BlazBlue – Phase Shift

...This is a dream.

He was aware of it since he was inside a scene he had never seen before.

That place appeared to be an absurdly high place. With the wind blowing fiercely, he stood on a stage-like circular place.

There were no other surroundings. The only thing there was a black monolith which was so enormous that just looking up at it wouldn"t be enough to see it fully. The monolith had blue veins that were like blood vessels and a crest shown on its surface. The object stood still without saying anything.

No, there was one more. Another person to be exact.

He didn"t know how long the person had stood there, but a young man stood, staring this way.

The strong winds disturbed the young man"s white hair and red jacket, ravaging them.

A large and broad sword was gripped in the hands of white-haired young man. His red and green eyes were glaring this way with a sharp glint.

What were shown in his gaze were rage and hatred.

"I"ll beat you to death!"

A thrown roar of anger.

The overflowing killing intent was thrusted without any hesitation. He was really... really glad that he saw it in a dream.

The "him" inside the dream laughed.

"Ooh, oooh. You"re finally in the mood!"

As his lips moved on their own, he flung a brutal mockery at the white-haired young man.

He understood. The young man before his eyes couldn"t possibly compete with him. But even so, the pitiful cry of the puppy that could only dream of opposing him felt so, so pleasurable to hear.

"C"mon, lil" doggie! Get here so I can play with you!"

As if sliding, he spun the two knives on his hands at the same time and made clicking sounds.

Roaring with all his might, the white-haired young man ran in a straight line. The large sword gripped in his hands made a noise as it tore through the wind.

Dangerous——that was the thought of he who was watching the dream.

Simultaneously, the "him" inside the dream let a high-pitched laugh out while feeling excitement and joy.

"Hey hey, what"s wrong?! Hyaahahahaha!"

He didn"t know "who" was laughing.

Was it he who felt scared of the white-haired young man"s expression? Or was it he who mocked that expression since it was laughable?

No, was it himself? Was it "him"? Who was it?

From the bottom of the stomach, from inside the head, from an even deeper place. Something was swelling and breaking out. More and more. Along with the snake heads from the chain, a greedy hunger went to bite the young man.

"———!!"

The red and green pupils glared. They shouted the name of "someone".

Clad in the flame of darkness, the large sword swung. A pitch black arm was stretching. It was just like a lump of hatred.

"YES. HATE ME MORE. MORE, MOREMOREMOREMOREMOOOOORE!"

An inner voice was screaming in pleasure. No, it was "his" voice. No, it was my voice. I don"t know anymore. Since when was it me and since when was it not me? Since when was it a dream and since when was it not a dream?

I don"t know. I don"t know. Only greed grew larger, exploding from inside.

Scary. That"s what I thought. The weak me just before I vanish.

With only his feeling, he seemed to be pulling himself out of the dream"s scene, desperately closing his eyes.

Wake up. Quickly wake up. This is a dream. It"s only a dream...

As his body was shivering with a sudden feeling of falling, the young man who had been sleeping until now woke up with a powerful jump.

His cheeks felt the warm light of day.

It was a peaceful morning.

From the square window near the bed, the thin sunlight was crowded between the curtains that weren"t fully closed, as if pushing them aside.

Below his body was a simple bed. The firm drawers of a desk used to study. A built-in closet. A certainly ma.s.s produced rag was laid on the floor.

Nothing"s changed. It was the usual room, the usual morning.

His thought slowly starting to wake up from a dream to reality. Although he was in his own room, unconsciously catching his breath, the young man——Kazuma suddenly took a breath.

"It"s a dream..."

He dropped his stiff shoulders and wiped his forehead. Covered with unpleasant sweat droplets, the palm of his hands became wet.

His shoulder width was narrow. If someone had to say, he was a young man with a delicate body. With a pale skin that hardly got sunburn, he couldn"t be regarded as strong by any standard. Rather than such words like sword and gun, or sport and stadium, he was more suited to words like book and library.

He, Kazuma Kuvaru, was a person with such appearance.

"Even so, it was a strange dream..."

Scratching his hair which was long enough to cover his eyes, Kazuma complained to no one.

No, was that really a dream?

A place which was so high that clouds were floating nearby. A circular stage. A standing-still black monument... A white-haired man.

On the contrary, the "him" in the dream absolutely didn"t feel like himself. It was like he was reliving someone else"s memory.

(But whose... Wait, who was it?)

He didn"t have any idea. In the first place, even if it was based on his memory, Kazuma didn"t have the knowledge that was needed.

Kazuma"s memory had begun at the morning of a day seven years ago. He woke above thi same bed that morning. That was the beginning of his memory.

He couldn"t remember a single thing prior to that. How long had he lived here? Where was he born? What kind of past did he have? He didn"t know anything.

He only knew a little bit about himself.

He didn"t know what kind of human relation he had with him, but under the guardianship of a man called Relius Clover, he was now attending the academy he enrolled in. The financial aid was all that man"s doing. And then during these seven years, he became aware of his preferences and nature, also his strong and weak points.

The kind of information that formed him was those things.

He didn"t know about the roots he was born in, especially the prospect beyond this point.

Every day, he only spent time without a purpose. Sometimes, Kazuma thought that he was just like a dandelion seed that could do nothing but drift on the wind.

"...Hey, it"s not the time to daze around. I"ll be late if I don"t quickly get ready."

The things he couldn"t remember were just a normal thing. He had grown used to it. Rather than worrying over it, Kazuma fixed his hair, which had been disordered by sleeping, while getting down from the bed.

He opened the room"s curtains which were half closed.

As the morning sun flooded into the room, he saw a city spread out as if it was a painting.

White walls with green and blue roofs. The extending roads which had many irregular turns that became stone pavements. The roadside trees, which were cultivated to grow large, were full with deep green leaves.

He started living on this island seven years ago while not knowing anything. This city was the only world for Kazuma.

The rich nature. Buildings with beautiful exteriors. It couldn"t be seen from here, but there was ocean on the opposite side that sparkled as it was bathed in the light of day.

This place was an island floating on the ocean, Ishana. But outside the island, only a few referred it with that name. Most knew it as the Mages" Guild.

Ishana, also known as the Mages" Guild, was a particular inst.i.tution that didn"t belong to any nation.

In this age when science and technology were being developed, this inst.i.tution was the only one that specialized in magic and alchemy. For that very reason, there was no activity that made them stood out globally. But behind the scenes, they had connections with many nations, establishing a self-government that was neutral and completely independent from other countries.

A powerful barrier created by magic was spread around the whole island. It repelled any kind of slight interference from the outside. Furthermore as invasion from the outside was certain, a strict check would be performed when leaving from inside the island.

Therefore, Ishana was said to be the safest city in the world.

Of course, there were all kinds of facilities in the island that provided the minimum needs. As the island community grew, so did residences and companies, as well as vigilance committees and judicial systems in place.

Above all those significant facilities, it was an educational inst.i.tution.

There was a magnificent academy located on the center of the island. Under the control and management of the Mages" Guild, it taught magic and alchemy in addition to basic education.

Hidden behind the history where machinery and science continued to evolve, sorcery and alchemy had been constantly handed down while concealing their presence. Pa.s.sing down that vast knowledge and skills to the next generation was the biggest purpose of the academy.

There were dormitories in the academy. Living in dormitory was a requirement, with the exception of the students who lived in the island with their families.

Whatever the form, the students who had determined to live on the island commuted to the academy every day to make an effort to study and practice magic.

Kazuma was also one of the students at the academy.

But unfortunately, Kazuma didn’t know why he attended this particular academy. Did he wish for it? Did his supposed guardian enlist him?

When his memories began, Kazuma had been registered as a student of the academy. The dormitory room where he should be living in had been arranged, his school life began after a week as if it was natural.

And while he was dumbfounded, no less than seven years of time had pa.s.sed.

He was already used to the academy"s uniform which consisted of white tunic, black trousers, and short mantle which seemed to have the image of a magician.

(With random students like me able to wander around, the management here is surprisingly lenient.)

During the recess between cla.s.ses, leaning against a window on the corridor that was wide open while looking outside, Kazuma complained when he thought about it.

He wondered if he shouldn"t be thinking about trivial things like the lenient management.

Maybe it would be different if Kazuma were a popular and excellent student. Unfortunately, his grades were so-so. They were amazingly average.

In any case, he was grateful to be placed in this spot. It was because other people didn"t have any expectation toward Kazuma.

(Memory... huh.)

Looking up at the clear sky, his mind faintly muttered.

Just like now, he sometimes wondered about it when he wasn"t doing anything.

...He had forgotten something really important.

Of course, since he couldn"t remember anything of his past, it should be obvious. However, he had a feeling like that there was something special, something that he must not forget. And it had to be remembered no matter what.

He had a feeling like that.

But... if felt a little scary.

What would become of him if he remembered the "something that had to be remembered no matter what"? If the memory he desperately tried to remember would overturn the foundation of his current self, in that case, it would be worth nothing

When that time came, what would be the best thing for him to do? In the first place, what would become of his current self when he regained his memories? Could he keep on being here as if there was no difference?

"...Well, it"s not like it"ll happen to me though."

Kazuma let out a small sigh as he spoke to himself.

Thinking about futile things made his head feel unpleasant. Giving up on thinking about it, he once again looked outside.

With only a few clouds on the sky, the soft sunlight was shining down. The weather was nice today.

Regardless, Ishana always had fine weather.

Having a mild climate, the spring was warm enough to wake up and still be half-asleep at the same time. The autumn was fairly cold. No day hot enough to sweat, no day cold enough to be freezing.

There wouldn"t be war if there was no hunger. There was never any sort of a natural disaster here.

The days in Ishana were really peaceful.

That was why Kazuma sometimes forgot.

Taking a step ahead outside the island, the whole world, with the exception of this island, was approaching the crisis of destruction.

Today was 2106 AD.

It started six years ago, 2100 AD, January 1st.

In j.a.pan, an island nation located in the Far East, an unidentified monster appeared suddenly.

With an appearance like a snake that had numerous heads, the black monster was gigantic. Only, it had an instinct to lay destruction and ma.s.sacre indiscriminately.

Furthermore, in the same time as the appearance of the monster, a substance called seithr began to overflow everywhere.

In exchange for neutralizing any harmful substance, as if it was a touch of a living being, the seithr sensed the existence of humans and informed the monster. Then, it occasionally became a guide and a lane, summoning the monster.

Following the seithr, the black monster would appear in unexpected places and at unexpected moments. When all that lived there weren"t quick enough to get away, it would easily destroy everything entirely.

Using nuclear weapons, humanity tried to annihilate the monster by striking the unfortunate country called j.a.pan. But the result ended with failure.

On the contrary, judging by the fact that the destructive being was no longer in j.a.pan, the jet-black apparition bared its fangs toward the whole world.

——The Black Beast.

Facing the apparition which was referred to as that, humanity had tried every means they had.

But nothing was proven to be an effective method... Before anyone realized it, people could do nothing but struggle to escape from Black Beast again and again.

In this very moment, some part of the world might be facing destruction because of the Black Beast.

Despite that, there were lush green parks, roadside trees, and variously colored flowers blooming in Ishana where Kazuma lived.

For the Black Beast to be in this island, it would be like an illusion as if it was a nightmare.

"...Hm?"

Kazuma, who had been dazing with his arms placed on the window frame, suddenly took notice of a part of the scenery.

The academy"s courtyard could be seen from the windows on the corridor. Naturally, the courtyard had school buildings and an auditorium which the students used there. There were many Mages" Guild"s facilities constructed there.

Among those, there was a single pure white building which was called the Cathedral. Several people were busily going in and out of it.

The Cathedral was the most sacred place among the Mages" Guild. It wasn"t only used by the Guild"s people to hold important meetings or when there was a ceremony. With the exception of when there was a special cla.s.s for the academy"s students, it was prohibited to trespa.s.s without reason.

Judging by the robes they wore, the people who were going in and out seemed to be the Mages" Guild"s officials. If it was only that, it shouldn"t be unusual. However, there was a single person wearing a big, triangular hat on their head.

The hat, noticeable from distance, held a special meaning for the Mages" Guild.

"Ten Sages..."

The Ten Sages were the directors among directors who possessed top-cla.s.s authority within the Mages" Guild. So to say, someone who had been chosen, a privileged cla.s.s.

It wasn"t an exaggeration to say that they were the one who presently set the Mages" Guild in motion. No one would be permitted to approach the Mages" Guild"s most highly cla.s.sified information that was seemingly stored in the deepest part of the Cathedral if they were not one of the Ten Sages.

Kazuma watched the movements of the Sage who was giving instruction to the restless subordinates. The mark of the chosen one on the big hat moved right and left.

(Come to think of it, it"s said that there"s a canonization ceremony for a new Ten Sage today.)

It was a very rare occasion.

Ten Sage was a privileged cla.s.s. Therefore, to be appointed, one must have an authority over the fitting knowledge and experiences, a degree of contribution toward the Mages" Guild, and most of all, the required strength of magic. Hence why, since the Ten Sages were introduced, the number of Sages had been less than ten people for a long time.

The Ten Sage this time seemed to be an active student.

In addition to the rare appointment of a Ten Sage, it was unprecedented for a student to take up a post there.

With that "unprecedented" coming from his cla.s.smates, it drew a somewhat interest even from Kazuma who normally just spent his days lazing around.

(If I"m not mistaken... it was Konoe Mercury)

She was undisputedly a super excellent student who had been hailed as a prodigy ever since she came to the Mages" Guild. Because of her gorgeous appearance, in addition known to have a very up-tight personality, she was a very well-known person in Ishana for various reasons.

Having no such grades, and also plain appearance and personality, Kazuma was the polar opposite of her.

(In this world, there are people who walk a bright path of life.)

Feeling discouraged, he let out a sigh. It was a world which didn"t have much relation with Kazuma.

It was no use looking at it continuously as if he was being jealous of his neighbor"s green lawn. As the cla.s.s would begin soon, Kazuma went away from the window. Granted, there was hardly any jealous feeling left toward the Ten Sages position.

At that moment, suddenly.

————.

A voice was heard.

Kazuma looked back.

But unsurprisingly, there was only an opened window. There was no figure of a person.

"...Huh?"

He felt that he had certainly heard someone"s voice just now. At any rate, he had a feeling that he had surely been called.

"I don"t like this... Hallucinating after having a memory loss. It seems I can no longer laugh it off."

While scratching his head as if he was disturbing his hair, Kazuma turned his back on the window once more.

The timing was just right as the bell that informed the start of the next cla.s.s echoed throughout the corridor. Kazuma reflexively looked up at the ceiling and trotted back to the cla.s.sroom.

The circular hall made of white stone was enveloped in solemn atmosphere.

The ceiling was high and shaped like a hemisphere. The walls which were in perfect circle had several thick pillars nestled close together. Some statue-like objects silently lined up at regular intervals.

Between the pillars, crystals as big as human head were floating. Since they were charged with the power of magic, like floating on the surface of water, they were flickering up and down while shining in pale white.

Surrounded by some divine light, several figures who were wearing dignified robes and large triangular hats stood in a circular pattern.

The number of people was less than ten.

They uniformly turned their sights to the center. At the end of it, one girl was kneeling. With long mantle spread on the floor and long hair down her back which slipped from her shoulders, she hung her head as if giving a prayer.

From the circle, a single robed figure stepped forward and stood in front of the girl.

"Konoe Mercury. I hereby appoint you as a Ten Sage, he who possesses great wisdom... You are now called "Nine"."

The one who announced it with a stern voice was a st.u.r.dy and ma.s.sive elderly man.

The girl... Konoe. No, Nine. She answered with her knees still down on the cold floor.

"I humbly accept it."

A different robed figure drew close. First, he walked up to the elderly man before pa.s.sing a purple hat. A large triangular hat, like what a witch who appeared in fairy tale would wear.

It was the proof of the chosen one, a Ten Sage.

The symbol of great magical and alchemical knowledge was placed on Nine"s head.

"Now, from this very moment, a new wisdom has joined the Ten Sages. According to the sacred order, that intelligence will last for eons."

With the majestic declaration, several other attendees repeated the same phrases. A great number of voices blended, reverberated on the tall ceiling.

The position of Ten Sage was bestowed only to the most prominent magicians in Mage’s Guild. With her head remain hung, Nine indifferently listened to the end of the canonization alone.

When Nine came out from the Cathedral, it was already the last half of the noon recess.

The Ten Sage canonization was held deep underground in the Cathedral, a special room that was forbidden to enter for anyone other than a Ten Sage. It was probably because she had been looking down in the windowless room for a long time that she thought that it had been a long time since she felt the refreshing outside air when the wind profusely stirred.

Around the Cathedral was a courtyard within the academy. With the exception of the path that was covered in stone tiles, there were carefully trimmed shrubs and trees enveloping the lush lawn. They stood side-by-side as if it was a natural park.

Within such peaceful spectacle, Nine walked toward the school building. Her long, straight hair which covered her back was gracefully fluttering as the wind blew through it.

The other Ten Sages were still inside the Cathedral. With n.o.body else around, a refreshing serenity was drifting in the air.

Suddenly, there were light footsteps running which broke the silence. From the opposite side of the gently curved path, two figures that Nine knew well appeared.

"Onee-chaaaan!"

The girl, who had deep brown hair tied in a high ponytail, furiously waved her hand while calling Nine in a lively voice.

Behind her, there was another girl wearing a big round spectacles. Barely keeping pace with the first girl, while approaching Nine. Her fluffy platinum blonde hair was beautiful. As if restraining it, she wore the hood of her robe.

Just as she fixed her eyes on the two figures, Nine"s expression that had looked mildly amused began to become cheerful.

"Celica! Trinity!"

Straining her soft-colored eyes, Nine also faced both of them and waved her hand.

The first girl, her ponytail whipping forward as she abruptly stopped in front of Nine, was Celica A. Mercury. She was Nine"s younger sister.

Behind her, the bespectacled girl, who was out of breath after shaving caught up with Celica, was called Trinity Gla.s.sfille. She was Nine"s one and only friend.

Celica"s eyes which had deep color that resembled wet soil were sparkling. Somewhat excited, she opened her mouth.

"Is it over, Onee-chan? The Ten Sage"s canonization, that is!"

"It"s over. Although it"s a canonization ceremony, I"m just following the old procedure. It"s not like I"m doing anything special."

"But still, about that."

Toward the innocently excited Celica, Nine let out a wry smile. While watching the lovable scene of them both, Trinity spoke softly.

"Didn"t you receive that peculiar hat~?"

Trinity spoke with a carefree and slow tone of voice. Nine moved her gaze up to look at the top her head. As one would expect, she wasn"t able to look at it completely without a mirror, but she could clearly see the unnecessarily wide circular brim.

"The hat"s just an ornament."

She uninterestedly snorted.

"Besides, for me to be a Ten Sage seriously bothers me. Actually, rather than me, Trinity is more fitting for it."

"Oh my... You speak of such thing again~."

Looking at her friend"s unusual expression that was like a sulking child, Trinity smiled bitterly with her brows down. Just the other day, Nine had spoken the same thing when it was decided that she had been appointed as a Ten Sage.

If Nine was excellent at handling magic, then Trinity was a prodigy in sensing and a.n.a.lyzing magic information in an instant. She also excelled at alchemy. Taken from Trinity"s beautiful hair, she was given the nickname of The Platinum AlchemistPlatinum the Trinity. She was that well known and admired.

Natural talent aside, Nine considered that Trinity"s profound wisdom which supported her capability was an ability that really should have been evaluated.

Toward Nine who got displeased again, Trinity laughed in a soft voice that truly matched her meek appearance.

"That hat suits you well~."

"...Thanks."

With a troubled smile on her face, Nine shrugged her shoulders as if she was hiding her embarra.s.sment.

Toward the usual and ordinary Nine who had the symbol of greatest honor crowned on her head, Trinity straightened herself while putting her modest respect.

"From now on, I guess we should call you Nine."

"Nine?"

Slightly inclining her head, Celica asked in her curiosity.

After Nine exchanged glance with Trinity again, she answered with a wry smile.

"A term for the person joining the Sages... Simply put, it"s a particular name that"s given to imply that someone is a Ten Sage. Since I"m the ninth, then it"s Nine. Although it"s only a formality, I"m glad that I don"t need to spare any time changing my name anymore."

Since Nine was frank when she spoke, it was Trinity who smiled wryly this time.

Nine"s real name was Konoe. Konoe Mercury.

However, Nine wasn"t fond of her name. Trinity and Celica knew well the reason. It was because the person who gave the name was Nine and Celica"s father.

Nine despised her father. Even that was pushing it. She disliked it when Celica brought up her father.

But six years ago, it had become unknown whether her father was actually alive or dead.

"I see... Since it"s been decided, I guess there"s no helping it."

Downhearted, Celica pulled her chin.

Nine might loathe the name Konoe, but for Celica, it was an important name of her important sister. Although it was the rule, it was a little sad for her sister"s name to get changed.

"But... Although you"re the "Nine of the Ten Sages", Onee-chan is still my big sis... right?""

Pulling her chin with upturned eyes, Celica looked up at the sister who was taller than her, as if she was peeking.

Looking at the honest eyes which showed courtesy, as if flinching, Nine gasped in a somewhat comical movement.

And then, as she could bear it no longer, she hugged Celica close to her voluptuous bosoms with terrifying strength.

"Of course I am, Celica~~~~! Whatever the position, whatever the name, I"m still your big sister! Aah~, don"t make that face. There might be an insolent b.a.s.t.a.r.d hiding somewhere trying to ruin that adorable and helpless face of yours!"

"O-Onee-cha... It hurts..."

Having her face crushed in the soft chest, Celica struggled. Regulating her breath after she somehow got her face released, Celica raised her eyes to Nine while still being hugged.

"That"s right. Onee-chan, you still haven"t had a lunch, have you? Let"s eat together. I was waiting for you."

"Eh? You what? You still haven"t eaten yet? I thought I told you to eat before."

Nine looked bewildered as she spoke, Celica gave a spoiled smile.

"It"s because I wanted to celebrate."

"Celebrate? What for?"

"Of course to congratulate Onee-chan for becoming a Sage. Hmph, this is a special occasion, but you"re still completely the same as usual."

Celica pouted.

Beside them, Trinity giggled. It was like she was watching kittens playing together.

"Come on now, we should go. If we keep chatting here, the noon recess will be over in a flash~. Right, Celica-san? Nine?"

"Wah! That"ll be bad!"

Fl.u.s.tered, Celica slipped out of Nine"s embrace. Reversing the position, this time she grabbed her sister"s arm. With a cheerful voice, she gave a happy smile to her sister.

"Let"s go, Onee-chan. I"ll treat you to the cafeteria"s pudding as a celebration!"

"Pudding...? I"m not a kid, you know."

Even if she was reluctant while saying that, Nine started walking to follow Celica.

She had always known about it, but she truly had nice younger sister and best friend.

Slightly fixing the large hat placed on her head while secretly smiling, Nine, sandwiched between her sister and best friend, left the courtyard.

The school cafeteria in the Mages" Guild"s academy. Although it didn"t have the capacity to accommodate the whole student body, it was a wide open place that could manage the majority of them.

From the large windows, the scenery of courtyard and soft sunshine came into eyes without restraint. Since today was such a clear day, one would briefly forget that this place was part of a school.

With plenty of variety in the menu and even an installed television which was broadcasting news, every day, the place would be filled with a great number of students during the noon recess.

Kazuma was also one of the students who liked to go to this cafeteria. Occupying alone the table close to the wall which was a bit separated from the crowd, he was about to finish eating the daily special Lunch C.

During the days when he had cla.s.ses, Kazuma"s lunch would always be this menu. There were two reasons. First, it was bothersome to think about what to order for every single thing. The other one... a hard-boiled egg was include in the special lunch C.

Kazuma by no means was a gourmet. He was also not particularly strict in his diet.

However, it"s just that the hard-boiled egg was special.

Looks, taste, simplicity. There was nothing to complain about any of them. There was salad and a hot sandwich placed in the plate, but the hard-boiled egg was the true main course for Kazuma.

"Well then..."

He had already finished eating the cuisine which had filled his plate, with the exception of the hard-boiled egg he had saved for last.

First things first was to taste the black tea and immediately put it back. Next was to take the smooth texture of that object into his hands.

To ensure its contents would not become damaged, he gently hit it on the table"s edge several times. As the white sh.e.l.l started to get numerous cracks, he carefully peeled it with his thumbs.

And finally after the bouncy hard-boiled egg appeared, Kazuma, quite satisfied, raised it to his mouth.

"Beautiful..."

It was an undoubtedly a perfect shape.

There was nothing special to it and Kazuma didn"t have any goal in doing this. Every day, this precise time probably was the time he looked forward the most.

Picking up the salt that was provided for the table, Kazuma lightly sprinkled it to the smooth white skin of the egg. First, he would get a mouthful... and so as he thought. It was during that moment.

"Why, if it isn"t Kazuma-san."

"Ah...?"

Toward the voice, which came from out of nowhere, Kazuma turned his head with his mouth half-opened.

Standing there was a platinum blonde girl wearing round eye-gla.s.ses. The gentle atmosphere wasn"t overflowing from the voice only, but also from her whole body.

Kazuma recognized the girl who had cream sauce pasta in her tray.

"Oh my, Trinity-san. Having lunch now?"

"Yes. I had a little errand today."

She was a female student from the same cla.s.s as him. For the uniform, beside the mantle, you could choose any robe. Although she was often wearing the latter, she usually put on the hood as if to hold down her soft hair.

Like a child wondering if she was a witch coming out from a fairy-tale, Kazuma believed that he frequently saw her.

There were two other people stood behind Trinity. A beautiful female cla.s.smate with her long hair flowing over her back and a short girl with her hair bundled up at a high position.

Kazuma also knew about the beautiful girl. She was his cla.s.smate just like Trinity.

Her name was Konoe Mercury. Presently, she wasn"t a stranger among the academy. She was a rare prodigy who got selected as a Ten Sage even when she was a student.

But the other pony-tailed girl was a new face. The girl"s face peeked from behind Trinity.

"Hm? A friend of Trinity-san? Good afternoon."

Her huge eyes looked straight at Kazuma without reservation. Their gaze met.

That moment, the chill he had vaguely felt until now suddenly intensified. His hair stood on its end.

He didn"t know the cause. For some reason, he could not return the gaze of the pupils which were facing him. Kazuma averted his eyes as if he had succ.u.mbed to her strength.

"Aah, err. h.e.l.lo."

He barely answered with a faint voice.

Suspicious at that, Konoe Mercury glanced.

"Who"s this? Your acquaintance?"

Since she flung the remark over her shoulder, Trinity"s face became troubled.

"What do you mean by who? He"s Kazuma Kuvaru. Isn"t he in the same cla.s.s as you, Kono... Nine?"

"He"s in our cla.s.s? I didn"t know."

"O-Onee-chan, just how impolite you are!? I"m sorry, Kazuma-san. Onee-chan"s bad at remembering people"s names..."

As she placed the plate containing spaghetti bolognese, the ponytailed girl proficiently bowed her head.

Taking a few seconds to be aware of the gesture which was addressed at him, Kazuma, late in coming to his senses, hurriedly shook his head. This situation of having three different types of girls standing while looking at him was completely overwhelming.

"N-no... Don"t worry about it."

After Kazuma replied, the face of the pony-tailed girl suddenly turned into a smile. The very picture of carefree and innocent of an expression made Kazuma astonished again.

At the same time, he felt another indescribable discomfort accompanied with chills that ran through his spine.

"Nice to meet you. I"m Celica A. Mercury. You"re Onee-chan"s cla.s.smate, right? Thanks for always taking care of my sister."

A voice like the sound of a blooming flower. The tone of voice and expression had to be the characteristic of this girl called Celica.

Rather than envy... he felt a little dislike. Particularly to this girl.

"He didn"t take care of me. We"ve never spoken after all. I didn"t even notice his presence."

"Ha, haha..."

As for the point given by Konoe Mercury, who he supposed must be Celica"s sister, it felt mercilessly cold. Kazuma"s stiff mouth laughed. Even though there was several times when they had exchanged words, it seemed they were completely erased from her memory.

"Um... That hat."

When Kazuma took notice of the hat which was placed on the beautiful girl"s head, he reflexively let his voice out.

A big, triangular purple hat which had a wide brim. Kazuma understood well its meaning.

"It"s the canonization ceremony, right? Congratulations for being a Ten Sage, Konoe Mercury-san."

After he put the egg aside, Kazuma made a gentlemanly smile as much as he could.

But the beautiful woman wearing the triangular hat glared at Kazuma with an intense look. With a tone of voice that sounded too arrogant, she spoke clearly.

"It"s Nine."

"Yes?"

"My name. I don"t have the tiny bit of desire to be addressed by you, but call me Nine if you"re going to address me again."

"Aah... Nine, is it."

When someone became a Ten Sage, a name following the number of one to ten was given. From that time, that person would be referred with the number. Kazuma remembered the rule now.

But somehow, the name Nine was something more than just a rule for her. She was someone that shouldn"t be made angry by such an inadvertent mistake. Kazuma decided to firmly imprint the new name of his cla.s.smate into his brain.

"Ah, that"s right."

Celica suddenly came up with something and then opened her mouth.

"Kazuma-san. If you don"t mind, can we have lunch together?"

"Yes... Eh, what?"

After he reflexively answered, he spontaneously asked again. He really couldn"t comprehend what she had spoken of. Celica on the other hand had an expression as if she had an idea she found splendid.

"I was thinking to do a celebration for Onee-chan today. But... since we"re sort of coming late, there"s no more empty seats."

"Aaah, I see."

Now that she mentioned it, all the tables in the cafeteria had certainly been filled. Not so many people came to the cafeteria at this time of day, but nevertheless, it was surprisingly crowded today.

Celica, shrugging her shoulders, let out a childish smile.

"Besides, I don"t often get the chance to meet one of Onee-chan"s friends that isn"t Trinity-san. I want to talk with Kazuma-san more."

"With me? But..."

Even with the smile that was like baiting him, the reluctant Kazuma spoke ambiguously.

For some reason, he didn"t want to get too close to this girl named Celica.

In the first place, Kazuma didn"t know a lot about Nine. He didn"t know what Celica was expecting, but there was nothing worth mentioning to talk about.

It seemed Nine also didn’t want to share a table with Kazuma.

When his eyes fled from Celica"s gaze to look forward, sure enough, Konoe... Nine observed Kazuma with her eyebrows furrowed in discontent.

Kazuma spontaneously averted his eyes. Konoe Mercury. Nine. Whichever her name was, he didn"t want to have her keep an eye on him too much.

However, that wish was far from being realized.

"Celica-san, you mustn"t ask such unreasonable request. He seems to have already finished his lunch~."

"Eeh, so it"s no good? I wanted to get along... Too bad."

Lectured by Trinity to take consideration, Celica dropped her small shoulders.

Seeing such a state, how could he turn her down?

For quite a while, his body felt a strange bad feeling. But it might be just his imagination.

"...Umm, I don"t mind. There are enough empty seats for exactly another three people."

"Go ahead," said Kazuma as he smiled gently. The smile by no means showed his true feelings. It was more like a habit that would come out when he faced other people.

But Celica received the impression of the smile she saw. A smile from the bottom of her heart, which was different than Kazuma"s, bloomed all over her expression.

"Really!? Hooray! Thank you, Kazuma-san. Ah, then I"ll go buy another congratulatory pudding. It"s my thanks for listening to my selfishness!"

No sooner after she talked, Celica put the tray containing her lunch on the seat in front of Kazuma and ran off with her long hair leaped.

"Eh, ah. No, I"m..."

There wasn"t any opportunity to stop her.

Like clockwork, Celica had gone to the cafeteria"s counter vigorously.

As Kazuma was overcame with surprise watching it, Trinity"s tray was placed on the seat next to him.

"My apologies, Kazuma-san. But thanks for helping us out~."

"Good grief... She never listens when she starts talking."

Although she seemed a bit sullen, Nine still reluctantly placed her lunch at the table while also taking a seat.

He looked at Trinity"s tray and also Nine"s, small custard puddings were sat there.

(I see. So this is the congratulatory gift.)

Most likely, it was that child Celica who suggested it.

As he glanced, a long ponytail swayed left and right as she headed this way. In her hands, Celica was holding a similar pudding to the one on her tray.

Kazuma somehow felt like giving up.

It looked like it was going to be a long lunch.

A fork was winding around above a plate, intertwining bolognese sauce and spaghetti.

While carrying it to her mouth, Celica casually stared directly at Kazuma who was sitting in front of her.

"So, Kazuma-san also doesn"t talk much except with Trinity-san?"

The topic surrounding the lunch was about the relationships within Kazuma"s cla.s.sroom.

Kazuma, having already finished eating the hardboiled egg, was now somewhat poking the pudding he received from Celica. The table might now look distinctly showy compared to his usual, but still, the hardboiled egg had tasted so wonderfully delicious.

"Hey, Celica. What do you mean by "also"? That guy and me aren"t in the same level."

The first one to open her mouth at Celica"s words was Nine. Dissatisfaction was clearly mixed in her explicit tone which had been going on until now.

But not minding her sister"s complaint, Celica instead gave her a straight answer.

"But Onee-chan, if Trinity-san weren"t here, wouldn"t you only have me as a partner to eat a meal with? When you went for a vacation, it was with just Trinity-san and me."

"...It"s meaningless to a.s.sociate myself with people whose level is far from mine."

"See, you said it again. That"s why you"re considered as a scary person."

As the sisters began quarreling all of a sudden, Kazuma was dumbfounded while grasping the pudding spoon tightly.

No one had ever thought that there existed a person who could speak so bluntly to the talented Nine who was feared because of her tight personality. On the contrary, Nine was overwhelmed. It was hard to believe that the sudden spectacle could happen to the exceptional prodigy who was enrolled in the same cla.s.s as him.

But different from Kazuma, Trinity, who seemed to be used to seeing it, nonchalantly proceeded to eat, smiling as she watched the sisters.

Celica once again got her sight back to Kazuma.

"Ah. I"m sorry, Kazuma-san. Please continue with your story."

"Even if I continue... As you say, I also speak on daily basis with just Trinity-san."

""Also"?"

From diagonally in front of him, Nine"s sharp voice came.

"Ah, no..."

Kazuma quickly closed his mouth with his hand.

Beside him, Trinity laughed a little.

"Hey. Why are you laughing, Trinity?"

"Fufu... So-sorry, Nine. I don"t mean anything bad."

"I"m not asking about that. Good grief."

Pouting, Nine folded her arms beneath her plump chest after she brushed her hair.

Kazuma tried to keep showing a smile while scratching his cheek. Since he wasn"t used to being involved in a setting like this, he was actually troubled. Easily creating such awkward atmosphere seemed like one of the strong points of women.

Setting aside the peevish opinion, Kazuma hesitantly opened his mouth.

"I"m sorry. I didn"t mean Nine-san and I have the same level... I was trying to say that Trinity-san is a nice person since she greeted me even though I"m low profile."

"Oh. But Kazuma-san isn"t low profile."

"No, no, that"s not true. It"s unthinkable."

Even when Kazuma seemed to be giving in, he raised both of his hand at the height of his chest and shook his head to Trinity as she tried to dismiss it.

Seeing that, this time it was Celica who laughed. She curiously let out a girlish laugh, or rather the tone of someone who laughed delightfully.

"Kazuma-san is an interesting person. At first, I thought you aren"t that good at chatting. But I learned that you have lots to speak about. I"m somewhat happy."

"Oh... is that so?"

"Umm. Can I talk to you more often from now on? I want to know more about Kazuma-san."

"Eeh!? Err, that"s..."

Couldn"t answer her right away, Kazuma"s eyes wandered as he panicked.

He didn"t look back at Celica"s eyes that staring directly at him.

Someone who hated this girl called Celica must be rare. Somehow, even if someone was overwhelmed by her nonstop vigor, his heart would quickly be s.n.a.t.c.hed by the honest good will and that adorable laughter. At times, Celica"s behavior was similar to the innocence of puppy or kitten.

However, Kazuma for some reason wasn"t fond of Celica. He didn"t know why... Looking at her eyes gave him trouble breathing. It made his chest felt tight.

(She shouldn"t be a bad girl though...)

While Kazuma was still trying to decide his answer, Nine stood up as if interrupting his thought. The chair which was pushed roughly made one think that she wasn"t composed no matter how optimistic a person was when he looked at it.

"Celica. Come here for a second."

"Huh?"

As Celica was about to finish the spaghetti bolognese, her arm was pulled as Nine left the table. Celica followed her sister while still wide-eyed.

The girls stopped at the sandwich and bread counter which was always immediately filled with lines of students as soon as the noon recess starts. It was a bit away from the table where Kazuma and Trinity were left behind, but it wasn"t a distance where they couldn"t see the girls" expressions.

Along with Trinity who was peeling off the pudding"s seal, Kazuma watched over at the situation. No sooner after she suddenly looked over her shoulder, Nine spoke.

"Stop getting involved with that suspicious man! It"ll only get you into trouble!"

The flowing disapproval came flying to Kazuma"s ears. It cleared up the question as to why the she felt she needed to leave the table to talk to Celica.

The powerful tone was enough to make someone cower, but it didn"t even make Celica wince.

"Kazuma-san isn"t suspicious! He might be a bit of a strange person, but it"s harsh to brand him like that when we don"t know him enough!"

"It"s not necessary getting to know about him. You should know when you see him. Such a questionable man, whose thought can"t be figured from his expression, isn"t a decent person."

"That"s not true!"

"Anyway, don"t get familiar and approach that mysterious guy. You have a cute face and personality, but something crucial is missing. It will make sly and dishonest people take advantage of you."

"What are you saying!? You seem to accuse Kazuma-san of being a sly and dishonest person!"

The eyes of many students who were finishing their lunch gathered on the pair of quarreling sisters. Others began to look towards the table that Kazuma was sitting at, having guessed that he was the Kazuma-san in qustion.

Unable to bear the situation, Kazuma fixed his eyes on his pudding as if turning his eyes from reality.

What was quite shocking was Celica"s remark when she completely denied the "questionable man whose thought can"t be figured from his expression" Nine had said.

(...I wonder if I"m that questionable?)

He tried to place his hand somewhere on his stunned face. As the mouth his fingers touched expressed a stiff smile that he was unaware of, he got shocked again.

"Umm, Kazuma-san?"

While the paralyzed Kazuma had his hand on his cheek, a worried voice came from beside him.

With a dry smile and trembling shoulders, Kazuma spoke to himself.

"...From now on, I wonder what kind of face would be good when facing them..."

"Uh, umm... please don’t worry about it too much ~. Nine somewhat loses control when it comes to Celica-san. She will just disregard her surroundings~."

Even Trinity was wearing a bothered smile. She must often given this explanation to others from time to time. Experiences with troubles seeped from how she talked.

"Besides, I like Kazuma-san"s politeness and modesty. I think of you as a good-natured person."

"Haha... Thanks for that."

It"s more preferable by far than a harsh criticism, but getting praised straight to his face was embarra.s.sing. Kazuma awkwardly loosened up while scratching his mouth.

"Even so, Trinity-san is also a person who burdened with troubles, right? Like with her and me, you a.s.sociate with people who aren"t used to the cla.s.s."

"Fufu. But compared to Kazuma-san"s hardship, it feels pleasant."

"My hardship?"

"Your memory. It hasn"t returned, right?"

"Aah..."

Kazuma had memory loss. It was a story that was known among his cla.s.smates.

The first time around, it wasn"t a common thing. But now he practically didn"t know just how many people had learned about it.

Kazuma also didn"t wish for the issue to get mentioned too much. Getting inquiries out of curiosity would only bother him. Also, Kazuma usually didn"t care about it too much.

However, sometimes Trinity was concerned about Kazuma.

It was by no means troublesome.

Trinity had a sort of enthusiasm where it would be fine to ask "how are you doing?" to someone who had chronic disease. She made serious sounding words like "memory loss" sound like something lighthearted.

"Well, it hasn"t returned at all. I even think that I might not have a past to remember."

"Oh, please don"t say about such a thing."

"Aah, no no. I"m aware of it."

Kazuma gave a loose smile to the rebuking Trinity who had a gloomy expression.

"It"s not like I"m pessimistic about it, so don"t worry."

Even if he was pessimistic, he didn"t know if having nothing to remember was something to be delighted about or to lament with.

Kazuma suddenly realized something and raised his face. Before he had realised it, the sisters" quarrel could no longer be heard.

When he looked at them, both of them were silent while still stood in the same place as before. They stared at the large television which was installed in the cafeteria as if devouring it. Their expressions were too pale to have been drawn to it by interest only.

Following the girls" line of sight, Kazuma also looked toward the television.

Inside the rectangular screen, the usual news program was airing. The newscaster talked on and on while somewhat trembling.

It was a news that arrived from a particular country.

"——that. I will report it again. This morning, according to the investigation team of the United Nations who went to j.a.pan, a survivor has been found. For the six years period of time since the nuclear strike on j.a.pan, the survivor took a shelter in the underground and appeared to be living hidden below. Although he is considerably weak, there"s nothing serious that might endanger his life. For now, the investigation team will wait for his physical condition to improve before questioning him about the past six years."

j.a.pan.

The country where the Black Beast, the monster that spread terror and anxiety throughout the world by appearing in unexpected places and at unexpected moments, had first appeared. In order to eliminate its threat, nuclear missiles were launched and virtually destroyed the country.

Because of a high concentration of radioactivity and chemical substances, j.a.pan had been contaminated. It had turned into a land of death where no beings could live. But as the pollution steadily lessened, the United Nations dispatched an investigation team half a year ago.

As this time civilians were also able to enter to j.a.pan, investigations which had certain purposes had taken place. But it seemed... the result was that a survivor that had been left behind in j.a.pan for six years was found.

"A survivor... in j.a.pan?"

The screen was a bit distant, but the newscaster"s voice was clearly audible. Kazuma breathed out to signal his interest.

But Trinity kept silent with a serious distress of an expression. It seemed Kazuma"s murmur didn"t reach her ears.

"Trinity Gla.s.sfille-san?"

When he questioningly asked, Trinity turned around with a gasping sound trembled on her throat. Her pretty green eyes opened wide. A slight disturbance could be seen there.

"Ah... um, no. It"s nothing,"

With a faint smile, Trinity dropped her gaze to the pudding she held in her hand. Most of it was hidden by the hood and hair, but sorrow still spread on her face.

Kazuma moved his gaze.

What Trinity was seeing wasn"t the television. It was Nine and Celica.

The sisters had been arguing seriously until a while ago. They got somewhat stunned as they watched the news. Slipping through the students, they returned here. The grim faced Nine urged the dejected Celica to walk.

"C"mon, Celica."

Nine forced the delicate Celica to sit on the chair before she sat down on her own.

Silence fell on the table. The congratulatory pudding seemed gloomy.

No one opened their mouth. Enduring such atmosphere, Kazuma timidly called out to Celica who looked disheartened compared to anyone else.

"Has something happened?"

Although Celica certainly raised her sight, she shook her head without saying anything. The barely expressed smile on her mouth was very unsuitable for the extremely cheerful girl. It really made Kazuma worried.

"Are you feeling OK? Your face seems..."

Awfully pale.

He was about to say it. The moment his hand somewhat stretched toward Celica, it happened. Terrible chills ran through Kazuma"s spine.

(Eh...?)

Delayed for a moment, this time dizziness distorted his vision. In the blink of an eye, his sense of balance went awry. Kazuma held his head using the hand that was intended for Celica.

"Kazuma-san? Are you okay?"

On the contrary, Celica worriedly called out to him. She half rose to her feet, lowering herself down. With her small hand, she touched Kazuma"s forehead.

"...!?"

At that moment, Kazuma shook off Celica"s hand with all his strength.

A slapping sound echoed. Kazuma knocked over his chair as he stood up.

"Ah... I-I"m... sor..."

Celica was confused and Nine grimaced as she started to get upset. When his sight stopped at the two of them, Kazuma squeezed out his trembled voice to speak.

His words didn"t manage to come. Welled up with terrible nausea, Kazuma immediately fell to his knees and went to a sitting posture.

"Kazuma-san!?"

Trinity left her seat in a hurry and leaned over to Kazuma"s side.

Celica also became panic as she rushed over to him.

"H-hold on, what"s the matter!? Hang in there!"

Kazuma"s stiffened eyes looked up at Celica who was crouching before his eyes.

Welling up along with nausea, his chest was filled with... discomfort as if he was being swallowed.

(No... Don"t come... Don"t... come here.)

The dizziness was mixed up together with words of rejection. My head hurts. I want to throw up.

"Do you feel sick? We must get to the infirma..."

"I... I"m fine."

Kazuma"s desperate thought interrupted the words of the worrying Celica. He straightly refused the stretched hand that was going to rub his back.

Forcibly pulling the shivering mouth, he made a smile.

"I"m... all right. I suddenly felt a bit sick... but I"ll go to the infirmary on my own."

"But, you shouldn"t be alo..."

"Please. I"m okay."

Do not touch me.

As it nearly slipped from his mouth, Kazuma swallowed the spilled words along with saliva.

He didn"t know the reason. He didn"t understand but... he couldn"t help but felt really unpleasant and horrible.

His fist was so tight that its nails were biting the skin. He placed the fist on the wall as he stood up.

At this rate, he must not remain here. He really shouldn"t stay here.

"...Sorry. I beg your pardon to go ahead. I"m really okay."

Trying to sound as healthy as he could, Kazuma left the cafeteria as if he was fleeing.