BlazBlue – Phase Shift

It was deep in a remote forest.

Excluding the people who lived there, no one knew about it.

In this place, there was a small village.

The people who lived there weren"t humans. They were beastkins... To be exact, cat-type beastkins whose ancestors hailed from the now defunct j.a.pan.

The inhabitants already slept as the night had grown long. With fires burning at the village"s periphery to repel wild animals, the crackling of the orange flames played during the stillness like an instrument.

In the bas.e.m.e.nt below a small building inside the village, there he was.

The room, which was surrounded by stone wall, was unpleasantly cold; it was covered in complete darkness. Walking with a lit lantern, only him and his immediate surroundings were wrapped in the warm, faint light.

On the walls that were almost a.s.similated within the darkness, the silhouette of a short person was swaying.

Even if it was a human, it was only the height of a child. However, there were large, triangular ears on top of its head and a long tail which was split in to two parts protruding from its back. It was the cat-type beastkin with grey fur, Tomonori.

With silent footsteps he advanced inside, only the flickering fire in the lantern marked his progress.

Arriving at the inner part of the room, Tomonori stopped. He placed the lantern he held aside.

A flat, lengthy box made of paulownia wood was enshrined there. For a several seconds, Tomonori stared at it, and then he gently broke the seal.

Inside it was a single sword. Compared with the pair of short swords Tomonori usually handled, the sword was larger by far.

It was sheathed in black scabbard and sealed tightly by the sword strap.

Tomonori grabbed the sword. As if severing his intense hesitation, he took it out from the box.

"...What do you want?"

With the sword hanging in the air, Tomonori suddenly spoke.

That inquiry was directed to the presence behind him.

He could tell it was there by the smell, he didn"t need to look.

The presence was looking at Tomonori"s back from the entrance of the small, hidden, underground room. The unmoving figure had similar profile in silhouette, another male cat-type beastkin. He had white fur with tawny spots; a two-tone pattern.

His name was Mitsuyoshi. He was Tomonori"s older brother.

"What"re ya plannin" to do with that?"

Without entering into the room, Mitsuyoshi asked with calm voice.

This room was hiding things considered important for the village; a room dedicated for safekeeping. Both trespa.s.sing without reason and removing any of the objects housed within violated the village"s laws.

While it was a scene in which normally Tomonori would be chastised, Mitsuyoshi didn"t raise his voice. Continuing with his previous pretext, he asked again.

"Ya know what kind of sword that is, right?"

"...Time-Killing SwordHihi"irokane."

Hihi"irokane

It was an powerful sword that when wielded, held the power not just to cut flesh, but also eventually sever the target"s spirit.

However, this sword wasn"t just that kind of object.

It had existed for many years. Tomonori and Mitsuyoshi"s clan had been handing it down for generations.

Until six years ago, Tomonori and the others had been living in a mountain village in j.a.pan. Likewise, the mountain village was pa.s.sed down in the old days. Compared to this village, far larger number of cat-type beastkins had lived there.

However, that way of life had been cut short by the Black Beast.

In order to defend the old village, many of the clan"s warriors challenged the Black Beast, and fell. Because of the large-scale nuclear strike, the old village"s mountain was gone, burnt and demolished.

Tomonori and the other cat-type beastkins parted with many of their brethren as they made their escape to the continent. Here, they had been building a small village while living quietly.

Someday, they would regain the peaceful land from those days once more and restore the undying long history.

He strongly believed so.

"That"s the treasure of our clan, its foundation... an" our old village"s symbol."

Mitsuyoshi spoke quietly like the engraved shadow in the room.

Just as it had been when they were living in the now destroyed old village, this sword had been taken care of. Among the villagers, this sword was believed to be the old village"s symbol. The number of people who survived the days of despair while holding onto that belief wasn"t small.

Still gripping his clan"s old village"s sword, Tomonori dropped his arm to the side of his body.

Without looking back at his older brother, he replied in a stiff voice.

"...Wherever the clan lives, that"s home. The sword is a weapon. And a weapon... has a role."

"What"s the role of that fellow?"

"To cut the evil that threatens the world."

"What"s the evil that threatens the world?"

"The man I must kill."

There was no hesitation in his answer. Tomonori"s gaze moved to the sword he held. Different from his short swords, it emphasized its presence heavily.

Hihi"irokane. A sword beyond all definitions of s.p.a.ce-time that could also sever spirit.

"This sword is required to kill that guy. If not this sword... it won"t mean a thing."

The words of his younger brother hinted an awfully strong determination, Mitsuyoshi"s eyes narrowed, as if he was weighing Tomonori"s intention.

"...This ain"t Clavis" instruction, is it?"

Tomonori answered with cold, unwavering voice.

"Of course not. This is my will."

"If ya act at yer own convenience, you"ll lose somethin" equally big. Surely ya understand, right?"

"I"m not Clavis" servant."

Mitsuyoshi was righteousness. Tomonori was faith.

It appeared their words indicated and matched the resolution they abided in their heart.

It had been this way for a long time. Mitsuyoshi and Tomonori couldn"t understand each other. Each was aware of the burden that was decided for the other and respected the other"s feelings, but still, they couldn"t live in the same way.

They had been aware of their differences for so long.

Therefore, Mitsuyoshi knew well that he wouldn"t be able to sway his brother"s faith no matter what kind of words he used. Undoubtedly, he himself possessed something that couldn"t be distorted, just like Tomonori.

"...Tomonori. Ya goin" alone?"

"Of course."

"But yer opponent is the kind that makes ya need to get Hihi"irokane. Ya still doin" it?"

"I don"t need any hindrance."

Tomonori"s reply was cold. But inside his mind, there were the figures of half-beastkins who had been on many missions along with him as his subordinates.

They were incomplete people. Not human, or beastkin to say either. They were rejected mixed breed who didn"t belong to any society.

Having no place to go, Tomonori aided them while Mitsuyoshi resolved to shelter them. Since then, the protected half-beastkins worked as Tomonori"s subordinates, fighting alongside him.

If they were aware that Tomonori went alone, they would most likely grieve. However.

"...If I take them along, those guys will lose their lives."

Tomonori whispered it, as if talking to himself.

No matter what their appearance was, no matter what their race was, they were living because they had been born. Especially since the half-beastkins never knew peace and weren"t permitted to establish as a species.

He himself must not have been a good leader. Even so, he couldn"t bring himself to involve their lives in his selfishness.

"There"s no time. You too, you mustn"t been planning to loiter in a place like this."

Tomonori turned on his heel as if to shake something off.

Mitsuyoshi slightly twitched the tip of his nose.

During this time, Mitsuyoshi also had a different duty. It was to investigate that person.

The target of his investigation was Relius Clover. The man whose records Clavis tracked had something to do with the appearance of the Black Beast.

"If you"re going to try to a.s.sist me, I don"t need your help. This is my path."

After that last sentence, Tomonori started walking with sword and lantern in hand. Although he noticed his older brother"s figure on the edge of his vision, he didn"t focus on it.

There was another thing that he should focus on. He had that kind of expression.

"Tomonori."

Mitsuyoshi spoke while they were pa.s.sing each other.

Mitsuyoshi also didn"t take a better look at his younger brother. As if yielding to the room"s entrance, he leant his back on the wall, staring at the empty paulownia box which stored a sword until a while ago.

"Since ya made up yer mind, I won"t stop ya. So definitely... bring him down."

"...That is my role."

Definitely, whatever the outcome would be.

He would kill that man.

Holding killing intent and a sense of duty that were like blades in his chest, Tomonori through the dead of night towards Ishana.

Today, Ishana was blessed again with fine weather.

Cla.s.s had ended. Picking up his bag and turning to leave, Kazuma looked out of the window in the hallway.

From there the academy"s courtyard could be seen clearly. What Kazuma was looking was a small building peeking from the opposite side of the thick bushes and large trees, the Cathedral.

There, the Mage’s Guild"s highly cla.s.sified information was stored. Amongst it, there was information related to the Azure.

The more he thought about it, his thoughts toward the Azure grew stronger.

(Cathedral... Cathedral...)

Resting his elbows on the window frame, Kazuma viewed the Cathedral while biting his thumb.

What would be the best way to get in there? Be it waking or sleeping, it was all he could think about.

Since it had come to that, he had found signs of tenacity within himself. It was the first time he had experienced obsession.

"What are you looking at~?"

Trinity"s gentle voice floated from behind. Kazuma turned around quite smoothly.

"Just looking outside. I was thinking that the weather is nice."

While answering Trinity"s gentle smiling face with a forced smile, Kazuma secretly took a breath.

Was her att.i.tude the same as always toward him? That thought made him worried.

Terumi"s words resounded in his mind.

——That woman is monitoring you, get it?

(Trinity-san is monitoring... me...?)

If that"s the case, the greeting just now might be a part of the monitoring.

It was like he was wearing a mask. While the mask on the surface showed a smile, underneath it was a face that paid attention to Trinity"s every movement searching for any fault, any difference.

"It seems so. The weather is so nice that it brightens the mood~."

"Yes, exactly."

His mouth fluently let out cheap words. Despite that, inside his chest he was filled with suspicion, he weaved conversation like he was the same friend as he had been until yesterday.

Not showing any sign of doubt toward Kazuma"s distrust, Trinity pulled her chin a bit and straightened herself again.

"Umm, Kazuma-san. Do you have any plans this afternoon?"

"Plans?"

While putting on a casual voice, Kazuma secretly frowned beneath his bangs.

Why was Trinity asking about his plana? The snake of suspicion, which had been coiling on the bottom of his stomach, raised its head.

"No, I don"t have any particular plans. I"m just going to return to the dorm."

He didn"t actually have any plans, but he answered carefully to not give even a slight chance.

But Trinity turned shy while looking delighted, and then she narrowed her clear green eyes.

"If so, is it okay if I invite you?"

"...Huh?"

It was unexpected words. Kazuma couldn"t understand her meaning and asked again in dull tone of voice.

Trinity"s shoulders shook as she chuckled. Even now, her soft laughing voice was like the fragrance of sugar and flowers drifting about.

"Like I said, it"s an invitation. If you don’t mind, Can we have tea together?"

"By tea... Are you inviting me to drink tea?"

"Yes."

Trinity nodded gently.

Kazuma"s eyes began to wander as he weighed up his answer.

He couldn"t make sure of Trinity"s true intention. He could follow as much as her listening to his plans in order to monitor his movements. But as to the extent after that, there shouldn"t be any significance unless she wanted to restrict her target"s freedom. If she didn"t do so, then she wouldn"t be able to investigate where he was going and what he did.

No. Trinity"s monitoring was probably not to investigate Kazuma"s actions, but might be to restrain them. If that was the case...

"Umm, are you unwilling to accept it?"

As Trinity"s voice snapped him back to reality, Kazuma hurriedly pulled a smile.

It would be suspicious to refuse the tea invitation immediately after replying he had no plans.

Kazuma quickly shook his head.

"No, absolutely not. I was just a bit surprised. It"s because I never considered receiving an invitation to take tea with someone like Trinity Gla.s.sfille-san."

"Fufu. Actually, me too."

With the hand that wasn"t holding her bag, Trinity touched her rosy cheek.

"I felt a little nervous to invite a man, even if he"s a friend."

"What do you... mean by that?"

As he expected, he couldn’t grasp her intention. Toward Kazuma who inadvertently had a questioning look, this time, Trinity put the hand which had been on her cheek to her mouth and let out a short laugh.

"It"s a secret~."

"Secret? But..."

"Okay then. Now that it"s decided, let"s go. The other two should have already gone ahead."

With sweet fragrance drifting about, Trinity tenderly held Kazuma"s hand. She pulled him along, gently urging him forward.

"Wha-, wait, Trinity-san...?"

Even as he voiced his confusion, Trinity only gave cheerful smile.

He could escape if he shook off her hand. That option came to mind, but he couldn"t do it.

Suddenly, they faced the entrance after descending the stairs. Kazuma frowned thinking of a question which was different from the other questions he had so far.

Just now, did Trinity say... "the other two"?

"So... Why am I here..."

After his mind finally calmed down again, Kazuma showed a stiff smile while feeling compelled to complain.

Trinity had dragged Kazuma by the arm and brought him to a solitary café which was just off the main street of the island.

The store had charming appearance with bricks decorated on a white wall. Surrounding the entrance were a numbers of planters holding colorful flowers. Identical, the interior also had white walls with irregular brick-like tiles as ornaments; the area by the windows enshrined with brightly colored potted flowers.

The guests and employees in the store were all female. Kazuma was the only exception.

"Why? Isn"t it because I took you here?"

While putting a sugar cube in a very white royal milk tea, Trinity gently smiled across the table at him.

There were two other persons sat beside Kazuma who helped to encircle the round table.

To his left was a person wearing a huge smile having chosen a nutty caramel cake and a lemon tea. It was Celica.

On his right, Nine was sitting with a chocolate cake, which looked sweet, and a hot coffee.

Unexpectedly "having tea" was exactly the opposite of calming as Kazuma felt a tense atmosphere flowing about.

By the way, there was a dish of rare cheese cake beside Trinity"s royal milk tea; but in front of Kazuma, there was a straight and baked cheese cake placed.

"No, I didn"t mean that. Err... Why was I invited to drink tea with Trinity-san and the others?"

He felt extremely out of place. If it hadn"t been an invitation from Trinity, he would suspect it as a tasteless hara.s.sment.

While stirring her light colored tea with a spoon, Trinity meekly smiled.

"Since you looked down recently, I thought a change of pace might help~. I don"t know what a man would prefer, so I"m sorry if you don"t like our usual spot..."

"That"s... all?"

Smoldering suspicion made Kazuma ask again.

Trinity put her fingers on her cheeks and thought a little.

"After all you"ve been through... I thought that having a tasty cake would be nice. Ah. Perhaps this is bothering you?"

"N-Not at all. Ha, haha..."

As if Trinity"s worried face suddenly noticed, Kazuma laughed to cover it up.

(Only worried...? It can"t only just be that.)

Trinity was supposed to monitor Kazuma. Probably at the instruction of Nine.

But as if relieved by Kazuma"s answer, there was affection shown in Trinity"s relaxed eyes which would be unthinkable to direct at a monitored target.

Trinity was always gentle. Not only Kazuma, everyone who knew her must feel it. It was unimaginable to think there was a lie in her affection. ...He didn"t want to consider it if he could.

(But...)

Terumi had told him.

He couldn"t fathom it. Kazuma put stirred his tea even though he hadn"t taken any sugar.

Suddenly his hand stiffened.

Beyond his gaze as he inadvertently raised it, Nine"s fingers, which were beautiful to the nails, were hooked round a small handle. Without even the slightest hesitation, she raised the milk pitcher for her coffee to the sky and slowly turned it upside down in one go, pouring the milk into her cup, down to the last drop.

And then one-by-one, she dropped in the sugar cubes which were provided on the table. The contents of the bowl that held the lumps decreased in the blink of an eye.

"...Umm."

Unintentionally, the confusion went out as a voice.

Suffice it to say that Nine didn"t speak with friendly voice, she gave Kazuma a sharp look.

"What?"

"Oh, no. Nothing..."

Any answer would be good. When Kazuma"s mouth stiffened as he desperately tried to think of something, Celica called a pa.s.sing waitress.

"Excuse me, can I have gum syrup?"

"Ah, yes. I"ll get it right away."

Kazuma was at a loss for words.

Without any resistance, the female waitress brought a small pitcher filled with gum syrup. Naturally it was placed in front of Nine; and naturally, Nine put it into her coffee.

Not a single drop remained of course.

Presently, the coffee inside her white cup had been transformed into something murky white from which a sweet aroma oozed; the water level went up to the rim, almost spilling.

As if it couldn"t possibly spill, Nine began stirring it with a spoon.

(...Seriously?)

Kazuma slowly put his hand to his mouth.

It wasn"t that Kazuma disliked sweets. However, this was an exception. It was otherworldly.

Celica cheerfully laughed when she discovered that Kazuma was petrified by Nine"s shocking behavior.

"Ahaha. Surprised? Onee-chan unexpectedly has a sweet tooth."

"Sweet tooth..."

Kazuma got very uneasy thinking about whether it was okay to dismiss so casually as a sweet tooth. But he thought that he should stop arguing about that here as he had no ally in this.

Celica, Trinity, and even the waitress who brought gum syrup accepted it because it was a common scene.

"This particular amount should be normal. Don"t worry, I"m doing it properly."

Nine spoke as if nothing happened, all while raising the cup with astonishing sense of balance.

(It"s absolutely not normal! There"s no meaning if the coffee"s flavor is gone, is there!)

As he endured his desire to let his voice out, Kazuma could only give a feeble smile.

Trinity added a few words as if to deliver the final blow.

"When Nine"s feeling tired, she drinks things like gum syrup directly, you know. When does that, she says her head starts working properly again~."

"...Haa, my head..."

He couldn"t comprehend what a genius could do. Kazuma came to that conclusion in his innermost thoughts.

"See, rather than the dorm, Onee-chan and I live in a house on the island. The house is in this neighborhood. That"s why we often come here on the way back from academy just to have tea. Since we do it all the time, we"re known to the shop"s staff."

Seemingly enjoying herself, Celica, while smiling wryly, bent towards Kazuma and looked at him as if telling a secret.

Kazuma backed up about twice the distance she approached him.

"O... ooh. I-I see."

Almost reflexively, he averted his eyes. He wasn"t very good at being stared at.

Besides, it just be a feeling, but since the time Celica began sitting beside him, indescribable fear had a.s.saulted him. As discomfort crawled up his spine to the back of his neck, he could feel nausea just by swallowing his saliva.

Of course, it wasn"t because of what had been done to Nine"s coffee.

Not noticing Kazuma"s bad shape, Celica pierced a fork to her cake and stuff her cheek with a mouthful. Firmly closing her eyes and grasping the fork tightly, she groaned happily.

"Mmm~, delicious. Kazuma-san, you should try some, c"mon. The cake and tea is reaaaaally tasty."

Celica urged him to try his cake and tea, which he had not yet touched, with her sparkling eyes.

Beside her, Trinity wrapped her cheeks in both of her hands and was taken aback as she looked at Kazuma.

"Could it be~, you dislike sweet food? My apologies~."

"No, not at all. I like it. I was just puzzled by the situation just now... I"ll eat now, then."

Kazuma smiled while struggling with an intense feeling of exhaustion, it felt as if he might collapse. Hooking his fingers round his cup, he drank the pleasantly fragrant tea.

It did taste good.

But Surrounding Kazuma there were still those three. Nine who held a drink that he wasn"t sure was even coffee anymore while looking shooting daggers in his direction. Celica who strangely made him feel sick just by being nearby. And Trinity who was possibly monitoring him.

As he was "having tea" while surrounded by them, it was like he didn"t have the proper feeling to enjoy the tea"s taste. The poor quality tea he drank in his room was very much more relaxing.

(Really, how did this come to happen...)

Presently in this baffling situation, Kazuma didn"t even know what kind of expression would be good to make.

Leaving the dumbfounded Kazuma alone, the girls" tea party was lively with a succession of trifling conversations.

"...See, since it"s just my cla.s.s that got poor average grade, we have to take a retest."

While taking a piece of her sister"s cake, Celica, who seemed to be sulking, judging by the pout on her lips, told them about what happened during today"s cla.s.s.

As Nine brushed her glossy hair which spilled over from her shoulders to her back, she looked at Celica with caring eyes that were completely different from the eyes that she directed at Kazuma.

"How could that happen? You can"t get a failing grade. Is your cla.s.s all right?"

"Aah~, but I"m also poor at lightning magic. Since it makes a reaaally loud noise, I get frightened."

As Trinity talked with a strained smile, Celica nodded repeatedly like she understood. Then, her expression suddenly went cheerful.

"Ah, even so, I"m considerably skilled in levitation. I can"t jump high, but I"m the best in my cla.s.s in flying long distance."

"The thought of you using levitation... somehow disturbs me. It"s not just flying slowly like you think, you know."

In response to Celica, the cloudy looking Nine put the coffee-like substance to her mouth.

Celica giggled in girlish voice.

"Oh no, Onee-chan. Since there"s the Mages" Guild"s barrier, I can"t get out from the island no matter how high I fly."

"Don"t talk like that..."

"Ah, but."

Despite her appalled older sister, Celica suddenly changed the topic while putting her index finger to her chin.

"It"s no good if levitation doesn"t use broom. It"s weird."

"But isn"t it romantic to get on a broom to fly in the sky~?"

Joining both her hands together, Trinity spoke as if she was seeing a dream.

Kazuma just continued to eat while watching the scene unfold.

It seemed the center of conversation was always Celica.

Nine listened affectionately to her sister while Trinity occasionally chimed in.

The three of them must be close. He had thought that from the first time he met Celica, but he felt it again while sitting, watching the girls together now.

Around him, all the women in the cafe seemed to be having friendly conversations. He was witnessing the other s.e.x in their element.

Scooping another bite of cake, Kazuma stole a glance at Trinity.

As for Trinity, she was engrossed in talking without looking in Kazuma"s direction. If this was what she called monitoring, then she was very much a lacking schemer.

(Just what is the meaning of this...)

He couldn"t properly taste the flavor of the cake anymore.

(In case...)

The spectacle was too much of an everyday scene, but it gave birth to a tiny a.s.sumption in Kazuma"s mind.

What if everything was a misunderstanding?

If Terumi"s was incorrect and she wasn"t monitoring him, then there would be no deceit in Trinity"s kindness, Nine"s displeasure was only prejudice, and the discomfort he got when Celica was around was a simply poor physical condition.

What if the Azure itself was just an illusion?

If that was the case, he must have been some kind of fool.

Dreaming of illusions and questioning the hand which was reaching out to him. He had been spending his time and effort on obsession and suspicion.

If it was just as he suspected, then maybe the ordinary, peaceful, and harmonious life he was in didn"t exist. That didn’t mean it was filled with nought but boredom; more like... admiring other people"s affairs while living like ordinary people would.

If now... he forgot about the Azure, then just like his memories from over seven years ago, the past he wished to recover at all cost and the matter about the Cathedral would slip into obscurity.

The same as it had been until now, but also completely different.

He felt that he would like to set foot in that kind of academy life.

"...Kazuma-san? Kazuma-saaan?"

"Eh... Ah, yes?"

At Celica"s voice, Kazuma raised his face while still gripping his fork tightly.

It seemed he had become engrossed in his own thoughts and lost awareness of his surroundings. Kazuma scratched his cheek while showing an embarra.s.sed smile.

"Sorry. Since I"m not too familiar with this place, I got dazed just now."

"Aha, I see. Hmm, looks like the shop is a little too cute for a man..."

Next to Celica who spoke like a child, a laugh that was like faint rustling of clothes resounded.

"Dazed, huh."

Nine interrupted with a tone of voice like she was looking for something. A bewitching but also scheming voice; unsuitable for the atmosphere of the pleasant conversation which had been going on until now.

"I wonder. Haven"t you been doing some thinking?"

"Some thinking?"

Celica asked while bending her head slightly to one side, confused by the shift in tone. But Nine didn"t answer her sister.

Resting her chin on her hands elegantly, she crossed her long legs. Her gaze was fixed and sharp; she stared at Kazuma as if she was concentrating hard.

"Nowadays, it seems the academy"s Great Library has been your favorite place. Are you investigating something?"

The brief comment that was disguised in a neutral tone of voice made tension run up Kazuma"s nape.

Nine knew. She knew that for two whole days, Kazuma had skipped cla.s.ses to investigate something.

How did she know about that? The most obvious way would be that she had heard about it from Trinity after she met him in the Library.

Trinity informed Nine. Probably also about the matter Kazuma was investigating... Perhaps also about when he said he wanted to look at the Mages" Guild"s highly cla.s.sified information.

He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He shouldn"t let his guard down. He mustn"t display any weakness. The girls weren"t his allies. His suspicions had been aroused once again.

As if she saw through it, Nine"s eyes became narrow.

"Have you found the information you desire?"

"...No. Unfortunately, I didn"t find it."

Kazuma made an unambitious wry smile. He tried as hard as he could to display a smile that contained no ill will and seemed harmless.

"You were looking for something which can"t be found in the academy"s library?"

Nine insistently questioned him.

Perhaps, she was waiting for Kazuma to make an unpleasant face. Thinking she was going for that, Kazuma of course replied with a gentle face.

"Since I don"t usually make use of places like the library, perhaps my method of searching is bad. Granted, I"ve given up already."

"Oh?"

Raising her eyebrows, Nine seemed to still have something on her mind.

Before she could put it into words, Kazuma shifted the topic.

"Come to think of it, I"ve heard about him thanks to my search, but Nine-san and Celica-san are Professor Shuuichirou Ayatsuki"s daughters, aren"t you."

Shuuichirou Ayatsuki was a world-famous professor who had made many appearances in books on alchemy. His primary research was fusing alchemy and science; and establishing a soul in objects.

During the spare time in his investigation, Kazuma checked up about Nine, who was strangely wary of him, on the Great Library"s computer which held the student records.

He had found that Celica"s formal name was Celica A. Mercury. From there, he ended up finding she was related to Shuuichirou Ayatsuki.

The topic Kazuma raised had a larger effect than he thought. Instantly, Nine"s expression turned to anger.

Her face contorted in hatred, Nine informed him in low voice.

"That man isn"t my parent. We"re unrelated."

With that brief comment, he completely understood what Nine thought about her father.

He also understood Celica"s thought as she turned to face her older sister, holding her father in contrasting thought.

"Don"t say sad things like that, Onee-chan."

Rather than a rebuke, it was more accurate to say it was a pout.

However, Nine didn"t back down. She snorted, dismissing it, and then sipped her coffee to swallow the unpleasant feelings that were welling up in her.

"You should cut that out. Forget about that man. He hasn"t been there since the beginning."

"Of course he wasn"t able to do that. He"s our father, you know? Yes, he couldn"t be together with us... but even so, he"s our one and only father!"

Celica clutched both her hands into fists not willing to back down, Nine became even more irritated.

"Quit calling that man father!"

"I won"t. After all, he"s my father! Onee-chan"s, too. Why do you say such bad things about Father!?"

"It"s better for you not to know!"

"You always quickly say that! Not fair!"

With incredible speed, the atmosphere became weird.

The store interior suddenly became noisy because of the argument. Other customers were beginning to watch the scene.

Unable to just watch, Trinity leaned forward.

"Nine, Celica-san. We"re in a shop..."

As if to interrupt the chiding voice, Celica and Nine stood up at the same time.

"I" only thinking of your best interests, Celica!"

"It"s just for your own convenience!"

A loud noise rang out as the furious sisters" hands simultaneously hit the table.

...Then, the force so greatly shook the table that the saucer of Trinity"s cup flipped into the air.

From there on, time extremely flowed slowly.

Following the floating plate, a white cup went up in the air. The cup"s body was turning while its path slowly drew a parabola...

A wet noise faintly echoed. Next, the sound of china smashing was heard as the cup fell over the table.

Dead silence fell inside the shop.

Nine and Celica stood still, both stiff of face.

Beyond the girls" gaze was Trinity who remained still while in the middle of rising.

Platinum blonde hair of a n.o.ble princess from a fairy tale. Hood of a witch. White skin of a fairy. Trinity"s round gla.s.ses and thefront of her white uniform were soaked with the spilled tea.

From the edge of her lenses, drips of royal milk tea fell to the table.

"...My gla.s.ses, have been stained."

Trinity slowly stood up. She took out a handkerchief and wiped her gla.s.ses.

"Nine. Celica-san."

The voice she used to softly call them was gentle and kind. But for some reason, Kazuma"s spine froze even though he was only listening.

"I have something to tell you."

Kazuma didn"t raise his face so he couldn"t see what was inside the smiling Trinity"s gaze as she spoke.

But as for Nine and Celica whom he stared at one after another, they became pale as if they had seen something incredibly frightening. Without saying anything, they sat down after witnessing it.

Because it was frightening, he didn"t have the nerve to check it.

It was an odd spectacle.

"...do so. Okay? Affection and consideration. Lacking them is really sad for a human being. Not only the people you"re together with every day, but also to nature and objects near you. Don"t forget to act kind to them."

Celica and Nine were apologizing while listening to Trinity"s speech which went on endlessly.

Celica aside, to see Nine bow her head and apologize was really unbelievable for Kazuma. Konoe Mercury was apologizing. None of his cla.s.smates would believe it if he told them.

Trinity"s speech continued still.

At first it was a talk about gla.s.ses which help a lot of people with bad eyesight every day. However, the topic gradually shifted to how our ancestors struggled until they invented transparent gla.s.s, then jumped to the hardships of people who delivered materials to the island, and then finally to being careful with objects.

The tone she used to talk was gentle all the way. Consequently, it seemed like listening to sermon in a church.

But Nine and Celica, still sitting bolt upright, bowed their heads like scolded children. They didn"t attempt to object in any way.

The girls must have known. About what would happen if they stoked the fires of Trinity"s anger further.

And the extent of that menace was thoroughly transmitted just from the sisters" frightened complexions.

Kazuma turned away from the girls, deciding that it would be impossible to interrupt now, lest he accidentally involve himself in the scolding.

Without further ado, Kazuma ignored the lecture, whose end was yet to be seen, while quietly drinking his tea.

(Aah, I want to go home...)

He swallowed the involuntarily vocalised thought, along with his tea.

At that moment, Kazuma"s gaze was s.n.a.t.c.hed away by the scenery outside of the window as he casually looked toward it.

Outside the store, on the opposite side of the road, a man wearing a hood low over his eyes was standing.

Despite how out of place he looked against the plain scenery, let alone people inside the store, even the people out on the street didn"t bat an eyelid at him.

As if he could be seen only by Kazuma, Terumi stood there, watching.

Suddenly, Terumi moved. While calmly starting to walk, he jerked his chin to invite Kazuma.

Lured by that gesture, Kazuma quietly rose to his feet.

"Oh? Kazuma-san?"

Pausing her lecture, Trinity, who was in front of him, called him.

On reflex, Kazuma gave a smile and began to speak.

"Excuse me, I happened to notice an acquaintance. I"ll return soon."

Not speaking more after it, Kazuma grabbed the bag at his feet and hurriedly rushed out of the store.

He took a detour from the shop and searched for Terumi. He was already gone from the spot where he had been standing, but Kazuma saw the hem of his long coat just as it disappeared round a street corner.

A loud thump resounded.

Just as he witnessed Terumi"s figure, he got a feeling that the blurred world turned clear. It was like the figure that should have been inside him came back.

If he didn"t run after him, if he didn"t catch up with him.

For the first time in living memory, Kazuma ran with full speed. An unbelievably uplifting feeling rose inside his chest.

A beautiful sunset illuminated the townscape. At the same time, it also engraved distinct shadows.

Pushing his way through the two-tone coloring of bitter orange and black, Kazuma was dead set on running.

Out of the main street and deeper into the island.

As Kazuma strayed down paths he ad never walked before, he seemed confused, like he was going into an unrecognized other world, because of the intense and sinister colouring.

Ahead of his gaze was always a flickering, retreating figure.

The fluttering hem of long jacket that was like a mantle. The hood that covered the hair and face. Slender shoulders with long, thin legs which were like a silhouette.

Terumi was walking. His steps were long, but his strides were not as fast as Kazuma"s sprint.

Despite that, even when Kazuma ran and panted countlessly, it was like the distance between them didn"t get any shorter.

It was like a dream. Even if he ran and struggled, he would never catch up with the person in front of him. As if he was being left behind in this new discolored world; the feeling of frustration was tearing off his chest.

Just what was this place? The scenery moving past the edge of his vision didn"t feel familiar to Kazuma at all.

There was n.o.body. The scattered buildings were small. There was no likelihood that people were living here.

Ishana was by no means a large island, but he never knew there was a place like this. The same was also true for this silent, deserted road.

Before long, the buildings disappeared with the townscape. Terumi pushed his way through bushes, going even further inside.

The bushes surrounded the town like walls; it became like a thick forest. The trees were reinforcing the island"s magic. A forest dedicated to reinforce the barrier that was covering the island.

Proceeding through it, he moved out of the shallow forest and finally arrived up to the edge of the island. There, Kazuma at had at last stopped walking.

The untamed land here was a rugged rocky area. On the other side of it, a calm horizon could be seen. The frail roar of waves was heard; feeble ripples collided with rocks and split open fragilely.

In the past, the waves had been more powerful. But six years ago, because of the large scale nuclear attack intended to kill Black Beast, the world had changed; the wind declined and the waves grew weak.

Because his life only involved going back and forth between the academy and dormitory, he didn"t see the sea very often. But as he gazed at the heavily silent sea, it was a stark reminder of the island"s isolation from the outside world.

Terumi placed his hands on a noticeably large rock and faced Kazuma, waiting for him.

"Yoo~, Kazuma-chan. Why are you wandering around here? Got lost?"

He spoke as if comforting a stray dog.

Wheezing, Kazuma tried to control his strained and disturbed breath while giving Terumi a bitter look.

"Wrong... I saw you walking... before..."

It was like he was doing it on purpose, thought Kazuma. Terumi should have known he was following from the start. The fact that he walked with a speed at which Kazuma could never catch up must have also been on purpose. Though, Kazuma couldn"t comprehend on how he could walk that fast.

With a playful gesture, Terumi put held up his hands at chest height as if showing he surrendered.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don"t give me such a rebellious look. I"m your rea.s.suring ally, right~?"

"...I know that. That"s why I chased you, isn"t it."

Even though his shoulders were heaving furiously, Kazuma straightened up his body.

Without him noticing, his surroundings gradually grew darker as the sun sank in the west. The stars in the sky weren"t visible. It wasn"t possible to see them through the cloud of seithr surrounding the island"s barrier.

Seithr... an unknown substance spread over the world at the same time as the appearance of the Black Beast six years ago. Even though he didn"t want to get close to the border line with the outside world, he could actually sense the peaceless world.

Kazuma shifted his attention from the sea back towards Terumi.

"Anyway, don"t we have some kind of business? Why did you even come so far out?"

"Why, why, why. You"re that stupid, huh."

"Terumi-san...!"

"Kukkuku, don"t be so impatient. I"ll show you some really nice stuff."

Terumi spoke as if Kazuma was being ungrateful. It was like he was amazed at Kazuma"s short temper.

"The one who should be amazed is me", Kazuma wanted to tell Terumi, but he let it pa.s.s. It was a waste of time to confront Terumi here.

"Look. It"s this thing"

Quite sloppy compared to the time when he teased Kazuma. Terumi poked inside the shade of a rock with his tiptoe. What hit Terumi"s toe was the barrier covering Ishana.

That moment, Kazuma gulped.

Just next to Terumi"s foot, several sheets of paper stuck on the air. To be accurate, the papers were sticking to the barrier. The five sheets were arranged in a pattern, as if drawing a pentagon.

The pa.s.sage surrounded by the papers was so large that a single kid could pa.s.s through... Amazingly, a hole had opened in the barrier like it was cut off cleanly there.

"Those cat b.a.s.t.a.r.ds seem to have opened it. It seems that"s because there"s no other way to get into the island, as one would expect."

Sneering, Terumi raised the edges of his lips.

As for Kazuma, he began to mutter with trembling voice.

"Wha... What do you mean... by this."

Was it a good thing for such a thing to exist? The barrier covering Ishana didn"t just prevent any physical interference from other countries; it also played a role in blocking the seithr that was drifting in the atmosphere.

The Black Beast only appeared in places that had seithr.

Ishana was rejecting seithr itself.

For this reason, it was the safest city in the world. Therefore, it was illegal for the barrier to be torn.

"Oh no, if I don"t quickly notify them...!"

If seithr reached the island, however secure the barrier was, it couldn"t be said that this island was secure. Leaving out the matter that seithr was poisonous, it was likely that the Black Beast would appear here.

"Wait, wait, wait, Kazuma-chan. Look carefully."

While chuckling as if amused, Terumi poked the barrier again. His tiptoe rubbed the stuck paper, but as if it existed in a different airs.p.a.ce, the paper was undisturbed.

Being told to, Kazuma looked closely at the produced hole in the barrier. But immediately he guessed that his eyes didn"t see what they should have seen.

Through the hollowed, unfolded hole of the barrier, he could see seithr pouring in.

But no sooner had the seithr came into contact with Ishana"s air than it faded away and vanished in a flash.

The seithr hadn"t been able to even slightly pollute Ishana"s air.

"The barrier... is neutralizing seithr?"

It was the first time for him to hear the Mages" Guild"s barrier had such a power.

Terumi laughed as if he knew the secret.

"W-R-O-N-G. It"s because this island"s air is unusually clean. But that ain"t thanks to the barrier."

"Then, what...?"

"You think of something?"

Kazuma frowned. It was a difficult question.

"I don"t know. Do you not know either?"

"Well~, who knows."

Terumi"s suggestive manner of speaking made Kazuma let out a small sigh. These were confusing matters when Kazuma had just met him, but he had grown accustomed to this kind of att.i.tude from Terumi in the pa.s.st few days.

Terumi was that kind of a man.

"Still, nothing will happen to this island anytime soon. Relieved, young master?"

Terumi spoke in a sarcastic voice.

But for Kazuma, such a thing was still okay for now.

His gaze was fascinated by the gaping hole, as if it was being drawn in.

The barrier being perforated was a state of emergency that shouldn"t be possible. But for some reason, there it was, a hole.

A small unusual phenomenon. It really made Kazuma"s heart pound. He somehow got excited.

Terumi"s crescent mouth drew near to Kazuma, who was still staring intently at the hole. He whispered from behind.

"But it doesn"t mean it"ll stay like this forever. If the balance of the island"s atmosphere changes a little... then..."

"Seithr... will enter the island?"

Like he was being lured, Kazuma muttered. It seemed his thought and mouth moved on their own accords.

Instead of nodding, Terumi laughed his confirmation.

"That"s right. It"s a disaster for this peaceful island to get harmed by seithr. It"s a major incident, really serious affair, and a big problem, right?"

"Yes. It"s a big problem..."

"Well then, Kazuma-chan. I"ve got a question now."

He could hear the mischievous voice close to his ear.

Kazuma had a hunch he knew what Terumi was going to say before hearing it.

"You said just now. It"s "oh no, if I don"t quickly notify them...!"."

He imitated Kazuma"s tone of voice as he said it.

But the mockery didn"t manage to rub Kazuma"s nerves the wrong way. Kazuma just stared at the hole as if fascinated by it.

Terumi spoke.

"So? Who do you notify?"

Right. He couldn"t ignore the torn barrier. But since it wasn"t possible for Kazuma to do something about it alone, he must inform someone about it.

To whom?

Restoring the barrier wasn"t an easy task. At least, it wasn"t possible at the level of an academy student.

To maintain the barrier, this spot alone had to be fixed. It also had to be done quickly.

For someone to be able to do such advanced things, they would have to excel in magical ability, even within the in Mages" Guild.

For example... the Ten Sages.

"Ten Sages..."

Kazuma"s muttering leaked out as if spilling.

His lips moved as if by reflex.

"In case seithr got into Ishana... The Ten Sages would eliminate it and try to restore the barrier."

Just as with restoring the barrier, there was n.o.body else who could eliminate seithr.

Basically, it was impossible to get rid of seithr by human hands. If such a thing had been feasible, then it would have been possible to defeat Black Beast which was essentially a ma.s.s of seithr.

Suppose a magic that could neutralize and erase seithr existed, there would only be a handful of people who could do it as handling it was beyond ordinary men. Even ignoring neutralisation, dealing with seithr required knowledge of advanced magic.

Currently, Kazuma didn"t know the exact number of Sages. But most of the students in the academy were aware that there were less than ten.

Driving away seithr, possibly by neutralizing it, and restoring the barrier had to be done simultaneously.

Even if the seithr was driven out first, if the hole was open, then new seithr would just get in again. If restoring the barrier came first, since there would be no outlet for seithr, they would have to increase the neutralization to the inner part of the island.

If such a situation happened, even at the best of times, the small number of Ten Sages would all gather.

With them all spending their time and energy on it, perhaps they would be shorthanded with other things.

Of course, Nine, too.

"Well, Whatcha gonna do, Kazuma-chan?"

Terumi"s voice resounded inside his head.

Kazuma swallowed a small amount of saliva, his throat had grown dry.

"——Ah."

He tried to say something.

But just before the words came.

Terumi suddenly pulled Kazuma"s shoulder, forcing him to turn around.

"Wha..."

He was about to ask what Terumi was doing. However, Kazuma was at loss for words again.

Nine and Trinity were stood behind him.

It was getting darker.

There were no street lights in the outskirts of the island. As the facial expressions of both parties gradually became undiscernable, without saying anything, Trinity created a faint light and let it float into the air.

As if both parties were wary of each other, silence flowed. What broke it was Nine"s sharp voice.

"What are you doing? In this place... Alone."

"Eh...?"

Alone.

Because of Nine"s words, Kazuma looked toward the surrounding in a panic.

(Terumi-san"s gone...? Since when...)

However, Terumi"s habit of appearing in unexpected places, at unexpected moments had saved Kazuma this time. If Nine became aware of Terumi"s existence, it was unlikely to be good news for Kazuma..

"Looking for a way out? Looks like you"re too slow."

Nine sneered at Kazuma"s trembling figure, addressing him with a cold tone of voice.

Kazuma straightened his back in order to adjust his breathing. He told himself to calm down.

...As he did so, his head surprisingly quickly regained clarity. It was strange.

"RWay out? Why would I run away?"

Kazuma"s words made Nine"s expression slightly shift. Trinity"s light was helping, but it was nonetheless dark. He was unable to examine the details of her facial expression, but it didn’t appear to be a happy face.

"Besides, why did you two come here? I don"t believe this is a place girls would visit at this hour."

Lifting her head slightly at Kazuma"s question, Trinity took a large step forward.

"Because you didn"t come back to the shop... we wondered where you might have gone to~."

"Even so, it seems you were able to find me easily. Did you use tracking magic?"

Asking with a mocking smile, Trinity kept her mouth shut. Rather than the face of someone who had been found out, it was like the face of a girl, hurt by thoughtless words.

Kazuma shrugged his shoulders. It didn"t change the situation even if he had guessed right. Perhaps Trinity still thought that Kazuma hadn"t noticed she was monitoring him. If so, what a pitiful girl.

"I"ll ask the questions. Answer me. What have you been doing here?"

Different from Trinity, without any sign of backing down, Nine made her tone of voice even sharper.

Kazuma made a troubled face, placing a hand on his head as if enduring a headache, he answered her.

"But I thought I told you before, I happened to see an acquaintance, so I ran after him. ...Although I said that, I suddenly realised I recognized him as just an acquaintance. I don"t remember who he was."

"Could it be an acquaintance from before the memory loss?"

Sure enough, Trinity"s surprise rang out in her voice. Regardless of the light, he could see her delightful facial expression was br.i.m.m.i.n.g.

Kazuma spontaneously dropped a smile.

Even now, Trinity perhaps still wished for Kazuma"s memory to return. If that was the case, it was painful for every single word from him to betray her kindness.

"Yes, I think so. When I caught sight of him, I was unable to contain myself... I"m sorry."

And yet numerous untruths spilled from his mouth.

But Nine"s sharp presence didn"t even slightly slacken as expected. Instead it became even more coercive; the glints in her eyes shone in the dead of night.

"If so, I wonder if that"s the doing of your acquaintance?"

"What do you mean?"

Kazuma carefully asked.

Nine walked gallantly with long steps and pa.s.sed by Kazuma"s side. She walked gracefully in her thin, tall heels on the unstable rocky area before stopping at some shrubbery.

"This."

She replied in a haughty voice.

He knew exactly what Nine had seen to make her say that.

Imitating a normal student"s behavior, Kazuma took a quick look at the beach.

"Aah, that. I wonder what on earth it is. It looks like paper floating in the air to me... Is it some kind of a good luck charm?"

As he scratched his head while answering with the pretense that he knew nothing about it, Nine glared over her shoulder. Her beautiful face which carried nothing but malice made his guts grow cold.

"Don"t tell me you don"t know anything about it."

"No... B-But I don"t know."

Flinching, Kazuma took a step backward.

As if Nine"s eyes were a.s.sessing every facet of his gesture for credibility, she carefully glared at Kazuma"s entire body. Dyed in shadow, the long eyelashes on Nine"s eyes blinked several times.

Trinity didn"t say anything. Accompanied by the small light, she appeared to wrack her brains while attentively watching Nine and Kazuma"s standoff.

Waves split open at Kazuma and Nine"s feet. The modest sound of water disturbed the silence.

As Nine closed blinked once, then turned her face away from Kazuma.

"...Fine. Then I"ll leave it as it is."

The high-pitched noise of heels. .h.i.tting the rocky area resounded.

Nine moved away from him. As she did so, Kazuma quietly slackened his mouth.

Was that an indication that she had found him out? Or did his deceit go unnoticed under the cover of night? Nine stopped once more a little in front of Trinity, she looked over her shoulder to see Kazuma and asked, as if testing him.

"It seems there was a huge idiot making a hole in Mages" Guild"s barrier. I have to quickly get in touch with the Ten Sages and arrange to restore it. That"s why..."

Nine smiled provocatively.

"If you discover something else while out for a run, do you think you could let me know?"

Her glamorous hair fluttered as if dancing. After she urged Trinity, who was still concerned about Kazuma, onward, the two left from that place at a quick pace.

Eventually the noise of gra.s.s being tread on vanished along with Trinity"s light. The sky was now definitely the color of night. Suddenly the air grew cold; it was too cold to stand in one place in a daze.

Still feeling waves splash on his feet, Kazuma expressionlessly looked at the papers in the shade of the rocky area.

The hole in the barrier. There was still no indication of seithr coming in from there.

That hole had a role. Connecting the outside world to the island; its role was to cause such a large task for the Ten Sages that they all had to be in attendance.

(Even if this hole got closed, there is a way to open it, so it"d be good to find it. However...)

Nine of the Ten Sages. She alone seemed to continue being cautious of Kazuma even just now.

It would be preferable for this hole to draw in seithr to an extent so that Nine had to give her full attention to fixing the barrier; and hereafter, Nine would pay no attention to Kazuma.

(Alternatively... something that disappears during the situation while she"s preoccupied.)

At any rate, she was a hindrance.

Pondering while standing still on the rocky area, Kazuma gnawed on a fingerhe had stuck in his mouth. His teeth scrubbed the joints.

A method to keep Nine at a distance.

"...Isn"t it easy?"

Kazuma chuckled and hurriedly left behind the rocky area.