Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: I'll Cross Any Line ☆ (1)
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The very heart of Academy City Yggd.
This was the location of the United Student Council's central headquarters.
Here, a meeting of the United Student Council's highest-ranking executives was underway.
Beyond a door heavily guarded by numerous students from Aesir Girls' High School, the meeting room's interior was remarkably plain, furnished with nothing more than a large steel table, chairs, and a clutter of reports.
As befitting the prestigious Aesir Girls' High School, a gathering place for the daughters of powerful military families, no unnecessary luxury was afforded to the school or its facilities. That atmosphere had extended to the United Student Council, which was dominated by its graduates.
Three students were seated in the plain, silent room. There should have been four, but one was currently absent on external business.
A black-haired wolf beastkin.
A white-skinned elf.
And the supreme authority of the Academy City.
Twitch.
Twitch.
Among them, Sieglinde, the second-year vice president, twitched her black wolf ears. Her long, straight black hair was tied back without a single stray strand as she continued her report in a stiff, formal posture.
"...And that concludes the progress report on the 27 simultaneous kidnapping incidents that occurred up to early April. Since your direct intervention in the northern incident, President, sightings of Ratatoskr 'Apostles' have been rapidly decreasing."
"..."
"However, as this could be another of the enemy's deceptive tactics, I have instructed the students trained in the 'Ratatoskr Apostle Counter-Tactics,' which you personally established, to remain vigilant on their patrols."
"..."
"Furthermore, regarding the movements of the Public Vana Boarding School and Svart Industrial High School, they have remained passive since your inspection, even as exchanges between the eastern and northern sectors have become more active."
"..."
As Brynhildr listened to the briefing, she sensed the loyalty in Sieglinde's subtle flattery but didn't react, her eyes fixed on the report. She wasn't sitting here to be revered by others.
Rustle.
Rustle.
Brynhildr's hand paused as she listlessly flipped through the pages.
*...Lara.*
In the center of the page she had stopped on.
There was a photo of a female student, wrapped in bandages, smiling brightly.
Her slender limbs were bandaged as she ate a snack.
Brynhildr gazed at the image for a moment.
"..."
The way her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's was so cute it made her heart ache.
A smile brimming with satisfaction, like a flower bud on the verge of bursting.
An undeniable cuteness that would surely leave anyone who saw it mesmerized.
*That is... quite unpleasant.*
The thought of sharing Clara with anyone else made her feel nauseous.
My rival.
My equal.
My shade of pink.
My spring breeze.
My fragrant flower.
My... mine alone...
*And yet I have to share it...?*
Her fist clenched on its own.
Grind...
"..."
No...
To burn with hatred over something that hadn't even happened was unsightly.
Brynhildr unclenched her fist and looked at the photo again.
She had always seen others eating as a mere physiological act for survival. But now, she realized that watching someone eat with such delight could warm one's heart so.
*Crumbs... you're getting them all over yourself, Lara.*
She wanted to wipe them away for her, but unfortunately, it was just a photograph.
*...But who took this picture?*
It must have been one of the health committee students...
Someone had already seen the sight she wanted to cherish for herself.
It was somewhat disappointing, and it made her a little angry.
*No... a memory to cherish alone... I already have one.*
The scent of lavender-like hair faintly brushed through Brynhildr's mind. She knew it was a strange act, yet a disgusting sense of pleasure welled up from a deep corner of her heart.
The pale line of her neck.
Guilt and depravity.
Solitude and reunion.
Pink lips, a fragrant breath.
To smell Clara's scent.
It was a greed as cruel and one-sided as violence.
A dark act, committed in a desperate attempt to hold onto her, as if she might vanish from this world. And to have the other person permit it brought an indescribably foul and profound satisfaction.
"..."
A sticky sense of superiority oozed out.
Only I can do that to her.
Only I...
Only I...
『Because I am your one and only eternal rival—☆』
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
Brynhildr's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
But not wanting the sensitive, high-level ether users—the vice president and treasurer—to notice, she drew a small amount of her ether skill, lightning, to regulate her heartbeat.
*[Grimnir]... minimum output...*
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
Thud...
...
...
Thump—
Thump—
Her heart returned to its normal rhythm.
"..."
Brynhildr continued reading the report, her expression unchanged.
Her mind had gone a little hazy when her heart had momentarily stopped, but this was manageable. The vice president and treasurer still hadn't noticed, merely repeating the details of a meeting they were all already familiar with, following procedure.
Rustle.
Rustle.
The pages turned, one by one.
"..."
Flip—
Distracted again.
She flipped back through the report to look at the photo again.
And there was Clara's dazzlingly beautiful face.
She instinctively covered the photo slightly, as if to prevent the light from leaking out.
*Haaah...*
How could such an adorable creature even exist?
She was truly a bewitching shade of pink.
Brynhildr thought with a sense of trepidation.
*Next time... should I send more snacks? I thought sending food to others was... an insult, but I never imagined she'd like it so much...*
Doing as she was told.
Eating the food she sent.
Following her tastes.
A sharp pang shot through a corner of her chest.
"...!"
Brynhildr felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
*I should order Vel at the garrison to engage more actively with Central Prism Academy.*
She wanted to know more about Lara.
She needed to prepare for a time more intense and profound than the lost year...
A time that would be truly rewarding.
As Brynhildr was lost in her delusions, flipping back and forth through the report, an indifferent gaze was watching her.
"..."
It was the third-year treasurer, Erda, an elf with pale lemon-colored hair swept back.
A graduate of Holy Alfheim High School.
She looked at Sieglinde, who was talking to herself, and Brynhildr, who was lost in her fantasies.
"...Hmph."
Erda shook her head.
***
In a vacant wasteland a short distance from Central Prism Academy.
I'd used the excuse of going for a drive with Maya to drive the truck out here.
Every time I tried to leave my room, the chicks would follow me with teary eyes. The only physical activity they would permit was sitting in the passenger seat and enjoying a drive.
*Really... It's been weeks, I'm fine now.*
Truly.
I swear to the heavens, I'm really okay.
Everything except my ether had completely healed.
Besides the stain left on my palm, I barely even had any scars.
*They only just allowed me to walk by myself three days ago. At this rate, I don't know how long I'll have to postpone my training.*
But if I trained openly in the main hall, I'd probably be confined to my room for a month. That's why I'd asked Maya, who had been shamelessly freeloading for a week, to give me a ride here.
*I wonder how long she plans on staying.*
Worried that Maya wasn't returning to her own school, I had asked her about it.
"But Maya, are you sure you don't have to go back☆? You're the head of the Facility Engineering Department, right♪"
"If we let the Material Engineering Department use our facilities for their projects, they'll break everything we have. So I told my kids to just go hole up wherever they can."
In other words, the Facility Engineering Department had declared a strike. And since this kind of interference from Svart Industrial High School was nothing new, everyone knew to just lie low until the situation calmed down.
Gulp, gulp.
Maya was slumped over in the vehicle, sipping from a flask of water. Even though she was with me, she paid no mind to what I was doing.
She must have been curious about what I was up to.
But her refusal to ask or pry felt like a principle of hers.
*She was so serious when all of Mimir Industrial High School was in danger...*
I turned my back to her languid gaze under the noon sun and stepped a few paces away from the truck, pulling out a practice weapon I had been carrying on my back.
Whoosh—!!
A blade over a meter long descended with a fierce gust of wind.
It was a greatsword, far larger than the longsword Alvitt used.
Of course, it was much cruder than the ones I had crafted for my juniors.
*It's good enough for practice.*
I held it with a steady grip.
"..."
Just holding the greatsword and taking a stance.
My body, which used to tremble uncontrollably whenever I held a weapon, was now calm.
*There's no rejection.*
I can use a weapon.
The realization sent a thrilling jolt through me.
I began to replicate the movements I had seen countless times during my days as The Pink Spiral.
Countless enemies.
Countless students.
Countless rivals.
The attacks unleashed by those who wielded a 'greatsword'.
From the sky to the earth.
A vertical drop.
A very basic slash.
I unleashed it.
Whoooosh—!!
The descending greatsword made a menacing sound. I followed the flow of the wind, shifting to a diagonal horizontal slash.
Whoooosh—!!
My vision spun as the greatsword completed a simple horizontal slash. Finally, I spun my body for a rotating slash.
Whoooosh—!!
"...Hoo."
A cross-slash and a spinning slash.
Basic movements that even an elementary school girl in this world could perform.
The greatsword, following these basic forms, obeyed my control precisely.
Although I wasn't channeling any ether, so there was no sky-rending sword energy, not even a gust of wind. It was just a simple strike... lifting a sword and swinging it.
"...I did it."
I did it.
I finally did it.
I had finally succeeded in that simple strike.
For two years, all I could do was tremble and drop my weapon.
"I... I have a weapon aptitude now♪"
As I declared it, I felt a pleasure like an electric current jolting my brain.
It felt as if a bird, permitted to run at 100 kilometers per hour but never to fly, had finally grown wings. Even if its flight speed was less than 50 kilometers per hour, it could now gaze upon the open sky and the vast earth below.
Finally.
I could see the same view as the other students.
*I can advance beyond the Apex, I can challenge the legends of this world.*
With Hilde.
On the same path.
I can now walk.
"...!"
A tear streamed down.
I didn't stop the tears of emotion.
Shedding tears alone in a dusty wasteland after unleashing a simple, empty strike was a pathetic sight. But the joy of having become 'the same' as others was immense.
I wanted to savor this feeling even more.
"Secret Art—☆"
I drew upon the tiny amount of ether I had gathered over the past few weeks. The red energy didn't gather with the same formidable power as before, but it was enough to summon hearts and begin plastering them onto the greatsword.
Vvvmm—
Vvvmm—
The red hearts slowly spiraled along the greatsword's blade. They naturally began to 'vibrate,' wrapping the weapon in a stable field.
*Once I master [Basic Ether], [Vibrating Ether] is just a matter of operational proficiency...*
I didn't have enough ether to go any further for now, but...
I prepared the ultimate technique I could use with second-stage ether operation.
An energy that 'resonates' with the world, gathering countless hearts in one place to make a flower of death bloom. The hearts spiraling along the greatsword's blade slowly heated to a white-hot glow, emitting a chilling sound.
Vvvvvmmmm...!!
It looked like a bride's bouquet.
A flower of resolve, blooming with a girl's love and excitement.
First Secret Art.
[Red Flower Dazzling].
Not a brutish blast unleashed with a fist.
But a martial artist's finesse, launched along a proper sword path.
I swung the greatsword, which had transformed into a faint, pure white flower.
A spiral of countless resonating hearts.
Though it contained not a single speck of [Unique Ether], the brilliant scattering of petals was beautiful enough to mesmerize.
Swoooosh—!!
Like a typhoon tearing through a flower field.
The sword energy, a storm of beautiful heart-petals, struck the empty air.
I swing the sword of flowers.
Swoooooosh—!!
And just as quickly, the destructive energy vanished.
The amount of ether it contained was incomparably small, but it was cleaner and more threatening than a blow from my fist.
For someone with the same understanding of ether operation, the difference would be several-fold.
*Now I finally understand why the other kids were so horrified when they saw The Pink Spiral fight.*
Mindlessly blasting away overflowing ether like a cannonball, fighting crudely with a forced level of mastery. Compared to ether martial arts using a weapon aptitude, it was no different from the fighting style of a barbarian.
*Damn developers... to think they'd block only Clara from experiencing this joy...*
I wiped away the blood that had started trickling from my nose and let out a proud smile.
"...Hehe☆"
I wanted to try other weapons when I got the chance.
***
On the way back, after waking up Maya who had fallen asleep.
I had snatched her flask and was using the water inside to wash the blood from my nose.
*Still, I'm glad I could wash it off quickly.*
Maya gripped the steering wheel and started talking nonsense.
"By the way, why do you guys always eat the same kind of canned corn?"
"Hm? What do you mean—☆? We're healthy girls who aren't picky eaters♪"
She knows our school's situation perfectly well, yet she asks such obvious questions.
"No, that's not it... didn't you feel something was off when you looked at the boxes of canned food?"
"Hm...?"
Maya glanced my way as she spoke.
"They were all from the same company, made in the same factory."
"Hmm...?"
"I mean, maybe it just happened that way from grabbing them randomly... but the fact that the employee serial numbers were similar too was a little creepy."
"Hmm..."
I had no idea what she was talking about.
Canned corn... all I remembered was scooping it out and eating it without a second thought.
*Ah.*
Come to think of it, I did have one memory associated with that company's canned food.
"Lara... why on earth do you eat this stuff? And you have a whole pile of it..."
"Uh, um—☆! It's from a company I like♪"
"I see."
And I seemed to recall Hilde staring intently at the can's label.
*The truth is, we got a huge batch that another school was about to throw away, but I was too embarrassed to tell Hilde, so I lied...*
I put a hand to my head at the sudden, embarrassing memory.
"Haaah...☆"
But other than that memory, nothing else came to mind.
Just as I was lost in deep thought, I sensed a presence up ahead and lifted my head.
In the middle of the distant, flat wasteland, a strange figure was moving.
Maya spotted it a moment later and slammed on the brakes.
"Huh."
"Hmm? What's that☆?"
A student dressed in rags was sitting in the middle of the wasteland road we were on. She raised a trembling hand and spoke in a faint voice.
"H-Help me, you dregs over there...!"
"...?"
"...Huh☆?"
Droopy purple cat ears.
One of the five strongest in the Academy City.
Her eyes scanned the faces in the truck, and then widened in horror.
"Y-Y-You... [Spiral]?!"
"Hi, Peeing Cat—♪"