Chapter 82 Sun Color Eyes and the Closed-Off Space Dilemma
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”
Truly, there was nothing: no up, no down, no left, no right, only a pitch-black void. I found myself sitting abruptly on my behind.
”Ow!? …!? Eh, i-is there a ground…?”
”Where is this…!?”
”Uh-oh. I didn’t think that brute was so near us, I really didn’t-“
The more I looked, the more mystifying the space became.
Though it was utterly black, the kendo girl and Ami-chan were visible with perfect clarity.
There was nothing beneath us, yet a solid floor certainly existed.
The fact that I could breathe and hear my own voice meant that air must be present. Beyond that, however, I was utterly clueless as to our current predicament.
”Ami-chan…!? W-what is this…!? And those eyes of yours…! “
Ami-chan’s eyes glowed with a Sun Color light.
Given the generous buffer of life energy she possessed, her Demonic Eye rarely activated automatically anymore.
”Hmmm, we were had, alright-. This is a closed-off space, isolated from every other dimension. Even the Eye of Fate occurring here is invisible, even when I’m in Japan, you see-“
”But now that you’ve actually come here, the Eye of Fate has become visible…”
Whether that particular fate was good or bad, I could pretty much guess from our current situation.
In short, the pursuer had trapped us in some unknown space.
”Hee…heh heh heh heh heh heh…”
The kendo girl let out a dark chuckle that did not suit her appearance.
Ami-chan observed her with an expression that suggested deep contemplation.
”Just to be certain-. Are you perhaps one of that brute’s companions-?”
”A natural question. From your perspective, you have only found yourselves in this situation because you were distracted by me.”
The kendo girl replied calmly and without any sign of distress.
Ordinarily, a person caught between Ami-chan, the praying mantis-like alien, and this bizarre predicament might well be trembling and perhaps even lose control of their bladder.
Ami-chan, perhaps intrigued by her composure, continued her questioning.
”My, my? You’re calmer than I thought, aren’t you-? For the record, would you mind telling me your understanding of… your own situation?”
”I surmise that you are fighting against such monsters… threats to humanity, known only to a few. The fairy recognised your potential and bestowed power upon you, yes? It is likely that monster is the root cause which destroyed the fairy’s homeland… and the fairy is now standing with an individual of great potential like you, granting strength to prevent this world from suffering the same fate as her home. Is that about right?”
It wasn’t entirely off the mark, but…!
Perhaps because of Ami-chan’s endearing fairy-like appearance, her evaluation was quite favourable toward our side…!
”As for this space… if the fairy is correct, it is a special closed-off space, isolated from the current world. The monster, fearing your power, chose sealing you away rather than fighting head-on… how’s that?”
Ami-chan narrowed both her eyes as though she had found something immensely entertaining.
”Amazing-! For a peace-crazed Japanese student, you have extraordinary insight and courage! I’m Ami! Call me Ami-chan, alright! “
”Ah… Shimizu. I am Shimizu Shoichi, I said.”
”I am Miyakuji Reika. I consider it an honour to touch upon a corner of the world’s truth in this manner.”
This girl truly wasn’t fazed by anything….
If it had been just Ami-chan and myself, I probably would have lost my head completely.
”I have countless questions I wish to ask. Is that monster… a demon overflowing from the 絶界? How much time remains for this world…? Is there no longer any means to stop the hands of the clock of the apocalypse…?”
I have no idea what she’s talking about…! No, wait, I can tell exactly what she’s trying to get at, despite the absurdity…!
This girl… she’s one of those who keeps a dark wolf in her heart, isn’t she?
I could sympathise. Surely, her left arm and right eye must be throbbing right now.
”Hah, hah hah hah-! Usually, I take care not to involve anyone else, but dragging you into this is entirely my blunder-! I apologise first of all-! “
”Do not concern yourself. Rather, this was inevitable… a fate from which there was no escaping,” Reika said.
It was always the pursuer who started a fight, regardless of the location, and I had never given a thought to involving or not involving others.
If anything, it seemed Ami-chan, who had made enough mischief to have a pursuer sent after her, was the one truly responsible… but I kept my mouth shut.
”In any case, Ami-chan. Can we get out of here? Also, what kind of space is this…? Is it safe for us to remain here?”
”This is a special space where the existence of time itself is extremely ambiguous, you see-. In here, a year might pass, but outside, only a second… something like that,” Ami-chan explained.
”Eh… that’s incredible?”
In other words, a room of the mind and time…! If I trained here for ten years, I could power up immensely while only a few seconds passed outside…!?
”It is incredible-. But as you can see, it’s an empty space with nothing in it. We’d starve normally… or rather, we’d perish from lack of water.”
”Ehh!?”
That’s bad. I was underestimating the danger. We must get out of here immediately, or certain death awaits…!
I had a nasty premonition, especially since her Sun Color Demonic Eye had activated…!
”That brute is the only one who can perform this sort of spatial manipulation, you see-. It must be because Japan greatly reduces existence-power that they chose sealing over a direct fight-. See, most of my power is sealed right now-. If they initiate a spatial control battle first, I can’t counter it, can I-“
Ami-chan also possessed the ability to interfere with space, so she could have easily countered him if she had her full strength back.
This made me feel somewhat responsible for not increasing the number of 〈Slave of Love〉 before we ended up in a battle with the pursuer… perhaps.
”Is there no way to exit this place?”
”At least not with my current power-. No matter how far or in what direction we proceed, there’s no boundary, no dead end,” Ami-chan said.
From what she said, the praying mantis alien likely didn’t possess much actual power.
However, its one unique skill allowed it to seal targets in a closed-off space.
Even this wouldn’t normally work on Ami-chan, but the current, weakened version of her was a different matter. Since she hadn’t recovered her power yet, permanent sealing was a possibility.
”…I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t been a distraction, this wouldn’t have happened…”
”N-no…”
”Now the clock of the apocalypse is ticking with certainty… my careless actions have endangered the world.”
She felt a tremendous sense of responsibility-!? Given the situation, I would normally be in a complete panic myself.
But perhaps thanks to her, I was somehow managing not to lose my composure.
More importantly, there was something I couldn’t help but notice.
(We’re in a life-or-death situation, yet Ami-chan seems remarkably at ease…)
Indeed. Ami-chan’s attitude and manner of speaking showed no trace of panic.
Since she also had no means of escaping, she should have been completely checkmated here… yet she wasn’t.
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Ami-chan distanced herself slightly and gestured for me to come closer with her right hand.
”…What is it?”
A discussion began, a short distance away from the depressed Reika-chan.
”That girl… she’s usable,” Ami-chan said.
”Eh…?”
”There are two ways to exit this closed-off space. The orthodox way is to interfere with the space directly and create an exit, or… a full-power thrust from a Magical Girl.”
”………!?”
”That girl… she likely has good compatibility with the Magical Girl’s power. Not physically, but mentally. If the class is a good match, we might be able to break this space with her power once she becomes a Magical Girl.”
”S-so…!?”
I was completely dumbfounded. Apparently, depending on the Magical Girl’s power, this space could be smashed open… wait, what!?
Eh!? Ami-chan’s suggestion… d-does that mean…? M-me, with a girl I just met…!?
”That’s a high hurdle-!”
”But it’s the only option we have, and surely, Shou, you’d want to utterly mess with such a beautiful girl, wouldn’t you?”
The answer to that was yes. However, dealing with a Japanese girl made me hesitate.
Well, there was the example of the kendo floozy, though. Come to think of it, I lost my Japanese-virginity to the kendo floozy, didn’t I….
”Even if the Magical Girl’s power can’t break through this space, if we can turn her into a 〈Slave of Love〉, there’s a chance I might be able to manage something with my power-. …Though, I don’t know the conditions for Slave of Love,” Ami-chan mused.
”Ah… so that’s something that can only be confirmed inside the Great Phantasmal Soulstone?”
”That’s right-.”
Perhaps, as with Liliarette, a time-limited event was starting….
”But there’s the Affection Level hurdle, too?”
”Oh, I think that’s probably fine. That girl has Affection Level 30.”
”…Eh?”
”For some reason-. Her Affection Level towards Shou isn’t low, you see-.”
Well, it was 30 out of a maximum of 100.
At the very least, she didn’t seem to hold a bad impression of me. She must be a good girl who doesn’t judge people by appearances.
(But if that’s the case, it makes turning her into a Magical Girl even harder…!)
If I did it, I’d have to explain a lot of things to her…!
”Either way, we don’t have time, do we? We’re certain to die if we stay here… if we spend even a day, we’ll likely be going mad from thirst, won’t we?”
”Ehh… that’s frightening…”
But Ami-chan was right. The fact was we had to do something quickly.
”For now, let’s talk about various things with her! Oh, and Shou, try to agree with me, okay!”
—
Author:
Shimizu and his companions are trapped in a mysterious space, facing a crisis. The hour of awakening is nigh….
—
T/L:
¹ [Demonic Eye] The name of the eye-based power Ami-chan possesses, which grants various abilities like seeing fate. ↩
² [Eye of Fate] The ability to perceive future events or destinies, often associated with the Demonic Eye. ↩
³ [demon] A powerful supernatural being, often antagonistic in this world’s context. ↩
⁴ [絶界] Zekkai. Translates roughly as ‘Absolute World’ or ‘Sealed World,’ implying a boundary or another dimension from which monsters emerge. ↩
⁵ [Demonic Eye] The name of the eye-based power Ami-chan possesses, which grants various abilities like seeing fate. ↩
⁶ [Slave of Love] A status or condition applied to a female character, often through intimate action, that grants the user power. ↩
⁷ [Magical Girl] A female character who has gained power through intimate action with the protagonist. ↩
⁸ [Great Phantasmal Soulstone] A system-related item or place that shows the status and conditions for activating powers. ↩
⁹ [Affection Level] A numerical stat indicating a character’s emotional closeness or positive regard for the protagonist. ↩
Notes:
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
• Gin – A friend of Kiraurumi who craves excitement and is secretly a ‘lolita enthusiast’ complexed about her own tall stature. She sees the world-saving mission as a ‘plane ride over a river’ of boredom.
• Shimizu Shoichi – A plain, middle-aged Japanese man with short black hair and brown eyes. He looks worn-out and ordinary. Average build, average height, standing looks like Satoru Mikami from certain series.
• Reika – A beautiful high school kendo student who is engaged to ‘The Handsome’ for what seems like familial or arranged reasons. She is a ‘guarded’ beauty. Sha has long black hair, intense eyes, and wearing kendo uniform.
• Liliarette – The other Princess, who sacrificed her ability to walk and her sorcery talent to save her sister, Cleonora. She is imprisoned in the East Tower and is being used as a political and monetary pawn by Viorga. C-cup, true golden hair, waist-length hair, the fringe was a slightly blunt, hair on her left side was braided to the chest.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply