Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 6 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 4===

Midgard was a remote island located south of Japan.

Compared to Firill's homeland that we visited before—the Principality of Erlia in Europe—it was not that far away from Japan.

Hence, we took a long-distance transport helicopter directly from Midgard to Japan, but—

"Ooh... I have had enough of this."

Lisa remarked irritably inside the cramped helicopter cabin. The propellers were noisy and even sitting next to Lisa, I could barely hear her voice.

With four of us sitting against each side of the wall, we waited quietly to reach our destination.

Sitting on the opposite row of seats, Mitsuki and the others showed weariness on their faces.

Without large windows inside the cabin to offer a view of the outside scenery, there was a strong sense of isolation. The frequent vibrations caused our arms to shake, making it impossible to kill time through reading.

Even so, Firill still tried to read a book in the beginning, but since that would definitely result in airsickness, I confiscated her book for the time being. My decision was probably correct since she had quickly gotten seasick on a ship.

"Last time's helicopter ride was clearly much more comfortable..."

Sitting on my left, Iris said in boredom.

"Because this is a military transport used by NIFL as well. Unlike civilian transports, comfort is not a consideration, but we'll probably get there soon. Iris, Lisa, just hang in there a bit longer."

Checking the time on my portable terminal, I encouraged the two girls.

We should be almost there. I was still part of NIFL not too long ago, so I was already used to this kind of uncomfortable transport. However, it must be quite a harsh experience for Iris and the other girls.

Most likely, the principal prioritized ''speed'' above all else despite knowing this. Time might be more pressing than I imagined.

I sighed at the sight of my left arm in the cast.

I must not repeat that mistake ever again.

Looking at Lisa's delicate neck while she was sitting on my right, I warned myself.

Controlled by Yggdrasil, I had strangled Lisa's neck, trying to suffocate her. Had the principal not arrived to the rescue, things might have developed past the point of no return.

"...What is it?"

Noticing my gaze, Lisa asked in puzzlement.

"Oh, nothing much... Umm, your neck—I was worried whether any marks were left behind."

Despite feeling embarrassed, I still answered Lisa.

"You still feel guilty about what happened? I'm fine already. Although the finger marks stayed for a while, they're all gone by now."

Lisa replied in exasperation. Her reply was drowned out by the propeller noise. Apart from me, no one heard her.

"I see, that's good to hear."

I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"By the way, just to be clear... Even if marks were left behind, I would not resent you, okay?"

"—I know, because you're so nice, Lisa."

I nodded and smiled wryly but Lisa blushed in embarrassment.

"What!? W-What do you mean by nice? It's not like that, it was simply my own carelessness... You're the one who is nice."

"Huh? Me?"

I was surprised to hear this unexpected response.

"For my sake, you accepted this job to play the part of a couple and even worried this much about me... You are too nice, it's so unfair."

For some reason, Lisa's tone of voice sounded a bit angry.

"No, but playing a couple was part of the deal when you agreed to listen to my troubles, right?"

"Indeed that is true, but even without any terms of exchange, upon seeing me in trouble, you would have agreed to my request either way, right?"

"Well... I guess I would've agreed."

If Lisa really was in trouble, I could not leave her without assistance.

"That is why I'm calling you nice, and because you are such a nice person, I—"

Lisa gazed at me with moistened eyes. Due to the propeller noise, I could not hear what she said at the end.

Then just like that, Lisa rested her head against my shoulder.

"L-Lisa?"

Feeling my heart rate rise, I called her name.

"I feel a bit sleepy. Lend me your shoulder."

"You can sleep in this kind of noise?"

"Indeed, as long as I have my lover's body warmth."

Lisa smiled gently and closed her eyes.

"What—"

"Just kidding."

With her eyes closed, Lisa replied with laughter in her words.

Then she really slept peacefully for real.

Next, someone tugged my clothing from the left side.

I looked over to meet gazes with the pouting Iris.

"What are you and Lisa-chan talking about?"

"U-Umm... Nothing important."

Discussing whether I was nice or not—This sounded too embarrassing, I could not say it out.

"Hmph... Mononobe, you really seem like a real couple with Lisa-chan."

Iris made a jealous look. Then looking at Lisa who was sleeping on my shoulder, she leaned against my other shoulder too.

"Hey, Iris?"

"I'm sleeping too, Mononobe, so don't move."

Saying that, Iris closed her eyes.

With Iris and Lisa leaning against me on both sides, I could not move. Giving up, I served obediently as their pillow.

But suddenly feeling gazes from the front, I looked up.

Seated opposite to us were Mitsuki, Tia and Firill, glaring coldly in my direction.

Although they were showing scary expressions on their faces and seemed to be saying something, I could not hear them due to the propeller noise.

"T-This can't be helped..."

I knew my voice could not reach them but still defended myself and stiffly avoided their gazes.

Ignoring us, Ren and Ariella simply stared into space with frozen expressions.

It was roughly half an hour later when an internal line announced that we had reached the destination.



The helicopter landed on a helipad on the roof of a high-rise building somewhere.

Ending the long journey, we dragged our weary footsteps and got off the helicopter. It was currently 10pm at night. Since the longitude here was similar to Midgard's, there was virtually no time difference.

This was probably the Asgard laboratory located in the Tokyo Bay area. Rows of undecorated pure white buildings surrounded this building, reminiscent of a hospital.

The helicopter instantly flew away after we disembarked. According to Shinomiya-sensei, it was apparently flying to a nearby NIFL base to refuel.

"Kyah!"

A strong gust of wind blew, causing Iris to hold down her hair. Compared to Midgard, the air temperature was much lower, but not to the point of chilliness. My sense of seasons had numbed due to being on a tropical island, but now that it was September, Japan was entering autumn.

The sun had already set in the west. Illuminated by bright streetlights the sky showed a murky purple-red hue. With almost no stars visible, there was only the moon hanging high in night sky with the occasional aircraft lights crossing back and forth. The scenery on the shore was hidden behind deep darkness.

But just by turning my gaze inland, I was instantly greeted by a magnificent scenery of the night. Red lights flashed on the roofs of high-rise buildings. Countless dots of light leaked out from windows, decorating the brightness of urban areas. Rows of connected lights were surely headlights from cars driving on highways.

—This is Tokyo.

My hometown was farther inland. Besides, I had already lost all memories prior to three years ago, so I had no recollection of this scenery, but for some reason, a hint of emotion resembling nostalgia flashed across my heart.

"I only visited Tokyo a few times when I was young, but even so, there is this feeling like returning to my hometown."

Mitsuki seemed to be feeling similar emotions while she remarked with a wry smile.

"Well, it's because we've already left Japan for three years. We'll still feel this way even if it's not a city where we lived."

While looking out at the stars twinkling on the ground, powered by electricity, I concurred with Mitsuki.

In contrast to the city center's dazzling brightness, the reclaimed land on shore was only sparsely illuminated. Many facilities were probably deserted during the night.

"Tia is so happy to come to the country where Yuu was born!"

Tia was originally feeble when she first got off the helicopter, but had recovered her vitality now, bouncing around energetically.

"But by the way... No one came out to receive us."

Lisa looked around. Her long blonde hair was fluttering in the strong gust of evening breeze.

On this roof equipped with a helipad, the only people visible were Shinomiya-sensei and the students of Brynhildr Class.

"Do we have to enter on our own?"

Firill pointed at the stairwell leading to the building's interior.

However, Shinomiya-sensei shook her head.

"No, they said someone will lead the way when I contacted them from the helicopter. Let's wait a while longer."

"...Who will it be?"

Ariella commented quietly.

Ren clutched Ariella's clothing tightly, showing an even more nervous expression than on the helicopter.

Then the stairwell's door finally opened and a man in a lab coat jogged over to us.

"Oh my, sorry about that. I'm late because there was a bit of work I had to finish."

The man scratched his messy hair apologetically, his stubble-covered face smiling.

Ren's expression became stiff the moment he appeared. I did not miss this change.

"I knew it..."

Ariella gnashed her teeth and glared at him sharply. She was giving off aggressive emotions akin to killing intent, causing the mood to tense up.

—Was this someone they knew?

I was intrigued by Ren and Ariella's reactions.

"No, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to receive us. I am Shinomiya Haruka, Midgard's commander and their homeroom teacher. As the leader of the group this time, I am accompanying these students, Mononobe Yuu most of all."

Shinomiya-sensei greeted and extended her hand to the man.

"I am Miyazawa Kenya, the director of this laboratory. Nice to meet you."

Then man introduced himself and shook hands with Shinomiya-sensei.

Miyazawa, the same family name as Ren. Since it was not a rare name, it could be coincidence, but Ren and Ariella's reactions did not seem to be directed towards someone they were meeting for the first time.

Also, I seemed to have heard the name Miyazawa Kenya somewhere before...

"Miyazawa Kenya... Is that not the author of the paper on Ether Wind? If that is the case..."

Mitsuki asked in surprise then glanced in Ren's direction.

Her words prompted me to remember.

In the initial battle against "Yellow" Hraesvelgr, no attacks worked. In order to find a strategy to break through the impasse, Mitsuki had found a paper on Ether Wind written by someone named Miyazawa Kenya.

"Yes, I am. And you are?"

"Forgive me for the late introduction. I am Mononobe Mitsuki, captain of the Dragon Subjugation Squad."

Mitsuki lowered her head and bowed, greeting him.

"Mononobe Mitsuki... I see, you are the one with antimatter... I remember you called me during the battle against Hraesvelgr, but I only heard about it after the fact. Unfortunately, due to the timing, I could not answer your call. My utmost apologies."

"No, not at all... The paper alone was enough to inspire me greatly."

"I am very happy to hear that. Since you are here, that means... The girl who can use 'Catastrophe' is present too?"

Miyazawa Kenya swept his gaze over us after saying that.

"—Oh, that would be me."

Iris timidly raised her hand.

"Wow, what unexpected fortune. If possible, may I collect some data?"

"Eh... Well, if there's time."

Miyazawa Kenya's eyes shone with excitement. Intimidated by him, Iris answered vaguely.

"Then you have my thanks. Next—Mononobe Yuu and Tia Lightning, I presume?"

This time, Miyazawa Kenya turned his gaze to Tia and me and confirmed with us.

"You know about us?"

Seeing subtly different emotions in his eyes compared to earlier, I asked with concern.

"Although I don't know your faces, I could tell at a glance. I've always wanted to see you, the only male D and the one who successfully replicated 'Antigravity' and 'Ether Wind,' as well as the girl who was given horns through biogenic transmutation."

He leaned towards us in excitement.

"This man... feels so scary."

Frightened by his forcefulness, Tia hid behind my back.

"Oh sorry, I'm a bit overexcited. But I strongly hope you could assist in my research. Especially your Ether Wind, which might turn out to be a trump card for opposing Yggdrasil."

He stared at me and said.

"Well, that's what we came here for, but why Ether Wind—"

"I'll explain that in detail later. First things first, all of you must recover from the fatigue of long-distance travel. I'll take you to your rooms and the dining hall first."

Saying that, Miyazawa Kenya walked to the stairwell. We were just about to follow when a sharp voice pierced the night breeze.

"Wait."

I looked closer to see Ariella glaring at him in fury.

"What is it?"

"...That's all?"

Ariella questioned him in a low voice. Ren stood by Ariella's side with her head down.

"Hmm...? Aren't you Ariella? And Ren too—So you two came as well."

Ren's shoulders shook.

"In other words, you didn't notice until now? How uninterested in us you must be."

Ariella spoke with a strong tone of sarcasm and hostility.

Not knowing the backstory, Iris and the rest of us could only look at one another awkwardly, but Mitsuki and Shinomiya-sensei's faces showed worry instead of a troubled expression. Perhaps the two of them knew something about Miyazawa Kenya's relationship with Ariella and Ren.

"No, it's not like that. I am very happy for a reunion after so long. But why did you come here? You two are not needed this time."

While we watched, he posed this question with an expression on his face as though he found it unbelievable from the bottom of his heart.

Listening with her head bowed, Ren clenched her tiny fist.

"—!"

In that instant, Ariella kicked the ground.

Closing in with merely one step, she swung her fist sharply in a powerful stride.

Mitsuki and the rest of the girls could not react because Ariella's movements were too fast.

Only I made it in time.

Before Ariella's attack aimed at Miyazawa Kenya's face could land, I caught her fist from the side.

A monotonous thud. I felt a wave of numbness on my right palm.

It was a heavy and acute punch. Ariella had exhibited expert martial arts before. She must have trained somewhere before.

"Calm down, Ariella. I don't know the story but violence is not good behavior."

"..."

Ariella gnashed her teeth and withdrew her fist, but she still glared at him.

Staring blankly at Ariella, Miyazawa Kenya asked without any visible surprise:

"—Are we done? Then let me take you all inside."

He turned around and walked to the stairwell.

Without a doubt, Ariella seriously wanted to punch him, but he was completely unfazed.

He could dodge even if I did not intervene—That did not seem to be the case. Judging from the way he walked, he did not seem versed in martial arts.

"Still the same as always... It doesn't mean anything to him. Whether getting beaten by me—or anything to do with Ren."

Ariella muttered in chagrin. Ren approached her and gripped her sleeve tightly.

"What the heck is going on?"

I kept opening and closing my still-numbed right hand while asking Ariella and Ren.

"Oh—Sorry, Mononobe-kun. Thank you for stopping me. I did something pointless and almost caused trouble to everyone."

Ariella smiled wryly and apologized to me.

"No, it's fine..."

I shook my head to tell her I did not mind. Glaring at Miyazawa Kenya's back as he receded into the distance, Ariella spoke:

"Legally speaking, I am his adopted daughter."

"Huh?"

This sudden confession made me speechless.

"And Ren is his daughter by blood, but we are not family with him. Because he has never tried to be a father to Ren."

Ariella continued to glare at his back, speaking in a fierce tone of voice.

Led by Miyazawa Kenya, we entered the lab through the stairwell then took an elevator to the guest rooms on the eighteenth floor—

Based on the elevator display, this building seemed to have twenty floors.

After we settled into our assigned rooms with our luggage, we were taken to the staff dining hall in the lab.

The dining hall seemed to be self-service. Everyone picked their preferred menu items, picked up their food then took a seat, but the atmosphere was very heavy. This atmosphere had hung around ever since Ariella's reveal.

However, only Miyazawa Kenya seemed unfazed. On his own, he continued to explain the interior of the facility.

"This is an ID card for guests, which also serves as a room keycard, so please take the card that corresponds to your own room. This ID card gives access to the eighteenth floor where the guest rooms are, the tenth floor where this dining hall is located, as well as the ground floor's entrance lobby. You can come and go as you like. I basically won't interfere in your movements, because I wouldn't have granted access to anywhere I don't want you to go in the first place."

After saying that, he placed numbered ID cards on the table. The cards were otherwise unadorned.

Once we had picked up our respective cards, he stood up.

"—So, I'm leaving first because I've already eaten. Despite appearances, I'm very busy. I'll come pick you up once you're done with the meal. The battle plan against Yggdrasil will be explained in the conference room after that."

Then without waiting for our answer, he quickly left the dining hall.

Since he was no longer around, the mood eased up somewhat.

Originally glaring at him, Ariella took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

Due to Ren looking downwards, I could not see her face.

"Then let us begin."

Sitting next to me, Mitsuki announced and we began our meal.

"—So you already knew that Miyazawa Kenya is Ren's father?"

While eating my pork tenderloin cutlet set meal, I quietly asked Mitsuki.

"I already knew beforehand that Ren's father is named Miyazawa Kenya, the scholar who wrote the Ether Wind paper. However, I did not know that he is the director of this lab or about his relationship with Ariella-san and their complicated past."

Mitsuki took a sip of miso soup and answered.

"What happened between him and Ren and Ariella...?"

I whispered while glancing sideways at those two while they were eating.

"You would have to ask them directly."

"I guess you're right... But let's not ask that for the time being."

I smiled wryly to Mitsuki and shook my head.

Ariella had not said a word since what happened earlier. I could tell that she refused to let us pry further. Although Ren was silent as usual, she looked quite unsettled inside.

Given the current mood, trying to get to the bottom of the matter now would truly give one pause.

"Hey Mitsuki-chan, he said we could come and go as we like. Can we go sightseeing?"

As though trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere, Iris asked Mitsuki in a cheerful voice.

"—Shinomiya-sensei, what do you think?"

After thinking briefly, Mitsuki sought Shinomiya-sensei's judgment.

"Please be aware that we are not here for fun. We are currently here to carry out a combat operation against Yggdrasil."

"Y-Yes... I'm sorry."

Hearing Shinomiya-sensei's harsh words, Iris apologized timidly.

"But plans are not yet set. Whether there are days for free time will depend on the schedule. I will consider it based on the situation at the meeting after dinner."

"Oh—That's wonderful! Thank you, Shinomiya-sensei!"

"I'll say this upfront. Don't get your hopes up. It's better if you think of it as a bonus if you do get it."

Although Shinomiya-sensei issued a reminder to the overjoyed Iris, she was also showing signs of a smile on the corners of her lips.

"Nii-san, perhaps we might be able to visit home."

Mitsuki said happily to me.

"Yeah..."

I smiled stiffly and nodded in response.

If I had to be honest, I wanted to avoid it as much as possible due to the risk of my memory loss coming to light if I came into contact with our parents. But I already felt guilty about missing the chance to greet them during the school festival, so I could not refuse.

BOOM!

At this moment, there was a sudden explosion, shaking the entire building. The windows in the dining hall kept vibrating.

"Eh... What happened?"

"An explosion...?"

Firill looked around in puzzlement while Lisa frowned, not knowing what was going on.

"Yuu, look! Outside the window!"

Tia pointed at a window in the dining hall.

Although it was hard to tell from the darkness, there was a plume of dense smoke rising.

The alarm began to sound and the surroundings suddenly got noisy. Armed security guards rushed past in the hallway outside the dining hall.

I stood up from my seat and approached the window. The others followed.

"Looks like... it's no simple fire."

Looking through the window, at the dense smoke rising from the bottom part of the building, I commented.

If this were a fire, they would announce directions and prioritize evacuation. But since they had mobilized armed guards rather than make an announcement, chances were high that this was an external attack, or rather, an invasion.

"Everyone, please remain here on standby before the situation is clarified. But as a precaution against all kinds of situations, materialize your fictional armaments first."

Shinomiya-sensei issued orders to us who were panicking.

"Understood—Brionac!"

Mitsuki instantly responded and created her fictional armament of a bow.

"Caduceus!"

Iris summoned her fictional armament after Mitsuki.

Fictional armament—Siegfried.

I also generated my fiction armament with the appearance of an ornamental gun.

With bated breath, everyone looked out the window.

Next, something suddenly flew out of the dense smoke

It was a shadow rising towards the sky with a tail of red flame—

"Just now... What was that?"

Ariella asked in amazement but no one could answer the question.

Since it happened for such a brief instant, I could not capture the object's appearance clearly either.

But when I looked at the gradually receding red flame, I noticed the object was turning around high in the sky and coming towards us.

"M-Mononobe! It's heading here!"

Iris shook my shoulders in a panic.

"Get away from the window, everyone!"

At Mitsuki's orders, we all kept our distance from the window. Just at that moment, the descending flame stopped outside the window.

Only then did we realize the shadow's true identity.

Wrapped in burning red flames, using them as a means of propulsion to hover in the air was a girl with long fluttering black hair. In addition, there was a blond young man hugging her waist.

I knew their names.

"Kili... and John?"

Overcome with surprise, I called their names.

The black-haired girl was Kili Surtr Muspelheim, the leader of the dragon cult, the Sons of Muspell. At the same time, she was also a D who was deemed a disaster.

The young man was named John Hortensia. Back when I was part of NIFL and the captain of the special forces team named Sleipnir, he was the sniper under my command.

I had heard from my former commanding officer, Major Loki, that John had been abducted in the Principality of Erlia. It turned out that they really were together.

Kili smiled proudly on the other side of the window as soon as she made eye contact with me.

Immediately, the window glass glowed red from heat and melted like candy. Kili's specialty was using dark matter to generate ''heat''. Most likely, she had used high temperature to melt the window glass.

Carrying heat and a burnt smell, the wind blew in through the hole in the melted window glass.

"—Yuu really is here. Your ''eyes'' are amazing indeed."

Kili landed on the window frame and said to John.

"Like I said, I cannot possibly miss the captain's figure."

Despite answering proudly, John looked somewhat unimpressive because he was still clinging to Kili's waist. But since he was still suspended in midair, he could not just let go.

"Why are you two here...?"

I asked this question in surprise. Kili turned her gaze to me and smiled.

"We are searching for something. Currently, we are searching every Asgard lab and NIFL base in Japan."

"What... Then you caused the explosion just now?"

"Yes, we made an emergency escape because we were discovered. We were planning to escape just like that, but because Jeanne-chan said she saw you—"

"Hey Kili!"

John cried out frantically.

"...Jeanne-chan?"

Hearing Kili, I frowned in puzzlement.

"Oh sorry, I made a mistake. Speaking of which, your name is John."

Kili spoke suggestively while John gnashed his teeth, looking like he was holding his anger back.

"I'll make you pay later..."

"Fufu, how scary. I won't get it wrong again, so please forgive me—John."

Kili replied gleefully.

Watching their interactions, I felt troubled.

"You two seem to be getting along quite well. I heard from Major Loki you were abducted by Kili... Don't tell me that you're working with Kili voluntarily, John?"

"T-That's a misunderstanding! Captain! This bitch took me away by force... Although it's true I'm currently assisting her, I'm not getting along with her at all—"

Stuttering, John tried to explain the story.

But many footsteps approached from the hallway then security guards rushed into the dining hall.

"Freeze! Surrender now!"

The guards pointed guns at them and issued a warning.

Judging from their equipment, they might be soldiers sent from NIFL. As an international organization, Asgard's premises were not bound by Japanese laws. If necessary, they could shoot without hesitation.

However, even if that was the case, their opponents were not to be underestimated this time.

"Shut up."

Kili glared at them. Instantly, the guns in their hands glowed red-hot and melted like the window just now.

"Uwah!?"

The guards hastily let go and the guns fell to the ground. Then the gunpowder inside exploded.

This was Kili's Muspelheim. By spreading dark matter, too small to be seen by the naked eye, throughout space, this method of fighting allowed her to generate high temperatures at will without any preparatory motion.

"With people in the way, we'll talk next time. Since you're in Japan, there will be other opportunities."

Saying that, Kili stepped on the window frame and jumped into the air.

"H-Hey!"

"Seeya."

Giggling, Kili waved goodbye and flew high in the air, taking John with her.

Even Kili and John had come to Japan...

Watching the trail of red flames, I felt a premonition that an even bigger storm was brewing.