had been manufactured, Kelberk Research Inst.i.tute.Part 2“Well, let’s end it here for today.”
The teacher in charge of the cla.s.s, Kate, closed her textbook.
“Alright. Thank you very much.”
“It’s already lunchtime, so I’m sorry that it ended a little late.”
“N-No, it’s fine…… It’s because I haven’t learned about this before.”
Putting the textbook into his bag, Neight frantically shook his head.
Tremia Academy’s courses were based on a credit system, so other than the essential subjects, students could freely choose the courses they wished to take.
The course that Neight had been taking was one of the required subjects concerning Recitations, historical studies. This was an area he had learned nearly nothing about before being enrolled in Tremia Academy.
“Like I thought, was it too difficult studying one-on-one with a teacher?”
Gazing at him with a wry smile, Kate asked, amused. This course was one that his other cla.s.smates had all finished taking before summer vacation. Because of that, the left out Neight had ended up coming to one-on-one lessons with Kate.
“……Difficulty-wise, it really is hard.”
“I’m glad you’re being honest.”
The teacher smiled happily.
“By the way, that Rainbow Color Reciter was also bad at this subject.”
“Xins-san, you mean?”
“The director of education secretly told me about it. She used to be Xins-san’s teacher.”
The director of education, Jessica. He had met her only once when he was enrolling into this school. After that, he didn’t remember having ever talked to her. She was often by the headmaster’s side, and rather than being a teacher, she now seemed to be more like the headmaster’s secretary.
“Was Xins-san an outstanding person ever since he was a student?”
“When he was a student, his grades seemed to be around average in his school. Or rather, he didn’t seem interested in school lectures. And that includes the history that I was just teaching you. How contradictory, that a person whose name would be remembered throughout history wasn’t interested in studying history himself.”
—Speaking of which, Mother hadn’t taught him about Recitation history either.
Was that by chance, or was it something inevitable? In this aspect, Mother and the Rainbow Reciter were probably quite similar to each other.
“Now then, enough of our useless talking. Let’s go eat lunch. If you don’t hurry to the cafeteria, your seat will be taken!”
Ah, oh no! Speaking of which, hadn’t he been invited by Mio-san and Kluele-san to eat lunch together?
“Please excuse me, but I’ll be going on ahead!”
Carrying his bag under his arm, Neight hurriedly ran down the hallway.
In the hallway outside the first floor lobby, thick lush plants were planted at regular intervals, and a simple roof was built overhead to block the rain.
Leaning back against a beam that supported the roof—
Kluele gazed blankly at the roof overhead. Under the hot sun and hot wind, without wiping her forehead that was covered in sweat, she simply let herself enjoy the tranquil moment.
What broke the silence was the voice of her close friend.
“Ah, Kululu, you’re here!”
With quick steps, the girl with a familiar face ran up to Kluele.
“……Mio?”
Behind her, Neight could also be seen.
“Kululu, you didn’t come even though it was already lunchtime, so we were looking for you.”
“Eh, it’s that time already?”
Rubbing her eyes, Kluele stepped away from the beam she had been leaning against.
“……Sorry, my cla.s.s ended early, so I was s.p.a.cing out for a bit.”
“Honestly…”
Puffing up her cheeks, Mio crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Mio-san and I went to take a look, and like we expected, the cafeteria is crowded. I don’t think there will be a free seat for three people any time soon.”
“It can’t be helped. Let’s go there to just buy lunch, then sit and eat at a bench outside.”
The two exchanged glances and nodded.
“Ah……Mio, sorry, but could you help me buy my share as well?”
“Sure. That’s right, the cafeteria is crowded, so I should just go by myself and buy all of our shares.”
—No, that’s not what I meant.
Kluele had a different reason in mind. But she couldn’t say it out loud.
“……Kluele-san?”
They watched Mio hurry away in the direction of the cafeteria. After a little while, Neight looked up at her.
“Kluele-san, did something happen?”
“What do you mean?”
With his deep purple hair swaying in the wind, he looked anxiously at her.
“……For some reason, Kluele-san doesn’t seem very energetic today.”
Facing Neight, who looked up at her intently, Kluele couldn’t help but close her eyes.
—A part of you is really perceptive, isn’t it?
He had given off that impression since the very beginning. It wasn’t that he was looking carefully at her face. Perhaps he was simply sensitive like that.
“Yeah…… I was just feeling kind of lost.”
Like she was trying to deceive him, she tried to let out her best fake laugh.
……But what should she say? She couldn’t find any suitable words. Therefore—
“Hey. Don’t you feel scared?”
Kluele spoke honestly, the terribly direct words coming out of her mouth without being embellished at all.
“Scared?”
“About Recitations.”
His eyes widened, perhaps because he couldn’t guess the meaning behind her words. ……Like I thought, my question sounded strange.
“Hey. A while ago, didn’t you see a huge blaze of fire that came from the plaza?”
“Ah, I saw that!”
With an excited expression, the boy spoke.
“It was amazing, wasn’t it? Even Kate-sensei, who was with me at the time, was surprised. It seemed like the other teachers went to investigate the cause of that. Because of that, my lesson ended a little late.”
“—Neight.”
“The one who called that out was me.”
“…………Eh?”
There was a silence that lasted for more than a few seconds. Neight stood there, forgetting to breathe.
“That can’t be…… No, but…… No way, it was Kluele-san?”
“You can’t believe it, right? But it’s true.”
That’s right. It was natural that he couldn’t believe her right away.
Because after all, she couldn’t even believe it herself.
“During the recital contest, I unexpectedly called out the PhoenixDivine Bird of Dawn, right? After that, I felt a bit strange. You might think what I’m saying is a bit weird, but…”
She took a breath. As the faint sound lingered in the air—
Looking down at the palms of her hands, Kluele apprehensively continued.
“My Recitations are going too well.”
“Too well?”
Shocked, he repeated her words like a baby.
“Sorry. I might seem like I’m bragging, but…… That’s really not the case. I’m actually really scared.”
During this morning’s practical skills lesson, the Recitation she had conducted to solve the situation had been done so easily that she had thought it was strange. Without even singing a OratorioSong of Praise, the time it took for her to Recite had only been a few seconds.
No, it wasn’t just that. She had also involuntarily thought that the Recitations of the other students were terribly immature.
Their imagination and OratoriosSongs of Praise had been too childish. She had easily been able to see through the parts of their Recitations. She had felt the illusion that there was nothing she couldn’t do in Red RecitationsKeinez.
“Surely I’m misinterpreting it. Speaking of which, when cla.s.s was over and I was left alone, I secretly tried to Recite some fire…… The catalyst was ordinary red paint.”
The result was that tremendous flame. She was truly glad that n.o.body had been nearby when it happened. If there had been someone close beside her— They wouldn’t have received just a burn.
“……That was really scary.”
With both hands, Kluele hugged her own body. It wasn’t that she was cold or that she was shaking. It was because her agitated heart and scalding body felt nearly painful. No matter what she did, it wouldn’t subside.
Perhaps it was a side effect of calling out a True Spirit during the recital contest. Surely it was because she was still in a state of excitement. But that also seemed wrong.
“I don’t want something like this to happen! I didn’t call out the Divine Bird for this purpose……”
She felt like the higher-grade students she had seen at the recital contest, who relied on power and violence. What would she do if she overestimated herself and her Recitation ended up spontaneously discharging? It wouldn’t be like the five-colored hydra back then, but there was definitely a chance that she could call out something dangerous.
When she had realized that possibility, she had felt cold and light-headed.
“That’s why I suddenly feel afraid of Recitations.”
Before the sound of her words vanished…
“—But......”
The boy who usually acted quiet and reserved said in an abnormally strong tone of voice.
“But, I don’t think Kluele-san will become like those higher-grade students or conduct such a scary Recitation.”
I’m happy you’re saying that. But, it’s useless. I……
“After all, I believe in you.”
Please, right now, don’t look at me with those eyes.
“Thank you…… But, I’m sorry. I can’t even believe in myself right now.”
She involuntarily averted her eyes. His excessively straightforward gaze felt painful to the point of hurting.
“—Kluele-san.”
Suddenly, his tone of voice changed.
“Please. ‘I can’t even believe in myself’……Please, please don’t say such sad things.”
Although she should have averted her eyes, she couldn’t help but turn her gaze towards him—
Like the surface of an overflowing fountain.
She couldn’t help but look at his shaking, quivering black eyes.
……Neight?
“Kluele-san is not someone who can"t believe in herself. Because after all, Kluele-san is feeling this scared.”
Suddenly, without warning—
“……W-What’s wrong?”
He gently grasped her hand in both of his.
“H-Hey, Neight?”
“It will definitely be alright. If it’s Kluele-san’s Recitation, no matter what it is, I won’t be scared. If your Recitation is scary, I will be there together with you.”
N-No, that’s not what I meant. My hand…… Why so suddenly—
“It’s a good luck charm.”
The boy smiled. From the corner of his eye, a small droplet appeared.
“Kluele-san did the same for me during the recital contest.”
……I did?
‘It’s okay. I will stay with you. Let’s call it out together.’
What had happened on that day replayed in her mind, word for word.
“I love Kluele-san’s Recitations. They are more gentle and beautiful than anyone else’s. They’re lovely. ……That’s why, please, don’t say that you can’t believe in yourself.”
He spoke in a stammering manner, the flow of his words anything but smooth. Even so, he tried his best to convey his feelings as strongly as he could..... And those feelings reached her.
—I see.
So you believe in me that much.
With an odd sensation, something blossomed in her chest. Painful at first, it was a strange feeling that couldn’t be put into words, but that feeling gradually changed into a gentle warmth.
I had always thought that I wanted to do what I could for you. ……But, I was wrong. I was actually making you worry so much about me, wasn’t I?
“Um, could it be that you’ve forgotten what happened that time?”
With lonely eyes Neight looked up at her, who had been silent all this time.
“Don’t be silly. There’s no way I would forget.”
With a finger, she poked the forehead of the boy who was gazing at her.
“……That hurts.”
“It shouldn’t hurt. You’re a boy, aren’t you?”
Like she was teasing him, Kluele winked.
—I’m sorry for making you worry.
But, I’m a bit relieved. I won’t say that I can’t believe in myself anymore.
“……Hey.”
Somehow, you’re a really strange person.
Sometimes I think of you like a little brother to take care of, and other times I think of you like a friend who gets depressed easily. You should be just a normal cla.s.smate, but— For some reason, I can’t leave you alone. I think of you as someone very important to me.
I still don’t really understand it.
“I wonder what to call the relationship between us.”
Hey, what do you personally think?
“Eh, r-relationship? Umm…… cla.s.smates?”
After thinking it over for a while, he replied seriously in a troubled voice.
Yeah. That’s definitely true for now, but—
“But hey, don’t you think that might change from now on?”
“Change?”
“Fufu, I wonder.”
“Eh, please tell me!”
Looking up at her, the boy puffed up his cheeks. It was such an innocent gesture. Like she thought, he might still be a bit unreliable to become a knight who protects his princess.
“I still don’t understand it either. Well, never mind that. ……Ah, Mio’s back. Now, where would be a good place to eat?”
“……That’s not fair, Kluele-san!”
“Come on, we have to hurry and eat lunch. After all, aren’t we going to play at the beach with everyone else in our cla.s.s this afternoon?”
Part 3Bright, dazzling rays of heat poured down from the sky overhead. Grains of finely-ground coral seemed to be spread over the white sand. The ocean was a transparent azure blue. The clear waves lapping back and forth seemed to wash away even everyday troubles.
What was called Tremia’s campus was also like a type of private beach. It could be appropriately described as exactly like paradise.
However— Although the scenery was beautiful, Ouma and the male students were interested in another matter.
“……That Neight, he’s attractive, isn’t he?”
In the shade, sitting down on the sandy beach and gazing forward was a single boy in a swimsuit.
“Aah, and to make it worse, he doesn’t even know his own worth…”
Holding juice in his right hand, a fan in his left, and also wearing sungla.s.ses, Ouma reluctantly nodded.
There was a kid having fun playing a game with ten-odd girls in swimsuits.
“Hey, Neighty, go over there! Catch!”
“Eh……Ah, eh……?”
A young boy futilely chased a ball being blown away by the wind. Because he wasn’t accustomed to the sandy beach, he ran unsteadily, his sense of balance even more off than before.
“Ah, ah, ah—!”
The unreliable boy yelled. Soon after, the ball fell onto the sand with a quiet thump.
“Ahaha! That’s no good, Chibi-kun.”
“But he’s so cute—”
“Yep. I’ll forgive you because you’re cute! I mean, it’s more fun this way!”
The cheers when he failed to catch the ball were louder than when he succeeded.
It wasn’t that he made a particularly amazing play, but that the times when he missed were funny. The girls found those times more amusing.
“……Is that it? Is that the charm of the young thirteen-year-old boy?”
“For a boy, his face looks quite androgynous. He’s also short and fragile. To the girls, is he considered more like someone to tease, or someone to play around with?”
In the beginning, they had been wrong to not consider this boy as their rival. In reality, he was a formidable enemy who had transferred into their school.
“Hey, speaking of which, where did the other boys go?”
Some of them had gone to a nearby convenience stand, while others were having fun diving in the ocean. Even though they were each doing what they wanted, there still seemed to be only a few people.
“Hm. Look at that over there.”
Ouma nodded in that direction. There, holding the ball that she was playing with and frowning, was a blonde girl with a childish face, as well as a girl with scarlet hair who was watching with an amused look.
“Huh. That’s strange. According to the theory in the volleyball book…… If I hit it here like this, the ball should fly up. But I don’t understand why Kluele, who hasn’t read any book about this, is better than me……”
“Mio, I already told you, you’re too reliant on books. If you don’t practice for real, you won’t get better at it.”
“……I see. Perhaps you’re right.”
“But more importantly, you didn’t practice swimming either?”
“Yeah, but in that case, if I start reading a book about swimming right now—”
“……You just don’t listen to what people tell you, do you?”
He gazed briefly at the scene.
“What’s wrong with Mio and Kluele?”
“They’re just thoughtless people. Coming on this trip seems to be a good chance to confess to them.”
Ohhh. Letting out a small sigh of admiration, one of the male students stole a glance at where the girls were gathered. Looking at them, he could clearly see the reason why several of the boys had their eyes on them.
Mio Lentear— She had gotten the best in their grade on the written exam and was rumored to be a genius. Along with that, she was also a girl whose lovely smile and calm manner made her stand out. Her behavior of treating everyone equally had earned her deep trust from both students and teachers.
And then there was Kluele Sophi Net. She had a very helpful personality, an unforgettable appearance, and excellent reflexes. Even though she only scored moderately well on exams, that was just another part of her charm.
“So, what was the result?”
“The girls said something like ’……I’m sorry, but about that sort of thing, we still aren’t—’ The several people who were involved are currently feeling heartbroken. They seem to have gone to a part of the beach farther away from here to nurse the wounds in their heart. So, let’s leave them alone for now.”
“……I’ll be next.”
“Stop it. More and more people seem to be having their confessions backfire.”
Throwing him an indifferent look, Ouma pushed up the bridge of his sungla.s.ses.
“Alright, the next person to drop the ball will face a punishment! Whoever drops the ball will have to go to tomorrow’s lectures in their swimsuit!”
While all of the girls cheered excitedly, a single boy’s face paled.
“Eh. W-Wait……I have a bad feeling about that……”
“Well, let’s start, Neighty!”
“U-Uwa! Why is the ball suddenly moving so fast?”
“Oh, wasn’t that a nice catch, Neight-kun. Well, one more time!”
“Eh, W-Why…… No, please don’t— Wah!”
“Tsk. You survived for the second time in a row, hm?”
“U-Umm……Did you just click your tongue just now?”
“Alright, this time for sure! Chibi-kun, I challenge you for the third time in a row!”
“Uwaaa! So you are aiming at me, aren’t you?!”
“Ah, Neighty ran away! Everyone, chase after him!”
“Hey, even though they forbid boys to play with them, why is only Neight allowed?”
One of the boys said in a tone sounding like he had already given up.
“Rather than being allowed, it seems more like forced partic.i.p.ation.”
In the afternoon, the male students had all planned to go to the beach together during their free time. When they had gathered, amongst almost all of the students, Neight had been nowhere to be seen.
When all of the boys Ouma gathered had gone looking for him— They had suddenly heard a grating shriek. When they went to take a look…… There was the figure of a boy whose limbs had been bound by several female students and was being dragged far away.
Although they had tried negotiating with the kidnappers for the hostage, unfortunately, the girls’ true intention didn’t seem to be a ransom, but the boy himself.
“……Kuh, is that the charm of the thirteen-year-old boy?”
He had heard those words a little while ago.
“To not be seen as a man, that sure is pitiful.”
“W-Wait a moment, Ouma-san! Please don’t just silently watch, help me!”
Even now, Neight was still running away from the group of girls chasing after him.
“……What did Neight say just now?”
“I’m not sure, I couldn’t hear him either. You probably misheard him. I definitely didn’t hear anyone asking for help.”
Shaking his head with certainty, Ouma took out the magazine he was in the middle of reading from his bag.
……d.a.m.n, what an enviable guy.
“Ahh. I wonder if the students are playing around nicely at the beach right now.”
Walking down a road covered in sand, Zessel kicked at the pebbles scattered by his feet as he grumbled.
“That’s all they seemed to be doing a while ago.”
Enne, who walked beside him, smiled wryly.
“Mirror is stuck inside the information department, so you should feel glad compared to him.”
“But he hates the ocean. After all, he can’t swim.”
“……Even now, he still can’t swim?”
Mixed into his colleague’s voice was a teasing tone.
According to the books about swimming that I’ve read, using this theory, I should be able to stay afloat— Back in the time of Elfand school, in a pool 1.2 meters deep, just how many times had that intelligent person said those words and nearly drowned?
“Hey, do you remember our graduation trip to the beach?”
“Although it was quite a long time ago, I still do, more or less.”
Letting out a small laugh, Enne covered her mouth with her hand. It wasn’t the ladylike laugh that she normally showed as a teacher, but because Zessel and Mirror were her childhood friends, it was the lively laugh she secretly showed them.
“Since he’s a teacher of Blue Recitations, it’s unusual that he dislikes the ocean of all things.”
Their graduation trip had been five days long. At the very end, only Mirror hadn’t gone swimming in the ocean even once.
“Well, a certain someone had to use a flotation device even when she was sixteen.”
“I can swim now, you know. I already did special training for it.”
“Is that so? Did you pack a flotation device into your bag this time as well? Enne-sensei, you seem to be quite eager to go swimming.”
“……How do you know about it?”
Idiot, I tricked you into saying that.
Annoyed, Enne pouted. Zessel smiled faintly as she did so— Abruptly, their casual conversation died off.
From the sandy road, they turned a corner and onto an area where dry, hard soil covered the ground.
“……Well then, shall we pay them a visit?”
Zessel let out the breath he had been holding.
Kelberk Research Insit.i.tute, Fidellia branch.
Casting a backward glance at the name of the place carved into the large brown rock, they stepped through the open gateway.
……So it’s open, huh?
The inside of the facility wasn’t very wide. There were only weeds growing thickly all over the place.
“Is anyone there?”
“Just like it seems, I don’t think there’s anyone inside.”
“Well, to anyone inside, excuse us for coming in!”
At the front door of the research facility, they pressed the buzzer meant to be used by visitors, which was beside the door. A mechanical sound echoed throughout the inside of the building. The reverberations were even transmitted back to them, who stood by the door.
“At least we can confirm that it rang.”
—But why was there no response from inside?
He winked at the woman beside him. As if his intentions had been conveyed to her, Enne silently gave her approval.
While hiding an emergency catalyst in his left hand, he opened the door of the research inst.i.tute with his right hand. With a rusty creaking sound, the door slowly opened.
“……It’s dark?”
Although he thought that the lights would be on, a curtain of darkness stretched out before him so that he couldn’t see more than a few meters in. Sure enough, something strange was going on.
Sunlight from outside shone through the open door. Little by little, his view of a few meters grew wider—
The scene in the entrance hall reached his eyes.
“…………!”
Enne let out a soundless scream.
Clutching the shoulder of the woman who had collapsed to the ground, Zessel barely managed to keep calm.
……This must be some sort of joke, right?
Stone statues. Or at least, that was what they first thought. That’s right. Decorating the front lobby were things resembling monuments.
After gazing carefully at them however, Enne and Zessel realized that those were not simply stone sculptures. Even if they didn’t want to, they couldn’t help but understand. The sculptures were just too realistic, and too repulsive.
They had read about it many times in things like fairy tales. But until now, they hadn’t believed for an instant that such a phenomenon could become reality.
The features of the stone statue looked afraid. The forms of the stone sculptures looked like they were running for their lives.
—Before Enne and Zessel’s eyes were the staff members of the research inst.i.tute, who had turned to stone.
Part 4He heard the sound of small waves lapping against the sh.o.r.e and the quiet sound of his shoes stepping on white sand. Although every step was the same, the sound was different each time, making him unable to get bored of listening to it. To Neight, going on a stroll down the beach while enjoying the sea breeze was a new experience.
“Ah, a seash.e.l.l!”
Its outward appearance was deep purple, while the inside was red. Neight picked up the bivalve, which had an unusual hue.
“……Should I give this to Kluele-san?”
The sea wasn’t blue like it had been at noon, and the horizon was dyed by the sunset. It was just before night fell. Therefore, it was probably during this time when he felt the closest to the sun.
Suddenly, mixed in with the ocean spray, the sharp sound of something slicing through the air reached his ears.
—Eh?
Directly ahead of him, the figure of a person appeared on the beach he"d previously thought was empty. As he advanced closer, the tempo of the sound increased. It didn’t just become faster, but also more powerful.
Deja-vu.
The girl who swung her spear while bathed in the light of the setting sun overlapped with the image of what he had seen on the rooftop a few days ago.
“Ada-san?”
The first time, he had felt pure amazement. The second time he saw her wielding the spear, Neight finally understood how intense it was.
When he had seen it before, only the elegance of her movements had reached his eyes— But now, along with the beauty of the girl swinging her spear, her sharp and honed actions sent chills down his spine.
Despite the sand underfoot that made it difficult to move freely, there wasn’t any change in her movements. But rather, it made her steps and leaps silent. He couldn’t hear the sound of her kicking the sand.
It was too tranquil. Her movements flowed too serenely.
The spear-wielding club. But what she was doing wasn’t at the level that a mere club member could achieve.
……It’s different. Something is different compared to back then.
Even as an amateur, Neight still clearly understood. Although he had been surprised when he saw the girl up on the roof, her movements right now seemed to go beyond that to the point of making an observer feel afraid.
Furthermore— The girl held the spear with only one hand, but her whole body moved along with it, making it spin at an even higher speed.
That’s right. Back then, on the rooftop, she had dropped her spear.
In her one hand, it turned, rotated, revolved.
Ten times, twenty times, thirty times.
No matter how much time pa.s.sed, she didn’t drop the spear.
Suddenly, the girl’s movements stopped. She let out a small sigh. She had been moving so much under the hot weather, but her breathing hadn’t changed at all.
“……This is the second time, right, Chibi-kun?”
Seeming like she felt both troubled and embarra.s.sed, with a complicated expression, Ada smiled bitterly.
“U-Um. Is it special training with your spear again?”
“Half right and half wrong. But I guess you could interpret it that way.”
After that, their conversation stopped. Neight thought that she would continue speaking, but she simply gazed at the spear she held with an almost sorrowful look.
“Ada-san, that was really amazing!”
“Hm, amazing?”
“Even though you played around with everyone for so long this afternoon, you’re still doing that special training in the evening.”
Everyone else in the cla.s.s was currently resting in their room. Even Neight had been sleeping until now, and had only woken up a short while ago.
“Well, it’s already become a habit to me, just like eating dinner. That would happen to anyone who has been doing this for ten-odd years already.”
Ten-odd years? She should have joined the spear-wielding club after entering Tremia Academy, and not more than half a year should have pa.s.sed since then.
“For Chibi-kun, it’s because of that, right? You want to become a Reciter because you want to complete the Recitation that your mother left you.”
“Yes. I haven’t decided whether I should become a Reciter or what, but first I want to be able to conduct Mother’s Recitation.”
“—I see.”
Tightly gripping the spear, the girl slowly looked up at the sky.
“……Chibi-kun might get angry, but I can’t do something like that. I can’t do anything about it, even though I’ve already run away.”
Slowly, slowly, like she was trying to persuade herself to tell him, the girl exhaled.
“In my case, the family that I was born in is special. Do you know the GillsheExorcists? To put it simply, it’s a group that specializes in sending back Recited creatures.”
GillsheExorcists. No matter how far he reached into the depths of his memories, he couldn’t come up with anything relating to that word.
“……I’m sorry, but I still haven’t learned enough about such things.”
“No, it’s natural that Chibi-kun doesn’t know about them. They don’t call things out, but send them back. They’re not very well-known. After all, they can’t do flashy things like calling out enormous creatures, so their reputation is naturally lower compared to Reciters’. And out of those who do know about the GillsheExorcists, very few want to become one. That’s why being an GillsheExorcist is pa.s.sed down through the family, from father to child.”
Say a Recited creature was running wild in a certain city. At that time, if another Recited creature was called out to oppose the first one, the battle between those two would probably wreck the city. For example, during the recital contest, if another hydra had been called out to oppose the first hydra, it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine the city turning to ruins.
If that situation were to occur, in order to suppress the Recited creature while keeping collateral damage to a minimum, a Reverse Song is the best option. But for nearby Reciters, for example in a situation with only Mio, Kluele, and other girls, it would be extremely dangerous to try and touch the wild Recited creature.
Therefore, ‘Reverse Song professionals’, who had the knowledge and skill for conducting Reverse Songs and a trained body and mind to oppose the wild Recited creature, were needed.
“That was the reason for forming the group of GillsheExorcists that exists now. Of course, even now, I think the people who are working hard as GillsheExorcists are amazing. After all, it’s a job that requires them to have a strong body and to risk their lives. They can’t skip out on a certain amount of training for even a single day. That’s why they’re people who deserve to be respected.”
But— Letting out a long breath that resembled a sigh, Ada looked down.
“But even so, they aren’t very well-known at all. They don’t even have a specialized school like Reciters do. They just train alone by themselves, inconspicuously. ……The p.r.o.nunciation of the word GillsheExorcist seems to have a special origin, but my dad won’t tell me. I can’t help but wonder, is it just because they felt inferior compared to Reciters?”
She smiled in a self-deprecating manner. Unsure of how to respond, Neight quietly averted his gaze.
“Ada-san’s father is also an GillsheExorcist, isn’t he?”
“……Yeah. He’s the head of the main GillsheExorcist family, the Yung, and also probably the best GillsheExorcist. Apparently he’s been to many places around the continent and knows many people. One time he gathered together all of his acquaintances, and even that Xins-sama was there.”
“Xins-sama was?”
Among Reciters, there were ten-odd large factions formed based on personal connections and the school one studied at.
There were many merits to being in such organizations, such as obtaining jobs, self-promotion, and meetings with famous people. The names of Tremia Academy’s teachers were probably also cla.s.sified into a group formed by the school’s administration department. After graduating from Tremia Academy, it was a custom that students would first join that group.
The Rainbow Color Reciter, Xins. From what Neight had heard, for some reason, only Xins hadn’t joined a single a.s.sociation. He had received a lot of invitations of course, and as long as he would show his face to the public, any group would have accepted him as an executive member. And yet, he still liked to act alone, on his free will. A while ago, he had attracted a lot of attention because of that.
“Well, Xins-sama seems to only be willing to partic.i.p.ate as an observer. It seems that sometimes, he even comes to visit my home. But usually it’s when I’m at school.”
“……That’s amazing……”
“And it’s not just Xins-sama, but many other people as well. My dad has many colleagues who people would think of as strange or amazing. In fact, that gathering seemed to be something more like a hangout.”
Neight was speechless. Ada had such an amazing father. That’s right. That’s what a regular human would think, that it was an astonishing thing.
But— The eyes of the girl who had told him all of this trembled with a sad color.
“I was born as the heir to that great leader, so…… I sometimes feel pretty restricted. I have a predetermined daily routine, a predetermined path, and a predetermined future. Even though other children played with their friends, I was always by myself, gripping my GilExorcist Spear.”
The gemstones on the tip of the spear shone. Those were probably the catalysts used for sending back Recited creatures.
She had called her spear an GilExorcist Spear. Speaking of which, the spear he had seen from when she had been practicing on the rooftop was a simple spear with no such workings.
“……You noticed?”
Like she was smiling while crying, she faintly curled up the edges of her mouth.
“Because I’m always used to use an GilExorcist Spear, my body is used to something of that weight and length. But the spear-wielding club has spears of its own designated standard, so things like its weight are completely different. Because of that, I don’t feel comfortable using it…… I often make mistakes when using the club’s spears.”
Back on the rooftop, when she dropped the spear, Neight remembered how she had glared down at it. Now, he felt that he better understood the meaning behind her gaze at that time.
“Are the spears used by the club and your GilExorcist Spear that different?”
“No, not really. It’s just that I’ve become too used to my GilExorcist Spear. I know its weight up to 0.1 grams and its reach up to 0.1 millimeters. That’s why I’ll be thrown off if it’s even a bit different.”
0.1 grams and 0.1 millimeters. She spoke those words like it was completely natural.
But was something like that really possible? At least for Neight himself, he couldn’t even remember the length of the pen he normally used, nor did he have the confidence to take a guess.
“Ada-san, could it be that you can use the Reverse Song and several colors as well?”
The technique for using the Reverse Song was similar to that of normal Recitations, meaning that one had to understand each color separately. Then in the case of someone who specialized in sending back Recited creatures…
“……Yeah. Even though my memory isn’t that good, in order to use the Reverse Song, I’ve remembered the details of several colors.”
The way she said it made it seem like learning the Reverse Song was easier than learning Recitations. There were probably teachers in Tremia who were masters of several colors. But that was different when it came to students.
—But Neight had never seen this girl bragging about such a thing.
She wasn’t the type of person to lie. But still, Neight couldn’t believe it so quickly. Because what she had just told him was something that went against his common sense.
“If I say it, I’ll just be called an idiot. This guy was……my first friend.”
Hugging the spear embedded with gemstones, the girl stood up straight.
“No, not just a friend. It’s already become like a part of me. We’re always, always together. No matter if it’s weight or length, there’s nothing we don’t know about each other— There’s that kind of connection between us.”
……But even that’s not important anymore.
Her hoa.r.s.e voice softly flowed out from her small lips.
“For just a little while, I wanted to try going down a path other than what my heritage decided for me. The truth is, my mother has qualifications as a Reciter, so I was interested in Recitation schools ever since I was young.”
“……I see.”
“I made a lot of friends after coming to Tremia Academy. Although it can’t be compared to Chibi-kun’s situation, I’m really glad I came here.”
After being blessed with many friends and joining a club, she had enjoyed school life from the bottom of her heart. Neight could tell from the way that Ada normally behaved.
But— He couldn’t understand.
“Ada-san.”
There was just one thing, one thing that he couldn’t understand at all.
“But if that’s so, why are you still practicing like this with the GilExorcist Spear?”
That’s right. Why? With trembling lips, Ada muttered to herself as if she were speaking a soliloquy.
“……I don’t understand very well either. But it’s probably because I don’t want to regret it anymore.”
Regret?
“Yeah. I don’t want to have that dream anymore.”
That dream. Regret. What did that mean?