Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 3 Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Frontline on Distant Waters

Part 1

The dragon cult, the Sons of Muspell, worshiped dragons as gods, obstructed NIFL's activities and its members were wanted internationally as terrorists. Even so, their influence continued to grow instead of waning. That was probably due to how frightening dragons were. To escape their fear of dragons, people chose to worship even though it would not change reality the slightest.

To them, humans possessing the power of dragons—the Ds—were also targets of worship. Nevertheless, without a special reason, no D would want to stay in a terrorist organization.

And the girl who had that special reason—Kili Surtr Muspelheim—was active as the leader of the Sons of Muspell.

Currently, Kili was lurking in a room in a hotel that was colluding with the organization. Inside the hotel room, she was in the bathroom that was filled with white steam.

Soaking her body in the bathtub filled with hot water, Kili examined the information she had gathered while infiltrating Midgard. In her hand was a waterproof computer terminal with Midgard's classified information shown on the screen.

"Oh... The only person capable of creating antimatter is Mononobe Mitsuki huh... In other words, she inherited Code Sechs, the sixth authority."

Reading the student's personal data, Kili murmured with delight.

"Legally his younger sister... Speaking of which, I seem to recall seeing her three years ago too... Coincidence is truly uncanny."

Kili's murmurings echoed in the bathroom. That being said, Kili did not consider herself to be talking to herself. She knew that she was always under "her" surveillance.

Being "her" eyes and ears to gather information, acting as "her" limbs to carry out "her" will, this was Kili's job. Also—this was the purpose of her creation.

"Eh... But I remember that it was Monobe Mitsuki who used antimatter projectile to slay the Kraken. If that's the case, it's weird... It doesn't make sense. She had to have defeated the Kraken first in order to create antimatter... So what actually happened?"

Kili frowned and searched through other information.

"Although there are exceptions... Mononobe Mitsuki does not meet the criteria. Speaking of matching... Oh right, if it's her... And there were two Krakens... The answer to the paradox is most likely that."

Muttering emphatically, Kili searched the information. Finally, she threw her head back and looked at the ceiling as though surrendering.

"Ah—Jeez, the report should have recorded correct information in detail! Now it means I can't corroborate the answer!"

Kili splashed the bathwater with her feet in displeasure. Then she closed the data file displayed on the screen.

"—Whatever, what's important is the future, not the past."

Then Kili opened the students' personal data again and called up the portrait of the only male student, Mononobe Yuu.

"Yuu... Surely you are different from me and the other Ds, although mother simply thinks of you as an error. However, I believe you are Neun, the ninth."

As though praying, Kili stared at Mononobe Yuu's face like she was anticipating minor hope.

"You must prove yourself to be superior to Basilisk in caliber—My prince."

Kili murmured quietly then kissed Yuu's face on the screen.

Staring at him, Kili's eyes showed signs of hidden madness.

Part 2

Lisa's prediction turned out to be correct.

When evening came, a meeting was called in the ship. I entered the meeting room to see Mitsuki there as her usual self.

Passing out documents deftly, she explained the contents and did not look like she had been in an argument just now. Although there was some degree of unnaturalness when talking to Lisa, it was not something noticeable unless you were paying attention.

The meeting was about future plans.

After reaching the uninhabited island where the battle was set to take place, this ship would remain as the living quarters and base of operations. Lessons were apparently going to continue as normal. Mitsuki gave detail explanations and gave us our timetables.

Mitsuki's performance was too perfect, which was exactly why I felt especially unsettled. What worried me was: how far did Mitsuki strain herself for the sake of sustaining such perfection?

Whether during the meeting or dinner afterwards, I spent the whole time thinking about Mitsuki's issue. In the end, I returned to my cabin without taking any action.

My cabin was apparently provided for guests and meant for two people originally. There were two beds and it felt especially spacious for one person to live in. Back in my NIFL days, the battleships I traveled on basically had four people squeezed in a room. Showers also had to be taken in communal bathrooms but this cabin was even equipped with a personal bathroom.

Struck by how massive a difference in treatment there was between a D and a common soldier, I took a shower, washing away a day's worth of sweat. The surface of my left shoulder's wound had already closed up, so there were no problems as long as I washed gently. The bandage was for keeping the shoulder in position while the inside continued to heal. After the shower, I tied the bandage again then lay down on bed.

"Sigh... What should I do?"

Because Mitsuki was showing no openings, I wondered if I should try asking Lisa for information, but that would probably be difficult too.

In any case, I had to collect enough information to mediate their dispute. Just as I started thinking whether there was someone else who might know about what took place in the past—there was knocking at my cabin door.

—Who would come at this hour?

Speaking of which, I just remembered Iris' invitation to her cabin. Maybe she came over to get me? Since I had not prepared myself yet, my feelings were quite frantic.

No, the visitor could be Tia, because Lisa was the one who looked after Tia ever since I was hospitalized and they were also rooming in the same cabin, but Tia said wistfully during dinner that she wanted to sleep in the same room as me if possible.

With nervous feelings, I cautiously opened the door but the person there was completely unexpected.

"Firill?

I called the name of the girl who was standing before the door in displeasure.

Firill had probably taken a shower just now. She had changed from her uniform into aqua-blue pajamas, making her body's curves more obvious than usual. Her bust also looked especially large. Perhaps because her bust size made her pajamas uncomfortable, the top two buttons were unfastened, exposing her cleavage slightly.

—Isn't she acting a bit too uninhibited?

Perhaps because Midgard was totally an all-girls school before I transferred in, they lacked awareness in that area... But it really gave me a hard time controlling my gaze.

Just as my heart raced, Firill extended her hand slowly towards me.

"...Hand."

Firill's curt statement seemed to be urging me to do something while her entire body gave off displeased vibes.

"Hand? You want to shake hands?"

Firill's voice was too quiet and I could not hear clearly, so I tried shaking hands with her first. It was a slender little hand.

However, Firill scowled and shook off my hand.

"...Wrong, hand it over."

Firill shook her hand and said.

"Hand it over...? Oh—"

Then I finally remembered that I had forcibly confiscated Firill's mystery novel to help her recover from her seasickness.

"Sorry, I accidentally forgot. But are your seasick symptoms better?"

"...Yes, I also had excellent appetite during dinner. Didn't you see?"

"Oh... I was distracted by something else."

While feeling apologetic, I scratched my head at the same time. Then Firill grabbed my right hand and pressed it against her stomach. Through the fabric, I could feel the suppleness and warmth of her skin, it made my heart beat like crazy.

"...How's that? Can you feel that I'm very full?"

"H-Hey!?"

Firill controlled my hand to touch her stomach. It did feel slightly taut, but I was in no mood to care about that. I was strongly conscious of the tender skin of a girl's, beneath the pajamas' soft fabric.

"...Your face is red, what's the matter?"

"Do you need to ask? If you suddenly do this, of course I'll..."

Firill's body warmth, felt through my palm, was making me unable to hide the my shaken emotions.

"...Oh, so boys will blush and get flustered because of this."

Firill blinked while observing my reactions in interest.

"S-Stop making fun of me. I'll return your book."

Hearing me say that, Firill instantly released my hand.

"Great, return it, instantly, hurry."

She evidently wanted to continue reading the story quite a lot. Making a fist in front of her chest, Firill hurried me.

"Okay okay, I'm getting it now."

So I turned my back to Firill and walked deeper into my cabin. But just as I picked up the paperback on the table, I suddenly felt like playing a prank on her.

It would be uncool if she played a joke on me and I did not retaliate, so I decided to make her panic a bit.

Hence, without thinking, I returned the paperback to Firill then said:

"By the way, about the novel's culprit..."

"NO!!"

However, Firill reacted beyond my expectation. Charging at me fiercely she covered my mouth with both hands. Pushed back by Firill's force, I lost balance and fell on a bed.

"Don't say it! Absolutely not!"

Leaning her weight on me, Firill glared at me with tears in her eyes.

Even if I wanted to explain it was just a joke, I could not say a single word because she had my mouth covered.

"Mmm—! Mmmmmmmmm!"

Without a choice, I could only make muffled noises. Worse of all, even my nose was covered by her hands, preventing me from breathing. At this rate, I was going to suffocate.

Seeing the color of my face start to change, Firill relaxed her hands slightly and asked me:

"...Promise me you won't say it out, okay?"

Hearing Firill ask me that, I nodded as hard as I could.

"Mmmm!"

"Then I'll release you."

"Puha!?"

Liberated, I took a deep breath then apologized to Firill.

"S-Sorry... Actually, I didn't read the book at all so I don't know who the culprit is either."

"...You deceived me? How malicious."

Firill pouted and glared at me. She was very close to me, almost to the point where we could feel each other's breath.

Pinning me down, Firill's body felt hot while her bosom pressed against me felt very soft.

"I'm terribly sorry, I-I'll apologize to you... Umm, could you please back off?"

Because this posture was too stimulating, I urged Firill to get away from me but she stared at my face and shook her head to refuse.

"...No, I won't back off until you compensate me."

"C-Compensate... What do you want me to do?"

"You don't need to do anything, just lie there quietly and don't move."

Saying that, Firill lifted up my shirt.

"W-What are you doing—"

"...Given this rare chance, I'll have a look at a boy's body."

Firill started to touch my upper body. Feeling someone else's fingertips moving along my skin, I could not help but squirm.

"Hey, it really tickles!"

"Don't move. This is research."

"R-Research?"

Enduring the feeling of my body getting fondled, I asked her.

"...One day, I'd like to write my own book, but that requires lots of knowledge... Hence, this is research for writing a book."

While explaining, Firill moved her slender fingers over my body. Although it felt ticklish, there were other additional sensations. Experiencing such a feeling surging for the first time, my back shuddered.

"Guh..."

"Oh... Is your heart rate rising again?"

Firill put her hand on my left chest, asking with her head cocked.

"T-That's—"

"Don't fall for me, okay?"

With a serious expression, Firill stared at me in my flustered state then she continued:

"Do not fall for me unless you have the resolve to be a prince."

A prince? Since Firill was always reading books, was she the type of girl hoping for her own Prince Charming to appear?

Although this question crossed my mind, now was not the time to pursue such a matter.

"In that case, stop doing this. Even someone like me would start falling to temptation, you know?"

"...Then it would be a nuisance. Very well, I'm almost about to forgive you."

With a helpless look, Firill stopped her hands.

"Sigh... That felt like a close call just now..."

Feeling exceptionally exhausted, my body was limp and powerless. With me like that, Firill was looking at me incredulously.

"...Even if you're not in love with the other person, your heart will still race like that?"

"Well, if a girl as cute as you touched their body, I'm sure every man would feel their heart racing."

"Wow, you're hitting on me now."

Hearing what I said, Firill brought her hand over her lips in surprise.

"I-I'm not hitting on you! I'm just stating the truth, meaning that I'm asking you to take more care—"

I frantically explained but Firill interrupted me and said:

"In my view, if you're going to hit on someone, I hope you could pursue Lisa."

"Why are you bringing up Lisa now?"

I answered with a question because I could not understand how the subject came to this.

"Because Lisa acts so cute whenever you're hitting on her."

"W-When did I ever hit on Lisa?"

"...No self-awareness?"

With an exasperated expression, Firill looked down at me.

Even after hearing what she said, I still had no recollection of ever hitting on Lisa. But speaking of Lisa, I remembered how she and Mitsuki had an argument today.

Come to think of it, Firill's student number was 2 and judging from Tia and my cases, student numbers were assigned in the order the student joined the class. If Firill had arrived even earlier than Mitsuki, who was Student No. 3, then she might very well know clearly about what had happened two years ago.

"I think you're probably mistaken, Firill, but anyway, can I ask you some questions... about Lisa?"

"...Why are you asking all of a sudden? Research to help you pursue her?"

"No, I'm being serious here. Firill, you've known Lisa for a long time, right?"

"...Yeah, we enrolled at the same time. Also, we already met before coming to Midgard."

"Eh!? You were friends to begin with?"

Thinking what a great coincidence, I asked her to confirm.

"...Only as casual acquaintances in high society."

"H-High society? What kind of lives did you two lead before?"

I could not help but blurt that out, slightly shrinking away.

"...A very boring and troublesome life, it's not that great."

"R-Really..."

Whether Firill or Lisa, both of them seemed to come from a world completely different from mine. Although I was curious about their backgrounds, Firill did not seem quite happy to talk about the past, so I did not pry further. After all, the matter between Lisa and Mitsuki was the main topic.

"Lisa and I truly became friends after arriving in Midgard. So... What would you like to know?"

"Y-Yeah, many things... But what I want to know most is: how can I get Lisa to forgive Mitsuki?"

Hearing me say that, Firill's expression tensed while she stared at me with candid eyes, as though trying to deduce my true intentions.

"...You want Lisa and Mitsuki to reconcile?"

"If possible, that's what I want to do. Do you think I'm meddling too much?"

Perhaps she might be offended by a third party like me butting in. Prepared for this possibility, I asked Firill.

"...No, because I'd like to resolve the problem between them too. After all, it's too unproductive the way they are now."

"Unproductive?"

"Yes, they keep tormenting each other for absolutely no reason at all."

"There's a reason, right? About Shinomiya Miyako..."

I felt nervous to bring up this name but I still gazed into Firill's eyes and pointed this out.

However, Firill shook her head in disagreement with a sorrowful expression.

"Wrong. The moment you think that, you're mistaken."

Rejecting what I said, Firill revealed the truth in one sentence.

"Lisa does not hate Mitsuki at all."

"...!?"

Hearing her say that, I gasped.

Not hate? In other words, Lisa was—

"Mononobe-kun."

Firill called my name, this was probably... the first time. Prior to this, she always referred to me as either "you" or "him."

"W-What is it?"

I gulped and urged her to continue.

"I have slight expectations for you, so you have to do your best, because I can't think of any better method than Lisa."

"...I don't know if I'll be able to meet your expectations, but I'll do everything I can."

After Firill told me the truth, I had to take the matter even more seriously. Anyway, I came up with one thing I needed to do first.

"That's good enough. If you succeed... I will reward you."

Firill placed her hand lightly on my left chest and smiled at me. Because she was still on top of me, that action looked especially sexy and seductive.

"Reward... I hope it's nothing too shocking."

"That I cannot promise."

Firill's answer sounded ominous. Despite getting a bad feeling, I still found my heart rate rising as though looking forward to it.

"Then please show some mercy. By the way, it's time you got off me. If someone sees this, we'll both get seriously misunderstood."

"Yeah, you're right—Oh... Sorry, too late."

Firill was just about to change her posture when she looked at the entrance and stopped.

"Huh?"

Feeling a despairing premonition, I turned my gaze as well.

"What is going on here...? I demand an explanation from you two."

Outside the cabin's open door, dressed in uniform, Mitsuki was standing there with a twitching expression. She was holding a first aid kit in her hand, probably visiting me to check on my injuries.

"M-Mitsuki..."

I was lying on the bed with my shirt pulled up and Firill straddling me. How should I explain this kind of situation?

I was at a loss for words when Firill tearfully complained to Mitsuki.

"Let me tell you... Mononobe-kun is so bad. He refused to return this book to me."

Firill extracted the book from my hand and cradled it lovingly before her chest.

"Simply stated, this is completely Nii-san's fault, right?"

Mitsuki swept her icy gaze towards me. Hearing her ask that, Firill nodded with a serious expression.

"Yes, basically that. I only came to get my book back."

"Urgh..."

Since it was basically what she said, I could not retort.

"...Well then, that's that. I'm off."

Firill swiftly got down from me and walked to the cabin's entrance.

"H-Hey! At least help me explain a little!"

I frantically shouted at her but Firill made a thumbs-up sign.

"...Good luck."

She irresponsibly encouraged me then left the cabin. After seeing her off, Mitsuki entered and closed the door.

"Nii-san, you seem a bit too energetic. Perhaps I no longer need to treat you as one of the injured?"

Mitsuki's bone-chilling gaze pierced me while she approached. Putting down the first aid kit she was holding, she grabbed my ears and pulled forcefully to the sides.

"Hey, ouch, that really hurts! My ears are ripping off!?"

"Ears that do not listen properly to others must be lengthened. Seriously... I clearly warned you during the evening meeting just now..."

"Huh? You warned me about something?"

I could not remember so I asked directly.

"...So you really were not listening. What I said was that during this period before the battle, we will be living with closer proximity between the genders than usual, hence Nii-san, you need to be more disciplined than before to avoid doing anything against public morals!"

"Oh... Sorry, I think I missed it."

Because I had heard the same message many times already, I apparently failed to store it as new information. In addition, I was worrying about Mitsuki and Lisa's fight.

I had not connected my consciousness with Yggdrasil, so it could not be memory loss no matter what. This was probably just my own carelessness.

"Looks like you must be punished, Nii-san. How many repentance essays should you write?"

Mitsuki released my ears and started to ponder.

"W-Wait a sec! There was a reason for that just now!"

Since I was punished to write over a hundred repentance essays before, repentance essays had become my mental trauma. Hence, I desperately tried to explain how things developed to that situation.

"...Is that so? Because Firill-san was seasick... That does sound like something she would do, but are you really telling the truth?"

"It's the truth! Ask Firill to check if you don't believe me."

"Very well, I shall believe you, Nii-san, since you say so. You may be spared from the repentance essays, but—"

Saying that, Mitsuki flicked her middle finger against my forehead.

"Ow!"

Struck by her finger, I held my forehead against my right hand.

"...From what you told me, the whole reason why you were tangled in bed together is because of your own malice, is it not? Hence, I punished you with a finger flick. Any objections?"

"You're right, it was my fault."

"I sighed and accepted the gentle punishment.

"Sigh... What a worrying future with this already happening the first day. Judging from this situation, I cannot take my eyes off you for a single moment, Nii-san. I might not be able to sleep tonight..."

Mitsuki added "what a mistake to assign this cabin so far away" under her breath.

But after hearing her say that, I thought of something.

Oh right—about Lisa, I had something to say to Mitsuki and this was a great opportunity. When Firill said "good luck" just before she left, I think this was partially what she meant.

"Say, Mitsuki, since you're so worried about me—Why don't you sleep in this room tonight? After all, there are two beds."

"Eh!?"

Mitsuki's eyes widened as she cried out in surprise.

"Then you'll be able to sleep peacefully if I stay within your sight, right?"

"What... W-W-W-What are you talking about!? Unlike last time, Tia-san is not here, you know? J-Just us two?"

"...? We're siblings, it's okay, right?"

"No, Nii-san and I are..."

Mitsuki's gaze wandered indecisively. Perhaps she was worried that this would count as breaking public morals as the student body president, even if we were siblings.

Then I should tell her that I had my own reasons too.

"Actually—I've got something to talk about, Mitsuki."

"Something to talk about...?"

"Yes, something important."

I looked into Mitsuki's eyes while speaking. Immediately, Mitsuki blushed and lost composure.

"B-By something important, you mean..."

"Please, Mitsuki. I know you're very busy as the Counter-Dragon Squad captain... But even if it's just one night, please let me have your time."

"M-My time—!?"

Mitsuki repeated my words with her face all red then nodded lightly.

"—I-I understand. Then I shall p-prepare then come back."

Mitsuki finished in a hoarse voice and left the room unsteadily.

"G-Great, I'll be waiting."

Because Mitsuki seemed abnormally nervous, even my voice involuntarily went stiff too.

The room went quiet and the faint sounds of waves reached my ears. Looking out my window at the blackened sea surface of the night, I waited for Mitsuki to return.

Firill's "good luck" kept echoing in my mind—

Part 5

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