Editing Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 5 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

A week after Kizuna returned to Ataraxia. Ataraxia separated from Megafloat Japan and moved from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. From here they planned to circle the African Continent and aimed towards Britain. They were looking for other megafloats while moving, but they didn’t find anything at all.

At the wall of the lab’s central control room, the surrounding of Ataraxia was projected. When looking at the panorama of every direction, it felt like oneself was Ataraxia itself. The blue sea had gentle waves, white clouds were drifting in the clear sky. As far as the eyes could see, not to speak of artificial objects, there wasn’t even any shadow of living organism that could be seen.

“There is still no response from other megafloats yet?”

Reiri asked Kei, but the answer was the same.

{None. We are calling to all directions for twenty four hours.}

Sense of danger was drifting in the whole of Ataraxia from how there was no contact with other megafloats. But the one who felt impatient the most was Kizuna.

“Shit-! Why is there no one replying? Just where in the world the megafloats of the other countries have gone!?”

This was incomparable with loitering around the ocean around Japan. They had sailed until this much distance. Even if they couldn’t confirm it by sight, there should be a good chance that they would come into contact with another country’s megafloat already.

“Calm down Kizuna. We won’t find anything even if you make a commotion.”

He certainly didn’t think that they would find other megafloats quickly. But the days where they didn’t pick up any noise continued, and his impatience and anxiety were becoming even bigger reluctantly.

“But, no response came at all even after this far. Don’t tell me……”

{There is no basis for this, so I don’t want you to take it seriously, but the possibility……that they had fought the AU and sunk down……couldn’t be denied.}

The bad premonition that Kizuna hesitated to say, was given shape by Kei with her letters. Having that possibility thrust before him, it felt like that possibility was approaching with a pressure like a fact.

However, Reiri faced the two with a calm attitude and reminded them.

“That too is nothing more than a guess. When people become impatient, they will have their wild delusions swell, whether to an extremely bad direction, or to an extremely good direction. Calm down.”

“I know that but……but if we don’t compensate our combat strength, we won’t be able to do anything when we arrive at Britain. It will be meaningless like that.”

Kizuna hit his fist to the wall.

“I……have the responsibility, to go save everyone even for a second faster.”

‘Yes. I came here by leaving behind everyone in the AU.

They told him to leave them behind and escape alone, Himekawa and Yurishia, and then Sylvia and Scarlet, he recalled their expressions. The other members of Masters whose figure he couldn’t confirm.

And then――Aine.

‘Is everyone made to fight like me in the Colosseum?’ When he thought that, his breath stopped and it felt like his chest was stabbed.

“Even while we are doing this, just what is happening to everyone……”

Besides just what was Aine thinking about and what was she intending to do? If she was actually only pretending to defect to the enemy, then she would save everyone and then return with a face as if there was nothing that happened. And then, she would abuse him with her poisonous tongue just like usual. He was having such a dream everytime.

“Kizuna……”

“Shit-! What should I do!?”

Reiri looked at the figure of her brother suffering and felt pain in her heart. She involuntarily almost dropped her mask as a strict commander.

But, she held on desperately to the mask that was covering her heart. She was burdened with Ataraxia, with Megafloat Japan, and in addition to this world. And then above all she had to protect Kizuna. And she could only do that by not giving him kind words or by not hugging him and letting him depend on her.

Reiri whipped her own heart and cheered herself.

“Then Kizuna. Do what you can do right now. Kei, you have work you want to request from Kizuna don’t you?”

Kei stared at Reiri with a little surprise, but she immediately ran her fingers through her keyboard.

{Yes. I want your feedback of the research department’s anti magic weapon.}

“Anti magic weapon?”

Suffering expression vanished from Kizuna’s face, in exchange he stared at Kei with eyes that were harboring question.

“We more or less tried them in actual combat in the Tokyo recapture operation but……is it about that?”

{Yes. Since then there are also improvements added, new weapons are also in the middle of development. First it will help us if you give your impression of using them in actual combat, and then also telling us your opinion regarding the new model.}

“……I understand.”

Kizuna exited the central control room together with Kei, and he headed to the research department’s evaluation and examination hall.

When they exited the research building, they rode a small commuter that was stopping at the entrance. Even though the place was called with the short name of Nayuta Lab, it consisted of a gathering of various facilities inside a vast ground. It would take time going by foot so this couldn’t be helped.

After riding the commuter for two or three minutes, they arrived at a wide place that was like an airfield. The gigantic hangar adjacent to here was the place where they carried out the preparation for the Tokyo recapture operation. In front of it there was a railgun which was longer than five meters in a half disassembled state left there, a maintenance staff member was working on it.

Even from afar, he could distinguish that the person was wearing the designated fatigue of Ataraxia high school’s technical research department. After all Kizuna was a student of the same high school.

Perhaps because the person had been working for a long time that it felt hot, or perhaps because of the weather now that was near the equator, the maintenance staff member had deliberately lowered the zipper that closed the clothes’ front. It was as if a fruit had its skin peeled, young and lustrous ripe fruits were spilling out from inside heavily. The breasts that were like a peeled white peach were supported by a black bikini.

Just when that girl was taking off the upper part of her wear and tied the sleeves on her waist, Kei drove the commuter. That girl got startled and turned around, when she looked at Kei’s figure, her expression became happy.

“Chief Shikina!”

She was a cute girl with how her expression was constantly changing. Perhaps because it became a hindrance to her work, her brown hair was tied up and fixed in place with a hair clip. She looked a little young, but she looked about the same age as Kizuna.

Her arms and waist were slender, she really didn’t look like a laborer that was maintaining a large weapon. She looked more fitting to sit in a stylish café while reading.

That girl took of her gloves while rushing near with a jog.

“What’s the matter Chief? So suddenly――”

Her face suddenly cramped and she stopped still.

“Co, Combat Department second year first group’s……Hida Eros.”

“Don’t call me a strange name as you please!”

“Kyaa!”

She ducked her head due to Kizuna who reflexively yelled angrily.

Kei took out a portable type keyboard and typed *pochi pochi* with both her thumbs. A window appeared in front of the girl and Kizuna.

{She is still a student of the high school section, but she is really a superior talent, so I have her working in the research department. Momo, introduce yourself.}

That girl coiled both her hands awkwardly while looking up at Kizuna with upturned eyes.

“Err, I’m from Ataraxia high school research department second year second group, Kurumizawa Momo.”

[[Image:Masou Gakuen HxH V05 BW 04.jpg|thumb]]

After the self introduction finished, it was as if she remembered something and wiped her forehead with a towel hanging down from her waist. Her skin was dyed in cocoa color from sunburn, but he guessed that she was fair-skinned in the beginning. Perhaps she was wearing running shirt previously when working, there were traces of a suntan like a school swimsuit distinctly remaining on her skin. The contrast of the sunburnt cocoa skin and the white skin was strangely sexy. It seemed that she noticed Kizuna’s gaze that she was fidgeting her body shyly.

“Recently there were a lot of times where the work was outside……before this I forgot to put on the sunscreen, and it left a distinct trace like this. It’s embarrassing……”

Each time she fidgeted her body, the voluptuous breasts wrapped in the black bikini were shaking like pudding.

‘――You aren’t embarrassed about having your upper wear taken off?’

Getting troubled of where he should look, Kizuna looked up to the sky to look for an escape place for his gaze.

“It’s obvious that you will get sunburnt with the sunlight this strong, isn’t that the proof that you put your work as the first thing seriously? You don’t have any need to feel shame for even a little, rather if I have to say it, on the contrary you look eroti……ah, no.”

Momo’s cheeks reddened and she patted around the railgun that was in the middle of maintenance shyly.

“Ge, geez, don’t make fun of me. Isn’t that right, Rogaa-chan?”

‘Ro, Rogaa-chan?’

“Ah, this child, I called him Rogaa-chan. Treat him well.”

Her smiling figure while caressing the steel barrel was like someone stroking her pet dog while introducing it.

“You gave it a name……”

He had heard that the research department had many peculiar people in a different meaning with the one at the combat department, but now he once again comprehended it.

“Aah, I too need to introduce myself. Combat department second year first group’s――”

“I know. Rather, I think there is no student that doesn’t know about you.”

‘Perhaps that was so. After all I’m standing out in various meanings……it’s not strange for Kurumizawa-san to know about me.’

“I’m told that you are the owner of a lust dozens of times than that of normal people, the devil that sucked the vitality of beautiful girls to obtain energy. Alias [Demon King Eros]. Everyday you change girl students in the combat department like someone changing clothes, and the combat department is changing into Eros’s harem or――”

“You ain’t know anything at alllllll! That’s just too cruel even for a false rumor!”

“Eh? It’s wrong?”

“Obviously! What Demon King Eros-! I know that everyone is talking whatever they like, but that’s the first time I heard that alias!”

Momo blinked her eyes as if she was startled from the bottom of her heart.

“But…..everyone is believing that though? Like, I heard that you are extremely fond of beautiful woman with especially high status……your particular favorites are the best three that are the cream of the crop whether in ability and beauty, Chidorigafuchi-san, Yurishia-san, and Himekawa-san, I heard the rumor that they are becoming the demon king Eros’s slave. The combat department is an amazing place isn’t it?”

“Rather, it’s your common sense that is doubtful here for believing a rumor like that!”

Kizuna sighed and once again stared at Momo from the top of her head until the tips of her toes.

“No, if I’m actually really that demon king Eros, then what are you going to do huh? Is it okay for you to expose that kind of stimulating appearance in front of me? Normally you are going to think that you are going to get assaulted by me won’t you?”

Momo tilted her head in a slump with a wondering face.

“Because, Ero――Hida-kun doesn’t have any interest except towards beautiful girls with high status, and excellent beauty and talent right? There is no way you are going to notice someone like me, so there is no need to feel scared.”

“……Is that so?”

For some reason he felt like nothing really mattered anymore. Just when he thought that perhaps he should go home already, Kei’s window was streamed with words.

{Momo is serving as the leader of the development of anti-magic weapon. The weapons used at the Tokyo recapture operation the other day were also the weapons Momo was in charge of. In order to capitalize of the test for the development from now on, we want the frank opinions from the battlefield. Feedback the experience of using the weapons and we will improve them even further from hereon.}

Recalling his original business, Kizuna straightened his back.

“Aah, I’m happy to cooperate if it’s for that……but”

When Kizuna took a glance at Momo, Momo leaned her body forward readily.

“Tell me by any means! Hida-kun is someone who participated in the Tokyo recapture operation, and right now you are the only returnee. For the sake of the development from here on, please tell me without fail about what kind of contribution was made by the weapon that I developed at Tokyo!”

Momo grasped both his hands and her eyes were shining with anticipation. Surely she had the confidence in the thing that she created herself. That expression had a close resemblance with an elementary student that wanted to be praised by her teacher.

Scratching his head while looking troubled, Kizuna spoke to emphasize something.

“I cannot say only things that will be pleasant to hear. I’ll do it if you’re fine with that.”

{Naturally. It will be meaningless if it’s not like that.}

Kizuna nodded and with a serious gaze he stared at the nervous Momo.

“Honestly, the weapons were not really usable.”

“――Eh?”

Momo’s cheeks cramped and twitched, her body stiffened.

“Certainly its effect towards the enemy had been heightened. I think that’s a great progress. But fundamentally we only used Heart Hybrid Gear’s own weapon. We are more familiar with them, on top of it the destructive power of the two cannot be compared in a large gap. In that case it’s more effective to use our own weapons.”

“Bu, but……you can use them as support weapons right? Just like the students of research department. Besides even Heart Hybrid Gear also needs auxiliary weapons.”

“Certainly, I think it’s better for the development to be progressed in that direction. But presently all of research department’s new weapons are large and heavy. Furthermore it consumed a large amount of electricity and bullets, so our equipment becomes even larger and heavier. Like that our mobility drops down strikingly. If even Heart Hybrid Gear is like that, then it will be even more difficult to be used by the common soldier.”

“Bu, but. It had effect towards the magic weapons right-? They defeated the enemy?”

“Yeah. We were able to defeat several with them. I think that’s amazing.”

“Waaa♪”

Momo raised a delighted voice and clapped her hands.

“But, the equipment was too heavy. Inside that chaotic battle, that mass and volume became nothing more than a shackle. There were also a lot of us that immediately threw them away after the first attack. Aine and Masters were using them for a while, but they ran out of bullets quickly. In that case, it also hurt that we couldn’t reload.”

Momo’s smile froze, her gaze dropped to her feet.

“Unfortunately, we cannot use them currently in various meanings. Of course there is a possibility. But, throwing them into real battle has a lot of problem. What’s left is, they are lacking in offensive power above all. Putting aside category-B magic weapon, they don’t have any bite toward A-class above and magic armor……eh, Kurumizawa-san? Is something wrong?”

Momo who cast her eyes down was murmuring to herself in mumbles.

“You……you didn’t need to say it like that……even though we had worked so hard……”

Momo’s body was shaking in small trembles. She surely had never imagined that she would be told of things like that. However she forcibly made a smile with a pale face and wrung out a trembling voice.

“Ri……right. Those were still in the middle of development after all……bu, but, enter inside! There is even miniaturized railgun that is in the middle of development right now!”

Momo trotted inside the door of the hangar and turned around at Kizuna.

Kizuna peeked at Kei’s countenance to confirm. Looking at Kei nodding expressionlessly, Kizuna followed after Momo and entered the hangar.

Inside was a workshop for new weapon development. The atmosphere was more like a large scale research room rather than calling it a workshop. Inside the clean and immaculate facility, small guns until large cannons were lining up orderly.

“Hey, Hida-kun. Look at this!”

What Momo introduced while spreading both her hands proudly was a new type railgun. Its shape was a combination of linear design and level surface. A part of the cover was taken off and the mechanism inside became laid bare.

“This is a railgun that was miniaturized until an assault rifle’s size you know? Its firing range is short, but it has the initial velocity of mach 2. In addition the warhead has been miniaturized so its portability is also good. His name is Chobi-chan.”

“As I thought it also has a name……”

Kizuna reached out his hand to the railgun. When he tried holding it, a profound weight rested on his arm. It would be fine if he was wearing his Heart Hybrid Gear, but for common soldiers this was severe.

“Certainly it has the size miniaturized, but this size is not including the battery isn’t it?”

“Ye, yes……the battery is outside the casing.”

A large box connected to the rifle with a cable was put on the floor.

“It’s going to be severe like this……how much destructive power it has? Can it break a magic weapon’s armor?”

“No, this is manufactured by pursuing the portability so……”

Kizuna put back the railgun and crossed his arms with a groan.

“Then it won’t be usable like that. Show me things that at least have an effect on the enemy.”

Her shoulders dropped a little, Momo then led Kizuna to the neighboring section.

“It’s this……I think. I called him Yuujirou-kun.”

“Suddenly it has a normal name! Rather, there is no explanation of what this is in the name!”

Looking at a glance, it was close to a large anti-material rifle. Its length was around two meters. It looked destructive from its appearance.

“You can pierce magic weapon’s armor using this. It has its output upped by 10% compared to what was used at Tokyo recapture operation. We also succeeded in reducing its weight for 20%.”

However this thing wouldn’t even move an inch when the one trying to carry it wasn’t wearing a Heart Hybrid Gear.

“How many bullets does it have?”

“There are five shots in its chamber. Later if it can be attached with a bullet belt……though for that, it will be heavier.”

“I see……at least it needs to be lighter by half, if not it will be too much a sacrifice in mobility. I also want you to think of how to carry it when it’s not in use. Only carrying it by hanging it on a belt will make us unable to move freely. Also there is a limit in the number of bullets we can carry, so there needs to be some kind of way. In its present state, it can only be used in limited situations. Perhaps it will be good to use as a fixed battery to stop the enemy in its tracks, but in that case a larger caliber will be better.”

Momo gritted her teeth while looking down.

“You……don’t keep saying anything selfish like that.”

Her voice was trembling.

“Even I, even the other staff, have been doing our best desperately you know? Do you think about what kind of feeling we had in making this!? You don’t know anything about our hardship!”

Momo’s eyes were wet with tears. Never would she have thought that she would be beaten down until this much. Looking from Momo’s view point, there was no mistaking it that she felt like she was thrown down by an unreasonable slander.

“You just keep complaining! Not usable, not usable, that’s not it, just think for yourself the way to use it skillfully. Even I’m working hard here!”

Kei’s window stood up in front of Momo.

{Momo, you must not say that. We are――}

However, for Momo whose blood was rushing to her head, those letters didn’t enter her eyes.

She had shaved off her sleeping time, repeated experiments many times over, before she managed to complete these weapons in the end of her hard work that was soaked in her blood. Even the magic weapons that once couldn’t be affected at all by mankind’s weapons had become something manageable with these weapons. She felt like her prided children who she had raised splendidly were made fun of.

“You guys are using them so nonchalantly, but you have never thought just how difficult it is to make them right? Before this weapon reached your hands just how much――”

Kizuna held back Momo in a panic.

“Wait, just wait. I’m just saying frankly my impression from using them in the battle. I’m not denying Kurumizawa-san’s effort or anything. But, in the practice we are the one who are actually using this. And then more than just using this, we are entrusting our lives to them. I have the responsibility to protect everyone’s lives. That’s why, there is no way I can irresponsibly line up sugared words. Understand that.”

However tears were still flowing from Momo’s eyes as she wrung out her voice.

“I don’t get it! Besides, even if you say everyone, there is no one anymore isn’t it! Even now your Heart Hybrid Gear doesn’t have any weapon, so you came here to look because you need it right! Don’t talk extravagantly here!”

“Wha……”

Those words gouged out Kizuna’s chest. His calmness left from his heart with loud footsteps.

Kei typed on her keyboard with a panicked state.

{Both of you, stop there. Your respective position w}

However Kizuna lost all restraints while Kei was typing.

“Yeah, that’s right! My Heart Hybrid Gear is just useless when everyone else is not here. Even those everyone right now are the enemy’s prisoners. All of this and that, everything is my responsibility! Yet despite so, I abandoned everyone and returned here alone! I was……everyone.”

“Eh……tha, that’s.”

Momo was overwhelmed by Kizuna’s dangerous look. That shock made Momo’s own rage shrink down and she recovered her calmness.

“I abandoned everyone who helped me and returned back here. Someone like me, who cannot do anything at all when alone, who doesn’t even have a proper weapon, this me!”

The man that was ridiculed as demon king Eros was throwing out the words of his heart with a really painful look.

“Tha, that, I, don’t mean……”

Momo regretted running her mouth carelessly. However, words that had been said once couldn’t be taken back. Not knowing what she should do, she could only get in dithers.

“We are fighting while gambling our lives. Are you making weapons with your lives on the line? Is this really the limit? It’s just as you said, right now Amaterasu and Masters are gone. There is already no one else but me. And then I cannot fight alone. That’s why, give me a weapon I can fight with! I beg you here! If not I cannot fight. I cannot save them! Even Aine!”

Momo felt like she was touching Kizuna’s heart directly. Fear, rage, regret, those things were transmitted to Momo’s heart.

And then, she also felt an unexpected shock from looking at Kizuna’s face that was almost crying.

Just from hearing the rumors, Amaterasu was like a gathering of monstrous superhumans. It was even the more for Kizuna who was the captain, she didn’t feel like he was really a living human. According to the character image created only from the rumors that the students said, he was exactly a monster.

That was why Momo, she had never even imagined that her words would make Kizuna this angered and hurt.

Kei pulled at Kizuna’s sleeve. Kizuna finally noticed this late of Kei’s text that was floating in front of his nose.

{Kizuna. Let’s stop here. There is another thing I want to show you. Follow me.}

“……Got it.”

He turned right-about face and headed to the entrance. Both of them exited from the door that Kei opened.

When Kizuna and Kei’s figure vanished, there was only Momo alone left inside the huge hangar. And then unable to sort her chaotic head, she stood stock still in a daze for a while.

Before long she lied down on the nearby bench and closed her eyes.

Even after time passed, her chaotic head and stirred up heart could not recover their calm.

But, she understood the thing that she had to do.

Momo woke up and declared to Kizuna who was not there.

“Fine then……I’ll prepare a method of fighting for you. And then I will make you……”

‘――a real Demon King, not just demon king Eros.’

She sat in front of the console of the development facility and slid her fingers on the touch panel. And then the trump card that was in the middle of development. The blueprint of the weapon that was prepared to be the strongest weapon in Ataraxia was opened.