Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 11 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 5===

"It's been so long since I last returned to this room..."

I sat down at my desk and looked at the room emotionally.

After dinner, everyone started moving their belongings to their new rooms and I helped them out too.

However, because there was not enough time to move all the luggage, we prioritized necessities and left the rest for tomorrow. The majority of Firill's books remained in the entrance hall.

I leaned against the back rest. My entire body was fatigued and I still had to work hard tomorrow.

"Let's sleep earlier tonight."

Muttering to myself, I stood up. At that moment, I touched the table with my hand—But something felt off.

"...There's no dust accumulated."

Ever since setting off for Japan after the school festival, I had not returned to this room. Upon my return to Midgard, I had been quarantined in Charlotte's room the whole time.

Even though my room had been unoccupied for a month or so, the furniture and bed were very clean and tidy.

After looking elsewhere in the room, I discovered other things that felt odd.

There were subtle changes in the positioning of small articles. The air itself in the room felt different too.

Holding the master key, Mitsuki might have entered to clean and tidy, but if that were the case, the bed should be untouched.

Did she straighten out the sheets when coming in to clean?

Just as I cocked my head, confronted with this incomprehensible situation, I heard knocking from my door.

"Hmm...?"

When I walked to the door, wondering who it was, Vritra entered the room without permission. She was wearing a black dress.

—Speaking of which, I definitely had not locked the door.

Since I had been living in this dorm with only Mitsuki until now, I had not developed much of a habit of locking my door. This was something I must pay more attention to from now on.

"Hmph, it seemeth there are no others present."

After looking around the room, Vritra walked up to me.

"What do you want, Vritra?"

Seeing Vtritra confirm that we were alone in the room, I asked slightly warily. Vritra pouted with displeasure.

"—'Twould be thee instead. Dost thou not have reason to seek me out? I... have behaved strangely on numerous occasions, yes? Thou ought to be very curious."

"Behaved strangely...? Like glaring at me many times and suddenly losing your temper?"

After I asked in confusion, Vritra nodded with satisfaction.

"Hmph, thou noticed after all. Just like in manga—human thought processes are very simplistic. I shall make one correction. When I claimed to hate thee last time, that was not true."

"R-Really?"

"Indeed. How now? Art thou happy?"

It was a bit annoying to see Vritra ask me that while inexplicably showing a proud expression all of a sudden—Whatever, let's not make a fuss for now.

"Well... If I had to pick between happy and unhappy, I guess it's still happy. I can't help it if you dislike me, but that's quite tiring."

"Fufu, in other words, thou currently feelst gratitude and goodwill towards me. That implies a deepened relationship. In that case, thou shouldst place thy full trust in me. From this point onwards, no matter what I ask, answer honestly without question."

Vritra spoke in full confidence but I began to correct her.

"No, calling it a deepened relationship... is a bit too much."

"W-What!? Is it still insufficient!? Hmph... How unexpected. In that case, 'twould mean I must resort to more advanced methods recorded in those books..."

Vritra made a surprised look and kept murmuring to herself.

"What the heck is going on? Did something happen recently?"

I asked with a frown. However, Vritra ignored my question and instantly took off her black dress.

"Wha!?"

Vritra's sudden undressing action made me exclaim in surprise. She still had camisole under the dress, so she was not naked, but this was not a respectable appearance to be seen by others in public.

Behind the sheer fabric, I could catch faint glimpses of panties and things I was not supposed to see.

"Though circumstances force my hand, I permit thee to do unto this stand-in everything thou desirest. Come, do not hold back, touch me. Male-female intercourse is not merely reproductive behavior for ye humans but also the deepest level of interaction, is it not?"

Vritra spread her arms and stood there with a "come at me." Her attire was very dangerous, but how should I put it...? I did not feel the slightest thing that could be called arousal. Thanks to that, I was able to stay relatively calm.

"...In other words, you want us to get along better, Vritra?"

That was the conclusion I had deduced from what she had said so far.

Vritra showed an expression that seemed to read "you finally understand me" and smiled happily.

"Indeed, that is so! I wish to hold a candid discussion with thee in preparation for the arrival of the ninth calamity. This is essential."

"The ninth calamity..."

"Hast thou forgotten what Yggdrasil's successor and I have said?"

Seeing me troubled by her sudden bringing up of the matter, Vritra frowned.

"No, of course I remember. All the dragons we've been fighting so far were counterdragons that came into being in order to resist the great calamities that would mess up the world... There is a possibility that I am the ninth counterdragon—Neun. Is that right?"

While we were taking refuge underground of Midgard, I had learned about dragons from Tia and Vritra.

However, NIFL's invasion, Ariella's betrayal and the battle against Major Loki had me totally occupied with the crises at hand, pushing dragon matters off to a corner of my mind.
[[image:UnlimitedFafnir v11 079.jpg|thumb]]

"Indeed—I used to dismiss this possibility as very unlikely, but after witnessing thy use of Hraesvelgr's authority in battle, I have changed my mind. 'Tis likely without doubt that thou art the ninth counterdragon holding the authority for opposing the ninth calamity."

"Well... I already suspected whether I was a dragon or not back when I marked Iris and the others. However... I don't actually know much about the ninth calamity or my own authority."

After I said that while scratching my head, Vritra made a critical look.

"Thou art truly... calm."

"Hmm... Is this situation already urgent? Then I'd better call the others to discuss—"

Seeing Vritra's reaction, I made a suggestion but that made her flustered instead.

"N-Not necessary, it is not that urgent yet! Thou needst not contemplate the matter nor unsettle the others by mentioning it. Nevertheless, simply as a precaution ahead of time,, I wish to establish a relationship of trust between thee and I."

It looked like the ninth calamity was not urgent or imminent.

Relieved, I placed my hand on Vritra's head.

"—Got it. In that case, let's have a heart to heart chat."

While patting her gorgeous black hair, I smiled at her.

"Wow! It finally came to this! Fufu... How unbelievable. I wonder if my past self had felt this same sense of reliability when fighting alongside Kiskanu back then...?"

Vritra obediently allowed me to pat her head. Closing her eyes partially, she hugged me at the waist with emotion.

Two sizes smaller than Kili, Vritra had a fairly high body temperature. I could clearly feel her warmth and softness through our clothing.

"H-Hey, Vritra?"

"I felt repulsed by it earlier, but now, it feeleth that allowing thee to do as thou pleasest with this stand-in would not be unpleasant. Come, let us deepen our trusting relationship!"

"W-Wait! There's no need to go that far, is there!?"

"Still not enough. 'Twould trouble me if thou did not trust me further. Let our bare skin overlap, turning thee into my captive, then develop a strong obsession and dependence on me. With that, thou shalt never betray me."

"That's not trust! It's something else!"

I retorted while Vritra pulled me. Despite her small size, she was very strong.

Even though it was just a stand-in, this body probably had very high physical strength.

—Knock knock

At that moment, I heard another knocking at the door.

Vritra and I froze on the spot and looked towards the door.

"Are you free, Nii-san?"
 
It was Mitsuki's uncertain voice.
 
"...!?"

With Vritra in a camisole before my eyes, I instantly understood. This was undoubtedly a huge crisis.

I thought Vritra would not care about something like this, but for some reason, she seemed very agitated too, murmuring "no way, why did it have to be her in particular—" Was she worried about having to write repentance essays like Kili...?

"...Nii-san, I am coming in, alright?"

Without hearing an answer, Mitsuki announced. Just as when Vritra had entered without permission, the door was not locked.

I picked up Vritra's petite body and placed her on the bed—Then I covered her with the sheets. Next, I picked up the dress she had taken off and stuffed it under the sheets too.

"Hmm, what art thou doing—"

"Please, just keep quiet for a while."

I whispered quietly to the grumbling Vritra. To hide the bulge under the shees, I sat down on the side of the bed.

At that very moment, the door oopened and Mitsuki entered the room.

"—Oh you are here, Nii-san. Answer me, at least."

Mitsuki looked at me disapprovingly.

"Uh, sorry, I'm a bit sleepy."

"Oh... My apologies, Nii-san. Go ahead and rest while I take care of a certain matter swiftly."

After apologizing, Mitsuki entered the washroom for some reason.

What on earth was going on? I frowned.

Hidden in the bed, Vritra remained quiet obediently as I had asked.

Had things gone in the normal pattern, Vritra probably would have thrown a tantrum, then Mitsuki would scold me harshly after witnessing such a situaton but at this rate, perhaps I might be able to get through this unscathed.

Experiencing first-hand the importance of a trusting relationship, I waited for Mitsuki to take care of whatever she needed to do.

"Are you done?"

Although I was curious about what Mitsuki was doing, talking too much could increase the chances of her discovering Vritra. Hence, I asked that instead.

"Yes—Umm, Nii-san... You have not used the washroom yet after entering the room, have you?"

"No, I haven't."

I confirmed Mitsuki's query that had been asked in strong tone of voice.

"Th-Then... Has anything struck you as being out of place...?"

Fidgeting awkwardly, Mitsuki stole glances at me.

"Anything out of place? Oh—The room is spotless without a speck of dust. I'm guessing you came by to clean the room, right...?"

Hearing my answer, Mitsuki jumped then sighed deeply.

"—Since you have noticed this much, Nii-san, there is no point in keeping it a secret from you. There is probably evidence lingering on the bed too..."

"O-On the bed?"

With the subject drawn to the one location I did not want Mitsuki to investigate, I could not help but feel my heart rate accelerate. However, it looked like Vritra's presence was not going to be exposed.

"Yes... My hair, my scent or the like. There are probably lingering traces."

Blushing, Mitsuki confessed in embarrassment.

"So... Mitsuki, you mean you had been using this room?"

Figuring out what she was implying, I confirmed.

"Yes, I am sorry—While you were being quarantined, Nii-san, I felt very uneasy... Whenever I had difficulty falling asleep, I would come over to sleep in this room."

Mitsuki apologized shly and showed me what she was hiding behind her.

"...A toothbrush?"

"I came over to retrieve it when I remembered that I had left it in your washroom. But since it has come to light after all, may I continue to leave it here?"

Mitsuki looked up at me with warm eyes, asking me.

No matter how dense I was, I still understood the meaning behind this question. Mitsuki was asking for permission to sleep in my room from here onwards.

However, I did not think this sort of thing actually needed confirmatioin.

"Sure—I don't mind."

"...Thank you so much, Nii-san!"

Mitsuki's expression instantly brightened up and she walked quickly into the washroom. After putting the toothbrush away, she came up to me again.

"Well then, Nii-san, I am terribly sorry for disturbing you tonight. Please have a good rest."

"Sure, goodnight."

In a very good mood, Mitsuki answered:

"Yes—Good night to you, Nii-san."

Mitsuki bowed gently then left my room.

"Pwah!"

At the same time, Vritra poked her head out from under the sheets.

"—Sorry, Vritra. Thank you so much for staying still quietly."

"'Twas nothing. I too... must avoid perturbing that girl's emotions as much as possible."

Vritra spoke seriously. After putting on her black dress properly, she got off the bed and walked to the door.

Having braced myself for an ensuing argument, I found my prediction wrong.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes—I have accomplished mine objective tonight, in a manner of speaking. Additionally, on further thought, 'twould not be right for our relationship to deepen too much."

Looking pensive, Vritra stood at the doorway and looked back at me.

"Irregular—no, my comrade Neun. Thou must treasure thy younger sister."

Vritra's sudden comment made me very confused.

Treasure my younger sister—Mitsuki?

"What's with saying that suddenly? I'll do that even without you telling me."

I answered seriously and Vritra's expression turned slightly gentle.

"Very well."

After saying that, Vritra left my room.

Not knowing why she had said all this, I laid myself down on the bed with a frown.

Indeed, there was a sweet scent lingering on the bed. It was not mine.

But ultimately, I could not distinguish whether it was left behind by Mitsuki or Vritra.

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