But this strongest boy summoner has a single fatal weakness.

Certain "cursed words" spoken by girls: "Help me."

When Kyousuke hears those words from Meinokawa Higan, a girl brought to the verge of death, he throws himself into a city where three great summoner forces clash!

==Recent Updates==
* June 24th, 2019 - Volume 10 Completed
* November 27th, 2018 - Volume 9 Completed
* March 11th, 2018 - Volume 8 Completed
* June 25th, 2017 - Volume 7 Completed
* March 4th, 2017 - Volume 6 Completed
* December 25th, 2016 - Volume 5 Completed
* December 4th, 2016 - Volume 4 Completed
* September 3rd, 2016‎ - Volume 3 Completed
* July 24th, 2016‎ - Volume 2 Completed
* June 11, 2016 - Volume 1 Completed
* September 29th, 2014 - Blood Sign teaser project begun

==''Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign'' by Kamachi Kazuma==

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/c0uwfdbpwirja9m/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_01.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v01_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Opening1|Opening X-01: Lazy Beginning]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Opening2|Opening X-02: Tense Beginning]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter1|Stage 01: I Don’t Do That Anymore]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Rabbit is Alice’s Guide]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter3|Stage 03: Travel Back in Time to Approach the Truth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter4|Stage 04: There’s No Meaning to It]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Certain Parting and an Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Ending2|Ending X-02: A Certain Meeting and an Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 2 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/p9o8q82vu26bxf7/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_02.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v02_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Opening1|Opening X-01: Rainy Days Don’t Have to be Boring]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Opening2|Opening X-02: Inside A Block’s International Airport]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter1|Stage 01: The Rumored Rainy Girl and Librarian-chan]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter2|Stage 02: Summoners Fight in the Shadows Behind Strange Phenomena]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter3|Stage 03: A World Void of Death, but Not a World of Happiness]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter4|Stage 04: Even If It Isn’t Right]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Ending1|Ending X-01: After the Nice Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Ending2|Ending X-02: Nevertheless, We Cannot Reconcile Our Differences]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 3 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/dg4easlbd113c9x/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_03.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v03_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Opening1|Opening X-01: Let’s Settle This Once and For All]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Opening2|Opening X-02: Midair Battle, Altitude 5000m]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter1|Stage 01: A Transfer Student in Early Spring Signals the Collapse of the School]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Scheming and True Beginning of the Girl’s Backdoor]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Rabbit Guide and the Liar Cat]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter4|Stage 04: Revenge and the Plan for Perfect Vessels]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Ending1|Ending X-01: The Girls’ Slight Hope]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Ending2|Ending X-02: A Demonstration of the White Queen’s True Character]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 4 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/4tiqav8o8utq59i/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_04.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v04_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Opening1|Opening X-01: Immediate Game Over]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Opening2|Opening X-02: Another Infiltration Mission]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter1|Stage 01: The Cutest Escape Game in the World?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter2|Stage 02: There Will Certainly Be Consequences]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Elegant Throne which Invites That Queen]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter4|Stage 04: Who Made the Original Request?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Ending1|Ending X-01: Waking From a Dream]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Ending2|Ending X-02: It’s Game Over After All]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Epilogue|?]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 5 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/xsg6ivkn2vyvum6/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_05.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v05_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Opening1|Opening X-01: A Stage Play Called a Miniature Garden]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Opening2|Opening X-02: Peel Back the Outer Layer to Reveal Another]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter1|Stage 01: Named Summoners, the 15 Children]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter2|Stage 02: A Certain Boy’s Warm Days, Both Sides]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Door to Hell, Who Will Unlock It?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Calamity was Named, the Secret War]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Single Soul that Survived]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Demon’s Contract Leads to a Starting Point]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Epilogue|?]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 6 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/uzazgcrthcac7o3/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood-Sign_-_Volume_06.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v06_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Opening1|Opening X-01: Double Attack Onee-chans (Extra Serving)]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Opening2|Opening X-02: Hopper the Wizard and the Small Key]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter1|Stage 01: A Bloody Hand Makes a Wish Upon the Tanabata Stars]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter2|Stage 02: Insane Believers Never Ask for Anything in Exchange]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter3|Stage 03: Another Who Escaped Hell and Overcame Death]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Strongest Summoner is Infatuated with the World of Man]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Bouquet for Your Enemy at the Hilltop Grave]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Ending2|Ending X-02: When You Place the Rope Around that Alluring Neck]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Epilogue|?]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 7 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/n2dkddi7ygyc1bi/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood-Sign_-_Volume_07.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v07_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Opening1|Opening X-01: Aimless Trip to an Unmanned Station (With Nowhere to Stay)]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Opening2|Opening X-02: One-Way Ticket from Strongest to Hell, Unreserved Seat]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter1|Stage 01: Original Joruri Method Artificial Vessel, Meinokawa Aoi]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter2|Stage 02: An Enemy Named Olivia Highland]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter3|Stage 03: Doctor S Awaits the Hunter in the Shadows of a Legend]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Blossoming White Flower Shines Even in the Moonlight]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Ending1|Ending X-01: Mission Accomplished, But For Whom?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Mental Leeway to Enjoy the World's Destruction]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Epilogue|?]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 8 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8|Full Text]])===
[[File:BloodSign_v08_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Beginning of a Rebellious Phase]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Opening2|Opening X-02: Window-Shattering Youth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter1|Stage 01: Welcome to the Media Celebrity Life]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Treasure Chest is in the Frozen Undersea World ]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter3|Stage 03: Extraterrestrial Battle Against Intelligent Life]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter4|Stage 04: Crushing the Silver War from the Heavens]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Ending1|Ending X-01: Do Not Underestimate Youth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Ending2|Ending X-02: The End of a Rebellious Phase]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 9 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9|Full Text]])===
[[File:BloodSign_v09_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Cowardly King Defeated]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Opening2|Opening X-02: The White Queen’s First Battle?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Stage1|Stage 01: A World of Ruin Indulges in Chaos]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Stage2|Stage 02: Stand Back Up and Return to the Starting Point]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Stage3|Stage 03: Not Even Coughing Up Blood Is Enough]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Stage4|Stage 04: The Truth About “Brother”]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Ending1|Ending X-01: Light the Fuse]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Ending2|Ending X-02: Find a Way Out of Certain Doom]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Epilogue|?]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 10 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10|Full Text]])===
[[File:BloodSign_v10_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Path to Doomsday]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Opening2|Opening X-02: A Dance on the Precipice of Death]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage1|Stage 01: Across the Seven Planets and Twelve Constellations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage2|Stage 02: This is the Chosen Final Stage]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage3|Stage 03: The True Enemy Was With Us All Along]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage4|Stage 04: Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Ending1|Ending X-01: Who Sits in the Queen’s Throne?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Age of Awakening Has Arrived]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Appendix|Summoner Name List]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Crossovers==
{{Toaru:Crossover3}}

{{Toaru:Crossover4}}

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
*[[user:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''

== Series Overview ==
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン (10 September 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866861-3)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(2) (10 January 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-869164-2)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(3) (8 August 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-865310-7)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(4) (9 January 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-865660-3)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(5) (10 June 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892116-9)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(6) (10 December 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892550-1)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(7) (9 June 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-892951-6)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(8) (10 February 2018)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(9) (10 November 2018)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(10) (8 June 2019)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Kazuma Kamachi]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume7 Chapter3

2020-07-31T18:48:47Z

72.80.103.151: /* Part 1 */

==Stage 03: Doctor S Awaits the Hunter in the Shadows of a Legend==
''“Why am I still alive?”

''“Oh? You make it sound like you overcame death all on your own.”

'''(Stage 03 Open 07/20 19:30 Open)

'''Doctor S Awaits the Hunter in the Shadows of a Legend

===Part 1===

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

Kyousuke no longer remembered how far he had run through the white crystal cave or what route he had taken.

In fact, no amount of struggling could have let him escape the White Queen before his eyes. She was already the strongest at just one, but there were now enough of her to fill the city like an army of the dead. There was no hope. In that case, it was obvious what had happened.

“Thirty-oooone, thirty-twoooo, thirty-threeeee…”

That counting continued from somewhere.

That lovely voice echoed endlessly like she was starting a game of hide-and-seek. And that was not the only voice. After all, there was more than one Queen this time. The voices arrived from all directions as if to surround poor Kyousuke. She seemed to be toying with him using the madness of a group, something she had never had before due to being unique.

She was letting him escape.

She was clearly just having fun.

“Nowww, then. Brooootherrrr, what will you do?”

“Will you continue with your plan to destroy me, the White Queen you hate so much? Ee hee hee!”

“But, but. I can ''infect'' people this time. Nowww, who am I using as a host for this one? A member of Bridesmaid? Or a villager from Houbi Village? Oh? But can you just kill them? Well, can you, bunny???”

“Ugwah!! Aghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

They were not here.

The Queen’s voice echoed in from a distant location, using the complexly curving cave like a speaking tube.

The mass of sound seemed to envelop him.

“Ready or nooooot, here I cooooome!”

“Ready or nooooot, here I cooooome!”

“Ready or nooooot, here I cooooome!”

“…!!!???”

“Broootherrr, let’s flirt and smooch. …Ah ha ha ha ha ha!!”

“Broootherrr, let’s flirt and smooch. …Ah ha ha ha ha ha!!”

“Broootherrr, let’s flirt and smooch. …Ah ha ha ha ha ha!!”

A strong but dull sound burst out.

It was not Kyousuke slipping and falling. The silver-haired shrine maiden named Meinokawa Aoi had grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the crystal wall.

“Calm down, you fool!!”

“Eek!?”

“I’m honestly amazed you managed to pick up Olivia’s unconscious body and flee in that situation, but if you just keep running aimlessly, you’ll only end up right in front of one of the Queens. And if she’s using her numbers to surround us, escape by normal means will be impossible.”

With that said, Aoi pulled Kyousuke forward instead. She wrapped her arms around his head as if holding him to her large chest.

“Do not worry.”

“…”

“Listen to my pulse. I might be artificial, but the structure is no different. You can tell how calm I am, can’t you? That means I haven’t let it affect me and I can buy enough time for you to calm down, too. …As a shrine god, that is my purpose. That role was admittedly forced onto me, but I will not abandon a human child seeking my protection.”

Kyousuke’s heart rampaged in his chest and he was clearly hyperventilating, but this allowed him to finally regain control of his mind that was madly running full speed ahead.

“Pant, pant…phew…”

“Good, good. Do not worry. If you try to take care of it all at once, you will simply be overwhelmed. Let’s take our time and solve it bit by bit. Understand?”

Biondetta had pursued Kyousuke along with Aoi and she shook her head over and over with a hand on the side of her head as if to shake away a nightmare.

“Urp. An atmosphere of death filled with multiple Queens and heavy bedrock overhead. Really reminds you of the Queen’s Miniature Garden, doesn’t it, sir?”

“Oh, right… I just had to remember that… This isn’t the first time the Queen has multiplied… This was a known phenomenon…not something entirely incomprehensible… I’m fine…I’m still fine…”

“However.” Biondetta added more while lightly kissing the white snake that slithered out of her cleavage. “''Multiple Queens working together'' is definitely unprecedented. We should assume this is even more dangerous than the Queen’s Miniature Garden.”

That meant this was the worst situation in history. That was enough to make him feel faint and he had to focus his mind to avoid blacking out in Meinokawa Aoi’s chest.

This absurd situation was not some grand final objective; it was something done just for fun.

She was truly the greatest cheater.

But that was no reason to abandon all thought. They had a veritable mountain of problems to deal with, but that was exactly why their only option was solving them each one at a time.

Kyousuke finally stopped leaning on Aoi and managed to support his own weight.

“Whatever we do, we have no time,” he groaned. “The White Queen will start searching for us – just for fun – before long.”

“First of all, I want to make sure you know that – unlike me – she is not simply borrowing those forms,” said Aoi. “If true White Queens are being mass-produced, then fighting her head-on would be reckless indeed. In fact, we could not defeat even one of them.”

“Since they’re working together, I suppose we can’t lure them into destroying each other this time.”

An unnatural gagging motion entered Kyousuke’s throat once more.

He knew this was different, but he could not help but think of Mary Ann destroying the other Queens. He also thought of the White Queen versus the Black Maw. But they could not use that method here.

“If we can’t fight her head-on or use any tricks, only one option remains.”

Aoi sighed somewhat sadly, perhaps because she no longer had anything to hold to her chest.

“I assume you mean the Material you are hoping can defeat the Queen. That does seem to be our only hope.”

“But we’re up against multiple Queens!” protested Biondetta. “You could easily call it an army!!”

“Yes, but each of the Queens has the same specs. So the rest depends on the situation. It would be difficult to singlehandedly defeat 100 people in a simultaneous game of rock-paper-scissors, but things change if you play them all sequentially in 100 different games. Both options are far from easy, but the first step is preparing the proper conditions and environment.”

Kyousuke breathed in and out.

The despair was too great for that to stop his cold sweat, but he forced his mind into motion.

“In that case, I’m curious about the fact that she’s infecting people instead of simply multiplying or copying herself. That Queen doesn’t care about anyone but me, so it seems odd that she would make herself need the bodies of other people.”

“…To act as hostages?”

“That means it’s possible ''she’s afraid'' that we could have a chance if she didn’t have that means of stopping us.”

Kyousuke spoke coldly.

He did not hesitate to use the word “afraid” when it came to that Queen.

“Also, we still don’t know how she’s infecting people. Depending on the answer, it might be possible to heal them.”

Biondetta was not the only one shocked by that suggestion.

Even Meinokawa Aoi’s eyes widened.

“W-wait. Are you saying you still haven’t given up?”

“That’s right.”

“You can look at this situation and still set your objective to ''saving'' them!?”

“Is that anything for a shrine god to say? Can’t you see them wandering in search of help? If I did anything else, the name Alice (with) Rabbit would lose all meaning. That’s the only reason the Queen would bother making more of herself when she’s already the strongest on her own.”

Yes, the White queen already reigned at the highest peak, so it was hard to think she would be trying to strengthen herself. Whether as an individual or a group, the strongest was the strongest. It was an inexact way of thinking, but when she was an infinite being from the beginning, there was no reason to gather a group of her. Then why the infection? The Queen always placed Kyousuke at the center of her world, so the answer was self-evident.

The Queen wanted to make Kyousuke hers by breaking his spirit and removing his attachment to all other things.

She longed for the moment when he took the easy route and relied on the strongest.

She was trying to create a dependency in which he could not survive without that strongest and he could find nothing else to hold pride in. Just as a soccer player would most hate having soccer taken from them and just like a student admitted to a prestigious university would fight desperately to not have their academic records taken from them.

In other words…

“She’s trying to get me to kill them myself. That is the Queen’s goal.”

Needless to say, accepting a game suggested by the White Queen was the height of folly, but he was free to save them in a way that surpassed the Queen’s expectations. He had to outdo her and present the answer without ever giving up. That was the proper course of action for Shiroyama Kyousuke.

He had to end his confusion. He had to regain his will of steel.

And after that, he had one important task to perform.

“Let’s observe the White Queen.”

“Are you serious, dammit!? I was hoping to suggest we hurry to the center, reach the cruise ship at the summit as soon as possible, create the vessel which can contain your trump card Unexplored-class, construct the Material itself, and immediately begin the battle to destroy the White Queen!!”

“There are too many questions concerning this infection. Accepting it as ''just something the Queen can do'' is the same as refusing to think. …If we can figure out how it works, we can make a further judgment about whether or not they can be returned to normal…no, about whether or not they can be saved.”

“…”

“Now, a question: do you want this to leave a bad taste in your mouth or not?”

“Okay!! Fine!!”

===Part 2===

Let us discuss Toy Dream 35.

That city had nothing as shady as a combination of a used tools shop and garbage collectors.

Even if you possessed something worth absolutely nothing, anyone with any at all love for antiques would never think of making a little bit of money by giving it to someone who would melt it down and reuse it. If you did see a combination like that, it was best to consider another possibility:

…Could this shop be buying up anything, stolen or not, and melting down the valuable metals in anything that seemed sketchy to make it untraceable before selling it again?

“Boss, here’s the report on today’s job.”

“Oh? Did we have a job too questionable to discuss over the internet?”

The sun had set, but the heat island made sure the night was still blazing hot. That awful night contained so much heat and humidity that it made one wonder if a corpse sitting outside would begin decomposing faster now than at midday.

A middle-aged man had shown up at a needlessly gaudy shop in C Block’s Chinatown and the modified China dress beauty named Lu Niang Lan tilted her head at him from behind the counter. She accepted a wide variety of jobs, so she did not remember the details of all of them. (That also proved just how stable her foundation was.)

[[Image:BloodSign_v07_231.jpg|thumb]]

Before answering, the stubbly man in cheap work clothes enjoyed a sip of the chilled oolong tea the beauty served him.

“I mean that container. That had top priority, right?”

“Oh, Kyousuke-chan’s job.”

“We dealt with the organic portion by mixing in oil filled with aerobic bacteria to create humus for growing forced vegetables. It will soon be used in the home garden of some wealthy young housewife with too much time on her hands. The container itself was broken down into pellets and thrown into a blast furnace so it can be used for the metal beams in a luxury apartment.”

“Hmm. Everyone’s always talking about a recession, but money and free time still gather in the places doing well.”

“Tell me about it. Well, our job is a lot easier when there are plenty of people with no sense of danger whatsoever.”

“Why is it that gathering money doesn’t seem to lead to happiness?”

“Boss, it takes someone who moves around as much cash as you to say something like that. ''Yes, someone who moves it around instead of just gathering it.'' Happiness isn’t something you work your ass off in search of; you need to set up camp in front of the prime spots where it’ll roll right into your lap. Even this shop was blown to smithereens, but how many days did it take to rebuild it again?”

“Oh, come now. I have a sweaty man telling me how jealous he is of me, so I still have a ways to go. Didn’t you know? The truly happy don’t have to do anything to be loved by everyone. And with those people, they don’t even notice that anything they don’t like is automatically eliminated from their everyday surroundings.”

“So like the really cute girl in your class? People tend to say everyone’s born with a set amount of luck, but they don’t often talk about whether or not you can shove your luck deficit onto someone else. …Oh, right. I did take a sample of the regenerated product and I’ll run an analysis on it, but I doubt we’ll find out what it was originally. So the same as always, I guess.”

“So you’ll take care of it?’

“Exactly. The work tools for our ''housework service'' are always discarded after use, so those will be disposed of too. It’s kind of incredible. I miss the days when a disposer would create meat dumplings and send them to a mountain pig farm or ocean fish farm as ‘animal food’.”

“You see that a lot in movies, but it isn’t actually all that reliable since undigested human hair will end up in their droppings.”

“Well, if you do as sloppy a job as they show in the movies. They won’t shut up about making the recent Toy Dream movies as realistic as possible, but they can’t exactly give people lessons on how to actually get away with murder. So what was that container anyway? A corpse?”

“This is Alice (with) Rabbit we’re talking about, so I seriously doubt that.”

“Oh, well that’s no fun. I thought we were quietly disposing of a little ‘accident’ so he could maintain his legend.”

“My. Are you the type who feels more excited than disappointed when an idol’s infidelity comes to light?”

“Don’t act like you’re any different, boss. I know you find other people’s misfortune to have the sweetest flavor of all. You wouldn’t fit in with Illegal otherwise.”

The two of them laughed together without taking any of it too seriously.

Finding out they had unwittingly disposed of a corpse or two was not about to surprise them and the same went for ''something even more dangerous and delicate than a corpse.'' No matter what was placed on the line ahead of them, they would break right through the law of conservation of mass because the more they erased from the world, the greater the reward in their pockets. They did not need to beat around the bush on this issue, which just went to show they were both entirely immersed in Illegal.

“Okay, boss, I’ll be going. Our business doesn’t really get going until midnight, so I’ve still got 3 jobs to deal with before dawn. The tea was good. You should probably just remake this place into a teahouse. Maybe a book cafe with shelves full of used books.”

“You forgot the ‘for an amateur’ disclaimer. I can’t hope to match a pro. …And it seems you’re doing good business. Are you avoiding the sun even in prime summer break season?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s the reason why. I know you know more incidents happen this time of year than any other. Everyone decides to cut loose for summer break, but they get irritated in the hot sun and get completely carried away. Summer is the season of love and corpses. Bye☆”

===Part 3===

Discovery meant instant death.

And it was not just her physical strength that made the White Queen the strongest. She was a cut above in every single field. And that of course included her sensory organs and thought ability. Setting up a situation in which they could see her but she failed to notice them was nigh impossible. In fact, it was much, much more likely that ''the opposite'' would happen.

In that case, Kyousuke’s group’s options were extremely limited.

The only effective method they could think of was using the White Queen’s traits against her:

*1. The White Queen is only interested in Shiroyama Kyousuke.

*2. The White Queen can only infect humans.

In that case…

“Hiss…”

A sound like a broken flute echoed quietly across the surface of the underground lake.

It came from the white snake vessel contracted with Biondetta.

He(?) was not human and he was not Shiroyama Kyousuke. Thus, the Queen''s'' would not lock onto him any more than one of the cave’s bats or rats when he was acting alone. He was no different from a weed on the side of the road.

Aoi put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath that caused her shoulders and breasts to rise and fall.

“Hmm. In that case, would I have worked too since I’m artificial?”

“There’s no guarantee with you since your structure is too close to human.”

Kyousuke’s group discussed it while traveling through the underground area and approaching the cruise ship near the summit. They had used the aforementioned ladder in the giant crack as a shortcut to escape the enemy surrounding them. The level of danger was little different no matter where they were, but they wanted to stay as close to their trump card as possible.

It was currently around 10:30 PM.

After more than three hours, the white snake returned after gathering as much information as he(?) could. Only Biondetta could communicate with him due to her contract, so she was in charge of that.

Biondetta and Olivia had spent 24 hours in the loser state, so ingesting nutrients was an important job for them. They had borrowed some biscuits from the emergency food in the shrine(?) by the underground lake, so they split them and ate a quick meal.

“Still…”

Kyousuke looked around once more.

They were inside an unlit ship.

The cruise ship had only been made to slowly cruise along the crater lake which had had no exit, so it was not made to sail at sea. It was modeled after a sailing ship, but it probably only used an electric motor to turn a propeller. It did not have any cabins for spending the night. Only the deck giving a view of the scenery and the dining hall for a light meal had been open to the public. It would have been full with only 30 passengers.

They were inside what had been the kitchen next to the dining hall.

Glass test tubes and flasks were packed in tight along with the cooking tools. A lot of mysterious emblems were carved on the walls and floor. As was readily apparent with a vacuum coffee maker or a pressure cooker, kitchen equipment and lab equipment fit together quite well.

“This should be enough to at least reach the Jewel Blood,” concluded Aoi.

It could be done dry or wet and hot or cold, but the narrow glass tubes resembled a roller coaster.

“To be blunt, preparing a full Joruri Method in such a short time would not be possible. The White Queen has almost certainly begun her search already,” said humanity’s oldest artificial vessel. She began negatively, but then she puffed out her large chest. “So use my body. We can’t prepare it all from scratch, but we can modify what we already have. Just add what you need to my body to remake me into a vessel that can contain the irregular Material you’re thinking of.”

Adding to that artificial being may have been a lot like intentionally implanting a pacemaker in someone to control their heartrate even though they were not seriously ill.

“…You’re willing to do that?”

“I do not mind. I am a shrine god, so protecting people is my job. Why wouldn’t I use every method available to me at the time?”

“I’m asking you as Meinokawa Aoi not as the Queen’s lookalike.”

“…”

The silver-haired girl fell silent for a moment.

A smile appeared on her lips.

“…Don’t underestimate me. I had always wanted to escape my role as the White Queen’s lookalike. I’m not about to complain about gaining some originality, especially when it gives me the power to finish off the Queen.”

Meinokawa Aoi slowly placed a hand on the center of her chest.

And she gave a faint smile.

“Humans are always afraid that the changes to their bodies will mean they are ‘aging’ rather than ‘growing’. But never changing at all is also frightening.”

“…”

Kyousuke was not a Joruri Method, so he probably could not understand that mindset. But if that girl with eternal life wanted to change, he had no reason to press the matter further.

“Mhh.”

And then another voice shattered that solemn mood.

It was Olivia Highland who had come to earlier.

The small girl used both hands to rub the back of her head. That caused her slender bodylines to show through her school swimsuit, which had grown a darker shade of blue after absorbing so much moisture, and even revealed the curves of her ribs which looked as delicate as glass, but she showed no sign at all of caring.

She pushed out her tiny chest and the light pink rose decoration adorning it, she shook the thick chain worn diagonally across her body and the bag-sized lock hanging from it, and she asked a sulking question.

“My head is still throbbing. This is more than just sleeping on it wrong. Onii-chan, you hit me, didn’t you?”

“I guess there’s no hiding it then. …Oh, right. Your memories come back while you’re looking at me even though your contract was ended.”

“I can’t believe you!! If you want to indulge in me, then just say so! I won’t stop you! If you feel the need to knock people out just because you can’t work up the nerve unless they’re asleep, then I’m really worried about your future, Onii-chan!!”

“And ''I'' can’t believe ''you''. That leap of logic was downright acrobatic…”

“I-I’ll help you recover, Onii-chan. Work me with me to become normal, okay?”

“I wasn’t asking you to stare up at me and expand on the topic.”

Meanwhile, Biondetta seemed to have finished communicating with the white snake.

“Outta the way! This sounds like a job for his big sis. They’ve always said big boobs are the best way of curing abnormal proclivities.”

“Oh, no. Now she’s added a bizarre conclusion on top of the bizarre premise!!”

“Hold it,” said Aoi. “Are you saying my size is not enough, you symbol of gluttony?”

“And now it’s spread to all of them? Where do I even start with this!?”

“False accusations are like a long chain in a falling block puzzle game. But anyway, I have something to report.”

Biondetta translated what the white snake had seen into human language.

And her conclusion was as follows:

“Vessels?” Kyousuke repeated the most important word. “The infection has only spread to human vessels?”

“So it seems. The action that triggers it seems to be a bite, but at its core, it’s still a summoning. The Queen descends into the vessel’s body. It only looks like a massive, spreading infection because she’s summoned into so many of them at once. That seems to be the truth of what’s happening here.”

“So there were simply that many vessels in Houbi Village? It makes sense for Bridesmaid, but I thought the Meinokawas had developed the Joruri Method to make up for their lack of vessels.”

“Not necessarily.” Aoi shrugged, causing the chest of her shrine maiden outfit to jiggle rather dangerously. “Why do you think the Meinokawa family understood the bodily structure of a vessel better than anyone else? Why were they blessed with the opportunity to investigate them until they could artificially reproduce one? Because they had enough samples who were willing to help with their research.”

“You mean…?”

“The Meinokawa family was originally a bloodline which tended to produce vessels. But if they had turned themselves into a vessel family, they would have been at the mercy of outsider summoners. That became what you call a ''kom-pleks'' for them. That is the reason why they wanted to be summoners instead of vessels.”

…Kyousuke recalled that Meinokawa Higan was an excellent vessel even after having her ability artificially worn down. It was rare for someone of that talent to be born to a normal family, so it was safe to accept that the Meinokawa family held that kind of secret.

Just because someone relied on a computer did not necessarily mean they were bad at mental arithmetic.

Just because someone relied on a microwave did not necessarily mean they could not cook.

“So between the Meinokawas and Bridesmaid, Houbi Village contains far more vessels than would normally be possible.”

“But normally just one Queen can appear in just one vessel, so they must have a way of breaking that limitation and summoning her into multiple vessels at once,” said Biondetta. “That would be the key to this.”

“So simply put, there is a core Queen who is being used to bend the normal rules?”

“I suppose she would be something like the queen bee. No, maybe more like the one real kid’s meal toy placed in a house of mirrors.”

Meinokawa Aoi’s eyes widened at that.

“So if we got rid of that one doll…?”

“…All of the Queen’s would disappear and the vessels would return to normal?”

They all exchanged a glance.

The only one looking displeased was Olivia Highland who wanted Kyousuke and the Queen to get along.

She puffed out her cheeks while her slender fingers toyed with the brim of her large straw hat.

“Why do you just assume you have to fight her? Mhhh…”

“Because it’s necessary.”

“You just have to hurry up and apologize, Onii-chan. If you try to act like you’re in charge and challenge her, it’s obvious she’ll just beat you up and make you behave.”

“Via.”

Not even using her nickname was enough to control her now. She only stuck out her tongue. With her undeveloped bodylines showing through her school swimsuit, which had grown an oddly dark shade from all the moisture, that double blonde braid girl truly seemed to believe Kyousuke could make up with the Queen if he made the first move. And that may have been why she did not sense the danger they were in.

She did not view the White Queen as someone who brought death, even though that was the most basic thing about her. She ''Simply believed in that'' just like those who believed that an army was there to protect their nation or that police officers carried guns to protect the peace.

That could always be written off as “childish”, but that purity was far too dangerous here.

“We have to figure out which Queen is the core. And whether or not we can just kill that one.”

“Yes, even if the other ''infected Queens'' are like reflections in a house of mirrors, there has to be some trick in place for the original one’s permanent summoning. Simply put, that one uses a different system. We might be able to find a way to tell them apart if we look into that.”

“Hey, if we’ve identified the enemy we need to defeat, isn’t it about time you got to modifying my body?”

All at once, the situation had started to move.

They were still at a serious disadvantage, but it meant a lot to have an actual goal in mind.

The enemy was quickly leaving the category of “incomprehensible”.

“…White Queen, it’s true you’re still the strongest ''for now''.”

Kyousuke spoke quietly inside the cold kitchen lined with strange lab equipment.

The blue flame in his eyes was cold, but there was great heat hidden in his voice.

“But that’s only at the peak of the known route up the mountain. It’s time I showed you what humans are capable of.”

===Part 4===

Meanwhile, Doctor S was facing his own crisis.

He had ended the search in the caves and moved outside for the time being.

Houbi Village had been reduced to ruins by the extraordinary rocket fire, so even the most intact buildings only had their foundations or walls remaining and created twisted silhouettes visible in the dark night. The objects jutting up and tangled together in places were likely the remnants of the wooden festival towers and electric lanterns. No artificial lights illuminated the night and only some red and green particles flowed irregularly around. Those were embers from the attack and fireflies. Doctor S and the rest of the Bridesmaid summoners and Repliglass soldiers had constructed a base on land to join the missile ships and landing ships out at sea. Tents made of synthetic cloth were spread out across the remains of the original village.

“…”

Doctor S sat atop a broken drum and looked around.

Tents came in a wide variety of types, but modifying those used for circuses allowed one to set up a facility the size of a harbor warehouse in a short period of time. When viewed by satellite, the village would have been transformed like painting a new image on a canvas.

But not everything was about logic and efficiency.

In fact, their timetable was in complete shambles.

“Ohh, ohh. Her Majesty…Her Majesty is here…!!”

“Please forgive me for so insolently sharing the same space as Your Holiness!!”

“She really exists! Yes, it wasn’t just a legend! Her Majesty really does exist!!”

Some kneeled on the spot, some were carried to a far-distant land on a wave of ecstasy, and some fainted and convulsed on the ground. Bridesmaid celebrated their greatest moment as a Queen-worshiping cult.

There was a simple reason for that.

Pure white appeared in the dark shadows like a field of lilies in the moonlight.

And there were uncountably many of them.

In all 360 degrees, no matter where you turned, you would only see more and more White Queens. As her very first researcher, Doctor S understood her nature. The White Queen would show no interest in anything other than Shiroyama Kyousuke. In a way, ''he had set it up that way'', so of course he did.

Because Kyousuke had failed, this roller coaster no longer had a safe guiderail.

Facing just one wild Queen was a disaster in and of itself, so being surrounded by her in every direction was best viewed as being trapped by a crueler fate than being in the path of a giant meteor being pulled down by the tendrils of gravity.

In that case…

“…Umm, I would like to ask a question.”

“Yes, what is it?”

One of the Queens answered him while politely bringing her hands together in front of her and cutely tilting her head. But she was not about to give him such a sweet look just because he was Shiroyama Kyousuke’s father. And being part of Bridesmaid, which served her, was not a guarantee of anything. The Queen’s interest was only in him himself; no other factor would get her to focus on him.

So Doctor S stated his question bluntly from the broken drum he sat on.

“Why am I still alive? I honestly assumed I would be killed instantly once the infection and spread began.”

“Oh? You make it sound like you overcame death all on your own.”

“This isn’t anything that cool.”

While answering, the man used his medical inhaler to adjust the oxygen level while using the air pressure tubes in his riding suit to squeeze his body. Together, these simulated a hyperbaric oxygen environment to externally control his brain activity. It was a lot like fiddling with a dial to dig through his memories.

“It’s just that I saw ''something more frightening than death'' during July of 1999. The rest is an issue of priorities. I’ve already selected the problem I wish to conquer first, so I might seem unconcerned about lower priority issues such as my own death.”

“Well, in that case, your driving force is rooted in phobia rather than philia. …Although you have some serious issues since you get as close as possible to the thing you fear instead of distancing yourself from it.”

“That’s just how humans work. Did you not know why those Toy Dream cities are doing such good business all over the world? We humans are a contradictory lot. We want to get as close as possible to danger while maintaining a front-row seat of absolute safety. No luxury could be greater.”

“Don’t try to pretend you’re not a coward.”

“Oh, my cowardice is the entire point. I will admit it’s pathetic, though. Even now, it could easily explode within me at any time if I didn’t tune my thoughts externally like this.”

“Is that an application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy? That said, I believe I was taught that excess oxygen intake not only leads to hyperventilation but that the reactive oxygen that changes form within your metabolism is one cause of aging.”

“I stopped caring about aging after the fear turned my hair white. You would never know it, but I’m actually a fair bit younger than I look. My hair has been like this ever since I saw you that first time. Although I’m not about to claim I’m exactly young anymore.”

Whatever Doctor S may have thought, the White Queen did not seem to have any real feelings about that.

So the twintail girl readily changed the subject.

To the man, this was like hesitantly walking through a minefield where one misstep would blow him away, but she readily announced a change of destination on a whim.

“What is with that S name?”

“Oh, this? It was originally a pseudonym I used for the long-term project with Kyousuke, but it was convenient enough and I ended up borrowing it ever since. Well, with the later Miniature Garden, it was entirely about inertia or maybe a good luck charm. That was an utter failure that didn’t match the requested specs, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. So from there, I was probably hoping for someone who showed some promise. How that turned out goes without saying.”

“Your project, hm?”

“He is my child. I will not lie about that. I simply used every research tool available to me.”

“But that is not enough to fully explain this.”

“You mean why it had to be a Shiroyama? Not even I know. I can only assume it was a divine revelation.” Doctor S smiled bitterly at his own trauma. “Oh, and it might look like Kyousuke is driven by phobia, but it’s actually philia. You can rest easy about that.”

It sounded like he too was changing the subject on a whim, but he was not actually.

“My, my.”

The White Queen smiled while happily clasping her hands in front of her chest. She looked like a girl who had received information on the boy she liked from a classmate.

''This'' was the only way for Doctor S to access the White Queen. He could not get a single word out of her otherwise. When he was lost, when he could not see the ground below his feet, and when his soul was trapped by the fear of landmines, the only way to course correct was to speak Kyousuke’s name. That would allow him to set down his raised foot.

“I’m scared.”

Was his voice actually reaching the twintailed Queen?

And even if it was, this might not change the fate of this man in a lab coat and riding suit.

“I’m so very, very, very scared. But that is why this shiver down my spine is the one thing I can’t erase by manipulating the oxygen. How much safety can we maintain and how close can we approach danger? Some say it is the ability to control fire that makes humanity special, but I see things otherwise. Our one and only treasure is the ability to not just control fire but approach that danger and enjoy the thrill of it. There are insects that commit suicide and beasts that torment others, but no other living creature holds entirely meaningless values.”

As Doctor S spoke from the broken drum, his words were not directed at anyone in particular.

He was letting himself hear his own thoughts to apply some self-suggestion and encourage himself.

“We conquered ghosts and UFOs. We removed the fear of poetic prophets and the Aztec calendar. We can use our own words to explain the Tunguska Event and the supposed nuclear destruction of an ancient city by an Astra. We have fully researched most every mystery of the universe and the human body. We have turned it all into safe and boring attractions, leaving nothing to fear. …With the one major exception of you.”

“Iiiii seeee. So for you, what happens after death is something you either already understand or a trivial matter you can calculate out if need be. You know the equations, so you just have to leave the massive amount of calculations to a supercomputer which can work out the answer at more than a billion calculations a second.”

“Ha ha. That’s right, that’s right. The White Queen is the one thing where I can’t even find an equation to use as a starting point. No matter how I look at or frame the problem, all I get are unknowns upon unknowns. It could be zero, infinity, an imaginary number, or anything else; if I could see just one value, I could confirm the safety, mark out the danger with a dividing line, and find a way to get as close as possible to that line.”

“Humans feel both hope and fear about the things they do not understand. Once you had made your way all around the earth, the occupation of adventurer died out and the seeds of hope for the entire species were lost. Even with outer space, you could predict the majority of the star map using radio telescopes.”

“So what is your answer?”

“Do you desire your own death that badly?”

“Dying here would be simple. That is no more than an easily predicable result. Queen, surely you can bring people ''a much crueler fate''.”

“Hmm. That is true.” The silver twintailed Queen placed her index finger on her slender chin. “The things you have brought into this world should indeed be called hideous, but without them, brother and I never would have met. Isn’t that enough of a reason to give you a stay of execution?”

“Akura Taisaku from the Queen’s Miniature Garden similarly pulled the selfish trigger when he could no longer bear that freefall with no guarantee of safety, but you didn’t hesitate to smash him into paste. …And I am well aware you allowed his cells to remain active so ''he lived on for more than 300 hours while splattered across the walls and ceiling''. And he was aware the entire time that there was no hope at all of saving him.”

“Oh, you do know your trivia, don’t you? Did the two of you get along because you both have severe phobias? If I recall correctly, you developed the Miniature Garden and he ran it. But I can’t have you acting like that Queen and the Queen before you now are the same.” The White Queen giggled. “There is a simple reason for treating you differently from Akura. The presence of an ordinary sort of man will not change much of anything. So even if the middle point was altered somewhat, that war would have ultimately happened and brother and I would have parted ways. But you were different. That is all this is.”

“Hmm.” The inhaler man slightly adjusted the oxygen level like a tuner. “If you killed me here, disguised it as some kind of error, and ‘returned’ right away, you might just gain Kyousuke’s favor.”

“…”

The White Queen’s shoulders jumped.

But not because some gears had jammed. It was the opposite. The phrase Doctor S had spoken were the magic words to rob the silver twintailed Queen of all of her plans. Without even looking at her face, it was obvious that linking her to Kyousuke had sent pleasure signals coursing through her body.

But the strongest of the strongest suppressed it.

Doctor S calmly viewed that result.

“I see. That is a magician’s trick.” He nodded once. “You are arrogant in all things and everything you do can be judged humble when compared to what you are actually capable of. But you are afraid. You are shockingly cowardly when it comes to Kyousuke. Basically, with the obvious target of Doctor S around, Kyousuke will look elsewhere. So even if you are manipulating things from behind the scenes, you are harder to spot. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”

Some might call it clever and some might call it cowardly, but they could not forget that this was the White Queen. It was highly irregular for her to even take failure and loss into account when she put together a plan.

“But even before that, the core factor in you and Kyousuke parting ways at the Queen’s Miniature Garden was murder. ''A mere murder caused that''. But I am his father. Whatever he might say, you cannot imagine how much more your relationship will be twisted if you take it a step further and ''kill his parent''. I can see why you would be afra-…”

The White Queen silently tilted her head.

The pull of gravity caused her silver hair to flow creepily over.

And a moment later, the Queen’s slender arm stabbed into the center of Doctor S’s chest before he could finish his sentence.

It truly only took an instant.

It was as smooth as sticking one’s hand into a mass of custard and yet not a drop of blood was spilt.

The White Queen’s right hand had pierced the researcher’s chest far too deftly. No, that was not simple destruction. It was a type of spiritual healing. While completely ignoring the pectoralis major, diaphragm, ribs, sternum, and various arteries and veins in the way, the White Queen easily pulled something out.

He did not even have time to stand up from the broken drum in surprise.

He was forbidden to take any unpermitted action while in the presence of Her Majesty.

That was simply how the world worked.

“''Father.''”

The mass of muscles in her hand was pulsing. It was someone’s heart.

The Queen’s strongest was not limited to pure physical strength.

She could bring out the greatest skill in ''every single field''.

“''I respect you for bringing brother into this world, but I have no intention of getting to know my in-laws well enough to live in a two-generation household.''”

“…”

The frightening part was not how she removed his heart with no pain or resistance.

It was the fact that she could bring hand-to-hand combat to this level. If she wanted, she could remove all of Doctor S’s organs and rearrange them as she saw fit. It was just like moving a human brain into a pig or sheep developed for organ transplants. No, it need not be organic. If she felt like having some fun, she could create a human-faced dog or even a human-faced train. She could easily create a chimera that would cause anyone who saw it to lose their mind.

“''Please do your very, very, very best not to get between my brother and me. I may not look it, but I can become a tad indiscriminate when it comes to him. Even if you are his father, I might do something inappropriate without thinking.''”

“…Oh, how scary. It would seem this thrill ride still has room for improvement. If not for the experimental guiderail named Kyousuke, I would have been tossed from the roller coaster.”

“Yes, I suppose so. Your unsightly racing heartrate is probably caused by noradrenaline, so it would come from the fear and shock based on your phobia.”

“It really is scary.”

But that was the entire point.

Doctor S’s confidence was renewed after seeing this madness that would have made anyone look away. Not even the god in heaven could restrain this ultimate strongest. And there was but one person in the world who contained the possibility of holding her reins.

Only Shiroyama Kyousuke. Completing that failure was the only option.

“I am a priest, not a shrine maiden. Directly touching you is meaningless; my goal is to approach as close as possible. I wish to safely enjoy the world’s greatest and most dangerous freefall, but I do not actually wish to jump to my death.”

“That is fine then.”

The White Queen grinned and returned the heart in her right hand to Doctor S’s chest. It was a casual action, like someone placing their father’s pocket watch back on the shelf.

There was no red stain on her white glove and that eternally unsullied white spoke.

“Now, then. I think it’s time I got serious about teasing brother. Hee hee hee! Any chance to directly touch him is valuable. …I can’t have him growing accustomed to my appearances. Each and every one of our trysts needs to feel fresh and new! If I am going to show him just how impatiently I have been waiting to make contact with him, I have to make sure I leave an impression: kaboom!!”

“I’m hardly one to talk, but…”

“Yes?”

“You really are cruel.”

The White Queen was entirely unfazed by his great insult.

She placed her hands on her cheeks as her eyes grew damp, her breaths grew heated, and a tremor ran down her spine.

“That is because I love him…!!”

===Part 5===

“Hey!!”

“Nyahh!?”

Kyousuke heard a bizarre cry and then saw Biondetta grabbing onto Olivia’s skinny hips. The little girl was facing forward with her butt sticking out and Biondetta was preparing to spank her. Even if she was wearing a swimsuit below, Olivia seemed worried about her miniskirt and pareo in this pose, so she kicked her skinny legs around, blushed, and tried to bite at the older girl.

“Wait, what do you think you’re doing to me!?”

“What am I doing!? You’re the one that tried to sneak over and remove the fuse to my Incense Grenades so they wouldn’t activate! That really is a life or death issue!!”

“…Tch.”

“That click of the tongue settles it: I’m definitely spanking this ass!!”

“Nyahh!?”

“Those are the laws in my country!!”

“What country is that!?”

The two of them argued back and forth, but Olivia skillfully escaped Biondetta and fled toward Kyousuke. She circled behind him and used him as a shield. Her swimsuit must have gotten oddly twisted while in the waitress demon’s grasp because she messed with the shoulder straps inside her decorative collar and the butt within her pareo.

“Look at that incarnation of violence, Onii-chan! You need to keep away from someone like that!!”

Olivia was not contracted with anyone, so she could not maintain her memories without a summoner or vessel in her field of vision. That meant she could not sneak around when no one else was around and would have to use bold pickpocketing techniques and prestidigitation if she was going to do anything.

Vigor seemed to escape Biondetta’s mouth like steam.

“Sir, please move out of the way. It is my duty to deliver a finishing blow to that insolent ass.”

“Nn! The White Queen is definitely the only person for you, Onii-chan. The Queen is kind, so she wouldn’t get mad about something as trivial as this.”

Kyousuke did not have it in him to correct her ridiculous assessment, but that was not his focus at the moment anyway.

“Aika, have you managed to check with the satellite yet?”

A military satellite might sound like something quite special, but the satellite network was not actually all that sturdy.

The bikini girl responded via his smartphone.

“Well, no matter how advanced things get, they can’t escape the nature of wireless connections. They can strengthen the directionality all they want; the signal still scatters in other directions and the opposite is just as true. I can read from and write to the signal all I want. Although no matter how useful this is, I’m still stuck in the position of logistical support…”

“Meaning?”

“You need to give more credit to your proud shut-in here. And with my eternal rival Olivia Highland showing up while I was out of the loop, I am seriously worried about your future, Onii-chan!!”

That put a smug look on Olivia’s face as she clung to his arm.

“Ee hee hee. Even if we’re on other sides of the world, there is no separating two souls who were truly meant to be together. Grin, grin.”

“You thief!! Do you want me to fire the seven space station tools on top of your head!?”

“Tee hee. And a school swimsuit is the standard…no, it’s justice. I mean, a bikini little sister is just mixing up the symbols to the point of incomprehensibility.”

“Via.”

“Agrbrbrbh!! O-Onii-chan, you’re not blameless here either! When did you two get so close again!? I-Is there really magic in a school swimsuit!?”

“Please, Aika, don’t you go crazy, too.”

“Pant, pant, gasp, gasp… Okay, okay. Here’s the satellite feed. Remember that I’m the truly useful little sister of your soul. Bridesmaid has hacked into and altered the records in the government and private satellites, but they shouldn’t underestimate the true administrative privileges of Government…”

When they saw the image sent from Aika, Kyousuke’s group had very nearly accomplished their goal.

Houbi Village had been overwritten.

Bridesmaid had used their landing Repliglass, which resembled sports kites, to carry supplies from the beach and they had set up their own camp using synthetic tents. Each tent was the size of a harbor warehouse and they had also built some diesel power generation bases and a labyrinth of trenches and seawater-filled ditches.

The silver-haired shrine maiden, Meinokawa Aoi, sounded exasperated.

She pressed her soft cheek against the boy as she peered at the small screen from the side.

“This is incredible. There is no sign of the original village.”

“But it’s a simple matter.” Kyousuke sighed. “This is a temple. And on an urban planning level.”

“You mean like Edo or Kyoto?” asked Waitress Biondetta as she tilted her head and gave a food pellet to her white snake.

“That’s right,” confirmed Kyousuke. “It can be feng shui or whatever else, but they’re using the terrain itself to guide the flow of a great power and gain a special advantage from it. A temple uses four walls to cut itself off from the world and opens an entrance in a specific direction to allow the wind through in order to invite in a higher being with a divine name belonging to a specific element, and there are countless examples of pulling it off at the level of a city like this. By creating their fortress according to plan, Bridesmaid seems to have successfully invited in the White Queen.”

Their landing operation had involved 18,000 rockets and plenty of landing craft.

But Bridesmaid had not wasted anything.

“Hm? But, sir, but they only built up their temple of tents after firing all those rockets on the city. Then what about the rockets that should have fallen on Olivia’s head?”

“They came from the ocean.” Kyousuke’s expression remained unchanged. He did not even bother questioning Olivia about it. “We just have to assume they prepared in advance. I’m guessing they built a temple on the ocean floor so it couldn’t be seen by satellite. Then they extended that to include Houbi Village on land. I mean, that labyrinth of trenches is filled with seawater, right?”

Of course, if the ocean-bottom temple was enough to fulfill their needs, they would not have needed to remake Houbi Village. It may have been like a bridgehead giving them a foothold from the sea to land versus the actual fortified line taking them deeper inland.

“That would be how we were controlling fate and manipulating probability. They were building a royal capital that invites good fortune.”

(But good fortune for whom…?)

It all seemed to be on such a grand and exaggerated scale at first, but it only made sense if it connected to the White Queen who they worshiped.

And only about a day had passed between leveling the village and constructing their fortress. Bridesmaid had done an incredibly speedy job of laying out the groundwork and remaking all of Houbi Village into a temple for the Queen. It normally took centuries to build a grand temple, so this alone was an extraordinary accomplishment.

“The permanently summoned Queen in the center is different from the infected Queens who are spreading out like a house of mirrors,” said Kyousuke. “And if we tear down the temple structure, the permanent summon system will malfunction. So unlike the infected Queens, the permanently summoned one will blur with static. There should be a slight lag before it reaches the infected ones. …Let’s use that to locate their core. The infected Queens are a false reflection, so we don’t have to fight them. Destroying the one at the core should cause them all to disappear.”

“So it’s sabotage, is it? Oh, this is sounding right up my alley.”

“Biondetta.” Kyousuke made sure to calm down the vengeance demon who could not stop grinning. “We need to use multiple observation methods. I’d like to use Aika’s satellite image and also send out a few drones. As long as you know how they’re made, you just need to take apart a smartphone and an electric shaver to make one. Even if Bridesmaid interferes, I want to at least get a blow in.”

“…What if they use Incense Grenades? No ''cam-er-uh''s or ''sen-ser''s work inside an Artificial Sacred Ground, right?”

“Wherever they concentrate the Incense Grenades will be where they’re protecting the core Queen.”

But that left another problem.

“Boo.”

Olivia puffed out her cheeks, fidgeted with her double braids, and spoke up while showing no concern for the undeveloped bodylines showing through her school swimsuit.

She wanted the two people she loved to make up(?).

“Even if you know which one, the Queen is still the Queen. Can you beat her, Onii-chan?”

“…”

Yes, that was the biggest problem.

Just because she had multiplied did not mean each individual White Queen’s value had dropped. The Queen was still the Queen. Challenging her head-on without a plan was a fool’s errand.

Identifying the core Queen was the same as finding a deadly precipice. Approaching that Queen was no different from reducing his own lifespan. This place was more frightening than a jungle roamed by a man-eating tiger. Misjudging his distance from death would get him eaten in the very first attack.

He could not think of himself as special.

No matter what, he had not left the category of human.

“We’ll just have to cheat,” said Kyousuke.

He turned back toward the silver-haired shrine maiden named Meinokawa Aoi.

He recalled each piece of lab equipment and the explanations Aoi had given in that cruise ship.

“How long will it take to complete?”

“Hm. I adjusted it for the expanded components seen in your plans, but you can see how much is in glass container there.”

With a cry of “oryah”, Aoi leaned against Kyousuke to turn him around using her soft warmth.

“Blood worship can be found all across the globe. Some see shed blood as unclean, but others see the blood of important and holy people to be holy. There are simply too many examples to list off.”

“So by adjusting the balance between good and evil from the outside, you can create an affinity for a specific Material, right?”

“Blood is a biometric and an individual identifier, but it can also be readily altered by your eating habits or by drinking perfume. Just how many products are advertised as giving you clean blood? You can even go further and directly alter the quality of your blood by transplanting a heart or marrow. We just have to take that even further.”

Her eyes were directed toward a thick, wet sound.

That kitchen contained a variety of lab equipment and a roller coaster of glass tubes. A red liquid floated in a clear cylindrical container that held nearly 20 liters.

“We have no time,” said Meinokawa Aoi. “I would normally like to create an artificial organ or marrow to produce the blood and then directly implant that in my body, but that would take too long. Our only option is to directly create the necessary artificial blood, inject it into my veins, and temporarily change the quality of my blood to tune me to the Material. …It should be finished soon. The contents need to be compressed until they glow like a red jewel.”

“Jewel Blood, hm?”

“That Western name doesn’t fit the traditional atmosphere, but there’s no helping that. We were always greedy.”

It looked like it would take about an hour longer.

The Blood-Sign method was a contract between a human and a Material, so the better the human would fit in the pages of a biology textbook, the easier the Material could recognize them and synchronize with them. Olivia with her royal blood, royal flesh, and royal soul was the extreme form of that. Aoi was using that to consider the traits of an individual Material and create a vessel that would best be recognized by it. It was not the best comparison, but a carnivore’s sense of smell was quite different from an herbivore’s. The silver-haired shrine maiden was apparently greatly altering the amplitude of that.

The smaller the discrepancy between them, the less the resistance and friction. This was necessary to summon a non-existent Material into her body.

“This will complete the artificial vessel you need, but what about the all-important Material? You plan to create a new Unexplored-class and embed it in the other world for the sole purpose of defeating the White Queen, don’t you? And its divine name will be constructed only from the vowels which are not dyed by the Sound Ranges of the Three. You showed me the theoretical anatomical drawing, but that isn’t enough to create it. Are you going to use a secret life-creating technique such as the alchemical homunculi or Kabbalic golems used for the Regulation-class?”

“I have an idea in mind.”

“…Hm. Whatever it is, the trick will be how to shave off time and prioritize efficiency.”

Aoi glanced over at the collection of equipment filling the kitchen.

She was saying those tools could create most anything, but you could not use them for more than one thing at a time. While creating the Jewel Blood needed to alter her own body, they could not construct the anti-Queen Unexplored-class. That said, they could not win without both, so they could not just ignore one or the other.

“This is going to be tricky.”

“I agree with you there, but physical work is not all a summoner needs to do. While I’m resting my body, I can start on some mental work.”

The most important piece of mental work was running strategy simulations against the opposing summoner.

“Biondetta.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think Doctor S is still alive? Or did he die when all those White Queens showed up?”

“Hmm. That’s not an easy question to answer, but I’d like to suggest 7-to-3 that he’s still alive.”

“Why?”

“Based on the satellite images, the fortress temple created on top of Houbi Village has maintained order. If a group of White Queens was on a rampage, it should be filled with the corpses and blood of Bridesmaid now that she doesn’t need them.”

“Well, I suppose that is what would happen.”

“Of course, I can’t deny the possibility that Doctor S ''personally incurred the Queen’s wrath'' and got himself killed, so that’s why it’s 7-to-3. It is extremely difficult to predict the White Queen’s actions using logic and efficiency, but she does seem to provide unrestricted use of her power to anyone who will allow her to have fun with you, sir.”

“…”

Overall, her thoughts were the same as Kyousuke’s.

That meant he probably was not letting his hatred cloud his judgment, so he would go with that.

“Who is he?”

Biondetta had shared a portion of his past, but she had to ask about this part.

She had only shared the Queen’s Miniature Garden portion of his past, so she knew nothing of what came before that.

“…My father. But not as part of the Fifteen Siblings Project. I mean my real father.”

Shiroyama Kyousuke slowly sighed as he answered.

His thoughts turned to the surname of Shiroyama.

“We lived in an unremarkable house in an ordinary Japanese city. It was me, my dad, my mom, and then my little sister. It was exactly the kind of normal life anyone could imagine.”

“?”

Biondetta and Meinokawa Aoi were both already frowning.

What he described was perfectly normal, but it was strange to think of ''the'' Shiroyama Kyousuke placed on rails like that.

The silver-haired shrine maiden summed it up in a question.

She pressed the back of her head against his temple as she did so.

“But that wouldn’t teach you your excellent combat technique, would it? And where did you and Doctor S come in contact with the Summoning Ceremony?”

“That’s right.” Kyousuke cringed but readily admitted it. “That life was clearly strange. Everything I had thought was normal had been linked to my elite training. Everything from the food I ate to the positions of the mechanical pencil and eraser on my study desk.”

“…”

“And that was frightening enough. I mean, special facilities like the Miniature Garden try to hide, but they can’t really. Anyone who can see the underside of the world will notice them. What Doctor S did was like building a missile using parts from a hardware store.”

He called himself a missile.

A precision-guided missile that had once cornered so very many people.

Kyousuke recalled the inner voice that had guided the Miniature Garden to destruction.

“So…what was Doctor S?” asked Aoi.

“Who knows. The name Shiroyama may not have had any real meaning to it. His behavior has a Government scent to it, so he may have been using household goods to stably produce an unofficial unit for use alongside the government ones. I mean, if he had succeeded, it would have created an age where any house or apartment could be used to mass-produce people on my level.”

Anyone who knew Shiroyama Kyousuke would feel their minds going blank at that suggestion.

That could seriously have thrown the world into disorder.

“I don’t know if Doctor S succeeded or failed and whether he gave up or was stopped by someone else, but he abandoned the project after bringing me fairly close to completion. In the confusion of the divorce, the entire family fell apart. Since I had no relatives left, I was collected by the appropriate organization. After proving my worth by completing a few jobs with the knowledge and skills already placed inside my mind, I was sent to the Miniature Garden. …And it all went so smoothly that it may have all been predetermined.”

“What…do you think?”

“It’s on such a large scale that it’s impossible to grasp the whole of it. I know my memories of that single house are not going to guide me to the answer.” Kyousuke breathed a heavy sigh. “And I don’t know if this was planned as well, but a few of the faces are blotted out and I can’t draw out that information. Like my mom and little sister. Who were they? I hope they were simply part of the cast and they were able to safely withdraw.”

That meant he did not know much about Doctor S.

But if that researcher had “created” Shiroyama Kyousuke’s foundation, some things could be deduced from that foundation.

“You can’t implant in someone else what doesn’t exist in yourself,” said Kyousuke. “No matter how insane he is, he is still my parent. And as his child, he created my skill as a summoner.”

“So he’ll use similar tactics?”

“We can’t say much since I’m sure we have our individual idiosyncrasies and preferences, but we can think of our skills as about the same. And he should be able to predict all of the choices I will make. Because he created me this way.”

The previous battle had been settled by Meinokawa Aoi, not Kyousuke. She had used her position as a fully artificial Joruri Method to remove her head, which Doctor S had failed to predict.

Even if Kyousuke planned everything out in advance, it was impossible to know what would happen.

“It’s also easy for me to predict what Doctor S will do,” said Freedom Award 903. “I just have to imagine what I would do using my skills if I used such a long sword. Since the skills at the foundation are the same, the differences will come from the surrounding environment.”

===Part 6===

Houbi Village had been conquered by Bridesmaid and the many infected White Queens.

Nevertheless, there was still no word of Kyousuke’s group being captured.

The declining village had limited transportation access, so holding all of the exits was not difficult. Not to mention that it was not just reckless but insolent to think you could break out when surrounded by the White Queen whose sensory organs had expanded infinitely beyond enlightenment or divine visions.

In that case…

“They haven’t escaped outside,” said Doctor S as he stood up from the broken drum. “Are they actually rushing to the center?”

A White Queen joined him, but it was no longer possible to tell ''which'' Queen this was. And for him, it did not matter ''which'' one it was. She was the one and only thing in the world he did not understand in the slightest, so this merely completed that definition.

One of the Queens spoke softly.

“My. Then is this the beginning of the expected game of hide-and-seek?”

“We went out of our way to make this remote village our stage, so we need to do this right. If we’re going to be hunting them through the mountains late at night, I’d like for us bring a bunch of torches with us. Not so much for the light as providing the obvious visual of a great mob to force as much despair onto Kyousuke’s group as possible. This just isn’t the environment for IR goggles.”

“Hmm. The fact that we aren’t the actual residents of some frightening village of freaks works against us there.”

“Just think of us as witch-hunting rioters visiting from elsewhere. Either way, once you turn the entire place into a crazed human hunt, the fear kind of happens on its own.”

“My, my☆”

“Whether inborn or learned, people are susceptible to predefined categories…in other words, genres. That includes primal fears such as heights and enclosed spaces and it also includes cultural fears like the guillotine or a chainsaw. No, this isn’t even limited to that one emotion. For example, the best way to get an enemy spy to betray their side is not money or the barrel of a gun; it’s the single bowl of soup given by a normal local when the spy is starving and freezing. The trick is to disguise it all as a coincidence. That too is an obvious emotional reaction. Humans feel unreasonably compelled ''to cry'' when things follow a predefined course of events.”

“Like an abandoned puppy in the rain?”

“Or a movie where a sick kid dies.” He spread out a map on a table below the large tent. “We could always use our numbers to perform a thorough search of Houbi Village, but if we’re going to supply some fresh fear, it has to look like we can see everything. Let’s try to make some predictions. If we concentrate on a single location, Kyousuke’s group should try to take advantage of it. And giving them a hint of hope will only increase the pain. The sense of pain recedes from a frozen hand, so we need to warm it up a little.”

“Hee hee hee.” The Queen seemed unable to hold in the laughter. “You sadist.”

“That makes two of us.”

With that, Doctor S casually dropped the tip of his knife onto the map.

And it stabbed into…

“The remains of the crater lake at the mountain peak. Let’s corner them there. With all the caves riddling the mountain like a spider web, Kyousuke’s group will think they have a chance to slip past us. Not that we’ll actually give them the opportunity.”

“What makes you so confident?”

“You must already know the answer, but fine. First of all, Kyousuke’s group has no intention of falling back. Now that he’s seen you, he’s sure to challenge you no matter how outmatched he is. That tells us how to look at this: Kyousuke is hopelessly surrounded by countless White Queens, so what hope will he try to cling to?”

“I see.”

“Since he still has Meinokawa Aoi as a vessel, he will not give up on creating that new Unexplored-class. Based on the modern translations of the Joruri Method diagrams in Azalea’s research documents, it would be difficult to create an entirely new one in a short period of time, but he should be able to expand Aoi’s body to meet his needs. That means he will try to visit a modification facility.”

And this was Houbi Village, headquarters of the Joruri Method.

Most of the village had been wiped out by the rockets and Repliglass unit, but it was highly unlikely that all of the facilities had been destroyed.

“We destroyed all of the surface structures, but if they had lab equipment hidden around as backups, those spares were likely kept in underground tunnels, ships, and RVs,” said Doctor S. “And since they haven’t been caught yet, Kyousuke’s group must have headed inward instead of outward. That further limits the possibilities.”

“Isn’t there a giant network of underground tunnels below this village?”

“Sorry, but I doubt he would use one of those.”

“?”

“Why? Because he’s Alice (with) Rabbit.”

The inhaler man breathed a muffled sigh behind the transparent mask.

And then he chuckled.

“I had completely forgotten, but this village has a fair number of residents. Whether they are aware of the Summoning Ceremony or not, that network of tunnels will be the lifeline for all of the survivors. The limit is already set at two or three days, but if we begin a more thorough search for Shiroyama Kyousuke, it will expose all those hidden people to danger. So Kyousuke will not share their living space. No matter how illogical any other option might be.”

That left only one possibility.

And the answer had already been given by the knife on the map.

“If he’s eliminated the tunnels as options, this is the most likely place: the cruise ship left behind in the dried-up crater lake. It should be big enough to hold all the necessary lab equipment. And if not, they can use the cooking equipment left in the industrial kitchen to improvise. After all, kitchen equipment and lab equipment are a lot alike.”

As twisted as their relationship was, they were still father and son.

At times like this, Doctor S and Shiroyama Kyousuke could predict each other’s actions even from a distance.

“Let the hunt begin.”

The father stared at the son’s game board and moved a piece.

Once they had a goal, the greater than 10,000 White Queens would begin to move as one. And any member of that group was powerful enough to destroy the entire galaxy.

Doctor S continued speaking as if to see what she would do.

“It’s time to overwhelm him with fear and despair. With this, your experiment can advance to the next stage, Queen.”

“Oh? You’re still making battle preparations? Isn’t having me with you enough?”

The White Queen said that because Doctor S reached for the long sheath placed on the table. No, that was not all. He also touched his vessel.

But that no longer referred to Olivia Highland.

He had readily ended that contract. She had served her purpose once she had brought him to Shiroyama Kyousuke.

He was now using his usual animal vessel. More accurately, it was an extraordinarily large Joro spider with a distinct black and yellow striped pattern. Except a great many of them were lined up, each in their own bug cage.

In this case, the phrase “palm-sized” did not bring to mind a small size or sense of comfort. This was far too bizarre for that.

But at the same time, spiders were a beneficial bug and some folklore had them as the targets of jinxes.

And if the inborn talent of a vessel was hard to come by, then you only had to increase the denominator. If you wanted a surefire method to obtain a one-in-a-billion talent, you only had to search through a billion people. A spider’s egg sac would contain tens of thousands of lives. From there, you could use Mendelian cross-breeding by taking the specimens with slightly greater traits as a vessel, placing them in the same bug cage, and adjusting the temperature and humidity to fake the seasonal cycle. That let you repeat the generational cycle in a short period of time.

Doing this with humans would be frowned upon, but the hurdle was much lower for other life forms.

Just like researchers could do live experiments with rats even if human experimentation would not be immediately possible.

That wise and sensible man had learned his lesson.

Not all experiments needed to use humans. Using Shiroyama Kyousuke too much had worn the boy out and caused all sorts of problems. The self-proclaimed “professional” summoners who claimed to be entirely immersed in the underside of the world would apparently let their human side show fairly easily. As long as it did not interfere with their own interests anyway.

“Oh, dear. I see there is no lovely trust between us whatsoever.”

“This is the digitally-calculated answer. I do not want a single vessel with exceptional talent or specs backed by willpower. It’s simply inefficient to use the human species. The short lifespan is a bottleneck when it comes to bugs, but if I maintain an environment in which I can always scoop up the next specimen from the large denominator, I can always have a stable supply.”

No matter what, they were always a target of observation and an experiment animal.

In a way, the relationship between researcher and specimen was an absolute one.

As Doctor S casually spoke with the White Queen, he opened the lid to one of the many bug cages. The large spider deftly used its long legs to crawl out, onto the back of his hand, and up his arm to his shoulder.

Perhaps for ease of observation, each of the bug cages was given two numbers. One number for the row and one for the column. And the form those numbers took could not have been simpler:

“Block 7 House 12.”

The clear inhaler man recited it in a singsong voice.

He also increased the oxygen level and tightened the air pressure tubes in his riding suit to increase his brain activity.

“Block 7 House 12, hm? It would probably be best to use the ones around here for the next round of cross-breeding.”

''Yes.

''They sounded just like the addresses of perfectly normal homes.

===Part 7===

Even if the world did not revolve around them, the others still had to fight for their lives.

“Crap, crap, crap, crap…”

In this case, it was the black-haired shrine maiden named Meinokawa Renge.

She had already experienced Bridesmaid’s insanity back in Toy Dream 35. Rockets had poured down like rain, but she had avoided a lethal injury by escaping into her home’s ice room and into the vast network of underground tunnels. However, things had not ended there. The soldiers in control of the village would notice the absence of corpses and they had to be finding the entrances to the tunnels.

Houbi Village’s tunnels had become a deadly dungeon.

Turning the corner and finding a summoner or Repliglass soldier could bring a quick end to your life. Renge was a professional summoner in Freedom, but this had progressed too far for that to matter.

It was the Queen.

The White Queen was wandering around.

And not just one or two of her. A great swarm of them inundated the village like zombies. To make matters even more frightening, they were all residents of Houbi Village. These same people had greeted her and shared leftover food with her until now. But as soon as they were grabbed, dragged down, surrounded, and bitten by the Queens’ canine teeth, they became the same. Renge had yet to fully process this.

The one blessing was how little interest they showed in her. No matter what might happen, that monster was only interested in Shiroyama Kyousuke.

She did not care if anyone mocked her as a coward.

But in these extreme circumstances, simply taking her twin sister with her and keeping her lungs and heart moving was a major accomplishment.

“R-Renge, will we be safe here?”

“Shh.”

“And I’m hungry…”

Doing a bit of research in books or on the internet would tell you that humans could live for several days on nothing but water and that stranded people would not starve on the very first day, but that all assumed they were in an ordinary condition. A situation on the verge of death would greatly shake your autonomic nerves and biological functions. When in a state of extreme exhaustion, it was not uncommon for people to quickly lose the ability to keep walking and for no amount of water to soothe their dry throat.

Black-haired Renge and blonde Higan wore ''zori'' sandals<ref>A type of traditional Japanese sandal with sole made of straw.</ref>. and white ''tabi'' socks<ref>A type of traditional Japanese socks, worn with ''zori''.</ref> which were not at all suited for outdoor use and they soon arrived at the large underground lake that altered the currents and dampness that kept people away from the sacred ground. The complex tunnels with plenty of blind spots were certainly frightening, but wide open areas were also a problem. They of course had to check behind large rocks and in the deep shadows, but they also had to look up at the limestone cave’s ceiling to thoroughly ensure their safety. After all, they were up against the White Queen and she could be hiding anywhere.

(It’s safe…isn’t it?)

Renge gulped.

“Higan, there’s a shelter hut on the edge of this lake. Let’s use this opportunity to get some blankets and food, okay?”

“Uuuh… Finally, some food…”

''Finally? You just ate at lunchtime, you old granny.'' Renge wanted to make that complaint, but Higan’s condition did not seem normal. That concerned Renge whose artificial body moved as accurately as a clock’s hands. They looked just like twins, but she began to wonder if she could never be human in any meaningful sense.

But regardless.

They had no idea if it would be any help in their bright red and white shrine maiden outfits, but they crouched low and moved quickly along the edge of the lake. They soon arrived at a small wooden shelter hut that resembled a small shrine. It was meant to help in case the cave collapsed or someone was buried alive on the sightseeing course. Renge opened the double doors and looked inside.

“Some of it’s gone, but this should be enough. Did someone visit here ahead of us? What do you think, Higan? Higan???”

There was no response.

Renge quickly turned around and found the familiar blonde girl was not there, so she ran out of the hut.

“Uuuh…”

Higan was curled up by the edge of the lake and she scooped up some of the water in her hands like she could not wait any longer.

“Wait, stop! There are water bottles you can drink!!”

Renge frantically grabbed Higan’s hands and made her dump out the water.

The water might look clean, but the amount of germs in it could not be judged by eye. Even famous regional water was processed before it was sold. Taking a bath might be fine, but you had to be careful when drinking it. Higan was already under a lot of psychological stress with those monstrous Queens wandering around and if she was taken out by food poisoning, their odds of survival dropped even further. Plus, Higan’s situation was bad enough already if she was so hungry she felt the need to fill her stomach with water.

“Here, Higan. I’d rather not light a fire here, but they have bread and biscuits that don’t need to be cooked.”

“This is enough for me…”

“Don’t say that. Higan, you really liked the canned food when the typhoon came through, remember? You said that was your only chance to eat things like that. Now let’s go check inside the shelter hut.”

Renge tried to forcibly cheer her sister up and then pulled her to her feet.

At that very moment, she noticed something on the path to the shelter hut. She had not noticed it before, but there was no way she would have overlooked something like this when she was so on edge that the stains on the walls looked like faces to her.

Which meant…

(Huh? Did it wash up???)

The lake did not have waves as large as the ocean, but it was different from the water in a wash basin. Since water flowed in and flowed out, there were some waves which washed in and out at the edge. So had this been floating on the surface or sunk at the bottom of the lake until it was finally washed up here?

It looked like a thick and bent piece of driftwood.

But it was oddly white for a tree branch.

And it drew an alluring curve.

“R-Renge…”

“Higan?”

“Is that…?”

The blonde sister trembled and rubbed her hands against her shrine maiden outfit. Almost like she was trying to rub off some kind of strange impurity. Almost like she had touched something she should not have.

But Higan had only touched the clear lake water.

They had no idea how many germs it contained, but it at least looked clean.

“Is that…? Renge, is that…!?”

“…”

Guided by her sister’s pale face, Renge turned her head again. And she once more viewed the driftwood washed up a short distance away.

No.

That object with five points sticking out from the end was…

“Urp!?”

===Part 8===

Things were set in motion at around 11 PM.

“I can see multiple light sources on the satellite feed. They’re probably torches,” said Aika via Kyousuke’s smartphone. “The hunt has begun, Onii-chan. Are they avoiding IR goggles because machines are weak against Incense Grenades?”

“It’s also possible they have a group in goggles mixed into the darkness between those obvious lights.”

“…”

Biondetta made that observation, but Kyousuke did not reply.

He considered a different possibility.

“Meinokawa Aoi.”

“I injected the Jewel Blood into my body, but what about the Anti-Queen Material!? I doubt they’ll just wait around for you to finish if you start your cooking class now!!”

The silver-haired shrine maiden fixed the collar on the swollen chest of her clothing while she observed the lab equipment in the kitchen. They had completed the Jewel Blood, so none of it was in use. Did she think they could use those mysteries of life for another project now?

“Let’s review what we need to do.” Kyousuke sighed. “First and foremost, we can’t let the group of infected White Queens catch us. They’ll just force their way through any kind of fortifications, so holing up in this ship wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“To know which Queen to defeat, we need to identify the permanently-summoned one acting as the core,” said Biondetta. “To do that, we need to cause a certain amount of damage to the fortress temple Bridesmaid has constructed across Houbi Village. Then we find the Queen that ‘blurs’.”

Bridesmaid had likely also constructed a temple at the bottom of the ocean in preparation for their attack, but they could ignore that for now. If that had been enough for the full-power, permanently-summoned Queen and the infected ones, they would not have had to mess with Houbi Village in the first place.

It was possible that everything on the surface was an elaborate decoy, but that was going too far out of their way. For one thing, the term “temple” never would have come to mind without seeing it through the Government satellite. A decoy was useless if the mistaken answer was not easy to find. That would be like placing a frigate directly above a submarine you wanted to hide in the ocean.

“And I guess it goes without saying, but we need to construct your trump card!” added Aoi. “No matter which one we’re talking about, the Queen is the Queen. Facing her head-on without a proper plan will only get us killed!!”

They did not have time to go through it all one step at a time. They would be surrounded by White Queens before they finished.

So they needed to create a powerful current.

They had to construct a bold shortcut that allowed them to clear several hurdles with a single action.

And there was one way of doing that.

“Biondetta.”

“Yes.”

“Select some ingredients from the kitchen supplies. ''Because of the environment we’re in here,'' you are guaranteed to choose the right answer assuming there is a right answer there. So you just have to reach into the lottery box and we can complete our toy without delay. Let’s make this interesting.”

“Yes, sir!!”

===Part 9===

The hunt continued as a great many infected Queens with identical specs clogged up all of the mountain paths. What was the first step needed to escape from here and begin their counterattack?

This was their answer:

Biondetta used her specialty to blow up the ground below the cruise ship.

She had only needed to destroy a small piece sticking out.

The ship had been ''caught on'' the mountain slope, so it quickly picked up speed in a deadly slide.

===Part 10===

Once Kyousuke’s group felt the power of inertia in a different way than a pure fall, they began the descent on the world’s largest surfboard.

The hunt had them completely surrounded, but the hunters had generally been following the routes up the mountain to prevent anyone from descending. By ignoring those existing routes and heading straight down a steep slope, they could slip right past those hunters.

And the cruise ship descending the slope was far heavier and faster than a crane’s wrecking ball. Even if they were built to military standards, the structures larger than harbor warehouses were only synthetic tents. They would be easily destroyed when something like this slammed into them.

After that, they only had to let Aika from Government watch the satellite feed to see which White Queen first blurred from the noise of the destruction. That would be the permanently-summoned one that acted as a core for all the others.

“Ahhh hah hahhhh!! Bravoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!”

Biondetta was out on the deck with her white snake and she released a cry from the bottom of her gut while the wind whipped at her long hair and miniskirt.

Kyousuke and Meinokawa Aoi soon stepped out into the open air as well.

They felt the ship’s movement shift a bit.

At the moment, they would end up choosing the successful possibility if there was one, but that was only true when the choices of others were not involved. That shift meant the enemy was approaching.

The cruise ship had escaped the enemy which surrounded them in multiple layers like tree rings, but it was not over yet. The lines of burning torches quickly changed to a battle formation and sharply pursued the ship. If this had been daytime and the mountain paths had been visible, everyone who saw it would have been left speechless. That trajectory entirely ignored the mountain’s terrain, so it was only possible for the White Queen who could run along a vertical wall.

“Broootherrr…”

“Ee hee hee, ah ha ha.”

“Shall I join you, broootherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!?”

The ship descended the steep slope with even more speed than the average car, but the gathering of flames was already running alongside the giant surfboard. At this rate, they would be on the deck at any moment.

Of course, the White Queen already reigned at the peak of the peak, so there was no chance of defeating her by building up a Material with the Summoning Ceremony.

However.

“Oh, here we are. Brace for impact!!”

Just as Biondetta shouted that with her tail decoration swishing back and forth, the ship arrived at the foot of the mountain.

It continued on, crashed through more and more of the harbor warehouse tents, and tore them apart. That fortress had seemed to repaint the terrain and that was the foundation of Bridesmaid’s method for summoning the White Queen, but that temple structure was smashed to pieces.

“Aika!! Scan all of Houbi Village!!”

“You know how to locate the Queen and I will act as the artificial vessel,” said Meinokawa Aoi. “But what about the crucial Anti-Queen Material!? You cannot fire a gun without a bullet!!”

“I have a plan.”

“I’m asking about the specifics of that-…!!”

Aoi trailed off as Kyousuke calmly moved his lips.

“The preparations have already been made.”

The boy pulled a metal can the size of a hairspray can from his pants pocket. An Incense Grenade. It was hard to imagine that Shiroyama Kyousuke of all people would make a meaningless action at this point. He could not hope to match the White Queen by building a normal Material up from scratch. There was only one way he could expect to win while alongside modified Meinokawa Aoi.

He pulled the pin and threw it.

The eternal five-second wait began.

“You…mean…”

The silver-haired shrine maiden was dumbfounded.

“You mean…''you had completed the Unexplored-class trump card before even arriving in Houbi Village''!?”

He did not need to answer.

Instead, he raised his voice.

“Clench your teeth, Meinokawa Aoi!!”

If ''that'' already existed, he only had to use his Blood-Sign to knock the Petals into the Spots in order. No matter how powerful the White Queen was, she was still a Material. Her attacks could tear white holes in the world itself and that could eliminate the Spots, but as long as he kept that in mind, he could manipulate the Petals as he saw fit.

This was his field now.

Even if the infected Queens gathered on the ship, he had developed this Unexplored-class for precisely this purpose. Once he successfully summoned that, he would have the foundation for a Chain. He could begin a wondrous scenario in which he defeated Queen after Queen until he reached the permanently-summoned Queen in the center.

And.

And.

And.

The Incense Grenade detonated. The incense mixed specifically for him swiftly scattered out and established the 20m cube of the Artificial Sacred Ground.

This was the end.

He had embedded his Unexplored-class in the other world. He had the artificial vessel needed for it.

Even if all of the Three had raised the white flag…

Even if every other human adored her, feared her, and had ultimately given up…

He would not stop here.

This was not enough to hinder Shiroyama Kyousuke.

The only remaining task was searching out the permanently-summoned Queen. This was not a pessimistic search in which he located the source of the threat to keep his distance. It was an offensive search in which he marched across the wide world to reach that location and accurately crush it.

Aim.

Lock on.

She was no longer the absolute peak of the peak. Nothing remained the strongest forever. She was only his prey and she could be pursued and hunted down if he went through the necessary steps.

This time. This time humanity would complete its counterattack. The colorless Unexplored-class constructed only from the vowels and built up specifically for use against the White Queen would sweep aside the infected ones and smash the central White Queen.

Or so it should have been.

But in that very moment, Shiroyama Kyousuke felt a hopeless chill run down his spine.

It took an instant.

Truly only an instant.

A pure white attack forcibly ripped off Shiroyama Kyousuke’s right arm.

And it had come from the vessel standing behind him.

A dark red liquid gushed out of his hoodie’s torn sleeve and he looked back before the pain signals could reach his brain.

Time seemed to freeze and a splitting smile filled his vision.

The right arm spun through the air while still holding his Repliglass Blood-Sign.

And ''she'' spoke as if whispering to him by his pillow.

“Did you think I couldn’t possibly be a living thing if my head came off?”

That lookalike was identical to the White Queen.

When he had first encountered her, the resemblance had been so perfect it had made his skin crawl.

“Did you think that surely – surely! – I wouldn’t open up my own chest and replace my organs with artificial ones just to play with you for a bit?”

Time was not infinite.

With far too light a sound, the severed arm landed fist-first on the ship’s deck.

There was only one possible answer.

Meinokawa Aoi, the vessel contracted with Kyousuke, put on a horrifyingly twisted smile and announced it for him.

“''Fwa ha ha!! But you had to have known dismantling my body isn’t enough to kill me! Right, brother?''”

===Part 11===

It was a simple matter.

An extremely simple matter.

The double blonde braid girl’s face lit up and she leaned forward. She showed no concern for the slender bodylines visible through her school swimsuit or the small butt visible below her miniskirt and pareo.

“Oh, Queen! You finally decided to reveal it?”

“That’s right! I was actually the White Queen☆ Tah dah! Sigh, so I can finally talk like normal again. That was partially to get in character as that piece of junk, but I was also concerned some small idiosyncrasy would clue you in.”

The demon dressed as a shrine maiden giggled at the girl’s idolizing voice, smiled at her like she was her beloved daughter, and raised her index finger.

What was it Olivia had said with that light pink rose decoration on her chest?

''“Boo. If you were always like this, you wouldn’t have to fight with the White Queen.”

What had she been looking at when she said that?

What had she felt while watching those two approaching and relying on each other?

“It is true Bridesmaid’s fortress was laid out exactly like a temple to summon me. …But ''that doesn’t mean it was used to summon me.''”

The shrine maiden devil’s tone was light as she worked at her long hair.

She gathered it on either side and formed those lovely twintails.

It made sense that the reproduction had been so spot-on.

It had actually been her.

“I was summoned earlier than that. And I ''traded places with that ornament named Meinokawa Aoi''.”

“…!!”

“Oh, dear. Your face is so very pale. But please don’t faint. One of my objectives here was to set up an environment in which you must rely on me, brother. That was the entire purpose of Bridesmaid’s attack and the infected Queens. The only way out of this is to rely on the new Unexplored-class you constructed and I have placed myself by your side as the one-and-only special vessel capable of summoning it. Heh heh. You need my help to kill me; isn’t that such a wonderfully twisted setup?”

Sweat poured down Kyousuke’s body and he staggered to the side.

But more than fear or pain, it was doubt in his gaze.

The shrine maiden Queen picked up on that and answered with a know-it-all look on her face.

“You want to know if a Material like me can really function as a vessel? Hee hee hee. Have you forgotten, brother!? The Yellow Gills is merely one of the Three and thus ranked below me, but she once reigned as the strongest Freedom summoner under the name Perfect Equilibrium. Besides, a human changes sides after reaching Award 1000, so the distinction between us has always been rather vague. …And more importantly, I can throw out all of those rules if I want. ''There is nothing I can’t do''. Right, brother?”

Every time they grew further cornered and the density of despair grew, Kyousuke was forced to rely on a grand technique for an immediate reversal. And unbeknownst to him, the White Queen had set it up that way so he would have to rely on her more and more.

Even the presence of Doctor S, Kyousuke’s biological father who awaited him in the underside of the world, had been no more than part of the illusionist’s technique.

There was no force greater than the White Queen. So normally thinking, she would not need a summoner, no matter how skilled they might be. She had nevertheless worked with Bridesmaid because she had wanted to place an obvious enemy in the cast to keep him from focusing too much on Meinokawa Aoi.

“Nowww, I have taken away your special vessel and the dominant arm you need to use the Blood-Sign Summoning Ceremony in the first place.”

She giggled as a lovely smile wickedly spread across her face like it was tearing her cheeks apart.

No checkmate could be more complete.

She softly placed her hands on either side of her flushed and thoroughly melted face as a tremor ran down her spine.

“What options are left for you? Surely, surely this isn’t enough for you to raise the white flag. Yes, if you say you have no option but to surrender, it will be time for the world’s most enjoyable beatdown as I make a delicious meal out of you!!”

There was nothing he could do.

All of his trump cards had been taken from him and the cruise ship was surrounded by a swarm of infected Queens.

Any one of those strongest of the strongest possessed hopeless power and he was entirely surrounded.

There was simply no way he could win.

However, he said something else:

[[Image:BloodSign_v07_303.jpg|thumb]]

“''I had a feeling that’s what this was.''”

The ship continued to slide across the ground, but time definitely stopped.

Something odd had happened.

“Everything about this had to be connected. Ever since the initial attack on the train, I was stuck with the same odd feeling that I was following some kind of preset rails. And when I ran across Olivia Highland and the rocket attack, it became clear that human willpower could ignore coincidental phenomena…that is, as long as you had the willpower, you were guaranteed to win a lottery. So why did Bridesmaid set that up and what were they hoping to have me complete using my willpower? The answer was obvious: they were supporting the construction of Meinokawa Aoi. And at the same time, Bridesmaid only ever thinks about one thing: the White Queen. That meant they had constructed this coincidence-altering world in accordance with the Queen’s will. So ''turning Meinokawa Aoi into a special vessel'' and manipulating coincidence to gather the necessary pieces were the Queen’s objectives that those worshipers were carrying out for her. What other conclusion could I reach?”

His supposedly severed right arm grew out of his sleeve.

No…

“Brother, you mean…?”

“I knew this would happen, so I had ''a different arm'' in my sleeve. You already know what it was you tore off, don’t you? I have to admit, the Joruri Method really is well made. I mean, it fooled you.”

Kyousuke’s expression remained unchanged.

It did not change even in front of the White Queen.

Also, an Incense Grenade was only useful if it detonated while viewing the target with the naked eye. Then what target had Kyousuke been viewing?

“I’ll admit I kept the information on my trump cards relatively hidden. And that left you feeling nervous and uneasy, didn’t it?”

“Brother, I know this won’t accomplish anything, but I suppose I will still ask: when did you figure it out…?”

“This is nothing worth praising me over. I was of two minds on this the entire time. I kept thinking ‘surely not’ and ‘it couldn’t be’. First of all, you maintained your memories of me even before the contract. Like when you moved out of sight to change. But I still had my doubts: could that be because she’s a Joruri Method? So just to be sure, I kept the crucial information hidden while hoping beyond hope that it wasn’t true. ''My heart is still weak''. …But the first time I clearly questioned it was probably when you were playing with those kids in the river.”

“Playing…in the river?”

“You made a water gun with your hands, remember? There are a lot of regional variations, so you can tell where someone learned their technique. Hey, Queen, wasn’t that ''the method I taught you'' back in the Miniature Garden? At the Pool of Tears.”

“Tch!!”

“And even if you have taken the position of Meinokawa Aoi, it isn’t over yet. That doesn’t actually eliminate the Unexplored-class designed for use against you. This isn’t a problem as long as I can acquire a replacement vessel. Meaning…”

He held something in his regrown right hand…no, in the real one hidden inside his clothing.

It was a glass container about the size of a relay baton. It was filled with a beautiful red liquid that could be mistaken for a melted ruby.

That was the Jewel Blood.

“This all changes if I can make another one. What we needed here was to locate the permanently-summoned Queen that acts as a core for the infected Queens. We needed to find that one out of a group of ten or twenty thousand. While, of course, maintaining an environment in which we could supply a finishing blow using our new Material.”

There was an odd sound much like the breaking of a thin metal blade.

There was no visible phenomenon.

But that sound indicated that Kyousuke had broken his contract with Meinokawa Aoi…no, with the White Queen.

And even after casting her aside, he still had a vessel girl by his side:

Olivia Highland.

All destiny in this world was under the White Queen’s control. But Shiroyama Kyousuke’s willpower had still managed to gather that crystallization of an old, old bond.

His odds of victory were not zero.

So he spoke.

“Thanks, Queen. It really helped that you were even dumber than I had imagined.”

===Secret Document Concerning Kingdom F 03===

Where does the F in Kingdom F come from?

Where is Kingdom F located in Eastern Europe?

In what year was Kingdom F founded?

Surprisingly, the residents of Kingdom F are mostly unaware that the answers to those questions are not common knowledge.

Now, can you answer them?

Entire kingdoms are often viewed that way when there is an ocean between you and them. If it is not a superpower like America or Russia, then even if it is helping move the complexly intertwined gears of the world, not many people can keep track of exactly what gears are connected to their everyday lives. In fact, if you can do that, you should start calling yourself an economic analyst and try your hand at stock and futures trading.

There is nothing to feel ashamed about.

It is only natural you know nothing about Kingdom F.

That is the normal reaction.

But of course, there is a reason why information on Kingdom F does not get out. Unlike the past, the world has grown smaller. At this point, there is little you cannot investigate if you feel like it. So if there was no reason for it, it would be strange for no focus to fall on Kingdom F. A major search engine has launched countless communication satellites and a major online shopping site is attempting to reach every corner of the planet with drones. If there is an unnaturally empty field in the records of this highly digitized society, there must be a reason for it.

Then what is that reason?

Surprisingly, the answer is something else the residents of Kingdom F do not know.

===Facts===

*Doctor S is Kyousuke’s biological father, but there are questions concerning his past. It is possible he was researching a way of stably producing Kyousuke-level summoners in a normal household environment. It also seems Kyousuke had a mother and ''little sister'', but he cannot recall any information on them as if their faces are blotted out.
*Doctors S is motivated not by curiosity but by his desire to conquer his fear by thoroughly investigating the structure and mysteries of the White Queen. It is much like the desire to safely enjoy the greatest thrill ride.
*To maintain a stable supply of rare vessels, Doctor S has increased the denominator. He is currently experimenting in raising a large number of Joro spiders and cross-breeding the most talented ones. If he can consistently eliminate the below average or average ones, he will consider it a success.
*Kyousuke and Biondetta had completed the anti-White Queen Unexplored-class before arriving in Houbi Village. Kyousuke’s request to Lu Niang Lan was to dispose of the biolab he had used for that.
*Meinokawa Aoi was the actual White Queen, not just a lookalike. The Queen was trying to place herself as the one-and-only countermeasure so that she could eliminate that method.
*High-level Materials can mimic both summoners and vessels.
*Kyousuke was aware of this risk and secretly created a false hand and some artificial blood to fool her.
*It is not over yet. Olivia holds the key to the conflict between Kyousuke and the Queen.

<noinclude>
=== Notes and References ===
<references/>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter2|Stage 02]]
| Return to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter4|Stage 04]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume4 Ending2

2020-07-30T02:21:02Z

72.80.103.151: /* Ending X-02: It’s Game Over After All */

==Ending X-02: It’s Game Over After All==
''“You…are…!?”

''“Ha hah hah!! Hey, Kyousuke-chan. I was bored, so I stopped by to have some fun.”

'''(“Now” Ending X-02 Open 06/03 14:15)

'''It’s Game Over After All

Only a few minutes had passed since Himekawa Mika had left.

“…There.”

Shiroyama Kyousuke dragged his aching body down from the stretcher. Two men who appeared to be EMTs lay unconscious on the ground. It had been necessary, but they may have been innocent. It pained him a little, but he could not wait around here.

He pulled his Blood-Sign from his back and used it as a cane as he walked.

He chose his route carefully and used his smartphone to contact Aika and Lu Niang Lan back in Toy Dream 35.

“Onii-chan, I understand the situation, but please get back as soon as possible. Urp…”

“Hm?”

“Only a big brother can look after a shut-in little sister. Curse those old sacks of fat for making a constant attack of chili sauce and oyster sauce…”

“Tah dah! Today’s snack is a chewy gyoza pizza.”

“Gyahhh!! I can’t stand any more of this Chinese food around the clock!!”

His goal was to leave the Deltaston family’s D.R.O.K. international trade show as quickly as possible, but that was easier said than done. After all, it was a donut-shaped city quickly built in the middle of a Hokkaido field. He could not just take a train back home and the nearest city was probably several dozen kilometers away.

Also, he had to assume the Deltaston family would send someone after him. The vessels had someone to protect them, but he could be finished off as soon as he was found.

(I need to start with the truck base. Supporting tens of thousands of people requires a lot of living supplies and produces a lot of waste. They have to have a largescale distribution system set up.)

The strategy there was the same for a veteran summoner as it was for an illegal immigrant. He would find a random truck, open the back, and sneak inside. It was a standard tactic.

“Oh? Some of the Chinese might decide to beat you up if they hear you calling a gyoza pizza Chinese food.”

“Why are you adding Chinese seasonings to non-Chinese things!? You’re only making me sick of it all faster by dumping curry powder in hamburger steaks and fried rice! Don’t you know a shut-in is affected by these thing more than normal people!?”

“Oh, come on. Besides, Chinese food can be divided into several different types: Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, Cantonese, and Hong Kong. Not to mention…”

“I’ve heard enough already!!”

There were a few different truck bases, but instead of an open-air parking lot, they were mostly surrounded by a large tent like a circus. They did not want anything getting into the living supplies like the food and they did not want any of the new equipment for the international trade show being photographed in transit. Plus, they did not want anyone to know which trucks in which truck bases were carrying anything important, so they created a giant black box with the important and unimportant cargo all together.

However, this was standard as well.

There were sensors and human guards near the limited entrances, but it was still only a thick tent. If he circled to the back and cut the fabric itself, he could get in through anywhere.

A great number of trucks were parked inside, but he did not sense anyone there. For the long-range drivers, a chance to get some sleep was a life saver. A highway rest stop was one thing, but a proper distribution base would have a lodging facility for them.

Kyousuke circled behind the large vehicles, looked at each one, and compared the locations on the license plates and any unique displays.

“I’m about to leave, so can you have me picked up based on my smartphone’s signal?” he asked.

“I can manage. And there’s an important lesson in all this, Onii-chan. Any job you take from those old sacks of fat is bad news. Only an excellent little sister can look after her big brother!!”

“I don’t recall the jobs from Government going much better.”

(Anyway, if I can get out of the city, I can get through this. Metal trash would probably be best. Unlike works of art, they don’t need to worry about how it’s situated, so they won’t periodically check inside to see how it’s doing.)

Just as he thought that, something happened.

A green explosion arrived like a gust of wind.

The tent was larger than a school building, but the uncanny light filled the entire thing as it danced madly about. Trucks weighing between 10 and 20 tons were tossed about like paper boxes and they rolled along, crashing into each other. Not even one of them survived. Kyousuke himself would have been crushed by the masses of metal if he had not been careful. But this was much more stable than with the Lady of Purple Lightning.

People were of course panicking outside, but piles of trucks seemed to be blocking all of the entrances. The guards could only yell and no one could get inside.

An explosion of static came from Kyousuke’s phone and he realized the call had been cut off at some point.

And a certain being reigned at the center of the blast.

“You…are…!?”

<Ha hah hah!! Hey, Kyousuke-chan. I was bored, so I stopped by to have some fun.>

First, there was a giant. A 15 meter man made of cheap tin was subserviently down on all fours. He had abandoned the concept of pride and become a piece of furniture, but a close look showed he was not a single entity. Millions, if not tens of millions, of metal scepters had been crumpled up into a humanoid shape. In both the East and the West, scepters with gold, silver, and jewels on the top had long been viewed as symbols of authority and divinity, especially in patriarchal societies.

But these were all cheap-looking scepters with their gilding peeling away.

The jewels shined with a horrible cheapness that not even glass or plastic could reproduce.

These were symbols of an authority soaked in worldly money and desire.

But peel back that outer layer of gilding and they became the filthy canes that beat the people to provide needless punishment.

And that giant made of rotten patriarchal authority was bound by the body of a great green serpent. No, it was more than just a snake. The top half of a girl no older than 12 was attached to the bottom half of a great serpent. That resident of a mythological world reigned atop the back of the giant who was down on all fours. It was as if she had stepped up onto him and sat down there.

This was one of the Unexplored-class’s Three. It was the guardian of Illegal.

Sound Range: Middle. Cost: 18.

The Wicked “Green” Woman who Fills the World with Empty Treasure (l u – o – n p – e – q o – e i – r – k – a – r u m – p l).

[[Image:BloodSign_v04_307.jpg|thumb]]

She looked like a lovely young girl with her short hair dyed green, but the tongue sticking out of her mouth was endlessly long. She also had an evil, belligerent, and sadistic light in her serpentine vertical pupils.

Her long snake body was pierced in places by scepters torn from the giant’s surface. And each time one stabbed into her, something like a meter-long bubble appeared out of the empty air around her. A great mountain of them was currently accumulating. And there were visions inside the bubbles like they were snow globes.

One showed a bomb no one had ever seen.

One showed the concept of a bewitching crime much like a phone scam.

One showed an extremely simple chemical formula, a single drop of which would cause the purest of holy women’s chastity to crumble away in a single night.

When the extremely thin bubbles burst, those ideas were released.

The world learned of a new form of malice and absorbed it.

It was a dreadful fertility and an abundant crop of evil. Perhaps those were mistaken directions of growth for mankind, the wrong choice among the endless options, and a crystal that would draw out countless conflicts and great ruin.

This was different again from the Red Lady who determined the one and only path.

She was a genius at making people choose the wrong path and she stood above the Red in the Three’s three-way stalemate.

Her color was Green.

She threw the world into chaos and she ruled outside the established order as the symbol of Illegal.

Himekawa Mika had worn a sin necklace that displayed her sins as icons.

Then what would the Wicked Green Woman’s show?

The mountain range of destruction built up around the area likely displayed her sins. And of course, she proudly showed it off with no shame whatsoever.

While sitting on her chair like a truly wicked woman, that Unexplored-class wore a snakeskin piece of clothing with two pieces dropping diagonally out from her neck like a bikini.

<Don’t look so shocked. That annoying-as-hell White may have stolen the show, but the palace known as Pandemonium was originally a toy made for me.>

“…”

<Of course, I’ll vanish from the world in a few minutes when the Box can no longer support my ability to speak. I understand why you would want to destroy it, but you screwed up when you didn’t ask my permission first. If you’re gonna build or tear down a god’s shrine, it’s only polite to offer up a prayer or some holy sake, right? So now it’s time to bully you a little. Try to enjoy this extreme curse, Kyousuke-chan.>

“What…are you planning to do here?”

<Kah kah kah!! Don’t get all on edge. I said I was gonna bully you, but it’s not like I’m gonna go all out and turn you to mincemeat when you don’t even have a protective circle. That’d be over in an instant, which would just be boring. My malice isn’t so kind. I prefer to stubbornly torment someone until they can’t live without it.>

The Wicked Green Woman cutely placed her index finger on her lips.

<nowiki><I know the Red Lady is trying to raise you with care. But who cares what that purity-obsessed woman and her fake innocence thinks. I’m doing what I’ll enjoy most. I’ll destroy it all. This is the end for you, Kyousuke-chan. This is the day you die. I hope you’re ready.></nowiki>

He did not understand her logic.

Or perhaps it was a biological issue.

At any rate, he knew one of the Three was viewing him hostilely. And that this would clearly work negatively toward his fight against the White Queen.

“Can’t we talk this out rationally?”

<Nope. And don’t feel sad, Kyousuke-chan. I’m the Wicked Green Woman, remember? I’m the Unexplored-class that loves nothing more than insulting people and beating them for no real reason. So you should be proud to be my enemy. Because that means you’ve risen to a level where ''I’ll actually recognize you as an enemy''.>

Her logic was clearly different from the Red Lady’s.

This was also different from the White Queen’s insane love.

He doubted she even had enough rational thought to hold a real conversation. This abnormal being only judged her distance from others using hatred, hostility, jealousy, superiority, contempt, and violence. Just like dealing with an extreme sadist or a necrophile, he felt the extreme tension of expecting to receive a blade in response to whatever he might say.

<Kyousuke-chan, it has to have been eating away at you. The riddle the Red Lady left you with, that is. Humans have a fundamental misunderstanding about the Summoning Ceremony and challenging the White Queen with the Blood-Sign method is a foolish conclusion. …But you just can’t figure out what that means, can you?>

“…”

<Yeah, yeah. I’m not going to mess with you by lying. That would actually reduce the amount of despair, which would be boring. I raise my right hand and swear that I will only speak the truth…for today anyway. Now, let’s get back on topic. Kyousuke-chan, whenever you can’t find the answer to a riddle, it’s because you don’t have enough information. The Red Lady was fidgeting around like a fake virgin, but I’ll get right to the point.>

The Wicked Green Woman gave a bewitching smile as her snake body wriggled with countless scepters stabbing into it.

She raised her index finger.

<Here’s your first hint. Kyousuke-chan, why do you think all of us in the Unexplored-class look like human girls?>

“What…?”

Kyousuke voiced his confusion without thinking and the girl raised her middle finger.

<And your second hint. All of us in the Unexplored-class are given a color. Why? There’s a legitimate reason for it, Kyousuke-chan.>

“…”

<Heh heh. Silence this time? But not because you don’t understand. You’re starting to catch on, aren’t you? No, you’ve caught on, but you’re doing everything you can to cover it up. Ah ha ha ha!! That’s right. That’s the human despair I was looking for. Any fear you can bear to look at isn’t true despair. The truly dangerous answers are the ones you can’t see even when they’re right in front of you!! This is why I stick with you humans! This is why you’re worth handing out Awards to!!>

“Wait a minute. Let me put my thoughts in order.”

<No, the third hint comes first.>

She raised her ring finger and her mouth split into a wicked smile.

<The Regulation-class was created by you humans as a starting point to reach the gods. The Divine-class are individual beings that appeared on their own. Then what about us? The Unexplored-class is the laws of the other world. We’re based on colors which represent fire, water, wind, earth, time, life and death, good and bad deeds, and plenty of other things. Simply put, it’s what you call ‘elements’ and the world takes shape because we each support one of them.>

“That’s getting pretty abstract. The Unexplored-classes aren’t humanoid gods?”

<Humans worship the gods because they want the gods to save their world. But the gods can’t overcome the laws of their world. Just like Cronus couldn’t escape Zeus in the beginning and just like Odin must tremble in fear of Fenrir in the end.>

She seemed to be reciting something.

<You could say the Unexplored-class is an anthropomorphized version of the rules that govern the category of the Divine-class. Our role is to manage heaven and we keep the gears of the other world running…or we were supposed to.>

“You were supposed to?”

<Yes, that’s right. That’s right! It’s kind of funny really, but one day, someone noticed it. If we were only meant to manage the other world and keep it running, was this grand system really necessary? Couldn’t it have been simplified further? We each handled one of the other world’s laws and all of us together supported everything, but maybe there was some other meaning to that.>

“Some other…meaning?”

Kyousuke thought for a bit.

“You’re kidding, right!? You mean that really is the answer!?”

<Yes, all of the Unexplored-class was given female human forms and divided up by color. And if you think about bringing all colors together, what’s the first color that comes to mind?>

“You were born to create the White…no, ''to oppose her''!?”

<Precisely. As the laws of the world, we couldn’t exactly ignore something so dangerous. And even if the White Queen was the strongest, her power would eventually be reduced to nothing if the laws supporting her power and existence were removed, one color at a time. She would lose her light. In other words, she could be sealed.>

Kyousuke’s heart pounded in his chest.

This information was important. Incredibly important.

Yes.

That was right. How could he have forgotten? During that war several years earlier, it was a saturation attack from the Unexplored-class that had driven back the White Queen. What if that had been more than brute strength? What if there had been a logic behind it? All of the colors were brought together to combat the ultimate white. By removing the seemingly infinite veils of her invincibility, her power could be taken from her. The system had been set up from the very beginning.

The world…

The world was filled with such unbelievable mercy and kindness!!

<Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Kyousuke-chan. Remember what I said up front?>

However…

<''This is me bullying you for being so rude.''>

“What…?”

Kyousuke was confused and the Wicked Green Woman raised her little finger.

<How many was that? Oh, right. Let’s get to your fourth hint. Even with all of the Unexplored-class thrown at her with a perfect system in place for sealing the White Queen, the Secret War ultimately ended in failure if you look at the big picture. She’s still doing just fine after all. Why do you think that is?>

“Ah.”

Then her thumb.

She smiled with her hand spread.

<Fifth hint. Open your eyes. ''You’ve already guessed it deep in your heart, haven’t you?'' The problem was how we were a group meant to stop the White Queen but also the laws that manage the other world. Hey, Kyousuke-chan. Let’s say you throw a monster into an absolutely inescapable black hole. Now, what do you do if they casually tear that black hole apart and reappear? That’s the end for logic and all the laws have fallen apart, right? When time and space are stretched and dragged around and a world that can’t explain it is mocked as ignorant, then an individual can stand at the center of it all. What good is a textbook if neutrinos really can travel faster than light? She isn’t looking to anything other than you, Kyousuke-chan. But everything is still connected. Even the ruins are being dragged around.>

“Oh.”

The laws of the world had given in.

They had surrendered to the White Queen.

Meaning…

Meaning…

Meaning…

<This is dangerous. Really dangerous. I call myself wicked, but even I still have some sense of reverence. Even gang members have crosses tattooed on their backs and they’ll pray to the Virgin Mary when a storm of bullets flies their way. I don’t like it one bit, but there’s nothing I can do about this.>

His dried eyeballs began to hurt as he forgot to blink.

His throat grew dry as he forgot how to breathe.

Shiroyama Kyousuke stood in a daze as a soft sensation covered him from behind. A gentle warmth reached his back. He felt smooth skin as slender arms wrapped around his neck. The gentle rosy scent of silver hair wafted over and a warm breath blew into his ear.

And…

He was given the worst possible answer.

<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

“Now that I have crushed the entire Unexplored-class that formed the rules of the other world, there is no way to truly kill me even if you use every last being in existence. After all, I made sure to destroy every last law and formula that might accidentally create a way to defeat me, my – dear – brother☆”

Ah, ahh, ahhh, ahhhh, ahhhhh.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!???”

His mind.

His consciousness.

His ego.

His soul.

The boy truly heard all of them crumbling away into whiteness.

Tears spilled from his eyes, snot shamefully dipped from his nose, foam sprayed from the corners of his mouth, he tore out his hair with both hands, and he arched his back as far as possible. He screamed and screamed and screamed, but it was no use. The lead-like weight in his stomach remained and Shiroyama Kyousuke was the one that broke. He could not even remain standing. His body shrank down like a worm frying on the sunny pavement and he curled up on the ground.

He pressed his forehead against the ground in a pose that protected his body as much as possible, he bit at his thumbs until a dark red liquid dripped from them, and he continued screaming while his eyes refused to focus.

He heard a giggling voice.

It was the Wicked Green Woman rather than the White Queen.

Her damp eyes and heated breath expressed the joy of seeing the result she had been dying to see, but she vanished into thin air before she could savor it any longer. She was wicked, but she still had her reverence for the divine. True to what she had said before, she was leaving everything to the White Queen.

That proved it.

The hierarchy was set in stone.

The difference in power was too great and all misguided means of defeating the White Queen had vanished from the world. In Kyousuke’s mental world, he saw a pure white wall polished down to the micron like the extremely precise concave mirror of an observatory’s giant reflecting telescope.

“I’ve had enough… I’ve had enough of this woooooorld!! Why!? Why is there no hope at all!? The Unexplored-class were supposed to be the stoppers, but they were all driven out? So the structural elements needed to defeat the Queen with the Summoning Ceremony are destroyed and gone? That logic no longer exists? She can’t be defeated and there’s no method whatsoever of doing so? Then how am I supposed to attack her!? The Divine-class and Regulation-class are too afraid of her to do anything at all! And even if it’s a nuclear missile, physical attacks are worthless against a Material!! Then it really is checkmate. My one remaining chance was to borrow the power of the Unexplored-class to fight back against the Queen, but if we’re starting with the assumption that that won’t kill her, I can’t even put together a theoretical plan, can IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!?”

It was too much.

He had thought this world and the other world had their separate sets of rules, but this was just too cruel.

He had believed it was possible.

Even if there was a great gap in power, skill, and specs, he had believed that the Unexplored-class had its own pride, that those colored girls were acting of their own free will, and that they were superior beings capable of challenging the White Queen. He had believed that they were objects of worship and that they had the willpower to face down the peak of the peak and to stand their ground.

He had believed that they could reach the White Queen’s level if they worked together.

And yet…

And yet…!!!!!!

The original safeties and stoppers had already been destroyed. The laws and formulas had existed to defeat the White Queen after taking all the necessary steps and preparing each thing in turn, but they were all destroyed and gone.

What was this?

How was he supposed to fight now?

It was true that the Blood-Sign method was built for human convenience. They referred to the residents of the other world as “Materials” and only called them here as weapons. But what about the clash between the Unexplored-class that Kyousuke and the others had carried out? That Secret War had somehow managed to drive back the White Queen with a saturation attack, but had they known that would be insufficient and how it would turn out? If so, what did that mean for the lives lost in that Secret War, the many incidents caused by the confusion afterwards, and all the people caught in them? What value and meaning did they have!?

What about the loss of Madam Professor?

What about everything she had left behind?

It was all stripped away so easily.

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!!”

Kyousuke curled up like a giant steamed bun and trembled on the ground.

It disgusted him.

Everything disgusted him.

The name Alice (with) Rabbit given to him by the queen did. The collection of awards carved into his soul and providing the title of Freedom Award 903 did. He hated and despised everything forming his own body and he began clawing at his chest. How happy would he be if he could only pull out his sullied soul and wash his filthy life clean?

How was he the strongest summoner, the prodigy who had established the Sewn Realm Summoning, the criminal who had triggered the Secret War, or the source of half the world’s disasters? He had acted all cool, convinced himself he could control even the Unexplored-class, and assumed he could even defeat the White Queen if he kept reaching in that direction.

And this was the result?

Everything he had done had been in the palm of the White Queen’s hand. And the Unexplored-class were nothing more than scars that were controlled whether they wanted it or not. There were no enemies or allies there. For the Queen, the Blood-Sign system itself was no more than a safe comfortable dance hall where every last needle or shard of glass had been removed.

Completely oblivious to all of that, he had obediently memorized all the detailed rules of the Summoning Ceremony and acted like it made him some kind of genius.

It had been child’s play.

It was all a game.

He was faced with the absolute difference in strength seen in a parent smiling at their small child as he walks for the very first time. He was like a monstrous baby that had grown fat in a cradle removed from all danger by the adults and then mistakenly believed his own possibilities were endless despite never putting in any work of his own. He was conceited. He was shameless.

This was why the Red Lady had been so exasperated and said he was misguided.

He could not win.

The stairway to victory was missing.

It was like playing a game of baseball where the other team was at bat from beginning to end. There was no coming from behind for a win there. It was like playing a game of soccer where the other team’s goal had been removed. No offensive play would ever score a point.

This was breaking the rules to that extent.

Even if he desperately practiced every single day to prepare for the game, this malice would turn all of his efforts into a jest.

He was a fool.

He was an unbelievable fool for continuing to rely on and entrust his life in something like this.

If he was to truly defeat the White Queen, he had to escape that curse first. But was there any way in this world to oppose the Queen without using the Summoning Ceremony? And if it did not yet exist, was it possible for an individual like Kyousuke to construct one? How long would it take? Decades? Centuries? Millennia? How many levels would human civilization have to evolve to reach that point?

“Ah, ahh, ahhh, ahhhh…”

He eventually lost the strength to continue screaming.

His vision grew dark and he no longer knew where he was.

It did not matter.

It was the same no matter where he was.

Could he find any peace at all in this hopeless world? Even if he walked across the world from one end to the other and even if he looked around the other world hidden behind it, could he find anywhere to escape the White Queen?

The answer was simple: no.

There was no escape.

“…I can’t take it anymore…”

Shiroyama Kyousuke repeated that phrase under his breath as he lay curled up on the ground.

He seemed to be begging for forgiveness.

He seemed to be cursing the entire world.

He repeated it again and again.

I can’t take it anymore.

And then he heard a solid sound.

His soul had broken long ago. His senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch had shattered, leaving him in a world of pure darkness, so that external stimulus was refreshing.

But he did not react like he normally would.

His entire body jumped like a frightened child.

A familiar face had arrived next to the pathetic boy.

It was the Red Lady.

That two-horned woman wore a kimono with a one piece swimsuit and her red eyes were feared as that which not only saw through to all calamity, but defined it as well. Her long red hair was connected to countless gears towering behind her and she controlled the world’s destiny.

Her eyes were closed and there was no contempt or scorn on her face.

Her face only displayed sorrow and grief.

But…

Even so…

“Why are you here…?”

Unable to get up, Kyousuke roared up at her with fear and hatred in his eyes.

“Why are you here now!? Are you here to laugh at me!? Are you here to mock me for getting all worked up over a fight I could never win because I was dancing in her palm from the beginning!? Are you here to look down on the loser who has nothing left after you allowed me to continue on until the despair found me!?”

The Red Lady did not immediately reply.

She let the poor child of man finish speaking and only then shook her head.

<Stand up.>

She spoke in a gentle but solid voice.

<Shout as much as you want and spit out everything you wish to say. Once you have released everything that has built up in your chest, then stand up once more, Shiroyama Kyousuke. Even if the rest of the human population cannot do it, you should have the power to fight this despair.>

His eyes contained the light of a wounded animal.

He bared his teeth in his misguided backlash and belligerence.

“Why? Why do I have to keep going? Screw that. This was supposed to be your role, wasn’t it!? This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t let the White Queen escape! When you saw me desperately asking for help, you must have laughed at me because the world, the future, and destiny had long since been handed over to the Queen!! Dammit. I trusted you…I trusted the rules of the world!! I trusted that the laws…that you were just!! I trusted that there was still an ounce of kindness left and that everything would work out if I diligently worked to defend it!! But you made a fool of me!! Why!? Why is this cruel system the only thing leeeeeft!?”

<Shiroyama Kyousuke.>

No matter how much he wailed at her, the Unexplored-class was unshaken.

Because she understood.

The Red Lady could see through to any truth, so she deeply understood the boy’s pain.

So she would never reject it.

She kindly accepted it all and spoke.

<It is true that you cannot defeat the White Queen…no, defeat the entirety of the Unexplored-class where she stands at the center. Not because you are inexperienced, but because it is simply impossible even if all of mankind works together. Even my eyes cannot see a vision of anyone defeating that Queen…that true monster who reached for all the laws of that world and twisted them as she saw fit. That is what this is.>

In other words, this was a predetermined future.

Even if thousands or millions of options spread out before his eyes, the all too obvious answer was that he could never reach that point.

<But you promised, did you not?>

“…”

After saying that, the Red Lady placed the tiniest sliver of hope on top of her sorrow.

<You swore you would shatter that cruel destiny and defeat the White Queen…defeat us, did you not?>

===Facts===

*The Wicked Green Woman of the Unexplored-class Three is belligerent and sadistic, so she deepens her understanding of others by harming them. She gives humans Awards because she sees them as suitable toys and as bait to trigger conflicts between humans.
*The Divine-class are the residents of the other world and the Unexplored-class manage the laws of the other world. Also, the Unexplored-class were meant to bring together those laws to take away the White Queen’s power and strength one at a time and ultimately seal her inside the other world.
*But the White Queen was so extraordinary that she took control of them instead.
*And in so doing, the laws and formulas needed to truly defeat the White Queen were destroyed and vanished from the Summoning Ceremony. In other words, the Queen cannot be truly defeated even if every being in existence challenged her at once. No matter what.
*The Red Lady has succumbed to the White Queen and yet sympathizes with the humans like Kyousuke and she desires for all of the Unexplored-class, including herself, to be destroyed if it is necessary to defeat the White Queen. …But perhaps that is because she knows that is a dream that can never come true.
*Shiroyama Kyousuke will ultimately stand up once more. He will wipe the tears from his eyes and pile back up the rubble to challenge that heavenly girl with his own strength.
*And ''that is why'' the White Queen finds that boy so unbearably adorable.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Ending1|Ending X-01]]
| Return to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Afterword|Afterword]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume3 Chapter1

2020-07-30T02:07:40Z

72.80.103.151: /* Or a Story Set Somewhat in the Past */

==Stage 01: A Transfer Student in Early Spring Signals the Collapse of the School==
''“Hey, hey. Where are we supposed to dump this?”

''“It sounds like Government is interested, so let’s contact Aika.”

'''(Stage 01 Open 05/23 07:30)

'''A Transfer Student in Early Spring Signals the Collapse of the School

===Part 1===

A jetlagged mind made it hard to get up in the morning.

In the cabin space of the cruiser he lived in, Shiroyama Kyousuke rubbed his eyes on the double bed as the alarm clock’s ringing assaulted his senses.

He got back at it by hitting the switch of the bedside alarm clock.

And for some reason, the vessel named Isabelle had slipped onto the double bed while wearing black cat pajamas.

“…”

Kyousuke tried to get his sleep-addled brain working, but he ran out of strength and gave into the urge to fall back asleep.

He heard a girl’s voice from below the covers.

“I put my body on the line for the best setup I could manage, so I’m disappointed you aren’t going along with it. Zuuun (deadpan).”

“?”

What was this?

Why could he hear something below the covers?

To figure out what this was, his foggy mind led him to reach out and touch it…but what was it? It was soft and warm…so what in the world was it? A steamed bun? It seemed a little too small for that.

“And when you just start groping me, I’m small-sized unsure how to respond.”

His mind finally caught up to reality.

He was reminded of a shameful summer morning long, long ago before he had become Alice (with) Rabbit. That morning, he had wet the bed. At first, he had refused to believe it, but he had been unable to ignore the strange sensation. Just like back then, he hesitantly peered below the covers and the experienced summoner screamed just like his past self.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!???”

“Oh, I finally got the reaction I wanted. Pinpon pinpon (deadpan).”

Quickly rolling out of bed with a mixture of surprise, shock, and slight sadness was just like that day.

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-why-why are you here!?”

The crawling black cat pajamas reigned supreme as the only one left on the double bed.

“Nya nyaaan (deadpan). I haven’t gotten my reward for that midair battle.”

“What?”

“I believe we settled on a Dengeki Restaurant Hobby Set.”

“I thought we parted ways for the night at A Block’s international airport. And why!? Actually, how did you even get inside the cruiser? Did you pick the lock? Did you melt it? Or did you use a power drill? I won’t get mad, so be honest with me!!”

The girl who had fallen into a feline mentality gave him a displeased look from the bed.

“I need to give you a super-sized punishment for breaking our contract.”

“Except now you’re breaking the law! Just because normal people forget all about summoners and vessels is no reason to stop following society’s rules! And if you broke the lock to break in, I’ll have to get a new one, so just tell me!”

“So it’s time for a super-sized attack using the cheetah style! Whoosh (deadpan).”

“!? Why are you leaping at me when I’m the angry one here!?”

The black cat pajamas used her lithe, muscular body and the bed springs to launch herself with great force. Kyousuke was helpless as they started rolling around together on the cabin floor.

As the young girl mounted him at full force, Kyousuke lay on his back, covered his face with his hands, and sobbed.

“I don’t even care anymore, so can you just get off of me…?”

“Only if I get my reward. No further orders will be accepted until then.”

Isabelle started bouncing her hips up and down to hurry Kyousuke along.

The behavior might have looked seductive if the blows had not been hitting him in the solar plexus, making it even more painful than the boxer training in which a large ball was dropped on the stomach.

“Hurry, hurry. Hobby Set. I want a Dengeki Restaurant Hobby Set.”

“Gh, gbh!! I-I can’t exactly do anything unless you get off of me first!!”

The black cat pajamas stopped moving up and down and tilted her head instead.

“Hmm. The task will never be complete without the reward, but I can’t receive the reward without agreeing to a new task…”

A dull spiraling light appeared deep in her eyes.

“Ghhh (deadpan). Oh, no. I don’t understand even a small-sized bit of this anymore.”

“Oh!? Why would that make you strangle me!?”

He put up a struggle and finally managed to push Isabelle off of him.

It took her more than thirty seconds to cool down.

“I-I want my Dengeki Restaurant Hobby Set…”

“Fine, fine. Wait, are they even open in the mornings?”

It did not look like he would be given time for a shower, so he stuck to the bare minimum of washing his face and then changed into his school uniform in the shower space. He had school today. He lived a double life, but he wanted to do “as much as possible” to avoid neglecting either one.

Isabelle used his time out of the cabin space to change into her red military uniform. She must have gotten bored waiting for Kyousuke because she had grabbed the TV remote and started watching a morning information show.

“Let’s get rid of those May blues by having a second Halloween in early summer! The witch’s night comes late to Toy Dream 35! The Delayed Walpurgis campaign has begun. We actively recommend you all wear costumes and anyone in costume will receive a variety of benefits while the campaign lasts.”

“C’mon, let’s go. Your Hobby Set is waiting for you, right?”

“Right. The Juddark toy is waiting for me!”

They left the cruiser together.

Toy Dream 35 was the result of a foreign entertainment company buying up a bankrupt Japanese city and converting it into a giant amusement park. Most of it was a collection of super high-rise buildings built over the ocean and they were connected by layer after layer of giant bridges in a spider web-like arrangement.

Kyousuke’s cruiser was in the harbor that bordered the ocean on the lowest level of the city. The first floor (that is, around the waterline) of the giant rectangular buildings generally had cruisers and boats moored around them.

There was a small path that may have been a protruding part of the building or buffering material to protect against collisions from the cruisers, but walking along that was a good way to slip and fall, so they jumped from ship to ship to reach the stairway up, just like he always did.

After a bit of climbing the emergency staircase that zigzagged up the building’s wall, they finally reached one of the giant bridges. There, they could enter the crowds. Perhaps due to the costume campaign mentioned on TV, the crowd was filled with people dressed as witches or Little Red Riding Hood.

“Happy Walpurgis!!”

“C’mon, hand over the donut! Otherwise, this’ll be a one coin donation!!”

“Gozaru, gozaru. The Gozaru Samurai has transformed into a gargoyle!”

The place was packed with dragonfly-winged fairies, gray costume characters, and more. Even costume weapons must have been banned because a police officer was scolding a samurai and a kunoichi.

“Faster, faster. Hurry, hurry.”

“Breakfast isn’t going anywhere.”

“Juddark is really popular and I don’t want him to sell out. We need to super-size it! Make a super-sized dash!”

“Hm? Juddark?”

The giant bridge was packed full of office workers in suits, students in a variety of uniforms, and a costumed group of foreign tourists who had decided to get an early start. It was easy to forget the bridge was as wide as a road with three lanes in either direction.

They followed the crowd of giant pumpkin costumes and sexy bunny girls and then took a turn into a building.

Burgers, frankfurters, barbecue, beef steaks, and sodas. As a foreign-owned amusement park, Toy Dream 35’s restaurants served a lot of American junk food, but the Dengeki Restaurant was known to some for being even more chaotic. While most domestic chains were in decline, this one had made a push overseas and actually seen some success. If anything, it could be classified as a family restaurant. With bowls, plates, meals, combos, and lunches, the menu was something of a mess, but that careless obsessiveness was very much like a Japanese chain restaurant.

It was fairly busy, so they could not get a table seat. They were guided to a counter seat where they sat side by side.

“Whoosh(deadpan). Waitress, I want a Hobby Set! I know it comes with a Juddark toy!!”

Kyousuke still had no idea what a Juddark was and it made him think of some kind of chocolate, but then he saw some information on the corner of the menu.

“It’s the dark mascot hero Juddark! His dark judgments will slay evil!!”

He did not know the details, but it was apparently a bipedal black cat with a mean look in its eyes. The somewhat large-headed cat had a wire in its hands(?).

Something like that could become a strategic international product with annual revenue exceeding 500 billion, so the Toy Dream amusement park cities really were unique. A character could be as valuable as an oil field.

“Why do you want that so bad? Isn’t it just a kid’s meal that adults know their kid will like because it comes with a little toy?”

“What it is doesn’t matter.”

“?”

“It’s super-sized important that we close out the task by proving the contract was fulfilled.”

Kyousuke despaired when he did not find cereal and milk on the breakfast menu and settled on ordering an eggs benedict, seafood salad, and iced coffee set.

While waiting for their order, Isabelle swayed her small body back and forth and spoke.

“What are we going to do after this?”

“Oh, you mean about ''that''? Yesterday’s midair battle was unexpected, but it doesn’t really change what we need to do. Let’s just do the job we were given.”

“Then you should have made the contract from the very beginning.”

“If we could have settled this without a contract, that wouldn’t have been necessary, right?”

That was when someone’s hand interrupted them. Kyousuke looked over, thinking it might be the waitress, but it was another customer. It was Rendou Akiya, a classmate of Kyousuke’s who at first looked like a girl with semi-long brown hair but was actually a boy who liked to wear a girl’s blazer and pleated skirt.

But today, he was wearing something else. As part of the Delayed Walpurgis, he was wearing a three-pointed witch’s hat and a cape.

And the boy ''looked like he had only noticed Kyousuke’s presence after sitting down next to him.

“Oh. What are you doing eating out, Shiroyama-chan? I thought you subsisted on supermarket meals.”

“I have my reasons.”

“What, did your fridge or microwave break?”

“More importantly, what’s with that getup?”

“Oh, this?”

His classmate spread his arms to show off the miniskirt costume.

“I had trouble deciding between a witch and a fairy. During the campaign, you get a discount if you shop in costume. I think you get 15% off at this family restaurant. And isn’t that military uniform girl in costume?”

“That isn’t a costume. And don’t we have school after this?”

“You silly puppy. I can’t understand why anyone would wear their uniform all day long. Doesn’t make any sense.”

The miniskirt witch boy ordered a Japanese-style breakfast based on tamago-kake gohan.

“By the way, have you heard about the transfer student?”

“That’s news to me,” answered Kyousuke.

“Unfortunately, it’s a guy. I guess we won’t be getting the triple sevens of a beautiful, mysterious, and virgin.”

As you can see, Rendou only chose women’s clothing as a fashion statement and he was not a true “trap”.

Witch Rendou waved sociably at the waitress who brought him his tamago-kake gohan set. As Kyousuke watched, he frowned in realization.

Rendou had ordered after him, but his food had arrived first. Which meant…

“Oh, this isn’t good…”

“What is it?”

“I need to step into the kitchen a moment.”

“What is it, Shiroyama-chan!? Are you the kind of person who likes to call out the chef?”

Kyousuke ignored the frantic shout and stepped through the staff only door with Isabelle following him.

At first, the cooks looked surprised, but…

“Hm? Huh…? Oh, that’s right! I forgot your order!!”

“As long as you’ve remembered.”

People forgot that summoners and vessels existed as soon as they left their field of vision. Even if there was a mechanical order slip, it was all over if they mistook it for an erroneous input.

“U-um, uh, this will not happen again, so you can return to your seat…”

“Sorry, but I have a fairly serious food allergy, so could I watch you cook it?”

“Nuuun (deadpan). It would be a super-sized problem if you forgot my Hobby Set.”

Even ordering food at a restaurant was difficult.

It was easier at a school cafeteria where the kitchen was visible from the counter.

Once they returned to their seats with the completed food, the waitresses had “forgotten” about them and other customers’ butts were filling their seats.

“…”

“…”

Pressing their foreheads against a nearby wall in sorrow was their only option.

===Part 2===

After eating on their feet, Kyousuke parted ways with Isabelle once more.

“Can you kill some time until school’s out?”

“I will be super-sized okay. If I need to, I can break a window. Smash, smash(deadpan).”

“Just this once, you can pick the lock if you want, but don’t break anything.”

Kyousuke continued alone to a high school on a square portion of R Block. Once he entered the classroom, his classmate Librarian-chan noticed him.

Once in school, everyone was wearing uniforms, so there weren’t any wolfmen or Frankensteins walking around.

“Good morning, Shiroyama-kun.”

“Morning. Aren’t you here pretty early today, Librarian-chan?”

“My name, my name.”

She had been caught in the middle of some summoner battles concerning a ghost known as the Rainy Girl, but that entire incident had ultimately been made so it “never happened” and she had no memory of it.

“Are you doing that Delayed Walpurgis thing, Librarian-chan?”

“Gh!? How did you hear I was stuck as a cat ears girl...no, a cat leotard girl for a costume event at work!?”

“Um, Librarian-chan…?”

“Geh! I shouldn’t have said that!! Just to be clear, this is a wholesome job! There isn’t anything untoward about it! It’s just a delivery service!!”

Librarian-chan blushed and tried to explain away some sort of misunderstanding, but Kyousuke was unsure how to react when that misunderstanding only existed in her mind.

And apparently she was still a part-timer girl even after “that incident” was changed.

After calming down some, she changed the subject.

“To ho ho. That’s just the uniform for the job and it doesn’t match my tastes at all. Maybe it’s just an issue of rose-colored glasses, but I had an awful time with a job yesterday too.”

“What was it? Sexual harassment?”

“In a way, it was worse!!”

Her blood pressure seemed to rise as the memory worked up her anger.

“I was working as an eco-friendly bicycle delivery service, but sometimes you get asked to make mysterious deliveries of pets people are sick of or memorial tablets! And they don’t care where it goes, so it’s up to you to figure something out! And you’re not allowed to complain or refuse!!”

“Yeah, I’ve heard scammers will get people to pay them using a bike delivery service instead of an ATM.”

“But the most common one lately is Girl’s Backdoor. It’s just what it sounds like: a product that lets you bend teenage girls to your will! And they’re selling for huge amounts on online auctions, so they’re being sent out for delivery all over the place! Apparently the rumors started right here in Toy Dream 35. I don’t know what it’s all about, but I ended up having the police stop me and bring me in for questioning. Can you believe that!? ‘Hey, you there. I doubt you are, but you aren’t being paid to assist in an auction scam, are you?’ God, it pisses me off!!”

“What exactly is it? Do you plug it into their temple to rewrite their brain?”

“Don’t ask me. And who would actually believe something like that? The actual product isn’t the problem; it’s how they’re using the rumors to make a ton of money off of the auctions. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cardboard card, hairspray with the label peeled off, or a plastic pendulum.”

As she spoke, Librarian-chan held out her smartphone for him to see.

An online auction page did indeed show quite a few entries for something called Girl’s Backdoor. She scrolled down the list, but there was no end in sight.

The example photos showed a great variety of “forms”: everything from strange old tomes to something like a homemade laser gun. It was definitely a movement, but Librarian-chan may have been right that it was more about using the name to sell junk at a high price than about the Girl’s Backdoor itself.

“That’s pretty incredible. All the numbers are up in the thirty or forty thousands. Even if you take into account these are auctions, it’s quite something.”

“I know, right? What I can’t believe is there are this many people out there who secretly want to bend girls to their will! That feels like enough of a threat on its own!!”

“But don’t the back covers of magazines have ads for lucky necklaces and bracelets with phony-sounding stories about how it made someone popular with girls? The demographic for those has just moved onto the auctions, so I bet the total numbers aren’t that much different.”

“That’s like telling someone not to worry because there have always been that many roaches behind your dresser and you just never noticed. It doesn’t help at all! It just creeps you out!!”

Kyousuke began to wonder if there were similar “lucky” products that supposedly made girls popular with boys. He did not have a habit of checking manga or fashion magazines for girls, so he did not know what was advertised in them.

That was when Rendou Akiya entered the classroom. He must have changed since leaving the family restaurant because he wore a girl’s uniform instead of a witch costume.

“Morning, everyone! Huh? Weren’t you with me earlier, Shiroyama-chan?”

“We must have gotten separated in the crowd.”

“More importantly!!” cut in Librarian-chan. “You! You were making money selling five or six of those Girl’s Backdoor products through online auctions, weren’t you!? Why do you have to make people like us work up a sweat running around town just so you can make some dirty money!?”

“Don’t be silly. Those are just joke products! It’s not like I’m taking advantage of the commotion to trick people!! The description of its effects is just a personal opinion!!”

“Grr, grr!”

“B-besides, if those stupid guys send me all their money, they can’t get their hands on a real Girl’s Backdoor, right? Of course, that’s assuming real ones actually exist. All I’m doing is preemptively stopping their evil deeds. You should be praising me as Dark Paladin Rendou Akiya, the hero who protects the city’s peace from the shadows!! C’mon, tell her I’m right, Shiroyama-chan!!”

“I don’t like that anyone’s excitedly buying these things, but I don’t like how you’re making such easy money either! Don’t underestimate a diligent part-timer girl! Roar!!”

The crossdressing boy fled with the librarian girl in hot pursuit. They forgot all about Kyousuke the second they took their eyes off of him, but he just sighed at his unchanging daily life.

He may have been a summoner who used the gods of legend as a stepping stone to reach his goal, but even he was fond of a peaceful life.

Even if he had no idea how long the peaceful part would last.

===Part 3===

They had to move classrooms for third period, so Kyousuke was walking down the hall at the end of the short break. He saw Student Council President Benikomichi Fuuki walking the opposite direction with her long black hair tied together at the end.

She seemed to have noticed him.

She was wearing her gym outfit, so she likely had gym class next.

“Hi, Shiroyama Boy. If you’re cooking something for home ec, call me afterwards.”

“My elective science is physics. We’ll probably just be clacking together metal balls suspended by strings.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“I hear they’re making popsicles in chemistry. It’s part of an experiment where they sprinkle some salt in chunks of ice to lower the temperature below zero.”

“Oh, c’mon!! It’s not too late, so go see if you can change electives! And I really want a popsicle now!!”

A distant look entered Kyousuke’s eyes as he wondered if she would really be willing to eat a popsicle made with the school test tubes that probably had not been properly washed.

Then Benikomichi Fuuki’s cellphone vibrated.

Her expression clouded over a little when she checked it.

“What is it?”

“Well, I’m not sure why, but ''some neighborhood kid'' has really taken a liking to me. Honestly, and I told him to stop using his phone at school. I might have to teach him a lesson later.”

“…”

Kyousuke silently narrowed his eyes, but the student council president failed to notice.

“I’m really more into…y’know, an older, hardboiled kind of guy who looks good in a trench coat and drinking some whisky, but I guess you can’t always get what you want.”

As she spoke, Benikomichi Fuuki put her phone away.

But her gym outfit had no pockets, so it looked more like she was just sticking it into the side of her bloomers.

“By the way, Senpai, I’ve always wondered why the girls still wear bloomers here.”

“Hm? It isn’t that unusual in Toy Dream schools.”

“That’s not really an explanation.”

“Hah hah hah. This city is meant to make kids’ dreams and adult’s hopes come true.”

“That’s still not an explanation!!”

Without solving the mystery for him, Benikomichi Fuuki waved goodbye and left.

She had been an Illegal vessel who had been prepared to destroy the world’s current system to achieve her goal, but now ''that incident had never happened in the first place.'' He was not entirely sure if she was still registered with Illegal, but she was at least no longer working to take anyone’s lives.

And…

“Shiroyama-san.”

Someone called out to him from behind.

He looked back and saw a girl with short black hair.

He had once seen this somehow gloomy older girl listed as Umie Shouko in a newspaper article and heard her referred to as the rumored Rainy Girl.

But now no gravestone bore her name and she was nothing more than a living girl who attended school like normal.

“Are you on your way to your next class?”

“I have my science elective next.”

“Oh, an elective… Then do you know where Ryouko-chan went? I want to give her this.”

She held an English-to-Japanese dictionary. She must have borrowed it from someone she knew. The same thing could be loaded on a smartphone for only two or three thousand yen, but there were still rules banning phones during class.

But that was not what caught Kyousuke’s attention.

“Ryouko…?”

“Um…oh. What if I called her the Librarian?”

“Oh!! …Ryouko?”

The answer seemed to confuse Kyousuke. It did not sound right to him.

“Librarian-chan has biology, so she’s on the third floor of the new building.”

“I see. So she’s taking biology, the one science a literary type can get through with rote memorization.”

There was nothing more to discuss, so Kyousuke waved goodbye and started to leave.

But then Umie Shouko whispered something to him.

“Keep looking after her for me, ''Mr. Bunny.''”

“Hm?”

He looked back, but the girl simply waved and walked down the passageway leading to the new building.

===Part 4===

Before long, it was lunchtime.

Ordering two meals at the family restaurant that morning had increased the cost a fair bit, so he chose to be economical for lunch. Instead of using the cafeteria, he stopped by the school store and bought the “Expanding Bread” (aka Poor Bread) that was most popular with the athletic boys. He sat all alone on a bench in the courtyard to eat it.

The courtyard was not a bad location since the flower beds were fairly well tended to and it was nice and cool in the shade, but since the students preferred the more open feel of the rooftop, the courtyard was fairly unpopular despite how pleasant it was. It was also a troublesome spot because lovers would often meet up there afterschool, later realize it was in full view of the school building’s windows, get into arguments along the lines of “Stop watching us!!” “Stop doing it where we can’t help but see you!!” “Oh, you wanna fight!?”, and end up in a great war. But at lunchtime, it was nice and peaceful.

As Kyousuke battled the hunk of carbs that oddly expanded the more he chewed it and disturbingly never seemed to vanish from his mouth, a new visitor arrived in the lunchtime courtyard.

“Wow, wasting your teenage years eating lunch alone, are we?”

“R-Renge, um, don’t say that while looking him right in the eye.”

It was a pair of twin sisters.

Meinokawa Renge and Higan were both shrine maidens with long, straight hair, but Renge had stereotypical black hair while Higan had blonde hair and blue eyes, making them a tricky pair of shrine maidens.

''To them'' this was a long-awaited reunion, but this sad vision must have blasted those emotions from their minds.

However, Kyousuke stared at the sisters with equally dead eyes due to the unreasonable scene he saw.

“Visitors aren’t allowed in this high school, so why are you two boldly walking around in shrine maiden outfits?”

“Because normal people forget all about summoners and vessels, of course.”

That made sense at first, but it was really the same as saying there was nothing wrong with walking around in the nude as long as no one knew it was you. They were throwing out their common sense in favor of their special traits. That line of reasoning was also why summoners and vessels tended to wear outfits that were far from normal and strayed from modern society.

But Kyousuke chose to kindly interpret it as them thinking people would assume their shrine maiden outfits were costumes for the Delayed Walpurgis.

“So what do you need today?”

“We have something to discuss with you.”

Kyousuke gestured for them to sit next to him on the bench, so blonde Higan sat down first.

But then black-haired Renge sat down between the two of them.

“Renge…”

“What? I’m supposed to protect you, Higan, so let me act as a barrier.”

For some reason, Meinokawa Higan got back up and forced herself between Kyousuke and Renge.

“Then I’ll protect you!”

“What!? You have some nerve as the younger twin!”

“Renge!”

“Higan!!”

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!! I feel like my thigh is being crushed by a steamroller here!!”

When Kyousuke raised his voice, the two shrine maidens finally stopped moving.

Kyousuke had been forced to the edge of the bench, Higan sat right next to him, and Renge was pressed tightly in beyond her. Once the crisis passed, the feminine body temperature and aroma finally reached him.

That said, this was not a part of the safe and peaceful life he wanted.

“Can you just get this over with and give me my daily life back?”

“Makihara Youji.”

Meinokawa Renge clung to her sister’s upper arm and spoke an unfamiliar name.

Kyousuke looked puzzled, so she held out a notebook-sized tablet.

It displayed a list of personal information.

The included photo showed a sharp-eyed boy with both sides of his hair dyed blond to emphasize the black hair in the center.

“You haven’t heard of him? He’s supposed to transfer into your class.”

He suddenly remembered that Rendou Akiya had mentioned that at breakfast.

But…

“Why is a summoner and vessel from the underside of the world discussing my class’s transfer student?”

“W-well, the thing about him is…strange things keep happening around him, so he’s been marked by people on ‘this side’ too.”

“More accurately, by Government. We were given a job by them, so we were wondering if you had overhead anything about him.”

“…”

Kyousuke fell silent.

A normal person like Rendou Akiya had been able to talk about the transfer student. That meant he had not been forgotten even while not in view of the naked eye. It seemed highly unlikely, but Kyousuke thought it was worth asking.

“Is it possible he’s a summoner or vessel like us?”

“We’re looking into that as well. At the very least, he doesn’t seem to be registered with Government. Illegal doesn’t release their records and Freedom doesn’t even keep a list since none of us are interested in anyone but ourselves. It’s impossible to be sure.”

“Just tell me what you know.”

“Makihara Youji himself is the kind of high school boy you can find anywhere. All of his paperwork is in order. He seemed to have made more than ten girlfriends at his previous school. The only real problem is why he’s changing schools.”

For one thing, it was strange to change schools in May when the school year had only just begun.

“You mean it isn’t due to his parents changing jobs or moving in with his grandparents?”

Hearing that, Renge fell silent for a moment.

She closed her eyes and inhaled.

Once she opened her eyelids again, she spoke.

“''His home was burned down in a fire.''”

“…”

It was Kyousuke’s turn to fall silent for a moment as he scrolled through the tablet’s information with a fingertip.

Ominous records were mechanically listed as brief lines of text.

“A-and when we looked into it, there was more than that,” added Higan. “During a school trip at the beginning of spring, there was a landslide and everyone in that school year was killed. The fitness gym he attended was destroyed in a gas explosion. The mall he worked at part-time collapsed. A stalker attacked his home and his parents died. Um, people get caught in terrible tragedies wherever he goes, but he always ends up unharmed. And it just keeps happening. Plus, it’s all happened recently when he was a completely normal person receiving no real attention not long ago. It’s all been over the past few weeks.”

“It sounds like something from a horror movie, doesn’t it?” Renge waved a hand dismissively. “The funny part is every last one of the tragedies was caused by a girl Makihara was intimate with. You could almost say ''he ordered the girls to do these things, they did everything he wanted,'' and they destroyed themselves in the process.”

“Even the landslide and building collapse?”

“The landslide happened on a rainy day, but when the police investigated, they found it had nothing to do with that. They’ve been suppressing the information to avoid any social influence, but apparently a schoolgirl blew herself up using the construction explosives she was holding.”

“…”

No matter how unhealthy the sense of dependence developed, no one would go that far for a high school romance.

This was not the White Queen and her worshipers after all.

But Kyousuke had heard another worrisome rumor. His class had been talking about the transfer student just as much as a mysterious device that could bend teenage girls to one’s will.

Namely…

“Girl’s Backdoor.”

“Oh, so you’ve heard of it? Government seems to be showing an interest in it. But as a summoner, I do have to wonder ''why it would be limited to girls''.”

“Um, there’s that state people get in when they lose during the Summoning Ceremony and get hit by the mental shock of their god being killed, right? They can only do simple things, but you can control them. And that slow-moving suggestible state continues for more than twenty-four hours.”

In other words, a summoner could bend someone to their will without a special device. It did not matter if you instructed them to take someone else’s life or their own.

“But that doesn’t make sense.” Kyousuke thought for a bit and opened his mouth once more. “That only happens after summoning a Material and fighting. If I defeated a normal soldier or guard, they wouldn’t end up like that. That would mean the victims of this Girl’s Backdoor thing are from our line of business.”

“Right. And summoners and vessels are removed from normal people’s minds, so the police wouldn’t even treat it as a real case. But these Girl’s Backdoor incidents are being recorded. …Government seems utterly perplexed by this. It is possible they’re all extreme rookies with only one or two digit Awards, though. Are they using Summoning Ceremony tech or not? If they are, is it a normal Blood-Sign system, or is it some variation on that? And if it is a variation, ''does it end at just providing the hackneyed ability to have complete control over a girl, or is there more?'' Those questions have pushed this way up their list of priorities.”

“…”

———Once, Azalea Magentarain and Guard of Honor had attempted to destroy the world just to hold an audience with the White Queen and to receive her love.

———Once, Benikomichi Fuuki and the other heir of Telomere’s End had attempted to destroy human society just to construct a world without death.

Both of those had broken down the Blood-Sign system and rebuilt it as a twisted variation.

They had also been resolved in secret so no one except Kyousuke knew about them.

Was something on the same level standing before him again?

Girl’s Backdoor.

That mysterious device would allow its user to manipulate someone close to them and even have them unquestioningly detonate the construction explosives they were holding. That alone was dangerous enough to mess with the world around Kyousuke.

“And conveniently enough, he’s stepped right into Alice (with) Rabbit Shiroyama Kyousuke’s territory, right? If Makihara Youji is aware what he’s doing here, he’s quite something. It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.”

“Thanks.”

“If you’re really in trouble, um, we can help out at any time.”

“If it comes to that.”

After hearing that, the twin sisters put away the tablet and stood from the bench.

Renge pointed toward Kyousuke’s face.

“Listen. We don’t know yet whether or not this Girl’s Backdoor thing that Makihara Youji seems to be using is related to the Summoning Ceremony system. But it’s still dangerous even if it isn’t. In fact, we’re more likely to be caught off guard if it isn’t a part of our field of expertise. Even if you’re Freedom Award 903, I don’t think you should underestimate this guy.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

“Also…''you didn’t wear a glove on your left hand last time we met, did you?''”

“It’s a fashion statement.”

He waved his hand at the girls who tilted their heads while leaving the courtyard.

Kyousuke left the black leather glove on his left hand as he leaned back in the bench with the “Expanding Bread” in his other hand.

He slowly let out a short sigh.

A moment later, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind the bench and something was dumped on the ground like a garbage bag.

It was Makihara Youji.

This boy was suspected to have used Girl’s Backdoor to cause a number of incidents.

It was the same boy seen in the background information on the Meinokawa Sisters’ tablet.

However, he had been so severely beaten that the resemblance to the photo may not have been immediately obvious.

The villain had bruises and other marks all over his body, he could just barely be heard breathing, and his limbs were entirely limp. It was doubtful he was conscious.

Kyousuke did not even glance in his direction.

There was no real reason to confirm his presence at this point.

He leaned back in the bench and looked up into the blue sky as he munched on the “Expanding Bread”.

A short moment later, a small form left the bushes.

It was the vessel named Isabelle.

“Hey, hey. Where are we supposed to dump this?”

“It sounds like Government is interested, so let’s contact Aika.”

“Nuuun (deadpan). He’ll get away if we do that.”

“He won’t be able to move for a while after all that. With all those wounds, we could probably give him some zombie makeup and dump him on the side of the road for Government to pick him up in broad daylight. Everyone would think he had just gone overboard with his costume and gotten heatstroke.”

With that, it was over.

The concerning incident had ended before it even began.

“But this doesn’t seem to follow Freedom Award 903’s rules.”

“That’s because it doesn’t. These are the rules of a normal student.” Kyousuke did not sound very interested. “I really don’t want to talk about turf or territory. It makes me feel like Illegal. Although I guess Government follows a similar concept.”

“I want to know how that Girl’s Backdoor thing works.”

“That I can’t tell you.” Kyousuke replied casually while ''opening and closing his left hand and the glove he wore there.'' “If I controlled a few people and took some physical data on them, I could probably figure it out pretty quickly, but that would be going too far. I don’t want to do that when I don’t even know if there are any side effects.”

“Could it be mass-produced to a super-sized extent?”

“That’s part of what I’ll look into. Although, looking at this guy, I doubt he has the brains or skill to create something like this.”

“Meaning?”

“It’s best to think there’s more to this. Or maybe I should say we still haven’t found the real villain.”

This was one down, but it was just the beginning.

“Then should we continue defending against future intruders?”

“Why?”

Kyousuke answered her with a question of his own.

Why should a professional work for free to protect this school?

Except that was not what he meant.

“Why do we have to stick to defense? Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler to go on the attack and crush the source of all this?”

“Hmm. Looking at it more rationally, that’s a small-sized…no, medium-sized bit better.”

“Just to be clear, this isn’t an official job for Freedom or Government. It’s pretty much a personal fight. And we don’t even know what we’re up against here. As we search around blindly, we might just find ourselves wandering deeper and deeper into the bog.”

“I’m fine with anything as long as my contract partner gives me the promised reward.”

The girl in a red military uniform did not seem to give it all that much thought.

And she made sure to add one more thing:

“Of course, that’s only if you promise to complete my job to a super-sized extent once it’s all over.”

His enjoyable school life had to be put on hold.

From here on, he would be living in the bloody world of summoners.

===Or a Story Set Somewhat in the Past===

This was the best.

Makihara Youji finally felt truly alive.

If he been asked to sum up his life, he would have used the words pointless and ineffective. It was not that he had received any cruel abuse at home or in the classroom. Nor had everyone constantly ignored him like he was invisible. But everywhere he went, he had found nothing but pain and humiliation. Whenever he recalled some moment from his past, he felt an urge to collapse on the spot and flail his arms and legs around.

He could speak a hundred words and be lucky to get two or three in response.

Even when he frequently updated a blog or SNS page connected to the entire world, the increase in the hit counter never left the single digits. No one ever left any comments.

It was all a waste of time and effort.

No one ever recognized his successes, but they were quick to lay on the insults when he failed. When he spoke to a group, none of them would turn his way, but when he verbally abused someone along with the group, all the attention would turn his way and they would turn on him.

He stood out in the worst possible way.

Everything worked against him.

How could this have happened?

He could work a hundred times harder than anyone else to be considerate and no one would give him a second glance, but when he complained even a hundredth as much as anyone else, they would attack him with the force of a raging wildfire. The pile of stones he had so carefully piled up would be mercilessly toppled and he would have to restart from the beginning. He even started suspecting everyone else in the world was conspiring against him.

But that unfairness was gone now.

The world had been corrected.

“Yes…”

Makihara Youji slowly held up his left arm and stared at the back of the hand.

“Everyone responds when I do something. A single word gets ten in response. That’s right. This is how the world is supposed to work.”

He lowered his raised hand and gaze and instead directed them both straight ahead.

There he saw a girl so slender he thought she might break if he pulled her in close. She was blankly swaying on her feet. If he commanded her to give him a shoulder massage, she would do so. If he demanded she strip naked, she could not put up a fight. He had to be careful about what he commanded since she really would bite off her tongue if he told her to, but things were generally going well.

This girl was held in the bonds of Girl’s Backdoor.

Makihara felt no pangs of conscience over externally and remotely controlling her body while ignoring her own wishes. After all, his life up to this point had been so very wrong. If everyone was given the same amount of luck to be used over their entire life, then he was only making things even. After all the pain and humiliation he had suffered through, what was wrong with being a little more special than the people around him?

And…

“Eek.”

A frail voice shrieked in a corner of the dark room.

Curled up there was a different girl from the one Makihara Youji was controlling.

“Eek, eek, eek, eek, eek…”

“Oh, shut up. Just accept the reality before your eyes already.”

Makihara’s voice was somehow cold.

With a glove on his hand, he moved his fingertips as if tugging on a marionette’s strings.

“As you saw from my tests, I can make this girl do whatever I want. I could have her go on a rampage with a knife or I could have her strip off all her clothes and run around town.”

“…”

“Of course, you can always abandon your friend. Then again, no one’ll ever believe what happened here, so no one’s ever going to take her side. But if you don’t like the sound of that, then I’d like you to help me contact some people.”

“…”

“You work in the entertainment industry, don’t you? Even just a guest ID would be fine. Then I can ''use this'' to get close to a number of people.”

As its name suggested, Girl’s Backdoor could not be used to control just anyone.

In fact, the conditions for its use were quite limited.

But what did that matter?

No man was an island. If he held one person’s life in his hands, he could restrict the actions of a few people in their address book. It continued as a chain reaction from there. Like the Straw Millionaire, he just had to move from person to person, betraying them little by little, until he had arrived at and taken over an area he never could have reached otherwise. He could remote control them and bind them. In that sense, he was not restricted by sex or age. People were connected to others in unexpected places: politicians, corporate executives, the police, celebrities, and sports stars. He could reach them all through his chain reaction.

He had gone too far at his previous school.

But what exactly had he done that “went too far”?

He had already forgotten.

(Yes.)

He was so fulfilled that he felt no need to remember each and every thing. He had no need to contemplate the past when his future was so bright.

(This is what it feels like to hold the world in your hand.)

He was not out to rule over anything. His goal was not to obtain a specific person. He simply wanted everyone to pay attention to him. He wanted to create situations where they had no other choice. And that attention would eventually spread through the city, the country, and the entire world. He could not help but enjoy the gradual progress in that direction.

But just as he thought that, a deafening dull sound exploded from the back of his head.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

His head hurt like his skull was swelling out. It throbbed with pain. Only after breathing in the dusty air did he realize he had fallen onto his side.

Had someone hit him?

Makihara Youji’s mind was not functioning properly. It did not make the switch from confusion to fear. His arms and legs twitched but did not move, so he could not stand or even sit up.

He could not turn his head, so most of the room was a blind spot to him. He moved just his eyeballs and finally saw a boy and girl. As soon as he spotted them, their backs seemed to stab deep into his consciousness. It was like something he had previously failed to notice had risen rapidly through his mind.

“What do we do now?”

“I have the ''sample'' I wanted. Simply put, we don’t need him anymore.”

“But I get the feeling he’ll get into some super-sized trouble if we just let him go.”

“But who’s supposed to pass judgment on him and how? There isn’t an actual crime the police can charge him with.”

“Zuuuun(deadpan).”

“Okay, fine. How about this?”

The horribly careless-sounding male voice continued.

“Let’s leave him here for about half an hour. We’ll let the girls he was controlling pass judgment. Don’t worry. If he’s innocent, they’ll probably tend to his hurt head.”

“W…ait.”

Makihara Youji squeezed out his voice.

The fear finally seeped out past the confusion. But the boy and girl did not seem to care. Their footsteps continued and they left.

“Wait!! Please wait! Don’t leave me…don’t leave me here!!”

He could not move.

And the other boy had a Girl’s Backdoor in his hand as he left. It was obvious where he had gotten it. Makihara Youji had lost the source of the power that had made him special.

Outside his field of vision, he heard several noises that sounded disturbingly like people picking up metal bars. Sweat poured from his entire body and he felt a squeezing pain in his heart.

“H-hel…help…”

It was all a waste of time and effort.

That dull and boring prison once more stole all depth from Makihara Youji’s world.

“Hey, wait! Please help me!!”

The footsteps stopped for just a moment.

When the voice reached him, Makihara was already in tears.

“I will help you.”

But…

“Once the half hour is up.”

That was all.

When he heard the door close, it was more like being buried alive than being imprisoned.

And…

And…

And…

Several people peered down at Makihara’s face.

The emotion in the girls’ eyes was as unfathomable as an insect’s.

===Facts===

*The vessel named Isabelle takes part in battles based on the personal reward she will receive.
*Based on Kyousuke and Isabelle’s conversations, the two of them took on some kind of job before binding their contract for the midair battle.
*Umie Shouko (aka the former Rainy Girl) remembers the deathless world incident that was altered and erased from existence.
*The behavior and outfits of summoners and vessels comes from a general desire to see just how far from the normal world they have grown. (According to Shiroyama Kyousuke)
*Makihara Youji, user of Girl’s Backdoor, was already defeated. For analysis purposes, Kyousuke retrieved the glove device thought to be Girl’s Backdoor.
*Kyousuke and Isabelle parted ways ahead of time in order to determine Makihara Youji’s location and prepare for their attack.
*They do not know for sure, but they doubt this ends with Makihara Youji alone. In fact, they are guessing the true villain has yet to be seen.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Opening2|Opening X-02]]
| Return to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter2|Stage 02]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Toaru Majutsu no Index:Biohacker Chapter2

2020-04-22T20:03:29Z

72.80.103.151: /* Chapter 2 */

==Chapter 2==

===Part 1===

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That L.S.S. truck wasn’t just a random disguise; it appears to have been real. They’ve just gone berserk. So how do you intend to fix this as a member of the Board of Directors?”

“Surely you aren’t going to take a wait-and-see approach. This is never going to end with that one attack. I will protect myself, but this could still be seen as a direct attack on a Board member’s Brain.”

“Kaizumi. Just this once, I will defer to you since I know you so well. I will wait six hours from this very moment. Use that time to calculate out the pros and cons on your secretary’s computer or whatever.”

“Yes, that should tell you what you need to know.”

“It does not matter how much corporate profit L.S.S. provides. They have started using you-know-what, and that is supposed to be Kihara Kagun’s domain. Washing your hands of them and crushing them would be the best choice for Academy City.”

“My interest here is in Mitsuari Ayu.”

“Surely you know who that is. She is the esper developed as a parallel line to ******** ******. Aren’t you curious what they want with her?”

===Part 2===

Tokiwadai Middle School was known as a prestigious esper powers development school.

The girls who attended had to be at least Level 3 and the school was having an especially fruitful year since they now had two students at the effective upper limit of Level 5.

Level 5.

That was this girl’s goal, yet she found herself unable to attain it.

“Phew.”

Fluffy-haired Mitsuari Ayu was not fond of the Curriculum she was put through. Her Mental Stinger affected people’s minds and it did not work on animals like monkeys or dogs. So no matter how safe the experiments were, they had to be ''human experiments''.

(I have heard that espers with telepathy and mind reading powers have similar worries.)

The school counselor was of course aware of these troubles, but Mitsuari was a specialist in manipulating people’s minds. The adult counselor tried to resolve her problems by following the arrows on the flow chart in some manual, so it was as meaningless to her as watching a magician when you knew how all the tricks worked. Whether or not it was effective, there had to be a bond of trust established first.

“Red,” she said softly while feeling blue.

She sat across from a Tokiwadai teacher who was assessing her power. The cards in the woman’s hand were held so Mitsuari could not see what color they were, but she continued regardless.

“Yellow, red, red, blue, red. Oh, and that is right to left from my perspective.”

“Splendidly done.”

The teacher smiled brightly while turning the fanned-out cards so the girl could see.

“A perfect score, Mitsuari-san.”

Mitsuari did not have a remote viewing power. Her phone did have an external lens attached, but not for that purpose.

The power to control people’s minds was so broadly defined that the user sometimes had to clearly define what they were doing in order to use their power properly. That may have been exacerbated by the fact that the power had no visible component, unlike the power to produce fire from the hand.

So in her case, she had to start by aiming with her phone.

All she was doing was breaking through the barrier of the teacher’s mind, slipping inside, and stealing away the images of what the woman was seeing, but did the teacher really understand what that meant? She may have been so delighted to have found such an excellent student that she did not care that her mind was being read, but she also might have had other intentions hidden somewhere deeper.

The teacher put on a perfect smile and spoke even more politely than an ATM.

“We can compare the data on our brainwaves later. Are they synchronized, or are they drastically different? We should learn a lot from that.”

“R-right.”

“I have been interested in Mental Stinger for a while. If you ask me, the final frontier for research is not the farthest reaches of space; it is the human mind. In that sense, I am so glad you were placed in my care.”

A veil of mystery hung around the adults in Academy City.

Looking purely at abilities, they should have been easily overthrown, yet that never happened for some reason. The majority of the population were the students in the schools, but the small minority of supposedly powerless adults remained in control.

The teachers encouraged a spirit of competition by telling the students they could stand at the top if they increased their Level and grew stronger, but the adult teachers themselves were outside that entire framework.

“Um.”

“Sensei, there’s something weird with my data.”

Just as Mitsuari started to speak, someone else cut in.

Yes, this special classroom contained around 30 girls hooked up to the measuring equipment on the desks in front of them.

The teacher turned around with a bright smile.

“Yes, yes. I will be right there. Remote viewing is such an interesting power. There is no actual organ reflecting or absorbing the light, yet somehow you can establish a fictional viewpoint in 3D space. If you ask me, the final frontier for research is not the farthest reaches of space; it is…”

The teacher started a very familiar spiel.

Her praise was a canned thing that could apply to anyone once she filled in the blanks. Mitsuari felt a twinge of self-loathing for letting that come as a shock. It meant she had let herself trust one of those creepy adults.

She sighed.

Sitting by the window had been a mistake. The fluffy-haired girl glanced outside and allowed her mind to drift from reality. The air conditioning was perfect and the special glass was thin but solidly soundproofed, so she could not even hear the cicadas crying in the outside world.

Some adults in work jumpsuits were holding something like monstrous bug-catching nets. Had a dog or a cat gotten on the school grounds again? That was the usual explanation when people were wandering around in jumpsuits designed differently from the usual cleaners and janitors.

''You have such a promising future. You are an excellent student. You are sure to reach Level 5.

She snorted as those words came back to her.

She toyed with her phone and muttered to herself.

“If that were true, we would be doing this one-on-one in an individual room, not in this big room full of other students.”

===Part 3===

''Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The cicadas really were loudest when the sun was high overhead.

“Why aren’t you in school? At your age, you should have entrance exams to prepare for.”

An exasperated voice spoke on a roadside that was already shimmering with heat that morning.

It was hardly fair how a beautiful older girl could look stunning no matter where she was, from a party hall to a park bathroom.

But the pointy-haired boy gave her a dubious look.

“Classes are at irregular hours ''because'' we’re preparing for entrance exams. The teachers are so busy doing practice interviews with the kids hoping to get a letter of recommendation that us normal kids have had study hall after study hall.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just skip school, you know?”

“Yeah, well, what are you doing wandering around in your school uniform on a weekday morning?”

“Oops.”

“You act like a capable older girl and you’re definitely a grownup girl, but you seem more like me deep down. Do you even go to the school that uniform’s from?”

Kamijou Touma gave Bare-Midriff High School Girl Kumokawa Seria a skeptical look, but he could not break through her jokey atmosphere. A super high school girl’s personal space was inviolable.

“Now, you never answered my question.” She put a hand on her hip. “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing really.”

“They do say the criminal returns to the scene of the crime.”

“I’d rather you didn’t put it like that.”

Kamijou kept things casual as he sighed and moved his chin to point at the ordinary ground.

Yes, there was nothing here.

Despite the excitement from the day before.

Heat shimmered up from the asphalt as if to mock them.

“It’s all been cleaned up without a trace. I was aware this kind of mysterious phenomenon could happen when some rich kid drunkenly destroyed a street sign or something, but the scale was way bigger here. This was more than knocking over and breaking a sign.”

After all, that dragon had been around three stories tall when standing on its hind legs. He had stopped at putting it into hibernation since he had been hesitant to kill it, but what had happened to it afterwards?

Someone had not wanted it making the news and becoming the talk of the town.

But based on what he knew of Anti-Skill, he doubted it was them that cleaned this up. Running across them while out late at night was unbelievably annoying, but he knew they did their job. It was not like them to cover up a crime due to special circumstances.

That meant someone else had done this.

And if that someone else could hide all this, they could probably make a corpse or two disappear just as easily.

The beautiful older girl used her flip phone to search the online news.

“It looks like the story was passed off as a propane gas container rupturing behind that multi-tenant building.”

“That sounds plausible enough, but did you see any of those big gray metal canisters in the alley yesterday? Cause I didn’t. I’m pretty sure the place received town gas through underground pipes.”

Kumokawa only shrugged.

The motion was enough for her large chest to jiggle a little. Delightful.

And whether the building used propane or town gas, those two knew all too well that the fire yesterday had not been a simple accident.

The upperclassman girl made a grownup suggestion.

“It’s probably best to keep out of this from here on. The immediate threat is gone at least.”

“You said that dragon was a chimera creature made by a Biohacker…so through genetic manipulation or however that all works, but could an individual really create and raise a creature that big?”

“…”

“What if it’s a group instead of an individual and what if they have more than just that dragon? Then aren’t we in trouble? They might have learned what we look like and who we are.”

That was why he had wanted to see it on the news.

He had wanted to hear that the incident was over and that everyone involved had been arrested and he had wanted to see footage of the tough-looking heroes in fancy suits carrying box after box of evidence out of the secret lab.

He had wanted to know nothing more was going to happen.

And yet…

“I wonder what happened to him,” he muttered while surrounded by the noisy cicada cries.

His words sounded oddly tranquil.

After the dragon, he had punched out the researcher who had released and guided the dragon.

“He should have been arrested by Anti-Skill, so I can’t imagine he could do anything more. But then why didn’t the newspapers or TV news say anything about what happened?”

===Part 4===

It was a conversation.

Three girls exchanged words that did not reach anyone else.

“Is it done, Riku Onee-chan?”

“It is, it is. Man, that was not easy at all. He had no ID and the facial recognition turned up nothing, so his address and occupation remain unknown. I imagine even those hard-workers were hesitant to report that to the news, but nothing lasts forever. He really shouldn’t have let Anti-Skill get to him. Really, he was a little too mischievous. There’s no way we could have covered for him this time.”

“He won’t die right away, will he, Rikuri Nee-san?”

“Don’t worry, Kaibi. I used a slow-acting one that has to break down inside his body first. Honestly, even if visiting hours were the only option, doing it through that thick acrylic was not easy!! But regardless, the foaming at the mouth and eyes rolling back in the head will only happen after lunch, so don’t you think they will suspect that first and foremost? Oh, right. And I learned in advance that the lunch today is fried oysters, so they should assume shellfish poisoning. Even when those things are raised in a temperature-controlled indoor environment, the summer sure can be scary.”

“It’s divine punishment! He shouldn’t get to eat so well after screwing up and getting thrown into a holding cell!!”

“Amazora, my ever-complaining little sister? How about we go get some oysters for lunch. There is no need to get upset. Academy City raises and grows everything indoors, so you can get whatever you want year-round.”

“Yes, yes, yes!! Kai Onee-chan, I want them raw instead of fried! I want to eat even better than him!!”

“Let’s avoid the raw ones, my adorable little sisters. We have another job coming up, remember?”

===Part 5===

The first afternoon class after lunch was always a struggle with drowsiness. That was as true for the girls of prestigious Tokiwadai as it was for anyone.

And it was worse when that class was gym.

Not only did you have to contend with the drowsiness then, but if you used up all your strength, you would zonk out in the next class. This was made all the more troublesome because their school held its students to a higher standard of classroom behavior than normal schools. They did not even want to imagine what kind of lecture they would receive if they fell asleep in the middle of class.

They needed a delicate hand on their reins at times like this.

If they did not hold back just enough to preserve some power during gym, the boredom in the following class would be too great, their batteries would run dry, and their faces would slump down to their desks.

So this was not her fault.

The word “unathletic” did not at all apply.

“Dwah!?”

“A-are you okay, Mitsuari-san!?”

They were inside the gym.

The day’s activity was volleyball.

The fluffy girl wore a sleeveless athletic uniform – in other words, the top showed off her shoulders and armpits and the shorts showed off nearly all of her bright thighs. She had her hips low and her hands together in the perfect form to receive the hard ball flying her way, but she instead received it straight to the face.

It was such a clean hit that the ball bounced straight up and was still considered in play. Her teammates would not let her sacrifice go to waste. They quickly tossed it around, made a powerful attack, and scored the winning point. The gym teacher nodded silently with arms crossed, so she seemed to approve of how they waited until they had won to rush over to aid the girl. Mitsuari Ayu, on the other hand, wished they had come help her sooner.

After using up all her strength, she fell straight to her knees and collapsed forward. The butt showing its shape through her shorts stuck up in the air behind her and she secretly wondered if she could take a nap in the infirmary if she just lay here like this for a while longer.

“Ugh… Why does this have to happen to me?”

She rubbed together her almost fully exposed thighs as she hobbled out of the gym alone. Her change of clothes was in the classroom, but she had brought her small bag with her to the gym.

As soon as she stepped out the door, her ears were assaulted by the cicada chorus.

A few classmates had offered to accompany her, but she had refused. Yes, when you wanted to throw a fit and climb into one of the beds, you could not let the school doctor know the exact amount of damage you had taken. Bringing a witness with her would only work against her.

She removed the shoes meant for the special wax that kept the gym floor so shiny and put on her ordinary indoor slippers before walking down the outdoor walkway to the white-walled school building. To really get some good sleep, she would have wanted to take a shower, spray herself down with deodorant, and change into her uniform, but making herself look hurt mattered more right now.

“Munch.”

She reached into her small refrigerated bag and pulled out what looked like a gelatin drink but was not. It was a type of ice cream that you melted yourself and sucked out to drink. It of course broke the school rules, but the world of maidens was rife with secrets. The strawberry milk flavor in her mouth now was more valuable than anything.

(Ugh. Sweet things really do make me sleepy.)

On the way, she heard a rustling sound.

It was loud enough to hear over all the cicada cries since it came from the bushes right next to her. A prestigious school considered the psychological effect of the scenery in addition to simple efficiency and logic, so there was a lot of greenery on the Tokiwadai campus. They did not actually believe in the negative ions myth, but flower beds and even artificial woods were fairly common.

“?”

Mitsuari Ayu kept the ice cream pack’s opening in her mouth and kept walking.

She only glanced over while continuing on her way. A fair number of Tokiwadai girls had unusual pets like snakes or monkeys, so she assumed one of those had escaped. An intruder here was unthinkable. It seemed far more likely she would run across an animal protected by the Washington Convention.

That was why she let her guard down.

And a moment later…

''Kabooooooooooooooooooooooom!!

A great din seemed to chew through space itself as a Gatling gun mercilessly fired 6000 rounds per minute.

Normally, she never could have survived that.

She would have been torn to pieces and killed before she even knew what was happening.

And while strictly speaking she may not have been normal, her power was a psychological one. She could not hold out a hand to produce a thick barrier.

So in this case…

“Ah.”

A surprised voice came from the bushes.

By that point, Mitsuari Ayu’s small butt had fallen to the walkway’s floor, tears had welled up in her eyes, and she had rolled and turned around so fast it swung her small bag around. The hips in her shorts wiggled back and forth while she crawled and then tried to stand back up.

How had she managed to survive that deadly spray of bullets?

An odd voice could be heard from behind the bushes.

“Eek!? There’s something on my back…ahhh!? Please tell me that isn’t a cicada! Please, Mr. Janitor! You’re keeping precious rich girls here, so do a better job of maintaining the grounds!!”

It sounded like whoever this was had pulled the trigger prematurely.

And unfortunately, while Tokiwadai had janitors, none of them was a “Mr.”

The bullets had been fired in frustration at the flying cicadas, so they hit the artificial woods instead of the walkway. Broadleaf trees thicker around than Mitsuari were splintered as easily as chopsticks.

The ubiquitous chorus was gone.

A figure came into view.

It was a girl smaller even than Mitsuari. The longish wavy hair fluttering around her was an unnaturally bright blonde, likely made through bleaching. Could she be in elementary school? But that appearance clashed with the Gatling gun and the enormous drum magazine that she dragged around like a vacuum cleaner.

(G-G-G-G-Gatling?)

Mitsuari could not believe her eyes.

She doubted this girl was only here to destroy those empty woods. And since this was the middle of a class period, Mitsuari was the only one on the walkway between the gym and school building. There was only one conclusion here: Mitsuari was the target.

Plus, this was a Gatling gun.

She thought of those as something from the action movies she rarely watched. How had one of those left the movie trailers and entered the real world? It was rumored those could slice a tank in two if you attached it to an attack helicopter and fired on the surface along a straight line.

“Ghhh.”

Since her hips did not give out and she did not wet herself, Mitsuari Ayu may have had greater-than-average coping skills when it came to abnormal situations. Or maybe it simply worked in her favor that she was so shocked that she froze in place and the ice cream caught in her throat. She did not have time to think about anything else.

“Bweh!! Cough, cough!!”

She spat out the still-solid chunk of strawberry milk ice cream and then aimed her phone’s camera toward her own forehead.

(Self-suggestion!! I need to force my body to move!!)

That paid off.

Wavy, bleached blonde hair fluttered. The attacker was holding shockingly high firepower at her hip, but she immediately hid back behind the bushes.

She could still be heard complaining to herself, but not because she was unaccustomed to fighting. She simply did not bother keeping too quiet since the roar of the Gatling gun would drown it all out.

She knew she could make up for a small mistake.

That young girl had a monopoly on that deluge of violence.

“Dammit, that isn’t what I was told. She wasn’t supposed to be able to use her power! I thought they kept their valuables elsewhere during gym class!!”

(Someone told that intruder detailed information on how Tokiwadai works!?)

She actually needed more than just the phone with the external lens to use Mental Stinger. Not even psychological powers were that convenient and all-powerful.

She needed to accurately target the other person.

Still, she held out her phone as an empty threat and repeatedly used the camera’s flash while making a mad dash away from there.

“Yikes!!”

(Hm? She fell for my bluff?)

“Amplify fear!! Now your mind is trapped in the fog of suspicion and doubt!!”

“Don’t get carried away, dammit!!”

Mitsuari swallowed a shriek, gave up on her poor attempt at acting, and focused on running.

She moved off the walkway’s path.

(Even if I am in my indoor slippers.)

Yes.

Tokiwadai looked peaceful, but gathering that many teenage girls in one place and making them live together was bound to lead to trouble. There was plenty of friction between classes, cliques, clubs, and committees. And everyone involved was ''at least Level 3''. A fight or prank done on a whim or just for fun could often be decorated with deadly force even if they did not realize it themselves.

So Mitsuari was more accustomed to death than normal girls.

Otherwise, she would have died when she encountered a dragon so large she had to look up at it. Or so she believed, anyway. And the other two with her there had been ''even less normal than her''.

“Get your ass back here!!”

(The teachers? Anti-Skill? No, this isn’t a normal intruder since she managed to get inside not just the School Garden but Tokiwadai as well!! The protection of the grownups isn’t going to stop her!! They’ll all be swept aside and blown away!!)

That firepower was enough to drown out the midsummer cicada cries.

The wide schoolyard or open walking paths would be suicide against all those projectiles. A real Gatling gun would be able to tear through the school building’s white walls like they were styrofoam or cardboard, so holing up in some sturdy location was not an option.

Thus, she did not hesitate to run inside some other artificial woods.

She ran alongside the tall fence next to the tennis court.

She was still in her indoor slippers, but she did not have time to worry about that. It helped that she had her bag and thus the unlimited card within. She kept moving her legs, which had most of the thighs exposed, and made sure she did not trip over her own feet as she ran at full speed.

She stayed off the paths and worked to leave the school grounds. Tokiwadai and the School Garden were no longer safe, so she had no choice but to try to escape them. Even a sheltered girl knew how effective a credit card could be while outside your usual territory.

“Argh, really!? That idiot’s running. Riku Onee-chan, this is why I told you to make sure she was surrounded!!”

The fluffy-haired girl was dumbfounded when she heard that voice again.

She had not mistaken what she saw earlier.

The girl really was that tiny.

She spoke crudely, but it was still the voice of a girl younger than a middle school first year like Mitsuari. Mitsuari caught glimpses of her as she ran, but she did not have time to aim her phone at her. But if that appearance was not some kind of disguise, then it had to be a blonde girl of elementary school age. Although her hairstyle and dress made it seem like she was trying to look older than she was.

She was less than 130cm tall.

A girl that small was walking around with a Gatling gun meant to be attached to a fighter or armored truck, but that was Academy City for you. In a way, her skimpy dress left even less to the imagination than Mitsuari’s athletic uniform, but there was no sign of any motors or pistons supporting her movements. She probably used an esper power to strengthen her muscles.

Mitsuari heard something slice through the air.

This was clearly different from the deafening roar of the Gatling gun. And in a battle against an esper, you could not afford to overlook any hint. Hadn’t that unidentified gunner mentioned a “Riku Onee-chan” who was supposed to make sure Mitsuari “was surrounded”?

“!?”

Mitsuari came to a stop and did not take another careless step forward while she held out her phone and slowly spun around on the spot. Stopping seemed to remind her how wildly her heart was racing and how out of breath she was. She was not simply relying on Mental Stinger. Modern cameras could be more precise than the human eye when focused on certain functions. The expanded capabilities of the attached external lens helped.

The small screen showed glimpses of something shiny.

“A wire? And it’s moving!!”

A thin metal wire was drawn taut along a horizontal line as it approached her from straight ahead, as if slicing through the scenery. In a world where esper powers were commonplace, you could not freeze in place just because you saw something absurd or unreasonable. She doubted hiding behind a tree branch or even trunk would be enough here. At first glance, she could not judge the power or accuracy of this attack, so she crouched down to the ground in a frog-like pose and let the sharp wire pass by overhead.

But it turned out the wire was not being directly moved by an esper power.

She heard small motors running.

She also heard something that reminded her of the electric shaver her father had used long ago.

(Drones!? Are two of them holding the wire between them as they charge in at me!?)

She looked up through the trees and caught a glimpse of those devices that resembled giant crane flies.

She might be able to bring down one of those drones if she held her bag by the shoulder strap and swung it around, but they had flown past before she thought of that. Just like with her phone’s camera, it was over before you realized it.

(They’re slicing right through branches as thick as my arm, but they seem to be avoiding the thick trunks.)

And the simple cutting edge was not the scariest part. She could see some kind of sticky liquid on the wire. She did not want to lick that or even touch it.

Being sliced through was not the only way to die here. That was a poisoned blade, so even the smallest nick would be deadly.

Even if it had been a split-second decision, she was ashamed of how wide she had spread her legs there. She sat up and used her index finger to fix the shorts that were riding up.

(It isn’t big and it isn’t a weird shape.)

The older girl’s words from the day before were still bothering her, so she childishly pouted her lips while thinking about her situation here.

This was a real pain.

It had sounded like the initial Gatling gun girl knew that she controlled her powers through her phone camera. So was this other person staying hidden and using drones as a method developed specifically for use against her?

She heard the bushes behind her being parted.

That would probably be the Gatling gun girl.

Staying here would allow that girl to catch up and turn her to mincemeat. But even with the expanded functionality of her phone’s camera, she had no way of knowing if she had spotted all of the wires. The drones were constantly flying around, so they could always set up a new wire in a spot she had already checked and judged safe. She was unsure if continuing on blindly would be a good idea.

She felt like a fleeing soldier driven into a minefield.

She pictured her opponent’s smile in her mind’s eye.

“Ow.”

She grimaced while aiming her phone’s external lens around.

She had a shallow wound on her exposed upper arm.

It looked almost like a cut, but she doubted it was from that wire. That would have taken off her entire arm and then made her foam at the mouth with its poison.

(Really? Did I cut myself on a leaf like a papercut?)

She could only bite her lip and bear with it.

Now was not the time to shed tears of disgrace.

She continued observing through her phone camera. The Gatling gun was the most obvious threat, but the invisible wires were there too. She was trapped between the two and could not move.

Yes.

The Gatling gun girl was approaching from behind while using an esper power to strengthen her muscles and swing around that heavy weapon. Unlike Mitsuari, she did not seem to be using any electronics or sensors.

Which meant…

(Does she simply trust her ally not to attack her? Can she not actually see where the wires are?)

There was no time to actually confirm that theory.

It would mostly be a gamble.

Mitsuari Ayu grabbed a longish stick that had fallen nearby and then turned around to look at the branches that had been sliced through at about her eye level. The clear sticky liquid on the wires was more frightening than the wires themselves. It had to be some kind of poison, so even a scrape could be deadly.

“…”

Then Mitsuari looked down.

These artificial woods were more than just thick trees. There were also bushes and underbrush toward the ground. And it was possible for the edge of a hard leaf to cut a girl’s soft skin.

That Gatling gun girl had been showing just as much skin as Mitsuari.

Still silent, Mitsuari Ayu lightly tapped the side of the refrigerated bag she used to sneak ice cream and drinks into school.

Her final trump card was in there.

===Part 6===

[[Image:Biohacker_2.jpg|thumb]]

“Shit.”

The girl was less than 130cm tall.

Her wavy blonde hair had obviously been bleached and her gaudy minidress looked out of place on her slender frame. It must not have been fitted properly because the shoulder straps were slipping off and, if she were to lean forward, the dress would likely create a tunnel revealing her undeveloped chest. However, no one who laid eyes on Gokusai Amazora would have paid any attention to that.

Something else seemed far more out of place.

She was carrying a giant Gatling gun made from 6 barrels, each capable of firing 20mm rounds, and she was dragging around a drum magazine full of those rounds. The magazine had small wheels attached in a very DIY way, but no one would mistake it for a household vacuum cleaner.

She used a single hand to casually drag along the weapon despite its barbell-like weight and she used her other hand to vigorously scratch at what was more her butt than her thigh. The skirt was short, but the dress also provided little protection for the armpits or chest.

She was dressed maturely, but her behavior was so childish it may have made other girl’s her age blush.

“Why do they have to bite me in all these awkward places? Those wild bugs are just plain rude! You know I’m atopic, Riku Onee-chan! This was the wrong job for me. Oh, hell! Why can’t every last kind of creepy crawly go extinct!?”

She was willing to yell and shout because she already knew stealth was not an option while dragging such a large piece of equipment through the forest. She could not wield it skillfully enough to follow the basic rules like not stepping on leaves or breaking twigs.

But the bare-thighed little girl’s complaints led to an unexpected conclusion.

“Bugs are biting you? Amazora, those aren’t mosquitos, are they? We make a living with murder, so we can’t leave any blood behind on the scene.”

“Bweh!?”

She rapidly whipped her blonde head around every which way, but she had no way of knowing which bugs had sucked out her blood. That was not something she could investigate by hand.

However, the second sister, Kaibi, showed no mercy.

“So. What are you going to do about it?”

“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.”

But when god closes a door, he opens a window.

In this case, it came in the form of intervention by the biggest sister.

“Yes, yes. Your trusty big sister will send in a drone and check things out for you. A mosquito full of blood will weigh more than twice one that isn’t, so they fly subtly differently. I can analyze the camera footage to figure it out real quick. And I can grab those flying blood-suckers with my poisoned wires, so none of the evidence will remain on the scene.”

“Wahhhhhhhhh! Riku Onee-chaaan!!”

“Rikuri Nee-san, she will never get any better if you spoil her like this.”

“She learned her lesson, so it’s fine. And besides, if my cute little sister got scared and wet herself, that would just mean more evidence. And even I would have a difficult time digging up the ammonia-smelling dirt with one of my drones.”

“I knew you weren’t really on my side! Shoo shoo!!”

3rd Sister Amazora took all her emotions to the extreme. Her job was to pursue their target while 2nd Sister Kaibi and 1st Sister Rikuri helped her keep track of the details.

That was how they worked as a team.

The short girl was like a hound. Her job was partially complete as long as she made a lot of noise, pursued the prey in the hunting ground partitioned off by Rikuri, and filled that prey with plenty of fear. Once she had guided them to the perfect spot, Kaibi would supply the finishing blow as the hunter.

(What is wrong with that she-cat? I get running, but why that way!? I need to get this over with already so I can have Riku-Kai Onee-chans rub anti-itch cream on me. I won’t scratch until then. I won’t. That would only make it itch worse. Ughh, gwaaaaahhhhh!?)

Her innate inability to focus may have been her undoing because she did not notice anything until she had already parted those bushes with her long blonde hair fluttering behind her.

She had failed to notice the sharp leaf edges lightly cutting her bright thighs.

She had also failed to notice the mystery goo splattered on the bushes around here.

“…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………”

For the first time, the girl with the giant Gatling gun came to a complete stop.

In fact, her mind itself had gone blank.

“Riku Onee-chan, wait. Where are you sending those drones of yours!?”

Instead of that familiar voice, she was answered by a long tree branch flying in from somewhere. She reflexively swung around her Gatling gun and blew away the surrounding trees with a spray of gunfire while her short skirt fluttered wildly, but that was not what mattered.

The stick was as long as a mop handle.

And the clear goo on the end gave off an obviously artificial sweet smell.

Yes.

The drones piloted by 1st Sister Rikuri were not the only ones who could use that poison. Anyone could use what had been left on the scene already. For example, they could scoop it up with a long stick and rub it somewhere else without ever touching it themselves. It was a lot like digging up someone else’s landmine and reburying it elsewhere. Anyone could have figured out that the 3rd sister was following the target around, so what if the poison had been smeared on the hard leaves at hip height, where the path of the narrow animal trail would block it from view?

That made it a game of probability.

But there was no guarantee that the target had only placed the poison here.

What if she had desperately set up poison locations all around this area to fill in all the gaps and then waited for the attacker to cross that deadly line?

“R-”

So what if that tiny, tiny cut had allowed in her oldest sister’s prized product?

An itchy, unpleasant sensation ran up Amazora’s thighs and then across her entire body.

“R-r-r-r-r-regroup!! You two! Riku Onee-chan! Bring me the antidote! Regroup, regroup, we need to regrooooooooooup!!!!!!”

===Part 7===

Shorts Girl Mitsuari Ayu softly exhaled.

If she hurried onward, she would get sliced by the poisonous wires, but if she was too slow, the Gatling gun girl would catch up from behind. So what was she to do? The fluffy-haired girl used her experience with life-risking catfights to reach the following conclusion:

She had to find some way to stop the Gatling gun girl.

Then she could carefully search out the way ahead without losing her life.

“…”

The most nerve-racking moment had been when she threw the stick to heighten the illusion for the other girl. She had known the girl would fire wildly, so she could have been hit by pure chance. That would have torn off an entire limb.

Once it was over and she could relax some, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

It was too soon to collapse quite yet. She had to remain focused.

“Phew.”

Only after wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand did she realize how improper that was.

(But breaking the school rules pays off sometimes. I’m so glad I had that ice cream in my bag.)

Her gym clothes left her shoulders bare, so she only had to hold that drinkable ice cream pack in her armpit to quickly melt it. By squeezing the sticky sweetness on the end of the stick and on various leaves, the difference from the poison would be too subtle to detect with the naked eye.

It also helped that the other girl was already feeling itchy from the bug bites.

She was caught in a horrible situation, but she could only count herself lucky today. Otherwise, she felt like her spirit would break and she would come to a stop.

“Agh, itchy, itchy, itchy.”

She had also fallen victim to the bugs targeting soft maiden skin.

Her bra’s hook had apparently shifted a bit out of place and her shoulder blade had been bitten through the thin fabric of her gym shirt. She arched her back and reached back with both hands, but she could not quite reach the itchy spot. She realized just how bad an idea it was to run through the midsummer woods with your shoulders and thighs bared.

But she had to remember that the tiny army of bugs had helped bring the Gatling gun girl to a stop. That girl was panicking and throwing a noisy, tearful fit, so now was the time. Mitsuari quietly left that area and aimed her phone’s enhanced camera around to check for wires as she made her way out of the woods.

The Gatling gun was certainly frightening, but so were the drones.

Not only were the wires and poison dangerous, but the drones themselves had cameras. If her location was discovered, the Gatling gun girl might regain her cool.

The Gatling gun could easily destroy a target from a straight-line distance of 2 or 3 kilometers.

That was too far to escape on foot, so the best course of action was to get as far away as possible without being discovered.

“Ah.”

She managed to break free of the bushes.

She found herself in what looked like a faculty parking lot.

She pulled some chilled tea from her refrigerated bag, took a sip, and sighed.

She had noticed some difficulty in walking, so she looked down and removed the pebbles caught in the grooves of her indoor slippers’ rubber soles while she thought.

This space was surprisingly peaceful given the deafening roar of the Gatling gun from earlier. That may have been a downside to being a prestigious esper powers development school. People would assume those destructive sounds were part of some Curriculum or another. The assumption that intruders were not possible did not help matters.

She was still in her indoor slippers and she had left her school bag, textbooks, and uniform back at the school.

Now that the chaos had temporarily passed, she felt a little embarrassed. Still, heading back now would be beyond suicide. She had to consider herself as fortunate for having the bag containing her credit card and her phone which could handle e-transactions.

(Ugh. My face is…fine. At least I don’t see any bug bites there.)

She viewed her face in the side mirror of a nearby parked car and performed a quick once-over of her appearance. Now that she had avoided the worst possibility, she had time to think about the smaller problems. It was a stereotypical technique used in business deals to guide people’s thoughts.

Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, she heard a dry gunshot and the window of the car door shattered right next to her.

She shrieked and crouched down as another gunshot rang out. This did not seem to be the Gatling gun. The entire car would have blown up if it was. This sound was as light as the starting pistol for a race, so she guessed it was some kind of handgun.

Not that that was any reason to relax.

Bullets were bullets and she was not wearing those tough bulletproof jackets that Anti-Skill wore. She would be killed instantly in those thin gym clothes.

When she pressed her back against the car door, she felt the soft pressure on the bug bite to her shoulder blade. An odd “hahoo!” of air escaped her mouth. It may have been an instinctual response to preserve her mental stability by forcing her to focus on that slight pleasure signal.

It could not accomplish much, however.

Her heart had been jackhammering in her chest for a while.

(Wh-what?)

“There’s more than just the Gatling gun and the drones!?”

Riku Onee-chan.

She belatedly recalled how the one girl had included a qualifying name to the “Onee-chan” title. That meant she had to have more than just the one older sister.

Someone was approaching from the other side of the parked car.

That person was intermittently firing while walking straight toward her. She could not raise her head, but if she stayed put, this assailant would circle around the car.

But she was in luck: this enemy had made a physical appearance.

They were firing a handgun, but that was far weaker than the Gatling gun from before.

“…”

Mitsuari Ayu gripped her phone tight.

Mental Stinger.

She did not know who this was or what kind of power they had, but if she could take control of them before they used that power, she could overcome this threat.

As long as they stood here themselves, her power could work on them.

She remained crouched with her back pressed against the car while she slid to the side. Her gym shirt was caught between her body and the metal door, so it pulled up to reveal her navel. She moved forward, toward the hood. She got down on all fours, pressed her soft cheek against the ground, and nearly jerked her head back up from the heat, but once she did peek down below the car, she saw bare legs and feet in expensive-looking sandals.

She had never tried using her power when she could only see the target’s legs, so she did not know if it would work.

She would much prefer to aim the external camera lens at their face or head.

That would make it a sure thing.

“Phew…”

She slowly let out a breath and held the phone to her chest.

She waited until the time was right.

This was just the one opponent. They had no allies to cover for them while they swapped magazines, so there would be a slight opening there.

Now was her only chance.

“!!”

She gathered strength in her legs and hips to spring up. She leaned out over the hood and held out her phone’s enhanced camera.

A blonde head showed a look of slight surprise while its owner froze in the middle of loading the first bullet.

“Die, bitch!! Mental Stinger!!”

''Gweeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!???

An odd sound filled the air.

No, it may not have actually been a vibration of the air picked up by her eardrums.

“Wha-?”

Her power had been deflected?

No, that was not it. She found it hard to believe, but could it be?

“Oh, my.”

The attacker was a girl with long and obviously bleached blonde hair worn up in the back. She may have been Mitsuari’s age or a little older. Regardless, there was a thin smile on the lips of that ''girl in a dress'' that shined gaudily with spangles.

“Hm, that was unexpected. I knew it was theorized that similar powers would interfere with each other, but we may just have proven it.”

“No way…”

Come to think of it, the Gatling gun girl had hidden in the bushes as soon as the phone was aimed her way. And the drone pilot had chosen not to make a physical appearance at all.

They had both taken different countermeasures against Mental Stinger.

So this girl in a dress, whose blonde hair was worn up to accentuate her bright nape, never would have walked right up to her without any sort of plan.

“On the other hand, I doubt even my Measure Heart would have stood a chance against the rumored Mental Out.”

“…”

“It’s lucky we had a more manageable target like you. It’s important to know your limits.”

With a metallic gashunk, the handgun’s slide returned to its proper position and the initial bullet was loaded.

“Crap!!”

Mitsuari let off several camera flashes before the gun could be aimed her way. A few dry gunshots rang out in response, but they were poorly aimed thanks to the bright flashes. Or had the other girl fired while rushing behind cover because she was afraid of having a photo taken in the middle of a crime? Either way, Mitsuari Ayu used that chance to climb the faculty parking lot’s fence and drop down on the other side while ignoring the tug on her shorts when they caught on a piece sticking out from the fence.

This was not over yet.

The nightmare produced by this trio of hunters was far from over!!

===Part 8===

The ''girl in a dress'' sighed softly.

She was Gokusai Kaibi, second of the three sisters.

After shaking her head to the side to crack her alluring neck, she placed a hand on her ear. She spoke into the small radio there.

“Success. I will continue to apply pressure, but it looks like she will leave the School Garden regardless.”

“Ugh,” groaned the youngest sister. “Kai Onee-chan, bring the itch cream already. I can’t stand it any longer!!”

“Hee hee,” laughed the oldest sister. “Don’t worry. I don’t have an antidote for insect venom, but if you use this botulism bacteria, it will block the signals from your nerves. Just leave everything to me, my adorable little sister, and that itchiness will be a thing of the past.”

“Hurry!! Before Riku Onee-chan gets to me! And don’t you dare try that!! You can’t bring back the dead nerves afterwards!”

That had been their plan.

Not even those three sisters could cause trouble in Tokiwadai and the School Garden for long. If they were going to do this, they had to be more precise. First, they had to make sure their target thought she could survive this if she lasted just a bit longer.

She had to assume Tokiwadai Middle School and the School Garden’s security were useless.

They wanted her to use her shallow, childish mind as best she could and grow so paranoid that she ended up leaving the entire School Garden.

Once their prey had left that safe birdcage, the true hunt could begin.

“Rikuri Nee-san, are you tracking her from the sky with your drones?”

“Always. I am relaying my control signal through a cellphone tower, so we don’t have to worry about the distance causing any trouble. Still, I do wish I had splurged a little more and gone with a model meant to disseminate agrochemicals. Then I could hit her with a single spray of knockout gas even in the middle of the city.”

“Then is there a convenient location nearby?”

“Oh, dear. Are you trying to test your biological sister? There is a parking garage for a shopping mall near the School Garden’s gate, so that should do. The rooftop seems to be a popular peeping spot for lonely gentlemen. They can park a car there with an active drive recorder and ‘just so happen’ to ‘coincidentally’ film some rich girls frolicking in their school swimsuits and it’s all perfectly legal. Although the exact positioning never allows Tokiwadai to be in the frame.”

“Burn it all down!” insisted the 3rd sister in a newfound spirit of righteous chivalry, but the 2nd sister remained entirely rational.

(That might just work.)

Kaibi ignored the shoulder strap slipping down on one side as she crouched and reached into the bushes for what she had hidden there earlier. She pulled out an electric minibike small enough to fit in a backpack when folded up.

“Then we need to leave too. Let’s chase her down and finish this.”

===Part 9===

She caught on.

Mitsuari Ayu finally caught on.

She had ended up here while being chased by the drones and an electric minibike. All while wearing her indoor slippers.

She lightly beat on her fluffy-haired head because she was now inside a concrete parking garage.

She had figured out what the enemy was trying to do, but it was too late to matter.

She had screwed up really bad.

“I’m so stupid, stupid, stupid!! What is wrong with me!?”

She heard a loud boom followed by the disconcerting roar of flames sucking up oxygen.

She could no longer return to the first floor. A sweep of the Gatling gun had shredded the cars there like wet tissue paper, triggering a large explosion and engulfing everything in a great conflagration. It terrified her how the heat seemed to stab into the upper arms and thighs left exposed by her gym clothes. Worse, there was a risk of the gym clothes’ synthetic material melting like cheese on toast.

She climbed the winding slope.

That was all she could do.

“Pant, pant.”

Once on the second floor or higher, there was no escape for the skinny girl. Her sleeveless top and her shorts were both uncomfortably soaked with sweat. She gradually consumed the drink she had pulled from her refrigerated bag, but she felt like she was sweating the fluid right back out of her. It was like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

The emergency stairs on the outside wall had long since been torn away by the Gatling gun, but if she jumped down and hurt her legs, she would be obliterated by the Gatling gun or sliced up by the wire drones. On the other hand, the rising heat and smoke of the fire meant she would be burned to death if she stayed where she was. The second and third floors both felt equally oppressive. It was already a midsummer day, but now she was assaulted by an intense heat similar to a sauna or pizza oven. There was no doubt in her mind that her stamina was slowly but surely being sapped from her.

She really was trapped.

“Ugh.”

What had she been thinking?

She could not help but wonder that while dripping with sweat.

She had her phone with her, but Mental Stinger only worked on people’s minds. She needed someone to use it on. Her power had one weakness: being alone. That seemed to perfectly reflect the shape of her own heart.

She did not know who this enemy was.

There were at least three and possibly more. That was all she knew.

The thing was, she had actually run across some people on the way here. She had spotted some Tokiwadai students, some School Garden security officers, and even some people in this very parking garage. If she had aimed her phone’s camera at them, she could have controlled them and sent them toward the enemy as a diversion.

But she had not.

Now that she was trapped, she had to ask herself why she had not.

Of course, the answer could not have been more obvious.

===Part 10===

“Okay! Can I go in first, Riku-Kai Onee-chans? Neither of you already entered the first floor, did you?”

The 3rd sister’s long, wavy blonde hair fluttered behind her in the blazing sun as she began checking on her surroundings only after firing her Gatling gun to blow away everything on the first floor.

A carefree voice reached the small radio in her ear.

“That’s perfectly fine, my adorable little sister. I am enjoying some tea while looking down at you from above. Hee hee. I wish I was still young enough to not care about getting sunburnt. Our bath tonight should be fun. Let me peel it off, will you?”

“It must be nice letting the drones do all the work, Rikuri Nee-san. Of course, I’m also holding a position that gives me a good view of everything. And, Amazora, you stand out a little too much. You never know when the higher ups will cut off their support, so you need to make sure you have an escape route for yourself.”

“Yes, yes. Grownup society is so unfair. The hardest workers get all the complaints.”

3rd Sister Amazora pouted her lips, but her face lit up when she looked in the window of a car parked nearby. She smashed the driver’s side window with the Gatling gun barrel and made sure to cover her hand with a handkerchief before unlocking it from the inside and grabbing the small bottle sitting on the dashboard. Reaching over caused one of her dress’s straps to slip off of her skinny shoulder, but she did not seem to care.

“Yay! I found some itch medicine☆”

It was a liquid variety instead of a cream.

She began humming as she removed the cap and pressed the wet opening against what was closer to being her butt than her thigh. An icy feeling similar to ethanol soaked deep into her skin.

“Unyah!? Heeee, kh, khh!!”

She shivered from the unexpectedly powerful feeling and then someone behind her slapped the top of her head.

She spun around toward whoever was treating her like a quiz show buzzer, but it turned out to be the 2nd sister with an exasperated look on her face.

Kaibi pointed at the car’s broken window with her automatic handgun.

“What are you going to do about that?”

“Well, ha ha ha, let’s just call it a necessary mission expense?”

“What are you going to do?”

“Wahhhhh! Kai Onee-chan, help me!!”

When her older sister put a hand on her hip and spoke with ''the emotional distance of a local dentist'', the bare-thighed 3rd sister rubbed her inner thighs together and started to cry.

Then the loud sound of breaking metal exploded out nearby. Kaibi looked over in surprise to see a supposedly empty steamroller drive up onto the car and crush it flat.

Now no one would be able to tell if the window had been broken beforehand or not.

The oldest sister, who specialized in using unmanned machines, spoke lazily over the radio.

“There you go. Now is not the time for sisterly fights, my adorable little sisters. Just borrow some remote-controlled heavy machinery and all that dangerous evidence goes bye-bye.”

“Rikuri Nee-san, how many times do I have to tell you not to spoil Amazora!? …Wait, where’d she go!?”

The flashy Gatling gun girl had vanished in the short time Kaibi let her out of her sight.

She had forgotten how speedy that girl was despite her heavy equipment.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make up for my mistake,” said missing Amazora over the small radio in Kaibi’s ear. She sounded so carefree you would think she was talking about splitting up the chores between the sisters. “That girl is following the usual path. We just have to trim the meat, soften it up, slice it up nice an even, and then cook it over a sizzling flame!! She’ll be ready to serve with some ginger sauce soon enough☆”

===Part 11===

(Oh, no.)

Mitsuari Ayu’s teeth chattered inside the parking garage as it was gradually engulfed in flames, starting from the bottom.

Her refrigerated bag was almost empty.

She had consumed several drinks and ice creams, but she did not at all feel hydrated. At this rate, she would wither up in the heat.

Wasn’t that just about the worst way to die?

The worst?

How could you rank it? Being killed by someone else for no good reason was the worst no matter how it happened.

She trembled, her legs naturally turned inwards and lost their strength, and her small hands wandered through empty air in search of anything at all to rely on. But there was nothing there and she slid down to sit on the concrete floor in her out-of-place gym clothes.

(Oh, no!!)

She was not just afraid of the absurd attackers who had managed to waltz right onto Tokiwadai’s campus.

This was not like the night before.

Then, someone had always grabbed her hand to lead her around the fiery scene, she had been given a role to play, and she had not had to defeat that giant dragon herself. Things could not have been more different from when that pointy-haired boy and mystery high school girl had been with her.

She had the power to control people.

But if she did that, she would have to take responsibility for everything that happened to those people. What if they were caught in the fire and smoke or if they were torn apart by the Gatling gun or wires? She could never carry that weight. Choosing to fight meant to no longer remain just a victim. She would then be a victim and an attacker simultaneously. One or the other would be hard enough to bear while living a peaceful life, but a normal student (albeit one at a prestigious school) could not so easily choose to bear the combined cross of the two.

So she had failed to do anything.

She had not even asked for help.

There had been some adults here who would have shared her fate in the parking garage, but she had aimed her phone’s camera at them and given them a simple command: ''Forget your cars and wallets. Just leave this place immediately.

This was the result.

If she had chosen to fight despite the consequences, she may have found a different option along the way. If she had created a great army using her phone, the attackers might have feared the difference in numbers and chosen to regroup. If she had chosen to cry and beg to exchange addresses the night before, she may have even been able to ask for help from the two who had defeated that giant dragon.

But she was alone.

She had turned her back on all of the cruel choices she could have made and that had led her to the precipice.

Perhaps this result was to be expected.

Had it really been strength that led her to avoid getting anyone else involved? Could it have come from weakness instead?

Just then, she heard the strange roaring of an engine.

No, it was not the sound itself that was strange. Plenty of large motorcycles in Academy City made the exact same sound. Then why did it seem so strange here?

Its location.

The direction it came from.

The fluffy-haired girl’s eyes widened in disbelief, but no matter how crazy it seemed, the reality before her was very real. She could only accept it.

In other words…

“It’s outside the building? But this is the 5th floor!”

With a deafening roar, an airborne motorcycle soared into the parking garage at a point well off the ground.

===Part 12===

It began with his phone.

Kamijou Touma pulled it from his pocket and glanced down at it. A few unread online news notifications were flashing.

A parking garage was on fire near the School Garden.

The wind could carry the smoke to nearby locations.

Kumokawa Seria raised one of her shapely eyebrows.

“What, did you actually write a macro for that?”

“It’s nothing that fancy.”

It was a built-in service on the phone, although he rarely used it.

The pointy-haired middle school boy exhaled through his nose. By inputting some keywords, the icon would flash whenever related news articles or blog entries were posted. He had given it several keywords related to the previous night’s incident: dragon, District 7, L.S.S., archery, Tokiwadai Middle School, Biohacker, and School Garden.

“I was a little afraid that this list of terms would make me look like I had something to do with it, though.”

“You’re overthinking it. Bored people on the internet will pursue incidents far more obsessively than the actual criminal. If search terms were enough to arrest people, the jails would be full of self-styled defenders of justice and freelance tabloid writers. It’s not hard to find full articles posted online about the various crimes and accidents that happen around the city. With very little evidence for any of the conclusions drawn therein.”

Kamijou Touma did not care if it came from TV, a newspaper, or the internet. He just wanted to find what news he could related to that dragon so he could learn that the culprit was arrested and there would not be a second attack. Unfortunately, he had found nothing so comforting and had to conclude that someone was instead covering it up.

That was why he had set this up, but it had not given him what he wanted.

And now it was picking up on something else. Because he had set the keywords to focus not on himself and not on Kumokawa Seria but on that other girl.

“…”

He snapped his flip phone shut and sighed.

Then he turned around.

“Where are you going?”

“I know where this is happening. I’ve wanted peace of mind this whole time and I’ve finally found a clue where I can find it.”

“Have you already forgotten what you got caught up in yesterday? Based on that article, there’s already a fire. We have no idea what is going on a rampage there. It might not be ''anything as cliché as a dragon''.”

“Does it look like I ''want'' to go there? Can’t you see my legs shaking? But that’s why I have to go.”

He was no saint.

He had his own reasons for doing this.

“It might be that Mitsuari girl being targeted today, or it might be someone else entirely. But what about tomorrow? Or the day after that? How can I ever relax knowing nothing has stopped the people who released that dragon, had it attack us, and then cleaned everything up afterwards? Plus, we already tangled with them last night. We probably have higher odds of being attacked than most anyone else.”

He glanced down at his right hand.

He clenched it to form a fist.

He was plagued with misfortune, so he would never consider the possibility of being coincidentally overlooked for no reason.

He knew all too well that those prayers would only leave him feeling like a fool.

He needed a solid basis for thinking he was safe.

“This is an opportunity. Or you could call it a crossroads. I was only reacting to the crisis before my eyes, but now I might be able to catch up to whatever this is. It’s either this or tremble in fear while waiting to be attacked. It could be tomorrow, it could be six months from now, and it could be a year from now. Am I supposed to wait that long? If it’s dangling in front of me like this, it would be faster to just go for it. The risk is the same either way. Whether I’m attacked tomorrow or a year from now, the odds of death are still 100%.”

And if this was not considered to be the crime it was, then he could not call Anti-Skill like normal. He felt like the grownups’ rules did not apply this time. He had no proof of that, but he still felt sure of it. If he did not see it through to the end himself, he could never rest easy.

If this did not follow the grownups’ rules, he would have to seek out the truth using the children’s rules.

“I see,” said the older girl, even if she did not sound convinced. Her tone was one of pure exasperation. “You seem to have a way of sounding reasonable without actually being reasonable. That sounds nice and all, but if the risk is the same tomorrow or a year from now, then why the rush? Plus, those search terms aren’t focused on you. You clearly used ''keywords related to Mitsuari Ayu''.”

“…”

“Fine, let’s just say your reasoning is valid. But even if the risk to you is the same whether it happens tomorrow or a year from now, you might be able to save someone else if you act now. Isn’t that what this is about?”

“No, I wasn’t…”

He trailed off and stopped speaking altogether.

He heard a dull metallic sound and looked over to find Kumokawa Seria had broken the chain lock to a large motorcycle parked nearby.

“Hold on. What are you doing!?”

“Was it that confusing? Don’t they teach how leverage works in elementary school? Scissors and chain cutters use it, so it isn’t just about seesaws, you know? I knew you weren’t bright, but this is just sad.”

“No, not that.”

“This is a no-parking zone and it’s covering up the tactile paving for the visually impaired. Removing this asshole’s bike would be doing the world a favor.”

“No, I’m asking why you’re getting involved in this! Stealing a motorcycle isn’t exactly risk free!!”

“Oh, that? My reasoning isn’t as pure as yours. For me, it’s about weighing the pros and cons. The risk is the same whether I’m attacked tomorrow or a year from now, but if I save a useful esper now, it increases the odds of having them on hand later. We aren’t up against a single Biohacker here; it’s probably a group, so I doubt anything we do today will be enough to fully end this. And if I’m looking at a long-term fight, it can’t hurt to have a full set of cards I can play at any time.”

“Her power was called Mental Stinger, right? I’ve never actually seen what it can do, but I guess she is from that prestigious Tokiwadai school.”

“(She isn’t the useful esper I was talking about.)”

“?”

“Just talking to myself.”

After brushing off his question, she spread her legs wide in her skirt to mount the large motorcycle.

With a dull snapping sound, she broke the keyhole and easily reconnected the wires to start up the engine. She really was a super high school girl. The pointy-haired boy had no idea who this mystery older girl was, but she seemed more accustomed to the rules of the city’s night than he was.

“Now, boy. If we are going to act, time is of the essence, but are you prepared to do this? I am the one stealing the bike, but some blame will fall on you if you ride behind me.”

“There’s no time.”

“Didn’t even have to think about it, hm? You’re quite something. …But you’re only thinking about fluffy cotton candy girl, aren’t you? I may need to give you a kiss on the cheek once this is all over.”

With an unnecessarily deep roar, the motorcycle picked up speed.

Kamijou was nervous at first and tried not to touch the defenseless back and hips of that busty high school girl (every word there is crucial), but it was too wild a ride to keep worrying about that. He ended up wrapping his arms around her torso to hold on for dear life. She was a lot softer and warmer than a boy.

“You’re awfully pure for someone who wanders the streets at night. Heh heh heh. I can feel your pounding heart on my back.”

“Bff!? No, um, you misunderstand! I’m scared because I don’t normally ride motorcycles!!”

“Oh? So you won’t say you never ride them?”

“…”

“And if you’re going to hold on, do it a little lower. Stop using your arms to surreptitiously weigh my boobs. Stop lifting them.”

He frantically let go only to have the blowing wind nearly blow him back into a bridge pose.

And.

The girl and boy riding in broad daylight without a helmet roared out onto the main road while ignoring all the lights and speed limits. First, a drum-shaped security robot sounded an alarm and then one of Anti-Skill’s (so-called) supercars, which was legally modified from a civilian vehicle, took chase with lights flashing.

“Pull over right this instant, you criminal couple!! We have a V12 hooked up to oxygen under the hood, so we can reach 400km/h easy! You can’t outrun us, so give up now! We’ve already scanned the license plate number! Why the hell are you stealing people’s bikes in broad daylight!?”

“Hey,” said Kamijou.

“A couple, hm?” said Kumokawa. “Heh heh. Is that what we look like? And, boy, don’t look back or their facial recognition will get you.”

“No, not that.”

“We know something’s going on at that parking garage, right? Won’t the attacker panic if we arrive along with Anti-Skill, the defenders of law and order?”

Their motorcycle’s engine could not hope to outdo that car, but it provided its own advantages. Once the cheerful blue sky grew discolored by toxic-looking smoke, Kumokawa turned the handlebars so hard Kamijou screamed and clung to her back. They turned right into a nearby park.

Park entrances generally had thick poles in place to keep vehicles out. A motorcycle could slip between them, but a car could not. They heard screeching brakes and shouting behind them.

“You damn criminal couple!!”

“Hah hah hahhh!! If you want to stop the city’s young residents from getting it on, you should really research the usual hookup spots!! You’ve gotta use your head if you want to keep people from doing it outdoors, Anti-Skill!!”

Kumokawa laughed as she cut across the park and drove out the exit on the other side.

Kamijou blinked.

He felt like a mystery phrase of hers had hinted at an exciting concept.

“Outdoors?”

“You’re probably full of questions, but don’t search that one online.”

They were almost to the burning parking garage now.

Since they were so close to the School Garden, a well-dressed adult woman could be seen watching the spectacle. The white foam she was spraying on the sidewalk from something like a monstrous vacuum cleaner was probably a fire extinguishing chemical meant to prevent the spread of the blaze.

“If she has something like that, why isn’t she helping to put out the fire?”

“Stop breathing on my ear, boy.”

“If I don’t hold your hair down with my chin, the wind blows it back into my face, and it really hurts when it slaps me like that!!”

“Call it what you like, but stop using it as an excuse to enjoy my scent, fetish boy.”

She must have had her own thoughts on what was and was not acceptable because her tone was much lower than with the arms on her underboob earlier.

And after that sharp warning…

“Also, don’t be so harsh on her, boy. Adults have their own issues to deal with. The School Garden has much better equipment than the other districts, so acting beyond their jurisdiction can get them in trouble more easily. Simply put, she wants to help out but can’t. Because that would count as moving beyond her territory.”

This time, there was no sign of a dragon, kraken, or other giant monster created by a Biohacker. They only saw the tall parking garage engulfed in flames and dark smoke.

They had no idea who they would run across if they rushed in there. They did not know the first thing about what the attacker looked like, so they could not even trust an office worker with neatly parted hair walking in the area. Thus, they chose to observe things from a distance.

The motorcycle was stopped now, but Kamijou continued holding Kumokawa Seria’s slender waist in his arms like she was a stuffed animal.

“The first floor is burning and the second and third floors look risky too. Hmm.”

“I’ll overlook it this once since I doubt you’re doing it on purpose, but stop teasing my navel with your fingertip, boy. That hurts more than you would think.” And after that sulky warning, “Do not forget about the smoke and heat. In a real fire, most of the deaths aren’t from the flames themselves. You need to worry about heat, lack of oxygen, and dehydration.”

Kamijou glimpsed something.

The plain concrete wall had openings that were more not so much windows as gaps between the barrier and ceiling.

He saw some fluffy chestnut hair through one of those.

He subconsciously squeezed the motorcycle driver’s torso even tighter.

“There she is. 5th floor!!”

“Ngh, my navel! Kah, cough, cough! W-we have two options here. One, run into the blaze and meet up with Mitsuari Ayu. Two, circle the parking garage to find the attacker and defeat them if they’re here.”

That was not even a question.

“If circling the place is enough to find them, then the Anti-Skill we brought here can deal with them. And defeating them isn’t going to make that fire go away. What’s the point if the girl in there suffocates on the smoke while we’re fighting!?”

“Rescuing an ally takes precedence over defeating the enemy? Fine, we can do things your way today.”

The engine gave a deep roar once more.

Kumokawa spun it around and the pointy-haired boy could only grab onto her waist like before.

“Hm? What’s this hard thing here?”

“What are you, a mischievous elementary school boy? That’s my bra hook. But I will throw you off the bike if you undo it during an emergency like this.”

Now, Kamijou Touma had stated his ideal solution, but how exactly were they supposed to get in there? The ground floor was engulfed in flames, so they could not get in unharmed no matter which cardinal direction they chose. And these flames were not as thin as a circus’s ring of fire.

“This will be a little bad for your heart, so be careful,” casually warned Kumokawa Seria.

“Huh? What will be?”

“Academy City is well known for packing its buildings in close together. Entering the first floor of a burning building is not going to be easy, but there’s a tall building right there next to it.”

The parking garage had been built as a later addition for the large shopping mall next door. The older sailor uniform girl drove the motorcycle directly inside the large shopping complex and sent it up the down escalator for a ride even wilder than a coming of age ceremony. Once at the top, she made a sharp turn and drove up to the next floor. They needed height. Their goal was the 5th floor, so the 7th or 8th floor would be best.

Kamijou Touma’s eyes widened in shock while he was tossed around in the back seat like he was in a rodeo.

“Can we calm down for a second!? What are you trying to do right now!?”

“If you would hold onto my hips more firmly, you wouldn’t be so close to being thrown off and dying. Listen, you need to wrap your arms around my hips for what’s coming. Nice and tight like this, okay? Bikes don’t come with seatbelts or safety bars, so you have to look after yourself.”

She finally stopped the wild motorcycle.

The engine continued to idly rumble below them.

Kamijou had his chin on her shoulder and was nearly rubbing his cheek against hers, but he was entirely focused on what the headlight was shining at.

It was a women’s clothing store.

It looked like it had a solid wall in the back, but that was actually a giant window with decorations attached over the glass wall.

It did not take a genius to realize what she was planning.

“Hold on. Wait.”

“What, does the women’s underwear section still make you blush? That mannequin there is displaying a concept model, but don’t you worry, boy. Don’t let it shock you. Not everyone wears that kind of see-through stuff on a daily basis. Everyone prefers what’s easy, so you’ll find ordinary white is pretty common. Same with stripes.”

“That’s not what I meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeant!!!!!!”

He tried to shout in the busty high school girl’s ear, but accidentally bit her earlobe instead, eliciting an odd cry from the older girl’s lips, but none of this changed that she was the one in control of the handlebars and foot pedals. With a screaming Kamijou on the back, the 750cc mass of metal used its full speed to crash through the women’s underwear and negligees.

His life flashed before his eyes while he was surrounded by a kind of frilliness that featured nowhere in that life.

“That one you can’t stop staring at is known as an open gate bra. Undo the bow in the middle and the thin cloth falls away to reveal the tips. There’s also a bottom to go with it, but I don’t have to explain how that one works, do I?”

“Agfelborvehh!!!???”

He was too preoccupied to respond.

The large motorcycle plowed full speed into the wall and shattered the reinforced glass window simply covered with a sheet.

This was the 8th floor.

An ordinary motorcycle with no special flight equipment soared through Academy City’s sky.

===Part 13===

(What is ordinary Anti-Skill doing here? The higher ups were supposed to tell everyone but a bomb squad ''which will never actually show up'' to stay away in order to prevent secondary damages from an explosive leak!)

3rd Sister Amazora, the elementary school girl with wavy blonde hair and a gaudy dress, gasped at what was happening.

She doubted hiding behind one of the decorative pillars would be enough.

Those people took everything too seriously, so she had learned the hard way that her special move, Thigh Flashing Seduction, did not work on them. She also wanted to avoid using that because (for some reason) her older sisters got really mad when she used it.

She folded up the thick metal components like a 3D puzzle and the six-barreled Gatling gun was soon small enough to fit in a drum bag.

She wanted to take advantage of this man’s preconceptions.

If he was going to find her regardless, it was best if she approached him than if he found her spying out from behind a pillar.

“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at school!? Those clothes and that luggage…you didn’t run away from home for the summer, did you!?”

“Heh, eh heh heh. Today’s the anniversary of the school’s founding, so we have the day off☆”

She fidgeted and rubbed her bright thighs together.

She also waved her phone around to make it look like she was here to get some footage of the fire.

Since a smiling elementary school girl was holding one bag over her shoulder and the other in one hand, he would never guess each one weighed more than 50kg. She was trying to act mature, but she did not seem to notice how the belt over her shoulder had twisted her dress’s strap out of place.

(I might be screwed if he asks me to open the bags.)

She maintained her perfect smile as she began wondering if she should play the harmless little girl to avoid any questioning, or if she should use up one of the acceptable deaths for this mission.

But her thoughts were interrupted by a loud shattering of glass.

The adult must have had an idea what caused it because his head shot up to look overhead.

“Them!!”

Just as he shouted into the air, Amazora used the distraction to slip away. That righteous hero had been lucky, but the 3rd sister had to click her tongue and hide behind a nearby building while carrying around two hefty sports bags and without paying any attention to the hem of her short skirt. A villain up to no good would not rely on luck. They could hardly complain if the tables were turned on them.

It was a motorcycle.

A 750cc motorcycle left the adjacent building, soared through the blue sky, and entered the burning parking garage from a point well above the ground.

Once she had cleverly escaped to safety, she had to whisper into the small radio in her ear.

She set down her bags and absentmindedly fidgeted with her dress strap as she did so.

“Riku-Kai Onee-chans, what should I do?”

“Plan B,” replied the middle sister. “We don’t know what kind of power or means of escape this newcomer has, so we can’t just let them burn. Of course, neutralizing them would be simple enough if I used my Measure Heart to adjust their emotional distance. ''If their beloved husband or girlfriend was still inside that conflagration,'' they wouldn’t be able to turn tail and run so easily, right?”

“Let’s hope this intruder isn’t a teleporter and doesn’t have a personal jetpack,” added the oldest sister. “Hee hee. This is a pain, but let’s head on in and take them out ourselves. Did you know that dehydration increases the concentration of sodium in the body? Inject a little more from outside the body and the balance is easily broken. Hee hee hee. Just inject some here and the burned corpse will look right at home in the scorched building.”

“Okay, okay.”

The elementary school girl giggled and sent commands to her two drum bags. There was no need to hide it anymore. The Gatling gun heavy enough to crush an adult was revealed, so she picked up the machinegun itself and dragged along the wheeled drum magazine. If she leaned forward just a little, the baggy neck of her dress would likely have created a tunnel around her flat chest, but she did not seem to care.

Each unit weighed 50kg.

Together, they weighed around three times her weight. That was blatantly too much to wield unassisted.

This unnatural feat was boosted by an Academy City esper power.

“That’s perfect. To be honest, waiting around isn’t my style!!”

===Part 14===

Everyone was gathered in one place.

Good and evil, expert and amateur – everyone.

The large motorcycle broke through the shopping mall’s 8th floor window, flew in a falling arc, and charged right into the 5th floor of the blazing parking garage. The force of landing blew out the rear tire, but Kumokawa kept the motorcycle from falling over and forcefully stopped it by spinning it around in something like a roundhouse kick.

“Kyah!?”

A high-pitched scream sounded from surprisingly close by.

A fluffy-haired middle school girl was crouched down clutching a refrigerated bag to her chest to look as small as possible as she cried out in terror. The heat and smoke must have gotten to her because she was so sweaty you would think she had been in a sauna. Also, she was inexplicably wearing sleeveless gym clothes. It was plastered to her bodylines and the color of her skin showed through in places.

“What’s with the oddly sweet smell in here? I was wondering how she had held off dehydration in this sauna of a place, but she must have been rehydrating all the while.”

“Eh? You mean that isn’t just how girls smell? I mean, she is pretty sweaty.”

The motorcycle was useless with the tire blown.

Kamijou hopped off of the rear seat and Kumokawa did not bother with the kickstand. She just let it fall and she did not seem to care when the sidemirror was smashed against the floor.

“Ah, ah…”

Mitsuari Ayu stared in confusion at first, but once she recognized who this was, she felt a different sort of panic. This must have been an odd curveball for her current mental state because her eyes started spinning and her small hands wandered aimlessly through empty air.

She wore gym clothes and indoor slippers.

She sat there in that mismatched outfit and looked up at the boy and the girl.

“Wait, what? What are you doing here!? Why would you break free of the earth’s gravitational pull to come here of all places!?”

“Direct your thanks to Mr. Lady Killer here. To be honest, I wouldn’t have seen any need to come here if I was doing it myself. I’m pretty sure I can get information on LS.S. from another source.”

“Eh? Huh?”

Still unable to get up, she glanced over at the pointy-haired boy, but he did not say anything.

What could he say?

If he explained at length why he had come to rescue her, what would it accomplish aside from making it sound like he was asking for something in return?

He did not know how much it would help, but he handed her the handkerchief from his pocket.

“I don’t see anyone else in here. I don’t know who did this, but was the idea to let her burn in here?”

“That would make this easier, but I imagine they’ll come check the corpse to make sure she’s dead. So someone will be coming here. What I can’t tell you is whether that will be a human or if it will be a dragon or dinosaur or something.”

“Th-they’re human.”

The fluffy-haired girl got her voice out in fits and starts.

She squeezed the borrowed handkerchief in both hands and spoke like she was taking a step forward in this hopeless situation.

“There are at least three of them!! One is an esper using a Gatling gun, one controls drones with poisoned wires, and one is another psychological esper with a handgun!!”

Kumokawa Seria put a hand on her hip and sighed.

That girl could have done a better job than this with Mental Stinger at her disposal. If she had controlled a large number of people and sent them in, she may have been able to escape to safety even if it meant a bloodbath for everyone else. But there was no sign of that. In fact, there was no sign of anyone else having collapsed from the fire and smoke in this parking garage. No customers and no security guards.

Kumokawa coolly asked a question within the blazing heat.

“Did you use your power to move the other people ''away''? First this boy insists on going to rescue you and now this. Does no one else have any sense at all?”

“…”

“So why the change of heart now? The information you gave us may change the outcome of the battle. And in this fire, if the attacker is left unconscious, they could be killed in the fire they themselves set.”

Still slumped down on the floor and with tears in her eyes, Mitsuari’s mouth moved.

For a while, no words came out.

But.

But she finally managed to squeeze the words from her dry throat even though her hips were too weak to move and the sweat pouring from her skin had plastered her fluffy hair to her cheeks.

“I…”

She was desperate.

This did not at all sound like a brand-name girl.

“I can’t keep going like this. Someone came to save me even though it meant choosing to fight and being an attacker instead of just a victim. So…so I can’t just hide behind them. I want to be useful to someone!!”

That was enough.

It was unclear what she could do in this situation.

But in that moment, Mitsuari Ayu joined their party. Of her own free will. She was not waiting in safety to see which side was going to win and then joining them. She was taking their side when everything was still up in the air.

Now it was Kamijou’s turn.

They were all in this together now.

So it was time for him to reveal a certain ''secret''.

“We’re not up against a giant creature made by a Biohacker. We have multiple opponents and we need to be on the lookout for next-generation weapons based on esper powers. In that case, we might just be able to use ''my right hand''.”

“Do you really believe that?” cautiously asked Kumokawa Seria, but the pointy-haired boy did not apply the brakes.

“I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I believe it with all my heart. Maybe I’m wrong, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it. We all make mistakes, but it definitely wouldn’t be this girl’s fault.”

“…”

These were exceptional circumstances.

Mitsuari Ayu looked up at him with a curious look while she sat on the floor with her sweat-soaked gym clothes plastered to her skin.

Kamijou Touma rotated ''his entire right arm'' around as if to see how his shoulder was doing and then he clenched his fist.

For the first time, he called a certain girl’s name.

“Don’t worry, Mitsuari. If anything tries to hurt you, I’ll smash it to smithereens.”

He took on the burden of that girl’s life after she was driven to the very edge.

He was in his element now.

A certain inexperienced boy was going to use his right fist in a true battle between espers.

<noinclude>
{{Toaru_Nav|prev=Toaru_Majutsu_no_Index:Biohacker_Chapter1|next=Toaru_Majutsu_no_Index:Biohacker_Chapter3}}
</noinclude>

Template:Toaru:Series Overview

2020-03-11T16:00:07Z

72.80.103.151: /* Upcoming: */

===[http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/series/a-certain-magical-index/?yen English]===
<div class="mw-customtoggle-Eng" style="width:100%;background:#1d6ebf;cursor:pointer" align="center"><span style="color:white">'''<big>Released</big>'''</span></div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:left;margin:5px20pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%" id="mw-customcollapsible-Eng">
* A Certain Magical Index 1 ---(November 18, 2014, ISBN 978-0-316-33912-4)
* A Certain Magical Index 2 ---(February 24, 2015, ISBN 978-0-316-25942-2)
* A Certain Magical Index 3 ---(May 19, 2015, ISBN 978-0-316-34040-3)
* A Certain Magical Index 4 ---(August 18, 2015, ISBN 978-0-316-34056-4)
* A Certain Magical Index 5 ---(November 17, 2015, ISBN 978-0-316-34059-5)
* A Certain Magical Index 6 ---(February 23, 2016, ISBN 978-0-316-34060-1)
* A Certain Magical Index 7 ---(June 28, 2016, ISBN 978-0-316-27223-0)
* A Certain Magical Index 8 ---(August 23, 2016, ISBN 978-0-316-35995-5)
* A Certain Magical Index 9 ---(November 15, 2016, ISBN 978-0-316-35997-9)
* A Certain Magical Index 10 ---(February 21, 2017, ISBN 978-0-316-35998-6)
* A Certain Magical Index 11 ---(May 23, 2017, ISBN 978-0-316-36001-2)
* A Certain Magical Index 12 ---(August 22, 2017, ISBN 978-0-316-36002-9)
* A Certain Magical Index 13 ---(November 14, 2017, ISBN 978-0-316-44267-1)
* A Certain Magical Index 14 ---(February 20, 2018, ISBN 978-0-316-44270-1)
* A Certain Magical Index 15 ---(May 22, 2018, ISBN 978-0-316-44272-5)
* A Certain Magical Index 16 ---(August 21, 2018, ISBN 978-0-316-44274-9)
* A Certain Magical Index 17 ---(November 13, 2018, ISBN 978-0-316-47454-2)
* A Certain Magical Index 18 ---(January 19, 2019, ISBN 978-0-316-47456-6)
* A Certain Magical Index 19 ---(June 18, 2019, ISBN 978-1-975-35756-6)
* A Certain Magical Index 20 ---(October 1, 2019, ISBN 978-1-975-33124-5)
* A Certain Magical Index 21 ---(December 17, 2019, ISBN 978-1-975-33126-9)
</div>
=====Upcoming:=====
* A Certain Magical Index 22 ---(March 24, 2020, ISBN 978-1-9753-3128-3)

===[http://dengekibunko.jp/?s=とある魔術の禁書目録 Japanese]===
<div class="mw-customtoggle-First" style="width:100%;background:#cee0f2;cursor:pointer" align="center">'''<big>First Series</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:left;margin:5px20pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%" id="mw-customcollapsible-First">
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 1 (April 10, 2004, ISBN 978-4-8402-2658-5)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 2 (June 10, 2004, ISBN 978-4-8402-2701-8)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 3 (September 10, 2004, ISBN 978-4-8402-2785-8)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 4 (December 10, 2004, ISBN 978-4-8402-2858-9)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 5 (April 10, 2005, ISBN 978-4-8402-2858-9)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 6 (July 10, 2005, ISBN 978-4-8402-2973-9)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 7 (November 10, 2005, ISBN 978-4-8402-3205-0)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 8 (January 10, 2006, ISBN 978-4-8402-3269-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 9 (April 10, 2006, ISBN 978-4-8402-3385-9)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 10 (May 10, 2006, ISBN 978-4-8402-3428-3)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 11 (October 10, 2006, ISBN 978-4-8402-3581-5)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 12 (January 10, 2007, ISBN 978-4-8402-3683-6)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 13 (April 10, 2007, ISBN 978-4-8402-3801-4)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index SS (July 10, 2007, ISBN 978-4-8402-3912-7)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 14 (November 10, 2007, ISBN 978-4-8402-4062-8)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 15 (January 10, 2008, ISBN 978-4-8402-4145-8)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 16 (June 10, 2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867086-9)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index SS 2 (November 10, 2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867342-6)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 17 (March 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867591-8)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 18 (July 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867897-1)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 19 (November 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-868069-1)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 20 (March 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868393-7)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 21 (August 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868762-1)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index 22 (October 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868972-4)
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-Second" style="width:100%;background:#f2cee0;cursor:pointer" align="center">'''<big>Second Series</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:left;margin:5px20pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%" id="mw-customcollapsible-Second">
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 1 (March 10, 2011, ISBN 978-4-04-870319-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 2 (August 10, 2011, ISBN 978-4-04-870738-1)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 3 (December 10, 2011, ISBN 978-4-04-886240-0)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 4 (March 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886373-5)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 5 (October 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886978-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 6 (January 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891253-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 7 (May 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891604-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 8 (September 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891904-3)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 9 (January 10, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866222-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 10 (May 10, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866532-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 11 (October 10, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866938-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 12 (March 10, 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-869333-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 13 (July 10, 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-865244-5)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 14 (November 10, 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-865507-1)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 15 (April 9, 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-865884-3)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 16 (August 10, 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892251-7)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 17 (November 10, 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892486-3)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 18 (May 10, 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-892893-9)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 19 (October 7, 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-893405-3)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 20 (June 10, 2018, ISBN 978-4-04-893871-6)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 21 (October 10, 2018, ISBN 978-4-04-912025-7)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 22 (March 9, 2019, ISBN 978-4-04-912385-2)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament 22 Reverse (July 10, 2019, ISBN 978-4-04-912667-9)
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-Third" style="width:100%;background:#f2e0ce;cursor:pointer" align="center">'''<big>Third Series</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:left;margin:5px20pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%" id="mw-customcollapsible-Third">
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: Genesis Testament 1 (February 7, 2020, ISBN 978-4-04-912809-3)
</div>

<div class="mw-customtoggle-Others" style="width:100%;background:#e0f2ce;cursor:pointer;" align="center">'''<big>Others</big>'''</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:left;margin:5px20pxclear:both;font-size:100%;background:transparent;width:100%" id="mw-customcollapsible-Others">
*Toaru Majutsu no Index SP (collection of four side stories released in one book, previously known as: Stiyl SS, Mark Space SS, Mars SS, and Uiharu SS)
*Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS: Liberal Arts City (eight-part side story, bundled with the Limited Edition DVDs of the Toaru Majutsu no Index anime)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Norse Mythology (eight-part side story, bundled with the Limited Edition DVDs of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun anime)
*Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS2: Shopping Mall Demonstration (eight-part side story, bundled with the Limited Edition DVDs of the Toaru Majutsu no Index II anime)
*Toaru Jihanki no Fanfare (special mini-novel by Baccano! and Durarara!! author, Narita Ryogho, bundled with the Special Edition of Volume 5 of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun manga)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: Love Letter SS (side story released in artbook Rainbow Spectrum: Colors)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: Road to Endymion (Limited release with the Miracle of Endymion movie)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index & Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai Crossover:
**Toaru Collabo no Girls' Talk (June 7 — 28, 2013, four web chapters on Nico's website)
**Ore no "Mikouto" ga Konna ni Abare Mawaru Wake ga Nai (September 5 — 26, 2013, four web chapters on Nico's website)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Necessarius Special Entrance Exam (eight-part side story, bundled with the Limited Edition DVDs/BDs of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S anime)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament SS (side story released in artbook Rainbow Spectrum: Notes)
*Toaru Majutsu no Heavy na Zashiki Warashi ga Kantan na Satsujinhi no Konkatsu Jijou (February 10, 2015, 10th Anniversary special novel)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index: Shokuhou Misaki Figurine SS (Limited release with 10th Anniversary special Shokuhou Misaki Figurine)
*Toaru Majutsu no Virtual-On (May 10, 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-865945-1, Special crossover novel with Cyber Troopers: Virtual-On)
*Toaru Kagaku no Railgun: Cold Game (December 27, 2017, Special novel bundled with the February 2018 issue of Dengeki Daioh marking the publication of the 100th Railgun manga chapter)
*Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS3 (eight-part side story, bundled with the Limited Edition DVD/BDs of the Toaru Majutsu no Index III anime)
*Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Biohacker (three-part side story with the Limited Edition DVD/BDs of the Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator anime)
</div>

=====Upcoming:=====
*Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Agnese's Magic Side Work Experience (eight-part side story, bundled with the Limited Edition DVDs/BDs of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T anime) (April 30 - November 27, 2020)