Horizon:GT3 Chapter2

Chapter 2: Size and Capacity

This means

We are thinking of

Size and capacity separately, doesn’t it?

Point Allocation (No Real Meaning)

●

Asama’s job was to work with Mitotsudaira to complete the process for Mary’s release.

That would give Mary freedom to move around on the Musashi. The process was normally completed at the boarding administrative office, but Mary’s situation was too complex. It required too much unique preparation.

…I did Masazumi’s boarding process too.

How many times had she done this process for a classmate now? She had helped her dad with the process even before she entered elementary school.

“In a way, Tomo, you’re better suited for this job than Masazumi.”

“But our positions are a little different in Mary’s case.”

After changing into their uniforms and getting ready, they had walked to a 3-story stone-walled white building near Tama’s outer edge.

That was the English embassy. It was already evening and Asama took a breath in front of the building awash with the colors of sunset.

“For today, I think we should greet Mary-san and decide what needs to be done while we flexibly work through her contract and process. Sticking to a standard script is too risky with these things.”

“Judge. You really do want to adapt this to the person and situation. Sticking to the standard options would be a bad idea.”

“Right. And, Mito? The embassy is a foreign facility, so to guard myself on the Shinto end, I will be using the standard purification clapping.”

“Tomo! You’re already falling back on the standards!”

“Yes, well, it’s a good starting point from a Shinto point of view.”

“Um, you two are free to come in whenever you like.”

Bless Mary for calling out to them from the 3rd floor window.

They opened the front door and walked past a few people who seemed to work at the embassy. When Asama bowed, the workers bowed back with looks of minor surprise, so this was probably a touchy time for England.

●

Masazumi held her head in her hands as she passed by the Asama Shrine on Okutama while walking to the academy.

“I sent them in my place, but I’m starting to think that was a bad idea…”

“Do not worry, Masazumi-sama! Asama-sama is the cornerstone of Musashi’s anti-ship attack force, so not even a warship can get the better of her! If anything, she is overkill for an anti-personnel mission in an embassy! And Mitotsudaira-sama snuck into England under the cover of night, did some ‘lu la la la’ howling, and then partially trashed a block of the city, so you have nothing at all to worry about!”

She decided to note that the auditory hallucination of Horizon only made her more worried.

●

“Tomo, let’s not do anything that would play into Masazumi’s worries.”

“Of course, Tomo. We wouldn’t want to do that.”

The two of them exchanged a straight-faced handshake before Asama faced forward.

…I’ve been in the English embassy a few times before.

The door led into a foyer, which led back into a hall that acted as the dining room. They knew her, so she was free to walk right in. Mitotsudaira followed after her.

“Tomo, have you been here before?”

“Yes. England is a Catholic-leaning Protestant nation, but Musashi’s infrastructure is of course based on Shinto.”

So even if they were Tsirhc, their building would apply a Tsirhc data conversion hub atop the Shinto base. That process required divine transmission authority, so it was a job for the Asama Shrine.

“So you might be more familiar with each nation’s embassy than anyone else.”

“No, no. The engine division stores all the infrastructure plans, so Masa would know more than me.”

Just as they arrived in the dining hall, Mary descended from the stairs in the back.

…Wow.

Light scattered from her.

Asama had never before seen someone who left a trail of ether flowers in her wake.

And it only now hit her that…

…She’s huge…

And I don’t mean her height. I mean her chest- no, um, I mean her capacity as a person. Yes.

“Tomo! Tomo! Did you really just say that!?”

Mito, would you please stop reading my mind?

●

Mitotsudaira sat next to Asama and across from Mary at a table large enough for a light meal.

While she had helped with Mary’s rescue, she honestly felt a distance between them now that they were facing each other like this.

…Because I’m from Hexagone Française and she’s from England.

○

Silver Wolf: “Ahhhhh! Why was I like that!? Ahhhhh!”

Scarred: “Hm? What did you do, Lady Mitotsudaira?”

Still Got It: “Hee hee. Mary-san? I am so happy you have been such a good friend to my daughter. Yes, I hear you are close enough that you sometimes lend her Excalibur.”

Flat Vassal: “I feel like the scale shot up for that last part!”

Silver Wolf: “Can you stop playing the parent card here!?”

●

…W-well, I was still a little tense at “this time”.

That said, this was the English embassy. Asama would be doing most of the work Masazumi had left with them, so it was up to Mitotsudaira to guard Asama.

Mary was here, but her defection had become official English policy. With the embassy cooperating with Musashi, there was no real reason to be on edge.

…Still, the things I’ve always been told and taught are hard to shake.

She had lived in Hexagone Française until she entered elementary school. To Hexagone Française, England was like a disliked relative, so while they had cut all ties, their geographic and religious connections left them in position to “try something” against the other. Whenever they didn’t have anything going on, they would try to wage war with the other or interfere in their king’s authority.

And it didn’t help that she was well aware of that history and that it was still ongoing.

So she became self-conscious about the possibility that she was being overly cautious of Mary and this embassy.

“Heh heh. I love your self-conscious side! You get that way with my foolish brother too! C’mon, say it: ‘I am not a puppy dog!’ But we all know you just want him to ask you to stay! Now bark for me! Bark!”

I believe I pretended to raise a fist and the pretend Kimi ran away.

But as awkward as it felt for Mitotsudaira, Tomo was in business mode. She had a sign frame open and stared straight ahead.

…I feel bad making this awkward for her.

Mitotsudaira decided to follow the Asama Shrine shrine maiden’s gaze. And…

…They’re huge.

She meant Mary’s boobs. Wait, why are you staring at Mary’s chest, Tomo?

●

Right up until Mitotsudaira looked her way, Asama was lost in thought.

There was a problem here. A few boarding processes had been completed for Mary and everything necessary on the national side was done, so Asama was just about to move on to the personal matters.

The most important was her personal infrastructure. The sign frames and other services provided to Musashi’s residents helped support their life aboard the ship.

Yes, a divine transmission contract was crucially important. And if you want a safe, reliable, and affordable contract, look no further than the Asama Shrine’s ‘Tomo Tomo Plan’ (plan named by my father). Act now and the first three months are free! But wait, there’s more! For the first six months, you will also receive ten free Shinto spells – worth as much three substitutions – each month for no extra charge! And you can then choose one of those spells to continue receiving each month for free!

“Tomo! Tomo! That’s not the point of these records!”

I’m telling the story in my own way!

But there was a problem here.

…What is her Blessing level?

Mary was supposedly a half-spirit. There were a fair number of those on the Musashi.

But Mary was also a high-ranking figure in England, which could affect this.

“Um, Mary-san? Have you ever had your Blessing level measured?”

After a pause, Mary shook her head.

…That was a silly question!

She was Tsirhc. In Tsirhc, spells were an act of god and Tsirhc musicians were said to borrow that power from an external source.

So what happened to the Blessings formed inside a spell caster when they meditated and such?

“Because it is believed human actions can never measure up to an act of god, you have a contract that sends all Internal Blessings through the ley lines to your religion’s ether fuel pool, correct?”

“Yes, we generally only have the bare minimum of Internal Blessings and we also do not use External Blessings, so they are never measured in Tsirhc. They would only be measured if there was suspicion that someone was actually a pagan or user of Technomagie.”

…I thought as much.

Then that was out of the question. Even if it was a standard procedure, measuring Mary’s Blessings here would be seen by Tsirhc as if they were treating her as – or suspecting her of being – a pagan or Technohexen. But Mary…

“I do not mind if you measure mine.”

“Oh, um, it isn’t necessary. We have no problem with Tsirhc people who do dabble in paganism or Technomagie, but I wouldn’t ask that of someone who doesn’t.”

“Then…?”

“Yes. We have a template for this that let’s me set a tentative Blessing level. It might not be enough or it might be too much to start out with, but just let me know and I will run periodic checks too.”

That said, Asama was extremely worried about something.

…I can’t even start to read the Blessing level of a half-spirit on her level!

She was a half-spirit, she was Tsirhc, she carried Ex. Collbrande, she was the Fairy Queen’s sister, she was an English princess, and after Tenzou-kun confessed to her, she had produced enough ether flowers to cover not just London but several kilometers around it.

…That alone suggests she’s on the level of a great spirit.

She would be able to support the phase of an entire region. And if the extent of the flowers over London could be used to estimate her Blessing level, there was only one conclusion.

“Absolutely enormous…” she muttered, her gaze drooping a bit.

Then she noticed Mitotsudaira staring at her.

●

Mitotsudaira thought Asama had gone crazy again.

But she knew what was causing Asama’s weird behavior here.

It was Mary. That girl’s chest really was enormous. That was an undeniable fact. So…

“Tomo…I agree that Mary’s is enormous.”

●

“Right?” agreed Asama.

Mitotsudaira was a Loup-Garou, which, from a species standpoint, was similar to a half-spirit. She had some quirks related to Blessings that differed from ordinary people and she had an affinity for ether.

Apparently she had also concluded that Mary’s Blessing level was enormous. So Asama lowered her voice so only Mitotsudaira could hear.

“Mary-san’s really is huge, isn’t it?”

“Judge. It really is. You can tell at a glance.”

“At a glance!?”

“What, you can’t tell by looking?”

Asama looked and saw Mary seemed a little concerned. Oh, sorry. I get a little carried away when it comes to ether-related topics. It comes with the job.

But while Asama could detect the ether of divine protections and spells, she couldn’t visually judge Blessing level with much accuracy.

“Hmm. I guess I’m not a sommelier like you, Mito.”

“I-I’m nothing special. Really, my king has the greatest skill as a sommelier.”

Toori-kun does?

Did he have any spells or protections to that end?

…But he is the kind of person who can just tell these things.

Asama decided to ask Mitotsudaira about it.

“So how much do you think Mary-san has?”

After a pause, Mitotsudaira responded. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head as if visually measuring something.

“More than 100, I’d say.”

●

“More than 100!?”

Mitotsudaira saw Asama turn toward her more forcefully than she had expected.

But she still thought that was a good estimate for Mary’s chest size. It really goes without saying, she thought. But…

“That does go a bit beyond the usual range, doesn’t it?”

She considered the topic further as she spoke.

She could tell Mary’s chest was contained within her uniform’s inner suit. But when she looked up a bit from those enormous things, she saw the neckline. There were strings meant to tighten it, but Mary left half of those undone.

Which meant…

“Tomo, I see now why you had trouble getting a good reading.”

It wasn’t that Asama wasn’t seeing that size. Instead…

“Her inner suit is suppressing the true value, so you need to account for that.”

●

“Her inner suit is suppressing it!?”

Asama hadn’t even considered that possibility.

Mitotsudaira seemed mildly disturbed by Asama’s reaction, but was her suggestion even possible?

…Inner suits are normally designed to increase the Blessing fluidity.

The inner suit helped the circulation of spells and protections. They wouldn’t suppress it instead.

But, she thought. What about in Mary’s case?

If her Blessing level was too large, it could leak out or she could lose control.

“––––––”

Asama’s eyes stopped on the glowing flowers spilling from Mary’s hair and all around her.

They were made of ether. Based on that…

…If she wasn’t suppressing her true level, maybe what we saw above London would be happening all the time.

That makes sense, she thought with an internal nod of understanding.

Mary’s uniform or inner suit might be special made to suppress rather than enhance. That was necessary information – and a concern – now that she would be living in the Far East. So Asama made a note of it on her sign frame.

“Mito, you may be right about that in her case.”

That hint had been very valuable. While Asama silently thanked her, Mitotsudaira said something else.

“Tomo, I think yours is pretty enormous too.”

…Eh?

It was true she put in daily training to increase her Blessing level. She did represent the Asama Shrine, after all. Most people’s Inner Blessing level was roughly equivalent to their age, but she had reached 36 Blessings at the start of spring and she had jumped to 44 since Mikawa. That was a bit of fluke and had a lot do with the changes she had made to her ether usage settings. She could boost it further by rearranging her divine protections, but how far could she get if she used every trick in the book?

…I really don’t think I could get above 100.”

“My best guess is something like 53.”

●

…53!?

Like the stations of Tokaido!? thought Mitotsudaira. But wait, how many of those stations have been created early for the history recreation? No, that’s not the point. Now, I’ve never actually measured Tomo’s size and can only judge it visually, but I personally think she’s bigger than Mary. Kimi probably is too. If I could call my king here and have him do his naked eye sommelier routine, I could get some more accurate figures.

“Tomo, I really think you have her beat.”

“No, no, no. That’s ridiculous.”

But how could Mary be over 100 with Asama being only 53?

…Is she using inches!?

Let’s say Mary’s measure is in centimeters and Tomo’s is in inches. 1 inch is 2.54 centimeters, so that would make Tomo’s size 134.62. Oh, dear. I’m so rattled I did the math in my head. But…

…About 135!?

That’s two Adeles!

“Don’t drag me into this! Use yourself, 5th Special Duty Officer!”

I can’t be dragging you into it when it was only about you in the first place, Phantom Adele. And I don’t count.

But looking at her own family, Mitotsudaira could tell numbers like that were certainly possible.

…Does this mean Tomo is also suppressing her true value!?

No, I know I’ve see them at Suzu’s bathhouse, but I didn’t sommelier them, so who knows. Besides, the number is eye-popping, but maybe seeing them for yourself isn’t so bad. And that number is calculated from the top and under measurements.

“Judge. …I understand now.”

“You do?” sighed Asama. And then, probably trying to be nice: “Mito, I bet you can make yours grow a fair bit too.”

●

Mitotsudaira was a Loup-Garou and nonhumans generally had an advantage over humans when it came to ether. That would suggest that Mitotsudaira’s level would be a bit higher than the average person, but couldn’t she work at pushing that even further?

But the wolf herself was skeptical.

“I know my mother is…exceptional in that regard, but I really don’t think I can ever reach that level. Besides, our god has told me several times that growth there isn’t so simple.”

“Don’t worry. If you do things right, our god will help you out.”

“Really!?”

She really latched onto that. And…

“B-but our god has already told me ‘it isn’t happening’ over a hundred times.”

…She has?

Asama realized she had barely ever called Mitotsudaira over when she did any training to boost her Blessing level or researched new settings. She had been training each term or when the timing seemed right, but…

“Then you should start training for that.”

“Training!? It requires training!?”

“Yes,” confirmed Asama. And knowing it would delight Mitotsudaira, she added, “Sometimes I do it with Toori-kun.”

“With my king!?”

She latched onto that even harder.

“Wh-what have you been doing with my king!?”

Kimi is usually there too, thought Asama, but she’d lost the chance to say so. And due to the Logismoi Oplo, Horizon had been joining them of late. But for now…

“First, you will need a lecture on how to make it grow.”

“There’s a lecture?”

“There is. To teach the theory behind it.”

Mitotsudaira lurched back, looking dizzy. But the most important part came next:

“And after that…you put the theory into practice. It works better if you combine it with a recovery system.”

●

…There’s a whole technique to this!?

“A-and this would be with my king!?”

“Eh? Yes, sometimes it’s faster with a second person and some parts require it. You generally do it all yourself, but it’s more efficient with two,” said Asama. “And once you’re done, you purify yourself in the shrine spring and finish up.”

“I-I would finish…in that spring?”

“Yes. All in all, a session takes around 4 hours.”

She imagined completing a 4-hours-per-session process with her king. A blush rose mercilessly from her neck.

“––––”

Blood sprayed from her nose.

“A-are you alright, Musashi 5th Special Duty Officer!?”

Thinking back, I was worrying Mary even then, but that one hit me hard.

○

Asama: “…”

Silver Wolf: “…”

Asama: “I’m…beginning to think we weren’t talking about the same thing.”

Silver Wolf: “I’m sorry! That one was my fault! Ahhhhh!”

Vice President: “How do you two ever manage to hold a conversation?”

Still Got It: “Hee hee. Oh, Nate. You just don’t get it. Converting your chest size into inches isn’t a trick to use make it seem bigger when returning to centimeters – it’s used to make it sound smaller when yours is just too big.”

Flat Vassal: “When is a normal person ever going to need to use that trick!?”

Scarred: “Lady Mitotsudaira’s ether looked so happy back then it delighted me to watch it. I could tell right away she was a good person.”

Silver Wolf: “A-and there’s the finishing blow!”

●

Thanks to Mitotsudaira’s advice on Mary’s Blessing level, Asama chose 120 as a starting point. That just left some other details to work out, but…

“We can’t provide accurate support if you haven’t chosen a home yet, so please make that decision soon.”

“Oh, not to worry. Master Tenzou said he is working on that,” said Mary. “But I have been looking into some of that and it is a difficult problem.”

“Yeah, there’s no end of things you could want. Is there anything in particular you would want, Mary-san?”

“Well, personally I think soundproofing would be nice.”

Asama had to suppress the excitement that word produced inside her.

…Soundproofing!? For her home with Tenzou-kun!?

Wow, maybe they’ll be getting married at the Asama Shrine in no time. I just hope her family doesn’t storm the wedding with a shotgun. Wow, wowwwww.

“Tomo! Tomo! You didn’t suppress it at all!”

I already told you to stop reading my mind, Mito. Anyway, she calmed her breathing and…

“Y-yes, soundproofing is important, isn’t it?”

“It really is. I have been practicing Far Eastern cooking lately and the knife makes so much noise on the cutting board I’m afraid I would become a neighborhood nuisance.”

Asama repeated Mary’s explanation to herself thrice before responding.

“Eh?”

○

Gold Mar: “…”

Art-Ga: “…”

Asama: “Wh-why aren’t you saying anything!? Cooking is a challenge, isn’t it!? Isn’t it!?”

●

Asama completed the process while feeling irritated for no apparent reason.

Mary bowed her head, flowers spilling onto the table.

“Thank you very much. Then am I free to leave starting tonight?”

“Yes. You can move into your new home as soon as you choose one. …Oh, I do have one more question: do you have any family on the mainland, in IZUMO, or on the Musashi?”

If she did, it would be easy to put together a plan with a family discount. If they lived off the Musashi, she would be able to benefit from it even when she wasn’t aboard. That would come in handy for Mary since her situation was so delicate. But…

“I’m sorry, but I don’t. …Well, on paper I have the inherited name of Mary Tudor, who marries Felipe II of Tres España. And as Mary Stuart I marry Francis II of France.”

“They are both Tsirhc, correct? And have you already cut ties with them?”

“Yes,” she confirmed and Asama felt bad for asking.

…But as fuzzy as Shinto’s rules can be, connections like that are still important.

Once ties had been cut, their relationship became something else and an appropriate ceremony or process was needed to change it back. But then Mary raised her head in realization.

“Um, they aren’t exactly family, but can you look into someone for me?”

“Oh, yes. Shinto is great at finding people. Who is it?”

“Margaret Pole. And also Elisabeth of Valois.”

Those names sounded vaguely familiar. Mitotsudaira, who had been collapsed on the table with a handkerchief over her nose, straightened up and raised her right hand.

“Excuse me. I don’t know the former, but the latter is a French princess who goes on to marry Felipe II of Spain, correct? When Mary Stuart went to France to marry Francis II, they became friends and their friendship is said to have continued even after Mary lost her husband and returned to England and after Elisabeth was wed to Spain.”

“Yes. My marriages were only on paper, but – maybe for the history recreation – I received kind letters from Hexagone Française and Tres España and we became pen pals.

“But,” continued Mary. “While I never met Elisabeth, I heard she had passed away. I was just wondering…if that only means she gave up her inherited name.”

●

Adele watched Gin and the embassy workers moving back and forth between the hall and the back room an awful lot.

She knew the document she had brought was the cause. It backed up Gin and Muneshige’s choice to give up their inherited names and accepted them as Musashi residents.

…Principal Sakai works fast…

But they must have had certain expectations. When Adele and Kimi arrived at the embassy, they passed by some workers walking out, but those workers tilted their heads at the two girls.

“Why do you think they looked so confused, Kimi-san?”

“Heh heh. Two of their major name inheritors are trying to cast off their own inherited names. I expect they at least wanted a personal visit from the Vice President. Then again,” added Kimi, opening an authorization sign frame in front of the embassy door. “Their homeland was likely considering removing their inherited names anyway, but this is still going to cause a stir among the embassy workers.”

That had all happened earlier. Once inside, they had passed the document to Gin and Muneshige and asked them to confirm the process. The two of them appeared ready to do this. One female worker was moved to tears, but Muneshige bowed to all of them, thoroughly gathered their luggage, and began moving back and forth with Gin to complete all the necessary work.

Adele and Kimi mainly had to wait while Gin occasionally came to check on something. They sipped on some New World coffee and listened to the progress of Asama and Mitotsudaira’s work at the English embassy.

“Elisabeth of Valois, huh? I know her. I’ve never actually met her, but I’ve done a lot of research on Hexagone Française because of my dad.”

○

Gin raised her hand while handing Suzu her glass as the girl went around collecting empty glasses.

“I also have information on Elisabeth of Valois, so give me a chance to supplement the record later. …Also, I will add that this was three days after the Armada battle. On the first day, I was freed as a prisoner of war. On the second day, I was reunited with Master Muneshige the night of the victory party. The third day was when I spoke with the Vice President about Master Muneshige’s suggestion that we give up our inherited names.”

“Yeah,” nodded the Musashi Vice President, turning toward Gin. “We had the same idea in our discussions on the first day, so we already had the paperwork ready. I remember being impressed by how quickly their Vice President responded. That must have been one of the possibilities they had already prepared for.”

“Lady Juana always sets aside her personal feelings and makes the best choice for the nation. …Which only causes her more stress in the long run.”

“Sounds rough…”

“I experienced no stress whatsoever when I made the best possible choice at Mikawa,” added the Vicereine.

“Now, now,” said the Asama Shrine Representative, patting the Vicereine’s shoulder to calm her down. Meanwhile, the Musashi Vice President recalled what had happened.

“If I remember right, it was on the morning of the fourth day that Tres España sent their response, so we went to Principal Sakai to ask him to let you two in, and then the committees had to get to work.”

“I believe you are correct. And the document you sent us by proxy led Master Muneshige and me to truly make up our minds. It was a busy time, but you can continue the record for us.”

●

Adele opened a sign frame with information on the person Asama had mentioned.

“Elisabeth of Valois is a princess who seems like a decent enough person. When I was researching Europe in this era, she stood out as a particularly good person. As for Margaret Pole…”

“I know her, Adele!”

Kimi yelled that, so all the embassy workers turned their way and it was really awkward. Why did Kimi love being the center of attention so much? Regardless, Adele nodded back.

“Margaret Pole is from the time of Mary-san’s father, Henry VIII. England did not have just one royal line, so while Mary-san and the Fairy Queen were from the rising House of Tudor, Margaret Pole was from the House of Plantagenet, the royal house that continued after the House of Normandy born from the Norman Conquest.”

“And why is Mary asking to find her?”

“Judge,” replied Adele. “According to the Testament, Margaret Pole was Mary-san’s…that is, Mary Tudor’s teacher.”

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