Volume 6 -A Chapter 18 (1/2)
A happy breather
Lasts the span of a breath
So it changes into so else
Point Allocation (A stake?)
Masazumi took a breath below the blue sky
She was in a park within the Okutama nature district near the academy
The forest surrounded a s room known as the Residence of the Deceased
She sat on a wooden bench and the at children brought here by their parents
I sometimes come here to read
She could relax here because it had no connection to school or to herself
The transport shi+ps in the sky told her she was back on the Musashi+, but this park still felt like it ay from home After all, those awful classmates of hers were nowhere to be seen or heard
Being able to relax and enjoy the feeling of being an outsider may have been nice But
”I should have asked Crossunite to collect this paperwork from the academy”
The others were all in this Okutaage and finishi+ng up the rest of the study camp
They were probably still on theirwork
I thought this would just be playing in the water, but there's a surprising amount to do
Oriotorai had instructed them to clean up the nature district
The girls were in the artificial river doing laundry andand cleaning
As a school event, the study camp doubled as a way to provide a public service
Novice: ”After putting thisour study ca about war”
Tachibana Husband: ”Gin, should I help you with the laundry like usual?”
Tachibana Wife: ”Master Muneshi+ge, you'reme sound like a failure of a wife”
Tachibana Husband: ”Oh, sorry I only ever help with hanging it up to dry Because I can reach higher”
Gold Mar: ”How loving”
Mal-Ga: ”Yes, itthem on”
Masazuan her oork
I have to prepare for thethis afternoon
She had previously held a deburg Tsukinowa iven hi on their study camp
Just in case, there was a console in the student council room that could be accessed for important manners, but
”I probably set things up too strictly because I'”
Once she was used to it, she would probably be able to set things up to be called in remotely
It s up
Speaking of Asa weird earlier
Well, Masazu weird, but
She was fixing lunch and doing Aoi and Horizon's laundry so quickly
And yet she had seemed a bit blunt overall When Masazumi, Horizon, or anyone else offered to help, she would only stammer ”Oh, um, yes” and flee
She clearly had so on her mind, but
I just hope it isn't some weird brain disease
Masazu about that here But
”Ah”
She heard a voice in the distance
It was a song: the Song of Passage
Horizon was probably the one singing Masazu it to her as a lullaby and she re with it So
”Let me pass”
She breathed in when she heard it
It was tio
This was no ti a breather
Everyone orking, even if just for the study camp, so she had to as well
It's co in that atmosphere
She felt like herher onward as she stood up
She looked to the Residence of the Deceased on from above
”If Houjou wasn't preparing a shi+p, this ”
With that, she began walking First to Remorse Way That would take her close to the nature district river the others were at
The river sht Narumi
The Okutama nature district was in between the Asama Shrine and the academy
Soirls seemed familiar with the area, so the Schwarz Hexen spoke from the open riverside
”That rock over there would work as a washboard Oh, and I' about Mito-tsan”
”I-I feel like we had this exact conversation last time ere here!”
They all still had plenty of energy
They cheerfully did the laundry and prepared for lunch Naru with Tachibana Gin and 6th Special Duty Officer Naomasa to perform maintenance on the river's inner blocks
It was a simple task While the nature district's river had rocks, it was primarily made from a series of blocks So they had to remove, clean, and reattach the purification blocks and streae over and over, but
There's so much to learn
For example
”I see Musashi+'s stacked structure allows you to replace pieces fro fully replaceable because you secure durability by the block?”
That showed just how flexible Musashi+'s design was, but it also showed it had not been designed for combat
Tachibana Gin nodded while working alongside her
”If the structure allows removal and attachment from the top or sides, then the ar the Are ater barriers and transport shi+ps, but they would be in trouble if those areas were hit by the light bullets that Houjou used the other day”
It was possible they would have to fight Houjou the following day
Narumi hoped they could avoid a fleet battle The Musashi+ had stronger defenses than most shi+ps, but that was almost entirely reliant on the automaton-controlled defense barriers
But our new tactics and neeapons have brought us to a point where those defense barriers and high-speed abilities just aren't enough
Sohts amused her
I've really started to side with Musashi+, haven't I?
She had not even been here a full month yet, but the fact that she lived here made her aware this was her home
The academy in particular made it feel different from a trip or a job
The textbooks, curriculum, and class structure were all different froe at first, but once she grasped their purpose and how they worked, she had quickly grown accustos was to understand her new home
She did wonder if this was a for, but she appreciated that the people around her were just the right amount of crazy
That allowed her to believe it was all natural and just the way of things were, not anything calculated
And there was of course no reason to hold onto that doubt when she lived with someone as undoubtedly a complete idiot
”What is it, Date Vice Chancellor?” asked Tachibana Gin
But Narumi was unsure what the question meant
”What is what?”
”Hee hee Your face is red,” said the Reine des Garous froe stones on the riverside as if to create a garden and she was now ad her handiwork ”Your boyfriend complimented your swimsuit earlier, didn't he?”
”It's a real sha available at the store I went to”
It was a pain how the woman said ”my, my” with a bitter smile Narumi had her oork to do
Those various issues with the idiot half-dragon would continue as long as they lived together She had no right to find fault here What mattered was that they made preparations for life and then lived that life So
”Maintenance here helps e the Asama Shrine's water quality, doesn't it?”
”Judge This water passes through the purification tank below the Asama Shrine and it is used as an ether fuel catalyst and in the ether pathways What we are doing here is li things upstreaful to me”
”The underground portion is our duty in the engine division,” said Naoed by the Musashi+, but the automatons have been busy lately”
”I alad to hear all that”
This wasWith that in mind, Narumi reached for a seam at the bottom of the water
Similarly, Tachibana Gin stuck her hand in a seam 5m downstream
They looked up at each other
”Okay, let's remove this one Asa the water flowing into the Asama Shrine after this block, okay?”
Asa with Narumi
She nor it with Kimi today Most of the preparations were coetables and s for everyone
Even Ki board It may have had to do with her sense of balance, but her h what it needed to cut
Asa, so Kiress
She would sometimes find an extra fruit and then quickly peel and shape it with her knife
”Look, look! It's Mitotsudaira's hair!”
”Who is going to eat that!?”
”Don't worry I'll slice it up and put it in the salad”
Mitotsudaira was holding up and glaring at her own hair, but Asama pretended not to see it
Horizon walked up from behind with sliced daikon radish
”Asama-sama I cut them all to the same size as requested”
”You didn't have to be that precisebut thank you”
”It was nothing,” insisted Horizon while Naito and Naruze approached with a basket of sliced bread They were both wearing swimsuits
”Is there a stove we can use?”
”We've cooled off a fair bit after getting out of the water and doing some work”
”Yes, yes The one on the right is open I can give you towels if you need them”
”Judge” Naito raised her right hand and looked to Asama ”A neimsuit?”
”Eh? Oh, yes It's a shi+rasago prototype”
It was a two-piece shi+nto outfit and it was technically not a swimsuit
”This is actually a support guard meant to be worn below your equipeneral-use one and this is a special-use one”
The swiular parts and they had the shi+nto colors of white and red But
”Asama-chi, don't those look like shi+nto charms?”
”Yes, but that's a good thing The cloth portion acts as a pocket and you can store actual chareneral defensive capabilities”
”In other wordsit co a bandaid swimsuit”
”I have no idea what that means and I think I would rather not know Anyway, the data taken from this will provide feedback for future equipment”
Hearing that, Adele raised her right hand while doing laundry in the river
”Won't that iant breasts?”
”I seriously doubt it…”
Asae
…Cooking outside makes for a nice breather
Once stea from the pot on the stove next to her, everyone returned to the riverside after getting to a stopping point in their work
After finishi+ng the laundry, Adele and Suzu returned to the river to play
Mitotsudaira's e stones and such to prepare for the block ht she , but the woman put on a shi+rt made from the top of an inner suit
”Oh, dear Is that chicken leftover fro it, if I recall”
”Eh? Oh, yes I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I kind of want to use it all up here”
”Heh heh I can help then Oh, and I mean help eat it”
There was no chance of any of leftovers now
Next, the boys returned from the forest
They had all been tending to the forest
They were re down unneeded branches, and looking after the road It was coht and revealed or prevented traps in the forest like the ones Sanada's Isa had set up before
This work had been neglected during the re in the Ariake
So they were doing it now
Their underclassone on the study camp This nature district had been left to them because it was directly connected to the Asama Shrine
The boys were surprisingly filthy
”Hey, we're back”
”Heh heh Foolish Brother? You're all filthy, so go wash off in the river”
”Judge, judge Okay, everyone, let's do that!”
Mitotsudaira'sinto the river
”My, y …Is this scene visible from outside?”
”No I've set up a transparent stealth and defense barrier around this area Although the defense will only sound an alaret in”
”That is plenty It gives me some time to spend with Musashi+'s main force, and…”
She looked down at the sign frame opened by Asama's hands
”You all need to prepare for to on that”
The Reine des Garous gave a few
She sat on a stone she had set down and she viewed the group as a whole
The boys had held a si in the forest It had been a lot like chatting while picking up branches and raising fallen trees
”What do we do about any Gods of war that show up tomorrow?”
”That would depend on the scope and type of unit If it's a small number of individual Gods of war…”
They then con fraurs to exchange cannon control and acceleration control settings while slicing bread and the Tachibana daughter had lifted up the control blocks to test out her new prosthetic arms
This was not an official training ground, so it was fascinating to see how that sense of combat entered the everyday atmosphere
This should have been their time off, but their work had permeated it
…For example…
The Reine des Garous turned toward the Asa a swimsuit and no special equipment, but…
…She still immediately set up a stealth barrier on this scale
She was operating a few different sign fra of a test for her
She was testing herself too She was seeing what she could do
And as the Reine des Garous watched her…
”Eh? …Oh, um…”
Their eyes irl looked shocked, and then she looked to the dancer next to her
She probably thought it had been a mistake to let an enehtly raised her right hand which held a knife
”Don't worry about it, Asa them knoill just intimidate them a little”
”Right, right,” replied their king as pouring water over his head in the river He stripped off his work vest as he spoked ”Nate Maman, Asama can do more than just that She has another job that's wayup barriers”
”…Her gunner job, you mean?”
Hearing that, the Asama Shrine Representative spread her mouth horizontally and tried to force a s for the Reine des Garous to say
”I've seen the records and your co”
”Eh? Umm, well, yes, how should I put this?”
”I think you reatest archers …Where did you learn those skills?”
”Eh? From my daily research maybe? Or maybe from the mood on the battlefield? Umm…”
Everyone began whispering
”…Ga-chan? Is this the first tied Asama-chi so seriously?”
”…I think so And since she's having trouble responding, she must see herself as an oddity just like the rest of us do”
The Far East was apparently a strict place
But so else had her interest
She had spoken with thehter's king had not been there then
She thought back to that discussion as she asked a question
”What is it the Asama Shrine Representative can do?”
Her question contained a hidden
There was more than one answer for this
For exa shi+nto spell arrangements were both possible answers
And that irl stopand look down at her hands
Behind her, Musashi+'s princess , so she may have been prepared to immediately respond if he answered incorrectly
But the king showed off his teeth with a smile
”All sorts of things in everyday life That's a shared secret between Asama and me”
The Reine des Garous smiled at that answer
She placed a hand on her cheek and asked just to be sure
”My, really?”
”Yeah,” he is Like laundry, cooking, and getting uard stations She also cos I can't ask other people to do”
A solid sound rang out
The Asaainst the cutting board
She had tried to cut through soth
She etables
”Asama, are you okay?” asked the dancer with a bitter smile
The girl stopped her frantic movements and blushed
”Oh, I just can't believe this I can't believe it at all…”
She did not say what she could not believe, but she somerinkled her brow and then closed her eyes
”Well, how should I put this? Those things are important to me too”
”Really? It's a huge relief to hear you say that”
Hearing that, the Asama Shrine Representative nodded a few times while oblivious to the double thumbs up from the princess behind her
Then she took another breath and resuetables, but her movements were much more mechanical now
That e for her And she see or not
Heat gradually filled her face and her head gradually lowered
In response, Musashi+'s Princess expressionlessly nodded
”To be honest, there is a lot that would not function or that would go too far without Asas which would not be protected without Mitotsudaira-saet aithout Masazumi-sama or Futayo-sama And without Tenzou-sama…no, that is a different matter”
”Wh-what is that supposed to mean!?” protested the ninja
”Hee hee Master Tenzou, she is saying the things you do for everyone are too many to list”
”That is quite the positive interpretation…” said everyone as Musashi+'s Princess nodded
”We can discuss this again tonight But at thefor anyone ould join Toori-sama's battle formation”
After all…
”I aht”
Their king turned around at that and he nodded
”I've been thinking, Horizon Don't you have a fair aht?”
”I ahs about 80kg Of course, each of those parts counts as an autoa”
After all that, Musashi+'s Princess threw a stone at the king
A direct hit sent hi thrice across the river
”Why are you asking a girl her weight?”
”I-I didn't ask! I just said you were pretty heavy!”
The Schwarz Hexen threw a coin-sized rock with a smile on her face
”You are the worst”
It hit the king in the forehead and he flipped around in midair
”W-wait! Black Mal and Gold Mar! Does your weight even s, so-…”
The Weiss Hexen threw a coin-sized rock with a smile on her face
”You are the worst”
It hit the king in the forehead and he flipped around in midair He stood back up with a splash
”A-are you trying to send me to the other bank!?”
The Reine des Garous wanted to join in, but he did not send anything her way
She realized that her daughter and the others had all finished their work And the king's sister…
”Over here, foolish brother! We've et it!”
By the tirouped with the others, they were already finishi+ng up lunch
On the way, she passed by Mary, Crossunite, Naito, and Naruze ere headed to the river to wash the dishes and pots
Back on the riverside, she found the others taking a break
”Oh? Masazuyozas iped out though”
”Judge I'll gather some stuff for a Western-style meal”
She piled up the excess bread and poured some pot-au-feu broth in a bowl in place of sauce The other contents had sunk to the bottom of the pot, but…
…There's an awful lot of onion…
It had probably sweetened up while cooking, but she felt like that much would leave an aftertaste in her throat
She decided to li some jam for the bread
”Huh? This jam is homemade, but who made it?”
Mary often brought some to the academy, but hers was always berry
This was citrus Which meant…
”Yes, I brought that,” said the Reine des Garous ”My husband made it”
Mitotsudaira was eating some bread with the citrus jam on it, so she shrunk dohen she heard that She must have felt like her mother had realized what kind of flavor she liked
Horizon was evenly cooking a whole chicken on one stove, but that was likely for Mitotsudaira
The group that had finished eating was taking a break
It looked like the first one to finish was Naru on some chicken skewers at the table in front of Mitotsudaira Itith the chicken, but that was clearly different
She was drinking
She and Urquiaga next to her were putting away the chicken at a rapid pace
”I feel like my chilled body has finally heated back up And I really shouldn't get drunk right now, so I should probably stop here”
”Narumi…have you ever been drunk?”
”Are you trying to lower my defenses?”
”And ? Not a chance”
”Judge then,” said Narumi while she downed the rest of her cup
Then she took a certain action
To get at the gizzard at the bottoht down her throat
”Oh,” said everyone when they realized what she had done Even Masazumi sat down at a nearby table
…Is this what you call a hidden talent?
Naruhtly as everyone watched her And…
She somewhat pursed her lips and pulled out the skehich now had nothing on it When she saw that, Adele responded while stirring up the bottom of the pot-au-feu to scoop up the contents
”A! Was that to keep your lipstick off of it!? Oh! Can I take all the onion!?”
”It was because ofa swih pot-au-feu”
Narumi smiled at Adele And next to her…
”Naru with it”
”It seeon is an omnivore”
But Naruiven some food by Horizon
”Here is a chicken skewer larger than Narumi-sama's Now, Mitostudaira-sama, you can win this”
”W-wait just a second! The skewer is 30c!”
”Yes,” agreed Naru a stake down it”
Mitotsudaira froze in place
…The word ”stake” is so of a taboo around Mitotsudaira, isn't it?
Ki a spatula to slice up the cheese gratin she was rill
That Rank 1 Musashi+ Knight eventually looked wordlessly down at the chicken skewer she held while s
Kiirl
”Horizon, I feel like I a for a rare animal to make a move”
”Shh It's all over if she notices us, Kimi-sama”
But Mitotsudaira stopped staring at the chicken skewer and made her move
She first held it up in front of her eyes And…
…Oh!? Is she doing it!? Is she really going to do it!?
She kept her mouth closed, but she moved the chicken skewer as if to stick it between her lips
A few seconds passed
The result was obvious to Kimi
…That isn't nor to fit in someone's throat…
As Kimi nodded to herself, Mitotsudaira's shoulders trembled