After being attacked by a little girl with a knife in the parking lot of my apartment, and having sex with Aira to recover her magical powers, nothing happened.
――Right after, both of us, feeling embarrassed, turned our backs to each other and went to sleep. The following morning came, and I went to school while Aira stayed home.
In the current situation, where we don't know how the enemy will act, I was a bit worried about being separated from Aira.
There was a theory that if I, as the referee overseeing the Battle of the Defiled Land, attended school during the day, there wouldn’t be many battles. However, I didn't put much faith in this theory.
If my role as a referee really holds that much power, it’s likely that there would have been measures in place to prevent me from allying with any of the combatants.
This is a conflict set up by the other world: Ivral, where fantastical, RPG-like elements are commonplace.
They are the ones who labeled the pure-hearted girl, Aira, as a Super Criminal and forcibly sent her to this Defiled Land.
No...... Wait...... perhaps the very fact that Aira and I, the referee, met is part of their plan…?
(It's pointless to think about it.)
When my thoughts begin to spiral into confusion, I decide to stop pondering any further.
It’s important not to overthink the situation.
The world is simple. All I need to do is to help and protect Aira.
If there are others in a similar situation as Aira, I will help them. If not, I will act accordingly.
(…Is this just selfishness?)
I couldn't remember a thing about the World History lesson that day.
Despite the upcoming midterm exams, my notes are completely blank.
There are no friends I can ask to borrow notes from, and I don't have a good relationship with the teacher.
With numerous worries on my mind, I heard the chime signaling the end of the last period of the day.
May 15th, and another ordinary day comes to a close.
I should hurry home. It will be too late if something happens to Aira.
※ ※ ※
"……Aira?"
"――Oh, welcome back."
This is not my room, but the school gate, just like yesterday.
Aira, in her usual blouse and standing straight, approached me with a gentle smile.
"Didn’t I tell you to stay home?"
"In a war, it's dangerous to stay in the same place if the enemy knows your location."
Though she spoke confidently, her eyes had a playful, joking look.
Nevertheless, what she says is true.
It’s hard to believe that the girl with the knife coincidentally appeared in the parking lot of the apartment where Aira is staying.
It’s alarming, but our location must have been discovered somehow.
"Hah."
I guess there’s probably another reason, unrelated to that, why Aira wanted to come to the school gate.
…It’s not worth mentioning, so never mind.
"Will you be going straight home again today?"
"Ah, no, I was thinking of doing some shopping at a place called a supermarket."
"Super?"
"It’s a place where they sell groceries, miscellaneous goods, and various other things. Isn’t there something similar in Ivral?"
"W-well, I’m not sure."
We walk along the road dyed in shades of crimson.
After walking down the main road for a bit, we enter the residential neighborhood.
The supermarket I want to go to is a local, community-focused store located in a corner of this neighborhood.
"Have you remembered anything?"
"Remember…?"
"Like the rules of the war, or… hmm, how should I put it?"
"I kind of understand what Yuki is trying to say. However, before even thinking about remembering, it seems like there wasn’t much of an explanation to begin with."
"Those guys are terrible."
"Yes. Although I’ve never met anyone from the world government directly."
I wonder if the world government of Ivral is something like our world's cabinet.
In that case, they are definitely not people you encounter often. They appear to us daily as distant happenings from another world, through TV and newspapers.
"Also, about yesterday…"
"Y-yes!?"
Aira visibly jumps in surprise.
It seems that what I meant by yesterday and what Aira imagined as yesterday didn't match up.
"No, no, no, that’s not it! I’m talking about the little girl with the knife from yesterday!"
"Ah, I see... I understand now."
She looked relieved, yet disappointed. If it's the latter, it makes no sense. Could it be that this otherworldly beautiful swordswoman is actually a lewd women who wants to talk about last night's sex? That seems unlikely.
"It may be obvious, but that girl herself can’t be the super criminal... participant, right?"
I asked just to be sure.
"Yes. That girl is definitely from the Defiled Land. If she were a participant, there wouldn't be any confusion within me."
"…Confusion?"
"Because that girl tried to hurt Yuki."
So, if she were a participant, then Aira would have attacked her, right?
"Being controlled by someone behind the scenes... Is it some sort of powerful magic?"
"Probably."
"But if they can use such powerful magic, wouldn’t they be able to return to their original world?"
"It's likely that during our forced exile, the world government placed some sort of restriction on us. There could be a curse preventing our return to Ivral through unofficial channels—"
Aira stopped and faced me.
She then pulled the hem of her blouse out from under her skirt and lifted it, showing her side in the middle of the street.
"Here, look at this."
"Aira!?"
"Why are you looking away?"
"Well... you see."
There was a small purple mark on Aira’s side that had been etched into her skin.
There were some characters written on it that I had never seen before and couldn’t decipher.
According to Aira, it reads, "Criminal participating in the Battle of the Defiled Land by the World Government."
In other words, it was undeniable proof that she was a Super Criminal and a Participant.
"Something like this..."
I didn't notice it while we were having sex.
"Just a guess, but... if another participant is nearby, this mark might cause your body to react."
"Is it useful...?"
"I suppose――"
"In that case, it confirms that the girl from yesterday was definitely not a participant."
"If my intuition is correct, then yes. Also, typically, magic that controls others requires the caster to be somewhat close."
"Does that mean, last night, there were other participants near my apartment?"
"――This is probably true as well."
A chill ran down my spine.
I am naive. I've lived a sheltered life since birth.
So, although I understood the Battle of the Defiled Land in theory, I had somehow perceived it as a fantasy in reality.
A girl with a knife. Another participant controlling her from behind.
At this stage, she is already not a participant in the same situation as Aira.
She is a lunatic who is actively hunting other participants.
"Aira, what’s your opinion on this...?"
"……I consider her an enemy."
"――"
The answers matched.
The conclusion I worked so hard to reach aligned with someone else's.
It’s very satisfying. It's a joy that has been instilled in me since I was in elementary school.
Aira’s sharp eyes are fixed on the crimson sky. It’s a stark contrast with the dreamy expression she had during sex last night.
Her blouse was tightly wrapped around her voluptuous breasts. Her skirt fluttered in the wind.
As her healthy thighs began to move, my eyes caught sight of something.
"――Wait!? Aira, look over there!"
I pointed to the grounds of a abandoned temple.
There, among the scattered, shabby playground equipment suited for small children, was something unusual.
"That’s――!"
Before I could use my eye's ability, Aira touched her pendant, infused it with magic, and deployed the Dragon Slayer Sword: Ashkelon.
While hurrying towards the temple, I observed the anomaly, but, similar to last night, the information was tangled and indecipherable.
What's more, it’s growing.
Little by little, it's growing.
From behind the trees, from the shadows of the playground equipment, and from within the temple’s doors, children with knives were emerging slowly.
"Aira, let's stop for a moment!"
"What! Why?"
"Why? If we charge in like this, it won’t solve anything. Aira will just get hurt!"
"――... But, we can’t just ignore it!"
A total of six knife-wielding children.
There’s no doubt they were set up to ambush us on our way back home.
Even if we escape like this, we’ll just be attacked some other way.
――However, Aira can’t attack those children.
She cannot slash them.
Because those children are also victims and not enemies.
What should we do? What is the best option?
"I will use the Dragon’s Might again…!"
"......."
The Dragon’s Might used last night is a powerful sword technique that likely drains Aira’s magic completely.
I couldn’t fully understand what happened.
But I do know it puts a great strain on Aira’s body.
"No, it won’t work…"
"Why not!?"
"――It’s meaningless… We're just going to end up repeating yesterdays events…!"
"That’s true, but…! … Ugh…"
The kids were laughing hysterically. Some were wildly waving their knives.
If left like this, the children might start aiming their knives at one another.
The malice of the caster could decide the fate of those children at any moment.
Although they remain within the temple grounds, we can’t stay like this forever.
"…Powerful magic, magic that controls people. The caster can’t be far away, right?"
"Yuki…?"
"Then, while I keep those children occupied and buy us time… Aira, you find the caster."
"Don’t talk nonsense! Even though they are small children, they’re being controlled by a Super Criminal! Without anything, Yuki――"
"I’m not as skilled as Aira, but I’m not entirely powerless."
As I said that, I extended my right hand forward.
—Telekinesis.
A bothersome ability that I’ve rarely used throughout my life, unique to me.
I don’t know if I can use Telekinesis to affect all six at once.
However, I have no choice but to try.
"…Hold on…! I understand your feelings, Yuki. —Let’s at least reverse our roles."
"Reverse? You want me to search for the caster?"
No matter how you look at it, it's risky.
Even if I were to confront the caster, I’d be at a disadvantage with only telekinesis and information summary.
While I’m panicking in front of the caster, Aira will be the one bearing the brunt of the children’s attacks.
"—So I should handle the children…"
"No, remember that as the Referee, the caster can’t inflict major harm on you… Please come back quickly and inform me of the caster’s location once you find them. It may seem underhanded, but it’s all to protect you and this world."
"—!"
"Besides, I have a higher chance of withstanding the children’s attacks than you do, Yuki."
"No, I have telekinesis…"
I couldn’t bear the thought of Aira having to deal with those six dangerous kids.
However, Aira sharply interrupted my words.
"—Please don’t make me repeat myself. The enemy is a criminal using powerful magic. They are a participant in this ugly war. They might even use those children to neutralize your power."
I couldn’t retort. Seeing my reaction, Aira readied the Ashkelon once more.
Then, magic began to flow from her feet—wrapping around Aira’s slender yet well-toned body—and transforming her into a crimson-colored swordswoman.
She was clad in a thick, crimson military uniform and a matching crimson mini skirt. A sheath, which hadn’t been there before, was now strapped to her waist.
It was the same completely different appearance I had seen last night.
It was clear that I couldn’t argue anymore and that what Aira was saying was correct.
"…Let’s make one promise."
"What is it?"
"We won’t push ourselves beyond our limits. If it gets dangerous, we’ll escape. This is the only promise…."
Turning my back on the temple, I started running in the opposite direction from Aira.
The light breeze that stirred as I ran made Aira’s crimson hair flutter lightly.
"—Alright. Thank you, Yuki."
Hearing Aira’s words of thanks, I dashed along the path growing darker with the encroaching dusk.
Chapter length 5368 characters.
No comments:
Post a Comment