Vol 7 Chapter 5 (1/1)

Chapter 5

Adolescent Ada To a Kiss“Ahhhhhh!”Ange had arrived below the parking lot for the SeeDWalK shopping mallTechnically, she was at a secret facility Machina hadlot At this hour, the large facility was closed, so no one was there and it was safe to shout loudly undergroundA space of nearly 50 square e had started using it as a training groundThe tungsten walls were lined with superconductive netically controlled, so the roorees for a short period She never could have co like this without FeTUS’s assistanceMetatron’s firepower nor away her own life, but Adam’s command had carved the inability to kill herself into the core of her being So she had recently started taking advantage of that by trying to control the firepower on a level just barely below the bursting pointMetatron’s flames possessed the same traits as norel’s flames that only burned her enemies That meant she needed a facility that kept the fla“Hahh!”Wings the saold as the sun burst from her back like jet streamsShe had learned to release Metatron’s power quite freelyThis was all thanks to Machina who had provided this location that covered already heat-resistant walls with heat diffusion waves——Ooze“Ah?”——Gloop! S-sizzle, sizzle!“They’re h power!”The crucial heat diffusion waves were not strong enough The heat had gone well past the walls’ rees, so she would be buried alive in ma mixed with metal at this rate“Tch!”There was no response to her calls, so Ange had no choice but to eliminate her flames and make a jumpShe broke through the ceiling and arrived aboveground She felt heat on her head where the otten on itMachina stood blankly in the asphalt parking lot with a memo pad in one handIn exchange for supplying the training facility, she was allowed to record data on Metatron to create weapons to resist it So the memo pad was fine However…“What do you think you’re doing Ibekusa!? I was nearly buried alive! If you’re declaring war here, I’o at any-…”“…”“…Ibekusa?”Ange was furious at what she thought was an obvious attack, but Machina just stood there while full of openings and showing no sign of counterattackingMachina looked dazedShe finally reacted when Ange waved a hand in front of her face“Ah, are you done, Jiyuuni-san? …Hht I told you to call for round, it will change the color of the asphalt and soht notice the oddity”“Y’know…”She did not seee’s shoulders slumped downWhen she realized her y and they ended the day’s training thereWhile training, Ange wore only her angelic underwear that wasshe had prepared“So happened You always seem out of it, but this was-…”She trailed off there and cha

nged her mind“No You’ve been weird a lot recently”“Nn…”“I one up by like 50”She sat down on the spotThere were no cars in the large parking lot and a refreshi+ng wind blew directly down on theood on her heated skin“…”Ange iretted what she had saidMentioning that Machina had been weird recently n of that weirdness And after she had been avoiding the subject while trying to pretend it did not bother herShe thought about dodging the issue, but…“So happen with Stupid M-Mutsuki, didn’t it?”She ended up addressing itShe focused on the kissing commotion between Machina and Mutsuki“N-not that it matters to me since it’s co there, just tell uard”“…”Until today, Mutsuki had dealt with the issue si sure they did not do it where anyone could see theot to the heart of the issue while he was not around(Although I’ht say)She knew that, so she was already blushi+ng“The thing is…”Machina opened her mouthShe trailed off but then opened it again She was probably going to tell Ange the whole story of whatever had led to thisAnd in a way, the answer Ange received was a helpful one for herBecause it was soel“The Holy Grail is complete”“!”“We were atte to create a womb that matches as closely as possible to Eve’s and it has finally adapted appropriately”“…I-I see”The angel so at how Machina held her lower stomachShe had a lot of thoughts on this matter, but…“Science really does s, doesn’t it?”She first gave the rational response necessary of an angel“Kurosaki, was it? The ones creating the artificial demons You’re not much different from them”“Science is the power of progress given to humanity If there is a God who defined the natural order, then expelling the bearers of knowledge was the sa on his territory And if the natural order is perfect, then our mockery of it is no more than another part of that natural order”“You always have an argu to bother you about it Angels are the arbitrators of the co that’s unprecedented from the creation of heaven and earth In the end, the choice is Stupid Mutsuki’s”“I see”They both fell silent for a bitShe could not just ignore this, but she could not interfere either Angels wereFeTUS noould create an abnormality Even if she made a request to the will of heaven, it would be rejected in the deliberation phase“…”

She had only learned to use Metatron’s poith Machina’s assistanceBut she could not deny that Machina ainst“A-anyhat are you going to do now?”She waselse“If you have the woet, um, Mutsuki’s…”“The implantation of the child will presumably come next The birth of a true descendant cannot be rushed”“I-I see”

Machina readily answered as she ont to do and Ange blushed againThey were keeping it from Mutsuki, but the discovery of Adam and the completion of the Holy Grail were only the necessary steps toward creating a child from the twoThat nation – had to come nextAnge was unsure how to respond to the idea of Machina and Mutsuki having a childAnd she was curious about so else tooMachina and Mutsuki had been kissing n of the crucial “baby-”“Is there some kind of problem?”She tried coMachina looked somewhat troubled as she answered“Miss A is hesitating”“Miss A… You mean that little kid?”Ange had fought her once before Miss A was an old woman of several hundred years who looked like a child She was Machina’s boss“I do not knohy, but she will not give me the instruction She only says to wait and see what happens”“Wait and see? After all this?”

Even Ange was puzzled by that oneThey had everything they needed Given FeTUS’s past actions, they should have been carrying out the rest of the plan immediatelyShe could not iine why they had not“She said Fujita-kun and s were of the utmost importance and she left it with me”“Your feelings?”“She said two people should love each other before they make a baby, so she left the decision to me”“…Huh?”

This was not just beyond Ange’s expectations It was completely out of left fieldFeTUS pursued Adam as the representative of the entire human race Their final objective was to place his child in the womb they called the Holy GrailThey were a step away fro that, but this was their reason for stopping?“Because two people should love each other before they make a baby?”“Positive”“…How romantic”Even a hostile angel was shaken by this reasoning They had been logically sounding out the other’s intentions, yet Machina had suddenly pulled out a textbook on moralityMachina did not seeeted like a lost child“When I asked Miss D what to do, she told me to flirt So in order to make a baby with Fujita-kun I have been, um…”“Flirting? …Oh”Ange briefly did not understand, but then she saw Machina pressing her lips together“That was supposed to be flirting?”“Flirting is a way of conveying your appeal to the other person …And Fujita-kun likes it when I do that”“…Yes, he does see”

For the second tie’s shoulders slumped down She could not believe the recent co so silly“But our situation has not changed in the slightest In fact, he seems bothered by it”“Of course he is You’ve already done farto change anything”“Really?”Machina tilted her headAnge felt herself relaxing after her recent worries came to such a ridiculous end“Then…what am I supposed to do?”

To Machina, this was a serious atte to coe went limp“I ht? So don’t you only have to confirm that?”“Hm? What do you mean?”“Just ask Mutsuki if he loves you”(He’ll obviously say yes)She chose to keep that last part to herselfMachina herself was probably the only person left who had not noticed Mutsuki’s feelings for her Ange, Lucia, Saya, and their other classmates all knewAnge then realized she had forgotten so important“Hey, I bet it isn’t just for Mutsuki’s sake that Miss A hasn’t ordered you to do it”“Eh?”

Mutsuki’s feelings were so obvious anyone would notice, so FeTUS would have caught on whilehimThe only way they could not “love each other” was if Machina did not have feelings for Mutsuki“How do you feel about Mutsuki?”“…”Machina’s eyes widened“How do I…feel about Fujita-kun?”She ht about it before She repeated the words as if pondering them“Do you love him?”“Love is…not quite the right term I exist for him, so it would be better to say I am his possession”She stated that plainlyAnd it did not see any embarrassment She really did think that(I see)That told Ange what Miss A was trying to doWhichmore However…“That possession stuff is only in relation to your position in FeTUS, right? What do youthink? What are your feelings?”Machina seee could not stop herself fro more She took a step into the territory Miss A had stayed out of“My feelings…?”

It seeht about it before She once more repeated back the wordsAfter some hesitation, she seemed to realize that was the fundamental issue“What does it mean…to love someone?”“Don’t ask me Go check a dictionary”“Love I still do not really understand”She apparently had the contents of a dictionary in her head, but that was not enough for her to make a decision“C’ and time passes so quickly when you’re with them”“Time always moves at a fixed rate”“Not what I meant…”“…Ah”But so must have occurred to Machina because she suddenly held a hand to her chest“It is true my pulse accelerates when I am with him”“See, your heart races” Ange stared directly at that expressionless face “Think about it nore all that FeTUS stuff How do you, Ibekusa Machina, feel about him?”“Nn…”She clearly heard thatBut Machina’s expression reed And she spoke as mechanically and plainly as ever“He is an important person”But that plainness ended there“He is a kind person and I feel at peace when I am with him”“Then you have your answer You love him”“Do…I?”“Don’t ask me”“I see…”The tone of her voice kept droppingThe conversation was rapidly growingless She stood speechless in the quiet parking lot for a while“…Love”The only sound was Machina repeating the word under her breath“I love him…”“…”“I love Fujita-kun”“…”She spoke quietly in the stillnessAnd a few seconds later…“…~”“Wait!?”Machina had been standing straight up like a machine, but she suddenly sat limply downHer hips had given out, so crouching Ange quickly supported her“What was that all of a sud-…wait”“~”Ange was more surprised by her face than that she had collapsed“I love him…”Machina was stillthe words and she placed her hands over her cheeks to hide her faceHer face was redder than Ange had ever seen it“I love…Fujita-kun”“Did you only just now realize it?”

“…”She had lost both her plain tone of voice and her expressionlessness She looked on the verge of tears as she nodded(She sure is cute)Ange gave an exasperated shrug“Then there’s no problem If you love him, you can make a baby with him”“! A baby…with Fujita-kun?”“That’s what this whole thing is about, isn’t it?”“…N-not possible Body te the mission would be difficult”Her voice was treThen her voice faded away, she covered her head while practically curled up on the ground, and she tore at her already messy hairAnge had no idea how to respondThis was due to her ation to cheer up an enemyPlus, cheering her up wouldher and Mutsuki to…“…I-I a”After a few , Machina finally cale could not see herShe disappeared into the darkness on unsteady feet“…Phew”Left alone, Ange looked up into the skyA refreshi+ng wind blen from the perfectly clear and starry sky But unlike before, it felt a little chilly“Mutsuki and Ibekusa…hm?”

Ange thought back on the topic that had come to the forefrontShe had ended up pushi+ng things in that direction for Machina and Mutsuki“But that’s fine It’s…not a problem”assisting an eneanization was careless, but heaven still had not settled on a course of action vis-à-vis FeTUS She would not be reprimanded for this“…”Only then did she realize she was thinking about this in relation to her position and not her own feelingsJust like Machina had been prioritizing FeTUS’s decision over her own feelings(How do I feel about him?)

How did she feel about what she had just done?How did Jiyuuni Ange feel about supporting Machina and Mutsuki?“…”The girl gave a lopsided frownThe wind once more brushed across her skinIt had to be as refreshi+ng as before, but she could not feel itThe feelings roiling inside her kept her fro that only went skin deep“I don’t care what Mutsuki does”