Walking down the
street at night towards the Kuroyuri Academy.
――Bad news.
Marina's voice
echoed in my brain.
Bad news? Kukuku,
no, no, no, isn't it good news, right?
――Eh?
I'm sure you've
heard that there's something going on at Kuroyuri Academy, right?
――Oh, yes, yes. But how can that be good news?
Marina looked
confused when she heard my answer.
If there's something
strange going on at the Kuroyuri Academy, it's probably because someone from
Kudan's organization is targeting the beastmen.
――I don't know for sure. The insect that was sent to scout the area
has disappeared. Tamamushi-chan says that it wasn't attacked. She said that it
was probably trapped in a barrier.
See? That's good
news.
――W, why? What's the good news about this? Yukina-chan and Yui-chan
may be in danger, you know?
They're only in
danger, right?
――Eh?
The barriers seem to
take some time to put up, depending on their performance. That means it was
planned a long time ago to keep things quiet.
But even if the barriers
are completed, they can't be activated right away, right?
Once the barriers
are activated, they will have to act immediately. Even though it can't be
recognized by the human "eye", if it has the function of a physical
barrier, it will cause a commotion.
Then, they must
activate it without causing a commotion and eliminate it before it becomes a
commotion.
So the only place to
do that would be at night.
And now that the barrier
is functioning, is it trying to accomplish something, or is it in the process
of accomplishing something?
Either way, there is
a good chance that Yukina is still alive and well.
In other words, it's
not too late.
See? That's good
news, right?
However, it's better
to think that there's not much time left.
"Marina! Please guide Rikka!"
I shouted, and
looked at Rikka.
"Hurry up, Rikka!"
"Yes!"
Rikka quickly came
around in front of me as I rushed out, took me on her back, and kicked the
ground.
"Oou!"
The night wind
hitting my face. It made me shout out.
Rikka was flying
through the night sky with me on her back.
"I left Asahina-sama and Hizuki
behind, but..."
Rikka asked me as
she landed on the ground. Then, she ran through the darkness like the wind.
I guess she's paying
attention to me. Rikka runs like the wind, barely swaying up and down.
If Rikka wanted to,
she could run even faster, but she's carrying me, a mere human being, on her
back.
If only Rikka were
to run ahead, she would reach Kuroyuri Academy in an instant, but Rikka needs
me.
"Don't worry about them."
I replied to Rikka
who was running soundlessly in the darkness.
The two idiots are
"kids who can't do it even if they tried," but if they really can't
do it, there's no need for them in the squad.
But――
"I'm not worried about the two of
them. Because I'm afraid that if I leave them alone, the city will be wiped
out."
I couldn't help but
smile at Rikka's words.
"Yeah, you're right."
The only person who
has ever faced Asahina head on and not been scared is Yuka. Only Yuka.
But in Yuka's case,
I think her friendship outweighed her fear.
But Hizuki stood up.
And it was only after she lost the use of her "Heavenly Eyes".
There are two types
of idiots: those who only know how to move forward, and those who can face
threats with no hesitation, even if they are powerless.
"The two of them have one thing in
common. It's not strength, it's fear."
Rikka chuckled when
I said that.
"If I may say so, the most 'scary'
one is the master, though."
Rikka seemed to be
happy even though she said I were the most frightening.
"I'm the weakest one, though.
Because Rikka, I can't do anything without you."
At my question,
Rikka pouted.
"Didn't you say yourself that
'strength' and 'fear' are different?"
With that, Rikka
chuckled.
Rikka stopped running and gently set me down on the ground.
I could see the
magnificent school gate in front of me and the old nameplate that said
"Private Kuroyuri Academy".
I couldn't hear her,
but it seemed that Marina had guided Rikka properly.
And then――
"I'm sure I can see the barrier,
but――"
Rikka heard me
muttering, looked up at me and tilted her head.
"Are you worried about
something?"
"No, well, let's just say I'm
curious......"
I answered Rikka's
question vaguely.
I have very little
knowledge of barrier. That's why it's dangerous to make judgments based on just
what I see.
"It seems to me that the barriers
are not very accurate."
The barriers I've
seen and actually been inside during the last incident gave me the impression
that they were very elaborately constructed.
On the other hand,
this time the barriers seemed to be very messy.
――If there is a barrier, why don't I send Tamamushi-chan there? If
there are barriers, it is better to have a Tamamushi-chan who has knowledge of
it with you.......
Marina's voice
echoed in my brain, sounding anxious.
No, you don't need
to send Tamamushi to here. It's not that I'm underestimating my opponent. The
most important thing right now is to move the base. I want you to do your best
to move the base while minimizing the amount of force you send our way.
What we need more
than anything right now is a secure base.
Alice is stuck over
there. In addition, you and Yuka's abilities can only show their true value if
you have a safe base. And even if you protect Yukina and Loli Hina, if you
don't have a safe base, you might end up fighting the enemy while running away.
You knew that too,
so you didn't stop our actions, and you didn't propose the idea of adding more
forces. Isn't that right?
That's what I asked
Marina in my mind.
Soon after, I heard
Marina's sigh in my brain.
――I know they'll be fine. Because you are a devilish demon who will
use any despicable and cowardly means to protect your "friends"
without hesitation. But I'm worried about what I should be worried about.
Marina pretended to
be worried and said whatever she wanted. I listened to her words and took them
as agreement.
''Let's go, Rikka".
''Yes.''
I called out to
Rikka, started walking, and entered the barrier.
I entered the barrier
and asked Marina in my mind.
――It's okay. The communication hasn't been cut off yet.
Marina's reply came
back to me immediately.
As far as my
"eyes" can see, there are no new barriers within the effective range
of my ability.
Also, as soon as we
entered the barrier, an insect that looked like a canary flew over us. And it
was flying in a figure eight above my head.
That's the insect
that Tamamushi sent out to scout.
It seems to have
disappeared, but only because it couldn't get out of the barrier, and unlike
the last barrier, it doesn't seem to have its power nullified.
Based on these
facts, it seems that the barrier has the function of a physical barrier, which
can block the power of different abilities to a certain extent, but it is not
effective enough to block Marina's "Denshin".
As expected, the barrier
this time seemed to be much less precise than the last time.
Was it because it
was made in a hurry, or was it because the person who made it was not skilled
enough?
Either way, the fact
that the barriers are inferior means that the forces that will be deployed will
also be inferior.
"Tamamushi insects, huh?"
I asked the insect,
which was flying in a shape of 8 above my head.
I can see the
emerald light inside the insect's body, so I know it's an insect without having
to ask.
The insect bobbed up
and down as if to reply to my question, then landed right in front of me and
stopped flying in midair.
It seems to have
understood my words.
Maybe Tamamushi has
ordered it to obey my commands when it comes into contact with me.
"If you know where Yukina is,
please show me."
When I asked the
insect, it hovered in front of me and drew a shape of 8. Then it flew towards
the school building.
I was told that
Yukina was living in the dormitory, but is she in the school building?
If she's in the
school building at this hour, then....
"I think she's fighting to protect
the beastmen who were attacked by the enemy."
I'm sure she is.
She's a hero, you know.
I couldn't help but
laugh at the thought.
I came here to
protect Yukina, but maybe it was none of my business.
Because she's
"strong".
With that thought in
mind, I followed the insect.
____________________
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading...
