Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 5 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 7===

"—It seems to be a success. Good work, Lisa-san and Nii-san."

After Lisa's parents left, everyone entered the classroom. Most likely, they had been listening outside the whole time.

Mitsuki showed relief and congratulated us on our efforts.

"Plan succeeded!"

Tia happily made a "hurray" pose.

"Mononobe-kun, thank you for helping Lisa."

Firill bowed her head and thanked me. She seemed honestly worried about Lisa.

"I knew you'd be fine, Mononobe-kun."

"Mm."

Ariella and Ren also congratulated us on the plan's success. Likewise, Iris smiled at us and said:

"Good work, Mononobe. Lisa, I'm so glad for you!"

"Yes—This is all thanks to everyone's assistance."

Although Lisa responded with smiles, I did not think she was smiling from the heart.

"Then let's get back to touring the school festival, because we were only halfway through."

However, no one noticed the slight gloom that Lisa was hiding. Off duty for today, Iris, Firill, Ariella and Ren exited the classroom.

"We will take a break starting now. Tia and I will prepare some food. Nii-san and Lisa-san, you must exhausted so please wait here."

"Tia will do her best!"

Mitsuki and Tia did not seem to notice anything amiss in Lisa's behavior and they went to the spare classroom used for cooking.

"...I am so grateful to them. Come, have a seat."

Lisa urged me to sit down at the table where Mr. and Mrs. Highwalker had been seated earlier.

I took a seat opposite Lisa.

"Lisa, did it really succeed?"

With only the two of us in the classroom, I asked her hesitantly.

"Yes... Of course."

"Then why were you showing such a gloomy expression?"

"I did not. See, I'm smiling, right?"

Lisa smiled at me but I shook my head.

"No, not at all. Since we've been doing 'couples training' all month long, I can at least tell if your smiles are genuine. What did your father say to you at the end?"

"...!"

I made my decision and tried asking, but Lisa bit her lip and lowered her head.

"Did he say something excessive?"

Seeing Lisa so sad, I was extremely worried, so I asked again, but she shook her head in denial.

"No, Father was simply encouraging me. He said: This will become a wonderful experience, so make the most of your youth and enjoy it."

Lisa answered in a trembling voice.

It definitely sounded like warm encouragement to one's daughter, but Lisa's face was definitely not showing joy.

Unable to bear the sight, I moved over to Lisa's side from my position opposite to her.

Then leaning shoulder to shoulder, just as we normally did when working after school in the classroom, I placed my hand on top of Lisa's trembling hand.

"But those words hurt you, Lisa?"

Looking at Lisa's regretful demeanor, I asked.

"...I'm not hurt, but simply confronted with an understanding of reality once again. These days at Midgard, one day, they will eventually turn into nothing more than an experience."

Lisa replied in an extremely sad tone of voice.

"Experience..."

I could feel that it was an extremely heavy word, because the word "experience" referred to what was accumulated from the past.

If Lisa's father believed our relationship would continue to persist, he would not be using "a wonderful experience" to describe it.

"I think that Father and Mother offers me their sincere blessings regarding my seeing someone, but from their perspective, you... will not be a person relevant to my future. I have come to understand this fully."

Lisa spoke in resignation, turning her gaze out of the window.

"What I can do now is only create memories of youth. As soon as I lose my powers and leave Midgard, everything will become past experience. I will probably get married to someone somewhere."

Looking out at the white clouds floating in the sky, Lisa spoke.

"Lisa, do you think... that's good?"

Seeing the side of Lisa's face, lacking in vitality, I felt very indignant, so I asked.

"There is no question of good or bad. Because to me, there is no other path to choose."

"No, wait, isn't there the option to run away from home? As long as you earn enough money at Midgard, you won't need to rely on your parents."

I offered these words to Lisa who viewed the future with pessimism.

"—I am not arrogant enough to assert that my life belongs to myself alone. Also, more importantly... I cannot betray my parents."

However, Lisa smiled wryly and shook her head.

Naturally, she must have thought of that option without needing me to come up with it, and rejected it herself already.

"Sorry, I didn't think it through enough."

Feeling ashamed of my shallow thinking, I looked away.

"There's no need for you to apologize. I know clearly that you are showing your care for me.  Also, despite uttering such high-principled words, I still cannot help but hope—If only I could remain a D forever."

These seemed to be Lisa's true feelings straight from the depths of her heart.

I saw her stare afar, continuing to speak as though in a dream:

"If I could stay here forever, to spend joyful times with Mitsuki-san, the others and you, how happy that would be. But just as one cannot refuse to grow up... These times will eventually come to an end. You will not exist in my future."

Lisa gazed at my face and smiled with melancholy.

"Perhaps precisely because of that, these times are so endearing."

Saying that, Lisa drew near and kissed me on the cheek.

"What!?"

I touched my cheek in surprise, only to see Lisa smiled mischievously:

"This is my thank you gift—my feelings."

Then she moved her chair away in apparent embarrassment, distancing herself from me.

"H-However, I have not forgotten the original terms of exchange. I will keep searching for a way to recover your memories, although I haven't found any suitable means yet... In any case, I will now give an interim report and offer my current suggestions."

Lisa spoke rapidly as though forcing a change in subject.

But the sensation of her lips on my cheek did not disappear that easily.

"Say, Lisa, that kiss just now—"

"Don't interrupt. Listen to me quietly!"

What kind of feelings did the kiss convey? I wanted to ask that, but she cut me off while blushing.

Also, she sounded ferocious, as though she would pounce and bite me if I said anything more.

"G-Got it. Please tell me."

I nodded to appease her then entered a listening pose.

"Goodness gracious... Stop thinking nonsense and put your mind on track. Focus and listen to me, this is extremely important."

Lisa reminded me strongly then proposed her thoughts regarding my memories.

"First of all, I've come to learn one fact through my research. Namely, memories are not lost that easily. Even if they appear to be lost, they might simply be in an accessible state while the memories themselves still exist in the brain."

"But I think my memories might've been overwritten by the weapons data downloaded from Yggdrasil. Won't memories vanish in that case?"

I asked my question and Lisa immediately shook her head.

"No, that idea is wrong. To begin with, human brains do not erase old memories even when they record new information. Suppose there was a method to overwrite things without regard for the brain's memories, it would most likely destroy the brain and personality."

"Then my memories... really remain somewhere in the brain?"

I found it hard to believe, so I asked Lisa.

"It is highly improbable for long-term memories settled in the brain to vanish suddenly. It would be a different matter if the brain was damaged physically, but there is no such obstacle in your case. To be honest, after you fainted, I already had people perform intricate examinations on your brain."

I was impressed that Lisa had taken advantage of yesterday's unexpected incident.

"I didn't even know about that... You're so reliable, Lisa."

"O-Of course."

Lisa scratched her cheek shyly then resumed the conversation.

"So judging from these symptoms, your condition is extremely unnatural. If you were simply transmitted a huge volume of information, I don't believe it would cause memory loss."

Looking into my eyes, Lisa asserted clearly.

"—But I am suffering from that in fact, right?"

"Even conceding a hundred compromises and assume that your memory disorder stems from some kind of error, losing memories starting from the earliest ones is still extremely weird. It would only be natural if it started with more recent memories that had yet to stabilize in the brain."

"That definitely makes sense..."

Why were all the lost memories from before I was taken to NIFL? That question did occur to me

"So I speculate that perhaps Yggdrasil might have transmitted something else to you, apart from weapons data."

"Something else apart from weapons data?"

I gulped and asked. Lisa nodded with a serious expression.

"If I had to give an example, it would be something like a computer virus."

"What...?"

"I believe that it entered your mind in the form of 'information' then severed your memories with clear intent. Perhaps something with properties similar to a computer virus is causing mischief here."

A chill rushed along my spine.


——


I heard a garbled voice from afar, mixed with noise.

"Just as I told you earlier, if Yggdrasil possesses the power of electrical interference, it might not be impossible. Because you were in an unconscious state yesterday, a full check of brainwaves could not be carried out, but if detailed tests were done in the future—"

Lisa's voice began to sound fainter and fainter.

Instead, noise from some kind of source grew louder and louder.

—Threat, recognized. Elimination, of doubt... Impossible. Far exceeded, rectification range.

The noise turned into a voice, echoing in my mind.

—Considering she is obstructing factor in elimination failure the other day, determination: continued lurking is difficult.

I could no longer hear Lisa's voice.

—Review, situation. Neun.  Conclusion: immediate action necessary. Eliminate threat then reclaim code.

This cold and robotic voice, could it be Yggdrasil's...

I was struck by a splitting headache. The noisy voice was twisting my thoughts.

The headache felt like being stabbed by pins. My consciousness went hazy.

"Ah!?"

But this cry of pain did not come from my own mouth.

"Huh—?"

Seeing the scene before me, I was rendered dumbstruck.

My left arm—''it had moved on its own to strangle Lisa's neck''.

"Ooh... Ah..."

Lisa stared at me in pain.

"W-Why!? W-Why am I doing this—"

I frantically tried to get my left hand to release but my will did not reach my hand. Despite being able to feel, my hand did not move according to my thoughts.

—Compressed seed, uncompress. Begin assimilation of consciousness.

I tried to use my right arm to pull my left hand away but my right hand could not muster any strength.

"Yggdrasil, is that you? What are you doing with my body—!?"

But ignoring my voice, the fingers of my left hand sank into Lisa's throat.

—Error occurred. Difficulty reaching control territory of other factors. Complete control of consciousness, impossible. But even at current assimilation rate, control of movement not a problem.

"Gah... Someone! Hurry, anyone!!"

I yelled loudly out of the classroom but no one arrived to the rescue.

There were no customers since the shop was on break. My voice probably could not reach Mitsuki and Tia cooking in the adjacent spare classroom.

—In that case, I'll use dark matter to cause an explosion!

I used my last resort, but the instant I generated dark matter, an fierce headache instantly attacked.

Then the generated dark matter ignored my will and turned into a slender woody vine wrapped around my left arm.

Transmuting into plant matter... This was the realm of biogenic transmutation that ordinary Ds could not possibly achieve.

—So Yggdrasil did this?

The vine entangling my left arm controlled my movements despite being on the outside.

The force strangling Lisa's neck increased.

Perhaps unable to make even a sound now, all Lisa could do was open her mouth in pain.

"Guh... Lisa! Use dark matter to transmute explosives. Blow off my arm!"

I desperately tried to persuade Lisa.

But Lisa shook her head slightly with tears in her eyes.

I did not know if she meant that she was in too much pain to generate dark matter, or she refused to do that—

"Damn it! At this rate—Please! Someone!? Anyone—please save Lisa!!"

I could only continue to yell and cry for help.

Although Lisa tried to struggle free of my arm, her resistance was gradually weakening.

Her life was gradually about to be snuffed out, and—It was going to be my doing.

"Stop... Stop it!!"

I yelled at Yggdrasil that was controlling my body against my will.

"What are you doing!? You fool!!"

But at this moment, someone kicked the door down from outside with a loud crash and a petite figure rushed in.

"P-Principal!?"

Blonde hair fluttering, the person glaring at me with blue eyes was Midgard's chief administrator, Principal Charlotte.

"Please! My body isn't obeying me! I don't care what happens to me, please save Lisa immediately!"

Apart from her, there was no one I could seek help from, so I pleaded desperately for her help.

"Tsk—I can't believe it came to this."

The principal clicked her tongue and instantly rushed to our side. She pounced and bit my left arm.

Despite feeling a wave of intense pain, my left arm, not under my control, refused to leave Lisa's neck.

"That won't work! You have to break the arm at least—"

"Don't worry, since you are being controlled—I just need to dominate you who are being controlled."

After saying that, the principal sank her canines deeper into my arm.

In that very instant, I lost all feeling of my left arm as though I had been anaesthetized.

My fingers buried in Lisa relaxed. She struggled free of my hand and collapsed on the floor.

"C-Cough, c-cough!"

Holding her throat, Lisa kept coughing.

—Other factor, mixed in. Assimilation rate lowered. Response to emergency, disconnect terminal and withdraw.

I heard Yggdrasil's voice in my head. The vine entangling my left arm began to squirm in a sinister manner.

"Hmm—"

Although the principal discovered its movements and reached out, the vine disengaged nimbly from my arm and jumped towards the open window.

Seeing the vine vanish outside the window, the principal cursed "Drats, it escaped."

"Charlotte-sama, why did you suddenly break into a run? Ah—Oh dear, what on earth is..."

Mica-san showed up. Seeing our unusual look, she stared with widened eyes.

"This is an emergency, Mica. Find an arbitrary reason to evacuate the visitors out of the island. Also, inform all student terminals of a Type A alert. Issue orders for Haruka to lead the Dragon Subjugation Squad to search for 'a mobile vine.' Although they will definitely have questions, I will explain reasons later."

The principal turned her gaze to Mica-san and issued orders concisely.

"—Y-Yes, affirmative."

Mica-san bowed with a tense expression then ran out of the classroom.

"C-Cough, c-cough... Huff... Huff..."

Quieting down, the classroom resounded with Lisa's coughing and irregular breathing noises.

"Sorry... Lisa."

I really wanted to help her get up, but I did not know if I was allowed to approach her in my current state. All I could do was stand there and apologize to her.

"Huff... Huff... Don't make that kind of face, I... am fine."

Lisa looked up and replied to me with a stiff smile.

"But Lisa, I did that, to you—"

"Yggdrasil is the one controlling your body, isn't it? I was too careless on my part too. Despite clearly considering this possibility... After hearing that Yggdrasil had vanished, I could not help but lower my guard."

Lisa shook her head and insisted she was responsible too.

"Probably... You guessed correctly. Something was transmitted to my mind apart from weapons data... I don't know when I'll get controlled again."

I looked at my left hand that had strangled Lisa's neck and replied in regret.

Yggdrasil was not destroyed, all along—It was inside me.

"Don't worry about that, because I'm the one with dominance over your body now."

However, the principal asserted with full confidence.

"Dominance...?"

Speaking of which, she had mentioned something like that when biting my left arm.

"Because I've temporarily dominated you and the thing that has invaded your body, so I already know the gist of things. Seriously—Things ended up like this all because you kept your deal with Yggdrasil secret. This is your fault, you know?"

Arms akimbo, the principal glared at me.

"What... Why do you know this—"

"Understanding simply through domination, that is the kind of authority domination is."

"Authority...? Principal—No, who exactly are you?"

I could sense something mysterious from the principal, so I asked.

"Yes... By this point, I guess I've no choice but to reveal my identity."

The principal nodded and seemed a bit happy for some reason. She raised her hand ostentatiously.

"I am precisely the manager of humans, the king of the human race! I am the mastermind who controls this world from the shadows!"

The principal puffed out her flat chest and declared openly.

"O-Okay..."

Unsure how to react, I concurred ambiguously.

"What's with that daft look of yours? You don't believe me?"

"No—Rather than not believing, it's more like I can't imagine it at all..."

To suddenly learn that she was the mastermind controlling the world, I only felt confounded by the enormity of the scale. Also, the petite and weak-looking principal totally did not match that image.

"...You're saying I'm not dignified?"

The principal's body shook with a twitching expression on her face.

"Huh? W-Weird, did I say it out loud?"

"You are currently under my dominance, which means your thoughts are being transmitted to me. Seriously... It can't be helped. Then I'll word things differently and prepare myself to be misunderstood."

The principal took a deep breath and continued:

"My predecessor called himself this—the gray dragon—'Gray' Vampire."

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