Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 11 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 2===

"Phew..."

Looking up at the blue sky with scattered white clouds, I sighed.

Today the sky was clear with a very bright sun, but I avoided direct sunlight by staying in the shade of a fire escape staircase.

Although not as comfortable as being in an air-conditioned room, the breeze from the shore could still blow away the heat.

"How peaceful..."

Listening to unseen birds, I muttered poignantly.

Ever since NIFL imposed that inspection on Midgard—which could actually be called a war between the two sides—four days had passed since that major incident.

Although the landed NIFL troops withdrew after retrieving their destroyed unmanned weaponry, clear signs of battle still lingered everywhere.

But even so, Midgard had returned to peace. Compared to the time when Hekatonkheir attacked the island, things had calmed down much faster.

This was probably because the enemies were human this time, coupled with the fact that Midgard had not suffered any casualties.

Although I did not know what kind of aftermath handling and diplomatic activities Charlotte had to do specifically, the various superpowers apparently withdrew their demands to have Charlotte exert full control over human society using her authority.

Consequently, NIFL no longer had any urgency to take out Charlotte and they generously accepted Midgard's demands.

Midgard's demands mainly included compensation for the monetary damage incurred by NIFL's attack. Apart from that, there was the cessation of satellite monitoring too.

The eye in space looking down upon us from the sky should have changed its orbit already to watch a different scene.

"Oh—! Mononobe, so there you are!"

While I was looking out at the sky, I heard a voice from the landing above.

I looked up to see Iris staring down at me, slightly displeased.

"Jeez, Mononobe... Firill-chan is looking for you, y'know? Slacking off is not allowed."

Iris scolded me with arms akimbo. However, I already had an excuse prepared.

"I'm not slacking off—This is just taking a break. I did make dozens of trips between the entrance and the second floor already while carrying boxes filled with books."

I waved my exhausted arms and explained the necessity of rest to Iris.

Today, I was granted special permission to enter the girls dormitories. Since morning, I had been helping Firill move house the whole time.

Firill used her room as book storage and apparently lived in Lisa and Tia's room instead... Indeed, Firill's room was not a realm fit for human survival.

Rather than towers, the piles of books reaching the ceiling were more akin to walls that divided the cramped room into squares, turning the room into a labyrinthine space.

Although there were gaps large enough for a single person to pass through, accidentally touching a wall of books could cause a collapse, hence there was no guarantee of safety.

Gingerly as though handling explosives, I first disassembled the walls of books, packed the books into cardboard boxes, then moved them to the dorm entrance. I had done this dozens of times already—So many that I gave up counting.

To me, the only saving grace was that autonomous machines were in charge of transporting belongings from the girls dorm to Mitsuki's place. If I had to make trips to Mitsuki's dorm and back, I doubt even a week would be enough to move everything.

"Sigh... I-Is it that big of a job? It looks like it's still not over yet?"

Iris looked a bit intimidated.

"I think it's almost half done now... I should be finished by sundown or so."

"If you have the time, I'd like your assistance too... But it looks like I should hurry up with my part so that I can help you out instead."

I wanted to tell the wryly smiling Iris "that'd be a great help"—But to be honest, something else had been bothering me the whole time.

Iris was standing on the landing half a floor up—And I was looking up at her. Hence, no matter what, I would see her pale thighs between her skirt and her kneesocks. It seemed like I could even see under her skirt if I were to shift my angle.

"Umm, Iris..."

I felt guilty for staying silent, so I was going to tell Iris that she was currently standing at a bad location.

"What's wrong, Mononobe?"

However, just as Iris inclined her head in puzzlement, a gust of wind blew across the fire escape.

Her uniform skirt puffed out then the hem slowly flipped—

"Hyau!?"

Iris frantically used both hands to hold down her skirt hem. However, the pure white fabric under her skirt had already been imprinted clearly in my eyes.

Surrounded by an embarrassing and silent atmosphere, we stared at each other.

"......Mononobe, you're blushing."

Clutching her skirt hem tightly, Iris spoke quietly.

"No... You're the one who's blushing, Iris."

I was well aware that my face had gone red, but Iris also looked thoroughly red as though she had just taken a hot water bath.

"Did... you see it?"

"Well—Umm, I'm sorry."

Scratching my head, I apologized.

"Umm, you don't need to apologize..."

"...I don't?"

"No—Because it's you, Mononobe."

Seeing Iris nod shyly, I held my breath.

It was possible that my face was now redder than hers. Since it would be very embarrassing if she saw it, I pressed my hand against the side of my mouth.

"Well luckily, at least you're wearing it today."

I made a joke to regain composure. There was one time in the past when Iris had gone to school without remembering to wear panties.

"I-It's not like I forget to wear it every single day!"

Iris answered with a pout. The mood went back to normal—I smiled.

"Saying it like that makes it seem like you frequently forget."

"Ooh... You're so bad, Mononobe. The fact that you peeked at my y'know... I'm going to report it to Mitsuki-chan, got that?"

Blushing red, she stuck out the tip of her tongue and immediately opened the door to enter the building.

"Please let me off the hook."

"Fufu, just kidding. Then I'm going back first."

While Iris waved to me with a smile, I answered "okay."
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After seeing Iris off, I looked at the blue sky again. However, as soon as I saw a white cloud, the image of white fabric, imprinted on my retina, resurfaced in my mind, making it impossible for me to calm down.

"—Nothing else I can do. Time to head back too."

I originally wanted to take a longer break, but time was running out if getting things done before evening was the goal.

I went up the steel staircase and returned to the corridor of the second floor of the girls dorm.

My classmates from Brynhildr Class all had their rooms on this level. To observe whether their move was going well, I walked past and glanced at them.

The doors to rooms where the move was in progress were open. Cardboard boxes were piled up by the doors.

Lisa and Tia's room was already cleared out. Neither of them were in the room and were probably moving their belongings at the entrance.

Ariella and Ren were in the process of packing up a desktop computer's central processing unit. Since Ariella had mentioned that she had few belongings, it was probably Ren's.

—Sure enough, the girls with roommates were very fast at moving out.

Things were most likely okay on their end, but Iris roomed on her own.

Since she looked like she wanted help, I was very curious about her progress.

But as soon as I approached Iris' room, I instantly knew there was nothing to worry about.

"—Iris-san, you are too sloppy. Please categorize things properly and label the contents clearly on the outside of the boxes. Otherwise, it will turn into a mess when you unbox them, do you understand?"

"Umm, yes, I understand."

I could hear Mitsuki and Iris' voices from the room. I peered through the ajar door to see Mitsuki issuing directions to Iris.

It looked like she had coming over to help out Iris whose move was going slowly. Initially after making contact with me when her dragon mark was changing blue, Mitsuki had been feeling unwell, but she seemed to have recovered now. In that case, I guess I did not need to help Iris.

Although I hoped for assistance with Firill's move, since Jeanne and Kili's presence had not been disclosed to ordinary students yet, I could not ask them to come to the girls dorm to help out.

I went to Firill's room again—Or rather, her book repository.

Adjacent to the door on both sides were a great number of boxes for packing books.

According to Iris, Firill was apparently looking for me. Preparing myself to face her anger, I looked into the room.

However, I was greeted by a scene that was totally off from my expectations.

Things had improved greatly from the maze of books. Standing at the doorway, I was able to see the situation in the room. Firill was sitting squarely in the center of the room, reading a book in her hand.

"Sigh..."

Sighing, I entered the room. Firill looked up at me.

"Oh, Mononobe-kun—Sheesh, where did you go?"

"...I went for a 'self-directed break.'"

"In other words, slacking off, bad guy."

Firill pouted adorably.

Next, I pointed at the paperback in her hand.

"I apologize for that—But all things considered, I'm just here to help, right? You've got to do your part too, Firill."

Firill had been reading the whole time, contributing nothing at all. As a result, my burden was greatly increased.

"Hmm... I did intend to help out properly too, you know? It's just that I somehow got sucked in when I was taking a quick flip through an old book I've read before."

"Fine, you're forbidden from flipping through books during the move."

"No way—"

Firill expressed her discontent.

"Not allowed. I'm helping out voluntarily, so you have to obey my demands too."
[[image:UnlimitedFafnir v11 037.jpg|thumb]]

I declared with my arms akimbo, but for some reason, Firill looked confused.

"Eh? I did intend to reward you properly, you know?"

"R-Really...?"

Surprised, I asked in response.

Speaking of rewards from Firill, what flashed through my mind was the event on the volcanic island during the punitive expedition against Basilisk. To reward me for clearing up the conflict between Mitsuki and Lisa, Firill had brought Iris and the rest of the girls into the bath while I was using the hot spring.

"Oh, Mononobe-kun... Your face is turning red. Are you looking forward to something?"

Firill looked up at me with an alluring smile.

"Uh, it's not like that—"

"—Go ahead and look forward to it, Mononobe-kun."

When I denied in fluster, Firill interrupted me with a whisper as though telling a secret.

"Uh... What on earth are you planning to do?"

"Fufu, I'm still thinking. Go ahead and tell me if you want anything. I'll do anything no matter what."

With Firill's serious gaze upon me, I could not help but feel my heart pound faster.

"Anything no matter what... I don't think you should make such a promise so lightly, right?"

I used my rationality to drive away my surging delusions and feigned a calm expression while I warned Firill.

"Don't worry. I've already thought it through properly. I said it only because it's for you, Mononobe-kun, so don't worry."

These words unsettled me, causing me to avoid her gaze.

What surfaced in my mind was still the event on the volcanic island. Back then, I was in the hot spring, hugged by Firill in the nude. Recalling that soft and elastic sensation, my thoughts were scattered all over the place.

"E-Even if you say that suddenly..."

"That's why you should give it some thought. But if you don't hurry, I'll decide on my own."

Smiling mischievously, Firill placed the book she was holding into a box. The move resumed again.

"Oh okay..."

I nodded and picked up a cardboard box filled with books.

However, due to the wavering in my heart, I accidentally tripped over some books by my feet.

"Ack—"

I lost balance slightly and my shoulder leaned into a wall. Normally, this would not be a problem, but—The wall I had leaned into was made of books, towering up to the ceiling.

The books above collapsed and came down like an avalanche.

"Woah..."

Shocked, Firill looked up at the falling books.

"Firill!"

I put down the box I was carrying and used my body to shield Firill.

Many books fell on my back. As the weight increased, I could no longer stand and ended up falling towards Firill.

Boing, the instant my face was cushioned by something soft, my vision turned completely black.

Knowing that I was buried by books, I struggled under the heavy weight.

"Mmm..."

Next, I heard a sweet voice nearby for some reason. Due to my movement, the books on top of me fell left and right, lightening the load. Thus, I was able to escape from from the weight. I pushed myself up using my arms.

After I got rid of some books on top of me, a ray of light entered—I found Firill and I gazing into each other's eyes up close.

This posture looked as though I had pinned her down on her back. And where my face had been buried was the valley in her massive bust.

"...Thank you, Mononobe-kun. Another favor I have to return."

Blushing, Firill smiled.

"No, you don't have to. It was my mistake just now... You don't owe me anything."

Conscious of my own face going red, I shook my head stiffly.

"Really? But it's a rare chance—Then I'll first return the favor of helping me put my room in order."

With slight disappointment, Firill wrapped her arms around my neck with a seductive expression.

"...Firill?"

As I looked at her in puzzlement, Firill whispered to me in a sweet voice.

"What would you like to do, Mononobe-kun? If you don't hurry up and tell me, I will give you my treasured present."

Pulled by Firill's arms, I leaned closer in her direction. However, we were not face to face. My head rested on Firill's chest with her uniform ribbon against the tip of my nose.

"Hey, what are you doing—"

"Boys enjoy burying their face between boobs, don't they? I read that from a book before."

"W-What kind of book did you read!?"

When I asked that, Firill looked a little flustered.

"N-Not the dirty type, okay? Just ordinary shounen manga. Don't get the wrong idea."

"...So reading books of that kind is embarrassing."

I smiled wryly. Due to Firill's fluster, I regained my composure a little.

"Because—I do need to maintain a princess' dignity, you know?"

"In that case, doing this would be bad, right?"

I brought up the fact that we were pressed together intimately, but she shook her head.

"This is fine, since you are my prince, Mononobe-kun. By the way... Having selected me, Mononobe-kun, you must show more princely self-awareness. You need to take responsibility properly."

Seeing her serious gaze, I could not help but fall silent.

Although I wanted to retort, that would probably prompt Firill to proceed with an unexpected counterattack.

Changing the color of the girls' dragon marks and turning them into my kind through contact, this was beyond the point of no return. Although it was an emergency situation at the time, what I did was no different from how dragons turned Ds into mates. No longer considered Ds, the girls might not lose their powers even after reaching adulthood. If things really ended up like that, it would become very difficult for them to leave Midgard. It was possible that I had already warped their lives greatly.

"Firill... Umm—"

"You don't intend to take responsibility, Mononobe-kun?"

Seeing Firill a little worried, I shook my head to reassure her.

"No, that's not true. I touched you of my own will, Firill. I will take responsibility for all problems arising from that. I will also do everything within my power."

I asserted strongly and met Firill's gaze squarely. Next, her expression turned gentle as she spoke with a giggle.

"Oh, didn't you warn against lightly claiming you'll do anything?"

"...I'm not saying this lightly either."

"Really? ...Good to know."

Firill looked reassured then hugged my face tightly.

"Mmmph! W-Wait! Although I said I'd do anything, I still haven't sorted out all kinds of circumstances, plus I still need to discuss things properly with everyone—"

Sandwiched between her warm and soft breasts, I spoke hastily. The body warmth transmitted through her uniform and the girly fragrance filling my nose were making me lose my sanity.

Firill then loosened her hug and stroked the hair on the back of my head.

"Very well. Let's conclude here for today."

"...Thanks a lot."

Filled with embarrassment, I lifted my head from Firill's chest.

"However, you might be out of pondering time, you know? Oh, there's a bump there."

Firill warned while stroking my head. The bump was probably caused by a falling book. It was slightly painful to the touch.

"What do you mean by out of time—"

"...Resolution will not wait for you. Although straightening out this room is a lot of work... True trouble will come afterwards."

Firill cocked her head with a mixture of worry and anticipation.

"Afterwards?"

"Yes, Mononobe-kun. You are about to face an important choice. However, this burden might be a bit heavy for you right now... I will be assisting you. Rest assured."

Although Firill spoke with confidence, I still felt uneasy.

"What kind of choice?"

"—Secret. Revealing it now would be unfair. However... You'll understand if you give it a little thought."

Firill only gave me a cryptic answer.

In the end, no matter how I asked after that, Firill refused to give a clear answer. I tried thinking on my own but to no avail.

However, just as she predicted, after the girls finished their move from the girls dorm—It was going to turn into a time of tribulations.