Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 9 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 3===

"Mononobe-san, you will be examined today. Please follow me."

The next day, I was informed by Mica-san as soon as I got up in the morning.

It had been a while since I last left Charlotte's private bedroom. Passing through her office, I took the clock tower's elevator and traveled downwards.

I had been examined once, after returning to Midgard and before getting placed on house arrest. That had taken place in an examination room in the medical building, but this time was different.

As a side note, Charlotte was still resting in her room. I had gone to bed early after listening to Mitsuki's advice yesterday. Sulking, Charlotte had apparently played video games the whole night on her own.

"This place... is the floor with a training site, right? What kind of examination will we be doing?"

When the elevator stopped at a level deep underground, I asked Mica-san.

"Iris-san was examined after coming into contact with you yesterday but there were no issues. Hence, as a test, we will allow you to make contact with the other person who has transformed."

"Eh, so that means—"

The only one I marked and have become "my kind" were Iris and Kraken Zwei.

"Unlike Iris-san, one cannot predict what might happen when you two confront each other. Hence, we will have you meet in a training site as a precautionary measure."

Mica-san explained then led me to one of the training sites on this floor.

After passing two layers of sealed doors, we entered a space so vast that it made people forget they were underground.

A number of lights were suspended from the ceiling. On the side was a control room separated by glass.

There were three figures in the center of the spacious training site.

"Captain!"

As I approached, one of them waved to me. Platinum blonde hair. Dressed in a male uniform same as mine. Despite dressing as a man, she was a girl—Jeanne Hortensia, who used to belong to the same team as me under NIFL.

Next to her was Brynhildr Class' homeroom teacher, Shinomiya-sensei, and a petite girl with purple hair.

Shinomiya-sensei approached Mica-san and me with a smile, but the purple-haired girl seemed very shy and hid behind Jeanne's back.

She was the second-generation dragon who had burst onto the scene fiercely, Kraken Zwei. 

She was the daughter of the dragonified Shinomiya Miyako. Her human appearance and sanity had been restored due to transforming into "my kind." Although recently born, she looked like a young elementary schooler in appearance, slightly younger than Tia.

"Mononobe Yuu, you finally came. Shion must be happy to see you."

Shinomiya-sensei took a step forward to greet me but the name I was hearing for the first time made me frown and ask:

"Shion?"

Shinomiya-sensei immediately made a wry smile and indicated towards the girl hiding behind Jeanne's back.

"It's her. As a human—as Miyako's daughter—she needed a suitable name. Shion, or ''Aster tataricus'', is the name of Miyako's favorite flower which is why I used a name that's pronounced identically. It also feels like a good match for this child's vibes... But she doesn't seem to like this name."

As though to prove this point, the girl did not react at all to what Shinomiya-sensei said. Jeanne showed a complicated expression on her face when she saw that.

"Perhaps it's my fault for calling her Zwei. She already considers it her name and doesn't respond to any other names."

After Jeanne explained, the girl peeked out slightly to stared at Shinomiya-sensei.

"i Am, Zwei, not, Shion."<!--Note: Shion/Kraken Zwei speaks mostly in katakana, so the unnaturalness is conveyed in English using random capital letters-->

Her speech was broken but the girl did speak properly in Japanese. During the trip back to Midgard, I did not get a chance to say hi to her but during this short amount of time, it looked like she could now carry out conversations.

"B-But Shion—"

"wRonG."

The girl kicked Shinomiya-sensei for insisting.

"Hmm... Have I no choice but to give up?"

Shinomiya-sensei slumped her shoulders sadly.

Watching this scene, I bent down to speak to the girl.

"Zwei."

Her shoulders shook then she hid behind Jeanne again. But soon after, she timidly showed half her face to peek at me.

"wHat?"

Called by the name she approved, she probably had to respond. The girl asked hesitantly.

Now that I looked at her face to face, she really was an ordinary girl. She was no longer the enemy whom Iris and I fought in a battle of life and death. The slight wariness lingering in my heart vanished.

"I know Jeanne's name for you is very important. But you should know that people don't just have one name."

For the sake of Shinomiya-sensei, who was quite hurt, I looked the girl in the eye and told her that.

"dOn'T juSt hAvE... one?"

"Yes—For example... Oh right, you're living together with Iris now, aren't you?"

The girl nodded at my question.

"Yes, Iris, i KnOw. vEry nOisY pErsOn, ofTen maKes Mitsuki and Lisa aNgrY."

—So Iris hasn't changed at all.

I smiled wryly. The girl had already memorized the names from Brynhildr Class. That made things easy.

"Yes, that Iris calls me Mononobe. Firill and Ariella calls me Mononobe-kun. Tia calls me Yuu. Lisa calls me Mononobe Yuu. Mitsuki calls me Nii-san. Ren calls me Onii-chan. Jeanne always calls me Captain. See, they're all different, right?"

"...Mm."

The girl nodded honestly.

"That's why you don't need to be fixated on a single name. Names are used to represent you, so they're fine as long as you know who it is. Shion Zwei Shinomiya—I think that would be a suitable name for you now."

I stared into the girl's eyes and told her my thoughts.

"Shion Zwei Shinomiya..."

The girl kept repeating the name on the tip of her tongue as though to confirm.

I rubbed the girl's head and examined the dragon mark on her forehead under her bangs.

"Ah..."

The girl widened her eyes slightly in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"Mama sAid bEfoRe... You are sPeCiaL."

"Mama?"

No way. I looked at Jeanne.

"Actually... She means me."

Jeanne scratched her own cheek in embarrassment and nodded stiffly.

"—Papa."

I was dumbfounded by what the girl said next.

I turned my gaze back to the girl. She was staring straight at me.

"Papa."

"Are you referring to... me?"

The girl nodded at my timid question.

"sPeciAl pErsOn iS Papa, Mama saId thAt."

Slightly apprehensive earlier, the girl was now looking at me, blinking.

Due to becoming "my kind" as a result of direct contact, it was possible that the girl felt something. But why was she calling me "Papa"?

"Jeanne?"

Seeking an explanation, I turned to "Mama" Jeanne. Blushing intensely, she waved her hands.

"U-Umm, Captain, please do not get the wrong idea! Uh, I have no intention of creating a fait accompli. I felt that this was necessary—P-Please step aside for a moment."

Frantically, Jeanne led me by the hand to somewhere slightly farther away.

Sneaking a peek at the girl who was spacing out next to Shinomiya-sensei, Jeanne lowered her voice and started explaining to me.

"Zwei... has already made contact with you and turned into your mate, is that correct?"

"Ah yes."

Jeanne looked a bit worried while whispering quietly to me. I concurred.

"So I was predicting that she might have some sort of reaction when meeting you this time, Captain."

"—Yes. In fact, when I touched her head just now, she seemed to have felt something."

"Yes... But if Zwei realizes she is your mate, Captain, and takes corresponding action... It would be very very bad!"

Despite controlling her voice, Jeanne insisted fiercely.

Action corresponding to a mate... Hearing these words, I was reminded of my bath with Iris yesterday, so I frantically shook my head.

"T-That's definitely bad—How should I put it? It'd be a crime."

"Yes. That sort of mindset and behavior is too early for Zwei. So even if she feels you are special, Captain, I taught her that it was a feeling for family like me."

"Then that's how 'Papa' came about huh..."

I finally understood how the process went, but was there really no other way?

"Papa... Mama...?"

Hearing a worried voice from behind, I looked back to see the girl watching us uneasily.

"Don't worry! I'm done talking to Papa."

Pulling me by the hand again, Jeanne led me back to the girl.

To reassure her, Jeanne stroked the girl's head, causing her to close her eyes partially to enjoy the comfortable feeling.

"...Papa?"

Then she looked at me with eyes of anticipation.

"Oh, umm, sorry for making you wait."

I stroked the girl's purple hair and she smiled contentedly. Such innocent goodwill made me feel an involuntary surge of tender affection towards her. 

"iF Papa saYs so... cAlliNg mE Shion Zwei Shinomiya iS fIne."

"Really!?"

The one reacting in surprised joy was Shinomiya-sensei rather than me.

"tO BeGin, Shion... tHiS namE, i dOn'T haTe it."

"...!"

Extremely moved, Shinomiya-sensei covered her mouth and frantically turned around. She must be overjoyed that her younger sister's orphan had accepted this name.

"Then I'll start calling you Shion, can I?"

"Yes—but Mama, hAs to kEep cAlliNg mE Zwei."

The girl—Shion—nodded while telling Jeanne her wish.

"As you wish, Zwei."
[[image:UnlimitedFafnir v09 087.jpg|thumb]]

Jeanne smiled gently and accepted Shion's request.

"Mama, Papa!"

Holding hands with Jeanne and me, Shion swayed happily back and forth.

"—Mononobe-san, you have gained a wife and a daughter all of a sudden."

Having witnessed everything silently, Mica-san commented with amusement.

"P-Please don't make fun of me..."

"Fufu, my apologies."

Smiling while apologizing, Mica-san patted Shinomiya-sensei's shoulder while she had her back to us.

"Haruka, this is wonderful."

"...Yes."

Shinomiya-sensei replied, sounding like she was crying.

At this moment, perhaps I had finally brought her salvation.

—What about Mitsuki?

Mitsuki had been tormented the whole time ever since she executed the dragonified Miyako.

Praying that Shion's existence could turn into an opportunity for Mitsuki's salvation, I caressed the head of my innocently smiling "daughter."

Shion's hair, which used to be made of hard mithril, was now as smooth as silk and very soft.