by Takehaya
“Blue Knight, do a damage check-up on the maneuver suit and make a list of all damaged areas. Also inventory how many spare parts there are for those areas.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
The armor was standing facing Ruth, held upright by an arm coming out from the wall. Several diagnostic devices quickly surrounded the armor, giving it a thorough examination.
“It seems... pretty worn out.”
Staring at the armor from the front, Ruth noticed all kinds of damage on it. It was covered in small scratches, and its royal blue color had slightly faded. There were also a few large dents and burn marks.
“Is this from his battle with Clan-sama? Even then, this is a lot...”
Since the damage caught her interest, Ruth brought up the data from the diagnostic devices. It was a detailed list of what kind of damage the armor had taken, but when she saw it, Ruth unwittingly tilted her head in confusion.
“The abrasion of the joint bearings is moderate. The shock absorber has broken down from wear in two different places. From repeated exposure to heat and impact, the brittleness of the armor has increased, so replacing the plate is recommended... Huh...?”
The list described several kinds of damage that usually only occurred from long-term wear and tear. The joints were worn down from friction, the energy-absorbing material was cracked, and the durability of the armor itself had been compromised from exposure to heat. The accumulated damage was far more than anything it should have sustained from being used as costume armor in the plays or fighting against Clan. The whole suit was going to need an overhaul.
“Just how has Satomi-sama been using this...?”
Koutarou and Clan had only disappeared for about two minutes. Ruth hadn’t really thought about those two minutes until now. She had assumed that they’d only gone to a different plane of space-time briefly before immediately returning.
However, based on the damage the armor had accrued, it seemed those two minutes had been extremely intense. Or maybe a massive gravitational field had altered the speed of time. Either way, it was clear that it hadn’t just been a simple matter of going and coming back.
“Let’s see, if I look at the memory...”
Ruth tapped on a nearby panel to access the armor’s memory storage. By looking at the armor’s recorded audiovisual data, the record of used equipment, and the AI’s logs, she should be able to piece together what happened.
“No data”?
However, the information that was supposed to be there had all been deleted. Ruth was at a loss.
“It’s been erased... Did Satomi-san do that? No, it must have been Clan-sama... But why?”
If all they’d done was visit and return from a different plane, there would be no reason to wipe the data. The fact that it had been erased made it clear that there was something they were trying to hide.
“Just what happened to Satomi-sama and Clan-sama...?”
Koutarou and Clan had been thrown out of the very universe, but something had happened along the way that had forced them to cooperate. Something that had badly damaged Koutarou’s armor. Something serious enough to wipe all traces of it from the armor’s database. That was the conclusion Ruth came to based on the evidence in front of her.
“I should ask Satomi-sama for more details when I get the chance...”
Koutarou had told Ruth and the others that being blown to a different reality by Clan’s repulsion shell meant he had no choice but to cooperate with her in order to return home. And since he’d brought back a magical staff, that must mean he’d been sent to a plane where magic existed. That’s all she could put together, but Ruth believed that Koutarou was hiding something very important from them.
The Ski Resort and Signature Moves
Wednesday, February 3rd
After making it through the dim tunnel, light streamed in through the bus windows. On the other side of them was a silvery landscape. And even though the clouds were covering the sun, everyone was dazzled by the glittering snow.
“All right! Oh yeah! The mountains are calling me!”
Koutarou’s sparkling eyes were comparable to the snow outside as he pressed his face against the window of the bus. As a sports lover, the moment he saw the snow, he could barely contain himself.
“Please calm down a little, Satomi-kun.”
Kiriha, who was sitting next to Koutarou, smiled at his childlike manner. They were surrounded by their classmates, so she made especially sure to keep up her honor student act, but she couldn’t hide how she really felt. She continued to smile as she watched over the restless Koutarou.
“Kiriha-san, when do we get there?!”
“It’ll be a while yet. The bus will start driving up the mountain now.”
Kiriha looked up front as she spoke. Beyond the bus were mountains covered in white snow that appeared to be growing larger as they moved closer. Koutarou and the other first-years of Kisshouharukaze High School were loaded onto eight buses currently making their way to a ski resort. As part of their school trip, they would be spending the next two days there enjoying various winter sports.
“About thirty more minutes or so.”
“Damn, it’s still that far off?”
Even as he was talking to Kiriha, Koutarou’s face remained pressed up against the window. He was looking up at the ski resort, watching it get closer and closer.
“It’s no use, Kiriha-san. Once he’s like that, it’s impossible to peel Kou off the window.”
Kenji’s face popped up from behind Koutarou’s seat. He was seated right behind him.
“Shut it, Mackenzie. A weakling like you wouldn’t understand the appeal of the mountains.”
“You’re just being a child. What are you, a kindergartner?!”
“I’d rather be a kindergartner than a weakling!”
Despite the judgmental look Kenji gave him, Koutarou didn’t move away from the window.
“But it’s dangerous like that, Satomi-kun.”
“Danger always accompanies the mountains.”
“That’s not what I meant. Heehee...”
Kiriha put her hand in front of her mouth as she giggled. Her elegant smile had a serene beauty to it that was rare in girls her age. In fact, the boys who saw it were smitten, but Koutarou, who still had his face pressed against the window, showed no reaction whatsoever.
“Satomi-kun, it’s dangerous to stand up like that, so please sit back down.”
“Like I said, it’s impossible. I’ve tried for years.”
“Is that so?”
Kenji shrugged his shoulders, clearly writing off Koutarou as a lost cause. Kiriha, however, leaned in and tried whispering into Koutarou’s ear to convince him.
“Sit down, Satomi Koutarou. Do you want me to use magic on you again?”
In that moment, Kiriha had a devilish, provocative smile on her lips.
“Ugh...”
Her words had a profound effect. Koutarou, who had stubbornly refused to move away from the window before, now awkwardly sat back down in his seat.
“Sorry for getting excited about something like skiing!”
“Very good.”
As Kiriha smiled at the seated Koutarou, she pulled out a meat bun from her bag and gave it to him.
“Eat this and calm down a little.”
“Of course! It would be my honor!”
Koutarou nervously opened his mouth as Kiriha fed him the meat bun with her delicate fingers. The meat bun should have been delicious, but Koutarou was too anxious to taste anything.
“Kou, what happened to you?”
Kenji was astonished to see Koutarou acting this way with Kiriha. According to his own experience, it was impossible to get Koutarou to listen to anything once he got excited. However, Kiriha had easily reigned him in. Kenji could hardly believe it.
“Mackenzie, you don’t know this woman’s true nature. She’s actually―”
“Would you like another?”
“Mmmph!”<
br />
Before Koutarou could say anything else, Kiriha shoved a second meat bun into his mouth.
“Mmph, mmh!”
“Kiriha-san, what did Kou say?”
“Mrghh, mmph!”
“W-Well...”
Kiriha blushed and shyly looked down.
“H-He was just remembering the intimate times we spent together...”
“Whaaaaaat?!”
The next moment, Koutarou had plastic bottles, shoes, magazines, and all kinds of other objects hurled at him by almost everyone nearby. He was already struggling to breathe thanks to the meat bun that had been shoved in his mouth, so between that and the sudden panic at the incoming barrage, Koutarou blacked out for a moment. Once he came to, the person who was supposed to be sitting next to him was mysteriously absent.
“D-Damn it, that Kiriha-san...”
“Are you okay, Koutarou?”
“That was unfortunate, Satomi-san.”
Sanae and Yurika were working together to dig Koutarou out from the pile of items that had been thrown at him.
“...Thanks, you two.”
“Koutarou, you definitely shouldn’t go out with that woman.”
“That’s right. Satomi-san should only go out with Sakuraba-senpai.”
“Th-That aside, Yurika...”
Koutarou brushed the dust off his clothes and got up.
“What?”
“Don’t ever give Kiriha-san that magical staff. Who knows what she’d do for fun...”
In the event that Kiriha did get her hands on it, Koutarou would most likely be the victim of her whims. It would be even worse than having a busload of random things thrown at him.
“I understand!”
Yurika responded emphatically. She wouldn’t stand for the misuse of magic either.
“Not even if she offers you something delicious, okay?”
“O-Okay!”
Yurika nodded again. However, her determination had already started to waver.
“Not even if she tells you a scary story, okay?”
“I-I-It’ll be fine! Probably! Yurika, fight! Yurika, fight!”
Yurika nervously nodded and cheered herself on.
“...Are you sure?”
“I’m sorry! I’m not actually sure at all!”
It seemed like the security for the new magical staff was far weaker than Koutarou had hoped.
Theia had stood up from her seat and was looking over at Koutarou and the others. After confirming that Koutarou was all right, she let out a sigh of relief and sat back down.
“Your Highness, you could just go to Satomi-sama’s side.”
“L-Like I could do something like that! But even so, I’m still―”
“A girl, right?”
“...”
Her face red, Theia stared down at the ground in silence. She had been about to say “princess,” but the word caught in her throat and just wouldn’t come out.
“Your Highness, if there’s something you want, you can’t just wait for it.”
Theia still said nothing and continued to look down. Her long, golden hair hid her face and expression from Ruth.
“And there’s no guarantee that Kiriha-sama will always be helping you either.”
While it might have been harder to understand than using the staff the other day, Ruth believed that Kiriha had also done this for Theia’s sake. It had given her an opportunity to go protect Koutarou or see if he was okay, but she hadn’t taken it.
Instead, it was Sanae and Yurika who had gone to Koutarou’s side. Theia had fallen behind in her hesitation. And if she didn’t take action, she wouldn’t see any results no matter how many opportunities Kiriha created. On top of that, there was a limit to Kiriha’s cooperation. Even though she knew what she wanted now, Theia would never be able to get it if she didn’t seize it for herself.
“I know... Even I know that I can’t go on like this...”
Theia finally opened her mouth. However, it was hard to believe that such timid words were coming from Theia.
“But I don’t understand... I’ve only ever made connections with others with my own strength. Giving that up now and trying something different is... impossible for me to even imagine. Just what should I do...?”
Theia had been born a princess and spent her life bargaining with people she couldn’t fully trust. To survive, she’d learned to exert her dominance and make people fall into line by using force. That was the only way she’d been able to interact with people. Theia’s wish wasn’t to win Koutarou’s heart through force, but it was the only thing she knew to do. This conundrum puzzled Theia. She wanted to move forward, but didn’t know how.
“Then why not just show him your strength?”
“Huh...?”
Theia instinctively raised her head at what Ruth said. It wasn’t what she’d expected to hear.
“It’s meaningless. My wish won’t be fulfilled by doing that...”
“If you just demonstrate normal strength, that might be true.” Ruth put her hand on her chest and gently smiled at Theia. “However, you have a different kind of strength you can show him, Your Highness.”
“A different... strength...?”
“Yes, the strength of your feelings and how much you care for others. If you make use of that strength without holding back, I’m sure he will understand no matter what you do, be it playing games, drinking tea, or fighting.”
Ruth’s words were powerful and there was an intense conviction visible in her eyes.
How can you be so certain? What makes you so confident?
Theia couldn’t sense any hesitation in what Ruth said. She wanted to know just where all this faith was coming from.
“Our Theiamillis’s Blue Knight isn’t the kind of thickheaded knight who wouldn’t understand that.”
Ruth gently smiled as she spoke. When Theia saw her face like that, she finally understood.
I see... So that’s what you believe in...
Ruth believed in Koutarou. She believed that the person Theia longed for wouldn’t ignore her when he was so kind to everyone else. In fact, it was precisely that part of him that had made Theia long for him in the first place.
“Ruth...”
Now that she understood what Ruth had so much faith in, a small smile finally appeared on Theia’s face.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“You just said ‘our,’ did you not?”
Theia was questioning Ruth, but her words were gentle. She was in no way criticizing her.
“Yes, that is indeed what I said.”
Ruth responded with the same conviction she had shown before.
“Then... are you fine with that?”
In fact, Theia was the one who had a slightly apologetic expression on her face.
“Yes. My ideal man is someone who will support you, Your Highness.”
“You’re not being very honest with yourself either...”
A tinge of bitterness crept across Theia’s smile, but Ruth simply shook her head.
“No, I just stubbornly believe.”
“Heh... Then I should believe as well.”
“In what, if I may ask?”
Ruth already knew. She already knew, but she had to ask because she wanted Theia to put it into words.
“In our Theiamillis’s Blue Knight.”
Theia answered just what Ruth hoped she would. She believed it was a wonderful thing for Theia to finally be able to say those words.
“Yes... As you wish, my princess...”
And so Theia and Ruth smiled at each other once more.
To the girl known as Nijino Yurika, a ski resort could be likened to hell. Not only did she dislike physical exertion, she also hated the cold. And since she lacked any endurance or discipline, there was no way she’d ever be good at skiing.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
As such, Yurika lost her balance just moments after getting off the ski lift.
“Save meeeee, Satomi-saaaaaaaan!�
�
Yurika was bundled up in so much clothing that she was almost round, and she rolled right down the ski slope like a barrel.
“Hey, Yurika!”
Koutarou quickly gave chase. However, Yurika was rolling at a frightening pace and she only picked up speed as she moved down the slope. It was like she was in freefall. Although he was athletic, as a skiing amateur, the distance between Koutarou and Yurika only grew.
“Save me, Satomi-saaaaan!”
Yurika looked like she would roll on forever, but...
“Uffh!”
She rolled right into a pile of newly fallen snow and stopped. Her two legs were the only thing that could be seen sticking out of it now.
“Wah, that looks bad, Koutarou!”
“Sanae, g-go on ahead and check on her!”
“Yeah!”
Sanae let go of Koutarou and headed for Yurika. Since she could freely fly, it was faster than skiing. She would be able to reach Yurika before anyone else.
“Are you okay, Yurika?”
“I-I’m nooot!”
Yurika had managed to get her head out of the snow, but she was completely trapped otherwise. She tried to move her arms, but there was no room in the snow. The only thing she could do was kick her legs, but that didn’t exactly help her. Luckily, Koutarou arrived shortly thereafter, kicking up snow as he slid sideways right over to the pile.
“How does it look?”
“She doesn’t seem to be hurt, but she can’t get out.”
“Save meee, Satomi-saaaaan!”
Yurika’s voice was slightly muffled as it reverberated off the snow. Based on her shouting and how she was kicking her legs, Koutarou could tell that she was just fine.
“Jeez...”
Koutarou let out a sigh of relief before removing his skis and approaching the pile where Yurika was stuck.
“Hey, are you okay, Yurika?”
“Yes. I’m not hurt,” Yurika replied. She sounded miserable.
“Are you stuck?”
“I can’t move my arms, so I can’t get out on my own.”
The snow had collapsed in on the Yurika-shaped hole, making it impossible for her to escape on her own. Without much of a choice, Koutarou reluctantly put his hands on Yurika’s legs sticking out.