Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume19 Show Me Heart
Show Me Heart[edit]
Today had been very boring, and nothing at all had happened.
Haah......
Felli opened her mouth to yawn naturally. In order to wipe away the water that appeared in the corners of her eyes, she raised her head from the book in her hands.
It was the classroom. The morning classes had already ended, and right now was the resting period before the afternoon classes began.
After consuming the bread that she had bought as lunch, Felli had nothing to do.
Hot sunlight shone from outside the window. However, its strength seemed to be decreasing. Actually, the temperature was gradually fluctuating while slowly dropping. If this went on, wouldn't the city have passed through the summer period - the students all complained about this in low voices.
If the average temperature didn't increase, the school wouldn't let out, and the agricultural lakes wouldn't open. Many female students complained that they had finally bought new swimsuits but were unable to wear them. In that case, wouldn't it be fine to go to a swimming pool, Felli thought.
It was obviously better for the weather to be cool.
Though the sun was strong, the temperature wasn't that hot. The window was even open. Though her skin would sweat if there was no wind, as soon as wind blew into the room, it dissipated all of the accumulated heat in the room.
Today was a day of nice weather.
Maybe she should just go to sleep...... Felli looked at the book again, but the monotonous action of reading words made her feel very irritated, so she put in a bookmark and closed the book.
Just then-
"As expected, it can only be you!"
A loud voice suddenly sounded in the classroom.
Felli who was about to fall asleep raised her head as if she had been electrified, almost falling out of her chair.
The person who had raised his voice stood by the doors next to the podium.
All of the students in the classroom focused their gazes on that male. That person had a weak figure, and his external appearance was very drab.
Whether because the thick glasses on his face were too dirty or whether their lenses were too thick, his eyes couldn't be seen behind the hazy lenses, and the shirt on his body was wrinkled, his hair was messed up, and sparse stubble covered his chin.
However, that man seemed as if his entire body was filled with vitality, making one unable to resist staring at him.
It seemed that this man was looking at Felli. His footsteps made a strange pitter-patter sound as he rushed forward with his arms spread wide, wiggling his hips.
He was a dangerous person - Felli thought this.
When she restored her Dite, Felli didn't have the slightest bit of hesitation. The translucent petals installed in the Light Dite, also known as Psychokinesis flakes, began to separate, disperse, and surround that man.
"If you get any closer......"
The man didn't stop. "That's wrong - Ah!"
Not only did the man not stop, a happy smile even bloomed on his face in a moment. He took out a crumpled sheet of paper from his pocket, and spread it out before Felli's eyes.
"This is the weapon you should have!"
An image was drawn on that paper, depicting the outline of a girl holding a weapon, but that weapon was incredibly meticulous and detailed.
It was a rod. It should be a rod, probably. It had a length exceeding the girl's height, and on the tip was attached an incredibly fancy thing, and moreover several wing-like objects spread from it, with a few feathers even sticking out from the handle.
"This is a Light Dite experiment - named the 'Magical Girl Rod'! It can hold five hundred Psychokinesis flakes, and is equipped with two new relay terminals. Its search radius is theoretically 1.3 times higher! And for a Psychokinesist's only method of attack, flake mines, it can add additional maneuverability with magnetic enhancement. Using this function, the user can shoot a particle beam thirty Mels!"
His yelling was filled with emotion.
Those words resounded in not only the classroom, but even the corridor, and many people even peeked their head in to look inside the classroom.
The area was filled with a speechless silence. The confidence-filled man, Felli with her Dite raised, and the students who watched how the situation unfolded from the side, along with the people watching the commotion from the corridor.
"Come, take this weapon now, and stand on a new battlefield!
Yes!
A Psychokinesis Girl, Magical Magnet Hunter Felli!"
The man roared.
Felli didn't hesitate at all when she activated her flake mine.
What was the so-called Magical Magnet stuff about?
They were the Plamatrion charged particles that the Electronic Fairies gave off. Those weakly charged particles were spread across the entire autonomous city, and its use was like a nerve network, allowing the Electronic Fairy to feel the abnormal phenomena that happened inside the city. However, there was an evil organization in this world, and they were trying to use those particles, trying to breed an evil heart inside the Electronic Fairies!
The aggressive magnetic particles that those people had developed-
Those are the Magical Magnets!
"......That's the setting."
Harley explained this.
"How stupid."
Felli concisely stated her feelings.
It was the seventeenth platoon's private space in the training hall.
The members of the seventeenth platoon had finally gathered here. In the center of this space stood Harley, but everyone gazed at the thing in his hand instead.
It was a thick book that had been made of photocopied paper.
On the cover was written 'Psychokinesis Girl, Magical Magnetic Hunter __' in big letters.
The protagonist's name seemed not yet finalized.
In other words, this was a script.
It was something left behind by that person who had shouted out loudly with a thin and dirty appearance. Though Felli had made her Psychokinesis power as weak as possible, that man had taken the flake mine but had looked completely fine after.
Incidentally, for both Military Artists and Psychokinesists, using their abilities to cause explosions in daily life constituted a felony regardless of how much they had been harmed.
......However, that strange man hadn't reported to the City Police, so things weren't serious.
"That person's constitution is quite strange."
A slight smile emerged on Harley's face.
"Do you know him?"
Nina asked this, and Harley nodded.
"He's Yachi Milangsi-senpai, a fifth-year Alchemy student. Don't look down on senpai, his achievements for Light Dites are great. If he were a bit more serious, it wouldn't be hard for him to become the Alchemy Department head."
"In other words, he's responsible for the Psychokinesists?"
Sharnid asked this. Harley nodded, and then continued explaining.
"I think that probably every Light Dite in Zuellni has that senpai's design concept. Felli's Light Dite has it too."
Felli's Dite had been made by Harley. However, if not for Yachi's designs, Harley wouldn't have been able to make that kind of thing. Dite designs and adjustments were Harley's specialties, but the objects of his research were normal Dites like the ones Layfon and Nina used.
Since Kei flow and Psychokinesis were different and their structure differed in many areas, the Light Dites that Psychokinesists used were different from normal Dites. Though Kei flow and Psychokinesis seemed somewhat similar, they were actually completely different entities. Harley could adjust Light Dites or perform basic assembly using a design as a base, but he couldn't make a completely new Light Dite from scratch.
"On the other hand, that...... it can hold five hundred flakes? 1.3 times the search radius? Ah...... two relay terminals? Um...... I guess that's why it's so big."
"What about that thing called a particle beam? Can it do that kind of thing?"
"As long as magnets are used to add directionality to an explosion, it can be done. A special device was also installed on this. If there were more devices installed on this Device...... Nn, thirty Mels shouldn't be a problem."
"But, Thirty Mels can't compare to a good shooting range."
"That's true. Never mind long-range sniping like Sharnid-senpai's, to Psychokinesists who had similar athletic ability as normal people, there's no significance in being able to shoot from that kind of distance, and at the least it would have to reach a hundred mels. But, thinking of the Psychokinesis power necessary to shoot that far, firing won't be possible with a single person, and moreover the people on the battlefield don't need to use such things. If it's a battle against filth monsters, we can use the Kei cannon. Uh, I feel like this weapon won't be of much use even if it's made."
"You idiots!"
The doors suddenly opened with a clatter, and the problem individual Yachi entered.
"Your dreams and imagination are insufficient! What 'not enough' have you been talking about since just now? What 'won't be of much use'? You don't have any imagination! Imagine the figure of a delicate, charming Psychokinesis Girl battling alone against giant evil! Why don't you feel deeply moved by that dreamlike scene?"
"Uh, even if you say that......"
The seventeenth platoon members opened their mouths but couldn't say anything, but only a wry smile emerged on Harley's face.
"That's too bad. Though, I don't think writing scripts is your specialty."
"It has nothing to do with that!"
He was refuted instantly.
"Actually, senpai, why don't you make a movie instead of using live-action? It shouldn't be bad even if you use CG, right?"
Even if her had been refuted, Harley still didn't back down. The two of them were both Dite technicians, and maybe they had had exchanges like this in the past.
"Of course I'll also use CG, but I already decided that the main characters this time will be filmed with real people."
"Filming real people is a pain, and CG also has its limits."
"It'll be a pain? You only think it's a pain because your love, choreography, stage equipment, and other things are insufficient!"
Harley shook his head silently.
In other words, this was the situation.
Yachi Milans - A fifth-year Alchemy student, as well as the president of the Animation Research Club.
He was the director of the animation series 'Psychokinesis Girl' that the research club produced. And for the next product, he was trying to hold auditions for the live version of 'Psychokinesis Girl, Magical Magnet Hunter __', planning to use Felli as a female protagonist, and also wanting to use Felli's name in the heading.
"I refuse."
Felli had made that extremely simple response.
However, Yachi's face full of self-confidence didn't waver a bit.
"Hahahaha! I already obtained the agreement of your guardian!"
"Guardian?"
Yachi unrolled a sheet of paper with a rustle. The top half of the paper was a contract related to Felli being filmed, and in the bottom half was a signature.
On it was written 'Karian Loss'.
"......That stupid brother."
"Hahahahaha! You no longer can refuse me. Now, don't be like that and perform well for my work, I'll pay you very well. Ohh, right. If possible, I'd also like the seventeenth platoon's members to shoot this film. Of course, I'll also pay them very well."
First, Felli prepared another flake mine.
If she killed him now, then the aftermath would be much easier to deal with.
Felli seriously thought about it.
The next day, a threatening letter on which was written 'I'll tell the City Police about the flake mines <3' was written was delivered to the seventeenth platoon, along with several identical scripts.
Though it was a movie, it wasn't a very large-scale filming.
"I thought that we would have filmed over in that practice construction area."
The one who murmured this was Nina. The dorm she lived in was in the practice construction area for the Architecture department, and she had heart that some clubs that made films would request to use that scenery.
"The budget isn't that large."
Yachi said this, and it seemed like he didn't plan on hiding that matter.
"We'll borrow premade things for parts of the scene, and other than those, we plan on using CG to add in other things like explosions, melting, and things being destroyed."
"I never thought it would be that simple."
"Because we have a budget problem. But more importantly, if we burn or destroy materials, we won't be able to get our recycling incentive money. Losing or wasting materials is harmful to everyone."
"Perhaps."
Felli listened to Nina being outargued by Yachi while thinking about what she should do.
This was the studio of the Animation Research Club that Yachi was the president of. The Animation Research Club didn't have the entire floor, but many movie-related societies shared it.
The third and fourth floors seemed to be within the Animation Research society's sphere of influence. Among the rooms, one was filled with machinery and bordered a pure white room across from a glass window.
Felli stood blankly in a corner of that machinery room.
She wore clothing that someone had given her, thinking about what action she should take.
"This kind of thing......"
She looked at her reflection to check. The entire wall was a mirror, and her figure was clearly reflected from head to toe.
"Impossible."
Felli shook her head in despair.
Speaking of which, whose fault was it after all that she had become like this?
Was it that weirdo's fault, or was it her brother's fault who had easily agreed to that weirdo.
Her brother the instigator hadn't returned in the morning. Therefore, she planned on going directly to the Student Council to find him - though Felli had take that action, she had been told that Karian was in an important meeting and had the door shut in her face.
"Could it be that he plans on avoiding me until the filming......?"
It was highly probable. It wasn't too much to say that Karian lived in the Student Council building, because he lived that sort of life. As long as he thought of some way to resolve the problem of sleeping and changing clothes, he didn't have any need to return home.
"It would be fine if he never came home."
Felli mumbled.
However, that wouldn't resolve the problem.
"But, how long will this be filmed for?"
She raised a question to Layfon on the other side of the doors.
"If it goes smoothly, it can probably be filmed in a week."
"How fast."
Nina made a surprised sound.
"There's a limit to our outdoor filming, and almost all of the scenes will undergo post-production. With that, the filming schedule won't be affected much by the weather. In addition, the script is already written, and the only problem is how well you can perform."
"I think that's the biggest problem."
"Well, I think changing time is about over."
Yachi raised his voice, as if he wanted to cut short Nina's bitter words.
On the other side of the doors, Felli made a fist.
"If you still haven't changed, then maybe Felli doesn't know how to wear it. Some female staff can......"
Those words weren't a joke either.
"I've changed."
After replying with this from the other side of the doors, Felli slowly turned the door handle.
The figure that walked out made Yachi show a satisfied expression, Nina made a surprised sound, and Layfon's eyes widened.
It was an extremely fancily decorated white outfit that also looked very refreshing, and it felt like wearing a uniform. To explain further, it was like a uniform for a special ceremony. Though that kind of uniform didn't exist, it felt like one.
It was also accurate to say that this outfit was a combination of a uniform and an evening dress. A round skirt opened in the middle was fixed on top of a knee-length skirt as if to cover it, and a weapon belt used to hold Dites was sewn in the waist.
"Nn, not bad."
"......What part?"
Felli thought of when she had worked at a cafe before.[1] Why did men like to make girls wear these kinds of weird clothes.
"There's also this."
He handed over a Dite in its unrestored state, which had a form that could be kept in the weapon belt.
"This is the Magical Girl Rod."
The other party said completely confidently, but Felli didn't care at all. She unhappily took the Dite, and then put it into her weapon belt.
"For today, just wear that outfit, and get used to the feeling of moving around with it on. Go over there."
Felli was brought to the white room on the other side of the glass. She was alone there.
"The battle scene will be post-produced using the movements you make inside as a basis."
So that was what it was. Looking carefully, sensors were buried everywhere in the walls and floor. They recorded the movement of the person in the room from many angles.
"In other words, the scenes wearing this outfit will all be shot in here?"
"That's right."
Hearing those words made Felli relax slightly, because she wouldn't have to go around outside wearing this kind of humiliating outfit.
............No, this film would be made public, so the outcome was still the same.
Just as Felli was being troubled, the door by Layfon and the others opened. No sound that didn't pass through a microphone could make it through. But, on the other side of the glass window, a large person walked into the room.
That person had a bitter face.
Someone sat on his shoulders.
A petite girl.
No, in terms of age, she should no longer be called a girl, but she looked younger than Felli.
Felli recognized the two of them.
Gorneo and Shante.
The new arrivals made Layfon, Nina, and the others show surprised expressions.
Gorneo was also confused by the presence of Layfon and the others, but the bitter expression on his face still didn't disappear.
Shante sitting on his shoulders looked over.
She checked out Felli's appearance.
Then, she pointed at Felli and laughed.
Anger suddenly emerged.
"Well, you still need an opponent."
Yachi explained this.
"But, your conflicting appearances are just so amazing. Even if we don't rely on acting, the lines will still be filled with emotion."
Felli grasped the already-restored Magical Girl Rod in her hand. She had originally thought that this Dite was only a decoration, and hadn't thought that it was genuine, and even had Felli set as the user, with even detailed settings already arranged. Later, she would have to properly ask Harley where Yachi had gotten details on her from - Felli thought this to herself.
The Psychokinesis flakes that were sent out from the rod floated in Felli's surroundings, crackling with charge.
Shante in front of her was held back by Gorneo as the Ruby Dite spear that she raised emitted an ominous sound.
They were on the verge of battle.
The pained smiles that Layfon and Nina showed to calm down the two of them were a useless effort.
"Actually, I wanted a Psychokinesist, but this kind of thing is truly hard to achieve. Because of that, I requested his help to assist me in finding Shante to play this role."
"Does that really count as 'requesting'."
Gorneo glared at Yachi resentfully.
"What does it matter. Doesn't your Psychokinesist feel very happy that his Light Dite had its abilities upgraded?"
"The thing before that!"
Gorneo yelled loudly.
"Ah, Shante-san's compensation? That cow was very expensive for us as well, though."
However, Yachi went on casually and leisurely.
"You still don't need to send it over alive! Why would you do that kind of unnecessary thing, you provoked that girl's hunting instincts!"
That sentence made the surrounding atmosphere a bit tense.
Felli calmly-
"Wild animal."
After those words were dropped, Shante howled.
Anyway, the film was shot. The so-called motion capture - the back and forth movements in that white room - were truly very tiring. Felli had to swing around a rod that she wasn't used to and also prance around. Moreover, when the staff told her 'please move like this', she had no way of making sense of their meanings the first time. Because of that, she was forced to redo countless identical motions.
In that regard, Shante was quite excellent. She could make the movement that Yachi and the filming group asked for, and moreover easily enough to make one annoyed.
"A Psychokinesis girl mostly uses Psychokinesis to fight, so you don't need to be too concerned about it."
Being consoled like this by Yachi made Felli feel even madder.
The next day was when they would record the lines.
This time it became a job that Felli completed easily.
"The fans know that Psychokinesists are bad at expression emotion, and it could even be said that it's better this way. So it's fine even if your tone is flat when you say the lines."
......She really didn't feel like she was being praised.
Shante who was also following the same method messed up the lines.
"Uh...... your determination is----...... How do you read this?"
Not only was her voice too flat, sometimes there were words that she couldn't read. Yachi took Shante's lines and wrote the pronunciations on them.
"Ahahahaha! Not bad. You got it, you got it all right!"
"Okay-"
Every time she pronounced a line correctly, Shante would show a satisfied expression.
"Do it however you want, but can't we finish faster?"
"Flat-voice girl."
"It's much better than being unable to read words. Ah, but you can read phonetics. That's great, its fortunate that you can still have a bit of societal skills."
"Shaa-----!"
Even with this, the recording work was finished that day.
The following day.
They were going to film outside today.
When Felli arrived, the filming equipment had already been set up. A large camera had been placed inside a cafe with a family atmosphere, and the lighting had been arranged densely. After entering the crowded space, Felli unconsciously stopped walking.
It seemed that the workers running around to check whether the equipment had any problems weren't the only source of noise.
"Hm."
That kind of pondering noise came from inside the shop.
It was a sound from Yachi.
Felli looked inside, and inside was a normal space for storegoers to rest or sit. There was a screen that the workers might have brought in, and many clothes were arranged there.
Yachi and Layfon were over there......
"What are you doing?"
Also, Nina was there.
"What do you think we're doing?"
Nina who Felli had asked this of stood in front of Layfon and Yachi without any interest.
"Cosplay?"
"Yeah, that's also the role of an actor."
Felli's answer made Nina nod her head with a bitter expression.
Nina wore an apron. It was an extremely normal apron. With just that, there wouldn't be anything weird about it.
However, the clothes she wore underneath were a bit weird.
Nina wore a skirt.
What was improper about girls wearing skirts? Even if Nina wore a skirt, there were styles that suited her.
However, this skirt was unsuitable for Nina for some reason, and the disparity was of a pitiful level. It was a floaty-looking long skirt. It was a full-body dress, and it wouldn't be strange to wear a large white bonnet with it, if she just took off the apron.
"It's very unsuitable."
Yachi shook his head with a bitter expression.
"Though I realize that, I don't know how it could be unsuitable to this degree."
"Sorry."
Nina dropped that word unhappily.
"Clothes with a masculine air would really be more suitable for you. Then, your role will become a young worker, but for you to play that role......"
After saying this, Yachi turned to Layfon. Layfon wore a handsome outfit, and his appearance was very natural.
"This side has its own problems, and it seems a bit lacking, a bit too simple."
"Uh......"
Layfon who didn't really understand the situation scratched his head.
"I want to find a somewhat domestic girl, are there any suitable options?"
That was Yachi's weakness, because he normally didn't film shows with real people. So he definitely didn't have actor contacts.
"Hi everyone."
Just then, Naruki's voice entered.
Turning around, Naruki along with her good friends Mifi and Meishen appeared before them, and Leerin was also there.
Naruki hadn't been given a role, so she looked around leisurely at the cafe that had become a filming scene.
"I'm a reporter from the Weekly Look'n, I'd like to have an interview in a while."
Mifi and the others had come to check out the set.
However, Yachi didn't listen to Mifi's words.
"......Found it."
Yachi looked at Naruki and the others while murmuring.
"You......"
He pushed aside Mifi, passed by Naruki...... Perhaps obviously, he arrived in front of Leerin and Meishen.
"Can I ask one of you to act in this film?"
Yachi's momentum surprised the two.
"Huhh?"
"Acting in this film means......?"
"Play the part of the hostess of this cafe. He's the co-owner...... she's the other employee."
He singled out Layfon and Nina.
"Acting in a movie...... with Layton.................. Auu."
Whatever Meishen was thinking, her face turned red in a flash, and then she fainted right there.
"......Impossible."
Meishen whose presence had become weak mumbled that with great difficulty as she was being held up by Naruki.
"Uh, we can't have stage fright. Then what about you?"
"Huh...... me?"
Leerin was very confused, looking around as if to confirm that he meant her.
She looked at Layfon, looked at Nina, and then looked at Felli.
"I'll pay well!"
"......About that, how much money would that be?"
The deal was closed like that.
That kind of development wasn't funny at all.
"Director......"
When she came to her senses, Felli called for Yachi.
"What is it?"
"Well, can't I be the co-owner?"
"? ......Aren't you the protagonist?"
"No, I meant that wouldn't it be alright for the protagonist to have such a setting?"
"Uh......"
Yachi ruffled his hair left and right as if thinking about something.
"No, it can't. Listen, you're a Psychokinesis Girl, and a Psychokinesis Girl wouldn't run a cafe."
"Why?"
"Because she's a Psychokinesis Girl. The scene of a Psychokinesis Girl opening a store and seriously thinking about money would be very strange. Listen, even if a Psychokinesis Girl has a job, at most it can only be a part-time job, and moreover she has to work in a store with a cute feeling like a cafe or cake store."
Felli couldn't understand. She couldn't understand the stereotype that she couldn't do certain things just because she was a Psychokinesis Girl.
"The so-called Psychokinesis Girl has to be dreamy, delicate, and charming, a bit separate from the rest of the world."
Felli silently shook her head.
In any case she understood one thing, which was that the situation wouldn't go according to what she wanted.
Everyone's acting was half-baked, Nina gave off a very masculine air wearing male clothing - those were all in the scope of Felli's imagination.
What made her angrier was that Layfon and Leerin's couple play was very lifelike.
After that, the filming work went smoothly...... From some point of view it counted as going smoothly, and at the least it didn't go over the one week that had been promised at the beginning.
Finally, it was the last day.
"......This isn't the same as what we promised."
Felli silently stared at Yachi.
"Oh my, really sorry."
Though Yachi apologized, his face didn't seem at all painful. The strange brilliance reflecting off those thick glasses still obscured his eyes. It couldn't be that he had installed some sort of gadget, right?
"We could use CG to resolve it, but it's faster to just film it."
Seeing Yachi speak those pretenses, Felli knew that he had planned this from the beginning."
After all, the schedule for today only had this job to do.
The filming location was outdoors, near the cafe that they had filmed at before. Because of the filming, do not enter tape had been set up in the surroundings.
A group of spectators with nothing else to do had gathered on the other side of the tape.
A tent had been constructed in the location farthest from the spectators. After changing clothes inside it, Felli was on standby.
She stood by with the appearance of as Psychokinesis Girl.
This was the thing different from what had been promised.
"On the other hand, how do you plan on filming?"
Felli looked at the director suspiciously, along with the tent on the other side of the filming site. Other than the cameras placed everywhere, nothing in particular had been prepared here.
However, the number of cameras was even more than usual. Not only the filming site, but the roofs of the surrounding buildings even had recorders on standby.
The thing that had been kept until the final day to be filmed was - the shot of the Psychokinesis Girl flying through the sky.
"I can't fly!"
For now, Felli said that obvious fact. Yachi was like that, so Felli worried that he would say some ridiculous opinion like 'Psychokinesis Girls can fly'.
"Of course I know that."
"Then, how do you plan on filming it? Using some method like wires?"
However, Felli didn't have anything on her to which wires could be attached.
"If we used those kinds of things to film, it would be enough to just fix it up with CG."
"Then?"
"Well, don't you also have that?"
Yachi meant the Light Dite.
"This?"
Felli restored the Dite as he instructed. It was a rod much longer than Felli's height. It was not only heavy, but its balance was poor when it was being held, and frankly using it was very difficult. That shot called the particle beam whatever was very short, and it wasn't necessarily true that the more flakes the better. If the quantity of flakes was higher, then it was indeed possible that accuracy could be improved when gathering information, but it would also add a burden to the Psychokinesist's analytic abilities because of this.
Yachi had obtained countless results in his research of Light Dites, so there should be no way he didn't know such things......
"Actually, if you only take the relay terminal on top and affix it to the back of the battle outfit you're wearing, you can fly."
"Uh, don't bring up that kind of setting."
"It's not a setting."
Felli already felt exhausted at that kind of explanation, but Yachi asserted this.
"A strong magnetic field can counter gravity, that's something already proven. I wanted to find a way to bring that theory to a practical stage, so I invented this Magical Girl Rod. You could even say that this was the goal that I prepared so many flakes and relay terminals for. The problem now is whether the range of the particle beam is too short, but if that issue is resolved, I believe that Psychokinesists might be able to provide fire support in battle."
"You mean that flake mines aren't enough?"
"Right, flake mines. Wireless remote detonations are indeed effective. To Psychokinesists, there is no other means of attack that is more effective. Because of this, there hasn't been anyone coming up with new, more effective weapons until today. No, even if they were invented, they wouldn't be used.
Yes, flake mines. Indeed, in an open space like a practice field, almost all Psychokinesists would be able to effectively use that kind of weapon. But, what about in battles against filth monsters? Have you ever heard of a case of active and effective use of flake mines against filth monsters? No, if it were you, it would be possible to do such a thing. For someone like you with such a titanic Psychokinesis power, maybe you could grasp the entire battlefield with your own power, but and use mines to a significant effect."
"Why do you know about that......"
Yachi's words made Felli wary.
He knew Felli's Psychokinesis strength, and knew that her Psychokinesis was far greater than other peoples'.
Yachi smiled.
"Who's responsible for maintaining your Dite, do you know? Harley Sutton and Kirik Seron are experts at combat weapons, and they couldn't completely maintain a Psychokinesist's Light Dite."
It wasn't like Felli hadn't thought of this before Yachi had said it. Though Felli felt dissatisfied with her Psychokinesist self, she didn't want to feel unsatisfied while using Psychokinesis. When her Dite was calibrated, she would make certain detailed requests, and Harley would respond to those requests.
She had always thought that Harley was the one who was responsible for the maintenance.
No, even if Felli knew this, she never would have thought that someone could learn her secrets just from inspecting her Dite.
"When I got the agreement from your brother for you to act in this film, I mentioned to him that I was carrying out the Magical Girl Rod experiment."
"Then, this is......"
Performance testing of a new type of Light Dite?
"This is both interesting and applicable, the answer to both. The unfortunate thing is that I don't have experiment results, because I already knew that in the end it could only be used by someone with a Psychokinesis strength at your level."
Yachi smiled in self-derision.
"But, this step has to be taken for all the Psychokinesists."
"......I'm different."
The man she had once thought to be just a weirdo continued showing his enthusiasm. Felli shook her head in order to confront those emotions.
"I'm different."
"But, you've also had those feelings, right? Those involuntary feelings in battle. When your friends, brothers, and people close to you stand on the firing line, and you have to watch their fight. The feeling of helplessness of being able to only send information in that kind of situation."
"That......"
Felli hesitated. She had indeed has such feelings. When Layfon charged into a large group of filth monsters alone, when he advanced alone towards an aged phase, and when he stood alone on the battlefield throwing behind all those whose powers weren't enough.
She was the one who could support him, and she was the only one. Wasn't this violating the resolution she had made before coming to Zuellni - Though Felli somewhat felt so, on the other hand she felt impatient at herself who could only watch from the side.
"I've been taught countless times that I must give up on those helpless feelings. However, I can't give them up."
"You......"
Those words made Felli feel his true feelings, as if his body had been cut apart.
Yachi silently parted his messy hair.
On his skull that was covered by that messy hair, there was a patch of bare white. There was no hair there, and the skin showing seemed as if boil-like bubbles had emerged from hit, and moreover it had hardened like that. Red and blue blood vessels crawled across the skin as if they were living organisms.
It was a burn wound.
Moreover, Felli also knew the reason for which he bore this kind of scar.
"This is the result of insisting on pushing forward with my helpless feelings."
Becoming like this was because he had released too much Psychokinesis, because he had done something surpassing his information-processing ability, and because his brain had gone out of control and overheated...... his blood vessels had actually boiled.
To a Psychokinesist, this was the first thing he learned - the dangers of his ability.
"If the barrier blocked my abilities, then I will find some other means to fly over that wall. That is my current self."
Yachi took off his glasses. The reason it was impossible to look through his glasses and see his eyes was because his glasses were Psychokinesis flakes.
He was using Psychokinesis in his daily life.
Underneath were eyelids covered in burns that could not be opened.
Felli had a feeling of experiencing those wounds.
The heat that had burned his eyes clearly had already disappeared, but her skin felt as if it could feel what he had once been immersed in - the heat he had given off before seemed as if it were scorching her......
That heat gradually immersed Felli's body......
She could feel as if the heat were eating away at her......
"Excuse me......"
When that call sounded, Yachi quickly left Felli, and put his glasses back on.
It was Layfon.
"The staff said that they're already prepared."
"Oh, thanks, thanks."
Yachi patted Layfon's shoulder, and then walked past him. Felli tightly grasped the still-unrestored Light Dite.
"......That can be used to fly, huh."
"You heard?"
"Uh, a bit......"
After Felli voiced her surprise, Layfon replied stupidly.
"Never mind whether it's of any use in real battle, being able to fly through the air is pretty interesting."
"Did the conversation just now sound that relaxed?"
Layfon's casual response made Felli feel angry, as Yachi's emotions still lingered in her chest. The enthusiasm he held for the Light Dite, his impatience as a Psychokinesist, and the feeling of being wounded on the battlefield all lingered in Felli's heart.
It made Felli unable to calm down.
It made her feel that she had to do something.
Felli even felt as if not only his enthusiasm, but Yachi's entire self was inside her.
"But, you're powerless."
Layfon's tone was the same, and it couldn't be told whether he had noticed Felli's feelings.
"Expectations or jealously...... The feelings other people have of us are many, but we can't do anything. Even if we want to realize other people's desires, we might not be able to. Even if we can do it...... It's possible that we won't be able to do what we ourselves want because of it, isn't that right."
Layfon's tone hadn't changed.
"Fon Fon?"
"It's enough if you fly up there."
Felli followed Layfon's gaze and looked over at the Light Dite grasped in her hand.
"That's all there is. Regardless of what we do, in the end we have no way of resolving that person's problems. Because that person plans on resolving them himself. So, Felli only needs to use that to fly, that's all there is."
"That's all there is, huh...... Is that okay?"
"It's okay."
Layfon nodded his head, without a trace of falsity in his expression. He spoke the things in his heart so casually, as if he were breathing.
Felli felt that the heat accumulated in her chest had been quickly dissipated. Yachi's will slowly disappeared, along with his impatience, involuntary helplessness, and all of his feelings were slowly released from Felli's heart.
"I understand."
The staff was currently calling for Felli.
Felli stood up.
The restored Light Dite was really long. On its front - the tip of the rod - was installed a set of wings. Under the sunlight, rainbow colors emerged in the translucent wings.
This set of wings was the relay terminal.
"As I explained just now, after you fix the relay terminal on your battle outfit...... right here...... After you attach it, your Psychokinesis will autonomously become a magnetic field. And at that time, there will be a number of flake terminals around you. They are used to control the strength of the magnetic field and your direction of flight. As long as you increase the field strength, your buoyancy will be increased, and it should make you rise."
"Understood."
The group of spectators on the other side of the tape had become large, and their noise had also increased. Yachi, who showed a tense expression that he had never had up till now, stood to the side. The entire filming crew seemed to have been infected by that tension.
"I'm counting on you."
After patting Felli's shouder, Yachi moved back.
Felli alone was left in the area that the cameras focused on, and the surrounding tension gradually focused on her, and the group of spectators quieted down, holding their breath as if expecting something to happen.
"Start."
The clapperboard sounded, and an even more focused tension pricked her chest.
Felli pointed the rod at the sky without saying a word.
"Go."
She lightly murmured.
Her Psychokinesis began flowing.
The Psychokinsis flowed into the Light Dite 'Magical Girl Rod', moving towards its goal.
After the set of wings split into two, it came off of the rod. They didn't fall to the ground, but floated in midair, and then attached themselves to Felli's back.
The sound of moving machinery vibrated her back. Felli understood that her Psychokinesis had begun concentrating there, and gradually took shape.
A magnetic field developed.
The wings shone with a faint light. After being bathed in this light, the Psychokinesis flakes on her back began assembling.
An uncomfortable feeling that had been loosed from somewhere passed through her entire body......
Her feet left the ground.
She floated.
The commotion from the spectators broke her concentration. Felli flew even higher, at the same time trying to rid herself of that noise.
She flew into the sky.
Roofs were arranged under her feet, and above her head were the strong sunlight and the blue sky.
Felli was in the sky.
The magnetic field fended off the wind blowing by her body.
There wasn't any sound.
Quietly, Felli flew through the sky.
The uncomfortable feeling of losing a foothold quickly disappeared, and a sense of liberation stronger than being in water filled her entire body.
How nice would it be to always be like this.
The liberated Felli kept flying until the sunset appeared on the other side of the earth.
"Amazing."
Yachi cried out.
It wasn't a figure of speech, it was the truth.
The tears that leaked from beneath his glasses formed rivulets on his face.
"I never before saw such an awesome scene!"
After Felli returned to her original location, Yachi expressed his joy as if he were going to rush over and hug her.
The experiment was a success. The experiment of using magnetic fields to counter gravity and fly had been carried out beautifully.
That was why Yachi was so happy. He had taken another step towards his goals.
It was great.
Felli's expression hadn't changed, but her heart felt this.
"Look at this!"
Yachi put a piece of paper in front of Felli.
It was a printed picture that the camera crew had taken. It used normal paper, and its quality was very rough.
However, the image it depicted was very clear.
"........................Huh?"
Felli needed a bit of time to understand.
The person in the picture was Felli. It was Felli flying through the air, raising the Magical Girl Rod.
It was the image of her flying while releasing Psychokinesis light from behind her.
Felli didn't know that that light had formed the shape of wings.
It was a picture of her moving the wings of light, flying into the sky.
"Amazing! Truly amazing! This image! Regardless of how many times we animated flight, I never had this kind of feeling. This is reality, Psychokinesis Girl born into the real world! Long live...... Long live Psychokinesis Girl!"
Felli stared blankly at the joyfully dancing Yachi.
"Then, about the experiment......?"
Yachi's desire - to let Psychokinesists use their abilities to support the battlefield directly. What about the experiment meant to achieve that goal?
"Ah, of course that's also very important, but it can't compare to this. My dream is to move from the battlefield to the theater! Come, Felli-san, accompany me and bring the fame of Psychokinesis Girl to the entire world!"
"I refuse."
After murmuring this, Felli pointed the rod at Yachi.
In the experiment of the Magical Girl Rod, there was still one function that hadn't been tested.
The particle beam.
Purple electricity gathered at the tip of the rod.
Translator's Notes and References[edit]
- ↑ Volume 8 Cool in the Cafe
