Vol 6 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Due to the unexpected incident at the amusement park, we—the students of Brynhildr Class—returned straight to the research lab without taking any detours
Then shi+nomiya-sensei joined us and I told everyone what I had heard from Kili
”The reason for Vritra's disappearance and the truth of Hekatonkheir—Although it is very interesting inforerous to believe her completely”
After the sharing of information, Mitsuki proposed caution
The venue was Mitsuki's roo against the ith the
”However, Kili's words cannot be ignored I have asked NIFL, hoping they could verify the effectiveness of ja I received their response just now The result is just as Kili said Ja's effects lasted only momentarily and was quickly neutralized”
shi+noravely She had stayed at the lab today, probably to contact NIFL
”In that case Approaching to attack is currently impossible Furthermore, if what Kili-san said is true, then even if the plan succeeded, Yggdrasil still cannot be defeated”
Lisa spoke tensely
”But we can't do nothing just because failure is possible!”
Iris protested urgently
”Iris is right I believe we must do e can at the moment”
Firill calmly supported Iris' stance
”In that case, given the current situation, the only choice is still to strengthen Mononobe-kun's cooperation with Ren You two have grown quite close today, so let's try ht here”
Saying that, Ariella pushed Ren's back, bringing her before me
Ren looked up at htly nervously
”Then let's try it”
”Mm”
I said to her and Ren nodded
Fictional arfried
I generated the fictional arun Ren placed her hand on the gun
Dark fried to expand and distort in shape
”!”
If I lost control at this point, things would end up the sahts and trans Siegfried's shape that isting unnaturally
My thoughts were trans to Ren's dark matter more easily than before
—So dark ments of the mind
Growing closereach other
I kne to transhts
Naturally, this was only on the level of a ”feeling,” but it was the difference between heaven and earth co In that case—
However, I ht
Siegfried suddenly collapsed into bubbles just as it had expanded to roughly three times its size
”Oh What a sharess after merely a day”
Despite the failure, Ariella still applauded us
”Indeed, all that reh repeated attempts, you should be able to master the key principles”
Lisa nodded in satisfaction Since this was co from Lisa who had trained similarly with Ren before, I could take this as: I' line
But ahtly excited atmosphere, only Tia kept her head bowed silently
”Tia?”
Feeling concerned, I called to her Tia shook in fright then looked up
”Eh, Yuu What's up?”
”Oh, nothing e”
Hearing what I said, Lisa also looked at Tia and frowned
”Speaking of which, Kili-san took those forceful measures in order to talk privately with Tia-san What on earth did you talk about?”
””
Tia's gaze wandered in hesitation in response to the question
Seeing her reaction, I hastily interrupted
”No need to force yourself if it's hard to talk about But if you encounter any trouble, you can talk to me any time”
”Tia understands”
Tia answered quietly and nodded
Lisa sighed then reminded her, ”It's a promise for sure, okay?”
”Well then, the night is getting late Let us adjourn today”
Perhaps deciding there was nothing left to discuss at the current stage, Mitsuki announced the conclusion of the
Thus, we left Mitsuki's room and returned to our own rooms
My assigned guest room was exactly opposite to Mitsuki's
The furniture in the room consisted only of a bed, a desk and a closet Then there was a bathroo at the royal palace at the Principality of Erlia, this was quite cra instead
Despite the te on the bed, I held back my desire for sleep and returned to the corridor
Aftersure there was no one around, I went to Iris' room
I knocked and she responded soon
”Co”
Iris opened the door and poked her head out
”Can I have a moment with you?”
”—Sure”
With blushi+ng cheeks, Iris nervously invited me into her room
Iris was identical in layout as Mitsuki and s scattered messily already
”Oh, I'll tidy up straight away!”
”O-Okay”
I avoided looking while waiting for Iris to frantically stuff underwear and other articles into her bag
”T-Thanks for waiting Sit here, Mononobe”
Iris pulled out the chair at the desk for me then sat down on the bed herself
”Thanks”
Seeing me sit on the chair, Iris spoke up
”So, what's this about?”
Iris tilted her head and asked me I answered:
”I wanted to explain what happened to you in more detail, Iris In fact, I've confessed my secret to Ren”
In the beginning, only Iris knewher that Ren was in on it as well
”I see, huess that's for the best How did Ren-chan react?”
”Although angry, she was more worried aboutfun in this kind of place Hurry and go back to practice dark matter transfer'”
”Ren-chan really is so kind”
Iris sently and continued:
”So, how do you feel, Mononobe, now that you've gained such a kind little sister?”
Iris asked as though poking fun at me
”Well Ulad I can become better friends with her”
I chose s would be bad if I phrased things carelessly
”Definitely Your face looked so gentle when she called you Onii-chan”
”I-I didn't”
”You can't hide it, because I' you closely, Mononobe, ah”
Iris asserted confidently but went red as soon as she realized what her wordsembarrassed too, I looked away
”Don't suddenly say so”
”Ahaha Sorry”
Despite apologizing, Iris looked quite happy
”What's with you?”
”Uh, soet embarrassed by what I say, Mononobe”
Iris answered with her face red Hearing so like that from her made it even harder for me to face her directly
The conversation halted,me conscious of the silence in the room
But instead of being suffocating, this type of silence felt like a time of sweet comfort
However, we could not stay like this indefinitely because I came for a different purpose
After the battle against Yggdrasil at Midgard, I had not had a chance to spend time alone with Iris and talk properly, so I must tell her about that now
”—Iris, there's actually so important I need to tell you”
I intentionally tensed my relaxed expression and spoke in a serious tone of voice
”Eh? What is it?”
Seeing me like that, Iris prepared herself and asked me stiffly
”As long as Ren can supply drasil battle plan should be possible to put into action We can't knohether or not what Kili said was correct until we try it”
”Yeah We can't do nothing”
Iris agreed while listening to me
”Also, once the battle begins, your Catastrophe will be a major force in the battle Mitsuki and shi+nomiya-sensei's battle plan will probably take your power into consideration When time comes for the decisive battle, the principal will probably permit you to use Catastrophe, then even if you didn't want to, Iris, you'll probably realize it too”
”Realize what?”
Iris widened her eyes and asked
—I already knew she was not aware, which hy I had to tell her personally using this opportunity
”Iris, you used Catastrophe without going through dark matter”
”Eh What is this about not going through dark matter—”
Perhaps it was hard to iine Iris showed a troubled look
”During the Yggdrasil battle at Midgard, Iris, you used that red beam—Catastrophe—directly, which is why you weren't affected by Yggdrasil's interference If it's your Catastrophe, Iris, I think you'll probably be able to attack nordrasil's main body”
”Eh! Isn't that wonderful!? It ht be able to defeat it on my own!?”
With an expression of joy, Iris exclaimed excitedly
”N-No, it's uncertain whether you can fight alone since we don't know the scale of your Catastrophe or how drasil's body could be destroyed, it'll just transfer its core consciousness somewhere else”
”Oh right After destroying the body, you need to attack Yggdrasil's mind But because dark matter will be stolen, you can't approach as the key person Hmm, what should we do?”
Iris crossed her arms and started to rack her brain, but her reaction was completely different from what I expected
”Mitsuki and shi+nodrasil, so leave it to them for now Rather Aren't you afraid, Iris?”
”Afraid? Why?”
”You used Catastrophe directly without transard learns of this, Iris, you on”
”Huh”
Perhaps she realized only after I mentioned it Iris looked at herself in surprise
”But I'ht? I won't destroy cities or do bad things, you know?”
”I know that, but Asgard and NIFL will designate dangerous Ds as disasters and allow theuys found out about you, they'll definitely see you as a threat, so under all circumstances, do not openly disclose the fact you can use Catastrophe directly”
I stared into Iris' eyes and warned her in a strong tone of voice
”O-Okay, I got it But Then that means I can't use it in front of other people?”
”Although there's a risk, you can say that you instantly transmuted the dark matter, then it should be impossible to tell the difference”
Iris see to her
Dark matter was almost unseen if it was transenerated Even atching from the side, it should be impossible to tell
If Iris used Catastrophe again while inside Yggdrasil's interference range, the secret et exposed But since Mitsuki was unaware of this, she probably would not devise a battle plan that would lead to such a situation
”That's good to know I thought I can't fight alongside everyone else anymore”
Iris breathed a sigh of relief Compared to herself, she seemed more concerned about others
Thud Iris dropped her upper body onto the bed and raised her right ar
”However, a dragon huh Mononobe, do you think I look like a dragon?”
”No, not at all You're human, Iris”
I asserted and Iris smiled
”Thank you, but I think I've lost a bit of confidence”
Iris seeravity of the situation Her voice sounded a bit melancholic
”Don't worry, Iris, you haven't changed one bit”
”Really? Then please look carefully to confirm”
Iris got up from the bed
”You're asking me to confirm?”
”I want you to helpstrange about me Please”
”O-Okay”
Iris begged me seriously and I stood up from the chair
I circled around Iris, as dressed in school unifor her from all directions
Dazzling silver hair, lovely facial features, slender ar chest that could be seen even with the uniform, a slender waist—
Taking a good look again, all of her was still so attractive I felt my heart rate rise naturally The color of skin exposed between her ly
”How is it?”
After seeing me circle her once, Iris asked me
”Even if you ask me”
Too conscious of her, I could not even look her in the eye
”What? Don't tellweird?”
Seeing ot frantic
”No, not at all, my only comment is umm, Iris, you're really so adorable”
I endured my e red
”A-Adorable Sheesh, that's not what I want to hear about!”
”Oh, of course, there's nothing weird, okay?”
I frantically added but Iris glared at me with a blush
”Honestly?”
”I'”
I nodded but Iris did not seem satisfied She looked at her own body
”On further thought To confirht?”
Iris spoke as though in a trance and started untying the ribbon on her uniform
”W-Wait! That will be bad no matter how you look at it!”
I frantically stopped Iris
If I saw her naked body under these circumstances, I was not confident I could hold myself back
”But I'll be too worried to sleep unless we confirm beyond a doubt”
Iris' expression was aeyes
I desperately rackedwhat to do and finally came up with a compromise
”Then just show on on Scars appeared near ained the abilities to replicate Leviathan and Hraesvelgr's powers So I think there's no need to look at other places if there's no change in the dragon mark”
I said all that to Iris in one breath
”R-Really?”
”Yes”
While she was intior, I nodded with a serious expression to estion
”Got it, then you have to look carefully”
With slightly trerabbed her shi+rt and slowly opened the front
Pale and smooth skin was exposed to the outside air Iris' abdomen was presented before my eyes
My gaze was drawn to the navel's depression and the lines of her waist I could not speak for a moment
”M-Mononobe, quit staring at on mark”
Iris spoke with her face bright red Perhaps due to shaht red flush
”S-Sorry”
I hastily took a kneeling posture, bringing on mark located on her flank
”Kyah Y-Your breath is touching me”
Iris shook
The sweet fragrance fro my sanity but I mustered all the self-control in on mark closely
”There's nothing unusual”
I reported as calmly as possible
I had seen Iris' dragonIris for the first ti the ti situations, the memories were very vivid
Hence, I could assert clearly that its size and shape had not changed
”Don't just look, touch it”
However, Iris still felt worried and said that
”You want me to touch it C-Can I?”
”Yeah”
Iris answered in an almost inaudible voice
Despite the hesitation inher tender skin with ertips
”Mmm”
The sweet voice leaking from Iris' lips made my spine tremble
”Ah—ya”
I stroked on
”Mmmmmm Ah—Ahhh!”
Seductivea faint red flush
The texture of the dragon mark was no different fro unusual
”I-It's okay Nothing weird”
Despite feeling a nued to maintain my sanity and speak
”I see Thank you, Mononobe”
But just as I was about to withdraw my hand, Iris placed her hand on top of mine
”Iris?”
I looked up at her in surprise, aze
Badump—My heart instantly jumped intensely I could not take my eyes off Iris
Thus, we gazed at each other I stood up froazes Iris looked at me with a feverish expression
My heart sped up Iris held ainst me
Touching radually eroding my sanity
My mind went blank, unable to think
”Mononobe”
Our face drew close naturally, our breaths ether, lips—
But just at that
”!?”
Iris and I came to our senses and separated in a panic
”S-Sorry, I think it's a phone call”
”Oh Umm, I'ht be an important call, so pick it up, Mononobe”
Iris said to me in a fluster
”Got it, then I'll go back to my room first”
”—Yeah, goodnight”
Iris waved and I said goodnight to her before hurrying back to my room
The portable ter The caller ID read unknown
—This pattern, Major Loki again?
While recalling the face oftimes, I pressed the button to pick up the call But the voice I heard did not belong to the person I expected
'Sorry for disturbing you this late Are you free right now?'
”This voice Are you Director Miyazawa?”
I called out the nah portable terminals were capable of video calls, there was only a voice with a dark screen this time, so I could not check the face
'Yes, I've got so to ask you privately, which is why I called you'
”How do you know my phone number?”
'Soiventhat aside, could you take the elevator now? Once you enter the elevator, it will automatically take you to my current floor Let's leave the details until then'
”How can you decide on your own—”
While the director spoke on his own, I could not help but frown
'Then I will be waiting for you'
Ignoring what I said, he hung up
”What the heck is this?”
I had no reason to hunore this kind of rude request, but—
I recalled Ren's past that Ariella had told me today
She said that Ren had given up talking all because of Miyazawa Kenya
Although I wanted to tell hi him would have no effect
However, through interacting with hi for Ren
Thinking that to myself, I left the room and made my way to the elevator
Part 2
I entered the elevator and it descended autoround
What appeared in front of me was not a corridor but a vast laboratory I could see Miyazawa Kenya's figure in a lab coat in the center of the room
”Thank you for co, Mononobe-kun”
He smiled cordially, still with ruffled hair and stubble around his mouth
”What exactly do you want, calling me out alone?”
I asked warily
Kili's words flashed through my mind This lab's security measures were unusually strict with a majority of areas apparently occupied solely by the director
This was the fourth floor underground, which was quite deep considering the elevator displayed showed a lowest level of five floors underground Since there were no other researchers in sight, perhaps this floor was one of the places where only he had access
”Just as I mentioned earlier, I have a personal favor to ask I'd like you to assist inthe research to Midgard, which would be a tad inconvenient”
”I don't want to assist in that kind of shady research”
I refused readily after hearing his request As expected, it was nothing good
”Don't jump to conclusions This proposal is in your interests too Before the shon against Yggdrasil, wouldn't you like to confirm Ether Wind's effects properly?”
”What do you mean?”
Not hiding my suspicious attitude at all, I stared at his hollow smile
”Whether the Ether Wind you create can actually cause souls to manifest, I'd like to confirm this But the most effective verification experiard refuses to assist in or carry out that type of experiment due to concerns about the outside world's perceptions Hence, estion is: why not test it out secretly here?”
Miyazawa Kenya fluently explained his aim
”What Don't tell me—”
Speechless, I looked around the vast laboratory
”Indeed, there is a cadaver here, but don't think too much about that All you need to do is release Ether Wind at the specified location and observe the result”
Without any change in expression, he nodded nonchalantly in admission
True, this was an Asgard lab It would not be strange to have cadavers for research sa unidentified corpses for research use, so it al Probably
”Risks are very high if you enter a battle without confir effects first In the event of failure, not only you but also your tea you hope for, right?”
Seeing ht, he continued to persuade
”Fine”
After soh I was reluctant to let hiive up on the chance to confirm Ether Wind's effects On the battlefield, minor differences could mean the difference between life and death I could not refuse any chance to lower chances of Iris and the girls getting into a crisis, no matter how small
”Okay, thank you, then let's get started Come to this side”
Miyazawa Kenya looked delighted and rapidly walked over to the inner side of the lab where there was a partition He started operating a control panel next to it
”What's inside?”
I caught up to hian to open with a heavy sound
White ap
”You'll knohen you see it”
He answered briefly and went inside without waiting for the partition to open completely I had no choice but to follow The inside of the partition was like a fridge The cold air swirling underfoot wasme shi+ver
It was quite dark with the only illu in from the lab In the center of the floor, covered with cold white air, there was a ular box
Several tubes extended from the box, connected to devices of unknown purpose, installed on the wall
”I'd like you to scatter Ether Wind around that coffin”
Miyazawa Kenya pointed at the box in the center of the room
”Coffin? So inside that box is—”
”Yes, a cadaver”
He answered siaze
His attitude basically said ”I've already said everything that needs explaining”
But the heavy security made me wary
Was that coffin really containing an ordinary cadaver?
Clearly just a cadaver for experiments, but placed under such heavy security, it did not feel right If this was a storage for research sale cadaver would be very unnatural
However, even if I continued to question, he would not give me the answer
Fictional arfried
Anyway,dark un
I heard hiulp beside me
I glanced at hi at the coffin
Although I could sense an unusual ier of my fictional armament
”Ether Bullet”
Pouring in all the dark fried vanished while shooting The fired bullet transmuted into Ether Wind on the coffin
The golden particles exploded and covered the coffin's surroundings
Immediately, a faint outline came into view
”Wow!!”
Miyazawa Kenya cheered
Seeing that phenomenon, I held my breath and observed the situation
The originally aradually becaure
It seemed like a woman
But just as details becaolden particles rapidly faded Ie also vanished
Was that the soul of the person resting in the coffin?
But since I did not knoas lying in the coffin, I turned aze to Miyazawa Kenya
He should know the identity of the one inside the coffin Given who he was, he should be able to ment even from that kind of outline
”Haha Hahahahaha!”
But I was surprised when I saw his face
With eyes widened, he was in such rapture that his entire body was shaking
”Ahhh Rena, Rena I knew our inferences were correct Mononobe-kun, could you increase the density of Ether Wind? I'd like to see if it's possible to communicate with the manifested soul!”
”N-No, this isit requires”
Feeling pressured by his forcefulness, I answered
”I see Then I need to enlist other's help—Oh, but that has its difficulties No, it's fine, thank you It is enough to confirm the existence of souls for now I must hurry and finish my research With that, surely”
Heat the coffin with fervent eyes
”Umm, as the woman just now? You mentioned the name Rena Is that her name?”
But just as I asked, he suddenly stoppedto himself and stared at me darkly
”—You have no need to know You ought to be satisfied with verifying the practicality of Ether Wind, right? Things are done here You may return”
Coldly refusing to answer, he drove me out of the cold room and closed the partition
”Oh wait, before I head back, I'd like to ask one question It's not about research”
While he was driving me away to the elevator, I asked a question I had decided a while ago that I must ask no matter what
”Are you actually uninterested in Ren? If possible Even for just a moment, could you act like a father to her? Ren is probably just afraid She doesn't hate you Even now, she still cherishes her memories of family So—”
However, he pushed me into the elevator expressionlessly and told me in a calm voice:
”Regrettably, I am very busy and can't fulfill your deht ask for your help again, so I look forward to your cooperation when the time comes”
”Ah—”
Without listening to my answer, he pressed a button from outside and closed the elevator doors Like how I arrived, the elevator moved automatically
Although I expected this, it turned out to be a waste of effort after all I did not feel like he was listening to me at all
In the end, I did not radually rising floor indicator
All I could think of was the fe due to Ether Wind
Who could that person be?
But no ht now The dissonant unease in ainst my left arm's cast—
Part 3
After breakfast the next day, Ren and I decided to for the transmission of dark matter
Our training location was the helipad on the roof
Ren's darkcapacity was quite massive If the entirety of that dark matter was used, it would make a fictional armament dozens ofsite like in Midgard, so our only choice was outdoors
The lab building was the tallest structure in the area, so there was no worry of getting seen by ordinary people froround
”What fine weather we have today It's very sunny and visibility gives us a view of distant scenery”
Serving as our coach, Lisa acco out at the scenery
Although the sea breeze blowing froht was very comfortable