Translator: Reflet
「So you not only can erase your presence, but your scent as well」
While furrowing his brow, he expected no less of her.
「Right now……I learned…it」
「Right now!?」
「I evolved…when I was…cornered」
「Oh c"mon, you"re not cornered」
「I dislike……being…smelled」
「Well, uhh……」
While smiling wryly, Taiyou accepted the explanation.
She was the girl who was strongest in the world; able to shift between three physical forms, split into illusions, and not just erase her presence, but even her scent. However, that didn"t change the fact that she was a girl of Taiyou"s age.
Being smelled, then having said smell pointed out wasn"t something she liked, and that was to be expected.
「But ya know……」
「You can just……enjoy…your wives"」
「But I feel like having seaweed bento along with my foie gras」
「That"s……rude…to them」
After saying that, she tilted her head, repeating the same phrase.
「……Rude？」
He understood what Shirokiyami was trying to say.
She would probably have not said anything if he had said he wanted to have both fish and meat.
But Taiyou did not say that. He had said seaweed bento and foie gras.
It was clear that one of their value systems was too high, and one of them didn"t understand.
「That"s not true」
However, Taiyou immediately rejected her question.
Taiyou had already determined, with a promise between him and Kohaku, that he would love the person in front of him not equally like the rest, but more than the rest for that very moment.
In addition…
「Plus everyone knows that I like you the most」
「They are not…jealous？」
「……If anything, I"d like them to be for once」
Taiyou smiled wryly.
No one had ever felt jealousy toward him.
Not Kotone, not Suzune, not Kazane, not Kohaku, not Aoba, not Youran.
All of the females who had a.s.sembled under him for whatever reason were not envious.
Due to their special characteristics, all three sisters wished to be loved by one man, so they were not envious.
Because Aoba had grown up in a harem environment in her actual home, she had understanding in that area, and at the very least did not direct jealousy toward any of the other females she regarded as family.
It hadn"t been long since he had gotten together with Youran, but she was also born in a special household where her "great-grandmothers numbered 49", so she practically showed no envy either.
Kohaku was the only one without a harem background, but she was in a bit of a unique position, and if anything, she continued to recommend girl after girl to Taiyou.
（In a sense）, it was frightening how there was not a single woman in Taiyou"s life who was envious.
「If it were you, would you be jealous？」
「I"m not…sure」
「You"re not sure？」
「What even is……envy……in the first place？」
Shirokiyami asked, head tilted.
Her face showed that she really didn"t know.
「This isn"t some sort of philosophical thing, right?」
「G.o.d"s Hand……happens to be…awake」
While saying that, she took out『Sky Reversal』from under her skirt, unsheathing it in a flowing movement and thrusting it before Taiyou.
「G.o.d"s Hand」
「Eventually……I would like to forget…all of these techniques」
「The techniques？」
「I want to do things my own way」
She p.r.o.nounced words fluently for once.
Although she had her own unique breathing pattern, she sometimes spoke phenomenally with vocabulary.
He could tell that she was clearly used to saying those words; that it was something important to her.
Taiyou wasn"t sure what she meant by doing things her own way, but he knew that she was referring to something far ahead.
「Envy, huh……I sure am envious of "that" which you have」
「Of…this child？」
「Why the heck would I be jealous of a katana! No, but well, I guess that"s not necessarily mistaken either」
[Heaven Reversal], placed above her knees inside of its scabbard.
If he were asked if it made him jealous, Taiyou would answer that he was indeed a bit jealous.
However, what he was truly envious of was not the existence of the katana itself.
Was that being conveyed, or was it not?
Shirokiyami spoke with vague eyes.
「Envy…is definitely…bad」
「Very true」
He nodded once, but soon shook his head.
Halting his hands from the levelling up, he spoke to Shirokiyami while gazing at her.
「I still want you to let me be envious of you」
He said bluntly while looking down at her.
The two of them were being illuminated by the dim lighting in the park nearby Taiyou Castle.
Taiyou and Shirokiyami were facing each other from opposite ends.
Taiyou was lightly clenching his fists, and Shirokiyami was holding [Heaven Reversal].
Feelings of tension rose, and the air felt strained.
「So you"re fighting with that, huh?」
「This child……is family…after all」
「Family, huh? Then it"s the same with me」
Taiyou said, taking in air, and called out.
「Hera」
「Tttadaaa」
Hera came warping from nowhere.
「Huh? This is not inside the house, and well if it is not Yami-chan! What is happening, Taiyou-chan?」
「I"m going to fight her right now. You help out as well」
「Me？」
「Yeah, it"s two-on-two」
He said straight out, eyes gazing at Hera but consciousness focused on Shirokiyami.
「That is……not…fair」
「Has a name, isn"t human, and is an important family member」
Taiyou put down his fingers, counting, in response to the girl"s objection.
「Hera and that [Heaven Reversal] are essentially the same existence」
「That is……not…true」
Shirokiyami didn"t seem to accept that very easily.
(Of course not), concluded Taiyou.
「But if you think about it, they"re pretty similar, essence-wise」
「Ess…ence」
Tilting her head and thinking, she at last slightly nodded.
「They are also the same in that……they have…consciousness」
「I feel like I just heard something scary, but I guess I"ll brush that off」
Taiyou said, once again staring straight at her.
「So it"s not unfair at all. Cause we have the exact same conditions. Now, if you were to instead put that away, I wouldn"t send out Hera――Whaddya think？」
「It"s…fine」
「Yeah?」
「All I have to do is……cut you…both」
Shirokiyami said, readying [Heaven Reversal].
She readied the katana around her hips, half the body forward, sword poised to be drawn.
Her eyes were still obscure, but an overpowering bloodl.u.s.t enveloped Taiyou.
It was a bloodl.u.s.t no different from when they had first met- one that seemed to pierce the skin, gouge the heart.
Taiyou instead felt a gradual feeling in his chest.
Without breathing a word, he readied himself.
「Hera！」
「Rajuuu」
Weapons were locked and loaded for battle.
The fairy with b.u.t.terfly-like wings leaped up with the kind of speed where you could hear the sound "gyuuun".
Like a boomerang, she leaped at Shirokiyami, drawing an arc through the air coming out of nowhere.
「Hyahoooh」
「Too…slow」
Shirokiyami cleared the flying Hera away.
An cold, electric light that tore apart the darkness of the night. It was the kind of sharp attack that could split apart all the principles of this world.
However, that did not work on Hera.
The fairy that was outside of this world"s principles wasn"t able to get hurt by even the world"s strongest girl.
The slicing attack could split anything and everything apart, but all it did to the fairy was to flick her off.
Hera, who was sent flying, nonchalantly sprung with high speed at Shirokiyami.
She sprung at her, and was cleared away.
Nevertheless, she sprung at her, and was again cleared away.
Her charge was brushed off, and she would be turned back. It was like watching a rubber ball with string attached being struck.
「Hnh！」
Taiyou leaped over there.
Kicking the ground with his feet, he plunged forward at a fierce speed. In an instant he had closed in on Shirokiyami, then letting out a body blow that could gouge someone.
Not hitting, it cut the sky.
「After…image――」
「Hyahaaah！」
Shirokiyami had left an afterimage and disappeared, reappearing the next moment behind Taiyou, only to be met with Hera springing at her.
Hera had interrupted her counterattack.
Saved, Taiyou retreated with Hera.
「This is so very fun, Taiyou-chan. Right now I am seriously in the mood for funnel！」
「Funnel doesn"t self-a.s.sert」
「Nyapunyapuuu」
She was more like a familiar that had a will of its own rather than an inductive weapon.
He attacked Shirokiyami with said fairy.
There was his overwhelming power, and she was a fairy like a telephone extension, allowing no attacks to pa.s.s through.
An attack from the very front, and an all-range attack coming from every direction/s.p.a.ce.
As a combo, they pressed in on Shirokiyami.
「Envy……that is definitely…bad」
After he had begun challenging her, she was able to slightly change the color of her face for the first time.