Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 3 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

After roughly half an hour, there was a knock at the door.

I opened the door to see Mitsuki standing there in pajamas, hugging a pillow. Her face was slightly red and her body was giving off a faint fragrance from after a bath.

"P-Pardon the intrusion."

Mitsuki greeted with rigid adherence to etiquette then entered the cabin. After surveying the interior, she chose the inner bed of the two to sit on. 

"You went out of your way to bring your own pillow?"

I sat down on the edge of the outer bed, facing Mitsuki and asked her that.

"Y-Yes, well... I brought my own pillow from the dormitory, because I believe I will sleep better with this..."

Hugging her pillow, Mitsuki answered shyly.

"Your room got blasted by Kili not too long ago... So that pillow turned out okay."

In an attempt to retrieve Tia, Kili had infiltrated Midgard under the identity of Tachikawa Honoka recently and launched a surprise attack on Lisa and Tia who were staying at Mitsuki's dorm at the time. During that event, the majority of Mitsuki's room was destroyed and was still under repairs. For the time being, Mitsuki was using another room in the dorm.

"Since the blast mostly damaged the window's surroundings, even though the pillow was slightly blackened from smoke, its cleanliness could be restored after washing it."

"Really? That's great."

"...Indeed, quite."

The conversation broke off unnaturally. Perhaps affected by Mitsuki's nervous emotions, I find myself unable to find a subject to continue the conversation.

—Why did I feel so self-conscious?

I scratched my head and tried my hardest to regain composure. Unless the mood eased up a bit, it would be hard for me to get to the main point.

"Say..."

"Umm..."

Our voices overlapped. Mitsuki and I stared at each other for a moment then we both laughed at the same time.

"Haha, what are we doing? This isn't like us at all."

"Fufu, indeed."

"You go first, Mitsuki."

"—Very well, then I will take you up on that."

Mitsuki made a carefree smile and said to me:

"Nii-san, how is your wound?"

"The wound is healing fine. Although it still hurts, the surface has closed up."

I could already do a certain level of activity with my arm below the elbow. Hence, I waved my left hand to show Mitsuki.

"Are you bandaging it properly. I suspect that the inside has yet to heal entirely. The wound could tear open if you are not careful, you know?"

"Yeah, I've bandaged it good. I did it myself after my shower."

"...How worrying. Allow me to check."

Mitsuki frowned and moved over to my side with her pillow.

"H-Hey."

Before I could stop her, Mitsuki had already pulled my collar open to examine the bandage on my shoulder.

"It is essentially bandaged properly."

"I won't have problems with small stuff like this. I already learned first aid at NIFL."

"...Without my knowledge, Nii-san, you have become someone capable of many things on your own."

Mitsuki's tone of voice sounded a bit sad.

"Well, the same applies to you to, Mitsuki. I never expected my introverted and shy little sister to become the student council president."

"Not at all... I am simply working my hardest at things within my power."

Mitsuki looked away. Rather than embarrassment, her expression seemed more like guilt.

I could also vaguely sense the shadow of Shinomiya Miyako here.

Perhaps Mitsuki viewed working as the student council president as a kind of atonement.

"Mitsuki—What were things like for you in the three years after coming to Midgard?"

"What were things... like?"

"Yeah, I'd like you to tell me... about your life after coming to Midgard."

When I made such a request, Mitsuki showed a troubled expression.

"Too many things happened, where should I start...? This is not something that can be finished in a single night."

"In that case—Oh right, I hope you can tell me about the girl who was your best friend, Mitsuki."

I made my decision and said to Mitsuki.

Mitsuki gasped and quietly started at my face. After ten-odd seconds of silence, Mitsuki asked in a calm tone of voice.

"...Is that what you meant by important things?"

"Well, one of them."

I nodded in admission while Mitsuki sighed deeply.

"Sigh... And to think I wondering what it was about. I see now. Nii-san, am I right in guessing that you heard my argument with Lisa-san?"

Hearing me suddenly bring up the matter of Shinomiya Miyako, the smart Mitsuki instantly guessed my motivation.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop..."

"You need to mind your own business."

Mituski remarked with exasperation and glared coldly at me.

"Like you, Mitsuki, I'm just working my hardest at things within my power. But even if I want to intervene, I can't even stand on the same arena unless I understand Shinomiya Miyako as a person first. So... Can you tell me about her?"

I looked into Mitsuki's eyes and conveyed my wish to her directly.

"...Frankly speaking, I am reluctant to bring up this matter, because by this point, all of it has turned into painful memories."

"Really..."

Since I did not want to make Mitsuki suffer, I could only sigh helplessly. But seeing me disappointed, Mitsuki continued hesitantly:

"—B-But if you could agree to one demand from me, Nii-san... Perhaps I might be able to try hard to recount it."

"Really? I'm willing to do anything as long as it's my power."

I agreed without a second thought. Awkwardly, Mitsuki asked in a quiet voice:

"Then... May I hug you, Nii-san?"

"Hug?"

"...Yes, by hugging you, Nii-san, I think I will be able to muster my courage."

I did not expect this suggestion, but having said that I was willing to do anything, I could not falter. Besides, as siblings, there should not be any reason to feel concerned about this kind of thing. Although my heart rate was accelerating abnormally, I decided it would be fine.

"S-Sure."

I answered hoarsely. With her face bright red, Mitsuki said "T-Thank you" in a barely audible voice.

Inside the room, dimly lit by a light bulb, Mitsuki and I were lying on the same bed.

"...Nii-san."

Mitsuki called my name mournfully and hugged my right arm tightly. Through the pajamas, I could feel the warm and softness of her body covering my right arm.

I could feel the sensation of her petite but beautifull-shaped breasts on my upper arm. This meant that I could not move my right arm recklessly.

"I feel so calm now... This should be fine."

Leaning her cheek against my right shoulder, Mitsuki spoke with a smile. Her after-bath fragrance was caressing my nose lightly. In contrast to Mitsuki, I felt quite unsettled.

"Okay, can you tell me now?"

To prevent her from noticing my nervousness, I tried my hardest to stay calm while urging her to start.

"Very well... Let us begin with how we met. That day took place just when a strong typhoon was leaving. She arrived in Midgard two weeks after me."

Mitsuki closed her eyes and spoke nostalgically.

"My first impression of her, how should I describe it...? She was superior to me on all accounts. Of course, she was quite beautiful in face, but the light emanating from her inner character was blindingly bright to me. It made me feel that she lived up to her name as Haruka-san's younger sister."

"By Haruka-san, you mean Shinomiya-sensei?"

I confirmed with her and Mitsuki nodded with a chuckle.

"Yes, back then, Shinomiya-sensei was every student's idol! Perfectly flawless in all respects, she has always been my goal since back then."

"Wow, it's almost like the current you, Mitsuki."

"W-What are you talking about!? How could I compare to her!?"

On my end, this was not flattery, but Mitsuki still denied it with her face red.

She shifted her body slightly. I felt a definite sensation of softness from her bosom in contact with my arm.

"...I don't think it's entire out of the question."

While worrying whether my face was going red, I replied.

"Of course it is! Seriously, I am going back to the main subject! Simply stated, Miyako was very similar to Haruka-san, a very amazing girl."

Mitsuki spoke in embarrassment, but even if she claimed that Miyako was more amazing than her, I found it impossible to imagine.

"A girl like that—Because we were both Japanese and of similar age, she was assigned to be my roommate. In the beginning, I was very nervous but Miyako was a cheerful, lively and straightforward person, so we became great friends very quickly."

Mitsuki's voice carried nostalgia. It must have been a very happy time for her back then.

"However... She quickly surpassed me in both academics and the control of dark matter, which I found it a little hard to accept. Of course, since I arrived two weeks earlier than her, I had gone through a phase of hard work, but ultimately, she did everything better than me without exception. I was a bit jealous of her talent."

Smiling wryly, Mitsuki described her feelings from back then.

"Wow, was she that amazing? But from the it sounds, rather than best friends, wouldn't that normally make her your rival? Especially with your competitive personality, Mitsuki."

After hearing my response, Mitsuki glared at me unhappily.

"...I am not that competitive. However, I definitely felt a sense of rivalry against Miyako, but how should I put it...? Miyako felt strong affection towards me, even to the point of sweeping away my tiny hostility completely."

"Strong affection?"

"P-Please do not misunderstand, okay? I mean feelings as friends, nothing more. I have no idea what she saw in me, but it was as though we were joined at the hip... We even slept in the same bed like this at some point."

Although I doubted whether those were truly feelings of friendship, I held my tongue. Since I did not know Shinomiya Miyako directly, I had no right to judge her.

"Perhaps that could be described as Miyako's only flaw. She often made errors in judgment due to putting me above all else. That time, it was also for this reason that—"

Mitsuki bowed her head gravely after saying that.

"You mean... The time when 'Purple' Kraken attacked?"

"...Yes, it was just as my first anniversary at Midgard was approaching, a siren suddenly blared. We were informed that the Kraken was approaching."

Perhaps because she had reached a sad scene, Mitsuki hugged my arm even tighter. Pressing herself close to me, her body was warm and giving off a fragrance with faint sweetness.

"Now that I think back, the situation was not quite right on that day. She seemed a bit distracted and would suddenly focus her gaze where there was nothing to be seen. Most likely, her dragon mark had already changed color by that point. But because Miyako's dragon mark was on her back, she did not notice immediately..."

Mitsuki spoke regretfully. Back then, no one knew that there was a link between the dragon mark's change in color and a D's dragonification. However, had they discovered the symptoms earlier, perhaps a different future would have resulted. That was probably what Mitsuki thought.

"There were already plans back then to use the Ds' powers as trump cards for vanquishing dragons. And so, the Dragon Subjugation Squad was established with Haruka-san as the captain. Miyako and I were part of it too, hence we head to the frontline... Falling into the Kraken's trap on our own."

Hearing what she said, I felt puzzled. Since the dragons' aims were unknown at the time, there should have been the option of escaping back then.

"Was the situation so urgent that it was necessary to send a newly established force to fight?"

"...The Kraken advanced with frightening speed. There was no time to evacuate Midgard completely. The fleet deployed by NIFL and Midgardsormr were all swept away by antimatter missiles and did not even manage to stall for time. To protect Midgard and our comrades, we had no choice but to fight."

There was a rich sense of reality in what Mitsuki said. Midgard must have been in chaos at the time. As one would expect, Mitsuki and her comrades must have went forward to fight the Kraken with resolve.

"But when the Kraken entered visual range, just as we were starting to attack, I noticed Miyako's dragon mark giving off a strong purple glow, clearly visible even through her clothing. Then with a shocked face, she said that the dragon's target was her."

"...Now that you mention it, back when Leviathan approached, Iris also felt its will."

I recalled what had happened roughly a month ago. Perhaps some kind of connection of that sort would form between the dragon and the selected D.

"Miyako tried her hardest to persuade us that the Kraken was pursuing her. Heating up, her dragon mark was summoning it and the rest of us had to hurry and run. However, at the time, we all thought that Miyako was speaking nonsense because she had lost her mind."

Mitsuki seemed deeply regretful and self-reprimanding. Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead forcefully on my shoulder.

"...It couldn't be helped. I'd probably draw the same conclusion too."

"But... At least as her best friend, I should have believed in her without hesitation. But I failed to say anything at all. Just as we were perplexed, the situation had already gone beyond the point of no return, because the Kraken's tentacles had spread out in a dome shape, covering up the entire area."

Mitsuki's voice wavered slightly.

"After seeing the tentacles approaching to attack us, Miyako turned her gaze at me, then... She waved lightly before her chest then rushed out alone. She probably believed that at this rate, we were all going to be crushed to death by the tentacles."

Mitsuki spoke with her voice and body trembling.

"Miyako attacked the Kraken's purple eyeball while rushing at it, but her offensive was completely deflected by the tentacles of mithril. She had nowhere to run—Then after that..."

Mitsuki was finally at a loss for words.

"—Stop, thank you, it's already enough."

I could not bear to watch, so I asked her to stop. I already knew the gist of what happened next. The two Krakens, including the dragonified Shinomiya Miyako, were killed by Mitsuki with antimatter projectiles.

Shinomiya Miyako must have never suspected she would turn into a dragon. Otherwise, she would not have charged the Kraken on her own.

"Miyako really... always made errors of judgment at critical moments... Perhaps we might have been able to defend her by relying on everyone... She probably rushed out alone... to prevent me from coming into danger..."

Mitsuki said every word with a weeping voice.

If possible, I really wanted to stroke her head and comfort her but she was hugging my right arm while my injured left arm could not move. As a result, I could only remain motionless and silent.

Thus, I waited until Mitsuki's emotions calmed down and her trembling stopped. Then I said:

"Mitsuki, I now understand what happened between you and Shinomiya Miyako. Thanks to that, I can be certain now."

"...Certain?"

Mitsuki stared at me with her eyes, red from crying.

"Yeah, Mitsuki, you're the one who feels the most chagrin over what happened to Shinomiya Miyako. You're also the one who kept working hard despite the pain without avoiding it. There's no need for you to suffer Lisa's condemnation."

To observe Mitsuki's reaction, I deliberately made it sound like I was accusing Lisa.

"P-Please hold on! This is neither here nor there! Miyako was dear to Lisa-san too, which is why she has the right to reproach me!"

Mitsuki frantically defended Lisa, I knew it—Things were like that.

The truth that I had heard from Firill... She said that Lisa did not actually hate Mitsuki.

Hence, I came up with a hypothesis and it looked like I had guessed right.

"The right to reproach you... Mitsuki, have you ever sought Lisa's forgiveness?"

"That sort of thing... I have not. Because... I have done something absolutely unforgivable."

Mitsuki shook her head. I see. This was why the problem had gotten so complicated. While feeling exasperated, I asked Mitsuki:

"Last time, Mitsuki, you said that you continue to fight dragons as atonement, right? But based on what you just said, even if you defeated all the dragons, Lisa still won't forgive you, right?"

"...Of course not, because they are unrelated matters."

"Sigh..."

I sighed deeply.

"N-Nii-san, why are you making such an exasperated expression?"

"Of course I'm exasperated—Can you try being a little considerate for Lisa?"

"Eh...?"

Mitsuki looked at me in surprise. It looked like she did not get it at all.

"To stay angry persistently because of one incident, to persistently hate someone, that's very tiring, you know? If you were truly considerate for Lisa, then create an opportunity for Lisa to forgive you, how about that?"

"B-But I do not know whether she wants to forgive me either, that would be too shameless..."

"Whether it is shameless or not, that's for Lisa to decide. Even if you end up angering her, it's not like it's the first time."

Although I continued to persuade, Mitsuki still remained hesitant. Her gaze wandered.

"But..."

"Mitsuki, do you really refuse forgiveness that much?"

"O-Of course not!"

With a dramatic change in expression Mitsuki yelled.

"In that case, you will ask Lisa tomorrow what you must do to earn her forgiveness. This is an order."

"Order...? My rank is higher than yours, you know?"

Mitsuki glared at me with displeasure.

"But I'm your older brother, right?"

"...What do you mean by that? That is too tyrannical!"

Mitsuki pouted unhappily.

"Then are you going to use your authority as a superior officer to negate my order?"

"............No, I will follow it, because I hate the idea that others thought I were escaping."

Mitsuki answered after a few seconds.

Hearing her reply, I exhaled in relief.

"As expected of my little sister who hates losing."

"Muu... Say whatever you like."

Mitsuki closed her eyes defiantly but continued to hug my arm tightly, refusing to let go.

"Do your best. I support you."

After whispering softly to Mitsuki who was about to sleep, I closed my eyes too.

During our long conversation, drowsiness had already arrived quietly at the fringes of my consciousness. Although Mitsuki's body warmth and softness felt so attractive, I seemed able to fall asleep by obeying this drowsiness.

"...Thank you, Nii-san."

—Just before entering the realm of dreams, I seemed to hear those words.