On the Airship (1)

It was the day of the field trip. To prepare for the biting cold of the North, and to have something suitable to wear going forward, I took out and put on the Night's Veil. The coat went over my uniform, and it suited me quite well. My backpack was stuffed full. Since we would be staying in the North for a few days, I had packed everything I might possibly need.

The airship waiting at the assembly point for the cadets was shaped like a massive ship.

"It's... huge," Yuri muttered, staring up at the vessel.

I had seen it in the game, but seeing it in reality made its scale feel even more magnificent. How on earth did it float? Magic, magi-tech, and other theories came to mind, but as long as it flew, did the details really matter?

Following the instructors' guidance, the cadets began boarding. The interior was luxurious, reminiscent of a modern cruise ship. It practically reeked of wealth. Most of the cadets gasped in awe.

Yuri was equally excited, her eyes wide as she looked around. Once they arrived in the grand hall inside, the instructors repeated the explanations they had given before boarding—mostly simple precautions.

Among the instructors, I saw Priscilla's face. She looked thoroughly exhausted. She was joining us on this trip. Because of that, a priest had been temporarily called to the Academy to treat cadets in her stead.

After the tedious explanations ended, the cadets were finally given free time. The airship was scheduled to depart shortly.

"Why don't we look around the airship together? It would be especially good for you to get familiar with the layout, Zeto."

Eisel, who had been looking indifferent to Yuri's suggestion, spoke up.

"...I think I'll go unpack my bags and rest first. I'm tired."

"...Really? What about you, Zeto?"

Eisel left those words and disappeared toward the cabins. Yuri, left behind, stared at me with a lingering look of disappointment. She probably wanted Eisel to join us.

But Eisel was a regressor; she had no interest in the airship. To her, this place was all too familiar.

Lately, Eisel had been acting like this. I couldn't tell if she was avoiding me or just avoiding people in general, but I hoped it wasn't because of some complicated problem.

"It might be a hassle for you, but I would appreciate it."

There was no reason to decline Yuri's kindness. I also wanted to look around, so I agreed.

At my smiling response, Yuri's face brightened instantly, and she grabbed my hand.

"This way!"

Yuri ran off like a child, pulling me along. She was naturally full of curiosity. Though I was dragged along unexpectedly, I felt a little excited too. The first place we headed was...

"This is the deck. I wanted to watch the airship take off from here. Is that okay?" Yuri asked, holding onto the railing with one hand.

It was the deck of the airship. High railings lined the edge, with warning signs posted. According to the instructors, the deck remained open during low-speed flight but would close once we transitioned to high-speed flight.

"Of course it is. As long as I can memorize the path, anywhere is fine with me."

"...Really? Then..."

Yuri's voice carried a hint of disappointment. Her gaze fell upon my eyes. Was she feeling down because she couldn't share the sights we were about to see with me?

Other cadets seemed to have the same idea of experiencing the departure from the deck, as quite a few of them were coming up. Among them were Lucia, Crank, and Amon.

Did those three actually become friends?

It was a highly unusual combination.

Lucia spotted me and called out, "Zeto! Yuri too!"

Lucia hopped over to us, with Amon and Crank following close behind.

"What's this? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You three are hanging out together?" Yuri asked curiously.

Amon glanced at Lucia and spoke. "It is not by choice. It is an order from Instructor Edward."

"Haha! He suddenly singled out Amon and me... saying it would be troublesome if Lucia caused any trouble. Well, personally, I think it's fun to look around together," Crank added with a good-natured grin.

Hearing their words, I glanced in Lucia's direction.

"I wonder when the airship will start?!"

Lucia had already cast wind magic and was floating in the air above the deck like a soap bubble. Floating right next to her was Sierra.

Sierra was examining the brightly laughing Lucia with a serious expression.

Fortunately, Lucia was not the successor. In fact, she was the only one among the first-years of the Four Elemental Families who wasn't. To begin with, she had no ambition for the position, and I recalled that her younger sister had naturally become the successor. Occasionally, you could meet Lucia's sister in the game, and unlike her older sister, she was extremely sharp and competent.

"More importantly, this is quite surprising. To see someone who usually despises men holding hands like that," Amon said, staring intently at Yuri and me holding hands.

"Huh?" Yuri immediately snapped back, her voice sharp.

But Amon's next words were contrary to her expectations.

"Though, if it is Zeto, it might indeed be acceptable. Splendid, Yuri Clementine. Your father might be pleased to hear this news."

"It's not like that! I'm just guiding him because he can't see!" Yuri retorted.

Even so, she didn't let go of my hand. If anything, her grip tightened.

Amon, maintaining his expressionless face, spoke again. "If you say so. Lucia, get down. You are banned from the deck from now on."

"Eh..."

Lucia, who had been floating in the air, immediately descended at Amon's scolding, her feet touching the deck. Surprisingly, she was quite easy to control.

Crank and Amon immediately dragged Lucia back down below deck. Once they disappeared, I spoke to the dumbfounded Yuri.

"Have you known each other since childhood?"

"Yeah, we're of similar age and from the Four Elemental Families... but we aren't that close. When we were kids, if Amon and Lucia played pranks, I'd just give them a good noggin knock."

"Haha, I suppose Amon was quite mischievous when he was young. What about Orphel?"

"Hmm... Orphel was always so quiet that we barely spoke..."

"Still, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠two seemed to coordinate well."

"That's just Orphel accommodating me. He's always been like that."

Yuri finally let go of my hand and leaned against the railing as she spoke.

The fact that four children grew up to enter the Academy at the same time felt quite romantic... and stories about the Four Elemental Families were always interesting and unique.

Then, Yuri suddenly asked me a question. "By the way, Zeto... speaking of the mock battle... that technique that strains your body... you won't actually have to use it so recklessly in the future, right?"

Was she talking about the Second Form again? Yuri seemed to still be concerned about how I had coughed up blood.

"I suppose so. It would be quite dangerous to lose consciousness like that in front of an enemy."

"...Right? I trust you'll handle yourself well. I was just worried. It seemed like a dangerous technique..." Yuri said, slowly pushing herself off the railing.

But sometimes, one must push themselves to protect those they cherish.

Cherished people. Important figures. Precious characters. To me, there were many such people. But I didn't voice those thoughts. I was growing stronger precisely to prevent such situations from happening...

"...Don't worry too much. More importantly, did you choose a good weapon from the armory?" I said, naturally changing the subject. Continuing that line of conversation would only ruin the mood.

In the game, the weapon Yuri chose from the armory was always set.

"Yeah, in fact, I'm wearing it right now. Here." Yuri rolled up her sleeve and placed my hand on her wrist.

"Do you wear it on your wrist? It's thin enough that it wouldn't show even if you hid it."

"I was looking around the weapons, and this one just drew me in... According to the staff, it amplifies fire magic. The donor is anonymous."

"Hmm... It drew you in... How fascinating."

"Right?" Yuri smiled softly at me.

She would find out eventually, but this wrist guard was a weapon donated by someone from the Clementine family. A Clementine ancestor, so to speak. Perhaps that was why it possessed such perfect compatibility with Yuri.

As we talked about the armory, an unfamiliar signal sounded from the airship, and it began to vibrate. The airship was starting its flight.

"Finally...!" Yuri gripped the railing, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Soon, the airship began to rise into the air. As it ascended vertically, the surrounding view of the Academy gradually shrank. The cadets on the deck cheered. The instructors with them, having ridden it several times already, looked indifferent to the scenery, only occasionally warning the cadets to be careful.

Before I knew it, Sierra had approached and linked her arm with mine. It was so natural that it wouldn't be noticeable to others. Except... Sierra's breasts pressing against my arm made me a bit self-conscious.

"..."

Yuri stared at the unfolding scenery in silence. She kept casting sidelong glances at the bandages covering my eyes. She didn't seem to be fully enjoying herself. Unable to watch her like this, I spoke up.

"The view is beautiful."

"......Pfft, indeed it is."

Yuri paused for a moment at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my words, and only then did a smile spread across her lips. She looked happy.

Afterward, we went down from the deck and explored various facilities inside the airship together. Yuri's guidance was incredibly kind, occasionally asking if I was memorizing the layout well.

"Excuse me, what is this room?"

Eventually, we came across a facility that even Yuri didn't recognize, so she asked a nearby staff member for an explanation. Once she learned the identity of this place, her face would surely turn red.

"Ah, this is what we call the 'sauna'! It uses the heat of the airship to warm up the air inside the room, allowing you to sweat it out!"

The bright-faced staff member explained. Yuri, still curious, asked another question.

"Sweat it out...?"

"Yes! You go in wrapped in a towel and have a refreshing sweat. It's a very popular facility among the cadets. Since they can't exercise on board, they say they might as well sweat it out. Hohoho."

"Ah... Thank you for the explanation," Yuri, being a mage, responded with a lukewarm voice, seemingly unable to comprehend the appeal.

After all, this was a facility that cadets who didn't use magic would use more often.

"You two can use it together as well. The sauna is co-ed. Well then, excuse me... Hm-hm-hm~" With those words, the staff member hummed a tune and disappeared down the hallway.

"Co-ed... Didn't they say you go in wrapped in a towel...?" Yuri muttered in a small, shocked voice, her face serious.

In the game, the sauna was popular among players for a different reason. To put it simply, the sauna was a place where you could trigger event scenes. Because of this, some players would buy cooling potions in advance and camp out in the sauna just to see as many character event scenes as possible.

"Um... well, I guess... we don't really need to remember this place..." Yuri, perhaps imagining the inside of the sauna, spoke with a flushed face, her head lowered.

Sierra's reaction was no different.

Well...

I hadn't planned on going, but usually, when things like this happen...

As those thoughts crossed my mind, Yuri suddenly grabbed my hand and began walking down the hallway. Whether I would really have no reason to go... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wasn't so sure myself.