Vol 9 Chapter 1 (2/2)
Surrounded by two girls, I was panicking inside while I raised my hands towards them
”Don't you know? If you put your hands together like this, leaving a gap on one side, then push—Look”
I slowly deain and the two of them went ”” in amazement
”Wow, Mononobe, I did it!”
Iris excitedly shot bath water at the wall again and again
”Oh! I did it too! I can't believe you knew this kind of fun technique, I'm impressed, my friend!”
The excited Charlotte suddenly stood up
”C-Charl—”
With no towel, her bare skin was presented before aze was drawn completely to this slender and adorable body
”Wah!! Don't look!!”
Iris frantically inserted herself between Charlotte andto cover my eyes But the sudden intenseprecariously in the first place, to slowly drift away
”Ah—”
Reddened froe voluht to my head
Without any obstructions, Iris' body was both beautiful and stith slowly drained
”Mononobe!”
Hearing Iris' frantic voice, my mind went blank
”Charlotte-sa!!?”
Before allvoice
Part 2
”Sigh”
Sitting in the balcony of the principal's bedrooloomily
Fainting at the sight of naked bodies, I had shown a pathetic side to Iris
Ii myself
I woke up to findtime with Iris was already over
I still wanted to speak to Iris so I took out my portable terminal from my shi+rt pocket
Mica-san had returned it to me earlier Just as Charlotte had said, my freedom of communication had been restored Since I was allowed to make calls now, I could talk to Iris soon
However—I should first call those whom I was not allowed to meet directly yet
I furtively glanced behind h the balconyto peer into the roo lectured by Mica-san
I felt unco the full bla, I should call them first
I began to operate withto dial the number of Tia whom Iris was very worried about
—No, before that, should ask I someone apart from Iris about Tia's condition?
Before I dialed, I thought of that and called Mitsuki instead
Putting the terainst my ear, I waited for Mitsuki to pick up
Purururururu, purururururu, puru—
'Is it Nii-san!?'
The third ring was interrupted as I heard Mitsuki's voice loudly from the receiver
”Oh, yes—It's me Don't yell so suddenly, Mitsuki”
Startled by the sudden yell, I replied on the phone call
'Oh S-Sorry But I have been waiting the whole ti well?'
Was it because it had been so long? Mitsuki's voice sounded a bit nervous
”I'reat By the way, didn't you hear about me from Iris?”
'Of course I heard But I felt even aht, this type of lifestyle will ruin your health!'
Mitsuki scolded me in a forceful tone of voice It was honest advice, so I accepted it honestly
”Yeah, I'll be careful from now on”
'Are you eating properly? You are not filling your stomach with junk food, I hope?'
”Mica-san brings me three meals a day The nutritional balance is perfect”
'Exercise?'
”Not really sufficient But I doand the like”
'Are you brushi+ng your teeth properly?'
”When I get up in the ”
That was the result of playing until I fell asleep But upon hearing my reply, Mitsuki said anxiously:
'Unacceptable! You will get cavities if you do not brush your teeth before you go to bed!'
”I-I know I'll start today”
Overwhelmed by Mitsuki's forcefulness, I hastily replied
'Seriously Nii-san, please pay proper attention Oh, is there anything lacking over there? I could ask Iris-san to bring necessities to you—'
”T-There's no probles on your side, Mitsuki? You slept for so long because of Vritra's poison Are there any after effects?”
Deciding that Mitsuki's questioning was not going to stop, I decisively changed the conversation's direction and asked my own question
'None at all It is just that—the dormitory has become lively all of a sudden It is not easy surrounded by everyone'
Mitsuki replied with a wry s thes must be difficult from Mitsuki's position
”You're all living together now, right? Also, about Tia”
I finally brought up the main point, but the tered into a commotion
'—Eh? Hey, stop that! Nii-san and I are currently—'
I heard Mitsuki's frantic voice then a different voice spoke from a distance
'Mononobe-kun, good evening'
”This voice—Are you Firill?”
I asked in surprise and the other side answered ”yes” There was also a faint ”return it to me—” from Mitsuki
'I'd like to talk to Mononobe-kun, so let's switch for a bit'
”But I think I heard Mitsuki and she's not very pleased”
'You iined it'
Firill asserted Was she running away from Mitsuki? I heard a patter of footsteps
”Looks like you're having fun over there”
'Yes, it feels as a as camp But I think it'll be even more fun if you were around'
”R-Really? Thanks”
Embarrassed by such a direct compliment, I thanked her clumsily
'When can we ain?'
”Hmm—I'm not sure either”
I answered auously
I was allowed to meet Iris, but I still did not know about the future
If the girls learned fro my mates, Firill and the others would probably be able to understand the current situation
In the worst case, ht not be allowed to meet anyone but Iris until they had reached adulthood
'Is that so? Then I'll start with internal preparations'
”Preparations?”
What was she talking about? I frowned
'Preparations to make you my prince, Mononobe-kun It will be hassle when the critical moment comes if I don't communicate properly beforehand I'm a princess, after all'
”Uh, wait, hold on a sec!”
'I' to wait—You're the one who marked me, Mononobe-kun!'
Ignoring hed
”T-That's”
'Oh, let's switch it up because Mitsuki is catching up Lisa, catch! It's a call from Mononobe-kun!'
Firill inforrew distant while I heard a ”W-What!?” from Lisa I seemed like there were others present apart froreat commotion
After so noise, I heard Lisa's voice on the receiver
”Mononobe Yuu is it?”
”Yeah, it's me, so it's your turn, Lisa?”
”Yes—How should I put this? It feels like it has been so long”
Doubt vanished and her voice becaentle
”Yeah, ht now?”
Feeling a mysterious sense of reassurance, I asked Lisa
'Well I was clearing up after dinner and preparing tea for everyone in the dining hall just now Then suddenly, Firill-san—Oh, could you wait a second? Mitsuki-san is throwing a tantrum'
As a result, Lisa's voice grew faint while saying so
I thought the terminal would return to Mitsuki's hands But Lisa's voice spoke again
”Thank you for your patience Thanks to Mitsuki-san's benevolence, ill now take turns to speak with you in order However, I do feel sorry for Mitsuki-san, so let me say this—”
Next, Lisa's voice changed and she said in gentle tone:
'You don't need to feel too conflicted Although I said you have to take responsibility foryou to agonize alone Let us think of solutions together I will call you next time'
”Got it Thanks Lisa, you're honestly a good woman”
I felt a little more relaxed and thanked her Then an irritated voice came from the terminal
'Goodness gracious, quitfun of me! Well then, Ren-san is next'
”Sure—”
I lost the chance to ask about Tia again, but her turn will co that, I wanted for Ren to speak
'Onii-chan?'
”Yeah, Ren, how are you?”
'Mm'
She responded affirht hesitation, so I asked her:
”What's wrong? You don't sound too upbeat?”
'No, I'm fine It's just a bit lonely Onii-chan is not here, Ariella too”
Ren stopped halfway and stayed silent
”Ariella?”
I had already heard about Tia acting strange but so was up with Ariella too?
'Nothing But if possible, Onii-chan, please call Ariella afterwards She's not here right now'
”I see—Got it”
'M on you Oh—'
I agreed to Ren's request solemnly but then I heard a brief bout of noise from the other side
'—I'et to speak'
”Kili huh?”
Noticing that the speaker had changed, I spoke the name of the voice's owner
'What is this? You don't sound too happy'
”No, it just feels so unbelievable that you're hanging out with everyone, drinking tea”
I answered with a wry s
'That's true Hanging out alone is boringout with theine It reminds me of my time as Tachikawa Honoka'
Kili brought up the alias she had used when infiltrating Midgard under a different identity in the past
”Don't do anything crazy like that time”
In her attempt to take Tia away, Kili had sue to Midgard I warned her to prevent that soain
'That will depend on you Life here is very enjoyable but I will soon tire of it If you don't come see me soon, my patience is almost about to reach its limit'
”—Please, don't force things The principal and Mica-san will be going there soon to explain to you girls”
'Is that so? Since things are progressing, I ait a little longer However, waiting is pointless fortio'
There was a dangerous aura in her words Indeed, she probably had nothing to deliberate over As so per in her vieever—
”Aren't you afraid youwhose identity is unknown?”
'Of course I'm not afraid With this, I will finally turn into ”the real thing” Aht, Mother?'
Was Vritra nearby? Kili had addressed her question towards a different direction, but I did not hear any answer
'—Fufu, Mother is sulking in silence Looks like she wants a turn but that's not necessary'
Kili laughed with delight Vritra's unhappy face seemed to surface before my eyes
”Then who else is over there?”
I wanted to have a turn with Tia if she was there, so I asked
'Iris-chan is the only one who still hasn't spoken to you But since she met you today already, there's no need'
After Kili said that, I heard a faint 'eh, no way' fro about, Kili's way of addressing Iris attracted more of my attention
”Iris-chan?”
That hat Kili had called her, so I asked Then in a rare display, Kili's unnerved voice replied
'W-What, is it very creepy? She callslike with like'
”Well You seeoodness”
'I'm a bit miffed at how close she is with you'
Kili gruhed deeply
'Also, Jeanne-chan and the sleepy Zwei have returned to their room When she finds out she missed out on a chance to talk to you, she'll definitely feel like dying of regret'
Kili added as an afterthought but even then, she did not bring up Tia
”What about Tia?”
'She's in her own room too'
”Although I heard from Iris that she's in low spirits”
I asked cautiously but Kili remained silent Did she stand up to move? I heard footsteps
'—It's true that Tia is behaving strangely, but I don't know the reason either However, I've seen her talking alone with Mother recently'
Lowering her voice, Kili finally answered
”With Vritra?”
I realized she must have moved to avoid Vritra's earshot
'Yes Perhaps as Yggdrasil, Tia had said so to Mother Her synchronization with the core is probably finished at last'
”What—”
I had forgotten co the Kraken Zwei incident Vritra had taken hu with Tia who had taken control of Yggdrasil
To keep her own identity intact, Tia had kept her connection to Yggdrasil at a otiations, she had been cautiously increasing the synchronization rate
'Yuu, at this rate, you ht turn into an outsider, you know? This is no ti tion, right?'
”Y-Yeah”
The principal was the gray dragon—”Gray” Vampire I had heard froirls of that Kili must have been present too at the time
'Personally, I can't trust her without reserve like you guys The current situation—and you as well—everything is under her control, isn't it?'
”That sort of thing—”
I reflexively intended to deny it but Kili interrupted me
'Are you going to deny it? Do you know her that well?'
””
I could not refute her It was true that there were s I did not know about Charlotte
'In any case, you cannot possibly becoet swayed by others You are my mate, surely more than anyone else—'
Kili spoke passionately but halted mid-sentence when footsteps could be heard
'Your sister is here so I have to return the terminal to her We will meet face to face next time to talk'
After saying that, she handed the ter for my answer
'Phew, I can finally speak with you, Nii-san Then let us continue the earlier conversation—'
From this point onward, I conversed with Mitsuki almost the entire time, then the call ended
Kili's words kept echoing inhad ended However, Charlotte was sprawled on the bed in exhaustion
It was hard to be hen looking at her in that state, but I decided there was indeed a need for a deeper understanding of Charlotte's affairs
Intending to return to the room, I recalled what Ren had said and stopped
Tia one to bed but Ariella was probably still awake
Thinking that, I dialed her nu the side itched off
”What's going on?”
Looking at the screen showing the call did not connect, I turned my neck
Tia too, had soe?
As Kili said, I really would beco just like that would not be right either
What should I do? Without reaching an answer, I returned to the room where Charlotte was
Mild anxiety was sprouting in my heart
Part 3
”Mononobe-san, you will be examined today Please follow me”
The next day, I was infor
It had been a while since I last left Charlotte's private bedrooh her office, I took the clock tower's elevator and traveled doards
I had been exa placed on house arrest That had taken place in an exa, but this time was different
As a side note, Charlotte was still resting in her roo to Mitsuki's advice yesterday Sulking, Charlotte had apparently played video gaht on her own
”This place is the floor with a training site, right? What kind of exa?”
When the elevator stopped at a level deep underground, I asked Mica-san
”Iris-san was exa into contact with you yesterday but there were no issues Hence, as a test, ill allow you to make contact with the other person who has transformed”
”Eh, so that means—”
The only one I marked and have become ”my kind” were Iris and Kraken Zwei
”Unlike Iris-san, one cannot predict what ht happen when you two confront each other Hence, ill have yousite as a precautionary measure”
Mica-san explained then ledsites on this floor
After passing two layers of sealed doors, we entered a space so vast that it round
A nu On the side was a control roolass
There were three figures in the center of the spacious training site
”Captain!”
As I approached, one of them waved to me Platinum blonde hair Dressed in aas ato the same team as me under NIFL
Next to her was Brynhildr Class' hoirl with purple hair
shi+nomiya-sensei approached Mica-san and irl seemed very shy and hid behind Jeanne's back
She was the second-generation dragon who had burst onto the scene fiercely, Kraken Zwei
She was the daughter of the dragonified shi+nomiya Miyako Her human appearance and sanity had been restored due to transforh recently born, she looked like a young eleer than Tia
”Mononobe Yuu, you finally came shi+on must be happy to see you”
shi+noreetfor the first time made me frown and ask:
”shi+on?”
shi+nomiya-sensei iirl hiding behind Jeanne's back
”It's her As a huhter—she needed a suitable name shi+on, or Aster tataricus, is the name of Miyako's favorite flohich is why I used a naood match for this child's vibes But she doesn't seem to like this name”
As though to prove this point, the girl did not react at all to what shi+nomiya-sensei said Jeanne showed a complicated expression on her face when she saw that
”Perhaps it'sher Zwei She already considers it her name and doesn't respond to any other names”
After Jeanne explained, the girl peeked out slightly to stared at shi+nomiya-sensei
”i Am, Zwei, not, shi+on”
Her speech was broken but the girl did speak properly in japanese During the trip back to Midgard, I did not get a chance to say hi to her but during this short amount of time, it looked like she could now carry out conversations
”B-But shi+on—”
”wRonG”
The girl kicked shi+no
”Hive up?”
shi+nomiya-sensei slumped her shoulders sadly
Watching this scene, I bent down to speak to the girl
”Zwei”
Her shoulders shook then she hid behind Jeanne again But soon after, she timidly showed half her face to peek at me
”wHat?”
Called by the nairl asked hesitantly
Now that I looked at her face to face, she really was an ordinary girl She was no longer the eneht in a battle of life and death The slight wariness lingering in my heart vanished
”I know Jeanne's name for you is very important But you should know that people don't just have one name”
For the sake of shi+noirl in the eye and told her that
”dOn'T juSt hAvE one?”
”Yes—For exaether with Iris now, aren't you?”
The girl nodded at my question
”Yes, Iris, i KnOw vEry nOisY pErsOn, ofTen rY”
—So Iris hasn't changed at all
I sirl had already s easy
”Yes, that Iris calls me Mononobe Firill and Ariella calls me Mononobe-kun Tia calls me Yuu Lisa calls me Mononobe Yuu Mitsuki calls me Nii-san Ren calls me Onii-chan Jeanne always calls ht?”
”Mm”
The girl nodded honestly
”That's why you don't need to be fixated on a single na as you knoho it is shi+on Zwei shi+nomiya—I think that would be a suitable name for you now”
I stared into the girl's eyes and told her hts
”shi+on Zwei shi+nomiya”
The girl kept repeating the nah to confirm
I rubbed the girl's head and exas
”Ah”
The girl widened her eyes slightly in surprise
”What's wrong?”
”Mama sAid bEfoRe You are sPeCiaL”
”Mama?”
No way I looked at Jeanne
”Actually She means me”
Jeanne scratched her own cheek in embarrassment and nodded stiffly
”—Papa”
I was duirl said next
I turned ht at me
”Papa”
”Are you referring to me?”
The girl nodded at my timid question
”sPeciAl pErsOn iS Papa, Mama saId thAt”
Slightly apprehensive earlier, the girl was now looking at
Due to beco ”my kind” as a result of direct contact, it was possible that the girl felt so me ”Papa”?
”Jeanne?”
Seeking an explanation, I turned to ”Ma intensely, she waved her hands
”U-U idea! Uh, I have no intention of creating a fait accompli I felt that this was necessary—P-Please step aside for a moment”
Frantically, Jeanne led htly farther away
Sneaking a peek at the girl as spacing out next to shi+no to me
”Zwei has already made contact with you and turned into your mate, is that correct?”
”Ah yes”
Jeanne looked a bit worried while whispering quietly to me I concurred
”So I was predicting that sheyou this time, Captain”
”—Yes In fact, when I touched her head just now, she see”
”Yes But if Zwei realizes she is youraction It would be very very bad!”
Despite controlling her voice, Jeanne insisted fiercely
Action corresponding to athese words, I was reminded of my bath with Iris yesterday, so I frantically shook my head
”T-That's definitely bad—How should I put it? It'd be a crime”
”Yes That sort of mindset and behavior is too early for Zwei So even if she feels you are special, Captain, I taught her that it was a feeling for family like me”
”Then that's how 'Papa' came about huh”
I finally understood how the process went, but was there really no other way?
”Papa Mama?”
Hearing a worried voice fro us uneasily
”Don't worry! I' to Papa”
Pulling irl
To reassure her, Jeanne stroked the girl's head, causing her to close her eyes partially to enjoy the co
”Papa?”
Then she looked at me with eyes of anticipation
”Oh, u you wait”
I stroked the girl's purple hair and she soodwill e of tender affection towards her
”iF Papa saYs so cAlliNg mE shi+on Zwei shi+nomiya iS fIne”
”Really!?”
The one reacting in surprised joy was shi+nomiya-sensei rather than me
”tO BeGin, shi+on tHiS namE, i dOn'T haTe it”
”!”
Extremely moved, shi+nomiya-sensei covered her mouth and frantically turned around She er sister's orphan had accepted this name
”Then I'll start calling you shi+on, can I?”
”Yes—but Ma mE Zwei”
The girl—shi+on—nodded while telling Jeanne her wish
”As you wish, Zwei”
Jeanne sently and accepted shi+on's request
”Mama, Papa!”
Holding hands with Jeanne and me, shi+on swayed happily back and forth
”—Mononobe-san, you have gained a wife and a daughter all of a sudden”
Having witnessed everything silently, Mica-san commented with amusement
”P-Please don't make fun of me”
”Fufu, ies”
S, Mica-san patted shi+nomiya-sensei's shoulder while she had her back to us
”Haruka, this is wonderful”
”Yes”
shi+no
At this ht her salvation
—What about Mitsuki?
Mitsuki had been toronified Miyako
Praying that shi+on's existence could turn into an opportunity for Mitsuki's salvation, I caressed the head of hter”
shi+on's hair, which used to be made of hard mithril, was now as smooth as silk and very soft
Part 4
After the ether to Charlotte's private bedroom
Charlotte's breathing in slu that had changed since we left was her sleeping posture
Her clothing had rolled up to expose her belly button I covered her up properly with the blanket then walked to the balcony
I should take this chance to give Ariella a call It was just past noon so she shouldn't be sleeping
But just as I took outof an inco call The screen indicated the caller was unknown
To this date, there were only two people who always dialed this number as unknown callers
One was Ren's father, Miyazawa Kenya The other was—
””
Doubtfully, I touched the screen to pick up the call
'—hello, 2nd Lieutenant Mononobe'
The instant I heard this voice, my entire body's muscles tensed up
Appearing on the screen was the face ofmy NIFL days, Loki Jotunheim
While feeling surprised, I also thought—Sure enough
I had a feeling that he was going to contact me recently
Roughly a week earlier, the sneering man portrayed in the screen here had sent out a team of drones led by Hreid refuge
At the time, I had conversed with Major Loki over Hreidmar's communication
The fact that Hreide would be triggered by acquiring power Then there hat he said about the true identity of the almost complete ”Fafnir”&mdash