Diamond Spike
Diamond Spike
"Sweetie~ Mommy's here~"
Enri Crimsonhowl returned home after finishing her errands.
Flora, who had been spending time studying and conceptualizing magic, woke from her meditation.
"You're back."
"Mommy will get dinner ready soon, so just wait a little, okay?"
"Ah, but before that..."
Flora went into her room and came out with the gift Max had prepared.
She hadn't even opened her own gift yet. Ever since she boarded the train back from District 27, she'd been dying of curiosity, but thought this would be a good way to cultivate patience, so she was holding out.
"Oppa said to give this to Mother. He said thank you for always preparing side dishes for me."
"Oh my, I was doing that on my own, but I've made him worry."
"He said he didn't feel burdened. He just wanted to express his gratitude."
Enri smiled happily and checked the gift.
Inside was a beautiful set of plates and an apron for cooking. The meticulous wrapping of each item seemed to reflect the sender's heart.
"Oh, how lovely! His taste is so good~"
Enri exclaimed in admiration as she spread out the apron.
It was a cute apron with animal footprints running along one side.
Compared to what was already in the kitchen, the quality was probably lower.
Yet Enri liked this apron and these plates very much.
Not only could she feel the thought he'd put into choosing them, but since high-end brands dominated the area, such items were actually hard to find.
'And it seems he's taking good care of my daughter too.'
Flora could say "oppa" so naturally.
The face that had always been clouded with worry now bore a light smile, and her footsteps, once heavy with responsibility, now had a feather-lightness.
Max Steiger.
Since meeting that man, Flora had been changing noticeably.
In a very positive direction.
'...'
Enri, whose maternal love had curled her lips, recalled reality.
Once Flora graduated from the Academy and began reaching into the family's affairs, she would learn the purpose of her remarriage. She would transparently see the calculations underneath.
At that time, how would she, the mother, explain? Should she say she had no choice?
Given Flora's personality, which didn't suit the cold-hearted society of Haze, she might just swallow it and suffer in silence.
'No matter how you look at it, I'm a failing mother.'
Enri deeply regretted that her current happiness wasn't pure.
"Mother?"
Flora's voice pierced her ears.
Enri, who had been lost in thought while wearing the apron, pulled herself out of the quagmire and smiled as usual.
"How does Mommy look? Does it suit me?"
Flora nodded several times, saying it was the best.
"When you take side dishes next time, tell him I said thank you. I'll have to make lots of delicious side dishes."
"I think he'll be happy."
"First, let's prepare dinner for my daughter~"
Enri moved energetically and began preparing the meal.
After dinner and a shower, Flora returned to her room.
She was ready for bed.
Finally, it was time to open the gift she had received.
'I wonder what's inside...?'
Flora knew she was a difficult woman.
Just like those around her, Max must have been quite mindful of the Crimsonhowl background when giving her a gift.
Since she was in a position to get almost anything she wanted, she'd always heard giving gifts wasn't easy.
There were people who directly asked what she wanted, but.
Flora found that question very difficult.
Even when Ellen suggested they go buy whatever she wanted, she didn't particularly want anything.
Sreeeek──.
As she tore the seal sealing the paper bag, a burgundy-colored box appeared.
The texture was high-quality, reminiscent of fine velvet despite being a box.
And engraved on top was the brand name.
'Rose Bird?'
There was a symbol of wings wrapped in rose vines.
'Where have I heard that...?'
She thought she'd heard some group at the Academy mention it, but she couldn't remember exactly.
She searched on her smartphone beside her, and it said it was a fashion eyewear brand.
'Then what's inside?'
─Plop! When she opened the box, round, orange-tinted glasses revealed themselves.
It was a pair of sunglasses with an unfamiliar design she had never used.
After the Association personnel left and even Ellen clocked out, the office fell quiet.
An environment good for concentration had been created.
Max spun the Diamond Spike the Association Head had left on his finger.
'...'
Mana capacity is the most basic condition for rank advancement. It's also generally the fastest and first element to acquire.
That was true up to the 5th rank, as Max had experienced.
But Max was the opposite now.
He had everything except mana capacity up to the 5th rank.
He understood the direction and system to shine his aptitudes, and even knew the circuit composition, but he lacked the mana to manifest it.
The vehicle was ready, but the fuel was missing.
But today, fuel had been supplied.
An opportunity to fill, not just trickle, but pour it in.
'The Association probably doesn't think I'll advance to 4th rank just because they gave me this.'
I don't know what impression a rapid rank increase will make on the Association.
But there's no need to be shy about getting stronger.
'Should I go for it now?'
When he touched the accompanying syringe to the bottle, the liquid metal was sucked in without leaving a single drop.
'Did the needle go inside? Similar mechanism to a spring syringe.'
He understood. He attached the syringe to his forearm and moved it around.
BEEP!
He stopped at the mechanical sound and waited. The syringe found a vein and pushed the needle in.
"Oh..."
The sensation of the liquid metal seeping in was strange. It came with a slight chill.
It moved through his body and, according to its nature, gathered at the heart, the core of mana.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The shape of the heart, clearly felt.
The liquid metal rode the pulse and colored the outline of the heart.
'This works.'
Riding the momentum, Max began to reorganize his circuits.
Without allowing even a single error, precise movements continued, like fitting puzzle pieces together.
The optimal blueprint for pouring out his three aptitudes—cutting, impact, and telekinesis—in an ideal and lethal form was being completed within him.
It was the moment when the tedious trial and error of the past finally shone.
"Hah..."
Max exhaled and got up from his chair.
He took an energy jelly from the fridge, bit into it, and opened the office window.
"Whew!"
What seeped through his nose was the moisture accumulated under the night sky.
Though hazy, it was incomparably fresher than the lower district.
'Done.'
Now that he had reached 4th rank, even the promotional materials of the corporations dominating the night sky looked beautiful.
Not the pitch-black night sky, but the sky where purple and indigo were chaotically mixed with holograms—even that didn't seem so bad today.
'The flow is good.'
Compared to the past, reaching 4th rank at an absurdly young age.
This joy is hard to express in words.
'Just one more step, and I'm back to where I was.'
Max's relaxed contemplation didn't last long.
An unpleasant noise barged in like an uninvited guest.
VROOOOOOM!!!
A noisy group of bikers came into view.
─ Kiyaaa!!!
─ Get out of the way! You bastards!
─ Wooohaaa!
They were even firing guns into the air, bang! bang!
One had a mohawk with cyberware plastered all over his remaining scalp, another had connected his eyes into laser goggles.
There was a crazy guy who had modified his prosthetic arm to be integral with his motorcycle for driving, and an idiot riding with a liquor bottle in his mouth.
Every single one was a group with incredible individuality.
'Bikers have never invaded this far before.'
Maybe they got bored with their usual routes.
Max watched the approaching motorcycles as he sucked down the energy jelly.
'Is that the group the crossdresser wanted me to kill?'
There was a person who came asking for a quote to deal with bikers because he couldn't sleep.
The price wasn't right so it fell through, but recalling the request details, the description matched them exactly.
'I'm in a good mood anyway. Should I do some free charity?'
Max went down to the alley through the window. With a proper use of telekinesis, he landed softly.
A bike with illegally modified lights rushing toward him came into view.
The bikers also noticed Max.
"What's that retard?"
"Kyahehehehe!!! Just run him over!"
"Speed up! The slowest one pays for the drinks!"
Instead, the group increased their speed and closed in on Max.
All the motorcycles caught by telekinesis floated into the air, spinning their wheels uselessly.
"I'm in a good mood today. If you say you'll go somewhere quiet outside District 27, I'll be nice about──."
Before Max could even finish, the bikers pulled out their guns.
"This bastard!"
"It's a trap! Kill him!"
"Ah, my bottle dropped! Shit!"
They pulled the triggers without hesitation.
Their boldness was admirable, but ordinary guns are powerless in front of Max. The bullets stopped.
'They don't even recognize I'm a mage.'
Max frowned at the smell coming from the bikers.
A pungent ammonia smell was stronger than alcohol or tobacco.
They must have forgotten their senses with low-grade drugs akin to glue and come this far.
"Well, if you insist on being test subjects..."
Before dealing with them, he checked the guns they were holding.
'Onimaru, Neutro, Homura F, Bape 3000... Nothing worth salvaging.'
All cheap guns.
Which means they enjoy rampaging in District 20 but aren't from District 20.
"Everyone, step back. I can't be responsible if you get caught in this."
Max moved back the gambling den on the first floor and the onlookers who had come out to watch.
Mana flowed through his newly expanded circuits, forming a system.
4th-rank impact magic.
[Atlas Fall]
─CRACK! The area where the bikers had been was crushed flat.
There wasn't even a scream.
Motorcycles and people flattened and merged with the ground.
As soon as it was over, the spectators swarmed the bodies.
"Wow, isn't that like a hamburger patty?"
"That's so satisfying. Magic really has romance."
"Ptooey! These bastards~ Who do you think you are, crawling in here?"
Passersby spat on what used to be the bikers and took pictures.
Some guy even pissed on them, saying "Rest in peace."
'Since there were witnesses, it'll be good publicity.'
Just as Max was satisfied that the noise had disappeared and was about to return to the office...
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
Two messages arrived at the same time.
[Ellen Clements: Did you use the Diamond Spike? lol]
[Flora Crimsonhowl: Oppa, can you talk for a sec?]
'Those two really are a perfect match.'
Of course, neither would admit it.
Max chuckled as he climbed the stairs.