Volume 9 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Episode 5Celistia Chapter - The Feeling of The Acadeest

Part 1

「Fua, aa……」

The Academy in Cross Field

Lux was round

The time he woke up today was at five am, an hour earlier than usual

At his hands were a long baot several sheets of dust clothes hanging on them

His outfit wasn't his usual uniform, but a work clothes with burnt brown color

The weather was clear, but perhaps because the autumn was almost over, the air felt chilly on the skin

Lux's body shi+vered slightly frohtly stretched his body

「……Oops I mustn't be half asleep, let's work properly」

He lightly slapped his cheeks with his hands and put spirit into himself to make himself awake

He was at a facility with round shape like an annual tree ring, where each circle was gradually getting higher the nearer they were to the outside

Lux was standing on the eround

The cleaning of Drag-Ride's practice ground was one of the large-scale requests that the Academy sometime made to him

Because this facility possessed spaciousness in the top category even inside the whole Acaderound, it took time and effort to clean it

Of course it was i in the end was only a part of it, but Lux gave it his all by his own initiative and woke up early and did the chore diligently

The basic of this job was to sweep and clean using bahtly wiped the part that was especially dirty with damp cloth

He would use soap at persistent dirty spot, but this time there wasn't so many spots like that

Lux was really focused since he started working and performed the work, then──,

「……Eh?」

How much time had passed?

Lux finally noticed that when he finished cleaning about half of the area that was assigned to him

At the center of the practice ground, on the ground that was surrounded by circular wall, a girl wearing pilot suit was standing

「……Celis-senpai? This early in the 」

Lux muttered that, at the sairl that was visible from the audience stand

She had her rapier shaped Sword Device unsheathed, and she kicked on the ground almost at the same time

She leaped through a distance of more than ten meter in one breath, at the same time she released several sharp thrusts forward

Following that, she gathered light particles in high speed after drawing her sword and su-Ride

She instantly equipped a golden are lance, co the sequence of forms

Fro-Ride──while even attacking during that time, all of those actions were done quickly in three seconds, which caused a sudden gust to whirl at the surrounding

「As expected, she is a……」

Even fro-Knight, the skillfulness of her technique caused him to unconsciously watch in fascination

It was a feat that was only allowed for her who had polished her training ofher able to perform several thousands of forms

Celistia Ralgris

She was the eldest daughter of a great feudal lord of the new kingdoirl who served as the captain of the raid squad Syvalles

Even est, her dignity and beauty that were arrace and strictness would attract anyone toward her

Furtherht about from the self-confidence and focus she was clad with──her characteristic aloof aura gave her a worthy charisreat nobles

「She is practicing Drag-Ride again fro……」

Even though it still hadn't been that long since the caainst the Sacred Eclipse, the strictness and the ti further

Celis was able to do that exactly because she possessed stamina that would make male military officer to lose face and a powerful will

(I need to be careful not to become nuisance for Celis-senpai……)

Lux cleaned up the place as quietly as possible while staring at her practice with a side glance

She practiced skatingwith her weapon

And then, she coordinated action fro Divine Raiment until various kind of movements in a coordinated movements that linked fro a complicated tactics

After that thirtyon her training very much, she didn't notice Lux's existence until the very end and finished up her training

Celis stoppedto rest her body and dispelled her armor

She sent a brief glance at the surrounding ring before she started walking toward the waiting room's direction

「Aa……」

Lux's chore also coincidentally finished at that tireeted her, but she had left ahead of him

He chased her back figure in hurry and saw her entering the waiting rooround

「──Wait, this is bad!!?」

Lux stopped his legs in front of the door and let out a sigh of relief

He had already blundered several times in this Acadeain

He should wait until Celis finished changing and got out, or perhaps he should knock the door and called out

Lux thought that and he leaned back on a tree nearby the shed, it was then──,

「Haa…… Unfortunately, it was a failure again this time」

「──Eh?」

Celis's voice that suddenly ca room's wall caused Lux to tilt his head

「……Yes, that's right I was asked by two ofI was cheerful fro, so the day before yesterday, I asked the but──」

It was indeed Celis's talking voice

The people ere training at earlywas ht, but today he didn't saw 『anyone else』 other than Celis

(Just who is she talking with──?)

It hen Lux felt dubious like that,

「──But, the two ran away in the htened the practice content though Perhaps it is just as I expected, I a」

「Er, Celis-senpai……?」

When Lux called out fro rooot out fro room

She had changed completely from her pilot suit into her uniform, so there was no problem, but shock was carved on her face

「Lu, Lux-!? Why are you here!?」

Celis's cheeks reddened while looking unusually flustered

When Lux quickly looked around at the surrounding, he saw a small bird that was on theaway

「Aah, please wait! I still haven't finished──」

「……Wait, was senpai talking with that bird just now!?」

As expected, there was no one except Celis inside the waiting room it seemed

Different from herself in the past, it seemed she had resolved herself to speak more frankly about her worry to the people around her, but was she now back to taking her problem upon herself alone?

Lux retorted at this unexpected side fronified, in respond,

「Yo, you are wrong Just noas……, a, a doll I was only talking to a doll that was decorating the room It wasn't like I was unable to speak frankly about my worry to anyone and i by any means so──」

「No, there is alh!? In a sense that feels excessively lonely you know!?」

It felt like her trying to lie wasit even more awful instead

「……I, it doesn't ! Prying further is not permitted!」

The yell from the red faced Celis made Lux nodded

After they took deep breath until both of them calmed down, Lux explained why he was here

When he was cleaning up the practice ground, he happened to see Celis and chased after her to give his greeting After he told her that, Celis showed a co smile

「Is that so I too am still immature, to be unable to detect your presence from the audience stand like that」

She

Regarding that, it was also slightly unexpected for Lux

Even if she was relaxing her attention because she was inside the safe Acaderound, but for someone at Celis's level, she should have noticed Lux's presence

「Could it be──, Celis-senpai has so your mind?」

Twitch, Celis was shaken greatly hearing Lux's question

「I, it's not so really── No, I should talk about this to Lux Before this, I caused trouble for you because I stayed quiet And, I also trust you」

Celis said such thing with her cheeks faintly blushi+ng

The ame that was carried out after the campus festival the other day

The sensation of that passionate kiss was resurrected, causing Lux's body to ache heatedly

「E, err──, yes!」

Lux himself also found it hard to look properly at Celis's face from the embarrassment

After Lux raised his voice to divert his an to talk

「That's, I have the feeling as though h I felt that I had become able to be more frank than before with everyone around ood as expected……?」

Celis hung her head doith a vaguely heavy dark aura enveloping her

(Aa……, so it's the usual thing)

Lux saw that and smiled wryly

As the result of Celis's seriousness and strong sense of responsibility getting htly clumsy side, sometimes she would be dejected like this

「Even though some juniors who I wasn't really acquainted with unusually relied on me, I was unable to coach the inadequate withinbylonely or anything you know!? I aht」

「No, senpai doesn't need to hide it any that! More i together with Celis-senpai……what could it be?」

Those girls ca froe that they would immediately stopped by themselves like that

Surely Celis orrying because she was unable to understand the reason, but──

「Perhaps that was because, the training menu was harsh I think that's all there is to it」

Lux suddenly interrupted like that with a conviction from his instinct

He had also thought this when they were training together at the su camp but, even theae students could keep up with Celis

Surely the junior girls understood that and backed out of the training

Lux was quiet confident of that conjecture inside his mind, but,

「Tha, that shouldn't be true! I too was considerate at those girls ere acco for the first ti amount」

「Eeerrr……」

Lux made a complicated expression in respond to Celis's yell and he was at loss of how to respond

Most likely, those juniors were unable to endure even after that

The sta that could even be called as severe since her childhood was far surpassing the stae people

「As I thought, I believe there was a problem in how I act and behave I wonder why my personality became like this Haa……」

Seeing Celis getting dejected again, Lux thought

With how Celis herself was losing confidence, it felt like the effect would be minor even if he persuaded her

If Lux's conjecture was correct, those junior girls didn't hate Celis, it was only that the training was too harsh──

「I guess Then, how about if we do this?」

There Lux proposed a certain suggestion

「I will accothat I noticed, I'll speak outthat, won't Celis-senpai yourself notice just what did you do wrong this time?」

In other words, Lux would act the role of training partner for 『Celis's junior coaching』

By using that as reference, he would e the reason of why she was avoided by her juniors

Celis was listening to that in a daze for a while, but before long her eyes shi+ned fiercely and she took Lux's hand

「That's an excellent plan! It will be a really excellent chance in order for me to learn where I'm inadequate at」

Lux responded with a sestion

(In the first place, there should be no way Celis-senpai has e error……)

The problem was how Celis herself couldn't notice how the excessiveness of the training was exactly the problem

Even if Lux pointed it out, she wouldn't be able to comprehend it fully, so it would be better if he conveyed it to her by hout the process

Froether noruidance and attitude, there was no way she was behaving in a way that would ot hated

If Lux who possessed sta until the end, he would be able to proof that

「Then, can I please ask you of this right away starting from tomorrow for several days period?」

「Yes It will be fine if tri chores for a bit」

Lux answered right away Celis showed a relieved sigh with a s that

「I understand But, Lux is a boy, so you will be fine if your training aht?」

「Euh……!?」

The e voice slipped out from Lux's throat

Celis's stamina wasn't ordinary, so if Lux atteet crushed

「As expected, a boy with staood chance so I will increase the training a bit more than usual to match Lux──」

「The usual is all right-! Thi, this ti Celis-senpai's method in the end, that is my objective──!」

Lux said in panic Celis pondered for a bit and,

「You're……right I alinal purpose The priority is to search the cause why those girls are avoidingforward to it」

「Ah, yes……」

Lux was feeling relieved while pro to hear more about the menu later, then she parted from Celis for the moment

「It's fine with this, right……?」

He would convey to Celis as feeling down in her heart, that there was no probleot avoided, and made her to recover her self-confidence

In order to do that, Lux estion, but he wondered, would he too ended up like those aforementioned juniors and became unable to keep up with Celis?

However, in front of Celis as looking so delighted like that, he couldn't withdraw his words

「Just in case, I should think up a countermeasure……」

For caution's sake, after that he eneral from the headmaster, dorm mother, and the students for a while, then he headed to where his classmate Tillfur was at

He asked her to cancel or postpone as much as possible the most recent requests that felt like it would take a bit more effort

「What's left, is only to do it……huh」

Lux took a deep breath and resolved himself

「Well, I'll ht……?」

Or rather, he prayed that he would really be able to e somehow

Lux talked to hi

Part 2

「I, I was naïve……!」

Thethe next day, inside the classroo on

Lux was listening to the teacher's lecture like usual while desperately holding hi prostrated on his table

(Sleepy……, no, I'm too tired I cannot sleep……)

To think, that the training of Celis that he witnessed at yesterdayfrom an hour before that It was unexpected

They started froround and

After that they carried out training of perforround, then they

Using Drag-Ride consecutively would cause burden, so every fifteen minutes they would take a break for five minutes in the form of calisthenics, they carried out three set of that

They tidied up at seven o'clock They wiped their sweat and changed into their unifor hall

There, finally themenu was over

He had no strength re chores

「Lux-chi, you okay? So your body though……?」

「Barely……」

Tillfur called out to him worriedly when it was lunch break

If he could say his true feeling, he was nearly at his limit

Even , the density of the training itself was very much so

After Lux responded like that with a dry sot opened right away

「Lux, have you eaten lunch? I wish to start a light training in five more minutes──」

「Wait, ill also train at afternoon!?」

Lux reflexively yelled with his honest tone

「It will be fine It's only a si of mind control operation, so ill finish before the afternoon class There is no need to worry」

Celis shtly and said that without any malice

「No, what I'm bothered with isn't the time──」

「Then, I will be waiting at the indoor practice ground, I' forward to it」

Celis said only that with a proud face before turning on her heel and left

If he was told that she would be waiting, then he had to go

Lux lifted up his body with a stagger and then exited the classroom

Honestly food couldn't even go through his throat, but he guessed he would e somehow……

「Lu-chan You have to eat properly……, you know?」

Lux received a donut fro so too

After that, the training also continued after school as though it was only natural, and it continued until the sun had completely set

Part 3

「So Lux, have you noticed anything? A problem in my attitude and behavior──」

Earlytwo days later

They finished a two hours training and then took break in the waiting rooed with nervousness

「……Currently I don't see any particular problem, but」

To speak frankly, yesterday ue suddenly came down on him and it was the fact that he wished to stop, but he was able to continue somehow

「Is there soood with me? It will be helpful if you can tell me clearly」

Lus recalled the scenes of hiether with Celis in these two days

If he had to say what bothered hi──

「Let's see I had this feeling when training before wearing the Drag-Ride, but……」