BlazBlue – Phase Shift

And then, night came.

A night that was creepy for some reason. The moon which was waning in the dark sky took control, while there was scarce wind.

A terribly chaotic night in which the deep black of night sky and sea were mixed together in the distant horizon.

Kazuma stood alone on rocky area lit only by the moon"s faint light.

About two hours ago, it was the place he barely managed to arrive at after chasing after Terumi and also the place where he encountered Nine and Trinity to make the matter worse.

Without the moon"s light the rocky area would be like a shadowy lump; on the opposite side, the faint sound of waves breaking splashed through the darkness. If there was a place referred as another world, then this location seemed to be the boundary line with the known world.

He was musing on whether his world was already coming to an end or not. The night and silence had yet come to an end.

Just about everything seemed to have already ended...

On the opposite side of the bushes, small lights flickered.

Kazuma hid himself out of view in the shade of a nearby rock, wary of danger.

(It"s still too early for the end. Rather... this is the start.)

If he were to be asked what it meant, he"d reply that it means everything.

Yes, getting back everything. Like Terumi had said in the beginning.

The image of a wavering silhouette, one that appeared by shoving and separating bushes to make their way through the forest was the person Kazuma waited for.

It was like they had no grasp of caution. He doubted she was ever cautious with anybody.

Kazuma smoothly stepped forward intounder the moonlight, greeting her with gentle smile.

"Did you come without telling anyone? ...Celica A. Mercury-san."

Black and white uniform of the academy; long ponytail that bounced with every step. Her large, shining, brown eyes, illuminated by the burning magic flame at her fingertips, were easily visible in this dark place.

Celica turned the light on him. Once she realized the other party was Kazuma, her relieved face quickly became cheerful.

"It"s okay. Since Onee-chan called a meeting all of a sudden, there"s no one at home."

With light steps, Celica rushed over just close to Kazuma.

That moment, Kazuma tasted the ma.s.sive weight of a sensation from the surrounding atmosphere.

Powerfully clenching his molars, he desperately held his breath for several seconds. He grew pale in an instant. His head felt fuzzy; dizziness and nausea made him feel weaker at the knees.

Why did he get this sick when he was together with Celica? He didn"t know the reason, but he couldn"t pa.s.s out or run back home out here.

"That"s good. After all, I have something I must tell just to Celica-san alone."

While gathering courage in his mind, Kazuma gave a smile as if he was relieved.

Not suspecting anything, Celica stared at Kazuma with serious look.

"But what do you want to tell me? ...You said that it"s about Father."

After he parted with Nine and Trinity, Kazuma hastily returned to the island, quickly reaching the main street and searching for Celica"s home. Immediately after their confrontation, Nine should be heading to Mage’s Guild in order to report to the Ten Sages. It was a race for him to find it before Nine returned.

When he b.u.mped into Celica who was on her way home after shopping in the vicinity of the café from earlier, it was the first time he had ever thanked G.o.d for his good fortune. Since he didn"t happen to have fragments of faith, he had to be pleased with only a vague image of G.o.d.

I have something to tell you about Professor Shuuichirou Ayatsuki.

Saying only that and telling her he would could only explain here, Kazuma immediately left... awaiting her arrival here. He didn"t bring Celica along with him in case they were seen by Nine on her way to the Guild.

With the dark rocky area and sea as his background, Kazuma slightly nodded with a very serious appearance.

"Celica A. Mercury-san. As I know you and Nine-san are Shuuichirou Ayatsuki"s daughters, I have checked up a little regarding your father. Since six years ago on that day... he"s missing, isn"t he?"

Six years ago on that day, a world threatening demon, the Black Beast, appeared in j.a.pan. A day when nuclear strikes razed the island nation to the ground.

Just before the nuclear attack, all the people who had been living in the strikes" target, j.a.pan, were evacuated. But those departures weren"t flawless; several people couldn"t escape and were left inside the country.

Shuuichirou Ayatsuki was one of them. While the islands were being turned into scorched earth, he was in j.a.pan.

Hearing her father"s name, Celica"s pupils wavered in loneliness.

"...You were told he"s missing, weren"t you."

The spilled muttering was like she felt relief and had abandoned hope; a delicate sound.

"And yet Onee-chan and people around me said my father had died. There was a small funeral, you know?"

"...How do you feel about it?"

"Eh?"

Celica shifted her attention to Kazuma"s gentle words, as if bewildered.

Although her complexion was disturbed, her eyes remained focused. Her unclouded gaze once more gave Kazuma a mysterious chill.

Enduring it, Kazuma stared back at her.

"A few days ago, you know there was news of a survivor found in j.a.pan. You were watching the news so intently. ...Were you thinking about him? About Shuuichirou Ayatsuki, your father, who died in the nuclear attack six years ago...?"

"That"s..."

Uncharacteristically, Celica hesitated and was at loss for words.

Her belief of her father being alive, the feeling which she always used to say that she couldn"t put into words, had no basis. That was why it was only a wish, a wish that he was still alive.

Even Celica understood how much of a miracle it was to find a survivor in j.a.pan. She knew a similar miracle couldn"t happen many times.

There might only be one fortune card in the deck that the survivor had drawn from.

As if giving it a thought, Kazuma folded his arms in slow movement and turned his head toward the sea. On the horizon, the dark night and sea merged; their border couldn"t easily be distinguished.

He focused his gaze beyond the deep darkness. He wasn"t even sure in which direction from here j.a.pan existed, but felt like he was gazing right at it.

"To tell you the truth, since then, I also had personal interest in the news and investigated it."

"You did?"

"Yes. The man rescued the other day seems to work as a researcher in a research inst.i.tute, similar to Professor Ayatsuki. But six years ago, he got engrossed in his study and completely forgot about the fixed date for the evacuation. Luckily, since a few days before the nuclear attack, he stayed at a research facility that was deep underground. It might be thanks to that, that he was spared."

Cutting off his words, still facing the sea, Kazuma returned his gaze to Celica in order to look at her reaction.

Celica"s large eyes opened even wider. Apparently motionless, she stood stock still while attentively listening to Kazuma"s words.

Kazuma"s story was information yet to be released to public. Celica also probably just heard it for the first time.

It was the work of the Mages" Guild. If they were motivated, they would investigate in the outside world. Under the cover of the dark night, Kazuma secretly chuckled.

"Professor Ayatsuki is a world-famous researcher. If he was conducting research, it would have been done in an appropriately large facility. I didn"t investigate as to where the professor worked, but there must have been an underground facility there."

Undoubtedly, the research inst.i.tute where the male survivor was employed couldn"t have been called large in scale. Yet still the underground facility of that research inst.i.tute had the strength to withstand a nuclear attack.

It was unthinkable for the workplace of the world-famous researcher Shuuichirou Ayatsuki to have inferior security.

"Besides..." whispered Kazuma with low voice while slowly turning to Celica.

"The man is simply a survivor. ...However, it seems he"s given an unusual statement."

"What"s unusual about it?"

Drawn in, Celica lowered her voice.

The wind made the silhouettes of the tree tops flicker.

It wasn"t clear which the roar of waves and which the noise of forest was. Waiting for the noise to die down, Kazuma calmly continued the story.

"He said, "It"s unbelievable for six years to have pa.s.sed since then. One year... or at most, two years I believe has pa.s.sed.""

"Six years... to one year? No matter what, that"s..."

"Certainly it seems hard to believe. But that"s where it gets more unusual. ...The man didn"t leave the research inst.i.tute. He pa.s.sed time eating the stored emergency food. However, even if it was consumed by only one person, the amount was no where near enough to last six years. Moreover, his body weight is currently average, he"s not even especially skinny.

"Eh, eh? Wait, what do you mean?"

The light on her fingertip wandered about as the confused Celica put her hand on her head.

Calmly, like he was talking to a child, Kazuma tried to rephrase it in slow tone.

"You see, the man had been living under the ruins for six years. Yet the evidence of his having lived there are estimated to be from just two years at most.

It wasn"t only that. Six years was a long time. It would degrade and weaken his body. If his hair was cut, the shorn hair would remain. His clothes would deteriorate. His footwear would wear down. On top of all that, the man had been verified that he had lived in the underground for two years at most.

"Two years..."

Celica muttered in a soft voice. She wore an expression of disbelief.

As if giving it a thought, Kazuma stroked his chin with a meek expression.

"It"s a truly unimaginable phenomenon. But as for the traces of living for two rather than six years, It doesn"t seem likely for experts to mistake it even if they"re only giving it a glance. Besides... there"s already one unimaginable monster existing in our world."

"...The Black Beast."

Sluggishly speaking that name, Celica"s expression got even stiffer.

On the other side of the barrier that wrapped around the island, the world was constantly frightened of Black Beast"s fangs. It was like a nightmare. But it was certainly an unmistakable reality that burdened the world.

Kazuma let slip a single cynical sigh.

"j.a.pan is closely related to that monster. For a place where unexplainable phenomena have occurred several times, it"s not unexpected."

The span of six years becoming two; was it also possible for it to be reduced to an even shorter length? It wasn"t a miracle either way. j.a.pan was just that kind of a place.

"...Perhaps so."

To suppress the anxiety, welling up in her chest, Celica embraced her chest with both hands. In that ridiculous, irrational land, her father was left behind alone.

To cheer up her up, Kazuma put his hand on Celica"s shoulder.

The moment they touched, discomfort and rejection rushed through him as if an extremely repulsive thing was crushing him with with all its strength. Beneath his calm expression, Kazuma desperately tried to relax his unnaturally stiffening hand.

"Celica-san. Please think about it. Surviving for six years versus surviving for two years underneath the harsh environment; don"t you think there"s a huge difference in the survival rate?"

Kazuma"s pale lips expressed a smile to encourage her.

"If, in the same way the survivor from the other day did, Professor Ayatsuki was in a st.u.r.dy underground facility. If, in the same way, he was blessed with preserved food. If, in the same way, he was living within the miraculously slowed flow of time. Then..."

Gasping slightly, Celica looked up intensely at Kazuma. Even though her large pupils seemed to be slightly wet, she looked at him.

"Maybe... Father is also..."

While surrounded by weakened thought, Celica spoke in a trembling voice.

"Father is also... possibly, alive...?"

It might be a shortsighted wish. It might be a foolish delusion.

But the pieces of information Kazuma displayed side by side in front of Celica supported her prayer-like thought toward her father.

When Kazuma pulled his lips making a wide smile, Celica"s face bloomed like a large flower.

But before that smiling face stopped blooming, Kazuma unexpectedly retracted his smile. The hand that had been placed on the girl"s shoulder was weakly released as if it had fallen.

"But... Too bad, isn"t it."

As he slightly sighed, hinting at his disappointment, Kazuma turned his gaze away from Celica, toward his feet.

Celica followed his gaze.

"What"s wrong?"

"...I hate to say it... but I heard that it seems the army the UN have currently dispatched to j.a.pan is aiming to establish an on-site investigation. Just because a single survivor was found, there"s no particular plan to search for other survivors..."

"W-Why!? There might be other people who are alive!"

Celica"s smiling face was frozen midway in shock.

Celica balled her hands into fists. As if to calm her, but also in a voice that didn"t conceal discouragement, Kazuma answered.

"It"s unknown how many people were missing in the first place. Even at the best of times, they can"t separate the few personnel they have. Everyone has been thinking that this time was just a fortunate chance, so they think it"s still hopeless for the survival of the other people left in j.a.pan six years ago."

Because of the large scale nuclear attack, the ground"s surface was ruined. Furthermore, six years had pa.s.sed. It was meaningless to delay the original purpose of the investigation just because, by miraculous chance, a survivor had been found. It was because the likelihood of discovering a new survivor was close to zero.

Dropping his shoulders, Kazuma shook his head to grieve.

"a.s.suming Professor Ayatsuki"s alive... Whether he"ll be located by the army or not, it"d be better to send someone unrelated to the army there to search for the professor."

"Yeah... But people who aren"t soldiers aren"t allowed to land in j.a.pan."

Kazuma could sense her dejection. Making his own facade appear cheery, as if he had the solution, he could truly think of nothing other than how he would rather not be so close to her.

"Oh, you didn"t know? Just the other day, approval for civilian pa.s.sage to j.a.pan was granted. From the port city nearest to j.a.pan, a number of ferries should be leaving on the first day of the month."

"Is that... true!? People can go to j.a.pan without being a soldier!? E-Even me!?"

Raising her voice in surprise, Celica took Kazuma"s hands within both of hers.

"Hii...!"

Not prepared for this, a noise like a scream escaped from Kazuma"s mouth due to his shock.

However, not perturbed by this, Celica drew even closer to Kazuma.

"Anyone"s fine? Without any formalities or inspections?"

"Y-Yes... I heard that there"s only a voyage fee and a brief inspection required to get across."

"Then, then... Even I can go to j.a.pan, right!?"

"Yes, of course. But won"t it be difficult for you? Walking from place to place across j.a.pan, looking for your lost father?"

While enduring the sickening feeling, as he still couldn"t shake off Celica"s hands which gripped his, Kazuma desperately spoke.

Strength filled with enthusiasm was added to Celica"s hands.

Kazuma"s hands were cold. Celica"s hands were warm; the girl"s throbbing heartbeat seemed audible.

"I... want to save Father. No, I"ll go!"

Where did the hesitation from when she was asked if she thought her father was alive go to? As if blowing away all the doubt she had until now, Celica looked up straight at Kazuma.

Even though the night was dark, Celica"s deep brown eyes could be seen clearly.

While getting a chill that almost made him faint, from the pure and innocent color, Kazuma squeezed Celica"s hands back, with a frown on his face.

"You"ll go... to j.a.pan? You mustn"t. It"s too dangerous."

"But, isn"t there a possibly that no other people will try to save Father? Everyone believes Father is dead. People who need help won"t get rescued!"

It looked like there was already no trace of doubt in her.

Kazuma let out a troubled groan. But as if yielding to the strong determination in Celica"s gaze, Kazuma finally smiled wryly.

"Looks like it"s useless to try to stop you."

"Aha. Onee-chan told me exactly the same."

Vigorously, the long ponytail on Celica"s back jumped.

"That"s right. Onee-chan doesn"t know anything about this. After I tell her, we"ll board a ship as soon as possible..."

"Aah, about telling Nine-san... I think it"s better to pa.s.s on it."

Toward the cheerfully smiling Celica whose expression was bright enough to illuminate even the dark night, Kazuma spoke while slipping a bit of gloom into his voice.

Still holding Kazuma"s hands, Celica bent her head slightly as if puzzled.

"Why?"

"Nine-san will surely object to your decision. She"s one of the Ten Sages. She can pull strings to prevent you being issued the permission to leave the island."

"Onee-chan doing that sort of thing..."

Is unthinkable, a statement which, however optimistic the good-natured Celica was, even she couldn"t say. As her lips distorted into a pout, her eyebrows lowered as if troubled.

"But... there"s no way I can go while keeping it quiet. Besides, if I apply to leave the island, it"ll get circulated to Onee-chan anyway. In the end, wherever I go, I think I won"t be able to proceed without her knowing."

There was a formal procedure to leave Ishana. If Celica tried to leave, confirming it with Nine, her guardian, was to be expected.

Celica sighed, realising that her chance to find her father was flying out the window. Kazuma smiled to cheer her up and softly whispered in her ear.

"Celica-san. If I said there"s a way to get out of the island without your sister finding out... what would you do?"

Instantly, the night fell silent as if it was holding its breath. Gentle wind blew past as if trying to move something to reveal a secret.

Celica"s long hair swayed.

"...You can get me out?"

It was Celica"s true feeling which leaked out unintentionally.

Kazuma nodded to persuade her.

"Do you want to know the details?"

As for Celica"s reply, it was clear from the beginning.

——There"s a secret exit. From there, you can leave Ishana"s barrier.

However, it"ll close if you don"t hurry. It"s no good if you don"t pa.s.s through it as soon as possible tonight.

Once you"re outside of the barrier, please go along the island"s outer wall to the harbor.

You"re good at levitation, right?

The procedure to go out is only necessary when you"re exiting the barrier.

A ship will arrive once morning comes.

What you do after that... is up to you.

Since the following day was a holiday, Kazuma woke up later than usual.

It might be because last night he had returned exhausted by the night"s events; a sluggish feel remained this morning, as though he still hadn"t had enough sleep. He stretched his body while still only half awake and then opened the curtains.

From there, Kazuma beheld a change in the situation.

The scene he was seeing was faintly coated in a putrid haze.

It was seithr.

The seithr, which had lost to Ishana"s pure air and been unable to enter through the hole in the barrier until yesterday, somehow spread out, causing corrosion now.

Last night, a young girl crossed Ishana"s barrier and went outside. At that time, something had taken a place that might have created an opportunity to draw in the outside seithr.

Kazuma didn"t know the details of the cause, but there was undoubtedly a good chance that this was it.

Nine and the other Sages didn"t close the hole last night. Furthermore, while it wasn"t clear when it had started, the influx of seithr abruptly began.

He snapped out of it at once.

After he threw off his nightclothes, Kazuma carefully changed into his school uniform. He was about to burst out of the room after properly pinning down his hair.

Then, when Kazuma"s hand was about to grab the doork.n.o.b, the door was knocked violently.

Because of the surprise, he almost let out a yelp. Taking a deep breath and then holding it, Kazuma responded in a calm tone of voice.

"Who is it?"

What returned from the other side of the door was unexpected, but also had an expected tone of voice.

"OPEN THE DOOR QUICKLY! OR ELSE, I"LL BLOW IT DOWN!"

It was Nine. He couldn"t see her facial expression, but he was aware she was furious just from her voice.

Kazuma opened the door in a hurry.

"P-Please spare me. It"s the academy"s property...!"

The toe of her high heel forced its way into the small opened gap; and the door was flung open just like that.

Behind Nine, who impolitely barged into room, stood the baffled Trinity.

After Nine rudely cornered Kazuma against the desk close to the wall, she grabbed Kazuma"s collar with both hands and strangled him.

"...Tell me where Celica is."

"Uh, guh... Wh-What is it... s- suddenly..."

There was no mercy in Nine"s hands.

With his throat pressured by her bloodthirsty strength, Kazuma"s breathing became disabled in the blink of an eye. He tried to quickly tear off Nine"s hands, but there was already no strength reaching his fingertips.

"Guh... Cough... Le-Let go..."

"Tell me Celica"s whereabouts. If you obediently confess, I"ll let you live."

Nine"s eyes glared up at Kazuma with a terrifying sharpness. When their eyes met, that instant the instinctive panic turned to chill, making Kazuma"s spine shiver

"Nine! Please stop already...!"

Trinity rushed over in a panic. Rather than an attempt to calm her, it was more like she was begging.

"Kazuma-san is about to die... Besides, he can"t even talk like that."

After Nine tutted at her close friend"s words, she released Kazuma so he hit the floor.

Since his staggering feet couldn"t support his body, Kazuma fall on his backside onto the carpet. As his breath returned all at once, his throat spasmed and coughed at the pain.

From above his head, clicking of Nine"s tongue could be heard.

"I"ve released you. Now answer."

"You told me to answer... but please let me know the situation first. Is there something wrong with Celica-san?"

Still sitting on his rear end, Kazuma rubbed his throat while looking up at Nine. Because of the suffocation, the insides of his ears were ringing.

Looking like her anger was still simmering, Nine folded her arms under the voluptuous chest and disheveled her hair.

Subst.i.tuting for her when she didn"t answer, Trinity kneeled near Kazuma and informed him.

"The truth is, it happened suddenly this morning. Celica-san"s whereabouts became unknown..."

"Then... do you mean she"s missing? Why?"

"WE CAME TO YOUR PLACE SINCE IT ISN"T KNOWN!"

Nine"s anger soared. Her voice and body language were harsh, showing her utmost irritation.

Kazuma backed up with a stiff face and asked in an incomprehensible tone of voice.

"Th-That"s why, for what reason do you ask me? I shouldn"t know anything, right?"

"IF YOU DON"T KNOW, NO ONE ELSE DOES!"

Nine yelled to quickly dismiss Kazuma"s opinion.

But immediately Trinity who was watching in suspense noticed it. After Nine roughly brushed away her hair, she took out a piece of paper and threw it, aiming at Kazuma"s face.

"Ouch."

What hit his cheek was a light yellow piece of paper, folded in four. Kazuma picked up the paper which had helplessly fallen before unfolding it.

The characters were clear; but it was composed of writing errors left behind in some places as if written in a hurry.

"To Onee-chan. Sorry, I"m going to j.a.pan to search for Father. I"m all right, so don"t worry about it. I"ll definitely return, so let"s have another tea with you, Trinity-san, and Kazuma-san! Celica"

Not describing even the circ.u.mstances and single-minded recklessness at her own convenience; it was indeed a Celica-like letter.

After Kazuma finished reading the letter"s contents, Nine began to talk in a threatening and aggressive manner.

"Yesterday, you brought up the matter about her father. But until now, whenever someone brought it up, Celica never rushed out to find him like now. You influenced Celica to do something irresponsible, didn"t you!? If you didn"t, THEN WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?"

The words which started in low tone finally ignited with rage; Nine violently kicked the chair beside Kazuma. The modest chair gave a creak and fell over.

"I sympathize with your feeling, but please don"t break the furnitu..."

Even while flinching from the rough sound, Kazuma spoke back. Responding to it, Nine"s high heels went silent. She pinned Kazuma"s shoulder to the desk behind with her high heel.

"...I"m asking you once more. Answer honestly. I"ll kill you if you give me lies."

"Y-Yes."

"Where did Celica go? What have you been telling that girl?"

Konoe Mercury, the prodigy who was blessed with exceptional talent. The ninth Sage. With unusual force, her eyes glared at Kazuma as if shooting through him with their glints.

Were those eyes also shooting through the truth which Kazuma kept to himself?

As if overpowered, Kazuma raised his eyes at Nine and squeezed out the answer.

"I... I don"t know. Nothing."

Nine"s face distorted in terrible displeasure. Like a whip, her arms stretched out, seizing Kazuma"s collar for the second time.

Kazuma raised a miserable voice and moved his body a little.

Trinity bent herself forward to stop Nine.

Then, it was in that moment. From the window, a beam of light shot between them. It came from the direction of the academy.

The light was as thick as a person"s index finger and hit the room"s floor without damaging the windowpane. With the smoothness of signing a doc.u.ment, it drew a message.

——The Ten Sages are to a.s.semble at once.

After its brief message, the light which had lasted for five seconds disappeared.

It was a conveying magic. The request from the Mages" Guild"s officials had to be for the Ten Sages.

It was obviously addressed to Nine.

"At such a time..."

Groaning in irritation, Nine let go of Kazuma again.

"It seems you"ve escaped death. I"ll interrogate you further next time."

Forcefully holding down her anger, Nine turned around, together with her hair and mantle. Like that, she dashed out of the room without giving Kazuma so much as a backwards glance.

In the quiet and simple hallway of the boy"s dormitory, loud footsteps from high heels reverberated loudly.

While listening to the dying sounds of the footsteps as they got further away, Trinity lowered her eyebrows; and while still sitting, she reached out her hand to Kazuma prompting him to take it.

"Sorry. Please... don"t get offended~."

Gripping kazuma"s hand as he rose to his feet, Trinity spoke as if wishing. Her gentle eyes were awfully sad and had grown wet; it looked like she would begin to cry any time soon.

"For Nine, Celica-san is her only precious family. Her mother died a very long time ago and her father left home ten years ago. It seems Nine has lived while always, always protecting Celica-san."

"That"s why she"s that overprotective, I see."

Looking toward the direction of the door that was still left open, Kazuma muttered in bitter sympathy.

Trinity slightly nodded. She was a much shorter girl when compared to Kazuma, but she seemed smaller than ever now.

"Despite her appearance, Nine"s a very sensitive girl. When Celica-san"s, her irreplaceable sister"s figure is missing, I know that she can"t help but feel anxious and worried. That"s why..."

Trinity raised her eyes to Kazuma with calm tone of voice. The wise green eyes were wishing, seemingly begging.

"About Celica-san. If you know something, please tell~. It"s all right to speak it to me. Even if it"s only a bit of information, I think it"ll calm Nine down."

"...Umm. My apologies."

Kazuma pulled his hand away from Trinity"s.

"I truly don"t know where Celica-san might have gone to. I"m worried about Celica-san nonetheless."

He only said sorry as he looked downward. The dropped gaze was even lower than at Trinity who was looking up.

For a little while, Trinity looked shocked and hesitated to speak, but she eventually raised her face and showed a smile through her tears.

"That"s so, isn"t it. I"ve been very rude... being somewhat doubting. If you learn about something, then..."

"Of course. Even if it"s minor, I"ll tell you if I learn something."

It was a promise he couldn"t keep but it did help to encourage her, Trinity"s eyes began to open at Kazuma"s words. Holding her chest with the fingers peeking out from her loose sleeves, she deeply bowed her head.

"Thank you, Kazuma-san~. Then, I"ll also excuse myself. I"m worried to leave Nine alone as she is now."

"Be careful."

Kazuma replied with a slight nod.

When Trinity entered the hallway, in front of the door she once again bowed her head, just slightly this time. The hem of her long robe waved as she began to jog to chase after Nine.

Until the retreating figure that was like a small person from a fairy-tale disappeared down the staircase, until the still vanishing footsteps completely disappeared, Kazuma stood in front of the room and continued to see her off.

The hallway of the dormitory was silent.

After Kazuma returned to the room, he went toward the window. Placing his back against the wall, he made sure to hide himself and peeked outside from behind the lace curtain.

After a short while, he saw a small retreating figure with platinum blonde hair, which could be clearly seen even from a distance, spilling from her hood while she ran out of the dormitory. For a moment, she looked over her shoulder as if something was bothering her; but without looking up at the room"s window, she left just like that.

The figure completely disappeared from Kazuma"s sight.

Leaning his body near the window, Kazuma took a thin, deep breath.

"...Khu..."

His emotions were welling up, his slender shoulders were trembling as if shaking. Unable to endure it, Kazuma covered his face with his palm.

Between the spread of his thin fingers, the ends of his lips gradually raised up.

"Khu, kuku... Fu, hahahahahahahahaha."

It was amusing. He couldn"t suppress the laugh at all.

As his stomach convulsed, his sides grew painful. His back slid down the wall until he was once again sat on the floor. Even so, he kept on laughing even more.

"Khukkukukuku, hahahaha, fuhaha, ha... Oh no, my stomach hurts... Khuku, what"s with those faces? The faces both of them made... Hi, hahaha. Even if they search anywhere on this island, that girl isn"t here anymore."

The important younger sister, the precious friend"s younger sister; she must have got on a ship which departed early this morning and was crossing over the ocean about now. It was already too late to panic as it was approaching noon now.

What was even more amusing was that Nine, who had threatened to kill Kazuma if he told lies, didn"t kill him after all; and following that, even Trinity left Kazuma behind and took off.

In the end, Nine gave up on determining if Kazuma"s words were lies.

In the end, Trinity gave up on doubting Kazuma.

Naïve, naïve, naïve. Terumi had said it some time ago.

Saying things like "after being imprisoned on such a disgusting island, Kazuma didn"t have to be influences by those dumb pretty magicians".

Good grief. It was sentimental enough to suffocated him. It was because he secluded himself inside the island, that Terumi called disgusting, and only spent time alone in his room that he couldn"t make clear judgment.

So sweet it made him want to vomit.

"Aah... To laugh and speak in such a manner."

As he hit his head against the wall, making a dull sound, Kazuma again and again laughed while facing the ceiling.

He used to think that he couldn"t fathom the joyful laughter of someone in the academy when he heard it. But might their laughter also be this refreshing?

His chest felt refreshed; it was a feeling like he was looking up at a clear blue sky.

Nothing would hinder him anymore.

Nothing would refuse him anymore.

Nothing would shun him anymore.

The road was all set.

"I..."

On the ceiling he looked up at, there was an old stain. From the time he had first applied at the school, he had grown accustomed to it. An unchanging stain.

You"ve been in such a boring place, right? You"ve been in such a narrow and suffocating place, right?

Everything had already ended.

Reversing his motions from before, Kazuma slid his back up the wall while standing up.

Outside of the window was the invigorating Ishana which was turning impure, dyed in seithr.

It was amusing. It was so extremely delightful and enjoyable that he was about to laugh uncontrollably again.

"I"m going to obtain it..."

He tore his shadow from the wall as he began to walk.

The destination had been decided.

He was going to obtain it.

The Azure.

Mages" Guild——Cathedral.

A place where Mages" Guild"s ceremonies were held, including the Ten Sages" canonization. It was also a facility that continued to witness the long history of the Mages" Guild in this land. For those reasons, the Cathedral was also said to be a symbol indicating the Mages" Guild itself.

Positioned on a section of the academy"s courtyard, its appearance was a small building made of white stone. But in reality, the construct had a lot of hidden s.p.a.ce underground.

In the circular council room located in the Cathedral"s underground, all the members of the Ten Sages on duty had been a.s.sembled due to the emergency.

Although it was all members, the number of people was less than ten.

Uniformly wearing dignified robes and large triangular hats, they, accompanied by quiet tension, were surrounding a round table with a strange pattern.

Of course, the figure of Nine who had been summoned by the conveying magic just a while ago was also among them.

"Everyone must have noticed already... Seithr is flowing into Ishana."

The emergency meeting began with a dignified, heavy tone of voice from a man acting as chair for the meeting.

Encircled by magic lights which were floating in midair, the Ten Sages held their breath.

Anybody was aware that seithr had begun to foul Ishana"s air. But the question was how the seithr was getting in.

The chair continued.

"You must all remember Nine"s report that a tear was forming in part of the barrier. It appears the seithr is coming through that tear."

At those words, several of the Ten Sages murmured in low tone.

Last night, the Ten Sages had also gathered like now. Then, a report from Nine was established regarding the tear in the barrier. But last night, as there had been no seithr getting in or any indication of it, the decision was made to postpone the restoration and investigation of the cause.

The female Sage sitting across from Nine knocked away her chair trying to stand up.

"What"s the cause of the influx? In last night"s report, there wasn"t even a mention of seithr flowing from the tear...!?"

"Ishana"s atmosphere should have been clean enough to force back seithr. It"s unthinkable for it to have changed in one night!"

The Ten Sages unanimously shouted about the baffling matters.

Hearing this, Nine was absolutely silent as she looked downward.

Nine knew. She knew why seithr had increased in force in one night and covered Ishana"s atmosphere.

There was a hole in the barrier; and the power that could prevent seithr getting to Ishana"s air was gone. What had been holding back seithr was neither the barrier nor the pure atmosphere. It was a completely different factor.

(Celica...)

Her younger sister was born special. Somehow, she had never caught a cold or even been ill. From before she could speak, she had been able to use healing magic. She possessed an abnormal life force.

The strange physical const.i.tution of Celica, who only specialized in healing, had a special characteristic of restraining seithr"s activity just by existing.

The theory on how she could do it was unknown. Because Nine had never thought to clarify it, she also shouldn"t be able to prove it now. Naturally, the Ten Sages didn’t even know about Celica"s physical const.i.tution.

The only thing clearly known was, preventing the seithr influx was the result of Celica"s idiosyncrasy affecting Ishana"s atmosphere. Then, for seithr to be flowing meant that Celica had already left the island.

(Where did you go... Celica.)

Nine grasped her fists tightly above her lap.

Yesterday night, it had already grown very late when she returned home. Because she thought Celica would have been asleep, Nine didn"t check her room and went to bed. She hated herself for it.

Last night, Celica must have already gone from the house.

If she could, she would immediately rush out of here and then proceed to find Celica. However.

"If we leave the seithr as it is, the barrier we have been protecting until now would become a lid and the whole island would be filled with seithr. If such a thing happened... the dense seithr would notify the Black Beast about our existence, and that monster would appear on the island."

The elderly woman who was the most senior among the Ten Sages spoke in a heavy voice.

Seithr was a portion of Black Beast, its vanguard, and also pa.s.sage. In other words, when a location had seithr, it was a.s.suredly a place that was at risk of the Black Beast appearing.

While seithr spread throughout the world, Ishana was the only exception. However, that exception was over now.

Trying to follow the elderly woman, other Sages opened their mouths one after another.

"If the Black Beast appears, this island will be helpless. We must restore the barrier at once, and stop the influx of seithr!"

"The threat is not just the Black Beast. If mankind comes into contact with dense seithr for a long period of time, bad effects would occur in their mind and body. Think about the potential of a ma.s.sive outbreak of seithr poisoning too!"

"Restoring the barrier will take too much time. Removing the barrier temporarily and forming it again is more..."

"Ridiculous! That"s the same as stripping the island naked. If it"s done poorly, disturbing elements from outside would get in!"

"Still, the seithr density in Ishana is even higher than that found outside of the island."

"Even if we form the barrier again or restore the current one, during the time it takes, the people of this island will continue to be exposed with seithr. I wonder if there"s nothing we could do to deal with the islanders right now."

If the barrier doesn"t get closed, the seithr density on the island will continue to rise. But while the barrier is being closed, there would be potential for the Black Beast to sniff out the dense seithr and appear.

Currently, Ishana was confronting a crisis it had never encountered before.

The meeting was flooded with several claims; the way forward still couldn"t be seen.

Toward it, Nine quietly formed her hands to fists; the mouth, that had remained fastened until then, opened.

"Restoring the barrier and disposing seithr are urgent duties that only we, the Ten Sages, can do. Neither of them can be given priority. We have to divide the Ten Sages into two groups, simultaneously taking measures. ...Immediately."

It wasn"t the right sort of situation to crowd the desk and continue arguing.

With those cold, calm words, the room fell uniformly silent.

Everyone was considering if that was feasible. No matter which one they did, the strengths of everyone in this room were needed.

But finally, the chair made a fist and spoke.

"Indeed. I shall take it upon myself to restore the barrier. Nine, you are in charge of eliminating seithr."

"...Yes."

While leaving her chair, Nine nodded.

Nine also understood it wasn"t a simple task. For everything to be resolved, a considerable amount of time would be needed. It would be already too late to chase after Celica.

Even so, Nine couldn"t let herself abandon her duty int he face of this situation.

Because in this island, in this town, there was a home to whic Celica could return.

Under the command of the chair, the low number of the Ten Sages held, even at the best of times, was even further reduced as they were divided into two groups. Then, in order to neutralize and remove the seithr that was filling the island, Nine ran toward Ishana"s town.

The Ten Sages were hurriedly leaving the Cathedral. Kazuma had been watching from the academy"s hallway while resting his chin on his hand by the window frame.

Usually, many students would be walking back and forth through the hallways. As today was a holiday, it was quiet since n.o.body had a reason to be here. Unexpectedly in the uninhabited hallway, the sunlight pouring through the windows was warm.

In the vicinity of the Cathedral visible from the window, n.o.body could be seen anymore.

With such a critical situation in which it wouldn"t be strange for the Black Beast to appear any moment, they must have thought that no person would purposely go into the Cathedral. All the members of the Mages" Guild who usually stood guard had also left in order to a.s.sist the Ten Sages.

Looking at it from here, the Cathedral was quite small, and very lovely. Seemingly having nothing to do with the magnificent organization Mages" Guild, it also looked like a chapel in the corner of a public park.

"If it"s really like that, I"d be more willing to approach it."

While removing the hand which held his chin above the window frame, Kazuma raised the edges of his lips to make a bitter smile.

Appearing to be harmless, the deeper he went, there was bound to be strong barriers to protect it.

Nonetheless, it was laid out by humans in the end. There was no way an object that was made by human hands couldn"t be broken by another human"s hands.

"Well then. Guess I should I go."

Dutifully closing the opened window, Kazuma put both hands in the pockets of his trousers and started walking.

It was then when there was a noise of shoes. .h.i.tting the hallway.

With a seemingly faint fragrance fluttering about, a short figure of a person appeared from one of the stairway"s landings.

A bright colored robe which completely covered the entire body from head to toe; stunning platinum blonde hair overflowing from her crown. Big round eyegla.s.ses, and clear green pupils behind it.

"Where are you going?"

To the voice that was like sickeningly sweet sugar candy, Kazuma vigilantly showed a smile.

"...I see you"ve come, Trinity Gla.s.sfille-san."

Upon recognizing the figure, Kazuma found this development to be unexpected while simultaneously realizing that it was understandable.

He thought that if she were to come, it would be now.

As he stopped walking at the borderline between the hallway and staircase, Kazuma gazed at the girl who was like a character from a fairy-tale. Only a few hours ago, he had seen her off from his dormitory"s room. Although the glint in Kazuma"s eye shouldn"t be visible from where Trinity stood.

"Did you follow me? When you show your true face like this, you"re unexpectedly an ill-natured person."

When Kazuma meekly displayed a sarcastic smile, Trinity, seemingly sad, shook her head.

"It"s not that I followed you. I"ve been waiting for you in the academy"s courtyard. And then, I saw your figure from that window~."

"Oh, my goodness. I didn"t notice you."

Trying to pa.s.s it off as joke, Kazuma shrugged his shoulders. Just because he got caught, it didn"t affect his plans.

Seemingly understanding about it too, Trinity tried to talk while making a feeble smile.

"You"re... planning to go to the Cathedral, aren"t you."

"Why do you think that?"

"The other day, you spoke of it at the Great Library."

While trying to use a gentle and calm tone, Trinity spoke with dignity.

Kazuma raised his eyebrows.

"This is surprising. Does that mean you"ve been monitoring me since then?"

"Monitoring is..."

Finally in Trinity"s tone of voice, the usual girlish delicate feelings blurred in.

Kazuma began to grin.

"The one who gave the instruction is Nine-san, right?"

Trinity remained tight-lipped, but she didn"t deny it.

Kazuma smiled more and more deeply.

"Oh my, women are terrifying indeed. While monitoring me, you even invited me to drink tea."

As she was being told of ill-spoken things, Trinity"s eyes quickly got seemingly sad and clouded.

If it were some time ago, he would be worried about it even if only for a little while; but now, it was unbearably amusing. About to begin to laugh unintentionally, Kazuma was barely able to gulp it down.

"I"m sorry, but I can"t keep chatting with you forever. If you have a business, then please be quick. Even though things may appear different, I"m actually in a bit of a rush."

It was pleasant to ridicule Trinity, but there was a limit to the allowed time. It was unlikely for the Ten Sages to come back soon. But if there were any of the Mages" Guild"s other workers wandering around, it would be a bother; so he couldn"t let it happen.

"Go ahead", urged Kazuma as he tilted his head. Trinity stiffened her expression. With a bit of determination in her voice, she began to talk.

"Please don"t go to the Cathedral."

"But I haven"t said anything about going to Cathedral, have I?"

"Even so, you"re planning to go there, right? It"s forbidden to enter the Cathedral without permission. Besides, the door is currently locked... there"s no excuse if you enter it on your own."

"Then I won"t go inside. Too bad, I guess."

"Well then," nodded Kazuma as he started to walk to slip out past Trinity.

But before he pa.s.sed her, his arm was grabbed by Trinity, forcibly restraining him.

Kazuma involuntarily stopped and turned his head. With both hands, Trinity grabbed Kazuma"s arm tightly. Her desperate and serious gaze looked his way.

"...You can"t go to the Cathedral."

Obstinately, she repeated it again.

Kazuma sighed and displayed his astonishment by shaking his head.

"Really, what an annoying person. It sounds like you think I will go to the Cathedral whatever the case."

"Then, can you please not go there?"

The sincere green eyes stared at Kazuma.

Those eyes must be somehow reflecting the current him. It wasn"t worth worrying about, but Kazuma felt a little bit of interest. Nonetheless, it really wasn"t worth worrying about. He shrugged his thin shoulders.

"If I say " I won"t go"... will you believe it?"

"No. Until the situation has been settled, please stay with me."

"Oh ho, an immediate reply. How heartless."

As for Trinity"s serious tone of voice, Kazuma lightly retaliated as if laughing at it.

It was unbearably amusing every time her affectionate green eyes wavered as if hurt. s.a.d.i.s.tic feeling gushed forth from his chest.

While he smirked, Kazuma shifted his provocative eyes from the gap in his bangs.

"Please don"t make such a grim face. It"s almost like it"s telling me you"ll use force if I refuse."

"If it"s necessary... I plan to do so."

"Well, well. I couldn"t imagine those words from the gentle Trinity Gla.s.sfille-san."

"KAZUMA-SAN!"

As if scolding a troublesome child, Trinity raised her voice. Though, it was still only Trinity after all; it was miles away from Nine"s intimidating vigor.

A tone of voice that would make anyone with a normal conscience speechless in an instant; a tone that stirred up guilt.

"It"s not like I know all about what Kazuma-san"s trying to do~. However... your action will put Nine and the Ten Sages, also the Mages" Guild in meaningless chaos. If something further happened, not just Nine, there"s a potential that the Mages" Guild itself would regard you as dangerous, you know?"

The eyes of Trinity held a sincere look as she tried to persuade him.

Looking back at her, Kazuma laughed as if making fun of it.

"You seem to say that I"m the source of all troubles. Unless I had opened that hole in the barrier, unless I had lured the seithr in through the hole, there"s no reason to suspect me."

"No. Seithr has flown in because of Kazuma-san."

Trinity declared her denial. That tone of voice wasn"t accusing in the least; it was transparent as fresh water.

"Last night, you informed Celica-san about the tear in the barrier. And then you guided Celica-san so she could use it to get outside."

"You"re speaking as if you saw it."

Kazuma cut the conversation to tease her, but Trinity didn"t respond to it.

She knew. She did know. The reason Kazuma took Celica out from the island, and the words he used to tempt Celica.

Proving it logically wasn"t necessary. Trinity knowing about it was the whole truth, so Kazuma also wasn"t going to deny it anymore now.

Trinity tried to moderate her voice a bit and continued.

"Celica-san has a particular ability from when she was small. That ability somehow appears to have a characteristic of suppressing seithr... Therefore even if a hole opened in the barrier, seithr wouldn"t be able to get into Ishana. However, since you took Celica-san outside..."

The force which opposed seithr was no longer there, and Ishana"s air became polluted just like the outside world.

"Hmm," muttered Kazuma as the eyes behind his bangs squinted. Curiosity sparkled in those eyes.

"That is convenient. Because of it, those eyesore, the Ten Sages, got driven out from the Cathedral."

He wasn"t aware of Celica"s physical const.i.tution, but it was fortunate indeed.

This was surely fate. Also true for when he met Celica by chance and encountered Terumi. Standing here at this moment was also a moment of fate.

With his uplifting feeling steadily increasing, Kazuma embraced that thought in his mind.

As Kazuma appeared to be somewhat enjoying himself, Trinity stared at him intensely with a reproachful look.

"Don"t say such a thing like eyesores. She and the others are now desperately doing their best in order to protect the island we live in."

Strength was put into Trinity"s fingers which were gripping Kazuma"s arm.

It was the unreliable grip of a powerless girl. He didn"t feel even a tiny speck of pain. But strangely, Kazuma sensed an undeniable spirit. The smile was erased from his face.

Trinity lifted her eyebrows, fully raising her round chin, and looked up to Kazuma to urge him.

"Do you understand, Kazuma-san? If you make the mistake, you"ll get expelled from the academy or even from the island. You may even be given a more severe punishment."

As if to say that she couldn"t deal with those outcomes, Trinity"s voice wavered. In a gentle and pleasantly soft voice, she tried to persuade him as if she was praying.

"I... regard Kazuma-san as an important friend. Certainly, Nine can"t keep her eyes off you like you"ve said~. And I"m also worried about your behaviors. Even if you call it monitoring, I feel like it can"t be helped. But it"s definitely not anything for you to be cautious about. I"ve just always been worried about you..."

Her green eyes became wet with emotion.

Kazuma wondered if she was about to cry, but although tears were acc.u.mulating in Trinity"s eyes, they didn"t drop.

"For some time, something has drastically changed in Kazuma-san. It"s like you got mixed up with something mysterious... You appear to always have a dark shadow beside you. It"s like it"s taking the Kazuma Kuvaru-san I know to a place of no return... I"ve always been uneasy."

"The Kazuma Kuvaru... you know?"

Kazuma briefly repeated Trinity"s words. It was downright strange sounding.

Kazuma Kuvaru. It was the only name representing himself; but it felt very empty and worthless now.

He wondered if that was the "place of no return" Trinity was talking about.

Trinity"s hands pulled Kazuma"s arm to hold it tight.

The distance between them grew shorter. The mood which Trinity was clad in was similar to the smell of sweet candy or flowers; it grazed his skin and made him feel uneasy.

The persistent clear eyes that had been truly sincere were reflecting Kazuma, not letting him go.

"The Kazuma-san I know is a kind person. He"s indiscriminately gentle toward any person. And If I greeted him, he"d always answer with a smile. Although I speak sluggishly like this, he"d always listen properly. I understand that you feel bothered about losing your memory, but the memory-less you is a great person."

It was obvious that Trinity spoke her true feelings unhesitatingly.

And similarly, it was also obvious that she unhesitatingly trusted Kazuma.

He would definitely realize it if they spoke of it. Her strong trusting demeanor gave off sincerity that was enough to make even Kazuma surprised.

"I beg of you. Please... don"t do anything dangerous anymore. Other than that, I"ll do anything in my power no matter what it is. So...!"

Trinity"s hands clung to Kazuma"s arm tighter.

It looked like she firmly vowed in her heart never to release him. If he got loose of her hands, there would be no returning again for Kazuma. He harbored such a belief.

Kazuma didn"t answer her immediately. As if astonished, as if admiring her resolve. Similar feelings but with different sentiments; several of them probably got mixed up.

After a little while, Kazuma deeply sighed and let the tension out from his shoulders as if he was exhausted.

"...Understood. I understand very well, Trinity Gla.s.sfille-san."

As Kazuma spoke like he was giving up, with a relief to the point where she would burst into tears any moment, Trinity"s expression broadened.

"Then...!"

"Yes."

As gently as he could, Kazuma smiled at her.

"You are a hopeless fool."

No sooner had he finished, Kazuma held up his hand in front of Trinity"s face.

Before the large green eyes could blink in bewilderment... an invisible shock wave fired from Kazuma"s hand blew Trinity away.

Like a ragdoll, thrown away by its owner, the fragile woman"s body crashed into the wall beside the staircase. The impact made a dull crashing noise; and as if dragging it longer, she collapsed to the cold floor.

Without even groaning in pain, she lost consciousness.

While looking at the helplessly collapsed Trinity, Kazuma put both hands into his trousers" pockets again. Casually stepping toward her, he looked down on the disordered platinum blonde hair which was falling to the floor.

"Geez~, you"re really foolish. Someday, you"ll lose your life because of that stupidity, you know? It"d be better to be more careful. ...Oh, you can"t hear me already. Hahaha."

He burst out laughing. While his laughter resounded loudly within the hallway, Kazuma leisurely descended the academy"s staircase he frequently utilised.