Editing Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 10 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 2===

From the location information of the Golden Dragon that Nayuta grasped and the information of Odin that they obtained from Osiris’s database, it was clear that the Golden Dragon was in Odin’s world. The Battleship Ataraxia and Oldium departed from Osiris’s world and headed towards Odin’s world.

The two giant battleships were advancing through the gulf between world and world, a space where there was nothing, where nothing could possibly exist. A space where there was only true darkness spreading around, suddenly flowed with beautiful mystical light. The torrent of radiant lights in various colors was beautiful, powerful, and fleeting like the radiance of life.

That radiance, was light that was flowing out from a world somewhere due to some kind of reason. It was life force, it was magic power, it was a light of cause and effect that contained the laws of that world’s characteristic. That light was floating around the space that separated world and world. Some light would reach another world. In the world the light reached, it would reveal the providence of another world and spring out various abnormal phenomenon. In other words, this light was a supernatural phenomenon or a miracle.

The AU collision that attacked Lemuria and Atlantis could also be said as a phenomenon that was caused with that light as the cause.

Seen like this it was a beautiful light, but for the people who got dragged into tragedy due to that radiance, they would be unable to be charmed by its beauty.

Vatlantis’s acting emperor, Grace Synclavia, was also one of those people.

She was standing alone in the viewing room of the battleship Ataraxia, sending a brooding gaze outside as though she was trying to find an answer in the flowing light. However, the calmer she was thinking, the more the illusion that Osiris showed her got resurrected at the back of her mind.

Kizuna who became the new emperor of Vatlantis, then Aine and Grace who became his empresses. However, Kizuna and Aine, and also the people of the empire wished to offer up Grace’s life. If Grace didn’t die, they wouldn’t be able to be happy. Saying that they demanded for Grace to sever her own life.

Of course there was no way they were saying that in reality. That was only an illusion that Osiris created by taking advantage of the guilty feelings inside Grace’s heart. Zelcyone explained it to her like that.

However Grace was unable to assert that it was a dream that wasn’t worth worrying about.

That was the voice that hounded her to take responsibility for the Another Universe Conflict. Mere illusions were completely taking root inside Grace’s heart and entangled it completely.

「So you are here Grace.」

The automatic door opened and a familiar voice and presence entered inside.

「Nii-sama……」

When she turned around Grace thought ‘oh no’. Her face and voice looked like she was going to cry even now. Like this Nii-sama would be concerned for her. When she thought that, she made a complete changes and showed a bright expression.

「What’s the matter? There is still time until the meeting.」

「Yeah. I want to talk with Grace.」

Kizuna approached the window to stand beside Grace.

「With me……umu. I’ll welcome that anytime.」

Grace narrowed her eyes.

Yes. Until just before this they attended the same school and often talked with each other. Though it was also days of falsehood, but it was happy days. She really idolized him like her big brother. Now that she thought back, it was like she was monopolizing Kizuna while Aine wasn’t there, she even felt apologetic. However it was fact that she had fun. She couldn’t deny that.

Kizuna showed a behavior as though he was hesitating, but he nodded to himself as though resolving himself, and then he talked to Grace with an excessively serious face.

「Grace……it’s not like I have experience shouldering a heavy responsibility like you. I’m just a first year student, a man who became Amaterasu’s captain just because of the course of events. That’s why I understand that I’m not in a position where I can say anything like a big shot. But, I can at least listen to your worries.」

「……Nii-sama.」

The previous day she was also seen standing alone like this by Kizuna before the decisive battle against Osiris. Surely he was concerned for her all this time since then. However――,

「What, no need to worry. Even like this, I’m an emperor, even if an unworthy one. There are also some amount of problems that worry my mind. It’s something I’m used to so it’s futile to worry about me you know, Nii-sama――」

Kizuna abruptly embraced Grace’s shoulders and pulled her closer. Grace unconsciously flinched at Kizuna’s hand that circled her shoulders. Kizuna’s palm was warm, and the arm embracing her was gentle. However she felt that this warmth and gentleness was something that she couldn’t accept.

「Grace is the emperor of the Vatlantis Empire. But, you are also my little sister.」

「Eh……」

「If you are an unworthy emperor then I’m also an unworthy big brother. Even if there is no tie of blood between us, I think of myself as your big brother. That’s why, share your hardship with me too.」

「However……that’s」

Grace yelled inside her heart. That she wanted him to stop doing more than this. If not,

――The mask I put on will be torn off.

「Ni, Nii-sama is a worrywart. I’m not really……」

「I don’t know what kind of bitter illusion Osiris showed you. But, that was merely an illusion.」

Grace’s breathing stopped unconsciously.

――He know? Nii-sama, knew I saw an illusion.

「Both me and Aine, we won’t abandon Grace. Absolutely.」

「It’s no good……」

Grace looked down, her shoulders were shaking.

――I’m, at my limit.

「It’s no good. Nii-sama and Nee-sama won’t be able to be happy, with me alive.」

A drop fell on the floor.

Tears were overflowing from her red eyes.

「Grace!」

Kizuna embraced Grace’s slender and small body onto his chest.

「What stupid things you are saying! I’m going to get angry you know!」

Kizuna’s voice that was filled with serious anger caused Grace’s body to tremble. When she lifted her head, an earnest gaze was staring at Grace. That straightforward black eyes smashed Grace’s mask. The face of a girl that distorted in sadness appeared from underneath that mask.

「Because, because! The damage to Lemuria is because of my fault. There is no way that the Nee-sama of someone like me can be together with Nii-sama who is the hero of Lemuria! But, if I die, if I take responsibility and get executed……my sin will be settled with that. Nee-sama can be free with that.」

Grace’s tear hotly wet Kizuna’s chest.

「Stupid idiot! That’s not true at all!」

Kizuna was yelling angrily from the bottom of his heart while he strongly hugged Grace’s body.

They absolutely must not separate. He couldn’t let go of her here. If his hand let go of her here, Grace would really go to a place where his hand wouldn’t be able to reach. Such fear was attacking Kizuna.

Nayuta prepared a transient livelihood for them at Ataraxia before this. Inside that, Grace called Kizuna as elder brother, and Kizuna also came into contact with Grace as her brother.

Kizuna didn’t know how long that life had actually went on. However, surely it was a long time to the degree that Kizuna treasured Grace like she was his real sister. This wasn’t something that could be made sense of somehow with logic.

For that reason, Kizuna turned his heart into a demon and spoke.

「Listen well Grace. What you said isn’t a method that will save us, and it’s also not a noble self-sacrifice. Something like that is just escaping.」

Grace spontaneously raised her head. Her eyes were looking up at Kizuna. What were inside those eyes were shock, astonishment, and an expression as though she couldn’t believe it.

「Such thing……Nii-sama」

Kizuna gritted his teeth.

「You are just trying to avert your eyes from the painful reality and are trying to escape. That isn’t an act of taking responsibility, but abandoning responsibility.」

Grace’s face warped in vexation and sadness. Tears were overflowing out once more from those eyes.

「Then, what are you telling me to do! I don’t know! I don’t know Nii-sama! I, I……just, what should I do, if even Nii-sama, says something like that to me……I’m, already……uh, u, a……aah」

Like that Grace raised her voice loudly and cried out.

「I don’t want, anymore, hics-, waaaaaaan」

She cried like a mere girl without caring about shame or appearance. Her mouth opened, her eyes and nose went red and tears were spilling down without stop. She pushed on Kizuna’s chest with weak strength. As though she was trying to run away from that place.

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But, Kizuna didn’t let her go.

He put his strength into his arm and embraced Grace’s body onto his chest.

「What you have to do no matter what, is not running away. It’s to fight.」

「――fueeh……eguh」

Grace was sobbing convulsively while turning moist eyes to Kizuna.

「Are you listening, Grace?」

Grace was looking up at Kizuna for a while, her mouth closed up before long and she nodded.

「If you say that you destroyed Lemuria and killed people, then you need to save even more than those.」

However Grace shook her head and let out a sob.

「Su, such……thing, how can I, hics」

「Lemuria and Atlantis, save both of those worlds.」

「Both……worlds?」

「That’s right. Right now the world disappeared completely because of the Deus ex Machina. Both Lemuria and Atlantis. At this rate sooner or later our worlds will end. That is not a problem in the same dimension like taking responsibility of the Another Universe Conflict anymore. After all there no one hounding for someone to take responsibility, and the one who needs to take responsibility will also get obliterated together.」

「That’s……hics, true, but……」

「Right now we are trying to return the world to the way it was before. To do that, the strength of he world of Atlantis is indispensable. The strength of the de facto ruling country Vatlantis is necessary. The emperor of Vatlantis Empire, Grace is essential.」

Kizuna touched Grace’s cheek and wiped her tears.

「I guess right now Grace is fighting in order to look for Aine. And, you also have the reason of taking back the configuration information of the world of Atlantis, don’t you? Then, can I ask you to also add a reason of saving our Lemuria too?」

「Saving……Lemuria.」

「The configuration information that the Deus ex Machina stole. Inside it, there are a lot of cities and people that cannot be compared with the ruined cities and dead people from the Another Universe Conflict. I want to save them, those people!」

And then Kizuna embraced Grace’s body strongly once more.

「Ni, Nii-sama?」

「……Besides, Grace, in the first place you are mistaken at a fundamental aspect.」

Kizuna’s eyes were moist. It looked like tears were almost falling off from there.

「If you die, how can I and Aine become happy with that!? You are talking about our important little sister dying here. If that happens we will be sad, pained, miserable, we won’t be able to stand back up! To say nothing of the life that we will obtain by sacrificing a little sister……that’s only hell! How can you think something like that will make anyone happy! There is no way that will happen! That’s stupid!」

Kizuna’s eyes were also tinged with tears. He hugged Grace tightly on his chest so that she wouldn’t be able to see that. However, Grace understood. That Kizuna was crying for her sake.

Grace opened her mouth timidly.

「Is doing……something like that, enough?」

「It’s enough.」

Grace wiped her tears and bit her lips that almost let out a sob once more, and then she nodded firmly.

「I’m fine already, Nii-sama.」

Grace separated her body slowly from Kizuna, as though pushing his body back. And then she rubbed her face scrubbingly before smiling cheerfully with eyes that were completely dry from tears.

「I’ve troubled you Nii-sama.」

「I need to do something like a big brother sometimes……aa, that’s right. I’ll escort you until Oldium.」

Kizuna said that and offered his hand, but Grace pulled back as though running away from that hand.

「I’ll return alone. Thank you……Nii-sama.」

And then she pretended to back away, before suddenly she stepped forward.

――!?

Grace leaped into the chest of Kizuna who was taken by surprise suddenly within a moment, and stole his lips.

Grace’s soft lips texture was conveyed to Kizuna’s lips.

When he thought ‘ah’, Grace was already drawing back as though she was jumping away. And then she smiled mischievously.

「Keep it a secret from Nee-sama okay♪」

She turned on her heel and exited the viewing room with light footsteps.

「Grace……」

Kizuna scratched his head as though thinking ‘She really got me there’ and he smiled.

「You narrowly escaped death.」

A dreadful voice echoed inside the viewing room where there should be no one else.

――-!?

When Kizuna looked around the viewing room in a panic, there was the silhouette of someone leaning on the wall.

「When you made Grace-sama cry, I was just about to kill you.」

That person moved from the wall and walked towards Kizuna with her hands crossed.

「Ze-! Zelcyone!? Since when, were you there……」

Zelcyone raised one eyebrow and glared at Kizuna.

「From the beginning. There is no way I’ll leave Grace-sama alone when she was like that. You fool.」

When the shock left him, shame rapidly came inside him. Kizuna’s cheeks were dyed red.

――Shit, now she mentioned it Zelcyone has the ability to hide herself! Or rather, all of that was heard!? Or rather it was seen! SHIIIITTT!

He unconsciously wanted to stamp his feet in emotion. However, he had cornered Grace and made her cry that much. He wouldn’t get killed right away, but by any chance perhaps a punishment time was waiting for him. At the very least he needed the resolve to get half-killed.

Kizuna who resolved himself with such thinking had his shoulder lightly tapped by Zelcyone.

「Well, that was passable.」

――Eh?

Ending it there, Zelcyone exited from the door that Grace used without even glancing at Kizuna.

Kizuna who was left alone standing blankly then suddenly looked around inside the room in panic as though he remembered something. As expected this time there was really no one left.

Feeling a strange solitude, Kizuna returned to his own room. In the middle of walking, he thought of the meaning of Zelcyone’s words once more and crossed his arms.

「Passable……that means, she gave me passing mark with that……right?」

When he touched the door of his own room, it opened automatically to welcome Kizuna inside. It was a spacious room where a bed, a desk and a chair were standing alone. Kizuna didn’t stop and headed towards a large window that was right in front of him.

The outside was dark, sometimes light of another world could be seen flowing. Kizuna stared at the face of himself that was reflected on that window and murmured to himself.

「When the battle is over……is it.」

Grace was thinking about when this battle was over and a time of peace came. At that time, what would happen with the two worlds of Lemuria and Atlantis?

The countries of Lemuria and the countries of Atlantis, Vatlantis Empire, Izgard, and Baldin, how would their relationship be? What would happen with the responsibility of the war?

Kizuna was desperate with the battle before his eyes and didn’t think of the matter ahead of that seriously. In the first place the Deus ex Machina that they were currently fighting were extremely powerful enemies, they had no leeway to even think about the matter of after they were defeated. He had such reason.

Speaking about the matter next of year was laughable, but thinking of the current difference in battle strength, it would be a miracle if a peaceful world could arrive.

Even so Grace who was gazing at the future ahead was perhaps just as expected from an emperor of a country.

Kizuna tried thinking about his own future.

First was the remaining two Deus ex Machina. According to the information they obtained from Osiris’s database, they seemed to be opponents with different levels compared to Hokuto and Osiris that they had defeated until now. In the end could they be defeated? First it was already unknown from there.

Kizuna shook his head.

――This is no good. No matter what, my thoughts keep on looping.

Supposing if the battle ended, what would happen? Perhaps, he would cooperate with Japan’s revival. The war would be over already by then. There would be no battle. In other words,

Whether it was Heart Hybrid Gear, or Amaterasu, they would become unnecessary.

「……-!」

He felt like his chest was constricted.

He would not be Amaterasu’s captain and would return to a normal school. Aine and Himekawa, Yurishia and Sylvia, his relationship with them would also be gone.

When he thought that, he felt a feeling of loss to a degree that shocked even himself.

――Wha, what? This feeling.

A feeling of desolateness that he couldn’t describe suddenly visited him.

It was a feeling as though he was left alone in a cold, boundless wasteland.

――Stupid. What am I thinking.

Kizuna placed both his hands on the window and hid his face that was reflected there.

――If that happens, then I just need to walk through a new life. Besides, even everyone……they won’t become like complete strangers just with that. Surely we can move from being comrades to friends. Sylvia, Hayuru, Yurishia, Scarlet and Ger-san and, Aine――,

「……ah」

What would happen……with Aine?

She would be Vatlantis Empire’s emperor――,

At that time the electronic sound that informed of a visitor rang. That sound caused Kizuna’s body to twitch.

――That’s just a ringtone……what am I doing, feeling jittery like this.

Kizuna smiled wryly and approached the door, then he touched the door that he had no habit to lock since he was at academy Ataraxia. As a result the door opened smoothly to the side.

「Ha……Hayuru?」

The one standing there was Himekawa Hayuru, her cheeks were slightly red.

「So, sorry for the suddenness. That, there is something I want to talk about a bit……」

Inside Kizuna’s chest, his heart jumped in a big way. If a peaceful world come, won’t we become complete strangers? Because he was thinking something like that just now, he felt like she was coming here to say to him that they were breaking off their relationship permanently.

「Just, what――ah, no. First, come in……」

Kizuna turned his body aside and urged Himekawa to enter the room.

「Pardon me.」

Himekawa said reservedly and entered inside the room hesitatingly. Kizuna reacted sensitively to every single move of such Himekawa.

――What does she want to talk about……rather than that first I need to offer her a chair.

「Then, Hayuru……let’s see. Over there.」

There was no chair for guests in this room. Kizuna pointed his hand towards the bed.

Himekawa’s face turned bright red instantly.

「Wha, what are you thinking! Tha, that, that’s too sudden! To invite me to the bed just three seconds after I entered the room, the mood needs a bit more or something――」

「Tha-, that’s not it! That’s not what I meant! There is no chair, so sit on the bed, that’s what I meant!」

「-…….?!!」

Himekawa’s bright red face became even redder. It was so red it felt like steam might come out from her head. She suddenly got teary eyed and her face was trembling while she was biting her lips.

「Aa, geez-! I’m really-!」

She hid her red face with her hands and looked down. Kizuna also held his head reflexively.

――You got influenced too much by your own imagination there, Kizuna! Calm down!

「Hayuru, that, it was my bad, I talked in a way that invited misunderstanding.」

Himekawa lifted her face and glared at Kizuna with eyes that looked moist with tears.

「Please pay attention to your act a little bit more! Because of that I got embarrassed like this!」

Kizuna thought that it was mostly because of karma, but anyway, first he prioritized pacifying her down.

Himekawa made an expression of being in a bad mood and dropped her waist on the bed loudly.

「Good grief……you spoiled the atmosphere right from the beginning.」

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「The beginning?」

Kizuna put a distance of one person between him and Himekawa, and he sat down on the bed beside her.

「It’s nothing.」

She irritably looked upward with cheeks that were dyed red.

「So, about the talk……what is it?」

「That’s……」

Himekawa hesitated to say.

「Actually, there is something I want to discuss a bit.」

Kizuna gulped for a moment.

「Wha, what is it, why that formal? You don’t need……to be reserved or anything right?」

He was saying that while being unable to suppress his own heartbeat that was getting louder.

「I’m not, really being reserved though……」

Himekawa fidgetingly entangled her fingers with each other and then she stole a glance at Kizuna.

Himekawa took a deep breath, and breathed out.

She turned towards Kizuna as though she was determined about something.

「Then, I’ll say it. Actually――」

Her straightforward eyes were reflected on Kizuna’s eyes.

「I, love you.」

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