Vol 4 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1: Her idea
”There's no way I'll do it, got that?”
Naruki pulled hi a nap on the library lawn in the
Students were in holiday mode while Zuellniwould take one week to finish at its earliest Mechanical students dug up the seleniu heavy machines Volunteers and students fro in a lack of senior year teachers, so the academy had temporarily closed
Layfon had just returned fro to nap a little on the library lawn before the library opened Yesterday, Meishen and her friends had suggested a schedule for hi Zuellni's break He had wanted to return to the dore clothes and come over, butthat seemed too troublesome, so he had laid down on the laith his backpack as his pillow When he ca him up
”Eh? Eh?” he looked around, not sure as happening
Why was Naruki so angry? Meishen and Mifi stood behind her with confused expressions It seemed even they didn't know the reason behind Naruki's actions
”Uht? What you said to the captain”
”Ha?”
This was getting
”I don't knohat you saidBut I don't agree with it”
”I'”
”Wasn't it Layton?” she let go of his collar
”Just what is it?”
The usually cal
”The captain Your captain caht at the office”
”Ah, Aah”
”So it really was you!?”
”No, I didn't say anything No Maybe I did sayah, wait, wait I said it because the captain wanted my advice She noticed you before that,” Layfon said hastily and prevented Naruki froain
”Why?”
”How should I know?”
Naruki groaned with an ”urg” Layfon finally felt fully awake
”UhI have no idea what just happened,” Mifi raised her hand
”What's going on?” Meishen asked
”I was scouted by Layton's captain,” Naruki replied bitterly
”Eh!” the two girls said, shocked
To put it simply, Nina had finally taken action It looked like she was planning to add a new team member before the 17th platoon's caation mission due to a lack offor more members
Layfon didn't knohich part of Naruki had attracted Nina's attention, but since Nina had asked him about her, she'd probably talk it over with Naruki herself in the future
”This is troublesome,” Naruki said as she read the newspaper in the library's study room ”I don't plan to become a platoon member”
”Yeah, I think so too, but”
Nina probably won't give up
The weakness of the 17th platoon was glaringly obvious It only had just enoughe if the tea as the captain, Nina, re, then the team wouldn't have lost Layfon and Sharnid just needed to do better when the ene on Nina
But when the team was on the defensive, the difference in nuuard the flag, leaving only three people to ood for the team if their number increased by even just one person However, students ere good enough to become platoon members had already been netted by other platoons Even if there were so to join a teaets to year 1 and 2 students
And Naruki was chosen
”I'm already with the City Police I'm sorry, Layton, but I don't have time to serve in a platoon too”
”Yeah – I know”
There s weren't that sihts in action Her enthusias It seemed impossible to stop her once she'd made a decision
”What's so bad about it? Join,” Mifi said, already tired of this topic
”Don't say that as if this has nothing to do with you”
”Huh – Why? Layton's joined a platoon and he works at the Mechanical Depart like Layton? I don't think you can't do it”
”It would be OK if this were just about whether I could do it or not, but I don't want to do things halfheartedly I'm not as coth”
Layfon sh he didn't think he was that co excelling skills in Military Arts, he was given the title Heaven's Blade successor back at Grendan Now that he had given up on Military Arts in Zuellni, yet still entered the Military Arts course, he could only respond to Naruki's coiven up on finding a path besides Military Arts Zuellni's situation had forced him to delay his search That was all
”No matter what, Layton, please convey my intentions to your captain”
”I'll try,” he said, suppressing his thoughts In the end, this conversation distracted hi Meishen's lunch, they chatted about trivial matters The four of them parted hen it was tiirls and headed for the training coht any the day, Layfon would sweat a bit in his uniform It seemed the city had entered someplace hot Zuellni had stopped for the Seleniuher when the city resumed its journey
Layfon lifted his head to look at the sun, then entered the training coinally very spacious It was now divided into numerous rooms These rooms were built with soundproofLayfon entered the training roo roo on, but in here, it was very quiet
Very peaceful
”Morning”
The sound of doh, doh, doh rebounded in the rooet here even earlier than Layfon She was hitting numerous hard spheres off the ith her iron whips
”Morning,” Nina replied as she hit back all the balls that rebounded from the wall
”I saw Naruki”
”Ah,” she replied, distracted A ball crashed on the wall behind her The ball was hit with the Kei of a Military Artist It didn't slon, but rebounded off the wall to attack Nina Nina avoided it and once again struck it with her iron whip
”I got blareen blade shone under the light He checked his body condition by letting the internal Kei run through his body Nina struck the balls at Layfon All of them
Layfon hit them all back with his sword
”I didn't think she'd hate it to that level,” she said in surprise, as she hit back the balls
They struck the balls at each other while continuing the conversation
”Why did you have to meet her at the office?”
”I said before that I noticed her, right? Besides, the limit's almost here”
”Liht between cities We still haven't received notice?”
”Oh, I see”
Although the Acadehts between Acadeet to decide on when a Competition was to be held The City's consciousness ht, no one was able to predict just when it would happen
”The referee from the Alliance hasn't yet showed up, but there arecompetitions without a referee I think it's about time”
”Why?”
”Because of the selenium mines If we lost after the competition, we couldn't even resupply, so isn't this the best time to have a ht, it would be best to do so in our best condition”
”Exactly For cities to meet each other, theyis necessary”
Having listened to her, Layfon now truly felt the harsh reality of the Military Arts Competition If they lost in this Competition, Zuellni would have lost its one and only selenium mine What awaited it was a slow death In that case, Layfon would face his secondout of Zuellni, he couldn't ignore the Competition Because he had met Nina here, as well as Felli, Meishen, the members of 17th platoon and everyone in his classes He'd have lost the time he could have spent with these people in Zuellni
After he left Grendan, he hadn't had the opportunity to e, and he could only coh letters He couldn't let hiswith everyone in Zuellni end like that
”Even with a new person, our teath Let's just leave the question of whether our strength can catch up or not It's too late to start training for our own particular positions in the match”
The conversation returned to Naruki Nina ain The ball rebounded off the wall and flew underneath her armpit in a direction that Layfon's sword couldn't reach
”Hey!”
The ball flew straight for Sharnid's face He had just opened the door to the rooe it The ball bounced off the wall in the corridor
”This garabbed hold of the ball juht it back into the room
”Come join us”
”Then Felli-chan would join too, and we'll see the scene of hell like last time”
”If I lose, I'll treat you to dinner How about that?”
Surprised at Nina's unusual provocation, Sharnid joined in
”Pretty good”
He restored two of the three Dites frouns lance showed they were h Sharnid was a sniper, he had had training in close quarters gun co of the balls et a blackback a ball with a large in of error in ter the most number of points in the ti hour ended
It wasn't as si back a ball Because everyone included feints in their actions, thisof the hit difficult
Felli entered as Sharnid was starting to war to join in, but in the end accepted Nina's proposal
”The one ill lose is probably captain or senpai,” she said lightly and restored her Dite Flakes in the shape of flower petals scattered in the air in response to her power of Psychokinesis
The flakes were like a part of Felli's body, and their uses weren't li Some used the flakes to attack and so back the hard balls wasn't a problem to Felli at all
”Hey now, is it OK to say that?”
”Yes I can't lose to you two”
As Sharnid and Nina conversed, they gave each person five hard balls
”Ready?” Nina said, and the twenty hard balls went into a ra out the picture of a hellish scene Sharnid called it a ga Layfon was the one to suggest this type of training Nina had then brought in a large nu with the balls scattered on the floor helped to increase the basis of internal Kei As for today, hitting the balls back and forth trained reflexes and also increased coordination When that reached a certain level, one could even use Kei to hit a ball and cancel the Kei of someone else This way, one could also increase one's basic skill in external Kei There were many different types of skills in the use of internal and external Kei, but if one ed to master the basics, then one could better adapt the a new skill in Kei, it was better to increase the level of the basics first that was Layfon's suggestion, and Nina found it plausible
When training ended, it was already sunset
”Next tiret as she stared at the ot zero, Felli three points, Sharnid twelve points and Nina thirteen points Nina lost by just one point
”I'll pay half How does that sound?” Layfon asked
”No need,” she replied
Nina's faet any financial support here because she caainst her parents' wishes Layfon wasn't sure how she paid for her school fees, but all her living expenses were paid by the money she earned at the Mechanical Department
”Layfon, it's forbidden to syly and patted Layfon's shoulder His attitude and wordings declared him a victor
”damn, just a little bit more”
”That little point determined the win and loss This world is cruel”
”That's the truth Ah, I want that,” Harley said, looking at hison, I didn't say I'll treat you”
”Huh? Is that so?”
”Of course If you're not satisfied, then fight ainst a Military Artist”
”Then you can't”
”Tsk, never mind,” Nina's childhood friend, the 17th platoon's Dite Mechanic, aze to Layfon indifferently ”Layfon, I've finished the simple version of e talked about before Can you drop by tomorroant to run a final check”
”Ah, sure”
”Ah, What was it? Is it that ridiculous thing from before?”
”The Adahter than before”
”That ht”
”No, saying ree? Nor a filth monster alone”
”Perhaps, but”
”Thanks to you, we've done so out of the ordinary”
Layfon was troubled by the about it
”But on't make that reckless move a second time,” Nina said firmly to him
Everyone had placed their orders The dishes were spread out before the of which, did Layfon co with the balls?”
”No, it wasthe Director” (Derek)
Sudden footsteps sounded near their table, interrupting the conversation
”Oh?”
”Uh?”
Sharnid lifted his head The closing footsteps ceased
”Yo, Dinn”
”You seeroup said He was bald, small and lanky He wasn't that thin, one could tell just by looking at hie with the nue of a platoon
Sharnid had called him Dinn
(Uh, seems to be)
Nina searched her mind for the name of this platoon member Dinn Dee The captain of platoon 10 The e They must be his teammates
”I suppose Did you see h the video As usual, your first shot was brilliant, but not the second one”
”What harsh advice”
”The concentration of my teaood How's Shena?”
”Sharnid,” Dinn placed his hand on the table Sharnid's expression changed slightly
”You're not our comrade anymore Don't act so close”
”Oh, I'er in Dinn's words Layfon noticed how Dinn wasn't too pleased with that
”My next opponent is your 17th platoon Sharnid, I'll show you that you don't have a place in platoon ten”
”Good luck,” Sharnid waved Dinn and his teammates left quickly The back of Dinn's bald head had turned red froer
”He's still the same octopus as always,” Sharnid said to Dinn's back
”Bu” At Sharnid's words, Harley couldn't help but spill the drink in his mouth
”Sharnid was in team ten last year,” Felli told Layfon on the way back to the dormitories Their dor special caether
”Sharnid and Dinn, and the vice-captain, Dalshena They were all in first year When they worked together, their team had the number 1 assault power The 10th platoon exceeded the first platoon in its excellence”
”But senpai left the team”
Layfon didn't have to hear the answer from Felli If Sharnid hadn't left the 10th platoon, then his existence in the 17th platoon would not be possible
”Yeah He left in the middle of a platoon match”
”Why?”
”I'one downhill from then Even now, it only ranks somewhere in the middle”