A Dangerous Proposal
Sakuragi Luna.
I never imagined that I would come face to face with this girl in reality, let alone standing right beside my father.
In the midst of an awkward silence, I turned my head to look at him.
“...Who is this person?”
I already knew before hearing the name, but I asked anyway, as if confirming.
My father answered in his characteristically dry voice.
“Sakuragi Luna. She’s a student scheduled to transfer in soon. She was originally helping with my research, but she wanted to have a look around, so she came along this time.”
I knew Luna was a character who assisted with Dracore-related research. What I hadn’t expected at all was that it was connected to my father’s work.
A character I had seen countless times on screen was now sharing reality with me in such a close relationship.
It felt bewildering, and somewhere in the back of my mind, almost absurd.
At the same time, one thing became clear.
The world’s timeline was still before the main story began. Luna only appeared as a transfer student right around the start of the anime.
In other words, I was now standing at the starting line.
Luna must have caught my reaction. She tilted her head and spoke.
“Hmm… Have you seen me somewhere before?”
The question was light, but her eyes held an obvious probe. She was trying to read my expression.
“Why ask that all of a sudden?”
“No reason. It’s just that your face looked funny. Like you’d run into someone you were happy to see. I’m not exactly a common face, you know.”
I gave an awkward smile at her words.
“Well. It’s my first time seeing you today, but maybe it’s because you’re such a beauty?”
Luna narrowed her eyes, then slowly curved her lips upward.
“Pfft. A beauty, huh. You really know how to talk to someone you’ve just met. Did you fall for me at first sight?”
Her laugh was an exquisite blend of teasing and provocation. Yet it was undeniably seductive and enchanting.
Just looking at her was enough to steal someone’s breath away. She truly had a beautiful face.
But I knew exactly what kind of character Luna was.
On screen, she was what people called a troublemaker. Her defining traits were unrestrained provocations and unpredictable words and actions—a completely eccentric personality.
…That was why.
My heart beat two tempos faster, but it wasn’t from excitement.
There was definitely curiosity, and it burned intensely enough that I couldn’t ignore it. But I had no intention of approaching her recklessly just because of that.
I turned back toward my father.
“So… why did you call me? Does it have something to do with her?”
My father paused for a beat before answering.
“Yes. It was Luna’s request that I called for you.”
My eyebrows rose slightly at that.
“Her request?”
“It seems she heard about you somewhere recently. She’s helped with various things around the lab, so I made the time.”
I looked at Luna again.
The corners of her mouth were lifted just a fraction. That playful, relaxed expression. I couldn’t begin to guess what she was thinking.
Then she gave a small dip of her head before lifting her gaze back to me.
“But, you know…”
With her lips still curved, she murmured.
“Any thoughts on coupling with me?”
The words weren’t sudden or heavy.
It was as casual as asking if I wanted to grab something to eat.
Yet a strange aftertaste lingered behind them.
It sounded like a joke, but somehow it felt sincere.
I didn’t answer. I simply looked into her eyes once more. Those crimson-dyed irises, vivid to the point of being alien.
…She had asked with a smile, but those eyes were dead serious.
It made sense. Luna was genuinely searching for a partner.
More precisely, a partner who would follow her into hell and fight until they died.
“…Luna. That won’t do. Coupling between you and Yuuito is far too dangerous.”
At that moment, my father’s voice cut between us, firm and decisive.
“Your sensory feedback is unstable to begin with, and most partners who’ve tried coupling with you have complained of severe mental distress. There are too many risk factors.”
Luna narrowed her eyes as if he had pointed out something unpleasant, but she remained silent and simply listened.
Seeming used to her attitude, my father paid it no mind and turned his gaze to me.
“Besides, Yuuito will likely be utilized in far more important research going forward. His synchronization values and response patterns are unique, and there are still many variables we don’t understand. I don’t want to give him any unnecessary stimulation here.”
“Aww~ But wouldn’t it be different with a guy? Who knows? We might actually match really well. My synchronization rate is pretty high too, you know?”
Luna turned her gaze toward me and laughed playfully. Her tone was light, but her eyes still carried weight.
“…That’s not for you to decide.”
My father responded without the slightest hesitation.
“Haa, I thought that stiff attitude of yours looked pretty cool back at the lab.”
Luna placed one hand on her hip.
“Turns out you’re just stingy after all.”
She pouted and let out a sigh, then quickly shifted her eyes back to me.
“Anyway, since I’m already here, I want to look around the academy a bit. Mind showing me around?”
The sudden suggestion made me blink.
To begin with, today was my first time here too. Honestly, I didn’t know anything properly.
“This is my first time here as well. I don’t even know where anything is.”
Luna shrugged as if that made it even more interesting.
“Then it’ll be more fun. Two people who don’t know anything, just wandering around lost. Let’s get moving.”
I looked at my father with a helpless expression, silently asking what I should do.
He gave a small nod.
“Entertain her appropriately. Once she’s satisfied, send her back to me.”
“…No.”
I stopped before I could finish.
My father’s face clearly looked exhausted, and his eyes carried a silent plea that said just handle it for me. Seeing that, I realized there was no point in arguing further.
He must have been through a lot.
Knowing Luna’s personality, I could roughly understand his attitude.
As father and son exchanged that wordless understanding, Luna suddenly poked my side.
“Hurry up. I’ve actually been looking forward to this since last night.”
With a mischievous glint in her eyes and the corners of her mouth lifted, she stepped right in front of me.
I let out a light sigh.
There was no good excuse to refuse, and no real reason to run away.
“Fine. But I really am new here too, so if we get lost, it’s your fault.”
“Perfect! Then I’ll lead the way!”
Luna spun around triumphantly, and I had no choice but to follow after her.
For now, I decided to simply tag along in whatever direction she wanted to go.
And of course, we got lost.
The biggest reason was that Luna went wherever her whims took her, but ultimately it was because I still didn’t know the academy’s layout. The place was simply too vast.
“Where are we…?”
I looked around, trying to get my bearings. The hallway was empty and the guide panels were turned off.
That was when it happened.
A heavy vibration rumbled from beneath the floor.
At first it sounded like something thudding far away, but soon the weight traveled from the tips of my toes all the way to the top of my head.
I quickly realized what it was.
The sound belonged to a Dracore.
Luna seemed to have noticed it too. Her eyes sparkled as she brushed past me and dashed forward.
“It sounds like a Dracore moving nearby! Let’s go see!”
There was no time to reply. She was already running toward the end of the corridor. I had no choice but to follow.
When we arrived, two Dracores were engaged in a mock battle.
Beyond the glass railing, the plaza below was a virtual combat zone modeled after real buildings and terrain.
The two Dracores focused on combat were distinguished by differently colored panels. They moved with agility, keeping each other in check.
“Whoa… They’re actually fighting while riding Dracores. This really is an academy.”
Luna pressed herself against the railing, unable to hide her excitement.
Her eyes shone like a child’s. With her fingertips against the glass, she held her breath, following every single movement.
Watching her from the side, I suddenly remembered the morning. Originally, Yuzuki and the other students had been scheduled for Dracore practice today.
But because I had suddenly transferred in, the instructor had changed it to coupling practice.
That meant Yuzuki would have originally been doing this kind of combat training on a Dracore this morning.
“Heh… The movements aren’t bad. Especially that blue-striped one over there. That unit moves pretty well.”
Luna continued leaning against the glass, murmuring.
The blue-striped unit’s movements were so sharp and distinct that you could sense its superiority just from the color coding.
Because of that, Luna’s gaze remained fixed on it. Her focus went beyond simple curiosity—it was closer to an assessment, weighing her opponent.
That was when it happened.
Steady footsteps echoed from the hallway behind us.
“This area is off-limits during practice. You’re not supposed to approach carelessly.”
A cold, decisive voice. When I turned, I saw a woman with a neatly tied ponytail wearing a military pilot suit approaching.
It was Instructor Amagi Kyoko.
The moment she saw me, she frowned slightly.
“Yuuito? What are you doing here?”
“We were just watching. This student said she was curious.”
When I pointed at her, Luna stood there blankly for a second before flashing a bright grin.
Kyoko crossed her arms and gave Luna a once-over.
“You’re… Sakuragi Luna? The girl from the research lab, right?”
“That’s me.”
Luna nodded cheerfully, looking completely innocent as if she had no idea what the problem was.
“Haa… If you two are wandering around here and something happens, I’m the one who’ll have to take responsibility.”
Kyoko sighed and walked closer. At first she looked ready to chase us out, but her eyes flicked back and forth between us, hesitating before changing.
“…Never mind. Instead of watching awkwardly from here, come observe properly from the observer room.”
“Observe?”
“The Class 1-B students are already watching from there.”
Kyoko jerked her chin toward the two Dracores below the railing.
“If you’ll just watch quietly, I’ll allow it. Follow me.”
We followed Kyoko out of the hallway. After climbing a narrow set of stairs, we reached a small room with glass walls on both sides. A sign hung outside.
Dedicated Practice Observation Room
Kyoko opened the door ahead of us.
Inside, roughly eight students were already seated. They all wore pilot suits and watched the Dracore movements with serious expressions, as if analyzing them.
When we opened the door and stepped in, they turned one by one, wondering who we were. A small murmur spread through the room.
“…Is that a guy?”
“No way, it’s real. The transfer student they were talking about?”
“A male who can actually pilot a Dracore…”
Soon every eye was on me.
Luna seemed to find their reaction amusing. The corners of her mouth lifted as she leaned toward me.
“Looks like you’re popular. The girls’ stares are pretty intense, huh?”
“…Yeah.”
I muttered with a bitter smile.
“Take the empty seats over there.”
At Instructor Kyoko’s words, we quietly sat in the vacant seats at the back.
Beyond the glass, in the heart of the battlefield, the two Dracores continued their fierce dance.
I watched the battlefield in silence. The fact that I was facing the Dracore battles I had only ever seen through a screen—this close, in the flesh—made my heart beat strangely fast.
Even the indirect reverberations of the shockwaves that formed with every movement. All of it was real.
…But who was inside those cockpits?
As that thought crossed my mind, quiet voices drifted from beside me.
A few students from Class 1-B were quietly exchanging admiration.
“Isn’t Haruka seriously amazing?”
“She’s like a wild animal. Can a person really move like that?”
“They say Iori’s feedback is perfect too. I heard their synchronization rate went over seventy in the last class.”
Hearing those words, I turned my gaze back beyond the glass.
Iori.
Haruka.
Familiar names.
Of course they were. They were the true protagonist duo of this world.