Kizuna was peeking at Aine from the cover of a building.

Since he was trying to know more about Aine, he had been following Aine for these past three days all the time to observe her.

Saying it frankly, he was stalking her.

Right now was afternoon break. Aine went away from the school towards the park to eat the bento that she bought in the middle of going there.

Kizuna tried to hide behind the digital signage display lining the road and peeked at the situation.

After this, Aine would return to the cla.s.sroom with barely any time to spare like usual, after school she would go to the command headquarters to train and practice. When she finished she went directly to the dormitory. When she arrived at the dormitory, she wouldn’t go outside anymore for the day.

“Just following her around doesn’t give me any clue……”

“What kind of clue are you looking for?”

“UWAA!”

Suddenly a voice called out to him from behind, making Kizuna jump in shock.

“Hi-, Himekawa!?”

Himekawa Hayuru was standing there with her hands on her hips.

“What in the world are you doing, Hida-kun?”

“No, no. This is…… that…”

Hayuru breathed an amazed sigh.

“Just when I heard that there is a student stalking a female student, and try to look…… really, a person like you is……”

“This, this is a misunderstanding! I’m not doing anything I need to feel guilty for――”

“What do you want to know about Aine-san?”

“Eh?”

Himekawa put out her face from behind the digital signage display and stared at Aine.

“I too have questions about her since before. Her usual words are also hard to describe as a normal person, and most of all, her unusual fixation towards battle. That fixation of hers already went off the proper track.”

“I’m concerned as a fellow member of Amaterasu. Can something be done to help her? Surely you too are thinking like that right?”

Kizuna nodded largely.

“When did Himekawa get to know her?”

“It was at the high school entrance ceremony I think. I remember feeling that ‘there is a really beautiful girl here’ that time. At that time, Aine-san already had a Core finished installed inside her.”

“Is that so…… then is there anybody that knows about Chidorigafuchi in middle school?”

“No. Aine-san didn’t go through middle school. She was admitted starting from high school…… it seems there is no one that particularly knows her from before.”

Was it impossible to know more than this?

――No,

Based on how she had a Core installed in her, surely there should be some clue in that place.

Kizuna visited the laboratory of Heart Hybrid Gear, [Nayuta Lab].

{Hida Kizuna, what is your business?}

When he entered the laboratory, there was s.h.i.+kina Kei there facing the console that was like a c.o.c.kpit.

“Can I get the information about Chidorigafuchi’s past?”

{An authority to release the information is necessary. Chidorigafuchi Aine’s information level is high. It cannot be released with Hida Kizuna’s authority level.}

“No, it’s fine even if it’s not any important information. For example, something like her birthplace or her elementary school.”

{Everything is listed as secret. The information cannot be disclosed.}

What’s with that?

“Even though I have the authority to know everyone’s personal information as well as their three sizes and their location in the real time? Then who in the world can look at Chidorigafuchi’s information?”

{The only one with the authority for that in Ataraxia is only Hida Reiri.}

‘So it’s Nee-chan.’

“Got it, I’ll ask Nee-chan. Perhaps she is in the command headquarters right――”

“No need for that.”

The entrance of the room opened and Hida Reiri with her long black hair fluttering behind her entered.

“Nee-chan!”

“Kizuna, you want to know about Aine’s past?”

“Yeah. I want to know.”

“Why?”

“I’m…… worried about her. I have something worrying me even though I cannot say it clearly, but it feels really frustrating――”

No, wrong.

That was not it.

“――Perhaps, I’m feeling irritated. That girl is not thinking about other people, about herself, even whether she would die or anything at all.”

[A worthless worry isn’t it?] (TN: This is a flashback of Aine’s words, not Kei)

“What is inside that girl’s head is just to obtain an even more powerful weapon, she is thinking that something like our worry is really trivial.”

[What I cannot forgive the most, is my low combat ability.]

“She is not thinking of raising her combat strength for the sake of surviving. I don’t understand her. Because I don’t understand, it irritates me.”

[I see…… it seems that this is pointless isn’t it.]

Her sad back was reflected in his eyelids.

“That’s why I want to know about her!”

Reiri crossed her arms and listened to Kizuna’s words.

“……Fine then. I’ll teach you.”

“Really!?”

“But, even the information that we have about Chidorigafuchi Aine is limited. Understand that.”

Kizuna nodded silently.

“The beginning of this matter is seven years ago. Tokyo…… not the one in Megafloat, it was at the mainland Tokyo, the imperial palace there is surrounded by ca.n.a.ls around it and there is a ca.n.a.l there named Chidorigafuchi. A report that a girl was floating there was received. That girl was sheltered then, that was――”

“That’s Chidorigafuchi?”

“Correct. The girl who was sent to hospital and opened her eyes didn’t remember at all, just why was she in that kind of place. On the contrary, where did she come from, who was she, she couldn’t even recall those information. She didn’t even know her own name, that was the state she was in.”

“So she is…… amnesic?”

Reiri nodded.

“She didn’t have any external wound, so it was examined to be caused by temporary shock. However, even after that there was no sign at all that she was recovering her memory.”

“But, didn’t Chidorigafuchi’s family search for her? There must have been search requests coming out.”

“There was nothing. It seems the police made a search, but Aine’s family couldn’t be found in the end. Her appearance looked like she was around ten years old, so the elementary schools throughout j.a.pan were searched, but there was not a single clue.”

“Then…… as expected she was from abroad?”

“Even asking around the Immigration Bureau didn’t result in any clue.”

Then, just where in the world Chidorigafuchi came from?

“The person herself was an extremely normal and healthy girl. There was also no problem in the examination result. But――”

Reiri knitted her eyebrows.

“It’s just, there was only one point that was worthy of special mention. Her apt.i.tude for Heart Hybrid Gear is abnormally high.”

“Abnormally……? Is Chidorigafuchi that great?”

“Recently she is falling behind Yuris.h.i.+a and Himekawa. Her Zeros exhibited its ability in close range battle, but it’s disadvantaged when there is a distance with the enemy. It’s not that her talent is inferior, but the difference in the gear’s apt.i.tude resulted in a large difference of battle results.”

……So that was how it was.

“――Anyway, the one who had an eye at that girl’s high apt.i.tude, was our mother.”

Kizuna’s heart felt like it was grasped tightly.

“Mother took custody of Aine. Even the one who named her Chidorigafuchi Aine was also our mother. And then, Aine was made to engage in the research and development of Heart Hybrid Gear.”

“Then…… since then, all this time?”

“Right. She was staying in this lab all day, becoming a guinea pig.”

“Then, her school?”

“She started attending school from high school.”

“I see…… so she finally started a normal life only since high school.”

“That was when the practical application test began.”

“……”

Then…… that girl.

Since she was a child, she was isolated in this lab,

All the time as a guinea pig,

All alone,

The only thing she had was the Heart Hybrid Gear and Professor Hida Nayuta.

Excellent talent.

But, she was overtook by her rivals.

――After that?

Suddenly, an alert window popped up. All over the room was filled with crimson floating windows and alarms.

“Kei! What’s going on.”

{Enemy attack. Enemy wars.h.i.+p appeared two hundred kilometers ahead of Ataraxia.}

“Enemy scale?”

{One two thousand meter-cla.s.s battles.h.i.+p. Roughly thirty wars.h.i.+ps below one thousand meter-cla.s.s. Half among them are aircraft carriers, the remaining seem to be escort s.h.i.+ps.}

“Wha……!”

As expected, even Reiri lost her words.

It was an unprecedented large fleet.

Until now, there were cases where they battled enemy s.h.i.+ps, but the number of enemy s.h.i.+ps were invariably only one. Even so each time they received vast damage from them.

And now there were thirty s.h.i.+ps.

To encounter this large fleet, perhaps this was the first time since the mainland decisive battle of the Second Another Universe Conflict. If they entered battle situation like this, it couldn’t possibly be imagined that whether it was Ataraxia or Megafloat j.a.pan could go through this safely.

“Kei, connect the line to the command room! There is no time to return there, I’ll take command from here.”

{Roger.}

The alert windows disappeared, and in their place windows that displayed the battle network and Megafloat j.a.pan’s information appeared in large amount.

All those made a lump like a school of fish in the center of the room, connected to each other organically, building up a system. The walls in four directions and the ceiling, the floor surface too, all became monitors that were reproducing Ataraxia’s outside.

Kizuna saw the enemy fleet that was projected on the wall.

The black battles.h.i.+p that looked like it was cutting apart the blue sky was floating in the sky. Patterns that didn’t seem like words or shapes were s.h.i.+ning on the s.h.i.+p’s body.

It was a fantastical battles.h.i.+p that was obviously made from different technology than mankind.

Its shape was completely unrelated with fluid mechanics or aerodynamics. Its width was wide, gun turrets were directed at every direction. It felt like a fortress or a castle of middle age Europe was flying in the sky together with its defensive wall.

That figure of an object with gigantic ma.s.s leisurely flying in the sky couldn’t be described as anything but absurd.

{Connection with the command room is finished. The time lag is about ten milliseconds. There will be no problem for you to give instructions thinking of me as the command room.}

Kei lifted her face a little. Her gaze met Reiri’s and both of them wordlessly nodded at each other.

“Okay, calculate the evasion course of Ataraxia.”

Kei’s arm was das.h.i.+ng on top of the console with tremendous speed.

{Most likely the enemy fleet is coming from Solomon direction. Ataraxia’s evasion course calculation complete. Now running away to the northwest direction with full speed.}

“The time until the encounter with the enemy!”

{If the situation doesn’t change, we will enter the enemy fleet’s firing range in fifteen more minutes.}

The flags.h.i.+p of the enemy fleet, the two thousand meter-cla.s.s large battles.h.i.+p was magnified, its gun turret was largely projected.

{What will be the threat is the main cannon of this large battles.h.i.+p. If we are bombarded continuously by this, Megafloat j.a.pan will sink.}

Reiri clicked her lips.

“All members of Amaterasu, reply!”

Responding to Reiri’s voice, Aine, Himekawa, and Yuris.h.i.+a’s faces were reflected in the appearing windows. Looking at the background behind them, it seemed that the three of them were in a cla.s.sroom.

“You understand the situation? Then all hands, sortie!”

{Roger!}

The three saluted and cut off the transmission.

Reiri faced Kei and yelled.

“Activate all defensive systems of Ataraxia as well as Megafloat j.a.pan’s all area!”

{Roger.}

Reiri pulled an operating window floating in the air to her. She tapped an icon for broadcasting towards the whole of Ataraxia from inside it.

“Informing all students! This is not practice or a school event, this is a real battle! Show your efforts’ result to those another universe lot!”

The window that projected the image inside the school showed the students standing up from their seat and exited the cla.s.sroom. Each one of them were scattering to every department of Ataraxia in order to accomplish the order a.s.signed to them. The technology department performed confirmation on the defense installation inside Ataraxia, combat department used those weapons and intercepted the enemy.

Ataraxia that entered battle state made a complete change at the city’s appearance. Shutter was lowered down on the buildings’ walls, important facilities was lowered underground. In reverse combat facilities were appearing from underground to the above ground.

The street opened and unmanned aircrafts appeared from inside, they made use of the straight road to launch. The camouflaged buildings opened, showing particle cannons which began charging while scattering electrical discharge. The ground of the park opened up like a shutter and middle-range missiles peeked out their heads from below.

“Yosh, then me too!”

Kizuna who was going to go outside was stopped by Reiri.

“Wait Kizuna. You are staying here.”

“W, why!?”

“It’s meaningless even if you go now. For now wait here.”

“Just why is it meaningless!? Even I can do something if it’s against the likes of category-C magic weapons!”

“That’s why. Currently, magic weapons of C-cla.s.s and lower that even you can face still haven’t come out yet. Besides, exposing yourself towards the enemy wars.h.i.+p’s firepower with your mobility is just suicidal.”

“Kuh……”

“If the enemy let out their landing unit, that time will be your turn. Until then prepare yourself.”

Kizuna stared at the figures of Himekawa, Yuris.h.i.+a, and Aine which were projected on the huge monitor.

The three of them were already putting on their Heart Hybrid Gear and flew heading to the enemy fleet.

Himekawa was staring at the information sent from the battlefield network so hard, a hole might be created in it.

“This is the first time a wars.h.i.+p that huge came…… moreover, a fleet that large…… really, can we protect the Megafloat until the end…… when I think that the future of Ataraxia and everyone is put on our shoulders……”

A deeply depressed voice came out from Himekawa’s mouth.

“That’s really not like you Hayuru. Well, it’s going to be fine if we just do our best I wonder?”

In contrast, Yuris.h.i.+a’s voice was bright. She was carefree as if playing a game after going home from school.

“……Aine-san, are you okay?”

Aine was shouldering a machine gun on her back, a great number of magazines were hanged on her waist. And then in her hand was an anti-material rifle, Barrett M82A1 dangling down.

“I’m fine you ask? I don’t understand the meaning of your question.”

“Ah, no. The bombardment of the battles.h.i.+p will be fierce, so please don’t force yourself. Aine-san specializes in close range after all, so follow after us――”

“That’s unnecessary help.”

Aine declared to Himekawa coldly.

The enemy fleet visible far away was gradually becoming bigger.

In front of the three, Reiri’s floating window was opened.

{Listen well. What you need to shoot down is the enemy’s flags.h.i.+p, the two thousand meter-cla.s.s large battles.h.i.+p. It will be fifteen more minutes until that s.h.i.+p catches Ataraxia in its shooting range. Before that happens, crush the enemy’s main cannon!}

“Rea―ally, commander says that so easily.”

Yuris.h.i.+a breathed out a deep sigh.

At that time, in front of Yuris.h.i.+a and the others, a glint of light the sign of an airplane could be seen.

“……Moreover, it doesn’t seem like we will be able to reach the enemy s.h.i.+p easily―”

Magic weapon groups taking off from the aircraft carriers were heading to their location.

It was a crowd of category-B Albatross. In total there were fifty.

“Well then, we are clearing them all at once now♪”

Yuris.h.i.+a stopped in place.

The Differential Frame on her back changed its distribution of energy from propulsive power into attack power.

Golden light flowed into the surface of the gear, carrying energy into the particle cannon.

The Differential Frame was deployed and the particle cannon’s muzzle was directed to the front.

Ahead of it was the squad of Albatross.

Aine and Himekawa who went ahead spread out to the left and right, running away from Yuris.h.i.+a’s line of fire toward the Albatrosses.

Energy was gathering in the muzzles of the particle cannons.

At that time, the Albatrosses’ bayonets were firing all at once.

“Yuris.h.i.+a-san!”

Himekawa turned around to Yuris.h.i.+a.

However Yuris.h.i.+a didn’t show any sign of moving.

The light bullets of the bayonets flew, grazing Yuris.h.i.+a.

Cross’ particle cannons were filled with energy until the limit. The radiance of the cannon muzzles were emitting light that couldn’t be suppressed.

“GOOOOOO-!”

Together with an explosive light, a bundle of light was fired from the Differential Frame.

The radiance of the particle cannons opened a hole in the Albatross squad for a moment.

The Differential Frame moved as if opening to left and right and the beam of light traced a line horizontally through the enemy squad.

As if chasing after the particle cannons’ line, the Albatrosses were exploding one after another.

Half of them turned into fragments of light in a flash.

“Thank you very much for the opening attack-!”

Himekawa charged at the surviving units.

“Blade!”

The large swords freely flying on her back flew out. While drawing large arcs, the swords circled the explosion smoke.

Albatrosses appeared from inside that explosion. They headed to Himekawa in front of them and prepared their bayonet.

Himekawa drew out the sword on her hips.

However, she had no projectile weapon.

The distance until the Albatrosses was roughly three hundred meters.

Himekawa’s sword couldn’t possibly reach.

And then, the Albatrosses’ bayonets spouted out fire――,

At that instant, Blades piercing through the Albatrosses’ chest appeared.

The Albatrosses exploded greatly while exposing out their internal mechanism.

The Blades that cut apart the magic weapons continued to move in high speed and aimed for the next prey.

They attacked from the top of the Albatross’ head, bisecting the enemy from its head until its crotch into two.

The Blades flew around freely in this air combat and raised bloodbath from the magic weapons one after another. They were weapons that displayed unparalleled might in middle-range combat.

However, high concentration was needed for its operation. Because of that, Himekawa herself easily showed an opening.

Himekawa who was naturally hovering in place was attacked by an Albatross from behind.

“!!”

Himekawa who noticed that turned around holding her sword.

The Albatross’ sword was swung down.

Fierce sparks scattered.

A roar from torn off metal resounded, the head of the Albatross was torn off and blown away.

“Aine-san!?”

Aine kicked away the Albatross.

She halted as if sliding in the sky. There, another Albatross was lying in wait and rained her down with its shooting.

“Kuh!”

She deployed a s.h.i.+eld of light and repelled the magic bullets.

Zeros’ defense system, the Life Saver was instantly deployed and protected Aine’s body.

Aine looked around her surroundings with a grim face.

When she confirmed the attacking enemy, Zeros was already circling into the enemy’s flank.

However the Albatross was also trying to maintain the distance with Aine and moved back.

And then, it directed the gun at the charging Aine.

However, Aine readied the anti material rifle in her hand and pulled the trigger.

Staggering explosive sound resounded, wind pressure that seemed like a strike had hit her face.

Even the rifle that could destroy trucks and armored cars wasn’t effective against magic weapons. However, it was enough to divert the gun muzzle directed at Aine.

The magic weapon’s bullet grazed Aine right from the side.

Aine threw away the rifle and pulled back her arm. The thruster on her elbow was gathering light.

“HAAAAA!”

The thruster ignited.

Like a fired bullet, Aine’s fist was driven into the enemy.

The sound and destructive power that were like an explosion pierced through the Albatross’ body.

The shockwave pa.s.sed through until the back and a large hole was gouged into the Albatross’ body.

Together with a large explosion, fragments of light scattered apart.

When Aine came out from the smoke, she could confirm the enemy fleet.

“The distance is only about…… two, thirty kilometers more.”

“Ah! Please look at that.”

When they looked at the direction Himekawa’s finger pointed at, magic weapons were flying out one after another from the enemy fleet’s aircraft carrier.

Even Yuris.h.i.+a who was in a slightly separated location made a fed-up face.

{Hurry! Only seven minutes left!}

Reiri’s impatient voice resounded in their ears.

Yuris.h.i.+a’s voice that was answering her was also irritated.

“We know already! If I can just get a little bit closer, I can settle this with my particle cannon!”

Even while they were talking, the Albatrosses were attacking them. The enemy number was just too many in any case.

“Just how many are they launching here!?”

Himekawa was cautious to the enemy attack while confirming the map of the battle state.

The circle that displayed the enemy range was going to reach Ataraxia soon already.

Blood left Himekawa’s face.

“F, for now let’s not get too focused on the magic weapons! Anyways we have to hit the enemy’s main――kyaaaa!”

Himekawa was grazed by a flame pillar.

That fierce heat and pressure blew away Himekawa altogether with her Life Saver.

“Hayuru!?”

When Himekawa stopped with her brake, she looked at the enemy that attacked her.

It was a magic weapon in the shape of a dragon with a person buried on its back.

A Dragre.

It was a category-A magic weapon that troubled Yuris.h.i.+a before this.

“I hate persistent guys, really!”

Yuris.h.i.+a raised her output and headed to the battles.h.i.+p. Himekawa too immediately pursued behind.

“Yuris.h.i.+a-san! What about the Dragre?”

When she looked back, she could see the Dragre pursuing them.

“There is no free time right now for taking on a category-A!”

However the Dragre couldn’t be shaken off. It was gaining in its pursuit of the two.

When the dragon’s mouth opened, flame was forming a vortex in it. Faster than the two could fly, it hit directly at their backs.

“HIAAAAAAAAAA-!”

The impact was like being hit from behind by a car.

“Guh…… you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

They forcefully changed their direction and escaped from the flame attack. However, although they were protected by the Life Saver, their Hybrid Count was considerably shaved off.

Yuris.h.i.+a wiped off her sweat.

“If it stays like this, we won’t have any energy left to destroy the main cannon!”

“Yuris.h.i.+a-san!”

Himekawa put her hand on the sword on her hips.

Looking at that, Yuris.h.i.+a stopped her pace.

Himekawa also imitated her.

“We are killing it, Hayuru!”

“Yes, that’s what I wish for!”

However, there was no time. The remaining time until the starting of the battles.h.i.+p bombardment was only three minutes.

“Both of you, head to the battles.h.i.+p.”

The wind that pa.s.sed through the side of the two left those words behind.

“Aine!?”

With a tremendous speed, Aine was charging at the Dragre.

Dragre’s flame attacked Aine.

However Aine didn’t dodge it and deployed her Life Saver.

The flame and the Life Saver collided.

“HAAAAAA-!”

The Life Saver parted the flame heading to the Dragre.

Inside the flame, a floating window was opened.

“You idiot! What are you doing!”

“That’s absurd! Aine-san!”

Both of them screamed.

Kizuna who was also looking at that situation opened a line unable to bear it.

{Chidorigafuchi! Stop!}

Aine yelled as if to shake off those voices.

“UAAAAAAAAA-!”

She pierced through the flame.

She pa.s.sed through the dragon neck.

In front of her eyes was the humanoid upper body.

The thrusters on Aine’s waist and legs spouted fire.

“HAAA-!!”

The full power acceleration added to the force of her charge. A flying kick like a meteor was settled on the Dragre’s body. The shockwave made the Dragre twist its body.

The next moment, the upper body of the Dragre exploded. The dragon body was broken into two and the internal mechanism protruded out. A sound of metal getting wrenched sounded like the death cry of the monster.

The Dragre caused a large explosion.

{Aine!}

{Aine-san!}

Aine’s shoulders were heaving from her painful breathing.

“Even I, can defeat, A-cla.s.s…… I don’t lose, to, Yuris.h.i.+a……”

A monologue leaked out between her gasping breaths.

A communication came from the two that were going ahead.

{Aine, don’t be ras.h.!.+ Think of combination!}

{That’s right! Let’s form formation! Quickly, this way――}

Aine waved off the noisy windows with her hand and hurried towards the battles.h.i.+p.

In front of that Aine, Kizuna’s window was projected.

{What are you doing so rashly! You use the Life Saver too much!}

“I defeated the category-A right, I didn’t use it pointlessly.”

{Right now your Hybrid Count is…… o, oi! It’s already in 10% see!?}

“If there is that much then it’s enough.”

Aine answered nonchalantly.

“If there is that much――”

Yuris.h.i.+a looked back and confirmed Aine’s figure.

“Good grief…… what a stupid girl-!”

Yuris.h.i.+a clicked her tongue and distributed the Differential Frame’s energy a hundred percent as propelling force.

“We are going ahead!”

“Ah! Even Yuris.h.i.+a-san!”

Himekawa seemed like she was going to cry, but she went away to the rear of the enemy.

The commencement of the bombardment was one more minute.

Cross’s full acceleration shook off the enemies’ pursuit and brought Yuris.h.i.+a until above the battles.h.i.+p.

“Looks like, I somehow made it.”

Yuris.h.i.+a stopped stock still in the sky.

She deployed the Differential Frame, and this time she directed the whole output into the particle cannon’s attack power.

Below her the large battles.h.i.+p was slowly but surely invading forward.

While she was charging her attack, Himekawa and Aine caught up.

“Yuris.h.i.+a-san!”

“Yes. I’ll settle this now.”

In contrast with her light tone, Yuris.h.i.+a was glaring grimly at the battles.h.i.+p.

Yuris.h.i.+a’s particle cannon was directed at the battles.h.i.+p’s main cannon.

“Now, prepare yourself, h.e.l.l Fi――”

At that time when Yuris.h.i.+a was going to start shooting, the enemy battles.h.i.+p was flas.h.i.+ng momentarily.

The next moment, barrage of light was fired spreading from the enemy battles.h.i.+p filling their whole field of vision.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

They barely defended against the enemy’s bombardment using the Life Saver.

“Kuh……! Thi, this thing…… uu!”

Yuris.h.i.+a couldn’t endure and moved back from the pressure.

Himekawa and Aine were also the same.

It was anti air shooting with dreadful density. There was no place to evade or escape.

{Oi! You all okay!?}

Communication from Reiri came, but they couldn’t even respond.

And then, the large battles.h.i.+p’s main cannon began to move. The cannon turret was facing diagonally above and ominous light began to gather in that direction.

Aine and the others opened their eyes wide.

――Time up.

The battles.h.i.+p from another universe was beginning the bombardment.

Glaring flash ran. The explosion shockwave a.s.saulted the three above the sky like an earthquake.

“-!?”

A giant ball of light flew heading to Ataraxia.

The ball of light landed on Ataraxia in a flash, it crashed into the defensive wall at the outer circ.u.mference and exploded. The building’s armor was torn off and broke down.

Intense bombardment was beginning.

Bombing of light was thrown from the enemy battles.h.i.+p one after another.

It hit the city one after another, the streets and buildings that lowered down shutters were blown away ridiculously. Large amount of gla.s.ses and fragments scattered apart, they were breaking down in flame.

Enemy bombardment covered the sky and literally rained down.

“Aaa, geez! What should we do now!?”

Nearby the large battles.h.i.+p, Yuris.h.i.+a and the others were also bathed in concentrated firing.

“If, if it keeps like this, our Hybrid Count will only decrease little by little! We have to do something!”

Aine was staring at the enemy’s flags.h.i.+p.

“――Nothing we can do but flying into its bosom.”

Aine’s thrusters radiated light, raising its output.

“Aine-san? What are you planning to do?”

“We have no chance of victory in bombardment battle. If that’s so, then we have to board the enemy’s battles.h.i.+p and fight hand-to-hand.”

Himekawa and Yuris.h.i.+a doubted their ears.

“Please don’t say something absurd! There is no way you can get close through this barrage!”

“That’s right. First we have to take distance, yes, from different direction we――”

Aine flew away without listening to the two’s talk.

“Aine-san!”

Himekawa immediately yelled.

“No-! Aine!!”

Aine deployed the s.h.i.+eld of Life Saver right from the start and charged into the enemy s.h.i.+p with her full speed.

Enemy’s sh.e.l.l hit her and greatly affected her trajectory. Even so, she pushed on.

At that time, her lifeline the Life Saver vanished.

“Wha-……!?”

‘――Why!?’

She immediately understood the reason.

There was no more energy.

Aine bit her lips.

She had no means of defense anymore. Aine dodged the enemy’s shot while heading to the battles.h.i.+p. She predicted the orbit of the enemy’s main cannon and evaded with marvelous mobility.

‘――Just, a little more.’

The anti-air cannons at her flank fired all at once.

With a turn she largely rotated to the side, from there she spun and took a nose dive.

The enemy’s anti-air cannons too couldn’t follow that movement.

‘――Reach!’

She could feel the battles.h.i.+p’s deck was within the range where her hands could reach.

At that instant, she felt an impact as if she was fiercely struck from the side.

‘――Wha……?’

It was the bombarding of the escort s.h.i.+ps accompanying the flags.h.i.+p which were silent until now.

Getting hit directly straight from the side, Aine was sent flying.

“CHIDORIGAFUCHIIII-!”

Kizuna screamed while looking up at the monitor of the command room.

Her silver hear was spreading out, Aine’s body was falling to the sea.

Kizuna rushed out from the command room.

“Wait, Kizuna!”

He shook off Reiri’s restraint and ran through the corridor.

‘――Just wait, Chidorigafuchi!’

“Eros!!”

Aine was in a pitch black world.

She didn’t understand just where she was.

She didn’t understand who she was.

Where could she go?

She could see a faint light.

Was it okay for her to go there?

Aine walked forward heading to that light.

“Chidorigafuchi!”

“……Hida, kun?”

She could see Kizuna’s face with blurry eyes.

“I’m glad! You’ve come to yourself.”

They were in a pure white room.

She was not on a bed, but lying down on the floor. Beside her was Kizuna wearing his Heart Hybrid Gear sitting on his knee.

“This place……”

It was a room she remembered seeing, but her head was in chaos, she couldn’t recall the name of the place.

“This is the adjustment room of Nayuta Lab. You were shot down and fell into the sea. You were safe from being hit directly by the escort s.h.i.+p. You can thank your lucky star.”

Aine’s body was still wrapped in Zeros. She tried to raise up her body, but she couldn’t put strength into her arm.

“Oi, don’t force yourself.”

After she lied face down, she managed to raise her body into creeping on all fours.

But just by doing that much, she needed to put all her body strength into it. In addition from the damage of getting shot down, this was also because of her little remaining Hybrid Count.

“The situation…… what is going on?”

“The enemy fleet has advanced until five kilos from Ataraxia. Right now their bombardment is stopping, but in its place magic weapons’ descending unit is landing down.”

“The bombardment stopped? Why is that……”

“Who knows…… perhaps the plan is to occupy the Megafloat, not sinking it down. Well, we don’t know what those guys from AU are thinking…… aah, also don’t worry about Yuris.h.i.+a and Himekawa. They came back safely…… well, in a nutsh.e.l.l, the strategy failed.”

“I have…… to go back soon.”

Aine stood up even with her knees trembling.

“That’s why wait…… I told you.”

Kizuna put his hand on her knee and she finally managed to stand with great difficulty.

“Here we go…… Chidorigafuchi. You cannot go back to the battlefield.

“Why?”

Kizuna took out his student device and opened Aine’s vital sign to show her.

Aine saw her number and for an instant she made a grim face.

“……Is that so, my remaining Hybrid Count is below 5%. I see, it won’t be strange if my gear stops working anytime, that’s what you mean.”

Aine who smiled self-deprecatingly stared at Kizuna with a serious face.

“Even without looking at this, you are at least aware yourself that you’re not in a condition to fight right? Even if you go right now, you are just going to die.”

“……Even so, I don’t mind.”

Kizuna stood in the way of Aine who was trying to head to the entrance.

“Move aside.”

“There is no way I’m going to let someone who is trying to go to her death go.”

Aine stared fixedly at Kizuna’s eyes.

There was no l.u.s.ter in Kizuna’s black eyes.

“Even you are looking tired aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Nursing a certain reckless someone left me so tired. I wonder if this is what is called nursing fatigue?”

“I don’t remember asking you to do that for me!”

Aine’s sharp voice resounded.

After that silence visited the room.

“I, I, I don’t have anything else other than Heart Hybrid Gear! I cannot forgive myself that I’m inferior to anybody else in Heart Hybrid Gear.”

Aine was making a face that even now looked like she was going to cry.

“And now…… I cannot even fight? I cannot even equip my gear you said? Something like that, means…… I don’t have any worth anymore. There is no meaning in me existing. Then doesn’t that mean there is no meaning in me to keep living!”

“Chidorigafuchi……”

“Inside me, there is nothing. Nothing at all. I don’t know who I am or where I came from. Name, family, home, I don’t remember anything at all.”

Aine was staring at Kizuna’s expression, but before long she suspiciously asked him.

“……You aren’t surprised. By any chance, did you already know?”

“Yeah, I knew it only just before this.”

“Is that so…… then the talk will be quick. I was taken into this lab. After that, I became Professor Nayuta’s guinea pig all this time and helped with the research.”

Kizuna’s heart felt a stinging p.r.i.c.k.

“Apart from that I know nothing about my past. Apart from that I was only being used as a guinea pig here without thinking about the future. That’s my everything.”

“I understand that you are amnesic, and also that you were raised in a unique environment. But, isn’t it okay if you just make new memories. Things like your favorite food, new hobby, even friends.”

“Even if I have an interest in anything, my true…… my past self, did she have an interest in something like that? I will start thinking like that, it made me unable to have interest in anything. When the test for real battle began and I attended high school, it became excessively hard.”

“Just why, isn’t it fine if you just talk normally and get along well with your cla.s.smates?”

“It’s scary to come into contact with other people. Because in the lab, I didn’t talk with anyone there. I cannot do something like talking properly with other people.”

Kizuna recalled Aine’s wicked tongue.

So that was actually the materialization of this girl’s desperation.

Or else, that was a s.h.i.+eld to protect herself from fear. Possibly it might be a camouflage to hide her heart. He guessed that most likely, even she herself wasn’t aware of it.

“But you see, even for me there is one single thing, something that became my place to belong.”

“……Heart Hybrid Gear.”

Aine nodded.

“――Yes. When I become strong, Professor Nayuta praised me. She was happy for me. At that time, I was the only one who could use Heart Hybrid Gear. Saying it in reverse, I couldn’t do anything other than that. Using Heart Hybrid Gear more skillful than anyone, stronger than anyone. That was me.”

“Even now you are still like that aren’t you? You have an amazing genius, even everyone else thinks that you are amazing. Even Yuris.h.i.+a and Himekawa, they should be relying on you too.”

“Don’t say whatever you like!”

Aine’s voice was trembling.

“I’m tired of getting told that I have an amazing genius! No matter how strong I am in close range battle, there is no meaning in it at all! I cannot defeat the enemy at all! Hayuru has shot down two hundred enemies, Yuris.h.i.+a is in three hundreds, I only shot down thirty enemies until now!”

“Chidorigafuchi…… that’s…”

“At that time I remembered. In the past, Professor Nayuta talked to me. There is an amazing weapon called the Corruption Armament sleeping inside me, she said. When the Hybrid Count pa.s.ses the limits, there is the possibility that it will materialize.”

Mother said that? Then as he thought, the one who sent the data about his Heart Hybrid Gear was――

“If I can obtain the Corruption Armament, I will make it somehow. But, how can I make my Hybrid Count that just keeps decreasing to go further than the full charge? As I thought it might be impossible, when I thought like that, you appeared.”

Aine pointed at Kizuna.

“You, Hida Kizuna. Limit Breaker(The Man that Breaks the Limit) of Hybrid Count.”

‘I…… am?’

“I was happy. I was filled with hope, the world looked different all of a sudden. I felt like you are the prince that Professor Nayuta created for me.”

“Pr…… prin, ce?”

He couldn’t see that at all from her att.i.tude until now.

“I have to make you pleased. I have to make you like me. But, I don’t understand what to do. I searched the database, looked at the magazines that boys read, I investigated various things. There was an article written that boys will be happy from a girl’s handmade bento so…… but, I cannot cook or anything, just when I thought what to do――”

‘Aah…… so because of that she made that sandwich from the convenience store.’

“I prepared a bento that I didn’t make myself, then I read a p.o.r.n book for boys, what to do that would make a boy happy……”

“Don’t tell me…… you looked at that p.o.r.n magazine aimed for males, because of that, you came waking me up that morning?”

“Ac, actually, there were more things…… various plans to wake you up but…… tha, that was impossible for me.”

“At the school…… that time you flipped up your skirt outside?”

“That time, it was so embarra.s.sing that I was going to die already. And, an undercla.s.sman also saw that……”

“Bu, but, your face that time was really unconcerned! You said that you weren’t shy! Weren’t you even talking on and on wickedly to me!”

“That’s because if I didn’t do that, my head would go strange from all of that embarra.s.sment!”

Kizuna faltered from Aine’s yell.

“Even before this, there was an article that wrote if I just go alone to a boy’s room at night giving the OK sign…… I didn’t know what I was doing but…… it was scary but, even so, if I did that, I thought that Hida-kun will also lay his hand on me.”

“Tha, that’s…… even I, that was really chaotic for me, I kept getting worried――”

“What do you mean by that! This useless man! Coward! You didn’t even know what I’m feeling!”

“Yo, you are f.u.c.king kidding me! Just who is a coward. Besides, looking from your usual behavior, just how can I possibly understand your feelings like right now huh! The difficulty is just too high! No matter how you think about it, that’s lunatic level difficulty right!?”

“Understand it if it’s just that much!”

After yelling that, tears were gathering in Aine’s eyes.

“I cannot obtain the Corruption Armament. In the end, I’m just a human that has no use whatsoever. From the beginning I don’t have any worth for living.”

At that time, a vibration like an earthquake shook the floor.

Aine made a deprecating smile towards herself.

“Sooner or later, this Ataraxia too will end from taking on that large battles.h.i.+p as an opponent. Because of my fault, everyone will die――”

“Cut it out! Chidorigafuchi!”

Kizuna’s angry yell struck Aine.

“……What, what’s with you?”

His pressure that was different from anything so far made Aine wince.

“Shut up and listen, you c.o.c.ky girl! You’re not useful? You don’t have any worth for living? And what’s with you saying only thirty enemies? I’m still at zero enemies here, total zero! Ain’t you super skilled already shooting down that many enemies! Also just because I cannot do Heart Hybrid that well, don’t make it all as my fault! Even I am not that used to girls. If I get approached by a transcendent beauty like you, there is no way I’m going to understand just what the h.e.l.l I should do, you know! Understand my feelings too!”

“Wha, what, so you are now proud that you’re a good-for-nothing! It’s fine if you just laid your hands on me! Someone like me, doesn’t have any great worth, in the first place I’m a human that didn’t exist!”

“Stop s.h.i.+tting me! You are beautiful, your style is great, your status is absurdly high.”

Aine’s cheeks were dyed red in a flash.

“Thi, things like those cannot defeat the enemy!”

“Who cares-! Besides, something like your worth of living, or your usefulness, that’ not something that you should talk like you know anything about it. Aren’t you just treasuring yourself. You just think that you are the best and get insecure when no one fusses over you! You are just unable to accept the gap between your ideal self and the real you! Just because there are those you cannot win against, that there are people even more superior than yourself, you abased yourself and got sulky, isn’t that what this is about!”

Aine’s expression changed from bewilderment to fury.

“……Don’t talk like you know anything!”

However, Kizuna continued without caring.

“Listen well! Even if you think that you don’t have any talent, that you are not a big deal at all, then what you have to do is think about what you who is like that can do. What should you do so that even your power can be useful? Make your way of thinking like that. If you do that, then there will be no one in this world whose existence is unnecessary!!”

Aine shook her head as if saying that she didn’t want to listen.

“Aah, annoying! I don’t want to hear a sermon that is just lip-service!”

Light ran through Aine’s Zeros. The thruster on her elbow was s.h.i.+ning.

“Quickly step aside from there! Or else I’m going to strike you to death right here!”

Aine pulled back her fist. It was a stance where she could pierce through Kizuna’s body anytime.

“So you are going to wring out your last energy to beat to death a single man that irritated you? How great, this dunce-sama that once aimed to be the strongest.”

Aine’s eyes were wrapped in a dangerous color.

“You are really going to die.”

“Do as you like.”

He accepted the gaze filled with killing intent right from the front.

“HA-!!”

Aine’s arms headed to Kizuna in an attack.

Tremendous wind pressure struck Kizuna’s face. Wind was rolled up and raised the dust of the floor whirling.

Aine’s fist stopped a centimeter in front of Kizuna’s nose’s tip.

“……-!!”

Aine made a voice from biting her back teeth.

“Why didn’t you dodge!? At least deploy your Life Saver! This idiot-!!”

Kizuna laughed powerlessly.

“Honestly, it’s tiresome to even dodge…… something like deploying Life Saver, is absolutely impossible for me.”

Aine suddenly realized that Kizuna’s hair was wet.

“You, don’t tell me, you went to save me when I fell into the sea……”

Kizuna awkwardly averted his sight.

“No, my mobility is not great like yours after all. I ate an enemy’s bullet like a joke…… hahaha.”

“What, what are you laughing off! How many percent is your remaining Hybrid Count right now?”

“No, that…… about 2%――I think.”

“Two……!?”

Aine hit Kizuna’s chest.

It was not with the power of the Heart Hybrid Gear, but with the power of Aine herself.

“You! Idiot, idiot, incompetent, fool, useless! Even though you are a weakling! Even though you are powerless! At least evade something like a mere bullet!”

She was. .h.i.tting Kizuna’s chest while crying.

“Why, for the sake of me who cannot fight anymore, you…… did something like that-“

Kizuna gently held down the shoulders of Aine who was like that.

“Uu…… hic, uu, u……”

Aine pressed her head onto Kizuna’s chest, she stifled her voice and cried.

“Even though, I, cannot do anything…… other than dying……”

s.h.i.+ning tears spilled down from Aine’s eyes.

Kizuna gently embraced Aine’s body.

“Hey…… this place is really nostalgic.”

“……?”

“That’s right, this was the place where you and I met for the first time.”

“……Eh?”

“Seven years ago, you arrived to this room lifted on a stretcher. At that time, I was helping mother…… Hida Nayuta with her research.”

With a look of realization, Aine looked at Kizuna.

“Then, the boy at that time…… since that time, I didn’t see him for the second time……”

“So you remember.”

Kizuna smiled.

“You who had high apt.i.tude for Heart Hybrid Gear arrived here, that made me get put into the trash can. At that time I was also thrown away by Kaa-san. She said, I’m already unneeded.”

Aine was shocked and her eyes opened wide.

“That’s why, I understand well how Chidorigafuchi feels. After all at that time, I too was the only owner of Heart Hybrid Gear in the world. That’s why, when another fellow that had superior apt.i.tude appeared, moreover, I got told that I’m already unneeded, that was really shocking.”

Aine bit her lips hard.

“How you are rus.h.i.+ng to death, I understand that too.”

Aine slowly looked up at Kizuna’s face.

Kizuna’s face was indicating of a nostalgic memory, his expression was calm and looked awkward somehow.

“When I was told by Kaa-san that she didn’t need me, I was thinking of dying for real. Up to that time I was always in the laboratory, I had never even gone to school. I didn’t understand anything except the experiments. That was why, I who got driven out from the lab was nothing at all. Even though until that time Kaa-san and the research were my everything, I lost them all. All of my past until that time, I completely lost them all.”

“Kizuna……”

Kizuna laughed embarra.s.sedly.

“Haha, after that I went to Tokyo Float alone, and when I began to attend school that was just tragic. After all, I could not converse with other people properly at any rate. Really, just how similar is that with a certain someone you think.”

Kizuna’s hand touched Aine’s cheek.

“But, at that point it’s not a problem about the reason why you exist, or what kind of ability you have. It’s a problem of how you are going to live from then on. We can always do over at any time, we can restart again at any time. That was what I learned at that time.”

Kizuna recalled the words of the person who made him stand back up.

{Kizuna. The worth of human is not based on the height or depth of their ability. It’s a problem of how they live.}

‘――Really thank you, Nee-chan.’

“But…… I don’t understand, how I should live.”

“I’ll give you life counseling service then. At any rate, I’m an experienced person when it comes to standing back up from failure after all.”

Kizuna proudly threw out his chest.

“Getting all puffed up like that from being a no-good man, really, what an idiot.”

Aine suddenly smiled.

And then, she called off Zeros by herself and became dressed only in her pilot suit.

“Chidorigafuchi?”

“Kizuna…… won’t you, that, the Heart Hybrid…… won’t you do it with me I wonder?”

“But, you……”

“I’m, starting over again right? It’s embarra.s.sing but…… if it’s you, I……”

Kizuna’s fingers scooped up her silver hair. It was soft like silk, a really pleasant sensation to the touch.

“I got it…… Aine.”

Kizuna too called off Eros.

“……Take, responsibility okay?”

Aine looked up at Kizuna with reproachful eyes.

Kizuna faltered a little, but he soon smiled wryly.

“Roger.”

Kizuna’s hand caressed Aine’s body.

Gently, and affectionately. From the top until the bottom, he relished in it as if making his hand remember the shape of Aine’s body.

“Haa…… aa”

Heated breath spilled out from Aine’s wet lips.

“Hyan!”

He caressed her side from the bottom of her waist. If it was himself he thought it would feel unbearably ticklish, but Aine knitted her eyebrows and raised a soundless voice from her mouth.

“A. aa…… fu”

Her well trained abs were squeezed firmly, a faint vertical line following her navel was coming to the surface. His finger was sliding tracing that line.

“Kuu-…… ya, yaan”

A lovely voice that he couldn’t imagine coming from Aine was raised.

He poked at her bellyb.u.t.ton with his finger.

“Do, doing that, with, someone’s body is…… ha, ahn-“

When he lowered his hand until her abdomen, Kizuna’s movement stopped suddenly.

If he kept moving down like this, the hurdle was a little high. Should he return back from here? However, where was he going if he returned?

Kizuna’s gaze was absorbed into the two large swelling b.r.e.a.s.t.s which were rising undauntedly by gravity.

‘Even if I touch them…… I won’t be scolded right?’

His gaze moved from the b.r.e.a.s.t.s to Aine’s face.

Her face was staring at Kizuna as if in befuddlement. And then, inside those eyes, beautiful blue lights were swimming.

Kizuna decided in his heart.

With a degree that was unclear between touching and not touching, he confirmed the shape of the b.r.e.a.s.t.s with a weak loving caress.

“Aa…… uu……”

Aine knitted her eyebrows as if enduring something.

“Does it hurt?”

He asked that question from being too anxious.

Aine faced Kizuna with unfocused eyes, then she smiled shyly.

“It, feels…… good.”

‘――How cute.’

Inside Kizuna’s eyes, pink lights were flas.h.i.+ng.

Putting strength into his hand, he grasped Aine’s breast.

“Kyauuaaaa!”

That instant, blue light surged out from Aine’s body. The light entangled with the pink light that was emitted from Kizuna’s body, becoming a single flow, it was enveloping the bodies of the two as if in caring of the two of them.

Inside the glittering light, they tasted an indescribable tranquil.

――Heart Hybrid.

“I will make it succeed…… this time for sure.”

“Aah…… hauu”

Aine’s waist collapsed and she flopped down on the floor. Kizuna also sat down on the floor together with her, in order to embrace her body.

The sensation was like Aine’s heart was connected to his heart. And then, strength was overflowing inside the body.

The radiance inside Aine’s eyes was increasing. Her skin’s tone and gloss looked all the more striking.

“Aine……”

With a feeling that was filled with a sense of accomplishment, Kizuna stared at each other with Aine.

However, Aine’s state was strange.

Her eyes that tended to look downcast s.h.i.+ned bewitchingly, she sent Kizuna an inviting gaze.

“Kizuna…… I want more…… you too, you feel that this is still not enough right?”

“Eh…… uwaa!”

Aine leaped at Kizuna’s neck.

She pushed down Kizuna and held him down, Aine was now above him.

“Hey, Kizuna…… I, feel that my body is hot…… can you quickly take responsibility?”

She whispered to him teasingly, with a tone that was like bullying him.

Those eyes were turning moist bewitchingly.

“Wha…… what are you doing, Aine?”

{Let me explain.}

Suddenly Kei’s floating window appeared beside his face.

“Uwaa! s.h.i.+, s.h.i.+kina-san? You surprised me!”

{That’s Heart Hybrid’s side effect. In the case that Heart Hybrid reaches a success, symptoms that is similar with an aphrodisiac can be seen from the girl partner. In addition to this intoxicated state, the girl’s state will be in an exceedingly heightened s.e.xual desire.}

“Now that you mentioned it, previously it also felt like this…… what a troublesome side effect!”

{But, by using that effect skillfully, you will be able to advance to an even higher stage.}

“Higher stage?”

{Yes. For the sake of obtaining the Corruption Armament, a new Hybrid Heart.}

A new Hybrid Heart…….

“s.h.i.+kina-san, that is――”

Aine’s hand crushed through Kei’s window.

“Aa! Oi, Aine, what are you――”

Aine’s sword hand was thrust at Kizuna’s neck.

“While you are doing good things with me…… you are going to talk with other woman?”

Killing intent welled up inside Aine’s eyes.

‘Dangerous! She’s seriously scaryyy!’

“N, no such thing at all, Aine. Right now I’m only looking at Aine.”

Aine was staring at him fixedly with doubtful eyes, but her looks became lewd once more and she embraced Kizuna.

“If that’s so thenn, show me your proof, quicklyy.”

Aine crawled her lips on Kizuna’s nape of the neck.

“Uwaa!”

Her heated breath and her wet and soft tongue were slowly crawling from Kizuna’s earlobe until his collarbone slowly. It was something he had never experienced before, a ticklish sensation, his spine was s.h.i.+vering.

‘s.h.i.+t-! If it turned like this, then there is no way but to do it!’

By any chance, was s.h.i.+kina-san still monitoring them right now? Such terrifying thinking flashed through his head, but for now he put it away from his mind.

Kizuna embraced Aine tightly. The shape of Aine‘s breast greatly warped, pus.h.i.+ng back at Kizuna’s chest. Aine also circled her hands on Kizuna’s back, caressing around as if to confirm the shape of his backbone and shoulder blade.

Aine pressed her lower body on him and entwined her legs. Her desire of wanting to be glued to Kizuna for even a little bit more was expressed through her body. Looking at such Aine, he felt her to be unbearably lovely.

“Aine……”

He wanted to touch her face and reached out his right hand.

“Hamuu……”

However, Aine welcomed his fingers with her mouth. She put his index and middle fingers into her mouth and licked them around. Wet licking sound *chupa chupa* produced a strange lewdness. As if being possessed, Aine attentively sucked at the fingers. It was as if she was trying to squeeze out something.

On the other side of Aine that was