The time quickly approached midnight. Even the moon and stars that had been shining on Aira's body until a moment ago were now overcome by sleepiness in the middle of the night.
The first guest to arrive at my room—my one-room apartment with a unit bath and a rent of 30,000 yen, located fifteen minutes away from the nearest station by bicycle—was an Otherworlder.
"Do you want some tea? Or a cola?" "Anything will do. I don't mind." "......"
I can understand a little bit of the irritation a mother gets when she asks her child "What would you like for dinner?" and the child answers "Anything is fine." I was hoping for Aira to show a preference, like for cola.
I guess Aira was being reserved. (I'll treat her to my favorite cola anyway.)
Glancing occasionally at the otherworldly guest sitting upright in the four-and-a-half-tatami mat Japanese room, I retrieved a bottle of cola from the small refrigerator.
Aira Verfane Quatronix.
A warrior from the otherworldly world of Ivral, and a self-proclaimed super criminal.
Although I tried to calmly arrange the information I was given, my brain still couldn't process it. I could understand the words, but my heart couldn't accept it.
(But still... huge--) Aira was sitting carefully, with her back straight... her chest.
Under her tight blouse, her voluptuous breasts were definitely an E cup, and in my perverted estimation, they might even have reached an F cup.
Should I use my eye ability again to check...? Gulp...
This special ability allows me to see the general information of people within my view. The more I deepen my relationship with the person, the deeper the information that I can see.
Through our talk about the Battle of the Defiled Land, I should have gotten a little closer to Aira. So maybe bust size...
"--Yuki" "Eh?!"
A cold voice cuts through my fantasy. I jumped in surprise and looked towards Aira, only to find a terrifying situation unfolding.
"...What is this here?"
Aira, who had been sitting on the tatami mat, was now on all fours, rummaging through the TV stand. Her shapely rear was prominently displayed.
She then took out a DVD package and showed it to me.
"W-Wait a minute! Please don’t touch things without permission!"
"Huh? S-Sorry—kyaa!"
"Oh no!"
I ran over to Aira, who had a boy's secret in her hands, but before I could take the DVD away from her, I fell over.
Just like in a romantic comedy manga, I ended up on top of her.
Below me was a "spectacular view."
The sight of a busty warrior with crimson hair splayed across the tatami, her ample chest pressed against the DVD package she still clutched, and her head turned toward the side.
Aira’s earlier scream of "kyaa!" wasn’t a reaction to being tackled by me but a cry of embarrassment from having seen the contents of the DVD package.
"......"
"Um, it would be really appreciated if you could, uh, move."
"……I-I’m sorry."
"N-No, it’s not—……"
This was the first time I had seen Aira's face not displaying her usual sharp, stern expression.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed with a pink hue, and her crimson eyes were darting nervously from side to side.
"I'll put it away."
While laughing awkwardly, I reached out for the DVD Aira was holding.
"Hya!"
When I accidentally touched her white hand while apologizing, a surprisingly feminine voice unlike Aira echoed through the small room.
Even though I said it was "Unlike Aira," we've only known each other for a few hours, so it's natural that I don't know much about her.
"S-sorry." "Uh... I-it's okay..." "Um, so, um... should I explain...?"
I asked as I put the pink DVD back into its place in the TV stand.
However, as expected of a warrior. To pick out my favorite DVD—"Suzune Kanata's Naked Maid Time♥"...
By the way, it's not an adult video but an image video. Suzune-chan is our eternal idol who knows no impurity. She doesn't do anything sexual.
"—Ugh."
It seemed she was hesitating.
Probably, due to Aira's personality, she doesn’t want to choose the option of not asking because it's embarrassing.
Once she decides on something, she sticks with it until the end. It's a very warrior-like way of thinking.
"Is this… a form of entertainment in the Defiled Land?"
She sat up from the tatami mat—her large breasts bouncing—and glanced at me briefly. However, her gaze quickly returned to the mat.
"Y-yeah. It’s called a DVD. It’s a disc that stores video footage..."
"...It seems like it is too complicated for me."
"I-I see. There are movies and dramas and stuff too, it's surprisingly interesting."
My voice cracks in places.
"U-um, was the earlier one a movie?"
"It’s a bit different."
It's completely different.
After a brief silence, Aira glanced at me for just a moment.
"Yuki... do you like big ones?"
"What do you mean?"
How did this happen... She must have thought that because she saw Kanata Suzune’s I-cup bust.
I wanted to say, "I mean, Aira's is pretty big too, you know?", but my social skills aren't that high.
"Anyway, let's discuss the matter of the battle in more detail. I'll get some drinks right away."
"Okay."
"…Please don’t rummage around anymore."
"I promise I won’t."
Seeing Aira cover her mouth while making that promise felt more trustworthy than anything else in the world.
※ ※ ※
"---Ah, it's delicious!"
"Right? It's called cola."
Aira, having tasted the ultimate black carbonated drink, was excitedly exclaiming "Wow."
It seems that the deliciousness of cola is a common factor across parallel worlds.
Since it's being praised by a warrior from Ivral, which claims to be the pinnacle, it must be true.
After talking about cola for a while, we got down to the main topic. It was already half past midnight.
"I still don't think there's any need for Yuki to stick his nose into the Battle of the Defiled Lands."
Though it sounded like a cold opinion, it was actually a very warm sentiment.
It's proof that Aira has developed a certain degree of closeness towards me in this short time.
"…But I was chosen as the Referee. Even if that dream was just my own delusion, it seems like some kind of fate that I met you, Aira, at such a perfect time."
"Even if I trust everything you say, I still—"
"I know. Even though you're a warrior, you're really kind, Aira."
"Th—that’s not what I meant!"
I'm close to tears just thinking that someone cared so much about me, a total pervert with zero friends and no girlfriend who just goes home after school and has poor communication skills.
"Those living in this Defiled Land are, in other words, Victims who will be caught up in our conflict. I don't want you, as one of those victims, to suffer more than necessary—"
"I understand that too. But because of that, I want to help you as a small representative of this world."
"—Why is that?"
Words come with responsibility. However, what I say from here is merely my own immature speculation.
"I don’t think that you, Aira... Aira Verfane Quatronix, are a criminal at all."
The Battle of the Defiled Land for the Criminals to seize their freedom. This War.
It’s an overly selfish decision.
The role I was given was only to observe.
Even that might be a delusion.
Even though I have only weak power.
"...It's the first time." "Eh?" "It's the first time someone has ever cared about me this much, and treated me so kindly." "--"
Even at nineteen, she is still a girl.
What kind of path has this girl walked until now?
"But Yuki. It's no exaggeration to say that you still don't know anything about me."
Suddenly, Aira's words became cold.
She had a striking presence right from the moment we met, being a beautiful girl with crimson hair.
“…W-well, we can get to know each other from now on—”
"That’s too naive. It’s far too naive to trust a complete stranger without any assurances.”
I tried to respond, but words wouldn’t come out.
While I was helplessly fumbling, Aira stood up—reaching out with her right hand to touch her pendant.
"Ashkelon"
The ordinary four-tatami room was filled with a burst of crimson light.
For just a moment, everything was bathed in crimson, and then—Aira stood before me, holding Ashkelon at the ready.
Her bangs and skirt fluttered delicately with the wind.
They moved under a power not found in my world.
—That is magic.
My eyes could see Aira’s figure, the magic, and the madness emanating from Ashkelon.
"W-What are you doing...!?"
"I’m going to teach you about the world, Yuki, the fool who’s trying to believe in Aira Verfane Quatronix without knowing anything."
"W-What are you talking about, Aira!? I don’t get it!"
"Yes, that’s right—that's the kind of naivety I’m talking about."
Shing— (Sound of the sword being drawn from its sheath.)
With just a single step, it felt as if the world was vibrating. No, it seemed like an illusion.
The difference between Aira and me.
Did I feel a sense of familiarity? Had our bond tightened? That trust was collapsing rapidly.
Even such a clear difference was something I hadn’t understood.
The crimson blade of madness, Ashkelon, was pointed towards the ceiling. Aria and the sword formed a single, beautiful line.
It was only a matter of time before it would be brought down.
My untrained body would be torn apart in an instant, blood would splatter, and my life would be taken away.
Indeed, I had already been nearly killed by Aira once before.
So, this time, I would surely be finished off.
--All I could do was pray. --I don't remember the next moment.
"I have committed an Atrocious Crime from which there is no excuse. With these hands, with this sword."
The weight of thousands.
It was so, so painful――.
※ ※ ※
It was the first time I'd nearly died twice in the space of a few hours. This time, I genuinely felt like I was going to die.
The last thing I remember is the scene where Aira’s Ashkelon was about to stab my heart.
I’m not sure how much time has elapsed since then.
The room’s lights are off, and I am lying on something soft and fluffy.
"…………This is the second time. Why didn't you avoid it?"
"……Aira"
A girl’s fragrance softly drifts over my face. The scent of Aira’s breath.
I wonder if she’s giving me a lap pillow or something.
It’s too dark to see anything, so I will imagine it that way.
"First of all, it was too fast to avoid." "Un."
It’s sad, but it’s the truth.
"And also…"
"…… Because you really trust me, right?"
"You realize that, don’t you?"
I thought I heard the sound of teeth grinding.
"I’m ashamed. The only way I can test people—like you, Yuki—is in that manner."
"It all worked out in the end, so don’t worry about it."
"……You’re so carefree."
"I don’t really want to hear that from you, Aira."
"Huh..."
Was she angry or laughing? If it was the latter, I would have loved to have seen it with the lights on.
"I’ll also decide to trust Yuki. If I’m going to trust you, I’ll need your cooperation as well."
"……Oh. By the way, is it really okay for me to favor a specific person even though I’m supposed to be the referee?"
"No, it isn’t."
It was an immediate response. Well, that’s to be expected.
A referee should maintain neutrality. What I currently understand is that my rights and duties are only to observe.
"――But Yuki, you don’t only want to save me, right?"
I want to save not only Aira, but also those who have been caught up in the same situation.
"Yes. And, of course, I want to help you too."
"Hehe――. Then, isn’t it fine? If anyone were to punish you for that, I would fight alongside you."
"Thank you."
"It's nothing."
There are still too many unknown factors in the Battle of the Defiled Lands.
How many other criminals besides Aira are being forcibly made to participate? That too is unknown.
Are the other criminals in the same situation as Aira, being compelled into the battle by the world government?
Or is there another reason?
There's no use in pondering things that can’t be figured out.
For now, I’ll just bury myself in this soft, plush surface.
"I’m unreliable, but I look forward to working with you"
"No. I think Yuki's special ability will be very useful." "Really?"
My telekinesis is weak compared to Aira's sword, and my eyes can only see general information.
Honestly, I don't think it's going to be much use...
"Yes. Even though you didn’t avoid my slash, you did manage to hold down my legs with your telekinesis, didn’t you?"
...Although it should have been the hand that was holding the sword, that I should have held down. Aira adds.
"……It might have been done unconsciously, though."
"Yuki’s power is genuine. When an enemy that must be defeated appears before us, if you can create even a momentary opening with your power, then I can take them down instantly with my Ashkelon."
"That’s quite a lot of confidence."
"……Yeah."
……I want to turn on the lights.
I want to see Aira’s smile.
"Is it really okay?"
"Hmm?"
"I’m incredibly perverted, you know."
"W-Well, I don’t know about that."
"Doesn’t magic power get replenished in some lewd way or something?"
"――No! That’s not the case at all! You just need to eat regular food, sleep normally, and live an ordinary life……"
"What about in an emergency? Like when you suddenly need magical power?"
"Ugh…… I don’t know because I’ve only ever used magic power efficiently……"
I thought so. Well, this is a classic, isn't it?
Magical power replenishment through physical and mental resonance. It’s a staple pattern from the mythological era.
But if she doesn’t know, does that mean Aira Verfane Quatronix is still a virgin……??
Although she may be currently hidden in the darkness, she has quite the sexy body.
It’s impressive that she managed to maintain her purity in a world like Ivral, where magic, swords, and sexual desires are so active.
"I’m a pervert, you know."
"Why did you say it twice...?"
And so, the first day of my strange life together with Aira passed by without a hitch.
Chapter length 6250 characters.
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