“Yaegashi, is something wrong? You’re acting weird. Don’t tell me the labyrinth’s spells still haven’t worn off?”
“Huh? Oh no, I’m fine. Perfectly fine. Never been better.”
“You don’t look fine. You’re acting weird and you’re clearly exhausted...”
“Wh-What do you mean weird? I’m the same as always. Just don’t sneak up behind me again. I’m usually aware of my surroundings, but if I don’t see you, I might end up accidentally cutting you!”
“What are you, some kind of hitman? Well whatever, as long as you’re sure you’re fine.”
She obviously wasn’t, but Hajime wasn’t going to press the issue if she insisted on saying that she was. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he walked up to Shizuku. Flustered, Shizuku held her hands out in front of her in an attempt to keep Hajime away.
“H-Hey! Why’re you getting so close? Stop, wait, I stink of sweat! This is an invasion of personal space! Let’s just calm down and talk this through! Oh, do you want the towel back? Here... Wait, no. I need to wash it first! Stay right there, I’ll give it back later!”
“Are you sure you’re okay? I just wanna see your sword for a bit.”
Shizuku backpedaled away from Hajime as if he were some kind of pervert. Even Hajime couldn’t help but feel a little hurt at that.
“M-My sword? Why?”
“So I can upgrade it. Now that I can use evolution magic, I figure I can probably make it stronger. But if you’d rather not, I’ll leave it alone.”
“O-Oh. That’s all? Fine, then. You’re more than welcome to upgrade it.” Shizuku unstrapped her katana and gingerly held it out toward Hajime. It appeared she had no intention of getting any closer than necessary. Since coming to this world, she’d often end up in situations where she was talking to members of the opposite sex while covered in sweat, so Hajime found it odd that she was suddenly keeping her distance now. While he was curious, in the end, he just shrugged it off and said, “Well, whatever.”
He took the sword, then stamped the ground with his foot. The transmutation circle inscribed onto his shoe glowed crimson, and a table and chair appeared in front of Hajime. He sat down in the chair and laid the katana on the table. He then started pulling out various ore from his Treasure Trove.
Shizuku watched intently, curious about the crafting process. Hajime felt like it’d be awkward to keep her standing, so he transmuted another chair across where he was sitting, and gestured for Shizuku to take a seat. Fidgeting restlessly, she eased herself into the chair.
“......”
“......”
Neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, and the dull clattering of metal against metal. The morning’s silence had returned to the small clearing. However, the silence didn’t feel awkward to Shizuku in the slightest. While she did feel nervous, she felt like Hajime had implicitly given her permission for her to be there by making her a chair. As time passed, her racing heartbeat started to slow.
He’s really concentrating... Hajime kept his gaze firmly focused on the blade in front of him. Even an amateur like Shizuku could tell he was focusing intently on his work. Bright crimson mana surged from him, illuminating his dead-serious expression. The chunks of ore sitting in front of Shizuku began to twist and morph.
“His mana really does look pretty...” Shizuku whispered to herself. Surrounded by swirling mana and floating transforming objects, Hajime looked the spitting image of the kinds of wizards Shizuku had read about in fairy tales. And right now, he was casting a spell right in front of her. Shizuku found herself captivated, unable to look away.
After a while, she rested her chin in her hands, and her eyes began to slowly glaze over as Hajime continued his work. The effects of pulling an all-nighter were beginning to show. At least, that seemed to be the cause of her glassy eyes. At some point, Hajime reached out to Shizuku to draw her blood, and she fell into such a panic that she toppled off her chair. Aside from that, though, Hajime’s work progressed smoothly. Just as Shizuku really was about to give in to her desires and fall asleep at her chair, Hajime called out to her.
“Look, Yaegashi. I’m finished. I was mostly fiddling with your sword to get practice using evolution magic in, but I think this turned out pretty nice.”
“......”
“Yaegashi?”
“......”
“Did you fall asleep?”
Shizuku’s head was in her arms, and her eyes were nearly closed. Hajime raised an eyebrow and took a closer look at her. He found himself almost impressed with how carelessly she was sleeping in the middle of a forest. Had Hajime been a normal gentleman, he’d have lightly shook her awake, or perhaps covered her with his jacket. But since he wasn’t, he decided to settle for poking Shizuku in the forehead with her katana’s scabbard. He then poured some mana into it.
“Ababababababababababa!?”
Electric sparks ran down its length, shocking Shizuku. She jolted awake, her body rigid as the current ran through her. The moment Hajime took the scabbard off her forehead she slumped back down on the table, white smoke rising from her clothes. He looked down at the sword and stroked his chin thoughtfully. And he nodded after a while, satisfied with his handiwork.
“What the heck was that for!?” Shizuku yelled angrily as she slammed her hands down on the table and glowered at Hajime.
“Well, it looked like you’d fallen asleep so I figured I’d wake you up by testing the sword’s new features.”
“I-I can’t believe it, you don’t even feel the slightest bit of remorse, do you?”
Before she could complain any further, Hajime threw the katana at her. Distracted, she fumbled with it for a few seconds before securing it in her arms.
“Originally, I could only enchant ore with one or two spells using creation magic, but after using evolution magic to enhance my transmutation magic and creation magic, I can synthesize a lot more spells into it.”
“And now you’re just ignoring my complaints and explaining what my katana does... Whatever, I don’t even care anymore...” With a sigh, Shizuku eased herself back into the chair and resigned herself to listening to Hajime’s explanation. But now she was certain whatever feelings she might have had for him weren’t real.
“So now your katana’s been enchanted with a few different new spells. First of all, I’ve added gravity magic to it. You can freely control its weight. On top of that, you can draw things toward the sword, or push them away. Also, you can cut gravity with it, but the effect doesn’t last long.”
“That’s... amazing.” Shizuku’s eyes went wide as she looked down at the sword in her hands. But this was just the tip of the iceberg. Hajime continued his explanation, and the more Shizuku heard, the wider her eyes got.
Supposedly, thanks to the spatial magic it had been enchanted with, she could cut through space-time itself. Supposedly, thanks to the restoration magic it had been enchanted with, it could restore itself from any amount of damage. On top of that, it granted its wielder a restorative aura that slowly healed their wounds. Supposedly, thanks to the spirit magic it had been enchanted with, it could cut right through the souls of her enemies. And supposedly, the electric spells it had been previously enchanted with had been upgraded, and a new function had been added to it that allowed her to send shockwaves out from her slashes.
“......” Shizuku was speechless. Her sword had reached legendary status, which made her hands tremble as she held it.
“Also, I used the Status Plates as a reference and made it easier to control. Before, you had to activate all the spells it was enchanted with, but now they’re in a permanently activated state so you don’t need a chant to cast any of them.”
Meaning she could activate any of these godlike abilities instantly. Until now, Shizuku had been using one-word incantations to cast her spells, but doing so had greatly reduced their efficacy. But from that point on, she’d be able to activate their abilities jus
t by thinking about them and at full power too.
“Since you’re a swordsman who relies on speed, I figured you’d have a hard time finishing long chants in the middle of battle...” Hajime finished his explanation with that.
Cold sweat poured down Shizuku’s forehead as she examined her improved weapon. At this point, it was far more powerful than even Kouki’s Holy Sword. It wasn’t just an overpowered weapon, it was a totally unbelievable one. This was the kind of weapon nations fought wars over. At the very least, she was certain it was the strongest sword in Tortus.
“I-Is it really alright... for me to have something this amazing?”
“Yeah, hang on to it just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
Hajime looked up at the sky, then nodded to himself. There was a feral gleam in his eyes, as though he were trying to intimidate someone or something residing far above.
“As you heard, once we clear the final labyrinth, the frost caverns in the Schnee Snow Fields, we’ll be able to return back home to Japan. If we can get back just like that it’d be great, but I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”
“You think someone’s going to try to get in our way? The demons, or maybe those fake gods?”
“Yeah. The hero’s one of Ehit’s favorite pawns, and I don’t think he’ll want to let an irregular like me get away. So, in case a bunch of apostles like Noint show up to stop us, I want you guys to be our meat... Err, I want you guys to be strong enough to help us fight them off. Originally, I’d thought the best way to make you guys that strong was to have you conquer a few labyrinths and get some ancient magic.”
“Is it just me, or did you almost call us meat shields? Hey, do you really think that? Answer honestly now.” A vein pulsed in Shizuku’s forehead as she bore down on Hajime. However, Hajime ignored her and continued his explanation.
“But thanks to the evolution magic we got, I can make even stronger artifacts than before. Even if you guys can’t use ancient magic, I can make you all pretty strong. I’m planning on upgrading all your guys’ weapons so you’re ready for when the apostles attack. If they come while we’re still inside the caverns, you’ll have to handle them all by yourselves, after all. Also, if you guys want to use these weapons to conquer the other labyrinths, I don’t mind.”
“I get what you’re trying to say, but...”
Hajime stood up after saying his piece, planning to leave. However, Shizuku hesitantly called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.
“Does that mean you plan on finishing the rest of your journey with just Kaori and the others, Nagumo-kun?” “Hm? Yeah... What, you wanna come with us?”
“......” Shizuku didn’t know what to say. She knew she’d asked for the unreasonable when she’d first forced her way into Hajime’s party. And his conditions had been that he’d only help them through a single labyrinth. Plus, she’d seen for herself just how dangerous labyrinths could be. Nor could she deny that she still lacked the strength to challenge them herself. She knew if she went with them, she’d just be a burden. Moreover, once Hajime conquered the final remaining labyrinth, the Frost Caverns, they’d all be able to go home. Hajime had promised he’d take everyone back with him, so Shizuku had no reason to force herself into Hajime’s party any longer.
Unable to provide an answer she could live with, she just silently shook her head. In response, Hajime shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, if it’s just you, Yaegashi, I don’t mind taking you along with us.”
“Wha?” Shizuku looked up at Hajime in shock. She hadn’t expected a response like that. A second later, a deep blush spread up her face and she looked away in embarrassment. After calming her pounding heart, she turned back to Hajime and asked dubiously.
“Why would you...”
“The ancient magic of the Frost Caverns probably lets you create the kind of monsters Freid was using when we fought him. If you have that and evolution magic, you can probably carry Amangoawa’s party all on your own. Between those two ancient magic, you’d probably be strong enough to conquer all the other labyrinths if you wanted, even.”
“Ah, of course. I knew that from the start, obviously.” Hopes dashed, Shizuku answered in a monotone. Though internally, she was berating herself for having hope at all. The blush faded from her cheeks, and she turned to Hajime with a glare. But before she could yell at him, his next words had her blushing again.
“Don’t give me that look. I’m asking you because aside from my comrades, you’re the one I can trust most. If I’m going to leave the other students in someone else’s hands, you’re the most reliable person that comes to mind.”
“Ah!”
Hajime smiled awkwardly at Shizuku. He’d assumed she was glaring at him because she didn’t want to be saddled with more babysitting, so he’d decided to follow up on his previous statement. However, said follow up was too much stimulation for the current Shizuku. She was just happy that someone she trusted trusted her back. She blushed even brighter than before, and Hajime’s smile grew more awkward. He started laying out his tools to practice transmutation some more, but not before spitting out his next thought.
“But I guess I can’t take just you with me, Yaegashi.”
“U-Umm... what do you mean by...” “I mean, look at Amanagoawa. He can’t function without you. Do you honestly think he’ll sit quietly if I take you with me to the Frost Caverns? I doubt he’d bear being separated from you, even for a little bit. Actually, I know he wouldn’t. He’d just throw a tantrum. And I don’t want to have to deal with that. I’m the one who’ll be in trouble if you’re not around to take care of troublemakers like him.”
“You really are blunt,” Shizuku replied with a sigh.
Hajime ignored her and pulled out a few chakrams from his Treasure Trove and set them floating around him. In truth, Shizuku had known she couldn’t abandon Kouki and the others too, so she quickly got over her feelings and changed the topic.
“Those are the chakram you can teleport things through, right? What are you going to do with them?”
“They’re for practice. I came out here to get some training in, remember? You should go back though, Yaegashi. You look dead on your feet. Get some rest.”
Hajime had a point. Shizuku felt ready to collapse any second now. But she couldn’t bring herself to leave. So instead, she watched as he brought out thirty chakrams in total and made them revolve around him like satellites. Before she knew it, she’d opened her mouth.
“Can I watch for a while longer?”
“Huh? Well, I don’t mind, but don’t blame me if you pass out.”
“Don’t worry, if I start feeling that tired I’ll go back.”
Hajime shrugged his shoulders, then closed his eyes and drew Donner and Schlag.
Shizuku leaned forward, laid her elbows on the table, and rest her chin on her hands. After a brief pause, Hajime started his training routine.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! A series of gunshots rang out. Each of his bullets passed through the center of one of his chakrams, which were now whirling around at incredible speeds. The bullets then shot out of the corresponding portals and headed back toward Hajime from a completely different direction and angle.
“Phew.”
He turned to the side, dodging the bullets coming from behind by a hair’s breadth. At the same time, he manipulated some of his chakrams so that the bullets he dodged passed right through them, keeping them from leaving his circle. The teleported bullets assailed him once more, again from a new direction. They continued to assault their master until they lost momentum and fell to the ground.
But as Hajime was dodging, he continued to fire more and more bullets into the portals, increasing the number of shots he needed to dodge. He flitted like a leaf through the hail of bullets, using as little movement as necessary to dodge. His dance was much more fluid and graceful than the one Shizuku had performed earlier. It lacked any of the elegance a martial dance passed down through the centuri
es possessed.
Still, it was practical. His exceedingly practical maneuvers bore the polish that came with thousands of hours of practice. To Shizuku, that kind of practicality had its own beauty. Surrounded by a cyclone of bullets, Hajime weaved and bobbed while using his own weapons to raise the ferocity of the storm. Entranced, Shizuku watched until Hajime suddenly leaped into the air. He hung in the air, using his Aerodynamic to create footholds. Red mana pulsed underneath his feet as he pulled yet more chakrams out of his Treasure Trove and surrounded himself with them. The storm of red streaks sunk into the sphere of chakrams he’d surrounded himself with. The bullets then shot out the other side and raced toward Hajime like a barrage of lasers. He slowly shrunk the ten-meter sphere he’d created around himself, gradually reducing the amount of area he had to work with. And after that, he continued to dodge, at times using his guns’ barrels to block. Both arms moved like separate living creatures, as Donner and Schlag defended and attacked in the same fluid motion. Inside the sphere of chakrams rimmed with crimson light was another storm of crimson streaks. Their combined luminance made the sphere above Shizuku look like a blood-red moon.
“It’s so pretty...” Every time Shizuku witnessed Hajime’s mana, she found herself spellbound. It was for that reason she always let those words unconsciously slip. Though the hail of gunshots shattered the silence that had filled the forest until now, Shizuku found that this cacophony was more soothing than the quiet. Slowly but surely, Shizuku’s eyelids began to droop. And before long, she’d drifted off to sleep.
“Mmm... Hm?” Shizuku opened her eyes, letting out that soft groan. Her consciousness was still hazy, and she looked up blankly. Above her was a wooden ceiling. Still only half-awake, it took a moment for her to realize there was something soft supporting her head and back. And as she grew more alert, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8 Page 25