B Class Coupling Tests
Bang! Bang!
The vibration rippled outward from the Dracore’s shoulder.
Suppressing the recoil, I kept my aim steady and squeezed the trigger. A razor-sharp flash burst from the rifle’s muzzle. The flame that flared with the gunshot streaked forward as a single lethal round, punching straight through the exact center of the target plate.
In the control room the system automatically tallied the hit, and the front panel flashed the result.
Yuzuki narrowed her eyes and whispered, almost to herself.
“...What the heck. How are you shooting like that? I thought this was your first time doing live-fire training.”
“That’s because you supported me so well, Yuzuki.”
“No, that’s not what I mean at all. This is way too perfect for a beginner. I’m literally just following your lead and assisting—”
Yuzuki glanced sideways at me from her seat in the cockpit. Her gaze held a clear flicker of suspicion. I smiled awkwardly, fully aware of that look.
The truth was, my current marksmanship came from Luna.
More precisely, the overwhelming sensations I had shared with her through coupling during that desperate battle against the Black Knight still lingered in my body. Every time I raised the rifle and locked onto a target, those memories surged back to the surface.
“This is because of Luna, isn’t it?”
Yuzuki spoke as if she had read my mind.
“...Did the coupling let you see that?”
“I was only guessing, but it looks like I hit the mark. Your emotions just spiked in the feedback, you know?”
“......”
That was the downside of an extremely high synchronization rate. The smallest feelings bled through whether you wanted them to or not.
“...I wanted to lead you through your first training session myself.”
Yuzuki puffed her cheeks in a small pout. But it wasn’t just surface-level sulking. Through the coupling, her honest emotions washed over me—disappointment, a faint trace of possessiveness—sinking deep into my chest.
I answered her the same way, not with words but with a pulse of feeling sent back through the neural link.
Yuzuki’s shoulders suddenly twitched.
“...Eek?! W-what was that just now?”
I gave a quiet laugh.
“Still not satisfied?”
“S-stop it… I get it, okay… Using coupling like that is just—”
Her voice trembled with embarrassment and confusion. The cockpit grew even warmer, thick with the feedback swirling between us.
Then came the next volley.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The rifle shuddered with continuous flashes, the barrel vibrating. Every round found its mark again, and then the next, and the one after that. It felt as though my primed senses were locking onto the targets by themselves. I simply let the flow of consciousness guide my shots.
2.
It was lunchtime. I was on my way back with Luna after our regular physical examination.
When I looked up, a fleet of massive Air Carriers was crossing the sky in formation. Each vessel flew at precise intervals, a Dracore suspended beneath it. Their silver armor caught the sunlight and flashed like blades. The sight was majestic and threatening, like an army marching toward the battlefield.
“...Don’t tell me another Outer has appeared?”
Luna answered casually beside me.
“No, it’s probably just training.”
“Training?”
“Yeah. The second-years are doing emergency-response drills based on worst-case scenarios. They’re getting hands-on experience with rapid deployment so they’ll be ready if they have to scramble on short notice.”
I nodded in understanding. By the time the last outline of the Air Carriers had vanished from sight, Luna spoke again, her voice low.
“If a real situation breaks out, you and I might have to deploy immediately. Even the second-years are training on the assumption they’ll see live combat soon.”
“...Well, that makes sense.”
My calm reply made Luna blink in surprise.
“Huh? You’re not even fazed?”
“I’ve already been in real combat once. There’s no rule saying I can’t go a second time.”
“Heee…”
At that moment Luna gave me a meaningful look. Her eyes were soft, yet carried a playful glint. When I tilted my head in confusion, she stepped closer, the corner of her mouth curving up.
“Yuto. You’ve become quite the man lately, haven’t you?”
“...Where did that come from?”
“When I first met you, you seemed a little clumsy. But now… honestly, you look pretty cool.”
Luna held my gaze for a moment with that mischievous smile, then turned away and started walking ahead. Her silver hair sparkled in the sunlight, swaying gently across her shoulders. There was a light, bouncy energy in her steps, as though something pleasant had happened or she was savoring a small private victory.
I watched her back, shrugged, and followed.
3.
As scheduled, I began coupling tests with the new students from Class B.
The results were not much different from those in Class A.
How many times had it been now? Once again the red warning light flashed.
COUPLING DISCONNECTED
SYNCHRONIZATION RATE: 0%
That strange pressure that came every time the link severed hit me again. An alien sensation crawled across my brain and spinal cord, slowly tightening around my heart. Another failure.
The only silver lining was that my partner this time had not fainted. After we climbed out of the machine, I dragged my exhausted body to a nearby chair and collapsed into it. Every ounce of strength seemed to have drained away; I slumped deep into the seat like a puppet with its strings cut.
While I sat there in a daze, a familiar voice spoke.
“It’s been a while, Nakamura-kun.”
Someone sat down carefully beside me. When I turned my head, I saw neat bobbed hair and gentle eyes. It was Minase Haruka.
I had been skipping morning runs lately because of the grueling schedule, so it really had been some time since I last saw her.
“Hey, Haruka.”
“Hmmm… You look pretty worn out. Are you okay?”
“As you can see, not really.”
I gave a bitter smile and lowered my head. Haruka watched me for a moment, then nodded with a light laugh.
“Haha… Yeah, you really don’t look so good.”
My eyelids felt heavy. The repeated tests had worn my nerves thin, and the sensory feedback had left my body so drained it seemed to melt into the chair. Even now a dull, foreign numbness rang inside one side of my skull, and my fingertips were stiff.
Then something cool touched the center of my forehead.
I opened my eyes in surprise. A clear water bottle hovered near my face. Haruka was quietly offering it to me. Tiny droplets of condensation on the cap caught the light.
“...What’s this?”
“You were sweating a lot. In this condition, hydration comes first.”
Her tone was bright and warm. I nodded silently and accepted the bottle. The chilled plastic cooled my palm. The moment the cold liquid touched my lips, my whole body jolted awake.
While I drank in big gulps, Haruka sat beside me without a word. When I handed the bottle back, she took it naturally and pressed her own lips to the same spot without hesitation.
Did she not even think about it?
That was just like her, I thought. Haruka was the kind of person who closed distances without any wariness, offering her side in silence, narrowing the gap without a word.
“By the way, what about your training? Shouldn’t you be coupling with Shirakawa right about now?”
Haruka blinked once, then tilted her head with a small smile.
“Hmm? Did you not know?”
“Know what?”
“Your next partner is Iori-chan. We’ve been waiting for you, Nakamura-kun.”
“...Ah.”
So the next one was Iori.
I had been so focused on the endless stream of tests that I hadn’t even checked who was next.
“Iori-chan will be here soon. She’s just finishing a quick talk with the instructor.”
“I see.”
I nodded and checked the time. Coupling with Iori would probably wrap up the day. My body was in terrible shape, but if it was the last one, I might be able to endure.
Haruka stared into space for a moment, then spoke again softly.
“Still… it feels pretty scary lately.”
“What does?”
“The way Outers keep appearing so suddenly. This is already the second time, right?”
“...Yeah.”
Haruka paused, then continued.
“That’s why the second-years are already training on the assumption they’ll be sent into real combat.”
“The rapid-response drills?”
“Yes, exactly. The moment the alarm sounds, they have to be able to board a Dracore and launch within minutes. Even if they’re on campus, they train to jump straight into battle the instant a situation arises.”
I had heard half of this from Luna already. Normally, second-years focused on general piloting drills, while third-years moved on to Rift Zone deployment and live-combat training. But with Outers appearing more frequently, even that standard progression was breaking down.
And I already knew where this flow was headed. Eventually even first-years would be thrown into real fights. So far the existing pilots had barely managed to hold the line, but accumulating casualties would eventually create a shortage. Once that shortage grew severe, a queen-type Outer forming a “nest” would become a catastrophic problem.
Ordinary Outers launched aggressive attacks the moment they appeared, making them easy to detect and eliminate. Queen-types operated completely differently. They infiltrated quietly, created hiding places, and blended into the environment like parasites. They evaded human eyes and detection equipment, building their own nests. Worse, they distorted traces using Outer Force. Ordinary sensors struggled to pinpoint them, and even rift signatures could be faintly warped.
That turned the search into something that relied entirely on manpower. Dracores had to be deployed, and pilots would have to check every reading from the Outer Force sensors one by one. It consumed time, resources, and above all, the pilots’ minds.
I knew such a situation would truly happen.
That was why I had quietly hinted to my father about the possibility that a queen-type Outer might already be hiding somewhere, building its foundation. But the conversation had not been very helpful. Its existence was uncertain, and right now it was the kind of threat that was difficult to deal with immediately.
In fact, it was entirely possible one had already settled in somewhere on the very first day Outers began appearing.
Because I understood all this, I had been able to respond so calmly to Luna. In the original story, several first-year students had lent their strength anyway. There was no reason I wouldn’t be among them.
As my thoughts chained together, Haruka waved her arm lightly.
“Ah. Iori-chan’s here.”
I turned and saw Iori walking toward us with the instructor. Her face was still expressionless. The cold, quiet atmosphere around her made her seem almost devoid of emotion.
When she reached me, Iori gave a small bow.
“Hello, Nakamura-kun.”
