Vol 5 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 3: Darkness And then
Plunged into the depths of the earth, Layfon's left hand reached out for his weapon harness, took out his Dite and restored it The sound of ru shook his eardruht reflected off the soil falling down on thereat if he could use the steel threads, but they would be trapped in the rain of soil
”Tsk!”
At the ht burst forth fro the blade with Meishen in his arh the soil was soft, that size and h to kill anyone underneath it Kei shot out from the tip of the blade to destroy the soil slabs But that wasn't just it Layfon detected the sound of soil striking metal That must be it That was the metal fence used to support and protect the city Since it was falling for such a long tianic field had collapsed The falling soil blocked Layfon's sight and hid within it a large nuh him He adjusted his position to better use the sword
(If it's only e this situation, but he was currently holding Meishen His s, his speed and Kei Meishen, as a non-Military Artist, probably couldn't stand the situation
Meishen held tightly to hie slabs descending on theht hand, soil and metal fence closed in on the through the ground of the organic field struck their backs He swung in the direction of the low echo he heard The blade shattered the twooff sparks at the contact Layfon used the faint light of the sparks to confir fences, using it to extend his area of ht ruin it again)
He was using the sith hispaths were absolutely horrible He could only use external type Kei and shatter the obstacles with brute force, which wasn't very good on the sword blade
(Please last)
Praying like that, he continued to cut through the things falling on them And like that, he concentrated on the crisis above theht left them, Layfon used the sparks caused by his strike and the sound of falling obstacles to defend the its liround through the echo ofunexpected happened
”Ah”
”Wuah!”
Just a bit round beneath thes that had fallen past Layfon had piled on top of one another to ainst a ainst his foothold and flew sideways
”Aaaaaaa”
To fall and then to rise, Meishen becainally, she suppressed herself and hadn't led in Layfon's arm
”Uh”
Pain cut a path between his eye and ear Probably just some debris He suppressed the ih hiround, and he used both hands to carry Meishen, running away fro obstacles
A ru for Layfon froround That presence behind hi on top of thes overwhel forithout thinking When he stopped, he put Meishen down
”Ah Ah, Ah Huh?”
”It's all right It's all right now”
He couldn't make out her face in the dark The sudden descent had prevented her fro He covered her with his jacket and patted her tre shoulder He waited for her to calo and check the situation”
”Ah!” she grabbed his hand
” Uh, so sorry”
As if the darkness had wiped away her voice, she let go of his hand
(Aa, I see)
SheLayfon abandoned the idea of checking his surroundings and sat down beside her
”It's ok Please go”
”It's alright to wait a bit We can go together afterward”
It'd be good if she was confused as usual That would be proof of her recovery
”Speaking of which That really was surprising”
Layfon lifted his head and couldn't see anything He had never thought such a place existed He thought only the Mechanical Department and its exit would be beneath the city The truth stared at hiht deeper about the issue How could the underside of the city just be covering up the Mechanical Departer area than that
(This place is close to the city's edge There must be other s)
He glanced around It was still dark everywhere The sound of ruuess of otherclose by was correct He hadif he had htly away from the mechanisms
A weak touch on his shoulder The sound of clothes brushi+ng against clothes It was Meishen's shoulder
”Be patient a bit more They'll definitely find us”
”Yes”
He took her hand
”Uh, uhSay so,” she said
”Eh?”
”About Grendan”
”AhI was in a place as dark as this a long, long tio It was outside the city, in a nest of filth monsters I wasn't a Heaven's Blade successor yet, still quite a kid I had undergone training without using ht like I was in a dreaht the larvae in the nest that the Psychokinesists had found
”The feeling during the fight was good, since I didn't have to think I just needed toto ht”
The underground nest was made for the newly born larvae Unable to sustain the intense fight, the exit had collapsed, sealing the Military Artists in there, including Layfon
”I knee'd be rescued because we had the flakes of the Psychokinesists with us, but I felt uneasy in the dark So I understand your feelings”
”Sorry”
”Why are you apologizing?”
”Because You were going to find the exit”
”They'll find it quickly There's someone who is better at this than I am”
”Yes, so”
”So, I was scared back then”
”Huh?”
”I exhausted allhad ended”
He had nothing else to do And he hated that feeling The feeling of waiting for so
”LaytonLayton!”
”Uh? What?”
” Uh”
He understood when Meishen turned her head and he heard her hair brushi+ng against the uniforht)
The feeling of spacing out didn't sit ith hiative In this place where light failed to reach, the s environment had stolen away their body warth The sa was sie was poor and they couldn't do anything about it He felt he had to do soht revealed his impotence
”Layton Are you ok? Aren't you cold?”
”Thanks I'ht,” he replied shortly and wrapped his knees with his arht!” A heated voice cut through the coldness Felli
”Great You found us”
The sudden violent voice scared Meishen, and she tightened her hold on Layfon He gave a relieved and exhausted smile
”Huh?” It was Meishen's voice, shocked She took her hand away fro
”Of course” Anger shot through Felli's light reply Layfon shrugged
”The Captain and the others are co You stay there and don't move”
'Wait for a bit,' Felli had said In her words were impatience and anxiety
”Layton?”
But it was already too late Meishen confir on her hand ”Layton”
She called his nainess Layfon heard the sound of blood leaking rapidly from his body His consciousness felt far away
”Layton!”
Darkness sed him
◇
Leerin woke up and looked at her watch She sat up on the bed, doubtful of the tied into her pajamas Theblinds remained closed froht street The sun hadn't risen yet As she spaced out, she re fried bread with Synola in the park and had told her about her feelings The reason behind the chat was to seek advice and to organize and objectively exaet flustered as bit by bit, she realized she already knehat she wanted fro
”There's someone I want to see”
She had said that without reserve That hat she wanted Her worry came from her uncertainty of hoould think of her when he saw her
But no matter how much you worry, you won't know the answer Only the current Layfon in Zuellni can answer you You gain nothing by worrying
That hat Synola had told her
”It is impossible to find what isn't in your heart,” Synola said as she rolled up the bag of fried bread The constant s at the park, her eyes were surprisingly serious, but it was clear she wasn't looking at anything in particular
”You'll only be wasting your effort seeking for that thing,” she continued
Leerin thought Synola had becoe senpai that Leerin had known She had beco different
”It's siive up their lives easily Hus What is before you can, in one split second, beco your ht if you want to do that” Her words were cold and harsh ”But we can give up anyti of dislike and hate can happen anywhere Even if one wishes not to die, one ht die on the day of his wish Even so, it's easy for anyone to give up Why do you think so?”
Leerin had a bad feeling as she listened She felt that she didn't want to hear”Leerin, you just don't want to get hurt That's all”
She wanted to deny it, but nothing ca back the words that weren't words, Leerin exhaled
”It's not wrong to be afraid of getting hurt But it's true that what can't be hurt e will happen if that stone isn't cut No one knehat it would beco muchsaid that, Synola left the park, leaving Leerin rooted on the spot Leerin had then returned to the dor Perhaps what she had needed then was sleep Synola's words had given a direction to the thought in her heart
Leerin was surprised the next day that she had slept from dusk till dawn, as if she could only sleep to accept that change She slept a lot but did not feel tired froo,” she said to herself and closed the blinds She took off her clothes in the dark and went for a shower She washed away all that stuck to her and refreshed herself once more
◇
When he ca at a nurse's face The nurse quickly called the doctor over to check on him
”The person who came to the hospital the most this year is you,” the senior doctor said with a weary face
”I suppose” Layfon's gaze turned to the drip connected to his arht shoulder and back He sustained many other smaller wounds, but those three wounds were the main reason behind his blood loss and loss of consciousness
”The biggest problem is the back The debris had cut into a part of your spine You have to go through an operation, but” he paused
”Will there be any side effects?”
”No Even if the operation failed, we could restore your spine with the restoration operation As long as your brain and Kei vein aren't daed, pretty much your entire body can heal if we transport you to a hospital with good equipment before death That's the level et you a new spine,” the doctor said frankly
”Then?”
”If we change your spine, you'll need ti out the debris needs less recovery time but you can't participate in the next platoon match”
”Aaah I see”
”Aren't you shocked?”
”This is the second time”
The 17th platoon had lost their match before when Nina had fainted and they lost by default
”But I feel bad because it's my fault”
”That wasn't your fault It was just the situation”
The situationIt was caused by the wearing out of the part under the city, causing the ground to collapseThat kind of thing A detailed investigation was still being carried out, but that would probably be the conclusion The doctor and all senior students of the construction course were told of the investigation
”Just take a good rest now A patient's job is to recover,” the doctor hung the stethoscope back on his neck and left the roo past the doctor's shoulder
”Are you all right?”
Appropriate to the situation of entering a hospital, Nina held a bunch of flowers
”Sorry, I can't participate in the next match”
”Stupid, don't worry about that,” she put the flowers aside and sat on the chair closest to the bed It had been three days froht when Nina knew of the date for the camp to when Layfon fell and lost his consciousness Felli had quickly found him and Meishen, and the team had rescued them
”Didn't you say that before? Now it's real”
”I see”
But the purpose of the camp was to prepare for the match with the 1st platoon It felt like the 17th platoon had finally revived, and this incident happened on the worst tiiven up the ave us won't be wasted I've becoer I think it's a shame if we forfeit the match I've talked with the others, they all say we can't forfeit now”
”Is that so, that's good”
”So I say, you just concentrate on recovering”
Layfon nodded at her encourageht?”
He felt craes, and in his head surfaced Meishen He couldn't quiteup on hiet hurt reat,” he said, truly relieved
”I'm sorry That was my fault,” Nina lowered her head
”Not at all It wasn't senpai's fault”
”But”
”nobody could have predicted it,” he joked
”Well I guess” Unable to accept that fact, she glanced at the flowers Layfon's gaze followed hers for a short moment, then returned to Nina A question rose in him as she continued to look at the flowers
”What is it?” he asked
”Huh? What?”
”Uh Just a feeling”
”Nothing You're e guy,” Nina s at her smile, he couldn't help but feel that she orried about so of that, what about you?”
”Huh?”
”Your face tells ”
”Don't lie You're hiding so”
She moved herself to the end of the bed and bent close to his face Layfon had his arm attached to a drip so he couldn't evade her
”I' Really”
”Really?”
”Really”
Her face tensed up as it came closer to Layfon's Her air weakened for a split second It was just a split second but Layfon was sure of it She saw hiaze away from him as if she didn't care
”You're too close,” she said
”Huh? Is thatface of yours”
Nina didn't move away
”But”
”But? What?” Layfon asked
”I feel a little bit lonely”
”Lonely?”
”UhCan you just pretend you didn't hear my last sentence?”
”Of course not”
She turned her face to hiaze, Layfon said ”I lose”
”To think that I can't do anything even though I'm here” he said
”Stupid,” she mumbled ”It's not what you can do but what you doIsn't it a given in your situation?” Her gaze fled froain She blushed
Felli arrived a short time after Nina had left
”Are you stupid?”
”Wa, is that what you say the h the door?”
”It's not a problery Even so, she looked at Nina's flower vase and compared it to the flowers in her hand, then she placed the flowers in the flask in the washroom
”If you had lost lared at hi small before her
”Since it was you, couldn't you have done better?”
”That was my limit I had to protect another person so I couldn't use th It was difficult to handle the remnants of Kei”
”So that's why you sustained severe injuries?”
”I'ood”
”That's all?”
”Huh?”
”Nothing Do you knohat's happening with the next match?”
”Ah, the Captain just came over and told me”
”Yes? The Captain truanted and ca on the wall The time showed it was sunset Nina didn't check her watch when she visited so she didn't know the ti class hours
”Ah, true”
” Your relationshi+p's getting better”
”Ehh?”
”That the captain would actually truant I don't think she knew you'd regain consciousness at this time I only heard of it after school I was really worried”
”Ah Perhaps”
”Layfon, you do whatever she says What a good relationshi+p”
” Are you lared at him
”Felli,” he said quickly
”I' the situation”
”Ha, haha”