Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Flames Racing Across the Wasteland☆ (2)
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Following Eir's suggestion, we took an airship from Mimir Industrial High School to Scarlet Academy, feeling like tourists.
There, a classic Clara-style "power-in-hiding" event unexpectedly kicked off.
No matter how much the original story had changed.
If she wasn't getting kidnapped, she wasn't Clara.
So I went for it.
‘Well, that was kind of sudden… I wonder if my juniors will be able to keep up?’
The one who had kidnapped(?) me was a fresh-faced, second-year delinquent leader. She was frantically making her escape, riding a cheap ether bike she’d procured from somewhere.
The roar of the cheap engine echoed loudly on the road.
Vroooom—!
‘So this is… Clara’s point of view.’
The perspective of the one being kidnapped.
A wave of powerlessness and emptiness washed over me, and my heart pounded at the thought of what dark deeds might befall me at any moment. Even knowing it wouldn't actually happen, a strange tension built up.
‘Is the human mind truly so susceptible to illusion?’
The sensation of intentionally letting a weaker person overpower you.
A dark, ticklish laugh escaped my lips.
‘When I was pinned under Hilde, helplessly getting kissed, I was genuinely scared… but this could be a bit of fun in its own way.’
Unlike that prison of softness and pink-tinged desire, the scenery of this moment was fresh and new.
Quite a comical sight, indeed.
Holding that thought in my heart, I screamed.
“Kyaaaa—☆ I’m being kidnappeeeed—☆”
“Sh-shut up! You’re distracting me, so shut your mouth—!!”
“Okay—☆”
I was screaming while clinging to the back seat, only to be scolded by my second-year delinquent junior.
“Ugh…!”
She seemed desperate.
Of all the people in the massive crowd and our group back there, only the delinquent leader who got caught up in this was genuinely fearing for her life.
‘Does she really think Scarlet Academy is seriously trying to exterminate her?’
It was ironic.
That the perpetrator of the crime was the only one misunderstanding the situation.
‘If she can use [Wave Ether], she’s pretty strong even in Academy City… but I guess that’s no match for the madness of Scarlet Academy…? I should tell the others to take it easy on her later.’
Vroooom—!
We were already on the road leading to the outskirts.
I stopped grating on her nerves with my screams and quietly looked up at the sky. Countless stars dotted the summer night sky of the northern wasteland. We were fleeing, following those stars.
“Hahh…! Hah!”
And I could hear ragged breathing next to my ear. It sounded like the delinquent leader, panting from the excitement of her successful escape.
She was feeling the thrilling joy of deviance.
The delinquent leader let out a cry of excitement, having overcome her fear.
“Hehehe…! I lost them all—!! I’m gonna dash to the hideout, grab my stuff, and get out of here—!!”
“Ooh!! You can do it—☆ Let’s run away to the edge of the horizon together!”
“What?! You’re the hostage!! I’m leaving you at the hideout!!”
“Ooh… so mean…☆”
But don't kidnappers usually just let their hostages go quietly once they've served their purpose?
“…”
I wouldn't know, having never been kidnapped before… but this girl, though a fool, didn't seem like a bad person.
“Hehehe!! Hahaha!!”
Even though she just got swept up in this, I was glad she seemed to be making a fun memory out of it. If we can laugh together, isn't that a good thing?
Her laughter lifted my own spirits.
Good for Clara, good for the delinquent.
What a joyous occasion♪
What a joyous occasion♪
Ahaha…☆
And so, the hostage and the kidnapper laughed together.
“Hahahahahahaha!!!”
“Ahahahahahahaha—☆”
But the delinquent leader shot a look at me and yelled, her face colored with bewilderment.
“Wh-what are you?! Stop laughing!! I might get attached—!!”
“Aww…☆”
Just then.
A multitude of noises faintly reached us from behind.
Like the sound of a concert echoing outside the venue.
[……!]
“Hm?”
“Huh…?”
A noise from far away.
Within the sounds echoing from the ballroom of violence, the dance of countless ladies could still be heard. Their party was still going on.
But it was strange.
By now, aside from the few who were chasing us, the noise should have been fading. Yet, despite the distance, the volume showed no signs of decreasing.
‘It’s outside my cognitive range, so I can’t hear it clearly… but the rate at which it’s getting distant is slow?’
No…
‘The sound… is getting closer…?!’
The kidnapper and I realized it at the same time and whipped our heads around to look behind us. And there, an incredible sight unfolded.
“…!”
“…!”
A dazzling light pursued us.
The airship that traveled between Mimir Industrial High School and Scarlet Academy. The massive vessel was leisurely following us from beyond the horizon.
Searchlights flared, illuminating us. And soon after, a giant loudspeaker spewed forth a girl’s husky voice.
[Hey!! Hey!! Stop, you bastards!! Stop fighting and look over there!! Our sister!! Isn’t she being kidnapped—!!]
-Pink!! I saw pink!! Hyaaaaa—!!
-Let’s go save our sister—!
-Aaargh!! Where is she?! Where’d she go!! Get her—!!
-Whatever, just give me more of a fight—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
[With the boss away!! I, ‘Fiona,’ second-in-command of Scarlet Academy’s brawling ranks, hereby declare—!! The festival’s main event has changed—!!]
Her hair was so red it was visible even from a distance.
A girl with a bob cut shorter than Alvitt’s grabbed the loudspeaker terminal on the airship and shouted like a rock star.
[To the one who races across the rugged wasteland and rescues our sister—!! I will grant the right to be a candidate in this year’s ‘Fighting Festival’—!!]
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
[Let the race—!! Begin—!!]
Vroom—!
Vroom—!
Vroom—!
And in response to that incredible, booming broadcast,
Giant cheers erupted from all around. Cheers from the spectators who were following us in countless vehicles.
-Waaaaaaah—!!!
They were clearly from other schools.
They shook their heads or honked their car horns, shouting.
They all seemed to have lost their minds, drunk on dopamine and excitement.
-Waaaaaaah—!!!
The event had suddenly switched from a fight-watching to a race-watching, but everyone was keeping up with the insane energy, cheering wildly.
I was momentarily stunned.
‘Where did they come from?! And I thought Eir said she was entering the Fighting Festival this year…?’
The Fighting Festival, held around autumn.
It was a fighting tournament where only one student per school could participate.
The right to participate was, of course, decided by the student council president of that school. Therefore, Fiona’s impromptu declaration, as a candidate for the next president, seemed like a rather risky abuse of authority.
But Scarlet Academy didn't care about such trivial matters.
The sound of hundreds of bikes approaching from the distant horizon.
A post-apocalyptic scene.
Vroom—!
Vroom—!
Vroom—!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
It was a sight that would have been fitting for people with mohawks and leather jackets.
But riding the hundreds of bikes pouring out from the horizon were girls in red school uniforms. And among them were Alvitt and her group, wearing dumbfounded expressions.
‘I think… this has gotten a little out of hand.’
The kidnapper and I let out a groan as we watched the scene unfold.
“…”
“…”
Is this girl going to make it out of here alive…?
***
Eir was pointing a finger at the airship floating in the sky. Though she was stuttering in bewilderment, she desperately screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Fiona!! You brat!! H-hey, you!! I-I’m right here!! Your boss is right here!! You don’t have that kind of authority yet, you damn kid—!!”
Her voice, befitting a [Unique Ether] user, thundered across the heavens and earth. Then, Fiona’s puzzled reply came from the airship’s loudspeaker.
[Huh? Boss, you were there? You wanna join in too?]
“Join in, my ass!! I’m the one participating in the Fighting Festival this year!! You haven’t even awakened your [Unique Ether] yet—!!”
Fiona held the terminal and tilted her head for a moment, then scratched her short bob and replied.
[Ah… whatever. I’ll just awaken my [Unique Ether] then, no big deal… And isn’t it your fault for not being here, boss? Anyway, the race has started!! Go!! Go, warriors—!! I’ll follow you in the airship!!]
The airship slowly began to accelerate, chasing a single bike that looked like a mere dot in the distance.
Eir slapped her forehead with her palm and sighed.
“Dammit! There’s no way these crazy bitches would handle things themselves!”
“…S-sorry. My senior…!”
“Huh?”
“I said I’m sorry!!”
Vrooom—!
Alvitt pulled up beside her on a bike, speaking hesitantly. A vehicle carrying her classmates was following next to her.
Eir shook her head violently and said.
“No, it’s my fault for expecting those crazy bitches to play nice on their own! Move! I’m the one catching [The Spiral] now!! I’m going to the Fighting Festival—!!”
“W-wait a minute!! It’s not about catching her, it’s about rescuing my senior…!!”
“Just you wait, [Spiral]!! For the sake of the Fighting Festival, I will definitely catch you—!!”
Vroooaaaaar—!!
But Alvitt’s protest was drowned out by the sound of the throttle Eir had violently twisted.
And countless bikes, letting out bizarre roars, raced toward the distant wasteland.
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
-Hyaaaaa—!!
Countless spectators followed in their cars, cheering.
Countless girls in red raced on their bikes.
“…”
Alvitt watched the scene of madness unfolding before her and muttered helplessly.
“What in the world is with this… goddamn school?”
“So? What’s the plan now?”
Kara, driving the vehicle, pulled up next to Alvitt and asked. Beside her, Lotha sat with a stunned expression.
“…”
Alvitt suddenly recalled the numerous strange things Clara had done at the beginning of the semester.
Looking back on each one,
they were truly nothing but trouble.
But because of them, she had become the student council president of Central Prism Academy.
And because of them, she had grown by clashing with so many people.
“…”
Growth had always been waiting for her on the other side of every incident.
Was it all truly a coincidence?
At least, it didn't feel that way to Alvitt.
‘Besides, Senior Clara has never tried to trouble us with malicious intent… and in moments of real danger, she sacrifices everything…’
She still found it hard to understand Clara’s intentions or thoughts… but at least, there had never been a single time when her actions were driven by ill will.
“At the very least, my senior has never had bad intentions toward us. Maybe she’s planning something on her own this time, too?”
“…I see.”
“So we should follow, right?”
Alvitt grinned at Lotha's words. She felt like just going with the flow, following whatever Clara had gotten herself into without overthinking it.
“Yeah!”
Alvitt twisted the throttle of her bike, sticking close behind Eir who was racing ahead.
And when she looked forward, an incredible sight was unfolding.
In the dark night.
Across the northern wasteland, girls in red were speeding along with a multitude of sounds. It was an overwhelming spectacle, like countless flames blazing, yet it was comical due to the bizarre noises and utter lack of direction.
“Haha.”
Seeing it, Alvitt couldn't help but start laughing.
“Pfft.”
“Heh heh…!”
Kara, Lotha… they all started to let out disbelieving laughs amidst this foolish spectacle.