Silent Talk

by Shūsuke Amagi

  "......"

  "Are you embarrassed?"

  "If you know, then don't call me that!! But why Flash?"

  "Do you want a word other than Flash?"

  "That's not the issue."

  "You're selfish."

  "Me?"

  "Oh well, I'll just call you Fon Fon."

  "Wa, that's totally different! It sounds like the name of some rare animal."

  "What does that matter? Fon Fon, do you want snacks?" she politely took out a wrapped up chocolate from her pocket. That action of hers totally depleted Layfon's energy.

  "Am I a pet?"

  "It's enough that you act like a pet."

  "Wu......"

  "You only need to be a pet, so you don't have to force yourself."

  "Hmm?"

  "......My brother's back," Felli turned around quickly, giving him no time to seek clarification.

  "Sorry for making you wait. Actually, I didn't expect you to wait for me."

  "You didn't say not to wait for you. Besides, you're pretty frail. It's dangerous for you to head back alone."

  "Hahaha, what an extreme way of putting it. Sorry for making you guys wait, but I've got something else I must do, so I'll be heading off to the Student Council room. You can go back first."

  "You should have told us earlier."

  "Uhhh, it was my mistake. Sorry. Right, you must be hungry after all that exercise, Layfon. Because of me the schedule was pushed back so late. Felli, take him to a good restaurant and have something to eat," Karian said, took out some bills from his wallet and handed them to Felli. Before Layfon and Felli could say anything, the Student President had already left them.

  "Got it," Felli murmured to the speechless Layfon.

  "Well, since this is a rare occasion, let's go to a lively bar. We can enjoy the night while drinking delicious wine. Please get a key to a decent hotel room."

  "No, please don't say that as if everything's been decided. Besides, we aren't old enough to drink alcohol."

  Moreover, that kind of atmosphere wouldn't suit Layfon and Felli.

  Layfon wasn't solemn enough to have to go to a bar, and Felli's crisp and beautiful face gave off a feeling different from an adult's.

  But if it was a place for Felli......

  (A restaurant catering to families......)

  A family restaurant with kids......Putting aside her beauty, Felli was like a child pretending to be mature.

  Lips pouting, she was paying a lot of attention to the toys near the cashier.

  (Ah, that would suit her too perfectly!)

  Unfortunately, there weren't any family restaurants in Zuellni, but that didn't mean there weren't any toy shops.

  "......You seem to be thinking of something weird," Felli said.

  "Of course not!"

  She held her suspicious gaze.

  "Never mind, there's a restaurant close by that I often visit, and its open till quite late. Is it okay for me to treat you?"

  "You don't have to worry about that kind of thing. Let's go, Fon Fon."

  "......Wait, have you settled on that name already?"

  "I've decided. Fon Fon, I'll leave you here if you don't hurry up."

  With no room to resist being given a new nickname, he chased after Felli, feeling more tired than when he was practicing in the arena.

  After dinner with Felli, Layfon returned to the dormitory, had a shower and fell into the bed.

  His body relaxed in complete exhaustion. As he slowly entered a state of false sleep, he thought back on what had happened to him so far.

  He spent a lot of time focusing today. That image and those words distracted him while he was handling his sword.

  "We'll stop training together for a while."

  He didn't think Nina's words had that much of an impact on him, but he might be wrong.

  "But it's probably different from a mental impact."

  It felt more like......A bad premonition. Irritation was more like it. At that time, he thought he had seen the clear face of the feeling that he got from Nina......It looked similar to irritation, but he had yet to grasp hold of its true form.

  "Yeah, it feels familiar."

  In the wake of impatience and anxiety, his will to sleep had gone off somewhere.

  In one swift moment, he thought he understood it, but then it slipped away. That was frustrating.

  "Uuu......Aaah!"

  He moaned and tossed on the bed and accidentally fell off it. He was too relaxed, so he didn't have time to protect himself from the fall.

  "Wu......" He climbed back up, pressing his nose with a hand, and he saw his wrist.

  White dots scattered around his wrist, like injuries caused by scalding heat.

  They were traces left from his contact with pollutant. When Layfon was being treated in the hospital, the doctor said the scars would fade given enough time. Yet even now, he could still find traces of their existence.

  He thought his injuries were nothing, but he started doubting that when he saw the reaction of Nina and others.

  It would be good if people looked at his scar and didn't think they were responsible.

  But the scar Layfon was gazing at was another one. A black scar that stretched from his wrist to his elbow. It was a scar that would never fade, a scar left after the injury had healed. This was also one part of Layfon's past.

  As long as one searched for it, one could find traces of injuries on his body. Injuries made in training, in matches, in fights against filth monsters. Not only that, but also the cuts he got on his knee and upper forehead when he was little, running around and crashing into walls. These two scars were lighter.

  "This wound was really painful," he murmured, sitting on the bed and looking at the scar on his wrist.

  He got this injury when practicing with the steel threads.

  When he had become a Heaven's Blade Receiver, he learned ways to fight filth monsters from the other Heaven's Blade Receivers.

  The Heaven's Blade Receiver who used steel threads was Lintence Savoleid Harden.

  At first, Layfon trained with just one thread. At that time, he already knew how to extend his Kei into his weapon and feel the weapon as part of his nervous system.

  But that wasn't enough to control the steel threads.

  Lintence said not only the nervous system, but the weapon had to become his muscles too. Layfon thought that was Lintence's excuse, but after watching him groom the trees of the palace yard with his countless steel threads in one breath, Layfon had nothing to complain about.

  While suffering for not being used to this way of fighting, he gradually learned how to control the steel threads as he pleased. One thread became two, two became four, four became eight, eight between sixteen......The number of steel threads increased.

  Yet, it was only the number of threads that was increasing. He was still a great distance away from being able to control the threads as if his own arms had extended, as if they were really a part of his body.

  ......With the Layfon now, he would have understood, but back then, he didn't get it.

  He shouldn't have seen that technique.

  Filth monsters at a more mature stage than the ones that attacked Zuellni not long ago assaulted Grendan at the time when Layfon managed to control more than 100 steel threads.

  Lintence defeated them all.

  Layfon couldn't help but imitate him, thinking he could also manage that technique. The Lintence watching him practice, as if putting him under surveillance, gradually faded from his vision.

  He tried the technique when he was alone......Cut by his own steel thread, he had fainted through intense pain and blood loss.

  When he came to, he was lying on a hospital bed.

  "Are you a moron?" was what he heard from Lintence when he opened his eyes.

  "Would spiders stick to their webs? Then do those spiders that do have a right to live? A spider that's not a spider wants to become a spider. You need a thousand times, a million times, a b
illion times more practice than a true spider to become one. Moron! You're worse than a newly born tiny spider. It's too soon to want to weave a spider web when you don't even know how to emit silk. Go and start practicing from the very beginning!"

  Layfon got quite an earful.

  "His speech was over the top."

  Rather than anger, a strange feeling rose in him as he thought about the past. Gazing at the scar, he laughed dryly.

  Nothing had changed from then. The only condition to become a Heaven's Blade Receiver was to keep on becoming stronger, so he didn't have time to be scared of the weapon. He had then continued to practice with the steel threads alone. Lintence had also fallen silent, interrupting only when needed.

  Every Heaven's Blade successor knew it was a lonely journey to reach the top by competing with each other. Young Layfon also had to satisfy that condition. He didn't have to be asked to satisfy it, because he was already fulfilling it.

  But he had become more cautious.

  He knew an uncontrollable power could harm its user, so before he managed to fully control that power, he decided to seal it inside himself.

  Lintence hadn't taught Layfon anything beyond the basics of the steel threads. The duty of a Heaven's Blade Receiver was to become strong himself, not to help another become strong. Lintence had already broken that mutual rule by teaching Layfon the steel threads technique, so Layfon continued to practice without any complaints.

  He hadn't sustained an injury as deep and severe as that one since then, but he still got many other injuries. Those injuries had all healed, disappeared, leaving many scars.

  Every time a new scar appeared, he knew more of his weaknesses. He would correct that weakness before the wound healed. And by repeating that process, he finally managed to control the steel threads.

  "Ah, perhaps......"

  Why was he thinking of it? Why did he recall it? It was neither a painful nor a warm snatch of memory.

  Without thinking, he was projecting his feelings over the feeling he got from Nina. He had experienced the uneasiness and incomprehension he felt from Nina.

  Did Nina want to become strong alone?

  Was she forcing herself to become strong through loneliness?

  If that was the case, then......At this thought, a dull pain flared in his chest.

  Chapter 4

  Run the Entire Lap

  At the same time Layfon was whispering to himself......

  The heavy iron whips hung listless from her hands. Nina felt like she was suffocating, unable to stop her panting. She was sucking in air, yet her body wanted more. Despite the pain, she attempted to slow down her breathing.

  She was so exhausted that her legs shook and pleaded with her to lie down, but she desperately kept standing, and slowly let her body cool off. Proper breathing technique was basic for controlling Kei. She mustn't disturb it. Her body must not rest immediately. Everything had to gradually calm down.

  On top of the drumming of blood bombarding her ears, the sound of friction from the movements of gigantic multi-legs of the city echoed from below. The city's edge was the only place right now that was quiet and secluded enough, a place without people where Nina would not be scolded.

  "......Great!"

  Gaining control of her breathing, she lifted the iron whips again. In fact, she looked as if she was forcing herself, but she could keep going as long as she extended her Kei through her entire body. She controlled her breathing for that purpose.

  Conscious and aware of the place she was standing, the place where Layfon had shown his strength, Nina danced alone with the iron whips.

  What could she do to become stronger?

  Basic moves flowed into more complicated moves.

  When using a weapon, most moves were variations of the three stages of movement: retrieve, hold with increasing strength, and attack. For a sword, it was slash. For a spear or staff, it was stab and hit.

  It wasn't meaningless to repeat her moves. While the mind failed to keep up at the other end of the ladder, the body instinctively repeated familiar movements. The repetitive movements increased Nina's physical strength, which would be helpful when she fought.

  "Fu......Ha, ha, ha, ha......"

  And then she rested again. Controlling her breathing, she took out a towel from her bag to wipe away her sweat. When the school year started, a bone-chilling cold would immediately cool down the body, but it was better now. Even at night. Zuellni was probably heading towards a warmer climate. Because of that, the heat from Nina's body took some time to dissipate. Irritated at the sweat continuously pouring from her skin, she lifted her head to watch the night sky through the invisible air shield.

  And like that, she sat down on the ground.

  The cold, hard ground felt good to her. Exhausted and feeling she hadn't the strength to stand up again, she sat there to look at the sky. Only a half moon floated above her, with the endless darkness serving as a backdrop. The existence of the moon seemed to point to the boundary of the night.

  The iron whips, turned back into simple Dites, fell to Nina's sides. Still gazing at the moon, she touched them with her fingers. To look at the moon as if reflected in her eyes, she felt for an instant that she could touch it. She didn't reach out a hand. It was embarrassing, and she knew she couldn't possibly touch the moon.

  "......It's so far away," she said.

  As if it was within reach, but it actually wasn't. The moon existed between illusion and reality. It made people think it was within reach, but it was billions of Jimels away from Nina. Her arm wasn't long enough to touch the moon.

  Even so, she thought there must be a way.

  If her arm wasn't long enough, then she'd fly up there......

  "Ah......"

  She laughed, knowing how ridiculous it was. She couldn't fly in the sky. This dream was meaningless. What was meaningful was her weakness, for wanting to rely on such an unrealistic way to reach the moon.

  "This......Won't do."

  She didn't think it was meaningless to repeat the moves she'd learned, as they were directly related to her growth. She had been training like this from the very beginning. The very beginning, when she knew she had discovered Kei and decided to become a Military Artist. She didn't think she would become strong all of a sudden by repeating the same movements.

  Was there a faster way......?

  She understood that was just a wish. A wish not grounded in reality. She couldn't help but think of it though, and that irritated her.

  "Damn!"

  She should become stronger if she trained at this pace. She believed if she was industrious and put more time and effort into it, she could catch up to Layfon. But how much time would she need to reach his level? One year? Two years? Impossible......It wasn't that simple.

  She had only reached her current level, after living all these years. One or two years of hard work weren't enough for her to catch up to Layfon, who was one, three, probably many more times stronger than her.

  And she didn't even have one year.

  "I won't make it!"

  What she needed wasn't a possibility in the future, but what she could reach for now. To balance the unbalanced 17th platoon, she must become stronger. Only she could make it happen. She had decided to protect Zuellni.

  "Can't I make it?"

  Her hand slowly moved from the iron whip towards the moon.

  Her finger caressed the air and touched the moon before her eyes.

  Imagining touch.

  Imagining success.

  Yet she knew this was meaningless......

  "Ahhhh!"

  Watching the hazy moon, she lowered her wrist. Was this bitter regret or jealousy? Facing the Layfon who possessed what she desired......

  And......That letter.

  She had read the letter that had fallen out of the envelope. The impatience and anxiety inside her became more intense after she read the letter, along with her growing desire to catch up to him.

  She didn'
t know what to think of Leerin, the girl who understood Layfon more than Nina did.

  Increasing anxiety. Irritation.

  "Is this the end?"

  She wiped the sweat off her brow and suddenly stood up.

  "It can't end here!"

  She picked up the iron whips.

  The night was still long. Time was limited, but it should be enough. She believed so......

  "HA!"

  She started her flow of Kei.

  The next platoon match was set for next weekend.

  A sigh burst out of Layfon.

  He hadn't had a chance to see Nina recently.

  It wasn't easy to bump into her as they were in different grades. During training, time passed without giving them room to chat privately, and once training finished, Nina left the room immediately.

  They hadn't even met in the Engine Room. Somehow, they had been separated and placed in different groups. They now had different janitorial responsibilities.

  Losing the chance to talk to Nina forced him further from the truth. Moreover, he didn't have much spare time as he had to test Harley's invention and attend meetings with Karian and the other Alchemists.

  Although he didn't have the time to stand still, he wasn't worried about it.

  But–

  "How come you seem to be so busy these days?" Mifi asked.

  It was now lunch break. They were eating Meishen's special bento on the rooftop of the school building. Long benches lined the metal fences around the rooftop.

  "Huh? Do I look that way?"

  "Yeah."

  "......Mmh," Meishen nodded.

  Layfon scratched his head.

  "We wanted to hang out with you after you were done with training, but you're always going somewhere. And I specifically picked a time that you didn't have work!"

  How did she know his shifts in the Engine Room? Mifi's ability to gather intelligence was terrifying.

  "Maybe he's busy because it's almost time for the next platoon match?" Naruki said.

  "Huh~~ But I planned to catch Layfon when he wasn't training. Isn't this strange?" Mifi said. Layfon was right before her, but she was indifferent to how she appeared to be gossiping about him.

  Besides, Naruki didn't seem to believe the reason she herself gave, as if she only said it to eliminate one possibility and force Layfon to tell the truth. "Then, what other reasons are there?"