Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 3

These are the novel illustrations that were included in Masou Gakuen HxH Volume 3

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  Cover

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  Page 35

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  Page 69

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  Page 89

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  Page 121

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  Page 165

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  Page 223

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  Pages 242 & 243

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  Page 285

Prologue

“Yurishia……you, why……are you, still alive?”

The ace of Masters, Scarlet Fairchild’s blue eyes were staring at her former comrade with a scared look.

Scarlet’s abnormal state made Aine and Himekawa stop their frivolous talk and focus on the two.

Yurishia smiled with a troubled look and approached near Scarlet.

“What are you saying all of a sudden. In the first place, I don’t remember ever dying.”

Yurishia tried to put her hand on Scarlet’s shoulder to show her happiness in reuniting with a friend. However, that hand touched empty air. Scarlet pulled her body and dodged the hand, her red ponytail that reached until her waist shook largely.

Yurishia’s hand was troubled of where to go. She sighed in lament and her fingers played with her blonde hair as if to calm down her heart.

“Hey, Scarlet. By any chance, were you thinking that I died?”

Scarlet’s shoulders jumped twitchingly.

“Be, because, Yurishia’s Heart Hybrid Gear……Cross is……”

“Hm?”

Yurishia tilted her head.

“In exchange for the gear’s capability……it gets shaven.”

“Aah geez, I don’t understand what you are talking about. Speak properly so that I can understand!”

Yurishia couldn’t be patient anymore and roughened her voice. As if to oppose her, Scarlet also yelled with a loud voice.

“I told you! The source of Cross’s energy, it is your life right!?”

“……Eh?”

Yurishia’s expression stiffened.

“It moves by using your life as energy, so that’s why Cross is special, I heard that! That’s why, it’s even stronger than our Heart Hybrid Gear. Because it moves by shaving off your life……that’s why.”

Kizuna, Aine, Himekawa, and also Kei, all the people in that place stood stock still in amazement.

‘――Life is used as energy……she said?’

Kizuna repeated Scarlet’s words in his heart many times.

“That’s why……that’s why, if your Hybrid Count becomes zero, you used up your life, the wearer of Cross will die, that’s what I hea――”

{Leave the idiotic gossip right there.}

A voice resounded through a speaker as if to obstruct Scarlet’s words. Following after that, a violent rotor sound of a helicopter was approaching near.

“Wha, what?”

When they looked up, an Ataraxia transport helicopter was in the middle of descending from the sky.

The door at the side of the helicopter was opened widely. From there, the owner of the voice leaned her body forward and got out.

“Nee-chan?”

Hida Reiri appeared with a grim face.

Chapter 1 – Truth

“So, for what reason are you taking me to this kind of place?”

In addition to an exaggerated attitude, Scarlet looked around the surroundings with dissatisfaction.

Scarlet and the members of Amaterasu were led away forcefully into Nayuta Lab without even knowing the reason. Right now they were in a confined situation inside Kei’s spacious research room.

There was not even time to change clothes, so all members were in their pilot suits that showed out their body line distinctly. The suit was made to cling onto the skin, so it was closer to being naked than wearing a normal underwear or a swimsuit. The shape of the breasts, the depression of the navel, the chasm of the ass, all of those spots were distinctly exposed.

Such charming bodies of four women were lined up in front of Hida Kizuna’s eyes.

……As always he was bothered where to look. Nevertheless, what was going on right now?

Even for Kizuna who always got slaved around by his big sister’s unreasonable demands was feeling something out of place from Reiri’s actions this time. It seemed that the other members were also similar, Aine and Himekawa also looked a little doubtful.

“You are Scarlet of Masters right? I’m the commander of Ataraxia, Hida Reiri.”

“The seventh flying corps of Megafloat West USA, Masters. I’m the leader Scarlet Fairchild.”

Scarlet looked up at Reiri with a haughty attitude. Her height was lower than Reiri. She was around 160 cm. Her body that was wrapped in the conspicuous pilot suit looked well trained even seeing from outside. The slender and tightly flexible body gave off the impression like a steel spring. Her red ponytail shook on her back. She threw out her chest haughtily but its volume was slightly small.

“So, Ataraxia’s commander-san. What in the world is with this treatment I wonder? You have a reason that you can explain properly right? If not, this will become an international pro――”

“Wait, you! That way of talking is just too rude against the commander!”

Himekawa snapped at Scarlet’s attitude, but Reiri raised her hand and stopped her.

“Himekawa, I don’t mind. Rather than that, this is the continuance of the story……I’m asking you to come here, is about Yurishia’s survival. I’m thinking of teaching you the answer.”

Reiri’s words changed the color of Scarlet’s eyes.

“I want to hear that by any means then. Just what in the world happened?”

“Wa, wait wait. Just wait, Scarlet and you too commander.”

As if unable to endure it, Yurishia raised both her hands trying to stop the two.

“Why has the talk become something with my death as the premise? I cannot understand this at all. Or else what? Am I a zombie or something?”

Scarlet glared at Yurishia.

“That’s why! I told you that Cross’s energy source is human life right!? Yurishia should have your Hybrid Count hit zero a long time ago already! Or else what? Are you saying that you were hiding all this time without fighting?”

“There is no way that’s true right?”

Yurishia too began to look irritated.

“――Let’s speak from the conclusion first.”

All members present were waiting for the continuance of Reiri’s words with their breaths held.

“The information about Cross using human life as energy is just a false rumor. It doesn’t have any basis as truth.”

“That’s a lie! There is no way that’s true. Because, I heard that rumor from above you know? Besides, this hastiness is strange no matter how you see it.”

Scarlet that snapped at Reiri made her speak coldly.

“Do you think we will be happy if someone spreads suspicious rumors without basis? Just what are you scheming, planting needless terror and doubt in the students and civilians?”

There was a pressure that overwhelmed other people inside the sharp gaze that Reiri emitted. And then, those words were unusually hard and brutally threatening.

Scarlet unconsciously faltered from that intensity.

“I, I’m not, scheming anything at all!”

“What are you doing is the same as terrorism. You are intentionally spreading rumors that lead astray the hearts of people and caused bad influence on the public order of the Megafloat. If you are trying to speak of that matter once more, we will prepare to formally protest at the government of America.”

“Eh? Come on, stop that! I’m not really trying to spread rumors here.”

Reiri crossed her arms and stayed quiet, as if stating that the discussion was over already.

“Because, even the newspaper of West USA wrote that Yurishia died at Megafloat Japan, it was exclusively talked……”

Reiri was merely glaring at Scarlet, pressing her to make a decision.

“Uu……go, got it okay! Geez, I’m not spreading any rumors at all anyway!

Even I just heard of that from somewhere! Besides, Yurishia is clearly alive right in front of my eyes, so even an idiot will know that’s a mistake!”

Scarlet lightly clicked her tongue.

“Really……so it was just a rumor. Aaaa, how stupid. Reaaally……”

And then, she talked as if spitting up.

“――That’s disappointing.”

Kizuna doubted his ears.

‘Di, disappointing?

They were comrades in the past……weren’t they? Isn’t she happy that Yurishia is actually alive?’

However, Scarlet’s eyes that were staring at Yurishia didn’t look happy of the reunion. Her eyes looked as if she was staring at the killer of her parents.

“You haven’t forgotten of what you have done to us before this haven’t you? I won’t recognize Yurishia Farandole. Are you listening? Fake hero-san.”

Yurishia knitted her eyebrows. Her eyes staring at Scarlet were slightly colored in sorrow.

“I don’t think it’s possible but, are you thinking that even now you are the ace of America? You are treated as dead in our place, so that’s the same as being nothing. There is no problem at all even without you in Masters, or perhaps I should say, there is no place for you to return after all this time.”

“……Is that so? I understand that.”

Yurishia nodded unaffectedly.

“――Wha-”

Looking at that behavior, Scarlet ground her teeth with an expression of anger.

“Wha, what’s with you! You are not angry after I spoke that much? Don’t you have any pride or honor?”

Yurishia’s accepted Scarlet’s vitriol like feeling a gentle breeze.

“Not really. You can say whatever you like.”

“Kuh……Yurishia, I’ll ask one more time. Why did you do something like that?”

Against Scarlet that obviously couldn’t suppress her anger, Yurishia brushed her off with cold calmness.

“……Something like that?”

Scarlet’s eyes twitched upwards. She walked briskly forward until in front of Yurishia and glared up at her face.

“Don’t play dumb! Because of your fault I――”

Yurishia sighed dismissively.

“Scarlet, is it okay if I talk frankly I wonder?”

“Sure, I’m asking you to speak since just now already! Answer quickly!”

“I don’t understand at all just what it is that made you so irritated.”

Scarlet’s right hand drew an orbit and struck at Yurishia’s chee――

That hand stopped just before it reached.

“Kuh……!”

Yurishia’s hand caught and stopped Scarlet’s right wrist.

Scarlet glared at Yurishia with eyes filled with hatred. Yurishia’s expression was calm, but her eyes were not laughing at all. Between the two, an atmosphere that could explode with a touch was drifting.

Scarlet forcefully shook off her hand and turned her back to Yurishia provocatively. She went outside the room with loud footsteps then.

Just what in the world was that?

“Hey, Yurishia. Just now, what is……”

“I’m sorry. I’ll go home first.”

Yurishia obstructed Kizuna’s words before she too headed to the exit.

‘――I don’t understand.’

But one thing was for certain, something happened between the two of them in the past. Though he didn’t know what it could possibly be.

Ignoring the awkward atmosphere of the place, Reiri raised a frigid voice.

“The talk is over. You guys too return to the dormitory and rest.”

Amidst the gloomy mood, Aine and Himekawa also exited the room. Kizuna too was going to follow after them, but Reiri’s voice called at him.

“Kizuna, you remain here.”

‘Eh? Just me……wait, for what business?’

Even while feeling dubious, Kizuna returned into the middle of the research room. He could hear the sound of the door getting locked behind him. At the same time, Reiri sunk her body deeply onto the chair and looked up to the ceiling.

Even though he was intentionally ordered to remain, both Reiri and Kei didn’t really start to talk.

“……Err, Nee-chan. That thing with Yurishia and Scarlet just now……what’s going on between them? Do you know something?”

However it was like Reiri and Kei didn’t hear Kizuna’s statement at all. Reiri heaved a sigh and stared at Kizuna.

“Nee-chan, what’s wrong?”

There was not a trace of the pressure that pushed back Scarlet before this, she was making a tired face.

“Perhaps this is a good chance. Kizuna, there is something I need to tell you.”

“What is it, getting so formal like that.”

“This is about the talk of Yurishia dying if the Hybrid Count gets used up.”

“Aah, the baseless rumor just now?”

Kei’s floating window appeared in front of Kizuna.

{I’m really amazed of West USA’s careless handling of information. We are going to formally state our protest of this.}

“Yeah, there is a limit even for a mistake.”

“Certainly, what a mistake that was.”

Reiri informed him with a heavy tone.

“The gear that uses life as energy is not only Cross.”

‘…….

――Eh?’

“Zeros, Neros, Heart Hybrid Gears with ‘ros’ at the end of their name are all the same.”

‘Wha,

What is she blurting about?

Ros? She said.’

“Kizuna. Your Eros is also included.”

‘Wai,

Wait,

Just wait.’

“Err……Nee-chan. I don’t really get what you are saying. Using life as energy you said, what’s that mean?”

“That means that when your Hybrid Count becomes zero, you die.”

Reiri’s voice distinctly resounded inside the lab strangely.

The echo of the voice was vanishing quietly.

And then only silence remained.

‘――Die?

If the Hybrid Count becomes zero,

Me?

Also,

Aine,

Himekawa,

Yurishia too?’

“――Su,”

‘Such thing, just who can believe it.’

“What stupid……the joke is just too over, Nee-chan. Hey, Shikina-san too, don’t join this kind of bad joke please.”

Just now, didn’t they say that this was only a rumor without any basis?

{I want you to listen calmly. Ros-series are special Heart Hybrid Gears.}

Special?

{Their basic performances are extremely high, they are also loaded with a weapon of transcendent destructive power, that is the Corruption Armament. Due to that――}

“The consumed energy is massive. To the degree that it shaves off the user’s life.”

――Life.

{For example if it is the Heart Hybrid Gear that the Masters use, even if their Hybrid Count becomes zero, they won’t die. At worst, they will only faint and get sent to hospital from overwork. But, the Ros-series that you all of Amaterasu are using not only absorbes your stamina. The mind power, willpower, all kinds of energy that humans possessed are taken. And then at the end――}

“They die.”

‘Tha,

That’s.’

“Yurishia was dispatched to Japan because Ataraxia is the foremost line of Heart Hybrid Gear research. The US army also noticed the exhaustion of Yurishia. In order to research the method to recover the decreasing Hybrid Count, Yurishia was sent to Japan.”

He fell into hallucination that the world was distorting from this shocking information.

“Lies! No matter how you put it, there is no way such stupid weapon can e――”

“But that’s the truth.”

Reiri’s calm retort made his blood rise to his head.

“If that’s actually true, why does Nee-chan make us fight then!?”

Kizuna was driven by his boiling emotion, he came forward until in front of Reiri as if kicking on the floor. Kei’s floating window popped up at his nose tip as if blocking his way.

{Wait.}

{Calm down.}

Ignoring those texts, Kizuna pushed through the windows one after another. And then, he glared at his sister’s face at the distance where they could feel each others’ breath.

“The act of fighting the enemy itself shortens our life right!? By fighting to protect life, to protect the people, they are running at full speed toward their own death at the same time, isn’t that right!?”

“Exactly.”

“Whether we use Heart Hybrid Gear to fly, to fight, to do anything, each time we shave off our own life! That’s just a suicide act! Without knowing anything about that, thinking that this is all for the sake of saving the world, we are――”

Reiri accepted Kizuna’s gaze straight ahead.

“That’s right. In order for mankind to survive, they are so to speak……sacrifices.”

Shock and fury, various kind of emotions were whirling inside Kizuna’s head, rubbing him the wrong way. Driven by that heat, he threw out the words rising in his heart as it was.

“The one sacrificing them is Nee-chan, aren’t you!? You were ordering us to fight! That means Nee-chan was ordering us to die!”

Each time she was bathed with the piercing words, Reiri’s expression was changing into a sad one.

“That’s right……I know about that and still made all of you to head into battle. It cannot be helped whatever you say about me. What I was doing was the same as trying to kill you all.”

Reiri’s usual resolute attitude faltered. Her gaze was lost and she looked down.

“That’s just too inhuman! That’s not something good to do as a human!”

“That’s right! Even without you telling me, I know that already!”

Reiri’s emotion burst as if it was wrung out from her.

She raised her face once more and stared at Kizuna’s face. Inside her eyes, sorrow and pain were filling her so much, to the degree that it made him think whether she would cry even now.

Kizuna’s heart was slightly shaken.

“Then, why――why are you doing that then!?”

“Then, what was I going to do!? The only thing that can oppose the AU’s magic weapons is just Heart Hybrid Gear. Using that, a lot of lives can be saved! Despite that, the Heart Hybrid Gear is a weapon that uses life as energy, it’s too inhuman and the pilot is just too pitiful, so we will stop using it. That’s why, all of you people of Japan just die, am I going to explain it like that to all the people!?”

It was a sorrowful tone, as if she was becoming defiant, and yet it was like she was asking for help.

It was unthinkable for such tone to come from his sister that was always composed no matter what happened with her strong willpower.

It was unexpected.

Kizuna’s angered expression flinched from looking at that appearance of his sister.

What made him overpowered was not because of her appearance and behavior that he couldn’t usually imagine. He was overpowered by the weight of the discord that Reiri continued to fight alone inside her heart, of the strong pressure of the Japan people’s lives entrusted to her causing her worry and anguish that she harbored in her heart.

“――That, but, it’s mistaken to one-sidedly force someone to be a sacrifice!”

Kei that couldn’t bear to just watch threw a window between Kizuna and Reiri.

{Stop this already. Reiri is doing all she can to try to help all of you. That’s exactly why she doesn’t choose her method.}

“Doesn’t choose, the method?”

‘――Don’t tell me.’

“Is that…Heart Hybrid?”

Reiri dropped her gaze and answered with a trembling voice.

“……While repeating real battle, we noticed the fact that Aine and the others’ Hybrid Count mostly doesn’t recover. And then one day, we discovered the data of the Ros-series’ initial development. We were shocked when we saw that data.”

Reiri bit the inside of her mouth.

“The reason was because the Ros-series has the system that activates using the wearer’s life as energy. It makes sense that the natural recovery of Hybrid Count is slow. After all, the wearer is selling their life by pieces. And then when that energy is used up……they die.”

Reiri struck her fist to the wall.

“All of this! This is all mother’s fault! That person developed this kind of devilish system, then she didn’t say that fact to anyone and kept it a secret!”

Kaa-san.

Professor, Hida Nayuta.

The one who inserted the Core of Heart Hybrid Gear into him, the matter about mother flashed in his head.

――Kizuna. You are a good child aren’t you, do your best in the core activation experiment too okay?

――Like that, the experiment of gear’s materialization is going well.

He recalled how his mother was always smiling kindly.

“Ka, Kaa-san, she……knows this matter……”

“Obviously! Just who do you think developed this thing! That person was aware of the Heart Hybrid Gear’s compensation.”

It was a complete change from her exhausted state of just now, Reiri exploded in anger.

“I was, when I was in the lab, the decrease of the Hybrid Count, and the recovery of it was no problem at all so……that’s why, perhaps Kaa-san,”

{There is a difference like earth and heaven in the energy consumption between the experiment and real battle. By the time we realized this fact, Professor Nayuta had already disappeared. However, it’s unthinkable for Professor Nayuta who is the developer to be unable to predict this.}

“Ku……”

By the time Kizuna arrived in Ataraxia, Professor Nayuta’s whereabouts was already unknown.

{After that, a mysterious mail arrived, information about Eros’s special ability and Heart Hybrid with other gears was written in it. This mail was most likely something written by Professor Nayuta who disappeared. And then we summoned the possessor of Eros that is Hida Kizuna here in great hurry.}

“If we just knew that Heart Hybrid Gear needed that kind of compensation……no.”

Reiri made a self-depreciating smile.

“That’s just too hypocritical. After all, I still gave the order to sortie knowing this information.”

“Nee-chan……”

“I cannot protest even if I’m killed by you all. If this battle ends and mankind survives, you can do anything you like to me then. But, Kizuna. Because of my, of our mother’s fault, innocent girls became sacrifice and fought, sacrificing their lives at the same time, that fact can never be forgiven. The misconduct of a blood relative has to be redeemed by a blood relative.”

His sister’s words resounded inside Kizuna.

Surely until now she had persuaded herself like that many times already. It resounded like that.

“I won’t let even a single sacrifice come out from among Amaterasu’s members. If it’s for that sake, then I’ll use any method. Even if for example――”

Reiri’s hand caressed Kizuna’s cheek.

“I’ve got to sacrifice my blood-related brother for it.”

‘――Is that so?

So that’s how it is.’

He could finally comprehend the reason why that intellectual and rational sister was insisting of such crazy method like Heart Hybrid. Why after all this time he was suddenly called back to Ataraxia. This was why he was forcefully made to do Heart Hybrid in what seemed to be unnaturally impatient means.

Everything was for the sake of saving the lives of everyone in Amaterasu.

Kizuna turned to Kei as if he had noticed something.

“Shikina-san, can the Core be taken out from everyone’s body.”

{Impossible. Once it had been installed, it’s impossible to take it out. The only chance to take the Core out, is at the time when the wearer meets their death.}

In the end, this couldn’t be resolved until their death.

{However,}

Kei continued to type on the keyboard.

{If it’s Professor Nayuta, perhaps she knows of some kind of method.}

“If it’s Kaa-san……”

Certainly, it was a possibility.

{Information regarding Heart Hybrid Gear isn’t all disclosed. Even now there is information that exists only inside Professor Nayuta’s head.}

“You are saying that inside her head, there might be a way to save us?”

{At the very least, we will understand the reason why the professor created this kind of system. Besides, there are a lot of puzzles in the professor’s actions. After her disappearance, why did she disclose Eros’s system? The mysterious sender in Guam too, that was perhaps Professor Nayuta’s doing.}

‘Aah, now that she mentioned that……it was still unclear for what reason the Entrance seal system’s information was sent from Guam.

{If we can directly meet Professor Nayuta, we can ask about this. Perhaps we can also understand the reason of her actions.}

“I don’t want to hear about her reason or anything.”

Reiri spitted out.

“Just who can understand something like the thinking of that person. No, I don’t even want to do that.”

Reiri’s resentment and anger towards mother was not something normal.

“Kizuna. With this, there is nothing that I hide from you anymore. I didn’t convey this fact to all of you……what will you do?”

“Eh?”

In other words, she was questioning him, this fact that the more Aine, Himekawa, and Yurishia fought, the more they shortened their lives, would he inform this fact to them?

“That’s……”

Cold sweat flowed from Kizuna due to the difficulty of deciding that when this question was thrust before him once again.

Although he blamed Reiri before this, now that he was made to stand in that position, the weight of that choice made his brain stop completely.

“N……”

No way he could say it.

However, if he didn’t say anything, the girls would merely be made to fight, without even realizing that they were paying the sacrifice. That was just too miserable of a story.

But, even if that truth was conveyed to them, the fact that Heart Hybrid Gear was consuming their lives didn’t change. Even knowing that fact, surely they would still fight the same like until now?

Even the slightest doubt and hesitation, could become fatal in the fight against AU.

Not only that.

What if, they were crushed by terror and doubt, and became unable to fight?

Was the situation of the world so kind, that they would be let to quietly stop?

For argument’s sake if they became unable to fight, in this situation, could other people forgive a possessor of Heart Hybrid Gear that didn’t fight of all things?

The core of Heart Hybrid Gear couldn’t be taken out unless the wearer was dead.

If there was anyone that thought to take out the Core, by disposing of the unusable pilot――.

“There is……no need to say.”

“Kizuna?”

“Certainly it might be cowardly not to teach them the fact. But――”

Kizuna clenched his fist and spoke resolutely.

“Everything would be fine if I just constantly keep everyone’s Hybrid Count at a safe level. If I do that, the fact that their life is used as energy is the same as it doesn’t exist.”

“Kizuna……”

“From now on I won’t doubt in doing Heart Hybrid, I won’t even hesitate. I’ll do everything I can. Just who cares of what other people are going to think or talk about me.”

There was unshakable resolution inside Kizuna’s eyes.

“That’s why Nee-chan, you don’t need to worry your――wapuu……!?”

Reiri embraced Kizuna’s head and buried that head into her own chest.

“Don’t say anything else. We will do something about mother’s misconduct somehow with our hands. We will also save the future of mankind while we’re at it.”

‘So mankind’s fate comes second……as always the scale is just too big.’

Kizuna smiled with his face still buried into his sister’s large breasts.

“Even so, as expected it’s necessary to look for Kaa-san isn’t it? Just as Shikina-san said, perhaps she has some kind of method to resolve this.”

{We too are continuing to investigate Professor Nayuta’s whereabouts. We also request cooperation for information with West USA, but we are still unable to grasp her existence.}

“There is also no guarantee that she will obediently listen to what we are saying when we find her.”

“I too……will look for any clues in my own way. Well, even the specialist searching for her cannot find anything, so I think it’s pointless but……”

‘Putting that aside, until when I need to bury my head into Nee-chan’s breasts like this?’

For some reason his head was also stroked but……well, it felt good, so perhaps it was fine to let this go on for a little longer……somehow, it made him remember his childhood.

{Putting that aside, how long are you two going to continue this sibling’s love scene?}

“Eh? No, this is just!”

Kizuna separated himself from Reiri’s chest in panic.

{I feel really left out for some reason.}

“Tha, that’s not it, Shikina-san! Please don’t make fun of me.”

Anyway, Aine, Himekawa, Yurishia, he would constantly maintain their Hybrid Count in the safe zone. For that sake, he was prepared to use any kind of method.

Even until now, he intended to study about girls within limitation for the sake of his mission to do Heart Hybrid. But, that was still naïve.

In order to protect everyone’s life, he had to realize Heart Hybrid more effectively with a high energy replenishment rate. And then, for that sake, he had to polish his technique to please a girl.

To achieve that, he wouldn’t mind even if he would be hated or scorned by those girls.

When everything ended, he would accept any kind of treatment.

Also, one more thing.

‘――About Kaa-san, when I meet Hida Nayuta.’

He didn’t know where on earth she was, but he would find her without fail, and then he would ask the secrets of Heart Hybrid Gear.

Kizuna firmly swore so.

Chapter 2 – Hero of Another Universe

Part 1

“The outline feels kind of like this I think……no, the stuffing in each form of part is still to indulgent. More, the line here is gentle, not swelling like this.”

Kizuna stared at the floating three dimensional image in front of his eyes and crossed his arms.

It was a smooth form with undulation, rotating slowly on the physical modeling manufacture apparatus, alias potter’s wheel. It was a model created from the data of a 3D scanner. It was not the latest information, so the work to update it had to be done by relying on sight and touch.

The data obtained from combat was recorded in this model. It was a plain steady work, but the accumulation of this was connected to the protection of everyone’s life. Even a little bit more data and detail could be vital.

“Wha, what is with this shameless object!”

When he turned back at that voice, Himekawa Hayuru with a bright red face was entering the data workshop room. Behind her, a lot of students were whispering in small voices at the room entrance.

“All of you, close the door and return to class!”

“Hii! Ye, yesss”

With a glare of Himekawa, the students were gone like baby spiders scattering away. And then, she directed a severe gaze at Kizuna.

“Just what in the world are you doing! Ma, making something, like this”

She pointed with trembling hands at the rotating solid object on the potter’s wheel.

“This is not just a mere something. This is a tenth to one model that feasibly reproduce the sense of touch. By directly registering this model with the combat data until now, it can be used in the mission from now――”

“What combat data! This is just merely an erotic figurine!”

What was rotating in front of the two was a fully naked solid female model.

The detail of the face hadn’t been manufactured, but the shape of the body was accurately reproduced. One could understand from seeing it that the form of the whole body and even the muscle and bone frame were created faithfully. Even the texture of the skin and the color of the nipple looked real.

In other words, no matter where someone looked from up and down, left and right, it could only be seen as an erotic figurine.

“Besides……it feels like I remember seeing this before.”

Himekawa said her impressions while scowling her face.

“Aah. That’s because this is the reproduction of Himekawa’s body.”

“I see, so that’s……haaaaaaaaa-!?”

“I created this model based on Himekawa’s vital sign and my memory. Then I will turn the Heart Hybrid and Climax Hybrid’s detail until now into data and register this model, that’s the plan. How much result comes out when I did something somewhere. By making a database regarding that, I can make use of it for the mission from now on.”

Kizuna reached out his hand to the solid model of Himekawa and touched its breast.

“! ahN-“

Himekawa unconsciously leaked out voice from her mouth.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Himekawa?”

“No-, nothing at all-!?”

Himekawa raised a loud voice to dodge the question.

Because the solid model looked too real, she felt like it was her own breast that was touched and she let out a strange voice reflexively.

The shame was converted into anger and she glared at Kizuna in order to protest.

However Kizuna was caressing around the solid model with a serious expression.

“It sounds good when you say the excuse that this is for the sake of future missions, but……looking at you from the side, you look like a mere pervert.”

Even while thinking that, Himekawa was looking at that serious face. Before she realized it, her heart was throbbing hard.

‘He looks really passionate……i, is it, because it’s my body, I wonder?’

The moment she thought that, her heart was beating so hard it felt painful.

‘――Hah!? Just what stupid thing am I thinking!’

“Kizuna-kun, I understand your reason, but in the first place is such thing really necessary? Besides, there are also the eyes of other students so……that”

Kizuna concentrated so much that it seemed Himekawa’s words didn’t enter his ear. He wholeheartedly caressed around the model to reproduce Himekawa’s body.

‘Wha, what’s with him, to caress that kind of data so passionately like that. Even though the real thing is right here, why does he caress that model instead? I don’t know what he is confirming, but isn’t if fine to just confirm it directly by touching my bo――’

“――Wait, just what am I thinking!”

“Uwaa! Wha, what is it, so suddenly?”

‘Aah, geez! I don’t know what is going on anymore!’

Himekawa’s face was so red that it seemed like steam would come out from the heat.

“……Haa, my head really hurts.”

“Hurt!? Oi, Himekawa, your body condition is bad!?”

Kizuna suddenly left the model alone and rushed at Himekawa’s location.

“Eh? Huh. No, what I said, hurt, is just a metaphor……”

Kizuna grasped Himekawa’s shoulders and peeked at her face worriedly. From his expression, she could see that he was seriously anxious about her body. Himekawa felt that the inside of her stomach went tight.

“Tha, that’s not it. You worry too much. My body doesn’t have a problem anywhere.”

“Himekawa, let’s do Heart Hybrid.”

“Haa!? Wha, what are you, saying so suddenly like that?”

“Perhaps the cause is because your Hybrid Count has been used up too much. After all you used the Corruption Armament so much at the battle in Guam and made a great contribution. Also from the start, I’ve thought already that we might need to do Heart Hybrid today or tomorrow.”

“Wa, wait, please wait. But, we are in the school, also this is just a normal classroom……”

“What if there is a danger, this might be a race against time! That’s why――”

Kizuna loosened Himekawa’s necktie and exposed her chest. From below the uniform, white brassiere could be glanced a little.

“Also the timing is just right, there is place in Himekawa’s body that I cannot recall no matter what. Besides, there is too much unclear data in the drawing of the erogenous zone mapping. This is nice timing, so let’s confirm――guhoo!”

Himekawa’s iron fist struck into Kizuna’s stomach.

“E, erogenous zone map……wha, what shamelessness……what insolence……no, no matter what that’s just too perverted!”

Kizuna who collapsed and writhed in pain wrung out his voice painfully.

“Wa, wait, Himekawa……this is an important……”

Himekawa turned on her heel and headed to the exit with loud footsteps.

“It’s fine even if you grope around my solid model as you please! But, if you show it to other people then I’ll kill you!”

“Please wait, Himekawa!”

Himekawa’s feet stopped from the unexpectedly serious voice.

“At least, please teach me just this one thing. There is something that I want to confirm one more time since a while ago.”

Kizuna’s desperate face shook up Himekawa’s attitude.

“Just……what is it? I’ll only answer this one okay?”

“Right, it’s about the Climax Hybrid before this, I pulled out Himekawa’s tail that time but――”

At that instant, the air froze.

“………………”

“………………………………”

“Err……Himekawa, san?”

“……This”

An aura of fury was surging out from Himekawa.

“Please wait, Himekawa. Let’s calm down for the time being. Humans can use words to――”

“NEROS!!”

The data workshop was destroyed together with the wall, it couldn’t be used for a month.

And then this was a digression, but in the few days after that, the rumor that Hida Eros Kizuna was going to produce and sell [Himekawa Hayuru 1:1 model (Cast off possible)] was spread as if it was the truth. Kizuna knew about that rumor after he received several dozen emails of booking request from male students.

Part 2

Grey clouds were lingering in the sky that couldn’t be determined as red or pink colored.

A beautiful and radiant quadrangle was floating in the sky that was dyed by the evening sun. It was a gigantic quadrangle, with its side that could reach above one kilometer, it was reflecting the sunset waveringly.

That beautiful flat surface distorted as if bulging out. As though a stone was thrown on a water surface, a ripple spread. And then from the center of the ripple, boorish metallic lumps made an appearance. It pushed through the beautiful flat surface, showing its appearance. However, its end couldn’t really be seen. It was an object so large and long that one couldn’t understand how far it would continue.

“My, isn’t that Gravel-sama’s fleet?”

People looked up at the gigantic shadow obstructing the sunset that appeared in the sky and raised cheerful voices.

Invited by those voices, the people of the AU rushed outside from inside their houses and buildings and looked up to the sky guided by the sound raised from the magic mechanisms of the battleship.

“It’s true! The fleet is returning from Lemuria―”

“It’s the return of Gravel-sama!”

The military ships appearing from the Entrance one after another were welcomed by the people with cheering and applause.

The people raised a great cheer when they found on the deck of the ship, the figures of Gravel and Aldea.

“It’s a happy thing to be warmly welcomed like this isn’t it?”

“I guess, Gravel is really popular.”

Aldea’s pleasant voice made Gravel smile wryly.

“What popularity? I’m just a mere warmonger.”

However if one looked at Gravel’s smile, it was obvious to anyone that she didn’t find this really that bad.

Gravel looked across the city of Gringam that was the home port of the fleet.

Gringam of Vatlantis Empire was a provincial city far distanced from the imperial capital. It was also a strategic position for transportation, so in spite of its distance from the capital, it was a wealthy city both materially and culturally.

The view of the city had the atmosphere that resembled the townscape of gothic-style Europe, possessing several spires and splendorous structures made of stone lining up, giving the city a profound refinement.

However the constructions were peculiar, bridge supported by elegant pillars that were surprisingly slender, spiraling building that interlaced complex curve. Large stone houses that were built high above as if ignoring the strength calculation in its construction were standing in a row composedly.

And then, one more difference with this place compared to the world of humans, was the mechanisms called as magic machinery all over the place which were emitting mysterious light. The machinery were based on magic power, it was the source of energy and the lifeline of the AU, which converted magic power into various shapes, like energy that resembled electricity or heat and cold.

The fleet was crossing over that city of Gringam, the ships were lowering their altitude gradually and landed on the harbor that was built at the coastline. Large waves broke ashore the harbor and soaked the ground.

Gravel and Aldea walked across the deck, heading to the stairs that descended down to the harbor along the pier. The deck of the gigantic battleship was almost as high as a five-storied building, it was a pain to descend down from it. And then, while it was a ship this large, the one descending down were only Gravel and Aldea. There was no sign of anyone else going down.

The moment the two came down, the battleship, no, the whole fleet drifted off bleakness like abandoned ruins. The fleet that lost its master was completely like a gigantic gravestone, or a cast-off shell.

“Hey, Gravel. What are you going to have for dinne――”

A gigantic humanoid magic weapon fell down from the sky.

Thunderous roar resounded, the ground shook up and down. The thing fell about ten meters ahead of Gravel and Aldea, its leg parts sunk into the ground. The impact made the surrounding stone pavement to be lifted up and danced in the air.

The total height of that humanoid weapon was fifteen meters. The image was like a luxuriously decorated Albatross. The fuselage that was coated red had a white crest painted on it. That crest for some reason resembled the kanji of emperor (帝).

“What’s this, so suddenly out of nowhere! Just why is the exclusive magic weapon of the imperial guard coming to this kind of place!?”

Aldea yelled angrily from indignation that she couldn’t clear away.

“Ahahahaha, what a fine manner of speaking? Maybe this is too much stimulation for a country bumpkin.”

A high-pitched voice like a child resounded.

“This voice, is it Ragrus?”

There was a petite shadow on the shoulder of the magic weapon. A large mantel unsuited for that figure billowed out on her body. The crest painted on the magic weapon was also similarly drawn on the eye-catching red mantel. That showy red color fluttered, with the body wrapped in pilot suit falling down. As if ignoring gravity, the figure gently dropped on the ground as though it was using a magic to fly in the air.

The small figure dropping in front of Gravel and Aldea stood cockily and showed a smile that looked down on them. The childish face had large rolled twintails hanging down in front of her body. The expression full of confidence gave the impression like a highly haughty cat from somewhere.

“This Ragrus-sama is expressly coming until this faraway sticks! Be thankful.”

“For the imperial guard who always shut themselves inside the castle in the capital to come until this place alone as a messenger? How admirable.”

Aldea replied back without even trying to hide her irritation.

“I didn’t ask for your impolite mouth! Besides I’m not alone here.”

“Eh?”

Aldea looked around the surroundings, then a silhouette of a person appeared relaxedly under the feet of the magic weapon.

It was a slender and tall female with deep blue hair. She was putting on the same coat as Ragrus with her unconfident gaze roaming about.

“I also brought Valdy along too. She is here as my attendant!”

Valdy opened her mouth timidly.

“He, hey Gravel……that, you found Zeros……is that, true……?”

Her cowering attitude was truthfully contrastive of Gravel.

“Who knows.”

“Is that so……thank you.”

“Wait, what are you doing pulling back that easily! Gravel, Aldea, I won’t accept the two of you hiding something from this me!”

Ragrus raised one of her hand and a magic circle materialized in the air. In concert with that radiance, light entered Gravel’s fleet. Magic mechanisms moved and gun turrets rotated. The target was fixed on Gravel.

One of Gravel’s eyebrows went up.

“So you rescinded the magic formula and stole my ownership?”

“Ahaha, that’s just too easy! Are you listening? We understand already that Aldea over there obtained the information about Zeros and headed to the world of the other sideLemuria! Now confess!”

“My my, is that so? This is really troubling.”

Aldea shrugged her shoulders exaggeratedly.

“But, that’s just a misunderstanding. Certainly I was taught of information about some Cores. But I have never received some kind of special information regarding Zeros by any means.”

“Certainly we have confirmed that several Cores exist in the world over there, but that’s all. We have never seen the likes of Zeros there――rather than that.”

When Gravel waved her fingertips, the magic weapon exclusive for the imperial guard which was standing behind Ragrus started to move. The gun it held in its hand was directed at Ragrus.

“Wha-……wait! Just what are you doing to someone’s magic weapon-!”

“Ragrus, rescinding your magic formula is also a simple matter.”

Ragrus clenched her teeth toward Gravel who was grinning broadly.

“Youu……! How dare you point a gun to an imperial guard, do you think you will get away with this!?”

“My fleet is about to be taken away by a thief. This can’t be helped.”

“Just who do you call a thief! To, to point a gun toward us the imperial guard, is the same as pointing a gun to the emperor! Do you understand that!?”

Ragrus yelled with such caustic words.

“Demon!”

Ragrus’s body was enveloped in red light. And then that light promptly equipped the magic armor [Demon] on Ragrus’s body.

“Ahahaha, looking down on people really is a good feeling.”

The face of Ragrus who was laughing loudly was now in the position where they needed to look up at her. Magic armor Demon was a magic armor with hugeness that didn’t suit Ragrus’s petite body. Rather than calling it a magic armor, perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a robot. Just the leg unit that enveloped Ragrus’s leg increased her height for more than a meter. And then what stood out most of all were the two strong huge and thick arms. Following Ragrus’s crossed arms, the robot arms were moving similarly and crossed its arms in front of Gravel. Ragrus’s mantel that was too large looked small right now.

“In the place of the emperor, how about I raise a festival of blood for you right here, Gravel?”

“That’s really a disrespectful way of talking, to treat the emperor of Vatlantis in the same rank with a petty thief.”

Gravel’s eyes shined sharply.

“Zoros!”

Gravel’s body was also equipped with a magic armor [Zoros].

Zoros was a magic armor with four wings. The true identity of those wings were three rows particle cannons, two were in symmetrical position at the left and right on the back, and two were equipped on her waist. When the cannon was fired, they were angled at the enemy and the direction could be freely changed. On that armor, orange light the same color as Gravel’s eyes was running across the surface. And then, one more thing that stood out, was the large sword shouldered on her back.

Before the two that were at a critical point, Aldea’s eyes were sparkling. And then she yelled with an excited voice.

“Zeel!!”

Six shields instantly lined up in front of Aldea protecting her body.

“Aah, this makes my heart throb! Looks like this will become a lovely party.”

“There is still something wrong with you as usual! Aaah geez-, I’ll hand down the capital punishment for you two altogether in this place!”

“Wait……Gravel. Err, Rael……”

Valdy falteringly cut in to stop them. Light of light blue color converged on her body. The magic armor [Rael] was equipped on her, it was as though her body was clad in mist. Beautiful light blue luminescence was traveling on the navy blue armor. What stood out from it was the sharp shining claw on Valdy’s fingertips.

“Don’t stop me, Valdy! I will teach them my true streng……thh-!”

The collar of Ragrus who was going to rush forward was grasped by the claw of Valdy who was several dozen meters away from her. Valdy didn’t actually move from her spot, there was only a hand starting from wrist that was floating in the air near Ragrus. As for Valdy, her actual arm was currently reached out toward Valdy, but her arm starting from her elbow was gradually thinning off until the area where her wrist was supposedly at, completely vanished.

“Kuh! Can’t breath……i, idiot, re, release……”

Her neck was wrung by the driving force of her own magic armor. However Ragrus’s choking voice didn’t reach Valdy who was standing quite far from her.

“Err, Ragrus……please, I want you to calm down. If you fight……it’s dangerous you know? You might get hurt…..e, everyone, let’s get along……”

“I, I’m going to die-……I said, release your hand-!”

When Valdy released her hand, Ragrus pitched forward and collapsed.

“You planned to kill me!?”

Ragrus became teary eyed and yelled angrily at her partner.

Putting aside those two, Aldea was making a ruckus.

“Hey, heyy! I wonder which one is better for me to kill? Gravel, which one do you want? Of course, I’ll surrender the one you like for you-! Aah, to make the imperial guards as the prey of all things……Gravel, you are really lovely!”

“……Aldea, shut your mouth.”

With a bitter face, Gravel pushed aside Aldea.

Valdy talked to her timidly without meeting their gaze.

“Sorry, Gravel……certainly, we are also too forceful……but, that’s because this is an important matter……we have to hurry. That’s why, don’t be angry……”

“Valdy, I too don’t like a pointless quarrel. I also intend to understand your position. If you can just go home to the capital like this, I don’t intend to worsen the situation more than this.”

“Ee―”

Aldea glared at Gravel with a wholehearted dissatisfied face.

The collapsed Ragrus finally stood up and raised her stout arm. The thruster on her legs emitted light to gather the power for flying.

“Don’t decide it as you please! There is no way we can just go home like thi――gah!”

Ragrus’s neck was hit by a hand chop. Similar with before, there was only a hand starting from the wrist floating in the air. It was obvious with a glance whose arm that was without even confirming Valdy who was in a pose of swinging down a hand chop.

Ragrus lost consciousness and her magic armor was called off at the same time.

“Ah……Ragrus, you okay? She fainted……what to do”

Unnoticed, Valdy’s arm returned to normal. Valdy nervously rushed to Ragrus and carried her small body under her arms.

“I’m sorry……I will immediately carry you to the bed……”

When she lifted up her hand with an apologetic face, the fingertips of that hand shined. Thereupon, the magic weapon exclusive for the imperial guards that was now under the control of Gravel crouched down as if it had heard of Valdy’s order. Its gigantic palm turned to Valdy and gently moved forward.

Valdy hopped on the gigantic palm while still carrying Ragrus’s body, then she turned around to Gravel.

“Gravel……that, are you planning to……stay here, for a while?”

“I guess so, I plan to relax for a little while. There is much that I wanted to annex from the occupied area named Okinawa at the other side into city of the Vatlantis Empire, but there is no need to rush.”

Valdy only responded ‘is that so’ and flew away to the sky riding on the palm of the magic weapon. While watching that figure fly away across the sky, Gravel whispered idly.

“Aldea. Is your story really true?”

Aldea too kept watching the sky and replied with a small voice.

“Ufufu, actually it’s true. The truth is, I met an interesting person in the workshop. Then, she said that she will teach me about a place where there is a clue about Zeros in the world of the other Lemuriaside.”

“Really……just why are you keep bringing trouble without pause.”

“Because, I want Gravel to build your achievements.”

“……”

“Well, but I too had done something arbitrary. Don’t you think it’s fine even if we leave this to the imperial guard?”

“We also couldn’t do that. Those lots in imperial guard surely wouldn’t think about the damage to Lemuria at all if it is for the sake of searching for Zeros. Rather than stealing their lives pointlessly, it will be far more profitable for both sides for them to become the slaves or semi-citizens of Vatlantis.”

“……I say, Gravel. There is one more thing that I have to say here.”

“Is there still something else?”

Gravel let out a fed up voice.

“This is about the girl wearing Zeros but……she said that her name is Aine.”

Suddenly Gravel’s eyes opened wide in shock.

“If that’s the case than it’s even more important for them to not know of this. If they hear about this, the elites of the imperial guard will march to Lemuria in great number. They will undoubtedly massacre all that get in their way.”

“Then, we will slip off the imperial guard and head to the other side?”

“Yeah, one ship is enough. Prepare a ship with long range.”

Before the imperial guard could be suspicious, they would capture Zeros.

That was the only way to protect the future of Vatlantis Empire’s people.

Part 3

“Captain, the rice is finished cooking desu―”

The next morning, Sylvia came since early morning even though it was Sunday.

“Today is a standard breakfast of England desu.”

He was sitting across Sylvia at the table of the living room. The cooked cuisine was puffing with steam on the table.

“Ooh, looks delicious. Itadakima―su.”

Potato, then bacon and sausage roasted on frying pan, in addition there were tomato and sunny-side-up fried egg, mushroom stew and boiled bean, all was put on one plate. And then toast.

The surface of the potato was fried crispily while the inside was fluffy. The bacon that was roasted fragrantly, the sausage was overflowing with meat juice when bitten, the boiled beans was truly delicious with its superb sauce. Eating only Sylvia’s cooking, he came to think that the review of how English cooking was bad could only be a lie.

“Sylvia is really skilled at cooking huh.”

“Ehehehe, it’s a honor to be praised desu.”

“No, it’s not just flattery that this is delicious. If it’s cooking, then no one in Amaterasu can match you.”

There was also a certain someone there which made a sandwich from a convenience store into bento just like that. Well, he was happy with the feeling though.

“Sylvia can become a good wife like this.”

“Fumyu!?”

Sylvia raised a weird chirp and held her spoon in her mouth.

“A, a wife desu-!? Tha, that’s……that’s just too sudden.”

Sylvia raised the fringe of her apron and hid her face.

“Sylvia is still not in the age where she can marry desu……but, if it’s Captain……”

Sylvia was fidgeting around and whispered something unintelligible. What was wrong with her? Her face was red, did she have a fever?

“Or else Captain, as long as there is love, then it doesn’t matter……”

Sylvia was looking up at him with moist eyes.

“Sylvia, are you okay? Is your health――”

“Captain, how many children do you want desu?”

“……What’s wrong asking that so suddenly.”

Just what was she prattling about, this girl with elementary school appearance?

“Rather than that, how about your school? Is there no problem?”

“――Ah, yes. I’m hard working in my schoolwork and military training desu.”

Sylvia stood up in fluster and began to tidy up the plate that they had finished eating from.

“I will also clean the room after this desu.”

“No, please don’t spoil me that much. I can do about just that much by myself.”

“No, Sylvia is not useful for Captain in battle desu. That’s why, I want to help Captain in a way that I can desu.”

Sylvia’s figure disappeared into the kitchen.

“Ah, but, since a while ago, the training of using Technical Gear has begun desu. I will work hard so that I can also be useful for Captain in battle quickly.”

‘Technical Gear?

Aah, that thing our student used to escape with his porn book before this.’

It was a replica of Heart Hybrid Gear created with the existing technology. Even without a Core installed, it was an excellent thing where one could use it for practicing Heart Hybrid Gear. The replica was also fairly high in its capability.

Now that she mentioned it, he had never seen Sylvia’s figure in the school……though he had heard from his sister that she was an excellent student when she was introduced to him.

“Now I want to see Sylvia’s training.”

“Really desu!?”

Sylvia’s head peeked out from the kitchen.

“I’m happy desu! Sylvia is completely in high spirit.”

She clenched her small fist with a cheerful smile that seemed truly happy.

“Then Captain! When will you come desu!? Will you come today desu!!?”

“N, no, I promised Aine that I will go to the lab together with her today. My bad.”

Kizuna looked at the watch and stood from his chair.

“Lab, is it Nayuta Lab desu?”

“Yeah, it’s a periodical check-up……also, there is something I want to investigate a little.”

Part 4

The periodical check-up was done to confirm whether there was any abnormality in the body or the Core, so to speak it was a health examination. Kizuna who had finished his check-up a step ahead was waiting for Aine at the corridor. After waiting for around five minutes, the door opened and Aine came out.

“Aine, do you have time after this?”

“Time? For such thing, I’ll decide the change of my schedule based on the content of the invitation? If it’s for something insignificant then I don’t have time, if it is about something that attracted my attention then I’ll make time.”

This girl, she always talked so bluntly.

Aine turned on the spot and with a twirl she rotated to face Kizuna. The fringe of her white one piece gently spread out. He felt like he could get a glimpse of her panty like that, but he tried to not pay attention to it.

The pure white one piece which had its arm-hole largely opened was different with the uniform that he was familiar with, it gave off a fresh feeling. While feeling a slight nervousness, Kizuna answered Aine.

“I want to go looking at the lab’s residential area. Especially the room where we were living here when we were children.”

“That’s……yes, that’s fine.”

She showed a slight worry, but she okayed it unexpectedly easily.

“Is that so, I’m glad. Then, this way.”

Both of them headed to the residential area which usually they didn’t enter. After walking through a corridor that was like in hospital, the door that was their destination came into view.

“This is, the room that I used when I was in this lab.”

‘Aine and I spent a long time together with Kaa-san in this Nayuta Lab. Even if other people don’t find anything, but if it’s us then perhaps we will discover something.’

Thinking so, first Kizuna visited this room where he lived in the past.

“This room……how surprising. It’s still the same like in the past.”

Inside the room that had the size of twelve tatami, there was a bed and a desk, then bookshelves and also a closet. The layout of the room almost didn’t change from the image in his memory. Whether the bed or the desk, even the note placed on top of the desk, it was like time had stopped since seven years ago, everything was left as it was.

“Yes, this is really……nostalgic.”

Aine too murmured with a deep feeling.

“Aine. You had ever entered my room before?”

“Yes. Though it was after Kizuna left. The person before me, what kind of person is he……it was fun because of the various things here.”

‘I didn’t put anything embarrassing inside this room here did I?’

Kizuna looked around inside the room. Things like photo and toys here that looked like nothing to other people, every single thing disturbed his heart. Somehow he had the memory of all the things here, that memory shook his heart with intense strength. It made him felt painful no matter what.

He tried to examine various things, but the result was that he only understood that almost everything had stayed untouched since he left. This was the room he lived in everyday. As expected there was no clue here at all.

“Then, how about we try taking a peek at Aine’s room next.”

“Eh”

‘Ah, although it was only as a child, it is still a room of a girl. That’s too indelicate of me.’

“……I guess, let’s go.”

However Aine soon nodded, she exited the room and stood in front of the neighboring room.

“It’s here.”

‘……So it’s right next to mine.’

“But, I think it’s the same like Kizuna’s room, there is really nothing that is particularly special to examine.”

The instant they stepped into the room, he understood the meaning of Aine’s words.

There was nothing.

It was a bleak pure white room without any window. The furniture inside were only a bed attached on the wall and the door of a closet on the opposite side.

“This is……have the luggage been removed from here?”

“No. Nothing changed since the past.”

When the sliding door of the closet was opened, there were only barely some western clothes hung in it.

“It’s still the same like when I lived in this room.”

Aine sat on the bed.

“Is……that so.”

Aine narrowed her eyes and looked around the room.

“How nostalgic.”

“Aine, wasn’t it hard for you? It doesn’t make you, feel discomforted?”

“Hmm, are you worrying about me? But unfortunately, whether it was toward the experiment and also this room, I don’t feel any dissatisfaction at all.”

“Is that so, if so then……well, it’s fine.”

“I didn’t even understand what I wanted then, so I didn’t even feel dissatisfaction. However……”

Kizuna sat beside Aine.

“Just where did the boy who lived in the room next to me go? I felt that question.”

‘Aine and I only passed each other just for a short time. Aine came to this Nayuta Lab and I just passed her to leave this place. Because Kaa-san obtained a new excellent experiment subject that was Aine, I was discarded.’

“There were various things placed inside the room of a boy, ‘why is this kind of thing here? Just what kind of person he is?’ I was thinking about such things.”

“Is that so……”

“Though when I met him, I never thought that he was a pervert who fondled the breasts of someone that he had just met.”

“That was not by my own will! That was an emergency situation!”

Aine chuckled.

‘――This girl.’

“Hey Aine, while you are feeling nostalgic, do you want to try an experiment?”

“Experiment?”

“When we were children, we were experimenting here. If now we try to do a make-believe experiment, perhaps we can remember something of that time that we had completely forgotten.”

“It’s fine. But, what are we going to do as experiment?”

“Heart Hybrid.”

Aine drew back with amazing momentum until her back hit the wall with a thud.

“Coincidentally your Hybrid Count has also decreased quite much. In your fight with Aldea, and then with your great activity in the fleet battle after that, you had used up a lot right?”

“Ri, right here? Now? We, well, I don’t particularly mind, it’s not a big deal, but, but even if it’s not right now, it’s still fine I think?”

Aine covered her head with the folded blanket, then she hugged her knees. It was just like a fortress of blanket where she holed up herself, it faced him to a siege battle.

Kizuna sighed.

Just where did that assertive approach she had before she obtained Corruption Armament vanish to? Although he knew, that time she was resolved desperately, she faced him with even the resolve to die.

That was why, even the shy Aine could act until that bold to him.

He understood that.

However, now that she had already finished experiencing as far as Climax Hybrid, wasn’t it fine already for her to get a little more used to it?

Kizuna was at his wit’s end in front of Aine who was glaring at him with a red face that seemed like she was going to cry anytime.

He was made to recall the time before this, of the hardship that he went through when they were going to rescue Himekawa.

{――And so, let’s review Nee-chan’s tactic. First Aine will shoot down the aircraft carrier of the enemy from afar with Corruption Armament. Yurishia, who is already in the sky will head to the aircraft carrier and drop me. Yurishia will lure the enemy that has lost their cool and retreat from that place. Then I will get Himeka――Aine, are you listening?}

{Yes, I know that already. There is no time until the start of the operation right? How about we quickly do the Climax Hybrid?}

{……If that’s what you think, then open the door.}

He spent three hours convincing Aine who locked herself inside a room, then after entering inside he spent four hours until the Climax Hybrid began.

“Today is a bad day. I think it’s better to do it another time.”

And then even now, she was pulling in her limbs like a turtle and hardened her guard solidly. She was unmoving like a mountain.

‘We have done this already before!’ He reflexively wanted to yell like that. That was just how much Aine was clattering in shame. She was talking haughtily with her mouth, but when the time actually came, this was how she acted.

“Just what is going on with you? Where did all that vigor at the first time go?”

“I, I don’t know. That’s what I want to ask myself. Before……I felt a little bit calmer. But, around since I did Climax Hybrid……it’s strange. Like, it’s embarrassing just imagining about the Heart Hybrid……this is impossible. Surely this is because of the side effect or something. It’s not like we are going in emergency scramble or anything, it’s fine even if we don’t do it now right?”

Certainly they were not going to sortie right now in a hurry. If it was him from before, he would respect Aine’s feeling and do as she told him. However, right now the situation was different.

“We don’t know when Ataraxia will enter battle situation. If at that time, the Hybrid Count became zero――”

‘――Aine will, die.

Just who is going to let that happen.

Absolutely no.’

“Hyauu!?”

He flipped off the blanket and plunged in his hand. He crawled his hand through her smooth thigh.

“Do, don’t-“

Aine panicked and he seized the blanket. He wasted no time to hug Aine.

“Ah……”

Her resistance slackened. In that gap, he unbuttoned the buttons at the back of the one piece nonchalantly.

Aine who noticed that she was stripped raised a short scream, but she was already too late. He took off the white one piece from her shoulder and her breast wrapped in pure white underwear appeared from under it.

”This, is shamef……”

Aine hid her breasts with both her hands. However Kizuna lifted the fringe of the blanket and crawled inside. If the bottom was pinned down then he would go through above, if the above was covered then he would attack below, Aine became panicked not knowing what she should do.

“Like this you won’t feel embarrassed will you?”

“Eh……”

Kizuna showed out his face from Aine’s shoulder, smiling in mischief. He brought his face near with the two of them in a posture like children wrapped in blanket side by side.

However under the blanket, bodies and happening that couldn’t be associated with children were carried out.

“Ce, certainly I cannot see but……tha, that’s not the problem.”

Kizuna’s hand touched the cup of the bra that felt a little hard. Under that hardness, an absurdly soft object was hiding.

“Kya, au……-“

He had the data of all the Heart Hybrid and Climax Hybrid with Aine until now. This was a good chance to demonstrate it. Kizuna’s hand groped around, caressing around Aine’s upper body. And then his index finger slid up and down tracing her back.

“Yaa……nn”

Aine twisted her body and raised a painful voice.

‘Yosh, here we go.’

{Kizuna, are you there?}

“UWAAA!”

Suddenly, a window popped up in the middle of the room. Text was typed and flowing onto the window, covering over Kei’s expressionless face.

{If you are investigating about Professor Nayuta, then I think it’s better for me to offer you of the information when she disappeared.}

“Eh, aah, certainly.”

‘――Damn it, I should tell her to give it to me later!’

{……Nevertheless, the relation of you two is really good. The appearance of you two wrapped up in a blanket like that, is completely like children close to each other. By any chance, are you two reminiscing the past?}

“We, well, something like that.”

“Liar. There is no memory like this……children won’t do something perverted like this.”

Aine murmured to herself.

{The last time we confirmed Professor Nayuta’s location, was when the 2nd Another Universe Conflict occurred and Megafloat Japan connected with Ataraxia.}

They were listening to the story calmly, but under the blanket Aine was only in her underwear. And then, his left hand was still put on Aine’s back. What should they do?

When he looked at Aine’s face from the side, he could see that she was quite nervous. Doing perverted thing like this when it was not even a mission, she was questioning continuously whether they would get exposed or not. In this line, his heart couldn’t stop beating hard.

But, according to the material that he read for the sake of Heart Hybrid, it was written that shame had the same meaning as excitement. If that was the case, wasn’t this actually a chance instead?

Kizuna searched for the hook of the bra.

Aine turned at him with a stiff face. The movement of her neck was so forced that it felt like they would give out a creaking sound *gigigi*. Her eyes seemed to speak ‘Don’t tell me……in this kind of situation?’

The hook was unfastened.

“~~-!?”

Aine’s mouth flapped open and closed. She wanted to complain, but it would be more embarrassing to get exposed, so she couldn’t say anything.

{Hm? Is something the matter?}

“No, nothing at all. Can you continue the story?”

“Hiu-!”

Aine’s body slightly bent backward. Kizuna’s hand was groping at the breast that had lost its protection.

{But, your face looks painful, your voice too……are you really fine?}

“It……it’s no……thing.”

She answered so while glaring sternly at Kizuna with eyes wet from tears.

But, it was pointless no matter how much she was glaring. The solid sensation that was gradually pushing up at his palm faithfully revealed that Aine was getting excited in this situation.

The breast that was big like a melon shook when he lifted it up, he played with it like a toy. No matter how much he played with it, he didn’t get bored. Each time it shook like jelly, an anguished sigh leaked out from Aine’s mouth.

Aine bit her lips and her face looked down so that her voice wouldn’t get out. Without even caring, Kizuna’s hand was enjoying the sensation of Aine’s breast.

He couldn’t see the shape of the breast. He was dreaming of the shape from the pleasant feeling that his hand and fingers perceived. Right now what kind of shape it changed to and what kind of color tinged it. By doing that, Aine’s breast that was hidden by the blanket felt several times more lewd compared to when he directly looked at it.

{The last time I saw the professor was when I was verifying the remaining Core of the Heart Hybrid Gear. The professor said that there might be a hidden function……like that she told us that she would concentrate on the research and severed all communication with the outside, the professor blocked all access from the outside world.}

He couldn’t concentrate, so he read back the letters displayed on the window until three times. Even so――uooo!?

He felt a sensation that chilled him from his crotch. Aine’s breath was rough and she glared at him with a challenging expression. The true identity of the sensation on his crotch was Aine’s slender fingertips. Now he got it, she was trying to resist him.

Then it was convenient. Kizuna too was sliding his finger from her breast, navel, then to her abdomen. Even during that, Aine’s body was convulsing twitchingly. Ignoring Aine’s will, her body was reacting arbitrarily from pleasure.

“――mm, ku……uu”

Her appearance that was desperately enduring that was awfully cute.

The instant he thought that, pink light ran through Kizuna’s eyes. And then a change happened in the face of Aine that was reflected in his eyes. Blue light began to swing inside Aine’s eyes.

{That’s why, we don’t know the exact time when the professor was gone.}

This was the fastest the omen of Heart Hybrid occurred compared to everything until now. In other words this was,

――Aine was feeling sexual excitement at the same time when she was feeling embarrassed.

This was like Yurishia’s SM play and Himekawa’s cosplay exhibition play in the Love Room.

Kizuna forcefully pushed his hand between Aine’s closed thighs. Aine too was desperately trying to guard that place. However his fingertips reached her secret place.

“Aaa……”

It was as though Aine felt despair, as though she was overcame with emotion, she raised a gasping voice.

{The 2nd Another Universe Conflict was seven months ago. The regional floats that departed from each region converged in Pacific Ocean, the linking work was finished five months ago. The time when Professor Nayuta vanished from Ataraxia was determined to be three months ago from today. Somewhere in the blank two months, the disappearance of Professor Nayuta――}

“Guuh! YAAAAANNNNNnAAAAAA!”

It was a though a dam broke, a coquettish voice flowed out from Aine’s mouth.

And then, the wave of light of Heart Hybrid flowed out from the body of the two. Blue and pink waves of light spread inside the room, their radiance filled the surroundings.

{……Both of you, what are}

The window of Shikina-san that was surely amazed of what happened, suddenly vanished with those words as the last.

At the same time, the lighting of the room vanished. Even the noises generated from the air conditioner and the lighting faded out and became inaudible. The room without any window in it was closed in the darkness. Inside such pitch black darkness, there was only Kizuna and Aine floating. The vestiges of the Heart Hybrid made their bodies faintly emitted light. However, the darkness of the room seemed like it absorbed even that light completely.

“Ki, Kizuna?”

Only Aine’s anxious voice could be heard, she was pressing her soft body to him. Kizuna hugged Aine’s body to assure him. Her shoulders was greatly heaving up and down from the excitement of Heart Hybrid.

“I guess there is a power outage. You don’t need to wo――”

A large bluish white window appeared in the middle of the room.

In that window, a lone female was projected. It was as though the image was observing them, it was staring fixedly at them right from the front. The image was of a fair-skinned beautiful woman with long black hair. The almond-shaped eyes and red lips were faintly smiling. That appearance resembled Reiri really well like sisters.

‘――Ka,’

“Kaa-san!?”

It was Hida Nayuta. That appearance almost didn’t change at all from his memory as children. Was it a past image, or else she didn’t age at all?

“Professor Nayuta……is this, real? What in the world……”

Aine too was shaken from the sudden happening.

“Kaa-san! Answer me, where are you right now!?”

{Automatic recording of today’s experiment. Activation rate of Core is recorded as above 70%. Success of Heart Hybrid is confirmed.}

‘Kaa-san?’

“Don’t tell me, is this a part of the system for experiment use? This is not a communication?”

The Nayuta inside the monitor didn’t answer anything. In exchange of reply, windows of various sizes appeared one after another. Every single window was displaying info of measurement. Letters and numbers were flowing in speed the eye couldn’t follow.

“Kizuna……this is”

The window that Aine pointed had a child projected in it.

“This is――”

‘Me, huh.’

The video began to be replayed in reaction to his voice. The video recording of the laboratory when he was a child and parameter of measurement device were being displayed.

{I cannot expect anymore result from Kizuna’s Core. However, for the sake of determining, whether this is the standard or the exception, there is the need to gather data from other Cores. Right now the children that will become candidates are gathered and selected. The human selection is advanced carefully. In the case of bad affinity with the Core――}

This was his mother’s study in regards to that experiment.

They walked around inside the room and looked around at the windows one by one.

“Aine, was the experiment carried out inside this room too?”

“No……this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of interface.”

In reaction to the two’s voices, the windows closed and a new one appeared again.

Had a mistaken operation occurred because of voice input?

The newly appeared window projected a silver haired girl.

“Aine……”

A large window popped up in front of Kizuna.

{She is named as Chidorigafuchi Aine. Her family name is from the place where she was discovered, and her name is picked from among the few words that she showed reaction to. The Core equipped in her is Zeros.}

“Equipped……at that time the Core was already installed in you?”

A new window appeared in front of Kizuna again.

{Currently there are three Heart Hybrid Gears in operation at Ataraxia. However, I haven’t arrived at the explanation of the puzzle. The technology in regards to the Core is still a mystery. From now on, I plan to move into field work.}

‘Field, work, she said……just where in the world would she go to――.’

Professor Nayuta spoke with her smile steady without a single wavering.

{Towards the other side of the Entrance.}

Chapter 3 – Uninvited Visitor

Part 1

When he noticed, he had already arrived in the classroom.

Because he was thinking while walking all along……he didn’t remember at all about anything that happened in the middle of his walk here, but it seemed he properly walked and crossed the traffic until here. Perhaps this was from habit or subconscious, but a human was amazing.

What he was thinking about was the incident at the lab yesterday. According to Shikina-san’s talk, the energy emitted from the success of Heart Hybrid might be the cause. It seemed that it was originally a system to constantly record the data when Aine was sleeping or passing the time normally in the room, and then it automatically started up from the reaction of Heart Hybrid.

No one grasped the existence of that system other than Professor Nayuta herself. The window that appeared in the room was a system that reacted to the input of Aine and Kizuna’s voice, the result of searching the database.

“To the other side of the Entrance……is it?”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

Yurishia who sat behind Kizuna talked to him who was taking a seat.

“Aah, Yurishia. Good morning.”

“For some reason, it doesn’t seem like your heart is here. Has something happened?”

“No, it’s nothing. Ah, rather than that.”

Kizuna confirmed Yurishia’s vital sign from his smartphone.

“Your Hybrid Count is 68%. If there is still this much then……no, perhaps it’s better to do Heart Hybrid just for the peace of mind. Do you have time at lunch break Yurishia?”

“My, you are really proactive aren’t you♪ I’m happy, but I wonder?”

“I think you are still fine with this much, but we are approaching Okinawa after this. We have to prepare ourselves to encounter the enemy right?”

Currently, Ataraxia had separated from Megafloat Japan and independently sailed towards Okinawa. Okinawa which was a territory of Japan and was also a base of the American army now became the next site for capture. It was a dangerous operation, so Megafloat Japan and Megafloat West USA remained behind in a safe area and only Ataraxia would go to attempt approaching Okinawa.

“That’s why, we have to recover the energy when we can. It will be dangerous if a battle suddenly happened.”

“Danger you say……whaat? It’s like you are believing the false rumor before this.”

Yurishia chuckled.

“N-! No, there is no way, no way I believe that you know? A stupid rumor like that, hahahaha.”

“My, your face looks bad you know? You are also sweating. It’s fine to not force yourself if your health is bad you know? I’ll nurse you back to health if that happens♥”

Yurishia’s hand touched his forehead.

“I, I’m fine. There is nothing wrong with me.”

“Noo- good, show it to me properly. Ah, how about I measure your temperature with my forehead?”

“You must not overdo it!”

“Good morning.”

Himekawa arrived together with a greeting that sounded thorny. She vigorously pulled out her chair and sat in front of Kizuna loudly.

“Go, good morning, Himekawa.”

“――Hmph, flirting right since the morning……how shameless.”

Himekawa murmured with a voice that couldn’t be heard by other people, then she faced to the front as if ignoring Kizuna and Yurishia. She began to prepare for class by loading the data and the like.

It seemed that she was in a bad mood today. Did something unpleasant happen?

“Mor―ning, you guys, get to your seat―”

Sakisaka-sensei entered with her usual red jersey.

“No―w you guys, err―……what are we doing again? Class?”

Sakisaka-sensei became doubtful even in the normal class.

――And then the lunch break.

In order to ensure the favorite menu and seating, an intense battle unfolded.

Yurishia was walking beside Kizuna while humming a song.

“You are in a good mood.”

“Because, Kizuna is inviting me to a lunch. It’s obvious that I’ll be happy.”

‘――Does such thing put her in a good mood?’

It was an unexpected statement for Kizuna. He took a memo inside his heart, that it seemed to be useful to put the partner in a good mood for the Heart Hybrid.

“Hey, where are we going? It will be my treat.”

Yurishia showed an enjoying smile. It felt like he could see an illusion of blooming flower behind Yurishia like this. Her smiling face was so bright it was like even the atmosphere around them would change.

As expected she possessed flowery beauty, or perhaps something like stardom. This Yurishia.

“Before I was the one that got treated. So today it will be my treat. Well, it’s impossible for my treat to be that luxurious though.”

“My, that makes me happy. But don’t force yourself okay? If I’m with Kizuna, then anything is fine――ah”

Kizuna’s eyes chased the direction where Yurishia’s gaze was attracted to.

――Burger Queen?

It was a famous chain store that originated from America.

“Do you want to eat a hamburger?”

“How should I put it……I often see it in advertisement, but I have never entered one before.”

“So perhaps that kind of commoner fast food is actually rare instead for a celebrity like Yurishia. Want to try it? If it’s that store, then it will also be kind to my wallet.”

“Yes, a first experience together with Kizuna, I really look forward to it♪”

“That way of talking, that way of talking!”

At any rate Yurishia was in a good mood, he would try to level up the positivity level with this chance. Perhaps he could even ask about the source of her fight with Scarlet before this.

‘――That’s what I thought, but’

“Just why is this disgusting fake ace with the bad taste of the nouveau riche, stepped her foot inside our territory here?”

For some reason, Scarlet was sitting in front of their eyes.

A member of Masters each was sitting at both her sides, they were sitting in six people table facing each other. And then in front of all of them, were trays with hamburger set on it.

‘――Why did it become like this?’

Well, there was no empty seat, so the two of them only asked to share the seating.

The girl with her black hair cut short, sitting at the left of the other side was stuffing her cheek with hamburger while glaring at Yurishia.

“Really, good grief. The rich person-sama only tends to eat French cooking. Surely you dislike hamburgers that you have never even eaten it before.”

“How rude, Gertrude. I too have eaten hamburger before by ordering to the chef at the hotel I was staying before to make it for me. I recommend a hamburger cooked with truffle and wine and onion toppings to you.”

“Something like that is not the hamburger that we know!”

Gertrude was clearly in a younger year, she looked like she was in the second or third year of middle school. The look of her eyes was bad, she looked really cheeky like that. For some reason, her small body reminded him of a wild animal.

“Rather than that, why are you Masters in this place? Besides, that appearance……”

The three of them were wearing Ataraxia’s uniform. Could they possibly be moving here……no, transferring school here?

The glasses girl sitting at the right of the other side opened her mouth.

“The three of us are participating in the Okinawa capture force of the Japan-America alliance~. That’s why, we are also attending the school here~. Not only Masters, military and staff officers from West USA are also boarding Ataraxia right now you know~”

After saying that, she put tomato ketchup on her potato and bit at it.

“Is that so? I didn’t know.”

‘Nee-chan didn’t say anything about it.’

“That’s because it was decided in a hurry last night~. This is also so sudden for us that we were completely surprised~ we were woken up while we were sleeping~”

Somehow she felt like a carefree person.

“Ah, I forgot the self-introduction~ I’m Brigit Arclight~ Nice to meet you.”

Somehow he felt sleepy when hearing her talk. Her blonde hair reached until her shoulder fluffily, she was a girl that gave off calm atmosphere from her whole body. She looked like the same age with him.

Yurishia’s complicated face was taking a sip at her orange juice.

“Scarlet, Gertrude, Brigit, for you three to come to Ataraxia means that there are only four people protecting Megafloat Japan and West USA then. Well, they are in safe area so I think it’s fine but……it’s a little worrying.”

Scarlet glared angrily at Yurishia.

“Don’t be stupid! If there are four Masters, any kind of magic weapon is no match for them. They will protect West USA and also Japan altogether.”

Kizuna interjected between the talk of the two to intermediate.

“That’s right. I heard that Masters is a gathering of the elite. Aah― also, you three are also wearing the uniforms of here, are your transfer procedures finished already?”

“Yes. We will go to class starting tomorrow……you are Kizuna aren’t you? Hida Kizuna. You are the captain of Amaterasu? Once again nice to meet you.”

Scarlet offered a handshake.

“Aah, me too, nice to meet you.”

It seemed that she had a discord with Yurishia, but she also didn’t reject him. Kizuna held out his right hand and shook hands with Scarlet.

He tried to take back his hand, but Scarlet still grasped Kizuna’s hand unyieldingly. Instead, she threw him a suggestive smile.

Looking at that state, Yurishia’s eyebrows twitched.

‘Hm? What? She is looking fixedly at me.’

“Hmmm, so it’s you……I heard various rumors about you.”

“Rumor? About me?”

‘Aah……it must be, the rumor about Eros isn’t it?”

“Well, as long as you are in this academy, even if you don’t want to, my bad reputation will surely enter your ears I guess.”

“Bad reputation? I don’t know what you are talking about but……I know about you since a long time ago already.”

‘What?’

Brigit smiled sweetly.

“Origin MachineThe First One.”

Gertrude talked with a displeased voice.

“The Only Man in the WorldThe Only One.”

‘What the hell is that?’

“Aah, but certainly there is a rumor that I only just heard yesterday.”

Scarlet made a provocative smile as if she was glaring at him.

“The Man who Breaks the LimitLimit Breaker.”

“By any chance……are those, all my nicknames?”

“Yes. Kizuna is a big name in this world you know……wait, you don’t realize it yourself?”

There was no way he knew about it.

When Scarlet released his hand from the handshake, Kizuna chomped at his hamburger in order to hide his embarrassment.

“Hey Kizuna. You have a special power, that is the only one in the world don’t you?”

“Aa―……no.”

Perhaps, she only heard the catchphrase about him that sounded good, and so she imagined various things about him before even meeting him. If she knew the reality, surely she would feel disappointed.

“Hey~ what kind of special power is that~”

“You can tell us without any exaggeration.”

Far from being disappointed, they would surely back away from him in disgust once they knew…….

“No, I’m actually absolutely weak. In my default state, my combat ability is the same as nothing you know?”

“Now now~ Being humble really is the bad virtue of the Japanese~”

“Do you think you will sound cool saying that?”

“No……that’s the truth though.”

As the talk kept progressing, Scarlet’s eyes were shining with curiosity.

“Hmph, I become increasingly interested like this. Hey, Kizuna. After this, can you show me around Ataraxia?”

“After this? However, there will be afternoon class……”

“It’s fine, you can just skip school. Rather than that, let’s deepen our relationship as fellow leaders? From now on the number of joint operations will increase, it will be really important to hold on to communication with each other.”

Yurishia interjected as if she was at her limit.

“Wait there, Scarlet. Can you stop that? Kizuna is the captain of Amaterasu. Please don’t talk to him so familiarly like that. Besides right now, he is planning to have a lunch meeting with me. More than this――”

Scarlet made a mean broad smirk.

“Wha, what’s with you……”

“Hm―mm, he―ee, so that’s how it is. Just now when I held his hand, you also glared at me with a scary face didn’t you―. I cannot just leave this alone now.”

Scarlet took the wrapper of the hamburger she hadn’t touch yet then,

“Then, Yurishia. The one who finished their meal first will spend the afternoon together with Kizuna!”

Right after saying that, she began to eat the hamburger with amazing vigor.

“Wai-! No one agree to that.”

Even while saying that, Yurishia also began to eat up her hamburger and fried potato in opposition. However, Scarlet was overwhelmingly fast. She easily finished eating, wiped her mouth with the paper napkin, and made a triumphant smile.

“Haha-, this is my victory! Then, I’ll borrow Kizuna. Now, let’s go. Gertrude, Brigit, please take care of the cleaning okay!”

Scarlet stood up and took Kizuna’s arm.

“Wait, I too still haven’t finish……wa, don’t pull me, I understand already!”

He was forcefully pulled and dragged away outside the store.

“Ah, you, wait right there!”

Yurishia too was wiping her mouth while chasing them.

“What’s with you, don’t follow us! There is nothing that the loser will be given in the end.”

“You really talking big for someone who arbitrarily decide the rule and arbitrarily start the game. That one is invalid, invalid! Now Kizuna, leave alone that woman without sex appeal, let’s go to a date with me.”

Yurishia took Kizuna’s left arm and pushed her voluptuous bosom on him. Kizuna’s arm was sandwiched between soft hills.

‘A, amazing. What softness, what pleasantness. Even though only one of my arm is tasting it, this sensation feels like it is healing my whole body.’

“This Holstein cow……your sex appeal is just too excessive! This walking obscenity!”

“It’s better for Scarlet to add a little bit more sexiness you know? Well, perhaps it’s still too early for you. Your breast too, isn’t it far smaller than even Hayuru who is a Japanese?”

“That’s unnecessary advice! Not all American are big breasted! Mi, mine too has average size already! Don’t look down on me!”

Scarlet pushed Kizuna’s right arm on her own body. Certainly its volume was overwhelmingly little if compared to Yurishia, but even so he could feel softness, furthermore her body with muscle that omitted any pointless fat could be vividly felt by his arm.

“I can’t help but look down on such poor breasts, isn’t it Kizuna?”

“Please don’t ask for agreement from me.”

At his left and right, the female bodies’ sensation with goodness that was completely different from each other through his arm and encroached into his body and brain. The different pleasures were fighting each other as if his body and mind would be split into two.

“Aah― geez, no other way……I’ll pass the afternoon class. Just as you requested, I’ll show you around Ataraxia. However, Yurishia is also going with us. Do you agree?”

Scarlet looked dissatisfied, but she nodded reluctantly. Yurishia too made a face as if she had bitten a bitter bug, but she inevitably accepted.

“Then, first let’s start from the command headquarters.”

However Scarlet puffed out her cheeks and complained.

“Ee―, that’s boring.”

“Boring you say……then, which place do you want me to show you?”

“Interesting places!”

‘Are you a kid!’

Well, there might be no objection even if she was called a kid though.

Leading the two of them, they came out to the main street after passing the food district nearby the academy. Walking with two beautiful girls hanging on both sides was extremely standing out. Everyone first had their eyes attracted to Yurishia and Scarlet, then next they saw Kizuna in the center and made dubious faces. It was quite harsh, being looked at by eyes that seemed to say ‘What the hell is with this guy?’

“Hee―, this place is quite beautiful. There are few people though.”

“That’s because right now is the broad daylight of a weekday, everyone is basically in school or working. The people here right now are only those who are in night shift or those who have the shift to rest on weekdays.”

“Wah, the sign is in Japanese! ……But, somehow it’s not really different with the one in America. Feels a little cramped here though. Is there no temple or Buddha statue? Something like roof with lined up porcelain or wooden tower.”

“Aah― there are a lot of those things in Megafloat Japan. This float is fundamentally for R&D and defense tactics after all.”

“Also people wearing native clothes are few here.”

“Aah, originally there are few people wearing those clothes. There are quite a number of people wearing yukata on national holidays, or wearing jinbei as their sleepwear but……ah, Yurishia also has a furisode though.”

It unexpectedly suited even Yurishia who was blonde haired and blue eyed.

“It’s enough already about Yurishia! Leaving that aside, where is a good place for shopping around here?”

“If we go ahead a little bit more, there will be a shopping mall. There are a lot of shops there selling necessary things for our school, cheap but stylish clothes and accessory, there are also game center and karaoke.”

“Hee―, that sounds good. Let’s go to the game center!”

Yurishia intentionally let out a depreciating sigh.

“Really……how childish.”

“Then, it’s fine for you to rest on this bench you know? Auntie.”

“Aunt……-!?”

Yurishia’s teeth was gritted audibly.

“Fine……I’ll beat you into dust in this game center then.”

“Hah! Amateur. I’ll show you my skill.”

Both of them sat in front of a fighting game.

It was a game that was currently famous, individual characters battling each other inside SF fantasy background. It was not a simple fighting game, the deep manufacturing of the world and the characters was really charming.

By the way the games in this game center were not just simple amusement device. Peculiar function additions and tuning were performed on the games here.

They were items for the sake of training reflexes and tactical minds, games that questioned the player’s information processing power, things that tested their shooting skill and sword skill and so on, the games were tied to Ataraxia’s curriculum in some kind of shape. And then, the score was recorded in each individual’s information terminal and also got reflected on the ranking of the academy’s network.

“Go-!”

“Kuu-, why does this attack hit! I evaded it already!”

Scarlet was using a female ninja in sexy costume. So to speak a kunoichi character. Its offensive power was low, but it toyed with the opponent using its speed and rapidly attacked from outrange.

On the other hand, Yurishia was choosing a berserker. Its body was muscular and big, and it could attack with improbable power, but its speed was slow, its handling was also difficult. It could win if it could bring the enemy into its winning pattern, but it could be said as a gambling character.

“That’s why, even though I told you to pick a character that is easy to handle……”

“Hooray, I win!!”

“Kuh……this, is not how it should be.”

“Fuffuun, just recognize your defeat. This game is something like a battle simulation you know? In other words, you have been completely defeated by me. Understand?”

Yurishia stood up unsteadily from her chair. Her looks was changing into something dangerous.

“Fine then……I’ll recognize my loss. But, this thing is nothing more than a single facet of battle. Next, let’s pick something that is not influenced by prior knowledge and experience.”

“Well, I think it will be just the same though whatever it is. Choose whatever you like.”

Scarlet grinned with an evil face.

‘Fufun. Idiot. Just who do you think I am? I had been widely known as a gamer even before the Another Universe Conflict, there is no way you can win against this me. This game center is only filled with all the games that I’ve done to death. Even in the ten thousand to one chance, there is no way I’ll lose to the likes of Yurishia!’

“Let’s do this one.”

With sharp eyes, Yurishia took a gun in her hand.

“Err……what, is this?”

It was something Scarlet had never seen before. A rifle with a cork stuffed in it. And then, in front of them there were shelves lined up with toys and candies on it.

So to speak, the shooting stand.

“Let’s have a match who can drop the most prize in thirty second.”

Yurishia lined up all the rifles there at her surrounding.

And then Yurishia’s eye glint that was like a hunter aiming at the prey made Kizuna’s back shivered.

Yurishia was serious.

“Hm, hmph! In the end it’s just a shooting. I know that this is your specialty, but even I have my own confidence. Just watch, I’ll make you cry!”

――And then, the battle ended.

“GOD DAMN……there is no way, something like this……this kind of thing, is not a game.”

The result was Yurishia’s overwhelming victory.

It was bloodcurling how she took the lined up cork gun in turn and dropped the prizes altogether. She grasped the gun, shoot, throw it away and moved to the next gun, with that kind of sequence she repeated her movement with terrifying speed. Without even taking the time to aim, she shot adequately and properly dropped the prizes. What a skill.

“If this is a real battle then you are dead already you know, Scarlet.”

“I won’t use this kind of gun in a real battle! We aren’t fighting toys and box of candy. What’s with this thing!? Even FPS don’t have any gun shooting like this!”

And then the last decisive battle.

“Yurishia, are you listening? We will decide the match with this!”

“Well, fine but……even if I win against you, there is nothing that I will get.”

“You’re noisy! We are starting!”

Dance Dance Exclamation. It was a game that moved the body and took the step matching yourself with 3D image animation. By moving your limbs following the instruction, the player looked like they were dancing, the score would increase by accurately performing the dance. It was a game that tested the control of the whole body, the physical ability and reflexes. Those were also abilities that were indispensable to control a Heart Hybrid Gear.

Dance music of four-on-the-floor began to flow.

Raising the leg, then stepped in order to tread on the panel floating under the leg. The movement of the arm was detected by sensor and the score was increasing.

This was a tune with fairly high difficulty, but the two of them continued to dance without any miss.

“Amazing……”

The movement of the two and the music tune became the trinity in perfect synchronization. That state was like the result displayed by dancers from piling up training on top of training.

Flexible and sharp movements were executed nicely every single time. The red ponytail jumped like a whip. Golden hair shining sparklingly from the light it received. Supple back. With the addition of twist, the body danced in the air. For a while he forgot that this place was a game center.

He felt like he was watching a stage of a first class dancer.

And then, the tune ended, the arms of the two were swung up and stopped exactly. That timing was also perfectly matched.

“Sa……same, score.”

“I……wonder, if this is a draw.”

Both of them were breathing hard with their shoulders moving up and down, confirming the score.

The scores were exactly the same.

Part 2

After getting out from the game center, he responded to Scarlet’s request that wanted to go shopping and now they looked around the inside of the shopping mall. Although the place didn’t compare to the commercial establishment in Megafloat Japan, there was a wide range of products assembled here.

Ataraxia didn’t have the production equipment for daily necessities and pleasure items. All of the items here were produced in Megafloat Japan and carried here. Inside, there was also a store that sold things from before the 2nd Another Universe Conflict, it was popular on the floor where people could look for brand items with high rarity or maniac products.

The store where Kizuna and the others were in right now was a sport articles store that was widely popular among the students.

“Hey, Kizuna. Do you think this suites me?”

The curtain of the dressing room opened. At that moment, Kizuna fell into hallucination as if there was a spotlight illuminating the body. Yurishia’s limbs looked radiant. Then there was the white swimsuit that wrapped only a little of that body.

“Oohh, it, it really suites you.”

As expected, even a pilot suit was not a match to this bikini. Yurishia’s voluptuous breasts that looked heavy were supported only by the bikini with little fabric somehow, frankly it made him want to bravely reinforce it. If the bikini didn’t do it best, the pink colored part would be visible in just a little bit more.

“Is that so? Then, perhaps I should take this.”

Yurishia twirled on the spot and turned her back to him. Her ass shook like jelly. This was far more dangerous compared to the swimsuit she wore when they were in the unpopulated island for the resource investigation. Her ass was mostly bared.

“No, please wait a little.”

“Hm? What’s wrong? As I thought, you don’t like it?”

She once again turned around to him. Her breasts shook to the left and right, it left him in suspense whether the bikini could properly contain it or not. Besides, the cut in her nether region was……that place was also just barely covered. It was too dangerous.

“Whaat? Are you really that concerned with this spot★”

Yurishia sent him a heavy wink, she waved her hand flexibly and pointed at below her navel. That gesture was monumentally inflammatory.

“That, you know. It’s like your appearance is a little too risqué, other men must not see it……aa― I mean, there might be some guys that will get into a strange mood from that.”

Yurishia’s face became blank for an instant, but she immediately made a wide grin that looked triumphant.

And then she approached Kizuna and brought her face so close their noses might touch each other. Her breasts that were enveloped in the white bikini pressed on Kizuna’s chest, its shape warped from being sandwiched between the bodies. That happy sensation he tasted felt far closer compared than feeling it with his arm.

“It’s funny for you to worry or anything♪ After all my place here is for Kizuna’s personal use.”

‘Yu, Yurishia-, wha, what did you say!?’

Kizuna’s face became red in a flash.

“Wait, you guys! What erotic things are you doing in a store where there is a family coming!”

Scarlet opened the curtain of the dressing room in the opposite side and showed out only her face.

“We are not doing anything erotic!”

“It’s fine already, so just come here! Quickly, I give you a second!”

‘Aren’t you pulling the attention of the customers’ around all the more instead?’

Kizuna moved in front of the dressing room of Scarlet, as if he was running away from Yurishia.

“So, what is it? What do――uwaa!”

His hand was caught and he was pulled into the dressing room.

“Oi, what are you do……ing?”

Scarlet was wearing a red swimsuit that awakened his eyes. This bikini too was something that shockingly only covered a little area that didn’t lose to Yurishia’s.

“Tha, that’s quite, extreme huh.”

“Is that so? This is normal you know?”

‘Is that so? America is really amazing.’

“Well, certainly my breasts are not at the level of Yurishia, but I think my style is better than her. What do you think?”

Saying that, she showed him a pose.

Certainly, she was beautiful. She didn’t have big breasts, but her body line was balanced. She was slim like a model with few useless fat, but there was no rugged spot on her, her body actually looked supple and soft. She was not so slim that it looked like she would break if hugged, she had the flexible toughness like a spring.

“I see, I see. Ufufufufufun.”

“What’s with you, that’s an unpleasant way of laughing. I’m still not saying anything here.”

“Aa― it’s pointless, pointless even if you say it. Looking at your face I can understand right away.”

‘Shitt, however she is right on the spot, I can’t deny it.’

“But well, why are you getting involved with me this much?”

“That’s, isn’t it obvious, that’s because I’m interested in you.”

“Just why? I’m not really macho or anything.”

“See here, can you not think that all Americans like muscle?”

Scarlet pouted her mouth.

“I mean, what I’m interested in is that thing. What is it again? Heart Hybrid?”

“You, you know until that far?”

“That’s why I told you that we are going to have joint missions right? We finished sharing the minimum information already……so, I want to ask though, does this Heart Hybrid really have an effect?”

“That’s, it’s effective but……”

‘Wait a sec. Is Hybrid Heart could affect all kinds of Heart Hybrid Gears? Is it only limited to the Ros-series?’

“Scarlet, what is the name of your Heart Hybrid Gear?”

“Hm? It’s Ares. It’s a machine that stressed on firepower, what’s interesting from it is that its main weapon is not a beam weapon, but missiles. Its ammo is regularly replenished in fixed intervals. Amazing right?”

Certainly. Amaterasu didn’t have that kind of physical projectile.

“Then, what is Kizuna’s Heart Hybrid Gear called?”

“Uh, tha, that is……”

“Isn’t it fine, you don’t need to put on an air like that.”

“Well……you will know it sooner or later anyway. But, don’t laugh okay? Also don’t give any retort.”

“Ok, got it. So, what is it called?”

Kizuna whispered in a small voice, so it couldn’t be overheard.

“Eros.”

Scarlet made a dumbfounded face for a moment, but she immediately exploded in laughter.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

“Shut up! I told you not to laugh already!”

“Ahahaha, no―, that’s super funny―. Just what’s with that name?”

“You think I know!”

“Hey, let’s try it a little on me. That thing called Heart Hybrid.”

“Haa!?”

“My Hybrid Count also has decreased quite much here. Remember, the sea battle before was terrific. Right now my Hybrid Count only has around 20% remaining.”

“20%……that’s, normally, around how long does it take you to recover?”

“Hm? Ummm, let’s see? After it becomes empty until it gets fully charged, generally it takes around a month I think? There is individual differences, so I don’t really know about the other girls though.”

‘――That’s fast.

Himekawa only recover 3% in two weeks.

As expected, so there really is a difference between the Ros-series and other Heart Hybrid Gear?’

”Hey, it’s fine right? If even Yurishia did it, then it should be OK for me too. Besides it can even power up the gear right? Limit Breaker-san.”

“That’s for Climax Hybrid but……by the way Scarlet. Do you know what kind of act Heart Hybrid is?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

‘Just what I thought…….’

“Listen, Scarlet. Heart Hybrid is not playing around. It’s a full-fledged duty, it’s also a part of the big picture. I cannot make the decision on my own――!?”

The ground shook violently.

“Kyaa, hyaaa!?”

Inside the dressing room, he got entangled with Scarlet and lost balance.

“Wha, what in the world!”

“I don’t know……is there a storm, or are we stranded?”

“Anyway get up, the situation is……”

He tried to get on his hand and stood up. However the floor was too soft. The ground was limp and soft, but immediately under there was a little hard layer. This sensation was……?

“Ki, Kizuna……err”

Under Kizuna was Scarlet’s face. Her surprised yes was fixed on Kizuna’s face.

And then Kizuna’s right hand was on top of Scarlet’s chest.

Furthermore, this was not the texture of swimsuit. It was the smooth, but mellow texture of skin. In the middle there was also the elastic sensation, and right in the center, the largest protrusion could be――!?

The top of her bikini was completely out of place, Scarlet’s upper body was in a condition that had nothing hiding it. Her left breast that became exposed entered his eyes.

It didn’t even compare with Yurishia, but even so there was a breast there that was gently rising. For it to bulge up firmly like this when she was lying down facing up was quite something.

The pink colored summit that he guessed was surely under his right hand was slightly uncovered, the small head that stuck out looked lovely. It also looked slightly shrunken from the surprise of being suddenly exposed.

“Uwawawa, sorry! Yo, your swimsuit is-”

“I, it’s fine already so get off, also return my swimsuit!”

Scarlet hid her breast with one hand and begged for her swimsuit with a crimson face.

“Even if you told me to give it back, I’m not taking it in the first place!”

Scarlet stood up even faster than Kizuna could, and then she reached her hand towards Kizuna’s head.

“Wai-! Don’t push――”

Another impact attacked one more time at that timing.

“KYAAAAAAAA!”

“UOO!”

Kizuna’s balance was completely broke and he collapsed backward. In front of his eyes, there was a bikini bra dancing.

‘Aah, so it was on my head……guhaa!!’

The view in front of Kizuna became pitch black. Something soft was clinging close on his head, his breath stopped.

‘Ca, can’t breath!’

Kizuna tried to breath somehow and trashed around.

“Ah, do, don’t-, don’t move-“

Matching with Kizuna’s trashing, he could hear Scarlet’s indecent voice.

‘――This is, don’t tell me.’

When the thing in front of his head moved slightly, what rushed into his sight was the close up of a swimsuit that dug into the crotch. Kizuna’s hands were trying to move away the thing in front of his eyes, right now it was grabbing Scarlet’s buttocks firmly, parting it to the left and right.

“Yaa! My ass-, ahn”

Kizuna also felt a hot breath on his crotch.

“S, Scarlet, this is, I’m not doing this intentionally!”

He couldn’t move his body, so Kizuna could do nothing but talking towards Scarlet’s crotch. It seemed that she was feeling Kizuna’s breath sensitively, the chasm where the swimsuit was digging into tightened tightly.

“Yahn, don’t talkkkkkk-!”

At that moment, red light scattered from Scarlet’s body.

‘――Hybrid Heart!?’

“This is……so Heart Hybrid, is also possible for Scarlet too?”

The curtain was roughly opened and Yurishia’s face went in.

“Kizuna! Wait, what are you doing, at this kind of time!”

“Yurishia, thi, this is an accident! Rather than that, Scarlet can also Heart――”

“Save the story for later! This is an enemy attack!!”

“!?”

The information board inside the store all changed into enemy attack notification.

Kizuna’s chest instantly turned cold.

Scarlet stood up staggeringly. He guessed that her consciousness was still not clear from the effect of Heart Hybrid. But, he also couldn’t say something like that.

“Can you run, Scarlet?”

“Ye……s, I’m fine.”

Yurishia operated her smartphone and confirmed the information from the command headquarters.

“Kizuna-, the car from the lab will come soon. After changing into pilot suits, we will sortie immediately.”

“Yeah! What about the enemy’s fleet? How many the number of the magic weapons?”

Yurishia didn’t answer that question and kept glaring fixedly at the screen of her smartphone.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me……is it a vastly large army?”

Yurishia opened her mouth with a stiff expression.

“One person.”

‘――What?’

“The enemy is a woman wearing magic armor. Just one person.”

Part 3

Flames and smoke were whirling.

A large hole was opened on Ataraxia’s main street, flame was rising from there. The surrounding buildings collapsed, they were falling down while dragging down the neighboring buildings. Flames and black smoke were also rising up thickly from those wreckages.

With such flame explosions at her back, the AU woman wrapped in magic armor was standing. Equipped with three line particle cannons that were like wings of the magic armor, shining orange lines were running on the armor’s surface. Transparent windows lined up around her face. She was talking with the green haired beauty projected in the window.

{Well then Gravel. I will withdraw for the moment.}

“Roger. When I pull back I’ll escape this fortress on my own, but pick me up in the middle of the way.”

{I understand.}

The communication ended and the window that projected the beauty vanished.

The red muffler worn on Gravel’s neck was fluttering from the hot wind caused by the flames.

This flame explosion was due to the bombing of the enemy ship that approached near Ataraxia. That enemy ship didn’t stop and just left after only a single shot and dropping down a single woman.

And then right now the AU woman who landed on Ataraxia by her lonesome was surrounded by the defense unit which was mainly composed of the combat department students.

With nervous looks, all the unit members were staring at the AU human they witnessed for the first time.

They had heard the rumors, but no matter how they looked, they could only see a human. Her body was fortified with heavy weaponry, but even armored it was a female with exposed skin. To all appearances, she looked easier to deal with compared to the magic weapons.

The defense unit tightly grasped their newly developed anti-magic weapon rifle and gulped their saliva.

Their weapons were also developing day by day. It was still in the experimental stage, but they were also equipped with railguns and particle cannons developed for opposing magic weapons. Besides, right now the Masters of West USA also reinforced their force. The power of the opponent was unknown, but they should be able to repel her.

“Yo―sh! You guys, let’s show the enemy the power of the combat department’s boys!”

“UOOOOO!”

With a battle cry, the moral of the whole defense unit went up.

“The target is still not moving. Target is still in the middle of confirming the surroundings.”

“Give her a missile in place of a greeting! Don’t miss!”

Gravel looked around the surroundings, she was confirming the damage from the bombing.

‘――It was a little overdone for just a threat, but it can’t be helped. Besides with this commotion, perhaps Zeros will appear here.’

“Hm?”

Gravel’s sensor window displayed a danger signal.

The missiles the defense unit fired were falling aiming at Gravel.

Gravel’s firearm unit, the three line turret fixed around her waist turned up. The twenty millimeter caliber of the gunport emitted orange light like the consecutive flash of a camera. The flying out light cannon shell shot down the flying missiles one after another.

Gravel kept her hand crossed while staring at the explosion spreading in the sky.

“A welcoming firework huh. I’m greatly obliged.”

She smiled lightly and began to walk in the middle of the wide street. The destination ahead was a barricade built from the road rising up like an opened lid. At the other side of the barricade, the combat department of Ataraxia was standing ready with their gun muzzles aimed.

In front of that barricade, was a single woman wearing armor.

“We ain’t letting you get closer than this!”

It was Gertrude from Masters. She was wearing Heart Hybrid Gear with her hands holding her main weapon that was two high pressure particle guns in ready.

Furthermore behind Gravel there was a gun muzzle waiting for an opening from the other side of the smoke.

{This is Brigit. I can make her gray matter scatter everywhere with a headshot anytime~}

Brigit that circled behind the enemy was aiming at Gravel’s head with her rifle.

“Roger. We are commencing the situation. It’s not likely that we can establish negotiation with these AU bunch. If you find an opening, just kill the bastard anytime.”

Strength entered Gertrude’s fingers that were on the triggers.

“Stop right there! Throw your weapon and surrender right now. I respect your guts of coming here alone, but that’s just too rash. Stop any useless resistance.”

Gravel halted her pace.

“Oho? You are unexpectedly obedient. But, if you don’t resist at least a little, doesn’t that mean I cannot kill you? I feel like telling you to read the atmosphere but……aahh, quickly take off that Heart Hybrid Gear, then crouch on the ground――”

“I’ll ask one thing.”

Nervousness ran through all members of the defense unit surrounding Gravel with that one sentence.

“In this fortress, is there any non-combatants?”

“Haa?”

Gertrude raised a stupid voice.

“Are there civilians unrelated to combat that happen to board this fortress? That’s my question.”

Grasping the meaning of the words, Gertrude opened a communication window and called at the unit captain standing by on the rear.

“I don’t understand what she meant a little, so can you answer in exchange?”

{Even if you tell me that, I too don’t understand what she meant……but, if I have to answer the question literally, then in this Ataraxia there is no civilians. All personnel, whether directly or indirectly, are related to the defense of Ataraxia and the Megafloat.}

“――And that’s how it is. Are you satisfied with this and will surrender?”

“I see, I’m relieved.”

Gravel nodded in satisfaction.

“Then, I too will state my demand.”

“Haa? If it’s your safety then I cannot guarantee it you know. All people here has nothing but resentment towards the AU after all. Just prepare yourself.”

“Hand over Zeros and its wearer. Right now. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee the safety of you all.”

All present in that place were dumbfounded.

“Are you sane? What are you saying right in the middle of enemy territory?”

The orange luminescence on Gravel’s magic armor increased in intensity.

“So the negotiation breaks down.”

“Hahaa, from the start things like negotiation or anything,”

{Is just impossible!}

Brigit pulled her trigger. The instant it fired, together with dazzling light, radiance that looked like magic circle spread. The main weapon of Heart Hybrid Gear [Legura] that was a particle rifle fired a bullet of light.

“Go to hell, AU!”

The bullet that could pierce the armor of magic weapons in one shot, flew aiming at Gravel’s head. A hole opened in the wall of flame, pierced through the wall of smoke, and arrived until several meters from Gravel’s position. Sensing the presence of the bullet, Gravel turned around and faced the bullet of light that was right in front of her eyes.

‘――Got her!’

She was convinced of that. However,

The bullet passed through several centimeters before Gravel’s eyes.

“Wha――”

The bullet of the particle rifle pulverized the digital signage display at the side of the road in place of Gravel’s head.

Gravel bent her body backward while turning back and dodged the bullet with paper thin difference.

Brigit stood stock still in blank daze.

“How……could she evade that?”

“The bullet just now, a magic armor is it?”

The turret on Gravel’s waist rotated, turning toward the other side of the smoke where Brigit was standing.

“Brigit! Get away!!”

Returning to her senses from Gertrude’s yell, Brigit immediately ignited her thruster.

Gravel’s bombing hit the flame wall and the roar of destruction resounded from the crushed concrete at the other side. The retreating Brigit showed her figure from the flame wall. She tried to circle around Gravel and flew at low altitude while hiding in the building’s cover. And then she aimed at Gravel with her rifle.

“Die!”

Bullet was fired once again from the rifle. Brigit’s trajectory was also greatly disarrayed from the shooting’s recoil, her back contacted the building. The bullet of the rifle deviated and gouged a hole under Gravel. The wings on Gravel’s back rotated, directed toward the direction where Brigit was flying. There a three line particle cannon with bigger caliber was prepared. And then, a bombardment of twelve particle cannons in total pursued Brigit repeatedly.

The stray shell destroyed the city in succession. A building was hit, its pillar broken, and glass that became pieces rained down. The parked cars had holes opened in them before they exploded in flame.

The impact point of the bombardment gradually approached Brigit. And then――

“GUAAAAA-!”

Finally, Brigit was hit directly by the bombardment.

“BRIGIT!”

Black smoke climbed up and Brigit crashed down. She crashed on the ground with a violent impact, before she was rolling on the road. And then she collided on a building wall, raising a furious dust cloud.

Inside Gertrude, the feeling of wanting to check her comrade’s safety and her impatience towards the enemy were in discord.

‘What to do? What should I do!? What can I do!?’

“Aahh, damn it-! There is no spare time to check her safety-! All personnel, return fire-!”

Gertrude was yelling that, at the same time she rushed at Gravel. As if to chase after her, the combat department unit rushed out from the barricade.

“UWAAAAAAA!”

Gertrude shot her particle guns without stopping while running at the enemy.

‘The enemy has those heavy weapons. That means she is likely a fixed battery type. Then I’ll challenge her with speed!’

Gertrude made use of her light body and moved in zigzag. Even during such tricky movement, Gertrude’s shooting was still accurate. The magic circle of Life Saver spread like ripples on Gravel’s body. It was the proof that the bullets hit.

‘I’ll overcome her like thi――!?’

Gravel’s body rushed like a rocket. She appeared in front of Gertrude instantly and grasped Gerturde’s wrists. Gertrude’s both hands that were holding her pistols were lifted up.

“Damn……”

Fear together with cold sweat flowed out from Gertrude’s whole body.

Gravel’s twelve particle cannons were directed at Gertrude from super close range.

Flame and shockwave like raising explosion spread to the surrounding. The defense unit that surrounded the area was assaulted by the shockwave, lifting up the bodies of the students high in the air.

When the black smoke cleared up, there was the body of Gertrude powerlessly hanging down with both her wrists still grasped.

“I’ve never……heard something, like this. With that weapon, how……you can be”

Gertrude’s Heart Hybrid Gear was roasted and melted blackly, smoke was raising from it. When Gravel released her hands, she crumbled down and collapsed on the spot.

“No way……two Masters, are this easily……”

The defense unit backed down.

Looking at that situation, Gravel ran towards the barricade.

“Kuh! Don’t falter! Prepare the railgun!”

The barrel of a new type of railgun cannon peeked out from the gap of the barricade. It had a considerably large system that generally it needed to be loaded on a large trailer. Just its barrel was five meters already, then there were several thick cables connected to it from the ground because the electricity was supplied from Ataraxia itself.

“Fire!”

Together with intense static electricity and heat, a bullet was fired from the railgun. The bullet attacked with speed that surpassed mach 7, there was no way it could be dodged.

But, even before the bullet fired, Gravel’s body had flew high to the sky. She flew over the railgun and barricade easily and landed on the encampment of the defense unit.

“UWAAAA!?”

The students aimed their rifle in panic due to the enemy that landed from above out of nowhere.

“Wa, wait! Friendly fire is――”

Even before the sentence could finish, Gravel’s particle cannon fired. The turret directed horizontally fired cannon shells consecutively without stopping, Gravel then twirled her body on the spot. The bombing assaulted all directions at 360°, the defense unit was falling down like dominoes.

And then the control system and the cable of the railgun was also pulverized, it exploded in flame together with the trailer where the railgun was boarded.

“Hm?”

Gravel’s eyes shined sharply.

“Blade!”

Swords flying in the sky pierced at the spot where Gravel was.

“Swords soaring freely in the sky……Neros huh.”

Gravel that jumped backward looked up. Above, there were two figures floating in the sky.

Himekawa Hayuru wearing the red Heart Hybrid Gear, Neros, and Chidorigafuchi Aine wearing the white Heart Hybrid Gear, Zeros.

“So you appear.”

In contrast with the smiling Gravel, Himekawa and Aine’s complexions were pale.

“Thi……this is-”

Himekawa’s words were lodged from the disastrous scene.

The condition of the defense unit looked from above was mostly exterminated. It was a cruel state. The members of the defense unit were mostly the students of Ataraxia’s combat department. The students from the same academy were now collapsed on the ground moaning with blood flowing from their heavily wounded bodies. Also it was not just one or two victims.

“Te, terrible……”

Himekawa murmured with a face that almost cried.

Aine opened a floating window with grim face and investigated for Heart Hybrid Gear reactions.

“The Masters should have arrived already! Just where……-!?”

In the floating window of Zeros, the markers of Masters were shining. The enlarged image of the place was projected before Aine. The shot down Brigit that crashed on the ground, and Gertrude that was bathed in full bombardment from close range had lost consciousness.

“No good! We have to take them immediately to the hospital!”

“Yes. But, first we have to defeat her before we can start.”

Aine dropped down several meters away from Gravel. Her silver hair fluttered, her figure that landed on the ground was beautiful like the goddess of war. Her state with blue light running through her white shining armor even looked like a work of art.

Gravel raised a voice of admiration.

“Truly beautiful. So you are Zeros……Aine.”

Aine stared at the woman of AU with a dubious face.

“Are you also a fan of mine I wonder? It seems before I realized it, I have become famous in the AU.”

Even while talking frivolously, Aine was observing the enemy without letting her guard down.

The woman before her eyes was smiling thinly, she was standing in a natural stance. She wasn’t even readying anything or being alert. If she attacked right now, she had the hunch that she could easily defeat her――but, the dangerous air Aine felt behind the enemy made her hesitated to carelessly rush ahead.

“This is our first time meeting face to face. My name is Gravel. I am entrusted with the sixth conquest army of Lemuria district by Vatlantis Empire.”

“Lemuria……sixth?”

Aine didn’t understand the meaning of Gravel’s words. No, there was no need for her to understand.

She just needed to think of the way to defeat her. Aine persuaded herself like that.

Victory goes to the one who makes the first move. Should she begin? However…….

A hesitation was born inside Aine.

She sensed a strange pressure from Gravel who was calm and took a polite attitude. She gave off an even more dangerous smell compared to any kind of gigantic magic weapon.

“I want to ask one thing. Do you――remember your time as a child?”

Inside Aine, it was not just hesitation, but mayhem that appeared.

‘This woman, what does she want to say?’

“Aine-san! You mustn’t get taken by what she says. There is no doubt that she is scheming something!”

Himekawa that was hovering several dozen meters above the ground withdrew her Sword from her waist. Matching that movement, the Blades stabbed on the ground were also flying up, their points aimed at Gravel and they halted in the air.

Gravel took a glance at the Blades, then she talked once again to Aine.

“Aine-dono, I want you to accompany me. I’ll promise that I won’t harm you and also this fortress.”

“Promise? Just how can I believe what a person from AU said?”

Aine pulled back one of her legs and turned her body diagonally. She raised her right hand to her face’s height, her left hand stretched forward in a stance. It was a stance like a kenpo practitioner.

‘――Total five meters until the enemy. This is not my range but, I have victory chance with Hayuru’s support.’

The left hand of Aine raised her index finger, and lowered it down.

“!”

Aine never even dreamed that the day she would use this combination would really come.

Himekawa needed less than a second to recall that signal.

“Bl, Blade-!”

The Blades that were floating in battle preparation were fired towards Gravel. However, Gravel only leaned her body a little and avoided the Blades.

However using that opening, Aine showed a step in with god speed. In an instant, she had filled the distance with Gravel.

“I got you!”

The fist that looked like it was fired from Aine’s shoulder struck Gravel. A shockwave that was like a bomb going off spread with the two as the center.

“Wha-!?”

Aine’s fist was blocked in Gravel’s palm.

“Splendid speed and sharpness, and then destructive power. Just as expected from you.”

Aine leaped back right away from the broadly grinning Gravel. And then she once again readied her fist.

‘――That’s impossible. The punch just now is not bad……yet she blocked it with one hand?’

Cold sweat flowed through Aine’s cheek.

“You are far different with the two from before. Should I say that it is as expected from a Ros-series.”

“What……did you say?”

“Of course, the difference in the pilot’s ability also has a large difference though.”

Gravel sent her hand to her back. She grasped the handle that jumped out from her back and slowly pulled it out to thrust it towards the front.

“My apologies, but I too will use my main weapon. I’m not so optimistic that I can cut corners against Zeros and Neros as my opponents.”

That was not a sword and also not a gun. It was a huge single edge sword with wide width, combined with a particle cannon of large caliber that was equal to a bazooka. A gunsword.

There was a trigger on the hilt, from there an ammo cylinder like a revolver with vertical length of fifty centimeters that was connected to the gun barrel. That gun barrel was shaped to half sink into a wide sword blade, the blade was lengthened longer than the gun muzzle. The length from its handle until the sword tip was even longer than Gravel’s height.

Himekawa withdrew her Sword from her waist as if in opposition.

“Fine then. Your sword and my sword, let’s have a match of which one is superior!”

The Blades that had been evaded once flew up to the air and aimed at Gravel once again from four directions. As if displaying the heightened nervousness of Himekawa, the Blades raised a buzzing sound.

Suddenly, the Blades vanished.

The next instant, there was a Blade in front of Gravel’s eyes. Only the trail of red light remaining in the air was the proof of the complicated trajectory the Blade took.

‘――So she is just all talk.’

At the same time when Himekawa was whispering that in her heart, the Blade was bounced right to the side.

‘――Eh?’

Sparks scattered, the blown away Blade tumbled on the ground.

Gravel’s gunsword flashed, depicting an orange orbit.

“That……-!?”

Gravel took a stance with her gunsword and rushed ahead. The huge blade aimed at Himekawa and attacked. The surroundings of the blade that traveled at terrific speed was wavering like a heat haze, forming a vortex.

Himekawa’s consciousness was concentrated on the tip of the sword that was approaching at herself.

“Haa!”

Just before she was slashed, Himekawa’s Sword scooped up from below. The tip of the gunsword was deflected by Himekawa’s sword.

‘――Avoided it! I’ll leap into her bosom with this chance and slash!’

The plunging Gravel and Himekawa crossed each other. Himekawa twisted her body that was back to back in close range with Gravel, and swung an attack like a gale to pass through Gravel’s body.

Gravel also turned as if in a dance. She swung down her raised gunsword in one breath.

A fierce metallic sound roared.

“Kuh!”

Gravel’s gunsword and Himekawa’s sword clashed. The shockwave reached until the ground and formed a crack in the road.

“As expected from Neros.”

“You too……however!”

The sword locking scattered sparks. Himekawa ignited her thruster and pushed her sword with all her strength. Gravel was sent flying backwards.

Gravel lifted her sword while backing down and readied it beside her face.

She was full of opening. Himekawa’s eyes shined and rushed in pursuit right away and ran her sword.

‘――I won!’

However, the instant she was convinced of her victory, something cold traveled Himekawa’s back.

The tip of Gravel’s gunsword was pointing at her.

So to speak, the nozzle was aiming at Himekawa.

Gravel’s finger pulled the trigger.

“Wha-!?”

Fierce impact ran through Himekawa’s body. It was as if she was struck by an unseen power, Himekawa’s body was blown away like a bullet.

Her bones creaked. All of the air inside her lungs were wringed out. She couldn’t defend it even with the Life Saver that she instantly deployed, crack entered the protector of the Heart Hybrid Gear and fragments were scattered. She crashed into a building that faced the main street and pierced through the wall.

“Hayuru!?”

Aine yelled with a blue face.

Himekawa’s body penetrated through the building, broke through the glass of the neighboring building, and tumbled inside.

“You bastard!”

Aine looked up at Gravel with a furious expression. She bent her knees in order to fly.

“!”

Gravel with her gunsword readied fell from the sky. Aine immediately changed the direction of her jump and flew behind close to the ground.

The gunsword stabbed the road and caused impact that was like an earthquake. The surface part that composed Ataraxia depressed down, creating a crater of around thirty meters in diameter.

Inside the rising smoke, there was Gravel smiling with her gunsword in one hand.

“Splendid. It was quite a speed to evade the attack just now. Your reflex is also magnificent.”

A shiver ran through Aine’s back.

If it hit her directly, she would surely die. But――,

“The attack just now. You intended it to miss from the beginning didn’t you? That gunsword is stabbing at the spot thirty centimeter ahead of my previous standing spot. Just what are you planning?”

Gravel shook her head.

“My objective is not to kill you. But――”

She pulled out the gunsword and directed the tip at Aine with unseen speed. The tip almost touched Aine’s chest.

“To make you accompany me, I intend to use any kind of method.”

“……That’s really forceful. A self-centered woman is going to be hated you know.”

Cold sweat flowed down Aine’s neck.

“This is also for the sake of saving the lives of many people. Please understand.”

“Saving lives……? What are you saying after stealing this many lives?”

“If you don’t come with me, then sooner or later, even more lives will be lost. In addition, all the people here are soldiers. A soldier should not have any regret if they lost their life fighting on a battlefield.”

Aine glared with a grim face.

“Just because of that!”

“But, if I can add one more thing……I respected the soldiers protecting this fortress. With such weak weapons, they bravely challenged me to battle without fear, I can’t help but being deeply impressed.”

‘――This woman, just what in the world is she?’

Aine was confused. Aldea that they fought before gave off the impression that resembled the imagination they had of the invading AU people. However, this woman called Gravel was different.

“Gravel, that’s what you are called right?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you trying to take me to the AU?”

“That’s――”

Golden light traversed the sky.

Explosion occurred in front of Aine. Light of particle cannon impacted the place where Gravel was, the dented surface unit that was now in the shape of a crater crumbled down. The moment the bullet impacted, Gravel and Aine leaped back and stood on the edge of the largely opened hole.

Aine looked at the direction from where the particle cannon flew.

“Yurishia! Also……”

There were three figures heading here by flying above the buildings. Yurishia wearing blue Heart Hybrid Gear [Cross], Kizuna in his black Heart Hybrid Gear [Eros], and then one more person wearing an unfamiliar white fuselage that emitted red luminescence. It was [Ares] that Scarlet of Masters drove.

On the back of Ares, four large boxes were loaded. They were missile units with flat shape. Two units were combined like sandwich, and like that there were two lined up and down, the large units were equipped compactly.

“I won’t let you do more than this! Deploy!”

The united missile units opened to left and right, looking from the front, the shape changed into X-shape. And then the front lids opened, showing the appearances of small missiles lined up orderly inside.

“Fire!”

In response to Scarlet’s command, the missiles all fired together with violent firing sound. The missiles were flying towards Gravel while trailing behind radiant light.

Gravel held out her right hand to the front. From her palm, a magic circle spread out. The missiles that flew nearing her with terrifying speed suddenly turned into slow motion, then their movement stopped in front of the magic circle. Even so the missiles were even now spouting light particles from behind in the attempt to attack the enemy. However, that propulsive power only crushed the missiles themselves due to the defensive power of the magic circle.

After a moment, they were all exploded.

Fierce explosion blast and shockwave broke all the glass of the surrounding buildings. The blast raised up thick smoke.

“Got her!”

Scarlet confirmed the spreading smoke below and took a guts pose.

“Not yet! Don’t let your guard down.”

Before Yurishia could finish her sentence, the sensor released a warning in the floating window.

Inside the black smoke, an orange light was rising towards them.

“Three magic armors huh. What a grand welcome.”

Piercing through the smoke, Gravel with her sword at ready appeared in front of Kizuna and the others.

Scarlet responded with a nervous expression.

“There is not only three. My comrades, Gertrude and Brigit too……”

‘――They should be here first to repel her. Where are they?’

Influenced by Scarlet’s will, Ares’s sensor discovered the other two units of Masters.

“Wha……-!”

Scarlet was shocked from witnessing the completely changed appearances of the two.

“YOU BASTARDDDDD-!”

The missile units fired in expression of Scarlet’s fury. All the missiles were fired simultaneously towards Gravel. The too many missiles made the line of fire that connected Scarlet and Gravel to be completely filled by the missiles’ trajectories.

“This really cannot be looked down.”

Gravel lifted her gunsword and waved it to her side, then its ammo cylinder jutted out to the side. A bullet attached on the back thruster detached and loaded into the cylinder, before the cylinder returned to the gunsword.

She largely twisted her body and pulled back her arm, and swung the gunsword with all her might.

“Light Edge SlashReaver!!”

The instant the gunsword was swung, Gravel pulled the trigger. A light traveled tracing the blade and a streak of light elongated from the tip of the blade. It was a sword of light with length that could even reach several dozen meters. That sword of light ran in a straight horizontal line. With that one swing, the missiles Scarlet fired was swept clean. Explosions occurred in succession in the air, causing secondary explosions, forming a cluster of fire in the air.

“No way-!”

The sword of light assaulted towards the flustered Scarlet.

‘――This is a lie right? What’s with this. I,’

Scarlet couldn’t move. She could only look at the streak of light slashing towards her in slow motion.

‘――I cannot do anything. What should I do? Aah, if that hit me, I will die. Even though I understand, my body won’t move.’

She was only staring at the lengthily stretching sword of light swung down at her. And then――,

Intense light like a thunder flash exploded in the air. Fierce sound that might be like an explosion sound or thunder clap roared.

‘――Wha, what?’

Someone was in front of Scarlet. That back was――,

“KIZUNA-!?”

Kizuna cut in front of Scarlet who couldn’t move from surprise. He deployed a large Life Saver using both hands and blocked the sword of light.

“Guoo! What the hell, is this!”

He stopped it with the Life Saver, but an impact ran through his whole body. The might of Reaver grinded down the Life Saver, it was even shaving off into Kizuna’s palm. His skin broke and blood scattered.

Scarlet stared at that figure in blank daze.

“Ki……Kizuna, wai-, you……”

“UOOOOOOOOO!”

Kizuna maintained his willpower by yelling. Just a little more and his arm would break, and right before that happened the sword of light suddenly vanished.

“Somehow……I blocked……it?”

Kizuna wrung out his voice while his shoulders were heaving from his ragged breathing.

Scarlet slowly reached out her finger to the hand drenched in blood from protecting her.

“Kizuna, you, you okay? There is this much blood……because, you saved me.”

“Aah, just this much is fine. Rather than that, why did the attack suddenly――”

Kizuna looked at Gravel’s direction. There, a figure of white Heart Hybrid Gear striking Gravel could be seen.

“――Aine!?”

Aine commenced flesh bullet attacks with consecutive combination at Gravel. However, Gravel held back Aine’s attacks with her wings, the three line particle cannons and shook away Aine with her gunsword.

“Ku, AAAAAA-!”

Aine’s flicked off body flew in the air like a joke and sunk into the commercial building a few hundred meters apart from here. She lost her consciousness and collapsed like that.

Gravel sighed and began to walk towards the fainted Aine.

“My apologies. As expected I don’t have any leeway to pull my punches.”

Kizuna saw the fainted Aine and immediately opened his communication window.

“Aine! You okay!?”

However there was no response.

“Scarlet, I’m going to save Aine! Can you back me up with the missiles?”

“That’s, that’s impossible. The missiles are still not replenished yet……”

Ares had the ability to create missiles inside the unit in fixed intervals. However right now it had already used up all the missiles loaded in it. Until it could create more, some more time was needed.

“Both of you get back!”

Yurishia aimed the particle cannons on both her hands at Gravel’s back and fired. Gravel turned around and causally swung her huge gunsword, blocking the bullets of the particle cannons.

Scarlet’s face pouted and she yelled angrily at Yurishia who cut in.

“There is no way I can leave this to someone like you! Just pull back!”

“You cannot fight with your bullets empty. Rather than that, you go take the injured to the lab!”

Yurishia dropped down and landed on the main street that was full with rubble. Ahead of her, the enemy from AU, Gravel was standing with her gunsword in one hand.

‘――If I bombard from the sky, Ataraxia will become riddled with holes.’

Yurishia confirmed, that Aine and the other important facilities were not in her line of fire towards Gravel.

“Then, I’ll send you something intense now♪”

Cross’s Differential Frame converted into its bombing mode, its muzzle was aimed at Gravel.

The state of the blue magic armor which was gathering golden light, was reflected in Gravel’s eyes.

“Is that, Cross? Looks like this won’t be gentle.”

With quick movement, Gravel took out a bullet from her back. It was a different variety of bullet than before. That bullet was put into the cylinder.

“However, I’ll show you the proof that this Zoros is also not inferior in fire power compared to Cross.”

Yurishia opened her glossy lips and breathed in.

“GOOOOOOO!”

The large caliber particle cannon of the Differential Frame released an extremely thick bundle of light.

“Bomb Light BulletBullet!”

At the same time, Gravel’s gunsword also fired a bullet of light.

The two lights that were like comets collided a meter above the ground.

Intense light was flickering.

An impact of intense light was caused between the two. The mutual bombing was negating the other’s power. The surface part of Ataraxia was distorting from heat and began to melt.

Yurishia was staring at that radiance unable to believe it.

“No way! It’s a draw against Cross’s full power bombing!?”

However, the equilibrium between the two that made her wondered that it was a draw crumbled.

‘――Impossible.’

The power of the gunsword began to exceed the Differential Frame. The speed of her getting forced back gradually increased while the light was approaching Yurishia.

“Gah! HAAAAAAAAAA-“

Yurishia was blown away by the radiance of the Bullet, her body was thrown to the air. She crashed into a glass building, breaking the glasses into pieces and tumbled into the building.

Gravel turned on her heel and headed to Aine’s position.

“I won’t let you lay your hand on Aine.”

There was a figure standing in Gravel’s way.

“You are――a boy huh.”

Gravel opened wide her eyes.

The only man in the world who equipped a Heart Hybrid Gear, Hida Kizuna was standing.

“Aah, so what?”

“A boy wearing a magic armor huh……a magic armor is worn by a man’s body. Looks like you have quite the skill. I’ll look forward, to just how much skilled you are.”

Gravel prepared her gunsword and unleashed a preliminary attack.

“GAHA-……GUAAAAAA-!”

‘――What?’

The man if front of her eyes was easily blown away by the lightly thrust sword, then he collapsed.

“This is……well, really, what a let down.”

Gravel made a wry smile.

“Well fine. Let’s collect Zeros and the girl who called herself Aine. With that this time’s――”

Her stepping forward leg was unnaturally heavy.

Not only that, her whole body couldn’t move like she wanted it to. Just what was happening to her?

Gravel displayed a monitor in the air and confirmed the state of her body and Zoros.

‘――The magic power hit the bottom, already?’

Gravel lost her words from shock before Aldea suddenly talked to her from the window.

{Gravel, can you hear me?}

“Ye, yeah. What’s wrong?”

{The magic power of the battleship will reach the limit soon. What about you Gravel?}

“Yeah. Somehow I too am almost at my limit. Really, the magic power consumption in Lemuria is more than imagined…….how troubling.”

Gravel sent a glancing gaze at Aine.

“At the very least, I’ll take her――”

The male wearing magic armor stood up. His step was shaky, but his eyes weren’t dead. He stood in her way to protect Aine.

“I won’t let you……lay your hand on Aine.”

It was likely that he was just barely standing on his feet. Even so, he glared at her, as if he was trying to kill his opponent using his gaze.

‘――Nice eyes.’

Gravel’s mouth slackened.

“In deference to a young man’s spirit, I will draw back for today.”

Gravel ignited her thruster and flew high to the sky in one go. And then, she disappeared away towards the northern sky.

Seeing off that figure from behind, Kizuna fell to his knee.

‘We, survived?

No, this is not survival. Perhaps, we are just overlooked.’

Rubble was scattered all over the road, flames were rising everywhere. Kizuna’s strength was spent, and he collapsed on the road. He murmured inside his vanishing consciousness.

‘――The next time, that woman comes attacking. What are we, going to do?’

Chapter 4 – This is Medical Treatment Until the End Desu

Part 1

A night passed after the enemy attack.

{Ten thousand square meters of surface part is replaced. Fourteen commercial buildings are half destroyed or completely destructed otherwise. Another six are damaged. Even the underground lifeline was also influenced to some extent, but we estimate that it will be repaired in three days.}

Ataraxia’s damage report was projected on the lab’s wall.

Kei’s damage report that was flowing on top of that image was stared by Reiri and Kizuna with unpleasant feelings.

{It’s fortunate that the enemy landed in the commercial area. It was a weekday afternoon so there were few people going out, we can think of the human damage as minimal. In addition, there is also no damage on the R&D facilities.}

“Kizuna, is your wound okay?”

Reiri looked at the bandage wrapping Kizuna’s hand and spoke.

“Yeah. It’s just a scratch.”

Kizuna who lost his consciousness was transported to hospital, then he awoke there. The state of the hospital was just like a field hospital. The defense unit members that intercepted Gravel were brought in one after another. That scene was burned into his eyes. People groaned while blood was flowing from their bodies. People who voiced their resentment while flowing tears. People who became unable to move. He couldn’t think of it as anything other than a picture of pandemonium in hell.

“Is that a minimum human damage……”

Amaterasu and Masters couldn’t match just a lone enemy.

{The current statistics are, fifteen deaths, three missing, twenty six serious wound, and fifty three light wound. Others are Himekawa and Yurishia of Amaterasu who are currently hospitalized for examination. Aine had been discharged and is recuperating in her own residence.}

“And then, there is the damage to Masters but……Gertrude has bone fractures all over her body, as well as burns and lacerations in various parts. In addition she entered ICU due to massive bleeding. Brigit has fractures in her right arm, collarbone, and right leg. And then bruises all over her body, lacerations in various parts, it will take one month for complete recovery. In any case, they cannot be counted on as battle strength. We are in the middle of sounding out West USA for reinforcement of battle strength.”

The image of the enemy called Gravel and the analysis data were displayed on the screen.

{Regarding the enemy’s combat ability and the magic armor’s capability, we want to wait for further analysis. Rather than that, the point that should be noticed the most this time is the enemy’s objective. It’s not for exterminating us or even occupying this Ataraxia, the enemy’s objective is Zeros, and then Aine.}

Kizuna couldn’t bear it and interjected.

“That one. Just why are they aiming for Zeros and Aine?”

Reiri shook her head.

“We don’t know why. Rather I want to ask you instead. You have never heard anything from Aine?”

“Eh, no……nothing at all.”

“This time is completely our defeat, but our gain is not zero. Compared to Aldea previously, this AU person called Gravel is easier to communicate with after all. There are also a lot of established facts from this.”

Kei nodded a little and ran her hand through the keyboard.

{The enemy’s ability and magic weapon is using an energy source called magic power. And then, we think they are using the term [Lemuria] to refer to the world of this side, and it seems that in this Lemuria, the consumption of magic power is strikingly severe. We think that the reason they are not distancing themselves too much from the Entrances is also because of this.}

“Isn’t that, just like Heart Hybrid Gear? This magic power those bunch speak about, isn’t that what we called Hybrid Count?”

{Exactly. Honestly there are many resemblances between the enemy’s magic armor and Heart Hybrid Gear. And then the question is, their grasp of Heart Hybrid Gear’s individual naming and even its individual ability. That is actually baffling. We can only think that someone is feeding them information.}

Reiri crossed her arms and sent a sharp gaze.

“Kei, what you want to say is actually, that perhaps Hida Nayuta really had gone to AU, isn’t it?”

{It’s only reasonable to think that. That’s why, we want more information regarding the AU. Whether it’s obtaining the knowledge of magic armor, or grasping the whereabouts of the professor, whichever information it is are connected to the countermeasure method of the Hybrid Count.}

“In other words, you are telling us to keep progressing like this. Even though yesterday we were done in that badly?”

Kei stayed quiet and pulled her chin a little.

“Nee-chan, I also agree. Next time, we will absolutely defeat that enemy. We will capture her, and then make her spit out everything that she knows!”

“However, how will you fight?”

“That’s……this time we were taken by surprise, so we couldn’t do Climax Hybrid. If we can just use Corruption Armament, we can defeat even that Gravel!”

“But, even Corruption Armament is not invincible. Aine’s Pulverizer was also blocked when it was against Aldea.”

“That’s……certainly that’s true.”

“Furthermore, that enemy named Gravel is likely a pro of combat. Even if it is magic armor, it has ability that is not inferior with our Heart Hybrid Gears. The foremost matter, is that it conversely becomes harder to use Corruption Armament if Ataraxia is boarded by the enemy. If we get careless, we will be damaged even more than this time.”

Kizuna graoned. Certainly Corruption Armament possessed overwhelming destructive power, but due to that great power, it was hard to use. If it was used carelessly, it might even come to Ataraxia sinking.

{Reiri, I propose implementing the plan C.}

Reiri made a complicated face.

“Is it possible to be implemented?”

{It’s still in the middle of verification. But, it has prospect. On the contrary if this is impossible――}

Reiri put her hand on her forehead and sunk her body into the chair.

“There is no other way, is that what you mean?”

Kizuna was completely unable to understand, just what were these two talking about.

“Wait, what are you talking about, plan C?”

“We are going to announce it sooner or later. Wait for a while.”

{Look forward to it.}

Rather than looking forward to it, he could only feel a bad premonition.

Part 2

After Kizuna exited the lab, he returned to the dormitory with the limousine that Reiri arranged for him.

He climbed until the fifth floor exclusive for Amaterasu using elevator, walked the corridor and returned to his own room. In the middle of the way, his legs stopped in front of a door.

“Aine……”

Her examination should have finished even before him and she returned first to the dormitory. Kizuna reached out his hand to knock at the door. Why was the enemy aiming for Aine? Did Aine know something about it herself?

He wanted to know that. However, even if he asked her it was highly unlikely that she could answer him.

Even while thinking that, Kizuna knocked on the door.

“Aine, you there?”

After a while, a voice returned from the door.

“Kizuna? What’s the matter? If it’s newspaper, I don’t need it though.”

“Just when do you think I became a newspaper salesman!”

“That’s why, I don’t need anything like detergent.”

“I’m not planning to offer you that! Rather than that, I’ve got something I want to ask you a bit.”

The door opened.

“What is it?”

“It’s about the enemy we fought yesterday, can you give me a little time?”

“……Fine then. Enter.”

Aine was a little hesitating, but she opened the door widely and invited Kizuna in.

The make-up of the room was basically the same like Kizuna’s room. However,

“That’s a lot of books.”

Novels, manga, photo albums, traveling guides and so on, books from every genre were piled up, forming towers. Those towers of books were soaring over the surroundings. Not only books, there were also large amounts of disks that recorded images piling up.

It was a great difference with the room Aine used when she was a child in Nayuta Lab.

“Is all of this, data? For searching for clues of the memory you recalled?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a little scattered here, I’m sorry.”

‘You call this a little?’

There was almost no space for his foot to step, he couldn’t even walk straight. He moved until the sofa in front of the television with trouble, but there were also books put there. Aine moved the books on the sofa to the table and built a new tower.

“Please, sit.”

He sat on the sofa.

“Aa―……err. How’s it going with your search? Have you found some kind of clue, like the town or the country where you were?”

“I found nothing at all.”

“Is that so……then, things that aroused your interests, or a knowledge that you knew even before reading the book, is there anything like that?”

“There is also nothing really like that. But, thanks to the increase of my knowledge from reading and watching videos, I was able to mostly understand, that all over the world there are many fun things outside of fighting.”

“That’s great.”

Kizuna reflexively smiled. Looking at that smile, the beating of Aine’s heart became faster. She turned her back to him so that her faintly colored cheek could be seen.

“The, then, what’s the matter? You said you want to talk about the enemy from yesterday.”

“Aah, about that……that woman Gravel, her objective seems to be Aine right? That’s why, I’m thinking if Aine might know something about it.”

Aine recalled about her exchange with Gravel, and also with Aldea.

{I want to ask one thing. Do you――remember your time as a child?}

{Yes, yes, the current you doesn’t get the meaning of what I’m talking about isn’t it! Aah, but there is no need to worry! Yes, leave everything to me! I will save you for sure!}

‘――Just what are they saying?’

“……Nothing. I’m the one who wants to ask them instead.”

“Is there no clue or something inside the memory you recalled?”

Aine twitched before her body trembled.

“Aine?”

While Kizuna was watching Aine, he recalled a simple question.

‘――Which reminds me, where did Aine come from?’

Aine was discovered in Chidorigafuchi at Japan mainland when she was a child.

In the end, her family couldn’t be found and they couldn’t understand, where did she come from and what was she doing before she lost her memory.

Aine faced Kizuna with a face that looked cornered.

“Kizuna…..you see, each time I did Climax Hybrid, things that I recall……no, things that I think is my memory, when I look at them again, it makes me think, this is actually not a memory isn’t it, something like that.”

“Eh? That’s, what do you mean?”

“The memories that I remembered, all of them look unreal……the thing that I remembered first, a beautiful nature and a splendid city, and the large mechanical clock, they are still normal. I thought that they might be somewhere in Europe. But, the things that I remembered from the Climax Hybrid before this, a chalk white castle built on top of a waterfall, eerie black city and black castle. A person that looked like a queen from a movie, riding on a gigantic stone statue and palanquin while waving her hand. And then the figures of so many people covering the surface kneeling.”

“That’s……certainly, that doesn’t seem like your personal experience.”

“Right? On the contrary, it felt like I was watching a movie. It’s not something about myself, I thought that perhaps it might be just a book I read as a child, or a movie that I had seen. That’s why……”

“That’s why?”

“Even if I do Climax Hybrid, I think that I still might not be able to understand who I am. Rather, perhaps it’s better to not do it anymore……”

“What did you say!?”

Those words were something he never expected to hear from Aine, who desired so much for a powerful long range weapon.

No, putting aside Aine’s thinking, he also had his own circumstances. From now on too, powerful enemies like Gravel might appear again. At that time, if Aine’s Corruption Armament became unusable, it would be a great loss for their battle strength.

“Not just that……recently, even Heart Hybrid felt strange somehow.”

“Strange you say, strange how?”

“The time when we did Heart Hybrid in the lab before this too, I felt like……like I’m going to remember something. It was like a haze and not really clear but, that, felt like something that I must not remember, that was how it felt. That’s why……”

With a gaze as if begging him for forgiveness, Aine looked up at Kizuna.

‘No……that’s bad.’

If she didn’t do Heart Hybrid, he couldn’t expect her Hybrid Count to recover.

And then, if her Hyrbid Count became zero, Aine would die.

“Wait――please wait, Aine. That, even memory like that is also one kind of a clue isn’t it? Certainly, you don’t understand if it’s about yourself or not, perhaps it was only about a movie scene. But, basically if we understand what kind of movie it is, there will be something more we can understand from that. The thing that you don’t want to remember, perhaps it’s something like a horror movie……by any chance, perhaps it’s something like a scary memory from your time as a kid?”

“Perhaps that’s so but……I, I already――”

‘――already don’t want to do Heart Hybrid anymore.’

Those words, were going to come out from her mouth even now.

“Please, Aine. From here on the fighting will become even fiercer. At that time, Heart Hybrid and Climax Hybrid will become powerful weapons. If we wait for natural recovery, it’s not impossible, but continuing to fight the enemy will be really hard.”

“That’s, I understand that. But……ah”

Kizuna embraced Aine’s body. Her body was slightly trembling.

“Are you scared, Aine?”

“Not particularly……I’m not scared or anything……”

Aine’s hand circled on Kizuna’s back. She rubbed her face on Kizuna’s chest.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

‘――I’m not scared anymore.’

“Listen to me Aine. Certainly if you remember a memory that is something like an unknown dream, you will become anxious, I understand that. But, no matter what kind of memory it is, because that past exist that Aine is here right now. No matter what kind of past you remember after this far, Aine is Aine, nothing will change don’t you think?”

Kizuna gently separated from Aine, then he gazed at her red eyes.

The next moment, violent embarrassment rose to their faces. The two of them had faces that were so red, to the degree that steam might come out from there.

‘Shit, just how can this be even more embarrassing than Heart Hybrid!’

“The, then, I’ll go already. Aah, that’s right! About what we talked just now, those bunches’ aim is the Core of Heart Hybrid Gear, Aldea also said that. Surely they came searching just for Zeros, not for you, perhaps.”

“I, I guess so……yes! That’s right, surely that’s how it is!”

Kizuna exited from the room after making to collapse around two towers of books.

Inside the room that had turned quiet, Aine released a deep sigh.

She headed to the bedroom with floating steps, then she laid down on the bed heavily.

‘――Kizuna said those things but, those things that came back to mind when doing Climax Hybrid, they are certainly, feels like a fragment of my memory. There is no basis to that. But, that’s how it feels.

But, they are not something that I wished for.

That’s why, I must not do any more Climax Hybrid.

Inside me, that kind of warning is ringing loudly.

But.’

Aine recalled, Kizuna’s arms that were embracing her, the sensation of the chest he pressed her cheek at, she traced the place where Kizuna touched with her finger.

‘If Kizuna demanded it from me, I will――.’

Before long, sleep invited Aine, and she departed to the world of dreams.

And then, she whispered while moving towards the dream.

“The goddess dance……nothingness, and death, and emperor……and then……to eternity.”

Part 3

Kizuna bended his body backward largely and stretched. In this clear and great weather, he could see the white clouds floating in the blue sky. Under that blue sky, six asses lined up were lifted high.

“YO―I”

*DON*, together with such voices, the students rushed out. Their bodies that were overflowing with liveliness were running through the track of the field.

Kizuna’s second year first group was in PE class.

Today they were measured in track and field events, the content was to confirm their basic performance in physical ability. Nevertheless, Kizuna was the only male student. This PE class was far harsher than study class.

Because――,

Kizuna ran through the track and looked towards his classmates.

For an instant, he mistook their silhouettes as being naked. Matching the running movement, breasts were greatly bouncing.

Without even mentioning the clear depression that was the chasm of the ass, even the subtle line of the body was completely exposed under the bright sunshine without anything to hide it.

That was just obvious. All the students were taking the class in their pilot suits.

He was watching Amaterasu’s pilot suited figures daily, but usually he could only see the figure of his classmates in their uniform. Now those classmates were running around with the line of their bodies exposed, making him completely stimulated by the gap.

‘No, don’t. It’s just too rude to stare at them when it’s not even a duty.’

Kizuna averted his face and looked up to the sky.

“Hm? That’s――”

Human silhouettes were visible above the sky at the neighboring field. Streak of light was left around the silhouette. Before long, two silhouettes clashed in the sky.

‘Heart Hybrid Gear? No, that’s the Technical Gear that Shikina-san made. A practical training using that? Now that I remember, Sylvia also told me so.’

{Ah, but, from a while ago, we started using Technical Gears for training desu. I’m working hard, so that I can quickly become useful for Captain in battle too.}

Kizuna took out his smartphone and confirmed the schedule of the middle school. Currently, the one who was having practical training right before his eyes was exactly Sylvia’s class.

‘Well, it should be fine for me to skip a little. I’ve promised Sylvia that I’ll go seeing her. Even if I stay here watching my classmates immodest figures, it’s just a torture.’

Kizuna pretended to go to the toilet and moved to the neighboring field. After passing through the unmanned gate and passed the corridor, he found the entrance towards the track field.

The track field was almost as big as a soccer field. It was too cramped for Heart Hybrid Gears to fight seriously there, but he guessed that it posed no problem for practicing Technical Gears there.

The students were gathered in the middle of the field. He guessed that there might be around fifty people. The number of the boys was around the same with the girls, so perhaps the class today was a combined lesson for two classes.

Four Technical Gears were already standing by in the air, they seemed to wait for the signal of the beginning of the match.

“Is that……Sylvia!?”

There were two girls and boys each. Among them, there was one person that was awfully petite, it was undoubtedly Sylvia.

Looking at her like this, he could understand well that even among her same year students she was really petite. Even though they were wearing the same gear, the Technical Gear that Sylvia wore looked like a large type.

Technical gear didn’t have a design as refined as the real thing. A frame that was like an exoskeleton was bared, giving off boorish impression. Inside it, Sylvia wearing her pilot suit was settled snugly.

At the same time with the starting buzzer, the four gears began to move.

In order to check each other, they took distance and rotated. Looking at the disordered movements each gear was making, it seemed that it was not a tag battle, but a battle royale.

There was no peculiar weapon for each Technical Gear, all four were carrying conventional assault rifles in their hand. One gear among them was shooting from afar. The aim was……Sylvia. ‘Calm down me, there is no way it will hit from that far. However, it makes me jittery already from the start……eh?’

Sylvia was flying amidst the coming bullets without even the slightest wavering. And then when she approached the firing range, she readied her rifle with a calm motion, and aimed steadily.

And then she pulled the trigger.

The shoulder of the gear firing at Sylvia was painted with pink liquid. It seemed that the bullets they were using were paint bullets.

“Yes!”

Kizuna reflexively shouted.

‘Nice, nice, she is really calm there. That’s great, keep it up!’

The remaining two swiveled and they aimed at Sylvia from two directions at the same time before firing. For some reason, they were cooperating to defeat the powerful opponent first. Sylvia reversed her body with full-bodied motion. Her legs opened largely, where she controlled her body freely with her leg thrusters. That light movement made the other two gears unable to fix their aim.

‘Uooo, that’s awesome Sylvia!’

Kizuna was excited as if it was himself in the work, no his excitement was even more than that. Sylvia easily took her opponent’s back and dealt the shot down mark with the paint bullets.

However, the remaining gear was firing at Sylvia from above.

‘Danger! As expected, there is no dodging this. But, she removed two gears by herself. That’s just too great a performance. I’ve got to praise her later.’

The instant he thought Sylvia was shot down, Sylvia demonstrated a sudden direction change without any preliminary motion. She was spinning while aiming her gun muzzle at the opponent.

‘She avoided that!? But, there is no way she can hit from that impossible sta――.’

The chest of the opponent was hit by pink liquid.

“Wha……”

The students raised joyful voices.

{Match over. Everyone come down!}

The voice of the instructor flowed from the speaker, all the gears were slowly descending. When the match was over, Sylvia and the other three were talking while laughing without caring of any side.

The other three were also not bad. However Sylvia’s talent was outstanding. The excellent evaluation on her was a truth without exaggeration. Honestly, he could even call her a prodigy.

“Sylvia-chaaan! Ama―zing.”

“That’s aweso―me, Sylvia―!”

Her popularity among the same year was also great. Especially the loud cheer of the boys, it made him a little bothered.

When they landed on the field, the leg part of Technical Gear that a boy put on got entangled.

“Ah! Dangerous!”

Sylvia at the side got dragged and collapsed on the ground. Scream was raised among the students.

Kizuna dashed and headed to Sylvia’s position.

“Sylvia! You okay!?”

“He? Ca, Captain!? Why are you here desu?”

While still lying on the ground, Sylvia looked up at Kizuna with surprised eyes.

The surrounding students looked surprised from the high school student that suddenly appeared. “Eh, who?” “What’s with him, acting so familiar with Sylvia-chan”, gossiping voices like those could be heard.

‘Aa―, it’s great that the bad rumors haven’t spread to Sylvia’s class but……I might be too rash.’

Rethinking it as something that couldn’t be helped, Kizuna pushed the release button of the Technical Gear and liberated the pilot suited Sylvia from the gear.

“Yeah. After all I promised that I’ll go watching your practice.”

“Ehehehe, I showed Captain my uncool side desu.”

She stood up while scratching her head awkwardly.

“What are you saying? That was amazing. You have great skill.”

“Rea, really desu?――ouch-“

Her knee suddenly bent down with a jerk and she almost fell. Kizuna hugged her body to stop her fall.

“Oi, you okay!?”

“I, I’m fine desu. I show Captain an unseemly act again……even though, Captain finally came to watch me……”

Sylvia became teary eyed.

Kizuna lifted up Sylvia’s body without asking.

So to speak, it was the so called princess carry, Sylvia’s girl classmates cheered.

“Ca, Captain!?”

“Your foot got twisted when you fell right? We are going to the infirmary right now.”

Ignoring the dazed male students and the instructor, Kizuna began to run with Sylvia in his arms.

After running for five minutes, he arrived at the school building of the high school department. Without even bothering to change into indoor shoes, he dashed to the infirmary just like that.

“Wait, the infirmary teacher is not here!”

‘Rather, should he go to the lab?’

“E, err, Captain……you don’t need to be that worried, this is not anything big desu. I think it will be healed if we just compress it.”

“Even I can deal with it if it’s just that but……anyway, let’s take a look at the hurt place.”

Kizuna put down Sylvia and made her sit at the edge of the bed.

“Yes. Ah, but there is no way I can make Captain do something like…”

“It’s fine, so just sit obediently.”

Sylvia’s pilot suit was a one piece that covered her neck and also chest, but it was a halter neck type with her back part greatly opened. The cut in her armhole and nether region was largely opened, while gloves until above her elbows and tights until her thigh protected her limbs.

Kizuna took off that tights. A white dainty leg revealed its appearance. The ankle of that leg was swelling red.

“Uwa, this looks painful.”

First he was going to cool it down. He took out a new towel from the glass shelf, soaked it in water and wringed it lightly, then he began to wiped it on Sylvia’s leg.

It was really slim and small. It was like she was a completely different species from them.

“Haa……the cold is pleasant desu.”

Sylvia sighed from the pleasant feeling.

“Ah, I’m late in saying this but, thank you very much for coming to see me. Err, that, what did Captain think? Sylvia’s practical skill is……”

“Yeah, it surprised me. Sylvia really is excellent. You have amazing talent.”

“Rea, really desu!?”

Sylvia leaned her body forward and her eyes sparkled.

“Yeah, it’s true……wait, I told you, don’t move around!”

“Ye―s♪”

She was smiling cheerfully in a completly good mood.

He was not joking, Sylvia’s balance sense and her ability to grasp space were outstanding. But for her to be called as excellent, meant that she would come out to the battlefield early. It also meant that danger would be her constant companion. If like this she also had affinity with Core and Heart Hybrid then…….

Looking at Sylvia who was smiling like an angel, his feeling became complicated.

“Hm? Captain, is something the matter desu?”

“Ah! No, nothing. Err, perhaps there is also bruises in other places, how about I check it for peace of mind?”

“Yes!”

She returned an energetic reply and began to take off the other tights and gloves. The moment her limbs became bare, suddenly her outfit’s exposure rate became high.

‘Was the design this erotic without the gloves and tights……wait, what the hell am I thinking!’

“……Ah, it become scratched and bruised this much here and there……”

The bruises on the white and smooth skin looked painful, it made him felt that he couldn’t leave her alone. He searched the medicine shelf and there was a salve for bruises there.

‘Let’s see, the way to use it……please take the appropriate amount in your finger, and spread it with a massage in the center of the hurt spot……huh.’

Kizuna took the salve in his hand and began to caress Sylvia’s ankle with a massage.

“Ah……”

“Does it hurt?”

“No……it feels good desu.”

Her words that leaked out together with her sigh were strangely erotic.

‘Oi, the one in front of you is Sylvia! Get a grip!’

Kizuna shook his head and persuaded himself.

He also slid his hand on her thigh with the salve. Sylvia’s skin was really soft, smooth, it was completely like a baby’s skin. No matter where he touched it was soft, he even felt that he might be the one who felt good even though he was the one massaging.

Kizuna’s hand advanced to the inside of the thigh, until the direction of her thigh joint.

‘As, as I thought, more than this is……but, I have to treat the wound.’

He paid attention so he wouldn’t touch further above than this, his finger traced just barely near the thigh joint.

“Fua……so, somehow, this is the first time, I feel like this desuu”

Sylvia’s cheeks were dyed pink. Inside the spellbound and narrowed eyes, her moist eyes were shining.

That expression was an inflammatory one that couldn’t be thought as coming from a child. Kizuna’s throat gulped his saliva audibly.

“Is, is there, other places that hurt?”

“Yes……if Captain can, do my back too……”

Sylvia twisted her body to show her back. It looked like she was putting on a coquettish air, Kizuna’s heart throbbed from that. He fell into a hallucination, as if an adult woman was tempting him with a young girl figure.

‘Co, cool off, me! This me that had battled against women with erotic bodies like Aine and Yurishia, is not going to lose against a childish figure like this! Rally your feeling!’

Kizuna answered with a voice that was as calm as he possibly could.

“Your back, is it? Okay.”

He felt awkward whether it was to climb on the bed or make Sylvia stand up, so he circled his hand from the front.

‘――Thinking it over, this posture is quite dangerous.’

His finger timidly touched her back, then his finger softly went down her spinal column.

“HAaAAANn!”

A sweet gasping voice was played on Kizuna’s ears.

His rallied feeling was smashed apart instantly.

Sylvia warped her back as if she was struck with electricity, she convulsed twitchingly.

“Oi, you okay? Did it hurt……doesn’t seem so huh?”

Sylvia answered gaspingly.

“Ye, yes……something feels tingling, Sylvia feels strange somehow desu. This is……the first desu. Is Sylvia getting sick desu?”

“No, I think you are fine……maybe.”

Her collarbone was visible on her bended chest. And then even though it was small, was the slim chest that softly bulged up. And then on its center was a small protrusion that was not standing out until now, it was beginning to proclaim its existence.

Even though he was mostly not bothered about it until just now, but right now it was clearly pushing up the pilot suit, teaching him of its shape.

“Sylvia, more than this is――”

“Funyu? Is something the matter Captain……desuu?”

Shining light was flowing into her violet eyes.

‘――This is! Don’t tell me!?

No, there is no doubt. This is the sign of Heart Hybrid. If I think like that, then this drunken state of Sylvia is also understandable.

But, she is still not installed with a core yet?

The explanation I can think of is……Eros’s ability, is it?

By some chance, is this……a way to investigate the aptitude for Heart Hybrid?’

“Ca, Captainnn……Sylvia, that……”

Tears emerged on Sylvia’s eyes, she was rubbing her thighs together.

Now that it had come to this, he couldn’t help it.

“Sylvia, I’ll comfort you right now.”

“Hayu?”

Kizuna’s hand lovingly caressed Sylvia’s back.

He caressed as if to confirm the shape of her shoulder blade from her back, and then his hand went down to her waist.

“Fuu!?”

Unable to bear it, Sylvia’s body floated and her chest was further pushed out. It was as though it was waiting impatiently for stimulation from Kizuna, the chest was shivering in front of his face.

Kizuna gently brushed up that chest, and then he lightly grasped it.

“Haaau……-!”

Soft sensation could be felt from the really small breast. He temporarily released his grasping hand, then gently touched with his palm. He rolled the pointy tip his palm felt as if in a massage.

“Auu! Ah! Hauu!”

Sylvia’s body bounced up as if she was getting shocked with electricity in interval.

Kizuna’s fingers gently pinched the tip of that breast.

“KYAUUUuuuuuu-…..nh……hhaaaaa-!”

It was just a little, but a splash of violet flew from Sylvia’s body. It shined sparklingly, entangling slightly with the pink light welling up from Kizuna’s body before vanishing.

Sylvia was spent and fell on the bed. Her breath was rough as if she had just finished doing an intense work-out. She was sweating slightly, with expression of trance on her face.

There was no mistake. Sylvia had an aptitude for Core.

She was an outstanding talent endowed with her ability as pilot and doubled with her high aptitude with Core. Surely she was the strongest candidate as the next member of Amaterasu.

Kizuna stroked Sylvia’s face. Her blond hair was fluffy like feathers, it felt really good to touch. Sylvia too nuzzled her head to his hand like a spoiled child, as if she was feeling good.

“If you know about this, you are going to be happy aren’t you……”

But, Kizuna’s heart was sinking down heavily.

Part 4

“So all members have gathered.”

Reiri entered the conference room of the command headquarters. The room had the capacity of two hundred. It had half circle form with the seating in stair shape, giving it the atmosphere like the classroom of a university. It was a spacious room, but there was less than ten people here sitting all over the place.

The full members of Amaterasu, four names were taking their seat. Fortunately, both Yurishia and Himekawa were safely discharged from hospital in five days. And then, there were also four people participating from Masters. However two of them were people that Kizuna had only seen for the first time.

Other people were Reiri and a middle-aged American male that he was not familiar with. That middle-aged man was completely like a Hollywood action star with his rugged body, he was wearing several medals on the chest of his military uniform. He guessed that it was the commander of West USA’s side that he had heard of before. But, perhaps he didn’t plan to really talk, he was sitting at the seat on the corner and staring at the situation of the meeting room.

“One week has passed since the assault of Gravel. Currently Ataraxia has retreated until five hundred kilometers southeast of Okinawa. We are staying in this position.”

A huge screen like in movie theater was projecting a map, it was displaying Ataraxia’s current position.

“Surely those AU bunches are going to solve their cruising range problem sooner or later. If that happens then that’s the end for us. Not only for this Ataraxia, for Megafloat Japan, and also for West USA too, there is no doubt that we all will be sunk down. Before that happens, it’s necessary to establish a method that could possibly resist the enemy.”

Yurishia raised her hand.

“But, two Masters became unable to fight from the battle before this. We cannot even make any dent on that woman called Gravel. Is there some kind of strategy for this?”

“There is.”

The conference room became noisy once again.

“First I’ll introduce our reinforcement. There is an addition of two Masters from West USA.”

Two girls were standing up.

“E―rrr, I am Clementine Barrows. My specialty is long range shooting. Think of me as the replacement of Brigit. Well, take care of me.”

She had the characteristic of long orange hair that was braided in three. Her western fashion gave the impression of the good old days of America. Was she actually originated from the country side of America? Or else she might be merely a fan of the western genre.

After Clementine sat down, the other one opened her mouth.

“Sharon Cunningham. I’m doing whatever I’m please, so it’s fine to not take care of me.”

She was a grey haired girl with seemingly no motivation. Her half-closed eyes seemed to want to say that it was troublesome to even come to this conference room. But what bothered him even more than her attitude was her clothing. It was extremely out of place, black goth-loli costume was consolidated on her whole body.

“We, well, their skill is a certain thing you know! They are the most ideal as the substitution for Brigit and Gertrude.”

Scarlet added in a follow up.

“The name I mentioned just now, Gertrude is already transported back to West USA. Her treatment will continue in the hospital of the other side. And then Brigit, she can return to the front line after around a month, so she is staying in Ataraxia. However, she is recuperating for one month. You got that?”

Brigit was sitting isolated by herself at the back of the conference room.

“Are you listening, Brigit?”

There was no reply even when Scarlet called out to her. But, she was whispering as if in a monologue.

“……I’m still, able to fight. I have to defeat that woman, and accomplish my duty.”

Kizuna talked to Scarlet who was sitting in a place slightly separated from him.

“It feels like, she got done in mentally quite much hasn’t she?”

“Ye, yes. I’m a little worried. Just in case, I’m also having the doctor for counseling attending her though.”

Scarlet too knitted her eyebrows worriedly.

Putting aside the exchange of the two, Himekawa raised her hand and questioned.

“The reinforcement is appreciated, but in exchange, aren’t Megafloat Japan and West USA become understaffed due to this?”

“At present they are staying in a safe ocean area, so the danger is low. Rather than that, our situation here is in pressing danger. Rather than shaving off our battle strength for the guarantee of just in case, we judged that we should focus on the threat that is right in front of our eyes.”

Kizuna stood up.

“Leaving that aside, the problem is Aldea and Gravel. Tell us if there is a countermeasure against these two.”

“Certainly those two are strong. Aldea has shields that can block Pulverizer, and Gravel has the spear that can push back Differential Frame. Even with Corruption Armaments, it will be hard to defeat them. Accordingly we devised the plan C……that is, the new Hybrid.”

――A new, Hybrid?

“This is our new power, [Connection RemodelingConnective Hybrid]!!”

Reiri looked up at the monitor.

“Kei, I’ll leave the explanation to you.”

{Roger.}

Windows started up in front of the faces of all present. It was the communication from Kei who was in the lab.

{Connective Hybrid was researched until now under the code name of plan C. The details of the plan is Eros and two other gears, in other words three Heart Hybrid Gear carrying out Heart Hybrid at the same time. With multiple gears carrying out Heart Hybrid at the same time, it will produce a resonance phenomenon with multiplied effect, that cannot be obtained from one on one Heart Hybrid.}

“The result is that the energy produced will be tremendous. It’s possible to supply the gear with energy high in offensive power even compared to the normal Heart Hybrid. And then, it also has similar effect for Climax Hybrid. By using this Connective Hybrid, you will obtain Corruption Armament with even higher attack power.”

“Err, just wait a second there. In other words, you are telling me to do Climax Hybrid with two other girls, in total three people together?”

{Exactly.}

Himekawa stood up in a chaotic state.

“Ple, please wait! No matter how, do, doing such……such perverted acts with other people, is impossible-!”

Reiri answered with a composed voice.

“Heart Hybrid and Climax Hybrid, are sharing the affection and pleasure, by making your heart and body into one. However, for even more power up, fresh excitement and violent feelings of corruption are effective. With this Connective Hybrid, the implementation of those are possible.”

“Tha, that’s, shameless! Licentious!”

{Not only that. With Connective Hybrid, a new feeling that cannot be obtained by pair Hybrid is changed into energy. In other words, twice the affection towards two people, and then the friendship and trust of fellow females, all of those emotions that cannot be produced from simple pair Hybrid will be combined. As the result, you can obtain an even more powerful strength compared than just doing it only in a pair.}

Scarlet raised her hand with a troubled face.

“E, err, I don’t really get what you are all talking about but……in the first place, what kind of thing are you doing in this Heart Hybrid?”

“It’s doing lewd things with Kizuna you know.”

Yurishia answered nonchalantly.

“Lewd……”

All the members of Masters were silent. After a while, Scarlet opened her mouth.

“……Just in case, I’m asking this to be sure. Seriously?”

Yurishia answered carelessly.

“I swear to god.”

After a moment, the shriek of the Masters resounded.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!?”

“Wha-what the hell! I’ve never heard of this!”

“Impossible! Are you guys stupid!”

“The mystery of the east.”

And then Reiri dealt the finishing blow.

“You are noisy little girls! Don’t scream just from simple lewd thing, you puberty teenagers!”

Putting aside the clamoring Masters, Kizuna talked to Kei inside the window.

“Shikina-san, it’s great that the girls are powered up with that Connective Hybrid, but what will become of me?”

{I expect that most likely some kind of effect will also appear in Eros too. However, it’s completely unknown what kind of thing will happen. We won’t understand until we try it.}

“So this is just leaving it to chance.”

{There is no guarantee of absolute safety. Even so, you don’t have any problems?}

“I don’t mind. This is exactly what I wish for.”

Kizuna answered immediately.

If everyone powered up, then their chance of surviving would also be higher just as much. Then, he couldn’t pick his method.

“Hey, everyone also doesn’t have any objection right?”

Kizuna questioned the members of Amaterasu.

However what came back was the angry look of Himekawa.

“Pervert! Molester! There is no way anyone will wish for such shameless thing! There are also the people of West USA here, please be careful of your statement! What are you going to do if we, all the people of Japan are treated as perverts-!”

“Eh!? No, that’s a misunderstanding! I don’t mean it like that!”

Kizuna looked at the Masters to look for understanding. But――,

Scarlet was backing away with a red face.

“Ahaha……you are seriously Eros aren’t you?”

“You are really a walking desire just as the rumor said, rather that makes you refreshing instead. I don’t want to get involved with this though.”

“Japanese are Hentai. You all are ten years ahead of us only in this field.”

There was one girl that spouted a strange impression. That was what he thought, but he didn’t even have the composure to retort back.

“That’s a misunderstanding! This is duty, I don’t really――”

“Well then, about who will be actually carrying out this duty……”

Reiri crossed her arms and her gaze moved through the participants. Himekawa received that gaze and sprung up.

“I, I don’t want it! Something like that, doing it with three people is abnormal!”

“Then, how about Yurishia?”

“I don’t really mind.”

Yurishia brushed off her blond hair and answered with a composed attitude.

“That’s great. The combination that we think to recommend for the first is Aine, and Yurishia.”

“Ee……”

When Aine raised her face, her lips were closed tight in a ^ shape.

‘――I see. As I thought, she is reluctant to do Climax Hybrid.

But, from here on, I cannot imagine that we can survive without doing it. I can only ask her to bear with it here.’

Kizuna stared at Aine who was looking down with a tensed body.

Suddenly, he recalled Aine who was trembling in his arms that day.

‘No……as I thought, this is no good!

After seeing that appearance of Aine, there is no way I can just pressure her!’

It was another matter if her Hybrid Count entered red zone, but right now was different. Besides, it was still better if it was only Heart Hybrid, but thinking how scared Aine was towards Climax Hybrid, there was no way he could do that to Aine.

‘But, who will replace her?

Someone deeply associated with Yurishia, good relationship, matching rhythm――,’

In Kizuna’s mind, his three people date with Yurishia and Scarlet flashed.

They quarreled with abusive language at each other, but amidst all that there was also something that made him felt of their long association with each other. They understood about the other party, knowing all there was to know about each other. The exchange of their squabble also strangely felt in gear with each other.

And then, he recalled that dance game. It was as if that had been arranged beforehand, they were splendidly synchronized.

They looked like they had discord, but wasn’t their relationship great before this?

If he could just resolve the source of their argument――such convinced feeling was rapidly getting bigger inside Kizuna.

Kizuna stood up.

“Wait a second! I recommend a grouping of Yurishia and Scarlet!”

“HAAA!?”

Scarlet raised a hysteric voice and stood up.

“Do, don’t make a stupid joke! I’m not, a cheap……”

Kizuna’s eyes met hers with a force that seemed audibly jolting.

“woman…like, like that though.”

Her cheek puffed red, then her gaze was swimming all over the place. The end of her sentence became unintelligible and she looked down.

‘――What’s with her reaction?’

“Is something wrong, Scarlet?”

When Kizuna asked her once more, Scarlet came back to her senses and raised her gaze, she stared at Kizuna.

Her face turned red again in a flash.

“You, you are annoying! If, if there really is no other way, do, doing Heart Hybrid with Kizuna is, well I might be unwilling but, I might just allow it……Not that! I, I hate it but, I might just endure it somehow, a, anyway it’s that! Right! Just forming a pair with Yurishia, that’s the only thing that I refuse to do at all cost!”

Yurishia was listening to Scarlet’s consternation non-stop talk with her face completely scrunched up.

“……That’s right. I’m reluctant to agree with Scarlet, but only in that point I have the same opinion with her.”

Scarlet glared at Yurishia who talked without motivation.

“That’s really an infuriating agreement. Rather than doing this Connective Hybrid or something with you, it’s still better to do the Heart Hybrid with just me alone!”

“……I see. Do as you please.”

Yurishia stood up from her seat with a sigh and headed straight to the entrance.

“Wha-, what’s with that attitude! Wait, don’t run away!”

Yurishia ignored Scarlet’s provocation and exited the room like that.

――After that, they talked further, but in the end there was no conclusion.

The meeting was suspended and the matter of the pairing for the Connective Hybrid would be coordinated again at another day.

“Shit, what’s the deal with this……”

Kizuna exited the gate of the command headquarters and got out to the public street. The time was already turned to 9 o’clock and the sky had become completely dark. The digital signage displays continuing along the road were sparkling with variety of colors. The sight of the displays lining up in ordered line looked like a parade of light.

Kizuna was thinking while walking alone on the beautifully lighted street.

‘――Even so, is there no other way except asking Aine to bear with it?’

However, when he recalled Aine’s scared face, he became not really in the mood to force her.

Nevertheless, it was also difficult to rely on Himekawa. She had shown a rejection that strong already, he guessed that it would not be easy to persuade her.

Inside his heart, the image that was strongly stuck there was as expected, Yurishia and Scarlet.

“Hey, Kizuna.”

Suddenly a voice called to him from the darkness.

‘――Who?’

He turned around while keeping his vigil, there a long red ponytail came from the darkness under the street light.

“Scarlet?”

“That……I want to talk a little. You have time?”

Her gesture that was looking up at him shyly, was strangely sweet.

“I don’t mind but, what do you want to talk about?”

“Just a bit……it won’t take long.”

Scarlet sat on the bench of the bus stop. Kizuna also sat beside her.

Kizuna waited for Scarlet to start talking. However it seemed that Scarlet’s eyes were stolen by the dazzling radiance of the digital displays.

“Hey, about the talk――”

“I don’t want to lose to Yurishia.”

Scarlet suddenly began to talk.

“Aah, so this is about your bad relation with Yurishia, I know that Scarlet hates Yurishia. But, I don’t know about the why. Just what in the world happened?”

“What happened……that’s, because that woman is a coward.”

Kizuna tilted his head. The Yurishia that Kizuna knew was not a coward. Rather, she had an aspect that tried to resolve the troublesome matter by herself instead.

“Hey, if something happened with Yurishia in the past, can you teach me? If not, I cannot believe what Scarlet is saying.”

“Eh?”

Scarlet looked at Kizuna with a face that seemed to be taken aback.

“I’m the captain of Amaterasu. In addition, I’ve only known her for a short time, but I also believe that I know about Yurishia in my own way. I cannot connect the word coward with Yurishia. Just what in the world happened, tell me.”

Scarlet once again stared at the parade of light, and murmured.

“Fine. Then I’ll teach you. You see, that woman used me. For the sake of becoming Masters’s ace……Masters’s super ace, she used me as her stepping stone.”

――It happened right after the 2nd Another Universe Conflict. When Yurishia was still fighting as one of the American army’s members. Yurishia at that time was fighting together with Scarlet against the magic weapons that appeared from the Entrance at the North America front.

The American army promptly formed a unit of Heart Hybrid Gears that they received from the technology sharing of Japan. The number of their gears were the most numerous, it was a large unit that boasted the total number of fifty gears in the whole of America. However, the pilots at that time were still in a state of groping at the dark about the operation of Heart Hybrid Gear.

Even so, as the only way to defeat magic weapons, the female pilots that drove the Heart Hybrid Gears became the target of popularity, they were treated like first class sport players or Hollywood stars.

The time was also when the invasion from the Entrances still hadn’t progressed at full tilt. The people continued their livelihood the same until that time, they were swinging between happiness and fear from the battlefield report that appeared in the news. Even amidst all that, the war results of the Heart Hybrid Gears that soared in the sky defeating the enemies from AU made the whole America went crazy of it.

It was at such period. Excellent pilots were gathered from throughout America and a chosen unit would be formed, such rumor was spreading.

That was, the Masters.

The Heart Hybrid Gear was already popular under normal circumstances. If there was such a team where the tops gathered, it would attract the interest of the masses without fail.

A while after such rumor began to spread. Suddenly an Entrance manifested at the outskirts of Los Angeles, such news spread. And then, the large force of magic weapons that appeared from that Entrance was approaching the urban area.

It was an army of a hundred magic weapons in total. It was the first large forces since the 2nd Another Universe Conflict.

Los Angeles was safe until now, there was no unit that was stationed there. The ones who could head to intercept the enemy force were only the two people in charge of the Arizona Entrance. Those were Yurishia and Scarlet.

Since before the 2nd Another Universe Conflict, these two were receiving training in the same team, they became widely known due to their high individual battle power and splendid combination.

And then both of them sallied off on this day too.

But, what was different from usual was Yurishia’s late sortie.

“Scarlet!”

“Ah, you finally came! Geez, what’s wrong Yurishia?”

Yurishia caught up to Scarlet in the middle of heading to Los Angeles.

“Sorry. I couldn’t make contact because of the transmission malfunction.”

“Ah, I see. We are already quite near to the Entrance from here.”

The mysterious wall that spitted out magic weapons from AU. That thing which was called as Entrance caused transmission malfunction, there were a lot of cases where they couldn’t contact the base once they sortied.

“Just before I sortied, a new order came in.”

“Eh? Even though they told us to go to LA after this?”

“The enemy advancing to Los Angeles changed their direction, it seems that they are beginning to pull back to the Entrance. On the contrary it seems that there is movement in Arizona.”

“I see……so this is a diversion.”

“Yes. It’s just, there is no way we can also leave this alone, I’ve got the instruction to separate into two groups and observe each spot.”

“Roger. So, what are we going to do?”

“I’m going to LA. After confirming the enemy’s retreat, I’ll head to Arizona. That’s why Scarlet, you――”

“Go to Arizona! Roger-”

“――Then, what happened?”

Kizuna urged Scarlet that fell quiet to continue her story.

A bus stopped in front of Kizuna and Scarlet. The door was opened but they didn’t show any sign to board it, the door then closed angrily and the bus left.

“……When I went to Arizona, it was just as Yurishia said, there were magic weapons there. In addition, there was also something we had never seen before.

“Something you had never seen?”

“At that time, it was the first observed category A in the world, a [Dragre].”

‘――Dragre.

So it was that thing which fought Yurishia on the unpopulated island previously.’

“The fighters of the air force and the tanks of the army were crushed like toys. I didn’t know what to do against the enemy that I saw for the first time. Even so I fought it together with a different Heart Hybrid Gear unit that rushed from a different nearby base.”

Scarlet put strength into her crossed fingers.

“Combining our strength, we cornered the Dragre until there was only a little left to do. But, when we reached that point……everyone used up their strength, their energy ran out in succession and became unable to move. The mouth of the Dragre opened towards me, and I could see the flame gathering inside that mouth. If that flame was fired, that’s the end. I prayed to god.”

Scarlet lifted her face and looked up to the night sky.

“Then she appeared there.”

Scarlet narrowed her eyes at the night sky where there was nothing.

“It was a golden light that was like the fury of god. That radiance which fell down from the sky exterminated the Dragre in one attack. And then, the cloud split and she descended……Yurishia Farandole.”

Scarlet’s eyes were looking at that scene.

“It was completely like the descent of an angel. You must think that it’s an exaggerated clichéd expression but……but, at that time we were moved and cried. About how we risked our life, about the sublimity of Yurishia’s existence. At that moment, Yurishia was unmistakably our god.”

Saying that, Scarlet looked down.

“But that was not it.”

“Scarlet?”

“A few days after that, I discovered that the order Yurishia told me actually didn’t exist. The enemy heading to Los Angeles didn’t change their direction or anything, there was also no order that came out telling me to return to Arizona.”

Scarlet spoke with annoyance.

“Besides, the magic weapons that attacked Los Angeles were a lot, but mostly they were only opponents in category-C or D with low battle power. In exchange of that, the opponent that we faced was the A class that was seen for the first time……it was the strongest enemy at the time.”

Scarlet directed a harsh stare at Kizuna.

“Yurishia knew that the magic weapons attacking Los Angeles were weak enemies! She was late in her sortie because she was confirming that information. And then, so she could monopolize the achievement, she chased me away to Arizona and made me faced the formidable enemy!”

“No, wait a second Scarlet. Was that what Yurishia said?”

“There is no way that sly woman will honestly confess that!”

“Bu, but, about you actually gotten saved by Yurishia……isn’t that a fact?”

Scarlet leaned her body forward with a force as if she was going to bite at Kizuna.

“She was just waiting until we had severely whittled off the condition of the Dragre, before taking off the most delicious part for herself!”

Kizuna faltered from her menacing look.

“That whole day, Yurishia became a superstar. She defeated hundreds of magic weapons by herself, the hero that saved the city. Then she rushed to her comrades that were in a pinch and defeated the strongest enemy, the invincible hero. She was given really exaggerated nicknames, the [Hundred Queen], the [World StrongestAce of Ace], it was so fed up.”

Tears welled up at the corner of Scarlet’s eyes.

“And like that she was picked as the ace of the rumored Masters. At that time I realized. Aah, I got used.”

The hung down head of Scarlet bumped on Kizuna’s shoulder.

“Scarlet……”

“E, even though I was……thinking of her as a friend in all those times, even though I idolized her, even though if she just told me so right from the start, I would do anything if it was for Yurishia’s sake, yet despite so!”

Scarlet raised a voice that was mixed with sobbing.

“That’s why……I worked myself to death. Even after Yurishia was gone……I resolved that I will pay back Yurishia one day, and so I continued to fight. And then……I finally reached as far as becoming Masters’s ace……”

Kizuna gently embraced Scarlet.

“After a while……I heard that Yurishia’s Cross, is a gear that shaved off life to fight……I felt complicated from that but, I felt like forgiving her because of that……but”

Scarlet buried her face onto Kizuna’s chest, desperately enduring her crying voice from leaking out.

Kizuna softly caressed her back.

“Ki, Kizuna is……kind aren’t you……you are strong.”

“What are you saying? You are far stronger compared to someone like me right?”

“Because……you protected me from Gravel’s attack.”

“Aah, that one. That’s because I don’t have any good point except my Life Saver.”

Kizuna smiled bitterly.

Scarlet smiled with eyes that had become completely red.

“You were simply blown away just from a single minor attack from Gravel weren’t you? I heard it already, if you don’t do Climax Hybrid, your combat strength is equal to zero, isn’t that right? But, I think that’s amazing.”

“Don’t get sarcastic. Even like this I’m really bothered with that.”

Scarlet shook her head.

“No, that’s not what I mean. Even though you understand, that you cannot match your enemy with your strength, you still stand in front of the enemy. I think that’s an amazing thing to do……I, I think, tha, that’s……cool.”

“Ha!? Eh? A, that”

Kizuna darted his eyes about.

“Because, that time when Kizuna saved me, that time against the Dragre too……when I felt that I cannot match the enemy, I became unable to do anything at all.”

“Scarlet……”

“Hey, Kizuna……can I, be like this…….a little bit more?”

In place of an answer, he caressed at Scarlet’s head, and at her ponytail which stretched out from there.

――And then, he resolved himself in his heart firmly.

Part 5

“Gravel. The preparation for the attack is finished. We can go anytime.”

On a white sandy beach, Aldea and Gravel were standing still. Both of them were wearing a hooded mantel, staring at the sea. Ahead of that gaze, beyond the horizon, there should be the moving fortress of the enemy, Ataraxia.

“The preparation so we can depart anytime is finished. If we don’t hurry, they are going to slip into a place we cannot reach you know?”

At the nearby sea, a large force of magic weapon Vikings were standing by in a half-submerged state. Around a hundred Albatrosses were on the land, while a large fleet of five hundred meter-class and thousand meter-class battleships in numbers that reached thirty were waiting for instructions on the open sea.

“Aah……that’s true.”

Gravel received the sea breeze with her whole body and closed her eyes in pleasant feeling.

“Let’s send back the fleet to Vatlantis.”

“Ha?”

“But it won’t be good if we don’t have any at all……leave behind around two battleships, also the minimum number of magic weapons, send back the rest. We also returned here without supplying their magic power decently after all. Let’s make them rest slowly.”

Aldea doubted her ears.

“Wait, we are not going to sortie?”

Gravel turned at Aldea and smiled, then she took off her mantel. From under the mantel, a showy golden bikini appeared. The gold color was reflected well on her voluptuous brown limbs.

“It’s pleasant here. The sky, the sea too, are so beautiful. We won’t get punished even if we relaxed a little.”

Leaving behind a mischievous smile, she dashed towards the sea.

There was no human presence in the former private beach of a high class resort hotel as far as the eye could see. Gravel plunged into the emerald sea spreading before her eyes.

“What’s with this. Even though I quickly prepared because you looked like in a hurry.”

Aldea slide down her mantel from her shoulder while speaking in a dissatisfied tone. Her supple body was wearing a white bikini with small surface area.

“What, so Aldea is also planning to swim?”

Gravel raised a cheerful voice while floating in the sea.

“That’s right. Besides, even though I planned to make Gravel reluctantly swim with me, but now it’s spoiled.”

“I’m really sorry for that.”

“Really. So……are you giving up on Zeros already?”

Both of their bodies were swaying from the waves, drifting about on the sea that shined in emerald.

“――No. This is because it’s annoying to go to them for many times. This time I’ll have the other side coming to us.”

“Eh?”

Gravel kept looking up at the white clouds and murmured.

“They will come. Without doubt.”

Chapter 5 – Connection RemodelingConnective Hybrid

Part 1

“Aa― I’m tired. I want to quickly enter the aroma bath―”

Yurishia that returned back from the scouting of Okinawa arrived in the lab.

The current location of Ataraxia was far distanced from Okinawa, it was hard to scout using unmanned drones. There, they made use of Cross’s swift speed and Yurishia was directed for scouting. She went until Okinawa in the afternoon where the visibility was good, then she returned back when it became evening.

“So, Yurishia, what about the situation at Okinawa?”

Kizuna stood up from his chair after waiting long for Yurishia.

“Geez―, in times like this, it’s no good unless you first express your gratitude you know?”

Yurishia pouted and complained.

“Sorry. Err―, it really helped that Yurishia went there for us.”

“Myy, then you have to give me a reward then. Can you wash my back in the bath for me?”

“Tha……that’s for some other time, please give your report.”

“My, that’s a promise then★”

Yurishia winked at Kizuna and began her report.

“The enemy fleet that is stationed at Okinawa are two ships of five hundred meter-class and one ship of thousand meter-class. For magic weapons, a total of twenty Albatrosses and around ten Vikings.”

Kizuna made a taken aback face.

“That’s all? Is this certain?”

“Yes, there is no mistake.”

If there was only that many enemy forces, it didn’t seem hard to take back Okinawa but…….

“Also, there is an atmosphere of people living there. Well, perhaps it’s just the AU people though.”

Reiri crossed her arms and pondered.

“Where we concerned, we also cannot use a simple brute force approach……good work. Go home and rest.”

Yurishia lightly saluted and headed to the entrance.

“Ah, I’ll add something just in case, the thousand meter-class is the one that Gravel boarded. Surely those two are in Okinawa.”

Leaving those words behind, Yurishia left from the lab.

Silence ruled the space between Reiri, Kei, and Kizuna who were left behind.

And then, the sound of Kei’s keyboard tapping began to be audible reservedly.

{While the prospect of Connective Hybrid is unclear like this, the chance of victory even if we fight them again is slim. We should avoid conflict.}

Reiri nodded towards the line of letters streaming in the window before her eyes.

“I want information of AU but……the risk is high.”

“No, wait a second.”

Kizuna put a halt when the atmosphere was going to be ruled by resignation.

“Those guys’ objective was Aine. Even if we escape from here, they will surely come to attack us again. The next time we receive their attack, there is no doubt that Ataraxia will receive damage even more than before.”

“……Do you have some kind of idea, Kizuna?”

“We have to launch a surprise attack from our side. Also we have to do it as early as possible. For example, sometime like tomorrow.”

“What?”

Before Reiri could protest, Kizuna continued his story.

“Ataraxia will stay here. Only Amaterasu and Masters will go. If we do that, we won’t be noticed by the enemy, we also should be able to stop the damage towards the city and people at the minimum.”

{However, there is also the possibility that a large force is hiding at the other side of the Entrance.}

“Certainly there is such possibility. That’s why only the Heart Hybrid Gears will secretly infiltrate to seal the Entrance first. Only after that we will crush the magic weapons and the battleship.”

“Certainly if the connection with the AU is severed, there will be no worry of enemy reinforcements, and they will also be unable to replenish the magic power for the fleet here. We can deal with the fleet and magic weapons like that, what are you going to do about Gravel and Aldea then?”

Kizuna was at a loss for words.

He had no confidence.

But――,

The faces of Yurishia and Scarlet emerged in his head. And then also the figures of those two when they were still in good relations which Kizuna hadn’t ever seen before.

“Do we know what kind of Corruption Armament Yurishia has?”

{We can mostly predict it. If we calculate the power up from Climax Hybrid in addition with the Connective Hybrid, most likely even the gunsword of Gravel and Aldea’s Labyrinth Cube can be destroyed.}

Kizuna resolved himself.

“I will do something about the Connective Hybrid.”

“Do you have any chance?”

Honestly, none.

However, if he could realize it,

He could protect Aine.

And then, he would be able to make Yurishia and Scarlet talk to each other with a smile.

“I have.”

Reiri grinned broadly.

“Then, just try it.”

“Yeah. But, I have one request for that.”

{We will do whatever we can. Say anything you want.}

“That is――”

Part 2

“Kizuna―!”

Scarlet rushed to him while waving her hand from the other side of the street. She looked cute wearing white shirt and jean miniskirt. She was also wearing a summer cardigan.

Kizuna lightly raised his hand in response. Kizuna was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. He was putting on half-sleeve black dress shirt over it.

Today was a weekday, but a special day off was given to Amaterasu and Masters. That was why they could brazenly relax while the school was going on. Last night, Kizuna invited her to go playing together through the phone and arranged to meet at the nearest station from the dormitory.

“Sorry, I made you wa――”

Scarlet’s expression clouded. That was because she could see, that a woman wearing sunglasses was standing behind Kizuna. She was wearing a top that was like a swimsuit with low-rise & tightly fitted hot-pants. The dynamite body was displayed even sexier.

“――Hey, wait! Why is Yurishia here!?”

Taking off her sunglasses, Yurishia directed a displeased gaze at Scarlet.

“That’s my line. Kizuna, what in the world are you planning with this?”

Kizuna talked to Yurishia and Scarlet at the same time.

“I’m thinking for us three to go play like before this. See, before this there was Gravel’s attack in the middle and it got interrupted right?”

“Don’t make a joke! I’ll beg your pardon if I have to be together with Yurishia. I’m going home!”

Scarlet turned her back and she was going to return through the path she came from.

‘――You think I’m going to let you go home here!’

“Aah, it can’t be helped. Then, Yurishia. How about we go on a date with the two of us? Your Hybrid Count is also reduced, so we also need to do Heart Hybrid.”

“Wha-!?”

Scarlet’s legs stopped.

“Myy, I’m really happy to be invited by Kizuna.”

Yurishia got close to Kizuna’s body until her breast almost touched.

“Come to think of it, I also haven’t done Climax Hybrid with Yurishia until now. I think it won’t be bad even if we try to test it. If we succeed, your shot down score will surely also increase a lot.”

“Fufu-, the only one that I want to shoot down is just Kizuna you know?”

“Kuh! I, I’m going too!”

“My? It’s better for a kid to not come along you know? From here on is the time for adults after all.”

“I’m sixteen years old! I’m not a child anymore. You yourself don’t look like a high schooler. Aren’t you actually 27 years old?”

“Now now, anyway let’s ride the underground train first to move to the commercial facility.”

“Subway? Rather than using that, I’ll call a car right now.”

Yurishia tried to call a taxi and took out her smartphone from her bag.

“Aah no……can we not use a taxi for today?”

Kizuna stopped Yurishia with a troubled face.

Scarlet took the hand of such Kizuna and began to go down the stair toward the subway.

“No way, just no, this is why the rich is so annoying. Let’s go with just us using the train.”

“What’s with you. Even though I just want to travel comfortably.”

Yurishia also got down the stairs while complaining. Twenty meters underground, they arrived at the subway platform.

“It’s really empty isn’t it? There is no one here aside from us.”

It was exactly as Scarlet said, there was not a single soul on the platform.

“This is the afternoon on a weekday. Isn’t this only usual?”

“I guess, even we usually are in class at this kind of time.”

While they were talking, the underground train slid into the platform. They also couldn’t see anyone inside the train.

“For some reason, this feels like a pointless waste of energy.”

Scarlet talked in amazement and boarded the subway.

This train was in belt line that ran along the outer circumference of Ataraxia. It was supposed to be crowded when it was the time for commuting to work and school, but right now it was completely empty.

“It’s like we have reserved it.”

Yurishia sat at the left side of Kizuna and she naturally put her hand on Kizuna’s knee.

“Oi-……Yurishia.”

“Hm? Something the matter?”

She smiled at Kizuna who was narrowing his eyes. Even during such exchange, Yurishia’s right hand was stroking Kizuna’s thigh. Her hand was crawling around affectionately, from above his thigh until the inner part. Her hand was going up little by little, doing a fairly dangerous near-miss.

“Wa, wait! What indecent things are you doing in a public place like this!”

Scarlet yelled angrily with a face red from anger and embarrassment.

“Isn’t it fine? There is no one anywhere, this public people you are talking about.”

As far as the eye could see, there was no shadow of a person even on the other train.

“That, that might be true but……wait, I’m right here!”

“Your face becomes really red. If you’re like that, then it’s impossible to do Heart Hybrid you know?”

“You don’t know anything of that! Listen? Next time that woman Gravel comes again, I will be the one who defeats her. I will take revenge for my comrades, so you don’t interfere. After all you have snatched a lot of accomplishments from us already!”

Yurishia was smiling composedly as always. But, for Kizuna, her expression looked slightly clouded.

“For you……that’s impossible. Next time I will also equip Corruption Armament, so just leave the enemy’s magic armor to me.”

“That attitude of yours, looking down on other people like that, I――!?”

“UOO!?”

The subway suddenly halted. Their bodies collapsed towards the train’s travelling direction while they were still sitting. Yurishia’s body leaned on top of Kizuna due to the law of inertia. Scarlet’s balance crumbled and she fell to the floor, and like that she kept sliding on the floor.

And then there was a smacking sound, before the lighting vanished. The inside of the train was enveloped in darkness.

“This is……not a normal thing isn’t it?”

Yurishia whispered with a calm voice.

The red light for emergency use inside the train turned on. At the same time, the electronic papers that were hung up for advertisement changed into warning displays all at once.

{Announcement of aerial attack warning. The train is now stopped en route. This place now becomes a shelter so it is safe. Please act calmly.}

Text flowed onto the electronic paper and they could hear the announcer’s synthetic voice from the speaker.

Ringtone from Kizuna’s smartphone rang out.

{Kizuna, can you hear me?}

“Nee-chan! What in the world is going on?”

{Gravel is coming to attack again. Unfortunately, the initiative is taken from us.}

Yurishia brought her body closer to Kizuna and talked to the smartphone.

“Commander, we are locked inside the subway. My apologies but, I will destroy the train. Depending on the situation, I also might open a hole in the ceiling.”

{Wait, Yurishia, you are together now with Kizuna?}

“Yes. Also, Scarlet is here too.”

{What? I see……is this what they call fate……you guys, move to the coach in the rearmost of the train right now.}

Kizuna’s face scowled.

“Haa? There is no time to be carefree right now! We have to――”

{Don’t make me tell you the same thing twice!}

Kizuna and others reluctantly moved from coach to coach and reached until the rearmost connection part. Different with other coaches, the door was made from solid steel and there was also no window.

Kizuna faced his smartphone and asked.

“What is this? Is this not a normal train coach?”

{This is new equipment that Ataraxia’s R&D Department developed in absolute secrecy. It is a special train in order to send it to the lab, but due to some blunder you guys are riding the train too.}

“Aah, that’s why there is no one else riding this train! No wonder I thought something was strange.”

Scarlet spoke in understanding.

{It’s a coincidence, but this proves fortunate instead. I’m opening the door from here right now.}

At the same time with Reiri finished speaking, the light of the lock part shined and the door began to slide open.

Yurishia put her fingers on her lips and knitted her eyebrows.

“New equipment you say, I wonder if it’s a powerful heavy weapon or something?”

“Or else a new option for Heart Hybrid Gear? Well, anything is fine! I’ll be the one to use it! Because I’m the ace of Masters……after……all?”

“Wha……what’s, this?”

Based from what they saw, there was nothing that seemed to be a weapon inside the special coach.

“Is this an experiment room or something? Where is the new equipment?”

The three entered the coach and ascertained the inside.

The room only appeared like an experiment room or a medical facility. It had white walls and floor. Parts that looked like device with control panel attached were installed here and there, several cables were connected to each device.

At the center, there was something like a capsule with its upper part cut away. It had softly curved silhouette, there was also steam rising from the liquid poured inside it, it also looked like a bathtub depending on how one saw it. The size was large with length that a person entering it could lie down comfortably in it, the width also made it possible for one to spread both their arms.

A cushion was spread in front of it. When he tried to touch it, the surface was slick and easy to slide on, it seemed its inside was filled with air.

Scarlet curiously advanced inside the coach. The other side of the capsule became a step higher, a pure white bed was installed there.

“There is even a bed inside……I got it! This is a sleeper train. This is really high class.”

Reiri’s voice resounded from the smartphone as if to interrupt Scarlet’s voice.

{Wrong. This coach is a newly developed new equipment, the [moving type provisional special bathroom, the second model].}

“Ha?”

The three weighed the meaning of Reiri’s words.

“Wha…..err, bathroom? Wait, you mean bathroom?”

{Correct.}

“So, Nee-chan. How can this equipment be useful in the current situation?”

{This is a facility for the sake of carrying out Connective Hybrid.}

Yurishia’s expression increasingly became confused of what she meant.

“Commander……why is a bathroom created for the sake of doing Connective Hybrid I wonder?”

{There are a lot of unknown variables in Connective Hybrid. In order to raise the success rate even for a little, the result of all the methods we have investigated is this moving type provisional special bathroom, the second model.}

“So, what are you telling us to do right here?”

{Manual is prepared at each device, so just follow the content. Until you finished the Connective Hybrid, the other Amaterasu and Masters will buy you time. During that time, you guys have to make success the Connective Hybrid. Escape from the coach right after you succeed. Then exterminate the enemy!}

The transmission was severed at that ending. A floating window popped up inside the train coach in exchange. The procedure of Connective Hybrid was written there.

“What, what? Step 1, enter the exclusive pod and warm the body, improving the blood flow? In other words, it’s telling us to enter inside this liquid?”

Kizuna pointed at the capsule that was filled with hot water.

Yurishia took the medicine lined up on the shelf and read the window floating in front of it.

“There is the step 2 here. Get rid of the excess waste products on the body surface……so it’s telling us to wash our body. In the case that you haven’t succeed until this point, move to step 3, so it says.”

Scarlet glared at the window floating above the air mat.

“Step 3. Rub the special medicine on the body, giving pleasure at each other mutually. This medicine has the function to mix with more than two kinds of light particles generated in the cases of Heart Hybrid and Climax Hybrid, and then seeps into the body.”

Scarlet paused in her words for a moment and knitted her eyebrows.

“Err―, the specific method of each step is, to become……stark naked, using each other’s, bo-, body, stimulating the other party……obtaining pleasure is, preferable……WHAT THE HELLLLLLL!?”

Scarlet shrieked.

“Indecent! I-impossible! There is no way something like this could be done!”

Yurishia breathed out a single sigh as if resolving herself, then she began to take off her hot pants.

“Wai-! Why are you taking off your clothes!?”

“You yourself, what are you saying? This is an order from the commander. We are told to succeed in Connective Hybrid and annihilate the enemy. This is not a game you know?”

“Wha……”

Scarlet’s mouth opened wide for a while without closing.

“Bri, bring it on! Let’s do this!”

She took off her summer cardigan heatedly. Kizuna gulped his saliva from witnessing the scene of two beautiful girls taking off their clothes. Yurishia who had taken off her hot pants was turning her back on him, just like that she also lowered down her black underwear. Thereupon, her white and big ass appeared.

“Kizuna too, don’t get fascinated like that. You too have to begin stripping. In Japan, it’s no good to enter the bath while wearing underwear right?”

Yurishia took off the swimsuit bra that she wore in place of western clothes. And then, she entered her hand into the pod while showing her back to Kizuna and stirred.

“Looks like it’s just hot water. Though perhaps there is some additional agents mixed in.”

Yurishia dipped her toes into the hot water, then she continued entering her leg into the pod. Before long she sat inside the pod and soaked in the hot water until her shoulders, she then turned back to Kizuna.

“My♥ The hot water is really good. Come on, Kizuna too, come here.”

Yurishia hid her breast with her left hand and reached out her right hand to Kizuna in invitation.

“Yeah.”

Kizuna was going to take Yurishia’s hand.

“Are you planning to go in with your clothes on?”

“Uh……”

He looked at Scarlet’s direction with a feeling of looking for a comrade.

“Wa! Uwawawawa-, do, don’t lookkk!”

“So-!? Sorry-“

Scarlet already took off her underwear. She hid her breast with one hand and her other hand was pressed between her crotch while she twisted her body.

“Fufufuu, it’s no good for you to get overtaken even by Scarlet you knoww”

Yurishia laughed teasingly.

But, certainly it was just like she said. This was for the sake of realizing Connective Hybrid. He mustn’t hold them back.

Kizuna began to take off his clothes. And then his hand touched the last piece, his briefs.

‘……It feels like I’m really attracting attention.’

Yurishia and Scarlet’s eyes were shining, focusing fixedly on Kizuna.

‘Shit, it’s super embarrassing getting stared like this! But, nothing is going to start unless I take it off!’

He took off his briefs with all his might. He then entered his leg into the pod while nonchalantly hiding his crotch.

Scarlet was hiding her face with her hands. But, her fingers were opened, so it was meaningless. Her face was half opened with bright red face.

“Ce, certainly, this is a good hot water.”

He talked with an intentionally faked calmness. However there was no reply from the female camp. In exchange, he could hear a small voice that might be Scarlet’s.

“I saw……I saw it, a, a boy’s, is, is like that, eh? Eeeh?”

It seemed that she fell into panic for some reason. On the other hand Yurishia was――,

“Geez, Kizuna is bad you know? Even I am a girl. Against a boy’s thing……there is no way I can win.”

She was sidling down into the water with intoxicated eyes.

“O, oi, Yurishia. Your eyes look dangerous for some reason, calm down!”

There was no place to escape inside the pod. He tried to stand up, but his shoulders were firmly grasped.

“Aahn, Kizunaaa-“

Yurishia embraced him in deep emotion. The hot water rippled fiercely and overflowed from the pod. Scarlet rushed to the pod.

“Wait! That’s not what is written in the manual! Get away from him.”

“My, you are still here?”

“Wha-!? ……Ugununu, never mind that just move away! I will get in too!”

“Myy, I’m sorry. This pod is only for two peoplee.”

‘No no, what are you saying?’

“Scarlet, you enter here too. Warming the body first is one of the procedures after all.”

“Uu……”

‘It’s fine to get shy, but can you please stop staring hard at my crotch?’

“Go, got it. This is a mission until the end right? We are not doing anything strange.”

Scarlet entered into the hot water from the opposite side of the pod in order to be as far away from Kizuna.

“Ce, certainly, this feels really good……then after this is――”

Yurishia leaned on Kizuna and embraced him.

“Haaa……doing things like entering the bath together with Kizuna. This is the best.”

“Yeah, but Yurishia. If you cling this close to me, it’s going to get dangerous in various things though.”

“You don’t have to be shy……you are really sturdy……it’s lovely.”

Yurishia was rubbing her abdomen to Kizuna enrapturedly.

A vein emerged on the head of the completely ignored Scarlet.

“DAAAAAAAA! YOU TWO GET APARTTTTT!”

The exploded Scarlet tore apart the two. Yurishia pushed away into the left arm of Kizuna, while Scarlet was settled inside the right arm of Kizuna on the opposite side.

Scarlet glared at Yurishia across Kizuna.

“Are you listening? Connective Hybrid is performed by three people correct? There is no meaning if Yurishia is monopolizing this by yourself you know? Understand? It’s impossible here for you to take away all the good parts only for yourself!”

Scarlet distanced away Kizuna from Yurishia. Her objective was accomplished, but in exchange, Yurishia and Scarlet’s limbs became exposed to Kizuna’s eyes. Inside the swaying hot water, Scarlet’s slender body and red ponytail were swaying. Scarlet’s head was placed on his shoulder like an arm pillow, from there Scarlet was looking up at him anxiously.

And then at the direction of Yurishia was even more dangerous. There were two white large things floating on the hot water. Liberated from the gravity, the floating things were shaking at ease while being warmed by hot water, making them tinged with pink color. And then their tips were shining with even darker pink.

“It’s comfortable when they are floating in hot water. My shoulders are really stiff because of this you know―”

“My bad because there is nothing that can float from me! Also, hand! Don’t pat around Kizuna’s body!”

Even while being complained like that, Yurishia’s hand was crawling around Kizuna’s body.

“How about Scarlet touching it too? You have never touched a naked boy before right?”

“I, I don’t really want to touch……”

Even while saying that, after feeling discord for a short while, Scarlet’s hand was stretching toward Kizuna’s chest. However Yurishia took Kizuna’s hand in an exquisite timing and got out from the water while slipping through Scarlet’s hand.

“Now, we are warmed up, so next is the step 2. How about we clean our body?”

Yurishia took a towel hanged at the side of the pod and apologetically hid her body.

“Guh, nununu Yu, Yurishia~-“

The left behind Scarlet also angrily got out from the hot water.

“O, oi, wait a li――”

Kizuna also imitated Yurishia and hid his crotch with a towel.

After crossing over the pod, there was a washing spot with chair and body shop prepared.

“It’s a chair that can change shape.”

It was a chair with concavity in it. Kizuna was made to sit there and Yurishia sat nicely in front of him.

Kizuna was in a state where he barely put a piece of towel on his lap. As for Yurishia, her towel was very much wet from the hot water and it did nothing more than hanging down clingingly from her breast.

The towel looked transparent and its width also lost against the size of the breast, so various things were bulging out. Furthermore, the towel hanging down from the tips of the towel, when seen from the side, the navel and nipple behind it, then even until the deep valley under that were in plain sight, it was extremely thrilling.

“Now, I’ll wash your body for you.”

Yurishia’s palm took the body soap, lacquered it on Kizuna’s body, and created bubbles.

“Yurishia, even if you use towel or sponge……”

“No. It’s better to touch using hand if we are doing Heart Hybrid. Isn’t that true?”

“That’s, perhaps that’s true.”

Kizuna’s neck, shoulder, chest, were glided through by Yurishia’s warm and soft palm.

“I, I’m doing that too! Kizuna-, I’m washing your back now, I’m not going to let you say no!”

“A. yeah, please.”

Being caught between two beautiful girls and being told they would wash his body, this was really an unthinkable situation.

He desperately tried to divert his attention, but it was a pointless resistance. Four soft hands were crawling around his chest and back without rest. The owners of the hands were only wearing transparent small towel on their bodies, their immodest figures were mostly naked. It was as though they were competing which one could service Kizuna, they put their utmost effort to shake Kizuna’s body at the front and back.

There was no way he could possibly resist or anything in such an extraordinary situation.

“I wonder, perhaps I should wash the rear from the front side like this?”

Yurishia’s hand was slipping into the gap between the concavity seat and Kizuna’s crotch that was hidden by towel. Yurishia’s hand passed through under Kizuna’s groin and reached until his back. From there Yurishia’s hand that was fully lathered with bubbles returned back while gently touching Kizuna’s body.

“Gu, uwaa! O, over there is dangerous!”

Yurishia’s hand stopped still in the middle.

“Ah. Kizuna……this-……is”

Yurishia was feeling a sensation that she never experienced before in her palm.

Kizuna couldn’t let out any word from the pleasure of Yurishia’s fingertips’ stimulation. Yurishia who noticed the true identity of the thing inside her hand pulled back her hand in panic.

“Ah, err, uhh! I, I’m sorry? Bu, but it also seems to make Kizuna happy so, all’s well, isn’t it-……isn’t it?”

Yurishia’s cheeks were tinged red, she twisted her body in order to hide her shyness.

“The, then, I wonder if it’s fine already for you to return the favor soon?”

“Return the favor?”

“Won’t you wash my body? With Kizuna’s hand okay.”

“Eh? No, but!”

“Remember the reward for the scouting before this. You promised to wash my back right?”

This was unexpected, he never thought that he would make to fulfill that kind of frivolous promise in this kind of place.

Yurishia turned her back to Kizuna and put the towel on the mat. In other words, Yurishia at this moment was literally in a figure without a single string covering her. Kizuna was making bubble with the body soap in his palm that was full to the brim with nervousness, then with that he spread it at the stainless white back of Yurishia.

“Ahn, even my back……really, feels it……”

Yurishia’s back was trembling in shivers matching with Kizuna’s hand movement.

“Hey……who is going to wash my body for me?”

Scarlet murmured sulkingly.

“My, so you cannot wash your body by yourself, what a little child you are―”

Yurishia teased her cheerfully.

“You’re noisy! Fine then, I’ll do it myself.

Yurishia turned back and smiled kindly.

“It can’t be helped, so Kizuna. Wash her body.”

“Hee!? No, you don’t need to do that. I don’t have any such intention-“

Scarlet was greatly flustered when she was actually told that.

“Ohh? If you will be so reserved, then I’ll have Kizuna wash every nook and corner of me like this then.”

“Uh! Thi, this……I got it already! Come here Kizuna, wash me!”

Scarlet was speaking grumblingly, even so she was sitting while turning her back to Kizuna. Kizuna changed the direction of his body 180° to the back while still sitting and turned his back at Yurishia. Doing that this time there was the white back of Scarlet in front of his eyes. Kizuna then gently caressed Scarlet’s back just like what he did to Yurishia.

“Aa……aa, aa. It tickles……yet, somehow……it shivers.”

Scarlet too looked like she was feeling good. At this rate, the preparation for the Connective Hybrid would also……!?

“――! Yu, Yurishia?”

An extremely soft thing was pressing at Kizuna’s back.

“My back has become clean, but the front part hasn’t been washed so……nn, like this Kizuna’s back can also get washed, this is just right isn’t it♪”

Yurishia used that large breast and washed Kizuna’s back. She moved her body and rubbed at Kizuna’s back with her breast drawing circles. There was no towel between them. The sensation of skin and skin touching at each other directly was wonderfully pleasant.

“No way……I, might actually feel it like this, a little. Hey, Kizuna too, wash the front of Scarlet for her.”

“Hiee? Do, don’t don’t don’t! The front is……HAAAaaaAN!”

Kizuna’s arms embraced Scarlet’s body from behind. Scarlet’s slender body was settled snugly inside Kizuna’s arms. His arms that were crossed under Scarlet’s breast were sliding up like that. The shape of her breast changed and the most sensitive part was flicked by the crossed arms. The thin towel that barely protected the body was quickly torn down. The beautifully shaped breast showed a shaking like jelly.

“KYAAun!”

The body soap made it slippery, so the sliding was smooth. He moved his bubble covered arms up and down. Her breasts were pressed and its shape changed, but it was easy to move his arms thanks to Scarlet’s small breast.

“Hii, a, aaaaa-!”

The tips of Scarlet’s breast became bigger. The sensation on Kizuna’s back was also displayed a change. His back that was feeling nothing but soft sensation now was also feeling something firm.

“Ki, Kizuna……I, I, might be a little hopeless.”

Not only her breast, Yurishia glued her whole body and she tried to feel Kizuna with her whole body.

“Me, me too……somehow, aa, aa, my body feels like floating……eh?”

“What’s wrong, Scarlet?”

“Something……around my waist, a strange hard something is……”

Scarlet’s hand circled to the back carelessly and gripped at that thing.

‘――This is.’

That instant, power of imagination and pleasure mixed inside of Scarlet and exploded.

“AUuAhnn! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!”

And then Yurishia also put some strength and rubbed her breast at Kizuna’s body.

“NO GOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD-!”

Scarlet and Yurishia’s coquettish voices overlapped.

‘――Success!?’

Kizuna peered at the respective faces of the exhausted pair.

Red light was swimming inside Scarlet’s eyes. And then, golden radiance was also visible inside Yurishia’s eyes. But, that was all.

‘No good. This is nothing more but normal Heart Hybrid.

As expected, there is still something lacking for Connective Hybrid.’

The trust between the three people, then the trust and friendship, the thing such as love between the fellow female would become power in Connective Hybrid. As long as Scarlet and Yurishia were still in conflict with each other, he couldn’t expect any result.

‘――As I thought, this cannot be avoided. From now on is the crucial moment!’

“……Yosh, next is the last, step 3. We are moving to the air mat now.”

According to the manual, they were told to use the special medicine and dissolve it to the hot water.

“I’ll do it. Err……with this, it is okay I think?”

Yurishia mixed the medicine with the hot water that was filled inside a wash basin. She stirred it with her hand, the sound of the mixing was changing into sticky splashing sounds, and like that a viscous and sticky liquid was completed swimmingly.

“Now then, sit on the mat.”

Yurishia and Scarlet sat on the mat like he told them. First he dribbled the syrupy liquid at Yurishia.

“Kyaa, it’s warm, and terribly slimy……it feels good when it dribbled on the body perhaps.”

The dripping liquid slid down Yurishia’s breast. It parted into several lines and traced the shape of the breast. It pulled into strange shape from the tip part and fell on her knee.

Next he spilled the medicine from Scarlet’s shoulder.

“Uwaa, really. It has strange feeling……amazing, my body is all slick.”

“Smear this to each other’s body. It seemed it has high effect when used to the whole body.”

“Fuuhn……what to do in practice――ahn!”

Simultaneously, Kizuna’s left hands rubbed at Yurishia, while his right hand to Scarlet’s breast. He attentively caressed in order to instill the medicine on the breasts.

“Fufufu, to rub the breasts……uu, of both of us at the same time, haaa, Kizuna too is a meanie.”

“Sh-, shut up you. Po, pointlessly big breast like that, is just vulgar, hyann”

Unable to endure the pleasure, Scarlet twisted her body. At that moment, her body slipped and slid away. The medicine dripping down from her body was spreading on the mat, making it extremely easy to slip.

“Kyaa!”

Even though she was in a sitting position, her body easily slipped and fell. The three of them now laid down on the mat on top of one another.

“Geez……Scarlet, this is because you are really lacking in attention.”

“This can’t be helped. Just look how slippery this thing is!”

Kizuna who watched that exchange interjected.

“Do both of you have this kind of rhythm since the past?”

“Eh……no, in the past…”

Scarlet knitted her eyebrows and averted her gaze.

“Oh well, generally our rhythm was like this I think? Above all, what I know about her is only when she was still a rookie that hadn’t grown her hair though.”

When Yurishia spoke teasingly, Scarlet’s complexion changed out of nowhere.

“Yes, you are always like this since the past. That attitude which is looking down on other people. On the surface you look polite, elegant, and kind with that disguised face, but your heart is completely different. You are thinking that humans other than yourself are all incompetent. You are a terrible hypocrite.”

“I guess.”

“――!? Wait, so you agreed! This liar!”

Yurishia showed a bitter face for an instant, but she immediately answered in defiance.

“Yes, that’s right. Because, it cannot be helped isn’t it? In reality, everyone is all incompetent.”

“What’s with your way of talking! Certainly, there was no one that could rival Yurishia in paper tests and also in physical tests. But even so, it doesn’t mean that it’s fine to make light of other people, much less tricking other people and using them, that’s not something anyone can do!”

“To grasp results that surpassed other people is just common sense no matter what world it is. If you are frustrated, then just pass through me.”

“Don’t make fun of me! After all, right now I’m the ace of Masters! My status is higher than someone like you. Someone like Yurishia is not my match anymore.”

Yurishia sighed from being fed up.

“Then isn’t it fine already? It’s fine even if you don’t take on someone like me.”

“Yes, I’ll do just that. Even this Connective Hybrid is unnecessary. It’s obvious that this is impossible with you who is selfish and has not even a bit of cooperativeness!”

“Fuuhn, so even how the Connective Hybrid is not going well is also my fault?”

Yurishia stared at Scarlet with cold eyes.

“That’s obvious! There is no way anyone can give trust or anything to someone who is thinking about nothing but using other people while considering them incompetent.”

“Is that so……I see. Certainly I don’t trust in other people’s ability. When I entrust others with a task, they will only fail that task, it can’t be helped that I give up on them. It’s not like this applies to just Scarlet. I’m sorry to Kizuna, but even Amaterasu is also like that. When I fight in a team, I constantly think like that. I was thinking [Aah, I don’t want to get hindered by these people].”

“A woman like you is just……-!!”

Scarlet glared at Yurishia. It was as if she was trying to kill her with her gaze.

“I’ll say it clearly, at the battle of Los Angeles, Scarlet, you were a hindrance. I couldn’t finish the mission if I was with you. That was why, I made you to go back.”

“Yurishia, how about you just say the truth?”

Kizuna who was lying down on the mat cut in between the two’s conversation.

“……So even Kizuna is calling me as a liar?”

“I’m not saying you are lying. But, there is something you are not saying right?”

“What matter I wonder?”

“That’s right, that thing was also Dragre wasn’t it? The one that attacked me and Yurishia on the unpopulated island.”

Yurishia was slightly agitated.

“You hid that your Hybrid Count was low and tried to save me didn’t you? You even told a lie that I’m just a hindrance that will drag you down to get me to run away. If you are really a human that is always thinking of using other people, you won’t do something like that.”

Scarlet scoffed.

“That’s not it. This woman doesn’t like to have her prey get taken by other people. How can she rise higher in the world, that’s the only thing this woman is thinking about.”

“Are you really thinking that?”

“Eh?”

“Are you thinking that Yurishia is a human that is only thinking about using other people?”

“Tha, that is……Yurishia is a rich person, she has been raised without any discomfort from the time she was born until now, so……she is thinking that it’s only natural for other people to work for her. She just cannot take notice of someone like us who are only normal humans. On the outside she show friendly acts, but actually she is not thinking of them as the same human like her. She is thinking that everyone is an idiot and helpless.”

“That’s right. Perhaps it’s true that I think of everyone as helpless.

“Right! That’s why――”

“But, I think that’s different than hating them, or not thinking of them as human.”

“Wh-, why?”

“Yurishia, she wanted to save Scarlet. It was just, she couldn’t think of any idea other than resolving it by herself alone. What she said before, she doesn’t trust of other people’s ability, I think that’s a truth. Because she doesn’t believe in other people’s ability, she expected that they will die if they fight. She doesn’t want to let them die. That’s why she fights alone. That’s Yurishia’s reasoning.”

Scarlet knitted her eyebrows.

“But……if that’s true, then just why did she make us fight something like a category-A Dragre!?”

“Even Yurishia didn’t know that a Dragre would appear.”

Kizuna got down from above the air mat and took out his smartphone from his taken off clothes.

“This is the information we obtained from West USA in exchange of the information of the category-Ultra we fought the other day. This is the battlefield network data when Yurishia’s name was raised at the battle that occurred in Los Angeles and Arizona.”

Kizuna went until Scarlet’s position and showed her the LED screen.

The battlefield network distributed in real time the enemy number and position, furthermore the ally location and gear condition, their weapon utilization state, and then things like the geography and weather situation, all of those data to the allied information system. Based on that information, the strategy room sent instructions to the front lines, and also the ones on the front lines could possibly make the pertinent judgment that adapted to the situation using the information from the battlefield network.

Although with the obstruction of communication nearby the Entrance, it could only be used in a limited time.

Even so, the recorded information was preserved in the server, by restoring that data, it was possible to reproduce the battlefield. The data that Kizuna currently showed was the situation when the two was just parting with Yurishia going to Los Angeles while Scarlet was going to Arizona.

“Yes……certainly, this looks like the data at that time when Yurishia tricked me. Though at that time I couldn’t obtain information due to the communication interference.”

Certainly the enemy force heading to Los Angeles was approaching without changing their advancing direction. However, there was no hint of enemy in Arizona at all, there was also no particular movement in the Entrance.

“The category-A……is not displayed?”

For a moment, she thought that this might be a fake, but this was the real data no matter how she saw it. With this data, then Yurishia too shouldn’t be able to imagine that enemies could possibly appear at Arizona.

“When Yurishia made Scarlet stand by, she didn’t know anything about the magic weapon attacking. And then, there is this communication recording.”

Kizuna operated his device and began replaying a sound file.

{This is Yurishia, the enemy in the urban area had been exterminated. I’m returning after this.}

{Yurishia? You are not together with Scarlet?}

{Eh? Yes. Just a little, I’m alone――}

{Return to the base urgently. An unidentified enemy appeared from the Entrance at Arizona, it is in the middle of invading towards the base. Scarlet and the reinforcement unit from other bases are in the middle of battle, but the enemy is just too strong. We cannot even contact them, we don’t know the situation. It’s possible they might have been annihilated already. Even if it’s just you, return to the ba――oi!}

The transmission was cut there.

“She violated the order and headed towards the powerful enemy which appeared for the first time with her exhausted body. It was for the sake of rescuing Scarlet. Certainly she is self-centered and self-righteous, and she doesn’t have any faith in other people’s strength, but she is by no means a girl who can use or sacrifice other people.”

Scarlet received a shock as if she had been hit by lightning.

――That’s right.

Certainly Yurishia wasn’t that kind of person.

Exactly because of that, she was shocked from being betrayed.

But if that was a misunderstanding, she felt like all her resentment to Yurishia, then all her hard work to death until she became the ace of Masters were denied. Scarlet was imprisoned in her thought that was going around in circles and became unable to move.

Yurishia who stayed quiet and listened opened her mouth. Scarlet returned to her senses from that voice.

“At that time……the enemy was invading into the downtown of Los Angeles. There were also a lot of small enemies, it was obvious that Scarlet’s missiles couldn’t deal with them. Far from that, there was the risk of stray shots inflicting damage to the city and people. If there were civilians that died from Scarlet’s weapon, I thought that Scarlet won’t be able to stand back up. That was why, I went there alone.”

“Yurishia……”

“But, of all things my lie that enemies appeared in Arizona for the sake of distancing Scarlet away really became the truth, I had never imagined that. But, it’s the fact that the result was that I monopolized all the achievements by myself. That’s why, all the things that Scarlet said is not mistaken. I made you into my stepping stone and grasped the seat of the super ace, that fact doesn’t change. Besides……”

With an apologetic expression, Yurishia looked at Kizuna’s direction.

“I’m not amazing or anything. All is just a simple coincidence. It’s also true how I am a liar.”

“Err……I……”

Yurishia smiled at the awkward Scarlet.

“That’s why I thought that it’s only natural for Scarlet to resent me. That’s why, I won’t make any justifications regarding that. Besides――”

Yurishia stared fixedly at Scarlet.

“Wha, what?”

“That spoiled Scarlet in the past has become this splendid now. There is some worth in being resented like this.”

Scarlet’s face turned red in a flash.

“Wha…..I, I wasn’t spoiled or anything! Don’t say something so irresponsible!”

“My? So you were not always sticking close behind me, going Yurishia-senpai, Yurishia-senpai every time I was speaking something?”

“Hee―……so Scarlet was like that in the past?”

“Wai-……Ki-, Kizuna! You must not believe it! Yurishia-sen……Yurishia is a liar after all!”

“My, I wonder which one is the liar? If you don’t become honest, then your breasts won’t grow bigger♪”

Yurishia grasped at Scarlet’s chest in a whoosh.

“KYAAAA, where are you touching! Pervert!”

“If you cannot do that perverted thing, give up on the Connective Hybrid.”

“Uu……”

“That’s right. It’s just a little bit more until the Connective Hybrid succeeds. Let’s do our best.”

“Wa, what are you smirking about like that! That, it’s not like I forgive Yurishia after all! Wait, are you listening? Both of, kyaaaa!”

Kizuna also got on the mat again and embraced Scarlet tightly from the back.

Her nerves were heightened and she returned to her senses, but she had just gone through Heart Hybrid. He was going to drive her to climax even faster than usu――,

“Uwaa!”

Dripping medicine was dribbled on his back.

“Oi, Yurishia. That startled me.”

When he turned around, Yurishia was putting the medicine on her breast. The liquid with highly transparent stickiness was flowing along the exposed breast and crawled down Yurishia’s body. Her state that was lacquering the viscous liquid on her body with both hands was giving off a really obscene atmosphere. The liquid coating Yurishia’s whole body granted glossy shine on Yurishia’s skin, her body that was gleaming from the lighting was very lewd.

“Now Kizuna. Accept me with your whole body okay?”

With a sexy look, Yurishia embraced Kizuna and pushed him down.

Yurishia’s body that was slimy with the viscous liquid was clinging tightly to Kizuna’s body that there was no gap between them. Yurishia’s voluptuous body that already felt soft even under normal circumstances was glued to him even closer thanks to the medicine. It even made him felt that it was as though they were connected into one.

Yurishia’s breast was pressed on Kizuna’s abs, sliding on top of Kizuna’s body in its crushed state. The slick liquid decreased the friction, granting him only the pleasure until it reached Kizuna’s head. The breast’s tip passed through Kizuna’s nose. It was largely pointed, with the beauty of its glossy color enhanced thanks to the viscous liquid. From the tip that was shining from light reflection, drops of liquid scattered in shining splash.

Yurishia’s breast once more grazed Kizuna’s mouth and keep going down until his chest where it stayed there pressed on him.

That was an unbearable pleasure.

It was not simply soft, the hard bud at the center was stimulating Kizuna’s body ticklishly. And then surely Yurishia herself was also feeling it. She knitted her eyebrows and endured the pleasure that resounded on her breast while sliding her body up and down.

“Hey, does it feels……hnn, good?”

Yurishia smiled at Kizuna while also restraining her gasping voice.

“Yeah, it’s obvious that it feels good if you do something like this.”

“Kizuna, I hate it that you forget about me here.”

Scarlet hugged at Kizuna’s arm. Her body was coated with the medicine similar to Yurishia, she was shining gleamingly. The highlight of her smooth body line was shining from the light reflection. Her expression was also changed to complete obscenity, perhaps due to Yurishia’s influence.

“Hamu……”

She licked the back of his hand and then sucked on his fingertips from there. Then now she pressed Kizuna’s arm on her breast and she slid her body. Each time she did that, painful sigh leaked out from her mouth.

That figure of hers, a girl who still didn’t know about a woman’s happiness becoming desperate in trying to obtain pleasure, looked sweet.

‘I too have to make her feel good.’

Kizuna rubbed thoroughly at Scarlet’s breast with his hand that she hugged.

“Aaa! Tha, that’s, amazing.”

He caressed around from her breast to her lovely navel, his palm was lowering down little by little.

“Ah……don’t, more than that, is no good.”

However even when she tried to close her legs, she didn’t even try to hold him back with her hand and let him to keep doing it.

“Hyaaaua……a, ah”

Kizuna’s fingertips touched her sensitive part. There he gently caressed as though treating something important. Each time Scarlet raised coquettish voice with her body convulsing. And then, Kizuna’s fingers that were drenched with the medicinal viscous liquid were replenished with a new liquid.

Scarlet half opened her mouth while looking up at the air with empty eyes. Crimson light was beginning to rise up from her body.

‘――Nice. Just a little more……uoou!?’

A fierce pleasure rushed from between his groin to his back.

“Fu-fu-fu, you will be shot down if you let your guard down★”

While he was attacking Scarlet, Yurishia was moving her body towards Kizuna’s legs. She embraced his foot, moved her whole body up and down and repeated movement that was stroking his leg. And then Yurishia’s hand was also granting similar stimulation to Kizuna himself.

‘Thi, this is bad. I’ve to fight back immediately!’

Kizuna raised his upper body and reached his hand to Yurishia’s breast.

“Aahn! Geez, don’t do that. Right now I’m making Kizuna feel goo…..dd-aaah!”

He pinched the pink sensitive part and lightly pulled. Yurishia couldn’t oppose that pleasure and her movement stopped. He switched their posture with that opening and leaned forward at Yurishia. He didn’t intend it, but he spread out Yurishia’s nether region and now he was in a posture that forced his way through between her legs.

‘This, this posture…….’

With a bewitched expression, Yurishia raised a desiring voice. “Kizuna……something strange in me……it’s unbearable. The inside of my body is itching, it won’t settle down. More……I want to feel Kizuna close……”

Yurishia lifted her waist. And then golden light overflowed with her abdomen as the center.

“Yurishi――ukuh!”

Scarlet came licking all over Kizuna’s side. And then her hands circled at Kizuna’s front from behind, and grasped at his important thing.

When he was attacking one person, he got attacked by the other person. Even while he was talking, the other person was giving his body pleasure mercilessly. He couldn’t see even a little bit of opening or negligence.

“O, oi, Scarle-――kuh”

“Ehehe, the weak point of a boy. I completely understand.”

Scarlet showed a smile that was like a little devil. That smile was so inflammatory that he couldn’t think of her as the same character with the girl who didn’t know anything of this just before.

Yurishia also raised her body and smiled obscenely. Her breathing was rough and her body was convulsing in small shivers.

“Hey……we too, are already at the limit……it’s unfortunate, however if we are touched by Kizuna even by just a little bit more, we are going to……come over to the other side of the limit.”

Yurishia and Scarlet, and then Kizuna too were generating light particles from their body. Those particles were caught on the viscous liquid, mixing the three kinds of light.

Yurishia and Scarlet were lining side by side in front of Kizuna.

“The last switch, to realize the Connective Hybrid……”

Yurishia embraced Scarlet’s shoulder. Scarlet too rubbed her body at Yurishia, like a dog that became emotionally attached. Yurishia whispered something into her ear and Scarlet nodded with an erotic smile.

Yurishia and Scarlet lifted their breast with both their hands and smiled.

“See. Which one will you choose? Both of them come with recommendation you know♥”

The two beauties were directing their breast at him, presenting it to him side by side.

The overwhelmingly voluptuousness and softness that granted ultimate healing of Yurishia. Beautiful silhouette with moderate size. The superb sensation of touching where there was the firmness inside the softness of Scarlet.

‘――There are these wonderful objects lined up before my eyes, what should I do?

Yurishia? Or Scarlet?

Don’t be impatient.

Think calmly.

――This is Connective Hybrid. Choice like choosing which one doesn’t exist!’

“Kyaa!?”

Kizuna circled his hands to the back of the two and got them closer as though to join the body of the two together. And then, the breasts of the two drew near and the pink summit touched each other.

Those two summits were put into his mouth at the same time, and he sucked.

Sweet numbness ran through the two bodies of Yurishia and Scarlet. It felt like a short circuit which would block the pleasure was going to occur at the nerves that were in the tips of the breasts from the intense stimulation.

Despite so, even more stimulation was granted inside Kizuna’s mouth. He bit lightly with his teeth and poked at the depression of the pointed end with his tongue. And then he crawled his tongue at the whole surface and flicked the pointed end with the tip of his tongue.

“Hah, ahaaah, a! AAAA-!”

The two’s bodies were convulsing, tears spilled down from their eyes due to too much pleasure.

Kizuna then sucked with all his might as if giving the finishing blow.

And then finally, the two sensitive sense organs broke through the limit.

“HIiuU-U-U-UNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!”

“FyaAAAaA-A-A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

At the same time with that, particles of light were generated from the body of the three explosively. The surge of light overflowed inside the train coach and coiled around their bodies once again. It stirred the liquid wrapping their bodies, mixed, and then absorbed into their body. The viscous liquid that contained medicine evaporated at the same time with that happening.

Kizuna sensed the three colors of light particles mixing inside his body and fused. That was a sensation like something which had never been inside himself was now existing in his body.

“This is……Connective Hybrid.”

“Do……does it, succeed?”

Yurishia raised her voice looking at the light wrapping her body.

“I also…..completed it.”

Scarlet whispered dazedly.

“Aah, both of you have worked hard.”

Kizuna spread his hands and embraced Yurishia and Scarlet at the same time. He caressed their heads respectively with his right and left hands and slid his hands through their hair as though scooping them up. Particles of light flicked off from the tips of their hair and danced in the air.

“Yurishia, Scarlet, can you do it?”

“Fufu, of course. I received a lot of energy from Kizuna.”

“I’m OK anytime. I feel like that I won’t lose to anyone if it’s now!”

Kizuna stood up and took out pilot suits from the closet inside the coach.

“Both of you, wear these pilot suits.”

He handed over the pilot suits to Yurishia and Scarlet and then began to wear one himself.

“Ye, yes……but, they are really prepared that there is also my suit here.”

“Yeah. That’s because it had been arranged. We are going! Eros!!”

Kizuna’s body was enveloped in pink light. The light compressed and converted into black armor. A jet black armor with beautiful luster. A gear that contained all color, and so wasn’t of any color. The black Heart Hybrid Gear [Eros] was fixed on Kizuna’s body.

“We are also going. Cross!”

“Roger! Ares!”

On Yurishia’s body was blue fuselage with golden light, the Heart Hybrid Gear [Cross] which even gave off an elegant impression, and then on Scarlet’s body was the white fuselage with crimson luminescence, the vibrant [Ares] was equipped.

However, their shapes were slightly different from what they were used to seeing until now. Armor was attached on Cross’s arms which increased its defensive power, and then the armor at its legs were also enlarged. And then above all, its Differential Frame was greatly reinforced. Its output was increased with its enlargement, the caliber of its particle cannon was also magnified, its destructive power was also raised. And then, its impression was also changed into sharp design, its silhouette was also changed like wings shape.

Ares also had its missile unit on its back enlarged, its fire power was drastically increased.

“Amazing! So this is the power of Connective Hybrid!”

“Yeah, let’s quickly go out to the surface. We will fly following the line of the subway and get out to the surface in the next station.”

Following Kizuna’s instruction, the three managed to go out to the surface from the station entrance few hundred meters ahead. And then they climbed high to the sky in one go.

“Then, the enemy! Where……in the world, are they?”

Scarlet yelled vigorously, but she soon noticed that the situation was strange.

“The battle……is not happening?”

“Hey, Kizuna. As I thought, this is――”

Yurishia glared fixedly at Kizuna, at that time a communication from Reiri came in.

{Kizuna, looks like you succeeded.}

“Yeah, just as promised Nee-chan. With this the surprise attack plan is a go!”

{Yeah. The other members are all standing by. You can depart anytime.}

As though those words became the signal, they could see Heart Hybrid Gears ascending from various places of Ataraxia.

Scarlet pressed a question at Kizuna with a severe expression.

“Kizuna! So you tricked us?”

“Yeah. I felt bad, but it was an emergency situation. There was a need to make you two do Connective Hybrid. Of course, I’ll accept all of your grievances.”

Just when Scarlet was inhaling air to start rattling on, Yurishia interjected with her words.

“Just as I thought. Well, I had guessed this though.”

“――Eh? Wha, what do you mean?”

“You still asked? It was already strange right from the start don’t you think? It’s not like Kizuna for him to suddenly invite us to date, it was also too forceful of him to make me and Scarlet bumped heads no matter how you see it. The empty station even though today is a weekday. There was also no one at the platform. And it was also strange for a train without anyone on it to come, most of all, when the enemy came attacking, there was that kind of coach connected on the train so conveniently, even that was strange. In the first place, will a new equipment be connected to the coach of a train to be transported? Even Scarlet noticed that much right?”

Scarlet’s eyes swam around.

“Hee!? O, o, obviously! I knew already, just that much.”

“Then, you don’t really need to get angry don’t you? If you don’t even have the leeway to be considerate for Kizuna’s mental state which was that desperate, you won’t be able to become a good woman you know?”

“Gu……u, I, I got it already. It’s not like, I plan to get that angry anyway……”

Yurishia suddenly approached Kizuna.

“But, this was really forceful for Kizuna wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s because we want to launch a surprise attack before we are attacked by the enemy.”

Yurishia’s lips got near Kizuna’s ear.

“Is that for Aine’s sake? Or else……is it because it’s true, that my Cross is using my life as energy?”

‘――Wha-!’

Kizuna forgot to breath from the really great shock.

“Yurishia, how can you know tha――”

Yurishia touched Kizuna’s lips with her index finger.

“No, it’s fine even if you don’t say it either way.”

“Yurishia……”

“Rather than that, those mobsextras are finally coming here you know?”

Amaterasu and Masters which ascended to the sky finally arrived at the side of Kizuna and the others.

Aine and Himekawa of Amaterasu. From Masters were the battle power addition Clementine and Sharon.

“Yurishia-san, Scarlet-san……those Heart Hybrid Gears! Don’t tell me, you two succeeded in Connective Hybrid?”

Himekawa asked with fully round eyes.

“Exactly! With this the countermeasure for Gravel is complete! Leave everything to us next!”

Clementine raised a voice of admiration towards Scarlet who was throwing out her chest proudly.

“Scarlet, this is a surprise. I never thought, that the Heart Hybrid Gear can really be remodeled like this.”

However Sharon faced Scarlet with a chilly gaze.

“……You did erotic things.”

“Ju, ju, just shut up-!”

Kizuna faced everyone and spoke.

“Everyone listen to me. This is sudden, but today Amaterasu and Masters will seal the Entrance at Okinawa with this mixed team. After that, we are going to repel the enemy of the AU stationed at Okinawa.”

“It’s certainly so sudden. What about the details of the operation?”

“I’ll explain while we head to Okinawa. Each of you is to download the outline of the operation and the manual of the sealing system of the Entrance. Then, we are going!”

After saying that, Kizuna spurred Eros’s thruster and headed to the north sky. The other gears were also following after him.

Scarlet lined besides Yurishia while flying.

“He, hey, Yurishia.”

“What? Is something the matter?”

Scarlet seemed to be really lost. But, she opened her mouth in resolve.

“Look. I’m reluctant but, if Yurishia say that you want it at all cost then……I’m okay giving you the spot as Masters’s leader.”

Yurishia shook her head with a wry smile.

“What are you saying? The leader of Masters is you right, Scarlet?”

“But……”

“Have confidence. Besides, right now……”

Yurishia shifted her eyes to the figures of Kizuna, Himekawa and Aine flying in formation.

“I am Yurishia Farandole of Amaterasu.”

Part 3

Naha of Okinawa. The Shuri Castle that was once the castle of Ryukyu Kingdom had now become a castle of Vatlantis Empire.

Surrounded by thick and solidly built stone wall, the buildings were built in the hybrid style of Japan and China. A temporary fortress of AU which was lined up with those buildings was giving off distinctiveness. A gothic-style construction with dome shape that stood at the height of fifty meter was built from white half-transparent stone as the material, making it look like transparent glass, several thin and slender spires were standing in line from the building.

That castle was constructed in Vatlantis and carried here with an aircraft carrier to be established. Right now it was used as Gravel’s castle in Okinawa. Aldea was sitting at the window of that castle’s office.

“Hey, Gravel. I can see something changing.”

Gravel whose eyes were going through the documents piled on the table raised her face.

“What’s the matter, Aldea?”

“The Entrance is vanishing.”

“Whatt?”

Gravel stood up and moved until Aldea’s side, she then gazed outside. She could see the Entrance that was for the sake of coming and going to Vatlantis disappearing from its edge. And then, it soon disappeared without trace.

“Before this there was also an Entrance that vanished. Is this the same phenomenon with that time?”

“Perhaps……like this we cannot return back to Vatlantis can we?”

Gravel went to the window at the opposite side of the room and opened the curtain vigorously.

She could see from the distance, the figures of the magic weapons deployed on the harbor across the city of Naha, the Vikings currently exploding and falling down.

“Gravel, is that……don’t tell me, enemy attack!?”

“They finally came. Let’s go, we are welcoming them.”

Gravel exited the room with a fast pace and rushed down the stairs. When she threw open the large door of the entrance and came outside, there was the wide garden surrounding the castle buildings there. At that garden, four Albatrosses guarding the castle should be standing by.

“This is……”

At the plaza of red and white striped pattern, fragments of light were raining down. On the red colored path stretching straight from the plaza’s center, a white figure was standing.

Looking at that figure, Gravel smiled in satisfaction.

“Aine-dono, I have waited for you.”

It was Chidorigafuchi Aine, clad in the white Heart Hybrid Gear [Zeros].

“You said your name is Gravel right? There is something I want to ask you.”

“By all means.”

Aldea with a vigilant look was standing by behind Gravel. She was overflowing with the tenseness that if something happened, she could enter combat readiness at anytime.

“Why are you two trying to take me away? Is your objective Zeros’s Core?”

“That’s one of our objectives. But, we are also interested in you yourself.”

“What are you saying I am?”

“Silver hair and red eyes. And then, Zeros, which resides inside that body……you are――”

Loud noise and shockwave suddenly occurred. An explosion occurred in front of Gravel and Aldea, raising up fierce flame explosion. The cluster of flame spread and crimson flame rushed through the plaza.

{Aine! You okay?}

A communication window opened which projected Yurishia. When Aine looked up to the sky, she could see Yurishia and Scarlet flying here. Kizuna’s figure was also there behind them.

“……If I have to say, Scarlet’s missile was what dangerous to me just now. It’s troubling how rough an American person is.”

Aine talked to Scarlet inside the communication window while her body was protected from the flame by the Life Saver.

Kizuna descended down from the sky in front of Aine’s eyes.

“I’m also troubled here with your order violation though. Even though you are supposed to stand by at the rear, you rushed to this kind of place alone, what are you trying to do?”

“That’s……I was a little bothered by something. Rather than that, what about Gravel and Aldea? They aren’t supposed to be opponents that can be defeated just with this much.”

Warning display blinked at Aine’s sensor window.

“Above!?”

When they looked up, there were two figures in the sky. One emitted green light, it was Aldea’s [Zeel]. The other one was emitting orange light, it was Gravel’s [Zoros].

A transmission came from Scarlet that was standing by in slightly far high altitude.

{Kizuna, leave fighting those two to this me!}

{We are going to pay back the debt from before. Kizuna and others protect the sealing system of the Entrance. It will be a little troublesome if enemy reinforcements come.}

When he looked, Albatrosses were approaching the place where the Entrance previously materialized. Around that place was where Yurishia and others set up the sealing system just now.

“Got it. Aine and I will protect the Entrance sealing system. We will leave this place to you!”

Kizuna and Aine kicked the ground towards the sky, they headed to the sealing system. Gravel immediately sensed their movement.

“We are chasing them, Aldea.”

However Yurishia and Scarlet stood in their way.

“Scarlet!”

“Roger!”

The missile units folded on Scarlet’s back deployed like spreading wings.

“Fire!”

Several dozens of missiles fired all at once. They were flying towards Gravel and Aldea while pulling white smoke behind them. The moment they approached near, the missiles emitted dazzling flash, and then with explosive sound that could tear the eardrum, they produced a shockwave that shook the body. Explosive flames that were spreading in circle piled up in layers, blocking Gravel and Aldea from view.

From inside those flames, green and orange streaks of light flew out. Flames of explosion were occurring in succession as though chasing behind them.

“Not yet, not yet! The second wave is coming up!”

From Scarlet’s Ares, missiles were fired once more. If it was normally, she would be already run out of ammo from a while ago. But thanks to the Connective Hybrid, the amount of ammunition she could possibly carry was exceptionally increased. Gravel was shooting down the pursuing missiles with her particle cannon, but the number was a lot and the speed was fast, so she was having difficulty dealing with the missiles.

“This time the number is a lot!”

“Besides, the shockwave is stronger than before-. It’s dangerous if we don’t properly dodge!”

Aldea was also blocking the missiles with her shields, but if she couldn’t take distance then the explosion’s destructive power would inflict damage to her. At the sky of Okinawa, missiles’ explosions opened at succession, amidst it two lights were meandering and twisting in hardship.

Ares’s missile units suddenly became quiet. Heat was ejected from the firing entrance, creating flickering haze.

“Chih, all missiles fired. I’m entering replenishment now Yurishia!”

“Leave it to me!”

Yurishia withdrew particle rifles with both her hands, she also further aimed the muzzle of the Differential Frame to Gravel and Aldea.

“Now, this time I’ll have you two dancing with my bombardment.”

Her Differential Frame was enlarged larger than before, its caliber was also increased. Particles of light was absorbed into the muzzle, amassing energy for the shooting.

“Scatter!”

Together with Yurishia’s yell, the filled up energy was liberated. Ring of light spread from the muzzle, golden light ran through its center.

“Labyrinth Cube!”

Aldea formed a cube shape with her six shields and slid them in front of Gravel.

The violent light was bounced in front of the shield. The golden bombardment was absorbed by the Labyrinth Cube. The absorbed light was ejected from various surfaces and disappeared beyond the sky.

“As expected, it doesn’t seem like we can make a solid hit with conventional weapon……”

Golden light ran across Yurishia’s eyes.

“The corrupting destruction power sleeping inside me. And then, the weapon possessing brutality. Right now is the time for you to exhibit your power――come out.”

When Yurishia stretched out both her hands forward, several layers of rings of light were spreading, a pattern like a magic circle appeared. She spread her palms and obtained something inside her hands. And then, she grasped an unseen something. From the space where there was nothing, it felt like she could pull out something.

And then, from the pattern that looked like a magic circle, a thick, long tube showed its appearance.

It also looked like the barrel of a cannon, but the figure of its whole body hadn’t really appeared. And then, the tip that finally appeared wasn’t a cannon muzzle.

It was not a cannon.

At the tip wasn’t a muzzle to shot bullets, the tip was narrowed down and sharply tapering to a point. It was a terrifyingly huge nail. With a diameter of 30 centimeter, and length that could even reach one meter from what could be seen.

That figure filled with cold and callous radiance looked like a huge monument that proclaimed massacre and destruction. The length of the whole weapon was nearly three meters. The base of the extremely thick nail was covered by an even thicker steel tube, the whole shape of the nail couldn’t be seen. The part behind it even looked similar to Gravel’s gunsword, a large cylinder. And then the main frame was largely protruding out at the top and bottom, the whole volume was forming a cross shape.

That was Cross’s Corruption Armament, [Ruin CruciformCrosshead].

The instant Yurishia held Crosshead in her hand, all the spec of this Corruption Armament was flowing into Yurishia’s brain.

“I see now……it crooked the space with the nail, there the particle cannon will strike from zero distance along with shockwave, that’s how this work. It’s really a nasty piece of weaponry.”

Scarlet’s eyes shined when she came beside Yurishia.

“Amazing! So this is the so called Corruption Armament. If we use this then even those bunches――”

Cold sweat flowed down Yurishia’s cheek.

“Unfortunately, it looks like it cannot go that easily. The range of this thing is only one meter.”

“Haa!? The weapon of the long range specialist Yurishia is!? Just what’s the meaning of this!”

“It’s useless unless I approached the enemy. But, I’ll win as long as it can just hit. The problem is, how to stop the enemy’s movement……”

Scarlet smiled proudly and opened the lid of her missile pods. Inside were packed fully with the newly created missiles.

“Scarlet!?”

“Ehehe, the ammunition creation speed is also in a different level! I will stop those bunches movement, so decide this in one shot!”

Yurishia’s face that was taken aback for a moment turned into a daring smile.

“Obviously. For something like chance, even just once is enough!”

Yurishia readied Crosshead and changed the propulsive power from the Differential Frame to the maximum. At the same time, large amount of missiles flew out from Scarlet’s Ares.

“You two can eat a cage of flame and explosion!”

Missile explosions occurred one after another around Gravel and Aldea. Aldea was moving her six shields all over the place without stopping, Gravel was shooting down the missiles with her particle cannon, but the number was just too much. The movements of the two were completely stopped.

“Yurishia! GO AHEAD!”

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

The Differential Frame spouted flames. Holding the huge Corruption Armament, Yurishia flew in a straight line.

Inside the repeated explosion, Aldea faced Gravel and yelled.

“Gravel! I cannot hold out more than this!”

Gravel’s mouth slackened.

“To grow this much in such a short time. Just what kind of magic are they using――”

Gravel endured the impact of the explosions while loading her gunsword with a large bullet.

“Here we go Bullet!”

From the tip of Gravel’s gunsword, fierce light surged towards Yurishia. The bombardment of light rushed through the sky in order to exterminate Yurishia.

The bombardment hit Yurishia. However, the Crosshead that Yurishia raised crooked the space at its tip, flicking off Gravel’s Bullet to four directions.

“What the!?”

Gravel’s face distorted in shock.

Aldea lifted her Labyrinth Cube to the front between Gravel and Crosshead.

The Labyrinth Cube and Crosshead collided, space distorted along with a fierce shockwave. The ability of Labyrinth Cube that freely controlled the vector of enemy attack with space distortion was negating each other with Crosshead’s space crooking.

“Aldea!? Don’t force yourself!”

“Just this much is not a big deal, rather than that, use this chance――”

Yurishia pulled the trigger at her hand.

“Drive!!”

The ammunition inside the cartridge burst. That explosive power was changed into piercing power, the steel nail was shooting into Aldea’s shield while scattering sparks. Crosshead shook from the shooting’s impact, heat and light particle surged out from the ejection entrance.

The huge nail pierced into the shield of Labyrinth Cube.

Aldea’s eyes shook from shock.

The shield that was supposed to bounce back any kind of attack broke apart.

But, it didn’t end with just that.

At the same time with the shooting of the nail, a quantity of particles that rivaled a super large particle cannon was fired.

“HAGUHAAAAAAA-!”

All six shields that composed the Labyrinth Cube were blown away into pieces. And then the might of that particle cannon pierced Aldea’s body, it reached even until Gravel’s back.

Explosion of light and flame occurred.

“-……-!”

From inside the flame explosion, the bodies of Aldea who lost her strength and Gravel were falling down. Both of their bodies fell to the road, the glass of the buildings that faced the road broke from that impact, raising up dust smoke. Small explosion and static electricity sprang forth, the nearby toppled cars caught fire and raised explosions.

Looking at that situation, Scarlet raised a voice of joy.

“We did it! We did it, Yurishia!”

Each parts of Crosshead opened, it was performing ventilation audibly. Heat haze was raising from its whole frame, it could be understood that it was expelling amazing heat.

Yurishia shook her head and brushed off her hair, then she lowered down her cannon barrel.

“Yes, with this we accomplished the vindication of our honor. I just don’t match with a habit of keep losing.”

Scarlet was staring at Yurishia radiantly.

“As expected from Yurishia. You pulled off something that looked impossible so easily.”

“My, what are you saying? This is something achieved by the both of us, you and me right?”

“Eh?”

“This is something impossible for me alone. So throw out your chest proudly.”

“Ye, yes……but. In reality, the one that defeated them was Yurishia.”

Yurishia cancelled her Corruption Armament. Crosshead turned into particles of light that were carried away by the wind.

“You see, I was almost killed before this. Furthermore, it was by that Dragre.”

Scarlet’s eyes opened wide.

“That, for someone as strong as Yurishia, how……”

“I didn’t have enough Hybrid Count, to the degree that I couldn’t even equip Cross. Until that time I had never felt the sensation of death creeping on me. No matter what the situation, no matter against any kind of enemy, I had never lost my composure. However, that time was different. I was really prepared that it was my last.”

Yurishia directed her face to the direction of a mountain, where the Entrance was at.

“At that time there was a person that came to save me. He was laughably weak, ignorant, powerless, without even any experience. He was exactly a person that could be called incompetent.”

‘――That’s……somehow, I also have an idea of someone like that.’

Scarlet too was staring at the same direction as Yurishia with moist eyes.

“But, I was saved by someone like that. Since then, my mood keeps going crazy. Things like my sense of values, my way of thinking, they became not really comprehensible.”

Scarlet peered into Yurishia’s face from the side. Yurishia’s eyes were the eyes of a girl in love.

“That’s why, I’m thinking to try trusting people right now. I still cannot really do it though. Even in someone that I think as not having ability, in actuality that person might have something that I cannot do――”

“Fufufu.”

“Is something the matter, Scarlet?”

“No. I’m just thinking that I might be similar to Yurishia only in that kind of aspect.”

? sign floated above Yurishia’s head and she tilted her head.

“Nevertheless, to remodel even as far as Yurishia’s heart……Eros is really terrifying.”

“What’s with that? If you have something to say, then say it clearly.”

“Nope, nothing. It’s just, I think that I’ve made a new target to compete over with Yurishia.”

“What’s with that?”

At that time, the complexion of the smiling Scarlet changed.

“Yurishia!”

Inside the rising dust cloud, orange light was shining. From inside the gradually clearing smoke, a human silhouette appeared. Cheek that was dirtied by soot. Dragging along armor with cracks entering it that even now it looked like it was going to crumble down, Gravel showed her appearance. In her arms, she was carrying Aldea who wasn’t making a single movement.

Yurishia’s back trembled.

“That’s……how can she not fall from that?”

Gravel laid down Aldea at the base of a roadside tree, then she looked up at Yurishia.

“I thought that I mustn’t use this in Lemuria, but now I cannot say that. I’ll face you with all my power.”

Gravel made a symbolic gesture with her left hand and concentrated her mind. Thereupon, light particles floated from Gravel’s body. The orange particles that displayed beautiful radiance were drifting in the air. And then when she waved her left hand to the side, a magic circle appeared as though following her hand.

Gravel plunged her right hand into the magic circle. And then she grasped something and pulled it out.

“That’s!?”

She was gripping something like a sword handle. The magic circle was gradually separating from Gravel, making its true identity clear.

Orange light ran through Gravel’s eyes. She lightly brandished the new weapon in her hand.

“This is, my true weapon [Gunsword Unconventional WheelSword Gatling]!”

To call that as gunsword was imposing, heavy, and brutal. It had six large caliber barrels, lined up in round shape. At the inside of that circle, a cross shaped sword with a form like the tip of a plus screwdriver was emitting dull light.

Sweat was flowing down Yurishia’s cheek.

‘――That way of materializing just now, that imposing shape, don’t tell me that’s also a Corruption Armament?’

“Wha, what are we going to do? The Corruption Armament? You have to take it out once more!”

“No good. Either way, I don’t have anymore energy.”

“The, then……what to do?”

Gravel prepared her Sword Gatling. Light particles were absorbed into the dark gun muzzles one after another, it was charging the energy for a bombardment.

“We can do nothing as we are now.”

“That’s-!”

Gravel pulled the trigger of the Sword Gatling. It emitted an intense light, from the six gun muzzles and the cross sword, full charged bombardment was fired all at once.

It was a bombardment that would erase even Heart Hybrid Gear if it hit directly. Such thing approached in front of the two instantly and impacted. Terrific explosion sound and undulating light were spreading to the sky.

However, the impact and also pain hadn’t reached Yurishia and Scarlet’s bodies yet.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!”

Kizuna was standing in the way in front of Yurishia and Scarlet.

“Kizuna!?”

Kizuna was deploying Life Saver, but even now it looked like it would be breaking.

Yurishia wasted no time putting her hand to the front, overlapping her Life Saver with Kizuna’s in one more layer.

“Scarlet!”

Scarlet too reacted to the voice calling her. The total of three Life Savers were blocking the Sword Gatling’s full power bombardment.

Even so they couldn’t block the bombardment of the Sword Gatling.

“UWAAAAAA-!”

The view in front of their eyes became pure white and they couldn’t see anything.

The three layers of Life Saver broke apart, the impact blown off the bodies of all three of them. The three bodies plunged through a building with the momentum of being thrown, they destroyed the roof of private houses and crashed to the ground.

“Kuh! E, everyone, are you safe!?”

Yurishia and Scarlet lost consciousness inside rubble. Kizuna opened his floating window and sent a communication to Himekawa that was dealing with the battleship at the harbor.

“This is Kizuna! Himekawa? Yurishia and Scarlet are fainting in my current position. Come here to recover them on the double!”

{Ha? What is the situation there? Kizuna-kun, what are you doing?}

He tried to explain, but he could see Gravel’s figure coming down here. He cut the communication and confronted Gravel.

“You are the young man wearing the magic armor before this……I don’t have any business with powerless fellows like you. Get back if you don’t want to die.”

Kizuna sent a glance at the fainting Yurishia and Scarlet.

‘――I got to pull apart Gravel from this place first. If it’s Himekawa, she will undoubtedly follow my intention.’

“I don’t want to die, but there is something I want to talk. I have two things I want to ask. Do you know of a human called Hida Nayuta?”

“Who knows. I also don’t have any obligation to answer.”

Gravel readied her Sword Gatling and pointed the tip at Kizuna.

“The second one. Why are you trying to take Aine away?”

Gravel’s expression changed.

“I should have said already that I don’t have any obligation to answer.”

The Sword Gatling began to rotate at high speed.

‘――This woman is really dangerous. However――,’

“Mode Cross!”

Due to the Connective Hybrid, Eros obtained the same effect like with Climax Hybrid. Eros’s luminescence changed into golden color, the ability of Yurishia’s Cross now resided in Kizuna’s Heart Hybrid Gear.

“Come, Gravel! Let’s have a match one more time!”

He kicked the ground and ignited his thruster. Kizuna’s body flew as if sliding through the main street, after that Gravel came chasing him.

‘――Nice, it’s going well.’

However the Sword Gatling was rotating, bullets of light were firing in succession from its tips. Those bullets were blowing away traffic lights and opened holes in the buildings. As though they were chasing after Kizuna, holes were opened in the street. Concrete was burst open, and fragments of glass scattered everywhere. Exactly like the name said, rapid firing that was like a gatling cannon was destroying the city.

‘Shit-! It’s not as powerful as the charged shot from before, but the city is going to be full of holes like this. Besides, I’m going to get shot down at this rate.’

Kizuna made a sudden turn of direction at a forked road and took a distance of one block from Gravel.

‘She should come from above――!?’

Kizuna’s expectation was betrayed, he received cannon bullets that were like rain right from the side. It was like the building separating them was utterly irrelevant, the Sword Gatling was rapidly firing at him. Concrete and steel frame were smashed like jokes and bullets came flying towards Kizuna.

‘Damn it, what should I……wait?

That time I did Climax Hybrid with Himekawa……I could create a sword to use. Something, like that?’

Kizuna stopped his movement at an intersection, he was facing Gravel that appeared at the other end of the street.

“Have you resigned yourselves, young man?”

“My name is Kizuna. Also, what I decided is not resignation, it’s resolve.”

“What?”

‘It’s pointless if it’s Eros’s standard equipment.

What I need is a firepower that can win against that Gravel’s weapon.

Gun, rifle, artillery, rapid fire cannon, missile, railgun, particle cannon, Differential Frame,’

“I want them!”

The instant he shouted so, a change was born in Eros’s armor.

“Wha-……what the hell?”

Gravel doubted her eyes.

From Kizuna’s behind, an artillery appeared. It looked like something folded up on his back, but it looked natural deployed like that. Next a railgun appeared, then it was a particle cannon next, and then a Differential Frame.

Gravel received a shock looking at how weapons were born from Kizuna’s Eros.

“I, impossible-……!”

Just where were all those things got loaded inside that thin armor, she wondered. Shape changing and compression……no, this surpassed such boundary. Then, Corruption Armament? Such thing was exactly impossible!

Eros that didn’t have any weapon at all was transforming into a cluster of heavy weaponry.

“Are you saying that you are shouldering a single force on your back!”

Gravel’s Sword Gatling began to rotate.

“Go! Sword Gatling!”

Bullets where each single one could rival the Bullet were fired in rapid succession.

Each time the bullets impacted on Kizuna’s surrounding, depression occurred on the street. The buildings around them were blown away, fire was spreading everywhere.

“I’M ALSO GOING HEREEEEEEEEE!”

The mountain of heavy weapons waiting on Kizuna’s back spouted fires all at once.

A tremendous bombardment battle was unfolding.

There was no tactic or anything.

They were just merely, simply, shooting at each other with all their strength, it was a battle that was like a childish squabble.

In the blink of an eye, their surroundings were transformed into a burnt field.

The Life Saver unfolded in front of Kizuna began to creak. He stretched his hand forward and supported it.

“Shit! I’m getting pushed back!”

‘Not yet, it’s still not enough.

More,

Give me more firepower!

For example, right. The missile barrage that Scarlet’s Ares has. I want that!’

At that moment, something rushed through Kizuna’s mind.

And then, words were naturally spun and came out from his mouth.

“Hybrid Mode!!”

Particles of light rushed around inside Kizuna. The ability obtained from the Connective Hybrid was dragging out that radiance. And then, reconstruction. On Kizuna’s back, the huge missile units equipped on Ares were created one after another, building a towering defensive wall of weapon.

“Wha-, still……it’s still increasing!?”

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The large missiles that were fired all at once exploded all around Gravel. Shockwave threatened Gravel’s Life Saver. And then, the Differential Frame at full power fired the large caliber particle cannon.

Sweat flowed down Gravel’s cheek.

‘――No good. The material’s amount is just too different! I’ll be pressed down at this rate!’

She could easily defeat him with a single shot of charged Sword Gatling. However, if she stopped her bombardment even just for a second, she would be done in at that instant!

Shivers ran across Gravel’s back.

‘What’s this, emotion?

――Terror?’

“Terror? This me?”

Gravel looked at the figure of the black magic armor across the bombardment that filled her sight.

Her instinct as a soldier told her, that thing was dangerous.

“SHIT-! DON’T UNDERESTIMATE MEEEEE!”

Gravel ignited her thruster.

‘At this rate I will lose. But, the enemy has nothing but artillery as his weapon. If I can get near and cut him down with Sword Gatling, it will be my victory! Even if my magic armor breaks, or my body is torn open, who cares about that!’

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Gravel raised a roar.

Kizuna’s instincts let out danger signal at the approaching enemy.

‘――She is coming.

If that sword reached, I’m dead.

If I can shot her down before that I’ll win――but,’

The hair on Kizuna’s whole body was standing on end.

‘No, that woman is coming.

Even if she die, even if her heart stopped, her soul will send that sword until it reach me.

I don’t have weapon for close range.

Weapon that can compete with that sword physically――’

“Kizuna-kun!”

‘――Himekawa?’

Himekawa finally arrived after hearing that communication before.

Gravel was approaching close.

She was moving in defiance of bullets and particle cannons.

Gravel’s naked blade was approaching.

‘I don’t――no,

I have.

A sword that can match the enemy.’

Kizuna raised the index finger of the hand that was supporting the Life Saver, and dropped it down.

This time Himekawa had no hesitation.

“Blade!!”

Himekawa’s Blade flew out.

Sword Gatling’s bombardment opened a hole in his Life Saver.

The bombardment grazed Kizuna’s cheek.

Himekawa’s concentration was raised to the limit.

The Blade went with its fastest, its most accurate until now, toward that person’s location.

Gravel came until the distance of five meters from him.

The terrific bombardment looked like a wall of light.

Sword Gatling’s tip was approaching.

The Life Saver of the two broke.

Impact hit the armor.

The Blade ran past Kizuna’s side from behind.

Sword Gatling was swung down, trying to hit down the Blade.

Kizuna’s fingers grasped the Blade.

Sword Gatling’s strike cut empty air.

A flash traveled.

Sparks scattered.

Kizuna swung Blade like a sword. The blade of the Blade was driven into the side of the Sword Gatling that swung at empty air.

“!?”

“UORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!”

Particles of light ran through Blade’s blade.

Blade’s blade bisected the Sword Gatling. The Blade cut down each barrel one by one, as if cutting butter.

And then, that slash also struck Gravel’s magic armor.

The bombardment stopped.

Gravel’s Sword Gatling was already not even a gun or a sword. The barrels that inflicted the bombardment and also the sword fell to the ground.

The half-destroyed magic armor too, now it was unable to become an armor that protected the body.

“This, is……”

Gravel’s body was pitching forward as though she had used up all her strength.

“Kizuna-kun! Are you okay!?”

Himekawa landed beside Kizuna.

Kizuna couldn’t even answer, he fell on his side at the ground. The additional weapons that he created like a mountain became particles of light and vanished.

“I’m, fine. Rather than that……Yurishia and Scarlet?”

“I left them to two of the Masters. We had also suppressed the enemy, we thought that there is no need to protect the sealing system, so I went here……”

“Is that so……you saved me thanks to that.”

“And, what about this Gravel and Aldea?”

“If they are still alive……we have various things we want to ask them. We should take them prisoner. Although, handling them seems like it will be tiring.”

“Yes. They are precious source of information. I’ll quickly refrain――”

A bullet hit the reached out hand of Himekawa.

“Ugh-!”

“Himekawa-!?”

Enemy!

Kizuna covered over Himekawa and looked around the area.

Ahead of the intersection, there was a shadow of a person. Kizuna doubted his eyes of what he saw.

“……Why?”

The one who stood there, was Brigit of Masters that was supposed to be recuperating in hospital.

“You are the one that attacked us!? Why did you do that?”

Brigit smiled sweetly.

“Why, that’s obvious. The order that I received is to exterminate the enemy. It’s unthinkable taking the enemy as prisoner. If we don’t defeat them when we actually can, we will only regret it later.”

There was not her usual smile on Birgit’s face. She was expressionless like a Noh mask. Her tone was also not the calm one like usual.

‘――This girl, is she really that Brigit?’

Brigit had one of her legs and one of her arms fixed with plaster cast. Her Heart Hybrid Gear was also not covering just those parts. She dragged that impaired body and reached besides Gravel.

“It’s hard to aim with one hand, but it’s an easy target if it is this near.”

“Wait! We don’t know anything about the AU. These guys will become precious source of information! That……I know that you resent Gravel, but now――”

Spark scattered on Kizuna’s chest.

“GUWAA!”

“Ki, Kizuna-kun-!”

His chest armor broke. Himekawa worriedly peered at Kizuna’s face.

“Resentment? I’m just fulfilling my duty. The humiliation that I received……the wound that my body received……why, all those are irrelevant! If you stand in the way of my duty, I’ll kill the both of you too!”

Brigit aimed the muzzle of her rifle at Kizuna’s face. Himekawa laid her hands on her sword’s hilt.

“Don’t move! If you move even a millimeter more than that, I’ll pull the trigger.”

“Kuh……!!”

Himekawa kept her grip on the hilt, she looked at Kizuna as if looking for an anwer.

Bead of sweat emerged on Kizuna’s forehead.

‘――This damn girl, she completely lost her sanity. Shit-, what should I do!?’

Brigit’s finger that was in contact with the trigger lost strength.

“……What’s, this…”

Brigit murmured to herself.

――!?

A hand grew out from Brigit’s chest.

It was an arm clad in armor. At the tip of its fingers, a small metallic lump was held.

‘――That’s, Heart Hybrid Gear’s, Core?’

The arm returned to inside the chest and vanished. The mysterious thing, was that there was no hole opened on Brigit’s chest, and so there was also not a single drop of blood coming out.

Brigit fell down like a doll with its string severed.

“Kizuna-kun……did something, happen?”

A timid voice could be heard in answer of that question.

“Err……I took out the Core……from inside the body of that girl. Because I thought, that at that rate…..e, everyone would be……killed.”

From the other side of the smoke that was raised by the flame, two shadows of people turned up. One of the shadows was a tall female with slender body that was equipped in armor. That arm of hers was the one that grew out from Birgit’s chest. Her fingertips were holding a piece of metal.”

“As expected, the user will die if the Core is extracted. I got a good data.”

Then a voice of one more person came.

‘I, know this voice.

I won’t be able to forget it, even if I try, this voice.’

That figure appeared from the other side of the smoke. That person was putting on a coat like a doctor’s white robe, she had white skin and long black hair. She looked really similar with Reiri, a young beautiful woman.

“Long time no see isn’t it, Kizuna.”

――Hida Nayuta.

The mother of Kizuna.

Afterword

The [Hybrid HeartMasou Gakuen HxH] finally reached the third volume!

Nooow then, the heroine this time is――even without any time for such story, it’s now already the afterword of the end that is mostly for notice and thanks! Every times, I just managed to fit the page barely!

If right now I’m asked what is the thing that I want the most?, I’ll answer page number!

But thanks to stuffing a lot in this volume, I’m glad I could recover Yurishia’s suggestive talk, or a part of the foreshadowing. New types of Heart Hybrid Gear and magic armor also came out a lot. There are a lot like [Ros] or [El] something, but actually each series has their own characteristics. That is……oops, the page number is not enough.

Next, new characters from Masters also came out, but the world is wide. There are also other aces in each country that drive their Heart Hybrid Gear. I’m thinking that if I can just introduce them sooner or later, so look forward to it!

The figurine that I notice you all previously, its illustration was displayed at One-Fes. It was the cat-ear Hayuru from first volume……that means? Understand, the one modeling it was Kizuna! Eh, you don’t understand what I mean? If you say that, you might understand after trying to by this book!

And then even more new information!

Wow, the drama CD’s launch from the Tsukuru (no) Mori-san was decided! The detail is right now in the middle of being focused on, so even if you ask in Twitter, I cannot answer anything you know! I’m looking forward what kind of casting it will be! Everyone too please try to predict it!

The realization of this kind of media mix is also thanks to the support of all of you readers. Everyone that was always giving support in Twitter or my blog or at Nikosei and so on! Thank you very much! The development of things like comicalization or anime might also be realized depending on everyone’s support!? I’m happy that this [Masou Gakuen HxH] is build up by everyone!

Well then, for the thanks. The sweet eros illustrator Hisasi-san, cool mega designer Kurogin-san, the editor in charge from Sneaker editing department, the proofreader, etc, etc, really thank you very much as always!

In the fourth volume we will plunge into an even more dangerous situation! In various meanings, look forward to it!

Well then, Eros!

Scarlet: This time I made a great contribution! Wait, why it’s even Yurishia in the next time announcement!?

Reiri: It’s the difference in breastbattle power. Rather than that next time the operation will be even harder you know. Rest your body sufficiently.

Scarlet: Tha, that’s also true. Then slowly together with Kizuna…….

References

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